A Wedding Later

Since I posted last, I feel a little older, wiser, and MARRIED!

It's been awhile

Hello, remember me? Yes, it's been awhile and much has changed. Still baking, of course. I've been pretty busy the past few months....grades were due last week (always take much of my time), doing a lot of final things for my wedding, and last but not least...buying a condo. Yes, Trevor and I are proud homeowners of a cute little 2 bed, 1 1/2 bath condo.

I'm experiencing a whole new realm. Let's just say, my new favorite store (besides JoAnn's) is Lowe's. It's full of such wonderful things! Were in the process of remodeling the shower tub. You may ask, why? Well, it's bad....it's a one piece, plexy-glass, pink, dinged up shower tub. AND the shower head height is perfect to wash my boobs! No need to wash my hair or anything. So Trevor is getting his first taste of remodeling (cuz I just pick the colors).

Cowgirl Up!

Yes, I have cowgirl in my blood. I've been riding since I could walk. My favorite photo capturing this; is my dad and I sitting on his first horse (me sitting in front) and I'm in a bathing suit. I was 5. I grew up as an english rider and now I'm a western rider. I started RHR Gymkhana in 2003 and ride in shows almost every month. Nemo (my horse) and I "turn and burn" around barrels and poles. Sometimes when a turn isn't possible, we take em` down!

Lauren and I won belt buckles, jackets, and bags. I'm super proud of Lauren, winning her FIRST belt buckle! Go Lauren!

Royal Icing

Lauren asks: How do you make your royal icing so perfect?

Great question Lauren. Below is my most FAVORITE royal icing recipe. The original recipe didn't have light corn syrup. I added it because corn syrup adds a slight shine to the icing. Without it, the icing is very matte when it dries.

Royal Icing:

3/4 cup warm water (the warm is important)
5 Tbs meringue powder (you can find this at JoAnn's or Michael's-use your coupon!)

1 tsp cream of tartar

8 cups powdered sugar

1 Tbs light corn syrup

Place warm water (I like to use bottled water-yes their IS a difference) and meringue and whisk until frothy (remember: start on low, so you don't create a powder puff, then change the speed to high to make it frothy). Add the rest of the ingredients and change to the paddle attachment. Mix on the LOWEST speed for a FULL 10 minutes. Icing should be thick! At this point, it is too thick to put on anything; well maybe to build a house using bricks.

Tips for the PERFECT icing consistency:

* Don't turn off your mixer during the last 10 minutes.

* Anytime the icing is sitting i.e. in the bowl, coloring, etc. You MUST place a wet paper towel (ringed out) over it. Have a wet paper towel while working. Clean the tip off after EVERY cookie you decorate for a perfect outline. If you do not place a paper towel over the bowl/tip, the icing will form a crust. Then when you mix it, you will have chunks in your icing, which will not flow smoothly out your pipping bottle.

**The following tips are for decorating cookies. Consistency is SO important! Add any color BEFORE you thin your icing (normally, gels will make the icing thinner). Using the above recipe SLOWLY add water and mix until thoroughly mixed (if you need ALL the icing to flood, do this to the whole bowl- if not, separate icing into different bowls for consistency and color). To check consistency, dip spatula into icing, pull up (so the icing will drip off), the icing will drip off the spatula and make ribbons in the bowl. As soon as the icing hits the icing in the bowl, start counting...

* Icing Consistency to fill (flood) cookies: count 7-8 seconds. This is the perfect flood consistency.

* Icing Consistency to writing/decorating on cookies: create soft peaks; using a spatula, pull up from the icing (in the bowl) and the icing should make a peak-but it should NOT come to a point. You want the peak to fall over a little bit: soft peak.

* How to ice a cookie: Bare with me...I'll post picture soon to help you understand the process better. Everyone has their own way, so my way isn't the only way.

1. Here we go....pour your icing (flood consistency) into bottles (these are the ones I use, and I absolutely LOVE them, trust me I've tried everything and these are awesome! I have 3 large bottles with non-removable tips and that's what I use to flood). Using the outline of the cookie as a guide, make sure you pipe sharp corners. However, your piped outline will determine the icing shape. Do NOT pipe on the edge, it will run off. I just eyeball it normally, use the tip of the bottle as a measuring tool, measure 1/2 in from the edge.


2. Now that you have your cookie outlined, "flood" it. Just squeeze a good amount inside the outline working in a counter or clockwise pattern, starting at the outline and work your way in. Use the tip of the bottle, push the icing into every hole (do NOT squeeze or release pressure at this time-it will create bubbles). If bubbles come up, use the tip or a straight pin and pop them. As your cookie dries it should cover the hole. If you let the outline dry too long, you will see a crease. I don't like to look of an outline you can see, this is why I ice my cookies this way.


3. Decorating: using your writing/decorating consistency pipe on any decorations. Note: as you hold the bottles, the warmth from your hand may cause the icing to become thinner. If your doing intricate detail, you'll want to let it sit for a minute.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate. Send me pictures; I'd love to see how it went.

Thanks for your question Lauren and have fun!

Watch Out Project Runway!

My favorite reality show, hands down, is Project Runway. I love watching them make an entire outfit in sometimes a matter of hours! I would love to be on the show just to watch them...I wouldn't get anything accomplished because ummm...let me think, I can't sew! 

For my birthday last year, my mother got me a sewing machine. My machine's name is Janome (their is an accent over the "e") and you have to say it with attitude...snap, snap Janome! She builds my confidence when I make a snickerdoodle (more about the term "snickerdoodle" at a later time, it basically means: mistake). My first project, fresh out of sewing 101 (yes, the class was really called "Sewing 101- All Martha's Welcome") well maybe not that last part (smile) was a skirt. The over achiever came out in me, I miss her. So I picked out the cutest fabric, zipper, thread, and this stuff called...crap I forgot what they call it. Something tape. I started my first sewing project during my winter break (yes, as a teacher I got 2 1/2 weeks off). I completed the project last week. My VERY first skirt. I'm so gosh darn proud of myself. The waist band it totally awful, but only I see it and well, I don't care. Then, Lauren taught me how to knit (I know right, Stephanie McCluskey aka Domestic Queen). So around my neck is my VERY first knitted project: a scarf. I wear it almost very day! I just love it! So here I proudly stand with my kick butt boots and clothes that I actually made.

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

I found a great blueberry muffin recipe on a cute baking blog (she has some great recipes). So my normal thing to do with recipes...tweaking them...I made this one a lemon blueberry muffin. The recipe call for lemon rind and that's it! I HATE wasting food, so I added lemon juice too. And lovintheoven also suggested to add some yogurt to make it more moist. So I did!

The recipe:

Use the recipe as is, but if you want to make them with a little lemon flavor add...

Juice of half a lemon

2 heaping Tbs vanilla yogurt

When you add the vanilla extract, add the lemon juice and yogurt into the bowl.

Tips when tweaking recipes:

1. Always keep you liquid to dry ratio as even as the original (adding the yogurt and NOT a dry is fine). When baking with cake mixes, you can easily add around 1/2 cup of yogurt or mayo to make your cake more moist (any more, you'd have to add a dry i.e. pudding powder, etc.)

2. Try to use random liquid/dry item, found in the store (when I make my Chocolate Banana Cake, I use banana smoothy mix as an added dry).

3. Don't be scared! To be completely honest: I tweak almost everything I make so whenever I make something for someone it's normal a leap of faith. But once you understand "tweaking" (that kind of sounds bad-you know what I mean) and can do it successfully, it will be like second nature.

4. Good Luck!  

  

Be Mine

For Valentine's Day, my sweetie and I made lasagna (yes, together). We had so much fun drinking wine as we were cooking, surprisingly none ended up in the lasagna. I set our table with the flowers and See's candy he bought me. It was so romantic! The lasagna was super easy to make. We got the recipe from his mom. He made it for me a few years ago and thought it would be fun to re-make together.

Adrienne's Lasagna

1 lb ground beef

2 small cans tomato paste

1 1/2 cans water

2 bay leaves (I used dry-worked great)

salt and pepper

3/4 lb grated mozzarella (I used more)

1/2 lb ricotta cheese (I used a touch more)

lasagna noodles

Make enough for an 8x8 pan. Preheat oven 350. Brown the meat and mix with paste, water, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes. Cook noodles while you wait. Take out bay leaf and mix ricotta with beef mixture. Layer in your pan: noodles, beef, cheese. Bake for 25 min.