Mini Cocoa and Banana Pavlovas and a whole lotta trouble
Pavlova. The word rolls off of your tongue, all at once light and alluring, heavenly and undeniably delicious. Pavlova.
I decided to make it for three reasons. First, it looked gorgeous and I was curious to try it. Second, I wanted to make it chocolate and submit it to Poornima’s “For the Love of Chocolate” event. And finally, I was meeting my Grandma to celebrate her birthday and this seemed perfect. Like me, my mother had never heard of it before. “How do you spell it?” she asked.
T-r-o-u-b-l-e.
Pavlova is not entirely difficult. It’s a meringue base, with a thin crisp outer crust and a chewy, marshmallowy inside. The meringue nest is topped with freshly whipped cream and fresh fruit. The whole thing melts in your mouth, and the sweetness of the meringue is cut by the fruit and the cream, if unsweetened. So why did this little dessert give me such a hard time?
Right off the bat, I broke 18 eggs. I was opening the fridge to take out the four eggs needed for the pavlovas. One moment, I was talking, with the four eggs in my hand. The next moment, my mother had pushed me all the way over to the cabinets in an attempt to stop me, but alas – the empty container slid guiltily on the floor and sacrificed every egg along the way. While my four egg whites came to room temperature, I wiped up the floor and tried to keep the dogs from licking the splattered raw yolk.
But it was about to get much, much more embarrassing.
Lime Tea Cakes with Raspberries
There’s a Goodwill by my school that we used to visit all the time. I never knew what to do once we got there, because I was never interested in any of the clothes. I’d look at the old VHS movies, the funny 90’s jewelry, and the once-worn spring dresses before I got bored. I’d sit in the comfiest looking sofa and wait until we could leave.
That was before I discovered the cooking aspect of Goodwill. Now I take longer than my mom to finish up because I have to check out every single cookbook on the shelf – they’re only a dollar each, it’s such a bargain! Some of them have been total disasters (like the Sweet and Sugarfree cookbook I thought sounded interesting) but others have been really excellent, like the Martha Stewart Healthy Quick Cook cookbook I found. Then I have to inspect all of the cooking supplies. I’ve bought a couple really great finds from Goodwill, including a new set of three nonstick springpans that I use all the time. I’ve bought interesting bundt pans, cute holiday shaped cake pans, and even some mini muffin tins.
The mini muffin tins kind of confused my mom, since they were so small. “Why would you make muffins that small? Those would be barely even a bite.” She kind of had a point, but I wanted them anyway. We both finally saw the greatness of mini muffins when I decided to try Deb’s raspberry-topped lemon muffins. Like most of my sweets I was planning to bring them to school for my friends to eat at lunch. The recipe only made 14 standard size muffins, which I suspected would not be enough. But Deb made 56 mini muffins out of the same amount of batter. The great thing about the mini muffins is that even if each person ends up eating less than a full muffin, they feel like they’ve had a lot, so everyone is satisfied. Plus, if someone doesn’t like it they don’t have to waste a whole muffin. Although that was definitely not a problem with these…
Green Tea Shortbread and a survey
I have a confession to make. Don’t be mad, okay?
I’m not actually 17.
When I first unveiled my new food blog, the first thing my dad said was, “That’s a little precocious, isn’t it?” Maybe. I just didn’t see the point in using 16, since my birthday is in 2 1/2 weeks (!) and I figured I would just have to be a bit misleading for a month. It’s a little weird only being 16 – with a few exceptions, I’m one of the youngest food bloggers I’ve seen. On the one hand, I’m at a bit of a disadvantage, with school and my limited time and budget. On the other hand, I think I’m getting a real leg up – I wonder how many foodies discovered their passion for cooking as young as I did! In this sense, I’m pretty lucky to be 16.
Anyway, the nice thing about turning 17, besides cake and finally fitting into my title, is the birthday present I’m planning. A real camera. My Kodak EasyShare is fine when I go to the park or for photos on vacation, but when I’m trying to zoom in on some crumbly shortbread action, it’s a little lacking. I’ve been looking around and I think I’ve decided on a Canon Rebel XTi with a Canon 50mm 1.8 lens. It’s a bit pricey for a hobby but my parents and I will share the cost… and hopefully I’ll be able to take the food photography that I see in my head!
What about you? What kind of camera do you use, and what do you suggest I buy?
But onto the recipe. I’m still on a matcha kick after getting a whole package of the stuff. Seriously, I dream in pale green. These Green Tea Shortbread cookies are being shipped off to my mom’s best friend for her birthday. She loves buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookies, and these were perfect.
Yam Biscuits and the joys of natural light
“So, what’s for breakfast?”
That’s usually one of the first things my dad says to me on Saturday mornings. I gulp down a bowl of cereal in seconds on weekdays, which makes weekend breakfasts even more enjoyable. Even though my parents can definitely make a better savory breakfast – eggs Benedict, omelettes, and perfectly crispy hashbrowns – I have the sweeter things covered. Pancakes, waffles, muffins, and scones. Mmm.
Besides my general love for carbs at any moment, I like baking in the mornings for a few reasons. I like the absolute lack of hurry that covers the whole house like a warm sweater. I like bringing my parents a piping hot baked good and eating it right in bed. And one of the simplest things I like is the filtered natural light that streams in through the windows. When I usually bake, it’s after school (though not necessarily after homework!) Even in March it gets dark pretty quickly. And I’m the kind of person who would prefer no lights and an open window to bright artificial lights. Another great thing about natural light is the photography it produces. As an amateur photographer the sunshine is my best friend!
What kind of 75 watt light bulb can do that?
17 and Baking 