Mourning Cake

I finally made my friend his coffee cake, at the urging of one of my fellow D&D party members, who said it was his ultimate dessert. Hopefully, this will help him, if any of us can actually get a hold of him, because he's kind of fallen off the map right now.

Coffee Cake
Another offering from allrecipes. I am obsessed with that site. Anyway, this is the original recipe, I did change it a bit though in the directions.

You will need, besides two days:

Cake

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup milk, as needed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Streusel Topping

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup)

Cinnamon Butter Topping

•   2 tablespoons butter (more if desired)
•  Some of Streusel topping
  

Step One:
Prepare the Streusel topping first. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar and cinnamon. Then cut in butter with a fork a bit at a time. Gradually add flour as needed to reach a crumbly consistency.

(*Here's a bit of editorializing though: although what I added first was 1/4 cup of flour, by the time I cut in a half of a stick of butter, it was NOT crumbling like the recipe said it would be. So, I took 1/4 scoop at a time and added more gradually. I cannot say for sure how much flour I added. I probably added in the neighborhood of 3-4 extra 1/4 scoops. I know, that's a big deviation from the recipe. But it finally started crumbling like it said. So, add gradually as you need, but start with at least 1/4 cup.)

When desired consistency is reach, put the bowl in the freezer overnight (or a couple of hours at least) so that when the Streusel topping is applied, it does not melt into the cake.

Step Two:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 8x8.5 (or a 9x13).

In another bowl, or in my case:

You get the idea.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter using another fork until mixture is like more coarse crumbs.

Step Three:
Crack an egg into a one cup measuring cup, add milk to make one cup. Add vanilla and mix.

Step Four:
Add gradually to dry ingredients bowl and mix well.  Spread it into greased pan.

Top with half of Streusal topping mixture. Bake 25-30 minutes or until center of cake is or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Step Five:
Mix half or less of Streusal topping with melted 2 tablespoons butter. Pour over cake. Apply rest of Streusel topping, if any left over.

Voila!

Tips

• I read in the comments on the original recipe page about freezing the Streusel, and I think it's a brilliant idea. It works really well.
• Next time, I'm going to add half the Streusel in the middle. 

So my D&D party and I are going to go and take the cake to his house later today. Hopefully it turns out well.

-A

Coffee'd

Let's start out with a recipe and an adventurous tale of wonder and merriment:

The "Better than Starbucks" Pumpkin Latte
The name was given by Logan, so I can't argue. The original recipe, courtesy of allrecipes. I deviate significantly from it though.

Serves Two

You Will Need

• 2 cups hot milk
• 2 - 3/4 teaspoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 tea spoons vanilla (estimated)
• 1/2 tea spoon pumpkin pie spice
• 2 cups coffee (brewed with 2 tablespoons coffee grounds)
• pinch ground cinnamon

Optional Topping:

• aerosol whipped cream (to taste)
• pinch ground cinnamon
• pinch pumpkin pie spice mix

Step One:
Heat two cups milk in saucepan using medium heat. Froth a bit using a fork.

Step Two:
Add pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, vanilla and sugar to a pitcher. Add hot milk. Stir vigorously.

Step Three:

When stirred and frothed to desired consistency, pour into coffee cups till cups are 2/3 full. Add hot coffee to fill the rest of the cup. Stir to mix well.

Step Four (optional):
Add aerosol whipped cream and pumpkin pie spice to garnish.

-------

Now for the adventure bit.

My boyfriend's 20th birthday was this Saturday, so I decided it would be a great idea to make a Pumpkin Spice Latte from home, since its his favorite Starbucks treat. There were only two recipes on allrecipes, so I went with the one with higher ratings. Besides, it seemed simple enough. One instruction? Ha, I got this!

Look, all the ingredients and everything.

So, I heat the milk on the stove. No problems there. I made sure it didn't boil because I wasn't quite sure what happened to milk if it boiled. Ooh, look, it's starting to look frothy! That's a good sign. I feel like a barista.

I continue to follow the instructions. I put the hot milk, vanilla, sugar, and pumpkin spice in the blender. I turn on the blender...

....um....

... I was coffee'd.

Then there was this:

"Hey Alex, what are you doing?"

I rushed him out of the kitchen area before he saw the carnage of his "surprise" birthday drink. I then clean up the counter, microwave, dishwasher, blender, fridge and all the various casualties of the milk atom bomb.

I then take a deep breath and plunge on. I then I pour it into a big coffee cup 2/3 full and top it off with coffee. A sip and stir later, its still a bland vanilla latte. I get the vanilla extract and pour a bit in, (which I estimate to be about a teaspoon and a half) and add a pinch or two of ground cinnamon. I stir and sample. It is considerably better and not being a connoisseur of Pumpkin Spice Lattes, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be tasting.

I then add the whipped cream and top it with a couple pinches of the cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Then, just for kicks, I add a couple of strawberries and whipped cream to the plate.

Not half bad, I'd say.

I then took it to Logan, who was playing his DS. After a quick sip, he looks at me with bug eyes and says "What." which means I did really well on a cooking adventure.

Then I whipped up a quick coffee cake mix-- I know, I cheated, but that's what he wanted for his birthday cake-- and serve that next:

He was one sugar-happy guy that day. Then that evening at my best friend's wedding reception, we had an extremely special cake.

It was unfortunate you couldn't actually eat the Green Ranger.

-A


"Go, go Power Rangers!
Go, go Power Rangers!
Go, go Power Rangers! Mighty Morphin Power Rangers!

Go, go Power Rangers!
Go, go Power Rangers! Go, go Power Rangers! Mighty Morphin Power Rangers!"
                                     - Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

I take a pepperoni and punch it through your head.

I neglected to mention that from now on, any time I cook or bake (and as long as I have my phone or a camera to take pictures) I will blog about it on here. Just felt like I needed to clarify.

That being said, this is my first real entry that involves food making and the process thereof. I decided to start relatively simple (and quick because I was hungry) with sandwich round mini-pizzas.

The last shopping trip to our local Wal-Mart Supercenter I purchased sandwich rounds. I had never heard of them before and I showed Logan excitedly

"Look look, they're a cross between pitas and bagels for $2.50 and only 100 calories a piece!"

Our previous shopping adventure yielded us with pepperonis and pizza-blend shredded cheese. It just fell into place to try the art of mini-pizzas again. The last time I had tried to make mini-pizzas, all I had were bagels and no pepperonis, thus equaling sad mini-pizzas.

See, he's quite sad. :(

This time, I--

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP, BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Sorry about that, the timer just went off. As I was saying, this time I have everything I need to create (and to destroy) some fantastic mini-pizzas. Here we go:

Logan's Fantastic Mini-Pizzas

You will need*:

• 1 white or wheat sandwich round
• 1 jar pizza or marinara sauce
• 1 slice "fake" rubber American hamburger cheese
• 1 pack shredded cheese
• 1 pack pepperoni
• pizza spices (optional)
• margarine or butter spread
• butter knife
• pizza pan or baking sheet
• tin foil

*The great thing about this meal is that 99% of it is done by YOUR taste, so you have no need for dirtying measuring cups. That's why I only put one packet, jar or section instead of measuring it out.


Step One:
Separate your sandwich round into two equal halves the way its naturally sliced. Butter the tops and the bottoms of each slice. Toast in toaster, oven or toaster oven until slightly crispy and brown. (Note: the toasting is important. I read on allrecipes that this prevents the mini-pizzas from becoming soggy. A soggy pizza sounds disgusting.)
 
Step Two:
Pour pizza/marinara sauce onto the top side of each round, to taste. Just remember, a little goes a long way.

Step Three:
Take one slice rubber cheese and tear it in half. Put each half onto your two tiny pizzas. Now add shredded cheese, to taste.

Step Four:
Now add the pepperonis. Add pizza seasoning or any other spices if you wish. Put a piece of foil on your baking sheet for easy clean-up. Slide your uncooked pizzas on the foil. Turn the oven to 450 degrees (important not letting it preheat for too long, if any time at all, otherwise the pizzas will burn). Put the pizzas in the oven for 10 minutes or until toasted to your preference. Remove and enjoy!

I mean, would you bake on that pizza pan without foil? Uh huh, me neither.

I forgot to take a pretty picture of it on the plate before I started devouring them.

Tips:

• Around only three regular sized pepperonis fit on each round comfortably without any overlap, but you can put as many on as you wish!
• The sliced cheese step can be omitted, but I feel as if the rest of the cheese sticks better to the pizzas if its included.
• Don't overload your pizzas with sauce or cheese, otherwise it'll all slide right off, which is what happened last time to me. 
• You could also use a garlic butter spread on them instead of the butter/margarine if you wanted a Little Caesar's flair.
  

I have not yet tested to see if these can be done in a microwave with equally tasty results, but I'm sure that most college students would appreciate knowing that it can be made in a microwave. Next time I'm hungry for mini-pizzas, I'll give it a try.

---------

In life notes with a small relation to baking, one of my best friend's mother passed away today. It's hit me harder than expected. I didn't know the woman personally, but it's someone's mom... Just another demonstration of the fact that we're only mortals and our time on Earth is very fleeting.

I'm going to go shopping this afternoon to make my friend his favorite dessert to present to him on Sunday's D&D session. He's not going to know what to do with all the coffee cake he's going to get.


" 'O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?' For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ."
                                   - 1 Corinthians 15:54-57

- A

Taking it Bird by Bird.

It is with a great pride that I start blogging again. This time, however, I do promise to be more faithful to my work and to my readers-- who probably consist of my mom, my boyfriend and my Dungeons and Dragons campaign party and even then, I'm probably being generous.

This will contain the adventures and my perils starting cooking for the first time, along with recipes, photos and tips. I know, there are a million cooking blogs out there. What makes mine any different?

For starters, I'm younger. Not saying that the other bloggers are ancient, but I don't have kids, a mortgage or student loans (...yet). I'm 19, and I'm a English nerd who reads too much and holds her boyfriend's kitchen hostage because all my dorm has is a microwave, ancient mini-fridge and an illegal hot pot.

Again, I can see that I'm not convincing anybody. I'm sure out of the millions of cooking blogs, there are thousands dealing with college students that cook. Perhaps some of them run semi-professional businesses out of their rooms. (I can see it now. "Today guys, we're going to show you to make microwaved fondant using powdered coffee creamer, Easy Mac and Ramen Noodles!")

But-- have you ever read a cooking blog dealing with the trials and tribulations of a beginning cook who can't do fractions, only has one metal 9x13 pan to her name, and has an obsession with Harry Potter, cupcakes and Hello Kitty? I thought not.

Therefore, any foray into the cooking world will be recorded here, with extremely shoddy cell phone quality pictures. Hopefully I can wrangle a camera that has more than 2.0 megapixels sometime soon.

Lastly, where did the moosecookies come from? Ah well, it's been a saying I've had for ages which has a bit of double meaning. For starters, I love cookies and think moose (which is the plural of moose) are interesting creatures, if not having a proclivity to be ridden by Sarah Palin. But the ultimate reason for its depth of meaning for me is that its a phrase that's always gotten my writers block unstuck. Can't think of how to word something? Type moosecookies a few times. Its easy because of the double letters and eventually you'll figure out something creative to write outside the phrase.

I cannot conceal from you, dear readers, that I am excited for this new project. My creative writing professor will be proud. I leave you with a quote, which is hopefully how I end every post.

"Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he'd had three months to write, which was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table, close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother's shoulder, and said, "Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird."
                               - Anne Lamott

Also, if you're interested in my cooking profile, I've got a username on AllRecipes which is moosecookies.


-A