The Strawberry Cake

The other week, Handsome came home from the firehouse and he was all like "OmygoshyouhavetomakethiscakeIhadIatesomuchIfeelsickbutIwanttofeelthiswayagainpleasemakeithappen"And then so I was like "I don't know what you're talking about, please drop the southern for one hot second and speak like you were taught to pronounce all of your letters."

Not hating, just, you know, trying my best to make my yankee ears work.  I'm the deficient one here, I know it.

So he took a moment and then explained to me about this cake that someone brought into the fire department and how it was magical and he was forever changed and he doesn't know the recipe, but it didn't taste boxed, and he would like me to please make his dreams come true.  He thinks I can bake anything.  He's sweet that way.

The conversation got put on pause, and honestly, I kind of forgot about it.  Then Handsome comes home again today, and tells me that we're going to a birthday dinner, and would I like to make a cake?  Of course I would like to make a cake.  I love to make cakes.  Oh, and the cake has to be the strawberry one.  Because the birthday girl likes strawberry?  Oh no, he has no idea what she likes.  She could be allergic to strawberries for all he cares.  But he really wants me to try and recreate the cake that he tasted.

Oh, and we're meeting them for dinner in 2 hours.

So I googled, as any good maker of things does, and found this recipe, from addapinch.com.  And I was going to use it.  But instead, at the last minute, I thought of my gal Friday (whose name isn't Friday, not even a little bit) and how I've loved her cakes in the past.  I thought that perhaps she wouldn't lead me astray.  So I used the smitten kitchen's recipe.

It was a hit.
I would like it noted that I tried to do 2 layers, but Handsome said,
"In my head, its 3 high."
So 3 high it was.

Now, I'm not sure if this tastes the same as the cake that rocked his world.  And if its not, I'll keep trying recipes, like the one from addapinch.com, until I get it right.  But it was a darn good start!  And now we're off to Mexican food and a little fiesta, even if it is a school night!  We're rebels like that.

I would like to note that taking a cake to a restaurant is one of my very favorite ways to give a cake to someone.  You call ahead, talk to the management, and ask them to please store it in their refrigerator.  Tell them its a birthday, and when the meal is done, you'd like them to pretty please bring it out, along with plates and forks.  It might be helpful to specify that you'd like them to light the candles since *ahem* that isn't just assumed like I thought it would be.  But either way, its super special!

<3 M.

A Weekend Dessert:: S'mores Cheesecake

So... Handsome wants to be sorta healthy.  And there's a part of my that agrees with him.  However, the winingest part me wants to exercise my butt off so that I can eat whatever I want.  

I haven't been exercising my butt off.  AIMM, remember?  But I may or may not still be eating whatever I want... yes, most definitely.  And what I want to eat is this delicious cheesecake.  S'mores cheesecake.  Trust me.  You want to eat this, too.

I used this recipe for the filling, which is fantastic because its no-bake!  You do need about 3 hours for it to chill, and if you (hypothetically) start making your cheesecake only 1 1/2 hours before you need to have it somewhere, and you (hypothetically) stick it in your freeze to try and slow time down, you (hypothetically) might end up with a softer-than-its-supposed-to-be cake.  Hypothetically.

Baking and #instarecipes

I'm a mom-caller.  You know, one of those girls who calls her momma?  Sometimes, when I call my momma, and she doesn't answer, I leave her a message to the effect of, "MOM!  I need you!  I need you and you're not here!!"  She doesn't take me seriously.  I know this is going to come back to bite me, a la Peter & The Wolfe, but it's sort of a tradition now, and I don't think I'll stop.

ASIDE: Sometimes, when I call her, and she does answer, I sing to her.  Bohemian Rhapsody-style. "Mommmmaaaaaaaaa!  oooOOOooOOOOOO-oooh!"  She loves this, I'm sure of it.

This week, I called my momma, and she answered.  I didn't sing, but I did confess: I have a baking problem. She asked what my problem was, but that wasn't what I meant.  I meant, "My name is Mariah, and I have a baking problem."  On the day in question, I started out by making pancakes.

and if I had only stopped there, I would have been fine.  I mean really, they're ever generally healthy.  Look at that, Honey, some Whole Wheat Flour...  Greek yogurt even!  That's a decent breakfast.  But I didn't stop.  Nope.  I kept going.  Next on the list: Chewy Chocolate Molasses Cookies.  I wanted cookies like these, but couldn't find a recipe, so I adapted from here and here.  

Back At Home

Home.  Oh, I love a good home.  Even though there are many things I would love to change about our home (the popcorn ceilings, the overspray on the fireplace, the awkwardly shaped rooms...)I know that we have a pretty sweet situation here.  I am warm enough.  I am sheltered from wind and rain.  I get to watch birds flit around in the dogwoods at the front and back of the house.  I get to watch Duke go all Rambo-dog on the squierells that dare trespass on his lawn ("Stay off the grass!").  Our home is more than enough.

I love coming back home, most of all.  There's just something so quieting to my soul to be back in my regular spot, doing my regular things.  Traveling is great and all, and Phoenix was really really cool, but I love home best of all.

Since I was home and could, I baked yesterday.  Bread.  Like, the real stuff.  Sounds impressive, right?  Like maybe I should open up that bakery I talk about.  It's probably because of some great tips I know.  Like the fact that if your house is, say hypothetically, 66* because you refuse to turn on the heat, under-cabinet puck lights can really heat up a space for bread to rise.

It might be a fire hazard, but dang it, my bread rose!

Or that if you think you should take your rings off before kneading the dough, it's probably a good idea to do so before (1) you get unbelievably pregnant or (2) the under-cabinet puck lights heat the entire kitchen and your fingers respond accordingly...

Whoops.

And finally, a good recipe is everything.  Seriously, Mel, she's got it going on.  Kid tested, mom approved, the girl has never failed me yet.  Her bread recipe takes 2 hours, start to finish, but only about 15 minutes of active time.  AND IT'S DELICOUS.  As in, I may or may not have eaten an entire half-loaf yesterday.  Okay, 1/3 of a loaf... But try it yourself, and you'll understand!

Bird Cake/Bird Brain

Hey kids.  

Baking in progress

How you doing?

Nah, How Yoo Doin??

I hope you're doing well.  I'm pretty sure I'm doing well, but I'm in the middle of a sugar coma right now, and there's not much that I'm certain of at this point.  Example: I spelled "of" wrong, three different ways. You might not think it possible, but I found a way.  It's my own fault.  Since breaking the sweets fast at 1AM on Easter Sunday with a slice (or two) of Grapefruit Cheesecake, I've had

• 2 more slices of cheesecake
• 1 doughnut
• 2 1/2 cinnamon rolls
• 1 jelly bean
• 2 York Peppermint patties
• 1 heaping helping of chocolate cake
• thin mint icecream
• 2 chocolate bars
• 8 left-in-the-freezer-for-a-month chewy chocolate meringues

And that was just  yesterday.  I'm eating carrots right now, trying to find some sort of balance.  It's not working.  

Today, I bring you the Bird Cake (adapted from blissfully domestic), of which I've had a few nibbles, on top of my morning cinnamon roll and smoothie.  

I'm going to try and do a food-bloggy thing, where you get some pictures, and a nice recipe to follow at the bottom.   I don't know if it will work, I'm not really sure of what I'm doing.  But by golly, it's Cake Week, and I'm going to give it my best shot!

The Players:

Laying everything out, measured and ready, is called Mis en Place.
The pro's do it, because they're cool like that.
I do it so I only have to think at the beginning of the recipe.

Cake Week Voting Day 6 - The Finalists WINNER

**************

The Winning Cake: Rainbow Cake

submitted by: Hannah

***

Winning Voter from Day 6: 

 

Congrats JB!  You've put in good work all week, and it finally paid off!

(psst... send me your address so we can get the awesome prize pack from Delicate Fortress Creations sent to you!)

**************

And that, ladies & gents, is how the voting ends.  Next week, I'll be baking and baking,  giving away some more of these super cute towels from  Sharon from b.Haven 

On Sunday, I'll be making a cake of my choosing, which I'll tell you all about as soon as I decide on it!  Then the rest of the week is as follows:

When I Grow Up

I said recently that I didn't know why I was doing that thing I do.  You know, school, school, and more school.  Something else I know, is that the easy part of decision making is deciding what's wrong, or what isn't a good idea.  The hard part comes in when we try and come up with alternatives.

TCoTFW: I actually proposed a research project focusing on the different types of cognitive reasoning and how to produce the most understanding in students with all the different types of questions.  It was all good until I decided that teaching high school is not for me.  In no small part due to the fact that high school should be a compound word, in my opinion.

So, since I'm slightly less than thrilled about this current course of action (no doubt brought to the limelight by the fact that I'm entering yet another semester, and people keep asking, "How many years left?" and "What are you going to do when you're done?" and I don't have answers to either question.  "Quite a few." and "Who knows" are my answers right now.) I decided to entertain some alternatives.

OH MY GOSH IT TASTES LIKE A S'MORE!

I told you I'd let you know.  The S'more cookies?  They taste deliciously like S'mores.  Brilliant!

ASIDE: I originally wrote the title as all one word, but, well ... there's certain letter combinations that jump out at you if you do that, and it's not really anything close to what I was going for.  Don't believe me/understand?  Try it out on your computer.

ASIDE: And then I thought, "But Mariah, what if they don't have a computer?"  That's right.  People pay me to think, y'all.

Their sheer size tells you, these cookies are not for the feint of heart.  (faint?)

*ROAR*
Is there anything else to say for this photo?

Honest.  It. Tastes. Just. Like. S'mores.
AH-MAZING.

 Sharing the pictures because I'm eating the food,

TFW

Home Again Home Again Jiggity Jig

I've just decided, in the time it took me to write that title (and then in the long extended pause it took me to think of the word, "title") that I am going to share my favorite Christmas songs with you, each time I post.  A few months back I declared (mostly to myself) "There will be no post if there is no picture!"  Likewise, for the foreseeable Christmas season (which someone just informed me can legitimately last until January 6, something about 3 Kings Day or something), I again decree, "There will be no post if there is no song*!"

<3

Handsome is home again.  He did not kill Bambi's father, which is a source of sorrow for him, and probably a bit of relief for Bambi's Mom, who just isn't ready to re-enter the workforce full time after all of these years.  I'm so glad (that he's home, I really don't feel for Bambi's mom.  Get a job!).  Even though he isn't technically home, because he came back to SC just to hop back on the shift train, but I know he's closer; that's enough.

Apparently, it's enough for my appetite, because I made myself dinner tonight.  While he was gone, I just didn't feel like eating dinner.  You can chalk it up to desperate romanticism if you would like, but I think it has more to do with dirtying the kitchen for just one person.  If I lived alone, I think I might eat out all the time.  And live on cold cereal.

WFMW: Even Better Sugar Cookies

**linked to WFMW@WeAreThatFamily**

I always brought in sugar cookies in high school.  I knew, even way back then, that most people have a price, and that the exchange rate for butter & sugar is very generous.  I may or may not have started buying friends with baked goods as early as 14.  I can't help it.  I just like to bake, and I like to give.  And people, most people, like to eat.  We make a good team, the world and I.

So I've picked up a few tips and tricks in the past more-than-I-care-to-count-today years.  And I'm sharing one today that I have found to be quite fancy and awesome.

When rolling out sugar cookie dough for use with cookie cutters, use half-flour/half-powdered (confectioners) sugar.  This will prevent your cookies from getting all flour-y tasting, and will also prevent them from sticking to the counter top.  Brilliant, no?  

This is a First

Duke, who is not very good for much, other than looking cute, is good at one thing:

Bug Sniffing

That one roach episode aside, where he slept while it ran under his leg, he is pretty good at sniffing at bugs, letting me know when something is running around that ought not be running around.  And tonight, he sniffed out (and barked at) a brand new contender.

Exhibit A: a Scorpion
If I had thought to name him before I squished him dead, I would have named him Frances.
Now his name is Dead Frances. 

Also making the news today, I'm making pop tarts from Smitten Kitchen.  It's a first, too.  But a much better one.  One that lets me sleep at night, rather than lying awake feeling like creepies are crawling into my bed, hoping to paralyze me and eat my soul.  And FTR, I don't care if scorpions don't "officially" eat people's souls.  Its what I believe, and I cannot be convinced otherwise.

Cheesecake Update

Why hello, what do we have here?

Well hello gorgeous!!
Aren't you a tall drink of water... except cheesecake...

This must be your more attractive, older sister.
What do you say we go back to my place, and...
Whats that?
We are at my place?
Well then, that just begs the question...

What are you still doing wearing that springform??

Getting inappropriate with the cheesecake (again),

TFW

The Great Cheesecake Debate

I have this cheesecake recipe that I’ve obtained through unscrupulous means.  Of course, not my own unscrupulous scruples, but those of a friend. And I didn’t even ask them to unscruple their scruples. It was my Mom. Can you believe it!?!? My Mom! Of course, she requested that her dear friend unscruple her scruples in order to fulfill her daughter’s dream of a cheesecake to end all cheesecakes. So maybe it is my fault… but I’m not buying it.

This isn't my cheesecake.
(1) I would never pose something with silk flowers, it's not my style
(2) my sides never turn out that nicely, and
(3) I haven't put mine in the oven yet.
Oh, and (4) I don't have a marble serving platter (surprise!)

So I’ve had this recipe since… well, I think since my 17th birthday or so. And its not exactly stolen, since its an approximation. After all, the original recipe was for 10 cheesecakes at a time, and also probably written in Israeli and so the note my mom scribbled on a Jeff Dorton For Commissioner notepad while talking on the phone is definitely not stolen. Right? If giving credit will absolve us my Mom from all fault, I will say that there’s a baker in the tri-county area of my parent’s house who makes wonderful baked goods and is originally from Israel (a rarity in Northern PA), and if you try his cheesecake some day, it may or may not taste similar to the recipe written below…

ASIDE: I don’t really understand how a recipe can be either original or stolen. For example: I thought up, in my very own mind, the recipe for Jalapeno Chicken Popper Roll-Ups (I’m still working on the name). I did. I had some Poppers, and thought to myself, “Wouldn’t it be great if I could eat these for a meal?!” So I thought about it, cogitated on it, and came up with this recipe. And then, I went on AllRecipes.com and found 3 other recipes for it.  Now, they’re not exact, but they’re similar. So was my idea original? What if I took someone else’s recipe, and tweaked it a little? Have I stolen their recipe, or have I made my own? I think that, no matter what I come up with, someone else somewhere in the world has tried the exact same thing. So are any recipes original? Please advise, I’m all tangled up inside over this very issue.

The best cakes & Amazon Associates

I'm trying out a new thing I signed up for, Amazon Associates.  I'm not sure if I like it or if I'm going to keep using it, or where this might lead.  But I wanted to warn you that I'm going to be putting some extra links in this post, and they're all going to amazon.com.  Feel warned.  Because you have been.  So there.

So, I love cake.  Its true.  I also feel very strongly that everyone should have a birthday cake.  And heck, I'd go so far as to make a cake for any situation, should it be requested.  Or at least not turned down.  Truth be told, I would cook/bake for most anyone, if they would supply the ingredients (or not) and clean up afterwards (definitely).  

The other week, before classes let out, I had the chance to make a cake for someone's comprehensive exam (where a graduate student presents their planned dissertation research and gets either "the go-ahead" or the "get more work done" nod).  Not only did I get to prepare a cake for this student, I did it for pay.  Yeah, thats right, I said it.  I'm a professional baker (check the first criteria in the definition).  Of course, making the cake cost me more than I was paid for it, not even counting the time it took me, or the overhead.  But I was paid for it.  Made me happy.  I felt a little twinge of unhappiness later when I found out that one of the people the cake was fed to turned out to be allergic (don't worry, she didn't eat it).  Mostly, I was pleased.  Part of me wanted to frame the $10, but I really needed it for gas money so... practicality wins.

This cake.
It changes lives.

Banana Bread Showdown

Last week, the night before leaving town, I decided it would be a good time to...

bake.

What?  Did you think I would say pack?  Clean the house?  Oh, puhlease.

Why would I want to do any of those things?

So, I took the 6 rotting  ripened bananas sitting on top of my refrigerator and went to the interwebs to find some contenders for the banana bread showdown.  Here's what I came up with, along with the links to their recipes (all of which I got from tastykitchen.com).

1. Brown Butter Banana Bread

2. Brown Sugar Banana Bread

3. Cinnamon Sugar Banana Bread

I would like to note that I did not follow these recipes to the letter.  I did not put any add-ins into the bread (such as blueberries or chocolate chips), nor did I follow through with any sort of topping (like struesel or crunchy sugar).  Finally, I did only make a half-batch of one of the breads (although I dont' remember which one), in keeping with 2 bananas per batch.

I mixed together the batter and made 3 small loaves of each, then poured the remaining batter into a large loaf pan, mixing all 3 types together.  What?  I didn't know what else to do with it.  Here's the pictoral representations:

*Announcer voice*
In the top left corner, weighing in at 1/4 C of oil and containing no vanilla, #3!
In the bottom right corner, weighing in with the thickest batter and thickest ankles, #2!
Finally, from the top right, hailing from the land of most butter eva, #1!
Let the games begin!

While these guys baked up (about 50 minutes), I compiled my thoughts on how this was going to play out and chose the crowd favorite (I was the crowd, fyi).

• Brown Butter, the definite favorite.  It will have the extra layer of flavor, and it incorporates buttermilk.  I LOVE buttermilk recipes.
• Cinnamon Sugar, the dark horse.  No vanilla, no butter, not an excessive amount of cinnamon and no brown sugar.  Really, this longshot didn't really belong in this race.
• Brown Sugar, nothing fancy.  Nothing to write home about.  In a word, "Meh."

The results:  We have an upset!

After the fight baking round, no one was any the worse for wear.
#3 (top left corner) seems to be overly browned, but I reckon that has more to do with the oil v. butter issue rather than what went on in the oven.

After making the sacrifice and tasting all 3 loaves (Handsome weighed in too, and agreed), we have, in order of best outcome,

First Place - Brown Sugar

Runner Up - Brown Butter

Honorable Mention - Cinnamon Sugar

where Brown Sugar was a clear winner.  It was very, very good.  The Brown Butter tasted like... butter.  Which is weird that it didn't taste like bananas, but hey, baking can be weird sometimes.  

The Cinnamon sugar was clearly hurting from the issues I listed previously.  

So there you have it.  I've done the hard work, now you can reap the rewards.  My next step is to try and make my own recipe (I'm thinking buttermilk, ground oatmeal, and maybe a little more butter), and then find the best topping.  So we're not done yet, but we're getting closer.

Wondering why I don't do this for my dissertation,

TFW

Hey there cupcake!

So, I've been thinking about this bakery-business (which if you've been here any amount of time, you know), and as part of my research, I've been looking at other peoples bakery's.   And they all have one thing in common: cupcakes.

Everyone who's anyone seems to specialize in cupcakes.

And, well, I have this thing about cupcakes; they suck.

Here, let me demonstrate this problem with some wonderful paint sketches of vanilla cupcakes & chocolate icing.  Really, they're just fabulous.

Example 1: Typical Cupcake

See, in this typical cupcake, you've got a good amount of cake, topped by some amount of icing.  Now, the amount of icing can vary from a thin glaze to a towering pile of whipped goodness.  Sounds like a great plan, right?  You've got a little piece of cake you can hold in your hand, nice and portable, nearly genius.

EXCEPT ITS NOT. 

See, there's way too much cake under the icing, and you get all the icing up in your teeth when you bite into it, and then all you have is a mouthful of cake without adequate icing... what a mess.

So, I've been exploring some alternatives to the typical cupcake.  Come, explore this with me. I've basically written a research paper on the subject.

Baking Delights

Here's some of what I've baked!

Chiffon Cake (JOY) with Whipped Cream icing (JOY) and White chocolate shavings, topped with Strawberries

Leftover Chiffon Cake, White chocolate, & Strawberries 

Cheesecake with Strawberries mixed in.  I like to make the crust with Nilla Wafers.

Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Icing & "Mercury Sprinkles"

I've still got a rhubarb pie and brown sugar pound cake (in lieu of salted caramel brownies) to make for Thursday and Friday, but the juices are flowing!

Are you baking anything?  Tell me, so I can make it too!

Successfully remembering the butter, 

TFW