#5. Baking

It's not just a hobby; it's a way of life. a way of sustaining life, anyway.

How long have I been baking? uh...as long as i can remember? my mom isn't a huge baker in the '50s homemaker kind of way, but i remember helping her make things as a kid. Once i went to college and had my own kitchen, i usually only let there be cookies in the house if i made them myself. i figured if i put effort into it, i deserved to eat it! recently I have started making recipes that are more healthy--less butter and oil mostly, and wheat flour or bran when appropriate. I started trying to experiment and create my own original baked goods this weekend! results vary.

Why? well, it's fun! as mentioned previously, i like to create things. and there's no better outcome of a creation than eating it! i like to share with friends too. especially experimental things...

Let see some pictures! Okay, if you insist.

Pear pie i made in January 2009: my first pastry crust from scratch!
never stays together of course.

i'm sure it was very tasty.

more recently, I had a giant zucchini from a co-worker's garden. i made TWO things out of it: Zucchini brownies and zucchini pineapple muffins! the brownies were amazing because there were no eggs, and i think very little oil. i left the zuke in the food processor too long, and instead of being shredded, it was pureed. but that made the brownie batter easier to pour into the pan. (if you look at the recipe, i left off the frosting.) The zucchini muffins were very moist too; i made them with mostly wheat flour, and half applesauce, half oil. i still have some of them left. I recommend keeping baked goods with fresh ingredients in the fridge, otherwise if left on the counter, they will get moldy (or just stinky) really fast. (in my blogger profile pic, i believe i'm holding up the raspberry chocolate cupcakes i made for a friend's bachelorette party. i brought the extras to work on Monday. By Tuesday or Wednesday, the smell of them made me want to puke. Amanda almost ate one that day. scary but true!)
the zuke muffins are on the left. they look really pale and slightly green in certain light, but definitely not moldy. i hope. a jumbo muffin makes a good breakfast (and is about 4 WW points).
also featured in that picture are some banana bran muffins i made this weekend! some have walnuts, some have blueberries (and some have nothing at all!). i made a half-batch to see how they would taste with my modifications: pineapple juice instead of orange; 1/4 c. applesauce and 1 tbsp oil... i don't remember what else i changed. I put way too many blueberries in. there's more berry than muffin in some. but otherwise, a successful muffin. they bleed their own blue blood.

Hungry Girl Recipe! it's amazingly easy: chocolate cake mix (18 oz box) and pure pumpkin (15 oz). mix. spread in greased pan. cook for a while. tada! brownies. (and a doggie who wants one.)
I first made this for our Fourth of July weekend at the lake. This time i used up some left over cake mix to make them into cupcake brownies. and i shall eat them all.

the REAL experiment was Banana Brownies. i merged the zucchini brownies recipe with another recipe i found online. and tried to make them healthy.
they look pretty standard...
and people have eaten them and not thrown up/died. i used wheat flour, and i probably shouldn't have. they don't taste sweet enough to me.

i think i'll give muffins a rest for a while, then try some other variations... ideas?

----------------
Now playing: Rilo Kiley - Give a Little Love
via FoxyTunes