Meringue cookies. Chai spiced to be specific.
I tried to make them for the first time last night and they turned out decently well other than the acidic under-bite from the addition of too much cream of tartar. In researching recipes for these seemingly simple Styrofoam-esque puffs I noticed that they were split down the middle on the additions of cream of tartar or not.
Cream of tartar is a byproduct of making wine. The white substance is scraped off of the inside of the casks that wine is fermented in. This white powder is odorless with an acidic taste and is commonly used to help stabilize egg whites to increase their heat tolerance as well as other household uses.
In making my meringue cookies last night, I was inspired by the wrapper I left on my counter from a chai latte. Ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, anise. This combination is probably one of my favorites. I took a dash of this, a pinch of that and before long I had a wonderful smelling concoction of spices and sugar. This was where I believe I went wrong. In making meringue the sugar has to bind with the eggs and fluff up, with the additional hand ground spices, I think this was skewed. The eggs wouldn't fluff.
Cream of tartar to the rescue.
I used proportions from another recipe...for lemon meringue cookies. My mistake. Lemon is acidic. Cream of tartar is acidic. They go together. Chai spices? So not acidic.
My cookies suffer from a lemony after taste. Not very pleasant with anise, cardamom and black pepper. But the texture of these little clouds is to die for. They practically melt in your mouth.
Just ignore the aftertaste.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Organic and Homemade food
One question I get a lot from people my age is why I cook so much. They want to know why I don't just get fast food all the time and what is the point of spending more time when it could take 5 minutes at a drive through.
The answer, I simply love cooking and want to take care of my body without putting a bunch of preservatives in it. I have a food philosophy of eating and choosing food that has passed through the least amount of hands possible to get to me. Therefore cooking my own stuff from scratch makes the most sense to me.
In the US right now there is an epidemic of food allergies, asthma and autism in children. These are being linked to food that is genetically altered and engineered and also pesticide use in the growing of crops. Some corn that is being used in food products right now was originally created to feed cows. I am no where near wanting to have children and don't know whether I ever will be, but starting healthy habits is easier sooner rather than later.
The time it takes to make something at home is often quicker and easier for me than it would be to go out and get something. I take forever to decide where I want to go, and then once there I can't decide what I want to eat. If I am at home I can just grab stuff from my pantry and refrigerator and see what happens. Usually the results are tasty, and I am eating cheaper and healthier than I would be out.
The answer, I simply love cooking and want to take care of my body without putting a bunch of preservatives in it. I have a food philosophy of eating and choosing food that has passed through the least amount of hands possible to get to me. Therefore cooking my own stuff from scratch makes the most sense to me.
In the US right now there is an epidemic of food allergies, asthma and autism in children. These are being linked to food that is genetically altered and engineered and also pesticide use in the growing of crops. Some corn that is being used in food products right now was originally created to feed cows. I am no where near wanting to have children and don't know whether I ever will be, but starting healthy habits is easier sooner rather than later.
The time it takes to make something at home is often quicker and easier for me than it would be to go out and get something. I take forever to decide where I want to go, and then once there I can't decide what I want to eat. If I am at home I can just grab stuff from my pantry and refrigerator and see what happens. Usually the results are tasty, and I am eating cheaper and healthier than I would be out.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
The Social Network
While Dr. Clark was out gallivanting on Naval Aircraft Carriers, we were stuck in class with Dr. Hickman. The professor who stood us up before spring break.
This time he was on time and so we watched the Social Network.
This movie made me feel smart and like I knew something about technology, which is a feat in and of its self. If you know me you know I know nothing about computers!Sorry for all the 'knows' in that sentence. By the end of the movie I hated pretty much everyone in it, but bad boys are always sexy and I love me some Justin Timberlake so that was worth every bit of it.
I would recommend this movie for people who like JT and want to see Jesse Eisenberg in the same role of a douche bag that he always plays.
This time he was on time and so we watched the Social Network.
This movie made me feel smart and like I knew something about technology, which is a feat in and of its self. If you know me you know I know nothing about computers!Sorry for all the 'knows' in that sentence. By the end of the movie I hated pretty much everyone in it, but bad boys are always sexy and I love me some Justin Timberlake so that was worth every bit of it.
I would recommend this movie for people who like JT and want to see Jesse Eisenberg in the same role of a douche bag that he always plays.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
English muffins
Last month during the snow storms I spent three days stuck in my apartment with no hopes of survival. That is, until old man garden gnome came and rescued me to go to Target.
The first day of the snow storm, I made homemade english muffins.
The process was really therapeutic. From the mixing and the heating to the rolling and cutting. I like making homemade bread but had yet to attempt English Muffins.
I used a mixture of half white and half wheat flour. The texture of these were softer than that of store bought ones. They almost seemed to melt in your mouth, even more so when toasted and topped with butter and my Grandpas sand plum jam.
An interesting thing about these is that you let them rise and then cook them in a skillet instead of the oven.
This recipe has now been added to my arsenal of things I can make when zombies take over and there are no more grocery stores.
The first day of the snow storm, I made homemade english muffins.
The process was really therapeutic. From the mixing and the heating to the rolling and cutting. I like making homemade bread but had yet to attempt English Muffins.
I used a mixture of half white and half wheat flour. The texture of these were softer than that of store bought ones. They almost seemed to melt in your mouth, even more so when toasted and topped with butter and my Grandpas sand plum jam.
An interesting thing about these is that you let them rise and then cook them in a skillet instead of the oven.
This recipe has now been added to my arsenal of things I can make when zombies take over and there are no more grocery stores.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Jaegerbombs
So the title should really be singular because I did one of them, but I feel cooler this way.
Sunday was my 21st birthday. It was awesome. Probably the best birthday yet. Not because I can buy vodka for pie crust and wine for risotto, although that will be awesome. And it is not because I can now go to roller derby after parties and bars.
It is because my parents gave me a kitchenaid stand mixer!!!
Who else in college would be excited about that? I have been asking for one for three years now, wanting one almost my entire life.
It is ice blue and has a stainless steel and glass bowl for it. Or at least it will. They technically just gave me a card that said I could pick one out. It took me approximately 2.5 seconds to decide which color I wanted.
Isn't it beautiful? This will be the reason everyone in my office will be overweight in the months to come.
Sunday was my 21st birthday. It was awesome. Probably the best birthday yet. Not because I can buy vodka for pie crust and wine for risotto, although that will be awesome. And it is not because I can now go to roller derby after parties and bars.
It is because my parents gave me a kitchenaid stand mixer!!!
Who else in college would be excited about that? I have been asking for one for three years now, wanting one almost my entire life.
It is ice blue and has a stainless steel and glass bowl for it. Or at least it will. They technically just gave me a card that said I could pick one out. It took me approximately 2.5 seconds to decide which color I wanted.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Clark is a geezer...
...but not according to me. That came straight from the mouth of Kurt Hochenauer, an English professor here at UCO and an award winning blogger.
Hochenauer was a journalist for multiple publication for quite a few years but got out of it because he felt it was a shallow profession. He worked at the Kansas City Star and the Oklahoman and then decided he needed to blog because the Oklahoman veered too much to the right side of thinking.
In 2004, Okie Funk was born on the interwebs under the idea of making it liberal progressive framing.
When asked if he thought blogs would be around forever he replied that he doesn't ever see them not being used by newspapers and people in school need to learn different tips and tricks with technology so they can stay ahead of the game.
Hochenauer has been threatened because of his blog and the views within not being in accordance with those reading it, but he has still been writing on the same subject for the last six years.He said that keeping a blog has forced him to write on a consistent basis and even led to him to writing for the Gazette.
Even though Hochenauer is no longer working for a newspaper he still considers himself to be a journalist with the writing for the Gazette and blogging.
Hochenauer was a journalist for multiple publication for quite a few years but got out of it because he felt it was a shallow profession. He worked at the Kansas City Star and the Oklahoman and then decided he needed to blog because the Oklahoman veered too much to the right side of thinking.
In 2004, Okie Funk was born on the interwebs under the idea of making it liberal progressive framing.
When asked if he thought blogs would be around forever he replied that he doesn't ever see them not being used by newspapers and people in school need to learn different tips and tricks with technology so they can stay ahead of the game.
Hochenauer has been threatened because of his blog and the views within not being in accordance with those reading it, but he has still been writing on the same subject for the last six years.He said that keeping a blog has forced him to write on a consistent basis and even led to him to writing for the Gazette.
Even though Hochenauer is no longer working for a newspaper he still considers himself to be a journalist with the writing for the Gazette and blogging.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate chips cookies suck.
Not the cookies themselves, I love them. Making them sucks. I still haven't found a good recipe that turns out consistently good results. They either spread to much or don't turn the right color or become too crispy.
So I frequently turn to the break and bakes when I need a chocolate chip cookie fix. They are good, I can eat the dough and people almost never know.
I will be baking chocolate chip cookies tonight for my derby sugar baby. Don't ask. It might take more explaining than it's worth. Wait, that's a lie. I have a sugar baby because I made her cookies once, and we've been tight ever since. The end.
Not the cookies themselves, I love them. Making them sucks. I still haven't found a good recipe that turns out consistently good results. They either spread to much or don't turn the right color or become too crispy.
So I frequently turn to the break and bakes when I need a chocolate chip cookie fix. They are good, I can eat the dough and people almost never know.
I will be baking chocolate chip cookies tonight for my derby sugar baby. Don't ask. It might take more explaining than it's worth. Wait, that's a lie. I have a sugar baby because I made her cookies once, and we've been tight ever since. The end.
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