le grand petit déjeuner

8.23-8.27
Big Plans for next week!


So I was thinking about what could be better than breakfast...and well the obvious answer is BRUNCH. For two obvious reasons, first that it is totally acceptable to have booze with brunch (not so much with breakfast), and second that you don't have to wake up at the crack of dawn to make a totally fantastic brunch because brunch happens sometime after 11am, so no need to be up until 9 at the earliest! AMAZING!

So next week I will do 1 post a day and by Friday we will have a complete menu!
I have decided to have a blueberry inspired brunch,
No, not all the dishes will have blueberries in them, but a few standout dishes will!
There will also be some musical suggestions with each post so you'll also have a soundtrack by Friday!

Sounds Fun right?!?!
I know!
I am going to post the menu today, so your mouths will be watering with anticipation all weekend heehee.


One 'Morning' In Maine Brunch Menu:
Prosciutto Basil Parmesan Frittata
Lemon zest Blueberry muffins
Doughnut holes with warm blueberry dipping sauce
Bacon and spinach filo triangles
Kelsey's Super Fruit Salad
Bagel chips with blueberry, sage cream cheese

Drinks:
Blue velvet
Classic Mimosa
Blueberry Sunrise

Who's hungry?
I am!

I know this spans out from my usual baking theme, truth is though that my passion spans past baking...I love food! But no need to worry, most of my future posts will be baked deserts and treats.



Well I will see y'all Monday
Have a lovely weekend


yummy&junk
kj

TATTOO

So I am thinking of getting a new tattoo,
I want this going vertically down my left forearm

(without the words)
In a red or pink outline!


eh?

LOVECAKES

I couldn't resist
Two days in a row...you lucky ducks!

QUACK!
So for anyone who doesn't know I LOVE BREAKFAST!
SO SO much!
I went through a chocolate chip pancake phase as a kid...who doesn't? But the I was off the pancakes for a while. the onto microwave pancakes (that didn't last long). Then when I was in Florida I found myself a vegan pancake recipe and decided to have at it and well I still love pancakes...I mean cake you are encouraged to eat at breakfast....awesome!
Well anyways this recipe isn't for vegan pancakes, it is however for vanilla cinnamon pancakes with mixed berry sauce!
(I will include a vegan pancake recipe too...because I love you)
And away we go!

What your need for the pancakes:
1 cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 & 1/2 tbs. sugar
1 large egg
1 cup milk
2 tbs unsalted butter melted (plus a little more for the pan, I know it may be less healthy than cooking spray, but it tastes better, also this is a baking blog its not healthy in anyway get over it)
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla extract

Put everything in a bowl use a hand mixer or kitchenaid and mix it! You can do it by hand but I like to almost over mix pancakes, it makes them extra fluffy! mmm! (before you make the pancakes you want to make the sauce...so I guess I should have put that first...but I didn't)
When your pancakes batter is fully mixed fry 1 cup at a time of the batter in a buttered frying pan on medium heat, flip the pancake to cook both sides (my first one is always bad looking so I normally eat that wail cooking). As you finish each I like to set the oven to warm and put the pancakes in the oven on a baking sheet or ceramic plate to keep them warm, warm pancakes are always better (although if you like in an apartment like mine and everyone eats in the living room and are grabbing pancakes as fast as you can make them this isn't really necessary, but if you want to all eat together its nice).

For the berry sauce:
3 cups of mixed frozen berries (strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, snozberry...ya know berries)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbs cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water

Dump berries, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. In a small bowl mix the cornstarch and water until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add the cornstarch and water to the berry mix and stir for about 2 or 3 min on medium high heat. You can strain the sauce when its done...I like to do that sometimes especially with berry sauce because the seeds...blah but you don't have to.

These pancakes are good with just plane syrup too (ya know the maple kind), or with a little vanilla bean yogurt and the berry sauce, so good!

and now as promised the vegan pancakes!
you make them the same as the others...except don't use butter in the pan...duh!
1 & 1/2 cup soy milk (vanilla is awesome, or even almond milk yummy)
1 & 1/2 cup flour
1 tbs. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1-2 tbs. water (you might not need it but if the batter is too thick don't hesitate to add it, you can use soy milk too if you want).

Sooo...that's it! PANCAKES!


enjoy&junk
kj

EXTRACTLY!

So because I am not doing any baking right now I figure I will do some talking about other baking related stuff...just till I move and start baking again!

So today I am going to blab on about extracts!
Some bakers I know have said they don't like using anything other than vanilla...but I think that's just because they don't know how, or because they are BORING!
It's not scary, it's actually so easy so, just put on your big girl (or boy) pants and just do it.
you never need more than a tsp. (unless you are double batching something)
And the beauty of it is even if you know 2 recipes that you can make well it opens up a whole world of options and flavors you would otherwise never know!

There are basically 2 kinds of extracts synthetic and pure.
I would say always go with pure it has a better flavor and no weird chemicals
But there is a time and place for synthetic extracts...I mean how else would you make Bubble Gum Cupcakes?!

Extracts can be added to any recipe in place of the vanilla...If you have a recipe that doesn't use vanilla..that's odd but you can add extracts anyways...and even if you are being a butt head and using box mix you can add extract (remember the boxed cakes have vanilla in them but that doesn't mean you can't add a little something extra...). Want to excite your pancakes? Maybe some maple or strawberry extract...mmmm!

EXTRACTLY AWESOME?...
YES!

WARNINGS:
-Be careful though to read what you buy, Oils are not the same as extracts!!!
Yes, you can use oil in place of extracts but you want to use 1/4 as much oil as you would extract, and also add it last.
-Make sure the tops are on as tight as possible there is alcohol in extracts and they will evaporate.
-Remember to think! Don't go crazy! With cakes I am going to say you never want to have more that 3 different flavors going on a once, it's over whelming (that includes the frosting).
(I know those last to seem silly sorta but it's easy to get carried away and think that banana, raspberry, vanilla, almond cake sounds great but it doesn't! take my word for it there is a such thing a too much!)
-Remember it's a cake not mouthwash mint on mint is hard to pull off well, use it sparingly. also only one kind of mint at a time! I am a little bias on this one because I HATE mint flavored things blah! Just use discretion, no vanilla mint, no banana mint...icky ick barf!


Where do you get extracts?
Well my dears, the baking section of your local grocery store should have a good selection, if you aren't happy with that here are 2 websites I think are awesome!
This place is amazing, good selection and great quality. It's a tad expensive but it lasts forever (although if it's something you know you will only use once shop around for the cheapest place because it's not worth one cake...)
OliveNation
This website looks like crap but...They have bubble gum, root beer, and cola flavors..sweet (literally.) There stuff is good and a little cheaper. The assortments are an awesome deal!
2oz. should last you 12 or so recipes...not bad at all, but you see what I mean a little goes a long way.
Faerie's Finest


YIPPEEE!
Maybe Santa will get me Holiday Flavors because he knows how much I love pumpkin and eggnog! ha!

Any who...That's all I really have to say about extracts, if you have any questions...leave a comment...I'll get back to you I really have nothing better to do.

Maybe next week something about flower waters, and an older recipe to go with.
also sorry for my over use of parentheses...bad habit I know.



flavors&junk

kj

HIPPIES USE SIDE DOOR ---->

WOODSTOCK THEMED CAKES!

Not that Woodstock...




YEAHHH THAT ONE!

Ice cream cake are a pain in the ass! They take forever...but the possibilities are pretty much endless!
There are 1000 flavors of cake and ice cream so live the dream go wild!
I am going to do two Woodstock inspired cakes with help from my bffs Ben and Jerry!
Guess what flavors?!


HEEHEE!
YESSS!

So here goes!
For the phish food were going to do:
Vanilla tie-dye cake
Fluff butter cream frosting
Fudge sauce
and those little chocolate sprinkles that go in store icecream cakes
Now for Cherry Garcia:
Chocolate chocolate chip cake
Fluff butter cream
and Cherry preserves

PHISH FOOD CAKE: (Phish never played Woodstock...just so no one is confused, they are however a smelly hippy band heehee)
Tie-dye cake

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2/3 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup milk

Pre-heat the oven to 350 mix up the cake, cream the butter and sugar add vanilla, eggs and milk the all the dry ingredents. Once the cake is mixed it's time to tie-dye! Separate the batter into three or four small bowls add a different color food dye to each, Get a 8" round pan geese and flour then alternately add the different colored batter use a butter knife to swirl colors (be sure not to mix them too much or you'll end up with brown cake...weird). Bake the cake for 20 or so minutes, when its done remove from the pan and let it cool on a cooling rack.

Fluff butter cream frosting

1 cup butter (softened)

1 7oz. jar of Fluff (sorry if your not from New England and don't know what Fluff is...you should move!)

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla.

Put Fluff, butter and vanilla in the mixer and cream it reduce speed and add sugar.

Easy easy.

Now the hard part. Put the frosting to the side covered for the night. Take the ice cream out of the freezer and let it warm up. Get a 9" round spring form pan, put a sheet of parchment paper in the bottom. Cut your cooled cake into layers (see video attached)(just 2 layers1) then place 1 COOLED cake layer in there add a layer of store bought ice cream topping fudge (NOT HURSHEY"S SYRUP!) then in a bowl empty one container on B&J Phishfood ice cream and soften it by mixing it with a wooden spoon (it really just need to be soft enough to spread without pulling up your cake (the video uses piping bags...not necessary). Spread the layer of phish food over the top of the cake, add a layer of frosting or fudge (whatever) the put the other cake layer on top. Cover with wax paper and freeze for 5 or 6 hours!

now that your ice cream is hard mmmm, is frostin' time! Carefully remove the cake from the spring form pan place it on a cake stand or completely flat plate frost the sides and top of the cake with fluff butter cream then sprinkle the little chocolate bits all over it! (the chocolate bits can be found with the cake toppings, if you cant find them smashed up Oreos work just as well, and you get the joy of smash-ums!). Freeze the cake till your ready to serve it!

NOW FOR THE CHERRY GARCIA (the Dead did in fact play Woodstock and this cake will steal your face maan)

For the cake use the vegan chocolate cake recipe from the "Giftcakes" post chocolate chips and all.

like before bake in a 8" round pan. let it cool fully, whip up the Fluff frosting. Cut cake into layers, place the bottom layer of your cake in the spring form pan top with a layer of cheery preserves and then the Fluff frosting, the ice cream, preserves and the top layer of cake! Freeze for 5 or 6 hours, frost the same as the Phish cake but add cherry preserves to the top of the cake, you can also drip colored food dye down the sides to give you a colorful tye-dye look (OOOOOooooOOO0000OOOOoo pretty!)

ANY WHO!

Good luck!!

Oh and remember don't take the brown acid!!

kj

Ice Cream Cake from Jade on Vimeo.

well well well...

So I wont be posting any more recipes till I move...
soo crazy to bake right now ARGGG!
So in the mean time here are some other fun blogs and sites...


This site has awesome recipes
you need to have a conversion table or google...haha

http://www.britishlarder.co.uk/



So I know it seems lame but I spend so much time on the next 2.
Plus all the kid friendly stuff is twenty-something year old boy friendly too!
Go figure, so skip all the other stuff the recipes alone are wonderful!

http://www.realsimple.com/



OH MARTHA!

I mean the lady is an icon...Lifetime made a movie about her!

plus the crafts and recipes are wonderful, makes me wish I had my very own cottage where I could host garden parties...but alas I have a 3rd floor apartment and 3 roommates that are...boys, ick!

http://www.marthastewart.com/



Now I am not a vegetarian, but the peperoni pizza, steak and potato, pasta and meatball, chicken cutlet and MEAT diet that I have been on lately is making me reconsider.

But really I LOVE VEGETABLES!

and as far as vegetable cooking goes this really is the place, they also have health and lifestyle tips that fit for any diet!

http://www.vegetariantimes.com/



Enough food stuff for now I am getting hungry...

here's some stuff to do when you are bored!



FREE RICE!

So you are helping people and learning things? AWESOME!
I always get sort of sacred not being in school and having the least mentally stimulating job in the world that I am going to get lazy and dumb.

Free rice makes me feel a little better about that.

http://freerice.com/



WEB COMIC!

http://nataliedee.com/



Did someone say unreleased music, for free....everyday?!

Daytrotter did! It's hit of miss now days, there is something I want maybe one a month but it's Worth it to check everyday for the four free song by someone I really like.

http://www.daytrotter.com/



And last (for now) but not least!
Check out my moms gallery!
Art by my mom, my sister, a bunch of talented people from Maine and...me....sorta

http://www.beggarsrideart.com/







loves&junk

kj

Oh so sweet...

VEGAN NO-SUGAR AGAVE VANILLA CAKE

WITH FRESH ORANGE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING!

NOMS!

So the first time I made this cake was my first week in Florida.
Regardless of having been there only four days this was my third cake (my second of the day for that matter).
I guess it wasn't sooo bad that the place I moved into had five bags of flour just hanging around waiting to be turned into yummy things!
So still feeling kind of awkward armed with my trusty "Vegan cupcakes take over the world" book I was on a mission to get rid of some excess flour and make some friends...I didn't really do either in my time there but...that's not the point.

The point is this no sugar vegan cake is AMAZING! (and makes a super wonderful breakfast...the lack of sugar the OJ and the cream cheese totally justify finishing off the cake at 10am with a cup of crappy coffee)


gah on with it already,
Sorry y'all I am a little unfocused today, up until about an hour ago I thought it was Tuesday but turns out its Wednesday...

So the cake recipe here comes from the "vegan cupcakes take over the world book" (BUY IT).
Its a thick cake that doesn't rise much, so we made it in a 9x13 glass pan, not as cupcakes (although it works as cupcakes they are just flat cakes).

soooo what you'll need:
2/3 cup of soy milk (plain soy milk not vanilla...you could use vanilla but don't)
1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup of canola oil
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup light agave nectar (you can find Agave in the Health food section of most supermarkets or at Whole Foods)

So now you pre-heat the over to 325
Use a little oil and grease and flour your pan (you don't need to flour it but I find with vegan cakes it helps if you do.)
Mix everything together...soy milk and vinegar first then the Agave and then everything dry.
Pour it into your pan and bake for about 20min, the cake will be a rich golden color when it's done and will feel spongy.
while your cake is cooling it's time to make frosting!

This frosting is a Reanne, Cali and Kelsey creation we sort of just mixed it till we thought it tasted good

1 8oz container of Tofutti vegan cream cheese (plain flavor...don't try and get all crazy!)
2 tbs of Agave
juice from 1 and 1/2 oranges (we used fresh picked oranges stolen by Rae from someones yard...but ones bought from the store will do fine)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp orange zest

basically just put it all in a bowl and mix it...the frosting is very thin so when the cake is still a little warm pour it on smooth it out and then refrigerate for about 20min.

to serve cut rectangular slices, garnish with orange slices and mint leaves and enjoy!

for the cake you don't eat right away you want to keep it in the fridge. I wouldn't recommend this recipe for a fancy party unless you were going to do cupcakes. (mostly because its served cold and out of the baking pan...its just not super pretty, it's yummy as ever though!)


(maybe someday a picture...who knows)
Hugs&junk
kj