New Toys + Update

I've complained before about the state of my dorm's kitchen, but it is definitely something worth complaining about. Like any communal space shared by close to two hundred university students, it is in less than ideal state. While it does offer some communal supplies, it is annoying having to scrub everything before using it - if you can find what you need in the first place. Since I want to bake on a regular basis, I decided it was fairly reasonable for me to invest in my own baking tools. After all, I do plan on moving out of the dorms within the next year or two, so I would eventually buy these supplies. Why not get them early?

My new toys came in a few days ago, but I have been tied up and haven't been able to pick up the packages until today. Here they are!

Shiny new toys (plus my striped comforter).

Kuhn Rikon French wire whisk, 10 inches: I wanted to go for something universal that I could use in multiple situations, so I went with a French whisk. It's not very big and the handle has a smaller diameter, which is perfect for my size. 

Winco single fine mesh strainer, 8 inch diameter: I was not planning on getting a strainer as well, but after finding a recipe for raspberry cheesecake with real raspberries, I decided to add it to my purchases. I am quite happy I did! It is much larger than I expected, and I can strain pasta in it too. Success!

Pyrex two cup measuring cup: As a chemistry major, I have a lot of affection for Pyrex since they also make laboratory glassware. I know I'm getting quality with this. 

Wilton rubber scrapers: You can never have enough of these! I can't think of a more useful kitchen tool, especially since I will be working with a lot of batters. Plus, the color is really great.

RSVP mixing bowl, 4 quarts: I have to admit, I'm glad White Dress convinced me to get the bigger mixing bowl, because this size is just about right for my needs. I won't be working with a lot of batter at once, but I could see how someone would want more room if they were baking several batches at once. It's just right for me, though, and fits nicely on my shelf.

Now that I have my own tools, I hope to be baking more often - I have quite a few recipes I want to try out.

Finally, the long-awaited update: I finally got word about my dorm's cupcake bake off, and while they didn't technically tell me that I won, they did tell me that my prize was anything off of Amazon.com under $30, not including shipping. If that isn't first prize, then this was a ludicrous bake off! JA doesn't have his eye on anything, although I do have something in mind. Hmm...

Until next time!

~Pink Heels

Key Lime Pie: Take One

I'm a major fan of no-bake desserts, partially because I have a fear of being burned (which is really ironic considering how much I love to bake), and partially because my dorm's ovens are notoriously unreliable. However, ever since I mentioned that I made key lime pie a few times last year, JK has told me that he would love to try it. A request for my dessert? How can I resist?

The problem was that my dorm's kitchen was being used for an event this Friday, so I would have to make it at JK's dorm. The kind of supplies his dorm's kitchen was stocked with would determine which recipe I would make. At home, my mother has a recipe that includes cream cheese, powdered gelatin and vanilla pudding for the filling. It sets very well and is a great recipe. Since coming to university, I've been using this recipe, which includes cream cheese and powdered gelatin but no vanilla pudding. It still sets quite well, although it turns into Mission: Impossible once the powdered gelatin is added in. Wow, does that set fast.

To cut down on the number of things I would need to bring over to JK's dorm, I decided to try out this recipe, even though it made be a bit weary. It was convenient, but it only included cream cheese and Cool Whip as anything with standing power for the filling. It didn't surprise me that it needed three hours in the fridge to set - this filling wasn't kept together by much.

Only one way to find out if the recipe was any good, right?

When working with cream cheese, I prefer to use a fork over an electric mixer (except when making cream cheese frosting, because lumps are absolutely inexcusable in that). The cream cheese gets completely glued to the mixing blades, and it's extremely annoying to constantly have to stop and scrape them off. For this recipe, though, an electric mixer wouldn't have been a bad idea. Once I added the sweetened condensed milk and key lime juice, the mixture turned very runny. I was horrified - this was supposed to eventually set? I didn't see how. I was a little more reassured once I added in the Cool Whip and folded the liquid into it; the Cool Whip could hold its own. I prefer my key lime pie to more firm than Cool Whip is, but to each his own.

I bought the larger of the two Graham cracker crusts at the store, and the amount of filling that this recipe made was almost too much for it. Looks like I have two options from now on: have two smaller pies that are shallowly filled, or one larger pie that is almost overflowing with filling.

The overflowing pie, right before being popped in the refrigerator.

After waiting three hours, it was finally ready for a taste test. The Cool Whip made it very light and fluffy, which worked well with the crust. Also, the recipe doesn't call for sugar, and I was perfectly fine with it. The pie was sweet enough without it, which was perhaps a bit disappointing since I like my key lime pie a little more tart. 

The verdict? Definitely not my favorite recipe. It's easier to make, but I prefer my filling to be a little more custard-like. JK enjoyed it, although I think I will have to call my mother and ask for her key lime pie recipe. You'll be sure to hear all about it if I do end up making it!

Until next time!

~Pink Heels

Hi

Hey everyone, this is White Dress, the second writer for this blog. Yeah, I'm probably way more of a slacker than Pink Heels, but that's okay, she'll provide you with more interesting things anyways. :) Anyways, let's do some introductions (Pink Heels is sitting here with me, anyways).

By the way, Pink Heels just tried to beat box, but I had no idea what she was doing. I thought she was just making weird pug noises. 

So introduction - hi, I'm White Dress, and I'm a university student! I can't beatbox either. 

Hello, I am Pink Heels, writing in blue. I am also a university student, and I like cardigans. (White Dress just nodded. That's a pretty good way to describe myself.) I am a chemistry major and a generally science-oriented person. 

Pink Heels just told me that my weird talent was math, but I'm pretty sure that's not a weird talent. Pink Heels' talent is clearly not beat boxing. I think she just mimicked a trumpet as part of her "beat boxing." She says she was trying to imitate Super Junior, but I didn't really see it (Sorry). (She just made a really bad pun. I don't even.)

(Context: White Dress is just doing the choreography from the Suju mv.) It's not a weird talent, but we both took a few dance classes last year. I'm not sure if one of them actually counted as dancing. 

I had a dream last night, and I was diffusing a bomb. If only I were that intense in real life. I also rescued my friends by identifying the correct batteries. I think I have a very strong desire to save the world, except for that I really don't, since being a university student is seriously a full time job. 

I also really like cupcakes. Pink Heels' cupcakes were delicious - you should try the recipe. I used to bake a lot more, except for then classes really caught up to me. I really enjoy painting my nails - it's one of the greater pleasures in life. :) 

Anyways, this is kind of a failure of an introduction post, but here, have an Adipose to make up for everything ㅋㅋ:

Sour Octopus Cupcakes

Hello hello =)

Inspired by my dorm's cupcake baking contest, I headed to Pinterest to dig up a creative cupcake idea (in retrospect, this was not the best idea, since it reignited my mild Pinterest addiction). After a little searching, I found something promising: Sour Patch Kid cupcakes. Vanilla cupcakes with jam filling topped with frosting mixed with citric acid (the sour sugar used in the gummies) and a Sour Patch Kid candy.

Now that I had the base, it was time to make it my own.

I went shopping for ingredients, borrowed a few baking supplies (my dorm's kitchen, while it does supply basic baking equipment, can get absolutely disgusting), grabbed my friend JA, and got to baking.

The base: Betty Crocker white cake mix. I doubt that my dorm would supply quality flour, and let's face it, I'm lazy. I followed the directions on the box, except that I added three whole eggs instead of three egg yolks. After talking to a friend, I decided not to add the jam filling; he thought the flavor would be terrible against the sour topping.

The topping: Betty Crocker while frosting with Jello gelatin powder to add color and flavor (this was something I found on Pinterest). I used Mango and Berry Blue to get orange and blue, although the Mango definitely came out lighter than expected (I probably should have gone with Orange to get a darker color). This idea can definitely still use some work, because while it did color the frosting, too much Jello powder made it granular. This was a problem with the Mango - do I go with the darker color, or with the better texture? Also, the Jello did make the frosting taste a bit artificial. Since there weren't any plastic bags to use, JA and I scooped the colored frosting onto a sheet of plastic wrap, created a cone, and cut a small hole in the bottom to frost the cupcakes.

Instead of going with Sour Patch Kids, I decided to use sour octopi, the lesser-known cousins to sour gummy worms. The reason was mostly aesthetic - they would just sit better on top of the cupcake. This plan did backfire in two ways: not only did I not buy enough sour gummies (only eight or nine gummies in a pack?!), but there was a third color combination that I didn't consider: purple/pink (the frosting colors were meant to coordinate with the yellow/orange and green/blue octopi). I ended up topping the remaining cupcakes with sour gummy worms instead. To my disappointment, my local grocery store doesn't carry citric acid, so I had to make do with sprinkling the cupcakes with the leftover sour sugar in the candy packages.

The result of attempt #1.

The day of the cupcake bake-off arrived, and with experience under our belts, JA and I began our second attempt. This time, we made three different frosting colors: I bought Raspberry Jello to make pink, and WOW did it pigment the frosting! A pinch went a long, long way - we added more white frosting in order to tone down the hue so it would match the pastel blue and orange. 

The physical act of frosting them, though, didn't go white as well as last time. For some reason, the neither of us were getting the results we wanted using the same plastic wrap technique - perhaps, but dividing one can of frosting into three colors, we didn't leave ourselves enough to properly frost with? In any case, I ended up fixing the frosting mishaps by hand. They most definitely didn't look as good as the swirls in attempt #1, but it was the best I could do.

The result of attempt #2.

JA and I submitted our three best cupcakes to the bake-off and donated the above tray of cupcakes to the study break. And...we still don't know the results of this bake-off! It's been five days already, and I doubt many people entered - how long does it take to judge cupcakes? The world may never know.

Until next time!
~Pink heels