and I am impatiently waiting for the peanut butter mixture to freeze. They have to be better (for you) than the version with 3 cups of powdered sugar... right??
Showing posts with label In the Kitchen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label In the Kitchen. Show all posts
Monday, March 4, 2013
Goodies
I've been on a peanut butter dessert kick lately, so tonight we're making these peanut butter graham cracker balls:
and I am impatiently waiting for the peanut butter mixture to freeze. They have to be better (for you) than the version with 3 cups of powdered sugar... right??
and I am impatiently waiting for the peanut butter mixture to freeze. They have to be better (for you) than the version with 3 cups of powdered sugar... right??
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Baking Season: Failure!
All-in-all, Hubby's birthday cake turned out LOADS better than last year or the year before. In fact, it baked perfectly, (I actually followed the directions on the back of the box *cough* and mixed the batter for 2 min!) and it frosted well too (what? you have to wait until the cake cools completely?)!
But then I tried to decorate it. For simplicity's sake- and so we don't burn down the house- we usually just get the number candles for decorations. Didn't get one of the numbers this year, so I decided to try the stenciled number on top of the cake trick, as seen here.
I cut out the numbers, sprinkled the powdered sugar, and covered the cake to surprise hubby when he got home from golfing. I was pretty proud of myself, I must say. Although I had one little thought that maybe I should have waited to put the sugar on the cake....
Several hours later when I pulled out the cake to sing with our friends, the powdered sugar had absorbed the moisture from the frosting and all but disappeared.
Lesson Learned: Wait until the last minute to do your powdered sugar stencil. Or it will disappear and so will all traces of your cake decorating skillz.
Shucks.
But then I tried to decorate it. For simplicity's sake- and so we don't burn down the house- we usually just get the number candles for decorations. Didn't get one of the numbers this year, so I decided to try the stenciled number on top of the cake trick, as seen here.
I cut out the numbers, sprinkled the powdered sugar, and covered the cake to surprise hubby when he got home from golfing. I was pretty proud of myself, I must say. Although I had one little thought that maybe I should have waited to put the sugar on the cake....
Several hours later when I pulled out the cake to sing with our friends, the powdered sugar had absorbed the moisture from the frosting and all but disappeared.
Lesson Learned: Wait until the last minute to do your powdered sugar stencil. Or it will disappear and so will all traces of your cake decorating skillz.
Shucks.
The remains of the 2 from the pintrest-inspired fail.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Baking Season: Success!
I normally don't have the patience to do a whole lot of baking or cooking. We eat homemade meals, and that tends to burn me out in the kitchen (wimp, I know!). In fact, I haven't made a batch of cookies in years! Hubby though is the master baker. He has perfected his technique for chocolate chip cookies and I am more than happy to reap the benefits.
This week however has tested my mettle in the kitchen. It started with pie and, baby, it ain't over yet!
The pie was for a pie baking contest at the church Halloween activity. I had no intention of competing, but I had a large bag of frozen blueberries (Costco, Woot!) that had been sitting in the freezer too long. The twist comes when we are feeding the Sister Missionaries and we discover that one Sister has a sensitivity to processed sugars. The poor girl rarely gets dessert, and I decided to come to her aid. Having watched my sister-in-law recently test the Williams-Sonoma blueberry pie recipe, I was feeling a little more adventurous than usual. The pie was delicious by the way, but I wanted something a bit simpler for this Sister. So I used the simple Better Homes and Gardens basic double crust and berry filling recipes with minor adjustments. The main difference really being that I used honey instead of granulated sugar for the filling.
Pie Crust:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening
8-10 Tbsp cold water
I've had several friends express anxiety at making pie crusts. Friends, if I can do it, you can do it. I don't even have a pastry cutter. I rock it old school with two butter knives to cut in the shortening. The trick is to not over mix when adding the water. Add it 1 tablespoon at a time, and just barely push it around with a fork until the flour has soaked it up, the push it to the side and add another tablespoon of water. No mixing or stirring here! The amount of water you add will depend on the temperature and humidity of the day, that is why is gives you a range.
Also, foil around the edge of your pie while it bakes will save you every time!
Pie Filling:
5 cups blueberries (frozen works just fine)
3 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
The cookbook recipe calls for 2/3-3/4 cup of granulated sugar, but when I called my awesome SIL for help (she always knows!), we read that honey is sweeter and richer than white sugar. Hence the reduction. The cookbook also calls for either lemon zest or cinnamon, but I decided that since the honey had a darker, richer flavor, I didn't want to go too bright with the honey. So cinnamon it was. Also, if you use frozen berries, the honey will also freeze when you add it. Fear not and keep mixing, it will turn out ok.
The pie was DELICIOUS. It was rich and just sweet enough, and perfectly flavored for fall. I would definitely go with lemon for a summer pie, but the honey and cinnamon were perfect for the season. This will be a make-it-again pie. Which is a big deal for me, the non-baker.
Also, it was eaten too quickly for me to snap a picture, and not to toot my own horn, but I got a prize. That's right, I wasn't even trying and I was voted one of the lucky winners.
Make this pie. It is good.
The end.
This week however has tested my mettle in the kitchen. It started with pie and, baby, it ain't over yet!
The pie was for a pie baking contest at the church Halloween activity. I had no intention of competing, but I had a large bag of frozen blueberries (Costco, Woot!) that had been sitting in the freezer too long. The twist comes when we are feeding the Sister Missionaries and we discover that one Sister has a sensitivity to processed sugars. The poor girl rarely gets dessert, and I decided to come to her aid. Having watched my sister-in-law recently test the Williams-Sonoma blueberry pie recipe, I was feeling a little more adventurous than usual. The pie was delicious by the way, but I wanted something a bit simpler for this Sister. So I used the simple Better Homes and Gardens basic double crust and berry filling recipes with minor adjustments. The main difference really being that I used honey instead of granulated sugar for the filling.
Pie Crust:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening
8-10 Tbsp cold water
I've had several friends express anxiety at making pie crusts. Friends, if I can do it, you can do it. I don't even have a pastry cutter. I rock it old school with two butter knives to cut in the shortening. The trick is to not over mix when adding the water. Add it 1 tablespoon at a time, and just barely push it around with a fork until the flour has soaked it up, the push it to the side and add another tablespoon of water. No mixing or stirring here! The amount of water you add will depend on the temperature and humidity of the day, that is why is gives you a range.
Also, foil around the edge of your pie while it bakes will save you every time!
Pie Filling:
5 cups blueberries (frozen works just fine)
3 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
The cookbook recipe calls for 2/3-3/4 cup of granulated sugar, but when I called my awesome SIL for help (she always knows!), we read that honey is sweeter and richer than white sugar. Hence the reduction. The cookbook also calls for either lemon zest or cinnamon, but I decided that since the honey had a darker, richer flavor, I didn't want to go too bright with the honey. So cinnamon it was. Also, if you use frozen berries, the honey will also freeze when you add it. Fear not and keep mixing, it will turn out ok.
The pie was DELICIOUS. It was rich and just sweet enough, and perfectly flavored for fall. I would definitely go with lemon for a summer pie, but the honey and cinnamon were perfect for the season. This will be a make-it-again pie. Which is a big deal for me, the non-baker.
Also, it was eaten too quickly for me to snap a picture, and not to toot my own horn, but I got a prize. That's right, I wasn't even trying and I was voted one of the lucky winners.
Make this pie. It is good.
The end.
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