Independence Day Treats

Happy 4th of July!

The above picture is fondant-covered brownie (all 9 x 13 of it). I made spice brownies by putting a couple pinches of cayenne pepper powder into a batch of dark chocolate brownies. The fondant is leftover from a friend of mine's cupcake-making extravaganza. I have a tile counter top and no rolling pin, so I forwent making cool cut-out shapes. Instead, I used the fondant like stretchy clay, dying clumps at a time, elongating them, and flattening them in my hands until I had what looked like an American flag. No stars on this one, but the colors exist. I have discovered that lining the glass pan with aluminum foil makes the brownies easier to lift out. It also reduces cook time, or temperature, or both.

For the most part, people took the fondant off and piled it in a corner of the aluminum foil. Good to know.

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes!

These gloriously fuzzy photos were taken with my cell phone camera. Not too bad. The cupcakes are Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes, linked to me by another culinary friend. The recipe can be found here: Chocolate Whiskey and Beer Cupcakes. The photos on the original site are much better, but here are mine anyway.

Cupcakes:


The Belgian dark chocolate I used to make the ganache and the Guiness Extra Stout I used to make the cupcakes:


Cupcakes, cored and ready to be filled:


Dark chocolate whiskey ganache, just after mixing:


I used 2 (perhaps 3) tablespoons of whiskey in the ganache and only later discovered the recipe had called for teaspoons. Whoopsies. Turned out delicious, just needed some extra cooling time.

Ganache after cooling in the fridge:


Filled cupcakes:


I had a terrible time trying to use parchment paper to pipe the ganache. I finally zipped off to the grocery store to pick up a re-usable plastic piping bag and finished the cupcake filling and icing.

Blue buttercream icing with Bailey's:


The Irish cream slightly dulled the blue color, but the taste is worth it.

Beating in the Bailey's:


And tada, some iced cupcakes:


Bonus picture: part of the mess I made in the kitchen beating powdered sugar into butter to make icing:


The cupcakes flew off the tray once enough people discovered how tasty and alcoholic they are. A surprising amount of brownies vanished as well. This was the third batch of brownies I made using cayenne pepper powder and I think I got the amount just right on them. The first batch came out way too spicy -- half a teaspoon of pepper powder. The second batch was a bit too spicy -- two big pinches. This batch got two little pinches -- delicious!

Next batch of brownies will have, as suggested by two of the 4th of July partygoers, melty chip of some kind -- chocolate, butterscotch, peanut butter, etc. -- and pecans instead of walnuts.
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Eggs and Fertility and Zombies, oh my!

Happy Zombie Jesus Day!

And Eostre, the Vernal Equinox, though it actually fell on my birthdate this year and those new-fangled carpenter-followers are doing it all late.


I made a batch of regular marshmallows for today that looked rather plain. I painted some dye designs on the top while they dry.


First use of my new electric mixer!


Sugar syrup cooking and gelatin blooming.


Starting to beat the syrup and gelatin together. I took this picture while the beater was whirring around -- go camera!


Halfway through the ten minutes of beating, again during the spin cycle.


Added vanilla extract after 10 minutes of beating, about to mix it all up.


All mixed!


All poured!

I'll update this post once I cut and color them.

Evil Bitch-Monster of Death's note: I find the marshmallows too sweet with 2/3 c. corn syrup. In the recipes in which I replaced most of it it with something else (chocolate, maraschino cherry liquid), the sweetness came out great. For plain batches, I suggest using only 1/3 - 1/2 c. corn syrup.

Eat chocolate (and eggs, they go so well together) and be merry!

Recipe reminder: www.cookingforengineers.com.

Update: I decided not to dip the edges in colors as that would have added drying time.


Cutting the marshmallow sheet.


Tapping the edge of Zombie Jesus Eye in corn starch. Photographic evidence of my inability to follow the instructions on the corn starch jar: "no mess."


Sharing tray prepared for work.
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St. Paddy's Day Treats

Green food! These radioactive-looking treats are lemon-cheesecake bars.

At least, they were supposed to be. I poured the lemon filling in too quickly and it did not float on top of the (also green) cheesecake layer, but instead stirred it up in chunks. Still tasty, and green.


Green colored, cinnamon-clove flavored marshmallows -- hand-beaten. My electric mixer broke right as I started to beat the sugar syrup.


This is my surprisingly useful hand-mixer -- thanks Mom! =) However, it is tedious and uncomfortable to beat marshmallow syrup by hand and I will not be doing it again.


Another example of why flash is not always your friend. Benign hand-mixer becomes Medieval torture device casting ominous shadows when flash is applied.

Drink up, festive folk!
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Horny Werewolf Day!

Happy Horny Werewolf Day!

In the spirit of blood, wolves, and fucking, I crocheted lots of hearts. Maybe next year I'll make a werewolf, perhaps with a heart that has "I Wuf Awoooo" on it, and a fire for it to dance around. For those of you interested in ancient pagan things, search the internet or books for Lupercalia and enjoy.

The 'smile' is a heart bookmark from Suzie's Stuff. I used size 10 crochet thread, size 7 steel hook, and extended the chain a bit so it will fit large hardcover books.


These are made from a modified version of two patterns I found online: Heart Garland and Heart Ornament. I had fun with white and red crochet thread, size 10, and I think a size 7 steel hook.


In the red garland, I combined big hearts and little hearts from the ornament/garland pages. It is long enough to be a nice necklace. The ends are similar to the individual hearts -- a loop and a bulb.


White garland, made in 2 pieces to attach to red garland or attach to itself to make a white garland.


I found this heart pattern on Creative Yarn Source. I plan to starch the heart later this week. While following the pattern, I noticed a minor inconsistency. The fix is below.

Evil Bitch-Monster of Death's Row 12 correction: Sl st in 2nd dc, sl st in ch 3 space, Ch 3, (dc, ch 3, 2 dc) in same ch 3 space. Ch 4, skip ch 4, (dc, ch 1, dc) in ch 1 space Ch 2, skip ch 2 and sc, sc in next ch 2 space, ch 2, sc in next ch 2 space. Ch 2, skip next ch 2, (dc, ch 1, dc) in next ch 1 space, ch 3. Skip next dc, ch 1, and next 2 dc. (2 dc, ch 3, 2 dc) in next ch 2 space. Turn.


I also made a key chain out of a book mark design from Donna's Crochet Designs. It will get sewn/crocheted onto a key ring soon.

All this red love in the air. If I could post an mp3 with this, it would be Type O-Negative - Wolfmoon (Including Zoanthropic Paranoia).
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Marshmallows 2 -- Lupercalia Edition

Tasty, squishy red-and-pink marshmallows with maraschino cherries, dipped in chocolate -- a festive treat for mid-February

Marshmallow recipe can be found on the first Marshmallows post.


For this batch, I used the syrup from the jar of maraschino cherries in place of the water and part of the corn syrup when making the sugar syrup mixture. It gave the fluff a nice pink color.


Buttered, corn-starched 9" x 13" pan.


Fluff, after 10 minutes of beating, poured into pan. I added maraschino cherries, mostly chopped in half, right before pouring the marshmallow goop into the pan -- but unfortunately also before taking a picture of the cherries. The jar in the picture is a stand-in. There are no stems in my marshmallows.


This is what the goop makes after setting for about 11 hours. One big 9" x 13" marshmallow!


Some marshmallows, cut into cube-ish shapes with one side dipped in chocolate.


More chocolate-dipped marshmallow cubes.


Serving tray loaded for sharing at work.

Evil Bitch-Monster of Death's note: I find the marshmallows too sweet with 2/3 c. corn syrup. In the recipes in which I replaced most of it it with something else (chocolate, maraschino cherry liquid), the sweetness came out great. For plain batches, I suggest using only 1/3 - 1/2 c. corn syrup.
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Rainbow Heart Easter Cake

Happy Easter!

I made this cake after a failed Sprite cake experiment with some friends. This particular cake was made using regular cake batter and food coloring. It was delicious! The icing is cream cheese and sugar, also colored with food coloring. The gist of the recipe is to make 6 bowls of colored batter. Pour 2/3 of the first three colors in the center of a circular pan, one after the other, then 1/3 of the next three colors (again in the center -- the lower layers mush out to the edges). For the square pan, I poured in an "X" shape to force the batter to mush out to the corners.


Batter for the rainbow cake in 8-inch circular and 8 x 8-inch square pans.


Cakes baked.


Cakes cut and shaped into a heart.


Slices of the rainbow cake.


Cake sliced.
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