Saturday, March 29, 2014

Checking in

Well, for reasons I can't explain or just choose not to acknowledge consciously lest my psyche suffer, I haven't blogged in AGES. Life changes... and moves at a steady clip... and things happen... and you must move on.

So a fresh start - and I'll mainly hold true to my blog title, DAILY BITE. My addiction to The Food Network + Pinterest + more time at home + Vitamix purchase + trying to eat healthier + great cookbook gifts = renewed love of baking and cooking and more time to experiment.

Over the past year or so, I've tried many new recipes... some came out great, some not so much (I'm still scarred from the horror that was homemade Pop Rocks).  So with that, I definitely have stories and recipes to share... the good, the bad and the ugly.

To start, one of my favorite things to make, sugar cubes. They are so easy to make and can be made adorable (or Sweet & Cute - as I like to call the goodies I sometimes sell at craft sales and at Enjoy Cafe in Honeoye Falls)... by either molding them or putting them in (one of my other addictions) - a Weck jar.



Sugar cubes are insanely easy to make... here's the original recipe.

Handmade Sugar Cubes
1C sugar
1Tbsp water

Use a rubber spatula to mix the sugar and water to a wet sand consistency. Smoosh mixture into mold. Place a piece of parchment over the mold, then a sturdy piece of cardboard, flip the mold, place on table, tap - tap - tap to unmold the cubes.  Let dry a few hours or overnight.

I found these molds from Amazon work best for square cubes. You can also use chocolate molds for more adorable shapes.



If you don't have a mold, you can use an 8x8 pan - smoosh mixture into pan as evenly as possible (yes, this is a challenge), score square cuts by dragging a sharp knife through, let dry a few hours, remove from pan and snap into squares.

From this basic recipe, I experimented to make flavored cubes - substituting in extracts, adding in spices and using brown sugar.

OK - so, I really hope to continue my posts and even add in videos as I bake, cook, and Vitamix!