Applesauce Yeast Bread

Hey, what do you know? Looks like my photography skills are starting to improve! (Or, maybe it’s because I’m using an actual camera -gasp- as opposed to my iPod?)

I started this bread at 4:00 this afternoon, and it came out about a half hour ago. Was it worth the wait?

Did this little piggy eat 3 slices?

Oh, yes.

The recipe can be found here. The one and only thing I added (apart from using unsweetened applesauce, but it shows you how to fix that in the recipe anyway) was a preheated pan and boiling water to create steam in the oven. This produces a thick, chewy crust. I adapted this method from The Cook’s Bible by Christopher Kimball. I actually own several of his books, and for those of you who have read them or any of the articles from Cook’s Illustrated magazine, I bet you know just as well as I do: this guy knows what he’s talking about.

Okay, that pic could have used a little work. But I was really anxious to eat it after being surrounded by that intoxicatingly phenomenal aroma all day, so … shaddup!

Oh, also, my yeast was a little old, and my house was cold, and blah blah, so my waiting/proofing times and whatnot were a tad bit longer than those in the article. But give or take 15 minutes, and you’ve got yourself a loaf, baby.

Thanks to Champa over at her food blog Versatile Vegetarian Kitchen for the recipe! Definately check out some of her recipes and her page 🙂

 

Never, ever again

Yeah… This is what happened when I tried to make pancakes. I ended up eating them half-burnt, half-batter. Great.
I’m not entirely sure where I went wrong… There are a variety of places…

I didn’t grease the skillet

I had no baking soda, and so subbed extra baking powder

I flipped the first ones (or attempted to) much, much too soon

I didn’t beat the egg whites to stiff peaks like was called for

If anyone has any vegan (I know I’m not, but I just adore vegan recipes!), low-cal, whole wheat pancake recipes for one, they’d be VERY much appreciated 🙂 Thanks!

 

In need of ideas…

It seems cooker’s (chef’s? I’m not that good…) block has finally struck in the frigid days of autumn, when all anybody really wants is to toss some veggies & stock in the slow-cooker and then come home to a drab-tasting meal.
Or maybe I’m just lazy.
Either way, it’s been a few days since I’ve had any ideas on what to cook. Whenever I come to the city on the weekends, my aunt always makes fish and veggies. Not that I’m complaining, (because I do love veggies, and I really prefer fish to any other meat) but it’s time for Caitlin to repay her family with a comforting, fall meal to show them how much she appreciates them. And stop speaking in third person, erm.
But I have no ideas! I’ve been mindlessly browsing through cookbooks, with nothing but the sky-high sodium contents attracting my eye. But once you’ve hit the bottom, is there no where else to go but up? Something will be found, and shared, my friends! So stay by the computer, and if you happen to find any yourself, you know where you can leave a comment! Ciao 🙂

 

Upcoming and so-forth…

Let me start off this post with an apology, sincere or not: I haven’t posted in months, due to actually quite a few things: family (God bless them), school, and me burrowing my nose in nothing but cookbooks. But, hey, I now have something to blog more about!
Very few people follow this blog. If I wasn’t using a mobile device at the moment, I could check the exact number. But since I can’t, I’ll estimate… zero. Never fear. I’ll have that turned around in no time. In less than a year, Caitlin’s Health (a name I know think sounds ridiculous, but I’m sticking with) will have plenty of subscribers! Stay tuned for a muffin recipe tomorrow 🙂

PS: The Vegan Challenge is over. I’m glad I tried something new, and I’ve developed a new respect for those who choose vegan or vegetarian diets, but I myself can not live without eggs… milk… yogurt… MEAT. So, be prepared to see plenty of non-vegan recipes appearing, but to those who are, feel free to substitute!

 

Show some support ♥

First of all, YES, I spend most of my spare time on the computer browsing for vegan recipes/products/exercise tips.
Second, YES, I deleted my Facebook to minimize my computer time. Erm.

Anyways, I just want to post a link that a lot of people would perhaps love to see.
Earth’s Own {http://www.earthsown.com/} is a Canadian-based company with delicious and organic non-dairy beverages (soy milk, soy yogurt, rice milk, etc). I think I should perhaps start a new blog looking at the aspects of vegan-only recipes, since this is supposed to be just HEALTHY eating, but then again, maybe not.

Anyways, please show your support for them by purchasing just one product? Thanks 😉

 

Sorbet and Sherbet

What is the difference?

Until today, I thought they were the same thing, and so did everyone I asked. I’m going to make this post as short as possible by cutting straight to the chase and not rambling on like I usually tend to do:

“The main difference is that sorbet is a fruit-based dessert and sherbet is more dairy-based … People who prefer sorbet are those people who want the fruit-based dessert. Sorbet uses fruit juice as its main liquid base. It doesn’t have any sort of dairy in it … However, since sorbet doesn’t have dairy products in it, it also doesn’t have the texture of ice cream that people may be looking for. Those people who prefer sorbet because of the taste tend to like fruitier, tarter flavors and a texture that is more icy than creamy. In contrast, those people who really want ice cream but who are opting for something else because they want to cut back on the “bad for you” foods will probably be people who lean towards sherbet. Sherbet has a milk base (and it may also contain eggs) which gives it the creamy consistency of ice cream. People who like less intense fruit flavors may prefer fruity sherbet to fruit sorbet. And those who like the texture of their ice cream will definitely want to go with a sherbet.”
– http://bit.ly/niQfyY

So there you have it, the absolute difference that has kept people wondering for years.