Day 20 - Brownies

Well so much for doing a bunch of spring cleaning around the house. My days are not my own this week so I kind of give up on the cleaning until next week. My grandmother has a cold so I had to take some medication over to her, took my father out to lunch, and then finished my nephews first 1st Birthday cake. I have 2 more to make for Sunday. I did up a buttercream image of Mickey Mouse for his cake, and I must say it looked pretty good. The best part was watching him eat it. This kid does not like to get dirty, so he was leaning in to eat it with just his mouth until his daddy brought him a spoon. He has a nice sugar rush before bed. Tomorrow I have to go out and pick up the final items for his other 2 cakes, 1 for him and 1 for everyone else, and then start working at it. I thought with being off, I could get my baking done in the morning and have my posts up earlier....Guess not.

Today is Brownies. I don't think I have ever had a bad brownie, maybe ones that were too sweet or chewy, but not bad. Rather than doing a regular milk or dark chocolate brownie, I wanted to think a little outside the box. So I finally decided on a white chocolate brownie. There are so many things you can add to a good white brownie recipe; any chocolate chip, nuts, dried berries (especially cranberries), a little jam swirl, etc. White chocolate is such a great flavour to work with because it's not sweet, it's a nice smooth flavour that can hold its own or be paired.

White Chocolate Brownies

2 sticks butter
10 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Chocolate chips, nuts (optional)


Preheat oven to 325º. Grease 9 x 13 pan.

Over low heat, melt butter and chocolate, stirring frequently till melted and smooth. . Stir in sugar, then eggs and vanilla. Add four, salt and any optional chocolate chips or nuts. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, till the top is slightly golden...be careful not to over-bake. Cool to room temperature, then chill for 3 hours. Cut and serve.

Melt butter and chocolate together until smooth.

Whisk in sugar until combined.

Beat in eggs and vanilla when mixture has cooled a bit.

The mixture will not be smooth at this point, so do not over mix. Just until combined.

Mix in flour until well combined.

Pour mixture into prepared pan. You can sprinkle anything you wish on top or leave plain.

Here it is, nice and golden brown. I will add a picture of it cut tomorrow, just because of how long they need to cool.

Tips:

Let the sugar mixture cool a bit before adding eggs, the eggs will cook and scramble if added to a mixture that is too hot



What better for white chocolate brownies, than white chocolate stilettos. They even have a bow on the back.

As I mentioned I made a cake for my nephew. Here it is. It is a 2 layer vanilla cake with buttercream icing. I did a frozen butter cream Mickey Mouse that thaws and becomes part of the cake afterwards. I love it, it is a brand new technique for me to use and I can't wait to do it again :).

10 Days left and over 400 hits, I would really love to get to 500 before this is over. I want to thank everyone who has viewed my blog and helped me along with it, whether you were encouraging, a taste tester or one of my biggest fans, I love you all. If you know anyone who is interested in baking or just blogs in general please pass on my link. I love looking at my audience and seeing new countries light up on my map. Also please don't hesitate to leave a comment, whether it's pro, con, ideas, tips, or whatever. I love hearing from people.

Happy Baking!

Sey

Day 19 - Simply Simple

My first day off! Again my lil Rico has no sense of sleeping in. He was all wide eyed clawing at his doors trying to wake me up so he could eat. I was definitely not expecting to be up for breakfast this early in to my vacation.. So after getting him all settled, I decided to go down and get myself something to, bad idea. I saw that the fridge was unorganised, so I started to clean that out. Than I went to put something in the freezer, bad idea. So 3 hours later both were cleaned up, and I had everything out and ready for dinner. I made some Cesar salad dressing, I am not a fan of mayonnaise or lemon based Cesar dressing so we make our own. I got a list together of what I would need to pick up for the 3 cakes I have to make, and I ended up a little more ahead than I had planned which is always great.

Simply Simple means something that can be baking while eating dinner or during the clean up. It is something that doesn't take a whole lot of preparation and can be done without getting groceries (usually) There are a lot of recipes that I know of like this, if I am entertaining I don't want to be in the kitchen. So while going through these recipes I remembered that I am doing the best of the best. My grandmother wins this one again with Blueberry Grunt. Its is cooked down blueberries (or your favourite kind) that you than drop dough balls into and than it all cooks on the stove for a few minutes.

Blueberry Grunt

4 cups of blueberries

½ cup sugar

½ cup water

Put blueberries, sugar and water in a pot, cover and boil gently until there is plenty of juice

Dumplings:

2 cups flour

4 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon shortening

¼ cup to ½ cup milk

Sift flour, baking powder, salt and sugar into bowl. Cut in the butter and shortening and add enough milk to make a soft biscuit dough. Drop by spoonfuls onto hot blueberries. Cover and do not peak for 15 minutes. Serve hot

Tips:
I double the berries to make sure there is lots of juice for a sauce on the dumplings.

Make sure you have lots of juice from the berries.

For the dumplings, mix everything together except the milk.

When adding the milk, you want the dough to become the consistency of cookie dough.

Drop the small dough balls into the pot while the berries are simmering and put the lid on tight.

After 15 minutes the dumplings will be cooked and will have doubled in size.

Grunt is best served hot.

You can eat it plain, with ice cream, or with milk.

Tips:

Other than doubling the berries, this dessert is very straight forward and simple.

My awesome Baking Caddie for all my tools, and a sleek looking pair of black pumps with a nice little frill on top of the toe.



I really hope Rico lets me sleep in a little longer tomorrow, Although I do have a list of cleaning to get around to, maybe he is just trying to help me ;P.

Happy Baking!

Sey

Day 18 - Cinnamon

So today was my Friday. No more work for awhile. I don't know what to think really. I am upset that I am done for now, but excited that I get a little summer vacation. I am going to miss everyone at my work so much, but I was able to share with them one last baked good, the doughnuts. They were a hit, which makes me so happy that everyone liked them so much. After saying goodbyes to everyone, I thought I was good. I didn't think I really had anything to worry about, and I wasn't nervous, but I ended up with knots in my stomach all night. But I know everything will be fine and that eventually I will be back in the office, maybe I am meant to be off and started up my baking business. Who knows?


So today is cinnamon, one of the biggest staples for baking. As Jerry Seinfeld once said, whenever someone asks what that taste is, the answer is always cinnamon. The best recipe I know for cinnamon, other than cinnamon and raisin bread or sticky buns, is Monkey Bread. This has turned in to one of the best recipes I know, and when I need to come up with something to share it is my go to. Everyone at my work loves this recipe and so does everyone in my house. You bake little clumps of dough rolled in cinnamon in a pan, any pan but I use a bundt pan, and than its just falls apart when you take a piece. If you bake it a little less it is soft and sticky like sticky buns, but is you bake it a little longer it is less messy and like cinnamon bread. Both are very good, it just depends if it is just family picking at it, or a group of coworkers.

Monkey Bread

For the bread

• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• 4 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons salt

For rolling

• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 200°F. Lightly oil a large bundt pan or other baking pan.

In the bowl of a stand-up mixer fitted with dough hook attachment, add the melted butter, milk, brown sugar, vanilla and yeast. Mix for a few minutes and then add the flour and salt. Mix until the dough comes together in a shiny mass, and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Put the dough into a large oiled bowl, cover with a towel, turn off the oven and place the dough in the preheated warm oven to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

When the dough has risen, take it out of the oven. Pour the melted butter into a small bowl. Put the sugar and cinnamon into a second bowl and whisk well to combine.

Punch down the dough to knock the air out of it and then form and roll small balls in your hand or on the counter. Dip them first in the melted butter and then roll in the cinnamon sugar and layer them into the bundt pan or other baking pan.

Put the pan into the oven to rise for a second time, for about 45 minutes, until the dough balls reach the top of the pan and double once again. Remove from the oven and increase the heat to 350°. Once hot, place the pan back into the oven and bake for 40 minutes.

Tips:

This is the recipe I learnt the 200F oven from, this has never failed me for help yeast rise. I also need to double the sugar mix, as I find the recipe is never enough to roll all the dough.

Mix the first 5 ingredients together.

Add the flour a cup at a time. This is my last cup.

This dough is sticky, so try not to handle too much before the first rise.

Pull off pinches of dough or use a teaspoon. Roll between palms to form a ball and roll in butter and than sugar mix.

Randomly place balls in pan, ensure it is a deep pan.

Once all the dough has been used, set it in the oven once again to rise.

After the second rise, the dough balls will have doubled in size. Set you oven and cook for 30 to 40 minutes.

There you have it, warm Monkey Bread ready to pick apart.

Tips:

It takes about 30 to 35 minutes in my oven to get the perfect Monkey Bread for me. But this can change from oven to oven, and from pan to pan. If you use one pan the first time, and another pan the next, the time will change. I suggest checking your oven at 20 minutes, use the tooth pick method. If it comes away clean, the dough is ready and you just decide if you want a sticky or dry bread. If the toothpick comes away with dough leave it in for another 5 to 10 minutes depending on how raw it is, and keep checking it.

You have to love shoes with a little animal print.

I finally got the Mickey Mouse toppers for my nephews first birthday cake. Now I just have to start building the clubhouse. I am going to go pick up everything tomorrow and start working at it. Wish me luck, I want this cake to be perfect. I can't wait to finish it and see the final results. I will be posting pictures for everyone to see.

Happy Baking!

Sey

Day 17 - Deep Fried

Oh how I dislike Mondays, especially when it is my last one for awhile. Although I do have to say that the conversations today were hilarious. From...odd food supplements, to pet names, it was definitely an interesting day. I can always count on my co-workers and friends to make the day interesting and go by super fast. Side note, I am running low on shoes, so if anybody wants to buy me a pair, I am welcome to donations :D.

So today is deep frying. The most unhealthy but delicious way of cooking ever. I went through all different ideas, trying to come up with a great recipe to put up, asking for help from Mr. VIP again, I finally came up with a great recipe. One of my best memories from Christmas was my grandmothers doughnuts. She would make a bunch for dessert, and than a dozen for each person to take home. Now this is originally my great-grandmothers recipe, so it is even more special.

Now I am not a big fan of deep frying because the whole house stinks after, but there are some recipes that are just not the same with out the hot oil. So I pulled out the deep fryer, which I have never used before, I usually use a pot with oil and a thermometer. So after staring at the machine for a few minutes, and talking to Mr. VIP at the same time, he was nice enough to give me some pointers which were very helpful. So without further adieu, the recipe that all of yous are not allowed to tell anyone ;P.

Grammie Stevens Doughnut Recipe

In large mixing bowl combine and mix the following:

4 tablespoons of melted butter

2 cups of white sugar

2 eggs

once the above is blended add and mix in the following:

2 cups of milk

2 cups of flour

2 teaspoons of cream of tarter

1 teaspoon of baking soda

4 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of nutmeg

1 teaspoon of vanilla

Once the above is blended add and mix in 5 cups of flour, (Note: it may be necessary to add and mix in up 1 extra cup of flour).  Roll out dough ½ inch thick on floured board and cut with cutter.  Cook in hot oil until golden brown turning once.

Tips:

We use vegetable oil, but you can use whatever you like. In my fryer it took about 2-3 minutes per side.

Mix the first 3 ingredients well.

Add the remaining ingredients all at once.

This is after 4 cups of flour total. It just starts to hold its shape.

My grandmother uses about 6 cups of flours. I use about 7. You want it to be just be able to be managed.  You will have flour on your board that will add to it.

After a bit of kneading, split the dough in 2. It will be easier to handle.

Get some good doughnut cutters.

Start cutting, give a little twist to loosen the dough.

Take a centre of one doughnut and use it to test the oil and cooking time.

My little deep fryer.

The dough will sit at the bottom, and than float to the top before turning brown.

I do batches of 4. Cook till golden brown on each side.

Place the cooked doughnuts on paper towel to soak up the oil.

The centre cut outs can also be used to make doughnut holes.

You will have a few dozen doughnuts when you`re finished.

Tips:

This is not a recipe to rush. Take your time and enjoy it.You can leave these plain, or roll them in cinnamon and sugar as soon as they come out of the oil.



Another great pair of shoes that can be dressed up or dress down. I love the little studs down the sides. (Yes Mr. VIP I used that word on purpose :P)



So that`s it for tonight. While I go to bed smelling like deep fried doughnuts and excited that tomorrow is my Friday, I can`t help but think of what is to come for me in the next few weeks. I know what ever happens is meant to, I just hope it is something really good.

Happy Baking!

Sey