Candy Making Tips

With Christmas and New Years coming up, I thought I'd post some tips on candy making.

Tonight I decided I'd make caramels.  I've made them before successfully, so I wasn't too worried.  I didn't have any corn syrup on hand, so I used a different recipe that didn't call for corn syrup.  I put the ingredients in the pan, and while I was waiting for it to heat up, I ran upstairs to get my thermometer out of my cooking kit for my foods lab.  To my dismay, the thermometer I have only goes to 220 degrees, and my recipe said that the caramels would be done at 250 degrees.  So, I thought I'd just hope and pray, and eyeball it.

Fast forward to pullling the caramel out of the fridge, and it's a hard, grainy brick.

 I looked up "how to fix grainy caramel" on google, and I got 3 answers.  One, heating up the grainy mess in a double-boiler can melt the sugar crystals.  I still had a grainy blob of caramel-flavored sugar.  Second answer, adding corn syrup prevents sugars from crystallizing.  *Sigh.*  Now I wish I'd known that before endeavoring to make the darn candy.  Third, and most devastating, was that cooked and grainy caramel can seldom be fixed.

So, I learned that making caramel can be as temperamental as working with chocolate.  I groaned, mourned, stabbed the sugary ball with a wooden spoon a few times to let out my frustration, and with the same emotion I'd use for flushing a fish down the toilet, I pushed the sugary caramel into the disposal and said my goodbyes.  My poor attempt at caramel, may you rest in peace.

And on that same note, I'll post a few tips I've learned while making other candies.

With divinity, it should be made on a day with clear skies and a dry kitchen, since humidity can make it fail.  Also, to get the desired fluffiness of the candy, make sure you whip the egg whites (with no fat or yolk in it!)  to a stiff peak, and ever-so-gently fold in the other ingredients.  How do you fold in ingredients?  Using a large rubber spatula, scrape from the bowl, starting from the side furthest from you and sweeping it clockwise toward you.  Here's a great video demonstrating folding in whipped egg whites:



When working with chocolate, make sure when you are melting it, such as for dipping, that water never comes into contact with the chocolate.  What happens when water touches melted chocolate is called seizing. This can also happen when chocolate is melted for too long, such as when it is melted in the microwave.  Seized chocolate gets hard, becomes bitter, loses its molecular structure, and cannot be re-melted.  It is ruined, and all you can do is scream, groan, moan, cry, and try again with new chocolate.

I hope these tips help you when making candies.  Good luck, and Merry Christmas!

Fish Sauce

Anyone who knows me also knows that I am not the biggest fan of fish.  I'll eat most shellfish.  I love a good unagi roll (that's eel sushi).  I tolerate tilapia, halibut, and salmon.  I do not like trout.  It's the smell.  Also, my mom used to make me sit at the table until I finished my fish.  Now that I'm an adult, I just don't like fish.

I just finished a month of the HcG diet.  I lost 15 pounds, but still it's not as much as I'd hoped.  I cheated.  A lot.  Hard not to at college with so many things going on.  Anyway, I got sick of chicken, deli turkey, and steak fast.  So I went to the grocery store and gave in and got some tilapia and halibut.  Unfortunately, my tilapia wasn't that fresh; it smells fishy.  Since I'm not experienced with fish, I've been cooking it the same.  Defrost, rinse well, pat dry.  In the blender I ground sea salt Melba snacks, a little paprika, garlic salt, and lemon pepper until it was all a fine crumb mix.  Then I dip the fish in lemon juice and roll the filets in the crumbs.  Then I put them on parchment paper-lined baking sheets in the oven at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes, until the fish just starts to flake with a fork.

I have a cooking lab on Friday late afternoons.  Last week we made Escalope of Salmon with Herb Cream Sauce.  Here's the recipe:


Yield: 12 servings,
(1 serving = 4 oz salmon and 1 ½ oz sauce)

1 oz shallots, chopped
½ oz butter
1 pt fish stock
8 fl oz dry white wine (2 oz white grape juice + 0.6 oz white wine vinegar)
4 parsley stems
½ bay leaf
1 pt heavy cream
tt lemon juice
tt salt and white pepper
tt chopped fresh herbs (tarragon, chives, or parsley)
4 lbs salmon fillets (escalopes), boneless, skinless
as needed, oil or clarified butter

1. Sweat the shallots in butter until soft.
2. Add stock, wine, parsley, and bay leaf. Over moderate or high heat reduce the liquid by three-fourths.
3. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Boil 1-2 minutes, or until reduced to a light, sauce-like consistency.
4. Season to taste with lemon juice, salt, white pepper, and fresh chopped herbs (tarragon, chives, or parsley), and keep warm.
5. Heat a little oil or clarified butter over high heat in a sauté pan. Sauté the 4 oz salmon escalope about 1-2 minutes on each side. Remove and drain briefly on paper towels to absorb excess oil.
6. To serve, cover the bottom of a warm plate with sauce and place a salmon escalope on top.

I took the leftover sauce home for my tilapia (even though it went against the protocol).  Here's a tip:  dairy-based sauces or soups do not reheat well.  They will curdle and the fat will separate if it gets too hot.  Instead of microwaving it, put the sauce in the top of a double boiler (or a small sauce pot held over a medium sauce pot of boiling water), stirring until the sauce reaches the desired temperature.

This sauce is amazing!  It's creamy, lightly seasoned, and has just a hint of lemon.  It goes nicely with fish.  I highly recommend!

Here's Your Sign

I recently moved back to college for a second Bachelor's.  Yes, I know, I am crazy.  But so far I am loving it.

Anyway, my apartment has very little decor in it.  Red carpet, blue-ish sofa, horrible, torn-up chairs.  Your basic college apartment.  So I've been scouring the internet and stores for ways to spruce up the walls a little.  One of my favorite rooms is the kitchen, seeing as I love to cook.  And most of my roommates admit to not being much of a cook.  And then I found a great inspirational quote for the kitchen and ordered it on Etsy from It's Written on the Wall.

Problem was, I liked the quote, and vinyl quotes generally cannot be reused.  So I looked and looked for some kind of sign to put the quote on, and found this tutorial.

I got a 20x24 canvas from Hobby Lobby, a small can of spray paint, and some sponge brushes for my mod podge.  I laid out the canvas on some newspaper on the kitchen floor (It's been threatening to rain, so I opened up the windows to let fresh air in).  Surprisingly, the paint dried pretty quickly.  As did the mod podge.  The vinyl was tricky to get on it, but once I figured it out it was fast work.  And here is the finished product:

Forgive the quality of the picture; it was taken with my cell.

Surprisingly, not only does the paint match the one in the above linked tutorial, but it also matches the doors in the apartment perfectly.

I'm pretty happy with it!

Christmas Ornaments

I have been meaning to post this for quite some time now, but was unable to due to various computer issues.  So here's my latest finished craft!

I love Bath and Body Works.  It's like an addiction for me.  A few years ago around Christmas, I was changing the bulbs in my wallflowers, and go to thinking that they are a bit of a waste.  Everywhere you look now, people are talking about recycling and reusing products.  I came up with this fabulous idea, and it has now taken me roughly 2 1/2 years to complete.

Christmas Light Bulbs!!!

Supplies:

Wallflower bulbs and lids (You choose how many.  I think 1 or 2 dozen is great).

Silver Ribbon (1 spool is enough for about 15 bulbs).

Tinsel

Spray Paint Primer

Silver or Gold Spray Paint

Pencil or Pen

Power Drill and bits for plastic

Pliers

Newspaper

Masking Tape

First you need to make sure your bulbs are completely dried up--The oil strips the tinsel of its color.

With a pair of pliers, grab the wick like so, hold the bulb with your other hand, and pull out the wick.

Hopefully the wick and plastic ring around it will come out together.  If not, just pull out the ring with your pliers. 

Get your tinsel, and cut 2-3 inches (about the length of the bulb).

Carefully stuff the bulb with your tinsel.  I use a thin pen or pencil to help guide it in.

Voila!

I forgot to get a picture of this next step.  Drill a hole into the top of the lids, using a bit a little smaller than the tip of the lid.

Next, take your lids outside, along with plenty of newspaper, masking tape, spray primer, and spray paint.  Lay out your newspaper and tape the edges down to prevent the corners from flying up and knocking over your lids as they dry.  Coat your lids with primer, which will help the paint stick and coat more evenly.  Let it dry completely, at least 3 hours.  Then spray your lids with your paint.  I used Krylon Metallic Silver Foil.  Be sure to set this up and spray in a clear area.  The paint particles float around for a while, and you definitely don't want them getting near your car.  Let the paint dry completely, and apply more coats of paint as needed.

Close up:

When they are dry, it's time to thread them with your ribbon.  I liked this ribbon because it looked like the wiring for Christmas lights. Thread your needle and pull the ribbon up from inside the lid, pulling it out the top.

Then thread the needle back down the hole...

And make sure you hold your pen or pencil through the loop to make sure it doesn't fall through.

Tie a knot in your ribbon, making sure it's big enough to not go through your hole.

 Screw on your lid, and you are done! 

Don't they look amazing?!  I think they'll look perfect on the tree this Christmas.

My Etsy Shop!

One of my favorite places to look for more crafting ideas is Pine Needles at Gardner Village.  I have recently become obsessed with their pin cushion patterns.

I have also been working on a few unfinished projects, and noticed that I always tend to drop pins, and I do not like toting my pin box around with me from the sewing machine, to the large kitchen table, to the iron.  I then remembered my Mom has a wrist pin cushion.  The thing is, the band is plastic, and is tight on my wrist.  So I googled patterns for a fabric wrist pin cushion.  I didn't find anything.  I had to find a pattern for a cuff and a pattern for a pin cushion.  Only, the pin cushions I found were much too big for a wrist. 

So what did I do?

I designed my own wrist pin cushion!  I wanted to see if anyone else had thought of it, so I looked on Etsy.  People are selling the actual items, but there are only two shops that sell patterns.  I personally think that mine is oh so much cuter and unique, so I typed up instructions, took some pictures of my pin cushion, and made a pattern.  It is now listed on my Etsy shop!

Summer Hair

My hair is really long and thick, and can be a pain to have it down when it's hot outside.  So, I thought I'd post some ideas of how to do summer updos with braids.  A lot of them are really nice, because you can do them right out of the shower.  I have found that wet hair holds style better, and it keeps your head cool in the summer.




It can also be helpful to look at pictures online.  I love the looks with Sarah Michelle Gellar and Jessica Alba.

Sarah's hair is simple.  I start with a side part, and french braid the bigger portion of hair, including my bangs.  Stop when you finish braiding to the nape of your neck, and hold it with a small hair band.  Then continue braiding the rest of your hair, again stopping at the nape of your neck.  Pull the two braids and any leftover hair into a low ponytail, just under the bone on the back of your head. 

Now, I can't find any videos or tutorials online like how I do a messy bun, so I'll just type it up here.

First, you have your ponytail.  Grab the ends of your hair, and scrunch it up toward the hairband, and "cage" the hair in place with your entire hand and fingers.  Grab another hair band, and twist it around the hair.  Shake your head a little to loosen any loose strands.  Grab one loose strand section at a time, and tuck it into the elastic, and any loose loops in the buns as well.  And you have your messy bun!

For this look, I start by french braiding just my bangs to the side, and then continue french braiding the small section by your hairline until to reach the ear.  Braid the hair normally until you reach the ends, or until your layers start falling out.  Then wrap the rest of your hair into a low ponytail and do a messy bun.

How to Change Blog Fonts

I've had a few people ask me how I was able to get cute fonts on my blogs.  So, I decided to post a tutorial to show you how.

Step 1: Go to Dashboard

Step 2: Click on the tab labelled, "Design" and click on "Template Designer"

Step 3: You will now see this on your screen.

Click on "Advanced"

Step 4: You will now see a list of options for personalizing your blog. Here you can change the colors of your links, titles, text, etc. To change the font, scroll down, where you will see a list of font options for the title, sidebar, text, description, and footer.

Here is an example of how it looks when I change the font for my title.

And a view of the preview:

Now, on the top across from "Blogger Template Designer," you will see an orange button, "Apply to Blog." Click on it, and it should work right away. Preview your blog to see if it worked.

Congratulations! You have successfully changed your fonts in your blog. Have fun personalizing your blog in the future, the possibilities are endless!