Bagels!

New Apartment!

 

One of my favorite parts about my new apartment is how much LIGHT we get in here! We have a south facing porch/window door and it lets in so much Vitamin D.

 Above is my spidey plant. So proud of that little guy.

 

I also love this little peek-through from the kitchen to the living/dining room. Really opens up the place and lets the rooms feel connected!

Got the aprons hung and started baking! Then I realized that I haven't updated this blog in a month or two... or eight...  I'll try to be better at posting! Really!

So let's start. Today I made something I've always wanted to try: BAGELS!!!

Got this cookbook from a friend and LOVE IT!!! Here's the recipe for bagels I tried today:

Bagels

Ingredients:

-1 c. plus 1 Tb. water

-1 1/2 Tb. honey

-3 c. bread flour

-1 1/4 ts. salt

-1 1/2 ts. bread machine or quick active dry yeast

Go ahead and load the ingredients into your bread machine in the order given.

flour power.

Set the bread machine on 'dough/pasta' and let it fly! Only set an alternate timer for 50 minutes, because that's when you'll take the dough out.

After 50 minutes, take out your dough and cut it into 10 pieces.

Roll each piece in a ball and then punch your thumb through to make a hole in the center about 1" wide.

 Most of mine turned out ugly lopsided quirky and homemade.

 

 Put them on a GREASED baking sheet that you'll use to bake them on later. Cover them and let them rise for 20 minutes or so. Meanwhile, set the oven to 450 degrees and...

...start boiling 2 quarts (or 8 cups if you measure in American like me) of water.

Last year I worked at Bruegger's, and learned that this next step is crucial to delicious bagels!

Boil them!

But be counting!

1..2..3..4..5..

After 15 seconds, flip them over.

 

After 15 more seconds, take them out and dry them on paper towels. 

This I forgot to do. 

They still turned out :)

 

Cinnamon sugar suuuure doesn't hurt!

In fact they were pretty darn tasty. Next time I want to try other toppings/mix-ins like:

• cinnamon raisin

• chocolate chip

• oats

• cranberries and blueberries

• sesame/poppy seeds

 Put them in the oven and let them bake for about 10 minutes. 

Keep an eye on them--take them out when they're just golden brown.

Did I mention these are FAT FREE?!? Woohoo!

...Not that that matters, of course...

Hot bagels fresh from the oven? YES PLEASE!

Have fun :)

Bound for Haiti

 

Tomorrow I'm leaving for Haiti! As a journalist, I'm joining a medical team heading to a field hospital in Port-Au-Prince for 10 days. If you want to follow us, I'll be keeping a blog at www.trinitytohaiti.blogspot.com 

 

You know what happens when I'm excited/nervous... I bake. So I made LOTS of cookies this week. Took some to class with me, froze some dough for the roommates, baked some up for snacking...

Also made a couple batches of Masaman Curry--best comfort food ever! Yes the can in the photo says 'yellow sour curry paste' but it should say 'masaman curry paste.' Surprise surprise, I used up all my masaman curry paste and forgot to take pictures! I'll have to run to Chong's when I get back from Haiti. If you want to try it out, find these two cans. Then follow the directions on the curry paste.

Note: I replace half the coconut milk with regular milk to make it thinner and a little less fattening :) Next time I make it I'll take pictures step-by-step and post them.

 

One of my highlights of the week is 'Family Dinner' on Tuesdays with my roommates. Here Roomie K is making some wonderful spaghetti for us! Such a good time to eat and talk together about our weeks.

I hope you all have a wonderful week! I'll be  back on March 8, but until then, visit the Haiti blog. www.trinitytohaiti.blogspot.com 

Until next time!

Monster cookies!!!

Quick note: Remember to check out the website at www.asyouwishbakery.com

Yesterday Amy came to town and we baked monster cookies for her traveling crew!

 

Here they are baking... I've become a HUGE fan of oven thermometers! If you don't have one, I'd really suggest buying one. Ovens vary so much and knowing the actual temperature in the oven really helps.

 

Leftover dough? Freeze them in cookie-sized balls. Then if you have a craving for just one or two, you can just bake them up!

 

Thanks for letting me share your top secret recipe, Mom!! :)

Monster Cookies

Ingredients:

2 c. sugar

1 c. (2 sticks) butter

2 1/4 c. (1 lb) brown sugar

1 1/2 lbs. Skippy creamy peanut butter

6 eggs

1/2 Tb. Vanilla

4 ts. Baking soda

9-10 1/2 c. regular oatmeal

1 lb. M&Ms

12 oz chocolate chips

Directions:

Combine first seven ingredients. Mix very well.

Add M&Ms and chocolate chips.

Add oatmeal (enough to make a very thick dough) slowly

Store in refrigerator for several hours.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, depending on size of the cookie. (Yesterday I baked for 7 minutes, rotated the pan, and then baked for 5 more minutes)

Enjoy!

Unicycles & Caramel Bars

 

I love being back to school. The fun of writing papers and attending lectures still hasn't wore off yet...

 

I also just love being back in this quirky town. Only in Iowa City would no one bat an eye at seeing an abandoned unicycle in the snow.

My roommates are awesome and are amazing cooks! Here Roomie M and Roomie A are making curry. Yummm..... (AND they hardly ever use recipes! Seriously. I'm hoping to learn some of that cooking talent while I'm here.)

 

Meanwhile, I made some chocolatey caramel bars and thought I'd share the recipe with you!

(p.s. they taste a LOT better than the pictures look)

 

 Caramel Bars

Ingredients:

3/4 c. melted butter

1/3 c. evaporated milk

German chocolate cake mix

50 caramels

12 oz. bag chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Mix first three ingredients. Pat half of the mixture into a greased 9x13 inch pan.

2. Unwrap caramels and melt with 1/3 c. evaporated milk. Pour caramel mixture over top of cake mix in pan.

3. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.

4. Pat remaining cake mix between palms and lay out over top of chocolate chips.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

 Enjoy!

Big News!!

WOW is it really February already?!

My good friend Di tells me that the Chinese New Year falls on Valentine's Day. How cool is that? But I can't believe it's only a week away. Which means I have some explaining to do for being gone...

I moved! 

Back to the books this semester. My adviser informs me that I will still be able to graduate next spring, so my adventurous semester off starting As You Wish hasn't affected school at all. My plan was to put As You Wish on hold as I transitioned back to school, and maybe pick it back up in the summer or after graduation, but...

I can't stop baking! 

Here's my new kitchen. My roommates (Roomie A, Roomie K, and Roomie M) are SO sweet and let me bake all the time :) Thanks ladies! 

SOOOO.... As You Wish is BACK!! New Location: IOWA CITY!!!

 

Thank you, Lindsay for sending me this recipe for Almond Joy Cupcakes! YUMMM!!!!

 

The chocolate cake was lighter than air. So good. I might work on combining this recipe to improve my chocolate cupcakes... 

 

The coconut filling tastes just like the addicting candy bar. Oh goodness. These might be trouble.

 

The chocolate frosting is a thick chocolate ganache, not buttercream, but it is extremely rich and delicious!

I won't be adding these cupcakes to the menu, but I hope you have fun making them!

Roomie A approved :)

Sorry for my long absence! I hope you all have had a wonderful couple months. Let me know how you're doing! Leave me a comment or write me an e-mail at asyouwishbakery@gmail.com 

Stay tuned!

The weather outside is frightful!

They're calling it the storm of the decade!

Yesterday morning it started snowing, and it just hasn't stopped!

Sophie loves it to run around in the snow, but only for a while...

By the house the drifts are knee deep, and  out by the barn they're almost waist deep!

So after a little time out in the snow, Sophie's ready to hunker down and spend the day napping...

Can't blame her! This is what it's looked like outside all day

In good news, I have a wonderful recipe to share with you! Splotchy bars! I've been making these since high school and they're one of my favorites :) Enjoy!

Splotchy Bars

Ingredients:

White cake mix

1/3 c. vegetable oil

2 eggs

1  c. chocolate chips

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1/4 c. butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine cake mix, oil, and eggs. Pat 2/3 of the mixture into bottom of a greased 9X13" pan.

Melt chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and butter together in microwave or over stove.

Pour into pan.

Pat bits of leftover cake mixture between hands and lay out across pan in splotches.

Bake for approx. 25 minutes. Should be a little jiggly, will set while cooling.

Enjoy!

Happy Veterans Day!

First of all, happy Veterans Day! Thank you to everyone who has given so much for our freedom.

 

Made a fun assortment of 1 dozen cupcakes, 1 dozen minis, and 2 dozen cake balls.

I have a habit of sneaking in one or two little bears upside down! Hehe!

 

An order of bright fall color cupcakes...

And just for fun, made these cute little marshmallow snowmen!

I love foreign foods! 

 I've been trying new recipes fairly often recently...

This week's adventure was Pad Thai. You start off by frying peanuts...

 Then cooking the onion and garlic (yum... This is when the house starts to smell really good)

 

 Fresh bean sprouts are a must!

 

Pad Thai

1 egg

4 ts. fish sauce (just don't smell it...)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 ts. ground dried chili pepper

1/2 ts. ground pepper

1 shallot, minced

2 Tb. sugar

2 Tb.. tamarind (or white vinegar)

1/2 package Thai rice noodles

2 Tb. vegetable oil

1/3 c. extra-firm tofu (or chicken/shrimp/beef, etc.)

1-1/2 c. Chinese chives-green (optional)

2 Tb. crushed peanuts

Lime wedges (add a ton of flavor!)

 1. Soak the dry noodles in lukewarm water while preparing other ingredients (5-10 minutes)

2. Rinse bean sprouts and reserve half for serving fresh. Mince shallot and garlic together.

3. Use a wok or big pot. Heat it up on high heat and pour oil in the wok. Fry the peanuts until toasted and remove them from the wok. Add shallot, garlic, and tofu and stir until they start to brown. The noodles should be flexible but not expanded at this point. Drain the noodles and add to the wok. Stir quickly to keep things from sticking.

4. Add tamarind, sugar, fish sauce, and chili pepper. Stir. The heat should remain high. If your wok is not hot enough, you will see a lot of juice in the wok at this point. Turn up the heat, if that is the case.

5. Make room for the egg by pushing all the noodles to the side of the wok. Crack the egg into the wok and scramble it until it is almost all cooked. Fold the egg into the noodles.

6. Add bean sprouts and chives. Stir a few more times. The noodles should be soft and very tangled.

7. Pour onto the serving plate and sprinkle with peanuts. Serve hot and a wedge of lime on the side and raw chives and bean sprouts on top. Condiments such as sugar, chili pepper, vinegar, fish sauce, and soy sauce can be available at the table.

Note: this takes very little time to make, so be sure to have your ingredients prepped before you begin! Enjoy!