Baking, with some photos!

My last baked treat for the bachelorette tomorrow night are the carrot cake cupcakes from . . . Ok. If you don't know where I got this recipe before clicking the link, you haven't been keeping up with this blog at all. I'll give you a hint though - it rhymes with "blitzen mitchum". And they're suuuuuuuper tasty!

Strangely enough, I doubled the spice (which is why my dough turned out so much less orange than the original). There's never enough spiciness for me. Except the nutmeg, which I used very sparingly. That is a very unforgiving spice - too much and you have soap-flavoured everything. Which I don't like all that much, for some reason.

I haven't frosted the cupcakes yet (as they're still warm, the cold room isn't cold enough at this time of year to set the frosting, the icing needs to chill more, and I'm going to do that tomorrow anyway so they're perfect for the party. I might even take them over unfrosted and then do it there), so you'll have to wait for a photo of the final version ;)   I can't wait to frost them though, the cake is very earnest and healthful (especially since I added a zucchini and an apple, and reduced the sugar in them to 1.5 cups from 2), so it'll be a great contrast to the cream cheesey/maple (and veeeeery rich) frosting.

But here are a bunch o photos of me making the cupcakes and frosting:

I was going to upload the photos for another Newfoundland post. But the photo uploader is being an asshole, and I really don't want to learn a new step by having all my photos hosted on another site (à la Flixster or Photobucket). . . I am more seriously considering migrating this blog to WordPress. . . I don't know if you'll notice the occasional horizontal photo that would actually look better in vertical. Stupid uploader.

We'll see. 

Are you as frustrated as me today, Dear Internet?

Aw poop.

So. . . I have a confession to make.

I baked 4 different things last night, and didn't take a single picture. Not even a "Lookit what I made!!" finished shot. . . And they were all completely new recipes for me.

Will you ever forgive me, Dear Internet?

I do have a pretty good excuse, as excuses go. I have a couple of weddings to attend this year (as I've mentioned previously) and the first one is coming up in, holy crap!, just over a week!! So excited!! I'm not too sure I ever want a fancy wedding of any kind, but they're sure fun to attend :)  Anywho, the first bride's bachelorette is, well, tomorrow night, and it's going to be a "girls' night in" party (awesome! and quite a bit easier on the budget. . .) so I thought I'd contribute food, since 1) I'm pretty good at food, 2) there's a no-presents-please policy (ish), 3) I have a whole bunch of recipes I need to try out (damn you, Smitten Kitchen!!) and a new pile o guinea pigs to try them on is an opportunity I cannot pass up, and 4) I love playing with food and trying out new techniques! So I've been kinda busy with the whole, baking four different recipes. Plus, with the not-spending-the-lovely-long-weekend-with-the-boyfriend (as originally planned. mope mopey mope mope. but more on that later), I was rushing around Tuesday night after work so that I could see him later that evening and catch up on weekendy-goodness. So I didn't get as much done as I'd hoped. So last night was a fun 5 hours of go-go-go with baking funtimes. Which was awesome, but didn't lend itself well to the whole staging-pretty-photos-for-the-blog thing. Or even the remembering-that-I-have-this-blog-thing-I-like-posting-on shamozzle. . .

But!

I have one more recipe I'm going to make (I know, I'm insane. I've come to terms with this), so I will hopefully have enough leisure this evening to take a few process shots of this one for you, Dear Internet. Will that make up for my sad blogging skills??

I think I should also post my second installment of Newfoundland photos (maybe even the 3rd through 7th. . . I think that's how many I've planned. I forget). As well as some long weekend photos too. . . I'm just avoiding the blogger photo uploader. Cause it sucks. Maybe I should look into switching from this blog provider, especially considering the problems they've been having lately (what with the blurry photos and the occasional losing people's blogs' content). Hmmmm. . . Food for thought, I guess. (pun very much intended.)

So, look out for photos in your future, Dear Internet! Lots and lots of photos. And some more photos.

In the interim, I guess I should at least let you know what I made. There were the margarita cookies, green tea shortbreads (though I didn't make them sandwich cookies cause 1) the bride-to-be has chocolate issues and 2) it's finicky dough and that's waaaaaayyyyy too much work. I'm lazy, so sue me), sundried tomato stuffed mushroom caps, and mushroom and blue cheese stuffed phyllo triangles (which puts the lie to the "I'm lazy" theory, cause phyllo, it's hard f-ing work. But sooooooooooo much fun to work with!!!!! I'll probably use spray olive oil instead of brushed-on melted butter for the phyllo next time - sooooooo buttery). All from Smitten Kitchen, of course. . . I'm so happy I've learned how to work with phyllo pastry. I've been wanting to try it for a good long while, but I've been a bit intimidated since everyone who works with it complains about it's finickiness. But maybe the brand I got is just easier to use - There was only one (yes, 1!) sheet that was annoying out of the 10 (!!) that I used in the recipe, and it was a lot more flexible than I thought it would be, so actually pretty forgiving to work with (get the President's Choice phyllo pastry - it's actually easy phyllo to work with!!). I should also mention that, since one guest at the party has onion/onion-family issues, I made the two appetizers without onions at all (thus mushrooms = insta-flavour). I added more flavour (with fresh herbs in the mushroom caps, and some dry white wine in the phyllo triangles) to help offset the loss of the alium-y goodness, and I think it actually worked out ok :)

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Also, update re dressmaking: my fabric arrived!!!! wheeee!!!! And it looks sooooo pretty. I think that my colour idea is quite cool (and will work really nicely for a summer-to-fall transition time wedding), and luckily viewing fabric swatches on the interwebs actually translated into the fabrics matching! Crazy!! Though I have to get some new lining material, since the one I'd originally chosen had run out. Pout. But I've found a couple really good options to replace it. 

So I think this weekend I'll actually cut out and (maybe even??) start working on the mock-up version in cotton and play with the modifications I want to make to the pattern. The pattern's the right shape, but has a bunch of little details I want to change, which will probably be really fiddly and make me wish I'd invested in a good dress form. I have a few more things I need to get - zippers, thread, some ribbon, maybe a crinoline-type-thingy to help the skirt fall nicely, a fabric marker, etc. - but I'm really looking forward to some major playing with fabric!!! I even spent some (read: waaaaaaayyyy to much) time on reading through the pattern before bed last night and figuring out the basics of how I want to change the details, as well as finding the steps I can omit since I'll be doing a back zipper instead of a front button placket (see? very different details. . . though maybe that's technically a 'feature' of the pattern. . .).

Excitement about sewing. In a food and music blog. . . Yeah. . .

Stay tuned, Dear Internet!! Much excitement coming your way!

Just by the way. . .

I'm sorry to say this, Dear Internet, but I cooked a very tasty meal of two new recipes for me (waaaaaayyyyy too late - i.e. I'm still eating it. . .) this evening, and while busy with the task I neglected to take any photos. But, in my defense, I've been awake since 6 AM, I have eaten very little today, and I went to spin class after work (for the first time in a while - I've been mostly swimming after work lately). So the hunger, it had to be obeyed.


I can say that they were both (surprise surprise) from Smitten Kitchen's archives. I'm pretty sure that I'm seriously addicted to that blog now. You might need to stage an intervention to save me from myself. (INTERVENTION!! INTERVENTION!!! Please tell me you get that joke, The Internet. . .) Check out the recipes - I definitely recommend you try them!


And I will be relishing the left-overs, that's for sure :)


I did make a few changes, of course, to suit my own peculiar tastes - I added jalapeño to both, as well as apple and lime (zest and juice -  the Flavour Gods, they demand it) to the slaw; I used honey and grainy mustard in the slaw dressing, and only used 1 cup of mayo; I used cumin and an Italian herb mix instead of just thyme, and added a few cloves of garlic for depth of flavour. Also, going to the 24-hour market made the choices of produce rather slim and I had to use baby spinach instead of escarole (soooo tasty!) and red kidney beans instead of white. 


I'm definitely looking forward to attempting these recipes again sometime, and playing some more with the flavours. Especially if I can go grocery shopping at an intelligent time and thus can go to a store that has more than four aisles.


Well, my barley risotto is finally an eatable temperature, so I'm going to finish my dinner and go to bed. 


I hope you had a lovely day, Dear Internet. Did you try anything new today?

Damn you, Smitten Kitchen!!

Okay, so I occasionally kill a little time at work with web surfing. I feel I can get away with it because I work pretty hard and efficiently (and at minimum wage. . .). I still get things done.

Today I was catching up on one of my favourite blogs, Smitten Kitchen, and I then chose to push that damnable 'surprise me!' button. . . What comes up? Her article on making Peter Reinhart's bagels. I don't see the danger I'm in (I've never had any inkling of a desire to make my own bagels, for heaven's sake), so I read the article.

And now I need to make these bagels. Especially since there's a option for cinnamon raisin bagels, which I love with an unholy passion.

Why do I do this to myself??

To be fair, these look pretty darn amazing:

mmmmmm. . .

Check out the article: Peter Reinhart's bagels and dare to tell me you don't think you need to make them yourself. Or maybe I'm just crazy.

Now all I need to do is find a retailer near me who sells high gluten flour. . .

And it doesn't end with the bagels, oh no. There are several dozens of other recipes I now need to try: graham crackers, chocolate wafers and ice-box cupcakes, chocolate soufflé cupcakes with white chocolate mint cream (mmmmmmm. . . this might be the treat I'll make for my friend's birthday party), red pepper soup, sweet pickled grapes (!!), et cetera, ad nauseum. . .

If you like food, and love making it - definitely check out this blog. Though maybe not at work - you can lose hours perusing the various delectable treats on offer.