Vegetables aren't my favorite, but C makes me eat them because he's a pediatrician and it's his job to make people eat vegetables (at least I think that's what he does on days when he has clinic). I like them with peanut sauce, but I can't eat them that way everyday. So for the other days, why not stick them in baked goods? (To give myself some credit, I think I ate a whole week's worth of vegetable servings yesterday, so I deserve something yummy today.) Yes, I understand that there's only one serving of veges in the entire recipe, but if I eat the whole batch... just kidding. To make it not seem so bad if I do eat the whole thing, I used lots of whole grains: whole wheat, barley, and steel-cut oats! The first recipe I tried using steel cut oats was banana muffins from The Kitchn and I loved them. When I think quick-bread or muffins, I think banana. If not banana, then blueberry. For some reason, C always makes raspberry muffins. I suspect it's a functional reason, because he keeps raspberries on hand for a raspberry mint drink that he makes with Bourbon and doesn't have other fruits in his freezer. So, since I made banana muffins last time (um, 2 nights ago), I thought I'd mix it up with blueberry. I only had a quarter cup of blueberries, so threw in some of C's raspberries.
Objective
Make muffins with steel cut oats and other grains, berries, and carrots. This recipe is based on Chew Out Loud's recipe which was based on this NY Times recipe.
Materials
Dry ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup barley flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. flaxseed meal
[2 tsp. baking powder--hmm, how did I forget that?]
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
Wet ingredients:
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup cooked steel-cut oats
1/2 cup grated carrot
1 cup berries (ex. blueberries, raspberries) tossed with 1 tbsp. flour
Turbinado/Raw sugar, for sprinkling.
Methods
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin tin and set aside. I recommend making these into jumbo muffins for maximum moisture.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside.
3. Combine the wet ingredients (eggs through vanilla) in a blender. Mix until the mixture is homogenous. Add the cooked steel-cut oats and carrot. Pulse a few times to incorporate and break the steel-cut oats into slightly smaller pieces.
4. Fold the blended mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir in the berries.
5. Fill the muffin cups with batter. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before moving the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in a sealed container to keep the muffins moist.
Results
Yum! These are hearty but still taste good. In flavor, they are reminiscent of bran muffins. They are denser than your average muffin, but lighter than a bran muffin. This is kind of funny because I tried substituting millet for bran in a banana muffin and it failed--maybe the combination of steel cut oats, barley, and whole wheat pastry flour is the secret.The muffins are very moist and even moister on the second day.
Discussion and Future Directions
I really like these in a why-don't-I-eat-muffins-for-breakfast-every-day sort of way. For whole grain muffins, the combination of cooked steel cut oats and barley ensures a moist product (not a hockey puck). Having had my share of gluten-free baked goods, I know how disappointing it is to make something so hard you think you might break your teeth. The texture is soft with a touch of chew from the oats. The carrot is not noticeable.
Next time, I would try to skip the maple syrup. I'm not a huge fan of maple syrup in baking. Even grade B just doesn't do it for me. And to be honest, it's too expensive and not sweet enough. Though I joke about it, I don't eat baked goods for health foods. I eat them as a treats. I would keep the refined sugar where it is, and eliminate the maple syrup. I think I would add more carrot or add zucchini if I had some on hand. Once in awhile, I crave a cupcake-like muffin and I have a recipe for that. When I'm looking for a less guilty recipe, this recipe and the banana muffin recipe I mentioned above will be perfect! I'm excited to play around with different mix-ins.
04 May, 2013
02 May, 2013
Panna Cotta with Leftover Whipped Cream and Leftover Buttermilk
Leftover perishables are an unfortunate part of baking. Even with diligent foresight and planning, everyone ends up throwing out spoiled food once in awhile. Case and point? Buttermilk. Rarely does a recipe call for a full quart, which where I live, is the only size available at the grocery store. Generally I use buttermilk for biscuits or muffins, which rarely call for even a full cup. A full quart? That's over 4 cups. I've never made anything with that much buttermilk! Another thing that's hard to use up is whipped cream. Think about the holidays. Do you make whipped cream to serve with pie? Maybe you stick a little in a fruit salad or use some on breakfast waffles, but have you ever actually finished it? At the end of my family's holidays, there is always a little silver bowl of whipped cream covered with saran wrap that gets forgotten in the back of the fridge. A week later, it gets thrown away.
While my parents were here, I made a Coconut Cream Pie with whipped cream. The whipped cream was a bit of a fiasco. I couldn't figure out why my whipping cream hadn't started to form peaks after 10 minutes of whipping. With a quick pour, my amazing boyfriend realized that it was because my whipping cream was improperly labeled. It was nowhere near heavy cream. It was half and half at best, but maybe even whole milk. The lady at the grocery store was a bit confused when C showed up and explained that our cream wasn't cream. Much to my relief, he came home with the last two cartons of cream and the first one I tried actually whipped!
Once the cream was whipped and the pie was topped, there was a whole tupperware full of leftover whipped cream. Just yesterday, I threw out the leftovers. But! I did find a way to use some of the whipped cream before it went bad. I made a Panna Cotta-esque dessert adapted from Elements cookbook.
Objective
Make buttermilk panna cotta to use up buttermilk and whipped cream.
Materials
1 packet gelatin (or about 2 1/4 tsp)
2 1/2 tbsp. cold water
1/3 cup cream, half and half, milk or non-dairy milk
1/3-1/2 cup sugar (to taste)
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup leftover whipped cream
Fruit for garnish
Methods
1. Place 2 1/2 tbsp. cold water in a shallow bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin in an even layer over the water and let sit until the gelatin softens (about 15 minutes). Prepare and ice bath in a large bowl and set aside.
2. In a saucepan that holds at least 1 1/2 qt., heat cream, sugar, and vanilla paste until the sugar dissolves. Do not boil. Stir in the softened gelatin. Move to the ice bath, and stir occasionally until the mixture cools to room temperature.
3. Stir the buttermilk into the cooled mixture. Then, fold in or gently whisk in the whipped cream. This should end up being about four cups in volume.
4. Pour the mixture into molds such as a muffin pan (12 regular muffin cups or 6 jumbo muffin cups) or divide between 6-8 1-cup dishes (such as prep bowls or jars). Chill until solidified, between 4 and 6 hours. Can be prepared a day in advance.
5. To serve, slide a knife between the panna cotta and dish, tugging gently toward the center to loosen the bottom. Flip onto a plate and serve with fresh fruit. If you used prep bowls or jars, you could garnish them and serve them in the vessel. Serves 6-12 depending on how large you make your portions.
Results
This is rich and well-flavored. The texture is a bit softer than I'd expected (but I had a little trouble with my gelatin). Great with tart passionfruit and blackberries.
Discussion and Future Directions
I was very skeptical of the flavor, fearing that the panna cotta would be sour like buttermilk. Instead, it's rich, creamy, and deeply flavored. The vanilla is prominent, though there is a slight tang. The texture is soft, which made it a little less beautiful on the plate. I used cream (to try to use it up), but next time, I'd use something less rich. I just read a recipe where someone used coconut milk. That sounds delicious (and I happen to have some leftover coconut milk in my fridge from the coconut cream pie)! My version is fairly sweet and I think it would be equally delicious with less sugar. Be sure to adjust the mixture to suit your taste, but keep in mind that if your whipped cream is sweetened, you'll add more sugar at the end. Also, vanilla paste is quite sweet. You can use a vanilla bean instead or stir vanilla extract into the mixture once it's cooled.
If you make a sweet panna cotta, I would suggest serving it with tart fruit such as passion fruit, raspberries, or blackberries. If you reduce the sugar, I would suggest something sweet like strawberries or cherries. You could even add chocolate or agave drizzle. The options are endless!
Supplementary Materials
While my parents were here, I made a Coconut Cream Pie with whipped cream. The whipped cream was a bit of a fiasco. I couldn't figure out why my whipping cream hadn't started to form peaks after 10 minutes of whipping. With a quick pour, my amazing boyfriend realized that it was because my whipping cream was improperly labeled. It was nowhere near heavy cream. It was half and half at best, but maybe even whole milk. The lady at the grocery store was a bit confused when C showed up and explained that our cream wasn't cream. Much to my relief, he came home with the last two cartons of cream and the first one I tried actually whipped!
Once the cream was whipped and the pie was topped, there was a whole tupperware full of leftover whipped cream. Just yesterday, I threw out the leftovers. But! I did find a way to use some of the whipped cream before it went bad. I made a Panna Cotta-esque dessert adapted from Elements cookbook.
Objective
Make buttermilk panna cotta to use up buttermilk and whipped cream.
Materials
1 packet gelatin (or about 2 1/4 tsp)
2 1/2 tbsp. cold water
1/3 cup cream, half and half, milk or non-dairy milk
1/3-1/2 cup sugar (to taste)
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup leftover whipped cream
Fruit for garnish
Methods
1. Place 2 1/2 tbsp. cold water in a shallow bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin in an even layer over the water and let sit until the gelatin softens (about 15 minutes). Prepare and ice bath in a large bowl and set aside.
2. In a saucepan that holds at least 1 1/2 qt., heat cream, sugar, and vanilla paste until the sugar dissolves. Do not boil. Stir in the softened gelatin. Move to the ice bath, and stir occasionally until the mixture cools to room temperature.
3. Stir the buttermilk into the cooled mixture. Then, fold in or gently whisk in the whipped cream. This should end up being about four cups in volume.
4. Pour the mixture into molds such as a muffin pan (12 regular muffin cups or 6 jumbo muffin cups) or divide between 6-8 1-cup dishes (such as prep bowls or jars). Chill until solidified, between 4 and 6 hours. Can be prepared a day in advance.
5. To serve, slide a knife between the panna cotta and dish, tugging gently toward the center to loosen the bottom. Flip onto a plate and serve with fresh fruit. If you used prep bowls or jars, you could garnish them and serve them in the vessel. Serves 6-12 depending on how large you make your portions.
Results
This is rich and well-flavored. The texture is a bit softer than I'd expected (but I had a little trouble with my gelatin). Great with tart passionfruit and blackberries.
Discussion and Future Directions
I was very skeptical of the flavor, fearing that the panna cotta would be sour like buttermilk. Instead, it's rich, creamy, and deeply flavored. The vanilla is prominent, though there is a slight tang. The texture is soft, which made it a little less beautiful on the plate. I used cream (to try to use it up), but next time, I'd use something less rich. I just read a recipe where someone used coconut milk. That sounds delicious (and I happen to have some leftover coconut milk in my fridge from the coconut cream pie)! My version is fairly sweet and I think it would be equally delicious with less sugar. Be sure to adjust the mixture to suit your taste, but keep in mind that if your whipped cream is sweetened, you'll add more sugar at the end. Also, vanilla paste is quite sweet. You can use a vanilla bean instead or stir vanilla extract into the mixture once it's cooled.
If you make a sweet panna cotta, I would suggest serving it with tart fruit such as passion fruit, raspberries, or blackberries. If you reduce the sugar, I would suggest something sweet like strawberries or cherries. You could even add chocolate or agave drizzle. The options are endless!
Supplementary Materials
01 May, 2013
Red Velvet Cheesecake in Jars (Small Batch)
One day, I was walking home from school in St. Louis and stopped at a small local grocer on the way home. I generally only shopped at Straubs when I needed a quick item or two for a recipe. It was right around the corner from my apartment, but more pricey than the chain. One day, they had little plastic cups with bright green labels on an end cap. It was labeled "Peppermint Puppy Chow." I was hungry and I'd been craving peppermint everything for the past week since I'd gotten a Chocolove Peppermint in Dark Chocolate bar on sale for $1.50. (I could have eaten a bar a day, but thankfully I'd only bought one. Note: it really does taste best at 70 degrees like the label says.) Anyway, I saved the label from the Mint Puppy Chow as a reference to try making my own. The tricky ingredient was peppermint oil, which I happened to get for Christmas.
When I told my boyfriend of my plan to make Mint Puppy Chow, and told him about all of the other crazy Puppy Chow flavors I found on the internet, he wanted to make one too. He chose Red Velvet Puppy Chow. I won't even bother posting the link, because it was disgusting. Like, he-took-it-to-work-and-no-one-ate-it disgusting. That left us with half a package of Red Velvet Cake mix and a 6 oz. of left-over cream cheese. Making it into half of a cake wouldn't be easy. Instead I decided to complicate it even further by making it into a fraction of a cheesecake in little canning jars. I knew there was a recipe for Red Velvet Cheesecake by Julie Ruble at Willow Bird Baking. Her Clementine Mousse Cheesecake is about as good as cheesecake can get, so I knew her recipe wouldn't fail me. The only thing with the potential to ruin my little mini-cheesecakes was math, more specifically: fractions. Before graduate school, when I was studying for the GRE, I realized that no one ever taught me fractions. I learned a lot from the GRE Math prep-book, but I still don't like fractions. Especially when it requires three units (cups, tablespoons, and teaspoons). As a scientist, I take for granted that most of the math I have to do is metric. But I'll be honest, as a microbiologist, I'm generally only changing orders of magnitude, so I'm just moving around decimal points.
Objective
Make mini Red Velvet Cheesecakes in canning jars to use up the red velvet cake mix. Instead of following Julie Ruble's method (bake the cake and cheesecake separately, then stack them), bake the cake on top of the cheesecake, in the jars.
Materials
Crust:
8 Oreos
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. unsalted butter, melted
pinch salt
Cheesecake:
6 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp. flour
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
Red Velvet Cake batter:
Half package, prepared per the box
Methods
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 4 8-oz ramekins or canning jars. Set in a baking dish. On the stove, start heating a pan of water (you'll want it boiling for a water bath just before putting the cheesecakes in the oven).
2. Make the crust: Crush the Oreos. Stir in the melted butter and salt. Divide evenly among the jars and press into the bottom. Do not bake.
3. Make the filling: Beat the cream cheese and sugar on until light and fluffy. Beat in the flour. Add the vanilla and egg, beating until the mixture is homogenous. Pour the filling on top of the crust, dividing the filling evenly between the ramekins.
4. Make the water bath: carefully and gently pour boiling water into the baking dish, until the water reaches one quarter to half-way up the ramekins. Do not splash water on the cheesecakes.
5. Place the baking dish in the oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Take the cheesecakes out of the oven. Divide the pre-mixed batter evenly over the cheesecakes, return to the oven and bake 20 minutes longer, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake layer comes out clean.
6. Using tongs, remove the ramekins from the water bath. Let them cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate overnight and serve cold.
Results
Baking the cake layer on top of the cheesecake layer seemed to work well. The cheesecake layer was good, but a little over-baked. The jars made a fun presentation.
Discussion and Future Direction
As you've probably already figured out, this post is mostly an "is it possible?" post. Maybe there is someone out there with half of a red velvet cake, but probably not. What I learned was that the cake layer can be baked on top of the cheesecake layer. Yes the cheesecake layer might be a little over-baked, but it's cream cheese and sugar. Who really cares if it's slightly over-baked? If you care, then you probably aren't going to try this recipe. Or, you'll add the cake layer earlier. Your choice.
I will use the cheesecake filling recipe to make more mini-cheesecakes of different flavors. Red velvet isn't my favorite flavor, but I can think of a lot of other ideas for toppings. Because these are single serving portions in the serving dish, the crust can easily be left off. I'm imagining a crust-less fruit-on-the-bottom cheesecake.
Supplementary Materials
When I told my boyfriend of my plan to make Mint Puppy Chow, and told him about all of the other crazy Puppy Chow flavors I found on the internet, he wanted to make one too. He chose Red Velvet Puppy Chow. I won't even bother posting the link, because it was disgusting. Like, he-took-it-to-work-and-no-one-ate-it disgusting. That left us with half a package of Red Velvet Cake mix and a 6 oz. of left-over cream cheese. Making it into half of a cake wouldn't be easy. Instead I decided to complicate it even further by making it into a fraction of a cheesecake in little canning jars. I knew there was a recipe for Red Velvet Cheesecake by Julie Ruble at Willow Bird Baking. Her Clementine Mousse Cheesecake is about as good as cheesecake can get, so I knew her recipe wouldn't fail me. The only thing with the potential to ruin my little mini-cheesecakes was math, more specifically: fractions. Before graduate school, when I was studying for the GRE, I realized that no one ever taught me fractions. I learned a lot from the GRE Math prep-book, but I still don't like fractions. Especially when it requires three units (cups, tablespoons, and teaspoons). As a scientist, I take for granted that most of the math I have to do is metric. But I'll be honest, as a microbiologist, I'm generally only changing orders of magnitude, so I'm just moving around decimal points.
Objective
Make mini Red Velvet Cheesecakes in canning jars to use up the red velvet cake mix. Instead of following Julie Ruble's method (bake the cake and cheesecake separately, then stack them), bake the cake on top of the cheesecake, in the jars.
Materials
Crust:
8 Oreos
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. unsalted butter, melted
pinch salt
Cheesecake:
6 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp. flour
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
Red Velvet Cake batter:
Half package, prepared per the box
Methods
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 4 8-oz ramekins or canning jars. Set in a baking dish. On the stove, start heating a pan of water (you'll want it boiling for a water bath just before putting the cheesecakes in the oven).
2. Make the crust: Crush the Oreos. Stir in the melted butter and salt. Divide evenly among the jars and press into the bottom. Do not bake.
3. Make the filling: Beat the cream cheese and sugar on until light and fluffy. Beat in the flour. Add the vanilla and egg, beating until the mixture is homogenous. Pour the filling on top of the crust, dividing the filling evenly between the ramekins.
4. Make the water bath: carefully and gently pour boiling water into the baking dish, until the water reaches one quarter to half-way up the ramekins. Do not splash water on the cheesecakes.
5. Place the baking dish in the oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Take the cheesecakes out of the oven. Divide the pre-mixed batter evenly over the cheesecakes, return to the oven and bake 20 minutes longer, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake layer comes out clean.
6. Using tongs, remove the ramekins from the water bath. Let them cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate overnight and serve cold.
Results
Baking the cake layer on top of the cheesecake layer seemed to work well. The cheesecake layer was good, but a little over-baked. The jars made a fun presentation.
Discussion and Future Direction
As you've probably already figured out, this post is mostly an "is it possible?" post. Maybe there is someone out there with half of a red velvet cake, but probably not. What I learned was that the cake layer can be baked on top of the cheesecake layer. Yes the cheesecake layer might be a little over-baked, but it's cream cheese and sugar. Who really cares if it's slightly over-baked? If you care, then you probably aren't going to try this recipe. Or, you'll add the cake layer earlier. Your choice.
I will use the cheesecake filling recipe to make more mini-cheesecakes of different flavors. Red velvet isn't my favorite flavor, but I can think of a lot of other ideas for toppings. Because these are single serving portions in the serving dish, the crust can easily be left off. I'm imagining a crust-less fruit-on-the-bottom cheesecake.
Supplementary Materials
30 April, 2013
Coconut Cream Pie for Mother's Day
While my parents are here, I thought it would be a great time to make my mom an early Mother's Day gift. Since I learned to bake, I've relied on my mom's sweet tooth for gift ideas. When I was a senior in college, I decided to make a pie for Mother's Day lunch with my mom and grandmas. My grandmas don't agree on much. For example, my maternal grandma likes coconut custard pie. My paternal grandma likes coconut cream pie. Thankfully, they can both agree on the coconut part. In an effort to please everybody, I made a Coconut Cream Tart from SoNo Baking Company Cookbook. The recipe is a tart crust brushed with melted chocolate before filling, vanilla pastry cream mixed with shredded coconut, whipped cream topping and toasted coconut with drizzled chocolate for garnish. To be honest, it was a disappointment. It was a pain to make (from the crust to the garnish). For "coconut cream," it wasn't very "coconutty," even when I added coconut extract to the finished pastry cream. I wasn't crazy about the addition of chocolate. Nevertheless, my family seemed to enjoy it.
This year, I wanted to return to the coconut cream pie and improve it. I knew that the first step would be to find a new recipe. In addition to choosing a new recipe, I would have to reduce the sugar and flour for my dad to be able to eat it. I thought it would also be a good idea to reduce the amount of filling to make each piece lighter. I chose a recipe from the The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook. I changed the flours in the crust and reduced the sugar in the pastry filling. As written, the pastry cream was far too sweet which overpowered the coconut. I think that my version has just the right balance of sugar and coconut.
Objective
Make a coconut cream pie that my mom will love and my dad won't feel too guilty eating. Adapted from The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook.
Materials
Pastry Crust:
65 grams coconut flour
65 grams whole wheat pastry flour
35 grams all-purpose flour
65 grams sweetened shredded coconut
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
1/3 cup (or more) ice water
Coconut Pastry Cream:
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
1 tbsp. vanilla bean paste (or seeds and pod of 1 whole vanilla bean split lengthwise)
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
Whipped Cream Topping:
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Garnish:
1/4-1/2 cup large flake coconut, unsweetened
Methods
1. Make the pastry crust: Combine flours, coconut and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until you have pea-sized crumbles. Mix in water until the crumbles come together into a dough. You may need more water (add by the tablespoon until the dough comes together). Bring the dough together into a ball, flatten, and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill for one hour. On a floured surface, roll the dough to 1/8". Lay the crust in a 9" pie plate. Chill for one hour. Blind bake for 20-25 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10 minutes, or until the crust is lightly golden. Cool completely.
2. Make the coconut pastry cream: In a medium saucepan, combine milk, coconut milk, coconut, and vanilla bean paste. Heat the mixture over medium heat until it is almost boiling. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and flour. Temper the eggs by whisking in a small amount of the milk mixture, then whisk the whole egg mixture into the milk mixture. Continue heating over medium heat. Stir constantly for about 5 minutes until the pastry cream is very thick. Cool the pot in an ice bath, stirring until the pastry cream has cooled. Transfer the cream to a storage container. Lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on the pastry cream before covering with a lid. Refrigerate until cool.
3. Prepare the topping and garnish: Place the large flaked coconut on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 300 degrees until lightly golden (anywhere from 5-10 minutes depending on the accuracy of your oven). Watch closely and stir often to keep the coconut from burning. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile, whip the cream with sugar and vanilla (adjust the amount of sugar/vanilla to your taste) to medium/stiff peaks (again, make it how you like it).
4. Assemble the pie: Spread the coconut pastry cream in an even layer over the baked pie crust. Spread an even layer of whipped cream over the coconut pastry cream. Sprinkle with toasted coconut. The pie is best on days 1 and 2. Store in the refrigerator. Serve chilled.
Results
Yum! Just enough coconut flavor that the vanilla is complementary and not overpowering. Crust was a bit tough but softened up after sitting in the fridge with the pastry cream overnight (probably my fault because I didn't add enough moisture and over-kneaded as I was adding water) . Pastry cream layer is thin, but not insubstantial.
Discussion and Future Directions
I am thrilled with how this recipe turned out! I liked the addition of the coconut flour to the crust to add a bit more coconut flavor. I was thrilled that the pastry cream actually tasted like coconut. When I first made the pastry cream, I halved the recipe and reduced the sugar by a few tablespoons. I found it to be too sweet and it didn't make quite as much as I'd hoped. With a larger batch and even less sugar, it was perfect. And as a bonus to infusing flavor, making the pastry cream with the coconut eliminates the need to strain the pastry cream before stirring in the coconut. That is a huge improvement on the other recipe I'd made! This one is a keeper. Next time, I'd consider omitting the crust (partially because I don't like crust, but mostly because they're a pain to make) and serving the pastry cream as a custard with whipped cream topping.
As I'm getting older, I'm starting to find that many desserts are too sweet. My cravings are changing from sweet to savory. My most common craving is "fresh." It isn't satisfied until I've eaten a salad or fresh fruit. This shift means that my baking style has changed. I'm choosing recipes with whole grain flours or substituting whole grain flours when I can. I'm reducing sugar or using natural sweeteners that aren't as sweet such as honey or agave. When a recipe calls for sweetened shredded coconut, I might use unsweetened flaked. Quantity is another major change. Portion size in America is out-of-control. I can't eat much at once, so it's important that I choose what I'm eating wisely. This means cutting down on the baked goods and sugar. Rarely have I made a recipe in the past 2 years without halving it or reducing it further. This recipe is a good example of these changes. And I hope that these changes are helping me be at least a little healthier, in spite of all of my baking!
Supplementary Materials
31 March, 2013
Chili Cook-Off Vegetarian Chili
Guess what? I moved to Texas! I finished my master's degree in St. Louis and headed south. My experiments are starting to pick up at my new job and I'm jumping into life as a "Wisconsinite Displaced in Texas." The cheese and brat selections in Houston are far superior to those in St. Louis, many of the traffic lights are shorter, and I left town 2 days before a snowstorm that was the first of many. I walked in the surf on the Gulf of Mexico, saw my first rodeo, and went in the pool on Easter Sunday! With that and more in mind, I'd say that the move was a great idea.
Oh yeah, there's also a boy in Texas. For the past few months, that boy and I have been talking about hosting a chili cook-off. His work schedule is kinda crazy (he's a pediatric intern), so we had to schedule it during a month when he got weekends off (a rarity). Coincidentally, I moved to Texas during just such a month. Planning a chili cook-off over Easter weekend might not have been the best idea. We aren't religious, but it turns out a lot of our friends are. Even so, we ended up with 8 chili entries (3 vegetarian, 5 meat) and a number of "fixin's" and desserts. Entries included an okra, bean and Sriracha chili, a barley and bean chili, a bell pepper and bean chili, traditional Texan beef chili, tomatillo beef chili, chicken chili, ground turkey chili, and, believe it or not, a venison chili! Overall, our chili cook-off was a success and we had a lot of fun.
To prepare for the cook-off, we went to the grocery store and bought every type of dried chile available (including but not limited to ancho, New Mexico, morita, mulato, chipotle, arbol, guajillo, pasilla, Japanese, and pequin). I knew I wanted to make a vegetarian chili to be sure that there was at least 1 vegetarian option available. I started off by reading The Food Lab: How to Make The Best Chili Ever on Serious Eats. Kenji provides an excellent discussion of chili--from flavor, to texture, to ingredients, and beyond. The article links to Serious Eats' Best Vegetarian Bean Chili recipe, which I used as the starting point for my chile. At first, I wanted to use as many chiles and peppers as possible (we had serranos, jalapenos, manzana, red/orange/yellow bell, poblano, and a really long green one). I decided to limit the peppers to bell peppers because I thought they would hold their crisp texture better than the others (poblanos tend to get mushy and I wasn't sure about any of the others). I wanted to use a bunch of different types of beans to add character. I decided to add lime for acidity and cinnamon for sweetness because the flavor of the chiles didn't come out right away upon taking a spoonful. In the end, I stirred in some corn for color and texture. I'm proud to report that my recipe tied for best vegetarian chili.
Oh yeah, there's also a boy in Texas. For the past few months, that boy and I have been talking about hosting a chili cook-off. His work schedule is kinda crazy (he's a pediatric intern), so we had to schedule it during a month when he got weekends off (a rarity). Coincidentally, I moved to Texas during just such a month. Planning a chili cook-off over Easter weekend might not have been the best idea. We aren't religious, but it turns out a lot of our friends are. Even so, we ended up with 8 chili entries (3 vegetarian, 5 meat) and a number of "fixin's" and desserts. Entries included an okra, bean and Sriracha chili, a barley and bean chili, a bell pepper and bean chili, traditional Texan beef chili, tomatillo beef chili, chicken chili, ground turkey chili, and, believe it or not, a venison chili! Overall, our chili cook-off was a success and we had a lot of fun.
To prepare for the cook-off, we went to the grocery store and bought every type of dried chile available (including but not limited to ancho, New Mexico, morita, mulato, chipotle, arbol, guajillo, pasilla, Japanese, and pequin). I knew I wanted to make a vegetarian chili to be sure that there was at least 1 vegetarian option available. I started off by reading The Food Lab: How to Make The Best Chili Ever on Serious Eats. Kenji provides an excellent discussion of chili--from flavor, to texture, to ingredients, and beyond. The article links to Serious Eats' Best Vegetarian Bean Chili recipe, which I used as the starting point for my chile. At first, I wanted to use as many chiles and peppers as possible (we had serranos, jalapenos, manzana, red/orange/yellow bell, poblano, and a really long green one). I decided to limit the peppers to bell peppers because I thought they would hold their crisp texture better than the others (poblanos tend to get mushy and I wasn't sure about any of the others). I wanted to use a bunch of different types of beans to add character. I decided to add lime for acidity and cinnamon for sweetness because the flavor of the chiles didn't come out right away upon taking a spoonful. In the end, I stirred in some corn for color and texture. I'm proud to report that my recipe tied for best vegetarian chili.
Objective
Make a tasty vegetarian chili for the Chili Cook-off using dried chiles as the base of the flavor.
Materials
2 chiles de arbol
2 chiles mullato
2 chiles pasilla
2 chiles guajillo
1 chile morita
1 1/2 tbsp. cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. salt
2 limes
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 bell peppers (1 each: red, orange, yellow), chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 bell peppers (1 each: red, orange, yellow), chopped
28 oz. Kidney beans
28 oz. Black beans
14 oz. Great Northern White beans
14 oz. Black eyed peas
28 oz. crushed tomatoes
14 oz. diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
14 oz. diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Methods
1. Prepare the chile paste: cut the stems off of the chiles and remove the seeds. Place them in a dry skillet and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Add enough water to the skillet to cover the chiles (don't worry if they start to float). Bring the water to a boil, then remove the skillet from the heat and sit 15 minutes.
2. Move the chiles to a blender with 1/2-1 cup of the chile water. Add 1 1/2 tbsp. cumin, 1 tsp. oregano, 1/2 tsp. ginger, and the juice of 2 limes. Blend to form a thick paste, adding more chile water if necessary.
3. In a large pot, heat 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook about 3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and chopped bell peppers. Continue to heat and stir until the onions and peppers have softened. Add the chile paste, beans, tomato, corn, soy sauce, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. Stir the chili to mix the ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
4. After the chili has simmered, taste the chili for flavor. As necessary, add more salt, cumin, cayenne, cinnamon, ginger, oregano, and lime juice. Continue simmering until and adjusting the spices until you reach a flavor that you like. Beware that the longer the chili simmers, the intensity of the flavors will dissipate.
Results
Yum! Without meat, it's tricky to get chili with texture that isn't just mush. Using a variety of beans and adding corn helped a lot. The flavor is good. It's sweet with a little bit of spicy. After sitting in the fridge over night, the heat was lost and the chili became very mild.
Discussion
The biggest thing this chili lacks is something to chew. I don't like tofu or fake meat, so maybe the texture I should add is crunchy. Just a little something to give the teeth some resistance. Maybe sprinkling the top of each bowl with crushed tortilla chips would work. The other thing I'd like to taste is more heat. Most of the other chili makers used Sriracha. I know that I'm in the huge minority these days, but I've never purchased or used the stuff. I wouldn't have thought to add hot sauce because I wanted my heat to be authentic from the chiles I added. I ended up relying a lot on the cayenne for heat and the peppers for flavor depth. Hot sauce might be the key!
My usual chili recipe is a turkey and black bean chili with chipotle salsa. I've made it with and without meat, and either way, the flavor is hard to beat (the brand of the chipotle salsa is the key). For the chili cook-off, I was determined to use chiles and not chili powder. I'm glad that I did because it was a learning experience. It took a lot more tasting and adding spices than I'm used to, but in the end, I liked my product enough that I was glad I didn't use my usual recipe.
15 January, 2013
Strawberry Chocolate Chip Muffins
I'm not a huge fan of muffins (probably because I don't like the texture of cake). Nevertheless, for a morning baking date, muffins are the way to go. I love banana bread and quickbreads, but they take twice as long to bake. On Sunday morning, my friend Kelley came over to bake muffins. I'd given her three options based on the frozen fruits in my freezer: blueberry, cranberry or strawberry. She chose blueberry. I started wondering if people even make strawberry muffins. You can do a hundred other wonderful things with strawberries, like strawberry rhubarb pie or strawberry shortcake, so why make muffins? A quick search for strawberry muffin recipes yielded quite a few results. Indeed, people do make strawberry muffins. However, the first strawberry muffin recipe that comes up in a Google search has one order of magnitude fewer reviews that the first blueberry muffin recipe, suggesting that people really love blueberry muffins. After I finished the last blueberry muffin, I decided I simply had to try strawberry muffins. With Valentine's day coming up, I decided chocolate had to be added. Recipe adapted from SoNo Baking Company Cookbook.
Objective
Adapt a blueberry muffin recipe to make strawberry chocolate chip muffins.
Materials
1 cup plus flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup (4 tbsp.) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt (substitute plain yogurt, sour cream, crème fraîche)
about 1 cup frozen (unthawed) strawberries, chopped and tossed in 1/2-1 tbsp. flour
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Methods
1. Preheat the oven to 375º. Prepare 9 muffin cups (grease the pan or use liners).
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.
3. Beat butter, sugar, and salt on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add egg. Beat in vanilla.
4. With the mixer speed on low, slowly add the dry ingredients and continue mixing until flour is just incorporated. Add the greek yogurt and continue beating on low speed until incorporated. Beat in the strawberries until just incorporated. Gently fold in the chocolate with a rubber spatula. Note: the batter will be very thick.
5. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full (about 1/4 cup of batter per muffin cup). Sprinkle with additional sugar if desired (baker's sugar works well).
6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the muffin pan after 10 minutes. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or the muffin springs back when gently touched.
7. Cool the muffins completely in the pan on a wire rack.
Results
Yum! The strawberries are tart which is balanced by the sweetness of the chocolate. Perfectly light in texture and moist. Lightly golden brown.
Discussion and Future Directions
Both the blueberry and the strawberry muffins turned out well. I might be more inclined to make muffins again. They don't get the caramelized dark crust of a quickbread, but that keeps the whole product soft. For banana, I'll stick with bread. Since I didn't have much luck making blueberry quickbread, I think I will continue making these blueberry muffins. The berries did not all sink to the bottom, which is what happened with the really light batter of the blueberry quickbread. This batter is thick, but don't worry, the end product will turn out light and delicious!
This recipe could be easily adapted to other berries. If you leave out the chocolate, I suggest adding citrus zest (try 1 tsp) to add depth to the flavor. For raspberries or blueberries, use lemon zest; for blackberries, use lime zest; for cranberries or strawberries, use orange zest or 2 tablespoons of orange marmalade. If you try these muffins with a different flavor combination, please let me know how they turn out!
Supplementary Materials
22 December, 2012
A-Cookie-A-Day
I haven't posted much this month, but that doesn't mean I haven't been in the kitchen. In fact, I have been "procrastibaking" like a professional (after all, that is how this blog came about)! On Friday, coincidentally the Mayan predicted apocalypse, the written portion of the qualifying exam (QE) for my graduate program is due. Just in case the world ends on Friday, I didn't want to spend my last days on alive workin' to the bone. So, during the afternoons, I've been baking! Oh, and going on vacation!
During my last trip to Houston, Texas, I got my bake-on. While the boys were at work, I was busy trying really hard to focus on my QE. I ended up procrastibaking. In my effort to use up the ridiculous cache of baking supplies in my apartment, I flew to Texas with little baggies containing pre-measured ingredients for a cookie recipe I have in my recipe box, know I've made, but don't remember how they taste. The recipe is for German Chocolate Cookies from BHG. They are dark, they are kind of healthy (fruit, nuts, flaxseeds, oatmeal, dark chocolate, eggs) and they are very addicting!
The next day, I decided on pie. A certain boyfriend I know loves puns and liquor. That sounds bad. He's got an impressive liquor collection and loves making mixed drinks for other people. That's not to say there isn't a video of him floating around the internet where he chugs a 40. [rolls eyes] Undergrads, so irresponsible. Oh yeah, he also loves pie. We celebrated his birthday a little early with Drunken Raspberry and Portly Pear Pie from Food 52. I won't pretend that his roommate and I didn't pick it simply for the punny name. It was an interesting pie. The flavor was great but the pears gave it a gritty texture. I probably won't be using pears in baking any time soon. Also, I made the crust with lard. It was immensely flaky, but I don't really understand the hype.
I arrived back in St. Louis to an empty fridge. I was cranky and unmotivated. With the minutes ticking away toward QE submission time, I went into A-Cookie-A-Day mode (like any rational, under-pressure graduate student would do)!
A-Cookie-A-Day, "Abby's Kitchen" Style:
Day 12: Maple Cookies from Simply Recipes
These are one of my favorite Fall cookies. While it's not technically Fall, it kinda feels like it is and I love denying that it's ever Winter. This was my first time baking with Grade B maple syrup. I have to say, I prefer these cookies with Grade A, which is good, because Grade B is really hard to find. My Grade B was from the Dane County Farmer's Market which was exciting because I bought it locally! If I'm going to pay a lot for maple syrup, I like knowing that the people who went out, tapped the trees, boiled and bottled the stuff get to see the profit.
Day 13: Triple-Ginger Cookies from Bon Appetit
My friend Kelly came over to procrastibake with me! She was craving ginger cookies. I normally follow Homesick Texan's recipe, but since I had fresh ginger leftover from Naturally Ella's delicious Spicy Peanut Sauce, we tried this recipe from Bon Appetit. We didn't have crystallized ginger, or dark brown sugar, or light molasses, but we made due. We even did a science experiment and reviewed the recipe! Check out our review!
Day 14: Almond Crunch Cookies from Bon Appetit
Because sometimes you're planning on moving and want to get rid of your liquor and decide to use it in cookies so as not to become a lush (kidding, it's really because you're a lightweight and can't possibly drink it all in time). These are super buttery, which makes me think the recipe might not have the right flour-sugar-butter ratio, but they are also kind of delicious.
Day 15: Salted Mudslide Cookies from How Sweet Eats
Not only is there a 3/4 full bottle of Amaretto, there's also a half-full bottle of Kahlua that needs drinking and a few packets of Foldger's instant coffee in the cupboard. Enter Salted Mudslide Cookies. Now, here's a funny secret, I don't like coffee (though boyfriend may have gotten me hooked on Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes [please don't get me started on how I feel about Starbucks' business practices, because falling for these lattes has really caused a moral dilemma]). Yum. I expected that I would hate these, but I really really like them.
Day 16: Andes Mint Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Mommy loves cookies. Years ago, she asked me to make Andes Mint Chocolate Cookies for her Christmas gift (the kind where you spread the mint over the cooling cookie to make the mint into frosting). Since then, I've been doing regular holiday/birthday baking. She loves my chocolate chip cookies with walnuts and her favorite cookies are snickerdoodles. This year, I decided to mix it up. I stuffed half of an Andes Mint into my great-grandma's chocolate crinkles (I got the idea from A Finn in the Kitchen). Best straight out of the oven when the Andes Mint is still gooey. Yum!
Day 17: Cereal Killer Cookies from I Adore Food (Oatmeal, Chocolate and Coconut)
Today I worked on my QE all day. I mean it. I woke up, got out of bed, went to my computer and wrote. And wrote, and wrote, and wrote. I'm nearing a full draft. What remains is to write one more section in the topical review and add a few (very important, as in, if I don't address these issues I will probably fail) things to the research proposal. After nearly 10 1/2 straight hours of writing (minus breakfast and lunch breaks), I decided that it was cookie time. What was really important to me was that my Cookie-A-Day binge include oatmeal cookies. Oatmeal cookies were the first cookies I made by myself. Home alone one summer day, I found the recipe in my brother's Boy Scout Handbook. The section was on experimenting in the kitchen and cooking. The cookies were delicious. That was my baking debut! My mom is sure lucky that I found the ingredients and supplies (after probably a dozen phone calls). I'm the official family baker (and her personal cookie-maker). This isn't my usual oatmeal cookie recipe, but it is pretty tasty! Strangely, my cookies are far more oatmealy compared to last time I made these. They also look way more oaty than the picture, though I followed the recipe (but added chopped almonds). Hmm.. ??
Day 18: Candy Cane Crinkles from The Slow Roasted Italian
Ok woah! I worked on my QE for 15 hours yesterday! At 3 o'clock this morning, I took a few papers to bed to look over. I read for a little bit then realized how exhausted I was. My alarm was set for 8:15 to get to lab meeting by 9:15. When I woke up and looked in the mirror, I saw a ghost peering back. I was so pale that I almost put on some rouge to look sanguine. I can't lie, it felt kind of good to actually get dressed. After lab meeting, I stayed at work for more QE writing. Seven hours later I needed a break (and a cookie). I stopped at the grocery store to pick up candy canes, ended up with candy canes, pickles, hummus and a Chocolove peppermint candy bar. I would be lying if I pretended I didn't eat the chocolate bar and hummus for dinner (give me a break, I'd only eaten 2 oatmeal cookies and an apple during lab meeting and half of a sandwich for lunch. Oh that, and I'm a grad student. Anything above free food from seminars puts me above my peers). Anyhow, I made these candy cane crinkles. They are the perfect sugar cookies, with a hint of peppermint. If you love sugar cookies, try these.
After submitting my qualifying exam, I went into holiday mode. Turned on Billy Gilman Classic Christmas, made a homemade New Year's card and baked cookies to take back to Wisconsin. With the crazy unhealthy lifestyle I've had the past week while finishing my qual, I couldn't be more excited to head back home.
During my last trip to Houston, Texas, I got my bake-on. While the boys were at work, I was busy trying really hard to focus on my QE. I ended up procrastibaking. In my effort to use up the ridiculous cache of baking supplies in my apartment, I flew to Texas with little baggies containing pre-measured ingredients for a cookie recipe I have in my recipe box, know I've made, but don't remember how they taste. The recipe is for German Chocolate Cookies from BHG. They are dark, they are kind of healthy (fruit, nuts, flaxseeds, oatmeal, dark chocolate, eggs) and they are very addicting!
The next day, I decided on pie. A certain boyfriend I know loves puns and liquor. That sounds bad. He's got an impressive liquor collection and loves making mixed drinks for other people. That's not to say there isn't a video of him floating around the internet where he chugs a 40. [rolls eyes] Undergrads, so irresponsible. Oh yeah, he also loves pie. We celebrated his birthday a little early with Drunken Raspberry and Portly Pear Pie from Food 52. I won't pretend that his roommate and I didn't pick it simply for the punny name. It was an interesting pie. The flavor was great but the pears gave it a gritty texture. I probably won't be using pears in baking any time soon. Also, I made the crust with lard. It was immensely flaky, but I don't really understand the hype.
I arrived back in St. Louis to an empty fridge. I was cranky and unmotivated. With the minutes ticking away toward QE submission time, I went into A-Cookie-A-Day mode (like any rational, under-pressure graduate student would do)!
A-Cookie-A-Day, "Abby's Kitchen" Style:
Day 12: Maple Cookies from Simply Recipes
These are one of my favorite Fall cookies. While it's not technically Fall, it kinda feels like it is and I love denying that it's ever Winter. This was my first time baking with Grade B maple syrup. I have to say, I prefer these cookies with Grade A, which is good, because Grade B is really hard to find. My Grade B was from the Dane County Farmer's Market which was exciting because I bought it locally! If I'm going to pay a lot for maple syrup, I like knowing that the people who went out, tapped the trees, boiled and bottled the stuff get to see the profit.
Day 13: Triple-Ginger Cookies from Bon Appetit
My friend Kelly came over to procrastibake with me! She was craving ginger cookies. I normally follow Homesick Texan's recipe, but since I had fresh ginger leftover from Naturally Ella's delicious Spicy Peanut Sauce, we tried this recipe from Bon Appetit. We didn't have crystallized ginger, or dark brown sugar, or light molasses, but we made due. We even did a science experiment and reviewed the recipe! Check out our review!
Day 14: Almond Crunch Cookies from Bon Appetit
Because sometimes you're planning on moving and want to get rid of your liquor and decide to use it in cookies so as not to become a lush (kidding, it's really because you're a lightweight and can't possibly drink it all in time). These are super buttery, which makes me think the recipe might not have the right flour-sugar-butter ratio, but they are also kind of delicious.
Day 15: Salted Mudslide Cookies from How Sweet Eats
Not only is there a 3/4 full bottle of Amaretto, there's also a half-full bottle of Kahlua that needs drinking and a few packets of Foldger's instant coffee in the cupboard. Enter Salted Mudslide Cookies. Now, here's a funny secret, I don't like coffee (though boyfriend may have gotten me hooked on Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes [please don't get me started on how I feel about Starbucks' business practices, because falling for these lattes has really caused a moral dilemma]). Yum. I expected that I would hate these, but I really really like them.
Day 16: Andes Mint Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Mommy loves cookies. Years ago, she asked me to make Andes Mint Chocolate Cookies for her Christmas gift (the kind where you spread the mint over the cooling cookie to make the mint into frosting). Since then, I've been doing regular holiday/birthday baking. She loves my chocolate chip cookies with walnuts and her favorite cookies are snickerdoodles. This year, I decided to mix it up. I stuffed half of an Andes Mint into my great-grandma's chocolate crinkles (I got the idea from A Finn in the Kitchen). Best straight out of the oven when the Andes Mint is still gooey. Yum!
Day 17: Cereal Killer Cookies from I Adore Food (Oatmeal, Chocolate and Coconut)
Today I worked on my QE all day. I mean it. I woke up, got out of bed, went to my computer and wrote. And wrote, and wrote, and wrote. I'm nearing a full draft. What remains is to write one more section in the topical review and add a few (very important, as in, if I don't address these issues I will probably fail) things to the research proposal. After nearly 10 1/2 straight hours of writing (minus breakfast and lunch breaks), I decided that it was cookie time. What was really important to me was that my Cookie-A-Day binge include oatmeal cookies. Oatmeal cookies were the first cookies I made by myself. Home alone one summer day, I found the recipe in my brother's Boy Scout Handbook. The section was on experimenting in the kitchen and cooking. The cookies were delicious. That was my baking debut! My mom is sure lucky that I found the ingredients and supplies (after probably a dozen phone calls). I'm the official family baker (and her personal cookie-maker). This isn't my usual oatmeal cookie recipe, but it is pretty tasty! Strangely, my cookies are far more oatmealy compared to last time I made these. They also look way more oaty than the picture, though I followed the recipe (but added chopped almonds). Hmm.. ??
Day 18: Candy Cane Crinkles from The Slow Roasted Italian
Ok woah! I worked on my QE for 15 hours yesterday! At 3 o'clock this morning, I took a few papers to bed to look over. I read for a little bit then realized how exhausted I was. My alarm was set for 8:15 to get to lab meeting by 9:15. When I woke up and looked in the mirror, I saw a ghost peering back. I was so pale that I almost put on some rouge to look sanguine. I can't lie, it felt kind of good to actually get dressed. After lab meeting, I stayed at work for more QE writing. Seven hours later I needed a break (and a cookie). I stopped at the grocery store to pick up candy canes, ended up with candy canes, pickles, hummus and a Chocolove peppermint candy bar. I would be lying if I pretended I didn't eat the chocolate bar and hummus for dinner (give me a break, I'd only eaten 2 oatmeal cookies and an apple during lab meeting and half of a sandwich for lunch. Oh that, and I'm a grad student. Anything above free food from seminars puts me above my peers). Anyhow, I made these candy cane crinkles. They are the perfect sugar cookies, with a hint of peppermint. If you love sugar cookies, try these.
After submitting my qualifying exam, I went into holiday mode. Turned on Billy Gilman Classic Christmas, made a homemade New Year's card and baked cookies to take back to Wisconsin. With the crazy unhealthy lifestyle I've had the past week while finishing my qual, I couldn't be more excited to head back home.
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