Im officially a Daring Baker ;) !!!!!!!

"La scoperta di un piatto nuovo è più preziosa per il genere umano che la scoperta di una nuova stella." Brillat- Savarin 

Yayyy!!!! My first Daring Baker challenge :) Crostata. I was a bit scared because this is something I have never done before. It was really interesting, and a learning experience. The recipe is really simple and easy to do. Just make sure you don't do like me and make sure you have all ingredients at hand and measured. And if by any chance yo ran out of flour with 1/4 of a cup missing do please go buy some more instead of using self rising flour instead.... IT WONT BE THE SAME!!!!!! As you can see my crostata looks puffy, but still... It was delish!!! 

I didn't had a tart pan, I just used a cake pan but left the sides half way so it wasn't too high.

I want to do this again!!! Let's see which  filling Ill use....

For the recipe you can go to The Daring Kitchen ... Do yourself a favor and go, there are lots of great recipes waiting for you ;)

Ciao...

Hecmi

Mom's Birthday Cupcake Cake....

 "A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie."  ~Tenneva Jordan

     I'm officially converted... I'm a Buttercream believer!! Italian buttercream that is. I have always been a bit afraid of making cakes because I didn't like buttercream, the kind thats just butter and sugar. And even worst with shortening. Don't get me wrong, I know there are some who like it that way and thats just fine, but I can't stand it. Don't like the after taste, the greasy feeling on my mouth. Therefore, the only frosting the cakes I  have made (which are just a few), were with cream cheese chocolate frosting. But like I have said before, mom doesn't like chocolate, so I decided to try buttercream one last time.... It was just perfect. No after taste, no greasy feeling ... Just perfect. I wanted to achieve something like Gail from One Tough Cookie.... have you seen her cakes? They a re adorable!! cookie decorated cakes...how clever is that? She uses Swiss meringue buttercream (ill be sure to try that one next time) but I read somewhere that the Italian version is more stable, and with my luck, I need all the stability I can get.  They are similar in terms of ingredients, egg whites, sugar and butter. But the technique is different. On the Swiss version you heat the eggs along with the sugar over a double boiler, on the Italian version you make a sugar syrup and pour over the meringue. Either way, the result should be a silky smooth buttercream with an excellent taste. The recipe I used is Joe Pastry's Italian Meringue buttercream. If you have never done these types of buttercream before, visit these sites, they both have great tutorials ;)

For the cake part  I used the same recipe from Dad's birthday cake, you can find it here. But instead of a cake, I made cupcakes ;)  I Filled them up with a bit of passion fruit, and decorated them with the IMBC. Since Mom loves flowers, I sort of did a cupcake garden...

I absolutely love this picture

Don't they look cute!!! I'm so happy with them!!!

And Now.... the master piece!!!

(What you see on the cake stand is condensation, I forgot to wipe it ....)

Its two small cupcakes, filled with passion fruit, frosted and decorated with IMBC.... I love it!!!!! 

See how cool... she cut it just like a regular cake... lol

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

Hecmi's Apple Pie

  

“The only real failure in life is the failure to try.” Author unknown. 

     When I saw that Cheryl from Tidy mom was hosting Love the Pie party I knew I had to bake one. I'm not a pie expert or a fan. As a matter of fact the first pie I ever tasted, I baked it. So I really didn't know what I was looking for on the pie, other than to taste good. Crust was always a big issue, I honestly don't think I have made a flaky crust before.... up until now. The tragedy of it... Why you ask? Well, from the moment I finish the crust I was giddy, happy and I'm pretty sure that if it wasn't for the fact that I'm 7 1/2 months pregnant, I would have been jumping as well. It simply looked beautiful!!!! You could see the butter bits!! I knew It would be a beauty of a  pie, so I decided to try a lattice top. I mean, the crust was great, the apples were macerating, sure a lattice top would be the perfect end. I did it kind of curvy, to give it a different look. Everything was going great, time to assemble. I didn't had a pie pan big enough so I ventured with a regular cake pan. I got the juices of the apple and boiled them with some butter and a bit of corn starch, yum! This is how my baby looked :)

For me, It was just perfect. Until my oven decided to play nasty tricks on me. The pie was almost done, I remember I looked at it, so cute. Five minutes left on the timer, the ugly timer that decided not to work!!!
I was alerted by my husband when he sweetly told me ...  the pie looks burned.

Burned indeed!!! : (

I was truly thorned about posting this, but this is just part of my baking journey, part of the learning proses. Maybe some day I will laugh about this, a far far away day. The worst part , the crust was really flaky, even burned.

Better Luck next time....


Hecmi.

Nutella Gone Bananas Crepe

  “Every second you spend thinking about someone else’s dreams you take time away from your own.” –                Yogi Ramen


   The other day I was checking out Tidy Mom and I have to say if you haven't been to the site you are missing out. Cheryl is great, she has amazing stuff on her site from yummy recipes to cool DIY projects and everything in between. While checking her site I saw this recipe for Nutella Crepes and I had to do it, they look so heavenly! I did added bananas since I had them, but you can use strawberries too or pretty much anything you want ;)


     Ingredients

2      eggs

1      egg yolk

1     cup milk

1/2   cup water

pinch  salt

1.5   ounces butter, melted

1 tsp sugar

dash of vanilla

1    cup all-purpose flour

extra butter to cook with

Nutella

Bananas

Powdered Sugar for garnish

Combine 2 eggs + 1 egg yolk, salt, sugar, vanilla and and flour until well combined. Add melted butter, water and milk, whisk until foamy ( You can also use a blender). Let the batter sit for an hour. 

For the bananas I just heat them up with a bit of butter and honey for an extra sweet kick, until they are soft and tender. 

Then, on a small non-stick pa, add butter to coat, and pour 1 ounce of batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly.  Cook until the top loses its gloss, which should only take a minute, then flip ( careful there). The bottom should be golden. Cook the other side for about 15 seconds and then slide out onto a plate. Keep warm in a 250F oven or serve right away spread with Nutella, add your bananas, roll and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Makes about 12 large or 16 small crepes.

You can leave it with only Nutella...

Or add some fruits..

And ENJOY!!!!!

Don't forget to pass by Tidy Mom and explore her site, you are going to love it ;)

Hecmi

A Different Kind of Sweet...

"I Loved you the minute I heard your heartbeat. I 

loved you the minute you were born. Then I saw your face and I fell 

in love some more. You were only a minute old, but I knew I would 

die for you, and to this day I still would. When you choose to have a

child you make a decision to allow your heart to walk around,outside of your body." From someone's Facebook status. 

Hand Embroidered Pillow case... The cute dog is our fur baby Leia... 

     This year started out crazy, I was missing something.  For the first time in my life I cried on New Years Eve, just as the clock said it was a new year, and it wasn't out of happiness. My new years resolution.... It wont happen again. At that moment I decided I waited enough to go after what I want. I started thinking about it and I came to the conclusion that I just wanted two things more than anything, I remember I even posted it on my Facebook status on my birthday. Two thing to feel my life was on the right track, to make my dreams come true. First my own baking business and second, my baby. We had been waiting for a year, waiting for our little miracle. Finally, two weeks after my last day at my former job and two days after my birthday we got the amazing news. We were ready to wait longer, we left it all in God hands, but he decided it was time for us, He gave us the biggest blessing we could receive, and we couldn't be more grateful.  Our beautiful baby is on the way...

     So a new journey begins, morning sickness had me away from the kitchen for a while :( and  I ended up digging up my sewing machine ( which I had never before properly used) and started creating for my baby...

     Please take into consideration that I really don't know how to do any of these... lets just say You Tube is an amazing tool.

Minky blankets for my boy!! 

So cute!!! Can't wait to see him wearing these... lol

I'm quite proud of this, is not perfect, but I love it!

     If you are interested on learning crochet, I suggest you go here, she is great!!! you can also visit her website The Art of Crochet by Theresa. She explains everything very clearly. On her page you can find the written patterns plus a video. Even if you have never done this before (like me) you can create something beautiful. 

Shhhhh Sleping Baby!!

Love it!!! The elephant is my favorite....

     I have other projects pending, Ill post them once they are ready :)

     I guess is true, pregnancy does bring out the crafty woman in you ;)

Have a wonderful day!!

Hecmi ;)

Dad's Birthday Cake

"I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it's both. Maybe both is happening at the same time." Forrest Gump

This cake was rushed, not planned in advance and even improvised. My dad is diabetic, and I didn't thought it would be a good idea to do a cake for his birthday, much less a regular sweet cake, but I still wanted to do something. I did a research for a cake recipe for diabetics and wasn't convinced and I realized  that having a little piece of a regular cake would be more satisfying for him.

I was right...he loved it : )  They even liked the meringue, which  I know wasn't the way it's supposed to be. I may not be happy with the meringue, but knowing that my family liked it, specially  birthday boy, makes me feel happy.


For the recipe, I adapted Martha Stewart's Versatile Vanilla Cake. It turned out to be perfect, not too sweet, soft crumble, very tender, with a nice buttery vanilla flavor. This one is moms favorite now, and mine. So I'll be doing this recipe for my Baby Shower too ;D

I did half the recipe, since I didn't wanted a big cake, and I used a 6" pie pan.... yes a pie pan, no need to buy more cake pans when I could just trim the edges, right?  I baked two, and made it layered. I have to admit I made a mistake with the recipe, while I used half of most of the recipe, I used by mistake all the buttermilk, well my substitution of buttermilk.  I don't think I have even seen buttermilk, so I avoided any recipe with it. But I read somewhere that adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to regular milk works just fine, so I did just that, but used all of it. Anyhow, it came out so good, I intend to make the same mistake again ;)

I was still beating my head over what to use for the filling, when dad arrive with some passion fruit. I have been craving these since the beginning of my pregnancy, finally almost seven months later, I got them ;)
Naturally I made a sauce and used as a filling.... yummy!!! I used the pulp of two fruits, 3 tablespoons of honey, 3 tablespoons of butter, and some flour. I found it perfect because I love the sour taste of passion fruit, and I still had that in the sauce.

Now the meringue, well I'm not going to dwell on it, I over beat it, like most the times I have tried it.

It dosent look too bad, right? At least I tasted really good!!!! So I'm happy :)

Have a good one,
Hecmi

Bread Pudding with Whiskey sauce

"With time you will understand that rushing or forcing the things you want will only make them be different than what you hope they'll be". Jorge Luis Borges

One of my favorite desserts I found it quite recently. At the beginning of this year my Hubby took me to Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. The dinner was simply amazing. I had a roasted chicken filled with herbs and cheese so good I almost liked the bones… yep, that good. But what surprised me the most was dessert. We tried something that never called me before. Bread pudding. I have always had this idea of any kind of pudding being a watery gooey mass of something. I guess it was just a matter of finding the right place to try it… along with a nice glass of wine, just in case.  I mean, after such a nice dinner surely dessert would be great, right? Well it was more than great, it was divine.  So I found myself on a search frenzy, a search for a great bread pudding recipe. It wasn’t easy given the fact that here in Puerto Rico bread pudding seems to takes a trip to the blender before baking because is not chunky like the one I tried. Finally I found what I was looking for at Epicurious. The recipe is for a Bread Pudding Soufflé with Whiskey Sauce by Jaime Shannon. I did made some changes.

 

Instead of making it a soufflé, I used the meringue as topping for the pudding. It came out so good I couldn’t stop giggling ;D

 

Sadly, I can’t make this again for a while since I don’t feel comfy using whiskey while pregnant, no matter how small the amount.

 

Here is the recipe for you.

Bread Pudding:

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

3 medium eggs

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (use a high-quality extract, not an imitation)

5 cups day-old French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (Instead of a French bread I used a sweet bread which is a lot denser, and added half a cup of heavy cream to make sure all the bread got moist.)

1/3 cup raisins

Whiskey Sauce:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons cold water

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup bourbon

Meringue:

9 medium egg whites, at room temperature

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

3/4 cup sugar   

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

To make the bread pudding, combine the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs until smooth, then work in the heavy cream. Add the vanilla, then the bread cubes. Allow the bread to soak up the custard. Scatter the raisins in the greased pan, and top with the egg mixture, which will prevent the raisins from burning. Bake for approximately 25 to 30 minutes or until the pudding has a golden color and is firm to the touch. If a toothpick inserted in the pudding comes out clean, it is done. It should be moist, not runny or dry. Let cool to room temperature.

To make the sauce, bring the cream to a boil, combine the cornstarch and water, and add the mixture to the boiling cream, stirring constantly. Return to a boil, and then reduce the heat and cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds, being careful not to burn the mixture. Add the sugar and bourbon, and stir. Let cool to room temperature.

mmmm.... finger licking good ;) 

To make the meringue, be certain that you use a bowl and whisk that are clean and that the egg whites are completely free of yolk and at room temperature. In a large bowl or mixer, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add the sugar, and continue whipping until shiny and thick. Test with a clean spoon. If the whites stand up stiff, like shaving cream, when you pull out the spoon, the meringue is ready. Do not over whip, or the whites will break down.

If you are using sweet bread like me, and are a bit scared about it being too sweet, bake the pudding first, and then taste it, you can then confidently adapt the sugar amount on the sauce. Just make sure to adjust the whiskey too, or it could get too strong.

To serve you can use tow different approaches. Bake the pudding on a nice baking dish to be served at the table. Once the pudding is ready to be served, pour part of the sauce on top. You can save the rest and serve it on a saucer for those who would like extra sauce. Then cover the pudding with the meringue. Take this chance to decorate your dessert, you can have a smooth finish, some spikes or even breakout your piping bag. You can brown it by placing it under the broiler for a bit, or going wild with a hand torch.

I know!!! Sorry I couldn't wait for the camera....

On the other hand you can try individual servings like I did. Don’t worry; you don’t need a special dish or anything. Just get the cutest crystal glass you have, serve the pudding on it, pour the sauce and cover with a nice dollop of meringue.

I used a martini glass. I adore them and this two are the firsts ones on my soon to be martini glasses collection, so feel free to donate to the cause ;)


Hecmi

Sugar Cookies part two

"They say that dreams are only real as long as they last. Couldn't you say the same thing about life?" from the movie Waking Life

Decorating cookies can be tricky. You need a plan, patience, and practice.  I had those, or at least I though I did. The results were not exactly what I had in mind, but it was fun, and I got to eat cookies ;)

The icing recipe I used is from I am baker. I got curious about the recipe because is so easy. Just four ingredients, how easy is that!!

Here is the recipe:

Sugar Cookie Frosting Recipe

1 cup Confectioners Sugar (powder sugar sifted)

1 Tablespoon Milk

1 drop Lemon Juice (fresh or processed)

1 Tablespoon Light Corn Syrup

Combine powder sugar, corn syrup, and lemon juice in a bowl.

******This next step is important! ******

If you need a thicker frosting, say for outlining your cookies, add less milk. Just a drop at a time.

If you have already outlined your cookies and need to fill in or ’spill’ your cookies, you can add more milk (as much as you would need) to make your frosting very runny.

If you are using food coloring, be sure to use less milk. Most food colorings are liquid and can make your frosting runnier. If you are using a gel food coloring, your milk quantity can remain the same.

If you want to add different flavors, you can add drops of vanilla extract, almond extract, lemon, etc. to flavor your frosting.

If you want more shine, use more corn syrup and less milk.

This frosting will stay good for days in the fridge.

And here is the result.

I had to use zip bags. They are great on emergency, but I found them a bit uncomfortable.  Just snip at a corner and  go crazy...

X-mas spirit anyone!!!!

Cute for St. Valentines

Halloween and baby onesie :)

Like I said, not exactly what I had in mind, but it was great practice. For the next cookie project I will concentrate on the onsies, and that will be for MY Baby Shower!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait.




See ya!!

Hecmi

Sugar Cookies part one

"We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love." ~Author Unknown

So funny and so  true.  I will always thank God for letting me find the love of my life. Is truly amazing to have someone by your side who not only loves you but supports you in everything you want, no matter how crazy it may be. Love you G.

Today’s project is decorated sugar cookies. These cookies are not only tasty and cute, they are functional. How? Simple, they are great personalized gifts, excellent for party decoration, and how about greeting cards, thank you cards or just some cute souvenirs… see, functional.

Lets say you have an up coming party, like, I don’t know, a baby shower … did I mention I’m pregnant, of course I have everything baby on my mind ;)  So wouldn’t some cute baby onesie cookies be a great decoration, or thank you gift? Let’s see how it works out. Please keep in mind that I haven’t attempted this before, well the cookie part yes, the decorating part, big NO.

How to get started, first, there is a great blog for us, University of Cookies. How cool is that!!! They have great video tutorials for all beginners.  Then make sure you have all supplies you need at hand and in good condition. I had some piping bag malfunction along with some missing couplers. Yes, that’s the beauty of moving, things get lost. I’m sure I’ll find them, once I get the new ones of course. For the moment I used a small Ziploc bag, not my favorite thing to use, but they are great for emergencies.

The cookie recipe that I used is from Bridget (Bake at 350) posted on University of Cookies. Is a great recipe, very easy. I did had to add a bit extra flour to get it to the right consistency, but on her tutorial, the dough came out perfect with the amount stated on the recipe. My suggestion, stick to the recipe, but if by any chance the dough come out to wet, a little bit of flour can do the trick, just not too much or it will dry out the cookies. For the rolling, I used a bit of flour on the rolling pin, and wax paper. Those two along with a cold dough work like magic ;) 

I made a mistake of not taking pictures of the dough making and rolling process  (now I have an excuse to do it again ;D ), but this is the result, a nice sturdy, yet soft cookie. 

I did different cut outs for practice. On the next post Ill show you the decoration!!

Have a good one ;D

Hecmi

I have an obsession, a dream, a goal, what ever you want to call it. I think passion would be more apt. I want my own business, a sweets business, everything sweet.  This is odd for me since I don’t have a sweet tooth, but still, baking is the thing for me. I absolutely love it. However…. I can’t seem to take off. There is always something holding me back, Some times recipes don’t work right, some times is a money thing, like all times ;) . Most times it was a time thing, not enough just like the money.... It was hard for me to let go of my job, but it was time. I couldn’t get started on my dream with the job I had.

            I love working (and laziness, but don’t tell my Hubby), I started at a McDonald's about ten years ago (wow, I can’t believe I said it) It was a fun experience; I learned to respect hard work, and the value of money. From there I move to a hotel and I fell in love. It was the coolest thing until an adventure came along. I got an opportunity to work as a Flight Attendant!!! Can you imagine, your office flying over 10,000 feet all over the Caribbean. Well that was my job!!! Once that came to an end I went back to the hotel, but it wasn’t the same. I felt something missing, on the professional side of me there was a void. And then I discovered baking. I always have done cakes, but the box cake (which I honestly believe are good.) but then I tried to make one from scratch and it was magic. I couldn’t believe I baked a Cake all by my self, and it was good.  The feeling was amazing, and I wanted more. I have to confess I went nuts. I tried everything, cakes, cupcakes, cookies, muffins, flans (crème caramel), and I still wanted more. So I tried cheesecakes, éclairs which were quite scary, and the very much scary French Macaroon.

The outcome… well see for your self. Please beware... It is not that pretty.

The cake….

                  

The cupcake…

                         

The flan (crème caramel)….

Mmmmm Chocolate!!!!!

       

The cheesecakes…..

The Bars!!

Covered with chocolate ganache!!! 

                                                           

The verdict…. I love baking…. I want to learn, improve, excel. I want to make my dream come true, and I want to share it with you. So stay tune for more on my new adventure, well, one of them ;)

Happy, happy, joy, joy!!

Hecmi