Cheating

I've cheated in the past and I'm not ashamed to admit it.  Over the years I've been not truthful when I talk with people.  I confess, I use mixes in my baking.  I've used cake mixes, cookie mixes, and brownie mixes when I make my treats.

Sometimes it's a matter of convenience.  Mixes are great for that.  Everything is measured out for you and you don't have to worry about the right amount of ingredients.  Also you can just add some other items to make it more "homemade."  Plus it's great when you have someone in your family say "I have a meeting tonight and it's potluck.  Do we have anything?"  Not pointing any fingers.  Cough...cough...husband.

So this next recipe is great because it's quick, uses a box mix and still comes out looking like you've spent time in the kitchen whipping up something special.

You'll need to following:

1/2 cup butter or margarine - softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 box yellow or white cake mix
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup finely crushed bran flakes (about 2 cups before crushing)
1 1/2 cups raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 350F.  In your mixer cream butter and sugar on medium speed for about one minute.   Add egg and vanilla.  Place mixer on low and slowly add cake mix and bran flakes.  Mix until combined.  Remove about 1 1/2 cups of mixture and press the rest into the bottom of a greased 9X13 pan.  Make a nice even layer.  Add jam and spread to cover completely.  I like to warm the jam slightly in the microwave to make it easier to spread.  Sprinkle the remaining batter over the top of the jam, so you can still see the jam underneath.  Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.   Cool completely and cut into bars.  Makes 32-36 pieces.

Living with a baker

For the few of the world blessed with living with a baker here are some things you may not know.  Be forewarned.

1. The urge to bake comes and cannot be ignored.

One evening I was surfing on the net and had an urge for something sweet.  Ten minutes later blueberry buttermilk muffins were in the oven.  The hubby didn't even realize I had made something until he could smell what was baking.  "You made muffins in 30 minutes?" he inquired.  "Yep.  I wanted something sweet."  So beware, baking may come at any time, day or night.


2. Baking may not be for you.

One day I made a batch of goodies destined for our church.  I left the house to run some errands and came home to find about 1/3 of what I baked already gone.  The culprit?  One hungry hubby.  He had thought that I had one of my baking urges (see above) and just whipped something up.  After a little chastisement he now knows to ask before taking anything that has been baked and sitting on the counter.

3. Get used to large quantities.

If you visit a home of a baker and spy their pantry you may be taken aback by the sheer size of some items.  Warehouse stores will be your friend.  I buy 10 kg of flour, 4 kg of sugar, and the largest size of other items I can find.  Buying in bulk helps save money and when you bake as often as I do, it makes sense.  I don't have time to run to the supermarket to buy another 2 kg of flour if I run out.  It's easier just to buy the larger size.  This is why I have the huge 1.5 kg bag of coconut sitting in my pantry.  And the 2 kg bag of chocolate chips.  And the 1 kg cocoa powder.  And the 1.3 kg box of crisp rice cereal.  And the 2 kg bag of rolled oats.  I may have a slight problem.

4. Get used to multiples.

Similar to the above point, when something goes on sale or I can get bonus points for an item, I will buy it.  "Honey, why do we have 10 large boxes of cereal?"  "Points!" I reply.  The hubby knows now that when he sees multiples of the same thing I got a deal.  I have been known to pick up 8 large containers of yogurt, up to 20 boxes of cereal, 8 boxes of pizza, or even 12 bottles of salsa, thinking we will eventually go through it all.  Of course some can be used for my baking addiction urges, but other times it's just for the points!  Believe you me, those points have paid for holiday gifts for a few years now.

5. People start giving you things.

Ever since I've let people know that I like to bake, I had people just give me stuff.  Sometimes it's practical stuff.  A friend's mother had passed and she was a bit of a hoarder.  She called me up and asked if I wanted some baker's chocolate.  We've all been there.  You're at the supermarket getting supplies for your next baking urge and you can't remember if you have something in your pantry.  Let's say baker's chocolate for this example.  You know you used the chocolate recently but don't remember if there will be enough for your next recipe, so you buy another box.  Then you get home and find out there's already an almost full box in the cupboard.  Now you have more.  That's what my friend's mom was like.  So I ended up with boxes and boxes of half full baker's chocolate.  I condensed everything, but there was still plenty to fool around with.

I've received hardened brown sugar from a friend.  (Easy fix, just add a slice of bread to soften) and most recently some whey when a friend of mine was making cheese from scratch.  It's great for me.  I get free stuff and then I get the joy of trying to figure out how to use it up.  See earlier posts for how I used it in my baking.

Any others come to mind?

Going for the Gold

Last Sunday was the Emmys.  The yearly tradition is going over to a friend's to watch the ceremonies with a potluck included.  It's a fun night had by all.  Good food, great friends and even prizes.  The new Mad Max movie took home the lion's share of trophies.  And, of course, Leo DiCaprio finally took the best actor category.  You like him, you really like him, to paraphrase previous winner Sally Field.

Everyone brought some great food, ranging from a lasagna type casserole, Mary Brown's chicken, chips and dip with guacamole, and much more.  We had some great food, great friends, and great entertainment for the evening.  

I'm known for being the dessert guy so I wanted to contribute something golden to go with the theme of the evening.  Everyone wants to win Oscar gold, so I created a slice of gold: pineapple pretzel salad.  

This recipe is adapted from the traditional strawberry pretzel salad.  The term salad is a bit misleading as it comes out more like a bar dessert.  It's layers of gelled pineapple and cream cheese sitting on a pretzel crust.  It takes a little time to prepare, mostly waiting for each layer to set or cool down.  I've used the recipe from Housewifespice:

The recipe goes as follows:

INGREDIENTS

• 6 1/2ounces pretzel sticks
• 2 1/4cups (15 3/4 ounces) sugar
• 12tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 8ounces cream cheese
• 1cup heavy cream (36%)
• 3pounds (10 1/2 cups) crushed pineapple, drained and divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 1/2teaspoons unflavored gelatin
• 1/2cup cold water

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 13 by 9-inch baking pan with vegetable oil spray. I also used parchment to line the pan. Pulse pretzels and ¼ cup sugar in food processor until coarsely ground, about 15 pulses. Add melted butter and pulse until combined, about 10 pulses. Transfer pretzel mixture to prepared pan.   Using bottom of measuring cup, press crumbs into bottom of pan. Bake until crust is fragrant and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Set aside crust, letting it cool slightly, about 20 minutes.  Keep an eye on the crust to make sure you don't overbake.   You can go from hero to zero in under a minute.
• 2. Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip cream cheese and ½ cup sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high and, with mixer still running, slowly add cream in steady stream. Continue to whip until soft peaks form, scraping down bowl as needed, about 1 minute longer. Spread whipped cream cheese mixture evenly over cooled crust. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.
• 3. Meanwhile, process 2 pounds pineapple in now-empty food processor until pureed, about 30 seconds. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer set over medium saucepan, using underside of small ladle to push puree through strainer. Add remaining 1½ cups sugar and salt to puree in saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally, until bubbles begin to appear around sides of pan and sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes; remove from heat.
• 4. Sprinkle gelatin over water in large bowl and let sit until gelatin softens, about 5 minutes. Whisk puree into gelatin. Add remaining pineapple and stir into pineapple-gelatin mixture. Refrigerate until gelatin thickens slightly and starts to cling to sides of bowl, about 30 minutes. Carefully pour gelatin mixture evenly over whipped cream cheese layer. Refrigerate salad until gelatin is fully set, at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Serves 12-18.