Cake Pops!

So, my brother is getting married May 15th! Ohmygoodness, I'm excited. He's marrying a gorgeous Zooey Deschanel look-alike. I have no idea how he landed such a good-looking woman. At least I will have cute nieces and nephews (=

I hosted a bridal shower for my future sister-in-law on Sunday. We made cake pops. Super trendy, super cute, and SUPER easy.



















How to make the pops:
1. Bake a cake (from scratch, out of a box, football shaped, round, lumpy. Doesn't matter as long as it is a cake).
2. Crumble the cooled cake into a bowl and mix with half a can of frosting (or 1/2 cup of homemade frosting...I dare you :-p).
3. Roll the mixture into small balls (approx 50 balls).
4. Freeze the balls for at least one hour (get your mind of the gutter my friend).
5. Melt chocolate/white chocolate in a double boiler, put sticks in the balls, and dip in melted chocolate. Coat with sprinkles. (Find lollipop sticks at Michaels/craft stores...OR go to Starbucks and get free wooden stir-sticks. I personally enjoy free things)
6. Let chocolate harden by placing the bottom of the stick in a shallow cup or bowl.

For the shower we made 2 different pops. #1: chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and a semi-sweet chocolate coating and #2 red velvet cake with vanilla frosting and a white chocolate coating. I think it would be fun to experiment with different combinations of flavors and colors. Perhaps: carrot cake, German chocolate with coconut, lemon, dulce-de-leche, pistachio...the possibilities are endless.

If you wish to color the outer shell, use white chocolate and a concentrated icing/chocolate dye. DO NOT use food coloring, as it will ruin the chocolate. The concentrated oil-based Wilton colors can be found at Michaels.

A fellow bridesmaid, Rachel Ruelas and I created the adorable pink flower tree's with Styrofoam from Michaels. We made rosette's out of crepe paper, and glued them to the tree. We shoved the pops into the trees, and refilled them during the event.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I love red velvet (-:















Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

BTW: Frost the cupcakes with a butter knife or pipe it on with a big star tip.

Avocado Fries with Chipotle Aioli

My amazing boyfriend Ben moved to Mississippi 1 year ago. His one big complaint about Mississippi is not the weather, not the bugs, not the fact that I now live across the county...his biggest complaint is: the terrible avocados. Since I plan on moving to Mississippi in less than a year, I figured I should prepare myself by eating as much avocado as humanly possible so as to somehow make myself tired of one of the most delicious fruit on the planet before moving. The plan hasn't worked yet...I'll keep you posted on when it does.
















So, tonight's super easy and simple avocado fry recipe is this:

Ingredients:
Canola oil for frying
1 cup flour
1 egg
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper (white pepper preferred, but black works just fine)
1 -1 1/2 cups beer (add until desired consistency)
1 1/4 cups Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
2 firm-ripe avocados, pitted, peeled, and sliced into 1/2-in. wedges

Directions:
In a medium sauce pan, heat 1 1/2 inches of oil until it reaches about 375°.
Meanwhile, mix flour, egg, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Whisk in beer. Set beer-batter aside. Pour Panko into a shallow plate.
Dip avocado slices in the beer-batter, then coat with Panko.
Fry a quarter of the avocado slices at a time until deep golden brown, approx. 60 seconds. Transfer slices to a plate lined with a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt and paprika to taste.
















Chipotle Aioli (for dipping):
6 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. Chipotle chilies in Adobo sauce
2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp. cumin
4 tsp. fresh lime juice

Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.

I chose to make the Chipotle Aioli from scratch. I made home-made mayonnaise instead of store-bought mayonnaise.
Whisk 1 egg yolk and 1 Tbsp. white vinegar until well-mixed. Start whisking briskly, then start adding the oil a few drops at a time until the liquid seems to thicken and lighten a bit, (which means you've got an emulsion on your hands). Once you reach that point you can relax your arm a little (but just a little) and increase the oil flow to a constant (albeit thin) stream. Once half of the oil is in add the rest of the lemon juice mixture. Continue whisking until all of the oil is incorporated. Leave at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours then refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Thai Green Curry!!

Katy Heatherington (my amazing 4'11" Korean friend from Fresno) came to visit me this weekend! She came here to SLO things down a bit :-p

My favorite ethnic food thus far in my journey is Thai food. Katy loves curry, and we decided to attempt to make green curry.

We started our search for Thai ingredients at the SLO Oriental market (1255 Monterey St).

The market is small, but offers a wide variety of Oriental goods from countries including but not limited to: Thailand, Korea, Japan, China, and Taiwan.

My favorite find of the market: lemongrass!!!

Lemongrass is native of India, but it is commonly used in Thai and Vietnamese cuisine. I've just recently come to realize how incredibly fragrant and flavorful the grass is.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion, cut in 8 wedges

1 green bell pepper, cut in 8 wedges

1 stalk lemongrass, white bulb only

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh ginger

3 tablespoons Thai green curry paste (purchased from an oriental market of sorts)

2 Kaffir lime leaves (I used Bok Choy instead...I’m a college student on a budget)

1 (13.5 ounce) can bamboo shoots

3 cups unsweetened coconut milk, 2 (13.5 ounce) cans

1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut in 1-inch strips

Salt

1 lime, juiced

Fresh Thai basil leaves

Fresh cilantro leaves

Lime wedges, for garnish

Directions:

Place a large, deep skillet over medium heat and coat with the oil. Saute the onion and green peppers for 3 minutes to soften. Split the piece of lemongrass down the middle and whack it with the flat side of a knife to open the flavor. Add the lemongrass, ginger, curry paste and lime leaves to the skillet and stir for 2 minutes. Pour in the coconut milk. Lay the chicken pieces in the mixture to poach; add a pinch of salt. Stir together and simmer over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Be careful not to let it boil as the coconut milk can easily separate. Squeeze in the lime juice and shower with basil and cilantro; serve in dinner bowls with lime wedges.

the neon carrot

So...I've been quite frugal lately, avoiding spending money as much as possible. I've been saving up for this little beauty...her name is Lola:

So whenever the opportunity arises for a free lunch, I jump on it like a fly on toast. My aunts were in town, and there's nothing like taking advantage of family members for my blog. I've been hearing so many things about the neon carrot, I found myself desperate to try it...so I dragged Barbara and Tracy along...assuming the food would be good.

Also, my aunts have a tendency to order more food than they actually eat, giving me the opportunity to try quite a large variety of the menu...thank you auntie (-:

"The neon carrot uses locally and organically grown produce whenever possible. We give thanks to the dedicated local farmers, fishers, winemakers and artisans for taking such care with their product and for understanding the wholesome experience of eating." This was written on the back of the take home menu. The owners of the restaurant (Maegen & Jeff Loring) were working the day I went in, and they were both more than willing to answer any questions I had.

I ordered "the park burger" described as "hearst ranch beef or house made veggie burger" ...I got the veggie patty...
To my surprise, the patty was BRIGHT PINK!!

The patty was full of sunflower seeds, beets, squash, and carrots, and tasted like dirt...IN A GOOD WAY! (-: like, that good earthy flavor... don't get me wrong, I liked it...and after asking the ingredients in the house made patty, I learned that the owners put beets in the patty to give it a "meaty" color...that's bull...it was pink...I've never eaten a real burger that color in my life.
Barbara ordered the "savory tart of the day" which happened to be one with figs, caramelized onions, and Gorgonzola cheese.















The "tart of the day" is served with the customers choice of a green salad or a fried egg...hmm...cool option...perhaps Wendy's should consider adding that option to their dollar menu?

Tracy ordered the quesadilla...consumers beware because this ain't your Mexican grandma's quesadilla! This grilled cheesy creation comes packed with Gruyere cheese, caramelized onions, pasilla salsa and...wait for it...roasted butternut squash! Yeah, I know, y'all are freaking out, but I applaud the bold move. Besides, anything covered with melted Gruyere cheese is bound to be good, regardless of the ingredients used.





























Tracy also ordered a bowl of their soup of the day, which was Indian yellow curry and yogurt. The soup was awful...I love Indian food, and I couldn't stand more than 2 spoonfuls of this belly-flop. The soup tasted like uncooked roux. A moment of honesty: I am not a particularly exceptional soup-maker, but I do know how to cook a roux.

So, in conclusion, sorry neon carrot. I had such high expectations, and I was somewhat disappointed. Would I recommend this restaurant to my friends? sure. I like the idea of locally grown organic food. I hope the restaurant succeeds in business. Perhaps the quality of the food will improve with time? For me,however, I will not be jumping on my scooter and rushing to return to the atomic *ahem* neon carrot.

Cheese-the basics

Cheese is my favorite food, hands down. On the sweet/savory scale, I have always considered myself on the far end of the sweet spectrum...which makes me feel like a hypocrite when saying "cheese is my favorite food" but who cares...perhaps I am a hypocrite.

The evolution of cheese began around 5,000 years ago in both Central Asia and the Middle East. At some point, the people in these regions discovered they could preserve curdled milk by draining off the watery whey and salting the remaining curds. If you've ever tried them, you know that cheese curds are very squeaky when you chew them. The Egyptians discovered that the curds became more pliable and soft if the curdling took place when in contact with an animal stomach (yummy). The earliest good evidence of cheese making, a residue found in Egyptian pot, dates from 2300 BC (1).

(1): On Food and Cooking

Brown Butter Cookie Company (Cayucos, CA)

First, let's discuss brown butter. Have you ever tried brown butter? It's like an almond-walnut crossbreed that has busted out of its shell and ruptured into a stream of caramel-y goodness. Let's not even begin discussing the smell...it's pretty much ridiculous...in a good way (-:

Brown butter(beurre noisette) is made by cooking butter long enough to turn the milk solids and salt particles brown while cooking out any water present in the butter. It's fun to watch the process because the milk solids separate and fall to the bottom...but watch out, these milk solids will burn if you don't keep your eye on 'em! To brown butter at home, put some butter in a pan on medium heat, stir the butter frequently until it smells nutty and looks brown...voila!

My first experience with brown butter was at Central City Market in Santa Maria (my previous place of employment). I was told to make brown butter chocolate chip cookies wiuth sea salt sprinkles. I learned to brown only 1/2 to 3/4 of the butter because the cold butter is needed for the traditional cookie texture due to the emulsification of butter, sugar, and eggs. Try this technique the next time you bake...it can add a dimension of flavor to almost any baked good (-:


Cayucos is the first city in the US to open a brown butter bakery; these women know what they're doing. The quite successful business location has been open for 2 years now. Owned by sisters Traci Nickson and Christa Hozie, the company sells 8 cookie varieties-4 of which are made with browned butter. Each cookie is hand sprinkled with sea salt, another unique characteristic of the bakery...the best part of the cookie! Check out their website and buy some for yourself: http://brownbuttercookies.com.
You can even join their Facebook group...I did.

They also sell some amazing granola by the pound! I liked it.

It is really worth the experience to go to the bakery itself. They allowed and encouraged me to try all eight of their cookies; the honey brown butter one is my favorite, made using locally made honey from Atascadero. Sadly, the only cookies offered for sale online are the "original" and "cocoa" brown butter flavors. The other six flavors are only offered in-store for fear that the delicate taste and texture will fade if not eaten fresh. There is one gluten-free option: double chocolate chunk...it's delicious, and my mother can eat it (-:

The packaged cookies come with an ingredients list...are you ready for this!?!: flour, butter, brown sugar, vanilla, baking soda, sea salt. The end.

So, I liked it. I paid $14 for a dozen cookies packaged with a cute bow and label...kinda steep if you ask me. I would take my grandmother here (-: with her money...on a college budget, I would pass.