Answering questions....

I was asked why 7 excuses to bake…

Well …I started baking when I was very young out of the ambition to make mom proud of me…which was quite of an ambition for a ten year old.

I tried baking for size while doing chemo…because it was a challenge that gave me something to do and made me go on doing something useful… Those were the times when I was baking on a budget and I was able to create a miracle from one egg, a bit of sugar, flower, yeast, oil and two drops of vanilla essence, a miracle called bun cakes which made people around me happy even then. I did not have a mixer, a blender, a thousands of baking trays…muffins were a very distant dream and buttercream something I read about on the internet while sending and email inside an internet café.

This was 12 years ago…a life time ago I might say.

During that time I noticed I was getting better, making people happy with every new recipe I tried, I enjoyed getting applause, looking at children’s faces when they gazed upon an amazing cake and I discovered the web…and the amazing women daring to take baking as a fun challenge, sharing their opinions, complementing each other, doing the best they can do…

The most important reason …well…I saw it in “ Julie&Julia” last Sunday and I couldn’t help but shedding a tear when I finally heard it put into words.

“ No mater how terrible is a day, in the office, at home or anywhere else you spend it…when nothing is sure in the world… you can get inside you kitchen and mix eggs , butter, sugar and chocolate and you can be sure it will get thick and become a wonderful desert. “

O poveste cu briose

Dupa o zi infernala de serviciu si alte o mie de chestii care cereau neaparat o tigara am zis ca decat tigara(duca-se pe pustii)sa incerc mult cautata reteta de briose cu afine (in mijlocul iernii cand habar nu aveam de unde sa iau afine)atat de populara in tara tuturor posibilitatilor dar pe care nu am gasit-o decat masurata in "cups" ,"sticks"si " spoons" ...si alte masuri din sistemul US.
Asa ca folosind acest site foarte dragut si foarte folositor



http://www.onlineconversion.com/cooking_butter.htm


pe care l-am gasit pe Google( ca tot am eu fixatia"daca nu stii ceva gasesti pe google")din 4 retete adaptate la sistemul metric am iesit cu una, creatie proprie dar pe care am sa o folosesc toata viata in special pentru ca al al meu sot a subliniat ...bolduit... etc...ca reteta asta se pastreaza.


Sa nu credeti ca nu ma gandesc la silueta,sau ca nu pun la socoteala oboseala,dar la gandul ce minunatii ies din cuptor dupa nici 20 min de lucru imi trec toate relele si mai ales pofta de tigara.

Uite si reteta:
BRIOSE CU AFINE

Ies 6 bucati (eu dublez reteta pentru tava de 12 buc)

Ingrediente:
150g faina(eu am folosit 000 dar merge de care ai)


50g zahar brun(merge si alb dar ies mai dulci)


1/2 praf de copt


1 praf de sare(adica un vf de cutit cum spunea bunica)


1 ou


50g de unt topit si lasat sa se racoreasca


100ml de lapte


75g afine( eu am folosit masa neta de la un borcan de compot de afine cumparat de la Kaufland- adica am stors siropul)

optional se pot pune si fulgi de ciocolata dar eu am ramas pur si simplu la afine

Decor:
aprox. 4 linguri de zahar brun( eu am folosit Diamant)

Ai nevoie de o tava pentru briose,ulei si faina pentru pudrat sau cosulete de hartie(mult mai simplu de folosit)

Preparare:
Se incalzeste cuptorul pe treapta a doua( al meu e de tip vechi dar nu renunt in ruptul capului la el) sau se seteaza pe 200C/cel cu vetilator sau 180C/cel pe gaz.
Se pregateste tava.
Se amesteca ingredientele uscate.
Se amesteca untul cu laptele si cu oul cu un tel in forma de para.

Se dauga ingredientele uscate la amestecul umed,la fel si afinele si se omogenizeaza amestecand de jos in sus(nu amestecati prea mult pentru ca nu mai cresc- aluatul e zgrunturos).

Se imparte in compatimentele tavii se presara zahar brun deasupra fiecarei gramajoare de aluat si se coace 25 de min sau pana iese scobitoarea curata cand le intepi.


Produsul final la racit pe gratar.


Tip: Cosuletele de hartie le gasesti la Kaufland. Sunt 100 intr-o cutie si e foarte comod de lucrat cu ele asta din perspectiva cuiva care face tone de briose.

Astept feedback.Mult succes...si apropo ... sunt excelente cu o ceasca de cafea.

Numai bine va doresc.




A story with muffins

After an infernal day in the office and another thousand of things which were asking for a smoke I said to myself that rather than smoking(my IT be damned) let’s try the long searched blueberry muffin recipe(in the middle of the winter when I had no idea where to find blueberries) so popular in the land of all the possibilities ,recipe that I’ve found only measured in “ cups”, “sticks” and “spoons”…and other US measuring baking system.
So by using this lovely and very useful site http://www.onlineconversion.com/cooking_butter.htm
which I found on Google ( as I always say “if u don’t know smth. Google IT) out of 4 recipes adapted to the metric system I stuck with one, my own creation, but one I will used all my life, specially because my husband underlined …bolded…etc…that this one is a keeper.Don’t think I’m not considering the waste line or I’m not counting the tiredness, but at the thought what wonders come out of the oven after less than 20 min of work all my troubles seem to faint and most of all so does my cigarette craving.



Here goes the recipe:
BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

Makes 6 p (I always double the recipe in order to make 12)
Ingredients:

150g flour(I used confectioner’s but you can use regular too)

50g brown sugar (white sugar goes too but they are sweeter)

½ baking powder unit ( 2 tsp)

a pinch of salt

1 egg

50g of melted and cooled butter

100ml of milk

75g blueberries ( I used the net mass of one jar of blueberries in syrup that I bought from Kaufland – meaning I’ve drained the syrup and used the fruit)

Optionally you can ad chocolate chips but I stayed with just the blueberries.

Decoration:

Almost 4 spoons of brown sugar ( I used Diamant)

You need a muffin pan, oil and flower for powdering it or paper liners(much easier this way)

Method:

Fire up the oven at the medium step temperature(mine is old style but no way I’m giving it up) or you will set it for 200C/Fan or 180C/gas.

Prepare the muffin pan.

Mix the dry ingredients.
Combine the egg ,the milk and butter.

Add the dry ingredients and the blueberries and mix carefully down-up (do not overmix for they won’t raise in the oven- the mixture must be lumpy).

Divide the mixture in the pan. Spread each lump of batter with brown sugar and bake for 25 min or until the toothpick comes out clean.

Tip : paper liners you can find in Kaufland .They are 100 pieces for pack ,very smart to use them from the point of somebody who makes tones of muffins.

I’m waiting feedback. Best of luck…and by the way…they go beautifully with a cup of coffee.

All the best.

Ce citesc mai nou pe web

Uite ca din ce in ce mai des si cu mai mare interes studiez obiceiurile culinare de prin alte tari mai mult sau mai putin de soare pline ...

Ca tot a inceput postul mare iar saptamana trecuta cautam retete de post ,cu imagini bineinteles am ramas placut surprinsa cat de bine si de frumos gatesc romancele.

Cam 90% din multele bloguri culinare cu autoare romance au peste 100 de hits pe zi si tot cam atatea sunt in topul blogurilor culinare.

Bravo fetelor si tot respectul...

Sunteti o inspiratie pentru mine si imi dati curaj.

Dintotdeauna visul meu a fost sa am o cofetarie.
Intre timp am crescut mare am supravietuit unei incercari majore dar mi-am pastrat pasiunea pentru prajiturit si bucatarit.
Am invatat singura si incapatanarea mea m-a ajutat sa "aduc pe lume" minunate briose ,bijuteriile numite "cupcakes"si mai ales torturile mele care imi sunt cele mai dragi.

Multumesc fetelor , in special lui Lily pentru sfatul bun si pentru tot ajutorul, si lui Cassie pentru cele mai delicioase retete de "cupcakes".

Cu mare drag va promit ca am sa incerc sa fac din acest blog un loc pentru de stat la cafea si povesti frumoase asa cum stau prietenele la taifas intr-o bucatarie oarecare.

Look how ,as often as I can, and with great interest I study the cooking habits from far and more or less sunny countries…
Because we’ve just started fasting since the Lent before Easter began last week, I’ve surfed the web searching for vegetarian recipes ,with pictures of course and I was extremely pleasantly surprised how well and beautiful cook the Romanian women.

90% of the culinary blogs with Romanian authors have 100 hits per day and quite as many are in the culinary blogs top.

You are an inspiration and you give me courage.

My dream has always been to have a confectionary of my own.
Meanwhile I grew up, survived a major challenge, but I’ve kept my passion for baking and cooking.
I’ve learned by myself and strong-headed as I am I’ve succeeded to bring into the world marvelous muffins, the jewels called cupcakes and especially my cakes which are the dearest of my heart.

Thank you girls, especially Lily for the good advice and all the help, and Cassie for the most delicious cupcake recipes.

I promise you that I will turn this blog in a place to share coffee and stories as girlfriends share inside a familiar kitchen.