About Me

About Me

Buying a box of cake mix is not baking. Adding an egg and oil does not constitute the feeling of putting together a treat all made by you. No boxes, no processed made mixes, and nothing like anyone else's. Baking is all about getting your hands dirty and making something from scratch. With baking, comes an indescribable, satisfactory feeling. As the warmth emerges from the oven, and the smell rises from your creation, your senses become overwhelmed. Baking is a passion that permeates your system. There is no leaving it and there is no one who can interrupt it.

I never had a grandma who I baked with, or a mom who gave me ancient family recipes. Baking was my own discovery. Ever since I was a child, I always watched my mom cook. That is how I learned the basics of baking. Although she didn't express them verbally, her hands told me what to do. As for the recipes, I started with food I liked to eat and expanded from there. I looked up recipes online, read cookbooks at the bookstore, and began making my own recipe book for everything that I have made. I want to not only start baking traditions in my future family, but also use them to help other people start their own.  

I like to use Pinterest as way to get ideas for new recipes, you can check out my account to see if there is something you might like too!

http://www.pinterest.com/oliviabridges98/

Our World Today

Our World Today

We live in a world full of processed food. As Americans, we no longer pull the bag of flour out and whip up a delicious treat. Now, we find it easier to drive to the store and pick up a pie in the frozen food section, but what’s the fun in that?

I want people to realize that food has more to it than just eating, the process that gets you there is what is most important. Baking is not just about eating your final product, it is the aroma that fills your nose as it bakes in the oven, the sensation you get as you mix together ingredients, and the accomplishing feeling that fills your heart as the first “mmmm” emerges from your guests. This seems like a cliché thing to say, but it really is true. Whether your baking comes out good, or it turns out bad, you have to realize that along the way you learned something that you can use for your future recipes.

Not only does baking teach you something new each time, and give you something appetizing to enjoy, it also brings people together. Sometimes my favorite part of baking is the conversation that goes along with it. Often, when I am trying out a new recipe, I’ll ask my family to try it. The taste of the food, or the way it looks almost always reminds someone of an old story or something that happened. So drop the keys and pick up a mixing spoon, and lets get baking.

Baked French Toast

Baked French Toast

I love breakfast! One of my favorite breakfast foods is French toast, so I decided to add a twist. Baked French toast has a gooey surprise at the bottom that delights your senses. This was one of my first recipes I tried and it is definitely a fan favorite.

Ingredients:

½ cup melted butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 loaf Texas toast

4 eggs

1 ½ cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Steps:

Melt the butter in the microwave. Make sure it is in a container large enough to fit the brown sugar in. Once the butter has melted, add the brown sugar and stir it together until the sugar and butter are completely mixed. The combination should be a light carmel color and have a slight liquid consistency. 

Next, pour the butter and sugar mix into the bottom of a 9x13 pan and spread it around evenly. The butter should help settle the combination into an even layer. I find it easiest to use a small rubber spatula to help spread because the sugar does not stick, so you will not lose any of your mixture. 

Beat the eggs, milk, and vanilla together with a whisk. Your mixture should be a pale yellow color. I chose to show you my whisk in the picture because it is my favorite. I saw it in Vermont and had to have it. I have been using this chicken whisk for a couple years now and it works wonders for my food! Maybe you will find one like this that helps you too! 

After that, add your first layer of Texas toast to the top of the butter and sugar. You can arrange the pieces in any way that fits your pan. I like to place full slices first and then fill in the gaps by cutting pieces to fit those empty spaces. 

Now, pour half of the egg mixture on top of the first layer of toast. Be sure to cover all of the pieces, but also save enough for the next level. You will want the toast to soak up all of the mixture because that will make you French toast soft after you bake it.

The next steps are almost identical to the previous two. You will add the rest of your Texas toast to the top of the bottom layer and fill in the gaps again. Then, you will spoon the remaining egg mix onto this layer. To add a special twist, cut small slices or chunks of butter and arrange them on the toast. After the butter, sprinkle some cinnamon and white sugar to just barely cover the top. The butter will give the French toast a more crispy top, and the cinnamon will add a pop of flavor. Cover the toast and let it sit over night. 

Finally, bake the French toast for 45 minutes. Be sure to cover it for the first 30 minutes of its baking time. You may want to sprinkle it with powdered sugar, or add some maple syrup when it is done! Enjoy!

French Apple Pie

French Apple Pie

My favorite fall activity is taking a trip to the apple orchard and hand-picking my favorite apples. Although they are a nice treat by themselves, they make the best pies. My personal favorite dessert is dutch apple pie. Apple Pie can be eaten at any time in the year, but the best time to make it is fall because the apples are fresh and in season.

Best Apples for Pie

1.McIntosh

2.Cortland

3.Jonamac

4.Golden Delicious

5.Ida Red

6.Mutsu

7.Empire

8.Jonathan

9.Jersey Mac

10.Honey Crisp

Every year I find the tastiest apples at Stuckey Farms, if you are ever close by you might check it out!

http://www.stuckeyfarm.com

Ingredients:

Filling

¾ cup sugar

¼ cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

dash of salt

6 cups sliced apples (about 6 medium sized)

Topping

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup butter (softened)

½ cup packed brown sugar

Steps:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Roll out your pie crust into a 9-inch pie pan. You can use whatever pie crust you like. I use a recipe I found on Pinterest and it is delicious! Here is the link to the pie crust recipe I use for almost all of my pies: http://happyfoodhappyhome.blogspot.com/2014/05/flaky-pie-crust-recipe.html

After that, peel your apples. There are many different tips and tricks people have tought me about peeling fruit, specifically apples. Although, I like to cheat a little and use a “peel away.” This particular device peels and cuts the apples, but it is always good to go old-fashioned and peel with a knife and slice them on your own.

Next combine sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. This will cover your apples so it is important to mix together all ingredients thoroughly. The ingredients will be very thin and resemble the look of flour and sugar, but they will mix together with the apple juices and create a nice semi-thick coating for the apples.

Now comes the fun part! Add the apples and stir them around in the bowl until all apples have been completely coated and there is no remaining mixture in the bottom of the bowl. Be sure to taste an apple so that you have the desired flavor you like. Sometimes apples can turn out to be a bit more tart so I would advise adding some sugar. Once the apples are how you want them, pour them into the prepared pie crust. It is essential to get all of the juices and remnants on the side of the bowl into the crust in order to maximize the flavor of your pie.

To make the topping, mix together the flour, butter, and brown sugar. It is not supposed to be a smooth texture. You want the topping to be crumbly. To do this, I use a regular kitchen fork and smash the butter into the flour and sugar. Make sure you scrape the mixture out of the fork every once in a while, because it can get pretty full! After you have a crumbly mixture, pour it evenly on top of the apples. I find it easiest to spoon out a little at a time so that I can cover the whole pie without smashing any of the topping into the apples.

Finally, bake the pie for about 50 minutes. Cover the topping with aluminum foil during the last 10 minutes of baking. Due to the hot pie plate, I find it easier to measure out your foil before putting the pie in the oven. This will make it easier to place the foil on top of the pie while it is in the oven rather than taking it out and risking burning yourself. Your pie should be golden brown when you take it out. I believe it is best if you serve it warm with a cool scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cookies

Pumpkin Cookies

Fall is my favorite time of the year. I love the colors, clothes, and most importantly pumpkin! Whether it is cookies, cake, pie, or lattes, I love it all. There are so many recipes you can create about pumpkin. One of my family's favorite pumpkin desserts is cookies. Every year, they beg me to make them. Because of the early fall weather this year, I decided it was time to make the first batch.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter (room temperature)

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

7-8 ounces pumpkin

4 cups flour

Steps:

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl (I use my Kitchen Aid Mixer) beat butter, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and eggs. I prefer to mix in the eggs as the other ingredients are on a low setting to ensure that all ingredients have completely combined before moving on.

Next, measure out about 7-8 ounces of pumpkin. I like to buy a 15 ounce can and use the extra for other sweet treats!

After that, spoon the pumpkin into the previously combined ingredients and mix until they are well blended. Your mixture should be pretty about the consistency of butter and have an orange color to it. 

If you have a stand mixer, set the speed on low and gradually add in the flour. If not, just add a little bit of flour at a time and continue mixing. You should now have a dough-like mixture that is ready to be baked into a cookie! 

Take heaping spoon-fulls of dough and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. I use a silicone baking mat because it makes for easy cleanup and no cookie residue. Bake your cookies for 10 minutes or until the bottoms have slightly browned. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy! 

*I like to use cream cheese frosting and sprinkle a little bit of pumpkin pie spice on the top for presentation purposes, but of course it tastes good too!