Sweet Treats and Things to Eat

I didn't mean to talk about that so much, but it happens. What can you do?

If there's one thing the Internet loves more than cats, it's ridiculous baked goods. Along with reading a cooking blog or two, I have seen treats upon treats all over the web that make me drool. Pinterest is basically food porn. Like chocolate chip cookie dough truffles:

or maybe Reese's cheesecake brownies:

Or perhaps chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake bars?

Guh. I die. Can you tell I love cookie dough/cheesecake/peanut butter? Because those are my favorite desserts.

Along with the Pinterest food deliciousness, I've been reading all about Cake Week. It happened this week, and what happened was a group of bloggers each made a different type of cake. Honestly, I'm not a cake person. Sure, there are some delicious cakes, but it's not at the top of my dessert list. I will chow down on the batter like a madman however. Any type of batter? I will lick the bowl clean. That's probably the reason I love cookie dough so much.

So I don't like baked goods, I like un-baked goods? Oh dear. Probably not good for my health.

On the actual baking side of things, I'm not much of the cake or brownie maker. I can make a pretty swell chocolate chip cookie, or more likely dough. There is one baked good that I do love, and it's baking bread.
As you may recall, I bought a bread baking book earlier this summer that I lovingly call the Bread Bible. Since then, I've baked 21 different loaves of bread from the book, not including the ones that I've repeated. I've had some ups and downs with my breads, like not baking long enough or baking too long. I've had many that didn't rise very well. Actually, the breads I've tried baking in my oven here have been having the most issues... Then again, I think my oven turns off in the middle of baking. I'm not sure if I can confirm this, but the little light turns off on the outside that says, "Oven on". So that might be happening.
Anyways, one of the breads that I've been baking that I find delight in are sweet breads, or quick breads. Alright, these don't really count as real breads. It's like when you justify having a muffin for breakfast. Stop lying to yourself, that's cake without the frosting.

I baked some strawberry bread this week because I though UFO was having another bake sale. Turns out they're not until next week. Perhaps I'll make the strawberry bread into breakfast bread instead. Strawberry and peanut butter? Odd but good combo.
So here's some of what I can bake:

Eat your heart out Pinterest.

Oh, what am I saying? My bread looks sad. However, it does taste like fresh strawberries, even though they were frozen. Perhaps I need a better place to model my food? My kitchen is very sad and has icky lighting.

Well, I'll keep working on the bread baking thing. I do have more than 300 recipes left in that book.

What's your favorite dessert? What's your dessert making specialty?

Imitating the Foodie Bloggers

Sometimes, I wish I was a foodie blogger.

Or had any theme, really. Other than college kid writing? I dunno. Still, foodie blogger is the type of blogger I wish I could be the most. Food bloggers seem to have all of the fun, and they make the tastiest looking things. For instance, Mimi over at Gingersnaps just wrote about the FoodBuzz Fest, and everything sounded amazing.

But here's the thing: I am not very good at cooking. As I've mentioned multiple times. However, I'd like to think of myself as an okay baker. I'm slowly learning the art of this baking thing, don't worry about it. I've been baking bread out of what I'm calling my Bread Bible since I bought it this summer, and yesterday I thought I would make something out of it for the pledge potluck happening tomorrow.

Which leads me to point two of why I'm not in the position of being able to be a food blogger... My food isn't pretty. The best quality that all of my food baked goods has that it smells amazing. (If I do say so myself, hur hur hur.) When I baked pumpkin bread on Halloween, I received complaints about the bread smelling good. Trust me, it was a good thing in said situation. For the last two days, I've smelt like butter. You'd be surprised, but it's fantastic. I just kept smelling myself.

So what did I make today? See for yourself...

Croissants! Yes, I realize they are not super pretty but hell I'm going to take them as my dish tomorrow. That's another thing that makes me nervous about my baking- no one has ever really eaten my baking before. Sure, they've had my cookies, but no one else has partaken in the consumption of my bread. My dad never ate any, even though I would offer it. Then again, when I made him granola for Christmas last year because he likes food to munch on, he didn't eat any of it. I don't know.

I'll admit, the croissants are a little... toasted on the bottom. I didn't even keep them in the over for as long as the recipe said, it was a lot less time. I freakin' watched them. However, I taste tested one and... OH MY GOODNESS. This is why rolling three sticks of butter into flour is a good thing. (True story.)

So I'll take my little batch of french baked goods...

...And serve them to people. Wish me luck!

In case you were wondering, my phone camera still hasn't been working. That means all of these pictures were taken with my web cam. Yet another reason why I could not be a foodie blogger.

Oh, and the Cascade Half is in January. Plenty of time for training, so I'll try a little experimenting with the running.

Are you nervous about cooking for others? What are you the best at cooking/baking? Truth be told, my specialty is chocolate chip cookie dough. The trick is adding two eggs, doubling your chance of salmonella if consuming raw. And it tastes way better raw.

Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone! Did you have a good one? Mine was pretty swell, just super busy.

Cooking of different gourds happened today. I roasted a spaghetti squash, but have yet to try it. I was out the door by the time I had finished cooking it! All I know is that I think one side of it was a tad old, so it didn't cook right. Had to get rid of that half.

I also whipped up some pumpkin bread! Strangely enough, I kind of traded candy for pumpkin bread tonight. My aunt didn't get any of the chocolate candy, so they weren't that appetizing. Still snuck in a Jolly Rancher or two.

I agreed to volunteer for this thing at my school and let's just say... I might be on TV in the future. Next to a pirate and a "Halloween" type guy. You have been warned.

Other than that, not much else to report. Have a midterm tomorrow, and I'm freaked out about it. I've been told I'll do fine on it, but truthfully... I'm wishing this was a class I could have dropped. The thing is, I understand all of the information and what it means. However, for some reason that doesn't seem to translate onto paper. I'm just glad that this class is graded on a curve.

I'm so tired, I have got to get to bed. See y'all later!

How have you spent your Halloween night?

Life as a Duck: Getting Around

Don't you hate it when you hear someone getting in the shower just as you're getting ready to? And don't you hate it when you know the hot water only lasts for about ten minutes tops, so you have no idea how it's going to be when you get in? No, just me? Alright then. That's why I'm writing this now, instead of cleaning myself. Bleurgh.

I didn't write one of these last week, and now this thing is on Sunday? Will it ever have a permanent slot? I'm working on it. Anywho...

This might be Track Town USA, but there's not just runners here. There are bikes everywhere.
Bikes are probably the most popular mode of transportation in this town, and there are plenty of good reasons why. There are a lot of bike paths both on the roads and all around, so it's a great way to get around. Plus it's cheap and a good way to get exercise. Not paying for gas is a pretty big deal for most college kids, because they'd rather be spending it on... education. Let's say that.

As you know, I'm a little iffy when it comes to bikes. You know when you see people running and think, "Oh dear. I can walk that fast."? Think that, but on a bike. However, I've been hopping on my purple and silver ride quite a bit recently. (Good lord, is everything I own purple?)

I rode to Ross on Thursday, and decided it would be nice to ride over to my Aunt's house today to bake bread and study.
Now, when I bake bread, I use a baking stone. For homework, I needed to finish editing a paper on my laptop. I also thought it would be a good idea to do some laundry over there. Can you see where this is going?

That's how I rode over there. Sure it was only three miles, but with that... it's a challenge.
Luckily, I was able to get the laundry, stone, and bread back to my house without having to bike back with it. Still... I'm kind of an idiot for taking so much stuff in the first place.

On the ride back home, it became apparent how terrible at biking I am. What happened was I thought there was going to be an edge on the sidewalk, right? Well, I stopped. I stopped fine... and then I just fell over. I wasn't even moving, I just fell over. It didn't hurt because I wasn't moving, but it was just ridiculous. I just popped back on my bike and kept moving like nothing even happened. The whole scenario probably happened in twenty seconds. Geezus, I can't bike. Why am I considering signing up for tri?

Wasn't I talking about how students get around? Oh yeah. Other than biking, people walk a lot. And run. Sure, there's driving, but not much on campus because students walk everywhere. That includes in the streets. Therefore, it takes a car twenty minutes to get anywhere that takes five minutes to walk to. So walk.

As for the bread, I need to work on my baking time. This bread is undercooked, dangit! That's the second loaf I've underbaked. Surprisingly, it still tastes delicious. I'm still going to eat it, but I need to work on my baking time.

What sport are you ridiculously incompetent at?

Hitting 20 and More Bread

Hello. My name is Hannah, and I ran 20 miles today.
...
I ran 20 freakin' miles today! Holy Grilled Cheezus!
(I'm allowing myself to say that, I ran 20 miles today.) Here's the proof:

Yeah, I ended up going at almost a 10 minute mile pace while two weeks ago I ran 19 miles at a 9:30 pace, but I don't care. I could have probably walked the last mile, and gone faster than I was going. But I don't care. I wanted to continuously run for 20 miles, and I did.

Why does 20 miles seem like such a big deal anyway? I mean, I ran 19 miles two weeks in a row, 20 is just one more mile. It's different somehow though. 20 miles is how much you're supposed to go before a marathon. Sure, you can go more than that, but at least 20 miles is what most training schedules tell you to do for your longest run. I ran that.

So... Yeah. Pretty pumped about that. Also, it used to gross me out whenever I'd get really salty after runs. This was after races in high school mind you. Now after my long runs, I look at the side of my face seeing what appears to be someone dumping salt on the side of my face and thinking, "Holy crap! Cool!" I think this is just another thing that makes me officially a runner. Or maybe I'm just a dude in the body of a girl. Naw, I don't like bodily functions humor.


There was a lot more salt before this.

Since I don't understand the meaning of a nap, I've been doing things around the house. I suppose some of the doing things around the house involves acting like the hedonism bot and chilling.

Replace grapes with craisins, and you've got me.

I am baking some bread! Yeah, yeah. There are some strawberries in our house that need to be used, so I browsed the pages of my Bread Bible and found a recipe involving strawberries.

That's not for strawberry smashing! Ah well.

It smells AMAZING. Really, it's more like strawberry cake. I'm taking it up with me to my cousins as soon as it's done.

One thing I've noticed about my bread baking endeavours is that I'm the only one who ever eats my bread. Sad. I know that my mom won't because she's eating healthy foods (that don't involve bread), but what about my dad? Does he think I'm trying to hoard it for myself? Or it could be that he's scared of my cooking. I don't know. I know last year for Christmas I made him food as a gift, and he never ate it.

So, if for some reason you're at my house and I have some bread made up, feel free to eat some! Although I don't know who out there would be at my house. Hm.

Hit any big goals lately? Do people act weird around certain foods you make?

Fancy Cheeses and Bread Breaking Other Things

Recently I was reading a book about health and food when I came across a section on fancy cheeses. Being a fan of cheese, I decided to take a more serious look at the cheese page.
It's a shame that some people can't appreciate a good cheese. I'm not talking about some simple cheese from a plastic container, oh no. I'm talking about the types of fromage that you've barely heard of, or maybe have never heard of. I don't even think I'm that much of a cheese person, but I love myself some fancy cheese. For example, during the holidays my family and I dive into a baked brie wrapped in roll dough that's about the size of a baby. Sure, it's not the fanciest (or classiest, for that matter), but it's a tad fancier than that stuff you get in the plastic wrapper.
Back to the book, I was reading about all of the cheeses when I came across the cheese Comte. Under suggestions, it said, "Why don't you try an adult grilled cheese with slices of apple and Comte?" As soon as I read that, I knew that this needed to be done.

I bought the cheese. I sliced the apples. I even made the sandwich with bread I baked. If this doesn't get me ready for the "hip, urban lifestyle" of U of O, I don't know what will.

Sure, it didn't turn out that pretty. However, this sandwich was incredible. The Comte had such a distinct taste, but the apples toned it down. Crunchy, gooey, sweet, savory... Yum.

On the topic of cooking, I ended up baking some more bread. I know. However, this bread had some issues. You see, before this bread went into the oven, it sat in a fridge overnight as instructed by the recipe. I placed it on the trusty baking stone, and put it in the oven.
If you already see the problem that arises here, you're smarter than I was Monday morning. As you might be able to see...

...The stone cracked. Most likely due to the fact that you shouldn't put something that is kind of cold into a freakin' oven. I suppose I can say I've learned something? Also, I need to buy a new baking stone. I don't know if my parents ever used it, but I like having it. Good for bread.

Oh, the bread I made? I took it out of the oven too soon mainly because I was in a rush, and it ended up not being cooked completely. Tastes okay, but doughy.
Yes, I eat my doughy defect bread. I grated a lemon peel for it! (Which happened to make it smell AMAZING.)

What's the last food you made into an "adult version"? Have you ever tried it?

What's your favorite type of cheese?

Bakin' Bread

There's something that I've been keeping from the blog world, and it's that my bread obsession has grown to an all new high. I have a problem.

On my adventure Borders awhile ago, I happened to also buy one other item. Here is what I bought:

Yes. A big ol' cookbook of bread. Only bread, like a bread bible. And no, I didn't buy it all willy-nilly. I thought long and hard about if I really wanted to buy a bread book.

I made my first loaf from this book last Friday, and have currently made three different loaves in the last five days. (They were before I had a boatload of homework, and one today). Like I said, it's a bit of a big thing. Instead of having English muffins in the morning, I've been using toast. 'Tis delish!
Also, I've been waiting until one loaf is (mostly) gone. Half of the Banana bread went to my cousins, so that went fast, and the other loaf was munched at quite a bit on my long run day.

So it turns out, I can bake bread. I'm not so great at cooking, but I can live off of bread, right?
Bread, eggs, craisins, veggies, and peanut butter... sounds about right.

It's time for me to rush off to bed. Ta ta!

Have you ever baked bread? What's your favorite kind?

Town Tours, Bakeries and Summer Days

The morning started with waking up about 8:15, and walking in town to a bakery I had heard about. I didn't know it when I first wanted to go there, but it's only open on Sundays. Today I would finally be able to venture into the bakery.
Well, it turns out that the bakery wasn't open until noon, but we managed to go to a bakery... right next door. I'd been to the one next store, which is cute but kind of eh. Still, it was fun to have bakery breakfast.

Later in the day, we once again decided to walk into town, this time my sister and mom joining for lunch. Walking along to lunch in the warm sun simply screamed summer. It was fantastic.

Before we headed back home, the bakery that I had hoped to visit was finally open, and it was spectacular. The bakery was simply a large room that had all of the ovens in it, making the room quite toasty. On the left wall there was a board with a time when each type of bread would be finished baking. Currently, he had French and Apricot Flax made, Blue Corn was next. I bought a loaf of the Apricot, but before heading out he threw in a baby loaf of the Blue Corn right out of the oven. Fantastic.



The blue corn bread? AMAZING.

I'm a sucker for bakeries. I know it's a "Stuff White People Like" thing, but I can't help myself! I would love to work in a bakery once in my life. I don't know why, I just would love to!
Y'know, despite working and taking summer classes, somehow this summer has felt... more summer-y than usual? Well, you know when you watch movies, and the kids seem to spend summer how everyone thinks you should spend summer? That's how I feel this summer has been.

How do you feel about bakeries? What random type of place do you adore?

Making Errors and Making Bread

I'll be honest with you. I'm feeling not so great today, especially since I failed at a task that a trained monkey could accomplish. And you know how I feel about feeling like an idiot.

I did make bread today though, and that was pretty cool.

I wanted to see if I should make bread to have with peanut butter or eggs instead of English muffins in the morning. I shall test it out tomorrow!

I did try a little bite though. Pretty good! I got the recipe from a cookbook for teens... because I'm just that advanced.

I'll be honest with y'all out there. I don't know much about cooking. When I was in high school I always wanted to get into Foods class so that I could learn how to at least make something. Geez, I barely know how to boil water. I can bake alright, but cooking? I dunno.
Next school year though, I need to be able to cook. I don't want to eat out constantly, and Ramen isn't fulfilling. Therefore this summer I'm going to practice. I've been studying cheap food, scouring for things that sound healthy. This bread is one of the things.
I don't want to go to school tomorrow. Or do anything that requires work. I want to read, draw, try to make up a song on the piano and create imaginary vacations in my mind. I don't feel like getting the chance to screw up on something in the work setting again.

Hey, the bread turned out, so I'm not that incompetent I guess.
Hope everyone has a lovely evening!

Do you cook? How did you get into cooking?