Hello My Name Is: Blogger, Baker, Jewelry Maker. Nice to meet you! February 20, 2012

I came to the realization the other day that you have been reading my blog all about the things I bake, and yet you know very little about the baker. Shame on me. My goal today is to fix that small little problem, but you’ve been warned: this post is going to be extremely random.

Name: Marley

Nicknames: Marley and Me, Bob (after Bob Marley), Marz, and Marzipan

Birthday: April 10^th

Age: 15

Favorite Singers/Bands: These change frequently but at the moment they include Regina Spektor, Kate Nash, The Hush Sound, and Five for Fighting

Favorite Books: Harry Potter Series, Mortal Instruments/Immortal Devices Series, Graceling, Life as WE Know It, and anything by Agatha Christie

My Favorite Random Sayings:

Favorite Quotations: “Well behaved women seldom make history” –unknown

“–yet, sadly, accidental rudeness occurs alarmingly often. Best to say nothing at all, my dear man.” –Albus Dumbledore

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” – Albus Dumbledore

Random Pictures I Found On My Computer that I Really Love:

Most Random Thing on My Computer: A table that instructes you how to create a proper Shakespearean Insult

Life:

(Above) My dad, cousin, brother and I camping.

(Below) My brother, dad, mom, and I.

Life Goal: To open a bakery and café in London or Boston where I will happily spend the rest of my life baking bread at four in the morning.

Live, laugh, love, bake,

Marzipan

The Power of Pancakes February 19, 2012

Above one of my favorite movie clips (I just can’t get over how funny Donkey is), and even though my post today is about pancakes and not waffles, I couldn’t resist putting this in my post. I hope that the crazy chatterbox that is Donkey puts a smile on your face too!

Now that you’re smiling (or so I hope), it’s time to make you hungry. And what delicious recipe do I bring to you today? A cinnamon bun pancake. Can you say heaven? And it’s so incredibly simple, ten times easier than making cinnamon buns and just as tasty!

The Very Important Ingredients:

¾ cup plus 1 tbsp. flour

2 tbsp. sugar

¼ tsp. salt

4 tsp. baking powder

1 ½ Tbsp. cinnamon

1 egg, vigorously whisked

½ cup and 3 Tbsp. milk

1 Tbsp. maple syrup

1 Tbsp. vanilla

I’m not sure you can handle the instructions, but here we go, nice and slow. Whisk all of the ingredients together and bake on a hot griddle until done. OH MAN, I know that seems difficult, but I have faith in you!!! Don’t quit on me now!

At this point it seems like quite the average pancake (with more cinnamon and a lot more vanilla, but we all know that I love vanilla), but hold on because here comes the magic, the cinnamon bun frosting. Dun dun dun…..

1Tbsp. milk

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

2/3 cup 10X sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. vanilla (for once I will instruct you not to use more because otherwise the vanilla gets too overpowering)

Whisk together the frosting ingredients.

At this point you have two options.

Option A: Top your warm pancakes with a dollop of frosting and sit down to enjoy.

cinnamon bun pancake

Option B: Throw a sliced banana on the griddle for a minute to caramelize and then top your warm pancakes with frosting and grilled banana.

cinnamon bun pancake with grilled bananas!!!!!

Personally, I prefer option B.

Live, laugh, love, bake,

Marley and Me

Spread A Little Love February 17, 2012

Hello friends, it has been far too long! I simply cannot believe that I have not found time to post in these past few months, I mean it’s not as though I haven’t been baking (because trust me, I have, and quite a bit), I have just been very very busy. Teachers came up with this thing called homework, and keep giving tests, and then I’ve had track, and dance, and been attempting to see my friends and family, and in between all that shenanigans I have been attempting to keep my sanity while uploading every recipe I’ve ever made onto my computer for safe keeping (it has been quite the project), needless to say, I’ve been a bit short on extra time for blogging. But I’m back!!!

Now to the important stuff, the sugar filled amazingness. And even though Valentine’s Day is done and over, this is a recipe perfect for any sweetheart, whether or not it happens to be February 14^th.

 

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies with Buttercream Filling

First off, I just think you all should know that I am beginning to believe that whoopie pies got their name because every time they come out of the oven and hop into your mouth you feel the need to say “whoopie!!” (Or at least my family does).

The recipe:

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

½ cup unsalted butter –softened

½ cup vegetable shortening (I use an organic non-hydrogenated shortening from a local health food store called Basic Foods)

½ cup brown sugar, packed very tightly

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla (If you honestly think I will let you get away with this you have lost your marbles)

Either one small squirt bottle (1/2 ounce) of red food coloring or one tablespoon of the jelly version of red food coloring (this can be found at Michael’s Craft Store)

1 cup buttermilk, if you don’t have butter milk simply use one cup milk and one tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.
2. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a stand mixer (I call ours ‘Bubba’) beat together the butter, shortening, brown sugar, and white sugar on low speed until just combined. Then for five whole entire long minutes beat on medium speed to make sure that your batter is nice and fluffy. I had to find something else to do for five minutes, because just standing there staring at the lusciousness made it seem like an eternity)
4. Add the eggs and beat well.
5. Beat in the vanilla and red food coloring. Try not to get any food coloring on your hands, I got a bunch on me and it took a while to get off.
6. Alternatively add the flour mixture and buttermilk while beating the batter on low.
7. Drop 2 tbsp. of batter onto the baking sheet per whoopie pie. Wet your fingers with warm water and smooth the tops and sides of the whoopie pies so that they are circular and semi-symmetrical. If you’re feeling super adventurous try making them into hearts <3. Make sure they are spaced two inches apart at the very least.
8. Bake for 10-13 minutes.
9. Let cool and then sandwich two whoopie pie halves together with some buttercream filling in between (recipe below).

Buttercream Filling

½ cup softened butter

½ cup vegetable shortening

1 tsp. vanilla

4 cup confectionary sugar

2 tbsp. whipping cream or milk

Beat the butter and shortening on high for 2 minutes, then add in the vanilla and 10x sugar. Beat for 5 minutes. Add in the cream or milk and beat for 5 minutes more.

The amount of waiting this took nearly drove me crazy, but it was so incredibly worth it!!

Now all that’s left to do is sit down with a nice cup of tea and enjoy a freshly made whoopie pie.

Sweets for Any Sweetie

Live, laugh, love, bake,

Marzipan

Dear life, why are you so crazy? January 18, 2012

So I have been doing some baking lately but have had absolutely no time to blog about. I have some pictures of my latest cakes, but no recipe today There will be one soon, I promise!!

Congrats October 24, 2011

Here is my latest cake! It was for a friend’s first communion.

Happy Birthday October 18, 2011

For those of you splendid folk who don’t know I have embarked on a quest, a quest to make as many cakes for people as possible. It all began with the two wedding cakes I made, and has continued. The cake shown below is what I hope will be one of many. So, should you need a cake, shoot me an e-mail at marleycurrin@yahoo.com. I am calling my quest of cakes “Let Them Eat Cake”. The cake below was for a little girl’s third birthday.

Definition Please October 2, 2011

Welcome to the Marley’s Place Dictionary.

Enter word: Breakfast

Definition: First meal of day, french toast recommended.

Enter Word: Cookie

Definition: a mini cake often filled with yummy somethings

Enter Word: Breakfast Cookie

Definition: Your head is in the clouds. Try some toast.

Well the joke is on the dictionary, because I have come up with not only one, but two, recipes for cookies that are a perfectly wonderful breakfast!

Recipe:

2/3 cup whole wheat graham flour

1/3 cup oat flour (or ground oats)

2/3 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2  tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup  pureed squash or zuichini

1 cup honey

2 eggs

1 and 3/4 cup oats

1/2 cup cranberries

1 cup walnuts

Combine all of the ingredients in one bowl. Try not to break a sweat, I know this may be difficult!

Roll into 1 inch cookies and bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees fahrenheit.

Enjoy your puffy little breakfast cookies!

Live, laugh, love, bake,

Marley and Me

Looking up at the Floor September 30, 2011

Imagine an upside down world where rain fell from the streets and people swam in the skies with pants on their heads. Yikes, talk about crazy! Well, I may not be wearing pants on my head…

See?! They're shorts, not pants! pff

Man, I’m craaaazy!

Anywho, today (as I’m sure you can tell) is all about upside down. And so…I bring to you…the Individual Upside Down Blueberry Cake!

 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1/2 cup milk (or my new fav, soy milk)

8 tsp. of butter, melted

2 cups blueberries (I used frozen)

 

Instructions:

Using a flamingo shaped spoon mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Next, add in the milk and butter.

Distribute the batter into six muffin papers (I put them in my square muffin tin, very very exciting).

Sprinkle lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of blueberries on top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15-25 minutes (depending on your oven and your muffin size).

Flip the cakes upside down so that the blueberries are reaching for the sky.

SERVE DAY OF! Preferably with ice cream.

 

Live, laugh, love, bake,

Marley the Monkey

Go Bananas! September 26, 2011

Bananas, the lovely yellow fruit. How could you not love bananas? I mean, there are so many different uses!

Three Useless Uses for Bananas

1. A banana phone

2. As a pair of shoes.

3. As a microphone

It scares me sometimes what people come up with in there spare time.

1 Useful Use for Bananas: BANANA BREAD

This super awesome banana bread only needs one banana, which tends to be all we have left by the time the bananas are ripe enough to make banana bread.

Stir together:

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 mashed banana (mash it well my friends)

1/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla (Oh my goodness, a catastrophe, please fix it!)

1/4 cup oil

1/2 cup walnuts

Bake in a greased loaf pan for 45-60 minutes or until brown on top and a knife comes off with dry crumbs.

To pass the time while you wait the obscene amount of time bread takes to bake, amuse yourself by singing at the top of your lungs (off key of course).

Live, laugh, love, bake, go bananas,

Marley the Monkey

Abba VS. Betty Boop September 20, 2011

 

WELCOME! You’ve been chosen to participate on the new and popular blog show “By Golly! What on Saturn is Marley Talking About??”

 

1920’s, 1930′s and 1940’s: The crazy eight ball (Those things were weird!), Peter Pan Peanut Butter, and Betty Boop.

1950’s: Silly putty (I love that stuff! I once tried to get the imprint of a cat on my nightgown using it, it didn’t work, so we threw out the nightgown, my six year old self was sad), beehive hair, and James Dean.

 

1960’s: Bellbottom Pants, Pinstriped jumpsuits (shudder), and bobcat vests (???).

1970’s: Abba, Happy Days, and Polyester (what on earth were you thinking?)

1980’s: Dungeons and Dragons (my dad was a huge fan), Smurfs (love ‘em), Strawberry Shortcake, and shoulder pads.

1990’s:The Macarena, Saved by the Bell, and Pokémon.

2000’s: Uggs, Hannah Montana,  iPods, YouTube, and cupcakes.

 

Did you figure it out? The topic today is… (dramatic drum roll, audience holds breath) fads! Now I’m sure its sooo obvious the fad that I am talking about today, I mean what else does one talk about on a Baking Blog other than The Macarena!! Duh, I can’t believe you thought I was going to say cupcakes! Psh.

 

Okay, so I’m kidding, today I have a really fabulous cupcake recipe for you that goes best with a James Dean movie, a Betty Boop Shirt, and a Polyester jacket. Actually, save your neighbors from the polyester disaster and just watch the James Bond movie. But first, the cupcakes.

 

These cupcakes are what I made for my amazingly awesome cousin, Sydney, for her going away party (she’s in Costa Rica for college right now, follow her adventures at www.tenacioustraveller.wordpress.com ). And if I do say so myself, they were a big hit.

 

The recipe:

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

6 tbsp. coco powder

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 cups water

¾ cup veggie oil

2 tsp. vinegar

1 tbsp. vanilla

 

The steps to super fabulous cupcakes:

Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl.

Combine all wet ingredients in another.

Mix them together (wow, that was so hard)

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-25 minutes. I recommend using the silicone muffin liners because they are reusable and so go along with the fad theme (THINK GREEN!).

 

Icing:

½ cup veggie shortening

6 tbsp. soymilk (or and milk)

3 cups sifted 10X sugar

Beat until scrumptious.

 

Topper:

6 tbsp. veggie shortening

3/4 cup sifted cocoa powder

2  2/3 cups sifted 10X sugar

1/3 cup chocolate soymilk (or any milk)

2 tsp. vanilla

Beat. Roll into ½ inch spheres.

 

The ideal cupcake:

Let the cupcakes cool then spread with icing, top with topper, and stick in a pretty sprinkle.

 

That’s all folks! Tune in next time for “Good Golly! What on Saturn is Marley Talking About??”

 

Live, laugh, love, bake,

Marley and Me

P.S. Many thanks to www.crazyfads.com/ for the help with my fads of the ages!