Ice Cream

No Machine Required

May 11, 2010

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When did summer arrive?? It’s been quite an up and down spring here in Vancouver, with ridiculous wind storms, rain and cooler weather the past couple of months but suddenly today I walked outside in a tank top and flip-flops and it felt like summer was here already. I’ve been somewhat lacking in the baking department since I’ve come home, at least as far as posting goes. I have made brownies and cookies which I haven’t put recipes up for or even photographed for that matter. But It’s been a week or two of cleaning up, packing up and unpacking and job searching. Home from University for the summer = job. I got hired last week to work in a restaurant called Browns Social House. I’m nervous and excited, as I’ve never worked in a restaurant before! But I’m sure it will be fun and definitely a different atmosphere than working as a receptionist, which I think I’ll be working part-time as for a bit as well. Of course, I’ll fit in baking on a regular basis!

I start work this week, but I had a baking itch that I just needed to satisfy! I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to make, but I wanted it to be something with fruit, and spring-summery! (is that a word? it is now). Also, I didn’t feel like making a big mess (somewhere my mother is gasping) or something that required a lot of work. I flipped through some cookbooks to get some inspiration, and I had almost decided on a new cookie recipe when I came across a delicious looking picture which just screamed summer. I scream, you scream we all scream for Ice Cream of course.

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Mother's Day

Mobile Mother’s Day

May 10, 2010

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I seem to be relying on my Iphone for taking pictures lately! I do have my camera, however I don’t always remember it or carry it around with me all the time! And, it’s just so easy to use your phone. So here’s another mobile phone photo post for mother’s day.

This year we decided to do a brunch for mom and make delicious french toast. I don’t know about you, but I was somewhat amazed at french toast when I was growing up. My dad would make it a lot, and I never quite knew how to make it until I was older and beginning my baking experience. Dad’s cooking is definitely something I miss. It is a really easy dish that you can make look like you it’s difficult. You can prepare it in advance and then make it and keep it warm until you need it. There were eight of us for breakfast – my mom, brother, me, her ‘manfriend’ (hehe) and his two kids and their cousin, and brother’s gf. So I made quite a lot of french toast! I decided I would make it, and then keep it warm in the oven while I decorated the plates and we set the table.

Don’t be turned off of french toast if you’ve never tried it! It’s a slow cooking process and you’ll want to cook it over low-heat for a longer period than heat it on high so it cooks all the way through. I know my mom enjoyed it! And I hope she had an excellent mother’s day =) Love you mother!

You can make as much or as little as you like, I usually say at least one or two eggs per piece of toast. I used two loaves of french bread this time, but you can make as little as a half of a baguette!

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Easy French Toast

Ingredients:

  • 2 loaves French Toast
  • 10-11 Eggs
  • 1/2 cup Skim Milk
  • 2-3 tbs. Vanilla
  • Lots of Cinnamon
  • 1 pkg. Strawberries
  • 3 tsp. Sugar
  • 1 tsp. Corn Starch
  • Whipping Cream

Directions:

  1. Cut French Baguettes into 1 inch slices. Stack them ontop of eachother and put to the sid
  2. In a large baking dish ( I use a glass pyrex dish ) break eggs and add milk and vanilla.
  3. Whisk until it is thoroughly mixed, you don’t want to have any whole yolks. Add as much cinnamon as you like and continue to whisk.
  4. Lightly spray pan with pam and heat skillet on medium-low.
  5. As the pan is heating, dip as many pieces of bread as you can into the egg mixture and soak on one side for about 5 seconds  and flip it over to coat both sides. Next pierce it with a fork to allow it to absorb as much as it can and then stack it onto a plate. You want the bread to be soaked, but not soggy.
  6. Repeat with all the slices of bread and continue to stack onto one another so they all stay moist and soak up all the egg.
  7. Once you’re ready to cook them, place a few pieces at a time onto the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes until browned on both sides.
  8. If you are serving lots at a time, to keep them warm you can pop them onto a tray in the oven on very low heat. Or place them into a warming dish.
  9. When you are ready to serve, you can sprinkle it with powdered sugar and top with fruit!

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IMG_1182To make the decorative plates

You will need:

Directions:

  1. Cut the stems off the strawberries and place into a blender or magic bullet. Pulse until they are purreed, add sugar and cornstarch and pulse again.
  2. Whip the cream until it is slightly thickened, you don’t want it to be full out whipped cream.
  3. Using a small spoon, place a small amount of the strawberry puree onto the plate and shape it into a half-moon crescent. Using another spoon, dot on a small circle of whipping cream three times in a row.
  4. Take a skewer or tooth pick, and draw it down in a straight line from the first dot to the third. And Voila! Little cream hearts. You can use the leftover strawberry puree to drizzle on top of the toast as well!

Hope you all enjoyed Mother’s Day!
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My brother Nick, our mom Andrea and Me!IMG_1191

Mom, Alicia and Alysha! IMG_1190

Bars & Squares, Brownies

Mobile Mocha Brownies

April 18, 2010

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This is a different type of baking post! You see, I made a batch of Mocha Brownies for a friend of mine’s BBQ yesterday, and posted some pictures from my Iphone on my Facebook page. I had received comments on them, and had 2 messages in my inbox asking if I was going to post the recipe on my website! I do bake often while I’m here on the island but I haven’t posted everything that I’ve made. But I thought why not post the pictures anyways, as semi-blurred as they are, and include the delicious recipe. I ate about 1000 of these yesterday, and taste-tested the frosting a few times over. They were definitely a hit! It has the perfect combination of fudge-yness and the coffee icing is so so so good. If you’re going to a BBQ, or have any other excuse to make them I suggest it!

These are densely fudge type brownies, not cakey, and super moist! You can choose to add the frosting, or even have them plain.

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Mocha Brownies

You Will Need:

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
  • 2 1/4 cups sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups cocoa
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • about 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ pan
    2) In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat (I always use the saucepan method), melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Keep the element on low, and let the sugar dissolve. it’ll become shiny looking as you stir it. Add in the Chocolate Chips stirring until they melt.
  2. Meanwhile, crack the 4 eggs into a bowl, and beat them with the cocoa, baking powder, and vanilla till smooth.
  3. Add the hot butter, chocolate and sugar mixture, stirring until smooth.
  4. Add the flour and stir until incorporated.
  5. Spoon the batter into a greased 9″ x 13″ pan.
  6. Bake the brownies for about 20 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. I checked mine and took them out at about 17 minutes, you don’t want it to overbake or else you will have a more cakey-brownie on your hands!
  7. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack. I allowed it to cool for a bit, but then moved it into the fridge to speed the cooling process. This also sets the fudge-y texture of it, and makes it densely chocolatey.

While it is cooling, you can  make the Mocha Frosting.

Mocha Frosting

You will need:

  • about 4 cups Icing Sugar, Sifted ( depending on the consistency )
  • 1 cup strongly brewed coffee, or espresso, cooled
  • a splash of milk
  • Vanilla
  • 3/4 cup butter, softened to room temperature

Directions:

  1. Beat the butter till it is light and fluffy.  Add about 1/2 a cup at a time the icing sugar. After about 2 cups add in a splash of milk, and vanilla. You want the icing to be quite stiff before you add in the coffee/espresso. So you don’t want to add too much milk to water it down. Continue adding the icing sugar until you reach a stiff consistency, and add a little at a time the coffee. You can add it to your tasting preference, I added quite a lot for  a rich coffee taste. The icing will thin quite a bit, you can add more icing sugar if you think it is too thin.
  2. Once you reach the desired taste/texture pour it on top of the brownies while still in the pan, and smooth it on top so it completely covers it.
  3. Return the brownie pan to the fridge to set. You can decorate the top with little coffee beans if you like. Allow the icing to set up again in the fridge before cutting into it. Trust me, it’s worth the wait.

Enjoy!