Do I continue?

14Dec09

I’m questioning if I should continue this blog or not.

I hadn’t mentioned before the previous post that this blog was even for my Online Journalism course. Honestly, I had felt it was a disservice to the work and effort I was putting into this blog to label it a school project.

In retrospect, I didn’t do what I wanted with this blog. I got to combind my love of baking with a passion for photographs and words. I did not, however, reach my full potential. I have experience with a lot of the programs we used and have operated wordpress before taking on this course. What caused me to not do as well as I could have?

Not to make this into a personal blog, which I have steered far away from, but it’s been a lot of personal issues. I went through a period of time where I struggled with chronic migraines and getting onto medication followed by a week of having the flu. I have had issues with friends and wound up leaving my school newspaper as the features editor, a desicion I did not easily come to. Further, about half way into the semester, I realized I didn’t feel that journalism was my chosen path. On top of everything else, I had a full school schedule of writing intensive courses. I put everything I had left into this little blog, and had a lot of fun. Whether or not I can continue is the question.

I’m not a journalist but I am a writer and photographer that loves baking. This makes me want to continue this while lowering my updates to about once every two weeks. I want to say I’ll stay true to that but I’m not promising it. Life seems full of obligations and I don’t want to make my favorite hobby, baking, into an obligation. It’s why I never went to culinary school.

Hopefully this will continue, but I’m bad at making concise desicions. So let’s leave this on hoping to see eachother around but understanding if we just don’t have time for each other, dear readers. Goodbye and we might just see eachother soon.


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Pumpkin Treats

14Dec09

For my final feature project, I could have done a lot of things. I could have made a timeline or put together a video. I could have used my resources and combinded many tools I have learned to effectively use in my Online Journalism course. I enjoy using those resources and think a lot of blogs are made better through them. I do not, however, feel they add anything to my blog.

Not to go on a rant, but I feel my blog has been a combination of my photography and love for baking. In short, for my last grade in Online Journalism, I’m going to stick to what has made my blog what it is and make it a photo essay.

On Thanksgiving, which seems like such a long time ago at this point, my grandmother, older sister and I made pumpkin tarts. What I like about the pumpkin tarts is how they look like tiny pies. Fruit tarts do not have the same pie-like appearance in my opinion.

To start off, we used a typical pumpkin pie filling:

After creating the filling, we made the crust. Unlike usual, my grandmother made a crust using cream cheese. This small edition to the pie crust made a new flavor for the tiny pies:

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
  • 1 cup + 1 tablespoon pastry flour or 1 cup (dip and sweep method) bleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt (for savory recipes, use 1 1/2 times the salt)
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 cup cream cheese, cold
  • 1 tablespoon ice water
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar

After the crust was made, we rolled them into small balls and put them in a tart tin.

After that, we used a handheld presser to make them fit in the tin.

Afterwords, we filled the crust with the pumpkin filling and put them in an oven preheated to 375 degrees. I let the tarts cook until they browned, which took about 20 minutes. I do not suggest putting on a timer for 20 minutes. They are small and every oven works different. Due to the size, this recipe is easy to burn.


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Milk Substitute

14Dec09

This post wasn’t originally supposed to be so close together with the egg substitute post. I was without internet for an elongated period of time and didn’t make my posts earlier, as I should have. A lesson to learn from in the future.

After I found the egg substitution, I wondered what sorts of options there are when you’re out of milk. Would condensed milk work? Should I just add more water?

Condensed Milk

Condensed milk can be made by whole milk. To do this, add equal parts of condensed milk with water to the appropriate amount needed for your baking project.

Just use more water

Especially when it comes to pancakes, more water can be used in order to make the batter. The end result will be less fluffy but you will end up with pancakes.

Liquid Coffee Creamer

I actually like using this. French vanilla creamer adds a vanilla taste to cakes and, especiall pancakes or yellow cake, this can wind up being delicious and rich.

Half and half

It’s just what it says it is. It is half milk and can be used in circumstances in which you are out of milk.

Powder Coffee Creamer

Add 2 tablespoons of the creamer to 1/2 cup of water to create a useable substitute for milk.


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Out of eggs? A college kid mishap.

14Dec09

Living on a low budget, I found myself without eggs and with an ambition to make pancakes. The solution was simpler than I would have guessed.

I quick stop at the internet provided an easy fix for vegan pancakes.

To make an egg substitute, mix 2 tablespoons of water, one tablespoon of vegetable oil and two teaspoons of baking powder together in a bowl. Add this mixture to the batter just like an egg.

This simple solution made me question if I should have opted for veganism as opposed to vegatarianism. Between an egg substitute that binded my pancakes together as well as an egg does and the mulititude of milk substitues, veganism doesn’t seem too far fetched until I remember I’d have to give up cheese.


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Bakeries Around Rowan University

21Nov09

Pitman Bakery

 

I don’t always eat my own baked goods. Sometimes I go out with friends to a coffee house or a bakery and enjoy baked goods there. Having been at Rowan for almost two semesters now, I have gathered a few favorite locations around Rowan University.

 

 

I have made a map of the locations of these places. The only bakeries I have on the list are Pitman’s Bakery and Liscio’s. Liscio’s is a favorite among Rowan students. Located on Delsea drive, it is actually within walking distance of the university. Pitman’s Bakery is a bit further, located in Pitman. It’s not out of walking distance but it can be a hike. Pitman’s bakery is widely renowned for their donuts. They sell chocolate iced, powdered and glazed donuts the most. They are very popular in the early morning.

Pitman Bakery. Photo by Ismaa Viqar.

PB’s restaurant is a diner on Delsea drive. It’s an inexpensive diner that many Rowan students go to for a quick and easy meal. My friends’ favorite is th cakes they offer.

My two favorite locations for baked goods, or just hanging out, are Progressive Coffee House on High Street in Glassboro and The Ground House on S  Broadway in Pitman. Both coffee houses are small coffee houses. In both places, the owners are easy to talk to and very friendly. They also both display the artwork of local artists on their walls and jave open mic nights, live bands and large couch seating.

At Progressive, the owner’s wife makes all of the food. All of the food they offer is great but my personal favorite baked good is the chocolate chip muffins. They’re large and go great with a cup of coffee. Another note worthy baked good is the quiche. I am a big lover of quiche and normally don’t like any quiche as much as my mother’s.

The Ground House has cookies and muffins at the counter. They change up which muffins or cookies they have out every two weeks and accept requests for batches. Right now, they have pumpkin and crandberry muffins because of the season. They also have blueberry but less often since it’s wintertime. They also have blueberry and banana pancakes that can be ordered. Their biggest seller is chocolate chip cookies, an old time favorite of many people. The Ground House also offers something unique that I plan to utilize in the near future.

Locals bring their own confections to be put at the counter for free. Anyone can grab one as they get their coffee. What the baker can do is put their baked goods out for the public along with a survey for them to take. This way they can get feedback on new recipes and learn how to improve on their baking.


View Larger Map


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Cornbread

21Nov09

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For a Thanksgiving dinner party my friends were holding, I cooked a good portion of the food. The one item I baked myself was cornbread. Instead of buying a box of mix, I bought Aunt Jemima’s self-rising whit corn meal mix.

The recipe is simple:

  • 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
  • 2 cups of Aunt Jemima’s Self-rising White Corn Meal Mix
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons of sugar (optional)
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 egg, beaten

I chose to skip the optional sugar addage. This was a mistake. The bread turns out okay but it was bland. I wanted to make my parts of the Thanksgiving feast a bit more healthy but sometimes trying to be a bit healthy doesn’t pay out in the end. In the future, I will definitely opt to add the sugar.


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4a.m. Experimentation

16Nov09

It’s almost 4 a.m. as I begin this blog post. Between weird sleeping patterns and school projects, I cannot get to sleep. Being as I won’t be getting any REM tonight, I decided earlier to make yellow cake instead. This was not meant to become a blog post but through the events that occurred, it certainly has earned one.

Yellow cake is a comfort food for me plus it’s easy to bake, lasts awhile and is something sweet to have around the kitchen. I always make it from scratch, which adds a home-baked added bonus to its effect and makes me feel more at home in my on-campus apartment (Believe me — Rowan Boulevard might be a beautiful building with wonderful apartments, but the white walls and forest green, stiff couches can be reminiscent of a hotel rather than a home).

I gathered the ingredients and begun the recipe. There was one huge problem: my milk had gone sour, and how. Honestly, that smell is absolutely atrocious. Turns out even a half gallon for a baker is a lot while living on your own.

I had poured ingredients and still wanted to make these cakes. (I had decided to make use of the two brownie tins I had purchased at a dollar store, making two small cakes instead of one. Side note; Dollar Tree has surprisingly good bakeware. I got my brownie tins and the best whisk I’ve ever used there.) What could I use in my small kitchen as a replacement?

whisk

The whisk from the Dollar Tree. It was arguably the best investiment I have made for one dollar, a large bag of animal crackers in a close second place.

I considered using more eggs but that didn’t sound too appetizing. Water would just water down the vanilla taste. I decided to take a risk and use my coffee creamer. The creamer I use is Coffee Mate, french vanilla. Web sites online say to water down the creamer, using about half as much as the recipe called for milk and using water for the rest. I decided against this. I like my vanilla tastes to be strong. Paired with the usual dose of vanilla extract, this cake would either be a wonderworld of vanilla for the taste buds  or simply overwhelming to the senses. The way I figure it, I was taking a gamble anyway. I might as well go for it and see what happens.

coffe mate

My milk substitute.

 

in tin

Batter in brownie tins.

 

in oven

In a preheated oven.

After about 45 minutes, I took the two cakes out of the oven. After they cooled off, I put Betty Crocker’s vanilla whipped icing on top of both.

 

 

IMG_0016

End result: delicious. It turns out it is not an overwhelming amount of vanilla at all. In fact, it’s about as vanilla tasting as the usual taste of yellow cake. The cake is a bit richer than usual but overall, this was a success. I’m glad I wound up not watering the creamer down. It would have taken away from the taste.


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Kei Dallmer

15Nov09

Kei Dallmer has been one of my closest friends since I was nine years old. On the first day of class of fourth grade, fate had it that she and I wound up sitting next to each other in homeroom. About a week later, she was my best friend. It’s funny how quick that happens when you’re nine.

Kei is hardcore after getting face-planted with a cupcake.

In any case, we are now 20 years old and are still close friends. She came from our hometown, Marlton, N.J., to visit me at Rowan. During Kei’s visit, she made a baked apple for the camera, taking the audience through each step of making an easy-to-make recipe she and I found on Recipezaar.com.

(Video by Josh Gager)


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AllRecipes.com

14Nov09

Since I’ve been at college, I have been without a cookbook and have relied on the internet for recipes The search for recipes can sometimes be challenging and awkward. Some recipes I have found have been absolute failures that should have been delicious.

I have found one Web site that I find points me in the right direction. All Recipes is a great site I use often in my baking escapades.

new_logo

The user can search key phrases and find exactly what they are looking for. Unlike a lot of baking blogs, there is little story telling or personal voice. Due to its direct approach, the site works more like a cookbook than a blog. I appreciate that sentiment. I would much rather have a great recipe than a colorfully flavored blog post written by someone I don’t know.

 

 


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Graham Cracker Crust

09Nov09

For my friend’s birthday, he wanted a plain cheesecake with cherry pie filling as a topping. I made him a cheesecake homemade but the one part of the cheesecake I found to be the best part of making homemade was the crust.

Instead of buying a pre-made graham cracker pie crust, I made my own. Having never made a cheesecake on my own, I looked to the internet for a recipe in which I could make the pie crust. I found an easy-to-make recipe on about.com.

The recipe is as follows:

Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: 10 minutes

Here’s How:

  1. In a small saucepan or the microwave, melt 6 tablespoons of butter.
  2. Place about 24 graham crackers in a plastic bag. Roll with a rolling pin until finely crushed. This may be done in small batches.
  3. Measure 1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs into a medium bowl.
  4. Add 1/4 cup of sugar to the graham crackers.
  5. Add the melted butter.
  6. Stir or blend together with your hands.
  7. Press into the pie plate or other pan.
  8. To pre-bake the pie crust, bake for 8 to 10 minutes in a preheated 350 degree F. oven.

Tips:

  1. Add a little cinnamon, nutmeg, or allspice to the crumbs for a spiced flavor.

What You Need:

  • 6 tbsp butter, melted
  • 24 graham crackers
  • 1/4 cup sugar

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