Once Upon A Cake...

My goodness, it has been far to long since my last blog! Things have been crazily busy around here. Most of my time has been focused on a 3D cake... It was the hardest thing I have ever done, seriously. It looks so easy, but trust me, it's not. I promised last week that this week would be Fat Free Week, but cake consumed all my time and has been postponed until next blog! It will be worth the wait, I promise! This blog will be centered around my cake adventures last week, as well as a couple of other culinary things.

Let's get you warmed up with a spin on a classic comfort food. Last week, I just did not feel like cooking lavish meals after being in the kitchen for hours baking cakes... I decided to eat a bowl of chicken noodle soup, but man cannot live on soup alone. I wanted a grilled cheese! I go to the fridge to pull out the loaf of bread, but there was none. I almost gave up there, but in the back of my fridge I saw the leftovers of a baguette! How can one may a grilled cheese out of a baguette? The crust on the outside is to thick to make a nice grilled sandwich and the bread is to narrow to slice like a regular loaf... MINI GRILLED CHEESES, that's how! I sliced my baguette into thin slices, butter:

Perfect for dipping in soup and eating :D

Alright, it's cake time. A couple of months ago, my sister and her husband, Scotty, began joking that he wanted a John Deere Tractor Cake for his birthday. I really didn't even think about actually doing it, but the more they joked about it, the more intrigued I became. Before I left to go back to Murfreesboro on Christmas break, I told Scotty that a John Deere Tractor Cake is exactly what he would get. January went by without much planning and it was well into February before I began to actually think about it. I did research on tractors that other people made and came up with a good solid design, so I though. This began last week and my 3D cake experience...

I began by baking my cakes in a loaf pan and cooling them in the fridge for a couple of days.

How on Earth will this be a Tractor?

I think cut and stack my cakes to prepare for the crumb coat.

Looks nice, so far. How can anything go wrong?!

Once cut and stacked, the crumb coating began(which is my least favorite part).

Still good..

While the cake chilled, I made my tired out of rice cereal. If you all remember my horrible dinosaur creation from the first blog, I did not want to have the same mess as that. I did my research and found a great recipe and cool tricks to make everything work a lot better.

Perfect :D

Once all the tires had chilled and hardened, it was fondant time. This is where trouble lay waiting for me... I rolled out my fondant and began placing on my cake. The cab part of the cake wasn't secured like I though it was and began sliding off the cake. I caught it just in time, but there was no way I could get it back in the original position. I had a decision to make, screw up the entire cake or fix this problem. I slid the cab as far as I could without compromising the entire fondant and stuck a rod in the cake to hold it in place. It worked like a charm! 

The cake without decoration. I absolutely love the hay bale and tired! They came out perfectly!

A few decorations later, the cake was finished. The cab may have not been perfect, but i am very proud. Scotty actually informed me that some tractors actually have cab like that, so it worked! Everyone loved the cake :D

My first 3D cake :D Success!

That was not the only cake I did this past week! I also had two other projects. One was a cupcake an the other a half round cake, both used my new favorite ingredient: coconut! 

The first of these two coconut creations is the Chocolate-Coconut Cupcake! I was approached last week by a peer to do 100 cupcakes for her birthday party this Friday. I was ecstatic, not only was this a paying job, but it was a chance to make a new cupcake flavor. I instantly had an image of what I wanted the cupcake to look like and just did. The base is just a chocolate cupcake and then it is topped with homemade cream cheese icing, which is my own recipe, and then rolled in coconut! Here is the final product:

OMG, it was absolutely amazing... You seriously need to order some of these!

The last cake project that I did was a half round coconut cake! I had leftover cake batter from the tractor cake, and I didn't want to throw it away. My mother's favorite cake is Coconut Cake, so I decided to make her a surprise for her upcoming visit last weekend. I added so coconut to my cake batter and baked it in my small round cake pan. The cake was rather short, so I cut it in half and stacked them on top of each other and iced with my cream cheese frosting and topped with coconut! I can see why she loves this cake now... I took a slice before she even got there, lol. It gave me some weird dreams, but it was well worth it!

Yum!

To end this blog on a healthy note, I ate some more new vegetables! Rachael and I love us some Chicken Teriyaki w/ Rice, but every now and then, we like to change it up. We bough some stir-fry vegetables and made Chicken Stir-Fry! 'Twas amazing :D Water chestnuts, broccoli, and baby corn of the cob :D My favorite was the corn, which is turning into my favorite vegetable!

Alright, well, I think my fingers are about to fall off... I will have another blog up very soon with some Fat Free Week recipes, videos, and plenty of stories, so keep an eye out! Until next time, have a good night and tomorrow!

It Was Colonel ‘Custard’ In The Kitchen With The Knife!

I would like to dedicate this blog entry in memory of a friend who recently passed:

Bradley Henderson

January 1, 1977-March 8, 2010

Welcome to another edition of "New Day, New Way!" I am on spring break this week and am enjoying every minute of rest that I can. That is the reason for the delay of this blog, just btw. I have been busy in the kitchen, though! Lots of new things to share! Pretty much everything is a dessert, lol. Custards, icings, and sugar - oh my! There will be a recipe at the end of this blog! Lots to cover, so let's get going...

First up, I have found a use for my pineapple rings! My mother gave me the idea for a pineapple smoothie. I went into this blindly, and it took a few tries to get it right. I essentially started by placing a whole pineapple ring in my food processor, I don't own a blender. I then added some ice cubes, fat-free yogurt, and skim milk. I blended until smooth and then added some orange juice. Once pulsed a few times, I poured it into a glass and garnished! Voila! A fat-free pineapple smoothie! Recipe to be provided at the end of blog! It was absolutely delicious! Fruity, sweet, and guilt-free!

'Twas heaven!

So, this is where the fat-free foods stop... lol. I substitute low-fat things in the place of high fat ingredients, like margarine for butter and apple sauce for oil, but the fat grams can really add up. This is why moderation is key! Ramekins and mini-casserole dishes are a godsend! For a dessert or snack, they are the perfect size. I highly recommend you buy some, they can be found at pretty much any big box/home store. So, what did I use my dishes for? CUSTARDS! What is a custard? Cream/milk, sugar, and egg yolks. Crème Brûlée and Bread Pudding were my custard adventures. Let us start with Crème Brûlée...

For this recipe, you start my heating cream and vanilla bean seeds in a pot until boiling. You then remove from heat and mix egg yolks with sugar. You add the cream mixture a little at a time, then place in ramekins and bake in a water bath. Once done, you cool in the fridge, then you caramelize sugar on top. This was the scariest part for me. I don't have a chef torch, yet, so I was forced to use my oven's broiler. You have to check it every couple of seconds... It burns VERY quickly. Here is the finished product...

The caramelized sugar adds some crunch to the creamy custard. Very good!

My favorite part in eating it was taking my spoon and cracking the sugar on top, very entertaining, lol.

Our next custard dessert is Bread Pudding. This is such a homey and soul-warming dessert. My favorite of the two, too. If you recall my last blog, I made a loaf of brioche bread. In a conversation with fellow foodie, Sarah, she mentioned that the bread would be great in a bread pudding. Boy, was she right! The brioche is very dense and holds its shape even after baked in the custard. One of the best things I have made, for sure. You make a custard mixture, pour it over cubed stale brioche, top with brown sugar mixture, and bake. That is it. Very easy, very good. Some recipes want you to make a sauce with brandy to top it, but don't. It is awful and tastes like you are doing shots... lol. Anyway, here is my bread pudding in mini-casserole dishes!

YUM!

Next weekend, my family is coming to visit Murfreesboro! This is the first time for my mother, younger sister, and grandmother(if she gets to come). I am very excited! My older sister and her husband are driving, my mother had a phobia of the interstate, bless her. Any-who, Scotty's birthday is right around that weekend and he has made a request for his gift: a 3D JOHN DEERE TRACTOR CAKE... lol. I have been planning for sometime now, and I have officially begun actually prepping the materials for it. Since I still have a little over a week until the cake will be eaten, I won't be putting it together for a few more days. I have, however, started making a few things...

First off, I made the buttercream icing. I made my usual vanilla icing, but also made a batch of chocolate! All you do is add cocoa powder to the confectioner sugar, very easy, but makes a WONDERFUL chocolate icing. 

:D Delicious!

Before I stored my icing, I decided to have a bit off fun... For quite a bit of time now, I have been wanting to make a icing rose. Well, I finally did it. It took quite a few errors to get a rose that looked great. I am very happy about it! The first few roses, it took about a minute or two each, now I can do it in about 30 seconds! Hardcore! Here is my rose, mind you it is chocolate. Colored roses soon!

A rose for you! Love my messy counter? I was also in the process of prepping my cakes...

At my fondant class that I took a few weeks ago, I learned the niftiest trick! Ever bake a cake and it is a little dry or needed it to stay moist for a few more days? This will be your lifesaver! Simple syrup will take care of these problems! You simply drizzle some over the cake part, not the hard or crunchy top/bottom/sides. before layering. It is tasteless and will keep it extra moist for a few more days of shelf life or bring back that dead-dry cake! What is a simple syrup? It is equal parts sugar and water(1:1 or 1 cup of water=1 cup of sugar). You boil your water, dissolve sugar, cool, and bottle. 

This simple trick will save you some gray hair!

I bought these nifty bottles to store and dispense my syrup :D

Well, I am off to enjoy the rest of my break! I will be trying gluten-free bread in the next coming days and working on my cake! The next blog should be interesting, too! I also bought a sheet cake pan for an upcoming order! Very exciting! Until next time, have a good night and tomorrow!

Recipe Of The Day:

Pineapple Smoothie

Ingredients:

2 Pineapple Rings

2/3 Cup Yogurt

1/4 Cup Milk

5 Ice Cubes

1/4 Cup Orange Juice

Directions:

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. That is it, lol. Very easy, very good!

This Is The Blog That Never Ends

I am SO sorry for the delay in the posting this blog! Things have been kind of crazy around here. I got hit with about 20 forms to fill out for my study abroad trip, FAFSA, trying to have a life outside my kitchen, and everything I have baked takes about 3-4 hours of prep work, lol. This blog is going to be packed full of new things! I have done so many new things in the past few days. :D There will also be a vlog, recipe, and another video! We have a lot to cover, so here we go...

Vlog:


A few days ago, I went to Wal*Mart and got so excited when I saw the produce section! They just put out all sorts of new fruits and vegetables :D I bought a whole pineapple, jicama, and some fresh parsley! What is a jicama? It is often called a "spanish potato" and stays super crunchy! It is used alot to make some killer slaw. Anyways, I haven't used the jicama yet. I will find a purpose soon! If you just watched my vlog, you will see that I cut my pineapple! It is very simple, but takes some work. Take a look at the video, if you haven't already!

Everytime I go to the grocery store, I almost always buy a baguette. They are so versatile in their use and SO delicious! While in Chicago, I found a great cookbook from Europe that had a ton of bread recipes in it. The recipe that really caught my eye was for the baguettes! Who would of thought to make their own baguette? Not I. I have put it off for a long time, and this week, I finally did it. It wasn't extremely hard, but required a lot of time. The mix all your ingredients and knead, and knead, and knead. Then rise for a long time, shapes, rise some more, and then bake. Bake, sounds easy, right? WRONG! You have to keep spraying water on the oven walls to get a chewy crust. I don't have an extra spray bottle, so I had to fling water by hand. The smoke alarm went off numerous times... Very caveman/rustic, I know :p The labor was well worth it, though! Just look:

The baguettes as they bake!

The finished product! Yum! The baguette was used later, keep reading for details!

While I was reading the recipe for my baguettes, I stumbled upon another recipe. Brioche à tête is the name of this next baked good. It is a buttery french bread, not to sweet, and is really good! I was reading the recipe and it says "place dough in Brioche pans." What is a Brioche pan? I had no clue either. After some research, I found out that I was in possession of 20 of them! Nana, my grandmother, had given me some of the kitchen gadgets that my great-grandmother, Allie Grimes, had owned and used. For a long time, I thought they were mini tartlet pans. Apparently, they are not, lol. Here is a Brioche pan:

This is quite possible the hardest recipe that I have ever attempted. It is so labor-intensive and takes FOREVER! You mix all the ingredients and the dough is super dense... I almost killed my Kitchenaid trying to knead it. Since my mixer couldn't knead it, I had to by hand for about 30 minutes. You aren't only kneading, but you are slowly working in margarine, too! It was so messy in the beginning. Toward the end of the kneading, it was smooth and elastic as it should be, but took a lot of work. You then have to let it rise for TWO hours! Then knead and shape into balls to place in pans. Luckily, the rising made it much easier to work with, as my arms were just about dead, lol! Once placed in pans, you take a smaller ball and place it on top by taking a skewer and puncturing through both balls, quite a neat trick! You finish by glazing with cream and egg yolk. 

The Brioche before the oven

It then rises some more and you bake. It comes out almost pastry like on the outside, but soft like bread on the inside. Very interesting. Very good, too. Many people couldn't eat just one, lol. Here is the finished product:

The Brioche à tête

I also made a loaf of Brioche :D

Tonight, I made a very special dinner for my friends! I love cooking dinner for other people, great way to test out recipes! A little under a week ago, Rachael and I bought a thing of fresh spinach and only used a small portion of it. I was considering what we could do with the remainder when she came up with a brilliant idea, Spinach Dip! I did my recipe research and came up with a very good one! It is a tweaked version of something I found off of Allrecipes.com. The recipe will be posted at the end of this blog! Spinach Dip, woo, what's so new about that for you, Josh? Two words: Artichoke Hearts. Rachael and I went to Wal*Mart and found fresh Artichoke, so we thought "Hey! This would be so easy to cut and be cheaper!" This was the artichoke we bought:

Artie the Artichoke

Was it easy! NOT ONE BIT! I looked for over an hour on youtube for ways to cut the dang thing. Everyone had a different way and no one gave a definite answer as to what the heart was. I basically had to go at it blindly and figure out for myself what the heart was... Big mess, just look.

Where's the heart? No one knows!

I finally found what I though was the heart and threw it into the dip. No one complained, so I am assuming that was the heart, lol. Big mess, next time, I will buy the precut hearts. A

After the artichoke chaos, the dip was super easy to make! It took a couple of trial runs to make perfect, but it was the hit of dinner!

Spinach Dip w/ Tortillas & Baguette Slices(I toasted these later)

To go with my dinner of Hamburger Helper... *SIRENS* *ANGRY MOB APPEARS* ... WAIT! I can explain! I know box dinners are forbidden, but one of the people who was coming had requested it. I never turn down a request(legal ones)! So, I did it, but I added a few spices, which totally made it taste AMAZING! They couldn't believe it was hamburger helper :p Anywho, back to the original sentence. I made dinner rolls to go with my dinner. Just dinner rolls? OF COURSE NOT! I made Sourdough Oatmeal Rolls! "Oatmeal in rolls, Josh? You are crazy!" Trust me! It was great! Very good texture and flavor! It has honey and molasses in them, too! It isn't sweet, just adds hints of those flavors, which really makes them amazing! Look for yourself at these wonderful rolls...

Here are pics from the dinner:

Appetizer:

Spinach Dip on Toasted Baguette Slices

Main Course:

Gourmet Hamburger Helper, Sourdough Oatmeal Rolls, and Peas!

We were all full after that, so no dessert, lol :p

Here is a treat for you, though! There is a youtube video going around of people popping popcorn with their cellphones. Well, a few of us at work got curious and here is what happened:

MYTH BUSTED!

Wow, and the award for longest blog ever goes to... JOSHUA ALAN BURGIN! There was a lot to cover in this entry! I hope you enjoyed everything! A special thank you to Mallory Phillips for a wonderful dinner of Mexican Shells the other night! I believe that is it for this edition of my blog. Until next time, have a good night and tomorrow!

Spinach Dip:

Ingredients:

5 oz fresh de-stemmed spinach

1/4 cup artichoke hearts, chopped

2 cloves garlic -minced

1/2 cup fat-free mayo

1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

2 1/2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese

1 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and transfer to baking dish.

Place in oven for about 15 minutes or until all cheese has melted.

Enjoy!

Easy, right? So good!