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9/30/2011

Just Like When I Was Five

9/30/2011 0 Comments


There are some meals that will always remind you of being young. PB&J, mac & cheese, and tomato soup with grilled cheese. When I was in college, my friends and I got so excited on tomato soup and grilled cheese day. I want to mention that I was very fortunate to attend a college that took such an interest in providing both a quality education and quality food for their students, so don't get the wrong idea. Anyway, I've been on a mission to eat (somewhat) more healthfully, so I've been making a lot more vegetable-heavy meals. Enter a new tomato soup recipe!

Roasted Tomato Soup
Courtesy Sunny Anderson

8 Roma tomatoes, halved and seeded
2 red peppers, quartered and seeded
1 med onion, quartered
8 cloves garlic
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
6 cup vegetable stock
1/4 cup loosely packed chiffonade basil leaves
Special Equipment: Blender or immersion blender

Preheat the oven to 400° F.

On a sheet pan, gently toss together the tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, thyme, 2 tablespoons olive oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Arrange the tomatoes and red peppers, skin side up, and bake until lightly charred, 45 to 50 minutes.

In a soup pot, warm the remaining 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Stir in the tomato paste and mix well. Add the tomato and pepper mixture, including the juices, and combine. Stir in the stock, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Transfer the soup to a blender(or use an immersion blender) and pulse in small batches that reach only about a third to halfway up the side of the jar. Be careful to start slow then increase the speed to blitz the ingredients until smooth. Use a separate bowl to hold the blended soup and then return it all to the pot.

Heat the soup to warm through, then ladle into serving bowls and garnish with basil.

*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.


Look at that beauteous bounty! I love the brightness of the tomatoes already.


I have become a big fan of having my oven do most of the work for me. This is actually the most time-consuming, labor-intensive part of the whole meal.


Cooking in red! How can you not be excited about a food this vibrant?


Of course, what is tomato soup without grilled cheese. Well, here's the part where I come clean. I can't make grilled cheese without burning it. I don't know why. Mike didn't believe me, so I actually had to show him the proof.


Now, you can and should use any cheese you like, but I had some Bleu Gouda leftover, so I used that. Such a good choice, but more on that later.


Ah,my good friend basil. I have had so much basil this summer, I feel like I should smell a bit like it. Anyway, I'm not great at the chiffonade technique, but I'm getting better. I don't think I'm rolling the leaves together tightly enough.


There she is, my beautiful soup. Don't you love that bright green against the orange-red of the soup. Almost like Christmas colors. Not a bad Christmas-time soup choice either, but, then again, is there really a bad time for tomato soup and grilled cheese. Speaking of my unfortunate sandwich, see it there? No? Oh, well, I understand. It's blending in with the black plate. How embarrassing. We all have our Achilles' heel. This is mine.

I can honestly say this is the best tomato soup I have ever had. And it's so easy and makes enough for six! How can you beat that? It's sweet and a little tart from that balsamic vinegar, but has a great base from the onions and stock. So amazing! And my Bleu Gouda was actually really good despite the char! I think it was just on the surface. The sort of sour Bleu flavor was a really good contrast to the sweet of the soup, and the smokiness of the Gouda played really well with the flavors my oven put in the veggies as they were roasting. Oh yeah, and remember it's healthy! Whether the people in your house are five, fifteen, or fifty, they will love this timeless combo.


9/29/2011

Sorry, Starbucks

9/29/2011 0 Comments
It's no secret that we (Heather and I) love our coffee. We've both written about it extensively at one point or another. And we both have our favorite places to get it. I know Heather usually hits up McDonald's because she can also get the boys something from there. I have a cornucopia of caffeine-peddling choices here in Nashville. I've been to Roast, Fido's, Portland Brew, The Frothy Monkey, Cafe Coco, Bongo Java, Wired, and there are a dozen or so more that I haven't tried. By the way, if you visit Nashville, I highly recommend any of the aforementioned places. They're great and local. For families, The Frothy Monkey is probably the best. It's on 12th South and has a really fun atmosphere and has, unsurprisingly, monkeys hanging around the shop. Anyway, there is one place that Heather and I both love. I mean, love: Starbucks. It's easy to love because they can make anything and are just so darn convenient. I have a rule, though. If I can make it at home, I don't order it when I'm out. That being the case, Starbucks recently just lost some of my business.

Now, I know chai is not coffee unless you order it dirty, but it is...was...one of my most favorite things to get from Starbucks. I always feel a little better when I order tea instead of coffee. Don't ask me why, I just do. Well, being the adventurous cook that I am, I wanted a do-over on this travesty from a little over a year ago, so I started to research. It didn't me long to find Aarti Sequeira's chai recipe, and I figured it had to be good since she's Indian and has probably had the real McCoy in her homeland.

Chai
2 cup water
1 (1-inch) piece cinnamon stick
4 green cardamom pods, smashed
4 whole cloves
1/2 star anise
2 quarter-sized coins fresh ginger
2 scant tsp black tea leaves (recommended: Taj Mahal) or black tea of choice
2 tsp honey, or more to taste
Whole milk or half-and-half

In a medium pan, bring the water, all of the spices and the ginger to a boil over medium heat. Turn off the heat and allow it to steep for 15 minutes.

Bring the mixture back to a boil, then add the tea. Turn the heat off, and allow it to steep for 3 to 5 minutes depending on how strong you like your tea. Stir in the honey and add milk to your liking. Strain it into a bowl or pitcher and serve!

Okay, let me be up front about this. I spent a fortune on spices to get ready to do this recipe, but I have them all now, so there's enough for a month straight of chai. It's a long-term investment. Also, if you peel your ginger ahead of time and freeze it, it will last in your freezer for up to three months, so you can buy a whole chunk and have more to use later. Anyway, beyond the spices, this recipe was really easy. I added three tablespoons of honey to the whole batch to sweeten it, which I thought ended up being the perfect amount, but you can always add more or less to your liking.

The payoff: Tastes just like Starbucks' chai latte, but cost a fraction of the amount you would pay there! Victory! No, it's not as convenient, but there is something so very rewarding about making it yourself and being able to do so at any hour of the day any way you want. If you're like my friend Jenn that "doesn't want her tea to taste like potpourri", this isn't the drink for you, but if you enjoy a rich, sweet, spicy, fragrant beverage, try this. You'll be glad you did. :-)


9/28/2011

Getting Ready

9/28/2011 0 Comments
I can't believe that I completely forgot to post yesterday! I've been so busy getting ready for H's party that I almost forgot that it was my anniversary yesterday. Almost. :)

The hubs and I had a nice dinner, alone, and then came home and relaxed. It was really quite lovely, except for the laundry folding part. :)

So anyways, here's what I've been doing today. Well some of what I've been doing today. :)

Luckily, I'm not making a whole lot of these. Only enough for the kiddos that are coming to the party. See - I'm saving myself some work, and well, you  know there were a few casualties so they had to get eaten.

They were good. :)  I'll see you guys later, I do believe Dana is going to be posting tomorrow.

Heather

9/23/2011

A Fall Feast!

9/23/2011 1 Comments


People, it's fall. Finally! I think I've mentioned before that I love fall, but, just in case I didn't make it clear, I LOVE fall. The weather is awesome and the leaves turn pretty colors. Here in Nashville it rains a lot in fall, so we get these great cuddle-time thunderstorms. Starbucks releases their first seasonal drinks of the year in the fall too.

Funny story: Heather and I both love us some Pumpkin Spice Lattes (PSLs), and I swear I was told that the PSL came out on September 5th this year, so I went to Starbucks on that day and ordered one. They told me that it didn't actually come out until the next day *moment of fear!*, but that they could make me one anyway. Yes, please! Heather tried ordering one a day early too. Guess what she got told? NO! PSL winner 2011 right here, baby! Also, try that delectable drink with an extra shot of caramel. Heavenly! Anyhoo, back to the subject at hand...

Right, so another great thing about fall is that the best food comes out then. Um, hello, why do you think Thanksgiving is in November? Because it would have sucked at any other time of year. :-) Just kidding! But the harvest season is just chock full of great, amazing flavors. I've kind of gone into cooking overdrive lately. So much so Mike had to remind me that we do actually have a food budget that needs to be considered...oops. Oh well, there are worse things to splurge on. Anyway, I made a fall feast one day recently that I just couldn't wait to share with you all. Get ready for some recipe overload!

Pork Roast with Hard Cider Gravy

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 1 tablespoon cold
2 1/2 pound pork loin roast, trimmed and tied
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1 onion, peeled and sliced
2 Granny Smith apples, cored and sliced
1 bottle, (12 ounces) hard cider, plus more as necessary

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add 2 tablespoons of butter. Season the pork generously with salt and pepper, to taste, and sear on all sides in the hot pan until golden brown; set aside. Add the onions and apples and season again with salt and pepper. Cook until they begin to caramelize, then pour in the hard cider and scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer and nestle the browned pork roast back into the pan. Cover with a lid and put in the oven to braise until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, 25 to 30 minutes.

Remove the pork roast from the pot and transfer to a carving board; tent with foil to keep warm. Transfer the contents of the pot to a food processor or blender and puree, then return the puree to the pan. Bring to a boil, season with salt and pepper, to taste, then reduce the heat to low and add more cider if gravy is too thick. Add the remaining tablespoon of cold butter, whisking constantly as it melts. Remove from heat when the gravy is smooth and shiny and the butter is completely melted.

Slice pork loin roast and arrange on a serving platter. Serve with sauce and enjoy!

Parsnip-Potato Mash

2 1/2 lb Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 1/2 lb parsnips (ab 8 small), peeled and chopped
Kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup half-and-half
Freshly ground black pepper
Finely chopped chives, for garnish, optional

Put the potatoes and parsnips in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, cover with cold water and salt it generously. Bring the potatoes to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium and simmer until fork tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Put the butter and half-and-half in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until the butter is melted and the mixture is hot.

Drain the potatoes and parsnips well and return them to the hot pan. Stir the vegetables in the pan to dry them out a bit. Add the hot butter mixture and season with salt and pepper. Mash with a potato masher until smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with chopped chives.


I love when my kitchen looks like this. It's just a tableau of good things to come. You may also recognize some of my baking things out in this picture. I made this the same night as I made my chewy chocolate chip cookies, so we even had dessert after our feast!


I wasn't really planning on making this dish in particular when I went shopping. I just knew I wanted root vegetables, so I had gotten a variety of potatoes, parsnips, and carrots. As you can see, I ended up augmenting my parsnips with their more colorful cousins, which ended up working out really well.


Here's my seared up pork. By the way, I didn't have any pork roast, but I did have these great inch-thick pork chops, so I use those babies instead. Such a good choice! And the smell of those onions caramelizing was just heavenly!


Back in the pool--I mean pot. I wish I could convey the sense of joyous expectation I was feeling at this moment. Everything was beginning to come together and smell amazing. I think it must be similar to what someone who plays sports must feel when they're having a really good game...or something like that. It's a really good feeling! Trust me.


Let us go back and check on our mash before and after draining. If it looks like that's a lot of food, it is. Hence the bonus recipe at the bottom!


Now it's time for some sauce! Holy cow, let me tell you that this sauce is worth it! It is sweet and flavorful and just fan-dang-tabulous. Now, I know the recipe calls for the sauce to be blended smooth, but I was kinda digging the rustic, chunky look, so I didn't do that.


Aw, snap! That is some handsome looking food! And, yes, it tastes as good as it looks.

You cannot go wrong with these recipes, I guarantee. The mash has so much extra zip from the parsnips, and the pork! OMG, the pork! Sweet and savory and just the perfect thing for a cool, autumn night. This is comfort food at its best. Plus, it's so easy to do! Treat yourself and your family to this great fall feast and see what I mean. You will not regret it.

Bonus:
Ham and Cheese Croquettes

1 cup leftover potatoes from Parsnip-Potato Mash recipe or plain mashed potatoes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1/2 cup finely shredded Gruyere cheese, about 1-ounce
1/2 cup very finely diced cooked ham or country ham, about 2 ounces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil, for frying

In a bowl, mix the potatoes, 1/4 cup flour, cheese, and ham with a large rubber spatula until combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste and divide the mixture into 8 equal portions. Rub your hands with a small amount of flour and form the portions into small flat disks about 1/2-inch thick. Use just enough flour to keep the potatoes from sticking to your hands, but do not coat them completely.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Shallow-fry the croquettes, turning once, until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Remove from the oil and drain on a paper-towel lined plate. Let the croquettes cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

Cook's Note: This recipe doubles easily if you have enough leftover potatoes.

Creamy, decadent, and rich, these little disks of goodness are amazing! And they were the perfect accompaniment to next week's recipe! Stay tuned!


9/22/2011

About the post today.....

9/22/2011 0 Comments
I know that I've posted about my dental adventures here and there, and there have been a lot.

You see, we didn't have good dental insurance or dental insurance at all for about 6 years. So guess what didn't happen during those 6 years?

You guessed it. I didn't go to the dentist. It was an expense we didn't need.

Unfortunately, this course of action left me with an extremely screwed up mouth.

I went to the dentist for the first time in those 6 years in March. Partly because Devlin needed to have his first cleaning, and he had to have two fillings, but I need to be brave for him. I also needed a reason, and there was no way I was about to let down my son.

So I went. I then found out that I had gum disease (and a moderately bad case). Along with that I had to have several root canals, a couple of fillings and 7 extractions total. You guys can totally use my story to tell your kids about the importance of dental hygiene. I already do. :)

So back to the 7 extractions - they were all molars. 6 of them were root tips and one was decay. Two of them were extracted shortly after my first scaling, which is a most unpleasant thing, but necessary because of the gum disease.

Tuesday, I had 2 more teeth extracted, root tips to be exact. One had to be surgically extracted, so I ended up with a couple of stitches. Nothing too bad, and I scheduled my appointment for next week to have the next two extractions done. I knew the decayed tooth was going to have to be surgically removed, so I got a referral for an oral surgeon.

Oh on top of all of these dental things - I suffer from TMJ. Fun, right?

So yesterday when I put Harrison down for a nap, I decide to lie down as well. I didn't every actually fall asleep - I just dozed, but I was jarred awake by a throbbing pain in my jaw. Great. The TMJ is acting up again, because I clench my teeth (molars, specifically) when I sleep. I usually only do this when I'm stressed or angry, but sometimes it just happens too.

So I get up and take some ibuprofen and then pull out a warm compress, per instructions from my dentist on  easing TMJ pain. Except that the warm compress does not work. Its making the pain worse. Craaaaaap.

Its not TMJ, its an infection. So I pull out my antibiotics (my dentist is very thorough and has prepared instructions for almost every inevitability) and take one.  The rest of the afternoon goes ok. The pain worsens   throughout the day, but I'm managing.

By 11 pm,  my jaw was swollen quite a bit. I go to bed, hoping that the swelling goes down a bit.

My wish was not answered. Here's what I looked like this morning when I woke up.
I apologize for the blurriness and quality, but it matches the feeling.

Yep - those three remaining extractions had abscessed. Really it was just the top back extraction that had abscessed and then it spread, quickly, to the other 2 {bad} teeth.

So this morning I went to see the oral surgeon (miraculously they had an opening for today) and they pulled out the last 3 teeth scheduled for extraction. They ended up having to clean the gum tissue on the top along with my upper jawbone. The infection had gotten everywhere it seemed.

Well  - I'm still swollen, still on antibiotics and pain killers, and not crafting. I've been ordered to take it easy. Until TUESDAY! Argh. Do you know how hard it is not to do anything? Very. We'll see how I fare.

On a brighter note - This is the last major dental thing my poor mouth needed. My dentist has seen me almost every week since March, but no more! We're on to the fun stuff - like whitening. :)

See you guys tomorrow for FFF!
Heather

9/21/2011

Let's Brainstorm!!!

9/21/2011 0 Comments
So having a Mickey Mouse themed birthday is not new, and there are tons of ideas floating out there, but here are a few of my favorite ideas that I've pinned recently, plus one blog post that I'm absolutely in love with. :)

So here are some of my ideas that I've pinned - We'll start with the cake ideas. :)
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I am in love with this cake topper. I love how festive it is! Although Harrison is a very long name to fit on stars at the top of a cake. :)

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Look how nice and simplistic this is. I like the marbling that the fondant has, and I love Toodles on the top. :)

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 These two cakes are equal on the love scale. I love  the colors in both. I love the relatively simplistic nature of the both of them. And I love that I could easily do them. :)

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The hubs is in love with this one, and I have to say I am too. I love the dimension and depth to it. Now all we have to figure out is how to combine all the awesomeness of these cakes into one cake. Wish us luck. :)

On to decorating. :)
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Isn't this a great idea as the entrance to the party? I may have to do something on a different scale for H's party, but this has got the wheels churning. :)

So I also mentioned a blog post. I found this on through Tip Junkie. Its from Life with Lulu and Junebug... and Carter too! - Oh "Two"dles! It's Carter's Mickey Mouse Birthday Party!

I have to be honest here and say if I could copy everything from this party - I would. ESPECIALLY this birthday banner. Her mom made it. How amazingly great is that?
Seriously!?!?! This banner makes me want to have a Mickey Mouse birthday party.

I am also going to flat out copy this topiary. I already bought the black tissue paper too.

Suffice to say - I'm going to have a blast decorating for H's party, and a run to the $1 Store is being planned as we speak for tonight.

I hope you guys have enjoyed this idea-filled post, and I can't wait to show you guys the final result - On the first blog post of October. :) I'm making you guys wait. I'm so sweet, aren't I?
Heather

Checkin' In.

9/21/2011 0 Comments
Well there's not much to report on.

We met with a personal trainer and got some good tips about planning out our workouts and what to include.

I found out that I suck at  one of the machines. I have no idea which machine it is, but its the one where you support yourself on your forearms and then lift your knees/legs up and work your lower abdomen. I suck at this exercise. I can't even support myself.

My girlfriend has to hold one of those large yoga balls for me and I bounce my knees up as high as I can go, because I'm so uncomfortable on this machine. She's my ball holder. *snicker* :)

In other news - I'm the mayor of our gym on 4square. I've been 29 times. Actually I've there more, but I've checked in that many times. :) yay!

Ok so I'm done rambling. Its time to head out to the bus stop to get my big guy!

9/20/2011

Birthday Wreath!

9/20/2011 0 Comments
One can never have to many wreaths. At least that's what I say.

The hubs says something else, but this isn't his blog, so we're going to go by what I say. :)

I'm sure you guys are familiar with How Does She?

Well they have a terrific tutorial on how to make a Balloon Wreath, and with birthday season approaching for our family I decided that it was high time we had some birthday decorations for our front door.

So I got the supplies, but accidentally bought a 16" wreath form, which meant I needed 3 bags of 72-count balloons, but that's ok. It added like a $1 to the final cost, which was not much. So it's a $7 wreath. :)

Here's my creation!


I  love the texture and  the colors, and I love that it was easy. I sat down and watched a movie with the hubs while making it. Its a bit heavy, but hey....it won't blow away right?

Well tomorrow will be more birthday ideas....Hope you're ready. :)

Heather

9/19/2011

Meeska Mooska Mail!

9/19/2011 1 Comments
A while ago, I showed you guys a glimpse of Harrison's Mickey Mouse invitations, but I had forgotten one major detail - the date and time of the party.

Doh!

Oh well, no worries! I got the centers of all the invitations  reprinted and cut and then glued back down, and here's what they look like now!


Isn't that cute?

I think so. :) Now all I have to do is everything else to get ready for the party. :)

There's so much to do too! Design the cake, decide on food, and decorations. Get everything ordered and bought.

No wonder people can make a living at planning parties. :)

TTYL!
Heather

9/16/2011

The Baker's Quest-The Final Chapter!

9/16/2011 0 Comments


Why, yes, Heather, I am still on my baking quest. :-) Sadly, as all quests must, this quest has come to its end. You may think, "Wow, this has been a long quest. It's been, what, four...five weeks, if not longer." Most journeys take a long time, though, which is why it's called a quest, not a jog. I'm getting ahead of myself, though. Let's look at what I did for my final challenge.

Black Forest Cupcakes
Courtesy Sunny Anderson

Cupcakes:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup buttermilk
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
5 lg eggs, room temp
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, 4 1/2 ounces
3/4 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped, 4 ounces

Topping:
2 cup marshmallow cream
1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate shavings
12 maraschino cherries on the stem

Special Equipment: 12 capacity cupcake tin, paper liners

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line the cupcake tray with paper liners.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk, butter and vanilla, set aside.

Add the eggs and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment and beat until the mixture is thick and forms ribbons, about 5 minutes. With mixer on medium speed, slowly add the buttermilk mixture, until just incorporated. Fold in the flour mixture until just combined, then fold in the chocolate chips and cherries. Fill the cupcake tins 3/4 full with the batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 15 to 17 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the tin and cool for 10 minutes. Put a good-sized dollop of marshmallow cream on each cupcake, sprinkle with chocolate shavings and top with a cherry. Serve immediately.

Why did I pick this as the final chapter in my quest. It was such a pivotal decision, what led me to it? It was pretty simple really. I was watching Cooking For Real with Sunny Anderson (I DVR the crap out of Food Network) and whipped up a batch of these babies and I just knew that I had to attempt to make them as my ultimate task. Black forest cake--IMO--is the BEST! Hands down. No other confection even comes close, so I really didn't want to screw this up, especially after my Earl Grey "biscuit-cakes", as Nova called them, debacle. So here we go...


Here's my basic setup. Not everything that I used is here, but I was in kind of a rush. I didn't start these until about 9pm tonight.


Ah, one of my faithful quest companions. We've seen my little sifter all through this series. He makes sifting go so very, very fast. Love!


The wet and the dry team, as Alton Brown would say. I now know that these two must be mixed very carefully, lest my cupcakes end up tough and...biscuity.


Here's where I ran into my first challenge. The recipe says to mix for about five minutes until the egg and sugar mixture forms ribbons. Good thing I have good ol' Beatrice here to help me!


Ribbons? Ribbons? Hello? Okay, we don't have ribbons yet. Let's just try mixing some more on a higher speed...


I don't really have a good picture of ribbons because my mixture never really "ribboned-up", but I added a touch more sugar and kept on mixing and eventually made it a little more viscous. I still don't know what exactly I did wrong...


Then came the really fun part: The chocolate. I added half of the flour-cocoa mixture, beat it for a few seconds on Stir, then added the second half. Again, I didn't want to over mix, so I only went as long as it took to combine everything.


Yet another great quest companion, my nifty digital scale. Haha, I even have a measuring cup from work. Anyway, I really wanted to make sure I added the right amounts of chips and cherries, so I opted to go by weight rather than volume. Also, you may have noticed a bag of Craisins in the first picture. A little necessary cheat that was. I looked all over the grocery store (and I went to my special big store) and could not find dried cherries anywhere. I looked all over, but I just don't think they were offered, so I bought cherry juice infused Craisins instead. No one will ever know!


Seriously, this is shaping up to look like one awesome batter.


Here's another little Alton Brown trick. I used a disher to portion out my cupcake batter equally. Kind of ingenious, no?


See, look how even they all are before they go in to bake. See you guys on the other side!


Sweet! Look how gorgeous they look! Now, I did have to bake my cupcakes about seven or eight minutes longer than the recipe said, but no biggie.


Extraction is made easier with a fork. They came out really easily and looked good enough to eat right then and there, but there's still icing. Without icing, a cupcake is not a cupcake at all, but rather a muffin.


Oh my goodness, so here was the next major challenge: The marshmallow cream. BEWARE--Very, very sticky substance. As you will see, the cream got EVERYWHERE! It melted down the sides of the cupcakes and onto my island, it got stuck all over me, and it doesn't spread well, though I had better luck with a metal knife than I did with a plastic spatula. My original thought was that I would dollop it on top and it would just melt a bit into place. Marshmallow cream is like The Blob, people. It has a mind of it's own and will go whatever way it wants. So you can see that my icing skills still need quite a bit of work. Oh well, practice makes perfect...or something.


I didn't have chocolate shavings, so I used bittersweet chocolate chips instead, which did not sprinkle well. I ended up just placing the chips around the edge of the icing, some of which proceeded to slide off...


So here they are! The finished product. Did I say my icing skills could use a little help? I meant a lot of help.


Sad, isn't it? The poor little thing lost its cherry...and some of its chips.

Good thing it was delicious! I mean, it was just phenomenal! The "cherries" and chocolate reminded me so much of a real black forest cake, and the cream on top, while sticky, was the perfect little touch.

I have learned so much on my quest, but the most important thing was that, yes, I can bake if I want to. I'm not half bad either. I've already developed some basic instincts, so I can only get better from here. Who knows, maybe one day I'll be able to bake a batch of our family's coveted "Gee'-Gees bread". In closing, let me encourage you to embark upon your own quests because, if you don't try, you will have already failed. If you try, however, you have already achieved a success with that first step.