A Year in Review

Junior year seems to have flown by, yet also seems to have taken a very long time...it's strange. A lot has happened over the course of this year, as I learned many new things in my various classes and finally decided (mostly) on what I want to do in college and after college. Though I've dedicated this blog to one of my hobbies, baking, I'm fairly certain that's not the career for me. I'm still rather indecisive about the career I would like to do, as becoming a dermatologist is a long, difficult path, and I have many other interests, such as journalism. However, these hobbies have been important because they've helped me prioritize what I want most in life. I've realized that no job will truly be the perfect job, and no life will ever be the perfect life, but I've prioritized what I want most out of life. Primarily, I want to be happy and have a stable, well paying job as well as close friends. However, I also want the freedom to pursue my other interests, such as traveling, foreign languages, cooking/baking, photography, ceramics, music, and reading. Though I realize that it's probably going to be impossible to engage in all of these activities and be in medical school, I've realized what's important to me, which will definitely help me plan. Over junior year, I've finalized the majors and schools I would like to apply to as well as the career I'm aiming for, and I've also discovered a lot about myself--how my thought process works, what's important to me, and my nature. I know that I have the potential within me to do basically anything I set out to do, and I intend to do just that. 

Colleges

Though I've dedicated this blog mainly to my passion for baking, realistically, it's probably not a likely career option for me. I'm currently aiming to go to medical school and become a dermatologist, and I'm considering majoring in Biomedical Sciences, Biostatistics, or Chemistry, depending on the school. Though I've had colleges in mind to apply to since freshman year, now that applications are really coming, I've had to really solidify my choices and narrow it down, though I'm still applying to many colleges. I'd like to go somewhere in the East Coast, preferably an Ivy League school, but I'm also looking at UCs and other schools in California. Currently, I am planning on applying to University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, Brown, UCLA, UC Davis, UCSD, and Stanford, which are some of the most selective schools in the country. Though the likelihood of me getting into these schools is very slim, I would consider UPenn, Cornell, and Stanford my top choices (in that order), because of the extensive programs they have (Biomedical Sciences at UPenn, Biometry and Statistics at Cornell, and Chemistry at Stanford), in addition to their reputation as some of the top ranked schools in the country. I am also interested in the highly selective Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME) at Brown, which offers admission to Brown for both undergrad studies and medical school. There's so many choices, it's a bit overwhelming, but as the likelihood of getting into any of these schools is small, I doubt I'll have to choose between my too choices--hopefully I can just get into one of them.

Health

Recently, I've been working out more and trying to watch my calories, but it's really difficult to eat healthy and bake--there's just too much temptation to eat unhealthy. This got me thinking. Typically baked goods, such as cookies, cakes, pretty much anything, are high in carbohydrates, sugar, and fat--basically all of the things you should avoid excesses of. So naturally, many people who are trying to lose weight cut baked goods out of their lives completely, and for some, that's fine. But for others, like me, an occasional cookie or cake isn't harmful and craved for a lot. The problem is moderation. So how can this problem be solved? Well, instead of eating the delicious cookies, cakes, and other sugary treats in moderation, maybe there's a way to make them healthy but still just as delicious. Alternatives such as whole wheat flour, vegetable oil instead of butter (cutting out saturated fat), reduced sugar, and altering the proportions of ingredients can work wonders in cutting back those calories. It's especially important to cut back on the sugar, since it's not good for you--I can't remember the last time I baked something without reducing the sugar first. As long as you're careful and diligent, there's not reason to completely cut baked sweets out of your diet, as they can even be healthy!

Cupcakes!

One of my very favorite things to make and decorate is cupcakes. There are endless combinations of flavors and designs to make them, and it's fun to be creative and make new flavor or design combinations, and of course, eating them! Cupcakes are essentially the same as cake, just put into different molds, so the recipes to make cupcakes vary greatly (just like the ones for cakes), and it's important to choose a recipe that is simple and not too time consuming to make when making cupcakes, because it requires more work to put the cakes into molds. For instance, it may be difficult to make sponge cake cupcakes because sponge cake is leavened using whipped egg whites, and the longer you wait, the more your cake will deflate. It would be difficult, but possible, to make cupcakes like this because it takes much longer to put the batter into molds, so it is important to consider factors like this before baking. The type of cake as well as flavorings and design are very important things to consider when making the "perfect" cupcake.

Gingerbread Houses

 It's the holiday season again, so I decided to make one of the most traditional and fun baked goods for this time of the year--Gingerbread houses! Gingerbread houses really make the house look more festive for the holidays, and they're a really fun project to make with friends!
To make gingerbread houses, all you need to do is make gingerbread cookies on a big sheet, cut out the layout of the house, and then use icing and candy to decorate to your heart's content.

For the cookies, you just mix the ingredients, chill the dough, and then roll it out into the shapes you want, then bake them in an oven at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes.

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup light molasses or dark corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons water 

For the icing, I like to use a simple royal icing--it hardens nicely and is quite simple to make. Then, after baking and assembling the house, you can decorate it to your hearts content--or just eat it.

French Macarons

These are pretty much my very favorite things to make in the world. They're fairly easy to make, with only three ingredients, but you can customize them any way you like, with flavor combinations, colors, fillings, etc. And, they're becoming one of the most expensive, most sought after commodities in bakeries, yet they're fairly simple to make. Some time ago, I began making macarons after finding a recipe for them that looked interesting. I was intrigued by the various different flavors and ways to make them, and above all, how pretty they looked. So, when I began making them, I was delighted to find that they're not difficult to make at all. You only need three ingredients: powdered sugar, egg whites, and almond flour. Basically, you make a very light meringue cookie, and bake it at a very low temperature. Soon, I began making my own variations of macarons, such as matcha green tea, earl grey tea, and carrot cake macarons. It's so simple, yet they look so elegant, and they're definitely a marketable and delicious product to make!

All About Crêpes

Though crepes aren't exactly baked goods, they're still a delicious (and easy) dish to make! I have to say, they're one of my favorite things to make. You just take eggs, milk, flour, and a bit of sugar and vanilla, let it sit for a bit, and then mix in melted butter and cook in a pan. But the best part is decorating it. I love to think up of new flavor combinations and ways to present them when I make crepes.Whenever I make crepes, I usually add my favorite filling (Nutella), but it's fun to experiment with new flavors, such as flavored creme, fresh fruit, and of course,  the traditional crepes suzette. Last week, I went through what some might call a crepe craze. All I wanted to do was make lots and lots of crepes and give them to people (and eat some of course). So, I made various types of crepes, using green tea fillings, nutella fillings, and fruit fillings, and I made sure to present them nicely. I started thinking that if I can present them well enough and work out a system of making them, I could actually sell them, if I wanted. Of course, I would have to keep track of the money it costs to make them (and time) and determine the price based on them, but it could be something I could actually sell. It was a nice feeling, feeling that I'm actually capable of doing something that I not only enjoy, but I could make a livelihood around.