Writing a cookbook and Coffee Cake
I'm starting another project.
I know what you're going to say, she never finishes any of these!
Yeah, you are right about that. Except for sometimes, when things really seem to pan out, I end up finishing them. I can't explain why some things do and some don't. My brain is always full of ideas, and usually a new one seems better than the one I'm bogged down in, so I switch to the better idea. Maybe i'm just fickle?
What makes the cookbook project special you might ask? Besides the fact that considering how to write a cookbook is overwhelmingly huge, given all the ideas I have around it, one of the appeals is that i have to try out and perfect every recipe. There are 120 of them just for dinners. I have a feeling that's going to take a while. And I get to try them all. That sounds exciting and sort of science-projecty.
What makes me think I won't wander off to something else? Food is all encompassing in my life. I always come back around to it. If I can organize my thoughts on it, my kids might one day use the thing to cook for themselves. And my friends. And my friends' kids. And maybe not every meal has to be McDonalds or Taco Bell.
Thinking beyond this, if I can swing it, maybe those who can't cook will pick this thing up and use it and find that yes, they actually can if someone shows them how.
And maybe even those who thought their cognitive or physical disability would stop them, might find that yes they can too. Wouldn't that be something?
Is it too much to hope for?
Maybe. But no one ever created something once they decided they couldn't. So I'm going to try.
Candidate number 1 was a whole wheat coffee cake. We're trying to (A) be more healthy and (B) have something on the table that everyone will eat. No small task!
This idea came from needing something ready made but not as bad for you as a donut that everyone would eat.
In my romanticized family of my imagination, I wake up and waft over to the kitchen table where I put down a famously wonderful breakfast item and everyone swoons and praises the best mom ever who always makes awesome meals and they tell all their friends who are jealous that I am not their mom.
In real life, not so much, but I set the coffee cake on the table anyway and offered a slice to the boy.
He wanted to know what was in it.
Me: just cinnamon and brown sugar
Him: What's this dark stuff?
Me: Thats a cinnamon brown sugar swirl
Him: .... (watches tv)
Me: So try it
Him: Takes a bite.
Him: I give it an 8 out of 10. It's a little too moist.
Me: ...
Me: Hubby, what did you think?
Hubby: I thought it was a bit dry.
Me: ...
Unsure of what to do with that, I tried it. I think I will add apple sauce to the recipe next time and see if its got a better texture. It's a little grainy. And I want fruit like raisins or dates or apples. It's a good base, though.
The girl says coffee cake usually has stripes of something in it. I show her the stripes. She says the one she nibbled on (the outside only might I point out) had no stripe. I offered an piece and she said shes not hungry. Trying to get an idea if its moist or dry, she says it's fine.
I may need to enhance their food description vocabulary a bit.
The Coffee Cake Recipe (in progress)
Here is the updated recipe that I'm trying out. No Promises!
I know what you're going to say, she never finishes any of these!
Yeah, you are right about that. Except for sometimes, when things really seem to pan out, I end up finishing them. I can't explain why some things do and some don't. My brain is always full of ideas, and usually a new one seems better than the one I'm bogged down in, so I switch to the better idea. Maybe i'm just fickle?
What makes the cookbook project special you might ask? Besides the fact that considering how to write a cookbook is overwhelmingly huge, given all the ideas I have around it, one of the appeals is that i have to try out and perfect every recipe. There are 120 of them just for dinners. I have a feeling that's going to take a while. And I get to try them all. That sounds exciting and sort of science-projecty.
What makes me think I won't wander off to something else? Food is all encompassing in my life. I always come back around to it. If I can organize my thoughts on it, my kids might one day use the thing to cook for themselves. And my friends. And my friends' kids. And maybe not every meal has to be McDonalds or Taco Bell.
Thinking beyond this, if I can swing it, maybe those who can't cook will pick this thing up and use it and find that yes, they actually can if someone shows them how.
And maybe even those who thought their cognitive or physical disability would stop them, might find that yes they can too. Wouldn't that be something?
Is it too much to hope for?
Maybe. But no one ever created something once they decided they couldn't. So I'm going to try.
Candidate number 1 was a whole wheat coffee cake. We're trying to (A) be more healthy and (B) have something on the table that everyone will eat. No small task!
This idea came from needing something ready made but not as bad for you as a donut that everyone would eat.
In my romanticized family of my imagination, I wake up and waft over to the kitchen table where I put down a famously wonderful breakfast item and everyone swoons and praises the best mom ever who always makes awesome meals and they tell all their friends who are jealous that I am not their mom.
In real life, not so much, but I set the coffee cake on the table anyway and offered a slice to the boy.
He wanted to know what was in it.
Me: just cinnamon and brown sugar
Him: What's this dark stuff?
Me: Thats a cinnamon brown sugar swirl
Him: .... (watches tv)
Me: So try it
Him: Takes a bite.
Him: I give it an 8 out of 10. It's a little too moist.
Me: ...
Me: Hubby, what did you think?
Hubby: I thought it was a bit dry.
Me: ...
Unsure of what to do with that, I tried it. I think I will add apple sauce to the recipe next time and see if its got a better texture. It's a little grainy. And I want fruit like raisins or dates or apples. It's a good base, though.
The girl says coffee cake usually has stripes of something in it. I show her the stripes. She says the one she nibbled on (the outside only might I point out) had no stripe. I offered an piece and she said shes not hungry. Trying to get an idea if its moist or dry, she says it's fine.
I may need to enhance their food description vocabulary a bit.
The Coffee Cake Recipe (in progress)
Here is the updated recipe that I'm trying out. No Promises!
Whole Wheat Coffee Cake
|
|
Ingredients
§
½ cup raisins
§ 1 cup applesauce
Filling
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease well a 12
cup plain or bundt cake pan, set aside.
In a large bowl beat butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Stir together flour, wheat germ, baking powder and baking soda. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to butter mixture. Blend well. Spoon 1/3 of batter evenly into your prepared pan and sprinkle with filling. Top with remaining batter.
Bake for approximately 55 minutes, just until cake begins to pull from pan sides. Cool in pan 15 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature, even good the second day. Makes 20 servings.
In a large bowl beat butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Stir together flour, wheat germ, baking powder and baking soda. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to butter mixture. Blend well. Spoon 1/3 of batter evenly into your prepared pan and sprinkle with filling. Top with remaining batter.
Bake for approximately 55 minutes, just until cake begins to pull from pan sides. Cool in pan 15 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature, even good the second day. Makes 20 servings.
Another funny one ! I love these cooking blogs.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Hopefully I can get into the swing of doing this daily. At least until I go back to work, right?
ReplyDeleteCooking is beyond my comprehension having been raised the youngest of eight. Always in the way. Looking forward to your "lessons"., enjoy!
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming by. I'll try to do this as often as I can.
ReplyDelete