squeals of delight

around here at birthday time, it's ALWAYS ALL ABOUT the CAKE.

i was cruisin' around facebook and saw this cute little mud pool piggy cake thingy and my daughter perked right up and said she'd been wanting to learn how to make fondant anyway. (we watch too much Cake Boss.) this seemed like a perfect opportunity.

anyway, it turned out fantastic.

i looked up some fondant and modeling clay recipes and i am never thrilled if i have to use confectioner's sugar or corn syrup.  we settled on trying a recipe for modeling chocolate substituting honey for corn syrup in the traditional recipes.

most of the "experts" also specified that if i wanted to color the chocolate, i should use paste colors which i didn't have access to.  i used the standard liquid for the pink the color of the pigs, but it was only a few drops and it didn't seem to cause a problem.

modeling chocolate recipe

4 Tbsp raw honey
1 bag (9 oz) of white chocolate chips

place the chocolate chips in a glass bowl and place on top of a sauce pot which contains some steaming (moderately boiling) water.
stir until well melted.
add food coloring and continue to stir.
remove from heat.
add honey and stir a bit more until combined.
cool a bit, so as not to heat up plastic wrap.
turn "dough" out onto plastic wrap and smash flat with plastic wrap.
wrap up and place into fridge for about 4 hours to overnight.

TADAH!

we used this recipe and found that it was a bit hard to work with, so i reheated and added another Tbsp of honey.  it blended well and it didn't curdle or separate.  we just had to put it back in the fridge for awhile.  you might have to work with the amount of honey a bit to get it the right pliability (is that even a word?), but if it gets a bit too soft, put it back in the fridge for a bit and pull it out again when it hardens.  also, you might try using a cold cutting board or cookie sheet to use as your table top so that it doesn't heat up to quickly.

for this beautiful cake, i swiped a GRAND recipe from one of the better recipe sites and i have officially claimed it as my own.  LOL  (the grandkids will never know.)

here's the link to give proper credit.
http://www.food.com/recipe/the-only-chocolate-cake-recipe-youll-ever-need-devils-food-26370

here's the recipe...in case that link ever vanishes.

cake

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil 
• 1 cup hot coffee
• 1 cup milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Add oil, coffee and milk and mix at medium speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat 2 more minutes. Expect batter to be thin.
3. Pour into a 9" x 13" greased and floured pan or 2- 9" round pans. Bake 9 x 13 pan for about 45 minutes or 9" pans for about 30 minutes. Cool in pans for about 15 minutes and then cool completely on racks.
4. Frost as desired.

NOTE:  because olive oil is so darned expensive, i tried half olive oil (1/2 cup) and half applesauce (1/2 cup) the second or third time i made this cake and it turned out fabulous!   i even left the eggs out once by mistake and although the cake was a bit pitted in the middle, it STILL tasted fabulous.
 

for the mud, i used a simple chocolate ganache...the recipe is under my donut recipe at this link.

http://healthybratt.blogspot.com/2010/04/doughnutsdonutsoh-wow.html

we decided to really spruce it up with some canned cherry pie filling crammed between the layers.  this isn't a necessary step but it sure made it taste good.

for the barrel, we used, standard, toxic, get-em-from-walmart-for-a-dollar, wafer cookies.  we "glued" these to the cake with a bit of ganache and then tied a cord around when we were finished for extra support. once the cord comes off and you start cutting, it does get a bit flimsy, but nobody complained.

sourdough pancakes...no knead bread style

it all started about 100 years ago when i first decided i wanted to make bread. i ruined thousands of loaves of bread and pulled out as many hairs from my head trying to get it right. okay, maybe it wasn't thousands of loaves, but it still felt like thousands of hairs. my head really hurt, for weeks, months, as many as two years--thinking back. and i finally got it right.

not only did i get it right, but i've decided to branch out. not just bread, but sandwich, whole wheat, sourdough and even (insert menacing beat here) pancakes.

i thought i had pancakes perfected because nobody here was complaining and then i heard somebody say sourdough pancakes. well...why not? i'd tried almost everything else. but why would i want to make sourdough pancakes when the pancakes i was making were splendiferous?
well, i thought of a couple of reasons.
>>>they don't require any baking powder. regular pancakes take quite a bit because the flour is heavy.
>>>less oil. hey, this is a big deal. olive oil is expensive as are butter and any other good fat you can buy or obtain in this economy.
>>>less milk. hey, this is always a plus.
>>>less preparation time...ok, this was the deal maker. i still have to make the dough ahead, but i don't have to make it ahead (immediately) 2 hours before the meal. i can make it any time during the week (or two) that i want to make these and just pull the wad of dough out of the fridge when it's time to cook; throw in a few extras and go.

so...i save money AND time...where's the catch? i couldn't find one, so i gave it a whirl.

now, to be fair to those who sweat and fuss over the real deal...sourdough made from wild yeasts in the air, i am not a point where i need to take on another "pet." i already have 3 cats and 6 scoby's that i am currently feeding. i think, for now, that's enough. so where did i get my "sour" dough?

gwen was kind enough to share this "no knead" bread recipe on her lovely blog sometime ago. you can find the recipe here. i was intrigued. i tried, first her basic recipe with white flour and quick rise yeast and i was an instant success. (note: if you are a beginner, you might want to stop here, visit gwen's blog and start with her recipe. it's easy, it's cheap and it's a guaranteed success. this is always a good place to start if you're not familiar with bread making or sourdough in it's most basic [cheater] form.)

success! sourdough bread in a couple of days with maybe 5-10 minutes worth of work. how can this be a bad thing? then i used it for pizza. WOW. my family thinks i'm indispensable at this time. but that wasn't enough.

i already have a wheat grinder and it would be a shame, not to let my grinder and my beautiful wheat berries jump in on the fun. i started experimenting with different mixes of whole wheat and white and different yeasts until i came up with an acceptable mix that has both texture and taste and only requires a bit more effort than the original.

now what about the pancakes? well, we'll get to that, but first you have to know how to make the dough. my current recipe (subject to improvements as i see fit) is as follows:

hb's no-knead bread (sourdough starter) recipe

3.25 cups freshly milled hard white wheat flour
3.25 cups unenriched, unbleached AP white flour
1-2 pkgs of plain yeast (i use hodgeson mill, but any brand should do and i've found that one package works as good as two so long as you let it sit on the counter for 18 hours before putting it in the fridge.)
3 cups of water
3 T apple cider vinegar
1-1.5 T sea salt


take the water and vinegar and mix in a glass bowl. add the whole wheat flour. mix until the flour is evenly wet. cover and allow to soak for 2 hours. after two hours, add the other flour, the salt and the yeast. mix until evenly wet and put into gallon jar (glass). at this point, it will be sticky. if it's not, you may have used too much flour. adding a spoonful of water might not be a bad idea at this point. cover the jar (loosely) and set it on the counter overnight. after about 18 to 24 hours, put it in the fridge for a few days. TA DA! you now have sourdough. not in the traditional sense of the word, but believe me if you leave it in the fridge for another 3 days, you'll smell the difference.

for all the nice perks and bonuses you can get from this bread, be sure and visit gwen's blog too. all of the pizza crust and pretzle dog baking instructions are over there. i bake my bread the same way she does too.

now..for the pancakes. just what you were waiting for, right?

take your beautiful, sour pet out of the fridge. take two cups of dough and throw it in a large mixing bowl. add 2 eggs, 1/2 milk, 2 T sugar, 2 Tbsp of olive oil and any flavoring of choice (cinnamon, vanilla, etc.) and beat the tar out of it with a whisk. because the dough is so heavy, it takes a little bit of effort to thin it out.



and when you're finished, it will be a bit on the lumpy side.



when you're sure it's mixed as mixed is gonna get, throw in the baking soda (1 tsp). mix well.

keep in mind, your griddle should have been preheating at this point and should now be hot and ready to go. spoon 1/4 cup of batter



onto the griddle and cook until the top side begins to dry and most of the bubbles have popped. flip and allow to finish cooking on the other side. serve as you would any other pancakes and be careful. you're bound to eat too many. i did.

hb's sourdough (no-knead bread) pancakes recipe

2 cups sourdough starter
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp sugar (or honey or whatever sweetener you prefer)
1 tsp baking soda


Mix all ingredients except baking soda in a large mixing bowl until mostly smooth. Add baking soda and mix well. Spoon by 1/4 cup-fulls onto hot griddle and cook.

















see what they did to hubby? LOL

blondie/brownie swirls

i love to cook from scratch because then i know what's in the final product and it generally tastes better. BUT i am also lazy and i don't always have things like nuts and chocolate chips or blueberries lying about the kitchen. this means the recipes that i cling to are usually the simplest, using mostly ingredients that are found in most kitchens in the country on any given (other than grocery) day.

today, i wanted to make something for my kids for breakfast tomorrow that didn't include...

ingredients list from bag of hostess powdered mini donettes:

Enriched Wheat Flour [Flour, Barley Malt, Ferrous Sulfate (Iron), "B" Vitamins (Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate (B1), Riboflavin (B2), Folic Acid)], Dextrose, Vegetable Shortening (Soybean, Palm And Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil), Water, Sugar. Contains 2% Or Less of: Nonfat Milk Soy Flour, Leavenings (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Baking Soda, Aluminum Sulfate, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate), Egg Yolks, Salt, Soy Lecithin, Modified Wheat Starch, Mono And Diglycerides, Tapioca Dextrin, Corn Dextrin, Guar Gum, Karaya Gum, Cornstarch, Cellulose Gum, Enzymes, Modified Corn Starch, Citric Acid, Wheat Starch, Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Shortening (Soybean And Cottonseed Oil), Titanium Dioxide (Color), Extracts of Annatto And Turmeric (Color), Natural And Artificial Flavors, Sorbic Acid And Sodium Propionate And Potassium Sorbate And Calcium Propionate (to Retain Freshness). Contains Wheat, Milk, Soy And Egg.

OR

ingredients listed on a bag of hostess chocolate covered mini donettes:

Enriched Wheat Flour(Flour, Barley Malt, Ferrous Sulfate (Iron), "B" Vitamins (Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate (B1), Riboflavin (B2), Folic Acid), Water, Vegetable Shortening(Soybean, Palm, And Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oils), Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils(Palm Kernel, Coconut, Palm), Cocoa Processed With Alkali, Soybean Oil, Contains 2% Less Than Of: Nonfat Milk, Soy Flour, Leavenings(Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Baking Soda, Aluminum Sulfate, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate), Egg Yolks, Salt, Soy Lecithin, Modified Wheat Starch, Mono And Diglycerides, Tapioca Dextrin, Corn Dextrin, Guar Gum, Karaya Gum, Cornstarch, Cellulose Gum, Enzymes, Modified Corn Starch, Citric Acid, Wheat Starch, Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Shortening(Soybean And Cottonseed Oil), Titanium Dioxide (Color), Extracts Of Annatto And Turmeric (Color), Natural And Artificial Flavors, Sorbic Acid And Sodium Propionate And Potassium Sorbate And Calcium Propionate (To Retain Freshness), Contains Wheat, Milk, Soybeans And Egg.

EGADS! how do you pronounce "Pyrophosphate," or "Propionate?" and do i really want to? and cottonseed oil? do we know where this comes from? aaack! i do, and i don't want to feed it to my kids. so what does my ingredients list look like? it's pretty amazing. you'll never believe it. you might even be able to pronounce, understand and find everything in my list. are you ready? ok, here goes.

flour (unbleached, unenriched, white), cocoa, sugar, brown sugar, [REAL] butter, eggs, baking powder (aluminum free), baking soda, sea salt and vanilla.

AMAZING? i know, right?!?

anyway, are you impressed? i know i am, especially after eating one of these myself with a nice steaming hot cup of coffee on a cold rainy day....mmmm



BLONDIE/BROWNIE swirls

1. preheat oven 350 degrees.

2. generously butter sides and bottom of a 9 X 13 baking dish.

3. in a mixing bowl whisk together 1/2 cup powdered cocoa, 3/4 cup flour, and 1/4 tsp sea salt. set aside.

4. melt and stir in small saucepan 1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter with 1 cup of white sugar until smooth and creamy.

5. pour butter/sugar mixture into flour/cocoa mixture and whisk until well mixed.

6. add 2 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla and mix well. set aside.

********************************************************************

7. in another [empty] mixing bowl, whisk together 1 cup of flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda, and 1/4 tsp sea salt.

8. in clean saucepan, melt and stir together, 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter and 1 cup (packed) of brown sugar until smooth and creamy.

9. pour butter/brown sugar mixture into flour mixture and whisk until well mixed.

10. add 1 egg and 1 tsp vanilla and mix well.

11. drop the second mixture (blondie batter) into the greased pan by large spoonfuls. space out the spoonfuls to allow spots for the other batter.

12. drop the first mixture (brownie batter) into the spaces between the blondie batter.

13. gently run the two batters together, careful not to mix into a homogenous mixture or you'll lose your "swirl."

14. take a fork or a butter knife and lift and swirl the two batters together until desired pattern and all spaces are filled in the pan.

15. bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.




bon appétit!

NOTE: these two recipes can be separated into brownies and/or blondies. use the individual batters and put into 8 X 8 or 9 X 9 pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. delicious either way!

cabinet catastrophe

having some problems with my cabinets. they are old and as you can see from some of the pics, the drawer is beyond help. i am also a bit lazy sometimes trying to stack, unstack and restack things to make the best of the available space. just thought i would share "fixing" my pots and pans cabinet with you.

BEFORE

ALL THE STUFF THAT BELONGS IN THERE

AFTER

gorditas anyone?

we love to watch curtis on the take-home chef. he made this pork roast hot mexi-style stuff and we decided to try to duplicate it. we didn't have everything, but we managed to come out with something pretty tasty. we served it up with sour cream & cheese on homemade tortillas.

tonight, i decided to try it with beef. the beef was a little tough even after cooking all day. she was an old cow and gave the family 8 good calves, so we can't fault her too much for being good and chewy. didn't have any sour cream so we used ranch instead AND i thought i'd try my hand at some "gordita"-style flatbread. my face is still burning. great for the sinuses. wooooot!

i stole the flatbread recipe from King Arthur Flour, BUT it called for potato flour, which i didn't have so i had to alter the recipe just a hint, which technically makes it my recipe and "my recipe" is as follows.

gordita-flatbread

3 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
3 T olive oil
1 1/4 tsp salt
2+ cups water
1 pkg dry yeast (not instant)
1 small potato

1) peel, chunk and boil potato in 2 cups of water (more if need be, but not more than you need.).
2) when tender, strain starchy water into another container and save.
3) mash taters with fork until mushy and measure out 1/4 cup of taters.
4) measure 2 cups of flour into bread machine (or mixer).
5) pour 1 cup hot starchy water left from boiling potato over flour.
6) mix until smooth.
7) allow to rest for 15 to 30 minutes.
8) meanwhile, put yeast in 1/4 cup warm water and set aside.
9) when dough in bread machine has rested, mix together in another bowl, 1 cup of the remaining flour, salt, oil, mashed taters and the proofed yeast mixture.
10) toss new dough ball into bread machine with the other dough ball and turn on bread machine and allow to knead the two mixtures together. i let my machine run the full cycle (approx 14 minutes), but the original recipe says 5 minutes should be enough. add the rest of the flour as needed to get the dough to a soft workable texture. should be slightly sticky but soft.
11) cover and raise for one hour.
12) divide into 8 balls.
13) allow to rest another 15 minutes.
14) meanwhile turn on heat (med/low) under griddle (i use cast iron.)
15) roll dough balls into 8 inch (about 1/4 inch thick) rounds.
16) cook each flatbread for about 1 to 1.5 minutes per side or until you notice brown bubbles on the cooked side.
17) serve with favorite stuffing. yum!




healthbratt's mexi roast

1) take 2 to 7 pounds of pork or beef roast and cut into 2 to 3 inch cubes.
2) brown all sides of cubes in butter in cast iron skillet.
3) throw browned meat pieces into roasting pot.
4) deglaze skillet with some water and toss the lot into the roasting pan.
5) add peppers, onions, garlic and stuff to your liking
(we used one can of rotel tomatos, 10 serano peppers blended with water, and 2 onions sliced and few cloves of garlic diced)
6) add 2 T of chili powder, 1 to 2 T cumin, 1 to 2 tsp paprika, 1 to 2 tsp salt.
(decided on the seasonings based on the number of pounds of meat you settle on.)
7) add enough water to the pot to almost cover the meat and toss to coat and mix all the seasonings.
8) roast at 350 degrees (or lower if you prefer) for 3 to 6 hours.
(the longer you roast, the more liquid you'll lose. check it often and water as needed.)
9) serve with cheese, sour cream, ranch or whatever taco fixin's you like.

lasagna casserole

lasagna casserole

i added pictures (04/21/2011). yippeee! i love taking pictures of my food.





(click to enlarge)

1 lb italian sausage browned
1 can hunts (or del monte) spaghetti sauce (we prefer the chunky veggie)
1 can rotel tomatoes (chopped tomatoes and chilis)
1 10 oz package frozen spinach thawed and drained
2 small cans mushrooms sliced

1. mix all of the above ingredients in pan and simmer until warmed through.


2 cups pasta cooked al dente (minus 1 minute)
NOTE: pretty much any short pasta will work, but we seem to enjoy the texture of the rotini the best.
3 cups shredded cheese (separated)
NOTE: i like to mix swiss, sharp cheddar and mozzerella.
1 to 2 cups cottage cheese
2 or 3 eggs lightly beaten
NOTE: i like the more "eggy" texture with 3 but if this doesn't suit you, use 2.
1 cup milk
dash of garlic powder
1/2 to 1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp black pepper

2. fold together all of the above ingredients (holding back one cup of shredded cheese) in another bowl until well blended.
3. spread pasta blend into 9 x 13 glass baking dish and smooth.
4. add meat and sauce mixture into another layer on top of the pasta.
5. bake at 350 ^o for 30 minutes.
6. sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese and another bit of black pepper
7. return to oven and turn up to LO broil.
8. bake for another 5 minutes or until cheese on top is browned slightly.
9. i recommend you allow to cool out of oven for at least 20 minutes prior to serving to allow the casserole to set up. you can serve immediately and it's still delicious, but you will get more pooling of the liquids and the lasagna will not hold it's shape as well. the photo below shows an example of one that i served without cooling.

birthday cake

my gonna-be-10-years-old-tommorow daughter made and decorated her own birthday cake today. it's the bomb. thought i would show off just a bit. (i helped a little. i shaped the cake pieces and poured on the ganache.) she did the rest!


yellow cake, chocolate ganache and radioactive green decorative icing. the water is a piece of paper with wax paper backing. the rest are toys.














tater livingston, i presume. (he's the jungle explorer!) HA!