Eunice Logan Cookies

My mama makes the best desserts. Now, I know that all good children say that about their mothers, but for me it really is true! My mom knows desserts, and hers are always the best! Growing up, I always loved my mother's cookies more than any others, and once I was old enough to start making them myself I realized her secret: Eunice Logan.

We have a super old church cookbook from 1995 that is falling apart at the seams, and within those crinkled pages lies my mother's secret to the most perfect, delicious, milk-dunking that you have ever tasted! The recipe is by a woman named Eunice Logan, and although I have never met her...I love her for her recipe! Over the years, this recipe has become infamous in our family, known simply as Eunice Logan Cookies. I have even shared this recipe with my fiance's family, and now it is a favorite with them as well! So here you are, get super excited, because today the secret is out! Here is my family's secret cookie recipe, I hope it blesses you as much as it has blessed me!

Eunice Logan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

2/3 cup butter or margarine

2/3 cup butter-flavored shortening

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

3 cups flour

1 tsp soda

1 tsp salt

1 (3 1/2 oz.) package instant vanilla pudding mix

1 (12 oz) package chocolate chips

Directions:

With mixer, beat shortenings together until fluffy. Add both sugars, beat until well blended. Beat
in eggs and vanilla. Set aside. In separate bowl, mix together flour, soda, salt, and pudding
mix. Gradually add to beaten mixture, stirring well. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by heaping
tablespoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 14-18 minutes. (Longer
baking time yields crunchy cookie, less time a chewy one.) Makes 48 cookies. 

Here are my helpful little additions to this recipe: We always used semi-sweet chocolate chips, there is no other way! Also, we never dealt with that separate bowl business, we just added the soda, salt, and pudding mix straight to the mixer and then added all the flour, slowly and carefully so it doesn't pouf! Also, remember that the cookies continue to bake on the cookie sheet when you remove them from the oven, so take this into consideration when timing how long to bake them.

I am pretty sure that the difference here is the butter flavored shortening, and most importantly the vanilla pudding mix. The shortening gives the cookies a more crispy finish, which makes them perfect for dunking in milk. And the extra vanilla flavor in the pudding mix gives these cookies the best flavor ever! Seriously, the cookie dough is so delicious we would often eat most cookies in dough form simply because they never made it to the oven!

And there you have it! My family's favorite recipe, one that has got us through hard and happy times alike. I have a great fondness for these cookies, and I hope that whoever tries them finds them to be as delicious as I do!

Bridesmaids Invitations

So today I thought I would post about the bridesmaids invitations I made recently. They are really easy to make, and I love how they turned out! (and they were actually really cheap too!)

Although I don't have an official date for the wedding yet, I just couldn't wait to ask my best friends to be my bridesmaids! I have known who I would ask for a long time now, and really wanted to make it something special. I love making things myself, so instead of just buying a simple card, I decided to make some instead! I went to Michael's and started browsing, and found the materials that I used to create these cute, simple invitations that I hope all of my girls will love! (sorry for the bad pics, they're from my phone...I'll try to edit them later!)

Materials: rubber cement, scissors, an exacto knife, a pencil, a BIC Mark-It 

ultra fine point permanent marker, ivory ribbon, beige paper, lace projector paper

I have had a hard time trying to come up with a color scheme for our wedding, however I have found myself drawn to lots of ivory and beige tones...lots of white and ivory flowers and fabrics, with touches of color here and there. I find a lot of the colors in weddings to be tacky nowadays, and I really feel that less is more. Therefore, I am thinking that we will keep it simple and classy! I went along with this idea for the bridesmaids invitations, and found a huge pack of ivory paper for about $3, and then picked up some lacey printed paper in the scrapbook section (kind of projector material, remember that "projector paper" from middle school?) and some ivory ribbon as well. I actually thought that the projector paper was lace paper sandwiched between two pieces of projector paper for protection and didn't realize that it was one sheet of projector paper until I got home, but oh well! It worked out nicely!

First step, I took the solid ivory paper and cut it in half width-wise, and then folded it to make the base for the card, as shown below.

Second, I cut the lace paper into four pieces, because it came in a huge square and I just needed it to cover the front of the card. I originally wanted it to act as a cover for the entire card (as in over both the front and the back, like a second layer), but the sizes didn't really match up. So instead I took the quartered lace paper and then trimmed it so that it would look really nice when placed on the front of the card. 

I wanted to have a nice handwritten script inside the card, but I didn't want to use one that was super common and printed from Microsoft nor did I want it to be written in my own messy handwriting. To fix this, I went online and searched for "script font", and found one that I thought was perfect! It is called "Before The Rain" font, and is a font created by Mans Greback that is free for personal use (click here to see the original website). The author of this font is very talented, i would definitely recommend checking it out! I typed in all of the text that I needed and then sketched out a guideline for my invitations (because I did want them to be handwritten).

As you can see, I also tested out how to glue the projector paper here...this 

is where I discovered that rubber cement is amazing!

Ok, so the next step was to sketch all of the text onto the card in pencil first, to ensure that all of the sizing was correct and that it looked good! I also drew a simple dress form on the right side of the card, just to add a little pizzazz to the invite overall. After that was finished, I used a BIC Mark-It ultra fine point Permanent Marker to go over the pencil and make it look like I actually have naturally beautiful handwriting! I love this marker because it doesn't run like a normal permanent marker, and looks both flowy and professional. Here's how it looked in the middle of the process:

I then used the rubber cement to glue the lace paper onto the front of the card. After that dried, I took the exacto knife and cut two slits on the front of the card all the way through, about halfway down on each side. Then, I took the ivory ribbon and threaded it through. 

Finally, I tied the ribbon in a bow and the project was complete! 

I loved how this turned out, and it could definitely be recreated in other colors to match other wedding styles. It would look really cool to have a bright color underneath the lace paper, that would make the lace pattern pop a whole lot more than it did on mine! After finishing this project, I think it would have been nice to place a sheet of white paper inside the card to create a border and add another element to the card overall. I also found that my bridesmaids (who probably knew what it was right away) were really excited and didn't know to untie the bow and pull the ribbon through to open the card, leading to some tearing. So if you try this for yourself, be aware! We don't need any card casualties ;)

So What Exactly is "Ganache"?

While I was creating this blog, my older brother came up to me and asked, "what is ganache"? It made me laugh, because he pronounced it exactly the way it looks, which is exactly the wrong way to say it. It is actually pronounced "ga-nah-shhhh", and is (so far) my absolute favorite baking technique!

Ganache is a mixture of cream and chocolate that is extremely versatile. It can be made into a glaze, filling, or icing, and can used on everything from candies to cakes. Not only is it simple to make, but it is also super sweet, super delicious, and super impressive!

So, in honor of my new blog, here is the recipe that I have used several times when baking wedding cakes. I found this recipe in the book "Essential Guide to Cake Decorating" by Alex Barker, which I would highly recommend if you are interested in baking eye-catching cakes. 

Ganache (page 41):

• 8 squares bitter, milk, or white chocolate, broken into pieces
• *I once tried to make this using semi-sweet chocolate chips, but to me the result was way too bitter. My personal fav is using milk chocolate, but ultimately it is up to you!
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 cup dairy butter, softened

1.     Put the chocolate in a bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it is almost boiling.

2.     Pour the hot cream into the chocolate, stirring until the chocolate has melted, and blended with the cream.

3.     While still warm, work in the butter, which should be almost runny but not translucent (aka room temp)

4.     Flavoring ganache (optional):

o    Add any of the following before the ganache becomes firm:

o    1-2 tsp. finely grated orange or lemon zest

o    1/2 - 1 tsp grated nutmeg or ground cinnamon

o    2-3 tbsp brandy, whisky, Cointreau or your favorite spirit

o    1-2 tbsp strong black coffee or fresh orange juice

o    Anything else you can think of, get creative! Let me know if you find something that works out deliciously

5.     Coating with ganache:

o    Allow the ganache to cool and thicken slightly. Pour it all over the top of the cake in one firm swift movement. Spread the ganache gently for an even covering, or if it is still very runny, tap the cake board gently on the surface so the coating runs evenly. Leave to cool and set.

o    *Although I have never tried it, I know that ganache can be used to coat candies as well. Typically, the ratio differs a little bit. In general, two parts chocolate to one part cream are used for filling cakes or for a truffle base (yields thicker results), while one to one is usually used as a glaze (yields runnier results). I would definitely recommend placing whatever you are coating on a wire rack and placing something underneath to catch the excess, because this can get messy really quickly (trust me, I know!). After coating the cake/truffles/what have you, it helps to put it in the fridge or some cool place to help the chocolate set up a little.

6.     Frosting or piping with ganache:

o    Leave until cool but not set. Beat the ganache well with a wooden spoon (I actually used a whisk, it incorporates air faster) and it will lighten into a fluffy frosting. Spread this evenly as a filling or over the tops or sides of a cake. For piping, spoon into a medium piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe rosettes or roping around the cake.

o    * To speed up this process, I usually place the bowl in the fridge to help it cool faster. I would then take it out and whip it, then place it back in the fridge, repeating until it was the desired consistency of frosting. 

And there you have it! The inspiration for this blog, and one of my absolute favorite fillings for cakes and candies alike! So now that you understand the title of this blog...

Go out and live your own "Ganache Life"!


Note: These pictures are not mine, click here to visit the original websites: Image1, Image2, Image3

Hello, World!

Hello out there! My name is Caitlin, and I am brand new to the blogging world! I have actually been thinking about starting a blog for a while now, but I never actually got around to putting one together. My reasoning was that I am not tech-savvy and was convinced that blogging would be way too difficult for me, and also that I am way too busy for that sort of thing. Now, I am still super busy, but I recently got engaged and wanted a place to compile all of my thoughts and crafty ideas while also planning for a DIY wedding! And voila, "The Ganache Life"!

A quick little "about me": I am a 21 year old student studying Business Management with an Art Studio minor. While my plans for the future are unknown, I have always loved the idea of starting my own business and I know  art will always be a part of my life, so I figured this combo would be the best option for me! I love to craft, sing, paint, cook, bake, read...basically, anything artsy that involves learning something new, I am there!

I recently got engaged to the best man I have ever known, named Ben. We are opposites in many ways, as I am the crafty, quiet, book-smart one while he is super friendly, funny, and outgoing, but we also have tons of similar interests and balance each other out pretty perfectly, if I do say so myself! We haven't set a date yet, but we are 70/30 leaning towards the Winter of 2012, with a possibility of Summer 2013. Although nothing is set in stone, I have tons of ideas (I have 3 different boards dedicated to wedding ideas on Pinterest, so if you're interested check it out at here). It's definitely going to be a DIY budgeted wedding, so get ready for lots of wedding posts!

Finally, I firmly believe in living life to the fullest. Laughter really is the best medicine, and there is no point in going through this one life that we are given if we aren't happy in the process! I titled this blog "The Ganache Life", because ganache is a super sweet and delicious version of chocolate that I absolutely love (more to come on what ganache actually is later)! I love to bake sweet things and try to live life as sweetly as possible, therefore this blog will hopefully be representative of the sweet (ganache) life I hope everyone can have for themselves!