Last Week's Cooking

So last week before I went out of town, there were 2 more recipes that I tried.
Here's how it went.

Huge Cookies!


Yote wanted cookies, so I decided to make him some. I used real vanilla not imitation vanilla extract for these, and I think it made a HUGE difference. They really do taste a lot like bakery cookies, and I found that storing them in a tight container they didn't get too hard. If I had put a piece of bread in there to keep them moister that would have worked too. The only downside here is how HUGE the cookies are (Soda can included for reference). For the record, the dough if you aren't terrified of the raw egg in it, is absolutely the best.


It may be my (crappy cheap) oven, but contrary to the reviewer's comments about needing to shorten the cooking time, I needed to lengthen it by several minutes.

SparkleFox's Rating 5/5
Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie From All Recipes.com

Greek Restaurant Whole Wheat Bread
Unfortunately no photo again. I have to get better than that.

I was fairly disappointed really. I used non-fast acting yeast and converted the times per the books instructions, and I also note I don't use parchment paper but silicon baking liners.

Problems:
1. Even cutting the time to the "low" end of the conversion, I let the bread rise much too far on the first rise, so it came out very big, but a little too dense and flat in the end as the second rise didn't go as far. The crumb wasn't bad otherwise.
2. The bread was fairly bitter. That may be how wheat is supposed to be, but I was already disappointed in the density so this did not make me any happier.

I am considering trying this one again, adjusting my rise times, as #1 may have caused #2. I may also need to make a slightly firmer dough for the spreading vs rising on the 2nd rise.

Overall I'm not sure this recipe is really worth a second try for the bread itself, but I do think I will just for the learning.

SparkleFox's Rating 2/5
This one came from A Passion for Baking by Marcy Goldman.

No book rating yet, this is the only one I've tried. I will say, I have never seen a book so exacting in it's instructions of how whatever must be done "just so".

Catching up all at once.

So, for anyone looking for the couple of posts that were here before, I've changed the nature of the blog. I dont intend to post about the things I originally thought I would. Instead I have decided to make this blog about the things I like to create. That includes at times artwork, knitting, coooking (learnign to rather) - my latest thing for bento boxes, and anything else that along those lines.

So to sort of catch up all at once.
I am currently working on the knitting needles - A harry potter scarf in raven claw colors for Panda. I'm 5% done with it at best and Need to get on it.

I am also currently working on a rug, on 2 knitting nancies (spools as some call them). One of them a store bought embellish knit for the smaller yarn, and one I made of clay and nails (photos to come), for the larger. I still have NO idea how i'm going to sew it together when I'm done, there's a methodology to it but it's only in one book i know of for like $30 on amazon. I may get it anyways. That and I'm not sure I'll actually finish this one, it's taking FOREVER by hand to do the I-cord.

I owe, lots of people lots of crafts, i'll come up with that later.

I'm also working on a meditation pillow, if i can ever figure out where to go with it (photos forthcoming). I'm good and stuck on it. I think i screwed up entirely. But it's a little late to back out now.

And, for the cooking, I recently made

Strawberry Muffins - (SparkleFox Rating - 3/5 stars.)



They came out not exactly the texture I'd really like in my muffins, I think next time I will try a different recipie. They still taste okay, but they are too moist on the outside and too dry overall.

Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake (SparkleFox Rating 4/5 stars)

This was a test run, I will be making it again for him but with sugar glaze. Very lemony, not really "my" preference, but he liked it, and it's his birthday in two weeks. The texture is fine, a little bit dry, but that is because of the container I put it in I think. Next time I will use a different one. I also think the sugar glaze will help.



FireWine Shot (SparkleFox Rating 4.5/5)

There was also an experiment with booze, to make a drink called Firewine. It's got nothign to do with wine and is entirely a reference to something from a Planescape game. It looks like this when it's done.


It consists of spicy ginger beer (get the good stuff, it's hard to find here though), Goldschlagger, redhots, and a cinnamon stick. It's actually very good, but it's very much a "boot to the head".
And there we go. Not exactly an intro, but, long enough for now. I'll get the rest up here later.