Howdy everyone!
Here’s the post where I invite you over to my new site…the one that will, within the next few days, be the site that comes up when you type in www.doughmesstic.com.
I’m excited about it, but also nervous about the transition…I don’t want to lose anyone!
So, here’s a look at the cookies I just posted over there, as well as a link to the site. Take a look! There are still a few kinks to work out, namely the “recipe” links as I am trying to make that as nice as possible but it’s taking a LOT of time!
Anything else you’d like to see there? Let me know!
Wow…while I fell short of The Pioneer Woman’s 12000 Comments on HER Le Creuset giveaway, this is my largest amount of comments to date! After combining the valid comments from the main post and adding them to the Winter Olympics post, I had well over 600 entries! So, thank you all VERY MUCH for playing along. The more entries I get, the more I am able to do giveaways…so keep coming back as often as you can!
And now, the moment you have all been waiting for…The Winner.
Congratulations Amber V.C. who commented : “And now I am your fan on Facebook, I’ll be a stalker for sure!” Next step for you? Email me at susan AT doughmesstic.com to claim your prizes!
Now, everyone else, please don’t run away…I have a favor to ask. I am in the process of setting up a new website (Wordpress versus the Blogger account I currently have.) It is still in the works, but really close to being finished. Of course, there are kinks, but please try to overlook those and tell me this:
What’s missing that you would like to see? What kinds of things are on other websites that you really enjoy?
I am trying to make this new site a pleasant place to be, and who better to consult than my readers? So please, take a moment to visit it, then come back HERE to comment. The comment section there does work, but it’s still in the works and I would feel more comfortable knowing I get your feedback for sure.
Here is the link to the new site for now: NEW DOUGHMESSTIC SITE
To reward you for your efforts, everyone who visits & comments will get 5 entries into my next giveaway…which will take place on the NEW site and I promise, it’s going to be a GREAT one! And on the same token, if, while you are there, you sign up to recieve the new RSS feed, you’ll get ANOTHER 5 entries! That’s TEN chances to win a FAB prize before it’s even announced!
Thank again everyone for playing my games – I am so glad to have you as readers!
Have a great weekend!
I do still know how to bake.
Perhaps you thought I had given up on it, considering it’s been a while since you saw me make anything other than a cookie. I DO still know how to bake.
Take this cheesecake, for example. Oh how I wish I could show you the inside of it, but it was an order for a restaurant, and alas, I don’t think the owner would have understood my desire to photograph all of my food. My husband barely understands it, but after nearly two years, he’s getting used to the fact that dinner must wait until the pictures are taken. I’m sure it’s not something he ever considered when he said the ol’ “’til death do us part” speech, but, you learn to live with things, I guess. At least he gets fed.
For those of you who must have a graham cracker crust to enjoy a cheesecake, you’ll be out of your element here. This is a cake, not a pie. Cheesecake can be either, or a great combination of both. In fact, I’m not sure which it officially is: cake or pie? Because I like to answer my own questions, this one is a cake. A CAKE.
The bottom layer is all cheesecake. Tall, thick, creamy goodness. You’ll make this layer in a regular cake pan, not a springform. I find it much easier to deal with, as you don’t need to wrap it in aluminum, there is no water getting into it because of leaky aluminum. Just nice, perfectly baked cheesecake. Once it has cooled in the fridge for several hours, you can just shake it right out of the pan, easy as that.
Now it the time to get out the springform. Take the newly released cheesecake and place it in the center of the springform pan. Pile it full of this rich, decadent chocolate mousse. Make sure you get it down the sides of the cheesecake, too, all the way to the bottom. Pile it high, to the top of your pan if you have enough of it. Now freeze it. Yep, just toss it in the freezer for a couple of hours.
While it’s chilling, make some chocolate ganache and have it ready and waiting. You can even hurry the ganache along by placing it in the freezer for about 15 minutes (no more) if you want…just make sure it is thick and cool (not warm and not frozen). Then, when you pull the frozen mousse cheesecake out of the freezer, you’ll have an easy time of icing it with the ganache. The point of freezing the cake is so that the ganache will stick to it easily and without incident. It will help to start in the center and work the ganache out and then down over the sides. Yes, it’s a little more difficult than icing with buttercream, but it’s really not tough. Hey, if I can do it, anyone can.
The decorations are up to you! For me, I went grand. I dipped a few strawberries in some of my extra ganache, then placed them on top. Then I bagged some of the ganache, zapped it for 5 seconds in the microwave, and piped swirls all over the top. Finally, I piped a chocolate fudge border around the bottom to neaten it up, although you could easily add some powdered sugar to you left over ganache and whip it to make a nice icing thick enough to make a border with. Or you could leave it plain. Or you could make a few chocolate curls/shavings (like I did for the top out of dark & white chocolate)…the options are endless.
Final piece of advice – make sure this cake is very cool before trying to cut it. I used floss to cut nice, clean pieces, but you could use a thin sharp knife as well.
Or, just sit down with a fork and dig in.
Either way.
Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake
1- 9'” Baked & Cooled Cheesecake – See recipe here
Chocolate Mousse Recipe
Add gelatin to cold water in heatproof bowl and allow to thicken, around 1 minute. Place thickened gelatin in microwave for 30 seconds, stir, then return to microwae for additional 20 seconds. Remove and allow to cool.
Whip the cream on high speed until soft peaks form. With mixer running, add in sugar and vanilla. Then add in cooled gelatin. Do not overbeat.
Add in chocolate and mix until all white streaks are gone. Chocolate should be room temperature, not cool. If it is too cool, the chocolate will flake when it comes in contact with the cold cream.
Chill mousse until ready to spread onto your cheesecake.
Thanks for stopping by! And if you haven’t already, you should enter to win the fabulous Julia Child & Le Creuset Giveaway I announced yesterday! You can’t win if you don’t play!
UPDATE: This contest has ENDED. Thanks everyone for playing!
I was doing so well.
I was. Julia Child and I were bosom buddies, cooking things up for 3 hours at a time.
Yep, you heard me right. Three Hours. That’s a lot of time to hover over the oven. Not that the meals weren’t totally worth it…they were! But with all this crazy cakery bakery I have going on these days, we’re lucky to have Velveeta Shell’s & Cheese for dinner.
I could do it, though. A recipe every other week or so, alongside Mrs. Child. And I think I will. I’ll do it! And to inspire me into getting it done, and to inspire YOU to come back and keep me in check, I am hosting a very Francais Giveaway. Lucky you!
Check out this loot…
This is a sweeeeet prize pack, valued at over $300! Don’t you want it? (I do, I do!)
To win this fantastic array of goodies, you need to do the following (other than living in the lower 48 States, sorry Alaska, Hawaii & Intl’s):
First entry - you MUST be a follower on Twitter. There’s no room for discussion. Just leave a comment saying you follow me, and what your Twitter Handle is. New Followers, same thing. Just say I now follow you, tell me your handle. If you can’t follow me on Twitter, I am sorry, but that is how I will be announcing the winner. No need to bother with the extra entries, they won’t count.
Second entry – Retweet my giveaway, then leave another comment saying you did so.
Third entry – Become a Fan on Facebook. If you are already, thanks! If you aren’t, I want you to be! Just make sure to leave a third comment saying you are a FAN. You can click here to become a Facebook Fan of DoughMessTic.
That’s it this time, folks. Three chances to win.
I hope you use them all, and GOOD LUCK!
*Prizes are courtesy of She’s Becoming DoughMessTic and are not sponsored in any way. Thanks!
Last night I convinced Jon and Seven to help me make more Valentine Cookies. I had baked them off earlier in the day from leftover sugar cookie and gingerbread dough I had in the freezer, so all that we had to do is color up the icing and set to work.
When I asked Seven what he wanted to make them (meaning, what color)…his idea? “I wanna make ‘em gone.” And he did. He ate the cookies as Jon & I decorated them.
Poor Jon has very little patience with the art of royal icing. He managed 3 1/2 cookies before calling it quits and surrendering to Seven’s “tent fortress” that’s been set up in our foyer all weekend. So that left me to finish them. But honestly? I love it. I find it relaxing and exciting at the same time.
I hope you will take some time today to spend with the ones you love, maybe making cookies together, maybe watching a movie (Couple’s Retreat is super cute if you need a recommendation), or just playing together in a tent made of chairs and sheets. Give love and be loved today!
I’ve never really been a Valentine’s type of girl. And until this very moment, I didn’t know why. Now I do.
You see, when I was in High School (our High School actually started in 7th grade, so I was 12/13 at the time) they did this humiliating money maker. “Buy your Sweetheart a Rose.” You did the buying in the Hall from some smug upperclassmen that were way cuter than you who obviously knew YOU weren’t getting a rose and probably laughed behind your back. And then have it delivered in front of all of your classmates on Valentine’s Day.
I never had a sweetheart.
Or, if I did, it was never at Valentine’s Day.
So imagine you are sitting in 7th period on The Day watching all of your friends and enemies getting flower after flower while you just keep your head down and try not to let it get to you. Sure, you’ll cry on the back seat of the bus all the way home, but, well, that’s to be expected.
Damned fundraisers.
But now, I have been with Jon for the past 17 Valentine’s Days and I should be over my aversion to the holiday. I should relish in a good steak dinner and a box of chocolates. But truth be told, I don’t really even like those heart shaped boxes of candy. It never fails I get the one piece that tastes like chocolate covered burnt gum on my first try and then it spoils my appetite for the rest of them. Is it just me?
This year, I intend to remedy my distaste for the ol’ VD. You see, I’ve already made these pretty little sugar cookies, and now I’m in the mood for a little luvin’. Maybe after I deliver all of my cake orders I’ll actually go out to dinner. With my husband? Sure, why not. And maybe he’ll show up with a rose. And maybe that beyaatchie girl who got her boobs way earlier than I did will be alone at the next table and see me with my flowers and my good looking husband and she’ll think back to the day she giggled behind my 7th grade back when I was left flowerless.
We all have our turn.
I’m still waiting on the boobs, though.
I’ve given you the recipe for the sugar cookies before, in this post, and it’s my go to recipe. But I’ve never given you any real tips for making them look more professional.
First of all, after you have made the dough and allowed it to chill in the fridge for an hour or so, you need to divide it and roll it between 2 pieces of parchment paper to the thickness you want. I usually go for about 1/3 of an inch.
Then place the rolled out dough in the freezer for a couple of hours. Remove it one sheet at a time, and peel all of the parchment off. Yes, from both sides. You can replace the frozen dough onto one of the sheets, but make sure it isn’t stuck on there. You’ll thank me for that tip later. Also make sure your oven is preheated and ready to go.
Cut out your cookies and place them on a SilPat or parchment lined baking sheet. If you’ve been kinda slow with the cutting out,you can return the cut out cookies to the freezer for a bit, or, if you were quicker, slide them on into the oven. Watch them closely. They will be done when the edges just start to brown. It will depend entirely on how large your cookies are.
Lately, I have been using this recipe on the Sweetopia site for royal icing. It is SO easy to work with! I water it down just a bit for my lines and writing consistancy, and then even more for flooding. For a tutorial on Royal Icing, you should really head over to Sweetopia – I have learned so much from her posts and her cookies are gorgeous!
Hope this helps! And Happy Valentine’s Day! 
I hope you get a rose. But if you don’t, I promise not to laugh.
When I was growing up, reality shows weren’t the craze they are now. We lived in the country, which meant no cable. For YEARS, we had 3 stations…ABC, NBC, & CBS. We did get to watch PBS at my grandmother’s every afternoon after getting off the school bus, but just a quarter mile up the road at my house? No PBS.
So, reality television was pretty much Sesame Street. Oh, and the Cosby Show.
But then after I went to college, it seems the reality show craze really set in. For me it started with The Real World. Then Road Rules. Then Temptation Island.
This was reality? Uh-oh. In realityland, 20 year olds were cool as hell, even with whacked out hair. Even if they were named Puck. Even if they swapped bed buddies from week to week after hot-tub fiascos. My reality did not compare. I would think - Obviously, I am FAT. And I have too many sexual morals. And I have a job. And I don’t have an RV. Life SUCKS.
So, I went on a diet. And I played a lot of Spin The Bottle. And I went camping. Hell, I even kissed a girl.
That was a really long weekend.
Luckily, now America is beyond bored and every other television show is a “reality show.” Soap operas used to rule the airwaves, but now there are only a couple left. And poor Marlena has probably used up at least 8 of her 9 lives if I had to guess. Poor lady. If it’s not Stefano it’s the Devil. I stopped watching in 1993 when she was possessed and started levitating. Of course, they kept tricking her into believing her husband wasn’t her husband even though he looked like him, or her husband looked like a stranger or the guy who so obviously used to be the bartender in town. She just rolls with the punches.
But back to reality shows. Cake Boss, Ace of Cakes, Jon & Kate, Those Little People..everyone has their own show. They are all okay. But you know what feels good?
Watching Hoarders and The Biggest Loser.
If your husband gives you grief about the pile of laundry growing out of the basket, or complains about the 5 dishes in the sink? Plop his ass down in front of a Hoarders marathon. You can be all –“See honey? At least a GOAT didn’t eat off the side of our house. At least I don’t sleep on a portable potty chair that I tie myself in to every night in the middle of the kitchen because there is not one other square foot to sit down in this entire abode. At least our bathroom floor hasn’t been eaten away by a 3 inch layer of feces. See how good you have it?”
And then? Go make yourself a cheesecake in your clean kitchen. Eat it in front of the TV, and be sure to turn on The Biggest Loser. Nothing like eating 2900 calories as you watch 400 pounders huff and puff on the treadmill while Jillian Michaels screams at them. She can’t even SEE you! Go on, eat up! Sure, you’ll be all “I can’t believe I am eating cheesecake and watching the Biggest Loser!” But heck, we all do it. Some of us are just willing to admit it.
Not me, of course, but some of us. I wouldn’t consider such a thing. I’m a Cosby.
Look out, loverlys.
This week, I can assure you that you’ll be seeing tons of red, pink, X’s and O’s. Chocolate and hearts and plenty of I Love You’s floating around the food blogs. heck, even I will be in on it.
But what says I Love You more than a Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron 2 Quart Heart Shaped Casserole? For FREE?
Nothing.
Chocolates will be eaten, Valentines will be misplaced, but this casserole? It will love you forever, and then some. It will warm your soups thoroughly, clean up quickly, and never talk back. It has a lifetime warranty…so unlike love.
So, as my Valentine’s Gift to you, my loyal readers, I am offering this pretty little baby up. (Yes, me…no one else! The folks at Le Creuset don’t even know who I am!) As long as you live in the 48 Whatchacallit States (sorry Internationals, Alaska & Hawaii), you can win. There’s just ONE thing you have to do…Follow me on Networked Blogs. See that box over there on the right hand sidebar? Click it, Follow me, leave me a comment saying you do. That’s it!
For one additional way to win, you can “Friend Me” on Facebook (Susan Whetzel), follow me on Google Friend Connect, or Follow Me on Twitter (I am @doughmesstic). Once you follow me, come on back here and comment AGAIN.
What the heck – here’s ONE more way to win. Tweet a link to this post, or put it in your Facebook Status. Don’t forget to come back here and comment again! Now you have THREE chances!
Just because I am being nosey…what are YOUR ideas for Valentine’s Day? Please don’t say CakePops. I can’t take another cakepop today. Anything else?? :0)
UPDATE: Giveaway is OVER!
Congrats to Stef B aka SleepinMamaWakeUp! You won with your Code ValenMINE comment! Please get me your address and info by Saturday, or I’m throwing this baby back up for grabs!
I have an iPhone. To say that I love it is an understatement. It is so much more than a phone. It is practically a living creature in my life. I bought it, I gave it Apps, it treats me well. I hope it doesn’t get any diseases that need time away from Mommy.
Last month I downloaded a learning game for Seven. The Zoo Friends Matching Game or something like that. It was free. I imagined Sev wouldn’t have a clue what to do with it, as it’s pretty much a digital version of that cardboard Memory Game. But honestly, I showed him ONCE how to make a match, and he was off and running.
Dumbest thing I ever did, folks. That child at age 2 can flip through my iPhone faster than you can say Facebook. He can solve the 20 card Match Game in one minute flat. He can call my father or anyone else in my contact list on his own, and does so when I am not looking. He sends bizarre text messages to strangers. He loves the iPod feature. In his 2 year old world, here are the best loved Apps:
Now, those are HIS favorite Apps. Me? I love being able to get my mail, anywhere, anytime. I also like the Facebook updates and my Tweetdeck. Heck, I am even IN an iPhone App – Strawberries. I have a recipe in there for Devils Food layer cake. But as of yet, I don’t think they have developed the Apps I need.
Kiting App - (aka The App that shuffles money from one checking account to another until you can get to one of the banks to deposit some actual cash in it so that the electric company doesn’t turn off your lights.)
Coupon-Less App (aka the App that allows you to scan in the barcode from your Sunday Circular coupons and saves them there until you go to the store, then the cashier just downloads all of them from your phone)
The SweetJesusHelpMe App (aka the App that senses your frustration with a gabbing weirdo who WillNotShutUp and is creeping you out and you KNOW you could get away from if ONLY someone would just call. Maybe it could read your heart rate or something, and ring a little more loudly than usual.)
The Delivery App (aka The App that calls Food Lion to let them know you are out of milk, or sugar, or Toaster Strudel, and they send someone right up with it, your credit card being on file. And you get to stay in your pajamas.)
The Clapp (aka the App that can read from one touch whether or not it is safe to go to bed with that hottie at the bar. Gonorrhea? The HIV? Herpes? Find out before you put out. ) No, this is NOT an App I need, but wow, what a concept for all you single folk out there.
So…if YOU could develop an App, what would YOU want? Who knows, maybe Apple is reading…
It’s been forever since I posted any pictures of cakes I have done for clients. Over a month! Yes, I am still doing them…more than ever! In fact, I have done so many, that I haven’t even been able to photograph all of them. That bums me out, too, because some of them were really pretty!
So, here’s a look at a few of my cakes. Hope you like them!
And since I am on the subject of cakes, guess what? I am teaching a Cake Decorating Class later this month! Yep, ME! It’s an Intro to Cake Decorating. Basically, it’s the kind of class I wish I had been taught YEARS ago…How to make yummy buttercream – REAL buttercream, not the all Crisco deal that most cake classes adhere to. Then, how to pipe borders, make a few flowers, how to write and not make it look horrible, and then a glimpse into the world of fondant. Everything you need to know in order to be able to go home and make a cake that you can be proud of.
I’ve even lined up a repeat class for next month, as well as a fondant course, SO, if you are in the area, please send me an email of you are interested and I will get you the official info. I’d LOVE to have some of my readers there!
Until next time folks, keep safe and warm, and beware the next winter storm!!
I’m not that old.
I haven’t even had my 20 year High School reunion yet, so don’t chalk this post up to some old lady sitting around in a rockin’ chair, a pot of soup on the stove, knitting underwear and spouting off about how much different it was in the olden days.
I’m NOT old.
But apparently, lots can change in just a few years. Take all this snow, for example. Yes, we have had a ton of it this winter already. Gobs. Not denying that. But you know what? Once the snow has been pushed from off the road and it’s safe to go to Best Buy and PetsMart? Your kids can probably go to school. Heck, if those crunky weirdo kids with all the metal in their faces can drive their own shiny non-4 wheel drive sportscars to Hardees for breakfast – school should be in session. In fact, maybe we could hire those same kids to go around picking up all the other kids and taking them to school.
Back in my day, it took a helluvalot more to get school called off. A LOT. We may have had 3 days a year, maybe? And I caught the bus on a mountain. Our driver had chains on the tires. And if there were kids that the buses couldn’t get to? THOSE kids were excused, but still had to make up the missed work. The rest of us had to go. Damn lucky Mountain Kids.
Now? I’m scared to even guess how many snow days have been spent this school year alone. Just a sec…I have an insider in the school system I can call. Let me be accurate.
10 missed so far.
3 days they let out early.
3 days they came in late.
And it’s only February 2nd. The “slick days” haven’t even gotten here yet.
What does this mean?
It means your kids are sitting at home (or they are at Hardee’s with crap in their face), or maybe even at the Mall, though I’m not sure kids do that anymore. Maybe I’m older than I thought. But anyway, they are sitting around somewhere, on their cell phone, texting or MySpace-ing or FaceBooking, misspelling every other word, like, LOL. Can they even type? (I mean, without using only their thumbs?)
When I was in high school, we wrote notes. (I know! We used pens and everything!) It was an art form, really. We would spend 5 minutes just folding those notes in clever and beautiful ways. We would draw on them. We would decorate them. They were special. I have a box full of these notes in my attic. I even have a scrapbook of love notes Jon & I wrote each other when we first started dating. Today’s lovebirds?
Whudup? Luv ya.
CUL8R?
K.
Wow, that’s romantic. Better save that one. But wait, there’s more! Let me just stick the phone down my pants, snap a pic and send it to you. There! That’s more like it! We’re in LOVE!
Oh. My. God. Thank sweet Jesus I grew up in the era of film cameras. No WAY would I have ever taken a picture of my junk. That would mean some stranger at the film store would see it when they developed it. Of course, my Dad owned the film store, so that would have been double disgusting. But still, no. We wouldn’t have done that. These kids must either be bored or be morons. Besides, don’t they only date for 22 days and then break up? What’s gonna stop Romeo from forwarding that picture of Juliet’s shrubbery to the rest of the chess club?
Just. Say. No. Do NOT photograph your business unless you are planning on going into the world of adult film. Your chance at becoming Miss America? Nil. And Nip/Tuck is in it’s last season, so I doubt very seriously you’ll be getting a walk on role.
But, back to the snow days. Is the snow really that much more drastic than it was 15 years ago? I don’t think so. Is it lawsuits preventing the school systems from running the buses? We had alternate bus routes back then. What was wrong with that? And now with our technology? The kids that are stuck at home could be learning online. I know, I know, I am opening up a new can of worms here. What about the kids who can’t afford a computer? What about this, what about that? Guess what? Life’s not fair. Better to learn that in school before heading off into the real world. So instead of alternate bus routes and online classes? All the kids stay home and learn NOTHING.
These kids need to be in school. The teachers also need to be in school. They could be working on lesson plans, or cleaning up their rooms, or desks, or planning extra curricular activities. They could have a big meeting and discuss alternate bus routes and figure out where in God’s name the meat in the “beef burritos” actually comes from. Perhaps if that South Carolina Teen America chick hadn’t missed an average of 9 school days per year she’d know more about “The Iraq” and why the South African’s can’t help the US Americans find things on a map.
Just THINK for a second. If she had been asked a question about texting or Forever 21, and NAILED the answer (obviously), she could be the current Miss America, a symbol of American Girl Perfection. And she’d still be as dumb as a bag of her hair and possibly engaged to Mario Lopez if she could convince him to move from The California to The South Carolina State, that is, if she could find it on the map. If only she hadn’t missed school for all those snow days.
And while I am sure that all the youngin’s are loving all this time off, as well as the teachers who are getting paid to stay at home, if it keeps up? Well, ya’ll are looking at year round school. That means NO SUMMER VACATION. Pick your battles. Do you think that the Japanese take off for snow days? I don’t. And thank goodness for that! We need someone with the smarts to keep building our cell phones and computers. How else are we gonna take pictures of our privates?
ROFLMAO.
I’m a sucker for whisks.
In the summer, I love going to yard sales. While my main target is great toys and kids clothes, I always check the tables for quality kitchenware – especially whisks. Perhaps it’s their utilitarian nature. Perhaps it’s their timeless charm. Whatever it is, I devour them. I have a container on my counter devoted to them, and it runneth over. Yet I Must. Have. More. And these? Well, these really float my boat.
Kuhn Rikon is a fabulous company with fabulous product. I have a few of their whisks, and each one is top notch. What I love about three of the ones featured here is their silicone coating. Super easy to clean, and best of all, gentle on your non-stick pans and heat resistant. Win-Win. Plus? Look at those colors! And styles! Don’t you just want one of each? ( I do, I do!) Sweet thing about that is that each of them are listed in Amazon’s 4-for-3 Promo. So, pick out 4 of your faves, only pay for 3 of them! Sweeeeeet!
I couldn’t help but throw some cute baker-y things out there for you stylewise as well. Aren’t these little goodies adorable? I’ll take one of each, please!
Thanks for the Droolry Box recommendations everyone! Have a great week!
