Trainer Tip #1: Classic Buttercream Frosting!

Hey everyone! I know I said yesterday that I'd be waiting a bit to post recipes, but hey, all Pokemon trainers need some advice from time to time, right? I've already planned out about ten of the recipes I'll be using once we start up in December, which I think is pretty impressive considering the fact that I came up with this idea at 2:00 in the morning earlier today! Ha ha ha! I know that (so far) for at least three Pokemon, I'll be baking cake. And who doesn't love cake? I can answer that; weirdos. Weirdos don't like cake.

Hey, wait... I've been called a weirdo before... Oh well, there are all sorts of weirdos. ^_^

When it comes to cake, there's also the equally important question of frosting. Frosting is important because it's the icing on the cake... literally! It can really make or break a cake if you don't use the right kind of frosting. Sometimes, especially when in a hurry, it's okay to cheat a little bit and just use store bought frosting. Believe me, I do it all the time, but I really prefer to make my own. When I do, I usually go with this buttercream recipe. It pairs great with every cake I have used it for - ranging from chocolate to vanilla to spice - plus, my family and friends can't get enough of it! My sister, Lizzy, sometimes even eats the leftovers from the bowl! ;) This frosting is also great because it can easily be flavored with various powders and extracts, making the possibilities endless!

Here it is! My go to classic buttercream frosting recipe!

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (ideal texture should be like ice cream [new stuff, not that carton of peppermint that has been sitting in the back of your freezer since last December])
• 3 cups of confectioners sugar, sifted
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Using the paddle attachment on a stand mixer, beat butter for a few minutes on medium speed. Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, with the mixer on the lowest speed (this way the sugar doesn't blow everywhere). Keep mixing until the sugar is fully incorporated with the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla, salt and cream, and mix for three minutes.

At this time, I'd like to make a note about my personal preference when
baking. Vanilla is really just used as a flavor enhancer, so I never bother to actually measure it out. Just splash it on in! You can't go wrong with vanilla! Just don't drink it straight, because while it may smell like heaven, the taste of it is horrific if not properly mixed with other things.

At this point, your frosting should be done and delicious! However, if you need it to be stiffer, you can add up to a full cup of powdered sugar, and if you need it thinner, add cream, 1 tablespoon at a time. Only use up to two more tablespoons of cream however, or the frosting may be ruined!

Okay trainers! Have a great night! I'll be taking care of my nephew who has a little cold, but I'll be thinking of all of you while I'm loving him up!! Good night!

Beginning My Journey to Become the Ultimate Pokemon Master (Chef)!!

Hey everyone! Welcome to my first post on this new blog!

A bit about me; I am eighteen! I am from Oregon, but am living in Japan right now. This is how I got the idea to start this Pokemon-themed cooking blog. As most know, Pokemon was created by Satoshi Tajiri, a Japanese man, so Pokemon is something that has quite a large fanbase here (as well as the rest of the world).

I remember the first time I ever watched a Pokemon episode. It was the April 20 of the year 2000; I was five years old. I remember the date because I was watching it with my brother, Alex, and my little sister, Alizabeth, and we were at home with a babysitter because my mom was in the hospital giving birth to my youngest sister, Abigail. We watched The Johto Journeys, and I have been in love with the whole franchise (with the exception of the trading card game) ever since.

My idea to start this blog occurred today, one month after my arrival in the beautiful country of Japan. Why am I here, do you ask? And why am I pretty much only thinking about Pokemon when the country has so much more to offer, like the onsens (bath houses/hot springs), shrines, conventions, festivals, etc? Well, it's because I am here to work... sort of. My older sister, Amelia, and her husband, Jonathan, just had a baby. They are both in the Air Force and have to work every weekday, so they hired me to be their nanny. Really, their son, my nephew Owen, is a really easy baby to take care of, and since he's only two months old, he hasn't quite grasped the whole idea of playing yet. That leaves me with not much else to do during the day than surf the internet and watch Pokemon. In the month I've been here, I have watched the first five seasons of the anime, and am currently on episode 7 of the sixth season (Ash has finally reached Hoenn!). Naturally, I have become rather obsessed! In my time here, I also played Pokemon Emerald again and that's when I started to think about combining my two favorite hobbies - cooking, and Pokemon! I remember being in Lilycove city and wanting to compete with my Gardevoir in some Pokemon Contests and I needed to make Pokeblocks. After several attempts to get the right color Pokeblock, I wondered what it would be like if I could make these in real life. Eventually, I found a few websites with some cool Pokemon-inspired recipe ideas, and I thought, "Hey!! What if I could do that too, and turn it into a blog!" Hence, "Gotta Blanch 'em All!" (For those that don't know, blanching is a method of preparing food which involves boiling fruits or vegetables for short periods of time, then quickly cooling them off in ice water). I chose that name because "Gotta Cook 'em All!" was already taken (although that user has no posts) and "Gotta Bake 'em All" also exists already, plus "blanch" kind of sounds like "catch" in a way (to me at least), so I decided to use that. :D

So get ready! This is me;

(PS: The dude in the background is a friend of my brother-in-law, he just happened to be in the picture)
(PSS: You can't see it, but there was a giant dragon in the background here, and it was awesome)

I can't wait to bring you all 151+ posts based on the original 151 Pokemon! If this blog gets popular enough, maybe I'll even work on other generations as well! I probably won't start posting actual recipes until I get back in the states in December (I'll use that time to devise the first few recipes), but until then, I will post several Pokemon and other video game themed recipes that I have found elsewhere on the internet. Get ready WWW, here comes Anna Marine!

Owen says "See you next time!"