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Sunday, October 31
Competitive Eating - 1 Gallon of Ice Cream
Tuesday, October 26
Birthday Cake and Stand Mixers
It was my birthday on Friday! My lovely friend Amy came to visit and spent the night, and on Saturday morning I made myself a cake for Sunday's celebration with my family. I originally wanted to make this chocolate opera cake, but it would have been far too time consuming to undertake without a stand mixer... which I didn't own until Sunday afternoon!
For my birthday I really wanted just one thing - a Kitchenaid stand mixer. And I got one! (Reference: See picture above) A 5 quart mixer in pistachio (which I really think should be renamed mint green). Words just can't equate how happy I am - every time I walk into the kitchen it makes me smile :) and now I can cross it off the list!
Oh yeah, so back to the birthday cake. Since I didn't have a mixer yet, I wanted something impressive but not too labor-intensive. I decided to go with Deb (smitten kitchen)'s chocolate peanut butter cake. The only change I made was to use a tad more chocolate in the peanut butter chocolate glaze... making it more of a ganache than a glaze, really.
The cake was delicious. The peanut butter doesn't overwhelm the delicate chocolate cake layers, and the semisweet ganache ties everything together. Birthday cake success!
Oh, and if you're wondering what I first made in my new mixer....
Marbled Brownies
They're kind of addictive. The kitchen smelled so sweet while they were in the oven! The true test of the stand mixer will be chocolate chip cookie dough though. I mean, I know it can handle it, but I'm curious to see if the cookies made in the mixer bake up differently than the ones I mix by hand. It's a project I may undertake tonight, after Shawn's done making dinner (sausage & peppers & onion)!
I'll let you know how my little 'experiment' turns out!
Wednesday, October 20
Herb & Garlic Dinner Rolls
My contribution to Saturday night's dinner were homemade herb & garlic dinner rolls. I've tackled yeast doughs on a few occasions before, so the technique and all the waiting is nothing new to me, but these are the first fancy looking rolls I've made!
1 1/4 cups bread flour, + more to work into dough
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon combination of dried herbs: oregano, basil, thyme
- Stir together the yeast and 1 1/4 cups of flour.
- In a saucepan heat and stir together milk, sugar, butter, salt, garlic and herbs until the mixture is warm to the touch and the butter melts - about 120 to 130 degrees. (You don't want it to be too hot because the heat will kill the yeast.)
- Add the milk mixture to the flour and yeast. Stir it all together, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go, until it all comes together and starts to form a sticky dough.
- Gradually add more flour in (I added about an extra cup or so total) until the dough becomes workable.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic (about 6 to 8 minutes) It should feel smooth in your hands and no longer be sticky.
- Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl, turning it to coat all sides. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Punch the dough down and turn it out again onto a lightly flour surface.
- Divide the dough in half, then cover and let it rest another 10 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly grease a baking sheet with oil.
Ok, here's where it gets a little fancy. Feel free to bake these off as round rolls (just portion them out and let them rest on the baking sheet for half an hour before baking them), but if you'd like to make the knot rolls:
- Divide each portion of the dough into smaller pieces, however many you'd like - I got 16 rolls out of mine. Then roll each piece into a 12-inch long rope.
- Tie each rope into a loose knot, like a pretzel, leaving two long ends.
- Tuck the end on the top under the knot and the end on the bottom into the top center of the knot.
- Place rolls about two inches apart on your greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm place until they've just about doubled in size, it took about a half hour for me.
- If you'd like a brioche-like brown and shiny crust, brush the rolls with a little milk or melted butter. I originally intended to brush the tops of mine, but forgot to in the whole proofing process, and they came out looking just fine regardless!
- Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes (the rolls should sound hollow when lightly tapped) Immediately remove them from the pan and cool on wire racks.
Indulge while they're warm! The flavors really come together once they've cooled down a bit though.
These were really delicious! I even froze a few of them to bake them off the next day and they were just as tasty as the first batch. Expect to see more bread recipes, for sure!
Tuesday, October 19
Saturday Night Dinner Party
I hope you all had an enjoyable weekend; ours was both enjoyable and more eventful than usual! Saturday night my friend Alina and her boyfriend Ryan came to visit us for the first time! We had our first small dinner party in the apartment - Alina made stuffed bell peppers, I made some herb&garlic dinner rolls, Ryan took the awesome photos that you see in this post, and Shawn took it easy for the night and enjoyed not having to cook.
tomatoes, mozzarella & basil + tabbouleh - 2009
Alina and I have known each other since our early high school days. We met during lunch period freshman year, and then we had Biology together sophomore year (where we made homemade yogurt to the tunes of Madonna and we also dissected a fetal pig together!) and we've been friends ever since! So you might not believe me when I tell you that she and Shawn had never met each other prior to Saturday night... I know, I'm ashamed. They've both known of one another for years, but Shawn's elusive and other things always got in the way. Or maybe it's me and I'm just an awful friend because I only see most of my friends about two or three times a year... I think that's just what happens to everyone over time though.
double couple trouble! oh, so corny.
It was also the first time Shawn and I met Alina's boyfriend Ryan - he's such a nice guy! And his camera puts both Shawn's and mine to shame.
Alina stuffed the peppers with ground beef and rice, then topped them off with some shredded cheddar and jack cheese. Then she filled the pans with diced tomatoes and green chilies, a little olive oil and some water - this made the peppers so incredibly soft and moist when they finally came out of the oven over an hour later!
Our kitchen table is only big enough for the two of us, so we gathered around the coffee table in the living room instead - no one seemed to complain. It was a late night because after getting stuck in traffic and making a trip to the grocery store, we still had to wait for the peppers to cook, but we had some great wine and some herb&garlic bread rolls while we waited. Thanks to great friends, delicious food, and good times, our weekend was a hit!
Saturday, October 16
Did someone say "Food Recap"?
Sometimes you need less words, more pictures! We'll start with what I'm good at and work our way through Shawn's awesome dinners from the past week!
Mini s'mores tart - graham cracker crust, shaved chocolate, marshmallows, more shaved chocolate - and then you throw it in the oven to melt the marshmallows, and right back into the fridge to solidify the tasty goodness again.
Marine makes perfect pancakes!
Shawn's first-ever meatloaf, served with mashed potatoes and stuffing. You wouldn't even know it was his first time making meatloaf!
Mini grilled cheese sandwiches...
.... and homemade hot wings...
... equals an awesome Football Sunday Dinner!
And on another night, homemade fishsticks, rice, heirloom tomatoes and sweet peppers - yum!
Also, our friend Christine introduced us to Virgil's Rootbeer - it's micro brewed! And it's the greatest rootbeer ever! Beats any rootbeer I've ever had prior to this straight out of the bush (and I'm really not a fan of rootbeer!)
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Mini s'mores tart - graham cracker crust, shaved chocolate, marshmallows, more shaved chocolate - and then you throw it in the oven to melt the marshmallows, and right back into the fridge to solidify the tasty goodness again.
Marine makes perfect pancakes!
Shawn's first-ever meatloaf, served with mashed potatoes and stuffing. You wouldn't even know it was his first time making meatloaf!
Mini grilled cheese sandwiches...
.... and homemade hot wings...
... equals an awesome Football Sunday Dinner!
And on another night, homemade fishsticks, rice, heirloom tomatoes and sweet peppers - yum!
Also, our friend Christine introduced us to Virgil's Rootbeer - it's micro brewed! And it's the greatest rootbeer ever! Beats any rootbeer I've ever had prior to this straight out of the bush (and I'm really not a fan of rootbeer!)
Friday, October 15
College Girl's "F**K List"
I am not a conservative person. I like to "cut it loose" every once in a while. But I do believe we, as humans, should have a code of ethics. I thought radio and television use to abide by a code of ethics.
One of the problems in America is the lack of ETHICS.
The following link is a perfect example of a lack of ethics.
The article is about a "project" that a Duke College Student worked on during her time at school.
"The F**K List"
When Marine showed me this article the other morning I was livid.
I was so ticked off, way to ticked off for that early in the morning.
I just couldn't believe some one could be so full of themselves to do such a thing.
The first thing that annoys me is that this girl is a WHORE.
What self respecting woman would do this???
I know that the porn industry makes tons of money each year,
and that people have multiple sex partners.
But that is THEIR private information.
Your sex life should not be displayed for anyone,
unless you plan to make money off of it.
aka.. the porn industry.
and those people know exactly what they are doing.
So the fact that she did this with all athletes and possible future stars makes this girl a WHORE.
She slept with that many people for the sake of making money.
I do not buy the fact she did this for her future lower class mates / sorority gal pals.
this WHORE did this project to get MONEY.
She knew full well that in this depraved society, some dirt bag publisher would publish her "book".
America eats this shit up like sugar. She saw a business plan and went with it.
(which I have to admire, cause that is the American Spirit )
But the facts stand. The girl is a WHORE for attention and money.
I wonder what her parents think of her.
Her father must be so proud that his hard earned money was spent on such a "project".
Im sure in the local supermarket all the other housewives snicker at Mrs. "Fuck List".
They laugh and say things like, "There goes the mother of "that" whore from Duke."
I'm sure this is not what the girls parents had in mind when they sent their little girl away to DUKE.
DUKE, though you may be one of those top schools...it seems your students are taking way too much advantage of "student life" and not their academic studies.
I'm sure this activity violates your school's code of ethics that most college students sign at the beginning of their college career. (Remember that giant stack of forms you filled out?)
I'm sure that there are some people out there, who actually go to college to learn something.
But it seems like over-all, "social networking" and partying take priority to actual schooling.
For example, just the other day at my friend's house, a student at one of the local colleges went to class after having 3 gin and tonics and who knows how many beers.
Oh, and she drove there.
These college "kids" aren't all that smart as they??
I just think America needs to stop buying into the illusions.
Our children are doing things that are fucking themselves up at college.
Mentally and Physically.
Mentally and Physically.
My good friend who went to a Tech School in Florida got himself messed up on Pain Killers.
WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON WITH OUR YOUTH??
We send our kids to school for education and this is the kind of stuff that happens.
We have allowed media and advertising to do this to us.
The hype machine says, "this is cool" or "this is how you make quick money."
and the people do it.
Just like this whore from Duke.
Again. Let's thank Alcohol for turning our nation's little girls into Dirty Whores.
I hope she gets a big book deal.
So she can get sued for all that she is worth.
I am just so angry about this!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Tuesday, October 12
Inspiration Filled Tuesday
This morning we watched Julie & Julia for the first time. Numerous people have told me I needed to see this film because they thought I would relate to it, and the whole being French and baking thing aside, it took finally seeing the movie to understand why.
The movie is funny and touching and all sorts of nice things, especially the scenes in Paris and all the delicious looking French cuisine. Julia Child's story was well played and fairly spot-on, but it's Julie's story that touched me. It reminded me of where I came from - I started my first blog, The Sweet Tooth Blog, a couple of years ago when I had hit a rut in my life and wasn't sure what to do with myself or my free time. So I decided to start baking simple recipes every day and blog about it. I maintained the blog for over a year and with it gained a huge repertoire of recipes, and most importantly, developed my passion for baking. This growing passion led to me applying for and attaining a job as a pastry cook at the Pluckemin Inn for a year and a half. And it followed me to Philly, where I now bake my own variety of coffeeshop type pastries for happy hungry customers. It was nice to be reminded of where I started, and it makes me appreciate where I'm headed.
Want to take a look inside my head a little bit? Take a peek at how I jot down recipes - I break them down to the basics - it's the only way they make sense to me anymore, I'll even rewrite ones from cookbooks because I think all the wordiness is unnecessary once you're familiar with a recipe or technique. Some of my handwritten recipes even only have the ingredients listed at this point and no directions whatsoever. At least I don't have to worry about anyone stealing my secret recipes!
Starting the day off with a movie about what I love doing most put me into baking mode for the rest of the day. I finally put that peanut flour I bought from Trader Joe's to use! I just went with it and made some peanut blondies with dark chocolate ganache. Just pictures for now, but I'll share the recipe next time; they are de-licious.
Oh, peanut flour! You smell just like... peanut butter! But you have the consistency of all-purpose flour!
Mmmmm....
I also made lemon bars because Shawn's been requesting some and we finally had some lemons in the house. The picture isn't great, but to be honest neither are the lemon bars. I always have trouble finding the right crust-to-lemon ratio in my lemon bars. And the crust was too flaky this time- I think I overworked the dough. But Shawn will eat them regardless!
On a side note, we know it's not Halloween yet, and we apologize for the scariness of the next picture, but it's actually just us on a lazy Tuesday afternoon, after realizing that blue M&Ms are the only color M&Ms that leave a stain. Shawn's hands were covered in blue, and I was amused by our tainted tongues. The blue bathroom is only fitting.
It's been a good week so far and we're doing well on posting for October, so we'll try to keep them coming! I have another post coming up that highlights some more tasty meals we've had lately. Shawn made meatloaf and hot wings last week... so stay tuned for photos!
The movie is funny and touching and all sorts of nice things, especially the scenes in Paris and all the delicious looking French cuisine. Julia Child's story was well played and fairly spot-on, but it's Julie's story that touched me. It reminded me of where I came from - I started my first blog, The Sweet Tooth Blog, a couple of years ago when I had hit a rut in my life and wasn't sure what to do with myself or my free time. So I decided to start baking simple recipes every day and blog about it. I maintained the blog for over a year and with it gained a huge repertoire of recipes, and most importantly, developed my passion for baking. This growing passion led to me applying for and attaining a job as a pastry cook at the Pluckemin Inn for a year and a half. And it followed me to Philly, where I now bake my own variety of coffeeshop type pastries for happy hungry customers. It was nice to be reminded of where I started, and it makes me appreciate where I'm headed.
Want to take a look inside my head a little bit? Take a peek at how I jot down recipes - I break them down to the basics - it's the only way they make sense to me anymore, I'll even rewrite ones from cookbooks because I think all the wordiness is unnecessary once you're familiar with a recipe or technique. Some of my handwritten recipes even only have the ingredients listed at this point and no directions whatsoever. At least I don't have to worry about anyone stealing my secret recipes!
Starting the day off with a movie about what I love doing most put me into baking mode for the rest of the day. I finally put that peanut flour I bought from Trader Joe's to use! I just went with it and made some peanut blondies with dark chocolate ganache. Just pictures for now, but I'll share the recipe next time; they are de-licious.
Oh, peanut flour! You smell just like... peanut butter! But you have the consistency of all-purpose flour!
Mmmmm....
I also made lemon bars because Shawn's been requesting some and we finally had some lemons in the house. The picture isn't great, but to be honest neither are the lemon bars. I always have trouble finding the right crust-to-lemon ratio in my lemon bars. And the crust was too flaky this time- I think I overworked the dough. But Shawn will eat them regardless!
On a side note, we know it's not Halloween yet, and we apologize for the scariness of the next picture, but it's actually just us on a lazy Tuesday afternoon, after realizing that blue M&Ms are the only color M&Ms that leave a stain. Shawn's hands were covered in blue, and I was amused by our tainted tongues. The blue bathroom is only fitting.
It's been a good week so far and we're doing well on posting for October, so we'll try to keep them coming! I have another post coming up that highlights some more tasty meals we've had lately. Shawn made meatloaf and hot wings last week... so stay tuned for photos!
"The Happy Meal"
While on yahoo.com I came across this article about a project.
This project, which is also an experiment, is being performed by New Yorker Sally Davies.
The importance of this project can only compare to "the original fast food test":
Placing a tooth in a dish of Coca Cola Classic.
We all know that Coca Cola Classic dissolves your teeth after prolonged exposure.
Coca Cola Classic destroys enamel, which CAN NOT regenerate.
At least, that is what the dentists say,
So that they can sell you Enamel Protecting Tooth Paste.
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But those of us who enjoy Coca Cola don't really care.
People all over the world still love the Tooth Decaying Tastiness that is Coca Cola Classic.
Don't worry Pepsi, I enjoy your fine Cola product as well.
I'm certain that your Cola can dissolve teeth just as well as Coke's can.
But wait!
Now there is a new "study" that we should take some interest in.
Sally Davies has currently been photographing a McDonald's happy meal for 180 consecutive days.
She has let this happy meal sit out in her living space.
Each day taking a photo of it.
Watching it.
Waiting.
(This is the Flickr Album where you can find her photos of the project.)
But what has she found out from her project so far?
But what has she found out from her project so far?
"The only change that I can see is that it has become hard as a rock," Davies told the U.K. Daily Mail.
"The food is plastic to the touch and has an acrylic sheen to it."
This woman Sally Davies has opened a door!
I wonder if she was trying to open this door.
Because this says VOLUMES about what the McDonalds Company has become.
To think that this food substance does not naturally break down...
What kind of chemicals and preservatives are they putting into this so called "Happy Meal",
in order for NO mold to grow on it?
What startles me most is that Mcdonalds serves this product to our world's children.
Think about all the uwanted and uneaten portions being thrown away.
Those french fries,
and plastic cups,
and cardboard burger boxes,
and semi eaten "hamburger" patties,
not to mention all the broken stupid plastic toys,
that will end up sitting in a dump somewhere.
clearly not decaying.
clearly not decaying.
Is this really a "Happy Meal"?
A monkey can shit something more appetizing than that crap.
I finally know why it gives me diarrhea...
my body is trying to expel it from my system as fast as it can!
The human body is smart enough to recognize that McDonalds "food" is not real.
That, my friends, does not make for a "Happy Meal".
NOT AT ALL.
Monday, October 11
How We Spent Our Monday
Boys will be boys. Shawn's friend Justin came to visit today and they did some recording, then they played a few rounds of Halo 3 while munching on candies before heading over to their other friend's apartment to hang out for a few hours.
I can honestly say this is the first time I've had the apartment to myself for such an extended amount of time since we've moved in; since Shawn is still looking for a job he's always home before and after I get back from work, so we don't spend much time apart. It might seem strange to other people, but we actually enjoy each others' company, and we can spend time together without getting on each others' nerves! But I must admit, it is nice to have the whole place to myself for a few hours. But only for a few hours. After a while, it just feels empty and strange, and I don't know what to do with myself. I baked off some chocolate chip cookies, but I have no one to share them with.
Speaking of cookies, it's about time I show you guys my little trick! Every time I make cookies, I always have extra dough left over that I ball up and save for another day. Our friend Christine works at a restaurant and gave us a handful of handy plastic take-out containers that we use for food storage; they are perfect for cookies and most other things. Saving extra cookie dough like this allows me to easily bake off just a few cookies at a time days later - for that same fresh baked cookie taste but without the fuss of having to make the dough from scratch.
I also made some more dog treats before baking off cookies. I've been tooling around with my recipes to see if I can make them even healthier, and this was a successful attempt! I have three different types of treats to offer right now: peanut butter treats, pumpkin treats, and carrot, corn & oat treats. I'm working on a molasses cookie for my next type of treat.
Having guests over is always a good excuse to clean/organize! We cleaned up the apartment this morning in preparation for Justin's arrival - I did the dishes while Shawn vacuumed, we put away out summer shoes and hung some things we'd been meaning to put up on the walls - everything looked so neat afterwards! We're definitely not messy people, but it's always nice to walk into a completely uncluttered space. Here's a peek at our bedroom!
After all that cleaning, I made myself some tasty pesto tomato penne pasta for lunch; no photos of that but I did get a shot of Shawn's italian sub. There's an awesome pizza shop about a five minute walk from our apartment; they make delicious pizzas, and even tastier subs. Fresh veggies on top every single time.
So that was our Monday! Now Shawn's back home and we're munching on munchos and cheese puffs and watching Dancing With the Stars, which I must admit is surprisingly entertaining. A nice relaxing evening after a rather busy day. I'm not sure what's in store for tomorrow, other than the huge load of laundry that needs to be done!
I can honestly say this is the first time I've had the apartment to myself for such an extended amount of time since we've moved in; since Shawn is still looking for a job he's always home before and after I get back from work, so we don't spend much time apart. It might seem strange to other people, but we actually enjoy each others' company, and we can spend time together without getting on each others' nerves! But I must admit, it is nice to have the whole place to myself for a few hours. But only for a few hours. After a while, it just feels empty and strange, and I don't know what to do with myself. I baked off some chocolate chip cookies, but I have no one to share them with.
Speaking of cookies, it's about time I show you guys my little trick! Every time I make cookies, I always have extra dough left over that I ball up and save for another day. Our friend Christine works at a restaurant and gave us a handful of handy plastic take-out containers that we use for food storage; they are perfect for cookies and most other things. Saving extra cookie dough like this allows me to easily bake off just a few cookies at a time days later - for that same fresh baked cookie taste but without the fuss of having to make the dough from scratch.
I also made some more dog treats before baking off cookies. I've been tooling around with my recipes to see if I can make them even healthier, and this was a successful attempt! I have three different types of treats to offer right now: peanut butter treats, pumpkin treats, and carrot, corn & oat treats. I'm working on a molasses cookie for my next type of treat.
Having guests over is always a good excuse to clean/organize! We cleaned up the apartment this morning in preparation for Justin's arrival - I did the dishes while Shawn vacuumed, we put away out summer shoes and hung some things we'd been meaning to put up on the walls - everything looked so neat afterwards! We're definitely not messy people, but it's always nice to walk into a completely uncluttered space. Here's a peek at our bedroom!
After all that cleaning, I made myself some tasty pesto tomato penne pasta for lunch; no photos of that but I did get a shot of Shawn's italian sub. There's an awesome pizza shop about a five minute walk from our apartment; they make delicious pizzas, and even tastier subs. Fresh veggies on top every single time.
So that was our Monday! Now Shawn's back home and we're munching on munchos and cheese puffs and watching Dancing With the Stars, which I must admit is surprisingly entertaining. A nice relaxing evening after a rather busy day. I'm not sure what's in store for tomorrow, other than the huge load of laundry that needs to be done!
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