Pipe Dream #15: To Be A Microwave Maven

A few days ago, I softened butter just right. Sometimes, I get lazy and don’t soften things as I should. In light of this, I have decided to post a full-blown tutorial. I  know. And you’re saying, “It has been done so many times, Lauren! Why don’t you just leave it to the pros, like Pioneer Woman?”

To which I say, I can blog a tutorial if I want to. So read on, unless you are now engrossed in PW’s website. I really should do an ode to PW at some point, I try enough of her sa-weet recipes.

The following is my general procedure when softening butter in The Apartment Microwave:

I keep the butter in it’s wrapping. If you don’t melt the butter, the wrapper actually keeps the butter in pretty well, makes for less cleanup later and (bonus!), it won’t blow up in the microwave like aluminum foil or forks. Did you know it is bad news to put forks in the microwave? It is. I’ve never done that before.

I could mess around with power levels on the microwave, but I’m too lazy, so I just keep it at 100 percent and set the timer for 30 seconds. Depending on the amount of butter you use, you might need to use more or less time. In this case, I used two sticks.

Let the microwave run for about 5 seconds–just in case! Then poke the butter.

Does it feel soft? No? Then flip the butter to another side to guard against melty spots, and let it go for another five seconds. Keep flipping and poking until the butter yields a a bit but is not melted.

This maybe seems a little tedious, but I guess it is less tedious than staring at a stick of butter for a couple hours, waiting for it to lose its refrigerator memory.

Note: I when R and I went up north last time, we found a book from the 80s all about cooking in microwaves. Pot roast, brownies, jello salad. You name it, it was in there. I’m real real sorry I don’t have a picture; it was priceless. Super weird, though. Please never bake a cake in the microwave.

Other side note: I realize that this post should be titled “What Do You Think I Am, Lauren–Stupid?” You probably know how to use a microwave. I just needed a little boost today. At least I can say that I have achieved one of my pipe dreams–to be a microwave maven.

Carry on,

Lauren

Favorite Shots: 150 Birdies

This picture was shot right near my house. I printed out a 10×13 and hung it in an enormous new frame from Target that I got at a thrift store for $4. I love thrift stores. The janky Salvation Army by my house was recently revamped. And I’m so happy about that.

A couple more of my recent finds:

Ok, quick summary of this post:

Birdies, thrift stores, shoes. Good.

Over and out,

L

Pipe Dream #14: To Be Little Debbie – Oatmeal Cream Pies with Cinnamon Buttercream

Because butter is such a prized commodity in my house, and I use it so often, I try and do a little research before I dive into a new recipe. For example, I could google ‘vanilla cupcakes recipe’ and the first link might be moist and flavorful, or it could be a total bust. No one likes a dry, vanilla-less vanilla cupcake.

Instead of just printing off the first recipe to meet mine eyes, I usually poke around a bit, read comments, compare ingredients, that sort of thing. In the end, I can either find a recipe that is perfect, or I can adjust a decent recipe to be as I think it should be (which as we know, could be not so great, but we’ll just pretend I have brilliant baking ideas all the time).

In the case of these oatmeal cream pies, which were slapped together very quickly on a Monday morning, I did not do the proper research. They were good, but the cookie was not as soft as I would have liked. No one complained about the cinnamon buttercream, though. That was real good. It was a little different, you know? Not your average Little Debbie cream filling. It was very whippED.

Which pleased me and the b stud girlies.

I don’t eat all these by myself. Usually,

L

Oatmeal Cream Pies with Cinnamon Buttercream

Adapted from Tasty Kitchen

For the cookies:
1-¼ cup Flour
1-½ cup Old Fashioned Oats
½ teaspoons Baking Soda
½ teaspoons Salt
½ teaspoons Cinnamon
1 stick Butter, Softened
¾ cups Packed Brown Sugar
1 whole Egg
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

For the buttercream:
3 cups Powdered Sugar
1 stick Butter, Softened
½ teaspoons Cinnamon
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2 teaspoons Milk

Preheat oven to 375F.

Mix together the flour, oats, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and brown sugar. Add the egg and mix until smooth, then add the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Bake 1 Tablespoon-sized (or a bit smaller; mine were a bit large) balls of dough on a lined baking sheet for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly golden. Let cool while preparing the filling.

For the filling, cream together the powdered sugar and butter until smooth. Add the cinnamon, vanilla extract and milk and whip on high speed for five minutes until very light and fluffy.

To prepare cream pies, the original recipe uses a piping bag to dole out the frosting. I used a spoon. Not as pretty, but not the worst, and I’m all for not cleaning out another piping tip.