Featured Cupcake

Blueberry cake with a Rosemary and Thyme buttercream

Acorn Squash and Coconuts

I've got an Acorn squash and a coconut sitting on my kitchen counter right now.

I have a few questions:
1)  How do I break into that coconut?
2)  What do I do with it now that I do?
3)  What new recipe should I try with the Acorn squash?  I'm tired of my normal baked squash with butter and brown sugar.  I need something new.  Perhaps something with squash and coconut?!  Weird!  Maybe delicious!

I guess tomorrow (or today depending on how you look at it) I will try to break into the coconut and try something new!

Anyone have a nail?

Happy New Year!

Ok ok...I'm almost 2 weeks late with that but it's okay.  Right?  Sorry for not updating more frequently...left gets busy/hectic and some things get put on the back-burner.

Anyways, the new quarter at school has started.  I'm taking the chocolates class and the advanced cake decorating class.

Alright, as the saying goes: New Year, New You!

What is my New Year's Resolution?  Become a runner.  I want to run a half-marathon by the end of the year...I'm thinking sometime in September if I can find one.  Also, gluten-free diet.

And, of course, I've already gone off track with both.  I have a good reason for the running one though...I've been feeling really dehydrated lately.   Didn't think it would be the best idea to lose more fluids (i.e. sweat) when I'm already lacking.  The gluten-free thing...well...I'm doing pretty good for the most part but I had Quizno's yesterday and I think there was something else that I ate.  Working at a cupcake shop doesn't exactly help the cause either.  We DO have a gluten-free cupcake though so when the craving is too much to resist...at least I know I have something I can turn to!

I think it might be time to start taking those multi-vitamins that have been sitting in my cabinet for the past year or so.  Perhaps another resolution to add to the list?

I think I'll be able to hit the gym again tomorrow...pick up my running schedule again, finally.  I'm not too off track with that one anyway.  Maybe missed two of my workouts.  Not bad. Not good.  But not bad either.

Ok.  That's it for tonight.

Later!

Le Sigh

October is almost over and I still haven't made my candy corn!  Perhaps I will find some time this coming week...

Here's me with some I made last year (and yes, that is a Chinese take-out bowl):

You're My Cuppycake...

You're my Honeybunch, Sugarplum,
Pumpy-umpy-umpkin, You're my Sweetie Pie.
You're my Cuppycake, Gum Drop,
Snoogums-Boogums, You're the Apple of my eye
And I love you so and I want you to know
That I'll always be right here
And I love to sing sweet songs to you
Because you are so dear




Yup, you guessed it (actually, you probably didn't)...I work at a cupcake shop now.  A "cupcakery," if you will.

I love it.  I also love that I wake up happy in the morning.  The new job may or may not be the sole reason I am happy.  But it is at least a very SIGNIFICANT reason for my happiness.

LG asked me an interesting question the other day: "When did you get so gangsta?"

Hahahahaha....wait, what?  Come on, LG.  You know I'm the whitest person you will ever know.  Like, you pretty much have to explain to me what you and Erin and Eryn are talking about almost always.

Anyways...my response to him?  "Probably when I stopped caring at work" (to clarify by "at work," I meant, at the restaurant, not the cupcakery).  "Or maybe it was when I just stopped caring what people think.  It's whatevs.  You don't like me?  I don't care."

Don't get me wrong.  I do care.  I'm just more sure of myself now than I ever have been in the past...I'm "coming into my own."  I've learned so much about myself in the past few months...who I am, who I want to be, what I want to do "when I grow up," what kinds of people I want to be friends with, what kinds of people I DON'T want to be friends with, and basically why I shouldn't sweat the small stuff.

Sometimes things happen in life that really change your perspective of everything...sort of like having an epiphany...and I may or may not have had one of those "life changing" events a month or 2 ago.

And back to cupcakes.  Mom sent me a picture of the cupcake one of her coworkers bought her for "Case Manager Appreciation Day" at the hospital she works at.  This is my brother, Ryan, and the beautiful red velvet cupcake that Mom is so graciously sharing with him.  Also, notice there are cupcakes on the napkin:

FDA to consider OK of genetically engineered salmon

Brought to you by CNN: 
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/09/20/genetic.engineered.salmon.hearing/?hpt=T2

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will hold a hearing Monday as it considers whether to approve genetically engineered salmon for human consumption.

If approved it would be the first genetically modified animal permitted by the food safety agency. 

A company, AquAdvantage Salmon, has injected growth hormones into Atlantic salmon that enable the fish to reach maturity in half the normal growth time, 16 to 18 months, rather than 30 months.

The FDA in an analysis dated Monday, wrote: "We therefore conclude the food from AquAdvantage Salmon that is the subject of this application is as safe as food from conventional Atlantic salmon and that there is a reasonable certainty of no harm from the consumption of food from this animal."

But critics worry about the possible health effects of eating fish containing the growth hormone."

"It's impossible to talk about the risks other than saying they haven't been properly assessed, other than process has been rushed and we don't know," said Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food and Water Watch. She added that the FDA is a "very stressed agency" with all the latest recalls and outbreaks, that it "can't ensure the safety of the foods they currently regulate."

Hauter said that the FDA has relied too heavily on information provided by AquAdvantage and that there should be a more extended time given to thoroughly vet and discuss risks.

A final decision is expected in a few weeks.

My question to you:
If the FDA approves most of our beef and chicken (which are injected w/ growth hormones and raised on an unnatural diet of corn and grains), doesn't that mean Salmon would be the THIRD GMO animal to be approved by that terrible gov't organization and not the FIRST?

That is exactly what Americans need.  More food-like "food."  How about we raise animals to grow they way they are suppose to...on a natural diet and without growth hormones.  I'd rather pay more for grass-fed, hormone free meat and poultry than for some sort of food-like product that I'm not sure is even good for me in the first place.


And as my friend, Dan, pointed out:
"Seafood is one of the only untouched foods in this world...why do we humans always have to adapt this world to our needs... not even needs, our wants"

Food News Journal

Just the other day a thought popped through my mind (I know, my brain works, it's amazing!):  There's got to be some resource for news about food and the industry.  But where?


And then I never pursued that thought any further.  Should have, but being sick (and sleeping for 14-16 hours each night), homework, and work don't really allow much time for the things of my leisure.  I get a little reading in before work--while I'm sitting on the bus or waiting for metro--but that's about it.  However, I always manage to find time to read my RSS feed...my blog roll, if you will.  And one of the blogs, The Kitchn, mentioned that they were looking for new bloggers for their site.  Naturally, this peaked my interest (even though I know I don't blog much and don't have much time to blog).  I was reading the description and one of them was " Do you read Food News Journal every day?"  WHAT?!  No!  I didn't even know about Food News Journal!


Anyhow, now I'm totally excited about this and I have one more thing to add to my list of required reading each day.  I feel like a kid in a candy store!

The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry

How often do you find a book that you just can't put down (unless you have to)?  It doesn't happen often for me.  I read all the time, but don't often find those books that you almost wish would never end.  That's what happened when I picked up "The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry: Love, Laughter and Tears in Paris at the World's Most Famous Cooking School" at the bookstore last week.

It could have bored me to tears but Kathleen Flinn writes with such elegance that you feel like you know her.  You are her friend.  You are in the kitchen at Le Cordon Bleu with her.

Anyways, go pick it up or get it from the library (or ask me if you can borrow it) or something.  It really is a fantastic book.

Coming Soon: DC Summer Restaurant Week

For those of you who don't know (because you are either a n00b or you have never lived in/near DC), DC Restaurant Week is the most AWESOME time of year.  AND IT HAPPENS TWICE EACH YEAR!  Ok, maybe it's just the most awesome time of year for those of us who are MAJOR foodies and can't really afford the expensive restaurants on a regular basis like we wish we could.

DC Restaurant Week is the time to try something new.  There are TONS of restaurants that participate in providing a 3-course meal for either $20.10 (lunch) or $35.10 (dinner) (price doesn't include beverages, gratuity, or tax).  The DC Summer Restaurant Week dates are August 16-22 and often times, there will be participating restaurants that extend the week into the following week as well (giving me more time to try more restaurants!).

I'm not gonna lie...I definitely made a lunch reservation at SEVEN different restaurants for each day of DC Summer Restaurant Week.

You're probably thinking, "Cara, you cheap bitch.  Why are you only going for lunch?"

Well, my schedule doesn't really allow me to go out for dinner.  I work 4pm-midnight most nights and when I'm not working I have class from 6pm-9:40pm.  No time for DC Restaurant Week dinners.  And anyways, if I'm going to do this everyday that week, I might as well go the cheaper route...it's already going to cost me $140 before tax & tip.  I better start saving (or maybe cancel a reservation or two).

DC Restaurant Week's official website: http://washington.org/restaurantwk/

My week of lunch reservations include the following restaurants.  They are in no particular order because....well...I don't want stalkers.  If you know me and you are my friend, email me.  I will surely respond.  My reservations are all for 2 people, so if you have some time on any of those days (August 16-22) to join me, PLEASE DO!

Anyways, my reservations include:
Morton's the Steakhouse (Downtown DC location)
Fire & Sage (EDIT 7/30 @ 11:30am:  I've got my lunch companion!)
The Oval Room (EDIT 7/30 @ 11:30am:  I've got my lunch companion!)
Juniper at the Fairmont
Sonoma Restaurant & Wine Bar
Ceiba
BlackSalt

I built you a cake...

Eryn asked me last week to make a cake for her godson's 1st communion.  She asked for a cake with fondant...something I've never worked with.

I said, "yes."

Cake details:
Shape: Square
Flavor: Chocolate
Layers: 2
Color: Blue
Filling: Up to me
Decoration: TBD when Eryn and I decorate together

So, here's what I ended up doing.   I only have one square baking pan so I had to make the layers in two batches.

I made a chocolate genoise cake.  To make a genoise, you heat a mixture of eggs and sugar over a double boiler until it hits about 103-113F, take it off the heat and then whip it into oblivion until it has tripled in volume and leaves a thick ribbon when you pull the whisk out.  That, of course, what the most tiring part of the entire process...even though I didn't whip it by hand.  It just gets soooooo boring when you are standing at the mixer for 12-15min waiting for the right consistency.  The cake actually cooked pretty quickly.  I stuck it in a 425F oven for 10min and then called it a day.  No salt.  No baking powder or baking soda.  Just sugar, eggs, vanilla, butter, flour, and cocoa powder.

Let me back up a little:
Step 1: Make fondant (I made it a few days in advance and let it set in the fridge until I needed it).  I could have bought some somewhere, but it was so much cheaper to make and I really wanted to see what the fuss is all about.  Fondant is kind of a pain to make because you have to knead it quite a bit, but other than that it's no big deal.  Just a bunch of marshmallows, powdered sugar, water, and crisco mixed together.

Step 2: Make cake layers.  Chocolate genoise made in two batches and then frozen until it was time to build the cake.

Step 3: Make vanilla buttercream frosting.  Fluff up some room temp butter, add an egg (if you please), add some vanilla and fluff some more.  Mix in powdered sugar and fluff some more.

Step 4:  Place first layer of cake on cake board.  Frost top.  Place second layer on top of frosted layer.  Frost entire cake.  Does not have to be super thick.  The buttercream on the outside is basically to help the fondant stick.

Step 5: Roll out fondant to about 1/8 in thick.  I think mine may have been a bit too thick but it was the first time I've worked with fondant and it was a learning experience.  I know what worked this time and what I should do differently next time.

Step 6: Enrobe cake in fondant by rolling fondant onto rolling pin then slowly draping it over the frosted cake.  I had tons of extra fondant leftover and I wanted a clean edge at the bottom so I made a fondant rope and wrapped it around the cake.

Step 7:  DECORATE!  Eryn made chocolate crosses and brought some writing fondant and an edible shimmer dust along with a multitude of other various decorating options.  We ended up making small balls out of the leftover fondant, rolling them in the shimmer dust and then created a rosary.

For a first timer, I think I did a pretty damn good job.  Here's to hoping they like the way it tastes!

Ouch!

This is what happens when the ONLY set of oven gloves at your workplace are drenched in God-knows-what-kind-of-liquid.  I had to use my side towels...which isn't exactly the most exciting thing because you have to be a WHOLE LOT more careful (which apparently I wasn't careful enough).  Anyways, I managed to hit my arm with the 280F sheet pan.  Good times.

If you know me, you can probably guess what I did as soon as it happened:  show everyone.

Of course all the guys in the kitchen were like, "Oh, no bueno!"  And then there I was, "Eh, it's not so bad.  It's ok."

What Happened to Personal Responsibility?

I was reading an article on a blog today (Serious Eats) about how the government is getting involved with corporations and their marketing tactics.  They may put restrictions on what can be put on packaging and who the companies can market their products to based on nutritional value (obviously).  Basically, if it's not healthful (which is pretty much everything that isn't straight from the farm, imo), you can't have attractive packaging and you can't use cute cartoon characters and blah blah blah restrictions restrictions restrictions.

You know, I'm all for making sure children eat healthful foods.  And I don't like that America is known for its obesity either.  But why do we have to ask our government to nanny us.  Why can't the citizens take charge and demand that private companies become more responsible with their advertising?  Or, better yet, how about parents grow some balls and tell their kids (and maybe themselves too) "NO" every once in awhile.

I know it's easier said than done but when a 5 year old is 80 pounds, don't you think that's a bit much?  At what point does a parent look at their obese child and change their thought from, "Oh, he's just a growing boy" to "Maybe I should be more careful with the foods I feed my child.  I don't want him to die early because I wanted to be my kid's best friend."


Don't get me wrong...I love food.  Pretty much all of it.  Even the crappy stuff (which I try to avoid).  But when it comes down to it, moderation is key and if/when I have kids, I won't be buying that shit.  Fruits, veggies, FRESH foods.  I'll want my kids to know what REAL food tastes like.  You better believe they will appreciate food as much as I do, and they will also know how to eat in moderation...also, sports.  My kids will be active (soccer, ballet, whatever....active).  I'll only have myself to blame if I have obese kids.  I'm not going to blame the providers of the food and I'm not going to task the government to make those companies stop marketing to my kids.

It'll be my own damn fault if I have unhealthy kids.

BREAD!

I am going to master the art of bread baking.

Week 3 in the bakery is going well (I have today off)...smoother now that there is a new system and new schedule.  I've started the PM shift (which means I work from 4pm - midnight).  It's not as bad as it sounds...I don't fall asleep until 2 or 3am now...but whatevs.  I don't have to wake up until I feel like it (or 1 or 2pm...but I usually get up around 10 or 11am).

So now, because I want to master the art (the science?), I am on the search for books!  Books books and more books!  Give me things to read to learn the why and the how!  It will help me in my practice to have the knowledge.

Any suggestions?

3am Wake-Up Call

Clearly, I rock at updating this thing frequently. Obviously I've made plenty more dishes in school that I should have written about...but I failed.

I did go to St. Louis a few weekends ago.

Kent and Whitney got married at McKendree University in IL (about 30 min from St. Louis) and held their reception at the planetarium in St. Louis.  Probably one of the most epic weddings I've been to (and I haven't been to many so that doesn't say much).  It was a wonderful break from life...even though we drove 15 hours to get there and 15 hours to get back.  The drive wasn't even that bad....good company makes time go by quicker!

Here are a few things I've made in the past few weeks:
Mexican Wedding Cookies (served to chef with a cup of coffee and some cream):

Brownie Pudding Cake (the chocolate "sauce" around the bottom is actually the "pudding" that formed while cooking....sooooo delicious!):

Chilled Cucumber and Avocado Soup:

In the meantime, it's 6:43pm and I need to hit the hay.  Starting tomorrow I'm training to be a baker at my restaurant and they want me there at 4am.  That is why I have a 3am wake-up call and 7 or 8pm bedtime.

Congrats to me!

American Cuisine Week 5: New England Cuisine

New England Boiled Dinner with New England Clam Chowder, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans with Fried Onions, and Blueberry Peach Cobbler


So, this week was midterm week.  Last week, Chef told us that we would all be making and presenting our own recipe from the New England chapter...no help from our teammates.  At least, that what everyone thought he said.  Then on Wednesday, he sent an email out at 4:00 (2 hours before class started) saying that we would be making and presenting a 3-course meal.  Again, leading us to believe we had to do it on our own...no help from our teammates.  We then got to class and to our relief, we are told that we can work as a team to make the 3-course meal but we have to plate and present the meal individually.

Every group had to make clam chowder and I think every group had to make the blueberry peach cobbler. There were maybe two or three different entrees that the class was working on.  Thank goodness for be able to work with the team because there is no way in hell I'd have been able to make a 3-course meal in 2.5 hours.

Anyways, I'm not really happy with my presentation for the entree but whatevs.  I think I got an A...maybe a B.  And I got 9 out of 10 on the knife skills portion of the midterm on Thursday (15 minutes to do 10 cuts...I did 9 out of 10 of them).

American Cuisine Week 4: Tex-Mex Cuisine

Mexican Wedding Cookies

I gave in.  I HAD to do the dessert this week.  I love making cookies.

And, of course, there were difficulties with this recipe as well.  First we didn’t have softened butter, so we had to get some softened.  Then the butter was too soft.  So the too soft butter was put in the freezer. (And it took far too long to get to where I wanted it, if you want my opinion.)  While that hardened up a little, I helped my group members do any prep work they needed for the recipes they were working on.

When I finally got the cookies into the oven, I was afraid they would flatten out and not stay in ball form.  They did flatten out a tiny bit, but after looking at pictures on the internet, they turned out exactly how they are suppose to (THANK THE LORD!).

After much discussion with a few group members, we decided to present them with a cup of coffee.  These cookies are probably my favorite thing so far this quarter.

American Cuisine Week 3: Cajun Cuisine

Roasted Eggplant and Oysters

Well, once again, we didn’t have all the ingredients we needed.  No eggplant.  Not initially at least.  After I had already started working with the zucchini that was provided, eggplant magically appeared.  I decided to use both in this recipe to give it my own little touch (because I love both eggplant and zucchini).  

It took a while to shuck the oysters.  I had never done it before but I was determined to learn.  And I have been making a point of not making the dessert each week (even though I really, really, really want to).  In my eyes, this was the most difficult recipe because we had to shuck the oysters.  I’m glad I learned though.  That is definitely a skill that is comparable to riding a bike:  once you learn, you never forget.

The oyster dish was surprisingly delicious.  I’m not exactly a fan of shellfish but forced myself to try these.  I think the thing that turns me off the most is slurping them out of the shell.  When you’re eating them as part of a dish, it’s hard to tell they’re even there.

(That's a Muffaletta on the left)

Mini Burgers!

I was sitting at Cosi this afternoon doing homework with Erin.  I finished everything and was reading through my Google Reader and saw a post about burger joints on a blog that I read.  Of course, this inspired me to make burgers for dinner tonight.

And then I started to go through some old posts that I had "starred" in Google Reader and found some more recipes (the intention was to find side dishes).  I started making a grocery list: ground beef, burger buns, onion, bacon, tomato....you know....the basics.

As I continued reading my Reader, the list grew.  Soon, I decided to make Pistou-Crumbed Creamed Spinach.  (Which, by the way, is DELICIOUS.)  And then I found a recipe for a green sauce that accompanies this chicken recipe.  There was this plantain recipe too. (Which I didn't end up making because Harris Teeter didn't have the right plantains.)

And of course, I'm sitting in Cosi getting all excited...mouth watering and everything.  OMG, I'm drooling. Like, I literally could not sit still because I was so excited about the delicious dinner I was about to have.

Anyhow, as it turns out, Cara is pretty damn good at making burgers.  Caramelize some onions.  Grill some bacon in the cast-iron grill pan.  Toast some slider buns.  Make some burger patties, throw them in the grill pan (with a little bit of bacon grease)....cook each side for about 4 minutes.  Throw everything together.  Plate.  Eat.  Satisfaction.  OMG I want more.

It's been awhile since I've actually cooked a full meal.  Totally worth it.  And all those veggies.  I feel so healthy.  What made it even better was that I got to play catch up with an old friend too!  (Two old friends if you count the fact that Mark came over after Abby and I had already finished eating.)

Sorry, no pictures.  We ate everything before I had a chance to take pictures.

There's one burger leftover for tomorrow's breakfast...because, yes, I do eat non-breakfast foods for breakfast.  I am awesome like that.  Thanks.

Spice, Sweet, Tropical, Healthy, AND Delicious!

Tonight, I decided I should probably cook something instead of buying something.  I also decided that I'm too lazy to head to the store...I've called it a day already.  So what do I have in my cupboards?

I've got all this random stuff.  I found some coconut milk..which made me thing "ooh!  coconut rice!"  But, of course, I don't have rice.  I DO have pasta though!  What else should I use?  How the F do I have pineapple?  Why do I have all this random stuff?

So here's what I ended up using...

1 can coconut milk
1 can cubed pineapple
Crushed red pepper
Saffron
Ground ginger
Salt
2 whole cloves
Some leftover turkey from class
Golden raisins
Frozen stir-fry veggies (I picked out the carrots and sugar snap peas b/c I don't like the other veggies (these were mainly just to add color anyway))
Mirin (a Japanese rice wine)
And some vanilla flavored vodka (which I probably could have done w/o but I thought it might add an interesting flavor)
Sesame oil

I think that's all I used.  Hah...didn't write it down as I was doing it.  Whatevs.

Anyways, I mixed the coconut milk and juice from the can of pineapple (saved the pineapple pieces for later) in a saucepan along with probably about 1/4c crushed red pepper, about a 1/4tsp crushed saffron, a pinch of ground ginger, a dash of salt, the cloves, maybe about 1/2 c of Mirin, and a splash of the vanilla vodka.

I let it come to a boil then I threw in the pasta (I used mini fusilli...but the type of pasta doesn't matter) and cooked until the pasta was al dente.

While the pasta was cooking, I diced about a cup of the turkey breast (about 1/4in dice) and sauted it with some of the pineapple in a pan that was preheated with about 1tbsp sesame oil.

I mixed some of that into the pasta while it was still cooking.  I then used a slotted spoon to separate the solids from the liquids in the pasta pot and put the solids into a separate bowl.

I took out about 1/4 cup of the sauce and mixed it with about 1tbsp cornstarch to make a slurry to thicken the sauce a bit.  I put the slurry back in the sauce and added the leftover pineapple pieces.  I simmer that while I cooked the frozen veggies in the microwave.  When the veggies were done, I picked out the pieces I wanted and threw them in with the pasta.  And then at the very last minute, I threw the golden raisins into the sauce pot (because I forgot about them until then) and let them cook for about a minute or 2.

Transfer sauce to bowl of pasta, mix, serve, eat.  Spicy....sweet....tropical....delicious....healthy!

Got my fruits, veggies, breads, and meats.  No dairy...but I think I eat enough cheese to last a lifetime.

Anyhow, here's a crappy picture...

Gazpacho

It's suppose to be a golden gazpacho made with yellow beefsteak tomatoes.  But, alas, we had no yellow beefsteak tomatoes in class tonight so it ended up being an orange-colored gazpacho.  Apparently all that money I'm putting toward school doesn't actually buy anything we need for class.

On a happy note, the gazpacho I ended up making turned out delightfully.

I substituted Roma tomatoes for the yellow beefsteak tomatoes, added half a jalapeno to give the soup a kick, and threw in some basil leaves while I was at it.  And instead of garnishing with sour cream and diced green bell pepper (the pepper that I hate most), I garnished with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, some basil chiffonade and a sprinkle of bacon (because everything tastes better with bacon).

Things actually went right for me in class tonight.  I'm only working the lunch shift tomorrow.  And I've got the entire weekend off to do as much HW as possible before my next class.  AND, on top of that, my friends are awesome with all the encouragement to continue on with my AA.  (For all who have given input and encouragement, thank you.)  Things are starting to look up!

<3