When I was very little my parents decided to start their own compost pile. It was in this green barrel thing and they were supposed to turn it every day. I think the concept of saving all of our food trash and using it to fertilize our garden was a good one in theory, but the end result was that we still have a green barrel in our backyard and not one load of compost ever was put in the garden from what I can remember.
A gardener in Stamford,CT found out this week that her attempts to grow organic produce with the city's compost pile might have contaminated her food. It turns out that the city compost pile sits on top of a landfill. The park next to the landfill was shut down last month, because there were toxic chemicals found in the soil from the landfill. Now there are concerns that the compost, which has been used by many in the city for the city garden and for individual gardens, is contaminated by the same materials that leached from the landfill into the park.
Organic farming is a wonderful option to all of the pesticides that are prevalent in so much of the produce we buy from the store. Unfortunately there are still a few kinks in the system. One of the kinks comes in the preparation of the soil. Compost piles have to be carefully turned and managed. If you prefer to put manure on your soil it should not smell like manure when you put it on or it is too ripe for the soil. Diseases like ecoli live in that manure and a careless farmer could make his or her produce deadly if they are not careful about what is put on the soil.
Another kink comes from the labeling process and most people's misunderstanding of this process. Certified Organic is a hard label to come by in the produce business. It is a long and expensive process, that most local farmers don't have the time or money to obtain. This means that when you buy certified organic it is most likely from some large corporate farm miles and miles away. The smarter choice is to buy local. Unfortunately many people do not understand this and they assume that, that stamp of organic is just some magical stamp that means the produce is smartest choice. Often it is not.
I live in a farming community. When I was little I remember going over to the farmers and watching them milk the cows. Every year we would buy 100 ears of corn from the farmers and shuck it and my mom would cut off the kernels and freeze it for the winter. She would also make a giant corn pie. Watch for that recipe once the corn is at its freshest in June and July.
Obviously not everyone has been fortunate enough to live within walking distance of a farm with fresh produce, but a little drive to your nearest farm or farmers market would be a much smarter (and healthier) choice for your produce. Yes your local farmers might use some pesticides, but that produce was picked that morning not 5 weeks ago and that produce did not sit on a gas guzzling truck for miles and miles.
As the summer produce starts to come in start to think local and fresh. Also start thinking relationships. If you want to have a garden of your own, who is better equipped to answer your questions and tell you whether you can still put tomatoes in in June than your local farmer. Small scale organic is easy. My mom has never once used pesticides in our summer garden. For the things that you have trouble growing, buy local from a farm or farmers market. Skip the organic section of the store, save some money, and support the local farms in your community.
Happy Eating!!!
Emily
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
But he cut pancakes out of the menu
The Pioneer Press ran a story about a county sheriff in Ohio trying to cut costs by making his inmates grow their own food. The inmates were actually happy about this, because the previous cuts had caused their food to be less than tasty. What was more alarming to me about the whole thing was that one of the previous cuts the county sheriff had made was to cut pancakes out of the menu. Pancakes? Does he not have a heart?
I don't know about you, but pancakes and me go way back. My mom was not a mom who had time to wake up every morning and make us a five course breakfast, so pancakes were a treat to us. Normally this treat surfaced in the form of dinner. My mom would have an appointment(she did and still does family counseling in our house) and she always made dinner and we always sat down as a family to eat. This was not the Stauffer's commercials of sitting down with the family to eat; every meal was homemade. But sometimes mom did not have the time to make a big meal, so we'd have pancakes and bacon. You might as well have told us that we were going to have candy for dinner, because no one complained when mom was making pancakes for dinner.
I don't know who invented pancakes, but it was truly a brilliant idea. Whether you like them thin and flat or thick and cake, whether you like them with peanut butter, jelly, or syrup, whether you eat them with bacon or just eat them as you're running out of the house, pancakes are a great meal.
When I lived in Oregon, two of my roommates wanted to go out on our day off and we ended up at this diner in Bend, Oregon. I had heard all about these pancakes and had even witnessed half of one in our refrigerator one day. These pancakes that they served at this diner were the size of a large plate. If you finished a whole one it was an accomplishment. My roommate ordered two and took one home, so that the rest of the household could stare in awe and taste a bite of a giant tasty pancake.
There is something about pancakes that reminds me of childhood. Even when I think about those pancakes in Oregon and their size it just brings out the kid in me. When my roommate ordered them and they were brought out all of our eyes were as big as saucers and we just wanted to look at the ginormous pancakes in front of us. I think to me eating pancakes still feels like I'm cheating the system. Somehow I am getting away with eating dessert for a meal and no one ever says anything about it. I'm like the kid who stuck the hand in the cookie jar, ate a whole cookie, and everyone just watched and smiled.
I don't know how much of an expense the county sheriff in Ohio cut by cutting out pancakes, but I really would like to ask him, "do you have a heart?"
In honor of those poor pancakeless inmates I pronounce today to be officially a pancake day. Whether you use Bisquick, Aunt Jemima, or make your pancakes homemade, make some pancakes. Mix in some blueberries, strawberries, chocolate chips, bananas, nuts, or whatever you can think up. Don't forget the butter and syrup and eat plenty of pancakes, because I bet if those inmates in Ohio had the chance they would be eating plenty of pancakes too today.
Happy Eating!!!
Emily
I don't know about you, but pancakes and me go way back. My mom was not a mom who had time to wake up every morning and make us a five course breakfast, so pancakes were a treat to us. Normally this treat surfaced in the form of dinner. My mom would have an appointment(she did and still does family counseling in our house) and she always made dinner and we always sat down as a family to eat. This was not the Stauffer's commercials of sitting down with the family to eat; every meal was homemade. But sometimes mom did not have the time to make a big meal, so we'd have pancakes and bacon. You might as well have told us that we were going to have candy for dinner, because no one complained when mom was making pancakes for dinner.
I don't know who invented pancakes, but it was truly a brilliant idea. Whether you like them thin and flat or thick and cake, whether you like them with peanut butter, jelly, or syrup, whether you eat them with bacon or just eat them as you're running out of the house, pancakes are a great meal.
When I lived in Oregon, two of my roommates wanted to go out on our day off and we ended up at this diner in Bend, Oregon. I had heard all about these pancakes and had even witnessed half of one in our refrigerator one day. These pancakes that they served at this diner were the size of a large plate. If you finished a whole one it was an accomplishment. My roommate ordered two and took one home, so that the rest of the household could stare in awe and taste a bite of a giant tasty pancake.
There is something about pancakes that reminds me of childhood. Even when I think about those pancakes in Oregon and their size it just brings out the kid in me. When my roommate ordered them and they were brought out all of our eyes were as big as saucers and we just wanted to look at the ginormous pancakes in front of us. I think to me eating pancakes still feels like I'm cheating the system. Somehow I am getting away with eating dessert for a meal and no one ever says anything about it. I'm like the kid who stuck the hand in the cookie jar, ate a whole cookie, and everyone just watched and smiled.
I don't know how much of an expense the county sheriff in Ohio cut by cutting out pancakes, but I really would like to ask him, "do you have a heart?"
In honor of those poor pancakeless inmates I pronounce today to be officially a pancake day. Whether you use Bisquick, Aunt Jemima, or make your pancakes homemade, make some pancakes. Mix in some blueberries, strawberries, chocolate chips, bananas, nuts, or whatever you can think up. Don't forget the butter and syrup and eat plenty of pancakes, because I bet if those inmates in Ohio had the chance they would be eating plenty of pancakes too today.
Happy Eating!!!
Emily
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Would you pay someone to make your job harder?
A bill is right now being passed through the House of Representatives that would give the FDA more power to regulate the food industry and would cost each food supplier $1,000 for the extra work that it will cost the FDA.
In recent years there have been many food scares. Last summer I remember guests at the Bar Harbor Inn requesting no tomatoes on their salads because of the possible e-coli tomato scare. The summer before it was the spinach scare. All of these scares were "innocent" as far as these kinds of scares go. No one was formally charged with intentionally distributing or contaminating the food.
The recent peanut disaster was a totally different story. TV stations were splattering stories about how the head of the plant knew about the entire thing and was sending out contaminated food on purpose. This incident was the focusing event that the lawmakers in Washington used to push this recent bill.
The Washington Post spun this entire story as a wonderful new way to make sure our country's food supply is safe. I am a little more skeptical of this whole thing. This bill calls for a charge to be placed on food suppliers for the extra work that the bill creates. $1,000 per supplier is going to be passed down to the restaurants and grocery stores who will kindly pass the bill on to everyone who eats food (that'd be me and you). I am not sure if you have received a piece of this illusive stimulus package, but I haven't and can't possibly afford anything to go up in price. Basically while the government is spending money bailing out struggling companies it's going to fine companies that might be doing ok. This isn't right.
I understand that what that producer did with contaminated peanuts is wrong, but for that one man there are a lot of honest men and women who supply food. It is important for the FDA to watch over the food industry. There are also checks and balances within the industry. If a supplier is sending out bad food, any chef worth his or her salt is going to send that food back. No one wants people to be sick, especially when your business is dependant on a person's experience of your food.
I will step off my soapbox for a second and say that it has been grey and rainy in PA. Grey and rainy days are never fun when it should be sunny and nice out, but they always make me want to bake. In the past two day we've made a strawberry rhubarb pie, brownies, and chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. I don't know if everyone else hibernates like I do, but I hope that you are enjoying food and friends and the beginning of summer. On these colder days take advantage of the fact that your ovens won't be heating up your house. One of my favorite comfort food baking recipes is the recipe for soft pretzels.
6 large 12 small
3 ½ C of flour(bread flour works best-half whole wheat/ half bread flour makes good whole wheat pretzels-all purpose flour works just fine too)
4 T brown sugar(I have used honey or white sugar-honey works well with whole wheat)
2 tsp. salt (sea salt preferably)
1 Tblsp yeast, dissolved in the water(one package of yeast is roughly one tablespoon)
1 C water (120°) fairly warm but not hot.
2 t baking soda mixed with 1 Cup hot water (in a small bowl)(I never actually measure this; just pour some baking soda into water)
1 egg beaten with 1 teasp. water
(in a small bowl)
Mix water/yeast, brown sugar and salt in a bowl. Add flour and mix until dough is smooth. Add more flour if sticky. (If possible let the dough sit overnight in a bowl or plastic container in the refrigerator.) I think I hardly ever let it sit over night; cover well if you do.
Divide the dough into 6 or 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a rope; the thickness depends on what kind of shape you want to make. If you want a traditional pretzel roll into a thin long snake. If you are just going to make a knot, it can be shorter and fatter. If you want a traditional pretzel shape, shape into an upside down U shape on your table. Bring the ends together and twist them. Flatten the ends and bring to the top of the pretzel and press in the dough to secure making it look like a pretzel.
Place on a greased cookie sheet. Now let the pretzels rise for a 45 minutes or till about double in size. I hardly ever let them sit and rise; they will most likely sit for that time when you roll out all of the pretzels. Cover with a semi-wet paper towel if the dough looks like it’s drying out.
Put the water and baking soda in a saucepan and boil. Dip the pretzels in the water-soda solution for about 10 seconds. Brush with beaten egg and water solution. Sprinkle with; coarse salt, sesame seeds, and/or parmesan cheese, or
cinnamon sugar
Bake in hot oven 450 degrees (225 degrees C) for 12 to 15 minutes or until well browned.
Try not to eat them all at once, and be creative you can make almost any kind of pretzel you can think up.
Happy Eating!!!
Emily
In recent years there have been many food scares. Last summer I remember guests at the Bar Harbor Inn requesting no tomatoes on their salads because of the possible e-coli tomato scare. The summer before it was the spinach scare. All of these scares were "innocent" as far as these kinds of scares go. No one was formally charged with intentionally distributing or contaminating the food.
The recent peanut disaster was a totally different story. TV stations were splattering stories about how the head of the plant knew about the entire thing and was sending out contaminated food on purpose. This incident was the focusing event that the lawmakers in Washington used to push this recent bill.
The Washington Post spun this entire story as a wonderful new way to make sure our country's food supply is safe. I am a little more skeptical of this whole thing. This bill calls for a charge to be placed on food suppliers for the extra work that the bill creates. $1,000 per supplier is going to be passed down to the restaurants and grocery stores who will kindly pass the bill on to everyone who eats food (that'd be me and you). I am not sure if you have received a piece of this illusive stimulus package, but I haven't and can't possibly afford anything to go up in price. Basically while the government is spending money bailing out struggling companies it's going to fine companies that might be doing ok. This isn't right.
I understand that what that producer did with contaminated peanuts is wrong, but for that one man there are a lot of honest men and women who supply food. It is important for the FDA to watch over the food industry. There are also checks and balances within the industry. If a supplier is sending out bad food, any chef worth his or her salt is going to send that food back. No one wants people to be sick, especially when your business is dependant on a person's experience of your food.
I will step off my soapbox for a second and say that it has been grey and rainy in PA. Grey and rainy days are never fun when it should be sunny and nice out, but they always make me want to bake. In the past two day we've made a strawberry rhubarb pie, brownies, and chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. I don't know if everyone else hibernates like I do, but I hope that you are enjoying food and friends and the beginning of summer. On these colder days take advantage of the fact that your ovens won't be heating up your house. One of my favorite comfort food baking recipes is the recipe for soft pretzels.
6 large 12 small
3 ½ C of flour(bread flour works best-half whole wheat/ half bread flour makes good whole wheat pretzels-all purpose flour works just fine too)
4 T brown sugar(I have used honey or white sugar-honey works well with whole wheat)
2 tsp. salt (sea salt preferably)
1 Tblsp yeast, dissolved in the water(one package of yeast is roughly one tablespoon)
1 C water (120°) fairly warm but not hot.
2 t baking soda mixed with 1 Cup hot water (in a small bowl)(I never actually measure this; just pour some baking soda into water)
1 egg beaten with 1 teasp. water
(in a small bowl)
Mix water/yeast, brown sugar and salt in a bowl. Add flour and mix until dough is smooth. Add more flour if sticky. (If possible let the dough sit overnight in a bowl or plastic container in the refrigerator.) I think I hardly ever let it sit over night; cover well if you do.
Divide the dough into 6 or 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a rope; the thickness depends on what kind of shape you want to make. If you want a traditional pretzel roll into a thin long snake. If you are just going to make a knot, it can be shorter and fatter. If you want a traditional pretzel shape, shape into an upside down U shape on your table. Bring the ends together and twist them. Flatten the ends and bring to the top of the pretzel and press in the dough to secure making it look like a pretzel.
Place on a greased cookie sheet. Now let the pretzels rise for a 45 minutes or till about double in size. I hardly ever let them sit and rise; they will most likely sit for that time when you roll out all of the pretzels. Cover with a semi-wet paper towel if the dough looks like it’s drying out.
Put the water and baking soda in a saucepan and boil. Dip the pretzels in the water-soda solution for about 10 seconds. Brush with beaten egg and water solution. Sprinkle with; coarse salt, sesame seeds, and/or parmesan cheese, or
cinnamon sugar
Bake in hot oven 450 degrees (225 degrees C) for 12 to 15 minutes or until well browned.
Try not to eat them all at once, and be creative you can make almost any kind of pretzel you can think up.
Happy Eating!!!
Emily
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
How well do you know know your quests?
Recently on facebook everyone has an inclination to create a quiz about themselves. In these quizzes there are questions every twelve year old has had to answer to prove their true friendships. "What's my favorite color?" "What am I more afraid of spiders or snakes?" "What is my favorite girl name?" These are just some of the important questions only someone who is your best of friends could answer, or someone who is rather observant/overly obsessed about all things you.
As cooks, we take quizzes like this all of the time, but our scores aren't posted online for all of the facebook world to see. Whether you are cooking for your family, friends, or, like I do as a cook at a country club, complete strangers, you are constantly answering "how well you do know me?" quizzes. These quizzes are a little bit different than the ones infiltrating my minifeed on facebook.
Will the guests like a big salad with chicken on a hot summer night or will they be more fond of an outside feast of grilled burgers and hot dogs? Should I make peanut butter pie or should I bring something with a little less Anaphylactic shock potential to the work picnic? What are my 4 year old's favorite vegetables and how can I introduce him to more so his diet is balanced?
We never truly have the time or the magical little calculate button to determine how well we do on these every day cooking quizzes. An occasional fail might be obvious when your rushed and the meal was thrown together from an assortment of everything in your freezer, cupboards, and refrigerator. The key is to not lose heart and order out for the next week.
I have always felt that cooking is more about the experience. Some of my earliest memories are cooking with the women in my family. Every year my Titis (Aunts) would come over and we would pick five giant plants of basil, grate 3 things of Parmeson cheese, and taste and puree what seemed to be 500 pounds of pesto. At the end of the day my Titi Stella would make up some chicken fingers and we'd toss some of the pesto into spaghetti and have a feast. The most enjoyable moment was not the feast, even though it was always tasty, because there are plenty of good cooks in my family. The most important moment was all of the little moments that went into the finished product. It was the moment when my mom tasted the pesto and said it needed more salt and Titi Stella tasted it and said it needed more oil, but was definitely salty enough. It was the moment that Titi Carmen decided we needed something else and should go out to get more ingredients, or the moments where Titi Stella and I would realize we were the only ones working on the pesto.
I know that I am lucky to have memories like these, as not many families do things the way my family did things. As the summer months progress and things start to slow down, as corny as this is going to sound, create some memories. Take time to cook and don't worry so much about getting a 100% on the cooking quiz. The perfectionists who get 100% probably didn't giggle once over flour shooting across the kitchen or take the time to teach someone else the art of making the perfect pie crust while they made their dinner.
Happy Eating!!!
Emily
As cooks, we take quizzes like this all of the time, but our scores aren't posted online for all of the facebook world to see. Whether you are cooking for your family, friends, or, like I do as a cook at a country club, complete strangers, you are constantly answering "how well you do know me?" quizzes. These quizzes are a little bit different than the ones infiltrating my minifeed on facebook.
Will the guests like a big salad with chicken on a hot summer night or will they be more fond of an outside feast of grilled burgers and hot dogs? Should I make peanut butter pie or should I bring something with a little less Anaphylactic shock potential to the work picnic? What are my 4 year old's favorite vegetables and how can I introduce him to more so his diet is balanced?
We never truly have the time or the magical little calculate button to determine how well we do on these every day cooking quizzes. An occasional fail might be obvious when your rushed and the meal was thrown together from an assortment of everything in your freezer, cupboards, and refrigerator. The key is to not lose heart and order out for the next week.
I have always felt that cooking is more about the experience. Some of my earliest memories are cooking with the women in my family. Every year my Titis (Aunts) would come over and we would pick five giant plants of basil, grate 3 things of Parmeson cheese, and taste and puree what seemed to be 500 pounds of pesto. At the end of the day my Titi Stella would make up some chicken fingers and we'd toss some of the pesto into spaghetti and have a feast. The most enjoyable moment was not the feast, even though it was always tasty, because there are plenty of good cooks in my family. The most important moment was all of the little moments that went into the finished product. It was the moment when my mom tasted the pesto and said it needed more salt and Titi Stella tasted it and said it needed more oil, but was definitely salty enough. It was the moment that Titi Carmen decided we needed something else and should go out to get more ingredients, or the moments where Titi Stella and I would realize we were the only ones working on the pesto.
I know that I am lucky to have memories like these, as not many families do things the way my family did things. As the summer months progress and things start to slow down, as corny as this is going to sound, create some memories. Take time to cook and don't worry so much about getting a 100% on the cooking quiz. The perfectionists who get 100% probably didn't giggle once over flour shooting across the kitchen or take the time to teach someone else the art of making the perfect pie crust while they made their dinner.
Happy Eating!!!
Emily
Monday, May 25, 2009
But what if I want pizza at 2 am?
D.C politicians are blaming crime on pizza parlors that stay open till 4:30 in the morning. According to Fox News, these politicians are actually trying to pass legislation to control these pizza hangouts. I am not a night person so I can't imagine ever being hungry at 2 a.m., but I know a lot of people who really do like to eat at those hours of the night. It seems the safer option would be to just keep some pizza dough frozen so that when you get the urge you can take it out and whip up a pizza however you like it.
I am personally a big fan of slicing up fresh tomatoes and tossing them in chopped garlic, a pinch of salt, oregano, and a little bit of olive oil. Throw this mixture and some fresh basil on the dough and cover with any cheese you like. Of course, fresh pizza is so much tastier with fresh ingredients. There is nothing like a sweet juicy tomato and fresh basil on a homemade crust.
Members of a community in Stratford Connecticut are fighting to create community gardens, so that a lot of people can enjoy these kinds of summer bounty. Of course no endeavor is seen without some form of problem. The Connecticut Post wrote that the town council is trying to take the gardens, that are already growing, away from the citizens of the town, who are hoping to donate some of their produce to food banks. It seems not everyone is as excited about going green and helping people out in these tough times.
Today is Memorial Day, so I hope that you are all enjoying a hamburger or hotdog, maybe some pasta salad or potato salad. If you are feeling creative and want to try something new, make that fresh pizza a grilled pizza. It is the easiest thing to do and it tastes amazing.
1 cup warm water(your body tempurature is normally around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, so if it feels slightly warm to you the water will be at the perfect tempurature. If the water feels hot, it is too warm and will kill the yeast)
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Mix the water, sugar, yeast, and salt. Watch for the yeast to bubble a little so that you know the little yeast people are still alive. After letting the yeast bloom a little, mix the olive oil in the water mixture(If you don't have olive oil, use another oil. Don't ever not make a recipe because you don't have one ingredient. Just look for an alternative.) Kneed in the flour. You may use more or less flour depending on the humidity and temperature. Bread is a very alive thing. Touch it, kneed it, and listen to it. If it's sticky and being mean, it's probably telling you that it needs a little bit more flour. Make sure it is still moldable and stretchable. Kneed the dough till it becomes smooth. Let the dough sit for an hour in a warm spot in the house.
Stretch the dough out. Make sure your other ingredients are all prepared and on hand. If you're using the fresh tomato mixture above, have it ready and in a bowl. Take all of your ingredients down to the grill. Make sure the grill is not too hot or the dough will burn before the cheese melts. Stretch the dough out onto the grill. Grill one side till it's crusty and looks baked. Flip the dough and place the tomato mixture on the dough and some fresh basil and cheese. Leave on the grill until the cheese is melted and the dough is firm and looks nice and brown. Take it off the grill, cut it up, and enjoy the pizza and the fact that you didn't have to heat up the house while making this tasty meal.
Happy Eating!!!
Emily
I am personally a big fan of slicing up fresh tomatoes and tossing them in chopped garlic, a pinch of salt, oregano, and a little bit of olive oil. Throw this mixture and some fresh basil on the dough and cover with any cheese you like. Of course, fresh pizza is so much tastier with fresh ingredients. There is nothing like a sweet juicy tomato and fresh basil on a homemade crust.
Members of a community in Stratford Connecticut are fighting to create community gardens, so that a lot of people can enjoy these kinds of summer bounty. Of course no endeavor is seen without some form of problem. The Connecticut Post wrote that the town council is trying to take the gardens, that are already growing, away from the citizens of the town, who are hoping to donate some of their produce to food banks. It seems not everyone is as excited about going green and helping people out in these tough times.
Today is Memorial Day, so I hope that you are all enjoying a hamburger or hotdog, maybe some pasta salad or potato salad. If you are feeling creative and want to try something new, make that fresh pizza a grilled pizza. It is the easiest thing to do and it tastes amazing.
1 cup warm water(your body tempurature is normally around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, so if it feels slightly warm to you the water will be at the perfect tempurature. If the water feels hot, it is too warm and will kill the yeast)
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Mix the water, sugar, yeast, and salt. Watch for the yeast to bubble a little so that you know the little yeast people are still alive. After letting the yeast bloom a little, mix the olive oil in the water mixture(If you don't have olive oil, use another oil. Don't ever not make a recipe because you don't have one ingredient. Just look for an alternative.) Kneed in the flour. You may use more or less flour depending on the humidity and temperature. Bread is a very alive thing. Touch it, kneed it, and listen to it. If it's sticky and being mean, it's probably telling you that it needs a little bit more flour. Make sure it is still moldable and stretchable. Kneed the dough till it becomes smooth. Let the dough sit for an hour in a warm spot in the house.
Stretch the dough out. Make sure your other ingredients are all prepared and on hand. If you're using the fresh tomato mixture above, have it ready and in a bowl. Take all of your ingredients down to the grill. Make sure the grill is not too hot or the dough will burn before the cheese melts. Stretch the dough out onto the grill. Grill one side till it's crusty and looks baked. Flip the dough and place the tomato mixture on the dough and some fresh basil and cheese. Leave on the grill until the cheese is melted and the dough is firm and looks nice and brown. Take it off the grill, cut it up, and enjoy the pizza and the fact that you didn't have to heat up the house while making this tasty meal.
Happy Eating!!!
Emily
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Here comes the bride er cake...
I woke up early this morning and put all of these flowers on the cake. Honestly I could not see doing it any other way. It was so easy and so much fun. Real flowers look amazing and I chose ones that would survive through the heat of the day so they were just as perky and beautiful at 4 in the afternoon when they cut the cake.
I know that I have a pastry degree and at times I like to feel like you can only do things like this if you know what you're doing and have been trained, but in all reality this cake was more flower arranging and less pastry skill. It was just so much fun. After the disastrous frosting experience yesterday it was really nice to just enjoy decorating the cake today.
Enjoy the pictures and I promise you will not have to read about weddings for a long time. I am happy to announce the wedding cake saga over.
Happy Eating!!!
Emily
Friday, May 22, 2009
On my wedding day I will throw the cake at my husbands face and it will feel so good
If I make my own wedding cake the above statement will be very true. Depending on the process I might just throw the whole cake.
This is a blog. It is my life. It is the truth or I hope that it will attempt to be. I have a degree in baking and pastry, but there is a reason that I have not attempted a wedding cake, outside of class, up until now. I really hate flat icing cakes. I love ganaching cakes or using chocolate coating. I'd even use fondant before I would flat ice a cake again. Today started out ok. I trimmed the cakes, filled them with blackberry jam, and began the icing process. After 2 hours of icing the cakes I put the cake as it was into the refrigerator about ready to throw the cake off of the deck of my parent's house.
After a break, a slightly rejuvenated me went back to it and fixed it and made it as pretty as I could. As of right now the wedding cake looks worthy of the people I am making it for. It will look even better tomorrow morning when I put on the flowers, unfortunately you will all have to wait till later Saturday or Sunday for the pictures of the final cake as my brother is graduating from college tomorrow. I will be bringing you pictures and the end of the wedding cake saga as soon as I possibly can.
I didn't have my paparazzi with me while I was icing the cake, but I did manage a few pictures so you could see some of the process. I don't want to reveal any pictures of the cake as a whole till it is complete. Stay tuned.
Happy Eating!!!
Emily
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