Daring Bakers Challenge 3

Perfect Party Cake

Let the girls eat cake!

Stick to your ribs

Where are the veggies?

Potatoes count ;)

Switching roles

High school dances can get very repetitive and unstimulating after the first couple, but my last Sadies dance is coming up and I decided I'm just going to go and make the best of it. Plus, I thought it would be fun to ask a guy and switch things up for once. This time the pressure is on the girls to find the nerve to ask someone, and the boys have to endure the anxiety of waiting to be asked. All this sounds so childish, really. But when else can you have this kind of fun? Not when you're "all grown up" that's almost certain.

Since I love baking and my potential date loves food, I decided to make fortune cookies with a continuous message inside, revealing who was asking him. Everything worked out pretty well. Score! :)

Lucky Fortune Cookies

Ingredients:

2 large egg whites

1/2 cup white sugar

8 tbs. flour

2 1/2 tsp. cornstarch

1/8 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. almond extract

3 tbs. vegetable oil

1 tbs. water

fortunes written on strips of paper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees [F].

In a medium bowl, stir egg whites, sugar, salt, vanilla, almond extract, and oil together. Beat in flour and cornstarch. Add water if batter is too thick.

Line 2 cookies sheets with parchment paper or spray with a non-stick spray. Drop batter by tablespoons about 4 inches apart onto the prepared sheets. Bake until edges are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Turn over one cookie at a time, place a fortune in the middlem letting part of the paper stick out, and fold the cookie in half. Pinch closed and lift the cookie and bring the corner together to make a C shape. Let cool in muffin tins so they maintain their shape.

I suggest making the fortune strips ahead of time because it is imperative that they are placed inside the cookies immediately, before the cookies harden. Don't make more than 2 or 3 at a time because you may not be able to work quick enough before the cookies turn stiff. But if this happens, simply put them back in the oven for a minute or so to soften them.

PEEcan, peCON, PECAN?

So there are supposedly several CORRECT ways to pronounce the word PECAN. I find myself saying it differently all the time, depending on the context in which it I use it. No matter, they make a deliciously mean pie!

Pecan Pie

Ingredients:
for basic crust (one 9-inch):
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 tbs. cold unsalted butter
4 tbs. ice water
for filling:
4 large eggs
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
5 tbs. unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups pecans

Directions:
for crust: Sift together flour and salt and add butter and shortening. Use your fingertips to incorporate well. Add water as needed until dough holds together. Knead dough and roll out on a floured surface. Glaze crust with an egg yolk or heavy cream to add flavor and color. Bake in a 425 degrees [F] oven for 15 minutes or so.
for filling: Preheat oven to 375 degrees [F]. Whisk together all the ingredients except the pecans. Once well blended, stir in nuts.

Pour the filling into the piecrust. Bake until edges are firm and center seems set but quivery, like gelatin, when the pan is nudged, 35-45 minutes. Serve pie warm or at room temperature.

More comfort

Foods that stick to your tummy make you feel full, and in the end, content. I'm not the type of person who regrets eating a good meal because it'll increase the number on the scale by a few pounds. I say it was worth it and increase the number of minutes on the treadmill the next day.

Buttermilk Biscuits

Ingredients:
2 cups flours
3 tbs. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk, chilled
1/2 cup shortening

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees [F].
Mix dry ingredients. Rub shortening into dry mixture using your fingers until the mixture resembles crumbs. Make a well in the center of your bowl and pour buttermilk. Stir until dough comes together (will be sticky).
On a floured surface, fold dough over 5-6 times.Gently pat dough out to 1/2 inch-1 inch thickness, Cut out 2-inch rounds using a biscuit cutter or a homemade version (I recycled a washed aluminum can). Place on a baking sheet so that they are slightly touching. Brush tops with melted butter or cream to add a glossy finish.
Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Fried Chicken Strips

I marinaded some chicken breasts cut into strips in buttermilk overnight. The following day I drained the excess buttermilk and coated the wet chicken with seasonings (salt, pepper, paprika). I dipped the chicken in a dry mixture of flour and plain bread crumbs (equal parts). Be careful when frying in hot oil because any bit of water that comes in contact with sizzling oil will cause harmful splashes! These strips take only but a few minutes to cook on each side so you can eat them almost right away.

Simplicity

It really are the simple things in life we overlook most of the time. I think I have a tendency to complicate something already complicated or actually make something more complicated than it really is. (Does your head hurt too?) So I came to the conclusion that I'm going to simply everything I possibly can in my life (without sacrificing the necessary components) and pursue a more peaceful life. Peace is such a calming word. And I desire so much of it in my chaotic life right now.

The first step I'm practicting is breathing. A silly thing to rehearse, I know, but it's something I really need to do because I feel like I'm suffocating in my own tumultuous mind. I know I sound kind of desperate. And I suppose I am.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Mexican Pizza

Ingredients:

flour tortillas

pizza or tomato sauce

shredded cheese (4 cheese)

favorite pizza toppings (grilled chicken)

Directions:

Warm a tortilla on a skillet. Spread a couple spoonfuls of a tomato sauce evenly across the top. Add your favorite pizza toppings and sprinkle liberally with cheese.

I waited for all the cheese to melt beautifully and let my "crust" toast on the skillet until it was nice and crispy.

Nothing complicated, really. Just simply delicious.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Anticipation

I enjoy celebrating other people's birthdays more than my own --especially when I'm responsible for the cake because baking is rather therapeutic for me. I don't mind all the whisking, beating, and folding by hand. However, I'm always worried about the final result because I'm prone to overbaking and that's an irreparable glitch I've experienced ever so much. But I always imagine the faces of those taking their first bite of my food and their eyes widening from the pleasure experienced by their taste buds and their mouths widening for a bigger next bite. This prevents me from giving up.
For my cousin's birthday, I decided to stray away from the traditional white cake we are accustomed to and baked a decadent red velvet cake from scratch. With high expectations, she jokingly asked me if it was going to be edible.

And the unanimous verdict was that it was very edible.

Red Velvet Cake


Ingredients:
for the cake:
2 1/3 cups sifted cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons red food coloring
for the frosting:
16 oz. cold cream cheese
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
4 teaspoons vanilla
4 cups confectioner's sugar (I only used half the amount called for because I prefer mildly sweet frosting)
Optional:
1 1/2 cups toasted pecans

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees [F]. Grease and flour two 9 x 2-inch round cake pans.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Beat butter in a large bowl until creamy and gradually add sugar until mixture is light and fluffy. Whisk together the vanilla and eggs and gradually add that into the butter mixture.
Beating at low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the buttermilk in 2 parts. Add the food coloring after the first pouring of buttermilk. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary to incorporate the ingredients thoroughly.
Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and bake for 25-30 minutes. (see below for frosting directions)

Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla at low speed until well blended. Add the confectioner's sugar in increments and I would suggest tasting as you go so the frosting doesn't end up too sweet. But of course, if you feel the need to satisfy your sweet tooth, add as much as you want.

To frost the cake, make sure your cakes have completely cooled on a rack before you start. Frost a thin coating of frosting as your base layer ("crumb layer") to seal in the crumbs. Set aside to chill for 10 minutes or so in the refrigerator. When it is ready for the final frosting, liberally spread the frosting on the cake and be as elaborative as you want with your design. I toasted some pecans to add a more professional flare to my cake and also to enhance the mingling of flavors in your mouth with the richness of the cake and nuttiness of the pecans.

It was lovely.