testing

I'm testing blogging apps today. I posted yesterday's post via email. I liked it but I don't have the functionality in my email to format text. I hope to find an app that does. I also want to be able to add labels.
This is Blogger-Droid. It's simple. I think I can add tags. But I can't format text. Maybe that's available in the paid version? Edit: I can format text. Now I just need easy linking.

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Sourdough Party

I've been itching to make something and since I've given up sweets for Lent (..er...the ice cream cake that I had yesterday doesn't count. I was just being nice to my host...anyway), I can't bake any sweet treats.

I Googled a few sourdough starters. For the most part they are pretty similar, but time consuming and a little wasteful. Throw away half, add more. I just couldn't get with that no matter how inexpensive flour is. I kept searching for cheaper options.

I found one that was simply a small dough but I didn't understand the later process. (I'll add links later.) I had decided to try it but one last Google search led me to a relatively simple looking starter.

1T water
1T flour

That's the beginning away. I'll admit that the actual bread making process looks a little daunting but I figure that if my starter is good, I could probably use a simpler recipe.

I'll try to document each step here - nothing exciting but my blog is pretty dull anyway.

So let the sourdough party begin!

(Sidenote, since daylight savings time started, my start time is technically 3:30 am not 2:30. I forgot about DST when I was making the note).

Lent is here

For the past few days I have been trying to think of something to give up for Lent. I never usually give anything up but I like the idea. So what would it be?

Sex? Too easy. It's not happening right now.

Meat? Not in the mood. Gave it up for 30 days back in November.

Carbs? Too expensive. Gave carbs up for a 6 days last week and it didnt work out very well. I was at a conference and there was to eat were carbs. It was carbs or starve.

Sugar? Hmm...possibility. However, I really don't have that much sugary stuff. When I bake, I give it away.

However, my weight is concerning me so I thought I'd aim to give up sugar anyway. Get rid of any remaining sugar in my diet and try to be low carb as much as possible. Unfortunately, I have some very delicious cake balls at home. I will need to pretend that today is Fat Tuesday and gobble them all up. Then no more for 39 days. We'll see if I make it. Actually, it is more than 39 days since we don't count Sundays. Misleading!!! So no more sweet goodies until April 23. I'm going to a wedding on that day. I will be happily eating cake.

I will be breaking the fast at least one other time too. I will be making Easter buns for the first time. I have to taste them! And it's not like it's that much sugar, right? I could skip the sugary glaze. What was that? I need to find something else to give up? *grumble*

In other news, I am thinking about making some sourdough bread - even making my own starter. I think I will start it this weekend. I will take pics along the way.

Argh

So those nutella goodies that I mentioned in the last post? Well, I baked them; I mailed them. BUT THEY WERE NEVER DELIVERED. I sent them off last Sunday to a city 500 miles from here and they still haven't gotten there yet. Sigh.

VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY upset. Hours of baking and prepping for nothing.

Adventures in Baking with Nutella

As I mentioned, I wanted to make some nutella treats for a friend. I saw tons of really great looking recipes here. I really wanted to make her cake or cupcakes but frosted goodies are probably a nightmare to bake. Brownies? I really wasnt feeling that. Although, now that I look at the list again, I do see some extremely simple, yummy brownies. Check these out. I have to make these tonight.

But I digress. I decided to make cookies. Now let me just say - I HATE making cookies. I never know when to take them out of the oven. I hate that I can only do one pan at a time. I hate that I have to monitor it so carefully that they need to be out of the oven as soon as the timer goes off. Too much work. Cakes and brownies are just so much easier. However, cookies are easier to mail. (brownies are probably easiest PT, why didn't you think of that?)

I chose 4 recipes then narrowed them down to these three. I hoped that I would at least get one batch right. Nutella Biscotti from Baking Bites, Nutella Lava Cookies and Whattalottachoca from What Smells So Good?

Can we just cut to the chase? Cut the long preamble? The Nutella Lava Cookies were A M A Z I N G! So amazing that I recreated them with choc chips in the middle instead of nutella because I was out of nutella. I finally made delicious cookies! Finally!

Nutella Day

It's world nutella day so I am looking up nutella recipes so that I can bake some yummy treats for a friend of mine who loves loves loves nutella! I will let you know how it turns out.

Baking fail?

Yesterday, I fired up the oven and baked a coconut-banana bread and a sour cream coffee cake. I used my tried and true banana bread recipe and added some shredded coconut to the mix. The result? Meh. First it fell (I had opened the oven halfway through - oops), second it was all browned on top (more brown than usual). I did the toothpick check and it seemed clean but when I sliced in, I realised that it could have stayed in the oven a bit longer. It tastes good but doesnt have a very strong coconut taste. Banana is pretty powerful flavour. I still have more shredded coconut left but I think I will make macaroons with the rest.

As for the sour cream coffee cake. Another meh. It wasn't bad but it just wasn't wow-ing me. I think I probably needed to have added the maple syrup glaze. I was kinda tired and didnt want to be in the kitchen anymore so I skipped it. To be fair though, I haven't had a proper slice of the coffee cake. I will try it again later tonight and see if I still think it is "meh."