It's always a Good time for Cake

After class today (yes I'm on a lab working on my blog!) I'm headed over the bakery where we got our wedding cake last year to order a mini-one to celebrate our 1 year anniversary next month.

We received many compliments on the lemon with/ raspberry and chocolate gouache filling with basket-weave frosting delight.

Read the link below if you're a bride to be (or if you're already married and still like to read about wedding trends) about wedding cake alternatives.

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/5-mouth-watering-wedding-cake-alternatives-2511874/

Cookbook Collection- Reference or Bibliophilia

I have about twenty cookbooks. The last one I received was a Christmas gift from my husband: "America's Test Kitchen 2001-2011" which was suppose to come with the DVDs from last season. I just received the DVDs two weeks ago. I love receiving gifts later actually.

What is the purpose of cookbooks? For some, like new cooks, it's a step-by-step guide to make a dish. For others, like me who are more comfortable in the kitchen, it's a reference to get inspiration.

I have cookbooks on healthy cooking, low-sodium and Mediterranean, Alicia Silverstone's book on Vegetarian cooking . I've used cooking to look for answers when my allergies were driving me crazy. I followed my love for Julia Child through reading and re-reading my favorite foodie book, Amanda Hesser's Cooking for Mr. Latte.

What do you use cookbooks for?

Wedding "Junk" Food Photo Montage

A photo montage from our wedding, as shot by Tyson Trish Photographer. This is not a gourmand post at all but a celebratory post in honor our (George and my) Green Bay Packers for winning the Super Bowl!

Setting a Timer? Is it Necessary?

Last night I went on a SuperBowl Party baking frenzy for my guys. I can't make it to the party today, but I want to make sure my crew has good sweet eats. With a little help from my friend, the Pillsbury Dough Boy, they now have a Funfetii cake, pigs in a blanket, and some lady fingers with chocolate dipping sauce.

When I bake with my current oven, I usually set the temp to 350 degrees. It gets the job done in 30-35 minutes.

That's enough time for (once again) George to wash my dirty dishes or for us to watch most of an episode of our current show catch up (first time for me) Battlestar Gallatica (the NEW series).
The one thing I'll complain about my kitchen layout is that the stove is RIGHT next to the sink so the heat radiates right over and sweats you out a little.

However, the stove is in close proximity to our living room couch which allows me keep an eye on the baking. I'm a smeller not a clock watcher when it comes to done-ness. Yes, I use the toothpick test as well.

Overall, I'm right 9 times out of times out of 10 I'm right about when something's ready to come out of the oven and cool before frosting... or outright consumption in the case of cookies!

Tools of the Trade

I have some tools of the trade in the drawer and countertop next to my cooktop. Let me start by writing that my kitchen is not brand spanking new. It's from the 1960s and is slightly wider than a galley kitchen. It's got a gas wall oven that will not cook steaks in the broiler without setting off the smoke alarm. Then there's the cooktop. When I bought the condo almost three years ago one of the burners wouldn't turn on and the exhaust fan was coated with grease. I eventually removed it myself and closed the wall with drywall and had an electrician put in an overhead vent. Anyhow, enough DIY. The cooktop was also repaired by a very strong repairman. Now I'm firing on all 4 burners.

George came into the kitchen the other night and said "I wanna see you cook with all 4 of those burners!" Was that a challenge? So I got out some of my "tools of the trade" and got to work making Chicken Tikka Masala with rice and 'faux' Naan. By faux I mean I took some oldish flat bread and warmed it up with butter. By the end of the night, that man had a lotta dishes to clean, let me tell you!

You will see on top my tools of the trade. There are two pepper grinders- one is traditional black pepper and the other is Grains of Paradise which I put on at the last minute to enhance certain dishes and veggies. I read about it in Amanda Hesser's "Cooking for Mr. Latte". Great foodie read. Check out the blog she co-founded- food52. She saw where writing was headed- online- and has a great thing going for food writing. I visit that site a lot! I've listed it at the bottom.

What's in the nesting chicken, you ask? Why that's my salt- kosher salt to be exact. I do not cook with iodized salt. That's for the table, not for cooking darlings- that's just how I roll.
It will not melt on you right away but it wakes up your food and stays with you throughout the cooking process. Go ask your chem teacher to explain the rest, okay?

Okay, now don't ask me to explain why I read MSL (Martha Stewart Living)- it was free when I cashed in some airline miles I wasn't using. I basically like her cookie recipe at the back of the every issue and laugh at the calendar she insists on printing in the front. Like I care how often Martha does yoga every month?

I do adore Real Simple though. There's something that's worth schlepping over 26 bucks a year for that mag. I can thank the re-org of my closet and how to defrost meat properly to that publication.