Fait Accompli.

Aaaah Sunday was a fabulous day. A good friend Tessa came across and we literally spent almost 6 hours cooking. But oh my, what a massive cook-up it was! First, for lunch, we had a absolutely divine Thai coconut rice and lime coriander shrimp lunch which we pulled from a Reader's Digest's 'Weekend Meals'. Ooooooh it was soooo divine. But using this yummy cupcake recipe, we decided we wanted to make... wait for it.... wwwwaaait forrr itttttt.... cookie monster cupcakes! Last summer, I tried these awesome, delicious, silly-looking cookie monster cupcakes and ever since, I've been so excited to make them! This, however, calls for the immense task of making the perfect cupcakes and cookies, which we all know is a tremendously stressful for my psyche. The cupcakes turned out beautifully for a recipe that didn't ask for butter but it did fall a little low. So Tessa ingeniously cut the paper down, cut the cupcake a bit, shoved in the cookie. Put on some frosting (keeping me away from it was difficult) with some white chocolate eyes and a drop of chocolate syrup and voila! cookie monstaaaa! Alright, so we didn't realize Canada doesn't have white chocolate Buttons so we had to melt down some bits in a double-boiler. And me, being all experimental, tried adding milk to the melted chocolate but anyway, such a disaster. They look so crazy, these cupcakes, but HEY. For a first time, I think we did quite brilliantly! :) Tessa, you're a doll. And to Matt and Sarah for their encouraging "ooooooh, is that what they are?"... you guys are precious. Until next time, mes cheries....

Cheers,
The Baker's Apprentice.

Frosting and Beer... sublime.

Although I've disappeared for a while, as my oven needed repairing, I must say... today has been brilliant. It's simply pouring buckets outside but the house smells of banana muffins. Last night, an old friend came over to cook dinner while I slaved over red velvet cupcakes. Following this highly rated recipe, I rolled up my sleeves and threw myself into mixing, sifting, blending and scooping - literally. Matthew witnessed my disastrous cooking style. Most of my sifted sugar ended up on the counter instead of the bowl, my hands have turned a dangerous shade of red, and Matthew is surprised I can cook by myself after giving him lots of instructions on how he can help stir clockwise and not anticlockwise, while he was managing four pots on the stove. I'm hardly demanding, that is all. Oh, and those cupcakes turned out beautifully, much to my surprise. Using someone's advice, I spooned the oddly-thick batter into 10 cupcake liners. I had to refrigerate the frosting overnight because it didn't thicken after a few hours. Matt's loud groans from biting into a sloppily-frosted cupcake certainly indicate that I've to make these again.

In the meantime, I woke up this morning craving banana muffins. With a description that read "easy for kids to make", one would think I could tackle it. It's a simple enough recipe, and they turned out beautifully... except for the fact I misread the amount of sugar. They look gorgeous but taste rather bland even though I added a spot of nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla essence to the batter. So, using the left-over frosting from my cupcakes, I grated a whole lemon and voila! superb. Banana and lemon are a match made in heaven.

As is my frosting-and-beer lunch.

Yours,
The Baker's Apprentice.

The Resurrection.

It seems try three did the trick. Having such a disastrous day with those burnt cookies, I decided that I shouldn't be so discouraged so easily. So after crawling home from work on Friday and feeling too exhausted to drag myself out dancing, I decided to bury my head in baking, and quite literally in that. As per usu, flour in my hair, smoking oven, bits of butter on the floor... you know, the works. But they turned out fabulously! Last time, the pans probably got too hot and burnt the bottom of the cookies so lining the sheets was key. I believe the oven smoked because I used wax paper instead of parchment. Apparently, wax paper should be used for cupcakes and the like, where the batter covers most of the paper, hence why it started to burn in the oven.

Also, my oven just hates me.

Anyway, the biscuits turned out deliciously, although slightly on the crisp side. So, HOORAY! for not giving up and surviving!

Yours,
The Baker's Apprentice.