Foodie Friday #5

Short number of makes this week… Largely due to homework.

I can’t wait for homework to be finished forever… but then I have to worry about deadlines. I’m not sure which is better.

So anyways, I made a batch of my favorite cookies ever. Chocolate with white chocolate chips. Technically I got the recipe from my mom, and she got it off the back of the Nestle white chocolate chip bag. I’ve really been getting from the internet here.

Now, I mentioned that this is my favorite cookie recipe, right? I’ve made it at least five times in the past year, and each time it has come out differently. I’ve found that if you don’t have a mixer, it’s really best to let the butter soften naturally. I’m a big proponent to softening in microwave, but often some parts of the butter get melty and others stay fridge cold and that just won’t work well for this recipe. Three of the past five times I also found that I didn’t have enough wet ingredients to mix in the dry… So follow the instructions even if you don’t want to. Trust me… it’s better.

My other excursion this will was making tortillas. They’re not pretty and they’re a bit stiff, but they’re tasty! I used this recipe, so I could use up some more sourdough starter and coconut oil. I always forget to use the coconut oil when I’m reaching for oils, since it’s in a jar and not a pour bottle. So I used some here! The tortillas are quite good, especially with some nice spices and cheese to accent the contents! I made them at the same time as the bread, so when the bread rose the final time, I started frying the tortillas, to give you a time-frame.

And bread update: This week the bread dough was soft and gloopy and smooth and wonderful… And now I’m wondering what I’ve done wrong in the past. But suffice it to say, I’ve been loving my grilled cheese sandwiches!

Foodie Friday #4

The all important bread update: I obtained bread flour this week. And I used a recipe… For the most part. And yeast. I got yeast.

What really happened was that I determined that I was unwilling to wait on purely sourdough bread to rise… Meaning days. So I finally tried it with yeast, and added some bread flour and all purpose along with the wheat for good measure. All in all, a dough that rose and a bread that is only a little crumbly. Finally, a bread I can cut into slices less than an inch thick!

This week I also tried a bunch of new things.

Like smashed potatoes! Success! I’ve been looking for some lunch related sides that I can freeze in order to reduce time in the morning. My schedule has worked out so I only have early classes two days a week, so on those days I’m less likely to want to prepare lunch. Hence easy pull from freezer options! So smashed potatoes were up, since I had just bought a bag of little reds, and I was in a crush-things mood. Otherwise known as an avoid looking at homework mood. I seasoned mine rather simply, salt and pepper, and this Mrs. Dash everything type spice I found in the cabinet. The apartment I’m living in has collected a variety of food items over the years that have been left by previous tenants. Some, like the spice cabinet, are nice additions, since my spices of choice range in the number of 5, and others are not… Don’t ask me about the freezer. I’m still shuddering. Anyways, the potatoes are delicious, easy to reheat in the microwave, and a nice addition to my lunch arsenal. If I keep this up, though, I’m going to need to source slightly bigger potatoes. These were walnut size, and reminded me a bunch of the “You can’t eat just one” Lay’s campaign.

And gummies! Less of a success. I managed to make something resembling gummies quite well. I tried to use this recipe, but with fruit puree instead of juice, but then I stopped measuring… Which is likely why my gummies are not exactly room temperature friendly. They don’t melt or anything, but they taste like mush. Sweet mush nonetheless. Much better straight from the fridge. Also, I tried rolling some room temperature ones in sugar, like another tutorial suggested… That time they melted. It was almost like the sugar dehydrated them, by releasing the “juice” from the gummy. I ate them anyway, but they were too sickly sweet and liquidy to consider even vaguely gummies at that point. I’ll have to try freezing some, seeing how that one works, but all in all, this was a nice treat, and next time I’m stealing some of my roommates orange juice instead. Trying juice only.

And cookies… I made some cookies. This recipe is pretty good! I’ve tried it before and liked it, and when I next get the hankering for traditional chocolate chip cookies, I’m sure I’ll use it again!