Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Daring Baker's Challenge: Lemon Meringue Pie






I wish I could runaway like my lemon curd ran. This month's Daring Baker's Challenge was hosted by Jen from The Canadian Baker . Lemon Meringue Pie, a first for me. I was a little apprehensive about the meringue. These days egg whites scare me. After a failed flourless chocolate cake earlier this month I bake in fear of collapsed egg whites. While my meringue was not as stiff as maybe it should have been, it really did turn out nice. The crust was simply and delicious, mine was nice and thick, my favorite. Usually I'm a huge fan of curd...but like a lot of other DBers mine ran. The taste was great, but too soupy. It's okay though, I'm glad I completed my third challenge and in the future will make some changes so my lemon curd may stay.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Happy Birthday Dad.


As I said earlier, I love any excuse to bake a cake. Mostly for the decorating part. Practice makes perfect. Happy 54th birthday Old Man.

Friday, January 25, 2008

Minestrone.


Rainy days equal soup days. Simple, healthy Minestrone soup. Small shell pasta, fresh spinach, carrots, zucchini, celery, onions, garlic, tomatoes, fresh basil. thyme, oregano, and alas vegetable stock. Perfect.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

January birthdays, take one.



Myself and a few of my close friends celebrate our birthdays this month. Birthdays are the best! A reason to bake cake and eat cake!!! Not that I don't bake cakes on other random days, afterrall everyday has to be someone's birthday. Happy Quarter of a Century to Ashley and Christy!! My first excuse to make chocolate ganache...it was amazing. My Dad and I are another year older on Saturday, birthday cake take two!

Monday, January 14, 2008

Sukiyaki


Like every other morning as I was eating breakfast today I was already thinking about what I would be eating for dinner. My Dad suggested we make Sukiyaki. He showed me a recipe that he had gotten out of a book of various recipes put together by a Japanese community center we used to be involved with. The recipe was very simple and so I gave it a go. I had no idea what to expect. I am so used to using a bunch of garlic, onions, and pepper in my meat marinades, that soy sauce, sugar, and a little bit of water was new to me. The end product was amazing. I started by heating a little bit of vegtable oil in a skillet. I added my onions, both green and white. After a couple minutes I added my top sirloin which was cut into very thin pieces. I made sure to keep the vegtables seperate from the meat at first. Then I simply added my sauce mixture and let the meat broil in it. After the meat was cooked I added mushrooms, bean sprouts, water chesnuts, bamboo stalks, tofu, and noodles. It was that simple. I thought it looked great, but because I didnt use the garlic that I am used to there was no strong aroma. That didn't matter at all. The dish was delicious!! The meat was nice and tender and I loved how the water chesnuts and bean sprouts added a nice crunch. Im so happy to have another Japanese dish to add to my heart. Sukiyaki is something I never would have thought to make, or look for in a cookbook. I'm glad my Dad suggested it and I look forward to sharing it with my friends and family.

Monday, January 7, 2008

Butternut.


I know fall is behind us, but I've always had mad love for the butternut squash. When I was younger I loved it because of it's appearance. The fall would bring all sorts of weird looking squash, and I never imagined taking one and making it into a delicious meal. But I did. Since I have been working at the bistro I mentioned I have been craving butternut squash soup. With all the rain and gloomy skies I mocked my chef's soup tonight. The recipe I used was googled http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=recipe&dbid=33. I'm trying to cook healthier this year which is why you will find no cakes, cookies, or pastries in this entry. Along with my soup I made a spring mix salad with strawberries, pecans, and blue cheese. Another thing I soaked up at work. Overrall it was a great meal. Different and filling. I will definetly be making it again and experimenting in different ways.