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Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Mashed Potatoes with Blue cheese and Thyme

Okay, so things around the Wilde household are a little crazy at the moment. Let’s see if you can keep up… 1. Boyfriend and I are heading to Europe on Thursday, where we will road trip across the continent. 2. Job hunting season is upon us and I have an interview today. 3. I am trying to finish three projects before I leave for my dream job. I’m tired already. So what to eat for dinner when you have no time to make anything? Mashed Potatoes!


Now listen, I’m well versed in nutrition facts (I also work in the fitness industry as well as the lab), I know that potatoes alone do not make a meal. But when you add cheese, then you have dinner.  No, really. Mashed potatoes are easy. If you want to be really lazy you don’t even have to peel the potatoes before cooking them! I found the extra five minutes to do that, because I am not a fan of potato skin, unless they are drowned in cheddar cheese and bacon.


These mashed potatoes are just yummy. And nothing is more satisfying after a long day of packing, chemistrying and stressing, than a yummy dinner. The hint of thyme and the kick of blue cheese make it hard to stop yourself from eating the entire pot.  Maybe just throw down a V8 also, pretend like you're a healthy eater.


On a side note, while boyfriend and I are in Europe I have to decide whether to post the recipes I have stored away on my computer or to share our European vacation.  If you have a preference let me know!  I would be happy to share our destinations, adventures and eats!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Daring Bakers: Get Creative!

Recently I decided to step outside of my baking comfort zone and joined the Daring Bakers. A group of passionate bakers testing their skills on a series of unusual and tempting desserts. Past challenges have included crafting baked Alaskas, making their own puff pastry and taking on the French macaron. Personally I am very comfortable making cookies, quick breads and muffins. Anything that requires little thought and is tough to screw up. What can I say? I’m busy and muffins are easy!


My first challenge really pushed my skills, not as a baker, but as a decorator. I’ve made sugar cookies for years and years. I remember Christmas break with my mom and brother rolling out dough, stamping out trees, camels and Santas. After a quick trip to the oven our cookies would be ready to decorate. This would usually consist of royal icing, in varying shades of red, blue, yellow and green. Pink candy canes, blue trees and yellow penguins, all very true to reality. What can you expect? I was twelve.


I was hoping that my icing skills had improved over the past fifteen years and that my cookies wouldn’t turn out looking like something a kid had done. With the directions provided by Mandy (from What the Fruitcake?!), I think I came out with a success! The key to these cookies is patience. Set aside the time to allow for good chilling. You don’t want to roll out room temperature dough, it just won’t work. If the cookies are too warm, then they will puff up in the oven and lose their shapes!


So dust off your cookie cutters, buy a few zip-top bags and get baking! Push your comfort level and you might just surprise yourself.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Best Banana Bread

I seem to have made a lot of fruit breads recently. Apple cake Wednesday, banana bread today! Some people like apples, and some like bananas, gotta try to make everyone happy! Personally, I am a big banana fan. I start my morning, everyday, with a banana. It could be with cereal, a muffin, pancakes or just milk. The main dish is ever changing, but the banana remains. Unlike some picky people, I will eat a banana at most stages of ripeness. From once it turns mostly yellow (green around the edges is okay) until it is almost overwhelmed with brown spots, I’m going to eat it. There is a line that I just won’t cross, that last banana inevitably turns completely brown. I won’t touch it and into the freezer it goes.


I have several single bananas in the freezer, waiting to be baked into tasty treats. I find that freezing the bananas leads to a creamy texture in the final bread. Freezing them slightly breaks down their cellular structure and makes them easy to mash (just be sure to let them thaw in a bowl). You could even buy some bananas just for the purpose of baking them! Toss them in the freezer once they turn yellow and a few days later they are ready for baking!


This particular recipe has its healthy quotient bulked up with its use of whole wheat flour and Greek yogurt. I also love to bake them in mini loaf pans, that way your serving looks so much bigger! And if you can’t stop yourself from eating the whole thing, you only had three servings… Excuse me now, I have to go eat a loaf of banana bread.
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