Apron Appeal: Make-a-head

Showing posts with label Make-a-head. Show all posts

Friday, October 21, 2011

Steph's Virtual Bridal Shower - Dinner in a Pumpkin

When Kita sent me the invitation to help support Steph (a fellow blogger) with her upcoming wedding by being a part of a virtual Bridal Shower I was ALL IN! As much as I love dressing up in a dry-clean only gown in order to spend an evening keeping four kids, also clad in dry-clean only attire, away from the chocolate fountain bubbling in the corner, a virtual bridal shower sounded more than ideal.

The theme for the bridal shower is “Date Night” and in order to come up with a suitable idea I had to go back 14 years and remember what we did for date night when we were newlyweds…well besides spending our Saturday’s pretending to be interested in furniture just so we could get free hot dogs and soda at the local furniture store, we also liked to watch the TV’s shows we had recorded throughout the week on our VHS recorder or grab a bite to eat at the local hospital cafeteria after our Friday night volunteer shift was over. Yeah! We were pretty wild and crazy back then.

Surely we did other stuff too? I consulted the photo album. Ahhhh yes, our first Halloween together. We hosted a murder mystery night with all of our friends from school. Look how cute we were! (and no we were not dressed up as ghosts, we just had no idea how to use a flash properly.)

It was great looking back at our first Halloween together and I realized that a tradition began that year….Pumpkin Hunting.

Since we have been married, we have always enjoyed searching for the perfect Jack-o-lantern pumpkin together. It’s the perfect date regardless of the variation you choose. We would either go to a local farm stand to pick up our pumpkin and then take some time browsing the stand and gift shop. We’d grab a bag of hot sugared pumpkin donuts and a class of cold apple cider to enjoy while we sat at a picnic table and talked about whatever crossed our minds. Once the sun had set and I was sufficiently frozen we’d drive home. Sometimes we’d carve the pumpkin right away but usually we would save that for another date night. For carving night, we take the time to carve the pumpkin and then we’d eat roasted seeds while watching a rented movie (not a scary one…remember? I don’t do scary well).

As the years have gone by our tradition has stuck and now we enjoy doing this with our kids. Today our pumpkin patch haul includes 6 carving pumpkins (1 for every member of the family) and about 3 or 4 sugar/pie pumpkins to be used for whatever baking treat needed baked. And that brings us to the food….Date Night wouldn’t complete without something to eat right? I present to you...

Dinner in a pumpkin!

I got this recipe from my good friend Camille who we met while we lived in Michigan (when/if you have kids Steph, you’ll defiantly want to check out her blog, A Curious Thing, filled with reviews on children’s lit). Although the recipe is enough to feed 6-8 adults, you can easily stash away half of the filling in the freezer and use it on another night (You know me, I’m a fan of make-a-head meals).

Good luck Steph. I wish you the very best on your wedding day and everyday after. Your marriage will be worth every effort you put into it and I hope you and Lucas are able to start traditions that you will look forward to participating in year after year after year.

Congratulations!!

Dinner in a Pumpkin

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serves: 8

Ingredients:

4 small pie pumpkins, prepared with top cut and strings and seeds removed.

1 lb. sausage

1 lb. ground beef

1 large sweet onion, finely diced

2 large celery rib, finely diced

3 cups cooked brown rice

1 can cream of chicken soup

3 tablespons brown sugar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 can (8oz) sliced water chestnuts, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a large skillet brown the sausage and beef with the chopped onion and celery. When done, drain and return to the skillet. Add rice, cream of chicken soup, brown sugar, soy sauce and water chestnuts then stir and heat together. Simmer for about 10 minutes on medium low heat.
Spoon the filling into each cleaned pumpkin shell until stuffed. Place tops onto each pumpkin, place pumpkins on a cookie sheet and back for 1 to 1 ½ hours.
Dinner is done when the inside of the pumpkin easily peals away from the skin with a fork. Excellent served with a bit of cheese sprinkled on top.

Source: Camille (not posted) A Curious Thing

Gwenevere

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Dutch Oven Funeral Potatoes

If posting frequency is an indication as to whether a blog is active or dead, then I should probably start planning my blog’s funeral. Man! My summer schedule and new full time hours at work are really throwing me for a loop. I’m sure that once I figure out how to juggle it all, my kids will be back in school and it won’t matter anymore. Oh well, please forgive me of my infrequent posting and know that my blog is not dying. J But hey, why not go along with the theme? (oh yeah, it’s kind of morbid to talk of death) hmmm…how about a happy spin on the theme? Funeral Potatoes…in a dutch oven! And hopefully when you eat these it will be at your next cookout and not your next funeral.

Oh I feel it necessary to let you know that this dish is NOT from scratch. That is generally unusual for me, but when I’m on vacation (yes I consider camping a vacation) I like to keep meal prep as simple as possible that is also why this recipe can be prepped almost entirely in advance.

Dutch oven Funeral Potatoes

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Serves 10-12

Equipment: (for cooking – not prepping)

12” dutch oven

Charcoal Briquettes

Optional

charcoal chimney

tongs

lid rest

lid lifter

grill gloves

large spoon

Ingredients:

33 oz (8 cups) potatoes, cooked and shredded you can use frozen hashbrowns)

10 Tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

2 cans cream of chicken soup

3 green onions finely chopped

1 ½ cups sharp cheddar, shredded

1 ½ cups sour cream

1½ - 2 cups corn flakes, coarsely crushed

Corn flakes

salt

pepper

onion powder

Directions:

Cook whole potatoes until tender, cool then peel and grate (Or use frozen uncooked hash browns)
In a 12 qt stockpot, heat 6 tablespoons of butter until melted then add green onions and sauté. Stir in soup, sour cream and cheese and heat until cheese is melted.
Mix in shredded potatoes and mix until combine. Add salt, pepper and onion powder to taste. (If making this in advance, empty the contents of the stockpot into a large ziplock bag and put in the fridge or freezer until ready to cook. Before cooking, be sure the potato mixture is thoroughly thawed)
Heat briquettes
Empty contents of the ziplock into a 12” dutch oven. Combine crushed corn flakes with melted butter and sprinkle on top.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or at 325 for 1 hour. To achieve proper heat with charcoal briquettes in a dutch oven refer to the heat/briquette calculator.

Notes: Rotate lid and/or dutch oven a ¼ turn every ½ hour to avoid hot spots and scorching. Replace coals that have burned to ash with new hot coals to ensure the chicken cooks in the time allowed.

Source: Adapted from a family recipe provided by Dina at Dina’s Diner (unposted).

Gwenevere

Friday, June 17, 2011

Burger Buns

This week I’ve been grandpa-sitting. Boy’s Mom and Dad took my oldest with them on a road trip to Houston to visit family. To show my appreciation I agreed to keep on eye on Grandpa and help Grandma should she need anything. (Grandma and Grandpa live in the mother-in-law suite that was recently added onto my husband’s parent’s home.)

It’s been a fairly laid back week. I’ve been testing out some recipes (none of which are ready to share) and trying to get caught up at work, sew some birthday gifts, bake and decorate a cake and plan a party for a soon to be 6-year old (the latter is easy when you decide to just go to Chuck E Cheeses – go head judge away).

Since I’ve been living out of two homes this week I’ve been relying on my freezer to feed the family at dinnertime. Before you go all “Heaven Forbid” on me, I just have to say, most of the meals in my freezer are meals I’ve made and frozen ahead of time. (except for the corn dogs and frozen pizza…and raviolis) But I don’t really mean meals, I mean, meal components…like burger buns.

Some of you know that I grew up eating some variation of burgers just about every Saturday night. To some this may sound absolutely horrible but I loved it and have come to appreciate it even more in my adulthood. Do you know how nice it is not to have to wonder what’s for dinner? Most Saturday’s we hit the ground running and we don’t stop until dinner. It’s nice to know that come 4:30, the buns come out of the freezer to thaw, the potatoes get washed and the grill gets prepped – Rain or shine, warm or cold. Burger night is a good thing.

It’s also no secret that I love bread. I love to bake it. I love to eat it. Everything is made better if homemade bread is included, so naturally, in order to make burger night a GREAT thing, I began looking for the worlds best burger bun.

Whoa Nelly! There are a lot of bun recipes out there.

But more than any other, the burger with the tag "Comme Ca" kept on popping up in my browser over and over again. What is Comme Ca? Roughly it means – “like this” in French but you’ll notice it’s in caps so that makes it a proper noun or name for something (I am so smart S.M.R.T)

Comme Ca is the name of a restaurant I’ve never been to but apparently they are the home of the worlds best burger buns.

The best? Really. Now I’m not as gullible as Buddy the Elf and just because someone posts a sign doesn’t mean I’m going to believe it....

...But I will try it and then make my own recommendation.

Well...

wouldn’cha know it!

The sign out front is true.

Comme Ca’s burger buns may very well be “The Worlds Greatest Burger Bun”. Way to go! And a special thanks to all the bloggers out there who cleared the path and posted their findings to make it easier for me (and now you) to have buns as good as your burger.

Soon I’ll be posting my 100% whole-wheat vegan version of this - I’ve almost got it perfected – I’ve just got to figure out how to get my sesame seeds to stay on without an egg wash or super glue- suggestions welcome.

Burger Buns

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Makes: 8 buns

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. warm milk 

1 cup warm water 

2 tsp. active dry yeast 

2½ tbsp. sugar 

1½ tsp. salt 

1 large egg 

3 cups bread flour 

1/3 cup all-purpose flour 

2½ tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

For topping: 

1 large egg beaten with 1 tbsp. water, for egg wash 

Sesame seeds

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Once frothy, briefly mix in the milk, salt and egg until combined. Add the flours to the bowl, and mix until incorporated. Switch to the dough hook and Mix in the butter. Switch to the dough hook, turn mixer on low and add in the butter. Once butter is included, continue to knead (6-10 minutes on low) until dough is ready. The dough will be somewhat tacky, but you want to avoid adding too much extra flour, which will create tough buns.
Shape the dough into a round and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1-2 hours. Gently deflate the dough and reshape it into a round.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat then using a long serrated knife or a dough scraper, cut the dough, like a pizza, into 8 equal sections. Gently shape each section into a round, then press the dough to shape it into a disk. Place each slightly flattened round on the baking sheet, 2-3 inches apart. Cover loosely with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise again, (1-2 hours), until puffed up and nearly doubled.
Set a 9 x 13 metal cake pan filled with water onto the lowest rack of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400˚ F with a rack in the center position. Brush the tops of the buns lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake the buns about 15 minutes (rotating halfway through baking if they are browning unevenly), until the tops are golden brown. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Notes:

If you have unused buns, go ahead and put them in a zip bag and toss them in the freezer. They freeze VERY well and can easily be brought out to thaw or nuked in the microwave if you need to speed along the thawing time.

Source: Slightly adapted from Annie’s eats, originally from Comme Ca via The New York Times

Gwenevere

Monday, June 6, 2011

Chocolate Raspberry Scones

Being a mom means that sometimes I get to be a detective. Since I spend more time at home than Boy and tend not to put things back where I got them, the responsibility of finding lost things, naturally falls on me. When it comes to finding lost shoes - me, paperwork/bills – me, toys – me, leftover food in the fridge for today’s lunch – me, obscure kitchen tools – me. My super sleuthing is not limited to finding lost things however, it also includes knowing if kids are telling fibs to get out of trouble, determining who is/was responsible for the reason someone got their feelings hurt and my personal favorite role as a detective parent is figuring out what my kids will eat on a day to day basis.

Does anyone else have this problem? From the time my 1^st was eating solid food up through my now youngest just starting on solid food, none of them have ever had a food they liked so much that I knew they would eat it every time I put it in front of them. (Sometimes I tell myself that the “go to food” is probably a PB&J sandwich but since none of my kids can eat peanuts, I’ll never know.)

What in the world does any of this have to do with Chocolate Raspberry Scones? Well, Ryn, my almost 6 year old, is a hard case to crack when it comes to fruit, raw or baked. I just don’t know what she’ll go for. She likes raw strawberries, but put them on crepes, no way. She won’t touch peaches or apricots raw, but bake them into a cobbler – gone. The first time I made scones with raspberries, I thought for sure I’d hit the ball out of the park. I mean really, these things are almost like cookies, just bigger and cleverly disguised as a breakfast food. Nope, she wouldn’t even touch them. Well that’s not true, she did eat a bite but as soon as she got to the berry - she was done. How anyone can resist these scones, I do not know. They are so good. Crispy and flakey and melt in your mouth kind of goodness.

Normally I wouldn’t really care if my kids eat pastries but because these scones can be prepared in advance and kept frozen until baking time, they make for a relatively simple, hot breakfast that doesn’t cut into my “find my backpack, jacket, homework” sleuthing time, so I knew I had to get her to like these.

I started with an all chocolate chip version. She would be happy to eat that version all day everyday, but that wasn’t good enough for me, not for breakfast anyway. I decided to do raspberries WITH chocolate and then, perhaps over time, slowly take out the chocolate so that all that would be left would be the raspberries. SCORE! Combine fruit, with chocolate, and Ryn will eat it. Now I just have to start diminishing the chocolate and we’re good. – CASE CLOSED!

As a side note…when I made these I actually piped a ganache into the hollow raspberry center - Super delicious but absolutely unnecessary [for this recipe]. If you would like to take the time to do that, you can find the instructions here (Annies Eat’s Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cupcakes) – just quarter the recipe and you’re good to go. Next time I make these, I’m just going to stuff the raspberries with chocolate chips. The recipe below reflects that intention.

Chocolate Raspberry Scones

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Ingredients:

CHOCOATE STUFFED RASPBERRIES

1 ½ cups fresh raspberries

¼ cup chocolate chip

SCONES

8 tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled whole 

1½ cups (7½ oz.) chocolate stuffed raspberries (or other mix-in)

½ cup chocolate chips

½ cup whole milk 

½ cup sour cream 

2 cups (10 oz.) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface 

½ cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling 

2 tsp. baking powder 

¼ tsp. baking soda 

½ tsp. salt 

1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest 

2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

Adjust an oven rack to middle position and preheat to 425˚ F. Grate the chilled butter on the holes of a large box grater, put grated butting in a bowl and place in the freezer. Stuff raspberries with chocolate chips and place in the freezer until needed.
Whisk together the milk and sour cream in a medium bowl; refrigerate until needed. Combine the flour, ½ cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest in a medium-mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the grated butter to the flour mixture and toss with fingers until thoroughly coated.
Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and fold with a spatula just until combined. Transfer the dough to a generously floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough with flour, and with well-floured hands, push the dough together into a ragged ball. Add small amounts of flour as needed to prevent sticking. (I do not use extra flour- there are so many flour bits that I didn’t feel extra flour was necessary)

Roll the dough into a 12-inch square. Fold the dough into thirds like a business letter (a dough scraper really helps with these steps-but I wouldn’t know since I don’t have a bench scraper). Fold the short ends of the dough into the center in thirds, to form an approximate 4-inch square. Transfer the dough to a plate lightly dusted with flour and chill in the freezer for 5 minutes.

Return the dough to the floured work surface and roll into an approximately 12-inch square again. Sprinkle the raspberries and chocolate chips evenly over the surface of the dough, and gently press down so that they are slightly embedded in the dough surface. Using a dough scraper, roll the dough up to form a tight log. Lay the log seam side down and press the log into a 12 by 4-inch rectangle. Using a sharp, floured knife, cut the rectangle crosswise into 4 equal rectangles. Cut each rectangle diagonally to form 2 triangles. (for smaller portions, cut each 4 in rectangle into 4 triangles instead of 2) Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet.

Brush the tops of the scones with melted butter and sprinkle lightly with sugar. (If freezing ahead of time, flash freeze on the baking sheet for 20 minutes, then transfer to a freezer bag and store in the freezer until needed.) Bake until the tops and bottoms are golden brown, 15-20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool at least 10 minutes before serving. (bake frozen scones in a 400 degree F oven for 18-25 minutes.

Notes:

The original recipe called for blueberries. I have used blackberries, chocolate chips, and raspberries to fill these scones with and plan on trying many, many more mix-ins. Also I don’t keep whole milk in my fridge. I do however always keep heavy cream. To substitute whole milk I simply add cream to it. For this recipe add 1-tablespoon cream to a ½ cup measure and then fill the rest of the measuring cup up with milk. It’s not exact, but it works.

Source: Adapted from Annies-Eats: Blueberry Scones

Gwenevere

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Buttermilk Biscuits

If you know how to make yeasted bread, flat breads and pie dough how hard can it possibly be to make flakey buttermilk biscuits?

That is what I thought when I first set out to find and make the perfect buttermilk biscuits. I should have known something was up when I got to the third recipe and read a disclaimer that said something like:

Once you’ve tried this recipe about a dozen times, you’ll understand the dough and you’ll be able to turn out the perfect biscuits every time.

A dozen times?

Really?

Whatever - I betcha I can do this on the first try.

I learned three things:

1. It may not be pretty but it almost always will taste good.

2. It’s impossible to duplicate a recipe if you refuse to follow it.

3. You cannot judge the success/failure of your finished product against a photograph that showcases food that was made from a recipe other than the one you are using.

Had I known those three tips when I started making the first batch I would say that a dozen attempts is overkill. If you know how to follow a recipe and know what you are working toward I’m fairly confident you can crank out these delicious, beautiful buttermilk biscuits by the 2^nd or 3^rd try. So what are you working toward with these biscuits? This recipe will turn out about a dozen crispy, flaky buttermilk biscuits. These aren’t exactly what I was originally looking for, (I’m looking for something more tender) but perhaps this is exactly what you have been looking for. If so, have at it.

Oh and finally - Please be aware that climate, elevation, brand of ingredients, calibration of your oven and fridge, time of day, what you are wearing, how your hair is combed, and whether or not you car is clean or dirty may or may not have an effect on how your biscuits turn out. J

Buttermilk Biscuits

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Makes 8-10 biscuits

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, grated on the large holes of a box grater and then chilled in the freezer

¾ cup cold buttermilk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk until combined. Toss in chilled butter and coat with flour.
Create a well in the center of the flour and pour in the cold buttermilk. With a spatula gently toss the flour and milk together until somewhat combined. Do not over mix or your biscuits. They will become dense and tough.
Dump the mixture out onto a board or nonstick mat and push it all into a ragged ball.
Pat the dough into a 4” x 7” rectangle and then fold the dough into thirds like a letter. Repeat this step 2 more times (3 times total) doing your best to include all stray crumbs and dough pieces.
Press the dough out to be ¾” to 1” thick. Using a round or square cutter that is 2 ½ inches, cut out biscuits without twisting the cutter. Twisting the cutter could seal the sides and make it difficult for the dough to reach its full height potential in the oven. I prefer to use a square cutter to minimize scraps. Scraps don’t rise as well as the biscuits cut from the first press.
Place biscuits on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat, brush with scant buttermilk and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until raised and golden.
If you would like to freeze the biscuits for later use, after the biscuits have been brushed with buttermilk, put the cookie sheet - uncovered into a freezer for 30 minutes. Once dough is set, transfer the biscuits to a ziplock bag and store in freezer until ready to bake. Bake directly from frozen in a 425 degree oven for 17 – 18 minutes.

Source: Adapted from foodwishes: Beautiful Buttermilk Biscuits (how to video included) with help from Frieda Loves Bread and freezing instructions from Annie’s Eats.

Gwenevere

Monday, May 16, 2011

Orange Rolls

Birthdays are kind of a big deal in Boy’s family. His mother does all that she can to make her children feel like they are king or queen for a day. As part of the royal birthday treatment tradition, everyone gets orange rolls for breakfast. It sounds like a good idea right? That is unless you are the one who has to wake up before the crack of dawn to make aforementioned orange rolls.

Well lucky or unlucky for me (I’m never quite sure which) the term orange roll means something entirely different to me than it does to Boy. In the home I grew up in orange rolls were always made from scratch and were served at formal holiday dinners (a rare treat). In Boy’s family, orange rolls were served out of a refrigerated cardboard tube (see lucky me I don’t have to make fresh bread, unlucky for me I have to eat rolls out of cardboard tube).

Yes, I was not excited about replacing my beloved orange rolls with a store bought version, but since this was Boy’s tradition, we kept it “as-is” and I’ve been “making” refrigerated, canister orange rolls for every birthday breakfast since we’ve been married. This year that tradition ended.

Happy Birthday Boy!

(Belated blog post because blogger was down on your birthday and the day following)

For his birthday this year I made some homemade orange rolls to replace the ones the tradition was founded on (does this make me a progressive?) I hope he can forgive me for messing with a 35-year-old tradition but for the sake of flavor and quality, I hope he’ll appreciate the change.

Happy Birthday!

Orange Rolls

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Ingredients:

ROLLS

¼ cup warm water

2 ¼ teaspoon yeast (active dry)

1 cup warm milk

½ cup unsalted butter,

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups whole-wheat flour (I used fresh milled winter white wheat-AP flour can also be used)

2 eggs

zest of 1 orange (2 tablespoons)

juice of 1 orange (¼ cup)

3-3 ½ cups all-purpose flour

FILLING

Zest of 1 orange (2 tablespoons)

Juice of ½ an orange (2 tablespoons)

3-4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

¾ - 1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

Dissolve yeast in ¼ cup of water and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attached, combine milk, butter, sugar and salt. Once combined mix in whole-wheat flour and beat well. Beat in eggs, softened yeast, and zest & juice from one orange.
Replace paddle attachment with the dough hook and add it 3-3 ½ cups of all purpose flour (dough should be soft and sticky). Knead dough for 8-10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.
Shape dough into a round, place into an ungreased bowl. Cover; let rise in a warm draft-free place until double (about 2 hours)
If using whole-wheat flour; carefully deflate the dough after 1^st rise, reshape into a round, put back into bowl, cover with lid and allow to rise for another 45 minutes (until when a wet finger is poked ½ inch into the dough, the indentation stays without springing back or sagging). The second rise is not necessary however it will make for a more flavorful and lighter dough.
Deflate dough (again, if using whole-wheat), divide into 2 equal halves, shape each half into a round then cover with a bread cloth for 10 minutes to allow for the dough to rest.
While dough is resting, make the filling by combining the orange zest and juice with 3 tablespoons melted butter. Add in the cinnamon (if using) and the sugar until you reach the desired consistency (if you like a lot of filling, you may need to add another tablespoon of melted butter and an additional ¼ cup sugar)
On a nonstick mat or floured board, roll one round of dough into a 19x13(ish) rectangle that is ¼-inch thick. Using ½ of the filling, schmear a thin layer over the dough leaving a 1” margin along one of the longer edges of the rectangle. Take the filling all the way to the edge on the other three sides. Starting with the long side of the rectangle (that has the schmear taken all the way to the edge) start rolling the dough. Begin in the middle and work your way out to the edges. Continue to roll until the dough is in one long roll. Pinch the seam closed to prevent the rolls from unraveling during the final proof and baking.
With a string, dental floss or a sharp serrated knife, cut the long roll into 1-inch segments and place each segment 1” apart on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking oil or lined with parchment paper. Repeat steps 8 -10 for the second dough round. (If you would like to freeze your rolls for a later time (which I highly recommend – especially if you are planning on eating these for breakfast), place them on a greased cookie sheet so that the rolls are touching one another and then place them, uncovered, in the freezer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, transfer the dough to a freezer proof container or Ziploc bag.)
Cover rolls and allow to rise for 45 minutes (after 30 minutes preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.) Bake the rolls for 12-15 minutes until rolls are golden brown.
Remove from the oven and immediately drizzle or frost with orange ginger cream cheese glaze/frosting (Recipe follows)

ORANGE, GINGER, CREAM CHEESE GLAZE/FROSTING

1/3 cup (5.3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened but not melted

5. 3 oz. (2/3 of an 8 oz. brick) cream cheese, softened

1 tsp orange zest

2 tbsp orange juice

1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

1 - 2 ½ cups powdered sugar

Combine the first 5 ingredients. Gradually add the powdered sugar until you achieve the desired consistency for glaze or frosting. (If you have leftover frosting from the Carrot Cupcakes-you can just use that.)

Notes: To prepare rolls from frozen, place frozen rolls in or on a prepared baking pan/sheet (greased or lined w/ parchment paper or silpat). Cover rolls with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with cooking oil and allow to proof. This will take about 2 to 2 ½ hours. Rolls can then be baked in 375 degree F oven for 12-15 minutes.

Source: adapted from my Aunt Gayle’s Thanksgiving Orange Roll recipe which was adapted from an Orange Rosette Recipe in a 1970’s edition of the Better Homes and Garden red checkered cookbook.

Gwenevere

Friday, April 29, 2011

Taco Seasoning - Mild

Last year when I found out that my go-to store bought brand of taco seasoning had whey in it, I wanted to cry.

You see, at the time, taco’s were my family’s please-all-meal. Everyone LOVED them and because of the DIY style of a taco, I didn’t have to cook separate meals will allergen exclusions for my kids. Life was good with tacos…until I pealed back the label and read that my taco seasoning had whey.

WHY WHEY?

WHY?!

I was frustrated and rather than go looking for a solution I just scratched taco’s off the menu. I was sick and tiered of all the juggling. That is why I was so surprised when I came across this recipe for Taco Seasoning on Annie’s Eats. Seriously, I have no idea how I stumbled across this recipe. It just appeared on my browser one day and sat there, asking me nicely to take it home. So I did and taco night has been reinstated on the family dinner menu. Yippee!

Now in case you don’t know, Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner. I’m sure you are going to be seeing a LOT of Mexican dishes that you are going to want to try. Keep this recipe tucked in your back pocket, I have a feeling you are going to need it.

Taco Seasoning - mild

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Ingredients:

4 Tbsp chili powder

3 Tbsp plus 1 tsp paprika

3 Tbsp ground cumin

1 Tbsp plus 2 tsp, onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:

Combine all of the spices together in a small, sealable dish or plastic baggie and keep it stored in the spice cupboard until needed.
To spice 1 lb of taco meat, use 2 heaping tablespoons of taco seasoning with 1 cup of water. Simmer over low heat until the liquid is almost completely reduced.

Notes: 2 heaping tablespoons = 1 measure of store bought seasoning.

Source: Annies-eats.com

Gwenevere

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Soft Peanut Butter Monster Cookies

Does the use of the word, "monster" in the title of a cookie mean that the cookie is REALLY BIG? For some reason, I always thought it meant the cookie had candy on top. It wasn’t until I started typing up this recipe that I realized it might be a reference to size rather than topping. Lucky for me, this recipe should satisfy both interpretations. It’s BIG (at least it can be) and it’s got candy loaded on top.

These cookies are great for many reasons; they are soft and chewy without being doughy yet still have a crisp "shell" that give the cookie a little crunch. The peanut butter shines through even when whole-wheat four is used. They are sensational when eaten warm or at room temperature (they are even good after they have been stored in an airtight container for a few days-they stay moist). Finally, like many drop cookies, once shaped (and in this case, candied) they can be flash frozen and stored in a freezer bag in the freezer for a long time (internet says 3 months…I’m sure I’ve probably pushed that time recommendation to 4 or 6 months).

A peanut butter purist may not appreciate the peanut butter chips or candy on top and if you fall under that category, then just take out the peanut butter baking chips, replace it with the same measure of coarsely chopped peanuts and leave off the Reece’s Pieces. Unless you have a nut allergy, you are going to LOVE these cookies.

Soft Peanut Butter Monster Cookies

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Ingredients:

1 cup whole-wheat flour (I used fresh milled white winter wheat)

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened but still cool

1 ½ cups brown sugar, packed

½ cup sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup peanut putter baking chips

1 cup Reese’s Pieces Candy

Directions:

Sift, four, salt, banking soda and baking powder together in a small mixing bowl and set aside.
Beat butter and sugars together with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add Peanut Butter and continue to beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time until incorporated then beat in vanilla. Scrape bowl as necessary. Add flour mixture in 2 batches. Cover dough and refrigerate until stiffened, about 30 minutes
Heat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour Reese’s Pieces into a shallow bowl and set aside. Remove dough from fridge, and mix in 1 cup of peanut butter baking chips into the chilled dough. Scoop dough into 1 ½ to 2-inch balls and dip the top of the shaped dough ball into the bowl of Reese’s Pieces. Depending on the size of your cookie, each ball should have 8-14 pieces of candy stuck to it. Place the dough, candy side up, onto the prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.
Bake until the cookies are puffed and slightly brown along the edges and bottom (If you leave in until totally browned, they will not be chewy) about 10-13 minutes for large cookies and 7-10 minutes for smaller cookies. Let cookies rest on pan for 2 minutes then promptly transfer hem to a wire rack to cool.

Notes:

The whole wheat flour can be substituted for the same measure of all-purpose flour bringing your total flour measurement to 2 ½ cups flour).

Freezing and baking cookies from frozen dough:

Crowd as many shaped and candied dough balls onto the cookie sheet as will fit. Flash freeze the dough in a freezer, uncovered for 30 minutes then once firm transfer cookies to a zip lock bag and keep frozen until ready to bake. To bake frozen cookies, preheat oven to 325 degrees, place dough on a prepared baking sheet and bake for 13-17 minutes. Cookies are ready to be removed from oven and transferred to a wire rack once they are slightly browned around the edges.

Source: Adapted from a recipe I found on cooks.com YEARS ago. Sorry I can no longer find the original reference.

Gwenevere

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