Change is A-Coming.

Well.


Its been a beat, hasn't it? 


I've been baking up a small storm recently and thought it would be a good idea for me to start posting some of my recipes that I've found and new cake decorating techniques I've tried.  


Also, it's Christmas break and I'll have a lot more time on my poorly manicured hands.  


I also want to start posting pictures of the things I create.  However, fair warning, I'm only shooting with an iPhone. Maybe one day, with the proper equipment, lighting, and a fair amount of skill, I'll be able to post quality pictures that will make for a more complete blog.  




But, for now, I'll leave you with this extraordinary recipe for gingerbread biscotti.


Wait! I am so sorry.  That's not how blogs work, right? Right.  First things first... I've got to include some sort of anecdote about these biscotti, don't I? Dang, its been a while since I've done this.


I made these biscotti for my great-aunt's Christmas presents.  My mom is giving them some sort of coffee lover's gift pack and wanted to include a treat.  After dwelling on what to make for some time ('cause that's just the kind of baker I am... I overanalyze), I decided on gingerbread biscotti.  I searched the internet for a recipe and settled on this one.  I chose this recipe from many, many others because of the use of dark brown sugar... and lots of it.  You can't have gingerbread without dark brown sugar, people!


Well, I'm a little rusty with blogging, but hopefully its like riding a bike and I'll be able to get right back on!  I leave you with the recipe.


Gingerbread Biscotti 

2 1/4 Cups All Purpose Flour

1 1/4 Cups Dark Brown Sugar

1 T Ginger

1 1/4 t Baking Powder

1 1/2 t Cinnamon

Pinch of Salt

1/4 t Freshly Grated Nutmeg

1/4 t Baking Soda

1/4 Cup Full Flavor Molasses ( I use Brer Rabbit)

2 Eggs

1 t Pure Vanilla Extract

1 cup Chopped White Chocolate

Heat your oven to 350 degrees and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.  

In one bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, ginger, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and baking soda until well combined.  

In a small, separate bowl, combine eggs, molasses, and vanilla very well.  

Using a wooden spoon, create a small well in the middle of your dry ingredients.  While mixing, pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients.

Continue mixing until dough comes together.  (Don't be afraid to use your hands!)

Divide the dough in half and shape each into a flat, football shape, one on each cookie sheet. Rapid, gentle patting motions work well for shaping once you have the basic size set. 

Bake for 30 minutes.  

Cool on cookie sheet on a wire rack for 15 minutes.  

Slice logs in diagonal slices, each about 1/2" thick.  

Flip the slices on their sides and bake for another 4-6 minutes.  

If you like rock-hard biscotti, flip again and bake for an additional 4-6 minutes.  The first bake time will leave a slight 'give' in your biscotti. Cool on wire racks.  

Garnish:

Option 1:

In a small, Pyrex (or microwaveable) measurer with a spout, melt chocolate in 15 second intervals.  Transfer the melted chocolate into a squeeze bottle and drizzle over cooled biscotti.  Brilliant, beautiful, and simple!

Option 2:

Melt one cup of chopped dark chocolate and place the bottom of biscotti into the chocolate.  Then drizzle with white chocolate on the top of the cookies.  Beautiful, and dark chocolate goes perfectly with coffee!

Enjoy!

I should be...

a. sleeping.

b. figuring out this homework that is due tomorrow.

c. blogging more.

d. all of the above.


Not that this is the most read blog (actually, I'm pretty sure that only my mom reads this) but I feel like I should be doing this more! I mean, I bake all. the. time. I love it! Shouldn't I blog about what I love? I feel like I let down all of my nonexistent readers by not following up on those scones I posted about... in MARCH. (They were amazing, b.t.dubs.)

Since March and now, many, many things have happened.  And many, many messes have been made in the kitchen.  I've sold a few cakes here and there (I was totally excited! Definitely squealing on the inside. Don't judge me.) but this weekend I'm making what could be my most important cake to date - my little brother's graduation cake! It's going to be sooooo cute! Er, I mean, manly? Yeah. The cake will be manly. Humor me.

Maybe I'll get around to posting pictures of it. Maybe I'll make some scones with the leftover buttermilk in my 'fridge. Maybe.

Busyyyy weekend ahead. Good luck, me, on surviving it! Hope my sanity sticks around long enough to see Monday.

Congrats, Class of 2010! :)

Stay tuned...

I may or may not have just made a fabulous scone recipe.

About 15 scones are sitting in my freezer, just waiting to be baked in the morning.

Details to follow.

Where has the time gone?

Its March 24.  The twenty-fourth day of March.  The third month of the year.

Its practically Christmas!


Wow, 22 days since my last post. My bad, y'all.  Not much has been crossed off my to-bake list, but there was one significant accomplishment in my culinary quest this past week.  Ready for this!? I won a baking contest! Well, not so much a baking contest as bringing chocolate chip cookies into my Assessment class and owning the competition 17 first place votes to the runner-up's 7. Sometimes it pays to be an elementary education major... sittin' in class all day... eatin' cookies... drinkin' milk... AHHHhhhh :)

Hold on... *smack*

I had to wake myself up. Its midterm season, y'all. Its crunch time in kindergarten (which is the grade I student-teach... yes, it is as much fun as it sounds.) That means a even more of a baking hiatus! :(
Luckily, I have a few reasons to bake coming up.  I have cousins coming into town and road trips to be had and I will be posting about them (and the things I bake/cook) for sure!

But hey, here's the recipe for Alton Brown's "The Chewy."  It won't let you down.  My only tip is to really make sure the dough chills or you'll have some serious cookie spread on your hands, figuratively speaking.  I've made the recipe twice.  The first time I chilled the dough for about 30 minutes (because I thought that was enough, silly me) and the cookies spread big time.  The second time I made them, I refrigerated the dough over night and lo and behold, perfect, award winning cookies! Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?

New and Improved To-Bake List:
Everything from my new cookbook, Baked: New Frontiers in Baking
Blackberry scones with orange icing
More of "The Chewy"
And a birthday cake for my mom!

We'll see how that goes.


P.S. Remind me to tell/show you the cutest carrot cake ever made next time!

UPDATE!

I crossed two things off of my to-do list this weekend! TWO THINGS! This is huge. That was 50% of my list! What? 50% is failing, you say? Well, I consider 50% to be a passing grade when homemade marshmallows are involved. So there.

New thing on my list:
Orange scones.  I had one at Panera last weekend and it wasn't too bad! I really like Panera's scones.. that was the very first place I ever had one of these delightful breakfast biscuits.  They're more crunchy than cakey, and I really like that.  Maybe I can make some this weekend, but if I'm being honest, that probably won't happen.  I'm making cinnamon rolls for my grandmother on Friday, because she is having surgery on Thursday.  The woman is my tour guide on the "why don't you make cinnamon rolls for Nana after her surgery?" guilt trip.  The nerve! Kidding. I love my Nana! And cinnamon rolls!!

We'll see how it works out this weekend in terms of scone-making, but its shaping up to be a very busy weekend.

Love you, mean it!:)

My To-Do List...

I have a big weekend coming up.  And by "big weekend" I mean, "my brothers and father will be MIA and therefore not in my kitchen to bother me."  Its gonna be glorious.  So, I have a few recipes I've been wanting to try out! I figure if I write about them, I might actually get around to doing them... or have a really good laugh in a few weeks when I realize that not a one has been accomplished.


To-Do:
Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting -- These WILL be done.. for a girls' night tomorrow. Motivation! So there!
Homemade Marshmallows -- The jury is still out on the specific flavor.. perhaps real vanilla bean.. or cinnamon. I'm on a cinnamon kick for some reason.  Hm, maybe I could make & take some for girls' night... I like the way I think...
Pumpkin Scones -- I've made pumpkin scones before, they're quite nostalgic for me, actually. They were really what kicked off my holiday baking last year which, in turn, kicked off my baking addiction.
Lavender Shortbread Cookies -- These will probably be made Sunday... they are AMAZING. So simple and so. much. butter.


Well that list doesn't seem so bad now that I write it down! No classes tomorrow, meaning that I might actually cross off a few things!  Dad & brothers are going on a manly, camping retreat of sorts for church this weekend... how much would they love me if I sent them off with homemade marshmallows??  Off to research recipes!

Love you, mean it!

Hello, there!

You didn't know it, but I'm shaking your hand via blog right now. It's much more sanitary than the real thing, so I'm doing you a favor.  Oh, nice grip, there, new friend! 


Let me introduce myself.  My name is Lyndsie, and yes, its totally spelled that way. Long story.  I blame my parents.  Anyways, I love cooking, baking, and pretty much anything in between.   But while I openly embrace the stereotypes of a girl who cooking and baking, that does not mean I subscribe to the idea of being a future over-stressed mother of three barefoot in the kitchen screaming at my future workaholic husband with a coif.  Great, now I'm gonna have nightmares tonight about that.  Again.


Lemme 'splain.  Yes, I love being in the kitchen, and yes, every time my brother tells me I spend more time in my kitchen than my room I have flashbacks from the blender fiasco from Father of the Bride.  But really, being in the kitchen is just something that I do, not something that I am.  I hope that through this blog you can get to know me... and what I do.


Now that we have that all settled, let me tell you about what I enjoy creating in the kitchen! I love to make breakfast items, definitely.  Breakfast is a new found love of mine.  I've learned that boys will let you down, but breakfast will still be there tomorrow.  And the next tomorrow.  I'm currently on a muffin/cupcake fix.  I've been experimenting with new recipes, which I'll post soon, and I have some new projects coming up (read: wedding shower cake for my future cousin-in-law... yay!)  Another goal of mine is to get back into cooking, something I put aside during the now past holiday season in lieu of baking.  Oh, and did I ever bake.


Well, friend, thanks for reading! But sadly, I must finish my homework.  Cause I do that a lot too, that whole "school" thing.  Its sometimes as great as it sounds... but not on Thursdays. Which is tomorrow. 


Have a GREAT day. :)
Love you, mean it!