We All Scream for Ice Cream!!!

Chocolate Brownie Ice Cream

For my birthday, or maybe even Christmas a few years ago, my Mudder got me an ice cream maker. I love making everything from scratch, EVERYTHING, I should get DIY tattooed somewhere. LOL. Anyway, I told myself I'd use the ice cream maker before the end of this summer, at least to try it out. And wouldn't you know it, I've become addicted to making it. So far I've made the basics; vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. Overall the process is quite simple; using a basic custard recipe and flavoring as you wish.

The first flavor I made was strawberry (right), using fresh mashed strawberries. I was so impressed with myself. It was rich and creamy and the berries were just slightly frozen. I served it up with a souffle like dessert called Lemon Dream Dessert (left).




The following week I made vanilla (left). One thing I noticed about my homemade vanilla ice cream and typical store bought vanilla, was that mine came out significantly whiter. Most store bought has a yellowish tint to it, perhaps for using more eggs or maybe more vanilla. All I know is, I like mine much better.

 






I started to go a little crazy with the ice cream, because I found myself making another batch the next weekend. My Mudder kept begging me to ease up on the sweets, but I just told her that I would give it all away. Oh hell to the naw.! "Don't give it ALL away!" I knew she would change her mind once she tasted it. Hehehe (sinister laugh). This time Banana (right) and, boy, was it good.







I felt the need to make a little something to go with it. Banana Pudding crossed my mind, so I decided to play on that idea with the ice cream and make a vanilla waffer. I served the banana ice cream with an Almond Toffee Wafer (left) using a recipe I'd found amoungst my recipe cards.The wafers are suppose to be curved slightly, but I struggeled a little with the shaping of the cookie. I still think it looks divine.



More recently, my dad came to visit. For those of you who know me but may not know my background, my dad is Barton Davis. He has been in my life for over a decade, and I love him so very much. Anyway, my dad loves Double Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream. So for his visit I want to suprise him with a homemade version. Pictured at the very top is my version of chocolate brownie ice cream. I simply made a chocolate ice cream and some homemade brownies and mixed them together while the ice cream was sort of soft. My Mudder didn't want her portion mixed together. LOL One thing that I will definitely have to work on with the chocolate is the stiffness. I'm not sure if I should have used coca powder instead of baking chocolate or if I over worked the custard. I'll have to improve upon that, and let you know in a future post. Although, its not fesible nor health to make homemade ice cream on a regular basis, I will definitely keep this skill in my repertoire. I also plan to experiment with flavors and sorbets in the future so STAY TUNED!!!

Since You've Been Gone

Hey folks. I know, it HAS been a while. Well, before you start fussing at me, allow me to explain....

The day of my last Wilton cake decorating class...........my grandfather passed away. I needed some time to get emotionally prepared to share with you all. I needed time to be able to write this without breaking down into tears. June 22nd, I received the worse news I ever could have received....my Pawpaw died. He had been in the hospital, but we had anticipate his return home and were planning for a brighter and healthier future. Unfortunately, the Lord saw fit that it was time for my PawPaw to return home.

I'm not going to make this a very long post because I know that this post will turn into a novel. One thing I most most mention... My Pawpaw was an amazing person, and not just to me. Until his memorial service, I never realized how many people he has effected and in such a enlightening way. He inspired soooo many people and loved each one just the same. I am so honored to be his granddaughter, so honored to have had the opportunity to share my life with such a charismatic and loving individual. Not only that, but to see my grandmother receive a standing ovation during the service........People, you had to witness it. It would have given you chills. I must, and will save a special post for who you will all come to love, my Mudder. Oh, yes, I will be sure to explain the name.

 The day of my grandfather's passing was to be my last Wilton Cake Decorating Basics class. At first I wasn't going to go, but my Mudder insisted. It was hard to focus in class, but to be honest it did help to not be around anyone trying to console you. PLEASE, don't get me wrong, I appreciate the empathy; however, I got tired of people asking me if I was okay. I never really knew how to answer because if I say yes, would it appear insentative? On the flip side, saying no would of opened the flood gates for more consoling. Just saying.

So, without futher ado, I present my final Wilton cake. It was the only thing on my mind at the time, but I felt I did a decent job. I plan to write more about this experience as well as share with you what I've been up to and the delightful treats I've been cooking up. Stay tuned.....

Wilton Class #2 -- SpongeBob Birthday Cake!

Okay so because I jumped the gun and made my cake in advance, I didn't want to do the same cake in class. So what I decided to do was make a cake for my little nephew Andrew's birthday. He was turning the big 5, which is my favorite number. For his birthday my family was taking him to Disneyland. WARNING: It is ridiculously expensive to go to Disneyland. Due to the high ticket prices and my low cash flow I decide my gift would be his birthday cake.

In class, after being lectured about having our piping bags prepared before class, we frosted our cakes that we prepared at home. I was slightly scolded for not have an angled spatula to ice my cake. Hey what can I say, I learning on a budget. I can't seem to find a angled spatula for under $8 anywhere. The instructor is right, it does make a lot of difference using the angled spatula (keeps your fingers out of your frosting). I'll just have to be extra careful in the meantime.We also spent a lot of time practicing what we learned the week before; pressure control.

My class is very entertaining. You should see the array of personalities in my class. There is always that one person in every class you wonder, "Why are they taking this class?" My class has one of each; the over and under achiever.  My two favs are a Jamaican lady and her daughter; who happens to be the same age as me. She doesn't know it yet but I'm going to invite myself over to pick her Caribbean brain. I love Caribbean cuisines, I call myself trying to learn it.

The class all made wonderful birthday cakes. I made a cake with Spongebob Square Pants' face on it. I made the pattern myself. I, pretty much, did all stars for everything.My nephew loves Spongebob, and has a little gap like him too. Simply awesome is what it is!

My uncle John was having a birthday so I made him a cake too to get some more practice. I obviously need some practice on my lettering skills; HAPPY BIRTHDAY. LOL. I wish I could have gotten a picture of the strawberry filling I made for the middle of this cake. (pooty lip).

I'm having a lot of fun learning and practicing these skills. I also want to say how much I respect my instructor. She is very knowledgeable and takes this course seriously. I appreciate that because it makes me want to learn that much more.

Wilton Decorating Basics Class #1

Oh joy! The day has finally arrived, my first cake decorating class. I was so excited to get my handles dirty in is buttercream. That was pretty much all we did actually. The instructor taught use the Wilton Buttercream recipe. We also learned the 3 keys to cake decorating: pressure control, icing consistency, and bag positioning. We practiced this on our flat cookies that we brought with us. I made some chocolate cookies. Many of the other ladies brought store bought, but I had to make mine because I wanted to practice my baking skills.

The majority of the first class spent learning about the many different products that Wilton had to offer us on our journey to becoming cake decorators. LOL. We observed the instructor as she made the Wilton Buttercream and taught about the different consistencies of icing and how they are to be used.

By the end of the class I was eager to rush home and start making cakes. The last ten minutes or so the instructor went over what to bring and what we'd learn in the next class. Also within that ten minutes she leveled, filled, iced and decorated the cake that you see below.

I was so inspired by her speed and skill that I was determined to practice and recreate the cake before the next week's class. I couldn't help myself, I'm a little competitive and I had to make sure my cake was on point when I decorate my cake in class for the instructor.

What do you think? Pretty good, if I do say so myself. My first decorated cake.

One thing I will say, is that the buttercream I made at home looks nothing like the kind in the store bought container; however, I found that it did taste better although a little greasy. I like the idea of making my own buttercream, I can control how sweet I want it. I plan to work on my own buttercream recipe.

Who's the Monkey Now

If you recall from my 1st post about my beloved grandfather, I mentioned how difficult he can be at time, in fact most of the time. Well, this week he accused me of neglect.... Yeah, he claims that I have neglected his request for Monkey Bread. I, honestly, don't remember him asking, but only suggesting it as something new for me to try and make.With that said I set myself out to make some Monkey Bread for my pawpaw this weekend.

I remember Monkey Bread, or pull-apart bread, to be a round circle of small dinner rolls all lumped together from which we would all pull pieces and dip them in melted butter. The one distinction, I remember, from dinner rolls was that Monkey Bread was a tad bit sweeter than the normal dinner roll. When doing some background research, again it proved to be difficult to trace the origin of Monkey Bread. Food historians say the first peoples to make sweet, buttery rolls with cinnamon were ancient Middle Eastern cooks. These recipes and spices traveled to Europe in the Middle Ages with crusaders, travelers, traders and explorers. Recipes varied according to culture and cuisine, but the concept remained stable.

When searching for a recipe, most of the recipes I came across were all for the traditional cinnamon recipe, and because I was making for my pawpaw, it had to be the way he wanted. I simply took a traditional recipe and scrape the cinnamon and sugar mixture, only rolling the dough in melted butter before placing them in the bundt pan.

It came out beautiful, and delicious. The best part was hearing my pawpaw rave about how good it tasted. He was so happy that I made it for him that he promised to never talk shit again (his words not mine). I impressed myself so much that I made a cinnamon Monkey Bread for some friends the following day. It also came out spectacular, and everyone enjoyed it. So to my pawpaw who doubted me......Who's the Monkey, now?! LOL.

Sock-It To-Me Cake

I have a plan set out to learn how to make southern desserts. My goal to learn and perfect the traditional treats that I have grown up with and have heard requested for many a family function, so that I may one day have a business of my own and share these dirty south desserts with my South Los Angeles community. Cooking is just one of many ways I channel my creative energy, and it has proven to be the most rewarding.
To mange myself and my spending I plan to focus on my dessert per week. I will research and study the history behind the dessert so that I have a historical understanding of what I'm learning.

This past week was Red Velvet Cake. However, I was so eager to make it that I didn't realize I was missing vital ingredients; buttermilk, distilled vinegar, and food coloring.While discussing my my dilemma with my "go to gal," my grandmother, she suggested that I make Sock-it To-Me Cake. Remember y'all, I said I wanted to learn the history behind every southern indulgence, so I had to implore my grandmother as to what Sock-it To-Me Cake was. The second she told me it was similar to a coffee cake, I was stoked about making it. I love coffee and one thing I enjoy with my black coffee is a light semi-sweet pastry to accompany it. It was really hard to find any historical information on this cake, so instead I will simply reflect upon my experience preparing it.

Sock-it To-Me Cake is a moist yellow cake with a cinnamon streusel filled center and wildly apply glaze on the top. I had already had a great yellow cake recipe and everything else I had readily available. The filling was a simple combination of brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and optional nuts, all blended together and spread in between two layers of yellow cake batter.

(SIDE NOTE) I HATE BUNDT PANS! They are the devil's minions. I'm just joking, but they have proven to be my one of my most hated pieces of bakeware to use. Greasing a bundt pan is the worst, especially the ones with the designs. My grandmother has taught me to wait no longer than about 10-15 minutes to flip a cake out of a bundt pan, and to insert a knife if the cake is being stubborn. I, once again, had a problem with thoroughly greasing my pan and the cake  broke a little bite. Luckily, I was able to place the broken piece so that when I drizzled the glaze you couldn't see it in the picture.

This cake could easily be converted into a cupcake or cake ball, which I plan to try....Stay tuned

Face N Tree

Face N Tree, a photo by The Protean Libran on Flickr.

I took this shot well on a walk at the park up the street from my job. I had just received this Nikon Point N Shoot and I was ready to try it out. I go to this park nearly everyday, but I normally don't get out of the car. I was ready to snap some shots and I immediately saw this tree with the face. The eyes and mouth were so pronounced, it was was spooky. Have you ever considered the idea of reincarnation? I have.

My PawPaw

My PawPaw, a photo by The Protean Libran on Flickr.

"I'm a hog fa ya, Nellie," my pawpaw says to me every time I see him. He is pretty much an older, male version of me. Could be because we share the same sign. My pawpaw is the toughest cookie in the bag. Oh yes, don't let the smile fool ya. This old man is no joke. Blunt is understatement, and he will rip you a new one first chance he gets. Growing up, he and my father never got along and he hates him to this very day. I wouldn't blame him. My father still isn't in my life. My pawpaw has always been that male figure for me. He spoils me like rancid meat.

Now as you see he is on a ventilator and he has trache. Unfortunately, his healthy has never been a huge priority, becoming worse once he retired as a Heavy Equipment Operator for DWP . He is truly a foodie, that's for sure. Watching him and his health deteriorate has been the most painful thing I've had to endure in my life. I've never lost anyone close to me before. I almost lost my mother, but I'll save that for another blog (maybe). Watching him as also taught me a shit load about being healthy. It has also taught me to appreciate the smallest things this big world has to offer, like being able to care for yourself physically and being able to go outside. Not being able to get around has also taken a toll on his psychology health. I can bet a lot of you are thinking, "why didn't he diet" or "why don't you do something to help him." Somethings just aren't that easily fixed; people aren't that easily fixed.  

When I was a little he would tell EVERYONE that I was HIS baby, even my mama. I am, to this day, his only granddaughter. I'm holding it down! I inherited his addictive, aggressive, and argumentative personality. That's okay, however. My pawpaw is the spark for most of my hobbies and passions. My first SLR was his vintage Nikon and my love for cooking comes from many a conversation about food. We both love gardening and working with our hands, and we both love exploring and leaning new things. It could be genetics. It could be because we're both Libras. One thing that I do know is that I'm a hog for him, too.