An average federal defict of over $940 billion? A federal debt worth 83% of GDP? Seriously? I think my generation is being screwed.
Intersting take on the future finances of the US. I think I agree. It is not a matter of if taxes need to be raised, but how. Or is this just me buying into Lamm's doomsday scenario's on the future and argument that generation Y should hold the baby boomer generation accountable for the future mess we will be in?
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Blueberry Butter Cake Part II and III?
Ok...so I seriously need a life.
Just found another blueberry butter cake recipe online and another. Might have to try them while blueberries are still in season.
Thoughts?
Just found another blueberry butter cake recipe online and another. Might have to try them while blueberries are still in season.
Thoughts?
A Should Read
Ok...so the NYT had an interesting article today...I love you, man (as a friend). It explores the friendships gay and straight men have together, and how it can be (un)complicated.
Just thought I would share. It was a pretty good read.
Just thought I would share. It was a pretty good read.
What to bake this weekend?
So I have been going back and forth about what to bake this weekend.
Originally, this past weekend I was excited to try cinnamon buns from Baking with Dynamite, which is another awesome blog.
But then I found a toffee pudding recipe at Canadian Baker Too.
And then I was tempted to make cookies cause I haven't made cookies in a while.
My banana bread was out of the question, even though robbie wanted banana bread because, my banana's aren't ripe enough. At least I now have access to fresh pecans at the carrborro farmers market.
Was tempted for like an hour to make peach cobbler, but decided against it because I found this from My Kitchen Snippets --Japanese Sponge Cake!
Yah, I have to play to my asian-ness I think this weekend. Plus it looks really good and looks pretty easy to make. I just need to go buy honey. Will try the farmers market first and if there is nothing there will go to Weaver Street.
But it is still Monday, so we shall see where I end up on Saturday/Sunday. My mood might change depending on how this week pans out. If my good mood holds up, I might try two things cause of the long weekend.
Originally, this past weekend I was excited to try cinnamon buns from Baking with Dynamite, which is another awesome blog.
But then I found a toffee pudding recipe at Canadian Baker Too.
And then I was tempted to make cookies cause I haven't made cookies in a while.
My banana bread was out of the question, even though robbie wanted banana bread because, my banana's aren't ripe enough. At least I now have access to fresh pecans at the carrborro farmers market.
Was tempted for like an hour to make peach cobbler, but decided against it because I found this from My Kitchen Snippets --Japanese Sponge Cake!
Yah, I have to play to my asian-ness I think this weekend. Plus it looks really good and looks pretty easy to make. I just need to go buy honey. Will try the farmers market first and if there is nothing there will go to Weaver Street.
But it is still Monday, so we shall see where I end up on Saturday/Sunday. My mood might change depending on how this week pans out. If my good mood holds up, I might try two things cause of the long weekend.
Cream Cheese Cheese Cake
So I've been meaning to try make a cheese cake and had a few easy ones booked marked on foodgawker. But what really brought this attempt on was Ryan picked kiwi as a fruit that I should try and bake with, and since basically only tarts have kiwi's on top of them, I had to find something else as my last experience with a tart didn't come out very well.
Luckily, thankfully I follow the wonderful blog My Baking Addicition. I think its wonderful because I find great easy recipes and plus, the author is a teacher.
Here it is...Cream Cheese Cheese Cake
The Crust
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter -- (1 1/2 sticks) at very cool room temperature, cut into1-inch pieces
The Filling
16 ounces of cream cheese; softened to room temperature
1 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used clear extract)
Directions
For the crust:
1. Spray (4) 4 inch springform pans with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Pulse flour, confectioners’ sugar, cornstarch, and salt in food processor workbowl fitted with steel blade. Add butter and process to blend, 8 to 10 seconds, then pulse until mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse meal, about three 1-second bursts. (To do this by hand, mix flour, confectioners’ sugar, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl. Freeze butter and grate it on large holes of box grater into flour mixture. Toss butter pieces to coat. Rub pieces between your fingers for a minute, until flour turns pale yellow and coarse.) Sprinkle mixture into pans and press firmly with fingers into even, 1/4-inch layer over entire pan bottom and about 1 inch up sides.
3. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.
5. Bake about 15 minutes.
For the filling:
1. Beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy.
2. Gradually add in the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth, blend in the vanilla extract; mixing well.
To Assemble
1. Pipe or spread the filling into the cooled crusts and top with fresh fruit of your choice.
Yes, I still had real butter on hand, so I used butter, and luckily had confectionery sugar on hand from when I made lemon bars from a while back. Didn't have corn starch, and didn't feel like buying cornstarch so I used the substitute rule of 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour for 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.
Also, thankfully Jeanie had muffin pans on hand. I still need to buy mine, and therefore owe her a few of these when she gets back to Durham. Didn't have a piping bag so just use a small sandwich bag, cut a corner, and used that as a pipping bag.
I sort of screwed up when baking the crust. I either didn't roll them out thin enough for didn't press them down enough into the muffin pans so they sort of puffed up like muffins. I had to scoop out some of the crust so there was a hole big enough to put the cream cheese frosting into, which I didn't. So they sort of turned out like cupcakes.
Finally, sliced some kiwi's and put them on top. Also put some chocolate chips on top since I had them on hand.
All in all, they came out ok I think. I didn't have one, but tried the cream cheese frosting and think it was ok. Again, no complaints from my guinea pigs, and Jenny seemd to really like it. Will definately keep this recipe and try it again in the Fall for people.
Luckily, thankfully I follow the wonderful blog My Baking Addicition. I think its wonderful because I find great easy recipes and plus, the author is a teacher.
Here it is...Cream Cheese Cheese Cake
The Crust1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter -- (1 1/2 sticks) at very cool room temperature, cut into1-inch pieces
The Filling
16 ounces of cream cheese; softened to room temperature
1 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used clear extract)
Directions
For the crust:
1. Spray (4) 4 inch springform pans with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Pulse flour, confectioners’ sugar, cornstarch, and salt in food processor workbowl fitted with steel blade. Add butter and process to blend, 8 to 10 seconds, then pulse until mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse meal, about three 1-second bursts. (To do this by hand, mix flour, confectioners’ sugar, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl. Freeze butter and grate it on large holes of box grater into flour mixture. Toss butter pieces to coat. Rub pieces between your fingers for a minute, until flour turns pale yellow and coarse.) Sprinkle mixture into pans and press firmly with fingers into even, 1/4-inch layer over entire pan bottom and about 1 inch up sides.
3. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.
5. Bake about 15 minutes.
For the filling:
1. Beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy.
2. Gradually add in the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth, blend in the vanilla extract; mixing well.
To Assemble
1. Pipe or spread the filling into the cooled crusts and top with fresh fruit of your choice.
Yes, I still had real butter on hand, so I used butter, and luckily had confectionery sugar on hand from when I made lemon bars from a while back. Didn't have corn starch, and didn't feel like buying cornstarch so I used the substitute rule of 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour for 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.
Also, thankfully Jeanie had muffin pans on hand. I still need to buy mine, and therefore owe her a few of these when she gets back to Durham. Didn't have a piping bag so just use a small sandwich bag, cut a corner, and used that as a pipping bag.
I sort of screwed up when baking the crust. I either didn't roll them out thin enough for didn't press them down enough into the muffin pans so they sort of puffed up like muffins. I had to scoop out some of the crust so there was a hole big enough to put the cream cheese frosting into, which I didn't. So they sort of turned out like cupcakes.
Finally, sliced some kiwi's and put them on top. Also put some chocolate chips on top since I had them on hand.
All in all, they came out ok I think. I didn't have one, but tried the cream cheese frosting and think it was ok. Again, no complaints from my guinea pigs, and Jenny seemd to really like it. Will definately keep this recipe and try it again in the Fall for people.
Blueberry Butter Cake
So my friend/fraternity brother has suggested that I am an old woman for doing this. He now knows for that comment he won't be getting any baked goods when we are both home in Hawaii over winter break. This is what happens when you make fun of my hobby.
Now, as promised here is my accounts of making blueberry butter cake.
.
Blueberry Butter Cake:
So as some people know I usually use margarine instead of butter because of how much the recipes I use usually call for. But, in this case, because butter was in the name of the recipe I had to use it. Plus, Target brand butter is pretty cheap. I need to remember this, and stock up next time I go to. Not like someone could really tell that it was real butter versus margarine. I am still highly skeptical that someone could really tell the difference in stuff like cookies and other easy common baked goods that I usually make.
Here is the recipe taken from My Kitchen Snippet.
Ingredients :
2 stick of butter (1 cup)
1 1/4 cup of sugar
5 eggs
1/2 cup of milk
2 1/2 cup of flour
1 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt
1 tsp of vanilla
2 cups of fresh blueberries (toss with 1 tbsp of flour)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and prepare a cake pan.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl, and set aside. In a mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in the eggs one at a time follow by vanilla. Then slowly beat in flour in 3 addition alternately with milk.
4. Lastly fold in the blueberries. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted near center of cake comes out clean about 1 hour or until golden brown.
5. Cool cake in pan on rack 10 minutes. Turn cake out onto cooling rack and cool completely before cutting into it.
Didn't have a cake pan (I need to invest in one). So I used a glass baking pan 8x8. Also didn't have a sifter (Need to invest in one as well), so I mixed it as best as I could with a wooden spoon. Finally, last adaptation was that I had some leftover heavy whipping cream so used that instead of milk.
Even thought I oiled the pan it was sort of hard to get out. So I let it cool off a bit in the pan. Cut it into fourths, and pulled it out with a fork a knife. Personally, I think it came out ok. I didn't get any complaints. But I think cause of the cream it came out a bit denser than it should have.
Anyway...I think it is a keeper recipe. Used fresh blueberries I got from the Carrborro farmers market. Which is awesome by the way.
Made a blueberry pound cake the same night. I think it came out dry for pound cake so I won't really post that recipe and that experience, although brought up some for Anthony and Dave to DC. Anthony said it was good, but haven't heard him complain about anything I've made other than when I really screwed up on the crust for the apple tart I tried making. That was a disaster.
Now, as promised here is my accounts of making blueberry butter cake.
.
Blueberry Butter Cake:
So as some people know I usually use margarine instead of butter because of how much the recipes I use usually call for. But, in this case, because butter was in the name of the recipe I had to use it. Plus, Target brand butter is pretty cheap. I need to remember this, and stock up next time I go to. Not like someone could really tell that it was real butter versus margarine. I am still highly skeptical that someone could really tell the difference in stuff like cookies and other easy common baked goods that I usually make.
Here is the recipe taken from My Kitchen Snippet.
Ingredients :
2 stick of butter (1 cup)
1 1/4 cup of sugar
5 eggs
1/2 cup of milk
2 1/2 cup of flour
1 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt
1 tsp of vanilla
2 cups of fresh blueberries (toss with 1 tbsp of flour)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and prepare a cake pan.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl, and set aside. In a mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in the eggs one at a time follow by vanilla. Then slowly beat in flour in 3 addition alternately with milk.
4. Lastly fold in the blueberries. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted near center of cake comes out clean about 1 hour or until golden brown.
5. Cool cake in pan on rack 10 minutes. Turn cake out onto cooling rack and cool completely before cutting into it.
Didn't have a cake pan (I need to invest in one). So I used a glass baking pan 8x8. Also didn't have a sifter (Need to invest in one as well), so I mixed it as best as I could with a wooden spoon. Finally, last adaptation was that I had some leftover heavy whipping cream so used that instead of milk.
Even thought I oiled the pan it was sort of hard to get out. So I let it cool off a bit in the pan. Cut it into fourths, and pulled it out with a fork a knife. Personally, I think it came out ok. I didn't get any complaints. But I think cause of the cream it came out a bit denser than it should have.
Anyway...I think it is a keeper recipe. Used fresh blueberries I got from the Carrborro farmers market. Which is awesome by the way.
Made a blueberry pound cake the same night. I think it came out dry for pound cake so I won't really post that recipe and that experience, although brought up some for Anthony and Dave to DC. Anthony said it was good, but haven't heard him complain about anything I've made other than when I really screwed up on the crust for the apple tart I tried making. That was a disaster.
Initial Post...with some pictures, links, and recipes to come.
So I've decided to succumb to my dorkiness and actually start a blog about what I bake in my free time on the weekends. I justify doing this: 1) because I probably have more free time on my hands this summer than I will in the next year; 2) it will hopefully motivate me to save money to buy (better) bakeware; 3) distract me from school work when it fall comes along; 4) give me reasons to bake for family and friends.
Also, just a side note for anyone who may read this, there will be random political/life commentary to hopefully drive you all mad.
So what to look foward in my next post?
Recipies and pictures for blueberry butter cake and cream cheese cake, which already have up on Facebook.
Also, just a side note for anyone who may read this, there will be random political/life commentary to hopefully drive you all mad.
So what to look foward in my next post?
Recipies and pictures for blueberry butter cake and cream cheese cake, which already have up on Facebook.
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