Friday, May 21, 2010

All-Purpose Cornbread

taken from Cook's Illustrated (thanks Sean!)

Makes One 8-inch Square. Published January 1, 2005.

Before preparing the baking dish or any of the other ingredients, measure out the frozen kernels and let them stand at room temperature until needed. When corn is in season, fresh cooked kernels can be substituted for the frozen corn. This recipe was developed with Quaker yellow cornmeal; a stone-ground whole-grain cornmeal will work but will yield a drier and less tender cornbread. We prefer a Pyrex glass baking dish because it yields a nice golden-brown crust, but a metal baking dish (nonstick or traditional) will also work. The cornbread is best served warm; leftovers can be wrapped in foil and reheated in a 350-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour , (7 1/2 ounces)
1 cup yellow cornmeal (5 1/2 ounces), see note
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar (1 3/4 ounces)
3/4 cup frozen corn (3 1/2 ounces), thawed
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), melted and cooled slightly
Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 8-inch-square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl until combined; set aside.

In food processor or blender, process brown sugar, thawed corn kernels, and buttermilk until combined, about 5 seconds. Add eggs and process until well combined (corn lumps will remain), about 5 seconds longer.

Using rubber spatula, make well in center of dry ingredients; pour wet ingredients into well. Begin folding dry ingredients into wet, giving mixture only a few turns to barely combine; add melted butter and continue folding until dry ingredients are just moistened. Pour batter into prepared baking dish; smooth surface with rubber spatula. Bake until deep golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes; invert cornbread onto wire rack, then turn right side up and continue to cool until warm, about 10 minutes longer. Cut into pieces and serve.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

the STEAKhouse is open! (almost)

I am so excited for summer!
we found our fifth person, the first month of rent has been paid, we're basically ready to move in on the 22nd of May (although we have to get through the last three weeks of class and then finals... but i only have two! and a final paper and a lab report. but still. score!)and we've named our soon-to-be home STEAKhouse, which stands for StephanieTiffanyElizabethAllisonKieran. completely awesome and not corny at all, right? hehe
and we've decided to take the uhaul we're renting that day to costco as well, since we don't usually have a car, and therefore can't usually make the trip. this is going to be one epic saturday =D

I'm also hoping for a job at a bakery this summer, preferably as a baker's assistant/apprentice, but i'd also love to be counter staff at a good bakery. I walked all around Harvard (on a hurt foot, no less!) to drop off applications, after making the same route yesterday to pick up those applications... hopefully something wonderful comes out of it! I swear, I'd work super early hours just to get bakery experience. My top two choices at the moment are The Biscuit and Flour Bakery. Flour would be optimal for during the school year because it's one block down on the way from my dorm to school, and i wouldn't mind walking a minute and a half in the morning to go work. gosh, I'd LOVE to do that. But for the summer, I'd have to get all the way from Harvard/Porter to Central/MIT. I was thinking of running it every morning, taking a shower on campus, and going to work. multitasking ftw! And then The Biscuit would be the exact opposite - perfect (as in PERFECT) for summer, and not so convenient during the school year. I went there today and bought a humongous pecan strudel, and a loaf of challah. ohemgee delish.

After walking around for a bajillion years, I also went to Trader Joe's and got my TJs fix that should last me until the end of the year, after which it will be filled with a Costco fix and then a let's-make-everything-delicious fix. and hopefully a bakery fix that will be satisfied every day =D
*crosses fingers*

Sunday, March 14, 2010

SPRING BREAK to do =]

Academic: (bleh)
1. ROTC formal briefing presentation
2. organize/rewrite chem notes
3. STS paper 2 rewrite
4. organize math notes (um, need a binder)
5. study physics - practice tests
6. start 5.35 lab report

Fun:
1. eat at Flour
2. go to garment district
3. go to buffalo exchange
4. go to anthropologie and the rest of newbury/boylston ave. and barnes and noble
5. make trash bag dress for APO SFF (aack excited!)
6. plan SFF!
7. alice in wonderland tea party and movie sesh
8. buy running shoes

9. buy a pair of heels?

Food:
1. something with poppy seeds
2. red bean buns
3. asian sponge cake
4. 包子
5. 葱油饼
6. yeast pizza dough
7. spinach gnocci
8. sesame seed balls with red bean
9. macarons?

Thursday, March 11, 2010

symptoms of sleep deprivation

1. eyes hurt
2. chest (where my heart is) hurts
3. going up the stairs makes my muscles sore and my heart rate increase
...

oh god. i need sleep pronto.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

to make... eventually

1. macarons
2. brioche
3. creme brulee
4. gnocchi
5. fresh pasta
6. flan
7. fritatta
8. churro
9. croissants
10. sourdough bread
11. marshmallows
12. rugelach
13. mochi
14. bagels
15. buttercream
16. pretzels
17. wedding cake
18. bread pudding
19. ice cream
20. risotto
21. doughnuts
22. scones
23. apple butter
24. butter
25. cheese
26. legit turnovers
27. madeleines
28. falafel
29. paella
30. waffles
31. preserves/marmalade
32. hummus
33. popovers
34. puff pastry

eh, a bit ambitious...
(updated 8/28/2013)

Thursday, January 21, 2010

the ideal life

i want this book. in its pages is the story of the life i want to live.

goin' on my christmas list for this year.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

pretty much the awesomest things ever

paper dress

how to make a birdcage dress (because you know you've always wanted to when you see it looks like this)

impressive ads

a library to rival the Beast's

i want a pre-fab house!

when you can't skip anymore classes in the morning...

spock ear earrings. 'nuff said.