mamabear

wisdom teeth blues and i'm too busy.

2009-05-10T18:53:00.000-07:00

So last Friday, I got my wisdom teeth out. It was terrible! All I could eat was pudding and pancakes, so obviously no cooking. Aside from that... I have three jobs. Swich, Porchetta NYC, and helping Betsy boo make cupcakers. It has been so chaotic and I barely sleep any more! It's great though, and tons of fun! This week I have plans for cupcakes and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Hopefully, I'll remember my camera considering I always forget! Any whos~

Twas one of my last meals, and so delish. Cooked arugula and onions mixed with parmesan cous cous, and a tuna sammich. So I hope I start to have time to cook and take photos of yummy things. Oh and Mario Batali was at my job getting pork sandwiches the other day. LOL.

xo, bye.

oh omelettttes!

2009-04-26T12:27:00.000-07:00

Who likes leftovers? I don't know. The word itself is just a little bit gross. It makes me think of Salisbury steak slathered in sauce that has been sitting in the back of the fridge for like five years. However! Pair almost useless leftovers with eggs and you've got yourself a golden meal. Swear. So speaking of so... I took them leftover veggies (and some what dried out Swiss) from the dinner on the previous post, and I made a pretty bitchin' omelet for the very first time ever. I cook-ah-did up some eggs, bacon, and bread slices.

I kind of want that right now. Yeah.

long time no eat

2009-04-23T06:43:00.000-07:00

Holy Babaganoush! You know what's funny... I never knew that babaganoush (or spell check is trying to change it to "membranous") was a real, existing thing. I was buying hummus last night and saw it as a flavor. I was seriously hysterical, and then dumbfounded on how delicious it seemed.

Alright, so besides that grocery store incident, it's beautiful out and I want picnics. I haven't really been cooking much, but last night I made a bitchin' dinner. I finally found my camera charger, so it's still functioning. However, after using a Nikon D40 for every thing else really... IT'S SO BAD.

At least it doesn't look TRAGIC that small, haha.

I wish I had a better photograph, and I wish I hadn't forgotten to take the photo before I ate my portion. It looked a thousand times better on a white plate than a crappy black container. We made crunky bread to dip in the hummus, but ate all of that. So... it's just parmesan cous cous with a veggie mix. I steamed broccoli, and sauteed onions, mushrooms, and carrots. I added in the broccoli, and mixed it all together with roasted garlic, thyme, salt, sugar, cracked black pepper, and whatever else. At the last five minutes, I threw in balsalmic and apples. Twas delicious with that Sabra Greek Olive Hummus. Mmmhm.

So I sat in a class at French Culinary Institute, and I'm crossing my fingers I can start in June. The school was beyond amazing, and I'm so excited. Oh! and I've been sitting around, stirring up really great food combos, ideas, and recipes. That is so exciting. I can't wait to get a job, and be able to make them. Once that happens... I can actually post more. Woo!

are you kidding me?

2009-04-05T19:38:00.001-07:00

Yeah, I did it. I forgot to bring a camera and/or even get a photograph taken of the nearly 100 cupcakes I made. I made a nice little wad of cash, and lots of people gave me compliments on my tasty monsters. Basically though, I made the normal vanilla cupcakes I always make and held my breath and made Martha Stewart chocolate cupcakes. Her recipes kind of suck, to be honest! But any ways... in the vanilla cupcakes, I pushed in a little slice of strawberry prior to baking them off and topped them with chocolate cream cheese icing. The chocolate ones were topped off with blood orange pulp and juice mixed with cream cheese icing. I heard they were delicious, but I myself did not try them. It was fun though, except the constant question... "What da fuck are dees for?" I do hope my little cards with my blog and stuff got around! I want this to get better. I need motivation.

Hey! Thanks if you were there though!

REALLY

2009-04-01T13:45:00.000-07:00

Be prepared, I'm making a hundred or so cupcakes for Saturday.
If you live in Ohio, come to this:

I will have a merch table for the Soulhounds; selling cupcakes cheap, cheap, cheap!

oh yeah

2009-03-19T17:50:00.000-07:00

I totally forgot how great early breakfast can be. Apples and peanut butter toast was like the coziest meal ever. I mean... if that is possible? Maybe I mean some thing more like comfortable. I don't know! It just made me want to snuggle and wear flannel.

Mostly, let's all thank the dear lord jesus for photobooth. Not having a working camera nor a kitchen I like to be in is really putting me on the down side. My fingers and taste buds just feel like working, but they can't! How frustrating!

pizza mac n' cheese

2009-03-14T12:50:00.000-07:00

Ah, a favorite of every one who has ever rested their lips upon a fork that was blessed by this meal. What a combination... pizza and mac n' cheese. No little kid or adult can deny this. It's too easy and too good to be true.

I'm entirely too satisfied with that photograph I took. It's so delicious; mmm.

Ingredients needed:
provolone
mozzerella
jar of spaghetti sauce
jar of cheese sauce
pepperoni
elbows macaroni

(I will be honest, this time I used a jar of cheese sauce... and it was so good).

It's seriously simple! Make very al dente elbows, mix cheese sauce, and assemble in a shallow baking dish. Put macaroni in the dish. Along the sides of the pan, place pepperoni as a mock for a crust. Put some spaghetti sauce on top of pasta, maybe some more pepperoni. And then on top of the sauce... obviously all the cheese you want. Bake 350 degrees; 20 minutes covered, ten uncovered.

So I am back in New York, and I forgot to steal Robert's camera. Thus... I have no camera, a jinx in my oven, and a shitty time. Pity me! I'll try and update as much as I can, but I swear in two weeks I'll be back in action in a cozy home and with my love.

the perfect cupcake

2009-03-11T11:07:00.000-07:00

My birthday was last Thursday, and I was blessed to make my own birthday cupcakes. Any baker knows that it can be so hard to get that absolute perfect cupcake. That one that is moist, light, fluffy, but if you take too big of a bite you need a glass of milk kind of cupcake. It happened, and it was triumphant.

Vanilla Cupcakes (courtesy of http://www.joyofbaking.com/VanillaCupcakes.html):

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup (130 grams) granulated white sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (60 ml) milk

- cream butter & sugar
- add egg one by one
- alternate wet & dry (three parts)
- bake for 18 minutes on 350 degrees

However, I didn't make a normal buttercream and instead my favorite kitchen boredom creation.

Coffee Cream Cheese Icing:
1 pkg cream cheese
3 tbsp butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbl coffee grounds

- paddle cream cheese and butter together until very creamy
- add in sugar and mix well for 5-8 minutes
- throw in every thing else

It's seriously the best icing in the world. It tastes like cream cheese with a side of sweet coffee. Tastes a little like heaven on a cupcake.

my sincerest apologies

2009-03-08T11:33:00.000-07:00

The lack of a camera and jinx upon the kitchen at my dad's house had left me distraught; seriously. Everything I tried to make turned to shit, and that's not even an exaggeration. Fortunately I solved the mystery of our oven; it sucks. With the bitterness towards cooking at home, I got a lot of pointless stuff done and hopped onto a train. I have good things again, a usable camera, and an almost (or is) perfect kitchen.

So last night, Robert (the boyfriend) and I, cooked the most Italian dinner ever. We made my grandmother's eggplant lasagna with spinach fettuccini, and a home-made pizza (sorta). All of it was super easy, but frying eggplant, I swear, takes forever. Obviously it's worth it.

Grandma's Eggplant Lasagna:
1 whole eggplant; sliced thin
fresh (that white, milky kind) mozzarella
regular (not so milky kind) mozzarella
lots of provolone
15 oz ricotta cheese
pinches of romano
jar of tomato sauce
3 eggs
2 tbsp milk
bread crumbs
1 cup flour

So pretty much I sliced the eggplant really thin with the skin still on. Mixed together some Romano, breadcrumbs, and flour. Breaded the little beasts, and Robert fried them. With the extra egg mixture and bread crumbs, mix them together and make thick but flat circles and fry them. Bread crumb balls are a gift from heaven (and my grandma's secret love), I swear. So...

We assembled the eggplant lasagna in a deep baking dish like so:

1. eggplant (always first layer, covering all space)
2. sauce
3. ricotta (mixed with little sauce for easier spreading)
4. fresh & regular mozzarella
5. ripped up provolone
6. sprinkle of romano

-repeat until all ingredients are gone!

We baked it on 425 degrees covered for 20 minutes, and uncovered for about ten (until the cheese on top started to brown, ya know). Put pasta on once you uncover it; duh.

The pizza was almost about the same, excluding the eggplant and ricotta and use of pizza sauce instead. We were too lazy to make dough, so we bought a handy roll of Pillsbury... which, I infact, highly recommend because it is delish. Normally we'd plate all of this a bit nicer, but by the time it was done we were beyond hungry.

Robert's plate:

My plate:

And two very inpatient, hungry folks:

Be prepared for more, I don't want to spoil it all in one post.

Love yous.

Ps- I hope you all know you can click on the photographs to see them bigger!

pity me

2009-02-27T09:46:00.001-08:00

So let me apologize-

I have no camera that is usable. Fortunately, I am going to Ohio tomorrow and will have a beautiful kitchen and camera to use! Expect a lot of posts in the next coming week. :0)

Oh and let me tell you how bitter I am at making Swiss Meringue!

Alls I got is photobooth,
and a jinx in my oven.

goat cheese, tomato, banilla

2009-02-18T14:42:00.001-08:00

This was easily one of the tastiest meals I've recently whipped up in my boy's kitchen in Ohio. It was a simple penne (with lines) pasta dish, topped with home-made stewed tomatoes, and a cauliflower/ broccoli gratin... and of course, french bread!

For the tomatoes (this was for only three starving people):
however many PLUM tomatoes you feel you need (I'd say at least 10 or so)
fresh herbs (I used thyme and basil)
garlic
1 1/2 cup of olive oil
salt/ pepper
& whatever else you want

- boil tomatoes until skin pops/ peal/ de-core them (I cut off top and bottom, slice almost to the core long ways, lay on side, roll as you cut into it with knife.. ya get?)/ slice up to whatever size (I like mine chunky)
- in a separate pan: season oil until hot with basil, thyme, and etc.
- once tomatoes are chopped and oil is hot; throw oil over tomatoes and cook on low/med. heat for an hour or so.
- plate pasta, throw tomatoes over top, and drizzle seasoned oil. top with goat cheese.

so it was easy as that... i highly suggest using the rest of the oil for dipping the bread in!

Cauliflower/broccoli gratin:
one head of cauliflower
one head of broccoli
12 oz. goat cheese
2 cloves fresh garlic (sliced thin)
fresh thyme
3 tbsp milk
1/2 cup bread crumbs

- preheat oven to 450 degrees
- steam cauliflower and broccoli until only slightly cooked
- combine goat cheese + thyme + fresh garlic + milk in food processor until creamy
- once cauliflower and broccoli is steamed, drain, and place in a baking dish.
- spread goat cheese over top + sprinkle bread crumbs
- bake covered for twenty minutes/ remove cover/ bake for five minutes

& you've got yourself a delicious dinner.

For dessert one night I also made banilla yogurt cupcakes with a fresh blueberry swiss meringue buttercream. I can't remember what recipe I used for the cupcakes for the life of me. But and always... I made the same buttercream as featured in the previous post. Except this time I had the ingenious idea to paddle in fresh blueberries!!! So tasty. Do it, I dare ya.

chocolate cupcakes + mint buttercream

2009-02-16T15:18:00.000-08:00

Alright, so these were quite possible the yummiest little cupcakes I've ever had. One of the cutest cupcake bakers, Betsy, introduced me to this delectable recipe! Her and I slaved for hours busting out thousands of cupcakes for her table at the Bust Craftacular. Any ways... I stole a couple of chocolate cupcakes (and peppermint buttercream!) from the copious amounts we baked to bring over to my tattoo artist. The next day I piped some buttercream on the little suckers and made my merry way to the subway...

I will admit my piping techniques are a little better than that, but hell! I was in a rush. Every one at the shop flipped over them, and when I made them on Christmas for my family... then too! Must say, these cupcakes may just be a chocolate cupcake with peppermint buttercream and crushed candy canes but they are damn delicious. Okay, on to the recipe!

Chocolate Cupcakes for too many people (might wanna cut this in half!):
10 oz All Purpose Flour
4 oz Cocoa
3 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
8 oz Buttermilk
6 tbsp Water
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
8 oz Butter
4 oz Chocolate (we used huge blocks chopped down)
12 oz Sugar
7.5 oz Dark Brown Sugar
4 Eggs

- Melt butter and chocolate together
- Add all dry ingredients into separate bowl
- Cream sugar, dk br sugar, and eggs
- alternate dry and wet ingredients
- slowly paddle in melted chocolate

(not exactly sure if this is how we did it in the kitchen, but at home i did it this way and came out fine... ya kno them basic skills)

Peppermint Swiss Meringue Buttercream (whole lotta too):
4 cups Sugar
1 cup Water
2 tsp Salt
6 Eggs (room temp)
2 1/2 lbs Butter
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Peppermint Extract

- Softball (240 degrees) sugar, water, salt
- Whisk eggs and vanilla extract at full volume
- incorporate softball into eggs until cool
- add butter (one piece at a time)
- add peppermint extract to taste!

bow & curtsey

2009-02-16T14:27:00.001-08:00

So lemme lay this out for ya... I ain't no photographer and I ain't no chef, but I do love both. I live in crummy New York City, itchin' to move to Pittsburgh where I'll go to culinary school and become an Iron Chef when I'm 40. Nah, I just wanna have a cute eatery called Mamabear some day. That's my life dream, and I didn't know this until nearly six months ago. Ya know... I was wasting my time being a teenager, then that triumphant thing happened. I was taking a nap, as us feisty teens do, and well landed my dream job. There I started in a private pastry kitchen in downtown Brooklyn making petit fours. This was sort of out of my element since I mostly baked cupcakes and the occasional cookie in "home" kitchens. I don't think I even knew what a petit four was. So blah blah blah... A week into this job I learn how to make caramel, marshmallow, pipe beautifully, so on and so forth. I fell hopelessly in love. I mean I knew I loved to bake and cook, but this passion started like a wild fire! Badda bing, badda boom... here I am! Nearly 19, bakin' like hell, cookin' like heaven, givin' the interwebz a little taste. Bon appetite!

Here's a little shmorgusborg of old photos: