Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Brunch!

a

I love my family. I really do, but when we are all home, crammed into the house and have only each other for conversation (or argument) for 2 weeks, it gets a little crazy. So, Christmas is both a blessed and INSANE time of year in our household. Blessed because I'm grateful that I can still see my family frequently and spend time laughing, talking, cooking and eating with them. Insane, because, between those pleasant and memorable moments, there are certainly trials that must be overcome.

            This year has been especially troublesome. My brother has been away studying out of country, so we rarely get to see him. My sister is experiencing a whirlwind of change as she starts a new job, moves to a new (further away) city, and shares an apartment with her boyfriend for the first time. My mother has spent her time trying to accomplish a million different things, such as taking care of her kids, maintaining the home, caring for the pets and managing the affairs of her parents. My dad, as usual, continues to strive for the fragile balance between work and family that never seems to work as seamlessly as he wishes it would. And I, I’m just trying to survive school and prepare for med school, one assignment and application at a time. BUT, the biggest hiccup of this holiday season has become my grandmother’s deteriorating condition. Much to her and our dismay, she spent Christmas in a hospital bed. And now, through a painful yet fairly collective decision, she is being moved into a nursing home where she will finally receive the everyday care she desperately needs. As is expected, she was reluctant to leave her home and all its organized disorder. It was painful to hear her cry about leaving her home as I recalled my own experience of having to leave my home to move into a tiny, dorm room. Hopefully, as time passes, she will settle into her new environment and even ENJOY her time.

Despite these trials, it is truly the small family pleasures that define the holidays for me; the loud family Christmas Eve dinner where the conversation is as endless as the foods, the baking of cookies in the warm, bustling kitchen to the sound of Christmas songs, and the opening of presents on Christmas morning with a room filled with genuinely smiling faces. This year, I especially enjoyed sitting around the table Christmas morning to a spread of fruits and cookies, talking with my family while we waited for my grandpa to return from church. Despite the stresses that we all carried to the table, the mood was light and the words flowed gently and easily. My humble contribution to this early brunch was a fresh loaf of Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread.

This is a recipe I have wanted to try for a while. The idea of a whole batch of cinnamon rolls in a single loaf pan was mouthwatering. The loaf, despite its unique presentation, was easy to put together. After the yeast was proofed and the dough was made and risen, the bread was simply rolled out, slathered in butter and cinnamon, and cut into roughly 36 pieces. Because I made the bread late and wanted it to be freshly baked in the morning, I allowed the bread to proof outside overnight. Unfortunately, the bread froze outside and when baked, the outside cooked more quickly than the inside resulting in a doughy inside and a very browned crust. Luckily, doughy seemed to go over well with me family. Also, due to the quick browning, I had to tent the loaf with aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes to prevent burning. The full instructions can be found at Joy the Baker.

 

For the Dough:

3  cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 ounces unsalted butter

1/3 cup whole milk

1/4 cup water

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 

For the Filling:

1 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

2 ounces unsalted butter, melted until browned

 

* I followed the instructions on Joy the Baker's site and proofed the yeast first.

In a large mixing bowl (I used just the bowl of my stand mixer) whisk together 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast, and salt.  Set aside.

Whisk together eggs and set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt together milk and butter until butter has just melted.  Remove from the heat and add water and vanilla extract.  Let mixture stand for a minute or two, or until the mixture registers 115 to 125 degrees F.

Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula.  Add the eggs and stir the mixture until the eggs are incorporated into the batter.  The eggs will feel soupy and it’ll seem like the dough and the eggs are never going to come together.  Keep stirring.  Add the remaining 3/4 cup of flour and stir with the spatula for about 2 minutes.  The mixture will be sticky.  That’s just right.

Place the dough is a large,  greased bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel.  Place in a warm space and allow to rest until doubled in size, about 1 hour.  *The dough can be risen until doubled in size, then refrigerated overnight for use in the morning.  If you’re using this method, just let the dough rest on the counter for 30 minutes before following the roll-out directions below.

While the dough rises, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg for the filling.  Set aside.  Melt 2 ounces of butter until browned.  Set aside.  Grease and flour a 9x5x3-inch  loaf pan.  Set that aside too.

Deflate the risen dough and knead about 2 tablespoons of flour into the dough.  Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 5 minutes.  On a lightly floured work surface, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out.  The dough should be 12-inches tall and about 20-inches long.  If you can’t get the dough to 20-inches long… that’s okay.  Just roll it as large as the dough will go.  Use a pastry brush to spread melted butter across all of the dough.  Sprinkle with all of the sugar and cinnamon mixture.  It might seem like a lot of sugar.  Seriously?  Just go for it.

Slice the dough vertically, into six equal-sized strips.  Stack the strips on top of one another and slice the stack into six equal slices once again.  You’ll have six stacks of six squares.  Layer the dough squares in the loaf pan like a flip-book.  Place a kitchen towel over the loaf pan and allow in a warm place for 30 to 45 minutes or until almost doubled in size.

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.  Place loaf in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is very golden brown.  The top may be lightly browned, but the center may still be raw.  A nice, dark, golden brown will ensure that the center is cooked as well.

Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 20 to 30 minutes.   Run a butter knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the bread and invert onto  a clean board.  Place a cake stand or cake plate on top of the  upside down loaf, and carefully invert so it’s right side up.

 

Going Retro with Tamale Pie

 

You know those days you think you know everything? You read a cool article online or you learned a new tip on a food blog, then you feel like such a hipster because you are WAY ahead of the curve. Well, after discovering this recipe, I felt the opposite of that. I found this recipe in an old set of cookbooks that my grandma received as a sort of rewards program from a grocery store (move over scanned bonus cards and ambiguous "points," I want a set of awesome cookbooks!) While flipping through the pages, I found out these cookbooks, published in 1968, contained some recipes I that I thought were novel 21st century ideas. I found recipes for avocado ice cream, gloriously delectable cakes and probably about a hundred creative cookies. There was even a detailed section on nutrition that advised people to eat small meals throughout the day (and I thought that was a new revolution in the dietary world...). I decided that instead of striving for hipster and new, I'm going to indulge and retro and classic. There is certainly something to be said for age-old wisdom and technique. Instead of wasting time looking for the newest fad, I think I'll spend a little time with some good old cookbooks and discover deliciousness that is time-tested.

 



 This tamale pie was part of the American Cooking section of the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery. It was listed under the New Mexico section and instantly attracted me. I had been wanting to try a recipe I saw online where a mason jar was filled with fresh chili, topped with cornbread batter and baked until golden. When I saw that this recipe contained two layers of cornmeal crust filled with a Mexican-spiced tomato and meat center, I was intrigued. Without the fancy mason jars, this recipe was a simplified version of the recipe I had hoped to try (written about 45 years ago).

 

The recipe was absolutely delicious. It took a bit of time (about an hour and a half total, 45 min. prep and 45 min. baking), but the bubbling filling peaking out from the golden crust was a welcome sight after pulling it from the oven. With a little added Mexican spice, the filling adopted a tangy, tomato-y Tex Mex flavor. The top crust remained crisp and buttery while the bottom crust, soaked beneath the filling was moist and gooey (a perfect texture combination).

 

 

Tamale Pie

Adapted from Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery

 

- 1 onion, chopped

- 1 garlic clove, minced

- 1 green pepper, chopped

- 2 Tbs. olive oil

- 1 lb. ground chicken (the original recipe called for beef)

- 3 1/2 cups (one 1-lb 12 oz. can) tomatoes

- 1 dozen ripe olives, pitted and sliced

- 1 tsp. ground coriander

- 1-2 Tbs. chili powder

- Mexican seasoning, to taste

- 1 cup yellow cornmeal

- 1 cup cold water

- 1 quart seasoned chicken broth, hot

- butter\

 

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pan. Saute onions until transparent and glossy. Add peppers and cook until tender. Saute garlic with peppers and onions for 30 seconds to a minute. Add chicken and allow to cook through. Add tomatoes, salt, seasonings and olive oil and allow to cook for 20 minutes on low.

 

While the filling is cooking, mix cornmeal and water in the top of a double boiler. Add hot broth and cook over double boiler. Allow to thicken. ( I followed the instructions for "cornmeal mush" on my polenta bag and mixed the cornmeal and cold water. Then, I added 2 cups of boiling broth and cooked it over medium low heat until thick. I thought this method seemed easier) Line an oiled 2-quart casserole with half of the cornmeal mixture. Add meat mixture and top with remaining cornmeal mixture. Let cool slightly and dot with butter. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Serves 6.



 

Sourdough Makes Everything Sweeter

While watching Food Network recently (my guilty pleasure), I heard about a pizza company somewhere in California that uses 500 year old yeast. That is some over-the-hill stuff. I mean, that stuff was old when George Washington was alive and its still working today. I'd say, if we decide we want to live forever and start searching for the elixir of youth, we should consult that particular batch of yeast.

Obviously, I don't know the details, but I assume that the yeast operates somewhat like a sourdough starter. It's probably fed a hearty diet of flour and water daily and kept at a warm and comfortable temperature at all times. Basically, it is some thoroughly pampered yeast. And why not? It's been producing delicious dough for five centuries. I think it deserves some serious TLC.

I love the idea of sourdough and sourdough starters, but I don't really have 500 years. In fact, I'm not even patient enough to wait a whole week. So, I searched the internet for an easy and relatively quick starter. I found one on What's Cooking America that only took me two days. I cheated a little by adding some yeast and sugar to start, but the starter smelled lovely after just two days sitting (covered, of course) out in the garage.

Then, I had to find some recipes to showcase my new creation.

 

Since the lazy days of summer are in full swing (and I only have about two weeks until I'm living the dorm life again), I decided to indulge in a homemade pancake breakfast. Even though the batter has to sit overnight, the sourdough pancake recipe I found on Joy the Baker is super easy and super satisfying.  Just be warned, the recipe creates A LOT of batter, way too much for just my mom and I to consume. I ended up with about 20 decent-sized pancakes and, since I don't have a griddle and have to cook them one at a time, it took me about 40 minutes to transform the voluminous batter into more appetizing, buttery pancakes. I didn't feel like using oil in the recipe so I substituted pumpkin that I had on hand for the two tablespoons of oil in the original recipe. Also, because I was going with the slight pumpkin theme and I love the smell of hot cinnamon, I added a generous sprinkling of ground cinnamon to the batter. The pumpkin flavor did not come through in the final pancakes beneath the prominent sourdough taste, but the cinnamon sure did! YUM! Overall, this recipe was easy, delicious and a great first use for my starter!

 

Sourdough Pancakes

 

Overnight Soaker:

1 cup starter (mine was fed)

1.5 cups warm water

2.5 cups flour ( I used 1.5 cups wheat and 1 cup AP)

 

Mix the starter, flour and water in a non-metal bowl. Cover and allow to sit in a warm place overnight.

 

Batter:

1 egg

2/3 cup milk

1 tsp. baking soda

dash of salt

2 Tbs. brown sugar

2 Tbs. pumpkin puree

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

All of the starter mixture

butter or benecol for the pan

 

Whisk together egg, milk, sugar, puree and cinnamon in a small bowl. Combine with the starter mixture and whisk again. Heat a griddle or pan on medium-low heat and melt some butter for the pancakes. Scoop batter onto the pan/ griddle to desired size. Cook until you see the edges start to turn doughy and the large bubbles on the surface begin to pop, flip and cook the other side. Place the finished pancakes on a plate and enjoy your bountiful breakfast made from your own delicious sourdough starter!

 



This is the HUGE pile of pancakes that the recipe produced! Even though I didn't add butter/oil to the batter, I sure made up for it in the pan. You can tell by the brown edges that the outside of these pancakes were crisp and buttery while the insides were moist and gooey. (My favorite pancake textures!)

 

After being woken up by the smell of pancakes, my mom enjoyed her stack with a hot cup of coffee and a generous layer of maple syrup. I, not being the biggest fan of maple syrup, opted for some homemade strawberry balsamic vinegar jam instead. Either way, the delicious sourdough flavor was the true star of this pancake breakfast.

 

It seems as though sourdough and homemade starters can be kind of an addiction (Really, it's no wonder some people have used the same one for 500 years.) Once, I made the pancakes, I new I had to try my hand at some real, sourdough bread. This recipe from Key Ingredient was perfect. It was soft, airy and chewy on the outside with a crisp crust on the outside. It, like the pancake batter above, also produced plenty of product (meaning two generous sized loaves). I enjoyed my first slice as a PBJ with some chocolate peanut butter and more of my homemade jam. The sourdough flavor was still prominent, but a little less pronounced in this recipe. So, if you would like to try sourdough but aren't a huge fan of the super tart flavor, I recommend this sandwich bread.

 

*Note: The flowers in the background are the bouquet that I got for my 20th birthday! Aren't they pretty? I'd say your never too old for a little bright color in your life!

* Warning: This dough requires a lot of rising time! It's definitely worth the wait, but make sure you give yourself and the bread plenty of time!

 

Sourdough Sandwich Bread

 

2	cups active starter
1	cup milk
½	cup water
¼	cup oil or melted butter
¼	cup honey
2½	cup whole wheat flour
3	cup white flour
3	tsp salt



Mix all ingredients except salt for 2-3 minutes. Allow the dough to rest for about 20 minutes. After rest, add salt and knead dough for about five minutes. If dough is too sticky, add slightly more flour but dough should be soft and not dry and stiff. Place in oiled bowl and allow dough to rise for 3-4 hours or until nearly doubled in size. Divide dough into two pieces and shape into loaves and place in two greased bread pans. If a free form loaf is desired, place on greased baking sheet. Spray with oil and cover with plastic wrap to keep from drying out. Allow to rise for 2-3 hours. When dough has risen, slash the top of the loaf. If baking a free form loaf, you can use the roasting pan method for added humidity while baking. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes. For even browning, turn loaves halfway through baking time. Variations: We really like this doughs for a multipurpose dough. Some of the ways we've enjoyed it were as cinnamon raisin bread and dinner rolls. 

Feeling a Little Sweet and Nutty

 

Some foods I think of as grown-up foods (risotto, champagne (duh) and pate). Some foods I think of as kid foods (smashed peas, boiled hot dogs, fruit loops). Then, there are those foods that apply across a lifespan, the foods that remind us of the comfort of childhood without revoking or interfering with the independence of adulthood. These are the true comfort foods, including mac and cheese, chocolate chip cookies and, my childhood favorite, peanut butter and jelly.

 

Really, peanut butter and jelly is quite a sophisticated childhood favorite. It is a delicate marriage of sweet and savory, nutty and light, that surpasses the simple sugar-obsessed kid palate.  Also, it allows for countless variations and interpretations. You can substitute almond butter for peanut butter, grape jelly for strawberry jelly, or whole wheat rolls for the classic white bread.  It's utterly simple to make (I was a pbj pro at age 7) yet tastefully complex, an on-the-go meal that never fails to satisfy.

 

Recently, I have been craving peanut butter. Maybe it's nostalgia because peanut butter was always one of my favorite snacks. Or maybe it's my increased activity and need for protein. Either way, all I really wanted was to grab a jar and a span and be left alone for a few delicious hours. Except, peanut butter by the spoonful is just a little bit to calorie dense for that kind of indulgence. Instead, I decided to get creative.

 

If it isn't already obvious, I LOVE to bake. A hot oven and some flour and sugar are the main ingredients of happiness. I especially love baking bread. The smell of working yeast and the pillowy softness of rising dough never fails to delight. So, I decided to combine my two loves and bake bread with a healthy dose of peanut butter. I even opted for a healthier loaf by using mostly whole wheat flour (which happened to enhance the nuttiness of the peanut butter). But as I kneaded the dough and placed it in the bowl to rise, I still felt like something was missing....

 

 

 

Then I remembered my elementary school lunch box. I recalled the days when I would unzip my container and see that marvelous creation, all wrapped snugly in a plastic wrap sheath, and my mouth would begin to water. There it was, a delicious PB&J made with love by my mom, ready to be enjoyed. Sure, I enjoyed the turkey sandwich days too, but the true delight came from the days when I could bite into the soft crust of a PB&J and feel the peanut butter stick to the roof of my mouth.

 

So, then and there, I knew that I needed to transform my simple peanut butter yeast bread into a peanut butter and jelly sandwich loaf. And boy, am I glad I did. With just a simply layer of jelly spread on the dough before placing it into the pan for its final rise, the wonderful and classic PB&J combination was recreated. The jelly moistened the bread around it creating a sweet, gooey texture while the rest of the peanut butter loaf maintained a hearty consistency due to the wheat flour. It's the perfect toasting bread and its a whole peanut butter and jelly sandwich without the messy jars.

 

 

Peanut Butter and Jelly Yeast Bread

Ingredients

- 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

- 2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast

- 2 Tbsp. brown sugar

- 2 1/2 cups wheat flour

- 1 cup bread flour

- 1/4 to 1/3 cup peanut butter

- Enough jelly to spread a thin layer on the dough

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine sugar, yeast and water in a small bowl and allow to sit for 10 minutes or until foamy. Meanwhile, combine the flours and peanut butter so the peanut butter is well incorporated. (I used a pastry cutter but you can use a food processor or even your hands). When the yeast is foamy combine the water mixture with the flour mixture and allow it to form a smooth but not sticky dough. Knead for a few minutes until the dough is thick and smooth. Place in a greased bowl and allow to rise for an hour to an hour and a half. Once the dough has risen, shape it into a rectangle about the width of your bread pan and about 1/2 to 1 inch thick. Spread a generous layer of jelly on the dough, allowing a bare rim around the outside. Roll and seal the dough to create the jelly swirl. Place in a greased bread pan and allow to rise for another 30 to 45 minutes. Once risen to about an inch over the lip of the bread pan, bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove from pan, cool and Enjoy!



Pinterest and Pudding

 

I have spent way too much time on pinterest. In the amount of time that I have spent on pinterest, I could have learned a new language, taught myself how to knit then knitted an entire sweater, painted my entire house, cured diabetes and discovered a new solar system. Ok, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but, basically, I have logged more hours on pinterest than I probably should have. But hey, I'd say its better than facebook. Instead of feeling really creepy constantly looking at pictures and reading notifications about people I don't even really talk to anymore, at least I'm learning new tips and tricks regarding crafts, cooking and beauty products. (Isn't it amazing how people have pretty much learned how to make everything homemade... maybe we're reverting back to subsistence living)Some of the ideas recorded online and pinned on pinterest have spurred a creative epidemic, teaching even the shopaholic, dinner-out-every-night types to experiment with at home projects and epicurean adventures. I'd say, even if time spent on pinterest may be a little excessive for some, much good has come out of the vast sharing of photos and ideas on the site.

 



 

My personal favorite part of pinterest is the Food and Drink section. Even before I joined pinterest, I would search and peruse countless food blogs looking for exciting new recipes. When I found a recipe I liked, I would copy and paste the instructions onto a work document and save my disorganized findings for later. This became a bit cumbersome after awhile because I had a word document of about 40 pages of random recipes filling up space on my computer. When I found the Food and Drink section on pinterest, I was able to continue my search for creative recipes with an easier method of organization that included pictorial reminders of the dishes I had pinned. It also let me see other people's collections broadening my perspectives of food blogs and creative recipes.



One of those reoccurring recipe ideas I found during my countless hours on pinterest... (I'm going to refer to it as "research" from now on because it sounds better than "useless distraction" and makes me sound all scientific and such)  I mean, during my research was a recipe for pudding cookies. I am NOT a fan of pudding. Ice cream.. defininetly... Jello... sometimes... Pudding... NEVER. So, needless to say, I was skeptical. But blogger after blogger touted the chewy goodness of the resulting cookies after adding pudding to the batter. Despite my disdain for pudding, I am a huge fan of chewy cookies. The softer the better and if they stay soft for more than a day or two, that's fantastic. After enough drool-worthy pictures of pudding cookies on pinterest, my desire for chewiness surpassed my distaste for pudding and I decided to give them a try.

 

My family and I are glad I did. The cookies came out and stayed soft and chewy. The pudding only added a slight flavor, but, with 2 full cups of chocolate chips and other add-ins, the true chocolate chip cookie flavor dominated. My mom ate 2 (sometimes 3) for breakfast for many consecutive days and, once my dad found out about them, they disappeared exponentially faster. So, OK pudding, you win this one, but only because my "research" seamed to be whole-heartedly on your side. You can revel in your victory but I am the real winner because now I have a delicious recipe for SUPER CHEWY cookies.

 

Though I found countless recipes online I adapted mine from Picky Palate. I mean, just look at those pictures on her blog. Pretty convincing scientific evidence, right?

 

Oreo Pudding Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 stick/1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose Gold Medal Flour
• 3 tablespoons Oreo Pudding Mix
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (I prefer Ghiradelli)
• 2 King sized bars of Cookies and Cream, cooled and chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a large baking sheet with  parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl cream your butter and sugars until well combined. Add your egg and vanilla mixing to combine. Add your flour, pudding mix, baking soda and salt, stirring to combine. Add chips and m and m’s stirring to combine.
3. With a medium cookie scoop, place dough 1 inch apart from each other. Bake for 10-12 minutes until cooked through. Let cool on cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

A Whopper of a Birthday!

 

Five decades, a half a century, 50 years... however you put it, turning fifty is a big deal. It's not the numerical label itself that is the most important part. It's the countless years of love and experience that the number represents that is truly important. Even though I've only been around for 20 of my dad's prolific 50 years, I have been the recipient of a half a century's worth of knowledge, lessons and insight. Even when I'm frustrated or downtrodden, he offers a quip of uplifting yet logical advice that picks me up and puts me back on my path. Every single one of his years has been utilized to its full potential as he strives to improve himself, the lives of his patients, and the wellbeing of his family. Even though he feels he gets gipped (half the gifts... sorry Dad), its only appropriate that my Dad's birthday falls so close to Father's Day each year. This time of the year just exemplifies how being a dad is an integral part of my father's identity. And I have to say, he does a pretty good job!

 

Since the whole family has been going in different directions all summer, we made an effort to reserve a special Saturday to enjoy a big family dinner in celebration of my Dad's birthday and Father's day. We wrapped all his presents, planned a delicious grilled lunch, and, of course, made a special cake. My mom, sister and I split the tasks for optimal efficiency ( or waited until the last minute and ran around the house and kitchen in a mad frenzy). Regardless, with the help of some wrapping paper, some fresh fruit and vegetables, and a few cuts of delicious meat, the lunch came together well. It was a great opportunity for my family to sit in the warm summer sun, catch up on the craziness of the previous months, and eat some delicious foods. My Dad seemed pretty pleased with his gifts (OK... maybe not the deodorant) and, surprisingly enough, the chocolate mess of a cake that I made for him.

 

WARNING: I am NOT a cake baker, decorator, or eater. Give me a mess free bowl of ice cream and I am the happiest person in the world, but making and eating cake just results in stress and disaster. This cake was no exception. The plan was solid. I quizzed my mom on what my dad liked, thoroughly. 

 

"What candy does he like?"

 

"Whoppers"

 

"What kind of cake?"

 

"Plain white cake"

 

"Do you have a good white cake recipe?"

 

"He just likes box cake."

 

"BOX cake? Really?" (I am an ardent from-scratcher)

 

"Yes, Duncan Hines White Cake."

 

"Ugh, OK."

 

(This is an abridged version, but you get the idea.)

 

The problem was the execution....

The baking portion went well. The cakes (despite their pre-made boxiness) came out of the oven pretty and smelling lovely.

 

The frosting prep went well. The chocolate malt frosting came out with just the right sweetness (as proof by the numerous fingerfuls that both my sister and my mom stole from the bowl).

 

Even the actual frosting of the cake went fairly well. The icing was a little uneven and I was a bit heavy handed, but hey, at least there wasn't any cake peeking through.

 

Enter ganache.... I had less than an hour until I had to leave for work and the ganache had only been cooling in the freezer for about fifteen minutes. That's enough for a thick layer, right? WRONG.  I poured the ganache the top of the cake and a messy, chocolate waterfall erupted. There was chocolate everywhere, on the counter, on the bottom of the plate, on the floor and a little managed to stay on the cake. Let's just say, clean-up was not my favorite thing. Two chocolate-covered kitchen towels later, the cake was safely stored in the freezer and I breathed a huge sigh of relief. NEVER LET ME BAKE A CAKE AGAIN!!!

 

But the smile on my Dad's face as he bit into the cake was worth it.

White Whopper Cake

Cake

 

1 box Duncan Hines White Cake (follow box ingredients and instructions)

 

- baked in 2 9" round pans

 

Chocolate Malt Frosting ( adapted from Bakergirl )

- 1 cup butter, softened

- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 chocolate malt powder (I used Ovaltine)
- 5 cups confectioners' sugar

 

To make the frosting, in a large bowl, beat butter and cocoa powder at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.

In a small bowl, combine cream and malted milk powder, stirring to dissolve. Add cream mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed to combine. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth.

Ganache Topping

 

3/4 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup chocolate chips

 

To make ganache, bring heavy cream to a boil in a small sauce pan. As soon as it starts to boil, remove from heat and pour over chocolate chips. Let the mixture sit (unmixed for 10 minutes). After 10 minutes, stir the mixture until well combined. Allow the ganache to cool to desired consistency before pouring over cake (and make sure you have the base of the cake prepared for ganache overflow).

 

For Decoration

1/2 cup chopped whoppers

more whoppers for decoration

 

To assemble cake

 

Frost the first layer of the cake with 1/4 of the icing. Sprinkle the chopped whoppers over this layer of icing. Cover with the second layer and frost the entire cake, starting with the top and moving to the sides (this makes a THICK layer of icing). Drizzle the slightly cooled ganache over the cake (you can do this any way you want, like a waterfall or just a simple drizzle). Decorate the top of the cake with a few more whoppers.

 



The Many Phases of Food

Sometimes the kitchen pantry can be a terrifying and sad place.. An endless dark cabinet cluttered with jars and boxes and bottles (Oh MY!), the pantry is home to the leftovers of years of food cravings. Every single container that has made its home in that cabinet started as a wonderfully delectable idea. The idea may have been sparked by a childhood dish memory, a restaurant copying attempt or just pure (and exceptionally dangerous) inspiration. But regardless of the ingredients' beginnings, most of them have the same pitiful fate. They end up, abandoned and forgotten, in the back of the cabinet with the days until their inevitable expiration ticking tirelessly away. All of these forgotten ingredients have fallen victim to the perilous rule of FOOD PHASES!

 

You know what I'm talking about. Food always goes in phases. Whether it is a national trend (such as the country's current love for super foods such as quinoa and avocados) or just a child who chooses to eat nothing but PBJ's for every single meal, everyone is familiar with loving/needing certain foods for a certain amount of time, then quickly forgetting about them, leaving no remembrance of the amorous affair except for a few lonely crumbs. Then, those lonely crumbs end up in the pantry. FOREVER.

 

OK, that's a bit dramatic. . Sometimes, the food love is rekindled and the phase returns, as strong and exciting as ever. There are a lot of ingredients in the pantry that find love once again in new and innovative dishes. Sometimes, if the ingredient just needs a little revamping, a small change in perspective can make a huge difference.

 

Example: Cheerios...

 

Our cereal cabinet has been overflowing lately. Every morning, I open up the cabinet, excited to try some new cereal combination (as long as milk and cinnamon is involved as well). Maybe, bran flakes and corn flakes? How about toasted oatmeal and rice crisps? Regardless, because of my love for breakfast grains and endless combinations, I have accumulated quite a few (large) boxes of cereal, all struggling to fit into that tiny little hutch. All of them are pretty well used, though. They quickly find their way into my little bowl, morning after morning. Except one. The Cheerios. I have nothing against Cheerios. In fact, my Cheerios phase was lovely, sweet, and undeniably delicious. But, the love of Cheerios faded when I found the delicious texture of bran flakes... boring circles were replaced by the smooth, edges of my new branny, flakey cereal. My poor ex-cereal has been sitting its bag in the back of the cabinet waiting for the love to be rekindled. Well, with a little makeover, I have found a NEW love for Cheerios. It turns out that, when crushed up and mixed with brown sugar and bananas and baked to perfection, Cheerios are anything but boring. I found this recipe on the Cheerios website (turns out I'm not the only one who loses interest in plain, old Cheerios) and it worked quite well. The addition of a Cheerio crumble on top was a delicious way to add a little crunch and use up some more of the unwanted cereal. (It's a win-win.) So, maybe I might just enter into another food phase based solely around cereals baked into muffins.

 



Cheerio Banana Muffins
from Cheerios.com

2 cups Cheerios® cereal

1 1/4 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (2 to 3 medium)

2/3 cup fat-free (skim) milk

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 egg white

Topping

• 1 1/2 cups cheerios (crushed)
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 Tbs. margarine (melted)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 12 regular-size muffin cups with cooking spray, or grease bottoms only of muffin cups.
2. Crush cereal. In large bowl, stir together cereal, flour, brown sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Stir in remaining ingredients just until moistened. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
3. To make topping, combine margarine, cereal and sugar in a small bowl. Mix with hands until the Cheerios are coated. Sprinkle the topping on top of the unbaked muffins, dividing evenly between all 12.
4. Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown.

I don't drink beer, but I do eat it.

 

 

When I visit a craft fair, I feel like a child (who has just been fed about 30 pixie sticks) that is allowed to run loose in a toy store. No matter how many fairs I attend, they are always simultaneously exciting and overwhelming. For memorial day, my mother and I visited Boalsburg, a quaint, historic Pennsylvania town that claims to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. Whether or not this is true, they sure do act like its a big deal. They have a parade, a carnival, a 5k, museum tours, music, and a beautiful craft fair on a street lined with lovely Victorian homes. Though the craft fair isn't particularly large, the diversity in the products is quite impressive. There is jam, jewelry, photography, clay, these really neat collapsible baskets... and, the most enticing part for my mother, a huge stand filled with pies selling for $2 a slice. The entire street is decorated with beautiful artwork and products and filled with excited people and cheerful music. The whole environment is the perfect unofficial welcome for a long, relaxing and joyful summer.

 

My favorite part of craft fairs is the variety of displays, as I alluded to above, but my second favorite part is that most of the stands selling food products offer free samples. Every food stand lays out their products like a miniature buffet table just tempting me as I try to discreetly pass by. Of course, most of the time I cannot avoid tasting the products (and REALLY it's just rude to pass by without tasting, right?).

 

One of the food stands this year was selling products from the Tastefully Simple line. Out of all the samples they had laid out, I chose to sample the beer bread (which is odd because I am 19 and know/care very little about beer). I am GLAD I chose to sample the beer bread though! It was dense and lightly sweet with a crunchy, buttery crust. If it was socially acceptable, I probably could have stood there and taken every single one of their beer bread samples.



 

During the two hour ride home, I decided to look on my phone for a copy cat recipe. I knew it had to be complicated. The recipe had to have some crazy ingredient ( like concentrated fairy dust) or  require some unusual technique (such as stir the bread while patting your stomach and spinning in circles) to be THAT delicious. Luckily, I was wrong.... It's such an easy recipe and process! It only requires 4 ingredients and about an hour and fifteen minutes total time from start to pulling that yummy loaf out of the oven. Depending on what type of beer you use, the flavor can be anything you want. ( I let my mom select the beer since I honestly couldn't tell you what a good beer tastes like) But, because there are so few ingredients, make sure you select a beer you really enjoy since the flavor is really exhibited.

 

*Note: My bread didn't taste exactly like the Tastefully Simple bread, but I actually liked it more. Since we chose a dark beer and brown sugar, the bread was dense and had a sweet, molasses flavor.

 

Unbelievably Easy Beer Bread

modified from Simply Fresh Cooking

 

• 3 cups self rising flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 12 ounces Beer (one that you really like- I used Dogfish Head as per my mother's request)
• 2 tbs. butter or benecol (benecol doesn't crisp like butter so the crust came out a little soft)

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Measure and sift the flour into a bowl.

3. Whisk the sugar into the flour until evenly distributed.

4. Pour beer into the mixture and stir until combined (the mixture should be a little lumpy).

5. Pour into a bread pan and place in the oven. Bake for 50 minutes.

6. Melt the butter and pour over the bread's crust. Bake for another 10 minutes.

*WARNING* the smell is amazing and WILL fill your entire house!

 

* My brother gets some credit for this bread. Even though he is working hard in medical school right now, he is the reason my mom found the Dogfish Head beer in the fridge. Wish I could send some of the bread to ya bro!



 

Bagels: Why I get out of bed in the morning....

 

Waking up in the morning is not a struggle for me. I have always been one of those people who is up with the sun. The problem, unfortunately, is the actual act of getting out of bed. My covers are always so warm and snuggly, and my pillow provides just the perfect amount of softness and support. Really, there is no logical reason to leave, right? Well, there is one. It waits for me in the kitchen every morning. It beckons to me with its crispy, tanned skin and its soft, delectable center. If it weren't for the promise of delicious bagels in the morning, I don't think my feet would ever leave the covers and touch the floor again.



My first experience with Dutch Crunch bagels was at Wegmans. Choosing a single bagel from the Wegmans bakery collection is akin to choosing one pair of shoes from an entire shoe section. Every one is unique and different, but every one is equally appealing. They have sweet bagels (like French toast, blueberry and cinnamon raisin). They have the classics (like egg, plain, and everything). They have the savory (like poppy seed, cheese, and THE marco polo). Despite the amazing display, I have to say that the Marco Polo bagel has emerged (after many, many trials) one of my favorites. Essentially, after some research online, Marco Polo is Wegmans' special name for Dutch Crunch. Their base bagel is soft and fluffy with a thin but chewy crust and, if you get there early in the morning, it is fresh and warm. The Dutch Crunch topping, a smooth combination of yeast and rice flour, browns ever so slightly in the oven and is marked with the unique cracks that provide the crumbly deliciousness. Wegmans only makes Marco Polo bagels on the weekend (I know, what a tease?!), but whenever my mom and I see them, we scope out the fluffiest bagels with the most topping and choose those for our morning treats. Then, we'll sit in the Wegmans café area, chewing on our slightly toasted bagels, drinking our morning caffeine, and chatting about the day to come. (I would say that's a pretty suifficient motivation for getting out of bed).

 

Though I cannot replicate the Wegmans bagel perfection, I knew I had to try my own take on the Marco Polo (or for non-wegmans-enthusiasts, Dutch Crunch). I prepared the dough. the night before with a little wheat and bread flour and boiled and coated them in the morning, so they would come out of the oven fresh and hot (hopefully, approaching the fresh taste of Wegmans). Because my mom and I love the topping SO much, I added a little more topping than the typical Wegmans bagel has. It was delicious! Even after breakfast that morning, we enjoyed them in various ways (like as a base for a delicious PBJ or covered in tzaziki). Because the flavor is neutral (its all about the texture), they work perfectly for various preparations.



Base Bagel Recipe

 

·         2 ½ cups bread flour

·         1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

·         1 ½ cups warm water

·         2 Tbs. brown sugar

·         2 ¼ tsp. yeast

 

Method

1.      Combine yeast, sugar and water and allow to sit for 5-7 minutes until foamy.

2.      Combine flours. Incorporate yeast mixture, adjusting flour until a smooth ball comes together.

3.      Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover, leaving it in a warm place. Allow to rise until it doubles in size, roughly 1 – 1 ½ hours.

4.      Once risen, use a scale to evenly divide the dough into 8-12 pieces.

5.      Allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

6.      Roll the bagels, either by making ropes and pinching them together or by poking a hole in the center and stretching it by hand. The holes should be fairly large because they will shrink when they are boiled and baked.

7.      Cover the bagels with oiled plastic wrap and allow to rest in the fridge overnight.

8.      In the morning, fill a large pot with 4 quarts of water. Add a tbs. of honey. Bring to a boil.

9.      Preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove the bagels from the fridge and prepare them for boiling.

10.  Drop the bagels in the water (3-4 at a time) and boil for 30 seconds. Flip them and boil for another 30 seconds. Remove from the water and place on a clean paper towel. Once all the bagels are boiled, sprinkle cornmeal on baking trays lined with parchment paper. Lay the bagels on the baking tray.

11.  Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

 

Dutch Crunch Topping

from Laura's Sweet Spot

1 cup warm water (105-115º F)

2 tablespoons  sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I only used one because I wanted it thicker)

½ teaspoon  salt

1½ cups  rice flour

1. Combine all ingredients and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

2. After boiling the bagels, coat them generously in topping.

3. Allow to rest with topping for a few minutes before baking.