Sweetie Shellie

So much to do, so little time!

2009-12-22T13:18:00.000-05:00

I'm about to embark on making homemade christmas sugar cookies. All the while, I have to wash and dry my scrubs for work,blog, find time for a shower, of course watch some food network, and eventually go to work!

Oh and the battery in my camera is full. Yay!

Sticky Toffee Pudding

2009-12-17T12:52:00.002-05:00

I wrote this a few days ago. When I was done my internet froze and I thought I lost it, and I was too tired to write it again that night. Luckily blogger automatically saves a draft! So I didn't lose it after all! So here is the blog dedicated to the wonderful joy that is sticky toffee pudding.

After working the night shift, and with another one tonight, why would I even think about spending the time to bake a cake? Well, for starters, I've been trying to bake this cake for days now, but I didn't have the memory stick for my camera with me. I finally decided to buy one, only to realize that now my battery was dead. And again, the charger is at my parents place, just like my original memory card. Now I can't exactly go out and buy a charger for these batteries. I could have decided to wait and not bake anything that I could blog about, or find some otherway to do it. So, as you can see, I have a super tiny picture that I took with my webcam. I know it isn't great. But you know what, after thinking about this cake for days, I just HAD to give in and make the damn thing! So I did just that!

So if you want to indulge in this pudding like I did, here is what you'll need:

1 and 1/2 cups of chopped dates (no pits!)

1and 1/2 cups water
1 stick of Butter (1/2 cup)
1 cup Brown Sugar
3 eggs
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

For the Toffee Sauce that goes with this cake:
1 cup of Cream
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 Stick of Butter

First you're going to place the chopped dates and the water in a small pot and bring to a boil, and let this simmer for about 10 minutes (or until most of the water has been absorbed by the dates or evaporated). Once done, puree the dates (with remaining liquid) with a food processor or blender.

Your next step involves creaming the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with a mixer. Then you will add each egg into the bowl one by one. I suggest cracking each egg into a seperate small bowl prior to adding to the mixture. That way you can pick out any shells if your not great at cracking eggs like me, or avoid ruining all your hard work thus far by putting in a foul egg. I learned this from my mum.

In a seperate bowl combine the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Add the dry ingredient to the wet, as well as the date puree.

Once well combined, spoon the mixture into a well buttered/oiled (Butter flavored Pam spray is what I usually use) baking pan, approximatly 9" x 13". You can also use a muffin pan to make small individual portions. Then place pan into a pre-heated oven of 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Times may very depending on your oven or pan type/size.

A few minutes prior to your cake coming out of the oven, prepare the Toffee Sauce. In a sauce pan, and at medium heat, add butter and cream. When butter is nearly melted slowly add the brown sugar. Bring mixture to a boil for about 3 minutes.

When your cake is complete, poke several holes into it (using whatever you can - I used an uncooked strand of spaghetti) and pour half of the toffee sauce over the cake, reserving the other half to drizzle over the individual slices when being served. Don't let the sauce sit for too long otherwise the butter will begin to seperate from the rest of the sauce. If this occurs just heat it up and stir until it is well combined again. If you're like me and really like the sauce, feel free to double it (just like my mom would say!)

I suggest serving this cake with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. The mix of not only different flavors, but temperatures as well, makes this cake just that much better!

Pruned Brains

2009-12-08T17:05:00.000-05:00

I wanted to make an attempt at re-creating Sticky Toffee Pudding following some recipes I have found online. I first heard of it when I saw the Häagen-Dazs New Ice Cream Flavor Contest on the Food Network, where this was the winner (sadly, it has been discountinued - but the Convinence Store next to my apartment still has a couple of cartons left!). I came across this dessert in person one day last year when I went out for lunch with a friend of mine before she moved out to British Columbia. Delicious! The sauce in my opinion is what truly gives this cake its elegance.

Anyway, I didn't know until looking up the recipe a few months back that it actually has dates in it. So today I went to the grocery store to buy the ingredients I needed to make myself this wonderful pudding. I even got a mini food processor since I don't have one (I do live alone, and I am strapped for cash, so mini is all I allowed myself to get!) I even found Medjools Dates, which is the recommended type for this recipe, but I was turned away by the price. I could get dried dates for much cheaper. And that's exactly what I did. So I though.

Apparently I wasn't paying enough attention to the bag of dried "dates". After paying for all my groceries, I come to find that I had grabbed from the wrong pile and instead took home a bag of dried PRUNES! What am I supposed to do with a bag of prunes? Serves me right for being stengy on ingredients.

In my defence, they do look very similar. I'm sure I'm not the only person who's mistaken prunes for dates, right? Well, at least this gives me a chance to find a memory card for my camera, so that when I get some actual dates, I can document the puddin' makin' and give you all a peek. Sounds good? Good.

No Memory

2009-12-07T16:22:00.000-05:00

So I really want to bake something to post on here. But I forgot my stupid memory card for my camera at my parents' place. And I won't be able to go down there until the 19th! Grrrrr!! I'm debating on whether or not I should just buy another one (assuming I can find the one I need). But alas, I am poor. So maybe not. I really wish I had a cable to connect my camera to my computer. Ugh!!!

Plain Jane Vanilla Cupcakes

2009-11-30T20:54:00.000-05:00

I have a lot of shifts the next couple of weeks. I'm a part-time Medical Laboratory Technologist at a hospital a little over an hour and a half from my parent's place. Next week is also the first time I'll be working the night shift alone. Yicks! I just hope there isn't some huge accident or something because I'll panic if the Emergency Room calls asking for like a dozen crossmatches. I may work in the lab and not on the floor, but it seems like some people don't realize how crazy it can get for us too. Some people don't even know we exist! My own doctor didn't know what a Med Lab Tech was. Seriously!

Anyway, when it comes to working nights, all the ladies in the lab have given me the same piece of advice - brings lots of snacks. Why? I don't know, but I guess everyone gets really hungry during the night. What better the a beutifully golden coloured vanilla cupcake?

Here's what you need to make approximately 12 cupcakes:

1 and a 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour

1 and 1/2 teaspoons of Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon of Salt
3/4 cups of Sugar
6 tablespoons of Unsalted Butter
1 Whole Egg
1 Egg White
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup of Milk

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In a second bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, and vanilla extract. Next mix in the flour mixture slowly as well as the milk. When well combined, fill cupcake cups three quarters full and place in the oven for about 20 minutes.

I didn't frost these cupcakes (hense the "Plain Jane") because I attempted to make it without using an electric mixer. Yeah, don't try that, it doesn't work! But we shall all pretend that it never happened.

Frosted or not, they taste fabulous! And of course, my mother requested I double it next time. I think if I always double everything after I make it, I'm going to need a much larger kitchen! Haha!

The Dress

2009-11-28T23:42:00.002-05:00

On the 27th of December, my grandparents (my mom’s parents) will be throwing a party to celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary! So me and my mom went out shopping today to find me something to wear. I found nice dress pants but just could not find a shirt that fit me properly. Seriously I think the fashion industry thinks all women have small chests! Anyway, I wasn’t planning on getting a dress, but when I saw this i just had to try it on, and instantly fell in love! Ok, not really “love”, but you know what I mean.

After getting home, I hung the dress on my closet door. Suddenly I had this image pop in my head of hanging a beautiful white wedding dress in that same spot. Maybe it was from watching three episodes of Say Yes to the Dress last night. Or maybe it has to do with this thing I’ve gotten into my head lately. I’m 24 years old, and for some reason the last couple of months I keep thinking about how I want to find someone, get married, and you know have my own family. I mean I’ve always known that’s what I wanted to do, but it’s never been stuck in my head like it has been recently. I don’t know if lots of people go through this. It’s not like I’m with someone and waiting around for a ring. I’m no where even close to that. I don’t even have anybody. It’s just weird. Could it be because I was finally able to find a job in my career a few months back, and this is what I’m supposed to do next?

Who knows … ‘cause I sure don’t.

Holiday Red Wilton Cookie Scoop

2009-11-26T21:12:00.000-05:00

I was just at Wal-Mart and found this in the holiday baking section. I just wish I found this before I made those cookies yesterday. They would have been extra perfect, and my hands wouldn't have ended up as buttery. Though I probably would still find a way to get my hands justs as greasy. Maybe accidentally stick my palm in a brick of butter or something like that. I tend to do weird things like that. I also bought these cute winter themed cupcake baking cups, also from Wilton, for when I make some for the holidays.

These just both happen to be from Wilton. It's the only baking supply company I really know of at the time being, but I'm sure as I continue to expand on my baking knowledge I'll come to discover more. I should go on a little adventure one of these days and find some baking supply shops around Toronto. That'll be fun. Maybe then I'll be able to find a proper cookie pan small enough to fit in my combination oven!

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

2009-11-25T23:03:00.002-05:00

I had to talk to the cops before I got to my apartment today. No, I didn't get arrested. Please, I'm an angel! Nope, I saw an accident. I was in the parking lot of a mall close to my apartment getting out of my car about to head into the Bulk Barn to pick up the ingredients for the cookies I made tonight, when I heard I huge BANG! I turn around and notice that the car that was parked next to had backed up into another car super badly. It was dark out, and I think the dude in the truck probably thought the car he hit was empty, so what did he do? He took off! But nope. A poor dear lady was in that car. One of the employees in the Bulk Barn saw the whole thing better then I did, and called the cops. Unfortunatly, no one got the buggers licence plate number since it was so dark. Luckily the lady wasn't hurt, just really shaken up.

Anyway, on to more positive things. You know what today is? Today is one month until Christmas! I haven't done much shopping yet. Not that I have much to do. I did though buy my Goddaughter's gift a good month ago. I saw something I think she'll like and decided I should get it. Who knows if I would be able to find it now. So before starting on those cookies after getting home, I got out the tree ornaments I bought a week or two ago from Wal-Mart to decorate my little tree. It's my very first Christmas tree away from the parents house. After taking out the ornaments, I took out the cute set of bowls my mother bought for me and started up these to die for White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies.

Here's what you'll need to cook up a batch:

1 and 1/4 cups of Flour
1/2 teaspoons of Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon of Salt
1/2 cup of Softened Butter
1/2 cup of Brown Sugar
1/4 cup White Sugar
1 Egg
1 teaspoon of Real Vanilla Extract
1 cup of White Chocolate Chips
1/2 cup of Chopped Raw Unsalted Macadamia Nuts

Get your oven up and working to 375 degrees. In one bowl add the flour, baking soda and salt. In a second larger bowl, add the white and brown sugar, along with the softened butter and combine well. Now I mixed all these by hand since I don't have a mixer. If you do go ahead and use it to make life easier. Next add the contents of the first bowl (the one with the flour) into your larger bowl and blend the ingredients together. Now beat in the egg and add the vanilla and mix until smooth.

Now you're going to add both the chocolate chips and the nuts. For this, if you have been using an electric mixer, do it by hand.

Now the down and dirty. Take spoonfuls of the cookie dough and make a ball with your hands. Place balls of dough onto a greased cookie pan, making sure they are seperated by a couple of inches. Place in the pre-heated oven and cook each batch for about 15 minutes.

Now delight in the scent of baking cookies while you decorated your Christmas Tree.

When the time is up, remove from the oven. CAREFULLY, using a spatula, move cookies from pan and set them on a wire rack to cool (or if you don't have one like me, just place them on some paper towels). They're super soft when they come out of the oven and will fall apart if your not careful with them in the first couple of minutes post-baking.

After cooling, take a bite and enjoy!

Now for the Christmas Tree ...

Taylor Swift Bakes

2009-11-24T20:04:00.001-05:00

According to her facebook she does. I don't know why I felt like mentioning that. I guess because I think she's great (I am a country music fan by the way). Not to mention the georgous hair of hers! I too was blessed/cursed with curls, but do they ever look as perfect? Uh, no. Then again, if I was a huge mega star I'd probably have prefect curls too. She probably makes perfectly cute cupcakes too.

Speaking of cute, while I was getting flour all over my black shirt yesterday making those biscuits, I remembered these super cute aprons at a store I used to work at. I really wanted to buy one, but I didn't feel like spending 40 dollars. Now I'm think, unless I want flour all over all my shirts, it's probably a good idea. And of course, who doesn't want to look awsome while in the kitchen? Anyway, they are Jessie Steele Aprons. They have this vintage feel to them which is what makes them so fabulous. There are several different designs, so there's probably one perfect for you too! I can't decide which one I want. They're just all so lovely!!

Cheddar Cheese Biscuits

2009-11-23T19:31:00.004-05:00

Take a sniff of that coffee ... ahhhhhh ...

When you need fuel for making dinner, you've got to have a Tim Horton's coffee. Ok it's not really a double double. It's a French Vanilla Cappuccino. But whatever - it's still coffee, still Timmy's, and it's Canadian. Oh yeah.

So I made a completly disaster of the kitchen. My mom's sink over flowing with dirty dishes. At least there's a dishwasher here. I hate doing dishes. I tend to leave them until I pretty much have no clean dishes. I don't recommend doing that. I had a heck of a time trying to clean two day old dried gravy from a pan in my apartment last week. I wish I had a dishwasher in my apartment. It's a tiny Jr. bachelor. I don't even have a real oven. That'll be interesting when I decide to bake something there. I have a combination microwave oven. That's probably why the little bunch of cupcake cups with tiny hearts I bought a couple of months back is still sitting on my counter. Soon though. I will fill those heart cups with some tasty goodness. And let's hope my little oven will suffice.

Now onto my yummy biscuits.

You want to know how I know my family really loves these biscuits? Well, I made 24 of these chunks of yumminess. By the time dinner hit the table, there were only 10 left. And I had only had one at that time. I mean come on, I got to make sure they're up to par, right? Now post-dinner, there are four left. If my Dad is lucky, maybe no one will touch them before he gets home from work. But I don't see that happening. I've already had to stop myself from stealing one.

How do you make these delicious things? Read below and you shall see!

Here's what you'll need to make 24:

3 and 1/2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon of Salt
1 teaspoon of Baking Powder
2 tablespoons Garlic Powder
1/2 cups of Butter (freeze prior to use)
2 cups of Milk
2 cups Shredded White Cheddar Cheese

In a large bowl, add flour, salt, baking powder, and garlic powder. With a grater, grate frozen butter into mixture, making sure to work quickly so the butter doesn't melt. Make a well in centre, and add the milk and shredded cheese.

Mix ingredients together, then scoop the concoction into a muffin pan (you'll need two) or on to parchment paper on a cookie pan.

Oh yeah, I forgot. You should probably start the oven up at 350 degrees BEFORE starting. So that way, once you're done scooping the mix, you can stick in stright into the oven for about 15 minutes.

After the 15 minutes, take the biscuits out, sprinkle each with a little bit of cheese and place back in the oven, but this time under the broiler for a couple of minutes.

When you take them out of the oven, you might have to tell your mother not to steal the biscuits while they're still in the pan. I mean come on mom, I haven't even put them on a plate yet. Please wait! I still love you though.

Uh oh. There's only two left. Ok, got to hide them from my brothers.

UPDATE:

          Conversation between me and my mother after dinner:

          Mom: "Next time you make them, double it"
          Me:    "But you told me that last time. This is doubled"
          Mom: "Double it"

No Breakfast ...

2009-11-23T13:07:00.008-05:00

It's nearly one in the afternoon, and I haven't even had breakfast yet. Why? Well for starters, I'm not working today so I was awarded the luxury of sleeping in. You're all jealous, I know - I would be to if I were you. Secondly, I'm trying to figure out what I would like to cook for dinner. You see, I've decided I need some kind of a hobbie since, well, I don't really have one. Unless you count being on the computer at all free hours of the day a "hobbie". Having recently discovered some super awsome blogs out there dedicated to baking, and having a sweet tooth myself, I decided, hey, why not? I've made a couple of cakes and goodies in the past, which didn't turn out too bad if I say so myself. Disasters too, but we are going to pretend those never happened. And since I'm always on the internet anyway, let's combine those two ingredients together. See, I'm already well on my way! Ha!

No, I'm not planning on baking a cake for dinner. That would be totally awsome, but I don't think my dear mother would approve. No, scratch that. She'd love that. What woman wouldn't love to eat cake for dinner? But really, I think a real dinner is in order. Protein. Yeah I think we need some protein. Carbs are great, but I seem to forget about all the other food groups. So yeah, I think i need some protein. BUT, I've decided, along with the lovely protein, I'm going to bake (yay!) my famous cheese biscuits. O.k. so their only famous in my immediate family. The few times I've made them my mother tells me I should have doubled the recipe. So, mom, guess what! I'm gonna double it, just for you. Well, and me. They are some awsome chucks of carbs. I think I've used the word awsome too much already.

Anyway, I think I should go put some butter in the freezer. Yes, the freezer. After watching the Food Network along side my brother, I have discovered the secret to fluffier biscuits is frozen butter. Thank you Chef Michael Smith! I have not had a chance to try that yet. So I must go freeze some butter.

Yay for biscuits!!

By the way, those super awsome blogs? Just click here and here.