May22

Goat Cheese and Parsley Biscuits from “Eat At Home”

Posted on May 22, 2012 by jazzy01

I am a big fan of goat cheese. In truth I love all cheeses, from spicy pepper jack to sweet brie; they’re all good. Recently I was talking with my fiancé’s uncle and we got into a long discussion about food. I was excited to meet another food lover like myself and could easily have talked for hours more about techniques, favorite chefs, and flavors but a night can only last so long before I had to leave. During our talk, we briefly touched on goat cheese and its magnificence. I remembered I had an 4 ounce block at home and made a mental note to make something new with it.

This recipe comes from http://eatathomecooks.com/2011/04/goat-cheese-biscuits.html. Whether it was the substitution of the almond milk or I didn’t use an iron skillet or a combination of both, I would not consider these biscuits. Yes they were delicious with their pockets of smooth goat cheese and a buttery topping but the texture was more like a creamy muffin.

Ingredients:

2 cups Flour
2 tablespoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
5 tablespoons Butter, softened
2 oz Goat Cheese
1/4 – 1/3 cups finely chopped Flat Parsley
1 1/2 cups Milk (I used almond milk)
3 tablespoons melted Butter for brushing
shaved or shredded Parmesan for topping (I only had the powdery form)

Step 1: Place either your ramekins, a small iron skillet or a cupcake pan in a pre-heated oven set at 450 degrees.

Step 2: Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

Step 3: Cut the butter into the flour with a fork.

Step 4: Stir in goat cheese, parsley and milk until dough thickens.

Step 5: Take out pans and spray with a butter or oil spray.

Step 6: Spoon the mixture into pans.

Step 7: Bake for 10 minutes.

Step 8: Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with parmesan.

Step 9: Bake for 1-2 additional minutes.

Bake 10. Brush with butter again.

Bake 11: Eat and Enjoy!

May21

A Proud Moment in Simplyuimi History- The Sugar Cookie

Posted on May 21, 2012 by jazzy01

A Proud Moment in Simplyuimi History- The Sugar Cookie

For many years, there has been one recipe that has continued to haunt me. My first ever cooking effort (and repeated endeavors afterward) ended with extreme disappointment. Right before I had started college, I decided I wanted to try my hand at baking. In my head, I would soon be fending for myself and have to learn to cook quickly in order to feed myself. Logically I thought what would be easier than a cookie with few ingredients.

Unfortunately my first experience went haywire. The specific recipe required several ingredients I was not aware of (since I was a novice in cooking) and when confronted with spoiled ingredients I did not recognize them. Instead I used the bad ingredients and my sugar cookies came out so hard my father almost broke a tooth on one. You could literally play hockey with my cookies. It was very… disheartening.

I have never tried sugar cookies again, ever fearful of a repeated offense… until now. I have just graduated with my Masters and after working so hard for so many years, I find myself at a loss of what to do while I job hunt. My fiancé suggested we bake to take my mind off things. So 5 1/2 years later, we have decided to try out the dreaded sugar cookie, in the hopes of finally kicking its butt.

This recipe comes from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-sugar-cookies/. The cookie texture was similar to a snicker-doodle and had a slight buttery after taste. I hope you enjoy my victory as much as I did.

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 cup Butter, softened
1 1/2 cups White Sugar, 1/4 cup for optional dusting
1 Egg
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Yields: About 36 cookies

Step 1: Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Step 2: In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder.

Step 3: In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth.

Step 4: Beat in egg and vanilla.

Step 5: Gradually blend in the dry ingredients.

Step 6: Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place on the cookie sheets (I either use parchment paper or a butter spray to prevent sticking).

Step 7: Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden.

Step 8: Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

Optional: Sprinkle sugar over cookies.

Step 9: Eat and Enjoy!

Feb15

Easy Strawberry Cake- Happy Valentine’s Day!

Posted on February 15, 2012 by jazzy01

Easy Strawberry Cake- Happy Valentine’s Day!

Happy Valentines Day my dear culinary friends! For some reason I have been jinxed on Valentine’s Day for the past couple of years and have messed up every dessert I have attempted to make. This year I decided the best way was to try something more simply. So a cake out of a box was the way to go! Sorry if this isn’t up to anyone’s standards but it really was the easiest way not to fudge things up.

Ingredients:

2 boxes of White Cake Mix
Oil (amount according to the directions on the box)
Water (amount according to the directions on the box)
Eggs (amount according to the directions on the box)
A pint of Strawberries (about 12 strawberries)
2 tubes of Strawberry Icing

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven according to the directions on your cake box.

Step 2: Mix the cake mix, eggs, oil and water in a large bowl.

Step 3: Take the cake pans of your choosing (I chose heart-shaped pans) and place parchment paper across the top.

Step 4: Slowly pour 1/2 of your batter into each pan. Trim away edges of the paper.

Step 5: Bake according to the directions on the box.

Step 6: While the cakes are baking, rinse the strawberries to rid them of excess dirt.

Step 7: Trim off the tops of the strawberries.

Step 8: Slice the strawberry thinly.

Step 9: To test whether the cakes are ready, take a toothpick and insert it into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, then your cakes do not need anymore time in the oven.