tomorrow the fun starts

Hi all!

I'm pretty sure I'm still talking to myself at this point, but that's ok. :)

I'm still working on tomorrow's menu. I had hoped to do some experimenting before tomorrow to get a feel for the EBO, but timing and work and all sorts of other things were against that plan. I almost feel ok about it, because maybe experimenting before the experimenting is cheating a little, yeah?

The EBO i ordered off of ebay did not come with pans, and after calling around I discovered that the few places that carry anything EBO related do not have just accessory sets or pans by themselves. So, I'm improvising. I headed over to Williams Sonoma this evening after work and picked up a set of six, 4" tartlet pans. The specs I located online for pans that normally come with the Real Meals EBO say that they're 1" deep, so I knew I needed to find something no deeper than that. I think the tartlet pans will do the trick. I didn't get the non-stick ones. They did have non-stick ones, but they were over five dollars more (the plain ones were $16), and I can buy a can of PAM for less than that.



The conversation in Williams Sonoma was pretty amusing. I walked in and was immediately approached by a salesperson.

"Hello. Can I help you find something?"

"Well, maybe. I'm looking for small baking pans that are less than 5 inches in diameter and an inch or less deep."

"Hmm... ok. What will you be using them for?"

"I'm going to cook food in them... inside an Easy Bake Oven. I'm doing a blog project in which everything I cook at home will be cooked inside an Easy Bake Oven."

*dead stare, mouth agape*

She then called over two more saleswomen, completely talking over the instructor for a cooking class that was going on.

"You guys! Come here! You've got to hear this! Tell them!"

So I told them.

I got some pretty skeptical looks. In fact, that might be putting it mildly. If you can imagine the LEAST encouraging look someone can have on their face, multiply it by three and that's what I got.

"Oh, that should be... interesting."
"Hmm. How... fun..."

Saleswoman #1 then showed me where they kept the tart pans. We also had a pretty interesting conversation about the potential pros and cons of using silicone in an EBO. I told here that once I had an idea of how intense the heat inside the EBO is, I might come back for some of their adorable mini silicone cupcake umm.... thingies. We talked a little about how this whole blogging thing was going to work, the rules of the project, and the fact that I was going to stay away from the mixes and use actual ingredients.

The discouraging face began to morph into one of begrudging approval. Maybe she still didn't think it was going to work, but at least she agreed I was going about it the right way. And, by the time she rang up my purchase, she was sounding a little more hopeful. Perhaps our discussion back over by the tart pans impressed upon her that I did, at least, know how to cook, and I wasn't going into this whole thing willy nilly and without a plan.

I told her that if I did come back in for the silicone... thingies, that I would bring her the link to the blog so they could follow along.

Oh! and just for the record, here's the focus of all this activity. Ladies and Gents, my Easy Bake Oven:



Tomorrow is Day One, kiddos. Something tells me I should rest up.

Next Post: Day One Menu

The Rules *with addendum

I've been thinking a lot about the best way to go about this. I want to honor the spirit of the project, but I also realize that my chosen cooking method DOES have its limitations, both in terms of safety as well as cuisine type. So, after a lot of thought, I've come up with the following list of Official Rules for The Easy Bake™ Project:

1. While not everything I eat will be cooked, anything that requires heat will be cooked/heated in the EBO (Easy Bake™ Oven). This means:
Composed salads are allowed, as are fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as bread, as long as I do any toasting or baking in the EBO and not in the toaster.

2. Recipes will be made "from scratch." In order to ensure control over the ingredients used (mostly for safety reasons), I won't use mixes or prepared foods. This includes mixes designed for the EBO. Frozen ingredients are allowed.

3. Also for safety reasons, I will use non-stick spray only for anything prepared inside the EBO. Additional fats like butter or olive oil may be added after all EBO cooking is complete. This will hopefully reduce the possibility of splattering liquids that could hit the lamp assembly or drip onto the bottom of the EBO and burn.

4. I will post a minimum of twice a day. The first post will include the day's menu, and any general project updates. The second post will report results, and answer any questions or comments I might have received. There may be a third post on some days if something particularly exciting happens, or if I'm looking for specific feedback for the following day's menu.

5. I will post every recipe used, complete with measurements and cooking times for the EBO. All recipes that are not my own will be given proper credit.

One additional note: I'm not going to isolate myself in my house for a whole month for the sake of eating everything from an EBO. I will be going out to eat or to friends houses at least a few times, and I'm not going to haul the oven around with me and force other people to participate in this little experiment. However, unless I am out of town and in a situation where it is completely unreasonable for me to have the EBO with me, I will eat at least one meal a day that contains at least one item cooked in the EBO.

I think that covers the basics, yes? If anyone has questions, needs clarification, or has a suggestion, please let me know. I've tried to keep the rules as broad as I can because I honestly don't know what's possible with the EBO. I suspect failure will be my best teacher.

Prelude

A few weeks ago, I sat in my friend Coree's dining room and watched as her daughter and a friend made breakfast in an Easy Bake™ Oven. I pondered aloud, "I bet if you made all your meals in that thing, you'd lose weight. It's forced portion control." We laughed at first, but then I thought, "Why the heck NOT? I'm going to try it!"

As a kid, I remember seeing the commercials and, as a young foodie, thinking pretty much the same thing, "If I had that, I'd make EVERYTHING in there. Screw the mixes. I bet I could feed myself just fine without them." I was jealous of those little girls on the commercial, and even more jealous of my friends who had one.

I never got my Easy Bake™ as a kid, but as a grown-up with a bit of disposable income and an e-bay account, I am now poised to embrace the confidence of my youth and make that dream a reality.

I've learned that since the original Easy Bake™ has come out, there is now one for "Real Meals," which is potentially equipped to handle more than cakes and cookies. That's the one I'm now searching for online. I'll buy it next week, and then on July 1st I'll embark on 31 days of Easy Bake™ adventure.

It might be delicious, it could be dangerous (how many fires will i set, do you think?), but it will definitely be fun!

Stay tuned...