Need baking help? Check out Baking 911

As you know, I'm pretty new to this whole baking thing. Although my experience is limited, I learn something new every time I bake. However, I still have tons of questions. Questions like, why am I adding eggs? What would an extra egg do? What if I used less sugar? How do I make the cookies softer? What does baking powder do? What is baking soda? What is the difference between salted butter and unsalted butter? And the list goes on and on...

Baking is pretty scientific. A good baker knows her ingredients and knows how they work. In my quest to broaden my baking knowledge I came across a great website that explains all of these things! For those wanting to understand a little more about the science in baking, check out:

http://www.baking911.com

I recommend the tabs "How Baking Works" and Baking Terms" -- very helpful stuff!

Dieting and Brownies - a perfect mix

I've totally been slacking this week with my blogging and my baking. I know. I admit it. One of the main reasons is that I am on a fitness kick and trying to lose my baby weight (by the way, the little guy turned 5 months on Saturday -- he's getting so big!). Anyways, I had a baby this year and I'm turning 30 in 3 weeks. 2 really big milestones and, thus, the reasoning for the fitness kick. One might ask why in the world I would start a blog dedicated to baking the year I had a baby. I would respond with that by saying what better time to start a blog about baking than after you've had a baby. I've got hormones flying and and my taste buds are still out of whack. I thought it might make for some interesting creations :) Anyways, back to turning 30. I am having a big celebration in Vegas with a group of friends for my 30th birthday. Actually, we are celebrating all of us that are turning 30 this year. Let's hear it for 1978! We plan on partying by the pool all day one of the days and I am determined to look good in my bikini! I gained over 40 pounds when I was pregnant so I had the last 6-months to lose it. Despite all of the desserts I have made, I've done really well. I've only got 3 weeks to go and I don't want all of my efforts to go to waste so I've been kind of reluctant to make great desserts that I just know I will gorge myself on. After my birthday, I promise I will be back in full throttle.

Last night my husband was complaining about not having anything sweet to eat after dinner so I dug around in the pantry to see if there was anything quick I could whip up. I found a box of Pillsbury Fudge Supreme Chocolate Chunk Brownies. I threw in some oil, egg and water and presto, I had me a batch of brownies. I know...I know I'm a poser for not whipping up a batch of homemade brownies but, seriously, I don't think I could make any that taste as good as these. They may be the best brownies I have ever eaten. No joke. The next time you are at the grocery store, I would definitely recommend picking up a box. You will not regret it :)

Easy Creamy Homemade Banana Pudding

Ok, so I finally made it to the grocery store for some butter. I went ahead and bought 3 boxes so I wouldn't run out any time soon (and couldn't use my lack of butter as an excuse to be lazy and not make a new dessert). I mentioned earlier this week that I wanted to make homemade banana pudding. I grew up with my mom making it for us all of the time, using an old family recipe. It is soooo good. It is more of a vanilla pudding with bananas added to it. It has a thicker texture than most puddings but that is what I love about it. It is also really easy to make. It only takes about 20 minutes so you can whip it up in a flash. Also, pudding is so versatile in that you can serve it different ways. As you can see from my pictures, I served in out of a trifle bowl. You can also serve in individual pudding or dessert dishes which is very cute. I probably should have done that with this because I only made one batch and it barely even filled a quarter of my trifle dish! I would definitely recommend doubling or tripling the recipe if you want to serve it in larger dishes.

Enjoy!

Homemade Banana Pudding

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 stick butter

Directions:
Combine sugar, flour and milk. Cook on stove over low-medium heat until slightly thickened.
Add egg yolks and continue cooking until thick.
Add vanilla and butter.
Layer in bowl with Vanilla Wafers and bananas.


NOTE: this recipe only makes enough for about 4 people. I would recommend doubling the recipe to make a larger amount. You can tell from my pictures that I barely filled up a couple of inches on the bottom of my trifle bowl.