Haven't been doing much baking lately. Last month I went out and splurged-bought myself a Cricut Expression machine! I have been having so much fun with that machine! I bought the Sure Cuts A Lot software and some svg files from svgcuts.com. I have been practicing so much.
The goal in buying the machine was to be able to use it for cake decorating. You can use it to cut out pieces of fondant. Before I start using the fondant, I figured I'd practice with paper. The past few days, I have been making various little bags and boxes. My idea is to make a small box to use as a base for a cookie or lollipop.
Off to practice some more!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
How Many Calories in a Frappe?
Last week, our McDonalds was sponsoring a grand re-opening. They had completely remodeled the restaurant so, it wasn't exactly new. Remodeling is nice. I rarely go to McDonalds, since they had many free and very discounted items, we had more food from there last week than I have had in the past year!
One of the items they had a special on was a "Frappe". The only time I have had these. was from a coffee shop at the Minnesota State Fair, I had no desire to try one again. But, since one they the "Frappe" was given away FREE, my husband and daughter decided to try them.
The marketing concept worked well, as my daughter had decided she really enjoyed the drink. For the past few days, since the McDonalds is right next to the high school, my husband and daughter stopped there on her way to school. She got her Frappe, he got his breakfast.
Yesterday, after I picked her up from school, we were talking about how the machine was broke in the morning. She was unable to get her usual frappe, so got a mocha instead. Her next comment was "Since I've been getting those in the morning, I'm not as hungry in the mornings."
DING, DING- Light bulb went on! How many CALORIES were actually in the small frappe? I was thinking there had to be alot, dear daughter thought they were very few. After all, she stated, it is made up from coffee, and coffee does not have any calories!
Needless to say, we had a great discussion about various coffee drinks and the amount of calories in them. Her logic was there did not appear to be any syrup added to the frappe, so it couldn't have many calories. I on the other had, am always skeptical of fast food items- I figured it had more than she imagined. So, the first thing she did when we arrived home was to get the calorie count. Wow, was she suprised.
Nutrition Facts – 12 ounces (small) – Mocha – 450 calories, 20 grams of fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 125 milligrams of sodium, 62 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 56 grams of sugar, 7 grams of protein, 15% vitamin A, 20% calcium and 2% iron. Caramel – 450 calories, 20 grams of fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 55 milligrams of cholesterol, 120 milligrams of sodium, 62 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 57 grams of sugar, 6 grams of protein, 15% vitamin A, 20% calcium and 2% iron.)
It turns out, the small Frappe she has been drinking, has 450 calories! To put that in perspective, we compared that with other groceries we bought yesterday. for the 450 calories, she can have 2 servings of the cranberry pomegranate instant oatmeal and a carton of yogurt which we had purchased. She would have to drink water, which she was drinking with her breakfast prior to the frappe.
Here is my point. The majority of us eat out a couple of times a week. I am included. We are also battling a huge obesity problem with our society, especially our children. I am not saying to deprive ourselves of the foods we like to eat and drink, I want to encourage us to be aware of the calories we consume in a day!
One of the items they had a special on was a "Frappe". The only time I have had these. was from a coffee shop at the Minnesota State Fair, I had no desire to try one again. But, since one they the "Frappe" was given away FREE, my husband and daughter decided to try them.
The marketing concept worked well, as my daughter had decided she really enjoyed the drink. For the past few days, since the McDonalds is right next to the high school, my husband and daughter stopped there on her way to school. She got her Frappe, he got his breakfast.
Yesterday, after I picked her up from school, we were talking about how the machine was broke in the morning. She was unable to get her usual frappe, so got a mocha instead. Her next comment was "Since I've been getting those in the morning, I'm not as hungry in the mornings."
DING, DING- Light bulb went on! How many CALORIES were actually in the small frappe? I was thinking there had to be alot, dear daughter thought they were very few. After all, she stated, it is made up from coffee, and coffee does not have any calories!
Needless to say, we had a great discussion about various coffee drinks and the amount of calories in them. Her logic was there did not appear to be any syrup added to the frappe, so it couldn't have many calories. I on the other had, am always skeptical of fast food items- I figured it had more than she imagined. So, the first thing she did when we arrived home was to get the calorie count. Wow, was she suprised.
Nutrition Facts – 12 ounces (small) – Mocha – 450 calories, 20 grams of fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 125 milligrams of sodium, 62 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 56 grams of sugar, 7 grams of protein, 15% vitamin A, 20% calcium and 2% iron. Caramel – 450 calories, 20 grams of fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 55 milligrams of cholesterol, 120 milligrams of sodium, 62 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 57 grams of sugar, 6 grams of protein, 15% vitamin A, 20% calcium and 2% iron.)
It turns out, the small Frappe she has been drinking, has 450 calories! To put that in perspective, we compared that with other groceries we bought yesterday. for the 450 calories, she can have 2 servings of the cranberry pomegranate instant oatmeal and a carton of yogurt which we had purchased. She would have to drink water, which she was drinking with her breakfast prior to the frappe.
Here is my point. The majority of us eat out a couple of times a week. I am included. We are also battling a huge obesity problem with our society, especially our children. I am not saying to deprive ourselves of the foods we like to eat and drink, I want to encourage us to be aware of the calories we consume in a day!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
More Cookies
My daughter's Model Un group was running the concession stand st the high school girl's basketball game today, so she asked me to make more chocolate chip cookies. I made the recipe from the book "Ratio" again as we all liked that recipe last week. Made three batches of cookies, made about 8 dozen cookies, which doesn't sound like much, since I can only stand for 10-15 minutes at a time, it took a long time to make those.
One of the reasons I like this recipe, is the decreased sweetness. I also used kosher salt, which seems to add a salt flavor I haven't gotten with regular salt. The saltiness works well with the chocolate and the sweetness.
When making baked goods for others, it is important to keep in mind the group who will be consuming the product. I knew these were for teenagers, which I have read have increased taste buds for sweetness. Therefore, using less sugar would be better. As people age, the taste buds usually decrease, so if making products for elderly, the sweetness may need to be increased. At our church, when people are asked to bring cookies for occasions, it is the bars not the actual cookies that go first. After noticing that, I now bring bars which are easier to make, and are eaten first.
My next cookie is going to be a lemon poppyseed. Hopefully I will get to that tomorrow.
One of the reasons I like this recipe, is the decreased sweetness. I also used kosher salt, which seems to add a salt flavor I haven't gotten with regular salt. The saltiness works well with the chocolate and the sweetness.
When making baked goods for others, it is important to keep in mind the group who will be consuming the product. I knew these were for teenagers, which I have read have increased taste buds for sweetness. Therefore, using less sugar would be better. As people age, the taste buds usually decrease, so if making products for elderly, the sweetness may need to be increased. At our church, when people are asked to bring cookies for occasions, it is the bars not the actual cookies that go first. After noticing that, I now bring bars which are easier to make, and are eaten first.
My next cookie is going to be a lemon poppyseed. Hopefully I will get to that tomorrow.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Chocolate chip cookies
I started reading my new book "Ratio" decided for my first recipe, I was going to make the chocolate chip cookies.
Chocolate chip cookies has to be the cookie with the biggest variety of recipes out there. There are recipes for big and small cookies, with and without nuts, mini chocolate chips and chocolate chunk cookies. Some use butter, some a mixture of butter and shortening. There are also those which use just brown sugar, and those that use a mixture of brown and white. With this variety, no wonder there is such a variation in the cookies when baked.
Most people are familiar with the Toll House Cookie recipe. In my experience, this is the recipe used most by my friends.
The difference with Michael Rulman's recipe, is the fact that he uses weights for his flour and sugar, not just measurements in cups (which is also listed). I find this comforting. Ever since I started to take my baking seriously, and wanted to learn more about the science of baking, I have been weighing my ingredients.
My cookies came out excellent! They are not as sweet as most recipes, which ito my liking as more of the butter flavor comes through. They came out crispy around the edges, chewy in the center. In the book, he states to bake them for 10 minutes, mine required about 14 minutes.
Can't wait for my family to come home so they can try them!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Four Weeks
It has now been four weeks since my surgery, I am amazed at how well things are going! The hardest part of the recovery is being still while the tendon heals. I can semi-sit on my right side, can walk using crutches with a peg leg. Now that it has been four weeks, I can also start bending my left leg, making it much easier to sleep.
So, what have I been doing for the past four weeks? The first two weeks, I basically spent lying down and watching TV and sleeping. I had my first post op visit after two weeks, and have gradually been trying to do some things to build up my stamina. I'm not normally a big TV watcher, and found that after two weeks, a lot of what I like to watch is reruns.
Lsat week I mixed a batch of chocolate chip cookies from a recipe which I received at betterbaking.com. It makes a big batch of cookies, which can be frozen for later use. I use a small
disher (like an ice cream scoop) and placed the dough on the cookie sheet, then placed them in the freezer. My goal was then to place the pieces of frozen dough in the freezer, that way if you wanted just a few cookies, you did not have to make a big batch. Before I could do that, my daughter baked them up for the concession stand for a game at school. Guess I need to mix another batch!
I have decided I want to branch out my baking skills, so I bought the book
So, what have I been doing for the past four weeks? The first two weeks, I basically spent lying down and watching TV and sleeping. I had my first post op visit after two weeks, and have gradually been trying to do some things to build up my stamina. I'm not normally a big TV watcher, and found that after two weeks, a lot of what I like to watch is reruns.
Lsat week I mixed a batch of chocolate chip cookies from a recipe which I received at betterbaking.com. It makes a big batch of cookies, which can be frozen for later use. I use a small
disher (like an ice cream scoop) and placed the dough on the cookie sheet, then placed them in the freezer. My goal was then to place the pieces of frozen dough in the freezer, that way if you wanted just a few cookies, you did not have to make a big batch. Before I could do that, my daughter baked them up for the concession stand for a game at school. Guess I need to mix another batch!
I have decided I want to branch out my baking skills, so I bought the book
49 used & new from $13.45
It describes the ways we can use ratios in our baking and cooking to come up with our own recipes. So far, the book has been very imformative. One of my weakest cooking points is using sauces, so I want to branch out into making those.
I enjoy sewing, and have decided to learn pattern making. For Christmas I made many pairs of flannel pants, and branched out at that time to changing the patterns for what I wanted. Great fun for me!
I found a quilt I had started working on about 10 years ago, and now I am going to work on finishing it. I have about 1/2 of the quilt blocks made. Hopefully I will get it finished soon.
Haven't been able to do much baking, due to inability to stand as long as I need to. Since I need to use crutches, it is difficult to get all the ingredients I need easily. I did make up batches of bread dough for the soft whote, caraway rye, and brioche dough from the artisan bread in five book. Baked a couple of loaves, tonight I am thinking of making beignets from the brioche dough.
So, for now I will continue to progress slowly as I should be, being gentle with myself and my new tendon.
It describes the ways we can use ratios in our baking and cooking to come up with our own recipes. So far, the book has been very imformative. One of my weakest cooking points is using sauces, so I want to branch out into making those.
I enjoy sewing, and have decided to learn pattern making. For Christmas I made many pairs of flannel pants, and branched out at that time to changing the patterns for what I wanted. Great fun for me!
I found a quilt I had started working on about 10 years ago, and now I am going to work on finishing it. I have about 1/2 of the quilt blocks made. Hopefully I will get it finished soon.
Haven't been able to do much baking, due to inability to stand as long as I need to. Since I need to use crutches, it is difficult to get all the ingredients I need easily. I did make up batches of bread dough for the soft whote, caraway rye, and brioche dough from the artisan bread in five book. Baked a couple of loaves, tonight I am thinking of making beignets from the brioche dough.
So, for now I will continue to progress slowly as I should be, being gentle with myself and my new tendon.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
surgery wnet well. the surgeon had to use a cadaver tendon that he attached to my hamstring tendon Last thing I remembered was gettin the iv meducation in or, then waking up in recovery. the doc talked to me in recovery, don't remember. have a morphine pca for pain. working wsll, I have laess pain than prior to surgery. if I remember right, no sitting or flexing of knee for at least 4 weeks. no nausea either.
one of the most annoying thing, I have numbness and tingling in my lower left arm along with my thumb and fingers. Have felt like they are asleep since I woke up. Tomorrow therapy is going to come to get me up.
Sorry for typing errors. left arm aslleep, right index finger has the coninous pulse ox to watch my breathing. I also don't have my contacts in or any glasses, so the screen is a little blurred. thanks for the prayers they worked well!
one of the most annoying thing, I have numbness and tingling in my lower left arm along with my thumb and fingers. Have felt like they are asleep since I woke up. Tomorrow therapy is going to come to get me up.
Sorry for typing errors. left arm aslleep, right index finger has the coninous pulse ox to watch my breathing. I also don't have my contacts in or any glasses, so the screen is a little blurred. thanks for the prayers they worked well!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Finally, Christmas cooking!
Three days til Christmas, finally starting my Christmas baking. I noticed I am not making as many things as usual in the past few years. My husband receives many treats for gifts, so we usually have our fill.
This year I have decided to make a few things I haven't done in a long time. I first made my favorite Pecan Puffs. These are a shortbread dough to which pecans are added. After taking from the oven, they are coated in powdered sugar, then again coated with the sugar after they are cooled.
A few years ago, I started making sugared cinnamon pecans. One of the best treats I have ever had! My daughter is now a senior in high school, and for the last year, I made them as treats for her teachers. Instead of leaving the extras I made at home, she decided to take them to school and give them to kids at school.
Just got through making caramel. I used a recipe from the Bettter Homes and Gardens candy book which uses sweetened condensed milk, so they get done fast. Very Tasty!
Now, off to make Petit Fours!
This year I have decided to make a few things I haven't done in a long time. I first made my favorite Pecan Puffs. These are a shortbread dough to which pecans are added. After taking from the oven, they are coated in powdered sugar, then again coated with the sugar after they are cooled.
A few years ago, I started making sugared cinnamon pecans. One of the best treats I have ever had! My daughter is now a senior in high school, and for the last year, I made them as treats for her teachers. Instead of leaving the extras I made at home, she decided to take them to school and give them to kids at school.
Just got through making caramel. I used a recipe from the Bettter Homes and Gardens candy book which uses sweetened condensed milk, so they get done fast. Very Tasty!
Now, off to make Petit Fours!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)