I am not sure if you all know, but I have been baking the hard way for practically my entire baking career. I have never quite been able to justify spending $200+ on a stand mixer...maybe I'm just cheap. And yes, I know that Kitchen Aide mixers are WELL worth the money, especially for someone who wants to be in the business of baking, but I just cannot seem to shell out (or let my hubby) money for a mixer.
Well Christmas is approaching and my hubby keeps threatening me with a $200+ stand mixer...so I had to take matters into my own hands and outsmart him, because I cannot accept such an expensive kitchen appliance that won't get used everyday, and also, I have NO idea where I would store something like that. So, I was out doing my weekly thrift store shopping excursion this weekend and stumbled across not one, but three different mixers at my local Goodwill. One of the mixers was just the mixer with no bowls or attachments, so that was immediately out of the running. The other two were definitely vintage, one of which is the exact one that my mom currently owns that she received as a wedding gift when she married my dad. Although I am familiar with that one, it is a horrible orange color and it didn't look well-cared for by its previous owner. The third choice was a Sunbean Mixmaster and came with two glass bowls and a set of beaters. The only issue is that it needs a little tape on the spin plate, but for $15 I just couldn't turn it down. I brought it home, cleaned it up and cannot wait to start using it...now if only I had it a week ago my pumpkin whoopie pies, and chocolate mousse pie would have been much easier to make :)
This is a recipe that was one of my favorites from my childhood. I can remember a segment on our local news channel at noon everyday where a guy name Mr. Food would create a recipe. My mom loved this portion of the show! Most of the things that he made were either not good, or sounded good but came out completely terrible. This is the one recipe that my mom made over and over of his, and since I am not an apple pie eater, this became the apple cake that she would make for me since I am not a fan of pie. The smells that float around my house from making this cake remind me of my childhood, and the recipe could not be simpler, but the outcome is amazing.
Ingredients:
2 medium apples, skins removed and diced
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 egg beaten
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350.
In a bowl combine egg, vanilla, cinnamon, baking powder and sugar. Then gradually add flour, only stirring until everything is combined. The slowly add the apples, folding them in until combined. The batter is only enough to cover the apples, so don't be alarmed by the lack of excess batter. Pour mixture into a 9in pie pan, and cook for 30 mins. You can top this with whip cream, powdered sugar, or ice cream!
OK, I admit that I tend to be a little on the modest side, and always criticize my food....and most other things that I do....but I made my famous Pumpkin Bread this weekend, and this bread is so delicious that I have nothing that I can change or criticize. To me, this bread is the epitome of Autumn. The scent in my house when I am making this bread is so amazing, that I wish I could bottle it or make it into a candle fragrance for everyone to enjoy! This is a bread that is so perfectly spiced and so moist, that it is, by far is the best bread I have consumed in my life thus far.
The only other thing that I can say about this bread is that you NEED to try it. If there is one thing this Autumn/ Winter season that I blog that you try out, it really should be this recipe.
Ingredients:
3 cups sugar (or 1 cup sugar and 1 cup brown sugar)
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 16oz can solid pack pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
This recipe makes 2 full loaves of bread.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make sure to butter and flour the pans so that your bread does not stick to the pans. Beat sugar and oil in a large bowl to blend, then mix in eggs and pumpkin. In a separate bowl, sift flower, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir half of the pumpkin mixture into the dry ingredients, and incorporate completely before adding the rest of the pumpkin mixture. Do not over mix, just make sure everything is combined. Put mixture into the 2 bread pans and cook for 70mins. Let cool before removing from pans.
Who wouldn't want to receive a boob cake for a special occasion? This was my thought when I received one for my 21st birthday a couple of years ago. I had just started my catering business and had named it Gabriella's Goodies, which my best friend thought was hysterical because we are always joking about my breasts being my 'goodies'. So, she decided a boob cake was very fitting for the occasion, and I have to admit, after I got over the shock of my cake being boobies, I really loved it!
It's now two years later, and one of my good friends is celebrating his 40th birthday, so I thought, what better way to celebrate a big birthday than with a boob cake! This wasthe first one that I made, but it was so easy.I'm not the first one to make the boob cake, nor is the recipe homemade, but I think its a fun one to share anyway :)
Ingredients List
2 boxes of your favorite cake mix
2 oven safe bowls that are the same size and a good boobie shape
Hershey Kisses
Red food coloring
Buttercream frosting
Follow the instructions on the cake mix to create the batter. Spray your boob bowls with a non stick cooking spray so that they won't stick. Fill bowls 3/4 full. I found that its easier to remove them from the oven if you put the bowls on a baking sheet before placing them in the oven. (this will also help with clean up if the batter overflows the bowls) Once your oven is preheated to the temperature that's specified on the box mix, place baking sheet with bowls in the oven. (I had a little extra batter left over, so I actually made some cupcakes as well.) How long they will need to be in the oven will depend on how large your bowls are...mine took almost an hour. This is the only tough part about the process because you really do need to babysit them while they are in the oven. You can check to see if they are done periodically by inserting a knife or toothpick into the cake, if it comes out clean, then they are done. Once they are fully cooked, remove them from the oven and let them sit upright in the bowls for about 30 mins. After 30 mins, the bowls will still be hot, so be careful when handling them. Line a baking sheet with foil, and turn the bowls over. Let this sit for about an hour before trying to remove the cake from the bowls. Place each cake side by side with only a small gap (for proper boobie look), and make sure to let the cakes cool completely before frosting. Frost with the butter-cream, leaving some left over for dying pink. After the cakes are frosted put the remaining frosting in a bowl and use only a drop of the red food coloring to dye the frosting pink for the nipples. Place one unwrapped Hershey Kiss in the center of each cake, and then cover the kiss with the pink icing.
You now have a simple boob cake :)
(and maybe some A cup cupcakes as well)
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