You could say I'm not great at this commitment thing. I try to blog for a while, decide it may be good to take a break, think about it often, crawl back and beg for another chance, and repeat. Anyways, a year later, here I am with a recap of various projects I've squeezed into my senior year.
How about this Salted Caramel Double Chocolate Cake?
I took a basic caramel recipe of butter, sugar, and cream, and blended it into powdered sugar and vanilla. After much tweaking, this gorgeously creamy and smooth caramel frosting was produced, and I spread it on a rich chocolate cake (back of the Heryshey's cocoa powder box, for the win! Added chocolate chips for texture).
I found a basic shape for this Star Trek Enterprise Cake on Pinterest, and then personalized the rest. Well, as much of a personalization of an attempted replica of something else can be. Gray frosting is hard to correctly get, but I was happy to finally get a chance to use my food paint brushes.
But really. Nothing is better than these Homemade Cinnamon Sugar Chips with Strawberry Salsa.
You won't believe how easy these are. Take a flour tortilla, cut it into triangle halves until you're happy with the size, and fry them up in a pan with the bottom filled with oil. It doesn't take much oil, time, or effort. As soon as they're out (when they're golden brown and crispy), immediately put them on a plate with a paper towel, wait a few seconds so you don't burn your hand off, then coat with cinnamon sugar. Easy! Ready for more batches of chips!
For the "salsa," chop up some fresh strawberries into small cubes, stir in some sugar, and let that sit for a while to let the juices run. Make these before you start the chips, and it'll be ready when you are.
This simple take on a Caprese Slider was inspired by our new basil plant. Tomatos will be grown soon, as well. I took some fresh French bread, cut it into generous slices, brushed EVOO on both top and bottom, and broiled the slices until slightly crispy. Whipped them out, sprinkled mozerella (would be even better with fresh mozerella), and threw them back in for a few seconds to allow the cheese to melt. Once they were sizzling, I topped with tomatos and fresh basil, and enjoyed the simplicity and intricate flavors of the amazing trio of cheese, tomato, and basil.
This Summer Salad was inspired by the restaurant I work at.
Grilled chicken coated with brown sugar, romaine lettuce, candied pecans (pecans I mixed with melted butter and brown sugar), fresh mango, strawberries, and a basic vinegrette of apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and some sweetener. Mmm.
I don't remember the recipe for these. But really, these are nice pictures. Yay for new plates.
I hope you enjoy! I'll try to stay more committed- and cook more! Happy cooking!
