30 Days and 30 Bites – Day 20

 I took a departure from baking again today to do some more decorating practice.  I have a friend whose son is having a birthday soon and she asked me to make the cake.  Her boy is a fan of the Mario Bros and is having a party with that theme.  Since I have never made Mario Bros figures before, I thought this would be a good place to practice.

Please ignore the colors!  This was a practice in MOLDING not in COLORING!  I really didn’t want to waste my icing colors on pieces that will never actually get to sit on a cake.  Especially since these need to be some pretty intense colors.  Bright red not pink, beige not brown (skin), black not blue (Bullet Bill) and I know Mario’s hair should be darker.  Those of you who color icing, you know how much it takes to make black and bright red!  So for all intensive purposes…pretend!

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For the most part it was just a matter of shaping the figures by rolling the fondant into balls and molding it the right way to make it look like the character.  I was able to take a few shortcuts.  To make the clouds I used a flower cookie cutter and cut the flower in half.  To make the bullet (which is blue here, not black) I used a football cookie cutter and just cut one end off.  Last but not least, of course, a square cookie cutter for the question mark block.  I know Mario looks like a monkey disguised as a trucker.  In my defense, I had problems with the fondant being a little too malleable when I made him.  The balls that create his head and body kept sinking and making him way too short and fat. Easily remedied, but I wasn’t going to redo him tonight!

Overall, I am pretty happy with the little buggers and glad the first time making them went so well!  I know I need to get some play doh to practice or something, but a lot of my issues are usually just in how to make the FONDANT do what I want it to do.  It would be pointless to practice with something else that doesn’t act the exact same way.

Tags: Cake Decorating, Cakes, fondant, icing, Marissa

30 Days and 30 Bites – Day 19

Holy guacamole!!!  Stop the coffee cake presses!  We have done it again!  I have found a recipe that makes me say, “This is it!  This is the ultimate (insert recipe name here) recipe!!!  We need search no longer!”

Today for breakfast I made an amazingly fantastic, moist, tastefully wonderful coffee cake.  It was mouth watering good!  My husband and I couldn’t get through one bite with out murmuring how delectable it was!  If you like coffee cake, THIS is THE recipe to try!  I took some of the other peoples’ recommendations and doubled the amount of crumb topping.  I spooned half of the batter into the pan and covered it with half of the crumb mixture.  Then placed the other half of the batter in and the rest of the crumb mixture on top.  YUM!

Tags: Marissa

30 Days and 30 Bites – Day 18

Strawberry Shortbread Cookies.  Yes, shortbread, not shortcake.  We were looking for a cookie unlike the ones we usually eat.  You know, chocolate chip, peanut butter, sugar cookies.  Those usual ones.  The final choice became these strawberry shortbread cookies.  The Shortbread Cookies recipe was very easy to follow.  There are few ingredients, and most of you probably have it all on hand.  After mixing the dough I put it in my Pampered Chef Cookie Press.  This allows me to press the cookies out with a design.  I didn’t want to do the thumbprint style recommended in the recipe. 

Unfortunately, I learned after baking them that I probably should have just used the thumbprint version!  These cookies spread, a lot more than I thought they would, while they are baking.  This meant that the cookies really flattened out a lot and   the jam that was place in the middle kind of just went everywhere!

Luckily, that did not change how delicious they were!  At first I just enjoyed them.  I told my husband it was a good recipe, but I would probably keep looking for another one that is better.  But then I kept eating them, and eating them, and eating them!  I have eaten so many of these cookies now I don’t even want to think about the actual number!  They are highly addictive!  I don’t think I would do this one in the cookie press again because it was quite a thick batter and proved difficult to push through the press.

30 Days and 30 Nights – Day 17

Instead of an evening of experimenting with recipes, I decided to take tonight to start practicing some technique.  I have kind of been putting off dealing with icing…fondant in particular.  It isn’t the quick and easy recipe like the cookies I have been making recently.  It takes time, messiness, and a decent amount of work.  Quite frankly, a lot has been going on and I haven’t really been interested in investing that sort of time in my baking ventures.

Luckily, I had some leftover fondant from the cake I baked for the fourth of July, so I was a HUGE step ahead of the game!  I popped a batch of cupcakes in the oven, butter recipe.  I didn’t have enough fondant to decorate all of them so I put half of the cooled cupcakes in the freezer to decorate again in the next couple of days.

I used a couple of my kids’ drinking cups to cut the right size circles out of the fondant and place them over the cupcakes.  I do need to point out that I wasn’t 100% correct yesterday.  I did need to use some crisco on my Pampered Chef cutting mat today.  The fondant wasn’t sticking a lot, just enough to need something. 

I have a couple of cutouts in various shapes and used them to cut stars, hearts, etc.  Usually, I try to make something all super complicated and end up wanting to throw my creation up against a wall.  This evening, my aim was to do a few simple things and just try to make the cupcakes look cute.

I think I was successful and it was a pretty quick process.  They aren’t anything extravagent, but I thought they were cute.  I think next time I make some fondant I am going to make enough to save for a later project.  It keeps well in the frige for three weeks.

30 Days and 30 Bites – Day 16

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

I hope everyone is having a terrific day celebrating the independence of our wonderful country!  I would like to take a minute to thank all of the service men and women who work so hard to maintain that independence for us and afford us the liberties we often take for granted each day.  A special thanks to those who are away from their families while we celebrate such times.  You are always in our thoughts!

We have coordinated a block party on our street to celebrate the holiday.  We’re setting up tents and grilling, putting the sprinklers and games out for the kids, and waving glow sticks and setting off fireworks.  I am expecting it to be a blast!  Since it is a block party we told everyone to bring their own meat to grill and drinks to drink and a side or dessert to share with the group.  Naturally, I will be bringing a dessert!  Yay!  I don’t have to know on people’s doors to hand out my baked goods for the day!  I can just bring it to the party!

Cake before baking it

I thought a lot about what to do for this fun event and decided on a watermelon shaped cake.  I also chose to try to make the inside watermelon flavor too.  I made a watermelon pound cake that I adapted from another fruit flavored poundcake.  The recipe calls for the actual fruit, not an artificial flavor.  The hardest part was the fact that watermelon is SO juicy.  I tried to take account for that in advance by draining the watermelon and then letting paper towels soak up some more of the liquid before putting them into the recipe.  This certainly seemed to help, but the cake was still INCREDIBLY moist.  I was a little bummed about this because I was hoping to stand the cake up on its side so it would look like a slice of watermelon standing on its rind.  Unfortunately, I think the integrity of the structure was too comprimised!

"Red" icing for the middle of the watermelon

 I decided to keep the watermelon laying flat on its side.  Here I have started with the fondant icing.  First I covered the cake with a crumb layer of buttercream icing that I dyed with red food coloring.  I always use the rolled marshmallow fondant because people continue to tell me time and time again how much better it tastes.  It is definitely more work because of how sticky the marshmallows are, but worth it!  I didn’t want to waste fondant, so I only laid the “red” part of the watermelon exactly where it would be showing, rather than covering the whole cake.  It also drapes down in the front of the cake.

 I rolled the green fondant out into a straight line about four inchese thick and covered the edge of the cake with it.  I did all of the rolling and measuring on my AWESOME new “gadget” that I got for my birthday…a Pampered Chef pastry mat!  Thanks Jen!  It has changed my world of rolling out fondant!!!  I didn’t have to use any cornstarch or even crisco to keep the fondant from sticking to the surface I was working on.  Usually I am fighting with the dang icing the entire time and using everything I can to keep it from sticking!  It made it so easy to measure how much I need to roll out and to cut the circle to do the red part of the watermelon.  I will never be able to go back to working with fondant without it again.  Since its Pampered Chef, I am also sure it will last forever.  I am so THRILLED! 

To finish the cake off, I used chocolate chips as the seeds on the watermelon.  Just stuck them in the cake in a few places and TA-DA!  Fourth of July Watermelon Cake!  Have a great one!

30 Days and 30 Bites – Day 14

Today I am going to introduce you to the best oatmeal raisin cookies in the world.  I know, that is a pretty serious statement.  So far, no one has been able to argue it, or prove me wrong!  They are soft, moist, chewy little parties in your mouth!

My husband’s favorite cookie is oatmeal raisin.  He didn’t approve of the recipe I have been using for the last ten years!  So, at the beginning of last year we started a hunt for the ULTIMATE oatmeal raisin cookie.  Afterall, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, right?    I tried one oatmeal recipe after another.  Some were basic, like the ones straight off the container of oats.  Others were a little more wacky, using ingredients that should never be put in oatmeal cookies!  One recipe called for an entire cup of honey used to sweeten the cookie instead of sugar.  BLEH!!!  Six people ate those cookies and would not eat more than one bite.  Some even spit the first bite out!

Then came this fabulous recipe!  I cannot even tell you where I got it from.  Whatever link I found sent me to a page that looked like it was typed up in Notepad or on a typewriter.  Very simple ingredients, simple directions, and very simple to remember.  It is the only recipe I have memorized in my life, I have baked them so many times! 

Without further ado, here they are, the best Darn Oatmeal Raisin Cookies in the World!  Try them!  I promise you will not be disappointed!

Best Darn Oatmeal Raisin Cookies in the World!

2 c. flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 c. granulated sugar
1 c. dark brown sugar packed (I have also used light brown sugar and not noticed a difference)
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 c. raisins (craisins are good too)
3 c. rolled oats (not instant)
  
Cream sugar and softened butter in mixer.  Add brown sugar and eggs, mix.  Add dry ingredients (I put them all in the mixer at the same time and then mix): flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and mix until blended.  Add vanilla and mix.  Add raisins, mix.  Add oats, mix.  Drop by rounded scoops (I use a 3 tablespoon scoop) onto a greased baking sheet.  Bake at 350 for 11-13 minutes. 

30 Days and 30 Nights – Day 13

I know I have missed the last couple of days of posting, but that doesn’t mean I have not been baking!  This holiday weekend started early for me with trips to places like Williamsburg and the winery over there, Virginia Beach to meet up with friends, and a good old fashioned block party on our own street.  I am still going to put the proper dates on these next couple of posts though as I catch back up so I can be sure I’m hitting all the numbers properly!

30D30B continued on day 13 with a batch of Macadamia Nut Cookies.  I have mentioned more than once that I don’t really care for nuts, but I feel like I am supposed to be covering all of my bases while I do this whole baking challenge.  Just as in at least one previous post, I have forced myself to try the cookies with the nuts in them and actually liked them a lot!  The taste of these cookies was absolutely phenomenal.  I didn’t realize how I guess, sweet? macadamia nuts were.  Or there is something else that separates them from other nuts.  That must be the same thing that makes them cost twice as much too!!!

It is at this point I must say I will probably not make this recipe again.  You guys know how I like my cookies, right?  Soft, chewy, fluffy, cake-like goodness.  These cookies were NOT them.  Warm out of the oven they were…WOW!  In less than five minutes they were crazy crunchy.  Luckily we had a friend over who likes her cookies that way and they took several bags!  So, if you like crunchy cookies, these are definitely for you.  I, however, will still be on a search for the right macadamia nut cookie recipe!

30 Days and 30 Nights – Day 12

The LAST thing I wanted to do tonight was bake.  Do you ever have those days?  Not necessarily baking, of course, but anything?  I had such a great day – went to the dentist (only great because it is over with), fixed my car, ran errands, took a 7 mile bike ride, ate dinner out, and walked the dogs for a mile.  So, as the clock ticked past 10:00pm, the baking I had neglected all day still lay looming ahead of me.  Ugh.  Okay, I know, who really has a ticking clock anymore? 

I also just threw out two chocolate bombs, a slice (big) of the banana split cake, and made my husband eat the last of the 7 layer Italian cookies.  Good grief!  This is the first time I have had to throw anything out.  It is a good thing I am so close with so many of my neighbors, or I would feel like I was wasting too much good food!

But still, a challenge is a challenge.  So onward goes my 30D30B!  I must admit, I did my best to keep it simple tonight.  For me, first this meant it would be a cookie night.  Alas, I am so tired of the basic hum drum cookie recipe.  I am already plotting to steal Aunt F’s cookie recipe for jelly filled shortbreads because this is my hubb’s other favorite treat.  Unfortunately, I think that plan might have to involve black masks, flashlights, lock picking, tying people up to wooden chairs, and gagging them for several hours.  We’ll see how it unfolds.

So I went to my fail safe: Google.  Which brought me to another fail safe: Martha Stewart.  Oh Martha, how I love thee.  Let me count the ways….one pound, two pounds, three pounds more!

MarthStewart.com had a scrumptious looking recipe for Chocolate-Glazed Pumpkin Cookies.  I know it isn’t close to Thanksgiving, in fact the absolute opposite time of year for this type of hearty cookie, but it. looked. good!  Mmmm.  I also happened to have all of the ingredients on hand, so that helped a lot.  AND I happen to love anything pumpkin!  It obviously had everything going for it, the recipe that is.

I geared up at 10 o’clock to start baking a recipe that said it would take one and a half hours from start to finish.  Not too shabby since I slept in until 11:00 this morning!  First thing to note is I did NOT get the 3 1/2 dozen cookies the recipe claims to produce.  I never do though, so this is no surprise.  Am I the only person on this planet who likes HUGE cookies?  I didn’t even manage two dozen out of the recipe – 22 to be exact.  I used my trusty Pampered Chef Large Scoop which is a 3 tbsp scoop.  The recipe called for spooning the dough onto the cookie sheet as a “heaping tablespoon.”  Mine were way better.  I just know it! :)

Naturally, I had to split a cookie with my hubby, let’s call him Big D from now on, as soon as they came out of the oven…sans chocolate.  The cakey cookie was pretty good on its own.  Nothing to jump up and down about or anything though.  It had a fantastic pumpkin after taste though, so it would be very easy to sit down and eat the whole batch.  They were also an amazing consistency.  Very light and fluffy, and as I already said, cakey.  Exactly how I like my cookies.  I do not like to crunch into a cookie.  I shiver at the thought!

Waiting for the cookies to cool so I could glaze them was tough.  But don’t worry, I made it happen and it was WORTH IT!  The chocolate topping totally made the cookie and was a wonderful thought by whomever created it!  I have now eaten more of these than any of the other 11 goods I have baked in this challenge.  Time to pass them on to the neighbors!

30 Days and 30 Bites – Day 11

I have done it!  I have officially made my husband the happiest man ever!  Supposedly.  And with only a few minor changes he has requested.  I KNOW!  He is so difficult! :)  I also think I would have made my Italian MIL proud today too.

I spent about 9.5 hours working on my labor of love today.  Of course, there were breaks in between, but 9.5 from start to finish.  All the blood, sweat and tears went into my first time cooking 7 Layer Italian Cookies.  Apparently, if you are Italian and/or from New York, you know what these are.  I had never heard of them before.  My husband has sung their praises since we first started dating.  As is already known, we spent the last weekend in NY and NJ visiting friends and family.  Hubs made the point to search out an italian cookie so I could taste it for the first time. 

First of all, the name bothers the heck out of me.  They are not cookies.  They are a cake.  Certainly no normal cake, but still, cake.  It is a cake made with almond paste and a lot of eggs and butter.  You bake the cake in three layers and between them, layer apricot preserves.  Then put a layer of chocolate on the top and bottom.  If only it were really that easy (okay, it really wasn’t THAT hard)!

I do, though, only recommend making these yourself if you 1) LOVE them and everything else almond flavored in this world 2) Have an Italian husband who LOVES them. 

I searched through the recipes online and found a fantastic one with step by step directions at epicurious.com, so I am not going to put too many details here.  However, I want to include a few things and pictures of what I encountered on the way.

After following the directions of how to mix the cake, the recipe calls for you to spread each of the portions out on a piece of buttered wax paper in a 9 x 13 pan.  First – I forgot to butter the wax paper literally EVERY time and had to redo it.  What a waste of wax paper!  Then, I definitely used the wrong spatula to spread the batter.  The one pictured is the correct style to use!   Then, this picture here was taken before I put the pan in the oven.  Well, I was having a serious moment and forgot to take the spatula out of the pan before putting it in the oven.  It baked exactly like you see in the picture!  Woops!!!  I was able to salvage it though. Since it was a metal spatula, it didn’t do too much harm!

Next, the recipe calls for you to layer the cake with the apricot preserves.  That was my husband’s first problem…I didn’t heat and strain the preserves and he said the cookie tasted more like apricot than it should.  Sorry babe!  I promise not to cut corners next time!  After layering, you are supposed to wrap the combined cake in plastic wrap and put it in the frige for at least 8 hours.  To keep the layers even it is recommended that you weight the cake.  I put a 9 x 13 pan on top of the wrapped cake and placed a bunch of cans in it to weigh the cake down.  It worked perfectly.  The cake came out nice and compact and even.

  This is what the cake looked like after it was set and I trimmed the edges, right before adding the chocolate.  This brings me to Hubb’s second problem.  He was not happy with the use of bittersweet chocolate and thinks it should be milk chocolate.  I think he’s wrong.  I am fairly sure the one I tried up North was made with bittersweet.  I’ll try milk chocolate next time to make him happy though!

Last, but not least, the final product!  The cakes were very yummy, very almond and apricot tasting, and very 7 layer Italian Cookie!  Good luck if you take this on and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

30 Days and 30 Nights – Day 10

My neighbor, S, used the best words to describe tonight’s delectable…silky and smooth.  I managed to come up with my creation tonight all on my own!  The taste sensations you get while eating it are phenomenal!  My husband didn’t necessarily agree.  Don’t get me wrong, he liked it.  It just was not one of his top items that I have cooked in the last ten days (I’m still trying to find something to top the chocolate bombs from the other day).  It’s a shame, actually, because I was inspired by a creation of his own.  Often times when we go to the ice cream shop my hubbs gets some sort of mixture involving chocolate, strawberries and bananas.  I thought, what could be yummier than a cake with those ingredients?

I decided for my first attempt to make a chocolate cake with strawberry frosting and banana filling.  I kept it simple and used a chocolate mix for the cake.  Triple chocolate to be exact.  For the strawberry frosting I mixed four cups of confectioners sugar with 1/2 cup butter, softened.  I then mixed in 2 cups of frozen strawberries.  I did all of this in my food processor, so it cut the berries up nicely.  I did the same with the banana filling, but cut the recipe in half – two bananas, 1/4 cup butter, and 2 cups powdered sugar.

I cooked the cake in two 8 inch rounds.  After they cooled, I spread the banana filling between the cakes and covered the entire cake with the strawberry icing.  Then, I placed slices of bananas all over the top of the cake.

Okay, so now for the first thing I would change.  MORE BANANAS!  Next time, I will put another layer of sliced bananas between the two cakes as well.  I like bananas, but I don’t love bananas.  This cake, however, is awesome based on the combination of chocolate and bananas.  Wow! 

Now, there were also some problems I need to iron out.  Since the strawberry icing was made with frozen strawberries, it had a decent spreadable consistency.  HOWEVER, almost as soon as it was on the cake, it started slowly drooping off like the skin on a bull dog!  There was nothing I could do to stop it from falling off the cake.  I tried refrigerating it, and even froze the banana filling…that was REALLY liquid-y (used a fresh banana).  So, I suppose I need to try and make it more of a buttercream consistency with the shortening?  Yep, that’s a question.  Any recommendations?

For once though, I really didn’t care how it looked because it was SOOOOOOOOOOOO good!  Definitely a recipe worth messing around with!  Strawberry cake with chocolate frosting and banana filling?  Banana cake with chocolate filling and strawberry icing?  I want to go make another one right now just thinking about it!