TCHER, TAMECT, 'n' taters

I need to BLOG. I am in a happy, wanna-tell-it-to-the-world kinda mood. So! 1) I am now an undergraduate research assistant for TCHER (Transdisciplinary Center for Health Equity Research) at A&M; 2) I registered for my first race/run ever, the BCS Half Marathon on December 9th.. as in December 9th, 2012 (this year.. AHH). I have a lot, a lot a lot, of training to do, but I am so excited! Maybe a little too excited. And 3) I am hopefully going to be a proud member of TAMECT (Texas A&M Emergency Care Team) *fingers crossed*

I am so blessed. I have so much to look forward to this semester, I can hardly stand it! There is just so much.. so much "good" in my life right now. Some much needed "good".

In an effort to prepare for The Run, I studied up on nutrition for runners and was pleasantly surprised. Dark Chocolate. Almonds. Both on the "good" list (see, even more "good"!). Hmm. This was reason enough for me to indulge. New obsession: dark chocolate-covered almonds. I eat them guilt-free! Yumm. Also on the list: Sweet Potatoes, which brings me to this wonderful lil' recipe for..

Baked Sweet Potatoes | via allrecipes

The recipe calls for 3 sweet potatoes, but I only used one. I am sure this is meant to be eaten as a side dish, but I am eating it as a meal along with a salad. 

OK..

1 sweet potato 

olive oil

dried oregano

salt

pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Wash the potato (the recipe says to wash and peel the potatoes; I prefer skin on). Cut the potato into medium-sized pieces. Coat the bottom of a glass baking dish with olive oil - using less than a tablespoon of oil. Place the potato pieces in the baking dish and turn to coat with oil. Sprinkle with a small pinch of each: dried oregano, salt, and pepper. Bake for about an hour, or until soft.  

Dinner is served!

I love, love, love this recipe. If you love sweet potatoes fries, you will love this (so much love!). The best part: this recipe is just as healthy, as it is tasty and simple. 

winner, winner, chicken dinner

For dinner last night I went all out: Baked Lemon-Garlic Chicken with Asparagus and Mashed Red Potatoes with Jalapeno Bacon and Green Onion, AND Sweetheart (mini) Cherry Pies for dessert. BAM!

I found the Sweetheart Cherry Pies recipe/idea on Pinterest, and they turned out fantastic and so cute - as most Pinterest recipes and crafts do. Why haven't I thought of using cookie cutters to make mini pies before?? Brilliant! Especially considering how many cookie cutters I have. I am sure you could sub in other fruits as well - apple, blueberry, strawberry, etc., etc., etc. YUM. I also love that this recipe uses fresh cherries.

I will post the recipes in the order in which I made them (not ate them), although if you prefer dessert before dinner, by all means go for it!

#1 Sweetheart Cherry Pies 

Sweetheart Cherry Pies | from Cake Student  

I followed this recipe exactly and the pies came out perfectly. I used Pillsbury pie crusts (one box, 2 crusts) rather than making my own crusts. I was able to make 3 hearts - two people could share one, maybe. I could easily eat one by myself (and did). They are great served warm or cool, topped with whipped cream or ice cream.

#2 Baked Lemon-Garlic Chicken

For the main dish, it was either chicken or steak, chicken or steak? Adam (my boyfriend) chose chicken, so chicken it was!

Baked Lemon-Garlic Chicken | Susi's Kochen Und Backen Adventures 

The only change I made to this recipe was halving it. I did slightly overcook the chicken, but it still had great flavor - I will be making this again, and will not overcook it. 

#3 Mashed Red Potatoes with Jalapeno Bacon and Green Onion

I am so proud to claim this recipe as my own! I usually make Rosemary-Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes, this time I made a heartier version with my new favorite bacon - HEB brand Jalapeno Bacon. 

You will need:

About 6 medium-sized red potatoes (do not peel)

2-3 tablespoons butter (I used Land O Lakes Light Spreadable Butter with Canola Oil)

Heavy cream or milk (I used about an 1/8 cup of fat free milk.. I did not measure the exact amount, but I would start from an 1/8 cup and work up to your desired consistency from there - I prefer thicker mashed potatoes) 

Salt and pepper to taste 

About 2 strips of HEB Jalapeno Bacon

Green onion, chopped

Boil water in a large pot, add the potatoes. While the potatoes are boiling, cook the bacon strips (slightly crispy is better). Dice ("crumble") the cooked bacon, and set aside. Cook the potatoes until soft. Drain the potatoes into a colander, then return to the pot. Begin mashing the potatoes, add the butter, cream or milk, and salt and pepper. Continue to mash until no large chunks of potato remain. Stir in bacon crumbles and top with green onion. 

I wish I had taken a picture! These baked potato-style mashed potatoes were perfection, so good. They would be even better topped with sour cream or with cheese - shredded Colby Jack or Jalapeno Jack (to continue to jalapeno theme). 

#4 Asparagus (or Broccolini) 

I use this technique (found in "Rachael Ray: 30-Minute Meals") to cook asparagus and broccolini. 

You will need: 

1 bunch of asparagus (or broccolini)

About 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

About 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 

1 cup chicken broth (I used reduced sodium chicken broth)

Heat the garlic and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until the garlic begins to sizzle. Add the veggies to the pan, and turn, coating them in oil. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the veggies are tender, yet crisp. 

The end! Indulge! Enjoy!

marshmallow brownies

Ahh, it has been too long! I finally have some time to relax (and blog!). I kicked off my last few weeks of freedom with a trip home, to Austin. My sister had her wisdom teeth removed, so we spent the weekend drinking milkshakes and watching Say Yes to the Dress - yumm, can't complain! This past weekend, I went to Galveston with some friends, on a much, much needed vacation. I could lounge on the beach all day, and dance the night away, any day! I brought brownies to snack on and made French toast for breakfast - which I will save for another post. For now, the brownies..

marshmallow brownies 

Serves about 16.

I used a basic brownie recipe from allrecipes for the base:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

About 1/2 a bag of mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8 or 9-inch square pan. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat in cocoa, flour, salt, and baking powder. Do not overbeat! Spread batter into prepared pan. **Bake for 25 to 30 minutes - if using a 9 (or even 10)-inch pan, bake for less time, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean.

**Here is the twist: with about 3 to 5 minutes of bake-time remaining, remove the brownies from the oven and sprinkle with mini marshmallows until covered. Place the pan back in the oven and continue to bake until the marshmallows are melted but not golden (about 3 to 5 minutes).

For the frosting:

1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 tablespoons cocoa
2 1/2 tablespoons buttermilk
About 1 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt the butter and cocoa in a saucepan, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add the buttermilk and confectioner's sugar. Stir in vanilla and drizzle over warm brownies.

So, not the best photo, but trust me.. These brownies are the best.

banana bread bars with brown butter frosting

So, earlier this week I stocked up on bananas for smoothies. I am back on my spinach-smoothie-a-day diet. I tried this in the spring, and I felt so great! Seriously. I usually just blend a small handful of frozen spinach and OJ or soy milk with about a cup of frozen berries or maybe some frozen peaches and pineapple, and of course, a banana (to mask the spinach). I like to use frozen fruit because A) it lasts much longer than fresh fruit, and B) I don't have to add ice to the smoothie, and I prefer my smoothies icy cold. Anyway, back to the bananas. As usual, I bought more than I could use and I am now left with 4 overripe bananas. And when life gives you 4 overripe bananas, make Banana Bread Bars with Brown Butter Frosting!


It has been a long week, and I am feeling lazy, so I am only posting the link to this recipe:

Banana Bread Bars with Brown Butter Frosting - Life's Simple Measures

This is an awesome recipe. Perfection. The banana bread / brown butter frosting combo is ahhhh melt-in-your-mouth amazing. This takes a classic breakfast bread to a new level. Enjoy!

best chocolate chip cookies

In case you were wondering, I did survive the 4th! I have just been a bit overwhelmed by summer school. 3 more weeks, just 3 more weeks, I keep telling myself. I was hoping to try out a new recipe, but with little time and little $$, I stuck with chocolate chip cookies - sweet 'n' simple. I usually use the recipe on the back of the Hershey's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips bag, but this time I ventured out and chose a recipe online. You guessed it! allrecipes.com They were ooey-gooey and highly addictive.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

via allrecipes.com

1 cup butter (2 sticks), sofented

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar 

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons hot water

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate chips)

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream together butter and sugars in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Then stir in vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and nuts. Drop large spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes or until edges are nicely browned.

"actually delicious turkey burgers"

I have always wanted to try a turkey burger, and what better day than Independence Day?!

I stumbled upon this recipe while perusing allrecipes.com. "Actually Delicious Turkey Burgers". 4.5 out of 5 stars. 1,210 reviews. Why not give it a try, right?

Here it is:

Actually Delicious Turkey Burgers

via allrecipes.com

Makes about 12 patties.

3 pounds ground turkey (I used 85% lean)
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs (I used Italian)
1/4 cup finely diced onion
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

*I did add slightly less than 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, because I had some on hand, and a little cheese never hurt a burger - in fact, I might top mine with pepper jack!

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together. And form patties - about 12 (I froze about half of the patties for future meals).

The recipe says to cook on medium heat in a skillet, but I will be* cooking mine on a grill.

*Note the "will be", I haven't actually cooked the patties yet, but they are prepared and waiting for the 4th of July barbecuing festivities to begin! Verdict on the finished products to come.

I will be topping mine with pepper jack, lettuce, tomato, onion, and possibly avocado..

Cannot wait!

stars & stripes cupcakes

1) I ended not making any of the desserts I mentioned in my previous post, and.. 2) I cheated. I used a box mix. I had good intentions, it was a "box mix + ..." recipe. One of the +'s was 1 cup sour cream.. that I forgot to pick up while I was at the grocery store, and at 10:30 pm, I was not going back.. so, Duncan Hines Signature French Vanilla it is! Sorry, White Wedding Cupcakes. Next time.

I can say that the frosting was homemade!

Classic Vanilla Buttercream Frosting (with an Irish twist!) 

via Savory Sweet Life

OK, using Irish Cream in cupcakes made to celebrate AMERICAN Independence is well not so patriotic, but oh so delicious!

The original ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened (ideal texture should be like ice cream)

3-4 cups of confectioner's sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vanilla*

Up to 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream*

*In place of the vanilla and milk or heavy cream, I used about a tablespoon heavy cream + 2 tablespoons Irish Cream (I prefer Michael's Celtic Irish Cream)

**Note: I actually split the frosting into three separate bowls - 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick) per bowl, and adjusted the recipe accordingly - rather than making one large batch, so that I could make red, white, and blue frosting - which ended up being more like pink, cream, and blue..

First, beat butter for a few minutes with mixer. Add 3 cups of powdered sugar, and mix on lowest speed, until the sugar has been incorporated into the butter. With the mixer set on medium speed salt and heavy cream + Irish Cream and beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add remaining sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add an additional tablespoon of either heavy cream or Irish cream, depending on how "boozy" you'd like your frosting.

I decided to make "Stars & Stripes" cupcakes. For the stripes, I used a rose tip to pipe three red wavy stripes. Then I used a small star tip to pipe the white stripes second, filling in the spaces left behind (I would have used another rose tip, but I only have one). For the stars, I used a larger star tip to make stars in rows, covering the entire cupcake. I topped each "star" cupcake with tiny pearl-like sprinkles.

I am alive! Although, I have not had much time to blog (or had any reason to), because A) summer school has become my life - and as a student, I suppose school should be my life, for the most part; and B) I have been having awful, awful luck with my baking lately. This weekend, I thought I would make chocolate cupcakes with amaretto frosting (I splurged at Spec's :) ). I decided to use Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake recipe for the cupcakes and an amaretto buttercream recipe I found on a blog. Usually, I can trust Hershey's. Their chocolate chip cookie recipe (on the back of the semi-sweet chip bag), ah! Seriously yummy, simple, classic cookies. But oh no, no no, now I have lost faith in good ol' Hershey's. I am not sure what went wrong, but my cupcakes turned out to literally be cups of cake. Sinkhole cupcakes. No good. So, I decided ok, ok I will attempt vanilla cupcakes. They came out looking like cupcakes, but they were dry. So dry, so disappointing!! The frosting, however, was fantastic. Consistency maybe not quite stiff enough to pipe with (an easy fix), but the flavor was great. LOVE amaretto.

Also, I did successfully make Cajun Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo. It was unbelievably delicious, and so rich! The recipe can be found here: http://comfortablydomestic.com/2011/03/05/cajun-chicken-alfredo/ . Prepare to be amazed! 

The 4th is coming up (as in tomorrow!). So, to celebrate Independence Day, I will be making possibly a cobbler, carrot cake (not exactly fitting for the season, but I have been craving it, and I am determined to make my carrot-despising boyfriend try it; carrot cake could pass as "Italian Cream Cake", right? ;) ), or I might make root beer float cookies (thank you, Pinterest), because they combine two of my favorites: root beer float + cookie = it has to be good!

*fingers crossed* that whatever I end up making will be fabulous! Or at least edible. Yeah, I'll shoot for edible. Edible and attractive. 

lemon poppy-seed cupcakes with blackberry buttercream

I am not really in the mood for experimenting, so cupcakes it is! My labmate requested lemon poppy-seed, thus..

Lemon Poppy-Seed Cupcakes with Blackberry Buttercream

Cake recipe via epicurious / Buttercream recipe via wilton.com

For the cupcakes:

Yields 10-12 cupcakes.

1 1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon fresh finely grated lemon zest (or 1 teaspoon lemon extract)*

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 tablespoons poppy-seeds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line muffin tin cups with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, zest (if using lemon extract, add it with the sugar and butter), and salt. 

Beat together sugar and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs until combined. Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture and poppy-seeds, and mix until just combined. Batter will be thick. *I ended up adding the juice of one small lemon, because I felt like it wasn't quite lemony enough with the zest/extract alone.

Spoon batter evenly into paper liners, about 2/3 full. Bake for about 18 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted into cupcakes comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool a few minutes in muffin tin before removing onto wire rack. Cool completely before frosting.

For the buttercream:

I halved this recipe and had plenty for a dozen cupcakes. The ingredients listed below will make enough icing for at least 2 dozen cupcakes.

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted

1/3 cup seedless blackberry preserves

fresh blackberries for garnishing (optional)

In a large bowl, beat shortening and butter or margarine with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, mix well. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl often. The icing will appear dry once all the sugar is mixed in. Add blackberry preserves and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.

raspberry limeade tart: fail

So, my attempt at "re-creating" one of my favorite recipes was, well, a failure (in my opinion).  I absolutely love this Creamy Lemon Tart recipe I found on Pinterest - made with Greek yogurt and a rosemary crust. AMAZING and so refreshing. A few friends and I barbecue on Sundays, so I thought I would contribute a variation on this recipe: a Raspberry Limeade Tart with a Graham Cracker Crust. I substituted lime juice and zest in place of the lemon juice and zest, and added about a cup of fresh raspberries, pureed. Adam, my boyfriend, approved of it, but it didn't quite meet my standards.. I was unimpressed. It was edible, I'll give it that, an "A" for effort! The graham cracker crust was perfect and the filling was tart (as it should be), but the consistency was off. I think the raspberry puree was the culprit. I may try it again with more Greek yogurt, or less puree. Anyway, I have room to improve! Which is fine with me. It only gives me another excuse to bake! Practice makes perfect, right? ;) One of my favorite quotes, "I am learning to be brave in my beautiful mistakes" - Pink ("Crystal Ball"), applies to baking (and to life in general..).

Here is the original Creamy Lemon Tart recipe: http://www.happyolks.com/guest-post-from-so-good-and-tasty/
It's great (AND simple)! Try it!

I started reading "The Making of a Pastry Chef: Recipes and Inspiration from America's Best Pastry Chefs" by Andrew MacLauchlan, Executive Pastry Chef, Coyote Cafe - so far, so good! It had great reviews on Amazon, so I though I'd give it a try.

This is the part I need to read - the cold, hard truth.

vanilla buttercream / buttercream begonias

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

again via allrecipes

Yields about 3 1/2 - 4 cups.

1 cup shortening

4 cups confectioners' sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 fluid oz. heavy cream

food color (optional) - I chose pink!

If you plan on piping, you will need a pastry bag, plastic coupler, and pastry tips (specifically a standard tip #44) - essentials, according to Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. I love LOVE this book. I would highly recommend it. It has an entire section on general baking tips, equipment, and technique. And chapters on cakes, and cakes only, or on pastries or yeasted baked goods.

Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook - I'd recommend purchasing it on Amazon (I want to say it was about $25 or so, rather than $40 at Barnes & Noble).

With the help of Martha, I finally managed to properly assemble my pastry bag! 1) unscrew the coupler ring, 2) push the coupler tip into the end of the bag as far as you can, 3) if using a disposable pastry bag, with scissors, trim the tip of the bag below the coupler, 4) place the pastry tip over the coupler tip and the bag, 5) screw the ring back into place to secure the tip. 

OK! Now that you too have your pastry bag in one-piece, ready to go, set it aside and..

Cream shortening until fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar and continue creaming until well blended.

Add salt, vanilla, and cream. Blend on low speed until moistened.  Add additional cream, if necessary (up to 2 oz.). Beat on high speed until frosting is fluffy.

I split the frosting evenly into two separate bowls - one white, the other pink (or which ever color you'd like!).

I spooned pink frosting into the pastry bag first, then an equal amount of white frosting on top of the pink - this will create a pink-white swirl effect on the petals.  

When frosting, start at the edge of the cupcake with the smaller/skinny end of the tip facing towards you, and the wider end facing towards the center of the cupcake. I am right-handed and I felt most comfortable holding the bag in my right hand; the end of the bag on the right side, and the tip of the bag on the left (hope that is clear - I will take pictures of each step next time, promise!). Hold at a 90 degree angle, then gently squeeze the bag and make a small sweeping motion while turning the cupcake - pull towards you, and back towards the cupcake, pull towards you, and back towards the cupcake - this will create ruffle-like petals. The next trip around, hold the tip at about a 45 degree angle, then repeat the same motion. Continue working towards the center of the cupcake decreasing the angle of the tip with each layer. Fill the center with a small ruffle. Voila! Buttercream Begonias.

Next, my favorite part.. enjoy!

red velvet cupcakes

Ok ok, so I told myself I would wait until this weekend to feed my baking craving, but there is only a quiz standing in between me and bliss. Studying can wait, right? Always. Well, no.. sometimes. And this happens to be one of those times.

When searching for recipes, allrecipes.com is my go-to site. It is a good starting point, it gives you something you can work with, something you can "customize". Plus, the user ratings are accurate 99% of the time, and the reviews are full of good-to-know do's and don't's.

Also, I always always bake to Pandora. My new obsession: Coeur De Pirate ("Pirate Heart"), Beatrice Martin. Google her, youtube her. You will fall in love.  She reminds me of a French Regina Spektor.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

via allrecipes.com

Yields about 15 cupcakes (I halved the original recipe).

1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk

half of a 1-oz. bottle of red food color (this recipe recommends McCormick Red Food Color)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Mix in sour cream, milk, food color, and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended. Batter will be thick. Do not over beat. Spoon batter into paper-lined muffin tins, filling each about 2/3 full.

Bake 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire cooling rack for about 5 minutes.  Remove from pans and cool completely before frosting*

*Rather than frosting the cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting, I will be frosting mine with buttercream.. cream cheese and red velvet are, well, THE perfect combo. But buttercream is best for piping.

I will post the buttercream recipe along with photos of the finished products tomorrow! Get excited. I am!

"Hell Week" has arrived, the first of many to come, unfortunately. So! I am rewarding myself with a weekend of baking! This weekend I will attempt to make buttercream begonias atop red velvet cupcakes (requested by my lab partners, aka my guinea pigs). *fingers crossed* for pretty, pretty cupcakes!

baker-ish

I thought it would be fun to record my progress, my "journey" as a.. baker-ish. I bake as a hobby. I bake to relieve stress. I bake because I enjoy it, no, LOVE it. I would not say I am a baker, yet! I am a baker-ish, a baker in the making, a bun in the oven! (sorry.. I had to :) ) On that note, so long! I am off to tackle some a&p!