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Friday, March 18, 2011

100!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday I posted my 100th post! How did I overlook that?!


It's amazing how much this blog helped me, especially in the beginning. I began writing the blog for an outlet, meditation, and studying devotions. It has now turned into a little bit of baking, health information, thoughts, and just plain ramblings.[Here is where I talk about why I started the blog and Here is my first post ever.] I still have so much to share but that will all come with time. Topics I'd love to discuss in the future are Eating Disorders, Depression, Veganism, Vegetarianism, and maybe a "how to" series for beginner bakers.
I would definitely still consider myself a beginner baker who is ready to experiment and take risks. I've lately just been trying recipes so I can get a feel for the process and then I can eventually venture out. I've definitely had flops, forgotten key ingredients, and also had major success! I'm excited to continue on my journey of baking and I hope to eventually be considered a "pro!"

 [Now that I'll be getting married in September, I'll have even more reason to cook!:)]

The other night, after a tough run and a long day at work, Matthew and I cooked dinner for two of our good friends.

When I was on my way home from work, I got a craving to knead some dough so I thought that would be a perfect start for dinner! Does anyone else love kneading dough as much as me?

My favorite bread recipe has been the vegan dinner rolls, so I decided to do those. Instead of using the egg like I did in the last recipe, I made the egg replacer. (1 tbsp chia seed + 2tbsp warm water)
[They come out with spots because of the chia seed, it gives them personality:)]



Along with the bread, we fixed alfredo pasta with chicken and andouille sausage, broccoli, and homemade cookie dough balls. What are these homemade cookie dough balls, you ask?

Let me tell you.

They end up looking like this:

The process is so easy.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls:
adapted from joy the baker

1 stick of unsalted butter (I used Vegan butter)
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar (I used sucanet)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
1 cup + 2tbsp whole wheat flour (or you can use plain all-purpose)
1/2 cup semi-sweet choco chips
 (matthew requested less chocolate, original recipe calls for 1 cup)
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp sea salt


Directions:
  1. Cream the butter and the sugars together for about 3 minutes, until creamy.
  2. Beat in the yogurt and the vanilla.
  3. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a seperate bowl and then blend in with the other ingredients.
  4. On a parchment lined baking sheet, scoop out tablespoon sized balls and put in the freezer covered.
Notes: The orignal recipe called for a chocolate ganache where you can dip the balls and cover them in chocolate. None of use are huge chocolate fans so I omitted this step. I like the lightly sweet with a slight chocolate flavor. Also, the whole wheat flour and sucanet produces a grainy-er batter so if you want the batter to be smoother, I suggest using white flour and granulated sugar. I personally like the grainy texture so this recipe was perfect for that.

 I freeze the balls for at least 30 minutes before serving.



What is your favorite thing to bake?

7 comments:

  1. Congrats on the 100th post!! Those cookie dough balls look so, so amazing!!

    Sues

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  2. Congrats on the big 100! I love that you can see the chia seeds in those dinner rolls. I bet some people would just think they were plumped up poppyseeds.

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  3. Congrats on the big 100! I like your blog writing style!

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  4. haha, they do sort of look like plumped up poppy seeds! And thank you both!

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  5. Congrats on your 100th! Those dough balls look yummy! I LOVE baking muffins!

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  6. Congratulations on 100 posts. I look forward to reading more. I'm someone who cooks a lot but rarely bakes, can't wait for those posts. I posted today on labels "vegan"/"vegetarian" come see what you think. Thanks for stopping by Foodtrainers.

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