Pretty Cakes

Last month I mentioned that I was going to start taking a cake decorating class, and so I have. The course is actually broken down into three four-week classes. The first is basic cake decorating, the second is flower design, and the third is fondant and gum paste. There is also an extra class on cake stacking for wedding cakes! It has been really fun so far. I have learned a lot of tips and tricks to decorate a cake so that the icing doesn't run off everywhere. I just finished the first month and here is my final cake that I produced last night:

As you can see, I can now do shell borders, roses and leaves. I also learned how to do writing (that doesn't look like a kindergartener did it) and other flowers and borders. Did you notice how perfectly smooth the pink frosting is? Interesting trick - frost the cake and let the icing "crust" over a bit so that you can touch it without picking up any frosting. Then take a paper towel (Viva brand works great because there is no pattern) and place it on the top of the cake and then rub the palm of your hand over it until it is smooth. Looks almost as nice as fondant and only takes a couple of minutes. Cool, huh? Ok... well, I think it is cool!

Anyway, I am having fun with it. So, if anyone ever needs a cake for a birthday or anniversary or um... a Monday, just let me know! Cake decorating just might turn out to be a nice little side business!

The second annual Easter Brunch

For the last couple of years I have hosted a brunch at my house after the sunrise (6:30 am to be exact!)  Easter church service. It is always kind of fun having a large group of people over. My apartment isn't all that big and squeezing 15-20 people into it makes for a "lively" time! I made two egg casseroles, one with ham and cheddar and the other vegetarian with spinach and mushrooms, sourdough biscuits with sausage gravy, (or honey/cinnamon butter and jam for the non-meat eaters) fruit salad and cinnamon rolls. The food was delicious and I definitely ate more than I intended to! It has been about seven hours since I ate and I think I am still digesting!!! Anyway, I will post the recipes for those who might want them. 


If you make anything, make these cinnamon rolls. Not to toot my own horn, but they were TO DIE FOR!!! By far, the best cinnamon roll recipe ever! I actually added a hint of coffee and maple to the frosting based on the suggestion of The Pioneer Woman and it really gave them something extra. I will definitely do this from now on! The great thing about this recipe (and all of these recipes, actually, is that they can be made the night before which makes the morning prep work next to nothing)

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

• Dough:
• 1 cup milk
• ⅓ cup butter
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• ½ cup white sugar
• 4½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
  
  
• Filling:
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• ½ cup softened butter
  
  
• Glaze:
• ½ lb. (about 4 cups) powdered sugar
• ⅛ tsp. maple flavoring
• ¼ cup whole milk
• ⅛ cup melted butter
• 4 Tbs. brewed coffee
• 1 pinch of salt

• Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Add the butter and stir until melted; let cool until lukewarm.
• In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the milk mixture. Add the sugar, 3 cups of flour, salt and eggs; stir well to combine. Add the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 8 minutes.
• Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. (my dough didn't look like it really rose at all but it was just fine so don't panic if your dough looks pretty much the same an hour later) 
  
  Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 10x 14 inch rectangle. Lightly brush the far edge with water. In a small bowl make the filling by mixing the softened butter, brown sugar and cinnamon to make a paste. 
• 
  
  
  Spread a layer of filling on the dough. Roll up the dough into a log and seal the seam.
  
  Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces. Using a knife will squish the dough. I use a piece of string instead. You just slide the string until the roll of dough and cross the ends over each other and pull the string across. With this method you end up with perfectly round rolls.  (I am sure it would be helpful to see this but I didn't take a picture because, quite frankly, I only have two hands, what do you expect, people? I am doing my best!) Place the pieces in a greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rise overnight.
• 
  
  
• The next morning, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Take the rolls out of the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Brush the tops and the sides of the rolls with melted butter.
• Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden. 
  
  Meanwhile, make the glaze; and set aside. 
  
  
  
  Glaze over the rolls when they have been out of the oven for 5-10 minutes. I basically dropped a heaping spoonful of frosting on each roll and let it melt and spread. I took a spatula and ran it between each roll to make sure the glaze oozed down into all the nooks and crannies.
  
  Then serve! These are best eaten within about an hour of making them.

Ok, next up are the Sourdough Biscuits. My mom actually FedEx'ed me a sourdough starter this week which is awesome, since I didn't have one. (If anyone wants some starter, let me know, I am happy to share) These biscuits were good but I have to say, biscuits are a little tricky! I have yet to perfect them. You have to be really careful when you are handling the dough. If you over-work it, the biscuits won't be very light and flaky. You also want to make sure you roll the dough to be about 3/4" to 1" thick. Mine were a little too thin for my liking. No matter, this is a good recipe and I will just have to practice it a few more times. 


Sourdough Biscuits:

1½ cups sourdough starter
2½ cups flour
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
½ cup butter
½ cup buttermilk


Let all ingredients except for the butter come to room temperature. . Put the flour in a warm bowl. Add salt and baking soda. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour.
When the particles are about the size of cornmeal, stir in the sourdough starter and the buttermilk and stir until thoroughly moistened. The dough will be very soft.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured breadboard and knead for about 30 seconds. Roll out the dough until it is about 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter to cut out biscuits. DO NOT twist while cutting, it will make the biscuits unable to rise well. (you'll note that mine are a little on the thin side) 

Place the biscuits close together on a cookie sheet and put in a warm place for 30 minutes for proofing. Brush the tops with melted butter. 
Put the cookie sheet in a preheated 450° oven for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve immediately.

And what would biscuits be without gravy? Sausage gravy is pretty basic but this one turned out well so here is the recipe.


Sausage Gravy:

1 pound breakfast sausage
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
Salt and black pepper to taste


Crumble and cook sausage in large skillet over medium heat until browned. Stir in flour until dissolved. Gradually stir in milk. Cook gravy until thick and bubbly. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot over biscuits.

Ok, last but not least, we have the breakfast casseroles. I prefer the ham and cheese one. I think it has more flavor. The spinach and mushroom one needs a bit more kick I think. Feel free to experiment with it and if you find a good add-in, let me know!


Ham and cheese egg casserole:

4 c. frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed

1 c. cubed fully cooked ham

1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies

½ c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

½ c. shredded cheddar cheese

6 eggs

1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

¼ t. pepper

Mix together all ingredients and pour into a greased 8-in. square baking dish.Cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 1 hour (mine actually took 1 hour and 15 minutes) or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 5-10 minutes. 

Spinach and mushroom egg casserole:

4 c. frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed

1 small bunch spinach

4 mushrooms, sliced

1/2 onion, finely chopped

2 tsp. olive oil

1/2 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 c. shredded Swiss cheese

6 eggs

1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Saute’ the onions in the olive oil until translucent. Add mushrooms and asparagus and saute’ until the vegetables are somewhat soft. Mix together the hash browns, saute’d vegetables, spinach and cheese. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and pepper; pour over the potato mixture. Pour mixture into a greased 8-in. square baking dish, Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 1 hour or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 5-10 minutes.

Uncooked:

Cooked:

And there you have it. Easter Brunch all said and done. Deee-lish-uuuus!

The internet is pretty cool (I hope it is not just a fad)

I was recently pondering the wonders of the internet. It is quite amazing, when you think about it. If you are watching a movie and see someone who looks really familiar but you just can't place it, just open up your laptop, go to IMDB and voila! mystery solved. Gone are the days of those inconsequential questions looming in your brain and bothering you for hours. Have you ever gotten into a heated debate over song lyrics? Does Michael Jackson sing, "Annie are you, ok, are you ok, Annie?" or is it "Eddie are you ok, are you ok, Eddie?" Debates like these can destroy friendships. But with the wonder of the internet, you can simply Google it and avoid said catastrophe! Writing a paper for school? Forget old, dusty, encyclopedias, we now have an ever growing and changing wealth of information in Wikipedia and as Michael Scott once said, "Wikipedia is the best thing ever. Anyone in the world can write anything they want about any subject. So you know you are getting the best possible information."

One of the aspects of the internet I find incredibly intriguing is social networking. Talk about making the world smaller! Facebook has connected me with just about everyone I have ever known in my life. If I want to know what Little Sammy from 3rd grade is up to, I can check out his Facebook and find out. In fact, just today I saw a post on one of my friend's wall from a guy I had a huge crush on in 1999. I literally haven't thought of him in years. I was able to see some photos of his wife and child and find out what he has been up to in the last 12 years. WEIRD! One time, when my friend was in labor, her husband posted regular status updates from the delivery room until they had their baby. It was like a play by play of the birth with baby pictures not even an hour after the baby was born. WEIRD!

Does anyone remember MySpace? (It was that thing that everyone used before Facebook) The thing about MySpace was that it was more public, at least in the beginning. Anyone could see your page. Consequently, I ended up meeting quite a few people through MySpace. I went on a number of "blind dates" (still single, so clearly none of those worked out) But I actually met a few people who became my real, genuine friends! In fact, I still have a couple of friends that I am pretty close with that I met on MySpace back in 2006. It doesn't seem weird to me but when I really think about it, it IS kind of weird that I have some friends that I have known for five years who genuinely know me and have walked me through the up's and down's in life and vice versa. Yet, I have never actually met them.

That was until last week. My friend, Tom, from Colorado, came for a visit and I got to meet him after being phone/email buddies for five years. It was cool (and kind of bizarre) to connect an actual person to a voice on the telephone. There are so many mannerisms and unique things that make up a person that you can't see over the phone. Apparently my voice makes me sound taller than I am and I do a little "head-bobbing" thing when I talk. (which now, I am a little self-conscious about - thanks, Tom) We had a really fun time hanging out and I think it is pretty awesome that I am friends with someone from Colorado who I never would have met had he not randomly stumbled upon my MySpace page years ago.

Yep, the internet amazes me. I love the random friendships I have made and it makes me wonder how many awesome people I am missing out on because they live in another part of the world. It makes me excited about an eternity in heaven; think of all the relationships we will develop when we are not limited by time or space. WEIRD!

P.S. Chris, I know you read my blog... you know it is your turn to come visit now, Florida isn't THAT far away! :)

Granola

This blog was requested by my sister-in-law, Jenn. Homemade granola. I have been making my own granola for several years after working in a bakery and making it there. Once I realized how easy it was there was no going back. Store bought granola is EXPENSIVE! Plus, granola is super versatile and there are countless variations which makes it fun to experiment with. This recipe is compiled from a few different ones that I have used and so far it is my favorite. It is delicious when mixed with yogurt and berries or just eaten dry out of the container.

Homemade Granola

Melt and mix:
1 1/2 c. butter
1 1/2 c. honey
1 1/2 c. brown sugar

Add to melted liquid:
2 tsp. almond extract
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix dry ingredients:
9 c. rolled oats (about 6 “bulk bin” scoops)
1 c. wheat germ
1 c. oat bran
1 c. sunflower seeds
1 c. pumpkin seeds
1 c. coconut
1 c. coarsely chopped almonds
1 c. coarsely chopped pecans
1 Tbs. cinnamon
1½ tsp. salt

Optional Additions:
2 c. dried fruit (raisins, dates, cranberries, apricots pieces, etc.)

*The quantities of these ingredients are pretty loose. I just scoop what looks like a cup from the bulk bins at Henry's Farmers Market, no need to measure exactly.

Mix dry ingredients:

Melt liquid then add extracts:

Pour liquid over dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Depending on how big your "scoops" of dry ingredients are, you might need more liquid. It should just cover all the granola but not be soupy:

Spread one layer of granola (about ⅓ of the mixture) on a cookie sheet with a deep edge.

Bake at 350°F for 20-24 minutes, stirring every 4 minutes until golden brown. (You pretty much need to just hang out in the kitchen for this part, if you don't watch it, it will burn very easily!) The granola is not going to look like it is doing anything until that final stir and it will start to look brown on the bottom and you know it is time to take it out. It will still be soft and gooey.

Take out of the oven and pour granola onto a large piece of parchment paper, spread out into a single layer and let mixture cool/ harden.

Carefully lift up the parchment paper and hold the ends together to make a "tunnel" and pour into an airtight storage container. This will naturally break up the granola into small pieces.
Repeat steps with the remaining granola mixture. Add in dried fruit if desired.

Then serve! This was my breakfast this morning - yogurt, berries and granola. And if I do say so myself, it was a delightful way to start my day!

Pretty in Pink

Yesterday was Callie Rae's actual birthday so I made some pink lemonade cupcakes for our community group. In addition to being delightfully yummy, they are adorable and perfect for a little girl's birthday. Pink overload! Word to the wise though... when choosing a candle for a 1 year old's birthday cake, make sure to read the package to make sure you don't accidentally get a trick candle. A candle that sparks and refuses to blow out isn't really the best option for a baby! Ooops!

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

1 c. all-purpose flour

½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. baking soda

1 pinch salt

½ c. granulated sugar

¼ c. vegetable oil

2 egg whites

⅓ c. thawed frozen Pink Lemonade Concentrate

1 tsp. lemon extract

¼ c. buttermilk

about 1/2 tsp. red food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin pan with liners.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, egg whites, lemonade concentrate and lemon extract. Alternately whisk in flour mixture and buttermilk, making three additions of flour mixture and two of buttermilk, beating until just smooth. Add just enough food coloring to turn the batter a light shade of pink.

Scoop batter into liners (fill about three-fourths full). I used a 1/3 measuring cup for this and it was the perfect amount. 

Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on rack. 

Top cooled cupcakes with frosting.

Frosting:

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese

1 stick butter, softened

1 cup marshmallow cream

1 (1-pound) box confectioners’ sugar

1 tsp. lemon extract

2-3 drops red food coloring

Blend cream cheese and butter together in a mixing bowl. Add marshmallow cream and sugar and blend. Add lemon extract and red food coloring and blend. For these cupcakes I piped the icing with an icing bag, using the Wilton Tip 1M and topped them with pink sprinkles. But you could also just use a spatula if you don't want to get so fancy. 

Waldorf Dolls

Since I am posting "crafty stuff" I will post some pictures of a Waldorf Doll that I made last summer for my niece, Ashton. My friend, Tricia, taught me how to make this doll and while it is a bit more of a time investment than the amigurumi toys, it turned out great, and when Ashton gets older I plan on making several more for her to play with. Here are the pictures of the doll in all of her different outfits.

I missed my true calling... an elf.

I have been really into the idea of homemade toys lately. There are so many fun things you can make! I am sure that if I ever have kids I will be one of those hippy moms who uses cloth diapers, makes organic baby food and gives my kids homemade toys to play with. Homemade toys are just so much cooler than the cheap, plastic, noisemakers that you see these days. Since I don't have kids, I have to make toys for my friend's kids instead. Today was Kevin and Joni's daughter, Callie's, first birthday party so it was the perfect excuse to get crafty.

I am currently crocheting Amigurumi toys which are kind of like "beanie babies", aren't they cute?

If you can crochet, they are super easy to make. Each one took me less than 5 hours to make. These are the two that I made for Calli:

This one was going to be a bunny but I ran out of yarn for the ears so I made it a bear instead but since it is pink it looks kind of like a pig. I guess I will let Calli decide what it is.

Anyway, that is all I have so far. I am going to make a bunch of them and just keep them on hand for baby birthdays. I will post more pictures whenever I get more done.

*Edited on 5/15* I made this one for Trevor and Kelly's son, Keaton, a couple of weeks ago. It turned out really cute!