How to: Line Cake Pans

Well that last post was a doozy, but as this is my outlet, it is what it is. And I feel better having gotten that little annoyance off my chest, which is the point right? So how about some mindless baking tips to lighten the mood... and what can possibly be more mindless than folding some parchment paper?

This was a great trick learned in a cake making class and one I put to good use when baking the 3 layer Italian Cream. For those of you who have ever made a cake, the most trying part can be getting the cooked cake out of the pan. Parchment is an easy solution but cutting it to size for rounded cakes can be an annoyance that is easily skipped in the moment, and then quickly regretted when the cake tears right down the middle. So employ this very easy folding technique, and once you get the hang of it you can make dozens just to keep around for the next time you bake a cake.

Step 1: Cut a square of parchment paper as large as the cake pan. Fold paper in half and then again so it's 1/4 square of the original size.

Hazelnut Sponge Cupcakes

I first tried this spongecake recipe in a cake class I took with one of my good friends. It was so delicious and light and wonderful I've been looking for a good reason to make it again. But with nothing immediate presenting itself (and polls saying otherwise) I decided this was the perfect amount of baking for a day like today. And in my usual style, I made it into a cupcake, because... well, it's what I do. Topped with a simple whipped cream and nutella frosting... it's perfect for summer, for indulgence and for some intense meditation baking.

A Healthy Indulgence: Turkey Meatballs

A few years ago I started experimenting with turkey as a healthy alternative and something that wasn't quite as "chicken-y" as well... chicken. It quickly became a fan favorite in my chili, and I use it fairly consistently to replace any recipe that calls for ground beef or pork. It's healthy, it's tasty but yet not an overpowering flavor and you can usually find it as either just white meat or a combo with some dark meat (my preference). Yes, the meat can be a little dry, but try some part skim ricotta as a healthier alternative to adding a whole egg, to keep it nice and moist.

Turkey meatball salad, with slow roasted tomatoes, sauteed onions,
quinoa, arugula and a dollop of non-fat Greek yogurt

Slow Roasted Tomatoes and Second Impressions

If there was ever a recipe where I strongly advise you to immediately drop everything you are doing and make, this is it. Just do it. 3 hours from now you will thank me. Because these little slow roasted tomatoes are my new candy, my new craving. I used up a whole carton of grape tomatoes making these and had to exercise the utmost self control I could muster not to stuff them all in my mouth. So I suggest, when you make these, use cartons. Multiple. Because you will want to not only eat as is, but put in every meal you make, be it pasta, in a sandwich, salad, quiche, tart... there are really endless options.

And did I mention it was absolutely the easiest thing to make? Minimal prep, a little oil, a sprinkle of salt, maybe a few garlic cloves, which are optional, and pop in the oven on the lowest heat possible, so low you won't even notice the oven is on... which, perfect for summer! 3 hours later and you have possible the best way to eat a tomato, outside of just biting into juicy slices of a beautifully ripe red tomato from the farmers market, with just a sprinkle of salt, in August. Nothing can beat that. Of course I would suggest you use the freshest possible tomatoes, and those little cherries, grapes and even Roma's work great,  and are perfect as a small addition to a meal but you can go bigger too. I personally can't wait to try with some farmers market heirloom Brandywines or some delicious German Greens.

How to: Make Cake Flour

Ever find yourself in one of those situations where you've got all the ingredients for the cake recipe laid out, you're under a time limit and this cake is something that's meant to be super special, so no shortcuts. But there it is... the ingredient you immediately skipped over because of course you have flour, who doesn't. But cake flour is what the recipe calls for. And now you're stuck. Run out again for that one (expensive) ingredient or just do without and pray that it's still as light and fluffy as it would've been with the correct ingredient.

Well the next time you find yourself stuck in a rut like that, don't panic. Because you too can save some money and make your own cake flour from all purpose. And all you need is a sifter, corn starch and all purpose flour. It's as easy as pie.

Happy Birthday USA

 And Happy Birthday to all my July friends too! In keeping with my promise on the birthday cake poll, the clear winner was Italian Cream with Cream Cheese Frosting, so that's what I made.

As far as weekends go, it was excellent. Between seeing friends, going to parties, staying cool, making (and eating) all sorts of delicious treats, and going to not 1 but 2 amazing baseball games it was just an excellent weekend. So before the recipe, I'll give you a nice little slideshow of all the fun.

Brioche French Toast with Bourbon (of course)

Lately I've been wrapping my head so much around summer and diets and learning how to put foods away- like preserving and canning, not like arranging pantry items-, it's been a while since I had a true indulgence. No, I'm not talking about my shore weekend that consisted of drinking and eating more calories than I care to divulge. I mean a true, luxurious indulgence... like a brioche french toast, the thick egg-y and buttery slices of bread dipped in a sweetly spiced custard with that lovely smokey kick of bourbon. The outside browned just so, with a slight crunch and the inside melting and moist, like the best kind of bread pudding but for breakfast.

So this weekend, in need of something sweet and lovely and wonderful to start the day I made brioche french toast for the birthday girl and her boyfriend before we went out to watch some baseball. This breakfast was the perfect start to a wonderful day.