Whoo, it's been a while since I've written an entry. Sorry for not keeping up, I've been very busy. Especially since I was on winterbreak, I wanted to just relax and do some things I couldn't do back in the dorms... like bake! So I guess I haven't been completely doing nothing for my blog. Well, I know the holidays are over but I been wanting to post up some Christmas cookies and recipes that I've been making for the past 3 weeks.





Making these gingerbread men were so much fun! Although, the taste was a bit on the bland side. The next time I make these, I would try doubling or tripling the spices. Gingerbread men aren't only for Christmas, so keep making them because I'm sure it will prolong the happy holiday feeling!

Here is the recipe that I made originally. If you want a milder gingerbread, I would stick with it. But if you want a cookie with more punch and kick, then I would recommend doubling or tripling the spices. What is good about this recipe is that the surface of the cookie is smooth and the general outcome isn't delicate so it is ideal to make gingerbread houses.

Gingerbread Men

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp (freshly) ground nutmeg

pinch ground black pepper (optional)

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup molasses

1/4 cup coffee or water

1 tsp vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and cinnamon.
In a mixer or large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in molasses, water and vanilla. The results might curdle but that is okay. Gradually add in flour mixture until a smooth dough forms. Divide dough into two or three pieces (dough will be quite soft), cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 375F.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 1/8 inch thickness (or desired thickness). Use a cookie cutter (any size is good but the regular sized ones bake the best) to cut dough. Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 9-12 minutes, depending on size of cookie cutter. Cookies should be slightly firm to the touch at the edges and will be lightly browned. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
When cool, decorate with icing. (I used royal icing)
Makes about 30-40 gingerbread men, depending on size of cookie cutters and the thickness of the cookies.

Royal Icing
3 ounces pasteurized egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners' sugar
In large bowl of stand mixer combine the egg whites and vanilla and beat until frothy. Add confectioners' sugar gradually and mix on low speed until sugar is incorporated and mixture is shiny. Turn speed up to high and beat until mixture forms stiff, glossy peaks. This should take approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Add food coloring, if desired. For immediate use, transfer icing to pastry bag or heavy duty storage bag and pipe as desired. If using storage bag, clip corner. Store in airtight container in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

*The gingerbread men can be decorated in any way. I used red sprinkles and royal icing for the heart.

To Be or Not to Be

I'm a little scared, a little excited, inspired, fearless, and giddy. I joined the Daring Bakers! Was I foolish for becoming apart of this prestigous group? I think, maybe a tad bit.


I finally mustered up the courage to join the Daring Bakers and I'm really looking forward to baking some things that I would have never dared to bake. I start within the month January and it feels satisfying to be daring, for once. I hesitated for a while when I wrote to Lis of La Mia Cucina and Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice. I was so sure that I wanted to become a Daring Baker that it didn't hit me until I looked at the send button of my email that I realized there's so much more to becoming a Daring Baker than just baking. Every Daring Baker must bake the same thing and post on the same day, once every month. Right there was the challenge for me that made me hesitate to click send. I'm currently in college and thus far away from home but I guess this would give me a reason to visit home, right? If I love to do what I do (bake/cook) I feel that I should invest time to do what I want and my goodness I will do it! I feel more daring already. I may succeed or I may fail miserably but I one thing is for sure, I will try my best. So look out because I'm on a quest to conquer any recipe that comes in my path.

I seriously have a problem

I woke up today morning to my screaming alarm clock in a bit of a drowsy mood. The curtains were closed so I crawled out of bed and fiddled around for my clothes. I looked over to the side and realized that my roommate was sleeping and at that point I really REALLY didn't want to go to class. I dragged my feet to the stairwells because I promised myself I would take the stairs instead of the elevator because I really need the exercise. I talked myself into believing that taking the stairs is equivalent to a workout, it helps me sleep better at night. Well, back to the point. I opened the door and I was blinded by this...

Ok well it doesn't look as bright in the picture but when you wake up early in the morning and this is the first thing you see, it really is a blinding experience. But yes, it snowed over night! All we've had were little bits of snow here and there but this is the first day that it snowed were it actually compiled on top of eachother.

Back to the real subject. I seriously have a problem. I have a sweet tooth like none other and I would happily challenge anyone who would beg to differ. The school set up a Winter Wonderland Candyland section for each dining court on campus today. The moment I saw a flyer up for this day, I knew I was headed for trouble, deep DEEP trouble. The sweets section of the dining courts had christmas candy, cookies, cupcakes, and cheesecakes galore! I stood in the long line and repeatedly told myself, "I will control myself, I will control myself." But alas, the moment it was my turn to pick and choose, my hands automatically propelled forward and grabbed everything and before I knew it, I had gotten everything that the Winter Wonderland Candyland had to offer. I looked at the turtle caramel cheesecake and I thought, that would be lovely, but then I looked at the cupcakes and I thought it wouldn't hurt to taste, then I looked at the chocolate covered strawberries and I thought, they look lonely, I better take them with me too. I really don't know what came over, it was honestly just a blur to me.





Sorry about bad picture quality, I didn't have my camera handy and I definitely didn't think I would be eating that much. There was actually more but my hand and mouth were too swift for the camera on my phone to capture a picture.

Someone, anyone, help me! It really is a serious problem when you're hands and arms lurch out for dessert when you tell it not to. I think its called uncontrola stufferlitis.

Christmas is Almost Here

I don't know about you, but every year I tell myself that I'm going to go Christmas shopping early but for some reason, it never happens. From experience, I've learned that if you don't go early, the more impossible it becomes to finding a good gift for someone. I can tell this happens to a lot of people, because the last few days before Christmas, the shopping malls always become a wreck, the store workers become a little less nice (because they have to clean up the wreck), and stressed people who are pressed for time like me frantically wander from store to store because they can't find anything to buy. It's the holidays people, and I think it's time for a change.

I'm doing things a little different this year and since I've discovered foodblogs, I feel that there's no better gift to give to show that you really care than something that is homemade. No, I am not talking about macaroni necklaces and picture frames, I'm talking about cookies! It's such an understatement these days to recieve something sincerely homemade like cookies. It's either I want this $500 bag or that $45,000 car. When did "I care about you" become equivalent to how much you'll empty you're bank account for that person. I'm sorry, I just have to rant about this subject because it makes me a little sad to think that people these days just don't appreciate the sincerity and the time that goes into baking something. Don't get me wrong, spending lots of money on the people you love is something that I would like to do to. If you've got a lot to spend, by all means, get something that shows that you care! But I would take a deliciously homemade cookie over an expensive gift any day, no matter how expensive it was to make it.

Hearst Castle Shortbread Cookies

Decorated shortbread cookies tend to focus more on the decorations than the actual cookies, resulting in an overly sugary cookie that tastes a little bit on the factory-made side. These shortbread cookies are buttery, light, and a perfect paring for the sugary icings that you might want to put on it. Adapted from The Castle Cookbook by Marjorie Collard and Ann Marie Lopez, I changed the recipe slightly and the picture is from 101 cookbooks. It makes 3 to 4 dozen small cookies. It depends on the size of the cookie. Lastly, be sure to use good vanilla extract, since there are so little ingredients, the vanilla should shine.

4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 pound of butter (slightly softened)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 vanilla pod (option)

Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees.

1. To make the dry ingredients, sift the flour, baking powder, and Kosher salt into a medium bowl. Mix lightly and set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter until light but not too fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and beat again, scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl and beat a little more to incorporate everything. Add the vanilla extract and the vanilla beans within the pod (split open the pod and scrape the interior with a paring knife and add to mixture). Stir for a few seconds, then add the dry ingredients in two additions. Scrape between each addition and mix untill the all the ingredients come together only. Don't overwork dough or mix for more than 30 seconds to 1 minute.

3. Turn dough onto countertop and cut into two pieces. Press each piece of dough into a round inch thick patty. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until thoroughly chilled. When dough is chilled, flatten each patty using a rolling pin into a 1/4- 1/2 inch thick sheet of dough. Use cookie cutters to cut out desired shapes.

4. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookies are barely golden.

The First of Many Posts to Come

YAY, I'm very ecstatic that I finally made my own blog. I've been writing on a blog with other people for my english course and have been contemplating on making my own blog for quite some time. After writing on that blog for a while, I find that my life would be missing something if I were to stop writing about food and my experiences with it. There are many changes that I need to make with my blog so please be patient with me as I learn and make mistakes about how to manage a blog on my own.

My blog is going to be about food and everything that comes with it. I love to cook and bake, so recipes should make a regular appearance now and then. I am currently in college and living in a dorm so I won't be cooking as much, but look out for the holidays because that's when I will be doing most of my cooking. Ask my parents and they will tell you that I cook like a madwomen and make a mess of the kitchen when I come back for breaks (I'm notorious for making the kitchen look like a tornado has come swiveling through it). Although, I am doing a better job of cleaning up after cooking/baking now that I am a responsible college lady (smirk).

I've been cooking and baking my whole life. It is a part of who I am and every year that I get older, it becomes even more a part of me than the year before. Now that I've discovered food blogs, I've spent every spare time that I have to look at other food blogs for inspiration to feed my deprivation of cooking. It really is torture to be so far away from the comforts of my own kitchen when there are a gaggle of recipes out there to be tested and eaten! My goodness I cannot wait till Winter break.

I am by no means a great cook or baker but I've had my moments of glory as does everyone else. I will try my best to post up the most delicious recipes as well as the disasters that are bound to happen in my kitchen. But until next time, good eatings! :]