TWD: Chocolate Cream Tart

And now, for my next trick (aka Tuesdays With Dorie):

Chocolate Cream Tart

Oh, it's a glorious thing, this chocolate. Picked by Kim of Scrumptious Photography, the original details can be found on her blog.

The things I have loved about my first sessions of TWD: each part of these can be made in advance and chilled. I heart chillin. It makes me happy, because work normally interrupts my cooking, and we can't have that, now can we?

I don't have a tart pan, so my plans for tonight are to put some parchment on a pie pan and do it that way - you think that will work, internet? I hope so. I hear good things about this pie.

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Oh my goodness, I just realised I never updated this! Well I don't have pics, because I took it to work with me, and it got eaten there in about 5 seconds flat. So count this as my 2nd TWD success! Although, again, I just wanted to eat the filling. I'm not a huge crust fan, so the filling is what appeals to me.

I did find, with my newfound baking obsession, that I am getting better with each recipe. Oh, and if I make something more than once, I can usually streamline the process and it works out a lot better the second time around!

Ok, onto the score:

Tuesday List

1 I had a wonderful time in lovely Savannah Georgia this weekend for the momma's birthday. This will be highlighted in an upcoming post with pictures.

2 My dog put on a full pound while I was away. I'm sure this is not all due to the Hubs' feeding techniques, but the antibiotics he was on working and him gaining back his lost weight (and then some) from when he was sick. Still, he's not venturing out into full-on Dachshund territory anytime soon (11 lbs is the max for mini's).


3 I am not a huge fan of the choo-choo. (again, upcoming post)

4 When on said choo-choo, apparently I am hard to entertain.


5 I really really need to drop the weight I put on since the wedding. I did eat lots of salad last night, and lots of salad on the trip, but dressing is my kryptonite.


6 The spot where the Flat Earth Farmland Cheddar chips usually are at the store was filled with Garlic Herb instead. Maybe the Hubs will not eat them all before I get to the bag this time. Bets, anyone?

aaaaaaand that's a wrap.

Things That Are Annoying

1) Lady Gaga.
A) She stole her hair from Cher - seriously, give it back; she does a much better job in the wig department.
B) you're really going to take that wig and make a HAIR BOW with it?!?!
C) learn to dance and not just hunch your shoulders and move your legs.
D) stop riding killer whales. even if they're floats in a kiddie pool, that's disgusting and they're endangered.
E) I think you might be a man like Katy Perry.

2) Having to buy a single-serving pack of cheddar Flat Earth chips at work because your husband ate almost the whole bag you bought at the store last week.

3) JCREW free shipping emails - off of your first million dollars spent.

4) STILL not being warm enough to walk the dogs in the morning. I don't go outside for anything under 30.

My First TWD: Banana Cream Pie

Here it is, expectant reader(s), my first TWD (Tuesdays With Dorie) post. Dorie Greenspan is the author of Baking: From My Home to Yours, a gigantic volume which has inspired various bakers to join a blog called Tuesdays With Dorie. Every Tuesday, these bakers take one recipe, chosen by a member, and all post about their experience making that recipe.

As of St. Patrick's Day, I am now a member.

However I have not gotten to bake yet due to extenuating circumstances (illness/new job/another new job/no time to breathe) but this week, I'm all in!

So, tonight will be Banana Cream Pie night. For the recipe, please visit the Great and Powerful Recipe Chooser, Amy of Sing for your Supper.

::time elapses::

Ok, so the post started on a Tuesday, which is legal, but ended on Wednesday morning. So sue me, I have three jobs and a dog that pees on everything. This turned out beautifully for my first TWD even though I used a store crust - and it was to be debuted tonight at dinner, but it looks like it will be just me myself and I because my friend's son is sick! But K may be coming over so I may still get my fajitas with Banana Cream Pie dinner, hehe.

I really wanted to eat the banana pudding-y stuff by itself. Yum. Pictures to come (technical difficulties sorry sports fans), and taste test to come, after the BCP's debut at dinner tonight!

Ok I'm totally late with this, but here you are:


Oh gosh... it makes me want it again just looking at the pictures.

Verdict:

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Or, I Should Have Made This On Friday. 'cause, it's fish and all.

Again with the BCC. I love that darn crocker. In fact... I should make it a label over yonder →, hmm...

Tuna-Pasta Casserole
from the Betty Crocker Cookbook
prep: 20 min bake: 30 min; 6 servings

Crumb Topping (or 2/3 c crushed potato chips; I used panko and 1 tb butter)
2/3 c crushed cereal or dry bread crumbs
1 tb butter or stick margarine, melted
Directions: Mix. Natch.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 c uncooked medium pasta shells or elbow macaroni (about 5 ounces) (I used whole-wheat egg noodles)
2 tb butter or stick margarine
2 tb all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
2 c milk
1 c shredded sharp process American or Cheddar cheese (4 ounces) (I used some leftover mozzarella and Cabot Vermont sharp cheddar, mmm)
2 c cooked broccoli flowerets (yes, that's seriously how it's spelled in the book) or 1 c frozen (thawed) green peas
2 cans (6 ounces each) tuna in water, drained

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350. Make Crumb Topping; set aside.
2. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.
3. While pasta is cooking, melt butter in 1 1/2-quart saucepan over low heat. Stir in flour and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Gradually stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in cheese until melted.
4. Mix pasta, broccoli, tuna and sauce in ungreased 2-quart casserole. Cover and bake about 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with topping (I totally did this before I baked it, oops). Bake uncovered about 5 minutes or until topping is toasted.

Nutrition Info:
1 serving: 360cal, 14g fat, 35mg chol, 600mg sodium, 33g carbs, 29g protein, Vit A 28%, Vit C 18%, Calcium 24%, Iron 24%.



The Hubs doesn't like this too much, he'll eat it, but it's one of those things he ate a lot as a child so he's not thrilled about it like I am. Yes, I am. Anything with "casserole" in the name is good for me.

Verdict:

St. Patrick's Day cupcakes

Since I didn't get any alcohol last year for St. P's day, I figured I'd make it a prerequisite this year and put it in my cupcakes (made for a St. P's day pot luck at work that I didn't know about until a day prior).



Back to the trusty ol' Betty Crocker cookbook, to try a recipe I saw before when making the Starlight Yellow Cake (or whatever they decided to call it back in the 50's). That other cake is in my links over yonder →.

So, without further adieu, and I have no idea what that means but will probably Google it later, I give you...The Silver White Cake.


I totally only used 1 cup of milk for this, and the batter I had leftover after I made the cupcakes was poured into a cake pan and got kind of gooey.
My cupcakes continue to come out looking different depending on which pan I use. The darker pan, the edges came out darker than the center. Lighter pans, they were white all the way around. Moral of this story: cheap pans are not all bad.

And now, for the frosting:

3 sticks room-temp unsalted butter, cream them in a mixer
1 lb powdered sugar, add to creamed butter in 1/2 cup increments
3 tb Bailey's Irish Cream, add to frosting and maybe drink some
green food coloring (I used the gel kind, I heart it) to preference



I really really liked the frosting, some people could really taste the Bailey's and my mom couldn't at all...hmm. Anywho, the cake part was fantastic as well, it will be my go-to white cake recipe from now on.

Verdict:

And in the morning, I'm making waffles.

So I got a waffle maker for Cmas, fun fun! I get to use that Donkey line more often now. And apparently my mixer. More to follow on that.

I looked up a couple recipes (DrAnnie, I heart your waffle mixes) and such, but realised I didn't have something that they called for. I can't recall what it is offhand right now, but I didn't have it.

So I used the recipe in the little book included in my WM package. I normally hate doing that, but it was the only recipe that included stuff I have in my house.

Classic Waffles
The Oster Instruction Book That Came With My Waffle Maker

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c cornstarch
2 TB cornmeal (optional) (You're absolutely right, I did not add this)
1 TB baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 large eggs, separated
2 TB granulated sugar
1 3/4 c milk
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Instructions:
In large bowl, sift or whisk together flour, cornstarch, cornmeal, baking powder and salt to blend thoroughly; set aside.
In mixer bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Add sugar; continue beating just until stiff peaks form; set aside.

↑ That's a picture of the egg whites, right?? My work firewall doesn't like some of my pictures so I can't tell!

Whisk together egg yolks, milk and vanilla.
(check out my three bowls ↓)


Using rubber spatula (strong with the Oster people, the English is), stir milk mixture into flour mixture, blending just until dry ingredients are moistened (there should still be small lumps; do not over mix).
Stir in melted butter. Fold in beaten egg whites until combined.


Pour batter onto hot, greased waffle maker and bake.
Makes about 5 1/2 c batter.
Waffle tip: Cornstarch makes the waffles crispier. If you don't have cornstarch, you could still make great waffles by omitting cornstarch and increasing flour to 2 cups. Bake as directed. ~ a friendly tip from the Oster people!



Yum! They were a little light at first because obviously, first time making waffles. hubs wanted his darker, so I left them in longer. They were fab, especially with real maple syrup and jam for Hubs (since he's a syrup unsnob and likes fake syrup which I didn't keep in my house until this week when I broke down and got him some only for him to say he likes the jam on top better).

Oh and also - I refused to drag out That 70's Mixer to do the egg whites thing so I beat them by hand. Never again. I woke up Sunday with "waffle-hand" and couldn't use my right arm for the rest of the day. It sucked, and I didn't realise until about noon that day why it actually hurt so much. So, That 70's Mixer will have a place of honor when my new hutch is delivered in 2-3 weeks.

Verdict: