Like most busy college students, I find it particularly easy to purchase already prepared and frozen foods, pop them in the oven or microwave for a couple of minutes and enjoy! I love this approach! It's convenient, easy and most of all stress free! Since I've started my last year of college I've been thinking a lot about the future. I thought of how awesome it would be to make whatever I want from scratch, in my kitchen, while using all appliances except for the microwave.
While I was in Maryland visiting my Grandparents for the holidays, I figured it would be fun to try out some recipes. As a Food Network fan, I decided that their website would be the best place to look up some modern, tasty recipes. I started with Funnel Cake.
(See recipe at http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/funnel-cakes-recipe/index.html)
Paula Deen's recipe read easily and although I followed the directions and measurements accurately, my batter still turned out watery. I added about 1 addition cup of flour to the batter making it thick enough to fry, but too thick to strain through a funnel. I poured the mixture into a Ziplock bag and cut one of the bottom corners off at an angle and used it to strain the batter into the pan. Using the bag made it easier to make swirls in the pan and control the flow and direction of the batter.
After tasting the first cake I realized it tasted more like a pancake than a funnel cake (probably due to the added amount of flour) so I added a bit more sugar to the mix and kept frying.
The girls loved the finish product and I had a blast using my hands and my brain to make something tasty. I couldn't wait to do it again. I give Paula Deen's Funnel Cakes a high grade and I deem project number 1 a success!
(Special thanks to Mema for allowing me to use her kitchen and ingredients, Kelley for being the best sous chef in the world and Kimie and Tierra for enjoying my creations)
-Krystal Nicole
