I have been having sleep issues lately, and I hate it.

Ok, so this is what’s going on. I wake up at around 6:30 in the morning every day, get ready for work, and be on my way around 7:30. I stay in school until 12 noon, run some errands until about 2 in the afternoon, and as soon as I get home and sit on the couch, I pass out. I can’t help myself. Then I wake up around 7 in the evening, or 6, if I force myself, cook dinner, watch T.V. and internet. I don’t start feeling tired until around 3:30, leaving me with three pitiful hours to sleep. Do you see what’s happening to me? This stupid cycle has to stop, otherwise it will be more difficult once the regular school year starts.

It’s ten past one. I’m feeling tired, but I’m not sleepy. If I don’t sleep in, I know I will feel tired in the afternoon and will want to take a nap, which means I will end up staying awake all night. It’s the weekend, and I shouldn’t really care. It’s just that this is my chance to reset the cycle. I feel so sleep deprived that it makes me want to cry. How lame is that?

On a happier note, I baked some chocolate chip cookies earlier. I also bought the pop maker, and I have been having fun with it. I will post about the cookie and the pop some other time. I need to sleep.

Fried chicken can be such a simple and easy recipe, if you know how to fry chicken. I think it can also be intimidating, especially for those who do not know how to. I was one of those people, and I envied those who could cook fried chicken flawlessly. And then I learned the secret: dredging and temperature.

If you want crispy chicken, you need to dredge the chicken, whether in plain flour or combination of flour and cornstarch. Some even double dredge (flour-egg-flour). I personally like flour seasoned with pepper, and only pepper. (I will tell you why later.) The only way to achieve crispy goodness is if you let the coating stick to the chicken. Frying immediately after dredging will only cause the flour to come off the moment you drop your chicken in hot oil. It’s not fried chicken without that crunchy, crispy skin, right? After dredging your chicken, shake off the excess flour, and let it rest on a wire rack for at least ten minutes. It’ll be worth the wait, I tell you.

The next important thing is temperature. You don’t want to fry your chicken in cold oil (grease much?). Neither do you want the cooked-outside-but-still-raw-and-bleeding-inside chicken due to super duper hot oil. To yield a nice, golden brown, and cooked chicken, your oil should be at 375º prior to frying. Once you add the chicken, the temperature will drop. You want to keep it at 300º. Also, fry in batches to keep the temperature steady.

So, who wants to cook the crispiest, tastiest fried chicken? Follow the instructions below, and you will not be disappointed.

Directions:

1. Prepare chicken brine: mix water, salt and sugar in a bowl. Soak the chicken in brine for at least thirty minutes and not longer than an hour. You want your chicken tasty, not salty.

2. Dredge your chicken in flour and pepper. Since you already soaked the chicken in brine, no need to add salt here. Shake off the excess flour, and let rest on a wire rack for at least ten minutes.

3. Fill your pot (a 5 quart dutch oven is preferable) about halfway with peanut oil. Heat to 375ºF. Fry four to five pieces at a time to minimize splatter and maintain the right temperature (between 300-325ºF). Fry each batch for ten minutes.

4. Place your cooked chicken on a wire rack to drain oil, and keep them warm in the oven at 175ºF while waiting for the rest to cook.

*Good to know: Boneless chicken pieces cook faster than bone-in ones. It helps to cook similar pieces together.

I have been coveting this delightful thing since I laid eyes on it.

image source: Williams-Sonoma

When Felix and I went to buy our coffee maker last week, I saw the Zoku Quick Pop Maker on display. It is quite pricey at 49.95 USD (well 55 bucks with tax), but I think it’s well worth the money. We thought of buying it, but decided not to since it wasn’t a priority at that moment. Not a priority?! *gasp* What were we thinking?!

What’s really neat about this pop maker is that there’s this liquid core that speeds up the freezing time. You put the pop maker in the freezer, and your pop is ready in seven minutes. It can make up to nine pops, three at a time, before refreezing. (Felix argues two batches only, not three!) Another neat thing about this pop maker is the reusable plastic pop sticks with the special drip guards, for a mess free treat! Cool, huh?

I read great reviews about the product, and I can’t think of any reason why it’s not worth buying. (Except for it’s orange accent, but I can pretend it’s pink, so whatever!) So, Imma get it, and then Imma make me lots and lots of ice pops! I’m thinking orange and lemon and strawberry flavored ice pops! Ooh, grape and raspberry, too! Mmm!

No work for me yesterday, so I decided to put my new stand mixer to work. It’s been ages since I baked a cake (excluding the persimmon cake I made months ago). This is quite a feat, considering I’m no pro. Dudes, I have four different recipes for a basic buttermilk cake, and I’m not sure what the difference is between a recipe calling for 3 cups of flour and one with 2 1/2 cups! Density? Gee, Physics, I really hate you.

Because I haven’t baked in a long time, and I haven’t really bought any baking stuff since we moved here, (not even a bottle of vanilla extract) I knew Felix and I had to go shopping. First shopping, then baking… are you kidding me? Can this day last forever?! So, I dragged Felix’s butt all the way to Sur La Table and Wal-Mart, and went crazy over some baking supplies and ingredients for my buttermilk cake.

Taking into consideration my lack of practice and skills, I was prepared for disappointment. However, I was pretty surprised with the flavor and texture of the buttermilk cake. It’s moist, fluffy, and seriously yummy. I’m beginning to think it’s the stand mixer, really. LOL! As for the frosting, well, I’m not really worked up over it, only because I find it too sweet. I’m sure I can make something better. Now, I know it’s not the best looking cake out there, (and what horrendous image quality!) but it tastes really good, I kid you not.

Basic Buttermilk Cake

3/4 cup (1 and 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups bleached, all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Arrange the rack at the middle of the oven and preheat to 350ºF. Butter 9 inch cake pans and line the bottom with parchment or wax paper.

2. Sift the flour with the baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.

3. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stop and scrape the bowl. On low speed setting, beat in eggs one at a time.

4. Add a quarter of the flour mixture to the butter-egg mixture, then add vanilla and a third of the buttermilk. Allow ingredients to incorporate before adding another batch of the flour mixture and buttermilk. Repeat the process until all of the flour mixture and buttermilk have been added. Turn to medium speed and beat for about a minute.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and spread to the edges with a spatula. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool pans on a rack for about 5 minutes before removing cakes from pans. Remove the parchment or wax paper and cool completely. Frost if desired.

Enjoy the cake! Meanwhile, the search for the perfect chocolate frosting is on…

Lookit! My new baby, and she’s pink! *squeal*

Pretty in pink, isn’t she?

Yup, I have decided that my mixer is a she.

My thoughtful mother-in-law, in collaboration with Felix and his grandma, got me this sweet KitchenAid Artisan® Stand Mixer for my birthday. (My birthday isn’t till August, so you know!) I can’t wait to play with her!

My earliest memory of baking was when I was six. My mom used to take a lot of orders for cakes and pies, and I helped her out with those orders. Oh, she was awesome in the kitchen, I’m telling you! Me, I was her little baker. I helped her measure and sift and pour the ingredients into the mixer. The best part was being in charge of “cleaning” the beaters, which meant licking off the icing. I remember how my brothers and I would fight over this privilege. See, there were three of us and only two beaters. Good times. I eventually did a lot of baking myself. Birthday and Christmas gifts to friends were mostly goodies I baked. A lot of the kitchen tricks I know, I picked up from my mom. She’s gonna be so delighted when I tell her about my new baby. I already know, tee hee.

Hey, if you have any recipes you would like to share, feel free to post here or email me.

By the way, what have you planned for your 4th of July? I was thinking of going to Guadalupe River Park and join everyone in their Independence Day celebration. I’m not sure if Felix is up for it, though. There’s the dealing with heat and millions of people factor, so we’ll see. Wherever you end up going and whatever you decide on doing, may you have a wonderful 4th of July! I just might end up staying at home with my baby. *grin*