Butter Toffee Cashew Christmas Presents…Shhh

Seriously, these are so easy I don’t know why the internet has more pictures of cupcakes than these beauties.  You see how I put them in the peppermint striped bowl?  This is what my aunts and other family and friends are getting for Christmas, shhh!  So yummy, so buttery, a little salty, so EASY!

Ultimately, what I would like to make is more of a homemade P-Nuttles recipe.  Sure, sure, you can find Peanut P-Nuttles everywhere but my favorite are the Cashew P-Nuttles.  Every year, when we go to the L.A. County Fair, I buy a great big bag.  I got that from my mom, that was one of her Fair traditions too.  This year, just after I finished mine, my sister went and got some.  We both shared, so it was like we had Cashew P-Nuttles for a whole month!  Ahh, the little things.  P-Nuttles are made using copper pots though, so I don’t know how that is all gonna go since I don’t have one.  I do have a few ideas on what to do to get around that to see if I can get somewhat closer to that whole end result.  I’ll be sure to keep you posted.

I didn't make much. I halved the original recipe, but it still was enough to make me feel WAY guilty for eating most of it.

My GeekyLink this week is actually another WordPress blog.  I found it via @wilw (Wil Wheaton) and @annewheaton on Twitter.  They had retweeted this blog that this guy @cryanathus had written detailing how he nerded out when Anne Wheaton responded to one of his tweets.  She responded to a couple of mine and although I might have shared his reaction, I kept it to myself.  I really kind of admired that he put it out there (Text I typed totally might have been in Wil Wheaton’s house for a second and that makes me awesome) and Wil and Anne were laughing their butts off!  That is how I found out about this guy.  I decided to follow his blog and follow him on Twitter.  I ultimately became completely jealous of him while I was reading reading his post Nerding My Wife 2.  Anne Wheaton’s bio on Twitter says she is “Accepting that I’m more of a nerd than I thought…”  and obviously @cryanathus’ wife is trying to do the same since she is willing to let her husband expose her to different “nerdy” things.  This is so unfair!  Do the nerdy chicks out there get that same sort of consideration from their men?  I really feel like if the wife was the nerd (as is my case), perhaps the men would not be so obliging.  At least not as easily anyway, there are very few “nerdy” things that my husband will let me expose him two.   He wouldn’t see Harry Potter after the second movie, let alone read any of the books.  He cannot stand Dr. Who.  We saw the latest Star Trek and X-Men movies together but he HATES Star Trek: TNG (!).  If you read the line on my header, you will see that I have pointed out that he is in denial.  I swear, whenever I comment about some new “nerdy” thing I have discovered, or Dr. Who, or Harry Potter, or anything AWESOME, he says, “You’re not a nerd.”  He feels like he is giving me a complement or rising me up from some lower status that he thinks I have given myself, but he is crazy!  I love this stuff, and my poor nerdy heart cries a little…for him, he is SO missing out!

Chocolate Malt Cake and Despicable Me Cupcakes, Keeping Me Busy

Both these treats were what I was working on over the last two weeks that either caused me to post late and/or not post at all.  Blame my wonderful nephews.

First up, is the Chocolate Malt Cake.  It just so happens that my nephews go to my grade school alma mater.  As it is a private school, along with tuition, fundraisers are a big part of the whole process.  So every year, in October, they have a big one called Family Fun Day.  In my day it was a weekend festival, which some former students think is better but I have to say with the exception of confetti eggs, this one is better.  I love the bingo they play for prizes in the hall and the classroom raffles are really good.  I never spend as much money on my kids playing games, face painting, food and sweets, or playing on different inflatable contraptions than I spend on raffle tickets and bingo games (some years we even win a few things, but this was a bad year, not one thing).  Another thing they have every year is a Cakewalk.  So one afternoon, I get a call from my sister asking, ” You are gonna make a cake for the cakewalk right?”  To be fair, I had made one for every year since I can remember, but I was trying to sort out my schedule in my mind to make sure I had the time and before I could answer her, she says, “Cause I signed you up.”

Before Ganache

Yay!  The only issue I had was not the time to make the cake but what cake to make?  It took me two days of looking and then I saw this cake and knew instantly.  I used her recipe exactly so I won’t post it here except I did use the ganache recipe that I had used in my Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake.  Her ganache looks a bit glossier but mine did too when I first poured it.  I didn’t get to take good pictures till later in the day after I had refrigerated it a bit (this was when my lights still weren’t working).  The cake itself baked up so nicely that maybe, if I can adapt it without the malt, it might just be THAT chocolate cake.  We shall see…

The only recipe you are gonna get from me this week is for the frosting for these cupcakes.  I thought it was a little odd that an 8 year old would ask for a mint frosting and I almost asked him to change it, but it was what he wanted so I went with it.  Did I mention not only is my daughter smart, my nephews are too?  He was so right!  The chocolate cupcakes with the mint frosting were spot on.  The kids weren’t put off by the mint at all and of course the adults loved them.  It was a great idea and I look forward to doing it on a more refined scale over again.  The chocolate cupcakes were my standard Buttermilk Devil’s Food Cake Doctor cake that I use all the time and also used for my Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake.

As it WAS an 8 year old’s birthday, I needed to add Despicable Me Minions to the cupcakes.  I got this idea from pluckymomo.com (sorry no link, it wouldn’t work for some reason).  She credits Confessions of a Cookbook Queen for the idea but I like pluckymomo’s version better.  It seemed simpler overall and didn’t require me to buy an edible ink pen or black licorice whips (eew).  I just had to buy the Twinkies, Smarties, and black gel color which I was able to use for the grey and black buttercream frosting for the goggle details.  I also drizzled it on top of the frosting later because I was thinking the frosting tip I used (which is my favorite for cupcakes, maximum coverage without piling on the frosting) made them look a bit girly.  Drizzle some grey and black stripes on top, problem solved.  The Minions would have looked nicer if I had more time than the hour and a half between my daughter’s soccer game and the party to make them.  The recipe said the Twinkies would dry out but also said the kids wouldn’t care.  I should have listened and just done them earlier.  Especially since I kept them sealed in Tupperware and that is how I transported them to the party, it probably wouldn’t have mattered.

My GeekyLink this week is The Guild – a web series about gamers.  I have heard so much about this show and the show’s creator Felicia Day.  She is virtually on any cool podcast out there, is around at all the Cons, and overall is like Nerd Princess of the World right now.  I had heard so much about this show and was interested but didn’t make the effort until last week.  Which really wasn’t that much effort, I checked if it was streaming on Netflix.  The first four seasons (the fifth just ended and not available on Netflix yet but is online and I haven’t gotten to it yet) are SO FUNNY and so short (a whole season lasts about an hour) that it is SO worth the effort.  Check it out, you will not be dissappointed!

Here We Go, Sourdough!

Homemade Ten Pound Buns

Since I had so much trouble this time with my starter I don’t think I should be telling anyone how to make a starter.  I will though, just because there are a few things that can go wrong (although, ultimately it is SUPER easy) and maybe you can learn from my mistakes (and I promised).  First off, I would like to refer you to Sourdough Bread: How To Begin by S. John Ross, which is where Joy the Baker got her info and where I got my bread recipe.  Really, I just want to bring to your attention the cool science experiment that is a sourdough starter.  Also, be warned of the myriad of things you can do not only with a starter (pancakes, pretzels, rolls, loaves) but also with just the bread itself.  You are just going to be cooking with it all the time.

First of all, this loaf still had its issues.  Last year, the wonderful starter I had could rise my dough ready for baking in about 3 1/2 hours total.  That was just the time for my first rise this time.  I still wish it had risen more but at least it rose enough and cooked all the way through.  My first two attempts barely rose at all and were still doughy in center.  I think maybe even though I had been feeding it faithfully over a week and it was bubbling and smelled awesome, ultimately my starter wasn’t ready for me to bake with it.  I knew the starter itself wasn’t bad, so I just put it in the fridge for the rest of the week and came back to it when I had time over the weekend.  I got it out on Saturday and fed it Saturday and Sunday and made the sponge for my bread on Sunday night.  I could tell while making this bread that the starter had gotten better.  It still did not compare to some weeks I had last year where it bubbled so much, even as I had gotten all the way to mixing the flour in for my bread dough, that I felt guilty baking it because it was so obvious I was killing something (even if it was bacteria) that was so totally alive!  It really is the neatest thing.  Science in my tummy!

So on Monday I followed my recipe and baked a loaf that was completely edible (third times a charm, right?).  A loaf I could slice up and eat with dinner, a loaf I could make toast with, a loaf that I could make a Ten Pound Bun with!  Have you ever had those at the fair?  A-mazing!  Last year, when I made my loaf a week, we would put cheese on the sourdough and melt it in the microwave and have it for a snack.  This year after going to the L.A. County Fair, and eating what has been a staple of our fair food for years, it was like being struck by lightning!  Sourdough, garlic spread, and colby jack cheese melted with the broiler-how simple, how decadent, and I can totally make this at home!

Tips

Don’t let a good sourdough die.  Mine died just this spring.  I took it out of the fridge to bring it up to room temperature before I fed it (which you don’t need to do) and didn’t get around to feeding it for three days!  Then I could smell that I had killed it.  Still so sad.

Keep trying.  Although I had a great easy experience last year, this year has been more difficult.  Remember, the longer it lives the easier it will be to bake or cook with it.  You WILL get a feel for the health of your starter.

For good rising use your oven.  Turn it on for a minute or so, then turn it off.  If you accidentally make it too hot, crack open the door to cool a bit before placing your dough inside.

It really is easy.  After your initial commitment of feeding it every day for a week or so, you stick it in the fridge to be fed once a week (after awhile, even less).  If you bake a loaf once a week like I did, the whole thing becomes a no brainer.

Please ask questions if you have them.  I hope I can answer any you might have, if not I am sure we can figure it out together.  So if you haven’t started your starter yet, get cracking and if you have, get baking!  You won’t regret it.

Come to momma!

My GeekyLink this week is Hogwarts house stereotypes from my Pinterest page.  I like it because it addresses some of the concerns that were brought up in the review of PotterMORE on the Nerdist website.  I pretty much agree with the entire review.  But she brings up something that I didn’t realize, apparently lots of people that were sorted into Hufflepuff abandoned their accounts.  I was sorted into Hufflepuff (I was completely honest in my answers to the questions that decide where you go) and yes, I was kinda bummed about it but not enough to not try out the potential awesomeness that is Pottermore!  Then I ran across my GeekyLink picture and I had totally forgotten that Cedric Diggory, the only legitimate Hogwarts candidate for the Triwizard Tournament, was a Hufflepuff.  Then I felt much better about it.

Pear Crumb Bars

Well, the good news is the sourdough post is coming soon!  It took three tries for my first loaf to come out like I wanted.  Want more good news?  We have light in the kitchen!  As always, family comes through.

The base before you press it into your pan.

Also, I know I haven’t been posting much but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been baking.  I just haven’t been baking for the blog.  I think I will write a post that has all the things I have been doing for family and such, coming after the sourdough post!  So at least you know I will be posting more frequently than I have been.  These bars are up first because they have been in line for awhile.  So long, that I had to buy new pears this week because two of the ones I bought the first time I wanted to make these had gone bad.  I just made these yesterday and I think another reason I wanted to post these first is because my husband liked them so much.  I know, I know, I am such a dweeb!  Sometimes all it takes is an approving look or comment from him and I get all giddy.  What can I say?

Out of the oven, jam spread on top.

Anyhoo, these were originally Apple Crumb Bars from Annie’s Eats.  I wanted to try the pears because they have a more subtle flavor and I didn’t really want any tartness.  Also, I think it is a fruit that you can bake with that often gets overlooked.  I was a little worried about the texture, that the pears might fall apart but no, even the super ripe ones, held up great!  My husband couldn’t even tell that they were pears.  I am not sure if that means my switch up was a failure but at least he liked it and he liked it a lot.  He thought they were a little messy for bars and preferred to use a fork but I had no problem (after about cooling for around 30 minutes) cutting into that sucker and eating it as a bar and finishing it so quickly I am kind of ashamed of myself.  I did chill it after that to make it easier to cut into bars but I do think warm is best.  So, use a fork, use your hands, whatever you prefer.

Cooking the filling.

Annie said that she thought the bottom crust was a bit thick and that she would reduce the amount she used next time but I think if it wasn’t that thick it might fall apart and couldn’t at all be eaten as a bar.  However, if you plan on eating it with a fork, by all means reduce the amount of crust you use if you would like.  I was a bit taken aback by the texture of the topping, it is a bit more dough like than you might think.  It reminded me of the topping for the Crumb Cake I made a few weeks back.  Instead of crumbling it on top you sort of break off bits and sprinkle on top.  Overall, very quick and easy and yummy.

Out of the oven!

So I am supposed to be the NerdyBaker and I haven’t yet posted a Star Wars GeekyLink?  Well, that is about to change!  This came to my attention via Twitter and I want these so bad.  STAR WARS decals for your car!  Way cooler than Disneyland ones and stick people right?  My husband just gave me a funny look when I said I wanted these so it might take a bit of convincing but I will get these at some point.

Cake Batter and Brown Butter Pumpkin Pie Spice Rice Krispie Treats

Cake Batter Krispie

Sorry, this was supposed to be my triumphant sourdough post.  I guess I had some issues.  To be honest, I did realize after the first rise that something was wrong but I had already waited two hours and I couldn’t wait any more.  I will just keep trying.  Trust me, a really great homemade sourdough is worth it.  Even a not so great one still made my house smell awesome.

It did not fill up the sheet pan, FYI. Can you tell I added some sprinkles too early and they melted, o well.

In the meantime, I have some not quite so baked treats that I have kind of been obsessed with.  For all you readers out there still making plain rice krispie treats (which are great, don’t get me wrong), you are missing out.  Even just today, Brown Eyed Baker put up a recipe for Peanut Butter and White Chocolate Krispie Treats.  I have two different kinds that I have made in the last two weeks, cake batter and brown butter with pumpkin pie spice.  Can you believe I made two batches of the cake batter during that time and hardly got any?  I can’t complain, at least I go to taste them.  Poor Angela didn’t get any.  The first batch went to Sarah’s preschool for snack and the second batch was for my nephews’ Family Fun Day at school.  I did cut one of those up into fourths for us to share but Robert found Angela’s piece and ate it.  I had planned on making a hot chocolate rice krispie treats for the Family Fun Day but I didn’t have cocoa krispies and I thought I did.  I’ll have to make those next.

I had seen the brown butter pumpkin pie spice krispies and, of course, they had me at brown butter.  Both of these recipes, I had to amp up the flavor a bit from the original recipes and the overall quantity because for Sarah’s class I needed 30 and for the others I just wanted nice thick almost Disneyland sized treats.  I am sure I will do the same with the hot chocolate krispies when I get around to making those.

As far as the home front, still no kitchen lights.  My husband and I spent all night working on it, to no avail.  So we called in the big guns, basically the family electrician.  She lives 2-3 hours away (depending on traffic) and she offered to check it out for us because she didn’t want us to get ripped off.  Family rules!  Here’s to hoping she can help.  Then I can bake late at night (without interruption, yay!) and take halfway decent pictures instead of trying to fit in everything during daylight.

Brown Butter Bits + Pumpkin Pie Spices = Awesome!

My GeekyLink for the week is of course The Avengers movie trailer.  I am sure everyone has seen it by now but I mean, what else could it be?

Pull Apart Cheesy Herb Bread

The weather was getting cold this week and I just really wanted some bread in the oven.  It was as simple as that.  I had several recipes on deck but this one cut in line simply for having yeast in it.  Also, I finally restarted my sourdough starter!  I cannot wait to have me some homemade sourdough.  If all goes well I will share the whole process, but if you cannot wait please check out where I learned on Joy the Baker.

Rolled out ball with herbs and cheese.

Otherwise, everything is the same.  The lights still aren’t fixed and my husband starts his work week again tonight so I guess that is another week I’ll be waiting unless I get frustrated enough and try to fix it myself.  It might happen but I am kinda busy this weekend.  I made a cake this week for a cakewalk that they are having at my nephews’ Family Fun Day at school and I am going to take my girls to enjoy the festivities later today.

Made into pockets!

That is if they don’t drive me crazy first.  It amazes me how renewed and energized I feel pretty much every morning or at least a good three times a week and how quickly the kids just suck it all out of me.  Really, I would be done and finished with this post over half an hour ago if my youngest daughter, Sarah, didn’t keep chasing the kitten around and if my youngest, Robert, didn’t keep screaming when I have to keep him quiet so daddy can sleep because he has to work later.  Angela, my oldest, is keeping to herself right now.  Did I mention she is really smart?

Shove those pockets in there and make them fit!

My husband always says that it is my baking and/or blogging that gets me all stressed out and frustrated but I point out that when I am home alone baking or baking late at night, I am as happy as a clam and baking is as cathartic for me as ever and totally relaxing.  I don’t even mind doing a mound of dishes if I get something really tasty and pretty out of it.  It is when life happens all around me and I just can’t keep up or keep it all straight, that is when I go a little batty.

All egg washed up, with extra cheese, ready for the oven.

Anyways, the kids have calmed down a bit so I’d better hurry up and tell you about this bread.  The original recipe calls for fresh dill and parsley but I didn’t have any so I used dry.  It is too expensive to buy herbs too often, especially when they go bad so soon (we are starting to grow some but I only have basil so far).  After baking, I still would have used a smidge less and I did adjust the amount in the recipe.  It wasn’t that easy to pull apart, so it is up to you if that is how you want to eat it.  It might have been easier if I hadn’t added the extra cheese on top, but I wanted the extra cheese on top so there.  Enjoy!

See, came right out!

GeekyLink this week I got was posted on the The Nerdist website the other day “Doctor Who” Series 6 in 89 Seconds.  Chris Hardwick wrote a book coming out soon called the The Nerdist Way and I enjoy the podcast and the site so much that I just might actually get it.

Chocolate Chip Shortbread and Free Time

OK yeah, I did complain about my husband’s new schedule on Twitter yesterday (he is home now almost EVERY afternoon), but today, I am feeling a bit differently.  I am at my daughter’s dance class without my two year old son to keep busy.  I couldn’t be happier!  Yes, this means no more Friday night football for him but it does mean he will get to watch it on Sunday, all day on the couch.

Mixing in the coffee mixture and vanilla

My frustration with his sitting on the couch all day yesterday watching football while I was cleaning up, cutting coupons, making lists, grocery shopping, making dinner and then cleaning up after dinner, motivated me to do the dishes last night instead of waiting till the morning.  Just that little thing helped me get ahead in my day today and left me with some time to bake when I was afraid I wouldn’t have any time and now I have time to myself to write a blog post when otherwise I would be trying to entertain my toddler son at a dance studio with limited distractions for him.  Plus, I got loads of extra stuff done today!  I started work on my daughter’s wand for her Halloween costume and I fixed a drawer in our kitchen that had been out of commission for about a month.

After rolling it out in the bag, weird but it works!

While I will now have to deal with him yelling at the dumbest things (he shrieks as if he has been stabbed or cusses loudly when something simple happens like accidentally dropping something on the floor, a habit that drives me BONKERS!) and maybe DVRing more of my shows instead of watching when they are on, I guess it is worth it for some free time for me and more time with the kids for him.

These Shortbread Chocolate Chip Cookies were what I had time to bake today.  I thought they were just OK but my super duper picky (ask anyone) four year old said they were her favorite of anything I have ever baked (she normally flat out refuses to eat things I bake because god forbid there is a blueberry or a nut in something). If I did have it to do over again I would have used salted butter, though.  I really think, for me, that would have made all the difference.

My GeekyLink for today is a site I had heard about from Entertainment Weekly.  If you have read the The Hunger Games and are a fan and can’t wait for the movie, you might want to check out this site The Capitol where you can figure out what District you are in.  Really, they just place you in a District and there are certain districts that are active now and you can get a district badge.  You can then like your District on Facebook.  The site itself is really cool with a few neat things to look at along with a countdown to The Hunger Games, the movie, but done as a countdown to a “real” Hunger Games.