baking 'ventures

as much as i love to bake, there are some recipes i steer clear of that seem too technical or outside of my skill level. for a long time, the swiss roll was on that list...until a couple of weekends ago. honestly, the idea of rolling a cake didn't quite click for me until i'd watched an episode of the great british baking show that featured it. the way the judges broke down each step and the logic behind it suddenly made it so simple. i had to finally see if i could do it.

first up, i had to whip the egg whites to lift the sponge cake...

then, to bake the cake to the perfect level of light golden and quickly roll it. oddly enough, this stage wasn't as hard as i thought it would be. minus, burning my fingers from rolling a hot cake. 

[goodies ready to go]

once the sponge cooled, i slowly unrolled it, added the cream and berries, and got to re-rolling it. 

then, to taste it...thankfully, T and my brother were sweet enough to be my guinea pigs. it was everything i'd hoped it would be, and i've already begun dreaming up new combinations :)

[yum]

edible gifting

during the holiday season, i have a hard time figuring out what to do for friends. do i find a gift? do i not? what price limit? do i tell them in advance as to avoid the awkward "oh, i didn't get you anything" or "i didn't know we were doing christmas gifts" exchange? the task is always too daunting to consider so, i typically opt out. but, i can't shake the feeling of wanting to do something. then, i found my solution...edible gifts! just enough effort to show care and thought while avoiding all the unpleasantness noted above. 

however, to not overwhelm myself with wanting to bake for everyone i know, i give myself parameters: only local (as in someone who lives close enough for me to drop it off) and no more than five to ten friends (any more and i'd be overwhelmed with the task). 

[all the sprinkles]

first to bake, my molasses cookies. i whip these up every year so, it was an easy choice for gifting. they're the perfect combo of spiced cookie with the sweet dip of almond bark...unexpected and delicious. 

second batch, the classic sugar cookie with all the sprinkles. i typically don't like sugar cookies since i find them to be boring and bland. but, these...oh man, were they good. everything i find lacking about the cookie finally presented itself with this one, and even T was a fan. so much so, he nearly tried to eat them all before i could package them up!

[had to taste test]

for batch number three, santa-sized gingerbread cookies. it's not christmas without gingerbread in some form or fashion. and since our pups would never leave a gingerbread house untouched, this sweet cookie became our replacement :)

[cooled, set, and ready for packaging]

and of course, one for our mailman. he very sweetly puts up with boba trying to scare him everyday with any and all tactics he can think of. i don't know what it is about the mailman but, he really dislikes him. hopefully a sweet treat will help a little :)

sweet peach of mine

i absolutely love peach season. it is, in my opinion, one of the best things about summer. aside from watermelon, it is the quintessential summer fruit. i love snacking on them by themselves but, when made into a crumble, cobbler, or grilled...there is nothing better! i haven't been much for peach pie since they take so much labor to make until, i came across the crostata. crostatas are, simply put, a deconstructed pie without the hassle of making two crusts. which is perfect, if you're like me, and want the pie in a hurry. this recipe is so easy to whip up, i've already made three in the past month! plus, i love the combination of sweet and tangy. trust me when i say, you will not be sorry you made this. 

[yum]

personal notes for this recipe: 

don't skip using raw sugar. it may seem like it won't make a huge difference just using plain 'ole processed sugar but, it truly does. the crust is not as delicious or as visually appealing without it.

also, after trying the recipe with longer peach slices and cut-up chunks, i have to say the chunks are much better. it's easier to get good pieces of the crostata with ample amounts of goodies with the chunks than the long slices. plus, i just felt like it gelled better, if that makes sense.  

[buttery, flaky crust]

[fresh mint from our front yard]

banana oatmeal muffins

 

i know it's been a hot minute since i've posted a recipe so, i hope this one makes up for it. this happens to be one of my favorite muffin recipes and, is also, one of the easiest. (sadly, i keep having trouble uploading the original website i found it from, so, i apologize.) it's perfect for breakfast, post-workout snack, or really, anytime snacking ;)

 

here's what you'll need:

1 cup greek yogurt

3 bananas (it's actually better when you use bananas that are browning)

2 eggs

2.5 cups of old-fashioned oats

3/4 cup of sugar

1.5 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

muffin tin

muffin liners

 

directions:

1. place all your ingredients in a blender (i try to layer it with the dry and wet ingredients evenly dispersed in the blender.) and blend until smooth, see photo #3 below for what it should look like.

2. preheat the oven to 400 degrees and place liners in the muffin tin.

3. fill your liners with the blended mix until they are about 3/4ths full. should make about 26.

4. bake for 15-20 mins, or, until your toothpick comes out clean.

5. enjoy!

 

hope you like it!

christmas cookie party

 

last saturday we had our annual christmas cookie decorating party. it's always so much fun to see what everyone comes up with although, it usually ends with the guys snickering at their "creations". this year, we decided to kick things up a notch by wearing tacky sweaters, making holiday-themed drinks, and taking cookie breaks for home alone.

 

[buttered rum and wassail]

 

[the guys, joking about their creations...oh brother]

 

i have to say, the watch party for home alone was pretty great. i loved seeing everyone's favorite parts and all the commentary that went along.

 

[sneaking smooches with my bearded santa]

 

it such a great turnout and aside from the labor involved in cookie/icing prep, it was one of the funnest and easiest parties to date.

thanks to all our sweet friends for making it out, and, to next year! 

mini pies

 

with autumn comes the variety of ways to incorporate its best fruit, the apple...apple crisp, granola, cobblers, cakes but, most importantly, pies. and while i like to have apple pie on occasion, a whole pie is a lot more than i could ever want. so when i found this recipe for a hand-held version...it was a sign. i had to make it!

 

[i nearly started eating the apple mix, it smelled so good!]

 

so easy to make (especially since you can use a pre-made dough) and even easier to enjoy. plus, it's the perfect snack for a dreary fall day.

 

happy baking!