2/2/2015 King Cake Bread Pudding

So I took another long hiatus from my blog.  Sometimes I forget it's even here.  I need to start writing in this thing more often.

Anyway, I awaken from my just-over-a-year slumber to bring you:

KING CAKE BREAD PUDDING.

Yes, that's right.  I found a recipe for Tres Leches bread pudding that sounded divine.  It just so happens to be Carnival season so I decided to turn that recipe into king cake bread pudding. I have to say, it turned out pretty damn well.

King Cake Bread Pudding

Ingredients

• 1 loaf french bread, torn into bitesize pieces
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla
• 2 Tablespoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 9 large egg yolks

Cream Sauce:

• ½  cup butter
• 2 ½  Tablespoons flour
• 1 ½  cup heavy cream
• ¼  teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2/3 cups sugar

Method:

Bread Pudding:

1. Grease a 9x13 glass baking pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and egg yolks until smooth.
3. Mix the torn bread pieces in with the liquid and stir to make sure each piece is thoroughly soaking.
4. Preheat the oven 375 degrees F.  When the oven is done preheating, pour the mixture into the greased pan and bake for 40-50 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the center is springy but still a little jiggly. Let set for about 30 minutes while you make the sauce.

Cream Sauce:

1. In saucepan, melt butter on medium low heat. Add flour and cook 10 minutes, stirring continually. Add salt, cream, and sugar and stir until mixture becomes thick. Remove from heat, stir in both extracts, and let cool until sauce is warm and thick.
2. Spoon a healthy layer of sauce over the top of the pudding while both are still warm, then shake on purple, green, and gold sanding sugar on top.
3. Cut and serve with more sauce as desired.

12/30/13 The End of An Era

In 6 days, I will be 30 years old.

Women tend to fear the aging process.  I can honestly say I am going into thirty like a cheetah on the Serengeti.  When I think about my twenties, I remember lots of alcohol.  I remember making decisions that were dubious at best.  I tried drugs, men, staying up all night, playing hooky from work and school, sleeping for whole days, being awake for whole days, going to New Orleans instead of paying bills.  I also remember meeting people who I believed to be true friends, only to be stabbed in the back by them.  I think about the people that I let hurt me.  I think about all the times I let something go because it was easier to be complacent rather than stand up for myself and make a scene.  I think about one particular betrayal that I will never forgive/forget no matter how much time passes.  I think about how many times my heart was broken by a man that I wanted so badly to just love me.  I think about how many mistakes I made.

I also think about the friends I made for life. I think about the trip I took to NYC and how I was lost for hours in the middle of the night on the streets on New York, alone, with my suitcase trying to stay calm and alive.  I think about how terrifying and exhilarating that was.  I think about the week I spent in Boston with my best friend, learning about a world that was alien to my native Baton Rouge.  I discovered a world of intelligence, tolerance, art, beauty, history, and some of the best Italian food on the planet.  I think about the nights I stayed up laughing with friends instead of getting a sensible good night's sleep.  I think about the many times I was hung-over at work.  I think about the many times I disobeyed my parents to have fun instead of following their rules. 

I don't regret any of it.  I would not change one single thing about my twenties.

My twenties, making stupid and sometimes wildly dangerous decisions, have resulted in some of the best experiences of my life and also some of the harshest lessons I've ever learned.  This is what arms me for my thirties.

I will face 30 with a serenity that was previously unknown to me.  I have an arsenal of heartbreak to guide me through the next ten years of dating.  I have 10 years of service industry work to help me appreciate my desk job with regular hours and pay.  I own a roof over my head rather than renting a shoe-box to live in.  I have a loving family.  I definitely have my dark days here and there but I always come out on the other side shining bright.  Sometimes I just have to allow myself to wallow for a day, just ONE day, then sleep it off and start the next day with a smile. 

I am awesome.

It's taken me a while to get that.  I mean, REALLY understand and believe that I am an absolutely rockin' human being.  I surround myself with people that elevate me; I surround myself with those that bring me joy.  I have zero time allotted for those who seek to bring others down, or have a sour attitude.  I am flawed.  I am hopeful.  I am a work-in-progress.  I am wonderful just the way I am.

Bring it on, 30!

11/10/12 My Quest for the Perfect Crust

I don't know anyone who doesn't like pizza.

The night before I was born, my mother ate an entire large pizza by herself.  Little did she know that she had just solidified my love for pizza.  When I was little, it was cheese pizza.  I grew up a little and moved to pepperoni and cheese.  Then I started working in a pizza kitchen.  This opened up a whole new world of pizza toppings for me.  I'm still a pizza purist (meaning I believe the best pizza has a good crust, red sauce, and no more than 4 toppings) but I have broadened my horizons as to which toppings make a really great pizza.

But first....the crust. 

I have tried about 6 different dough recipes.  Some of them tore too easily, some of them turned out soggy in the middle, some were too doughy, some were not crunchy at all!  So I started experimenting with different amounts of yeast and how long to let the yeast bloom.  Some recipes call for a full bloom and some recipes want you to mix the yeast and water straight into the flour, then let it rest. Being a novice at pizza dough, I didn't know what methods and ingredients I needed to get my personal taste for the crust.  I found a really great dough recipe the other day!  This one calls for AP flour, normal yeast, some kneading, and some resting.  That recipe was pretty close to what I'm looking for. It stretched out to a decent size (between 10" and 12") and had decent heft to it, but it wasn't airy enough for me.  I did some more research and found out that I need to be using high gluten flour!

Have I lost you yet?

Gluten is what makes bread awesome.  Higher protein flours are best for breads, pizza doughs and whatnot because protein equals gluten, and gluten is what gives you that chewy, airy goodness we all love in a pizza crust.  So I found some high gluten flour.  I also decided I am going to try to duplicate one of my favorite dough recipes at home.  The Mellow Mushroom has some of the best pizza crust I've ever had.  Their dough has the perfect amount of airiness, chewiness, and crunchy-ness for me.  Again, after doing more research I discovered two things about their dough.   The first is that they use spring water rather than tap.  That may seem inconsequential, but think about it.  Why does New Orleans have the best French bread?  Why does NYC have world-famous pizza?  WATER!  It's all in the water!

The second thing unique to Mellow Mushroom's dough is molasses.  Most pizza doughs call for sugar or honey to feed the yeast.  The recipe I linked to earlier does not call for either.  I know molasses has a unique flavor that you can't really get around, and spring water is cheap, right?  So I bought a jug of water and a jar of molasses.

I currently have a dough ball rising on top of my fridge (best place to let dough rise because it needs to be in a warm place) that is an amalgam of both tecniques.  I used the same proportions from the recipe I linked to, but to the dry ingredients I added about 2 teaspoons of dried rosemary and 2 tablespoons of molasses, while using high gluten flour and spring water.

This is what it looks like before kneading:

This is what the dough looks like after 8 minutes of kneading and about 30 minutes rising: 

This is what the dough looks like after a full 1.5 hour rise , being punched down, and pinched in half.  The recipe makes enough dough for 2 12" pizzas.  Save the second dough ball in a greased bag in the freezer, or in the bowl in the refrigerator for up to  24 hours.

This is the dough stretched out on my peel.  I could tell this dough was going to be a winner as soon as I started to stretch it.  Full of gluten, it was hefty enough for me to slap hand to hand in the air without tearing!  That, my friends, is GOOD pizza dough!

This is my dough topped....

And THIS is the finished product!!!!

I turn my oven up as high as it will go (500 degrees) and slide the pizza onto the stone that's been preheating.  Fresh pizza needs to be cooked HOT and FAST!  My pizza usually takes about 10 minutes to fully cook.  Trust me.  See how the crust has a nice big air hole in it? 

See how the bottom browned so nicely? 

I think I've found my perfect at home pizza dough.  The molasses gave the dough a nice earthy flavor without changing the taste too much.  I'm sure you could cut the molasses in half and still have great dough, but I like the look and taste it gives my pizza. 

The point I'm trying to make with this post is that great pizza can come from your kitchen!  My molasses cost $3, a 5 pound bag of bread flour was about $5, and a gallon on spring water was less than $2.  For ten dollars I will be able to make at least 50 pizza dough balls.  Literally 50.  Probably more than that!  I also bought my yeast in a jar rather than those little packs, and I keep it in the freezer.  It cost me $5 two years ago and I have just under half the jar left to use. 

 Getting your dough right is a matter of trial and error.   Don't get discouraged if you run into problems at first.  Everyone does!  The important thing is to keep trying.  If you love pizza as much as I do, the savings are monumental by making gourmet pizza at home.  I'm talking literally pennies on the dollar compared to ordering out.

I hope this post inspires you to give home pizza a shot!  Thanks for reading!

10/30/12 "Stock"ing Up for Gumbo

Hello everyone!

Today is a good day, because today I am making gumbo.

I used to make gumbo all the time when I worked at Whole Foods.  We had these huge commercial electric skillets that held 30 gallons, so when I made gumbo at work it was huge, serious undertaking.  It's funny but even when you've made something a million times, it's very different to make it in a huge batch. 

30 gallons of gumbo at work?  No problem!
2 gallons of gumbo at home? Um...where's that Emeril recipe....

The first time I made gumbo at home, I used this recipe.  I made a few changes because of what I had on hand, and it came out amazingly. I used breast of chicken rather than thighs (I love thighs, I just didn't have any).  I omitted the green onions, parsley, and file simply because I didn't have any.  Guess what?  It was still amazing.    One of my friends told me it was the best gumbo she'd ever had.  For a foodie, this is the highest compliment you can receive.  I was beaming. 

The big thing that was missing in my mind however, was the stock.  I used my favorite chicken base Better Than Bouillon (thanks Beth! read her blog Budget Bytes)  to make chicken broth and it tasted great!  But having made stocks of all kinds at Whole Foods and being told that I made great stocks, I was dying to make one at home.  The trouble is, a good rich stock takes many things that if you go out and purchase specifically for stock, can be quite expensive.  So I started a bag.  Into this bag I put my onion skins, green onion ends, a piece of a shallot I had leftover.  I also added some celery ends, a cut-up carrot, and some herb stems.  I chucked this bag into the freezer and whenever I cooked, I put my food "waste" into this bag.  Soon I had filled a quart size bag and I was happy. 

Man cannot make chicken stock with veggies alone, however, so I was stuck.  I usually only keep frozen chicken breasts on hand.  With Fall fast approaching I knew what to do. 

"I am going to roast a chicken!" said the single girl who lives alone.

Luckily for me I have friends who like to come eat when I cook.  So I roasted a chicken. 

And it came out pretty damn good.  But I had an ulterior motive.  BOOOOOOOONES!  I needed the bones!  And all that yummy connective tissue that kinda grosses me out on a visceral level but the cook in me knows is VITAL to a rich flavorful stock!  So I saved those bones. 

This is the beginning of the stock:

Besides the chicken carcass and all the veggie stuffs, I added some whole black peppercorns and a few herbs.  Most stocks call for parsley and thyme, but I had basil, oregano, and rosemary. 

So basically what you do is get your biggest pot.  Put your stuffs in there.  Fill it with water.  Bring it to a boil, then let it simmer or "soft boil" for 2 hours.  Strain it out REALLY GOOD because there's gonna be lots of yucky bits in there.  Then you can either let it cool and freeze it for future use, or use it that evening.  There's nothing like homemade chicken stock.  NOTHING! 

This is my stock less than an hour in:

See how the water has become murky?  That's what dreams are made of.  I will continue this process for at least another hour and a half.  Then I will have liquid gold!  My mouth is watering for the gumbo I will make tonight.  Oh and did I mention fresh bread?  Yeah I'm gonna make that too.  You wanna make bread too!?  Well you're in luck, because this is the easiest, tastiest bread I've ever made.  I call it THAT BREAD because it needs no other explanation.  Enjoy!

Well I think I've talked enough for today. My condo smells great right now thanks to my stock simmering merrily away.  I think I'll watch some 30 Rock while I'm waiting to strain it. 

As always, thanks for reading!

10/21/2012 Vocalpoint

There it is. A new adventure! Since I am currently(temporarily [hopefully]) unemployed, I began looking around the web for freebies. There's a whole fleet of companies dying to let you try their product for free. They want to send you free stuff so badly, and the trade-off? Your opinion! Yes, these companies want your opinion on their prodcuts! I stumbled onto vocalpoint through an offer. It said you had to register with vocalpoint to get the offer, but i did some research and this site seems legit. This article says that vocalpoint is a Proctor & Gamble run website that sends free samples to get the "mom"'s opinion. I'm all for it! So I put my official vocalpoint badge at the top of this post. I'll let you know what I receieve and when, and post my review of it here as well on vocalpoint. I can't wait for my first sample!

10/9/12 Resurrection

My, my, my. It certainly has been a long time.
My life has seen some major changes over the last few months. When last I wrote and you read, I was still new at my job. I had lost the condo of my dreams. My mom was cancer-free. First things first: Mom is still cancer-free! She's doing wonderfully. My mother is probably the strongest woman I have ever met, but also the biggest worry-wart on the planet. She continues to amaze and inspire me with her understated strength. I think what makes her so awesome to me is that she doesn't even know how strong she is. She will worry about me going out at night, but she can handle 6 weeks of radiation treatment every day by herself. She's still dancing and living her life to the fullest. She's my hero.

As far as my job is concerned, a lot happened there. I made a few amazing friends, met some really heinous bitches, and had one of the worst bosses ever. I worked there for eight months and decided to call it quits because their values didn't match my own. I guess I'm grateful for the experience, but it was the kind of place that made you fantasize about a meteor hitting the building on your day off. I started to daydream about Dexter-style revenge on this horrid man. Thankfully for both of us I left the place before starting to seriously consider buying visqueen and a hunting knife.

Now I'm on the hunt for my Next Big Thing. I'll probably have to wait tables again for a while, but I'm okay with that. One thing I cannot abide by is being talked down to by a boss that has no idea who I am or what I'm capable of. I have no regrets about quitting the bakery. Now, while I may indeed have to take some shit from customers I wait on, they will go home after an hour and I can get them out of my mind.

Last but not least, regarding the condo.... I AM A HOMEOWNER!!! When I opted out of the deal due to the water damage, the bank that holds the title decided they did not want to fix the problem. They wanted to dump the property. They cut the asking price in HALF and since I'd already had an offer in, I got first dibs on the new deal. Well, we jumped at it. I signed the new pruchase agreement the next day and began the process of closing. On May 14, 2012, I became a homeowner. It was a very surreal feeling. Sometimes I still sit in awe and wonder how I got so lucky. The catch? The water issue was now my problem to fix. I hired a tree service to remove the tree and grind out the stump, and my father and his bestie regraded the soil away from my building. We painted every wall, ripped out all of the old ruined laminate flooring and replaced with 5 year old bamboo in the living room. We put a beautiful grey champagne frieze carpet in my bedroom, and the most amazing Italian tile in my foyer. My father and I even wallpapered an accent wall in my bedroom all by ourselves. The pièce de résistance is my custom built bar. My father built me a bar! It is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. It is My Precious. I wanted a dark wood shelved bar with a lean rail and a tile top to match my foyer. My dad gave me just that- the bar of my dreams. Forgive my picture quality, I'm still twerkin the iPhone 3GS.



She's a beauty, eh? I know this post has been mammoth and I appreciate you sticking with me. If you've read this far, leave a comment! My new crib includes wifi (HALLELUJER) so I will try to make regular updates. Thanks for reading :)

3/5/12 Pinterest mini post!

I'm officially on Pinterest, so follow me! So far I've pinned mostly food, but we'll see ;)

Happy reading!