What's new? Not Much

This turned out to be quite a stressful week, so I have accomplished not a whole lot. I mainly focused on breads because I was in the mood for some comforting recipes, and making bread is somewhat, therapeutic to me. I love seeing the dough come together with only a handful of ingredients and watching the yeast eat its way to bubbly perfection. One of my family favorites is making Japanese cream buns using this recipe at http://www.the350degreeoven.com/.

I also tried out a new savory Artisan Roasted Garlic- Rosemary bread from thenoblepig.com, which my parents enjoyed with our stew.

As, you can see, I really love making  yeasted breads. There's something that's just so magical and beautiful about seeing shaggy dough transform into a delicious golden THING, especially when fresh out of the oven. If I were to be any type of cook, I would definitely be the baker that wakes up at 4 in the morning just to make bread in time for breakfast. So, not a very productive week, but definitely a necessary one.

Blog #6

What's new? Worthy Mentions? Final Product?

Nothing much. I've been researching a lot of cool new recipes that I wanted to try out, but the fruits aren't in season yet, so I'll bookmark them for later. Today, I made a quick batch of fresh strawberry muffins using my favorite blueberry muffin recipe, and they turned out delicious.

                                                      Image courtesy of Kim-Vi Tran

I have made a second batch of cronuts for some of my classmates to try, because I love making cronuts, even if they are a bit time consuming to make. Every couple of days, I'd make some kind of bread for dinner and toast in the morning. I find making bread to be quite therapeutic and relaxing, and delicious. I've been thinking of a few recipes that I wanted to make and share with the class for our final presentation, as an example of what I really like to make, and kind of a way to bribe them through their stomachs.

Excitements? Worries?

I always get really excited when it comes to baking because it's something I really enjoy. Especially when working with new kinds of ingredients, or unique recipes, I would get super elated to see how they come out. My worries are that I do go through periods of time where I just can' find it in me to bake, kind of like writer's or artist's block. But when I do start up again, I'm on a roll. I always remind myself of the Thursday before holiday break and how in that one day, I managed to make 3 different batches of french macarons, assemble 5 whole gingerbread houses, and wrap over 10 presents. It may not have sounded like a lot, but each batch took about 45 minutes to make, then 30 minutes to assemble, and each gingerbread house to be made, cut, and baked in about 2 hours, plus construction, and wrappings on top. So when I do worry, I tell myself its all okay and then I just wait for my creative juices to get flowing.

K.T.

Update

I've been successfully cloning desserts seen in the bakery, but with a few difficulties.

-http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/  was mentioned in my update video-

I am quite nervous about my update video since my product is essentially multiple products of whatever I've cooked up, and I'm not sure if that would be acceptable as many other projects are simply devoted to one task and end result. What I am confident in is how my project will end and I am excited for the final presentation as I have a nice little surprise for the class if Ms. Weck allows it. And I hope that will successfully exemplify how much I learned in this project and will balance out my update, should anything go amiss. I'm basically learning as I go along and hopefully, it will turn out well.

Blog entry #5

I have stumbled upon two new websites to add to my culinary arsenal.

http://joythebaker.com/  has been extremely helpful with her tips and tricks in the kitchen. Her recipe box covers a very wide variety of foods from breads, cakes, and cookies, to salads, gourmet grilled cheeses, and entrees. The website is really inspirational and inviting. It makes me feel neat and organized when exploring the pages, like a breath of fresh air opposed to the mess downstairs in my kitchen. Her ideas are so unique and refreshing and I love the fact that she's not afraid to really stray from tradition and venture out. It truly inspires me to go nuts and experiment with my ideas. Joy the Baker has proved to be invaluable to my learning and progress.

I have also found http://www.the-baker-chick.com/ to be a nice balance to Joy the Baker's different style. Her recipes are more comfort foods and mostly sweets and breads. I rely on her recipes with anything concerning baked goods like cakes and cookies. Everything about it just SCREAMS sweetness. Her blog focuses on more of an old vintage style to things while Joy is more modern and clean cut. And the rough edges are rustic and warmly welcoming. 

I am so glad that I was able to collect more food blogs for future use as I know that they will be very helpful then and now.