31 July 2014

The Kibosh + How-To Green Goo

So my big plans to make crackers and tart shells got the kibosh yesterday due to blah, blah, spinal stuff, blah, blah.  On the good news though, I got to meet Hubby for brown bag lunch and then do a little ingredient shopping. 

I scored jalapenos, prunes, Hungarian hot peppers, killer scallions, and one rotten banana.  As soon as my body allows, I'll be back in the lab, brewin' up goodies.

Like this one here, served in a zombie mug.

1 big green bell pepper
3 celery ribs
organic apple juice (homemade if you have it)

Might look gross but this is my new favorite drink.  So flippin' good.  Talk about sustained energy.  I'm tellin' ya.  For me, this beats a cuppa Joe, any day of the week.



30 July 2014

Baker's Report: What a Bake!

Yesterday I worked on jalapeno tart shells, using my Easy Bake Oven, pie weights and one of my new 6 count cupcake trays.  It's part of a new series I'm working on, Tarts, Tarts, Tarts.

That's not really the name but it made me smile.

After the jalapeno tarts I wrote a test batch of six plain shells.  Oh my gosh, so crispy.  Really nice texture.  Though a tad salty, depending on the innards I use, and a little too thin for a heavy filling.  But even still, what a crisp.  What a snap.

What a bake!

Now I'm inspired to write a crisp cracker, using my base tart formula, rolled killer thin.  I've got ideas for sweet, spicy, savoury, and salty crackers.

This is gonna be a fun day.

29 July 2014

Getting Out of My Own Way

We're in the midst of making our double office into a solid work space.  So far, so good.  But there's a few knots to untangle.  Like my coupon station and Tim's gaming shelf, which he did a killer job on.

Now we're waiting for the coupon station to arrive from Staples.  Which was not cheap.  After coupons and rewards, we paid $47.43 OOP.  Which is just enough to annoy me.  That said, I've outgrown my current station, and that was the best deal I could find.

In baking news, I made my fourth cake.  A four-layered carrot cake with maple vanilla frosting.  The frosting was too sweet for so many layers, so I scrapped some off, saved it for another time, and took meticulous notes.

Then we hit Barnes.  Tim wrote and I studied cake.  Did you know that most cakes fit into six basic categories?  I didn't.  Actually, I never cared before.   But now I do.

It was a good weekend. 

I'm at a point where I no longer want to be in my own way, and I want to hit a few serious goals.  That, and I have some health issues that need addressed and thanks to my honey bunny, we're going to work on those bits together.

From here on, I ask myself:  How will this (step) help me reach my goal?  When I ask myself that question, I think differently about what I'm doing or not doing.  Sorta puts things in logical order, if you will. 

And that my Bubblebutts, concludes this post.  I'm off to write and bake.  Like to be done early so when the delivery dudes arrive, I can rebuild my coupon station.

Until next post, cheers and boogie boogie.

PS: Made these over the weekend as well.  100g wholemeal, 250g strong white.  Very nice in crust, crumb, and taste. 



25 July 2014

Friday Q: Best Coffee Cake You Ever Had?

Yesterday I baked my first coffee cake.  It was horrible.  We tossed it in the bin, that's how bad it was. 

That got me thinking about a coffee cake that I had a long time ago.  It was a semi-sweet or a bitter-sweet coffee cake, I can't recall for sure.

It was a big round cake, with a swirled layer of chocolate in the center, topped with crumbly goodness.  Then topped again with a bittersweet chocolate ganache that always managed to stay the right texture, no matter how long the cake lasted.

Best coffee cake, in the history of ever.

Which brings me to Friday's Question:  Do you eat coffee cake?  And if so, what's the best one you ever had? 

24 July 2014

Baker's Report: New Toys

I realized that I never showed y'all my new toys.  Hubby stashed $100 of casino winnings from way back when we were on staycation in May, just for the trip to this store.  Then, he found out when they were having their 25% off ALL NordicWare Bakeware, and we hit the road.

Everything here was zero oop.  In couponing terms, that means zero out of our pocket.  Or better put, free.

Although, Hubby saw my face and knew that even at zero oop, I was getting a rash.  So he went to the counter and paid for what I already picked out, with his winnings.  Then came back to where I was and took the rest from me and got that free too.

He told the lady, "I have to hurry up and get it paid for before my wife talks herself out of it, saying that she doesn't need it.  Then we get home tonight and she'll say, I wish I would have gotten that."

The lady laughed and said, "We're all like that."

Click to Expand


23 July 2014

Waiting for Mary Berry

Today I'm home waiting for my two Mary Berry books, to hit the front porch.  Because if I'm going to learn pastry, I'm going to learn it from the best.

Here is a Master Class with Mary and Paul, making Mary's Lemon Tart, which is on my list of must bakes. 

22 July 2014

Chocolate Fudge Cake

Please enjoy a slice of Chocolate Fudge Cake.  No eggs, no dairy.  Super duper fudgy and light at the same time.  And get this, I made enough frosting for two full layers.  Not like my first cake, when the back end of it went bare.

I'm getting closer.

Maybe next time I'll make enough frosting for four layers.  Until then, have a groovy Tuesday and boogie boogie.

18 July 2014

Friday Q: What's Your Favorite Cake?

For me, it's Carrot Cake.  Plant-based, dairy-based, gluten-free, wholemeal, nuts, no nuts, if it's got the words, Carrot Cake, I have to taste it.

Even if just a bite.

Also, I'll never turn down a slice of coconut cake.  I remember Papam (granddad), would go to the corner store and get little TASTYKAKE Coconut Cakes, with the layer of frosting on the top and middle, wrapped in that plastic wrap that no matter how careful my little fingers were, I'd always squish my cake.

Another great memory is Mamam's (grandma), Hungarian Chocolate Torte.  I'd get to help whip the frosting by hand, even though the whisk was bigger than me.  Then when my little arms (I'd use both), were too tired, Mamam and Papam would take over and I'd watch like it was a magic show.

Liquid into frosting.  How'd they do it?

And now, a billion years later, I'm making new cake memories.  Yesterday I made my first real cake.  Though the frosting was much easier to make than memory served, I didn't make enough to cover the entire cake.  That's why in yesterday's picture, you only saw a partial image.  I only had enough to do half a cake.

Surely I would have gotten voted off The Great British Bake Off for that one, and as I sliced it down the middle (of the half-cake), I could hear Mary Berry's comments in my head.  At least I can say, there were no soggy bottoms.

But now I'd love to hear from you.

What's your favorite cake or favorite cake memories?  Is there one cake that you can't turn down? 

17 July 2014

Baker's Report: My First Cake

I baked my very first cake, yesterday.  I don't know how, but somehow, I never made cake before.  Just the boxed ones at work.  I also realized yesterday, that I totally suck at frosting the cake.  However, the Maple Vanilla Frosting I created tasted good, even better on the cake, than in the bowl.  Tim thought I used butter, but I didn't. 

Yesterday was a good day.

As I prepared my two new cake pans before 7AM, I thought how lucky I am to start my day like this. 

I don't have to bake.  I get to bake.

16 July 2014

Baby Burger, Yum!

Poor Tim.  Sometimes I make him food, then don't let him eat it, like this baby burger.  I was all set to hand it over, then I saw this and had to shoot it.

They were good, too.  I might make them again today.

Another thing I want to do today, is purge my bakeware storage area.  I love the NordicWare that I've used for years, but the other stuff can go.  I'm at the stage in my baking where I'd rather have less stuff, but have it be good stuff.

So that's my plan for the day.  Lucky for me, most of my chores were finished yesterday, and I have all ding dong day, to rip out the cabinets and start fresh.

PS:  I also want to bake a cake today.

PPS:  It's a toss between chocolate banana or carrot.

15 July 2014

Tickle My Toes

I can't wait to show you all the new toys that Tim got me over the weekend.  We hit a restaurant store that is loaded, and I do mean loaded, with all kinds of cookery and bakeware.  Everything from used to new, classic to modern.

The best part, everything was FREE!  More on that later, since I haven't taken pictures yet.

Meanwhile, dig these long rolls I baked on my very own, newly purchased, for FREE, rimless bake sheet.  No more fusing with a jelly roll pan.  Now, like on The Great British Bake Off, I too have the joy of sliding my bread right off the sheet and onto a wire rack.

I tell ya, it's the simple things that tickle my toes.

11 July 2014

Friday Question: Who Eats Pot Pies?

This week I used homemade rough puff pastry for the crusts of my chicken pot pies.  Up until now, I've never tasted chicken pot pie.  Back when I made them for Tim, I was still a major Veghead.  So I never knew how flippin' good chicken pot pies were.  Yummers.

Now ... I'm a rough puff pastry makin' fool, writing pot pie formulas right and left.  Veggie ones, meat ones, chowder-style, I tell ya, the ideas keep coming, and for that, I'm thankful.

Meanwhile, I want to hear from you.  Who has had chicken pot pie before?  How about turkey pot pies?  Or really, any pot pie?  Do you have a favorite?  I'd love to hear about it.

PS:  Thanks for all the VERY FUNNY comments on Wednesday's NAME THAT CHEF.  You guys cracked me up.  Best comments ever and to show my appreciation, next time I'll toss in a few Veghead prizes.

10 July 2014

NOOOOOOO!!

How am I so tired?  I even slept the last two nights.

Yet today, I cannot keep my flippin' eyes open.  Ugh.  Although the headache is gone, so that's good.  But I haven't baked or cooked a thing today.  In fact, I was out of homemade bagels so for breakfast, I schmeared cream cheese on plain potato (crisps) chips, and topped them with raw jalapenos, because I'm outta lox.

It didn't taste good.




That's a Happy Pie!


09 July 2014

NAME THAT CHEF

Ready to win some fun prizes?  Then all ya' gotta do is name that chef.  Do so correctly, and you win three dead worms, two eyeballs, and one block of stinky cheese.


08 July 2014

Baking to Stay Awake

I thought I had my sleep problem fixed but, not so much.  Noppers.  Been awake somewhere over a day now, minus a few hours of sleep the day before, and add another full day awake.  Pretty tired.  So I'm in the kitchen, baking a few things.  Just to help me stay awake.

As I write this, two Chicken Pot Pies are in the big oven.  In the smaller fan oven, we have some kind of cinnamon sugar bake, made with leftover crust dough.

The two different oven smells don't mesh.  Add to it that I just made a pot of vanilla biscotti coffee and there's a stinky dog under my desk.

But on the upside, the bedding is nearly done, which makes it Clean Sheet Day.  One of my most favorite days, ever.   And in other good news, my coupons are organized and ready to go, should I venture out tomorrow.

The bad news is, the big oven is now smoking.   



Baker's Report: Cherry Hand-Pies

This past weekend I got to play with a new ingredient, organic non-hydrogenated shortening.   Normally, I find pie crust made with shortening, vile.  Hate the taste, texture, just not a fan.  That being said, I had $2 coupon for the organic non-hydrogenated kind, so I gave it a go.

Glad I did, because it worked great.

I'd offer you one, but they're gone.  Frankenberry didn't even get one.  But don't feel too bad for him because he got his very own homemade apple pie, with lattice-topped crust.

And that my little Blueberries, wraps up another Baker's Report.  Up next, non-hydrogenated frosting.

Thanks for reading and boogie boogie.


04 July 2014

Friday Question: Pie, Pie & More Pie

Last night I made a big honkin' double crust apple pie, all the way from scratch.  Today we're having it for breakfast.  A nice cold chunk of homemade apple pie.

Heaven on a plate.

Then over the weekend, I'm going to bake mini cherry hand-pies.  I'm on a coconut oil, pie crust making kick these days.  Whatever fruit goes on sale, goes in a pie. 

Still, I don't think I have a favorite.  I love blackberry, cherry, apple, peach, lemon, banana, coconut and all that, but if I had to pick just one, I couldn't do it.  Though I can say, I like mostly all of them cold. 

How about you?  Gotta a favorite pie? 

02 July 2014

Let The Games Begin

My only goal for the day is to plop my ass in the Lemon Tart Room to see which butt cheek falls asleep first. 

01 July 2014

Ah-ha! I Rule!

I'm so excited that I had to do a second post for today.  Why?  Because I love New Coupon Day.  And I love having an organized coupon station.  It's not even 2pm and already my new printables are chopped and in their binders.  If this blog came with sound you'd hear me say, ah-ha! I rule!

Seriously though, my coupon station kicks ass.

Meanwhile, if you're new to couponing, the first of the month is when many coupons either appear, get reset or vanish.  Either way, it's like a mini holiday of deals and bargains.

Back to chores for me, hope you're day is rockin' along well.  And also, I had pancakes for lunch.  It was another round of Chocolate Chip & Pecan Pancakes.  No pictures.  You know why?  Because I gobbled those suckers up.

That's all from me.  You Buttfaces have a good one.  

Breakfast Bites

Last night I made Chocolate Chip & Pecan Pancakes.  No dairy or egg.  They were good.  I used spelt.  I love spelt.

I put it in everything.

Only, I don't have a picture because the pancakes were gobbled up too fast.  So here's a potato bake that I made in my cupcake maker.  The insides were super moist but not wet.  They were breakfast in one little bite.

I might have to make these again today.  But not right now.  First thing on today's list is print all the new coupons.  It's coupon day.  Then I have the clean the house because tomorrow I ain't doing shit.