Buttermilk Pound Cake & Big News

The photos in this post were taken a day after I made this cake.

BIG NEWS: I'm moving back to Los Angeles in fewer than 10 days. I have applied for a leave of absence from graduate school, so I hope to return to school in a year. I have been in school non-stop since kindergarten. So, I went from elementary to high school to earning my BA to my first master's degree to my second master's to doctoral coursework and then to my qualifying paper (a condensed version of my dissertation). For practically 2 years, I have been working on my qualifying paper in graduate school because my depression and lack of willpower have been preventing me from moving forward. When I tell myself to work on my paper, I end up doing something else like cook, bake, read other blogs, post entries, take photos, watch TV, lie in bed, stare at the walls, cry, etc. Before you blame my lost of will on baking and blogging, I must tell you that I was feeling this way one year before starting this blog, which is also one year before I started to cook/bake.

Since I was 9 years old, I have wanted to earn a PhD. I have come very close to reaching my goal, and it frustrates me that I waited so long to take a break when I'm close to the end. However, I cannot keep wasting my school's or my own time. This life is the only one I have.

I have been applying for jobs in Los Angeles and so far have not found anything (BTW, if you know of anyone looking for a new employee, let me know! haha). I will miss teaching foreign languages so much, so I hope I can a find a teaching job. Anyway, I don't know what the future will hold, but I have decided to push my worries away and leave my future up to God. I have faith that He will direct my path.

CAKE: I have been wanting to make pound cake for a long time. When I found this recipe entitled "Mama's Pound Cake" in Paula Deen's cookbook in Barnes and Noble, I immediately took a photo of it on my phone to make it for later. I modified the recipe a bit by adding almond extract, substituting buttermilk, and adding a simple glaze.

The oven burnt the top after only 15 minutes. I covered it with foil and allowed it to cook longer. The cake was not fully done on one side and was burnt on the outside on the other. However, the part underneath the burnt crust was almost perfect, so I ate only the done parts. For the other loaf of cake, I lowered the oven rack, and the cake cooked much better. However, I didn't grease the loaf pan well enough because I was running out of spray, so it didn't come out completely. Anyway, the next day, the cake was even better. Just make sure you cover your pound cake with a towel or a paper towel loosely. According to Alton Brown, pound cakes don't like to be smothered.

I won't be posting for awhile due to the move. I've already sold the TV trays I use for my photos, anyway. Take care, everyone!

Buttermilk Pound Cake

adapted from Paula Deen's 'Mama's Pound Cake'

Yield: 2 loaf pans or 1 tube pan

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup shortening, room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs, room temperature
3 cups AP flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt (I used kosher)
1 cup buttermilk (or regular milk)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray 2 loaf pans or tube pan with Baker's spray, the like, or butter/flour.

Cream butter and shortening. Add sugar a little at a time. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well each time. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, and combine the buttermilk and extracts in a liquid measuring cup. Add the dry mixture to the batter alternatively with the milk/extract mixture, beginning and ending with the dry mixture.

Pour mixture into the pans or tube pan, and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes to a cooling tray for 10 minutes.

Vanilla Glaze

Powdered sugar
Milk or half-n-half
Vanilla extract (optional; I forgot to add this)

I have no set measurements for the glaze. I just put some sugar in a bowl and added enough milk (add the extract before the milk) to make the glaze pourable.

Carrabba's Bread Dip

Whenever my mother comes to visit, I know that there are two places she will want to visit: 1) Her favorite bubble tea place - Tapioca Express/House and 2) Carrabba's Italian Grill. I honestly believe she visits me just to go those two places and seeing me is just like a little perk on the side ;).

I only go to Carrabba's Italian Grill when she visits me, and we both order practically the same thing. I order either the Pasta Carrabba, which is basically Fettuccine Alfredo with green peas, or Pollo Rosa Maria (I'm definitely going to make this soon). She almost always orders the Insalata Johnny Rocco or something with eggplant.

Once we sit down and order our drinks, the waiter brings out some fresh sourdough bread and a little saucer filled with spices that looks very similar to what I have made on this post.

The waiter then proceeds to pour olive oil on top of the spices to create the dip. Because my mother has the annoying habit of soaking up all the spices and oil with just one slice of bread, we always request for two saucers of spices so that I can have my own.

I promised many moons ago that I would blog about the copycat recipe for this dip and never got around to it until now. Once you've made the spices (without the oil!), you can keep it in a closed container in your fridge for a long time. Whenever you're ready to eat some, just spoon out as much as you want on a little plate, and pour the oil on top.

Make sure your bread is soft and not hard like mine was. I shouldn't have toasted it. Oh well. The dip is the focus of this post anyway. Enjoy!

Carrabba's Bread Dip

adapted from Chef 2 Chef

1 Tbsp crushed red pepper
1 Tbsp crushed black pepper
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp dried rosemary
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp garlic powder (I use 2 tsp garlic salt in place of the two last ingredients)
1 tsp salt

In a to-go container (like one from Whole Foods, Central Market or other specialty grocery store), combine all the ingredients together. Store mixture in the refrigerator until needed.

Put 1 Tbsp of mixture per person in a small saucer with raised edges. Pour extra-virgin olive oil over the mixture, and dip warm sourdough or French bread into the mixture. Be as greedy or dainty as you like!

Orange Chicken Revisited

Here is another recipe I'm revisiting because the original photos are HORRIBLE, and this dish is worthy of being on my blog twice.

QUESTION: Whenever you are in the process of making a dish, do you think about what you are going to write about on your blog for the same dish? I do. For instance, I wanted to mention that using cornstarch in place of flour makes the chicken pieces look too white while flour browns the chicken more. So, you should combine the two when coating the chicken. Also, I wanted to mention how I didn't have green onions, so I used white onions (then I found some green onions in the refrigerator after the photo session!). 

Anyway, I think the fact that I made this dish again tells you how good it is. Aside from the regular onions, I followed this recipe exactly. I also made some jasmine rice in the used rice cooker my mom just gave me. For the first time, I had to call my mom on how to operate a kitchen-related appliance :D. Now I know why people love their rice cookers! I no longer have to wait for the water to boil. That is so nice. 

I accompanied the orange chicken and rice with cold, green tea sans the ice. [Did you know that I don't like ice, but my mom is crazy about ice (she buys a big bag of ice every week! I have no idea what she does with that much ice.)? That is another contrast between my mom and me. Ice interrupts the flow of my drink (like nuts in soft desserts), and when the ice melts, it waters my drink.] Okay, enough of my quirks. Here is the recipe:

This piece is about to go into my mouth. . .riiiiiight. . .NOW.

Orange Chicken
from Blog Chef

Chicken-
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1-1/2” cubes) (I used 1.25 lbs)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cornstarch
1 egg (beaten)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Oil (for frying; I used vegetable or canola oil, but peanut oil is the best for frying)

Orange Sauce-
1 ½ cups water
2 Tbsp orange juice (I used the juice of 1/2 of a large orange)
¼ cup lemon juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 ½ Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp orange zest (grated)
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ tsp ginger root (minced)
½ tsp garlic (minced)
2 Tbsp green onion (chopped) (I used 1/4th of a regular, white onion)
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp water

Step 1: Combine flour and cornstarch. Place chicken in the egg mixture along with salt and pepper, and shake the pieces in the flour mixture to coat. 

Deep fry chicken in batches at 375 degrees in a deep fryer (or use a wok) until completely cooked and light brown (around 5 minutes per batch).

Step 2: Meanwhile, in a large saucepan combine water, lemon juice, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Blend well over medium heat for 2 minutes. Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, ginger garlic, onion, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil.

Step 3: Combine 3 Tbsp of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and mix thoroughly. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce until it thickens. Pour sauce over breaded chicken, and if desired add red pepper flakes and garnish with green onions.

Want a piece? That's all I'm willing to share.