Thursday, February 4, 2010

Bread + pudding= comfort



Bread pudding, for many is a comfort food.  As I was about to try my hand at this delightful desert I thought to my self;’ where did it originate’? How often do we eat things without a thought about the origin of it? There is such a simple pleasure in knowing and to better appreciate things. Puddings have a long and interesting history. I will try to keep it short.Many early puddings were meats, not sweets. Bread pudding was born in the 13th century. Known as "poor man's pudding”, it was created as a means of salvaging stale bread. The bread was soaked in milk or water, then sugar, butter, fruit, and/or spices were added, and then it was baked. Sometimes the mixture was housed in a "sop," a hollowed out loaf of bread. Modern bread pudding is made by pouring custard and other flavorings over cubed bread and then baking it. Variations of this recipe are as limitless as the imagination. Our idea about bread pudding will also be determined by whatever part of the world we are from. Now that we know a bit about this awesome dessert/breakfast we can at least think about how far we came as a human race and how much more we can look forward to better recipes in the years/centuries ahead… Never stop thinking about the simple things people…I am sharing with you a picture of my bread pudding topped with a maple-butterscotch sauce. What more can the taste buds ask for?! 

    

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Bread quest




It is so easy to quit when things don’t go right or when we try and fail; don’t you think? Well I’ve been faced with making such a decision more times than I would like to admit. I think of it as only being a human reaction or am I telling myself that so I don’t have to feel bad about the thought of quitting? I’ll say the latter. Well guess what? I have analyzed every inch of the thought and it all lies in us.

We have the power in our own self. Who thought I would get all of this from making something called,” bread”? Well let me tell you; it is no simple job! I wanted to have that nice homey taste of bread whenever I liked instead of waiting on the holidays when I get to eat my mother-in-law’s deliciously soft dinner rolls. My quest started soon after thanks giving. My first try was a pure mess of dough and this continued on until I figured I’m killing the yeast instead of feeding it. Trust me, I did numerous researches and watched some videos but this bread skill comes with practice. The research and videos do help though. I guess everyone learns in different ways. Nevertheless I am proud to say;” I did it!” The key to my success was trying, try and try again. Believe it or not I got it on the tenth try… Thanks for reading and don’t give up on anything especially food!




Monday, January 11, 2010

New beginnings



Happy, productive and healthy new year to all! It’s a new year and for many it symbolizes new beginnings. We make promises to our self with good intentions but somewhere at the back of our head we are afraid we might not keep them. Why is this so? What happens when the year reaches its fifth or sixth month? Lucky you if you got that far before! I didn’t even keep my resolution for 2 hours. Don’t worry, I have no addiction whatsoever. I promised to be more understanding of the human race but I failed terribly. I have heard from someone who knows what he is talking about, most of to time; to be successful in life you should understand people. I honestly agree with that statement! Where to begin though? The human animal is the most complicated of all. Think about it! Even our meals get more complicated as evolution takes place. I am not complaining or anything, I am only admiring. A year from today I could hardly cook for myself and my significant other and today because I was willing to learn I can cook and entertain my family and friends and know they are enjoying what they are being served. I still have a long way to go, but I am getting there. Today's dish is a spicy beans&rice and a coconut garlic shrimp on the side. I hope you are liking the pictures of my meals and feel free to ask for recipes. Good night folks!