Posts Tagged ‘Fall’

  1. Riding through Autumn

    November 13, 2012 by The Squishy Monster

    Ok, so I get that you’re probably sick of hearing me gush about Autumn but truly, I can’t help it.  Everything is roasted pumpkin-maple-something-or-other scented and just stepping outside presents a dazzling array of colors.  Trees are richly dressed in such vibrant foliage that would put even a highly pigmented 50-buck eyeshadow to shame.  This, you don’t even have to pay for!

    It makes my heart so happy to see such sunny golden yellow.

    I spent my weekend with a very handsome Mr. Jack.

    Jack and I are bffs now, you see ;)

    Short of an apple pie in one hand and a chai latte in the other, this day was perfect.

    …and french onion soup just made it that much better.

    I hope that y’all enjoyed your weekend!

    I love you all!!

    {Your Squishy Monster}

    Categories: Life | 55 Comments

  2. Apple Pickin’ and

    October 18, 2012 by The Squishy Monster

    Since I can no longer go trick or treating, this was my version of festive October fun.  I always had homemade costumes as a kid and went as a princess several times.  What would you dress up as?

    {Gala Apples}

    {Stayman Winesap}

    Apple Cider Donuts

    Apple Cider Donuts
     
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    Ingredients
    • 10.5 g Yeast
    • 1⅓ c Apple Cider
    • 60 g melted unsalted Butter
    • ½ c whole Milk
    • 84.5 g Sugar
    • 2 Eggs
    • 470 g Flour
    • ½ ts fine Salt
    • 1 ts Baking Powder
    • ½ ts Baking Soda
    • ½ ts Cinnamon
    • ⅛ ts Nutmeg
    • ⅛ ts Allspice
    • ⅛ ts Cloves
    • Oil or Shortening for Frying
    Glaze
    • 3 c Powdered Sugar
    • ½ c Apple Cider

    Instructions
    1. Gently warm your Apple Cider but make sure it’s not hot or it will kill your yeast. Sprinkle in your yeast. (Mine read at about 105)
    2. In a mixer, tip in all the following: Butter, Milk, Sugar, and Eggs. Mix to combine.
    3. In a separate bowl, weigh out and sift your Flour, Salt, Baking Powder/Soda, and Spices.
    4. In 3 or 4 separate additions, combine your Flour mixture with your wet mixture.
    5. Cover with a towel and allow your dough to rest for 60 minutes in a warm/draft free place. (A cold oven or pantry works fine).
    6. Afterwards, on a lightly floured surface, knead your dough for about 5 minutes. You want to make sure you don’t add in too much flour or your finished product will be tough and dry.
    7. Roll out your dough to about a ¼-1/2 ” thickness and cut out donut shapes.
    8. Heat up your oil to 350-375 and fry in batches. Allow to cook 1-2 minutes on each side.
    9. Scoop with a slotted spoon and allow to drain and slightly cool.
    10. To make the glaze, whisk together the Sugar and Cider. Submerge each side of your donut into the glaze and sit on a cooling rack to set.
    11. These are best eaten the day of.

    I cannot be held accountable for how many you eat.  I will happily serve as your guinea pig and tell you this much: you can eat 9 and not die ;)

    Doughnuts & Donuts,

    Love,

    Your Squishy Monster ^.~

    Categories: Comfort Foods Comfort Foods Fried Fried Sweets Sweets Videos | 70 Comments

  3. 60 Candles

    October 1, 2012 by The Squishy Monster

    Yesterday saw the entire family together to celebrate Daddy’s birthday–a rare moment in time when all of us could come together in a single room and not be in cities, states, or oceans apart.  I’d say it was a smashing success!

    My Autumn themed dinner party included (from left to right) Roasted Maple Glazed Butternut Squash, Chicken Saltimbocca with sautéed herb Mushrooms, and Wild Rice in Mushroom Broth and grilled Rosemary Pork Tenderloin with Honey Balsamic Glaze + Fried Sage, just for fun.

    Here’s a single close up of a savory dish before a demanding pot threatened to overflow and guests began to arrive and whisked me away from the task at hand:

    I also regret not getting a shot of the cake :(

    Daddy’s Dessert Bar + Homemade Banner ^.^

    A closer shot of Pumpkin Macarons, Oreo Pops, Miniature Apple Pies, Gingerbread Cupcakes and Pumpkin Dip + Ginger Spice Cookies.

    An even closer shot–who knew lattice work for the scaled down version would be so tedious?  I felt like the Giant of Lilliput assembling treats for its inhabitants.

    Albeit, it’s unconventional but my brother’s got him a 22 rifle to add to his collection.  You can’t see it, but it’s Daddy grinning ear to ear and looking mighty dapper (I might add) in his new Columbia jacket that his favorite daughter got him ;)

    My favorite moments?  In our house, we have a long standing tradition of sharing a wish we have for the person giving us a gift.  Those moments are always special.  Another?  When Daddy takes the birthday cake I took the pains to make picture perfect (with the full intention of snapping a shot of) and slices it every which way so that everyone got the tallest (and skinniest) bar/stack ever, lol–the entire cake menacingly wobbled as he made the slices smaller and smaller but you know, it’s Daddy’s birthday so he gets a pass =)

    After dinner, we hiked, took pictures, and laughed at ourselves, knowing that this would be the very last time we’d all be together as a family for at least another year or two.  It’s all very bittersweet you see, but couldn’t have ended on a better note.

    I hope everyone else enjoyed their weekend and was able to spend quality time with their loved ones.

    …for parting is such sweet sorrow…

    Love,

    Your Squishy Monster ^.~

    Categories: Life | 60 Comments

  4. Helloooo Autumn!

    September 21, 2012 by The Squishy Monster

    Tomorrow marks the arrival of Autumn which is my absolute favorite time of the year!  Needless to say, there will be a liberal use of exclamation marks in this post.  Autumn means warm and spicy liquids, toppling over with mounds of whipped cream, flushed cheeks, fuzzy mittens, and a dazzling array of bold foliage on display.  One of my favorite Autumn-y beverages is a steaming swirl of spicy Chai in frothy milk so I figured why not make it into a cupcake to celebrate the arrival of Autumn?–yaaaaay!!!

    How to Bake Chai Cupcakes

    Chai Cupcakes
     
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    Ingredients
    • ½ c unbleached Cake Flour
    • ½ ts Baking Soda
    • ½ ts Baking Powder
    • ¼ ts fine Salt
    • ½ ts ground Cinnamon
    • ¼ ts ground Cardamom
    • ¼ ts ground Ginger
    • ¼ ts ground Nutmeg
    • ¼ ts ground Cloves
    • 1 grind of Black Pepper
    • ¼ c granulated Sugar
    • ¼ c Brown Sugar
    • 2 tb softened Butter
    • 2 tb Apple Sauce*
    • 1 room temperature Egg
    • ¼ c warm Buttermilk
    • 3 Chai Tea Bags
    • ½ ts Apple Cider Vinegar

    Instructions
    1. Sift all of your dry ingredients into your first bowl (excluding your spices).
    2. In a separate cup, steep your tea bags for at least 5 minutes. Scoot in all of your spices and let it sit.
    3. In your third bowl, cream together your Sugars and Butter. Slowly stream in your Egg.
    4. Still working with your third bowl, spoon in your Apple Sauce (if you’re using it) and also slip in your spiced tea mixture. Next, dribble in your Apple Cider Vinegar.
    5. Lastly, you want to marry your first bowl with your third bowl–sprinkle in your dry mixture in about 3 separate additions, taking care not to over mix.
    6. Bake at 350 for 17-22 minutes for standard size Cupcakes.
    7. Cool and frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

    Notes
    *you can omit the Apple Sauce and use ¼ c soft Butter instead. Also, it’s best to grind your own, whole spices in a spice grinder (it makes for a beautifully spiced cake).

    You can top with Buttercream, or my favorite thing to top everything with!  Cream Cheese Frosting.

    Dust with Pumpkin Spice or Cinnamon, take a HUGE bite!! (or 3, 6, 12…) and you’re ringing in Autumn the right way, I assure you ;)

    Love & Warm & Spicy Kisses,

    Your Squishy Monster ^.~

    Categories: Cakes/Cupcakes Cakes/Cupcakes Sweets Sweets Videos | 49 Comments

  5. What today looked like

    November 27, 2011 by The Squishy Monster

     

    The house I walked past today.

    The beautiful leaves scattered on the ground

    and more stunning visuals from my walk =D

    Categories: Life | No Comments

  6. Tis the Season for PUMPKIN!

    November 11, 2011 by The Squishy Monster

    I go bananas over PUMPKIN!  (can one go pumpkins over pumpkins)?  Hm…

    Annnyways, I can personally contest to a bad Scone experience-or a few rather.  It’s not pleasant.  It’s my personal belief that Scones should be moist, tender, & soft.  The contrary is seen in a lot of Scones, be it coffee shops, bakeries, etc.  It’s my personal promise that if you can master these, it’ll be love at first bite.  The type of experience that will hook you as a loyal lover of this almighty triangle of warm goodness for.ever. period.

    MOIST Pumpkin Scones

    Pumpkin Spice Scones
     
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    Ingredients
    Dry Ingredients:
    • 2 cups Flour
    • 1 cup Sugar
    • 1 ts Baking Powder
    • ½ ts Salt
    • ⅛ ts Cream of Tarter
    • 1 stick soft Butter
    Wet Ingredients:
    • ½ cup full fat Sour Cream
    • ½ ts Baking Soda
    • 1 regular sized Egg
    • 2.5 oz straight up Pumpkin Puree (not filling) + 1 ts Pumpkin Spice
    Scone Topping
    • ½ cup Brown
    • 1 tb Pumpkin Spice (or Cinnamon if you don’t have it)
    • ½ stick of Butter

    Instructions
    1. In your first bowl, sift together all of your dry ingredients.
    2. Use a pastry cutter to cut in your soft butter or use your stand mixer and blend it in.
    3. In your second bowl, combine your Sour Cream, Baking Powder and Egg. Allow it to fluff up and bubble.
    4. Slide your second bowl into your first bowl.
    5. Blend this together.
    6. Add in your spiced Pumpkin puree. (Do not overwork your dough)
    7. Flour your working surface well and dump out your dough.
    8. Try to keep it moving around as often as possible and bring it to a rough disc shape.
    9. Cut it in half and cut each half into three triangles.
    10. Lay your Scones on a well greased baking dish.
    11. To make the topping, take a fork and mash the Pumpkin Spice + soft Butter together.
    12. Take spoonfuls of this topping mixture and spread it over your Scones.
    13. Bake at 350 for 17-22 minutes.

    I enjoyed mine with 2 cups of PG tips.
    The next day, I had them with Milk.
    The third day, there were none left :(

    Categories: Breakfast Breakfast Sweets Sweets Videos | 2 Comments

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    Welcome to The Squishy Monster!

    Here, I'll share the stories of my on going love affair with food as well as step-by-step tutorials/cooking videos featuring original recipes. I'm a firm believer that despite our differences, our one commonality as humans? Food.
    I'm 100% Southern & 100% Korean. My name is Angela and my friends call me The Squishy Monster.

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