Random Thoughts

It’s funny how one little ingredient can make or break a dish. I made Kung Pao Pork the other night and when we sat down to eat it just tasted off. I couldn’t even finish it. I was quite upset with how it turned out. I’ve made this dish many, many times and I couldn’t figure out where I went wrong. I kept going over the ingredients in my head and rechecked the recipe and I left out the sugar. It wasn’t much, but after I added it, oh my goodness, what a huge difference it made. Three small teaspoons was all that made the difference.

I have very recently had to switch the margarine that I use. I had used Fleischmann’s Unsalted Margarine Sticks for years, but lately the local grocery stores (or should I say ‘store’ since one store pretty much has a monopoly on the grocery store market here) have stopped carrying it. I made the oreo cookies with it last night and they turned out great (except for the ones that I burned). It seems to have less water in it, so I am also going to try the Italian/Swiss meringue buttercream with this margarine.

I will be posting a recipe for a very dark chocolate cake soon. I haven’t made a chocolate cake in well over a decade. The one I made the other day was decadent, rich, and still light and moist. I used the Earth Balance to make coffee flavored filling and dark chocolate frosting. I have been told that this is my best cake to date. I always love to hear that.

I have been playing around with selling my cakes, cookies and other baked goods. It’s one of those things that you roll around in your head at odd moments. Since my daughter started school, I love making treats for her class and teachers. Her current teacher has been amazingly supportive. She ordered a decorated cake and she just placed an order for my homemade oreo cookies.  She has also been passing out my business cards. I stopped by the local spice shop and the lady working there suggested that I contact the owner about having a tasting of a variety of my baked goods. The thought of it is kind of overwhelming and exciting at the same time. We will see where this leads.