Black Velvet...if you please.

My daughter's birthday was July 19Th. She turned eight. EIGHT! its unreal. I guess that explains a little about why i want to have another one. Its been EIGHT YEARS! Anyways...that is irrelevant. This blog is about food! And the food we are so graciously talking about today is RED VELVET CAKE!!!!

Red Velvet Cake is my absolute fave cake in the whole world. I was so excited when that was the flavor my daughter wanted for her birthday cake. I decided to make cupcakes instead of a cake, because I SUCK at decorating cakes!

I have always used the recipe that i got from my mother, and it has always worked...but i never tried making cupcakes with it. If that makes any type of difference, its news to me. I used the recipe like always. They were nasty. Maybe I put to much salt...maybe my flour was old...I dunno. But I hated them. Not to mention the fact that I didn't have enough red food coloring, so they were not really red...more orange.

FAIL!

So if at first you don't succeed, keep sucking til you do suck seed...or something like that.

So I tried to make a second batch. I started out the same way, but instead of using oil like my moms recipe (and so many others) I substituted with butter at room temp. And of course with me not having any more red food coloring...I decided to go with blue. After all, that is my daughters fave color. And it is her birthday party. DUH! Why didn't I think of that before?

Pressing Onward!!!! So I make up the second batch. sans oil and adding the BLUE food coloring. Little did I know...or at least remember the dang color wheel. The initial batter is yellow. Yellow and blue do NOT make blue.

FAIL number 2.

So my daughter ended up with half edible orange red velvet cupcakes and green velvet cupcakes that were a little more tasty. Thank GOD I had an awesome icing recipe to top them with. Or it would have been a complete disaster.

So the next three days to follow...I was determined to figure out what I was doing wrong. I went back to the basics and started thinking about everything it takes to make a successful cake or batch of cupcakes. I put a little less flour and a little more cocoa powder. I again used butter instead of oil. I also added some boiling water that I dissolved some sugar into. It helped with the sweetness of the cake plus made it lighter "fluffier" and less dense.

WIN!

But yet again...I did not have red food coloring. And I was out of blue...which didn't work either. So I decided to go with the green But apparently put to much and my cake turned out BLACK! which was fine with me. I started to sing... "Black velvet and that little boy's smile...Black velvet with that slow southern...(yeah you get the point) in the middle of my kitchen. It was Grammy worthy...or whatever awards singers get. I don't care.

Anyways. I had a successful cake. And it was pretty to boot.

WIN WIN WIN!

So i must say...and i have NEVER said this before...but i do believe that my cake recipe is BETTER than my mothers! (gasp!)

Now the only problem is that we will be eating red, green, and black velvet cake for the next week. Or is that really such a bad thing? We shall see.

Til next time...
So this is one instance

My Brain is Fried!

Well, let me tell you...I have not hit the books like I did today EVER! Even when i was in high school getting ready for semester exams or my ACT's. When I enrolled in my classes to get my catering degree, I had no idea what I was getting into. I was thinking it was going to be all business. How to promote and build you company...tips on decorating and how to make a menu. Although all of those things have been discussed, this course has a LOT of things I wasn't prepared to learn.

oh yeah...and for those that didn't know. I am going to school to get my professional chef/catering degree! :)

The lesson i was so diligently preparing on today was for stocks, sauces, and soups. I didn't realize all the different kinds of each! It was ridiculous. And on top of that, they all have fancy french names. ugh. I got very confused, quite often!

For instance...do you know the difference between a Sachet d'espices, a Bouquet garni, or the cajun trinity? I didnt until today! I knew what they were, just not what they were called.

I learned that the main difference in a broth and a stock, is that a broth can be served as is, and a stock is a little more dense and used in the preparation of other dishes. who would have thought!

this lesson was basically about "creating flavor". I have a cooking exercise to do within the next few weeks. I have to make a mirepoix to start the beginnings of my brown veal stock, and ultimately create Sauteed Medallions of Pork with Winter Fruit Sauce.

yeah this is going to be very interesting.

But way down here on Earth where most of us are...tonight I made lasagna! Way to brain fried and tired from studying and preparing supper, so i am just including a picture and calling it a night!

Happy Eating....til next time!

Got the Mommy Flu and Hid the Veggies!

I was able to bring my "mommy genes" out of the closet today. I have a daughter, who is eight, so it has been quite a few years since I have been able to "baby" someone. Yes mine is still VERY young, but she is so independent and grown for her age. I don't get to do as much as I would like. So relish in the few moments that I get to spend with my nieces.

My sister and her husband are vacationing in Hawaii at the moment, and her children have been kept by our mom, dad, and her in laws. My mother had the privilege of keeping her grandchildren for the past couple of days. I took my own little girl and went to visit with my mother and see my nieces and nephew. The youngest (Lexie) is about a year old. She is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. She is at the perfect age...walking and jabbering along like she knows what she is saying. I love it!

I have been joking lately with my husband about having another child. We joke, but in all seriousness, I am ready for another one.

So today, while at my mother's house, Lexie was needing to lay down for a nap. But of course, she wasn't having it! haha She was not fussy or anything, she was just trying to stay busy and stay awake. There was so much going on and so many things to see! She wanted to be a part of it all! After an hour or so of trying to get her to lie down and take a nap, I scooped her up, laid her on my chest, started rocking back and forth, and humming the same sweet little songs I used to hum to my own little girl. She was out less than five minutes later. I felt very motherly and proud of myself for still having "the touch".

I got home around 4:30pm to be greeted by my very loving husband asking "whats for dinner?" ah yes...my favorite part of the day! (and no i am not lying) I decided to keep with my mother/child mood. And what is the hardest thing for a mother to get her child to do?? Yes you guessed it...EAT VEGETABLES!!! But the funny part is, that I not only have to get my CHILD to eat them, I have to get my HUSBAND to eat them as well! I have been trying to get him to eat the most hated veggie of all time for the past week! Brussels sprouts!! (EWWWW!!!! right?...wrong. They are delish!) I succeeded earlier this week in the fact that I got him to taste a bite or two, but of course...that was all she wrote. He wasn't having any more!

So for tonight's menu, I decided to "hide" the veggies :) WIN! The menu consisted of meatballs in a cranberry BBQ sauce, mashed potatoes and brussels, and broccoli. I made up my meat balls like most would make a meatloaf, rolled the mixture in bite size pieces and flash fried them to brown them on the outside and hold in moisture. I then put them in the crock pot (or slow cooker) to finish them. I added canned cranberry sauce, a couple tablespoons of my fave BBQ sauce, about half a cup of ketchup, and 3 tablespoons of brown sugar. Very simple ingredients. While those flavors were infusing together, I started working on my sides. yummy :)

I took about 2-3 lbs of baby reds and about 2 cups of brussels. I chopped the potatoes and boiled them in seasoned water for about 20 minutes. (and by seasoned, i mean salt, pepper, garlic salt, and chicken broth)

Next i took my brussels sprouts and added them to a pan with a couple Tablespoons of chicken broth. Brought it to a boil, covered and reduced to simmer. After cooking them for about 5 minutes, I added 2 cloves of garlic and let it cook for another 5 minutes. Drain!

I also drained the potatoes and added the brussels to them. I mashed them both together. I then added a cup of half & half cream, a half stick of butter, pepper to taste, parsley and chicken bouillon granules. Stirred them all together, and VOILA! mashed potatoes with brussels sprouts! A great way to get your children (or husbands) to eat the evil vegetables!

I also had a side of steamed broccoli with a little salt, pepper, and butter.

Yay!!! dinner is complete! And for those that cannot visualize the colorful masterpiece that I have created, I have added a few pictures. The meatballs are red, and obviously the broccoli is green. And the potatoes have the skins mashed in also to give a little "red" and the brussels give a little "green". My food matches! YAY! (i totally just cheesed this up...)

enjoy the pictures and happy eating!

kicked up au gratin

okay...so this is one of those rare nights when I really didn't want to cook. I think it has to do with the fact that my husband has a week off of work. I just wanna lay around with my man all day. Clothing optional. But alas, we got hungry. I had to scour my kitchen for something to eat. I found potatoes and some jalapeno & smoked sausage links. Sounds good so far!!

So i decided to cook, but keep it super easy. I sliced the sausage on the bias and threw it into my saute pan. I chopped some celery and onion and added it to the sausage just til crisp tender, but not fully cooked. While that is browning on the stove, I looked at my potatoes. WHAT ARE YOU!? haha just kidding. I decided to very thinly slice the potatoes (au gratin style) and add some milk and a little half and half. I emptied the rest of the shredded cheese we had in our fridge. I added the sausage and veggies to the potatoes and topped with a little butter. I popped that bad boy into the oven and let it sit at 400* for about 40 minutes. It looked so good!!!! I could not wait to take a bite. Apparently along the way, I over seasoned or spiced it. It was a little too salty for my taste, but my husband said he liked it. I ate it, but it could have used either some more potatoes or cheese or something to counteract the salt. I will know this next time!

And again...as I am just getting used to this whole blog thing, I have forgotten to take pictures of my progress. But I did, however, remember to get a picture of my finished product!

anywho...we now have full bellies and are going to continue laying on the couch watching tv. Again...clothing optional. Gotta love days like these:)