Bahumbug

Hope you all had a great Father's Day weekend! Sadly I wasn't able to spend the day with my Pops since he lives down in Atlanta, but soon we will be reunited at one of our favorite places in the world, Hawaii!! The first time our family ventured to the islands was in 2006, the trip was to mark two things, first was my college graduation, and the second was to mark our last 'family vacation' being that both us girls were fully grown with real jobs.  The first was true; however, I'm not sure that the staff of the Hilton would agree about the second.  The weeklong vacation for my sister can be summed up in the following sentence: Sister tickles, I giggle uncontrollably, she lunges, I run like a little girl through the property screaming my head off as she sits in the corner laughing until her pants are wet.  At one point my parents asked the front desk staff to guess our ages, they said 18 and 16... hmmmm.  Not so much.  Anyways, I'm sad sister isn't coming to Honolulu this year but I can't be anything but thankful that our family reunions continue to be in such a beautiful location.   This is where I marked my graduation, this is where sister got engaged, this is where I studied for my CISA (Certified Information Systems Auditor) designation, and this year we will be meeting my Uncle Harold and his family from Canada for a wonderful time I am certain.   Even better is that each year, I get the opportunity to take more pictures of this place that I love.  Here are some of my favorites from last year... I can't wait to add to my collection in October.  This post could have probably waited a few months until we were closer to the trip; however, everyone except for me seems to be planning, going, coming on/from vacation so I looked through some of my old pictures for a pick me up. Enjoy!!

Mid Twenties & Lovin' It

Happy Birthday Joe!! Ummm... not really.   Joe's birthday is in October and my birthday isn't until December, so why did I post a picture of a birthday cake?

1. Because this cake was the last 'real cake' that I made
2. Realization of the point above made me really sad today so I wanted to share it's beauty with you (like a proud mama), and
3.  My half birthday is coming up in 5 days.

That means that in 5 short days, I will be teetering on the edge of the second half of my 20's.  I don't feel so bad about it because no matter how old I am, Joe will always be older!   It's fun to pick on someone who is already sensitive about approaching the big 3-0 when he's only 28.  I'm not only younger, I'm also Asian... the odds will always be in my favor :)

So let's get back to the cake.  Most of the boys that I know are your typical boys' boys.  They love beer and no matter what it is that you are making, they will love it even more if you tell them there is beer baked/grilled/broiled/braised/boiled/poured into their food.   As someone who aims to please, someone who also enjoys the occasional brew, and someone who loves cake.. I was all too happy to oblige.   Guinness chocolate cake.  Try it.  You will love it.  I will say though, this cake is not for the faint of heart.   The Guinness chocolate cake layers have tons of flavor and the chocolate ganache packs more chocolate punch than you might anticipate.  I chose to include some vanilla frosting inside the cake to 'lighten' it up a bit.  Think about that for a second...  I added BUTTERcream icing in an attempt to LIGHTEN a cake... now stop thinking about calories and re-focus on delicious chocolate cake.  Cut small slices and consider yourself warned.  Rich, velvety, chocolaty, yum!

Also, it goes without saying in my kitchen but you never know... always use good chocolate.  It will change your life.  Oh, and if you need a cake and live in the northern Virginia area, let me know.  I need to bake more cakes, but that doesn't mean I need to eat them all.

Guinness Chocolate Cake w/ Chocolate Ganache
Cake
2 cups stout (such as Guinness)
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
4 cups all purpose flour
4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 large eggs
1 1/3 cups sour cream
Icing
2 cups whipping cream
1 pound bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Line with parchment paper. Butter paper. Bring 2 cups stout and 2 cups butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer cakes to rack; cool 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto rack and cool completely.


For icing:
Bring cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Refrigerate until icing is spreadable, stirring frequently, about 2 hours.
Place 1 cake layer on plate. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with second cake layer. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with third cake layer. Spread remaining icing over top and sides of cake

Who Knew?

Before we start talking about those gorgeous pieces of chicken above, I would like to address an issue that I have with this blog... my last few recipe posts have included rice krispies, quiche, and leftover pizza.  I know you are less than impressed.  I have let myself down in the recipe department and I realize that rice krispies and baked chicken are nothing to get too excited about BUT I promise I will do better in the months to come.  I will make more sweets for which this blog was named after, I will make recipes that require more than using up the last of your leftovers, and I will make recipes that require more than 2 ingredients; however, today isn't that day ... at least not yet.

I found a package of frozen drumsticks in the wee-back of my freezer a few weeks ago and since I'm moving in a few weeks (yes, that excuse is still valid) I wanted to find a way to use them up.  A lot of my friends don't like 'dark meat', but in the Woo household, we fight for the dark meat on Thanksgiving.     So when I read a recipe that only included 2 ingredients, no marinating time, and promised juicy flavorful chicken, I knew I had to try it.  Because seriously, how can chicken (the blandest of bland meat) taste good with only two ingredients?  I can happily report that it is not only is it possible for something to taste good with suuuper minimal ingredients, it even exceeded Joe's expectations!  My boyfriend who loves highly spiced, extra hot, in-your-face flavors and has a strange dislike for chicken, ate an entire plate of plain baked chicken and really really liked it!  This baked chicken recipe is perfect for topping a salad, stirring into pasta, or anything else that calls for a really good basic chicken.  And did I mention that there are only 2 ingredients aside from the chicken?!?!

Baked Chicken Drums
1 package chicken drumsticks or thighs
1-2 tsp garlic powder
1-2 tsp soy sauce

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Wash and dry chicken drumsticks or thighs and place on a cookie sheet (I recommend covering your baking sheet with aluminum foil to help with clean up).  Sprinkle each piece of chicken lightly with garlic powder and top with approximately half of a teaspoon of soy sauce.  Bake for 45 minutes - 1 hour.  Done!!

Movin' On Up

Have I mentioned that I am getting ready to move soon?  I may not have come out and said it, but my roommates and I are getting ready to pack up and move it on out.  Our landlord (who lives in an Italian Villa an hour north of Venice... jealous much?) is selling our townhouse so we don't have much of a choice in the matter.   Anyways, it's times like this when you start finding things in your house you didn't even know you had... including wayyyy too many pairs of shoes (I am too embarrassed to actually state how many I have, yet I can never quite seem to find the ones that match my outfit), that swirly twirly cake stand that I just had to have for my baking adventures still in its wrapping, and my sister's bridal shower scrapbook which is still a work in progress a year and a half after the wedding date (sorry sister!).   The list could go on and on but I'll spare you, instead I'll get to the point, after a weekend of cookouts and a week of random leftovers do you ever feel like your fridge is full of absolutely nothing?  Half a chicken breast, two slices of salami from lunch, a few slices of leftover bacon from breakfast, a handful of grilled onions and peppers from taco night, leftover basil from that tomato and mozzarella salad... there isn't enough of any one thing to make a meal but you feel bad throwing out all of this perfectly good food.  

Some people feel hopeless and turn to delivered Chinese food or pizza, but Joe and I have discovered something we both enjoy... make your own pizza night!  Layout all of your leftover food, dig in your fridge for condiments (i.e., BBQ sauce, franks hot sauce, leftover tomato sauce), and go to the store or your local pizza parlor for a $2 ball of dough and have a pizza making contest!!  Sometimes I have made my own crust if I really don't want to leave the house but store bought is still good and easy too.   Joe and I get to spend some time together doing something we both enjoy (I like cooking, and Joe likes competition... and meat) and we clean out the fridge at the same time!  Add a side salad and you have a completely new meal.   I realize this isn't anything new and may be completely obvious to you... but it's our new thing so I thought I would share :)  I haven't found a great crust recipe that I want to share yet... but it's coming, I promise I'm working on it.

Rise and Shine!

Good Morning!  Joe and I were talking yesterday and as we become older we are noticing that we are noticing that we are more and more becoming morning people rather than the night owls we were in college.   Our lives have changed quite a bit.   Since most of my days begin at 5:30AM, 'sleeping' in on the weekends has quite a different meaning than a few years ago.  So if I'm not being indulgent in sleep, I might as well indulge in this...

You know what they say, right?  Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!  If that is the case, we definitely started our day off on the right foot this morning.   We had challah french toast (holla!!), peppered bacon, scrambled eggs, and sauteed spinach with garlic (gotta get your greens!).  Now that my belly is full, I am ready to face the day.  Hell, I may even be ready to face the week.

Challah French Toast 
4 1" slices of challah (approximately half a loaf)
4 eggs
2/3 C milk (I used 2%)
1/3 C flour
1/3 C sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp butter
Maple syrup

1. Mix together eggs, milk, flour, sugar, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon in a shallow dish.
2. Heat a large skillet or griddle on medium to medium high.  When the skillet is hot add 1 tbsp butter.
3. Dip each slice of bread into the egg batter for 30 seconds on each side.  Place in skillet and cook for approximately 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side until golden brown.
4. Add a little more butter to the skillet for each new batch.
5. Serve immediately with maple syrup.

Chocolate Chip Update!

I almost forgot!  I re-visited the chocolate chip recipe posted on May 4th and tinkered with the baking times and I think I finally hit the chewy sweet spot.  I updated the original posting with cooking times.  Have a great night!

http://pleasepassthecupcake.blogspot.com/2010/05/thick-and-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

Back to Business

Ok, we're back! Back to blogging and back to the good stuff.  I'm only thirteen posts in and I am already beginning to run out of things to talk about (darn that introversion).  Let's face it, not everything that I eat or make has some sort of childhood connection or special sentimental value in my life.  A lot of it does ... but not everything.  Sometimes something just looks good or you want to try something new.  Strangely enough, I most often try new recipes during large gatherings or holidays like Thanksgiving or Easter.  It's somewhat strategic so that I don't have to eat an entire platter of mac & cheese on my own, but it's also surprising because it means I take on more risk in ruining my lovely holiday meal.  So far it's worked in my favor... just don't bother me during the planning, preparing, or cooking process because my control freak tendencies will bite your head off.  Consider yourselves warned.

Back in April, I posted a lovely photo of spinach quiches that we enjoyed during our Easter brunch.  Let me refresh your memory

Those were the raw spinach cups but they still look pretty good if I do say so myself.   Please notice the Georgia Tech yellow ramekins :) And no, that is no coincidence... when stacked they look like the leaning Georgia Tech tower of Pisa and that makes me smile.

Crustless (Gluten-Free) Spinach and Bacon Quiche Cups
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 (10oz) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed
5 large eggs, beaten
3-4 slices cooked bacon, chopped
2 C muenster cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly grease your cups with non-stick spray or oil and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onions and cook until soft (3-4 minutes).  Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant.  Add in spinach and cook until all moisture has evaporated.  Remove from heat.
3. Combine eggs, bacon, cheese, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.  Stir in spinach mixture.  Pour combined mixture into cups until full. Top with more cheese, if desired.
4. Bake approximately 25 minutes, or until set.  Cool slightly and serve.

Happy Brunching!

New York, New York

Dearest Friends (If you can still call us that after so many days of silence),

I know I've been quiet.  I know I have left you recipe-less, photo-less, and most importantly cupcake-less.  I sincerely apologize.  Life has taken over and my blog as a result, has suffered.   For that,  I am sorry and I can only hope that I get better at managing my time and this blog; however, in my defense, it is somewhat difficult to think about recipes and pictures when work is blowing up and you will soon be homeless.   I'll stop with the excuses... but I'm just sayin', anxiety's been running a little high around here.  I've been eating alot of these.  I suspect it's because they remind me of childhood.

There was nothing that could beat a warm rice krispie treat after school.  They were my mom's "special treat" for us since she wasn't much of a baker.  So when things get crazy in life I find that I crave the same foods that brought me comfort as a child.   For some people comfort foods are mashed potatoes or mac & cheese... lately for me, it's rice krispies.  Thanks Mom!

Anyways, there is another reason why I was quiet for a while, I was on vacation in New York City!!!  Every few years my best childhood girlfriends and I organize a reunion.   This year the location of choice was New York and I couldn't have been happier to spend five days frolicking around the big apple shopping, seeing shows, shopping, getting dressed up for galas, shopping, and making some great memories to add to our already overflowing index of great times together.   And best of all?  I finally made it to Magnolia Bakery in NYC!  Best Friends + Best Cupcakes = Total Bliss.

We made a few other friends in the city, including some awesome shopkeep girls in SoHo who recently styled Olivia from The City, a random guy on a rooftop bar who Jess convinced that girls from Alberta always married farmers, and this lovely couple, Mr. & Mrs. Rock.

Mr. Rock

Mrs. Rock

In all honesty they were pretty boring, but few words have to be said when you see this... sigh. I love New York!!

Thanks ladies for another memorable trip.  My favorite memories include Rachel's amazing hotdog consumption (3 in one day! PLUS regular meals), Ming out-eating all of the boys (including one who was a college football player), and spending quality time with my best friend since birth (Love you Jess!).  Here's to June being the month of more blogging and more cupcakes!