One Sick Pup

She is one sick Sooiedog!

My fur child has been throwing up for five days.  Ick.

After resigning myself to the fact that the chicken-broth diet was not working, we went to the vet this morning.  Her proclamation?  Sooie is "too cute to not feel good."  Agreed.

So after spending all day with Dr. Lynn and her crew, Sooie is back home and sleeping on the couch (thanks to some drug-enduced sedation).

I am so thankful to the crew at Central Animal Hospital for taking good care of my pup!  Now she just needs to get well so that she can run with the big dogs in Jonesboro this weekend.  :)

Gluten Free Red Velvet Cake

Yesterday I mentioned that Jeni had a birthday in October, too!  Another birthday, another birthday cake.  :)

Jeni's cake is special in one extra way; Jeni has gluten intolerance (the precursor to Celiac disease) which means she cannot cannot cannot have wheat or any wheat products.  This makes baking a challenge!  Over the past 3 years it's been like a cross between a puzzle and a fun test trying to come up with recipes that are just as delicious gluten-free as they are in wheat form.  I am, by no means, an expert.  Lots of folks have made careers out of this and can make some awesome goodies!  For me, it's all about treating my friend to a homemade delight every once in a while.  Because, hey, what girl doesn't love cake?

Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cake
this is a double recipe - it will fill four 9-in rounds or (my preference) overfill three to cut back to a level top.  With the 2nd method I always have enough for a little loaf pan - perfect treat for the baker!


6 1/4 cups gluten-free flour (I used King Arthur Flour multi-purpose gluten-free, I have also used Beth's Gluten-Free Pantry previously)
3/4 cup cornstarch
4 teaspoons xanthan gum (a must in GF cooking to 'bind' in place of gluten)
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
4 1/2 cups sugar
6 large eggs, room temperature
4 2oz bottles red food coloring
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons salt
3 cups buttermilk
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon baking soda


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Grease, flour, and line cake pans.


In a small bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, and xanthan gum.  Set aside.

I know all of my cooking friends can take one look at this and tell that the texture is much different than 'regular' all-purpose flour or cake flour, even!

In large bowl of electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time.  Make sure to beat well between each egg.

In a small bowl, whisk together the food coloring, cocoa, and vanilla.  Add to the batter and mix well.

I lo-oo-oove this bright red batter!  Makes my heart happy!  And that little hint of cocoa?  Adds just the right something that makes 'Red Velvet' Red Velvet.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, stir the salt into the buttermilk.  Add to the batter in three parts, alternating with the flour.  Begin and end with flour.  Make sure to fully incorporate, but not overbeat, each addition.

In a small bowl, mix together the cider vinegar and baking soda.  Add to the batter and mix well.  Scrape down the batter in the bowl, making sure ingredients are well-blended and batter is smooth.


Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.  Bake for approximately 40 minutes (double recipe, 3 pans) or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  Let the layers cool on a wire rack for approximately an hour, then de-pan and let cool completely.

Doesn't it just call to you from the pan?  Resist the urge - let it cool!


Ice and enjoy!

I crumb coated, let it set in the fridge for an hour-ish, and then covered the whole cake to keep the crumbs off of the top layer of icing.

Paisley in aqua, purple, and light brown seemed right up Jeni's alley.  It was a fun one to do!

I made cream cheese icing for Jeni's cake.  Vanilla and 7-minute frosting are also good on red velvet.


When I am going to decorate a cake I make it a day or two ahead so that I can crumb coat, fully ice, and then decorate without having to rush.  This GF baby did not like that idea!  When I ate the top that I cut off one of the layers (yep, I admit it, I always have to test), it was sooooooo delicious!  After a day of being prettied-up, it had become very dry.  Very fast.  :(  Luckily, Jeni still loved it, but I had tasted the A++ version.  Something to do with the structure and lack of gluten?  I don't know, but it seems to be since that was the only thing that was different about this cake!  Looks like another rainy-day project calling my name and another goody for Jeni.  :)

Peanut Butter Fudge Brownies

In the last month of craziness there were a few breaks - anyone who knows me knows I can't let a birthday pass without a celebration!  My brother, Wade, and my sweet friend, Jeni, have birthdays on the 13th and 18th of October, respectively.  Happy [very belated] birthday to you both!

Wade has always loved peanuts, so when I saw this recipe in one of my new cookbooks, the complete Magnolia Bakery cookbook: Recipes from the World-Famous Bakery and Allysa Torey's Home Kitchen. Click to buy it on Amazon!  So far I like it!  

Crust

1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, melted

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup confectioners' sugar

2/3 cup finely chopped peanuts

1/4 teaspoon salt

Peanut Butter Filling

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

2/3 cup smooth peanut butter

6 tablespoons sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

Brownie

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs, at room temp

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted

1/2 cup peanut butter chips

Garnish

3/4 cup peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

for crust:  

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.  

Form the dough into a ball and press firmly into an ungreased 12x18-in jelly roll pan.  

  Bake the crust for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool for 15-20 minutes before proceeding.

I chopped my peanuts in my mini processor - so easy! I also lined my jelly roll pan with parchment paper leaving a little hanging off the sides as handles so the brownies would be easy to de-pan.

for filling:  
In a large bowl, on the low speed of the electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and the peanut butter until smooth.  
Beat in the sugar, the egg, and the milk until well incorporated.  Set aside.

for brownie:  
In a medium-size bowl, sift together the flour, the baking powder, and the salt.  Set aside.  
In a large bowl, cream the butter and the sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes.  
Add the eggs and the vanilla.  
Add the chocolate and mix until well incorporated.  
Add the dry ingredients.  
Stir in the chocolate chips.

Reserve 1 cup of the brownie batter.  
Spread the rest of the brownie batter evenly over the cooled crust.  
Drop the peanut butter filling by large spoonfuls randomly over the entire surface of the brownie batter, being sure that some are close to the edges of the pan.  
Next, spoon out the reserved brownie batter close to some of the peanut butter filling. Using a sharp knife, swirl the two batters together to form a marble-like effect.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into center of brownie comes out with moist crumbs attached.  Remove and immediately sprinkle the peanut butter chips over top. 

ooh, melty goodness! so so hard to resist sticking a finger in these babies!

Allow to cool to room temperature before cutting and serving.

Finally, pack-em-up and ship-em-out to the big D!  Happy birthday, big brother!

The verdict?  Good, but next time I'll be making some alterations.  

I called my great friend (and official taste tester) Patrick to come up before I mailed this sweet treat off to Dallas.  The thing about great friends is that they don't hold back.  (Every baker and/or cook needs an honest eater around.) I had my inklings, but definitely knew this  was not a winner when Patrick said, "Do you want my honest opinion? (of course.) Lose the crust." Then He proceeded to do just that, eat the brownie/filling with no crust; he proclaimed it much better.

Patrick was right, baking friends, the crust:brownie ratio is just off.  Maybe next time I will double the brownie.  Or something.  Hmmmmm....sounds like a great rainy day activity.  :)

last exam EVER! ... well, almost.

Ahh!  Over a month.  Boy, oh, boy, have I been a slacker!  

(a blogging slacker, that is.)

In terms of school, I have been going 90-to-nothin'.

Which leads me to the title of today's post ... today was my last [University of Tennessee] dental school test EVER!!!

Can it be true?  Really?  No kidding?  

Truth be told, there are grumblings about some sort of pass/fail sleep disorders class next semester, but for today, such a blissful day, I am pretending it doesn't exist.  No more getting grades on paper exams.  (yay!)  

Sorry, teacher friends, this student is sooooo happy about that.  :)

What did I do to celebrate?

I applied for a big girl job, yep, I did.  "Big girl job" reminds me of that Gilmore Girls episode where Rory and Lorelai discuss being an "ah-dult" and promptly decide that you aren't an "ah-dult" until you say "ah-dult", not "grown-up".  (sigh.  I digress.)  Anyway, I brushed up my CV, wrote a fabulous cover letter, and sent it.  It's my first 'cold' send-off of sorts, so I am now in that tumultuous state of wondering whether or not they will contact me!

On that note, please pray that I will (1.) have patience to wait on things like this over the next few months and (2.) that God will provide the perfect opportunity.  I truly have no doubts that He will, but I (3.) need the open heart to hear His direction.  Transitions are certainly times that are stressful and require a lot of faith that He will provide! (again, I digress. This is what happens when I don't blog for a month.)

So what's a girl to do when she's not studying for dental school exams anymore?  Study for dental exams.  SAY WHAT?  Yes, I said study and exams.  National Boards Part II on December 16 and 17 is the next big hurdle.

Until then, I'm looking forward to catching back up with friends, Thanksgiving and visits from family, (my birthday!), and maybe, just maybe, a "big girl" job.

a very boring busy

I hate to be one of those people who says, "I can't believe it's already ..." but really, I can't believe it's already October!

Time surely flies when you're having fun.  (Or when you're in dental school.)

Here's a recap of the last 3 or 4 weeks:

Lots of studying.  I know this picture is soooo interesting.  Who doesn't love cardiovascular drugs?  We've had 1-2 tests a week for the past month and a half, and now it's 2 or 3 until the end of the semester.  ick.  Oh, well, after that we are finished!!

And this is why we have had so many tests/why I am studying so much:

NBDE Part II.  double-ick.

December 16 and 17.  Write dates down on a post-it and start saying some prayers for me, please!

Of course, there has been a little bit of fun thrown in.  Being the Arkansas girl that I am, I haven't been able to resist going to see my Hogs play!  We had a heartbreaker last weekend against Alabama, but it has been a fun season so far and I'm looking forward to seeing them back in action next week.

Guess who doesn't look so fresh and pretty after several hours tailgating and jumping up and down yelling WOO PIG?  Oh, my, how I envy those people and their not-so-frizzy hair!

I had to get a picture with my favorite guy (my dad), though!

I LOVE when the team comes onto the field!

Of course, no tailgate is complete without Rick's.  Mom thought that our friend, John Phelps, would appreciate this gigantic Razorback cookie.  Did I mention that he is a diehard 'Bama fan?  Oh, the fun.  (Until we lost, anyway.)  Mr. Phelps did love his cookie, though!  If only it had brought us just a teeny-tiny bit more luck.

Then it was back to school, back to clinic, and back to studying.  [sigh]  Which catches you up on this very busy, somewhat boring, life that I love!

Happy Sunday!