Herbs, Anyone?

So one of the signs that lets me know that it's officially spring - bordering on soon to be summer - is that I've got my herb garden in full swing.  I've yet to plant the herb garden of my dreams, but a girls' gotta work with what she's got.

So far this year I've tricked out my patio with window boxes and terra cotta pots full of a few herbs that I consider essential in the kitchen.  At last inventory, I'm growing rosemary, thyme, basil and parsley with a few annuals thrown into the mix for color and because I damn well felt like it.  There's also a giant mint plant that seems to be taking over one of the planters, which is fine with me becuase I got it for the sole purpose of making mojitos - oh yeah - or maybe caipirinhas, if I can get my little cheffy hands on some cachaca.

But so far in the scant couple of weeks that I've been growing my little green smelly plants I've already made two batches of basil-parsley pesto, and have been just waiting for the weekend to make mojitos!

I don't really know what it is about taking something you've grown yourself and cooking with it that makes everything taste so much better.  Not to mention the dishes that you cook somehow become more meaningful or important. 

So ladies and germs, go out and get yourself an herb plant and grow something!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Pink Cream Cheese Frosting...

So this Tuesday is my sister's birthday and being the slacker that I am, I inconveniently forgot to get her a birthday present.  Luckily for me I have a nifty bag of culinary tricks.  So in lieu of baking her an entire birthday cake I went with the ever beloved cupcakes.

I decided to go with chocolate - always a winner.  And looking around the kitchen cream cheese icing was the way to go, plus it's not as sweet as your standard buttercream, and wouldn't you know, that's how my sister and I prefer our frosting.  Of course the most important factor concerning the cupcakes was the color of the icing... dilemmas, dilemmas.

In the end, had to go with pink; and I know that in my shoddy photography work it doesn't come across as a very intense pink, more a pastel - trust me, it was hot pink.

And yes - my frosting piping skills do leave something to be desired, but 1.) I'm not a pastry chef, damn it, and 2.) I was wrangling a niece and nephew at the time.  I also discovered that using a larger pastry tip (or none at all) is definitely the way to go for speed and presentation if your in a pinch for time.  Oh well, lesson learned!

But how did they turn out, you ask?  Delicious - the cupcakes were moist, although they could have been a little more "chocolatey" which will be a future recipe tweak.  But in the end it was all about the icing - damn you cream cheese frosting!  It was oh so good, but oh so horrible for you... recipe to follow - you'll definitely want to try it so you can see what I mean.

Did I mention this was my first foray into cupcake making?  I think I did alright for a first try.  My recipe for the cupcakes themselves was a standard chocolate cupcake which I won't bore you with.  I suppose you could even *shudder* use a box mix.  But again, I think these cupcakes, in the end, were all about the icing, which is prepared as follows...

Ingredients - only four- how easy!

• One 8 0z package of cream cheese at room temperature (your choice of regular, lowfat - whatevs)
• 5 Tablespoons of unsalted butter, room temperature (half a stick if you're in a hurry)
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract (the good stuff, if you please)
• 2 to 3 cups of powdered sugar, depending on consistency

1. Using a stand mixer/handheld/arms of steel, cream together the butter and cream cheese until it's light and fluffy.  Add in vanilla extract.
2. Slowly begin to add the powdered sugar, letting the frosting build up in volume as you add the sugar.
3. After you've added the first two cups of sugar, check the consistency - in the end it's up to you - how heavy do you want your frosting?  The more sugar you add, the lighter it gets.

At this point, it's ready to be colored, and the sky's the limit pertaining to this aspect.  Use it to decorate your cooled cupcakes or other delicious tidbits or store it in the fridge until you're ready to use it, or just dig into it with a spoon as the case may be.

WARNING: this frosting may induce sugar highs in young children, or anyone for that matter and may cause sugar induced comas or uncontrolled bouts of consumption.  Eat at your own risk ; )  Seriously - this stuff's dangerous!  Enjoy.

The Wayward Chef Blogs Again!

Hello.  My name is Jessica, and I am a blogging delinquent...  It's shameful but I haven't posted in more than a year.  I know my one follower - thanks Lacey! - is definitely thinking how they've had to struggle throughout this last year without the witty sarcasm and the unexpected, yet well thought out ranting...  It must have been tough, indeed. 

But not to fear - my desire to record the culinary happenings in my life has been renewed, for a while at least...  So soon to follow are recaps on some of the more successful things that I've prepared in the last few months - the good, the bad, and the epic fails.

I've got a few more things done on my life as a chef checklist that have given me a bit more drive in my life, as well as a bit more drive to write about them.  Aren't you lucky?

1. Graduated from culinary school.  Check.
2. Got the tall hat for graduating culinary school.  Double Check.
3. Moved to a new town for a change of scenery.  Doh.
4. Moved back to the place I probably should have stayed in the first place.  Finally.
5. Got a job in a interesting and possibly very fun restaurant.   Done.

We'll have to see how it all pans out, won't we?

My hint to my next blog post?  Chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.  You may now drool.