CHOCOLATE

Well, it's official, I've made my first recipe and luckily it was pretty simple. I also got good reviews from the fam. They're my official taste testers so it's probably good that I've started out on a high note so I haven't scared them off from trying my treats. I used a recipe from the book How to be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson which is my current baking bible. I also had the supervision of my mother who I drive insane but constantly asking does this look right? I also have the help of my mothers kitchen/ pantry/ fridge which is much more stocked than mine. The other day I asked my mom to pick a number between 1 and 300 to figure out what recipe I was going to make first, she decided on 179 which was mini molten chocolate cakes. I was missing a few things to make the recipe, mostly the chocolate and little custard cups to bake the cakes in. I finally gathered everything and since tonight was family dinner I decided to go ahead and try it. I figured out how to make a double boiler to melt the chocolate, thanks google, and foraged on. I went ahead and made the batter and stuck it in the fridge because you have to serve the cakes right out of the oven to keep the molten part molten. Earlier we had noticed that we only had four custard cups and the recipe makes 6 and there were five of us at dinner. Therefore we used a little bowl and put the batter for two cups in one and decided that my sisters boy friend, who has a large appetite, could have the big one. I just popped the big one in the over for a few minutes longer than the others. I was super proud of my problem solving skills. I make this decision sound easy but I was totally all over the place and panicking.  I preheated the oven but had to get up in the middle of dinner to put the cakes in, because the only cook for 12 minutes. The hard part came after I got the cakes out of the oven. How to get these cakes out of the glass cups into a bowl right after they've come out of a 400 degree oven. Answer: a lot of creativity and with some helping hands. I finally got them all served and even though they were SUPER RICH (thanks 12 oz of bittersweet chocolate) they were good. Everyone in the fam liked them although they were a little hard to finish thanks to the richness. It was basically a brownie you don't cook all the way through. Overall a pretty easy recipe and a good first try.

Right outta the oven and after the difficult flip into the bowl

With some cool whip and partially eaten so you can see the molten center.

High points:
- Learning how to create/ use a double boiler
- Having my family like the cakes

Low points:
- Panic and over analysis (story of my life)
- Getting the damn cakes out of the custard cups

Remember for next time:
- Vanilla ice cream!
- Take some better pictures

Welcome

I'm mostly writing this blog for myself to catalogue my baking journey. I've always been obsessed with cooking shows and baking shows and now that I'm nearing that quarter of a century mark and embarking on adulthood I figure it's about time I get this stuff figured out. After many years of food network shows and being mesmerized by magical cakes and admiring Duff Goldman I started watching a different kind of baking show, The Great British Bake Off. The show combines my love of baking shows and all things British. After devouring the first season in one day I felt inspired and decided that my new life goal should be to become good enough to be on the show (which isn't possible since I'm not British and do not live in the UK). My only question was where the hell do I start? After discussing my new aspirations with one of my best friends she recommended the cookbook How to Become a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson. After reading the reviews I went ahead and ordered the book, which I love. I'm hoping to have a Julie and Julia type thing where I set up a countdown and have to make as many things as I can in a year, but first I need to go through the recipes and see what all I really want to make because I am pretty much the pickiest eater on planet Earth. Part of the reason I love the book is because the author, Nigella Lawson, says in the intro that this book isn't about becoming Susie Homemaker 1950's housewife, it's for women who have a career and just want to learn how to bake. That's an important message for me because I want to be a career woman (I'm a teacher) and be able to bake. I do feel that I should disclaimer that I have mad respect for housewives and stay at home moms. They're amazing. I also just want people to know that you can be a feminist and have really "girly" hobbies (I enjoy cooking, baking, and sewing). So, I guess it's time to start my journey of baking.

P.S. I've titled this blog staring into the oven because I will literally be staring into the oven a lot.