October 18, 2012

Forgive Me

I've done a bad/awesome thing.  I've made ice cream.  But not just any ice cream....
 
This ice cream doesn't mess around.  It's not trying to be something it's not.  It is straight up baller and knows it.  It doesn't even need to be turned into a milkshake to bring the boys to the yard.  Lil Wayne would rap about this ice cream.
Ok enough.  I'm ridiculous.  BUT. GET. THIS.
Cookie Dough flavored ice cream (no dough involved) + NUTELLA + Crunchy Cocoa Cinnamon Granola! 
Please re-read.  If you aren't on the same page as me on this, no need to read beyond this point. 

Here's what happens.  You make granola, and coat it in cocoa, cinnamon, and all the good things in the world, i.e. butter, maple syrup, and honey.  After you cook it, you let it cool.  Then you toss in some chocolate chips.
You make a custard base with brown butter and brown sugar for flavor.  You chill it.  Then you throw it in the ice cream maker.   When it's almost frozen, you sprinkle it with your granola and drizzle it with (large) scoopfuls of nutella. 
You eat it immediately and you do a dance with your hands because it is so good.  You are almost mad that you haven't made this before and almost mad that you will have this in your recipe book from here on out.  Forgive me on not letting you live before this date.  Forgive me for the massive amount of ice cream in your future.

October 3, 2012

Emotional Baking

I've come to realize I am an emotional baker.  Not like, I am a baker, and I am emotional (like my boyfriend pointed out much to my chagrin).  I mean that when I'm in heightened emotional states, my therapy is to bake.  See examples below.

When I'm frustrated with my job, I make pizza concotions. 
This one was brussels sprouts, bacon, and carmelized onions.  Then I do my best to not let us eat it all in one sitting.  Then I fail. 
 
When I'm trying to show my love, I make pie.  Either it's an "I'm in the Doghouse" pie.  Or, a "Hey, We All Love Each Other and Let's Eat Pie Together" pie.  Add tea.
Recently, it was a "Sometime's I'm a Dipshit" Banana Cream Pie with a fudgy "I'm Sorry" Ganache.  It turned into a "Let's Eat this for Every Meal" Pie.   I threw in some mini peanut butter cream tarts for good measure. 

When I'm angry, bread is the best medicine.  Kneading is therapeutic.  Really.  When angry tears come, all I want to do is knead the crap out of some dough.  Solution: Pretzels.
You can't go wrong.  You get to knead out your problems.  Then you when you are more composed you get to reflect for an hour while your dough rises (perhaps with a cocktail).  Then you get to focus on something else, like rolling and shaping them into perfect, twisted, salty morsels. 

And when I'm homesick and starting to get burned out from working two jobs, I make my mom's chex mix.
Then I eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  And snack.  And dessert?
Turns out, baking and cooking are how I relieve stress and sometimes how I express my feelings.  I'd have to say turning my frustration into creating something in the kitchen is a pretty healthy way for me to handle everything.  Although the heightened carb intake that comes after this therapeutic creating is likely not so healthy in the long run.  Such is life!

Want some recipes??
For the pizza, similar is here from Tracy at shutterbean.com.
For the pie, I adapted mine from the Williams Sonoma book Home Baked Comfort.  I'll post this later.
Pretzels. YUM!
Chex Mix is as follows!

16 cups of your favorite chex (I did 5 cups wheat, 5 cups rice, 6 cups corn)
2 cups pretzels (If my sister had her choice, she would omit these.  I use about 1.5 cups)
2 cups peanuts (I omit these because I don't like them much)
1 stick of butter
3 tsp Lawry's Seasoned Salt
7 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees.    Stick your butter on the pan you are cooking in and stick it in the oven as it is warming until it melts.  Pull out your pan, add the seasoned salt and worcestershire, and stir.  Add all of your chex.  Toss to coat.  Throw the pan in the oven for an hour, rotating chex every 15 minutes.  Add pretzels and peanuts after a half an hour. Let cool and try to keep your paws off of them!  I usually eat them while they are hot because I can't resist.