Blogalag

SOME THINGS DESERVE A SECOND CHANCE INCLUDING MY OATMEAL COOKIES

2012-02-09T10:18:54-08:00

I have this irrational fear of baking. In cooking, my instincts are enough for me to create wonderful dishes. But baking requires a more scientific approach which deals with measurements, ratio, etc. Just setting up the temperature of an oven to preheat it often makes my heart pound and sometimes paralyzes me. Hestiaphobia is what it's called.

So one day, I woke up and told myself to stop being silly and face my fear of baking. It took me a year before I can finally stare at the oven in the eyes, a month of watching baking shows on youtube (every single day), 2 weeks of preparation (buying ingredients and bakewares) and 2 weeks of imagining myself baking (and not f**king things up). I'm a kind of person who wants to make things right the first time so the whole ordeal was scary and exciting at the same time.

Finally, the day when I have to face my fear of baking arrived. I decided to make the easiest thing in the world first, COOKIES. Oatmeal cookies to be exact. Don't laugh but I did some yoga first to clear my mind and ease the stress before I started baking. I gathered all my ingredients and even decided to use my Ninja blender a try since it can also double as a mixer.

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick softened unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 cups old-fashioned oats

I also preheated my oven to 375F. To get started, I put the butter, brown sugar and white sugar in the mixer and creamed them. Next, I mixed the egg in. Then on a separate bowl, I combined my flour, baking soda and salt using a whisk before dumping them in the creamed mixture in my mixer. I added the vanilla extract to complete the cookie dough.

At this point, I decided to dump the dough into a bowl, add the oats and manually mix everything together. I used a wooden spoon because I realized that the dough was a bit of a challenge to mix.

I noticed that the dough wasn't as moist as I want it to be but then again, I just followed the recipe so I figured I'm doing it right. Since I don't have a non-stick baking sheet, I placed a non-stick aluminum foil on top of the baking sheet, scooped my cookie dough and lined them up. If you can't find a non-stick aluminum foil, the regular ones will do. To ensure that the cookie won't stick, you can smudge a little bit of butter on the foil before placing the dough.

I placed it in the oven for 12 minutes and when it came out, I noticed that the cookies were chunky and didn't exactly spread like the normal cookies I see. I let it cool in the baking sheet first for 5 minutes before transferring it to the wire racks. After baking about 1 1/2 dozen cookies, I added about 1/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips to the remaining dough to make the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip version.

When I gave the cookie a try, it wasn't as chewy as I want it to be but I'm glad to inform everyone that it was definitely edible. It was actually good! My partner-in-crime (PIC) liked it but he said that the texture can be improved (which was true). Here's the finished product:

Looks delectable, isn't it? But then again, the proof of a good cookie is when it's already been sitting in the cookie jar for a day. It should still be able to retain that crisp and chewy texture. So when I excitedly took one of my cookies out of the jar the next day, I realized that it was as hard as a rock! HAHAHAHA!!! They were crazy hard that not even a grown-up can bite into it and the only way we can eat them is to reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds. I'm telling you, it was disappointingly hilarious. We were still able to consume all cookies but reheating was 100% needed unless you're a dog and thinks the cookies were bones. It was very disheartening.

I was sleepless for a whole week after that first try. I kept replaying the ingredients and procedures in my head. I think it was because of the lack of moisture in the dough that made it heavy. I did some research until I decided to give it another shot and modify the ingredients a little bit.

Three days ago, I tried making the Oatmeal cookies the 2nd time.

1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 3/4 sticks softened unsalted butter
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening (for that light and crispy texture)
3/4 cup white granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon (for more flavor)
2 cups old-fashioned oats

I also added 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips when I made my Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookie version. Don't forget to preheat the oven to 375F.

This time, I decided not to use a mixer. I just made sure that the butter is very soft so I can cream it with both the white and brown sugars. I used muscovado sugar for this batch, by the way. I started with the same process: cream butter, vegetable shortening, white and brown sugar before adding the eggs. Once done, I added the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and vanilla extract. I mixed everything together all with the use of my spatula.

As soon as I got the consistency I want, I added in the oats. I was grinning at this point because my dough was moist. I scooped it up and placed it unto a baking sheet. For the first batch, I made about 16 cookies and had it in the oven for 11 minutes.

When the cookies came out, I was grinning stupidly because the cookies looked so much better than the last time. It was slightly thin, crispy on the sides but chewy inside. Since I used muscovado sugar, the color was more brown. I let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them unto wire racks. For the 2nd batch, I decided to bake them for 10 minutes instead of 11 minutes to make sure that I don't burn the sides. And it came out looking fantastic!

For the last batch, I added semi-sweet chocolate chips to make it more fun.

All in all, I made about 32 pieces of Oatmeal cookies and 12 pieces of Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies. I couldn't wait to try the cookie so I grabbed one even though it was still cooling off on the wire rack.

The first bite spelled perfection! I was so happy that I finally got it right! It was slightly crispy on the outside but once you sink your teeth into the cookie, it's very light and chewy. It was just what I imagined it to be. Believe it or not, the cookies were still soft and chewy the next day! My PIC liked it (which made the effort all the more worthwhile) and as of this writing, I only have about 6 cookies left in the jar.

And here's my Oatmeal Chocolate Chip version:

This baking adventure taught me 4 things:

1. It's okay to fear something but you have to realize that sooner or later, you gotta face it so gather enough courage to conquer it. For all you know, it's not as bad as it looks.

2. Don't be discouraged if you weren't able to do it right the first time. Keep on trying and pretty soon, you'll get it right.

3. Yoga is a good way to release the stress from your system.

4. Some things deserve a 2nd chance including cookies.

So now that I've learned how to make cookies, I'm thinking of bread next. What do you think?

GOING BACK TO BASICS: PANCAKES!

2012-01-30T07:40:15-08:00

Start your day with a simple but delicious breakfast. Pancakes!

For those of you who are not aware, making pancakes is very easy and you don't need to depend on any pancake mixes available in the supermarkets. As long as you have the following ingredients below then you're good to go:

1 cup of flour
1 cup of milk
1 egg
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of baking powder
1 tbsp of sugar

Just remember the ratio 1:1. If you want more pancakes then just add 1 more cup of flour, 1 more cup of milk, 1 more egg, so on and so forth. Capisce?

Mix everything together, whisk them lightly remembering not to overmix the batter.

Heat the pan, in my case I used a griddle pan, and get your unsalted butter to lightly grease the hot pan.

Get a laddle and scoop the batter unto the pan. Once you see bubbles forming along the sides and all over the pancake, it's time to turn it over.

Once you've cooked all the batter, then it's eating time! Serve it with your favorite maple syrup. You can even serve it along with fruits for a healthier combo or a pair of sunny sideup eggs with bacon for a more luxurious breakfast.

Have a hearty breakfast everyone! Enjoy your week!

GARLIC BEEF WITH LEMON, ANYONE?

2012-01-23T12:40:42-08:00

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

It's a special day so let's make something special.

And that something special is called Garlic Beef with Lemon.

The ingredients are very simple:

Sirloin steak
garlic
lemon
beef broth
fresh parsley
all-purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste

The steps are pretty simple too:

Cut the steaks in bite-sized pieces and coat with a little bit of flour.

In a hot pan, pour a little olive oil and put in the beef. To ensure that they brown on all sides, put them on the hot oil one by one.

Once the meat has browned, put the minced garlic and let it cook with the beef.

Squeeze fresh lemon juice and pour the beef broth. Don't put so much beef broth that will take forever for the liquid to reduce. Maybe about a cup of broth to a pound and a half of beef. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce the liquid to half. Once reduced, put in the chopped fresh parsley.

Take it off the heat. Plate and serve with steamed rice.

Now you're ready for some special dinner.

WEEKEND INDULGENCE

2012-01-21T14:22:41-08:00

Keeping with this year's theme of 'healthy living', a few weekends back, my partner-in-crime and I went hiking again. We drove about 20 minutes to reach another hiking spot called Davis Creek Regional Park in Washoe County, Nevada. We decided to go right after lunch so we can take our time and not hurry back since the sun sets early during the winter season. Just like the time we went to our last hike in Jones Creek Trail, we both haven't tried hiking in Davis Creek so we were excited. When we got to the regional park, we immediately set on the first trail we saw. It's challenging to bring a DSLR when hiking so I left Nestor at home and took the pictures from a camera phone instead. Over 5 minutes into the trail, we came at a fork in the road. It gave us options on what trail we want to take- The Discovery Trail which is about 1.7 miles or the Ophir Creek Trail which is 7.5 miles. The former offers a short trail while the latter offers a longer trail and it's going up the mountain (which means more challenge). So I guess by now you've already guessed the trail we took.

The hike up to the mountain is steep. Rocks, dried leaves, dried woods and big trees are the usual sights when coming up the mountain. The trail got steeper and slippery (if you're not wearing the right gear for hiking). There were areas where you have to be really careful to avoid falling in a bed of thorny bushes or sharp dried woods. Along the way, we even got each a sturdy stick to help us trek the trails.

Unlike our previous hike, we didn't see a soul on the way up. Even though, it's a trail made for recreation, there's still the fact that wild animals such as bears can still be seen roaming in the woods. Therefore, we made sure to be more aware of our surroundings. It's always best to be prepared. Almost 40 minutes into the hike, we decided to deviate from the trail and find a high point where we can see the freeway down below. We went over some bushes, held on to tree trunks to help us up and found rocks to balance our steps to keep us from falling. The trick is not to look down. I was able to confirm that I'm not afraid of heights but I'm afraid of falling which will either make me all bruised and battered or worst, dead. After the exhilirating climb, we finally discovered a landing.

We saw the freeway and the lake across us. For proof that I got to hike this high, I posed for the camera even though I look like I badly need a shower.

Since we want to see the entire freeway, we decided to hike way up some more. And we weren't disappointed with what greeted us.

We saw the length of the freeway and even the new freeway that's being built. It made the 1-hour climb all worth it. I know it's not as high as Mt. Everest but I'm happy with what I've accomplished. I got to conquer my fear and I know that I can do whatever it is I put my mind into. We stayed at that spot for almost 15 minutes before heading back. We replenished ourselves with water and protein to keep our energy up. I thought it won't be as challenging on the way back but apparently, I was wrong. Since the climb was steep, it gave our legs a mean workout because we need to control our every step so we won't slide down. It was still fun, nonetheless. We got to the parking lot in one piece and since it was a very good day, we decided to reward ourselves with a trip to the nearest chocolate store just along the highway. We went to Chocolate Nugget Candy Factory. The moment you step inside the store, you know you're in a candy factory.

Candies everywhere! I got overwhelmed. They also sell milkshakes, diabetic-friendly goodies and truffles. We bought some chocolates and candies not only to support local businesses but also because they look so delightful! From what I learned, Chocolate Nugget Candy Factory opened in 1984. If you're cruising along Highway 395 along Washoe County, you won't miss the building because of the giant 18-foot fiberglass statue of a goldminer kneeling on one leg and holding a nugget in his other hand just near the establishment.

All in all, it was a beautiful, fun day. I got to treat my body to an awesome workout and got to indulge my sweet tooth too. Don't you just love weekends?

Well, happy weekend everyone!

A FIRST-TIMER'S CRISPY BAKED CHICKEN WINGS

2012-01-16T21:41:21-08:00

Have you ever felt a food craving that seemed to last for days and just won't stop until you give in? Mine started about a week ago and the name "chicken wings" is the culprit. I don't know how it happened but I woke up one morning with this craving in my mind all the time. I knew it wouldn't go away so I decided to give myself the chance to indulge. Since I don't want to fry the wings, I thought of baking it instead. It's healthier anyway. I haven't done it but you know me, I like to live dangerously.

I gathered a few ingredients to make my wings.

Mixed seasonings (paprika, salt, garlic powder, pepper, chili powder, thyme, etc.)
All-Purpose flour
Baking powder
Olive oil
Chicken wings

Now let me take you through my super easy step-by-step process:

1. Season the wings.

2. Combine the flour and a small amount of baking powder. Mix it well. Coat the chicken wings with the mixed dry ingredients.

3. Put the chicken wings on top of a roasting rack. Line them up properly. Put them in the fridge for about 1.5 to 2 hours to ensure that the ingredients will stick to the meat.

4. After a couple of hours, take the wings out of the fridge and drizzle them with olive oil. The oil will help the wings get that crispiness we're all looking for. Make sure to preheat your oven to 450F.

5. Put the wings in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes or until it turns golden brown.

6. After 20-30 minutes, remove the rack from the oven and turn the wings to the other side to make sure that both sides of the chicken are crispy. Drizzle a little of olive oil before putting it back into the oven. Bake for 15-25 minutes or until the other side is golden brown.

7. Once done, turn the oven off and remove the rack from the oven. You'll notice the beautiful color of the wings, not to mention the fact that they're screaming "crispiness".

8. Transfer the wings in a bowl and serve with your favorite dip, sauce or gravy.

Easy to make, right? Well, happy eating!