So, while my fiance could easily eat a half-gallon of ice cream in one sitting (especially if it has anything "mocha" in the title), I prefer baked goods. I'll take cookies or muffins over nearly any other dessert option. Those are pretty much my favorites. One of my favorite things I did in high school was what I dubbed "Muffin Mondays," which meant on Monday, I woke up extra early, and baked some kind of hearty, healthy(ish) muffins, and made sure to clean up the colossal mess before my mom got home from her morning bus route. I still haven't figured out how to cook without wrecking the kitchen in the process. Anyways, I would pack said muffins in my lunches all week long. Nothing like homemade goodness halfway through a busy day! I really wish I had the time I had back then, to do stuff like that.
However, I did get to (successfully) do two baking experiments this week! Although both of them (sadly) featured boxed mixes, I did manage to add my own little twist. As yummy as box mixes can be, I still feel like it's cheating. My mom rarely EVER used them when I was growing up. The only cookies I ever ate out of a package were Oreos.
My first experiment was fudgy brownies- my fiance LOVES brownies, but they have to be fudgy, they have to be rich, and they can't be TOO gooey... I've only ever once made the "perfect" brownie, according to his tastes. And the frustrating part is, the second time I tried that recipe, it turned out horrible, even to my tastes. And I'll eat just about anything. So, in desperation, I got a Ghirardeli Fudge Brownie mix, and tried it out. My twist: instead of using the included fudge as icing, I swirled it into the top layer of batter before baking. YUM! I loved them- they were firm on the outside, but with gooey chocolatey middles. Tyler declared them, "not quite perfect, but pretty good." Compared to other attempts, that was high praise.
My second experiment was Lemon Poppyseed Cake. I got a fierce craving last night for something sweet, gooey, bready, and fruity... after half an hour walking back and forth between the fresh baked goods and the baking mix aisle in Kroger, I bought a can a poppyseed filling and a lemon cake mix. For anyone who likes lemon poppyseed, I highly recommend trying this: I mixed a little less than 1/4 cup of poppyseed filling into the batter (used slightly less water and oil to even it out), and baked it in a small bread pan. If I do it again, I'll probably line the pan with parchment paper, since a hunk of the cake stuck to the bottom when I tried to pull it out. For the icing, I mixed about a cup of prepared vanilla icing with a couple tablespoons apiece of milk and orange juice (if you feel brave, get orange-mango- it's extra sweet and tangy), and a teaspoon of poppyseeds. You'll have to use a beater or mixer to blend the poppyseeds in. The result is A-mazing... I could pretty much eat the leftovers with my fingers. However, in an attempt to be ladylike and less piggish, I'm just pouring an extra few tablespoons over each slice of cake as I eat it. ;)
I realize this post is probably rather boring to some, but cooking has become a rather intense hobby for me lately (closely seconded by blogging), and Tyler's already graciously listened to me discuss the finer points of these experiments several times over... so I figured I'd tell any willing readers about my cooking ventures, and give his ears a rest. Not that he minds, he's very supportive about it, especially when it's edible.
And to prove the statement made in the title, I have, myself, eaten a little less than half of the cake today. I expect the rest to be gone by tomorrow, or Monday at the latest.
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