Carrot-Ginger Cupcakes

For my Dad's birthday tomorrow, I made my first ever attempt at baking cupcakes. Shredding carrots is a b*tch!

Torta Sbrisolona

Before you draw conclusions, I just want say, I have not forgotten the pledge I've made in baking once per week. Although wouldn't you say the ridiculous amount of baking I did in previous weeks (particularly the six dozen - edible or not, that's besides the point - cookies I made for my Cookie Swap) excuse my absence in baking for like four weeks? Plus, I've baked this Okinawan Sweet Potato Haupia Pie recipe twice since (I don't like to eat it myself, but it's so much fun to make :) and I'll be doing it again for my grandma's birthday this Friday (I just never got any good pictures to blog about it), which should further excuse me another three weeks. But who's counting?! :D

Earlier tonight, in a mad dash to provide dessert for our friends who came over for dinner, I made a Torta Sbrisolona (basically a giant cookie from Mantua, Italy) made of finely ground almonds and topped with large clumps of streusel. It was all going well until it refused to brown properly, so I decided to try my hand at broiling (never have before) and ended up burning half the cookie! LOL On the bright side of things, the half that didn't burn actually looked like what it was suppose to and tasted good with coffee ice cream (everything tastes better with ice cream doesn't it) although Martha (yes, I went back to her) does recommend it a good cookie for dinner parties if complimented with a bunch of grapes.

P.S. Michael made the most amazing miso steak and crab fried rice for dinner! I know it's so wrong to brag about your own man's cooking, but I don't care. I'd rather deal with your eye-rolling than him asking me why I never talk about his cooking!

It Hurts So Good

Since we have a Cookie Swap Party to throw, Martha and I decided to make up this week. As a gesture of good faith, I decided to use her recipes - a Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti and Double Chocolate Brownie Cookies (I really wanted to make Christmas decorated sugar cookies, but after my rolling pin fiasco two weeks ago, I decided not to take the risk). And even though the party isn't until tomorrow, I decided to start baking today, just to make sure I had plenty of time (I hate stressing out or rushing through what is suppose to be enjoyable tasks).

So do you want the good news or the bad news?


Ok, the good news is that I'm glad I decided to bake today instead of tomorrow. I baked for FIVE hours straight! I didn't eat, use the bathroom, or sit down the entire time. And when I was done, I was knackered. All I wanted to do was nap. That would not have been a gracious thing for a hostess to do on the night of her party.

The bad news is that my cookies look and taste like $h*t.

Ok, so the biscotti turned out good, but I was disappointed that the recipe was suppose to make four dozen when it barely made three (and usually I can squeeze out more than the recipe intends). After baking it the first time, I was to let it cool for 20 minutes before cutting it and baking it again, but I didn't realize it was so fragile while cutting and ended up breaking a lot of it before baking it the 2nd time, which resulted in even less biscotti! Martha did not warn me of that.

After the biscotti, I moved onto the cookies. The first batch looked nothing like the pictures and tasted even worse. In fact, it looked like doo-doo crap and tasted like doo-doo crap! It was dry and cakey, not brownie-like at all! I started laughing to myself and crying at the same time. Usually, if I mess up on a recipe, it's the end of that. But I was convinced I followed the recipe to a T. Plus, I had already laid out the ingredients to bake a second batch (I was aiming to make five dozen), so I read, re-read, and re-read again the recipe about 27 times before baking the second batch. And again, just more doo-doo crap. Is it possible for me to suck that bad at baking?!

With the kitchen already turned upside down, I decided I might as well charge on with the creme brulee. My feet hurt, my back ached, but I was determined to get it all done. I must have been delirious at this point because I accidentally let the cream boil (instead of simmer) and I rushed through beating the eggs and cream, so when I was done, it was all foamy (instead of creamy). To make matters worse, I forgot to cover it in aluminum foil before baking it (although I'm not sure what the aluminum foil is suppose to do for it), but the creme brulee is now chilling in the fridge with a bunch of bubbles at the top.

Again, I just stood there, deliriously leaning against the counter, and laughed.

When my parent's came home and saw the "brownie cookies," my mom was like, "Did you burn them? Why are they all brown and black?" It's not black! It's suppose to be chocolate!!! Mind you, my folks have been really supportive about my adventures in baking, but it was so bad today that even my dad was like, "Did you forget to add butter?" Waaaaahhahaaaaaaaaaa!!! Did I forget to add butter?! I most certainly did not! If anything, Martha forgot to add butter when typing up her damn recipe!

I went online and Googled her recipe to ensure it wasn't a typo in the book. I found a commenter who took the words right out of my mouth:

Followed instructions exactly. Oven temperature is correct. Did NOT overbake. Cookies do not spread and flatten like the ones pictured and seem dry when cold and even dryer when frozen. Not recommended by this experienced baker.

Granted, I am by no means a baker, much less an "experienced" baker, but I am soooo not feeling Martha right now.

We had our differences, which I was happy to put aside. Surely her reputation in the kitchen and home should mean something right? NO. I feel like I've been in an abusive relationship, where she keeps beating me yet I keep finding excuses (like, it was my fault, not her's) and taking her back. I'd like to say I'm moving on from Martha for good, especially since she let me down before my party... but who knows, like with most malignant relationships, I'll probably end up coming back for more.


Postscript (11:52PM): On a happier note, I find it really endearing that all my girlfriends who are attending the party tomorrow are in their kitchen right at this exact moment, mixing, rolling, baking and packing up for tomorrow's Cookie Swap and helping me give back to our community!

Crème Brûlée

After not seeing eye to eye last week, Martha and I decided to take a break :)

But that doesn't mean I've taken a break on baking... yet. I'm keeping my word on baking at least once a week and today, ventured out of Martha's book and made one of my favorite desserts - crème brûlée - did you know that's French for "burnt cream?" I didn't :P I use to almost always order it at restaurants if I saw it on a menu, no matter how full I was from dinner and other times, would roam the streets looking for a bakery or dessert shop that would sell it to satisfy my craving. I never realized how easy it was to make at home! If you invest in a small kitchen torch and some ramekins, you're good to go and can make it just the way you like. Personally, I like it in a shallow ramekin with an extra thick crispy layer. Yummmm! The torch is fun to use too. I could definitely get use to "no-flour" baking... this is definitely something I would be more comfortable making for you all, so long as you're ok with eating just egg yolks and heavy cream!

Baking Is TOO a Science

Disclaimer: I did not successfully make this. Picture courtesy of Martha Stewart & Team.

"Baking is an art, not a science," a friend said to me the other day when I refused to stray away from a recipe.

Well then how come the one time I slightly modify a recipe, it turns into a catastrophe?!

I was telling Michael the just other day that even though I was really into baking these days, it would probably take just one disaster to turn me off of the whole darn thing. I think today was the day.

In an effort to finish off the buttermilk, I attempted to make these Cream Cheese & Chive Biscuits. Yup, more damn biscuits. Some of Martha's biscuit recipes called for biscuit cutters (to shape them), while "dropped biscuits" (similar the ones at Red Lobster) are shaped using two spoons to drop them on a pan, which is what I did for the Spicy Cheese Biscuits. These CCC biscuits however, required rolling out the dough into 11x8, folding it twice like a business letter, then rolling and folding it again, before cutting it so they appear more squarish (see above picture).

I was really excited to use my new French rolling pin and pastry blender and even agreed when Tram suggested I add more zing to it by doubling up on the chives and the cream cheese.

Mishap #1 : Pastry blenders suck!!! It's suppose to help you loosely blend flour and butter with less effort, but it was exhausting to use and harder on the dough then it would have been to use my fingers, which also would have been way more efficient!

Mishap #2: : Doubling up on cream cheese is not a good idea. Who knew a few extra ounces would make such a difference! It made the dough extra sticky and rendered it un-rollable. It ended up looking like that (see picture below) when it was suppose to look like this (see right picture). Yes, I floured my work surface. And yes, I floured my rolling pin :(

Mishap #3 : Instead of adding more flour (I thought it would make the dough too heavy and thus not rise), I abandoned the rolling pin and decided to make drop biscuits instead! I later realize, I should have just went with sprinkling more flour because it wouldn't have mattered - it didn't rise anyway!

Man, today was a bad baking day. I was bummed all afternoon. I think Martha and I need a break from each other (that was fast huh). Poor Charlie came over and left all chivey-smelling but with nothing to eat. Ah well. At least I got to practice my still photography!

Nanana But

In case you're wondering, I am still excited about baking this week, just as much as I was last week (much to even my own surprise - judging from my previous track record of hobbies)!

In the oven right at this moment is Martha Stewart's former brand manager, Deanna Caceres Cahn's Banana Nut Bread... 30 minutes left to go and it smells wonderful! Now if only I can make it taste wonderful.

I was in the process of using this recipe, when Tran emailed me her co-worker's banana nut bread recipe which called for butter (instead of vegetable oil) and three times more buttermilk. Does anyone know the advantages or disadvantages of the three ingredients? And if I have a convection oven, when should I use that function versus just regular "bake?" HELP.

To ease myself into the art of baking, I've been choosing the most simple recipes from Martha's book, based on ingredients I already have in the *kitchen i.e. a half gallon carton of buttermilk, leftover from the last batch of biscuits I made for Thanksgiving. My plan is to experiment with all the recipes that call for buttermilk as much as I can, so I never have to buy buttermilk ever again! lol Hence, this banana nut bread.

OK. Fiiine.

*Who am I kidding? I've spent more time in a grocery store (buying ingredients) the past two weeks than I have in the last five years combined. Michael said to me last night as we were roaming the grocery store aisles, "Isn't it funny that you have to buy more ingredients just so that you can use your existing ingredients?" o_O

On top of that, I don't even eat the things I bake! Not because I'm afraid of food poisoning or anything like that :P but fruity bread and biscuits just don't do it for me. I'm more of a chocolate/cake/cupcake/ice cream kind of a gal. But I'm not sure I'm ready to venture into the realm of cakes. Even cupcakes. And 0h how I would looove to be able to whip up Italian Panettones (traditional Xmas bread cakes from Milan) for everyone for Christmas, but I am deathly afraid of yeast!!! Don't ask me why. I have no idea. I'm guessing I overheard a group of women complaining about yeast when I was a kid (maybe it was a different kind of yeast - haha juuuuust kidding :) and apparently, I was affected by it. Hopefully by Christmas 2010, I will have overcome my fear of yeast and start on those Panettones!

Oooh! The BNB is done now! Aha! Two slices for Michael, my unofficial taste tester! I can actually tell if something is good, by the amount of time he spends chewing on it and what his expression is like when he's swallowing it :)

Turkey Day

Growing up, my folks always made an effort to ensure I had the experience of a turkey on Thanksgiving and even at times, on Christmas as well. But something happened as the years went on (I think everyone in my family would fighting over the turkey legs) and so one year, my aunt decided to just make turkey legs! A whole platter of turkey legs! Something about that practice turned me off of turkey from that moment on. Yech.

But that was probably a relief for my parents since they never had to worry about making me turkey ever again. And once I moved away, turkey was last thing I wanted to eat when I came home to visit. I didn't care what holiday it was - all I wanted was Vietnamese food! Vietnamese food for dinner. Vietnamese food for lunch. Vietnamese for breakfast! I had resolved that I was simply not a fan of turkey, no matter the occasion, no matter the form - I didn't even care for turkey deli meat... until I met Michael. He waits all year to eat his uncle's turkey and thought it was pretty ludicrous that my family didn't have turkey at all on Thanksgiving.

This year, I finally had my first taste of his family's renowned turkey... and man, it was deeeee-lish!!! Now I know why he rants and raves about it all the time! Not surprisingly, there were no leftovers. The meal was accompanied with a honey baked ham (from Chi Chau), stuffing, scalloped potatoes (from Kathy), mash potatoes (from Kim), gravy and variety of other side dishes, topped off with a pumpkin creme brulee (from Anh Minh). I looooooooooooove creme brulee - it's my favorite dessert!

Per Michael's request, I made spicy cheddar biscuits (from Martha's book) and non-spicy for the kids, which sadly, were not that spicy or cheesy :/ Everyone was nice enough to extend their compliments though :) At least they looked ok! haha I think it's time I steadily move on from looks to taste!

Pre-baked kids' cheddar biscuits.

We also made Rice Krispy treat turkey legs for the kiddies! I'd been planning to make something a little bit more special for them from my cousin My's book of recipes, but after running around town, I could not find all the ingredients for the finishing touches, so unfortunately, they will have to wait till next year!

Already, I am looking forward to my next turkey!

A New Hobby

My second cousin My in Texas, who is my age, is the mother of a toddler, works full time, attends grad school for her MBA, plays the piano, has 4+ dogs, takes photography classes, and runs an online bakery!

So it shouldn't be much of a wonder that I feel the need to pick up a new hobby :) Especially during these more boring winter months.

With the inspiration of My and after my faltered attempts of baking during Gourmet Dinner Club, I decided it was time I learned to properly bake. After all, with Michael quickly becoming quite the cook, what did I have to contribute in the kitchen (besides clean dishes)?

As a kid, I tried my hand at baking, if you call Jello's No-Bake Oreo Cream Pie "baking." I've also attempted to make brownies and cookies a few times, but always with the help of Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker. At the time, I didn't even know there was a difference between baking from scratch and baking with pre-mixed packages - wasn't adding an egg to them enough?!

So to begin my endeavor, I decided I needed a mixer. After hearing from Kathy that I'd need a stand up mixer, preferably the KitchenAid one, I thought, Shoot, I have to have it! For those of you that don't know, I feel the need to have any and all possible equipment before taking on new hobbies :) Take for instance...

Exhibit A: my snowboard
Exhibit B: my softball cleats
Exhibit C: my shin guards and soccer cleats
Exhibit D: my $500 golf clubs (and that does not include any woods)
Exhibit E: my $99/month gym membership in New York... to support my $80/hr personal trainer. Oiiiiii, I regretted that one.

So barring my snowboard (which I now no longer have an interest for) and maybe my golf clubs, everything else has gone virtually unused. So I can certainly understand as my friends and family looked at me with a hesitant eye when I exclaimed I wanted to spend $300 on a stand-up mixer! My friend Tram (bless her) wasn't even sure I should spend $40 on a hand-mixer, much less anything more!

But after I wouldn't shut up about it, Michael went and surprised me with one last week. Woohoo!!! He also bought me all the basic pans and this totally awesome Martha Stewart recipe book (corny I know), but it's great for beginners and experts alike and it has a super helpful section on basic baking techniques. I love it!

Thus, I'm gonna' bake at least one recipe out of that book every week! They say if you tell people about your goals, you are more likely to accomplish them (since you don't want to disappoint anyone). And already, I've used it twice yesterday - a simple oatmeal raisin cookie and pumpkin bread recipe. Sorry, no pictures since my next task is to learn to take better pictures of food :)