Peanut Butter Yum Yum

Well, it's official, I am back at Clark. (Jumps up and down with girlish glee)
I cannot describe how much I have missed this place. Did you know, I haven't been on campus since May 11th? Talk about a long time. And if it hadn't been for my girl pal Irene, I wouldn't have been back on campus until today. Like most people, my family was hunkering down for Irene's onslaught and decided that it would be better to get me up to campus on Saturday, rather then wait until Monday. Why? Because we anticipated that the Long Island Expressway would be chaotic and didn't want to chance the idea that we'd be stuck in traffic for hours. So, dad and I hoped in the car and drove up to Worcester, Mass. With a hug and kiss goodbye, my dad literally dumped me and my stuff inside my dorm and left the remainder of the moving process up to me. Oh yeah, I did a one-woman move in. Impressed?

After the hour and half I spent running up and down the staircase with boxes and black plastic bags, I glanced out the window and saw that the rain had ceased for the moment. Until then, the rain had been coming down in sheets. Dad and I got lucky; there was a break in the storm during the forty-minutes it took us to move in. Taking the opportunity while I had it, I grabbed my wallet and made a quick dash to the local super market. In case you hadn't noticed, which I wouldn't be surprised since most people hadn't either, I had posted a survey in order to figure out what kind of cupcake I should make next. To my delight, something with peanut butter won. So, I sought out a cupcake recipe, one that wouldn't be too complicated or expensive. In the end, I decided to stick to my 500 Cupcakes. The recipe was easy, yet sounded mouth-wateringly delicious. The only thing I really needed at the store was butter, eggs, and granulated sugar. I did attempt to buy plain yogurt to act as a moistening ingredient, but the store was out. How can a store be out of plain yogurt? Well, in Worcester, anything is possible.

Though I had planned to bake on Saturday, I got carried away and thought it would be better to just bake on Sunday, crossing my fingers that my school didn't lose power. Well, guess what? Hurricane Irene apparently lost her steam somewhere over New Jersey and by the time she hit Worcester, it was just rain and some strong bursts of wind. This time around, I had a cooking companion with me, one of suite-mates, Ginny.

The recipe was as easy as it sounded. Just some butter, eggs, sugar, peanut butter, vanilla, and flour. I only did one variation this time around, since I really didn't want to break the bank buying ingredients. My dorm's kitchen, by the way, is gorgeous. It has everything a cook or baker would need (with in reason). There is even a cabinet dedicated to spices and things. And what a collection of spices! Now I don't have buy turmeric and cardamon. Every now and then, other people in my dorm came into the kitchen and all complimented me on the delicious smell of the cupcakes. And these cupcakes didn't just smell delicious, the same could be said of the batter. Had I not intended to bake them, I would have been totally content with just eating the batter. Then of course, there was the matter with the chocolate chips. Once again, another ingredient that was at risk of being eaten before putting it to proper use.

The only snag I hit throughout the process was that the dorm's ovens were really slow to heat up. I mean, really, really slow. But once they did, I slid the pans in and set my piggy timer for twenty minutes. Yes, you read that right, my piggy timer. Ain't that cool? Remember when I said how good the batter tasted? Well, the peanut butter frosting I got to make afterwords was infinitely better. Peanut butter creamy goodness!  I just could not stop myself from licking the bowl. It took some time, but eventually I pulled it together; I wasn't done, I needed to ice my beloved cupcakes and find a taste tester.

This guy here is my good pal Jordan. He was lucky individual who I selected to take that first bite. The result? Peanut butter heaven. Within two hours, my batch of eighteen had dwindled down to five. And I must agree with everyone, they were good. A tad bit dry, but I had expected that. Next time, I'll find yogurt, I promise. But seriously, these were really good. The frosting had the right balance of peanut butter and sugar, while cupcake managed to retain it's peanut butter flavors without being too strong.

So, with those two recipes completed, that leaves me with 492 recipes to go. I wonder what I should do next. Hmmm. I like fruit, especially pineapple. Maybe there's a recipe out there that combines cupcakes and pineapple. Wouldn't that be something.

Until next time,
Jill



Yea, I know that the recipe is supposed to be here, but it's late right now and I have class in the morning, so, I'll post it tomorrow. You'll just have to wait until then, haha!

Twas the Night Before Move in Day

And all through the house, boxes and bins were everywhere, and I...? Ok, I'm not even gonna try and rhythm that. Any-who, if you haven't been paying attention to the news or weather forecasts, a little lady named Irene is coming up the east-coast fast and has disrupted my plans to return to school. Originally you see, I was supposed to move in on Sunday, the only moving day my school has allowed this year. Now with Irene threatening to cause mayhem and chaos, my travel plans have been thrown through a loop. Yesterday, my school kindly sent out an email requesting that any students who planned on returning to school on Sunday should only do so when safe. Additionally, they have canceled the first day of classes. Typically, I would insert a little hooray after that, but since I only had one fifty minute class on Monday, there really isn't much to rejoice over. Also, by canceling classes Monday, that means the first day of school will now be Tuesday, also known as my day of hell. Why? Because I have four classes in a row on that day. Talk about one crazy day. However, there is more fun to be had at Clark other then just a small little thing like a hurricane. They are officially shutting down all sources of food on campus after brunch time on Sunday. Whoa, talk about a twist. So now, not only am I getting up to school early, I get to ride out a hurricane without any hope of having a nice warm meal. Gee, now I'm starting to forget why I wanted to go back so badly.

Well, look at it this way; if the hurricane knocks out all the electricity and running water, at least I'll have time to sit down and finish crocheting my scarf. That's definitely one way to turn a negative into a positive. Originally I had hoped to get some baking in, however, all the ovens at school are electric. Hence another reason why I don't want the university to have a black out. Though I wouldn't be baking cupcakes, instead I'd be trying my hand at cookies. Why? Well, the other day I bought a three piece cookie pan set. Yea, I didn't actually need them, but I just couldn't resist. The same can be said for the bright orange pot that I picked up at Marshall's. In fact, when I look back on it now, I have purchased a lot of things this summer that I didn't actually need. Whoops. Thinking back on it now, I probably spend more money on cooking and baking supplies then I did on textbooks. But as my friend would say, think about the opportunity cost. In the long run, when I have my own apartment at least I'll already have this stuff. 

The cupcake challenge will resume probably next week and yes, I have already purchased the peanut butter. This past week, I have searched the internet and bunch of different cupcakes books and have written down three potential recipes. Now, one is more challenging then the other two, which means that I'll probably attempt that one. I have always been a sucker for challenges. I think this blog is living proof of that :P

I'll be blogging more this weekend, so stay tuned for my overview, and photos of the hurricane Irene and what she does to my beloved Clark university. And don't forget, COOKIES. Anyone who's on campus and reads this, please feel free to drop by Maywood for a free cookie.

So until next time,

Jill

A Very Special Post

Today is a special day for a multiple of reasons. No, in case you are wondering, I have not figured out how to perfect my icing skills or master the art of getting that ideal sized cupcake. In fact, this has nothing to do with cupcakes at all, now isn't that weird? Well, seeing that this is my blog, I feel liking bending the rules today and have decided that today's post will act as an outlet for my egotism. 

Today, after three failures, I have passed my road test! (Applause echos throughout the room). In addition to that bomb of joy, my sister and I visited the dying horse that is known as Border's and I purchased another baking book. This one is special though. Want to know why? It's 'cause it focuses on cookies. (Hooray!) You know what that means? More delicious goodies to fill my tum tum. I must take a moment though and acknowledge the sadness that I feel knowing that Border's is going out of business. More of a Barnes & Noble girl myself, walking inside the store today was like passing through the remains of a hurricane. Things were all over the place -since I'm a student librarian this really struck a nerve. Books were in wrong sections, posters and knick-nacks littered the floor; it seemed to me that the workers didn't even care about helping the customers and anymore. I asked one a question about where I might find the W section in the DVD area and the guy just shrugged his shoulders. He clearly didn't know, let alone care. All in all, I will miss Border's when the last place closes up shop, but for now, their bankruptcy means more bargain books for me. hehe

So why else is today special? Well, my little survey closes up in three hours but it seems like there's already a winner. Peanut butter. Oh how I love anything peanut butter. The salty taste, the creamy texture; it's like heaven in a jar. Unless someone suddenly throws in a last minute vote, it looks like I'm going to be shopping around for a peanut butter based cupcake recipe. Now that is something I'm looking forward too.

Oh and before I forget again, 494 recipes to go! Phew, I used to think that I would never get past that five recipe mark, now things don't seem as impossible as they did before.

And since you have all endured my self-centeredness this far, I'll reward everyone with a recipe from my vegan cookbook, The Happy Herbivore, by Lindsay Nixon. Known as Hippie Loaf, this vegan answer to meatloaf is, in my opinion, delicious and extremely healthy for you. With less then 200 calories per serving, this entree has carrots, celery, beans (my favorite), and quinoa all mashed together. Give it a try, I know that I'm happy that I did.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp tamari
• 15 ounces black beans, drained and rinse
• 1 whole onion, diced
• 2 whole garlic cloves, minced
• 1 whole carrot, minced
• 2 whole celery stalks, minced
• 1 cup mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup quinoa, cooked
• 1 tbsp italian seasoning
• 3 tbsp brown rice flour
• 2 tbsp ketchup

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a standard bread pan and set aside. Mash black beans in a large bowl and combine all ingredients until evenly combined. Transfer to pan and pat down firmly and tightly using a spatula. Bake 45 minutes to one hour, until firm and browned on the outside. Allow the loaf to cool and firm up before serving, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Chai Tea Cupcakes

Yea, I forgot to post this yesterday. Sorry to any and all who were anxiously awaiting this recipe. Note, I didn't make the suggested frosting for this one; instead I used the heavy cream and iced a few of the chai cupcakes. That recipe is not included. Sorry. If you're really curious and really want it, post a comment and I'll add it. Happy baking!

Chai Tea Cupcakes, recipe adapted from 500 Cupcakes by my main man, Fergal Connolly.

For Cupcakes

2 cups self-rising flour

1/4 tsp. baking powder

Pinch of salt

1 tbsp. chai tea powder (or the powder found in chai tea bags)

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) sweet butter (I used salted since I accidentally bought that kind :P)

 3/4 cups of packed light brown sugar

2 egg whites

2/3 cups of buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees f. Place 12 baking cups in a muffin pan. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and chai powder. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the egg whites slowly, beating well. Slowly add the flour mixture, and finally the buttermilk. Mix until combined. Spoon the batter into the cups and bake for 20 minutes or until ready. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. 

*For chocolate chips & chai include 1/2 cup of semisweet chocolate chips after the buttermilk

*For cinnamon & orange chai add 2 teaspoons of cinnamon to the dry ingredients and 1 tablespoon of orange zest (or orange extract) with the buttermilk

*For white chocolate & vanilla chai add 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips and1 teaspoon of vanilla extract after adding the buttermilk

The Adventures of Making Chai Cupcakes

Here's a question to chew on for a few seconds: How do you make chai cupcakes without possessing any chai tea powder? Well, the obvious answer would be to just pass over this recipe and try something else. Of course, the above solution only applies to those who think things out rationally. I, on the other hand, act on impulse and decided, rather boldly, that I would push on and deal with that rock in my path when the time came. Originally I intended to just buy the ingredients and make the chai powder myself. It wouldn't be hard, at least thats what the recipe that I found online implied. Just dash some different spices together along with a few other things and, presto, chai tea powder. Of course, that plan went up in flames when my mom came home from the store and informed me of the ridiculous prices for some of the spices (ha, a rhyme). Did you know that the spice cardamon (I have never even heard of it until yesterday by the way) costs sixteen dollars? Umm, no thanks. With that little setback I decided that I needed to get creative and think outside the box. Can you guess what I decided to do as an alternative? No? I used the chai tea powder found inside a few of my mom's packets of vanilla chai tea. Pretty clever huh?

As an additional bonus, the tea would supply a nice vanilla undertone. As least, that's what I hope it did. You see, I have yet to actually eat one of the four different cupcakes that I baked today. Yes, you read that correctly; four. Four slightly varied cupcake recipes in one go. Talk about an exercise in baking skills. This was really something for the books. Though I must say, I'm really impressed at how nearly flawless this whole process was. I didn't spill any ingredients onto the table or floor (a first for me ;) ) nor did I set anything on fire. Talk about negative thinking, but I foresee myself setting at least one thing on fire at some point throughout this whole challenge. I'll be very impressed if that never comes to fruition.

So chai tea cupcakes. From the feedback I've gotten from my parents it seems like I have once again performed baking magic. My dad proclaimed these to be the best he's ever had. Of course, he ate the cupcake with the most interesting ingredients. Who knew cinnamon and orange zest would taste will together? Well, technically I still don't know what this combination tastes like but the batter smelled delicious! And check out how beautiful all of the dry ingredients looked together!

That cinnamon color really popped when tossed on top of the flour, salt, baking powder, and of course, chai tea stuff. The other recipes I made were simple chai tea, chocolate chips and chai tea, and white chocolate and vanilla chai tea. Now, the problem wasn't that any of these recipes required any particular skills or and stuff, it was more that the process itself was tedious. Since each recipe made a dozen cupcakes, I cleverly decided to turn to my trusted recipe converter and divide the recipe by .33. Since three goes into twelve four times, I assumed that each converted recipe would produce three-four cupcakes. How wrong was I!It turns out that my converter isn't as fool proof as I thought it was. In the end, each recipe produced 5-6 cupcakes! Until today, I still had cupcake leftovers from my first baking. I'm thinking of going around and just handing off my cupcakes to some of my and my sisters friends. That should help dwindle the numbers, right? I also assumed that this would make the baking process easier as well, another thing I got wrong. The first time I baked I knew it would take me awhile, but at one point, I felt like throwing in the towel. Each recipe took fifteen to twenty-five minutes to put together. My poor stick of butter was completely melted by the time I popped the cupcake pans into the oven. I guess the one good thing that came out of all this was that I perfected my skills with eggs. Last time, I only used the yolks, this time, I had to master the art of just getting the egg whites. This was actually harder then I thought it would be, since I had to be extra careful to not let any of the yolk fall in. Only once did some yolk fall in, but I doubt that this did anything to recipe overall.

Lengthy prep time aside, I really enjoyed making these cupcakes, probably because I had pandora radio playing through my blue ray player while I baked. I know I mentioned this last time, but baking to music just really relaxes me. Then again, people use baking as a relaxant and stuff so I'm not that surprised by my mellow attitude. I hope this vibe sticks around; I'll need mellowing out after classes end. At the same time, munching on the ingredients and leftover batter doesn't hurt either. Yea, that's probably why I really liked baking these cupcakes; I got to snack on both dark and white chocolate chips while I baked. 

Thankfully I've managed to keep up with my running this summer so there's no harm in a few indulgence here and there. In fact, I'm gonna try and run four miles tomorrow before working together with my mom to try another vegan recipe from the "Happy Herbivore." I have a good feeling about this recipe and I'm crossing fingers tightly that I don't have a repeat of the black bean brownie incident. Those things have sorta became a legend in my household. Whenever someone mentions bad food, one of my family members kindly quips in a jab at those brownies. Poor things, still getting picked on nearly a week after being thrown away. Some day I'll redeem that recipe from the bottom of the literal and figurative trash can. But at the moment, I can relish in another cupcake triumph. And tomorrow, I'm going to ice a few of them and try my hand at a simple form of cupcake decorating. Hopefully this will turn out well. If not, at least I'll have a bowl of frosting to nosh on.

Anyway, I'm watching Across the Universe right now and have forgotten how much I love this movie. Good music, good acting, a good looking British actor with a killer accent; this movie has everything going for it. And now that my job at camp has come to end (at last I have money!) I have one more week to bum around town before heading back to Clark (hallelujah). And since I feel like being lazy, I've crafted a survey (see right side of the window) to help me decide what recipe I should try next. Yes, I kept the categories pretty broad, but I'll narrow it down myself. Right now, I just want an idea of what sort of direction I should go for my first baking at Clark. So, do a girl a favor and do my little survey, please!

Until next time, or tomorrow,

Jill

Cupcake Redemption

Considering how much fun I had with yesterday's blog and my clever use of the color green, I decided to once again mix things up by typing today's post in purple. A lovely color, one that always seems right for any occasion. Any-who, its blogging time!


I AM VICTORIOUS. 

Indeed, today I celebrated a sweet triumph in the kitchen. For those who didn't read yesterday's post (and don't think I don't know who you are!) I suffered a minor major embarrassing slight setback at my attempt in baking a batch of black bean brownies. Here's just a snippet of a review I received this afternoon from a still disgruntled family member: "...They left a less then pleasing aftertaste in my mouth". But tonight, I jumped back into the kitchen with a determination to comeback from such a misstep. I won't sugar coat it, this baking affair did take some time -not as bad as the last time- and some in-depth research. Like, what does a double boiler look like? It seems no one in my family knew the answer to that despite a promise that we actually owned one. Well, I tore apart my mom's cabinet but that yielded nothing. So, I asked my dad for assistance. He didn't find it either. That left me with two options: find two pots to use in place of a double boiler, or just melt the ingredients in the microwave. Perhaps at another time in my life, I impulsively would have performed the latter action. However, I have grown wiser since starting this challenge and know that melting something in the microwave would have resulted in the thing getting burned. So, I sought out an alternative. It took awhile but I eventually found a suitable solution.

Though this might only be the fourth cupcake recipe that I have made thus far, it is already my favorite. Why? 'Cause I got to use chocolate! And not just any form of a chocolate, but -and this is for those who haven't guessed it yet- I got to melt it too. That's right, me, the girl who forgets the difference between granulated and confectioners sugar melted chocolate (and butter) on the stove. And yes, I even turned the stove on myself. Chocolate in my opinion is just one those indulgences that you don't need an excuse to eat. In addition to that, chocolate can have positive effects on one's health. Just check out some of these facts. Facts are taken from www.longevity.about.com

-A small bar of dark chocolate eaten on a daily basis can help keep you cardiovascular system healthy by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol.

-Chocolate stimulates the production of endorphins.

-It contains serotonin which acts as an anti-depressent.

Who knew chocolate could do all that?

As for a solution to my double broiler problem, I used the pot above and placed it on top of a bigger pot filled with simmering water. The butter and chocolate melted perfectly. Once that was done and cooling, I got to try another new baking technique; separating the yolk from the egg whites. I must give a special thanks to the bakers who post videos on youtube.com. I just watched a short tutorial and voilà, I was yolking (is that even a word?) the eggs like a pro.

I really am impressed at how well this endeavor turned out. I was certain that this would be the part of the recipe that I would mess up on big time. I would also like to add that this recipe called for a lot of eggs (4 eggs and 4 yolks) so consider your budget if you plan on making these cupcakes. I made two batches today, one that made a dozen (the proper amount) and then a batch of six. If you're tight on cash and can't afford to go through a package of eggs, consider cutting the recipe in half. Once everything was combined, I poured the batter into the cupcake pan and placed (yes, I did that part too) the cupcakes into the oven. I was actually really nervous about this recipe since I had never made something that was flourless before. I wasn't really sure what to expect so when the timer when off, my heart nearly stopped beating when I went in to use the toothpick trick. Knowing that they would be airy and light, I was a bit unsure if they were actually done or not. So, I stuck them back in for a few more minutes. When I pulled them out the second time, I knew that they were done. How? They just looked and smelled perfect. Of course, this was after having already made one batch :P The first one I probably should have left in for another minute or two. They're probably fine, but they seemed a bit soft but then again, what do I know?

This time around, the baking only took about two hours from prep to finish (this includes cleaning up). While I've put the dozen cupcakes into the fridge for the night -I will be bringing them in to work tomorrow for my class- the remaining six were served at dinner. While I had originally anticipated on serving the cupcakes on Wednesday after making the frosting, I decided to throw caution to the wind and served them anyway. Besides, I really couldn't have counted the variations anyway since the recipes were all the same with the exception of the frosting. After topping it with whipped cream and a chopped strawberry, I cautiously took a bite...yum. Heaven in a cupcake wrapper! Even so, I needed to hear the opinions of my family members before relishing in my victory.

The photo to my left is of my sister's cupcake. Unfortunately she is allergic to strawberries so she had her's plain. However, the exclusion of fruit didn't hamper the final taste of the cupcake. Which, I can proudly add, she loved. Talk about making a major come back after last night. My mom also had one and agreed, these cupcakes were great! 

Overall,I can write off today's baking experience as a success. I discovered how to overcome not owning a double boiler, how to turn my mom's stove top on, and, that I enjoy baking while listening to music. What did I listen to today? The original cast recording from the broadway show, The Book of Mormon. If you like funny musicals that aren't afraid of going there, then this one that you should definitely check out.

Alright, I've done four recipes, only 496 to go; I wonder what I should do next? Hmmm, my mom bought me a thing of heavy cream to use, perhaps I should make something that uses that. *Flips through cupcake book* Ah ha! I've got it. Chai Cupcakes. And this recipe actually has some real variations. Other then just the recipe above, I'll be baking chocolate chips & chai cupcakes, cinnamon  & orange chai cupcakes, and, white chocolate and vanilla chai cupcakes. I'm excited. Only problem is that they don't use heavy cream in the frosting. Oh well. I'll figure something out.

Well, I'm going to go work out right now. Those flourless chocolate cupcakes might haven been delicious, but you can bet that they are fattening; talk about an indulgence.

Until next time,

Jill

Ultimate Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes, adapted from Fergal Connolly's 500 Cupcakes.

1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 oz) bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
4 eggs
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar

2 tbsp. ground almonds (which I didn't use due to working at a nut-free camp)
2 tbsp. Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Place 12 paper baking cups in a muffin pan. Put the chocolate and butter in a double boiler, or medium bowl over a pan of simmering water, and stir until completely melted. Set aside to cool. In large bowl, cream the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and thick. Gently fold in the melted chocolate and remaining ingredients. 

Spoon the batter into the cups. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Then remove the cupcakes and cool on a rack.

The Fun Side to Eating Healthy

For those out there who don't know, in my last semester at Clark, I took a number of steps towards the vegetarian camp. Having grown sick and tired of stuffing my face with meat products of questionable quality, I slowly started dialing back my meat intake. At first, I would only eat meat once or twice a week. Considering that I always ate breakfast in my room, ate little sized lunches,  reducing meat from my diet wasn't all that hard. Dinner truly is the one meal at Clark that I usually eat in the cafeteria; everything else is either consumed in my room or purchased at the cafe in the library. When I ate dinner, I would either make a salad or make up a dish from what was being served in the vegetarian section. The food quality was noticeably improved. Gradually, I started forgetting to eat meat, soon going a whole week in between meat consumption. Then, I just stopped eating meat all together. Only in emergency situations, for example the dreaded weekends in which the options were seriously reduced, would I eat breakdown and eat a piece of grilled chicken. However, I tried to avoid those days. In all honesty, I used to be a very picky eater. Before this started, my interests in vegetables were extremely narrow for a girl my age. The same can be said of raw fish. Yes I ate fish. If I didn't then my protein intake would have been drastically reduced. It was my fellow foodie and dear friend Therese who introduced me to the magical thing called sushi. In fact, if it wasn't for her, I probably would not have become a foodie myself. (Thank's Therese!) 

During my time as a vegetarian at Clark, I discovered just how amazing vegetables were. I started to enjoy eating beans, tofu, squash, lentils, etc. Unfortunately, I had to return to my omnivore ways when I returned home for the summer. Let's face it, the cost of vegetables can be very pricy and I considered it unfair for my mom to just buy me vegetables. So I made a deal with myself: Try and cut back how much meat I ate per week, and when I get back to school, pick up where I left off. Thus explaining my recent expedition for the perfect vegetarian cookbook, which ultimately resulted in the purchase of a cookbook aimed at vegans. I can say now that the chances of me converting to being a vegetarian are infinitely higher then they are of me going totally vegan. And I'll admit now, when I return to my attempt at a vegetarian (or almost vegetarian) lifestyle, I will miss meat, mostly steak and hamburgers. However, I enjoy eating healthy and the way my body feels when I do so. 

Note, I'm not trying to make this blog post about the unhealthy affects of eating meat, all I am say is that those who have a diet that consists of consuming red and processed meats at nearly every meal should maybe consider some new eating habits. Truly, this little rant only applies to those who don't really have a balanced diet/ think eating fast food is a good substitute and will provide the necessary nutrients. Sorry to burst your bubble if thats your eating style but habitual consumption of fast food is BAD.

Whoa, I'm losing focus of the todays post. Gotta get back on track before its too late. Look pictures!

Anyway, in anticipation of my return to vegetarianism, I celebrated by baking Black Bean Brownies, a recipe taken from The Happy Herbivore by Lindsay Nixon, who also has her own blog, www.thehappyherbivore.com.

The recipe was incredibly simple, just some bananas, oats, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, cinnamon, agave nectar I used honey, and of course, beans. 

I love beans, something I had never eaten before until last summer while on a camping trip with my father. Naturally, when I saw the role that beans had in this recipe I become incredibly exited. Beans, in my opinion, are one of the best vegetables out there and need to be included in as many recipes as they can. Soups, salads, side-dishes, and now, dessert! Beans is definitely one veggie that I will never get sick of eating. 

As a runner, I am not unfamiliar with how amazing bananas are. Back when I competed, my coaches would say that if we were going to eat anything before a race, make sure its a banana. Other then providing the obvious potassium, bananas have natural sugars that supply  an instant and substantial boost of energy. Its also low in salt which makes it a great weapon for combating high blood pressure and high in fiber. If those aren't good enough reasons to love bananas then consider these two: first off, according www.rawplus.com, bananas are great cures for hangovers as they help calm the stomach, rehydrate the body, and builds up blood sugar levels. And secondly the ninth and tenth doctors of Doctor Who loved bananas.

When all was said in done, the brownies looked pretty good when they came out of the oven. I do suggest trying a smaller pan. I used a nine by nine pan and the brownies came out very thin. Overall, the brownies were given rather negative reviews. I liked them, but I think I was the only one. Mom, dad, and sister have already told me to never bake them again. Personally, I don't think there was anything wrong with them -they tasted delicious with vanilla ice cream on top- but that's just me. In the recipe below, Lindsay suggests using raw sugar which I didn't add though as it turned out, the bananas were almost overpowering in taste and smell. Additionally, the recipe calls for agave nectar, something I didn't use. Since agave nectar is a substitute for honey, I used the latter instead. That probably made them more sweet then they usually are. Despite some negative reviews, I'm going to try making this recipe again. My friend and future suite mate Ginny, a true vegetarian, has told me that she has had delicious black bean brownies in the past, so I'm looking forward to trying the recipe again with her assistance.

Tomorrow I'm back to cupcakes so until then, 

Jill

Black Bean Brownies, adapted from The Happy Herbivore by Lindsay Nixon

Ingredients:

• 15 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 whole bananas
• ⅓ cup agave nectar
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ cup raw sugar (optional)
• ¼ cup instant oats

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease an 8x8" pan and set aside. Combine all ingredients, except oats, in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth, scrapping sides as needed. Stir in the oats and pour batter into the pan. Bake approximately 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before slicing. Chef's Note: if you find these brownies are too soft or too fudge-y, add another 1/4 cup oats or flour.

I've Got the Power!

Do you know what's great about having your own blog? The fact that you can change things about it at nearly the drop of the hat. Even right now I'm mixing things up by trying out a new font size. Maybe next time I'll even add in a new color (ooh ahhh). Wouldn't that be something? But all silliness aside, I have recently come to a rather important decision. That is this: I will still try and bake 500 different cupcake recipes, however, and this is a big however, I am no longer completely bounding myself to my cupcake book, 500 Cupcakes by Fergal Connolly. Why? Well, to be honest, some of the recipe variations aren't really that varied. For some cupcakes, the variations only exist within the frosting, like one may be plain while the other might have a fruit added to it. Not really a mind blowing difference if you get what I mean. With that point made, I decided that I would be denying myself a challenge by just making different types of frosting; I'd have to change the name of the blog to Jill's 500 Days of Frosting. Also, in the last week a co-worker at work graciously shared with me a cupcake book that her daughter had given her for her birthday. Some of the recipes were very basic, but others absolutely mouthwatering. Can you say Cappuccino muffins? Yum. In addition to that wonderful gesture, another co-worker showed me a book that focused more on the art of decorating then baking. You might have hear of it, it was called What's New Cupcake? by decorating masters Karen Tack and Alan Richardson. If you want to see examples of their adorable cupcakes, just check out the books page on Amazon.com to see short videos of the authors showing off  some designs from their book. 


It was while I was looking through this book that realized something somewhat crucial: If I'm going to see my cupcakes, or even just give them away, they should be appealing to the typical Clark student. So, I impulsively bought the Tack and Richardson's first book Hello, Cupcake. What's great about both books is that they use store bought candy and simple tricks (like using ziploc bags instead of pastry bags) to decorate cupcakes. I cannot wait until my book gets here so I can get started. Of course, that book wasn't the only thing I bought this week. I have finished buying all the textbooks I will need for the semester, a cutting board, icing knife, a three piece wok set, and a wok spatula. Amazon was having a great 4 for 3 sale this week and I couldn't just ignore it. But there is something else that I bought that I am extremely proud of. 


Last summer my father took me to a music festival in upstate New York. While I was there I stumbled upon an amazing band called Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams, though they have recently shortened their name to the Grand Slambovians. Often compared to a number of musical influences that include Bob Dylan, Neil Young, The Band, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Who. In articles they are often described as "Hillbilly Pink Floyd". Well, after just a few songs I was hooked. This past July I was able to go back to the music festival and hear them again, this time introducing my older sister to them. Last night, they came to my town of Huntington and gave a concert that blew my mind. The word perfection doesn't even begin describe how amazing they were. Everything from the set lists to energy in the audience just made the experience all the more better. Even the band members were impressed with themselves, one member, Tink, told my dad that she had never seen the lead guitarist, Sharkey, play as well as he did last night. The best part, next to being able to see them for free was when I was able to shave four dollars off the otherwise $18 CD and of course going up and getting the band to sign it. I don't often geek out over bands, but I make an exception for the Grand Slambovians. If you're curious, check them out on youtube.com. A suggest checking out the songs Tink, The Grand Slambovians, Pushing Up Daises, and Windmills. These guys are great to see in concert and if you hear that they are coming to an area near you, go! They do not disappoint.


Oh, and before I forget, I have decided to instate a weekly recipe. I'll come up with a catchy name later, but look forward to the first, well second since I kind of already did something like this once, soon. Since I'll be cooking and baking a lot this year, or trying to, I wanted to showcase some recipes that just really stood out.  


Until next time,


Jill 

What's Next, a Food Nerd, and an Update

Well, its been almost a week since the beginning of my cupcake challenge and I must admit, I'm feeling pretty good about myself and what lies ahead. And for those who are around, 494 days left. The baking process is going a bit slower then I would like, but I think things will pick up once I get into the groove of things and figure out two very important things.

1. A solid baking schedule 

2. A steady and sure-fire way to get rid of my cupcakes

There might be a possible third thing but right now I cannot think of it so it's probably not that important  -watch that come back and bite me in the butt. At the moment, I'm right now trying to figure out how to give away my cupcakes using a method that doesn't involve me throwing them at fellow Clarkies or just dumping them in the trash. At the moment, I have an idea in mind that I have yet to get ball rolling on. My idea is this: I want to work with Clark University and the clubs that are involved with the Worcester community by donating the money I earn from selling my cupcakes to local charities. At the moment, I have only sent an email to a figure at my school who is near the top of the pyramid of power, though I have yet to receive a reply. My best bet is to wait till school starts and ask him then. I have also entertained the idea of serving my cupcakes in the admission offices during tour dates. Not only would that help get rid of the cupcake load, but would hopefully get my challenge out to the public. Yes the second idea is a tad more selifsh then the first, but I want people reading my blog! Not for the fame or the glory, but because I want to know that there are people out there who are reading what I write and maybe, going into their kitchens and start baking and cooking. I camper at work today saw me flipping through a cupcake book looking at different recipes and techniques and said, "When I go home I'm going to ask if I can bake cupcakes too! But not from a box." It made me so happy to hear that she wanted to try baking at home, espically after she told me that she hadn't really had any experince baking things from scratch.

Now I'm sure your wonder, what exactly is a food nerd? I'll start with the basics, its a noun. Ok, moving on. A food nerd, as my dear friend claims, is an individual who has a minor to major obsession and appreciation for food and the things related to it, i.e, cookbooks, appliances, food photography, etc. It was during a visit to Huntington's book store on Monday that my friend Olivia (back from the motherland Russia) decided to coin the term. After dragging her over the cookbook section, I started gushing about the wonders of food and the many things that one can do with it. After about ten minutes straight of me praising the wonders of vegetarian dining and the magic of bread, she blurted out, "Oh my god, you really have become a little food nerd while I was gone." I cannot deny what I really am. This past weekend I bought two cookbooks, a food processor, mixing bowls, measuring spoons. And yesterday, Amazon.com announced their special sale in all things related to kitchen and dining. By four but only pay for three. What a bargain! Right now my cart has a three piece wok set, a mesh ladle, maybe some cooling racks, and an adorable egg timer. Slowly but surely my whole life is beginning to revovle around the subject of food. The thing is, I don't it be like that. Food is awesome and so are are the many things that people can do with it. I think when I get back to school I'll start a new club, FNA, Food Nerd Anonymous.

And finally, my announcement.

The next cupcake recipe that I will be tackling is...drum roll please...Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes. Not only am I going to be making all three varations this time around   this vow didn't last long. When I informed my mom that one of the variations called for peppermint, she adamantly rejected the recipe. Looks like I'm only making two :(  I will still be trying to find a way to make enough for my class at work without invoking any food allergies, along with trying to make sure these things are moist and and delicious! However will I pull this off?

The First Baking

Well, its official; my cupcake challenge has begun! Boy, does it feel good to finally be able to say that. The process was long, the ingredients messy. Twice, did I get batter in my hair and yet, I persevered. Today, I set out to do something and I accomplished it.

I suggest you grab something to nosh on, this post is going to be a lengthy one. But fear not, I have taken the courtesy of breaking the post down into sections so you can just skip around if you so wished.

The Preparation Process

 I would love to say that when I awoke this morning, I was all bright-eyed and eager to get the day going. Unfortunately, at 9 am this morning, I had yet to figure out a way to divide the cupcake recipe three ways. Five hours later, I come home from work to find a thoughtful email from my mother: search for a way on google.com. Gee, why didn't I think of that. Just a few clicks of the mouse and keyboard and I landed on the most amazing website that my twenty year-old eyes had ever seen. http://www.fruitfromwashington.com/Recipes/scale/recipeconversions.php

For anyone who has ever tried -and failed- to figure out a way to half, double, or triple a recipe but lacks the math mojo to do so, I strongly suggest this wonder of a website. I think I'll be referring to this link for a long time. 

After my discovery of the recipe converter, I set to work of gathering the ingredients, washing the bowls, and lining the cupcake pans. I would like to make note of the time in which I started my preparations, 3:30 -trust me, you'll understand this later. Then came the butter. My cat, Ella really enjoyed this part. Its a shame I didn't get a photo of her pawing the butter packaging but she unfortunately is not so photogenic.

Look at my cupcakes pans, all shiny and new. I'm so proud of these little beauties that I will try my hardest to make sure they don't get banged up or misused. And yes, that is a KitchenAid up in the top right corner of the first of picture. Purchased in the late 90s, this thing is really a trooper. Though I 

was just informed by my mom that the mixer is normally used during Passover; guess that tradition is over. (Sorry mom).

Putting it Together

Cookies & Cream, that was name of game today. If you note in the first picture, the cookies that I used were Oreo's, Gingersnaps, and -yes, I know it's not a cookie- Baby Ruth bars. I'll be honest right now, one of the variations called for graham crackers, but I decided that Gingersnaps would be a good alternative. Yes, I cheated, but it still counts (so ha!)

The butter took much longer to melt then I thought it would. I usually I forget to pull out the butter when I need it for baking and often put it in the microwave which usually results in a plate drenched in melted butter. But, I waited, and after thirty minutes, the first of the 1/3s of butter (I used three, one for each recipe I baked today) and cautiously combined it in the mixing bowl with the superfine sugar. The recipe said to just combine all the ingredients into a bowl but I didn't want to take any chances. Considering my track record of mistakes, I wanted to be extra sure that I didn't mess up. After adding in the flour, vanilla extract, baking powder, and egg (one for each), I  noticed that the recipe looked a bit dry, but at first paid it no mind. Then came the fun part; crushing the cookies. I put three -then added another- Oreo's in a bag and used the handle of a knife to crush them. Probably not the best item to use for the job but it worked so I'm not complaining. 

Then came pouring the batter into the pans. 

In the past, when I have made cupcakes, the batter is usually extremely liquidy (is that a word? now it is). This first batch of batter was very dry, almost enough to the point that I could pick it up and form it into small balls. Unsure of what to do next, I suddenly remembered a little tid-bit that I had heard on the Food Network yesterday. Some hearty looking woman was hosting her cooking show and making a peach cobbler, or crisp, or whatever. After combining some ingredients in a mixer, she started talking about how temperamental flour can be. Sometimes it does what you want it to do, other times it stubbornly refuses to do anything you ask of it. So, she added water, and that stubborn flour complied. Unsure if the water trick would work for me, I tentatively poured a table-spoon worth of water into the bowl. I did some mixing and suddenly, everything was back on track. Now you're probably thinking that this was the time that I popped them into the oven. Nope. My house's oven cooks really fast, and I didn't want to be hogging it for when my mom needed it to make dinner. Pushing the pan off to the side, I repeated the process twice more, substituting the Oreo's with Gingersnaps and Baby Ruth respectively. By the time I finally popped them in the oven it was four-fifty. Factor in the additional twenty minutes of bake time and, yes, you're reading this right, it took me nearly two hours to bake eighteen cupcakes.

It's Frosting Time!

This was the moment I had been waiting weeks for. As I'm sure I have mentioned before, I have always wanted to try my hand at a pastry bag ever since I first some a chef on TV using one. It was definitely worth the wait. Not totally sure which metal topper to use, I just took a leap of faith and selected the first one my fingers touched. The recipe for the frosting itself was really easy (I didn't divide it by three under the assumption that the original recipe for the frosting would produce more then enough) and it tasted super delicious. The only negative moment out off the whole frosting process was that I couldn't find any washing directions for the pastry bag so I decided that good old water and soap would suffice. When my mom finally saw the finished product, she immediately commended me on my frosting skills, even going as far as to say that it looks professionally done. They looked good, but not that good. Give me time and I am sure that my frosting skills will improve. Of course, there was the other problem that I had created by ignoring the directions in the book that said to store the cupcakes unfrosted in the freezer or fridge. By the time I realized this mistake, I had already frosted every single one of them. Oh, and have I mentioned that I still lack some proper storage containers? I'm hoping that I'll have found some by the time I bake again.

The finished product

Let's Eat

Aren't those cupcake wrappers cute! I found them at the store when I was buying my ingredients on Sunday. Of course, the life-span of a cupcake wrapper is incredibly short-lived unless its re-useable. When it came time for dessert, both my parents greedily tore the wrappers off and took a bite. Next to waiting for my transcripts from school, this was one of the most nerve-racking moments of my life. Of course, when my parents both gave me the thumbs-up sign, I took a bite of my own cupcake and knew that all my hard-work had been worth it. I only tasted the cupcake baked with Baby Ruth bars mixed in but my mom gave me great feedback on the Gingersnap cupcake. I'll be trying that one in the next few days.

So that it, three recipes down, four hundred and ninety-seven to go. I'm hoping that next time I can shave off an hour or so from start to finish. In total, it took me about four and a half hours to bake just eighteen cupcakes. I doubt that I'll have enough time at school to take four plus hours to bake.

Here's the recipe for Cookies & Cream and the variations. In italic is the measurements that make six, the ones in bold make eighteen

For Cupcakes

• 1 cup (2 sticks) sweet butter, softened (I used 2/3 cup)
• 1 cup superfine sugar (I used 1/3 cup)
• 2 cups self rising-flour (I used 2/3 cup)
• 1 tsp. baking powder (I used 1/4 tsp)
• 4 eggs (I used one for each recipe so three, would have been four if mom had let me use mint)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 10 crushed cream-filled chocolate cookies (I used four)

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place 18 foil/paper baking cups in the cupcake (or muffin) pans. Combine all the cupcake ingredients, except the cookies, in a large bowl and beat with electric mixer until smooth and pale. Then stir in the cookies

Spoon the batter into the cups and bake for twenty minutes. Take the pans from the oven and give it the old tooth pick test. If it comes out clean then your good. If not, put it in for an additional 3-five minutes (I was lucky and didn't need to do this though I did check ever single cupcake just to be sure)

With the variations it calls for substituting the 10 cookies with 1/2 cup of graham crackers or chopped Baby Ruth bars. Once again, I just used four of each. If you want to try it with mint, then just use 10 cookies as advised.

Frosting

• 3 cups confectioner's sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks)
• Pinch of salt
• 10 chopped cream-filled chocolate cookies (I crushed one cookie, and chopped one candy bar)

Beat confectioner's sugar, butter, and salt using electric mixer. Spread frosting onto the cupcakes and sprinkle the cookies or candy bar on top.

Store unfrosted in airtight container up to 3 days, or freeze up to 3 months
(recipes adapted from 500 Cupcakes by Fergal Connolly)

Me crushing some cookies with a knife