What We Call Travel

New Blog Address!

2009-06-07T19:52:00.002-05:00

Hi Everyone!

Justin and I have been playing around with the blog this weekend, and have made some BIG CHANGES, including the URL that you can find us at! This current site will still stay up for awhile, but we will be publishing all new blog posts to the new address. Please head over to Fravelicious.com and check out our snazzy new look!

Thanks!

Bouchon

2009-06-06T10:38:00.004-05:00

When we were in Las Vegas, Julie and I ate at Bouchon at the Venetian for dinner. Julie had eaten there before a couple of years ago, and was excited to go again. I looked at the menu and was definitely excited to give it a try. Plus, we had a 15% coupon for the restaurant that we got at the bakery, so that helped, because we knew it *definitely* wasn't going to be cheap.

The restaurant had a very cool feel to it. Not too "uppity" that I was uncomfortable, but nice. The waiter was friendly, attentive and helpful. It overlooked one of the garden and pool areas at the hotel. There were nice big windows to let a lot of light in.

Right away, they brought out bread and toasted pistachios for us to munch on.

The waiter explained the specials for us to consider. We got three of the items on the specials menu - an appetizer, an entree and a desert.

We split the "duck pressee" appetizer. It was duck wrapped in applewood smoked bacon and then cooked "en sous vide", which Thomas Keller is pretty famous for doing in his restaurants. It was served with sunchokes and a huckleberry sauce. It was awesome. We started eating it before remembering to take a picture, so the picture is of the appetizer half finished :)

For the entrees, I got the scallops special (scallops are one of my favorite foods). It was scallops flown in fresh from Maine, without being frozen, over caramelized endives and an abalone steak, with a carrot curry butter sauce. I hadn't ever had abalone before, so it was a new food to try, which is always fun. Abalone was definitely an interesting thing to eat, kind of chewy, with a distinct flavor. It matched the rest of the food nicely. The whole thing came out served in an All-Clad dish, which was kind of cool.

Julie had the "steak frites". It was a flatiron steak (probably our favorite steak right now), with maitre'd hotel butter and home made fries. The steak was perfectly cooked, and the fries were amazing. Needless to say, both got finished completely.

For desert we had probably one of the best desert dishes we could remember. We got the "bouchons", which was three small brownies, each topped with a different flavor of ice cream - vanilla, mint chip, and peanut butter. When the waiter was describing it and mentioned fresh peanut butter ice cream, I knew that Julie wouldn't want anything but that desert.

The vanilla ice cream was very good, but got overshadowed by how great the other two were. The mint ice cream didn't taste artificially "minty", it tasted more like mint leaves. Based on what we could tell, they used fresh pureed mint leaves to add the flavor, which gave it a distinct taste that was awesome. The peanut butter ice cream was incredibly creamy and tasted amazing - it was probably the best of the three.

Overall it was an awesome experience that will definitely happen again the next time we are in Vegas.

Tastes of Vegas

2009-06-03T00:10:00.004-05:00

Yum. I think you could eat at a different restaurant, deli, or bakery for every meal, every day of the week for a year, and still not a make a dent on everything there is to taste in Las Vegas, even if you just limit it to the Strip! We've already had multiple fantastic meals and snacks, from New York pretzels, Hagen Daas Ice Cream, the Buffet at Mandalay Bay, and a Rice Krispie treat the size of my face. Here are some of the more interesting bites we've taken:
This is a Parisian Macaroon from Bouchon Bakery in the Venetian. This bakery is the bomb. Phenomenal. Everything looks beautiful and exquiste. Their Cheese Danishes are unbeatable. Parisian Macaroons seem to be all the rage at the moment. I see them on all sorts of blogs and in cookbooks, but have never had one (and didn't want to try to make them until I knew what the result was supposed to be). And after having one that is reputed to be among the best, I'm not sure I'm a fan. They are beautiful and unique, but the flavor was similar to a Skittle candy! With a texture in between chewy and airy. Definitely interesting.
We also stopped at Canter's Deli in Treasure Island for lunch a couple of days ago. And all tried REAL pastrami for (we all think) the first time. It was ridiculously good, bordering on obsene. The sandwiches were monstrous. But yet, you still wished you could fit more into your tummy for how delicious it was! Ruth is determined to get one more sandwich (all to herself!) before we leave.
We'll see what happens across our palates tomorrow!

Vegas, Baby!

2009-05-30T23:09:00.003-05:00

After a day of driving and flying, we are HERE. Lights, Crowds, Traffic, Noise, Food, Fun. I'm feeling strangely overwhelmed, even having been here twice before. Maybe it's the Saturday evening crowds (we happened upon the line waiting for Fleetwood Mac - chaos), maybe just from the traveling. I feel it is too early to be in my room on a weekend night in Vegas, but yet I am oh-so-thankful to be in my room on a weekend night in Vegas. The weather is beautifully warm, and the forecast is near perfection. Our hotel room windows look out on the New York New York roller coaster and the intersection that has NYNY, the MGM Grand, the Tropicana, and the Excaliber. It really is something to see at night - all lit up and exciting. I am looking forward to the day and week ahead. Also, so far we have only lost $4.50 gambling. We controlled ourselves. Today. :)

Hypercolor Cupcakes

2009-05-29T21:20:00.003-05:00

Let's go back to 1992. Yeah, I know it might be painful. I was in junior high - can't get much more painful than that! Snap! bracelets, hypercolor t-shirts with neon leggings, tight-rolled jeans. Oh yeah, we're almost there...
And now enter my cupcakes - unicorn rainbow explosion. I meant well, really I did.
Here was what I was going for:

How pretty and unique and festive, courtesy of Baking Bites.

Here is what I got:

Obviously, something went very very wrong in the construction or baking process. Instead, we got tye-dyed, but oh-so-tasty, cupcakes. I had originally planned to just do some nice white frosting. But as the cupcakes were so far gone, I decided just to kick them right over the cliff's edge with the color-blend frosting as well.
And while 1992 didn't really treat anyone all that great in the fashion department, it really isn't a good look for cupcakes either!

Back to Baking

2009-05-27T17:13:00.004-05:00

After pouring over this blog for the last few days, I knew I wanted to try to make a a batch or two of the homemade Girl Scout Cookie recipes, namely the Thin Mints and Tagalongs. Tagalongs have always been my favorite. Vanilla Shortbread Cookies - yes please. Dollop of Peanut Butter Filling in the center - two please. Covered in chocolate - just one more please! And this recipe is spot on. The result is almost identical (possibly better?!) than the original, and thoroughly addicting. The main reason I don't order any girl scout cookies is to prevent me from eating an entire box of Tagalongs in one sitting. Now I actually have to practice some self-control and keep out of the kitchen.
I already feel my resolve wavering...

90 Seconds of Your Time...

2009-05-26T15:50:00.003-05:00

As you are obviously spending some time surfing the interweb, surf your way over to SaveWaterAmerica.com. For every simple quiz taken, Kohler has pledged to donate $1 in products to Habitat for Humanity.
Easy and effective!

Filler

2009-05-24T21:01:00.003-05:00

Not much has happened in the last week that I feel is worth blogging about, but as Justin gave me the assignment of posting SOMETHING - ANYTHING, here are some photos that were taken in the last few days.

This cardinal has been a fixture around our yard for a good year now.
He and his mate regularly terrorize and taunt the cats.

Norm, exploring our out-of-control-yet-still-pretty ground cover.

Tin pails, possibly to be used for an upcoming wedding.

Justin's birthday present.
Does UPS take FRAGILE stickers as a challenge?
(thankfully, nothing was broken inside)

Soda taste test

2009-05-19T22:25:00.008-05:00

When we were in Ohio, we went to Jungle Jim's grocery store. Quite a trip. It's not so much a grocery store as it is an amusement park where you buy food. There's lots of weird stuff going on in there. Anyways, while we were there, I bought a bunch of bottles of weird sodas I had never tried, and we (Beth, myself, Julie, Lynn, Sally, Alex, and my dad) did a taste test of them all:

Yes, I do realize that one of the sodas has an inappropriate name. I thought it was "Funkola Cola". Whatever, just deal with it.

First up was "Thum's Up". Apparently this is from India. The checkout guy was incredulous that I actually wanted to buy this. I wish I would have taken his advice. I thought it tasted like Coke, but with about 1/2 the normal amount of sugar. Sally thought it tasted like laundry detergent and Julie though it tasted like cleaning chemicals. Not exactly what you want in a soda.

Next on the docket was "Almdudler 50 Jahre" - the national soft drink of Austria (my dad's comment was "Isn't the national soft drink of Austria just beer?"). This one tasted kind of citrusy, with a hint of pineapple, but mostly it just tasted like bad ginger ale.

Next up was Cheerwine. I first had this in South Carolina last year. Definitely the best of the bunch. It's basically a black cherry soda. Very good.

Fukola Cola, the one with the inappropriate name and slogan, was normal-ish cola, but Beth and I both experience unpleasant bubbles-up-the-nose. Meh.

Inca Kola was up next. I had heard about this from Peru trips, but had never actually had it. It smells like a banana popsicle, and tastes like the bubble-gum flavored flouride at the dentist. Not the greatest thing in the world, but not the worst either.

Faygo rootbeer was just normal rootbeer, nothing great or bad about it.

Frostie Vanilla Root Beer was probably my second favorite, behind Cheerwine. It basically tastes like a rootbeer float after the ice cream has had a chance to dissolve. A couple of people mention cotton candy, but I think they are confused :) Definitely the second creepiest mascot of the bunch.

Manhattan Special Sasparilla was up next. This tasted pretty much like Rootbeer flavored Kool-Aid, which apparently they don't make anymore.

Kickapoo Joy Juice had the best name and creepiest logo of all the sodas. It also has a weird tagline: "Original dogpatch recipe". It wasn't bad, it just kind of tasted like flat Mountain Dew. I am slightly concerned that I somehow was duped into drinking dog pee though.

All in all, a successful taste test. Luckily no one had any bad reactions, so the authorities didn't have to be called:

Bittersweet Family Gathering

2009-05-17T20:46:00.004-05:00

(from left: Dan, Dave, Gramps, Maggie, Pete, John)
Over six months ago, plans began for a Gasper family reunion. Justin's dad and his siblings worked at getting everyone together at a state park near Cincinnati, Ohio. Reservations were made and rough plans put in place for the weekend. We all may have had different expectations for the weekend, but God certainly had something else in mind for this gathering. About two weeks ago Justin's grandmother, Gigi, went into the hospital and had her galbladder removed, but then doctors continued to find masses within her, presumably cancer. Things advanced very quickly, much more so than anyone imagined. Though in her late 80's, Gigi has been incredibly active, helping with her church, with adults and children, delivering bread and food to a local pantry, visiting with a multitude of friends and family, writing monthly letters and prayer journals to near about a billion people on the planet (slight exaggeration, but still, a lot), caring for Gramps, and feeding and protecting just about every stray cat in their neighborhood. She possesses the characteristic Gasper sense of humor and makes every attempt to show Christ's love to everyone around her. On Saturday, her children and grandchildren were able to visit with her at the hospital, laugh over memories, and show and receive her love.
(Cousins from left: me, Justin, Beth, Sally, Lynn, baby Carson, Andy - and be sure to notice the sweet mural on the wall!)
Later in the day, Uncle Dave and his wife Jan drove Gramps out to the park, and we were able to share a meal together at the restaurant in the lodge. We continued to catch up on news with other family members and sang Happy Birthday as loudly as possible for Sally's 28th birthday. Afterward we played games, drank entirely too much crazy soda, and laughed around a campfire.
Though exhausting, the weekend was a good one, and we're so thankful to have been able to go.

the decline...

2009-05-13T19:25:00.004-05:00

The tulips really came in beautifully this year. They multiplied, came in loads of cheery colors, with an array of heights and variances. And now begins the rather rapid demise of petals and stems, as they have served the purpose of attracting bugs and bees for another spring season. How I wish these days went by slower, lengthening the buds' lifespan. Distracting eyes from the weeds growing and gaining strength beneath them. For awhile we have a gorgeous, healthy flower garden. In a week or two, we will have a seemingly forsaken patch of weeds. At least the dandelions will add some color!

Peru Banquet Fundraiser

2009-05-09T21:28:00.008-05:00

A group of students and adults from our church are taking a trip down to Lima, Peru this summer. They will be partnering with a local Peruvian church to help teach ESL classes, organize and put on a children's carnival, and do some other outreach activities in the community. In order to raise the (much needed) funds, the team held a fundraising banquet at church this evening, and they asked if I might do the desserts for the group. I happily agreed, and the ideas immediately began to form. I played around with the alpaca cookie cutter idea for awhile, but then I found something so much better. I wanted it to be a surprise for the team, so I couldn't post anything on the blog (even though I've been busy in the kitchen all week!). I was so excited to see everything come together this afternoon. These cupcakes, with their chocolate alpaca candies, are one of the cutest creations to have left my kitchen. And I was just as excited to find the miniature Peruvian flags! Add in chocolate cake pops painted like the earth and alfajores (Peruvian almond cookies with dulce de leche filling), and I couldn't wait for others to partake. And while I try to shy away from receiving credit, it always gives me a thrill to have people enjoy something I made. Though, I have to admit, it seems kind of silly to make a statement like that and then write about it on this blog! Really though - I hope you enjoy the pictures at least!
And Kudos to Jim for creating the rockin' alpaca cut-out photo booth, to Madie (and others) for helping me set up, and to the entire organzing team for the banquet - you really did a fantastic job and the night was a hit!

Friends & (camp)Fires

2009-05-08T00:23:00.002-05:00

We had a great time tonight catching up with Dan & Bethany around the campfire, as well as smiling and laughing at/with their one-year-old daughter Jillian. She just started walking, which is obviously her favorite thing (other than terrorizing Justin, that is). Bethany had all the fixin's for pudgie pies ready, and we happily burned our tongues with the molten lava hot filling (not to be confused with these).

Seriously Beautiful Day

2009-05-04T19:14:00.007-05:00

Without a doubt, I like our garden in May better than any other month of the year. Crocuses still hanging around, daffodils and tulips blooms galore, plum and apple trees budding, ground cover spreading, and weeds still at a minimum. Plus, the weather was perfect today - sunny, 75 degrees, with a gentle breeze. Justin played a round of golf and I had the chance to sit out on the deck in a short sleeve shirt and shorts.

For now
I'm looking at the sun
Someday the rain might come
But I love the sunshine

Cake Overload - A Tasting

2009-05-03T20:03:00.003-05:00

My cousin and his fiance are getting married this summer, and they came over today to taste some different cake flavor possibilities. They picked out eight flavors to try, so I spent the last few days baking and frosting small portions for them to taste. They left happy, with sugar highs and decisions made about the types of cakes - Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, Chocolate Fudge Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, Lemon Chiffon Cake with Lemon Curd Filling and Lemon Buttercream Frosting, and finally a Vanilla Buttermilk Cake with Strawberry Preserves Filling and Vanilla Buttercream Frosting. Any requests for an invitation should be directed toward the happy couple!

Lemon Curd

2009-05-01T16:54:00.003-05:00

Who in the world came up with the name for Lemon Curd? CURD? That was the best someone could come up with after first stumbling upon the preparation for this silky smooth, buttery, sweet-and-sour concoction? Honestly. It makes something so delicious sound like, well... like cheese. Which, don't get me wrong, is delicious in its own special way. But a Cheese Curd and Lemon Curd have diddly squat in common, and I take offense to this complete misuse of the word Curd. Even Pudding would have been more acceptable, though, I suppose, that's a whole other ball of wax!
Well, setting aside the deplorable name, here is an altogether lovely recipe for lemon curd, which takes less than 15 minutes to make. Perfect for a pie, tart, or cake filling, or spread on muffins or scones.

Lemon Curd
(adapted from On Baking, by Sarah Labensky)

4 fl. oz. Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed
6.5 oz. Granulated Sugar, divided
2 tsp. Lemon Zest
2 Eggs
6 oz. Unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into small pieces

1. Combine the Lemon Juice, 3 ounces of the sugar and the zest in a nonreactive saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
2. Place the eggs and remaining sugar in a bowl. Gently whisk together - we don't want lots of air bubbles.
3. While stirring the egg mixture gently, pour about 1/4 of the boiling juice mixture into the eggs. Once combined, continuing stirring and add in the remaining juice mixture to the eggs. Whisk to combine, then add the mixture back to the saucepan and return to the stove.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly. Continue mixing and boil for 1 minute.
5. Remove from heat and transfer mixture into a cool bowl. Allow to cool, either in an ice bath or in the fridge for several minutes.
6. When the mixture is still warm, but no longer hot, add the butter in five parts, stirring well with a spatula after each addition. When the chunks of butter are almost melted, but not completely, you can add the next addition.
7. Use immediately, or chill, cover, and refrigerate.

Cakes Galore - and Alpacas

2009-04-29T19:44:00.003-05:00

I have quite a few events coming up to bake for, and I've started by baking a number of cakes for a tasting. Today I put together a simple marble, chocolate fudge, and vanilla buttermilk cakes. The vanilla buttermilk cake recipe comes from a cookbook I've mentioned before on this blog, "Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes." It is so very tasty - the buttermilk adds such a nice little extra flavor, as well as tons of moisture.
Also coming up is a fundraising banquet at church for the team of students and adults heading on a missions trip this summer to Lima, Peru. I was asked to provide the desserts, and was happy to oblige. I was playing with some ideas for sweets when I came across this Alpaca-shaped cookie cutter online. I have since decided to make some other things and won't be using the cutter for the banquet, but I had the extra piece of cake that I had leveled off, and felt like testing it out. Yep. It turns out that it cuts things in the shape of an alpaca. Genius.

Kieler & Kohler

2009-04-26T19:11:00.005-05:00

This weekend Justin and I had made plans to be at different sides of the state. He and his dad and an opportunity to play The Straits Course at Whistling Straits in Kohler, and I went to visit Kurt, Angie & Katie in Keiler. Our weekends could not have been more opposite! Though cold and windy, Justin was excited to have gotten a chance to play a PGA Championship course. Scores and stories will surely be re-shared the next time they watch Tiger play a round there!
And at the other corner of Wisconsin, I was passing time taking photos of lambs, petting downy-soft new chicks, visiting with great friends, and working at making their one-year-old daughter smile and laugh (and was successful most of the time!). And who knew that clothes pins are the bees knees of children's toys (or snacks)?! And cameras. Cameras are evidently fascinating to one-year-olds. Especially the lens - it calls out to Katie to be touched! It was a fun, relaxed time, even if it did involved getting creamed at Mexican Train Dominoes by a ruthless Harris! And now we are both home, glad to be done with driving and out of the rain and thunderstorms.

Wife of a Geek

2009-04-23T11:55:00.008-05:00

Justin has been involved in an online software competition for the last couple of months, and has qualified for a trip to Las Vegas. We've gone to this "conference" for the past two years, and we're thrilled to be going again soon. However, to try to "get to know" the competitors a bit better, TopCoder has asked each of them to submit a video. Not really anything specific required, just something personal and TopCoder- or competition-related. We wanted to try to make it somewhat silly, but we couldn't figure out how filming Norm attempting to climb a tree was computer-related. Rather, I got a new brand of fondant icing I have been wanting to try, and decided to make TopCoder and TCO cupcakes. Then we will film Justin eating one. This Satin Ice Fondant was very easy to work with, but alas, it still tastes a bit like plastic. I added some vanilla and butter extract, but that just made it taste like vanilla butter gum. So cute? Of course. Tasty? Nothing to rave about, but not half bad. Definitely better than Wilton brand (noticing a theme here...). I only covered these few in fondant - the rest I just stuck with the cream cheese frosting! And sprinkles - lots of sprinkles!

Can you believe this photo came from my camera - Justin thought it was something I found online!

I've got the Whole World...

2009-04-22T09:15:00.002-05:00

In celebration of both Earth Day and my Aunt Ruth's birthday, she requested cake pops to take to her office. These came out even better than expected. I also tried some new candy melts, Merkens brand from Confectionery House (which also sells ridiculously cool cupcake wrappers). In addition to the candy coating; I also bought paramount crystals which help thin out the melted candy, making it easier to dip the cake balls. This combination (the new melts and crystals) seemed to be easier to work with than my previous endeavors with Wilton brand melts and shortening, though there wasn't much difference in the end result.
So whether it is your birthday, or you are just trying not to destroy the earth, Enjoy the day!

Women's Retreat (day)

2009-04-18T22:21:00.004-05:00

This whole weekend (Friday - Sunday) is our church's Women's Retreat. We had some plans already set for this weekend, so rather than going for the whole time, and since it was relatively nearby, I decided to just drive out for the day. It was a gorgeous warm, sunny day, and a nice time to connect with a bunch of other gals from our church, be silly, have some quiet time, and do some cooking. The theme for the weekend was "Finding Your True Beauty." And I was glad to have my camera along to capture some moments that I found beautiful.
In the afternoon there were a number of workshops that the women could choose from to fill an hour, one of which I led. I shared a number of fun and easy appetizer and dessert recipes and ideas, and made sure the women in my little group (trapped in the sweltering hot kitchen) got involved and got their hands dirty. Here is Tammi David putting together some Roasted Garlic and Cambazola Cheese Triangles. She wanted me to take a picture so she could prove to her husband that she helped cook! She also helped with the dishes, which is always a way to endear yourself to me! :)
I was glad for the chance to be able to spend the day this way.

Toot the Tax Bird

2009-04-15T15:23:00.004-05:00

In a round about sort of way, I happened upon this fun, free site on the internet. After downloading and printing out the design, I spent the next 10 minutes cutting, folding and gluing my little birdie together. Seriously - pretty funny. I would suggest printing it out on cardstock paper if you have it, but the regular old paper already loaded in the printer works pretty good as well. I may soon have a flock of these little guys - perfect for wasting time and eliciting smiles.

French Toast

2009-04-13T10:22:00.007-05:00

The second loaf of challah baked up beautifully. While still far from perfect, it had a great crust and delicious and moist crumb. We shared about half of it with family, but then hoarded the rest away in order to make french toast with it this morning.

The basis for this recipe for french toast is the first recipe I ever wrote down while watching Thirty Minute Meals (caution - link has sound) with Rachel Ray - almost 6 years ago (before she took over the world) - and it is the bomb. But I've never used challah bread for french toast before today, and now it is the atom bomb of french toast. Serve with real maple syrup, preferably made by a friend's family, and you might as well wipe yourself off the face of the map. Crazy. Good.

French Toast
(adapted from Thirty Minute Meals)

2 eggs
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
3/4 Cup Heavy Cream
1/4 Cup Milk
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg (freshly grated if you have it)
6-8 slices thick (at least 1" thick) french or challah bread
Butter for pan

Whisk together the eggs, sugar, cream, milk, and nutmeg. Start soaking several slices of bread in the mixture, flip over after a few minutes to soak other side. Heat large non-stick skillet/griddle to medium heat. When the pan is heated, melt a bit of butter in it, then add several pieces of soaked bread to it - only as many as can fit comfortably in the pan, don't crowd it. While these are cooking, start soaking remaining slices in the egg mixture. Depending on your stovetop's heat output, each slice should be flipped over after about 3 minutes, when the cooked side is golden brown. The other side usually takes a little bit less time, maybe about 2 minutes. Warning - I've never actually timed how long this takes. Maybe it was 4 minutes and 3 minutes? Just keep an eye on it. If the toast darkens after only a minute, turn down your heat a bit, or else you will have beautiful-looking french toast, but it will be nasty and gooey on the inside - blech. I like to preheat my oven to 300 degrees, set a wire rack on a cookie sheet, and have it ready in the warmed oven in order to put my finished slices of french toast on while I cook the whole batch of toast. The finished slices don't get soggy or cold, and everything can be served together at the same time. And if, by chance, the center of the french toast didn't get completely done in the pan, the heat from the oven will finish the cooking process.

Easter randomness

2009-04-12T21:24:00.015-05:00

This post has nothing to do with Easter, but I posted it on Easter, so I have to at least mention Easter. Here's a picture of a deep-fried Cadbury Creme Egg:

Here's a funny picture:

Julie and I went to church this morning, out to brunch with her mom, dad, and grandma, and then went up to Wausau to watch golf and hang out with my parents. While we were there, Sarah reached into a cookbook and pulled out this note (it had a recipe on the back), which we are assuming was written about 20 years ago, when I was 9 or 10. Click to get the full details

For those who don't know, my mom passed away when I was 6, and my dad was left with 3 boys, ages 6, 4, and 2, and a fledgling business, so we were all expected to do stuff that most normal kids didn't have to deal with. It's kind of funny looking back at stuff that we just kind of assumed was normal at the time but very much wasn't.

We also had a long discussion about Facebook

I am still on the fence about this whole thing. While I do enjoy a good bit of technology now and then, there are some things I just don't see the value in, namely cell phones, instant messaging, and now Facebook. I don't like cell phones (we only have 1 - prepaid -, and only for emergencies), or instant messaging, because I consider them to be "intrusive" technologies. I mostly like being left alone to focus on important tasks, and I feel that having a phone ringing wherever I was or having an IM window pop up all the time is distracting and I end up resenting either the phone or person IM'ing me. Facebook is scary to me because I haven't always made the best decisions (actually hardly ever), and I don't want people remembering me from grade school, middle school, high school, college, etc..., but it would actually be cool to stay in touch with my family, cousins, aunts, uncles, brothers, grandparents, parents, etc..., all of whom are starting to use Facebook. Let me know your thoughts. Either Facebook is a gift from the heavens, made from dreams, rainbows, and unicorn farts (Candy mountain! Candy mountain! You fill me with sweets, sugary goodness!!! ), or it is pure evil. I actually already have an account, but I haven't used it all. If I actually start using the stupid thing, I will have to create a profile pic that uses one of my cats, as that seems to be the Gasper thing to do:

I have also been listening to new music lately, so I thought I would share my current list.

Trav clued me into this compilation, which has a ton of artists that I like on it, including an awesome song by Sufjan Stevens, Justin Vernon (from Bon Iver), YeaSayer, The National, and Beirut:

Pandora also recommended to me a song by Vetiver, and I am currently listening to both "Tight Knit", and "To Find Me Gone"

A standby favorite of mine is Sufjan Stevens. Both the Illinois and Michigan albums are spectacular:

In the same vein is Welcome Wagon. Sufjan Stevens had an obvious influence in this album. I'm not sure how I feel about the album cover, but it's good music.

For good up-tempo music, Fatboy Slim and OK Go are two of my many go-to choices. Doesn't hurt that they know how to make a music video:

Fatboy Slim Video (for some reason can't embed this one, but it's probably the best video ever. Christopher Walken is a genius.)

That's it for me. Random Easter post out -- word.

Challah - First Loaf

2009-04-11T21:32:00.003-05:00

I've been holding onto this recipe for challah for a little while now, and finally got it into the kitchen to be made today. And actually, this is the first loaf of challah that has ever come out of my oven! I don't know why it took me so long - other things just came first I guess. My Kitchen Aid mixer could barely get this dough kneaded, and so I ended up going at it by hand for a little while as well. The recipe makes two LARGE loaves. I wanted to bake one tonight so that we could try it and then use the leftovers for french toast this week. The second loaf is braided and in the fridge, to be baked in the morning for Easter festivities. I was honestly quite surprised when I opened the oven to see how much it had "plumped" during baking! I braided the second loaf a little tighter, so I'm hoping that loaf will be slightly more compact. Definitely dramatic though! And oh-so delicious!

Sounds Important

2009-04-10T18:24:00.005-05:00

This afternoon Justin was interviewed by a professor with the School of Business at Harvard University. I guess they are interested in including some information on TopCoder's business model in upcoming curriculum and wanted to talk to someone who has been working with them for awhile. It's not every day that "Harvard University" shows up on the caller id! I told him he can now include "Consultant for the Harvard Business School" on his resume.

Shout! Shout it Out!

2009-04-09T16:08:00.003-05:00

Just two days ago I mentioned to Justin that I was surprised that our crocus hadn't started blooming. So I stepped out our front door this morning, and lo and behold the miniature yellow and purple flowers have made their appearance. All cheery and happy and the like. A couple of our daffodils are just days away from showing off their yellow petals, and the tulips are finally starting to bust their shoots through the dingy, brown-gray earth. Spring! I may even take the winter coats to the dry cleaners next week, though I don't want to push my luck too far!

Addicted

2009-04-07T12:34:00.004-05:00

Every so often, a website called MacHeist is updated with a new bundle of Mac software that is a huge discount for what is provided. I bought it last year, and bought it again this year. I use The Hit List and Espresso pretty much every day. -- A side note -- The Hit List has an awesome easter egg in it: When you check a task as done it plays a little chime. I had a task called "Send package to Luke", reminding me to send something to my brother, and when I checked it as done, it played a little Star Wars song instead, because I had the word "Luke" in the task. It also plays a Super Mario Brothers song for tasks with Mario or Luigi in the name. --

I am also encouraging Julie to start using Delicious Library to account for our DVD's and books, since we tend to lend things out and forget who has what, and Sous Chef for her recipes.

Anyways, one of the apps in the bundle is called "World of Goo". It's a fun little game where you try to get these little "Goo Balls" moved around, and different species of Goo Balls have different properties. Julie is now officially addicted. I laugh every time she yells at the computer because something goes wrong :)

World of Goo Trailer 2 Director's Cut
by 2dboy

A Big Day.

2009-04-06T14:49:00.006-05:00

Seven years ago today Justin and I took that monumental step of tying the knot. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny spring day, and for the most part, everything went off without a hitch. Church? Check. Flowers? Check. Dresses and Tuxes? Check and Check. Photographer and Cake? Check and yummy Check. Rings? Check. Friends and Family? Double Check. Each other? Forever Check.
The day went by quickly, but I think reflected who we are - fun and laid back. Definitely gave and received more hugs that day than probably in the seven years since. Gosh, I loved those bridesmaids' dresses. I wish I could have worn one! Well, except that I got to wear the wedding dress, which wasn't half bad. I also love how well the photographs came out. It was great to look through the proof album and see the shots that we could never have noticed were happening. This shot of Justin's grandmother Gigi and my Grandma always makes me smile, and gets me choked up at the same time.
While time may have passed by and we've grown up and experienced life a bit more, I love Justin, and am ridiculously thankful that we walked down that aisle seven years ago.

Justin's Motiviation

2009-04-05T21:53:00.003-05:00

Justin has found some new resolve to exercise. He has set up a monitor and his XBox on a cabinet in front of treadmill, and while he plays Call of Duty with his brothers he walks. I felt like this was a decision that may land him in the hospital, but so far so good. He gets to kill a bunch of Nazis, talk with Trav and Luke, and burn calories all at the same time. I stand at the ready with the phone and the camera - the phone in case 9-1-1 is needed, and the camera to document the fiasco.

Pacific Ocean

2009-04-04T10:00:00.005-05:00

When Julie and I were in Seattle, we took a drive to the Pacific ocean. It's a longer drive than you might think, at least a couple of hours.

The beach itself isn't much of a "lay out and get a sun tan" beach. The water itself is very cold and very dangerous, so there wasn't any swimming or anything like that. We found this guy and took his picture. He had some weird contraption made out of PVC that he used to suck sand in and then "spit" it back out. Apparently a particular type of shrimp burrows into the sand when the tide goes out and he was collecting them in the jar. He knew where they were since they still had to breath, so there were tiny little air bubbles on the surface of the sand.

We spent some time walking on the beach watching people fly kites. Apparently this is a popular thing to do. A couple of them were so big they actually had to be attached to the trailer hitches on people's trucks.

After we walked around on the beach, we stopped at a Mexican restaurant and then headed home.

Cheep!

2009-04-02T15:33:00.006-05:00

So today's baking experiment was to attempt to copy these ridiculously cute cake pops by Bakerella. Miraculously, I was able to find all the necessary components within Stevens Point - mainly the candy sprinkles to use for the feet and beak and wings. So this afternoon I set to the task before me. I had made a cake and some frosting ahead of time, so all I had left was all the putzy things. Forming and freezing the cake balls, melting the candy discs, inserting the lollipop stick and dipping the balls (NO - that's NOT what she said!), then attaching the feet, beaks and wings, and finally drawing on two little eyes. And hooray! They actually came pretty close! They are crazy cute and tasty to boot! Madie showed no mercy to this little chick...

Family Visit to Seattle

2009-04-01T22:26:00.008-05:00

So, while Julie and I were living in Seattle, Dad, Trav, and Luke came to visit. We did the "touristy" stuff, like go downtown, the Space Needle, and the Experience Music Project:.

We also ate waaaay too much Chinese food one nigh at our favorite take out place. While we were out and about, Trav proceeded to make his "stupid" face in every picture we took. Click on each one to get the full effect :)

If you've ever been down by the Space Needle, you soon realize it's kind of a weird place. The Space Needle is front and center, but the Experience Music Project is right next to it, with the monorail that always catches on fire going through it (the picture of Trav and Luke above is them braving the monorail ride); there's a weird carnival with kiddie roller coasters, the Key Arena where the Supersonics play, and the "International Fountain", which is always a crowd pleaser. It's a giant fountain that shoots water in time with music. Very cool. Plus a picture to prove that Trav isn't the only joker in the family.

Seattle II

2009-03-31T15:44:00.005-05:00

When in Seattle, Julie got a job at an environmental consulting firm, and I worked for the University of Washington Medical Center. I split time between the University Medical Center:

And Harborview Medical Center, which is run by the University:

The job was a job, but Julie and I definitely enjoyed our time exploring Seattle. Summers were awesome: 70-75 degrees every day and sunny. The winters were a bit dreary, with rain and in the 40s-50s pretty much every day, but it was nice to be in a big city, with actual stuff to do.

We definitely would take more advantage of things like the Pike Place market. The market itself is pretty amazing. On TV you always see the fish chuckers, but the actual market is multiple levels of shops and restaurants, with all sorts of weird things to find.

Seattle!

2009-03-30T22:38:00.006-05:00

View Larger Map
After we got back from the honeymoon, Julie and I pretty much packed up our junk and moved out to Seattle. We didn't have jobs, but it sounded like a good idea. We packed up a U-Haul, attached our old Honda to the back and set off from Wausau, with a stop in Winona.

It took awhile, and it was scary going up the mountains, but we made it. We had a small apartment lined up in Kirkland, which is one of the eastern suburbs of Seattle. We were on the 3rd floor, and I think our rent was more than we pay for our home mortgage now.

It had a small kitchen, dining room, and living room, a deck, bathroom and two bedrooms. This was before Julie started to cook a bunch, so the small kitchen wasn't a big deal, and coming straight from student housing, the rest of the apartment felt way too big. We didn't use the deck much, since the people who lived below us smoked constantly and it came right up into our apartment.

We lived right next to a strip mall with a Rite-Aid and an Albertson's, and a sweet Chinese restaurant, so grocery shopping and eating out was super easy. We really didn't keep much stuff around in the apartment. When we needed something, we would just walk over to Albertson's, usually a few times a week.

This was all pre-cats (Nut came later), so it was peaceful and relaxing :)

Repeats

2009-03-29T15:33:00.005-05:00

Okay. So I know it seems like I've taken a break from baking and such, but I can assure you that isn't the case. While I have stacks and stacks of new recipes, lately I have been going back and making quite a few recipes that I know and trust and love.
Here's what I've made been doing with my time:

French (Guppy) Bread

Chunky Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Bittman's Bread

Andes Mint Cookies

Ginger Chewies

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Crunch

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

As you can tell, I have not spent the last few weeks simply sitting on my duff doing diddly squat. I've simply been making some of the classics!

So Close!

2009-03-26T13:50:00.002-05:00

I was putzing around the front yard just now, and came across some daffodils poking their leaves out into the sunshine. What a welcome and happy surprise to let us know that spring is fast approaching! This little sprout gives me hope of the crocus and tulip and lily blooms that will soon begin to show their bright and cheery heads as well!
It's almost April!

Really?

2009-03-25T22:28:00.003-05:00

This is the craziest thing I have seen this week:

Honeymoon II

2009-03-25T17:57:00.007-05:00

The honeymoon was our first experience with "sophisticated" food. Up to that point, we had relied pretty much on typical Wisconsin cuisine, and the occasional (or not so occasional) Little Caesar's $5 Hot 'n Ready pizza, during college. This was all before Julie really got into baking, or went to culinary school, but we pigged out on the honeymoon :)

If you have never been on a cruise, it is an entirely different universe. There is food available all the time. As I like to say: This is one reason why other countries hate us. Buffets and restaurants are always going, and even if you want something at 3 in the morning, you can call up room service and get something for free!

The desserts are constant. It's like every person on a cruise turns into a 4 year old. It's not enough to have 1 (or 2 or 4) desserts after dinner and a couple with lunch, they also have to have midnight dessert buffets so that everyone can get their fill. Yes, that's a giant dragon carved out of ice, and a horse made out of cheese, in the middle of the ocean.

You wouldn't want to go to bed without being hopelessly hopped up on sugar. Starting with donuts and Cocoa Krispies for breakfast, it is possible on a cruise ship to eat only absolutely horrible things all day long. It's wonderful.

What's even more impressive is that, during culinary school, Julie ended up making stuff that looked like this:

Of course this all wasn't enough, so I swung by Cinnabon on the way home. The Miami airport Cinnabon was the best one I have ever had. Sorry Jenn, the one in O'Hare just doesn't cut it.

Honeymoon!

2009-03-23T22:32:00.011-05:00

I was talking with Julie a couple of days ago that when we don't have much going on on the blog, I would post some pictures about past trips we have taken, pre-blog, so I decided to scan in some photos from our honeymoon. Hard to believe that we got married before digital cameras were popular. To everyone who's older than us: That's right, I went there :)

Julie and I got married April 6th, 2002. She can scan in some wedding pictures and post about that some other time, if she wants. We left right from the reception and drove down to Chicago to catch our 6 AM flight to Miami, so we could catch a week-long cruise. The taxi ride from the airport to the port was by far the scariest taxi ride I have ever experienced. The dude was all over the road, speeding, and taking weird shortcuts through back alleys, but we made it pretty much unscathed. Our cruise was going to take us from Miami to Puerto Rico, to St. Croix, and then to St. Thomas before we made our way back home.

Our first stop was in Puerto Rico. We were supposed to do a night-time kayak tour through the bioluminescent algae that stay on top of the water. Should have been very cool. The only problem was the wind speeds were too high and the waves too big, so the excursion was cancelled :( We ended up just walking around the port town a bit and swung by Walgreens so Julie could buy some shampoo.

The next stop was in the US Virgin Islands: St. Croix. We booked a shore excursion at a "private island" where we got to lounge around on the beach and enjoy the weather. It was much more fun than I am making it look in this picture. This was probably right after Julie accidentally knocked over our fruity drinks I got us. Enjoy the swimsuit, since I left it at the snuba place mentioned below. Julie still brings that up on a regular basis.

After St. Croix we stopped in St. Thomas, which was our favorite stop of the trip. The island was extremely nice, and the shore excursion was the best one: snuba. At this point, I had been scuba diving with Dad, Trav, and Luke in the Cayman Islands, but Julie had never been diving with a regulator. It was fun, and after a brief training session we got to enjoy our snuba.

The snuba place was attached to a "zoo", and an underwater observatory where you could take stairs down into the water and look at all the fish from windows underwater. Pretty cool. Below is a picture of Julie pointing out where we were on the island, as well as investigating one of the lizards that was running loose. This is not something she would probably ever do again.

All in all it was an excellent vacation, one of the best we have ever had. This is when we discovered how much we like cruising and got to start acting all grown up and married and stuff.

Salted Chocolate and Vanilla Bean Shortbread Cookies

2009-03-23T15:18:00.004-05:00

What would our world look like without salt? More specifically, what would the culinary world taste like without wonderful coarse sea salt? Definitely more dull. Duller? More duller? Any way you say it, salt adds so much pep to our palates! I had just recently purchased some coarse Pacific Sea Salt from Penzey's Spices in Appleton and thought these Salted Chocolate and Vanilla Bean cookies were crying out to be made with it. I love how the sea salt crystals seem to catapult this cookie into the "sophisticated" and "unique" realm while also being simple and sweet. I added a couple teaspoons of water to the dough as it was mixing to allow it to come together a little easier, but otherwise stuck to the recipe (using a vanilla bean, rather than extract). This would be a great recipe to double and put the unbaked rolls into the freezer, taking one out to slice and bake when the need arises.

Pint-Sized Train Travel

2009-03-22T18:14:00.003-05:00

Last night we went over to our friends Daryl & Lori's house for an evening of games and silliness. Along with two other couples, we first played Ticket to Ride, which is a lot of fun and can certainly get competitive! Each couple was a team and had to get their color trains to connect destinations across the game board of the United States. There was plenty of groaning when one couple would claim a route that another couple needed desperately to get to a certain city, but also plenty of laughing and good-natured ribbing.

Butter Taste Test

2009-03-19T20:36:00.004-05:00

If you have read this blog for any length of time, you already are aware of what a huge food nerd I am. I love trying out new ingredients, looking for higher quality, better tasting products to use while baking and cooking. One main ingredient that I use almost all the time is butter. I've devoted way too much of my time to reading about and researching butter and the different qualities regions around the world impart into their butter. Again and again I have read that European butter is where it's at. Being from Wisconsin, dairy is not taken lightly, and a bit of state pride rose against this notion that somehow cows in far off places are better than the good ol' bovines I come across around these parts. But, also being from central Wisconsin, I don't have access to even TRY these aforementioned foreign butters to see how they stack up. So while in Houston, in the beautiful, bright, well-stocked Central Market's dairy section, I stood in awe, feeling a bit giddy, of all the varieties of butter. I had to try them. All of them. Now. It was difficult, but I was able to limit myself to purchasing three different kinds to take home. (A near crisis was averted, when TSA threatened to confiscate my beloved butter because if it melted, it would have turned into a LIQUID measuring more than 3 ounces. COME ON!) Tonight I warmed a loaf of french bread, and we sat down to put these three new butters to the test. From left to right, there is a butter from France, England, and Ireland. I had high expectations for these three, as I had read great things about all of them. First we tried the butter from France (which really, I just bought it because it came in a little wooden crate - how adorable!), and we both could tell a difference right away. It was smooth and creamy, not unlike our good Wisconsin butter, but the taste - it felt almost bright and clear and completely fresh on the palate. It didn't taste processed or mundane. It was downright lovely. Next we tried the English butter. Also good, but we both felt it tasted almost identical to any butter we could have gotten here. Finaly, the Irish butter. This was also exceptional. The taste again was fresh and bright, though not quite to the extent of the French butter. So in the end, the French won our little test. While each of the butters had an identical ingredient list (cream and salt), the difference came down to where those cows lived. Definitely a fun, and educational, dinner!

Sun, Sandwiches & Sweets

2009-03-17T18:01:00.005-05:00

The temperature is in the seventies and the sunshine is pouring down. Wonderful. Emily and I spent some time out by their apartment complex's pool (though not in it, mind you!). We soaked up some sun and enjoyed continued time to share and spend together.

Today we drove into downtown Houston and visited the most fantastic grocery store with terrific produce, freshly baked bread, hundreds of types of fresh coffee beans, and butter from around the world. It was lovely.

Also at the market was a deli with made-to-order sandwiches, at which we order Emily and Katie's all time favorite sandwich. This is a hot sandwich with fresh turkey, tomato-basil pesto, chipotle mayonnaise, carmelized onions, and cheese (I choose fresh mozzarella) on a gorgeous freshly made ciabatta panini bread. We also found a new type of apple neither of us had heard of - "Jazz" apples from New Zealand, that we also thought was a necessary addition to our lunch. Sandwich = Amazing. Apple was pretty dang good too.

After a couple other stops, we finished our afternoon at a wonderful little shop called "Crave Cupcakes." As you might guess, all they make and sell are the most beautiful cupcakes. We choose several different kinds to try, including Red Velvet, Cinnamon, Chocolate Mint, and Chocolate Peanut Butter. Crazy delicious.
While seemingly mundane, this was a really terrific day that we enjoyed thoroughly. Stevens Point could definitely benefit from these new places! :)

Rodeo!

2009-03-15T09:43:00.005-05:00

Surprise! I'm in Houston! I flew down here for a few days to surprise my friend Emily with a visit over her spring break from teaching. I came in late Friday night, when her roommate Katie and Emily's mom JoAnn picked me up at the airport. Emily was completely surprised and blown away, which we had definitely hoped for! On Saturday, the big plan was to attend the Houston Rodeo which is going on right now, for which Katie had won tickets for at work. I was obviously excited, as what better quintessential Texas activity would have been better than the Rodeo!

This was really a fun experience, that often left me gasping, cringing, and then cheering. Katie was mostly eating. :)

Here is Steer Wrestling. This is when the cowboy JUMPS OFF HIS HORSE AND ONTO THE STEER and wrestles it to the ground as fast as possible. This seemed liked lunacy.

Then there is, of course, Bull Riding.

This also seemed like lunacy. I'll be honest - I'm pretty sure most of these events came about by a bunch of guys standing around, drinking beer, and daring one another to do complete stupid things. And now it's a sport.

One fun event was the chuck wagon races. This was kind of like the entertainment in the middle of a Brewers baseball game where the crowd picks which Sausage they want to win the race around the bases. Nothing really comes from it, just lots of silliness and cheering. I cannot explain how fast these little wagons were going. It seemed like one of them was going to tip over for sure going around the barrels!

One of the funniest events was labeled "Mutton Bustin'," which is when 4-6 year-olds ride sheep for as long as they can. Seriously - I think this would be considered child abuse in any other state. But this was also the event that the crowd definitely cheers for the participants the loudest, and the kids obviously love it. This picture is of the winner, that by far gripped the sheep the longest. Most fell off within a second or two - but this little guy stuck on there like glue!

And of course, what Rodeo wouldn't be complete without fireworks! Inside!

I am definitely having a blast, and look forward to a few more days staying with Katie and Em.

Yellow Cupcakes with Sweet Chocolate Glaze

2009-03-12T17:17:00.003-05:00

These cupcakes were a cinch to throw together and the icing is sweet sweet sweet! I made a double batch of this recipe from PW and came out with 32 cupcakes (2 smaller events to bake for today - a church meeting and our small group meeting). I doubled the recipe for the frosting/glaze, and I ended up having quite a bit extra - I probably could have stuck with the ingredient amounts for a single batch. Yellow cake with chocolate frosting is one of my favorite combinations (and by favorite, I mean it is a type of cake with frosting on it). This frosting was a little "runnier" than I expected, but still very easy to pull together with minimal ingredients. I'm considering trying it with white chocolate as well - that would have been cute to drizzle over the dark chocolate icing.

Peanut Butter Blondies

2009-03-10T19:27:00.007-05:00

I found these mini Reese's Pieces at the store a little while ago, and thought they would be fun to try in Monster Cookies. Well, I haven't made Monster Cookies yet, but somehow the package still cut itself open and somehow half the package still found itself in my belly (not all at once, mind you!).
As I was flipping through my recipe binder looking for something new to try, I came across this recipe, which seemed to yield itself nicely to an addition of a half cup of mini Reese's Pieces. So I added those but left out the 1/2 cup of salted peanuts (only because I didn't have any). These puppies pack a peanut butter punch second only to Peanut Butter Fudge Crunch. Keeper.

Caution: Do not attempt to eat these without a glass of water or milk nearby!

Coddled Eggs

2009-03-08T18:53:00.011-05:00

A friend and I were talking about breakfast foods this past week (yeah, I know - awesome), and coddled eggs flew into my brain and have since taken up residence there, not allowing me to forget about them again. So yesterday I went down to the basement closet and rummaged around and found each of my coddlers. My Grandma collected porcelain egg coddlers, and when I stayed overnight at their house as a child, in the morning I got to choose one of their coddlers in which to have my egg made for breakfast. It is hard to describe a coddled egg. I guess the consistency is in between a poached egg and a sunny side up egg, but steamed inside a small porcelain cup. The smaller coddlers only just fit a single egg inside. The slightly larger coddlers can fit two eggs, or else an egg and different additions, such as cheese, meat, or cooked vegetables. My Grandma also had a couple of very large coddlers, that you could fit a whole meal inside. My favorite is simply a single egg with a little bit of cheese, salt and pepper cooked inside a larger coddler, as then I can stir it around easily and not have it splooge out. I made one today to go with a piece of toast for lunch (daylight savings time really threw off my meals today...). It was as delicious as I remembered, and I will certainly not be packing away the coddlers anytime soon!

Almost Puka Dogs

2009-03-05T16:17:00.004-06:00

After yesterday's pretzels, both Justin and I thought that the dough might be good to try to make Puka Dog rolls. I made hot dogs wrapped with biscuit dough the other day, and while they were not intended to replicate Puka Dogs, they caused Justin to start craving a Puka Dog. So we ran to the store today to pick up hot dogs (not something I typically have in the fridge) as well as some ingredients to try to copy the signature Puka Dog sauces - namely the Mango Relish and Lemon Garlic Jalapeno Sauce. Mixing up the sauces and baking the pretzel rolls went just fine. The problem came about when we were trying to figure out how to pierce the pretzel bun in a way that would allow us to get the hot dog inside it. I first used the metal handle of a wisk, but it wasn't large enough in diameter to allow the hot dog to slide into it. We couldn't think of what else to do, so we ended up just simply slicing them like a regular hot dog bun. This certainly lost some of the authenticity of a Puka Dog, but it was all we could do. Then we slathered on some of the Lemon Garlic Jalapeno Sauce I made (lemon zest and juice, jalapeno pepper, garlic, salt and pepper, and a little mayo blended in the food processor).
Next came a schmear of the mango relish (just mango puree, really).
Add the hot dog, and voila! While not exactly a Puka Dog, it was pretty darn close, and we both enjoyed the silly things for a late lunch/early dinner.

Fresh Soft Pretzels

2009-03-04T16:17:00.005-06:00

On Monday we booked our hotel for our stay in Las Vegas in June during a conference Justin attends. And all the talk about the hotel got me hungry for the food, primarily huge soft pretzels. I've had a recipe for soft pretzels floating around my kitchen for a couple of weeks now, but I never got motivated enough to attempt them. Which was silly, as they turned out to be so much easier than I expected. Honestly, the hardest step in the process was going through my pots trying to find one that wasn't aluminum! I almost followed the recipe exactly, though I increased the salt added to the dough by about a half of a teaspoon (1 1/2 total), and I didn't add the extra 1/4 cup of flour (only 3 cups total). Also, the recipe called to make 12 small pretzels. That did not fit the picture in my head regarding a New York pretzel, so I made six large pretzels. I rolled the dough into pretzels without a hitch, and then the boiling process went off without a hitch as well. Nothing fell apart or boiled out of control or was anything other than pretty easy. And the results are terrific! They are not honest-to-goodness pretzels, as I obviously could not boil them in lye, as professional pretzels are, but these are about as close as I'm going to get to an authentic New York pretzel in my kitchen. I will definitely be making these again very soon! I have visions of a "Hot Sam's" Pretzel Party in the near future. Remember Hot Sam's in the mall? Gigantic soft pretzels on a stick, and then you pick different toppings - from cheddar cheese to jalapenos to chocolate with sprinkles (my pick!). Pretzels definitely trigger happy (and ridiculously messy) memories!

Dark Chocolate Mint Squares

2009-02-28T19:12:00.007-06:00

This is a recipe adapted from a Cooking Light issue. It is a pretty easy dessert that really looks nice (and tastes just as great). I've made this for a baby shower before, and added pink food coloring to the mint layer, which was as cute as can be.
These are for a church function tomorrow evening, so I used the green food coloring so people would know what flavor they are.

Because everyone knows that anything green tastes minty, right?

Dark Chocolate Mint Squares

Bottom Layer:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 Tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (16-ounce) can chocolate syrup

Mint layer:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 Tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 drops green food coloring

Chocolate glaze:
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. To prepare bottom layer, combine flour and salt in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, eggs, 1/4 cup melted butter, water, vanilla, and chocolate syrup until smooth. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture, stirring until blended. Pour batter into a 9 X 13-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 23 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
3. To prepare mint layer, whisk together the powdered sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter, milk, extract, and food coloring until smooth. Spread mint mixture over cooled cake.
4. To prepare the glaze, combine the chocolate chips and 1/4 cup butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute or until melted, stirring after 30 seconds. Let stand 2 minutes. Spread chocolate glaze evenly over top the mint layer. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Quiet Snowy Day

2009-02-26T19:20:00.004-06:00

I can't believe it is blizzarding on my birthday. As I didn't actually blow out a candle and wish for no snow, I have only myself to blame. ;)

Here is Justin giving Storm a hug:

Here is Storm not liking her hug, and is moments away from becoming the embodiment of her name:

Stuffed PAST the Gills!

2009-02-24T21:29:00.002-06:00

Oh. My. Goodness. I think I will be full for the next week and a half. Justin surprised me with tickets to Christian's Bistro's Fat Tuesday celebration this evening, with friends Jim & Jenn. We had such a good time eating, laughing, eating, taking pictures, eating, being silly, and eating again. Servers continually were bringing out plates of New Orleans-inspired wonderfulness. Crab fish pocket pies, jambalaya, etouffee, hush puppies, crab boulettes, smoked sausage meatballs in a parmesan cream sauce, flatbread pizza, plus, my all-time favorite - Parmesan potato chips with truffle oil. Over the top, Off the hook Fantastic. Great food and great friends definitely equal a great birthday gift!

Stereotyping Grocery Shoppers

2009-02-22T19:36:00.006-06:00

Two college students were in front of me in the checkout line at the grocery store this evening.
A young Asian man with a single 1 lb bag of jasmine rice and
a young American man buying a single pound of bacon.

I had to stop myself from giggling in the store.

Blue Cornmeal Caramel Cake (and birthday wishes)

2009-02-20T22:30:00.003-06:00

We went up to Wausau this evening to celebrate my mom's birthday with a quiet dinner and a yummy cake. I love my mom. And I have come to realize that she is pretty dang smart (I doubted this for a bit when I was in high school) and pretty dang funny (also didn't notice that in high school). Don't get me wrong, we never had any knock-down, drag-out screaming matches, but she was a pretty strict mom with high expectations and I was a know–it-all kid that thought I wasn't having enough fun in life (I was). But there is something about growing up a bit that helps us appreciate our parents a bit more, and how much time, energy, love, and hope that they pour into us childish children.

So, here's to you, Mom. You deserve so much more than just a yummy Blue Cornmeal Caramel Cake, but know that it was made with a whole lot of love!

Buttery Jam Cookies

2009-02-19T20:41:00.004-06:00

Alright, as you all have surmised, I have zero control over what Justin posts. I could revoke his editor status, but life wouldn't be quite as interesting, now would it?

For your viewing and reading pleasure (and if you make them, your tasting pleasure), are a batch of tasty Buttery Jam Cookies, via Joy the Baker. These little darlings might not look like much, but there is a punch of ginger and sweet smack of Strawberry Rhubarb Butter turned into the dough that gives them a unique and flavorful twist. In fact, if you aren't a ginger fan, I would recommend cutting back a little bit, as it is definitely the first thing you taste. I also threw a half bag of leftover peanut butter chips into the dough because, well, because that just seemed like the proper thing to do with them. And let me tell you, it was.

Here is the link for the Strawberry Rhubarb Butter from Galena Canning Company. If you get some, could you get another jar for us?

Even this is too much for me

2009-02-18T21:27:00.002-06:00

I was perusing thisiswhyyourfat today and ran across this:

I am fine with bacon rolls and giant Oreos, but this is a little too much. I think I threw up in my mouth a little.

French Bread

2009-02-17T22:03:00.006-06:00

This is one of my very favorite bread recipes. I picked it up while taking an artisan bread baking course in school. The only measurements I have are using a scale, rather than cups, but the recipe is well worth the cost of an inexpensive digital cook's scale (mine was $20 at Target). I usually make mini baguettes with the dough, and can get about 12 small loaves from the recipe. You can go ahead and make larger ones if you like. We've affectionately termed this bread "guppy bread," as my small loaves will often bulge or bust open. I'm getting better and this doesn't happen as much as when I first started, but the name has stuck, even if the loaves no longer resemble the little fish!

French Bread

37 oz. Unbleached Flour

2 oz. Whole Wheat Flour

24.5 oz Warm Water

1/2 Tblsp. Dry Instant Yeast

.75 oz Kosher Salt

1. Place water in bowl. Combine all dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add to the water. Mix until dough forms, adding additional water if needed to form a loose dough.

2. Knead dough by hand for 10-15 minutes, or with a stand mixer for 5-8 minutes, or until gluten has developed and a small ball of dough is at "windowpane" consistency (see photograph below).

3. Place dough in a clean, oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow dough to rise for 3 hours, turning out dough and folding it in half after each hour.

4. After third fold, allow to rest, covered, for 20-30 minutes.

5. Cut dough into similar sized portions, and allow to rest for 5 minutes, covered.

6. Shape dough into baguettes, rounds, ovals, etc, as desired, and place in pans or on parchment lined sheet trays. Score the loaves as desired.

7. Cover and allow to rise for an additional 45-60 minutes.

8. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. If using, put baking stone in oven prior to turning the oven on. Once preheated, place pans in oven, or slide parchment paper containing the loaves onto the baking stone. Small loaves will take about 15 minutes, while larger loaves will take 20-25 minutes. Loaves are done when a knock to the bottom will sound hollow, or internal temperature reaches 210 degrees.

9. Allow to cool before storing. Loaves can be frozen after they have been baked and cooled. To reheat: 320 degrees for 8-10 minutes in the oven.

Travis = gone

2009-02-16T21:01:00.003-06:00

Trav is traveling to New Zealand today, and the house feels kind of empty. In the spirit of his love for Dawson's Creek, I have emulated Dawson's horrible "cry face". I just wish I could get my hair to look like it had crab claws gripping my forehead.

A Sweet Holiday

2009-02-14T21:05:00.002-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Red Velvet Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

2009-02-13T21:10:00.004-06:00

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies will always be a favorite of ours. They're easy to make, take minimal ingredients, and are always a hit. Well, while checking some of my favorite blogs, I came across Bakerella's post for these. They're almost identical to our beloved chocolate sandwich cookies, but perfect for Valentine's Day! So I stopped at the store to pick up a box of red velvet cake mix (all I could find was Duncan Hines) and threw them together this morning. Rather than using butter or margarine, as Bakerella suggests, I stuck with the trusty chocolate sandwich cookies recipe - the cake mix, 2 eggs, and 1/3 cup of vegetable/canola oil. I scooped the dough onto the cookies sheets and smooshed them just a bit, and baked them for 8 minutes. And I probably could have dropped that back to 7 1/2, or even 7, but the main thing is not to overbake them. Take them out when they are just cracked, but still very wet-looking on the inside. Let them cool on the cookie sheets for 1-2 minutes, and then remove to wire racks to cool. I make my cream cheese frosting the same as Bakerella does, which is delicious. I scoop my frosting into a zip top bag, snip a corner, and then pipe a mound of frosting on the cookies to make sandwiches. Verdict - very yummy, perfectly red-tasting, and Valentine-y to boot. A great holiday version of an old favorite!

Naan

2009-02-11T17:55:00.005-06:00

While in Texas last year and during a trip to India, Travis developed a taste for Indian cuisine. Over the past few months, he has worked at cooking dinner about once a week, and this often involves a new curry recipe. Being his last week with us, and probably the last time he makes dinner, he asked if I would make Naan, an Indian-style flatbread, to go along with the meal. I found this highly-rated recipe and felt it didn't look any harder than any other type of bread. I'm not sure how traditional or authentic it is, but as it turned out great, I don't really care! The individual naan(s?) came out smaller than I've seen, only about the size of my hand, and I made about 20-25 of them from the recipe. I'll definitely make this again, but will roll the balls of dough larger, about the size of racquetballs rather than golfballs, to increase the size of the finished naan. I'm excited to have a bag full of them in my freezer now. They reheat in only 2-3 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Easy!

Also. To clarify. At the bottom of each of our posts, you can see which of us (Justin or Julie) actually wrote it. Please do not think that I posted the entry about the thisiswhyyourefat website. I wouldn't do that to you. Justin would though. He did it.

My new favorite website

2009-02-10T17:57:00.008-06:00

Since I (Justin) have a thing for over the top food, imagine my surprise when I found out there is a whole website dedicated to that very topic:

http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/

Here are a couple choice entries:

#1: "Mega Oreo"

#2: "Deep fried Coca Cola"

#3: Self explanatory. Every piece of equipment made should have a button labeled "Push here to dispense gravy"

Other nasty favorites include "The meat ship", and "60 pound rice crispy treat"

Not Quite "Spreads"

2009-02-10T17:54:00.004-06:00

I was looking for a quick and easy recipe yesterday that would cover two bases - a church function and treats for small group. This "Spreads" recipe seemed to fit the bill, so I thought I'd try it out. I didn't have margarine, so I just used good ol' butter. The consistency was a bit different than PW's, as the dough was much thicker, and not really spreadable. I just patted it into a rectangle shape on my cookie sheet and it worked just fine. I also put a silicone baking mat on my cookie sheet before the dough, simply to make removing the giant cookie/bar easier. One other minor variation - I put a combination of semisweet chocolate chips and butterscotch chips on the top, and it came out very tasty. It really was pretty simple to put together, and I was able to turn two of these puppies out of my kitchen in under an hour. Nice, simple, yummy.

Two Thumbs Way Up!

2009-02-09T16:53:00.003-06:00

This past weekend we had a good friend come visit. Emily flew up from Texas on Friday, ready to experience Wisconsin. It was a whirlwind of a visit, but we had a fantastic time catching up, laughing, making bread, laughing, visiting a cheese factory, laughing again, playing games and watching movies, and oh yeah, laughing some more. All of us wished she could have stayed a few more days, though we've already talked about heading down to Houston in the fall. We have too much fun together to stay apart for too long!

Random Photos

2009-02-07T07:49:00.005-06:00

I take quite a few photographs each day, and the majority of them don't see the light of day. Today I thought I'd go back and pick out a few that I liked, but for whatever reason hadn't posted them.

Regular and Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Bars.

Clementines that I cooked for a cake.

We didn't really like the cake, so I didn't write about it,

but I like the shot.

Bittman's Bread.

I thought, with the air hole, that it somewhat looked like a beehive.

mmmmmmm.....

Vanilla Bean Buttermik Cake Batter from Jenn's birthday cake.

Paprika Cheddar Biscuits

2009-02-04T16:00:00.003-06:00

Looking for an easily portioned, super fast, super yummy bread-type item to go with your bowl of chili, cheesy pasta, or for breakfast? These biscuits definitely fit the bill. The batch mixes up in minutes and they don't even have to be rolled out and cut - just drop them onto cookie sheets and bake. I used a 1/4 cup cookie/ice cream disher for mine, scooped the dough onto the sheet pan and then froze them solid, about 30 minutes. I then kept a few out for us to have with dinner, and sealed the rest into a zip-top freezer bag. When you are ready to have fresh biscuits, just take the frozen lumps of dough, set them on a sheet pan, and bake them for about 20 minutes - perfect, fresh, warm biscuits, without any work! I followed the recipe exactly, except for the fact that I didn't have any smoked sweet paprika - I just used regular sweet paprika, and they turned out wonderfully!

A Mini Vacation

2009-02-03T19:27:00.003-06:00

Yesterday we drove down to Wisconsin Dells to the Kalahari Resort (link will play music - awful music). This was set up by John and Sarah as a chance for the immediate family to get together and have some fun. John, Sarah, Travis, Luke, Niki, Justin and I all shared two rooms (upgrade to suites upon arrival!) and had a blast going between the Indoor Theme Park and the Indoor Water Park. We rode the go-karts, braved the ropes course, won tickets on "ski-ball" and "Deal or No Deal", and played many games of laser tag at the Theme Park. The water park was a blamy 75-80 degrees and we enjoyed our time in the wave pool, floating around the lazy river, and zipping down the water slides. We are definitely worn out from all the activities, but we had a great time.

And then, as a "welcome back" greeting (?), our cats had somehow knocked down and shattered one of our side tables upstairs. Look. You can see the guilty look on Storm's face.

My Recpie

2009-01-31T10:41:00.006-06:00

Why does Julie get to have all the fun with the recipes? I am including one of my own, that my friend Doug Allord clued me in to. I had seen it before, but this one contained an actual recipe.

Here's what you need:

Bacon Explosion

2 pounds thick cut bacon
2 pounds Italian sausage
1 jar of your favorite barbeque sauce
1 jar of your favorite barbeque rub

Follow the instructions here, and then dial 911.

I personally think a nice twist would be to add a bunch of cheese and then beer batter the whole thing and deep fry it, along the lines of the video below. If you end up trying it, let me know!

Chunky Peanut Butter & Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-01-30T13:18:00.008-06:00

Learn from my mistakes.

For the sake of all that is good and right in the world (and your hips),

do not make these cookies.

And definitely do not add peanut butter chips to

the dough.

And definitely, whatever you do, do not sample the dough as you are scooping it onto the cookie sheets.

Definitely do not bake the whole batch.

BUT, in case you do not heed any of my warnings and go against everything I advised, will you please invite me over to help?

Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan)

3 Cups Quick-Cooking Oats

1 Cup All-Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon Freshly Grated Nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

2 sticks (8 ounces) Unsalted Butter, at room temperature

1 Cup Chunky Peanut Butter (I used Jif Super Chunky)

1 Cup Granulated Sugar

1 Cup (packed) Light Brown Sugar

2 Large Eggs

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

8 ounces (a little over a cup) Milk Chocolate Chips

4 ounces (a little over 1/2 a cup) Peanut Butter Chips

1. Whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, spices, and salt.

2. With an electric mixer, beat together the butter, peanut butter, and sugars in a large bowl until smooth and creamy. Reduce mixer speed to medium-low and add the eggs one at a time, mixing until just combined, then beat in the vanilla. Reduce mixer speed to low and add in oat and flour mixture, beating only until just blended. Stir in the chocolate and peanut butter chips.

3. Chill the dough for 2 hours. I find it easier to scoop the dough onto cookie sheets and then chill, rather than trying to scoop rock-hard cookie dough. The dough can also be frozen at this point.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

5. Place mounds of dough 2 inches apart on cookie sheets (if you have not already done this in step 3).

6. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, rotating the cookie sheet(s) half way through (front to back, top to bottom, if baking more than one sheet at a time). The cookies should be golden and just firm around the edges. Lift the cookies onto cooling racks with a thin metal spatula, they'll firm up as they cool.

What goes on in our house

2009-01-29T19:43:00.004-06:00

I thought I would share a story to explain what happens in our house. On Wednesday, Julie and I had pretty bad days. It started on Monday, when the furnace broke at our house, and we thought we were going to have to bring in a repair man. Luckily, I was able to fix it (fingers crossed). On Wednesday, Julie was using the treadmill and managed to statically shock the main control board, rendering it broken. Also on Wednesday our bank called and reported a fraudulent charge, so we are currently without debit cards.

In the midst of all this, Julie and I were a little "short" with each other, and Trav, sensing the tension in the house, decided to try to remedy the situation. In his words: "Party mustaches make everything better"

Whole Wheat Bread with Hazelnuts and Currants

2009-01-28T14:39:00.005-06:00

I was pretty bored last night, and as I was flipping through my bread book deciding what to make, I kept going right by the good (but boring sounding) "Country Bread" and landed at the "Whole Wheat Bread with Hazelnuts and Currants." Yep, that sounded quite a bit more interesting than country bread! And as I had both hazelnuts and currants on hand, I decided to go with it. I mixed up the pre-ferment last night, and then this morning mixed and kneaded the final dough. In a day marred by multiple malcontent moments, this bread is a bright spot. The baking bread smelled incredible, and the final loaf tasted even better than I would have guessed. No single flavor overwhelms the loaf, but the mixture of whole wheat flour, the tiny Zante currants, and the coarsely chopped, toasted hazelnuts blend beautifully. Definitely not a boring bread, and perfect with a schmear of peanut butter.

Quote of the day:

"Anything with peanut butter is food filled with Jesus." --E.M.

My Favorite Knives

2009-01-26T14:52:00.006-06:00

After having several conversations regarding kitchen knives in the past few weeks, I feel compelled to throw my two cent's worth out into the world. I'm not saying you should rush out and buy all new knives, or continue on using that set of knives you got as a bridal shower gift 10, 15, or 30 years ago. However - be forewarned, I very likely will bring my own kitchen knives with me if I come to your house to cook!

I actually have quite a few knives, but more and more often, I fall back on these same five knives. Honestly, I'm thinking of getting rid of my drawerful of still-very-good-but-I-don't-use-them knives. I just like these five and use these five over and over and over again, with complete disregard for all the others, and would highly recommend each of these knives to anyone.

First off, I have a bunch of pairing knives. And I am a sucker for bright, colorful little knives. Blue! You Bet! Red! Hooray! Yellow! Fantastic! Useful? Not really. I'm not really into the "color-coded" tool movement (use red for poultry, blue for beef, etc), as I usually forget what color was for what food, and usually just use the yellow one for cheese because cheese is kinda yellow, etc. Sorry, got on a tangent there. Here is my favorite pairing knife:

It has a nifty little case, is bright red, and is stinkin' sharp. It is a

Kukon Rikon Colori pairing knife, and costs about $10. This is a great little knife for slicing cheese, cutting and coring apples, and doing more detailed work, like separating broccoli florets for a veggie tray.

Next up is my utility knife:

I really like this knife. It is a Kyocera micro-serrated utility knife with a ceramic blade. Prices range from $40-$70. It is just a little bit bigger than a pairing knife and a little smaller than a chef's knife, so this is kind of a catch-all-jobs type of knife. This is one that I'll throw in my bag if I'm heading over to a friend's or family member's house if I'll be doing any sort of cooking. It is lightweight, a good size, and crazy sharp. And the ceramic blade doesn't dull like steel knives - definitely a plus. It doesn't come with a knife/blade guard, but they're easy enough to find online.

If you've seen Rachel Ray cook, or read The Pioneer Woman blog, you're probably familiar with a santoku knife. It is a combination between a chef's knife and a butcher's knife. I have two of these, which I go back and forth between pretty often, depending on my mood.

I have a Wustof Classic Santoku knife ($70) with a 7" blade and

a Komach i Fish Knife with a 4 1/2" blade ($25). If I'm chopping a bunch of onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, etc, I'll go with the larger knife. And if I'm only dicing half an onion to add to something, I go with the little one. My thought - big job = big knife, little job = little knife. The Wustof knife is THE one that got me through culinary school. Oh, and I don't just use the Komachi one for fish.

However, if I were to combine these two knives into one, I've been eyeing up this knife. Awesome blade - check. Great size - check. Price - errr.....

Last up is my bread/serrated knife.

I just got this one with a gift certificate for Christmas. It is only $20 and is also made by Kukon Rikon and is their Non-stick Colori Bread Knife. It is by far the sharpest bread knife I've ever had. I love when knives come with sheaths, as this one does. This one came in handy for our "Bread and Blankets" day at my aunt Ruth's house.

I won't talk about Ruth's knives. My culinary soul is saddened when I open her knife drawer.

Also, a note on sharpening knives. I have one of these sharpeners and love it. It is cheap, easy to use, and is magnetic so it sticks to my fridge. After I use a knife four or five times, I run it through the sharpener 6 or 7 times. That keeps the knives sharp and ready to use with minimal effort. These only cost between $5 and $10, and I find them at ShopKo or online. I usually replace it each year.

So there you go! I hope you have enjoyed this tour through my knife drawer.

Oh! I realized I forgot to mention one of the most important ones!

Got to get butter on my toast somehow!

Bread and Blankets

2009-01-24T19:56:00.003-06:00

Today I went up to Wausau and met up with my mom, Aunt Ruth, cousin Laura, friend Katie, friend Shelley and her daughter Morgan for what we coined "Bread & Blankets." For a fun project, Shelley thought of making tied fleece blankets to donate to one of the local hospitals' maternity wards (do they still call them that, or do they now have fancy names like "Happy New Birth Center?") where she works. Each of us brought enough fleece to make a blanket or two, and then I also brought bread dough to bake bread while we worked. We had a great time admiring the fabrics others brought, laying them out, cutting the sides and tying the edges to make cozy, soft blankets. In all we made nine blankets to donate, ate the whole loaf of bread, and are looking forward to doing this again soon! If you are interested in doing something similar with your friends, let me know and I can connect you with Shelley!

Cats

2009-01-22T20:26:00.005-06:00

This is a pictorial reason why we don't buy our cats toys very often. Julie splurged on a toy we affectionately call a "smacky". It's a weird toy that has a hole in it you fill with catnip by jamming that catnip plastic cylinder into it. Nothing morbid about that...

Here is what happened:

Norm: Oooh! New toy, fun!

10 seconds later: Toy scary! Run away!

Storm: Hmm... New toy

10 seconds later: Loss of all interest

Next 12 hours: Pure sack of lazy

Ah the joys of having a cat....

My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-01-22T20:22:00.005-06:00

This is it. Other ones may have fancy additions like toasted hazelnuts or froo-froo berries, but for a good, ol' chocolate-y chocolate chip cookie, Alton Brown's got it covered. The only tiny thing I add is a sprinkling of kosher salt right on top of the cookie before baking. Salty, sweet, milk chocolate buttons, and tons of yummy.

The Battle AGAINST the Bulge

2009-01-20T22:09:00.004-06:00

So, to try to combat the steady stream of sweets and breads making their way out of my kitchen, every now and then I do make an attempt at being active. That typically involves the treadmill or free weights, but tonight I did something much more amusing. I met up with my Aunt Ruth and we took a Cross Country Ski Lesson! The Nordic Ski Club of Wausau was giving free lessons tonight at Nine Mile Forest & Ski Area, which included free use of rental equipment and no charge for the trail pass. We went fully expecting to spend the evening on our hineys, laughing hysterically, and generally making fools of ourselves. Well, we actually didn't do half bad! The place was packed, and there were plenty of newbies and loads of instructors and semi-experienced skiers as well. We ended up in a very small group which was just Ruth and I, one other lady, and our instructor. We got the hang of it pretty quickly, and as long as we didn't stray too far from our "tracks" we did well. Yes, we did bite it a time or two, but were able to get right up and kept moving along. All in all, it was a beautiful night to be outside, we got to try a fun new activity, and neither of us broke any bones. Definitely a success!

Shaping & Baking

2009-01-19T17:42:00.011-06:00

By now, you are probably ready to be done with this bread.

Just hold onto your panties, it's coming, and it's gonna be good!

The dough has been folded and risen a number of times (about 2 1/2 - 3 hours total). If you plan to bake your bread on a baking stone, have a couple of sheet pans ready and lined with parchment paper and sprinkled with cornmeal or flour. Otherwise, sprinkle the sheet pan directly with the cornmeal, and the bread can be baked right there.

Now you are ready to divide up the dough.

Gently dump the dough from the bowl to a floured work surface.

I divided mine into three 1 1/4 pound loaves.

Cup your hands around a portion of dough, and slowly begin to work it into a tight round shape.

The key to this move is to keep the sides of your pinkie fingers on the table surface at all times, and just shift your hands around in a clockwise/counterclockwise fashion (whichever feels more natural!), shaping the loaf.

Add a little flour to your hands if the dough is sticking. If you lift up the round, the bottom should be pretty much sealed over, without any big pockets or folds.

Shift the round to a sheet pan (only put one portion of dough on each sheet pan).

Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and allow it another hour and a half to rise.

After an hour has passed, begin preheating your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. If you are using a baking stone, make sure it is in there before you turn your oven on.

The next step is an optional one, and depends on if you have the equipment.

You can happily slide your bread (along with the parchment paper) right onto your baking stone (or just stick the pan in the oven) and be oh-so-close to having fresh bread.

However, you also can try your hand at scoring a pattern into the surface of the bread. This requires what bakers refer to as a lame (pronounced lamb), or baker's blade.

Essentially, it is a very sharp, curved razor blade. If you have a new, clean, sharp razor blade or exacto knife, go for it, just quickly (but gently) slash a few cuts into your bread. You may need to very gently hold the dough on either side of the cut in order for the edge to slice through.

As you can see, my lame needs to be replaced and did a rather pitiful job of cutting through. This took several slices into each cut in order to make them deep enough. Oh well, the point is made.

Now - get that bread in the oven!

The size of your loaves and your oven will determine how long it takes to bake. Each of my three medium-sized loaves took 20 minutes on the baking stone. If you made two larger loaves, give it 25-30 minutes. If you baked on sheet pans, they may take even longer, say, 30-35 minutes. The end result should be a deep golden brown, and when you take the loaf out, you should be able to tap on the bottom of it and hear a hollow sound. If you have a instant-read thermometer, go ahead and jab it in the bottom - it should read at about 200 degrees. If you can stand it, let the bread rest for about 10-30 minutes before cutting. Right, and unicorns made it onto Noah's Ark as well. Slice it, tear it, and fight it out of your family members' hands (as they will surely have made an appearance at this point!).

As mine was baking, I made a big pot of Cauliflower Soup. This is an awesome soup-dipping bread, and Trav, Justin and I easily polished off one of the loaves of bread.

Let the extra loaves cool completely, then wrap in plastic or in a zip-top bag and freeze. When you are ready to serve it, stick it in a 360 degree oven (remove the plastic, for heaven's sake!) for about 15 minutes - fresh again!

Enjoy!

If you have any questions about the process, or comments about how yours turned out, I'd love to hear them!

The Need to Knead

2009-01-19T13:38:00.005-06:00

Ready for the the next step?

My pre-ferment has been sitting for a good 16 hours, and is pretty much ready to go. It only takes a minute to mix up the final dough.

In a second bowl add the following ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Warm Water

1/2 tsp Instant Yeast (OR 1 Tablespoon Active Dry Yeast)

9.6 oz (2 1/4 cups) Unbleached Bread Flour

3.2 oz (3/4 cup) Whole Wheat Flour

3.2 oz (7/8 cup) Rye Flour*

1/2 Tablespoon Kosher Salt

Mix with a spatula or wooden spoon until combined. Continue to mix, and gradually add in chunks of the pre-ferment. As you can see, I already have everything in my stand-mixer bowl, so I could transfer it right to the mixer in order to knead it (using the spiral or dough hook attachment).

(I love my new apron. My mom made it. Yeah, she rocks.)

You can certainly knead it by hand as well, just flour your work surface and have at it. Pound it, smoosh it, pull it, smack it, fold it, etc etc for a good 8-10 minutes.

Or, if you have a stand mixer, just turn it to medium-low speed and walk away for 4-6 minutes. I washed out the bowl I had the pre-ferment in at this point. I ended up adding about another half a cup of flour to my dough as it was being worked.

The dough will be pretty soft and moderately loose, but it shouldn't be wet or falling apart. Spray a bowl with non-stick cooking oil and dump in the kneaded dough. Cover with plastic wrap and seal again with the rubber band. And let it sit for an hour. Go ahead, check your email. Do a load of laundry. After an hour or so has passed, sprinkle some flour on your work surface and carefully scrap the dough out of the bowl.

All you have to do here is fold the dough in half a time or two. Simply (and gently!) grab one edge of it and pull it over to the opposite side. You don't want to push or knead it anymore, we're just folding it a bit. I spray the bowl with a little bit more cooking spray at this point, but you can make the call, depending on how much the dough stuck to the bowl in the first place. Cover it up again, seal it off, and again - just let it sit and rise for another hour. After this second hour, you'll fold it one more time, in exactly the same fashion.

Then, it will rise for another half hour, and you'll be ready to shape it into loaves.

*I was SURE I had rye flour when I started this recipe last night. But alas, when I opened my pantry this morning, there was none to be found. I just added extra whole wheat flour in its place.

Make Bread with Me!

2009-01-18T21:26:00.007-06:00

Alright, get out your flour and yeast and let's get some dough mixed. I've adapted the Rustic Bread recipe from Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes, by Jeffry Hamelman. This is a terrific, detailed guide to making just about every type of bread under the sun, and I haven't come across a dud yet. This recipe will yield 2 large, or 3-4 small- to medium-sized loaves.

So here we go. Tonight, mix up the "pre-ferment." This is your starter dough. This is incredibly easy to stir together, it sits overnight, and will add a ton of flavor to your final bread.

In a bowl add the following ingredients:

13.4 oz (1 3/4 cups) Warm Water

1/8 tsp Instant Dry Yeast (OR 3/4 tsp Active Dry Yeast)

1 lb (3 5/8 cups) Unbleached Bread Flour

.4 oz (heaping 1/2 Tablespoon) Kosher Salt

Combine with a spatula or wooden spoon until thoroughly mixed. The dough will be stiff, dense, and a bit scraggly, but you shouldn't have any dry flour. Add a few drops of water at a time if necessary to moisten it, or, if it is very wet, add a tablespoon of flour at a time. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and seal with a rubber band. Let sit 12-16 hours. The pre-ferment will be domed and beginning to recede a bit in the center when it is ready to use (though we'll see a picture of that tomorrow!).

For the Birds

2009-01-16T20:13:00.003-06:00

I just thought this was kind of a funny picture, and thought I'd share it. I stopped by our building to make sure everything was okay with the freezing temperatures (everything was), and out in the sun flitting about the cars were about fifty of these puffy little birds. They were obviously trying to glean what little bit of warmth there was from the sunshine!

Ciabatta Rolls

2009-01-15T21:31:00.003-06:00

I love ciabatta bread. I love what a great, chewy bread it is, but with giant, irregular air pockets so that it doesn't feel quite as heavy or filling as a rustic or country bread. A wonderful yeasty smell without being overwhelming, and a crust that has just enough bite to it to be substantial, but without breaking into a billion shards. Not necessarily the best of "soup" breads, but great for sandwiches and paninis, or just a roll with a dinner. But sorry, this isn't one of those "super easy, no kneading, hardly takes any time" breads. This one begins the night before by mixing up a starter, or "poolish," which the next day is added to additional flour, yeast, salt and water to make the final dough. Then it rises for 3 hours, and has to be turned out and folded after each hour, and then shaped into loaves or rolls, then risen again for another 1 1/2 - 2 hours, and then finally baked. But oh, the outcome. Delicious, delicious ciabatta!

Storm's Favorite Toy

2009-01-13T22:17:00.003-06:00

We don't buy toys for our cats. Once in a blue moon someone will give them a toy, which we douse in catnip and both cats will rub their faces on said toy, lick all the catnip off said toy, and then lay in a corner, completely dazed for about 30 minutes. But what really gets them going? This specific little crumpled up cough drop wrapper. No kidding. Justin threw this down for Storm to play with about TWO MONTHS ago, and she still plays with the silly little booger almost every day. As we can all see in the photograph, it is very obviously the coolest thing on the planet.

Gougeres (aka Cheese Puffs)

2009-01-13T22:00:00.004-06:00

Obviously, since these have a fancy french name, I'm not talking about the neon orange "cheesy" styrofoam peanuts at the store. Nope, I'm talking about honest-to-goodness savory pate a choux (pronounced paat-aa-shoe), or cream puff dough, with shredded Gruyere cheese mixed in. Since I got Pastry Cream out of the way yesterday, I figured I would conquer all my silly, completely unfounded kitchen phobias. Pate a choux is even easier than pastry cream. No worries about curdled eggs or lumpy custards, just mixing a dough in a saucepan and then shifting it to a mixing bowl to add the eggs. I think I made about a gazillion cream puffs in school, as they were always a hit at fundraisers, and you bake what you know people like (and will give money for). The next step is just to combine my last two projects, and make real cream puffs or eclairs, filled with that psychotically good vanilla pastry cream. Oh crud. I think I just gained 3 pounds just writing about it.

What was I so afraid of?!

2009-01-12T17:10:00.005-06:00

Pastry Cream. What I remember most about making pastry cream in culinary school was being totally stressed out by it - and everyone else being stressed about it too. I know that we made it, and that it tasted phenomenal, but somehow the stress turned into some sort of fear that it wouldn't turn out if I made it at home. That it would take forever, or curdle, or burn, or do something strange that I would never recover from. Something like that. But you know what? It was, well, easy! The milk came to a simmer just fine, the eggs were tempered just fine, and then it only took about 5 minutes for the mixture to thicken and turn to a nice, thick, smooth custard. Half was saved as vanilla to make a Boston Cream Pie for Welcome to Woodlands, and the other half was mixed with some chocolate to make a Triple Chocolate Cream Cake for our friend Lincoln's birthday. And oh, the taste, the mouth-feel, the fresh vanilla bean smell. Won-Der-Ful.

Fig & Walnut Biscotti

2009-01-11T19:44:00.003-06:00

I got an email from Jenn a couple of days ago, saying that this might be the recipe that she would actually try baking. After several emails back and forth it was decided that I would bake them, but that she would come over and keep me company during the process. It turns out it is a pretty good "visiting" type of cookie to bake. You mix up the dough, then stick it in the fridge (and sit down and talk), then it goes from the fridge to the oven (again, opportunity to sit and talk), then allow it to cool (insert sitting and talking here), and then cut it and bake it again. End result being lots of sitting and talking and some incredibly yummy, fragrant, not overly crunchy biscotti. And actually, about halfway through the afternoon Jenn had to take her daughter to play practice, but they made sure to stop by afterwards to try some of the results of the day. By the way, I ran into some dried Mission "Figlets" at Woodman's, and that is what "we" used. Well, and you can see that I drizzled them with a little bit of melted Ghirardelli double chocolate. I'll definitely be making these again!

Caramel Spice Cake (PLUS)

2009-01-09T20:33:00.002-06:00

Today's recipe is a very homey, warm, comforting, granny-esque type of cake. And I totally changed the name from the original (here) because I actually took it somewhere and didn't want people scared off by it. Oh, and you know they would be - people don't actually rush forward when you say, "Oh this, just a little prune cake I whipped up." But when you rename it to "Caramel Spice Cake," that evokes a slightly more positive response. Well, whatever you call it, it was very well received and really quite delicious. I didn't boil the caramel topping quite as long as I should have (because it was getting late) but it was still sweet and yummy, and of course, good for your innards!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-01-08T11:30:00.003-06:00

Yummmm.

Oh Peanut Butter and Chocolate, how you make my tummy happy! Yesterday I made these cookies from Smitten Kitchen. And goodness gracious, it is impossible to walk past the cookie container without taking one out and smashing it in my face. Granted, I gave a ride to a friend yesterday and brought her a bag of them, and she couldn't seem to stop smashing them in her face either – so it isn't just me! They're just dang good.

Moroccan Country Bread

2009-01-07T19:19:00.003-06:00

This is another very easy bread recipe that I came across in the latest issue of Cooking Light, and I thought I'd give it a shot. It came out very well, even though it got messed up a little bit. Let me explain. I started out following the recipe, but had to veer off a bit when it came to the rising and baking of the bread. Cooking Light states to place all three loaves of bread on a single baking sheet to rise. After thirty minutes, my bread loaves had all risen to the point that they were completely smooshed against the sides of the pan and each other. So I had to gingerly try to move the loaves onto their own baking sheets, which caused them to deflate a bit. Then, in the baking process, I had dinner in the oven at 375 degrees, so I just put the first loaf in at that temperature, for about 23-24 minutes, rather than at 350 degrees for 30 minutes as the recipe calls for. And in the end, the bread still came out as a very softly crusted, but very tasty bread. Also, Cooking Light claims this is a "no-knead" bread, but I'd have to disagree. The recipe does say to beat the bread in an electric mixer until it forms a ball – this took 3-4 minutes in my kitchenaid. That is pretty much like kneading it by hand for 6-8 minutes! It was still easier than a full fledged kneaded bread, but not quite as easy as Bittman's bread!

A Note about Flour

2009-01-06T17:07:00.003-06:00

For a couple of years now I have been using unbleached, unbromated flour - both all-purpose and bread flours. Many recipes recommended it, and in my baking classes, that is what we used. It just sounded better to use something that didn't have anything in common with laundering socks and underwear. Well, I ran across another reason while reading a new book, Zingerman's Guide to Good Eating by Ari Weinzweig. Apparently, bromate is added to some flours in order to save time between the milling process of the flour and when it can be shipped out. Bromate speeds up the maturation process of the flour, so it can be shipped out of the factory with a day of milling, rather than the typical two or three weeks. So by adding bromate, producers save both time and money. But at what cost? Apparently, bromate has been found to be a potentially cancer-causing agent. And even worse, most countries in the Western World have banned bromate except the United States.

New Recipe Onslaught

2009-01-05T14:34:00.008-06:00

After several weeks of working at organizing my recipe "pile" I am finally done. I've long had a stack on my desk where I just throw recipes that I have cut out of magazines, printed off the internet, or gotten from friends or family. It isn't much of a surprise that most of those recipes, that I thought looked or sounded great at one time, quickly got buried by the newest additions rather than make it to the kitchen in order to be tried. In the organizational process I have used over 400 clear plastic sheet protectors, 5 big binders, and several packages of page dividers. But finally, these recipes, mostly forgotten, will now have their moment. Or at least, a better chance of getting their moment!

First up, is Fettuccine with Butternut and Gorgonzola Sauce, from the November 2006 issue of Cooking Light (I told you that pile has been forming for a LONG time!). And we have a winner! Making it resulted in a pretty good stack of dishes, but no step was very difficult or time consuming. The squash took a little longer than the recipe suggested to become tender while sauteeing, so I ended up throwing the pan with it in the oven to roast while the sauce and noodles finished cooking. As for the noodles, I had some Kluski noodles that I used in place of the fettuccine, and they worked great.

I only made half the recipe, and it was the perfect amount for the three of us. Add in a loaf of Bittman's Bread, and lunch was a hit.

Not Quite Swag Bars

2009-01-04T14:10:00.003-06:00

Today's recipe comes from the January/ February issue of Cooking Light. Seriously. It is a recipe that they "made over," trying to make it lighter than the original. Well, they really just made them smaller. Pretty silly makeover, if you ask me, but a stinkin' addicting recipe. And honestly, I didn't have some of the ingredients, so I threw some other things in, and they came out peanut buttery, chewy, crunchy, and downright yummy. Here is the link for the Swag Bars recipe I started with. It called for Total cereal flakes, which I didn't have, so I used rice krispies. It called for 1 1/2 cups of peanuts, but I only had a cup, so I added in a half cup of chopped cashews. It called for (a paltry) 2 ounces of chocolate to drizzle over the top. I went up to 4 ounces, and that was just enough to add a very thin layer over the top of the bars. Definitely not excessive. Well, except when you eat four of them.

Bittman's Bread

2009-01-03T15:49:00.010-06:00

Looking for a fantastically easy, amazingly tasty bread recipe? You might have seen this one floating out and about in cyber space, but I finally caught up with it. Step 1: Mix flour, salt, yeast and water in a bowl. Step 2: Cover said bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit overnight. Step 3: Shape the dough into a ball. Step 4: Dump the dough in a hot casserole dish and bake. "Where's the step where I have to knead it until my arms fall off?" you might be asking. Ah ha! It isn't kneaded/needed! And this is probably the best crackly crust that has come out of my oven.

I mixed up a batch last night and baked it for lunch today. Loaf disappeared, almost magically (if magic involves Strawberry Rhubarb Butter).

Just mixed up another batch, same results expected tomorrow.

**See this related article for the background on this recipe.

Better Biscuit Challenge

2009-01-02T14:33:00.003-06:00

I got a new cookbook for Christmas - Baking: From My Kitchen to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. It is chockfull of great recipes and mouth-watering pictures. I started going through it, marking the pages of recipes I would like to try with post-it notes. Well, after about 10 pages I gave up, as I was marking every page! I probably would have gone through a whole tablet of post-it notes by the end of this substantial book! So last night for a fun dinner, I decided to try three biscuit recipes out of it - Basic Biscuits (with milk), Buttermilk Biscuits, and Sweet Cream Biscuits. I cooked some bacon and scrambled some eggs, and along with some butter, Sweet Plum Butter and Strawberry Rhubarb Butter, our biscuit taste-testing supper commenced. All three were very good, but we all agreed that the Sweet Cream Biscuits were our favorites. One thing I loved about the recipes is how they can be frozen - now I have a dozen biscuits to take out in a snap and throw them in the oven.

Nuts!

2009-01-01T10:33:00.005-06:00

We went over to Robert & Rachel's home last night, where they had a party for about ten of their friends. They asked everyone to bring a dish to pass, and about an hour before we went, I found this recipe for Sugar & Spice Candied Nuts. I had all the ingredients on hand and just a bit of time, so I started making a batch, thinking they'd be perfect. Well, I got to the point where I was measuring in the spices, and in went the cinnamon. And then I stopped. And groaned. You see, our friend Rachel is VERY ALLERGIC to cinnamon! I couldn't bring these into their house! As the cinnamon was already mixed in, I went ahead and finished the batch. And they are terrific! We will definitely be enjoying these for a few days! Nice and crunchy, salty-sweet, and honestly, pretty healthy. I ended up slicing some Cranberry Orange Shortbread cookies I had ready in the freezer, and brought those instead. It was a fun night of visiting with friends, eating, and playing games. Happy New Year!

Molasses Sandwich Cookies

2008-12-29T21:04:00.006-06:00

Okay, between Ginger Chewies, and now this recipe, I am going through molasses just as fast as sugar! No, mine aren't as pretty as Martha Stewart's (but really, is that even possible?), but all I had was dark, bold molasses and not the "Light" molasses that the recipe called for. I added just a little bit of vanilla to cut into the molasses flavor just a bit, and mine only took 8 minutes to bake in the oven, not the 12-15 as the recipe states. When making the frosting, I had to add a little milk to mine as I mixed it to make it a bit creamier - and I wouldn't suggest using a whisk if you are following the recipe, it turned into a bit of a pain when the butter clumped with the sugar inside the whisk - just use an electric mixer. In the end, they tasted, well, incredible! I love it when I try a new recipe and upon sharing them, people go ballistic over them. The same thing happened with the Ginger Chewies. Which makes me wonder - you really don't see that many cookies or recipes with molasses anymore. It certainly isn't as "hip" as Green Tea or Candied Ginger, but there is definitely something comforting and welcoming about it - a hug for your tummy.

Almost Spring?

2008-12-28T20:19:00.006-06:00

Honestly, how much snow can one state possibly need, really?!

I really think we are already almost up to the amount of snow we had all last winter - and we still have at least two more months to go! While shoveling every two days is keeping my arms in better shape, it certainly isn't very much fun! And before the snow plow comes through the alley, I pray pray pray that the blade is facing the opposite direction of our driveway, so we won't have to shovel out another couple of feet! Today God chose to bless our neighbors,

but at least it came through early and we were able to shovel it right away before it froze into a solid mass of evil ice-snow. But really, it is incredibly pretty at certain moments.

Time with Family

2008-12-26T19:06:00.005-06:00

I hope you are enjoyed a very Merry Christmas.

We certainly had a great time visiting with many of our family members.

Oooh Baby...

2008-12-23T19:09:00.002-06:00

What is it about cinnamon rolls? Warm from the oven, covered in icing, that sweet spicy smell in the air that has the power to cause men to swoon cinnamon rolls. I have tried several cinnamon rolls recipes in the past, and they never quite turn out. The filling is awesome, but the dough leaves something to be desired, or vice versa, or the dough fails to rise (it is so hard to throw away what seems to be a perfectly good jar of yeast, just because it is getting up in age...). But I think I've finally got it. These are amazing. And I have to admit, I didn't even make the icing Ree does, I just did a vanilla icing, rather than the maple. Still. They rock. And even after I made a ridiculously messy mess while rolling them up (every spill a cup of melted butter on the floor?), I still promise to make these again. I made half the recipe, and got three round pans out of it. One was made the next morning, and the other two are being saved for Christmas morning. Family, Presents, and Cinnamon Rolls. Can life get better? I submit that it cannot!

Help Wanted

2008-12-22T21:40:00.005-06:00

One thing about baking so much lately, is that I feel like I am almost constantly washing, drying, and putting away dishes, only to take them out and make them dirty again (and again and again). Even right now, at 9:43 pm, there are dirty dishes to be done, mainly because I have reached my limit of doing dishes today and couldn't stand to put my hands in that scalding hot water again. But honestly, the amount of dishes that today's recipe produced was worth it. This is definitely a great recipe to have on hand, and I know I will make it again. I love using vanilla beans. Splitting them open and scraping out the tiny black seed paste inside is somehow satisfying - and the wonderful fragrance that fills the workspace is one that makes you close your eyes, lean forward, and breath in as deeply as your lungs allow. I loved seeing the bits of vanilla throughout the sugar, and then mixed into the cake dough. There is something exotic about using vanilla beans in a recipe - and one of the few times that "black stuff" is okay in a cake! I would have certainly offered up some of this ridiculously good Cranberry Vanilla Coffeecake as payment for someone willing to do some dishes!