Hi Everybody! (If you heard that in a Dr. Nick voice, extra points for you)
I just thought I'd let you know I'm not dead. I'm just in my final month of my final semester of college. Man is there A LOT to do. They expect you to do all these presentations, write all these papers, reflect, take surveys, and take final exams before you can graduate. Sheesh. I'm trucking right on through it and will be finished shortly. Very shortly. As in my identity crisis is already beginning. Know that I miss baking fiercely and plan to fill the void in my soul leaving the school environment will create by baking hella lots of goodies. And reading Moby Dick (which I promised hubby I would do after I graduated as it is one of his favorites).
I'm not going to promise any posts in the next two weeks, but I'll be finished with exams and everything May 4th. (I graduate on mother's day).
See you in a short while!
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Hot Cross Buns
Last year, I discovered Hot Cross Buns at Panera. They were so freakin' good that I craved them all year long. A week or so ago, I headed back to Panera during morning traffic (and I mean in the restaurant - the line was uber long) just to snap a couple buns. Man, were they worth it! I had decided last year I wanted to make some myself and as Easter was yesterday, I decided that would be the perfect time to try.
For some reason, I thought the HCB at Panera had dried strawberries, but when I had them this year they didn't. I had snagged some dried strawberries at the store, but realized I've had dried currants in my pantry for quite some time now. I decided to be more authentic and use those with a little bit of orange zest.
Fun note, the recipe called for candied orange peel, which I attempted.. disastrously. It was hilarious and gross. I think I did it wrong.
Hot Cross Buns
(from BHG??)
In a large bowl, mix together 2 cups flour, yeast, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
In a medium saucepan, heat and stir milk, sugar, and butter until warm and butter is mostly melted (120-130F).
Add eggs and milk mixture to flour mixture. Beat on medium speed for 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and beat for 3 minutes. Stir in currants and orange zest. Stir in as much of the remaining flour as possible.
Turn out onto lightly floured surface. Knead 3-5 minutes, until you have a moderately soft dough. Shape into a ball. Place in greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and place in a warm area to rise until doubled (about 2 hours).
Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper.
After two hours, punch down the dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and let rest 10 minutes.
Divide dough into 20 pieces. I did this by roughly shaping the dough into a square, then cutting it up. To get equal sized buns, I combined little pieces with trimmed excess from larger ones.
Shape the dough into buns by slightly pulling the dough and tucking the ends undernneath to create smooth tops. Place on baking sheets, cover, and let rise until doubled (about an hour).
Preheat the oven toe 375F. Mix together the egg white and water to create an eggwash. Brush the tops of the buns. Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from pan immediately to cool on wire racks.
After the buns have cooled quite a bit, mix up some powdered sugar icing by combining approximately 1 cup of powdered sugar and tablespoon or two of milk. You'll need to play with the proportions a bit until you get a thick enough icing to create a sort of piping across the top. Put the icinig in a ziplock bag and cut off a corner edge. Create cross on the top of the buns.
Enjoy!
For some reason, I thought the HCB at Panera had dried strawberries, but when I had them this year they didn't. I had snagged some dried strawberries at the store, but realized I've had dried currants in my pantry for quite some time now. I decided to be more authentic and use those with a little bit of orange zest.
Fun note, the recipe called for candied orange peel, which I attempted.. disastrously. It was hilarious and gross. I think I did it wrong.
Hot Cross Buns
(from BHG??)
- 4 - 4 1/2 cups flour
- 1 packet active dry yeast
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- dash of ground cloves
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup currants
- 1/2 tsp orange zest
- 1 egg white, beaten
- 1 tbsp water
In a large bowl, mix together 2 cups flour, yeast, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
In a medium saucepan, heat and stir milk, sugar, and butter until warm and butter is mostly melted (120-130F).
Add eggs and milk mixture to flour mixture. Beat on medium speed for 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and beat for 3 minutes. Stir in currants and orange zest. Stir in as much of the remaining flour as possible.
Turn out onto lightly floured surface. Knead 3-5 minutes, until you have a moderately soft dough. Shape into a ball. Place in greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and place in a warm area to rise until doubled (about 2 hours).
Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper.
After two hours, punch down the dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and let rest 10 minutes.
Divide dough into 20 pieces. I did this by roughly shaping the dough into a square, then cutting it up. To get equal sized buns, I combined little pieces with trimmed excess from larger ones.
Shape the dough into buns by slightly pulling the dough and tucking the ends undernneath to create smooth tops. Place on baking sheets, cover, and let rise until doubled (about an hour).
Preheat the oven toe 375F. Mix together the egg white and water to create an eggwash. Brush the tops of the buns. Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from pan immediately to cool on wire racks.
After the buns have cooled quite a bit, mix up some powdered sugar icing by combining approximately 1 cup of powdered sugar and tablespoon or two of milk. You'll need to play with the proportions a bit until you get a thick enough icing to create a sort of piping across the top. Put the icinig in a ziplock bag and cut off a corner edge. Create cross on the top of the buns.
Enjoy!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Chive Parsley Potatoes
Earlier this week, my friend was telling us about some potatoes her school used to make for lunch. They were simply small yellow potatoes tossed with butter and parsley. Sounds simple but divine, right? It is. I decided to go with a chive and parsley mix, because I enjoy chives.
Chive Parsley Potatoes
small, yellow potatoes (a few per person)
4 tbsp butter
tbsp chives
1/2 tbsp parsley
Boil the potatoes whole. Once they are cooked thoroughly, drain and leave them in the colander for the time being. (at this point, I decided to cut my potatoes in half).
Melt the butter in the same pot, and stir in the herbs. Stir in salt.
Return the potatoes to the pan and stir to coat the potatoes well.
Serve!
Chive Parsley Potatoes
small, yellow potatoes (a few per person)
4 tbsp butter
tbsp chives
1/2 tbsp parsley
Boil the potatoes whole. Once they are cooked thoroughly, drain and leave them in the colander for the time being. (at this point, I decided to cut my potatoes in half).
Melt the butter in the same pot, and stir in the herbs. Stir in salt.
Return the potatoes to the pan and stir to coat the potatoes well.
Serve!
Roast Chicken
Happy Bunny Day! I've been wanting to roast a chicken lately, so I decided today would be a good day to do so. A long time ago, I was mesmerized by the photos in this blog entry; the citrus and pomegranate with the variety of herbs just looked so beautiful. And of course, tasty. So that was my inspiration.
For my aromatics, I used:
a bunch of flat leaf parsley
pearl onions
lemons, quartered
orange, quartered
garlic cloves
sage
rosemary
thyme
White wine
chicken broth
After rinsing the chicken and removing the gizzards and whatnot, I patted it dry. I placed it on top of the aromatics and stuffed one or two of each ingredient inside. Then I gently separated the skin from the breast meat. I stuffed garlic cloves and nibs of butter between the skin and meat. After seasoning it with salt and pepper, I placed a few pats of butter on top of the skin, poured in the broth and wine, and covered it. Then I baked it on 375F for about 2 hours. For the last 45 minutes or so, I uncovered it.
Now, my chicken had one of those little red pop up things that tells you when it's done. Except, when hubby went to carve the chicken, it was not done. So we had to let it cook a little while longer.
Nice and golden. I'll definitely be using butter again the next time I roast a bird. For some reason, roasting a bird makes me feel accomplished. Especially when it is as delicious as this one was. All of the flavors incorporated really well into the meat, creating moist, flavorful bites.
I served this with some simple potatoes, which I'll post in a minute.
Such a tasty, delicious meal!
For my aromatics, I used:
a bunch of flat leaf parsley
pearl onions
lemons, quartered
orange, quartered
garlic cloves
sage
rosemary
thyme
White wine
chicken broth
After rinsing the chicken and removing the gizzards and whatnot, I patted it dry. I placed it on top of the aromatics and stuffed one or two of each ingredient inside. Then I gently separated the skin from the breast meat. I stuffed garlic cloves and nibs of butter between the skin and meat. After seasoning it with salt and pepper, I placed a few pats of butter on top of the skin, poured in the broth and wine, and covered it. Then I baked it on 375F for about 2 hours. For the last 45 minutes or so, I uncovered it.
Now, my chicken had one of those little red pop up things that tells you when it's done. Except, when hubby went to carve the chicken, it was not done. So we had to let it cook a little while longer.
Nice and golden. I'll definitely be using butter again the next time I roast a bird. For some reason, roasting a bird makes me feel accomplished. Especially when it is as delicious as this one was. All of the flavors incorporated really well into the meat, creating moist, flavorful bites.
I served this with some simple potatoes, which I'll post in a minute.
Such a tasty, delicious meal!
Monday, April 6, 2009
Hello My Lovelies
It seems I've lapsed again, eh? Well, you're right in that I haven't posted in an atrociously long time. But this time it really isn't my fault. I wouldn't really say blame should be tossed around at all. Let me explain:
March 24th, my wonderful big sis gave birth to her first baby, a little boy named Dylan who is not only my first nephew, but also my godchild. (He's adorable, btw). Unfortunately, hours after his birth the doctors realized he had a congenital heart defect (tetralogy of fallot for those in the know). It seemed pretty serious, so I drove down to New Orleans to meet up with everyone at the Children's Hospital where he shall spend the first month or so of his life. Even before I arrived, the outlook brightened exponentially. He had surgery this past Friday and is doing quite well.. impressively so. If all continues to go well, he should be able to go home in 2 weeks!
But driving to NoLa and back wrecked a wee bit of havoc on my schedule. I've been playing catch up with school and sleep. I'm finally back into the swing of things, so the posts should start coming again. BUT this is the last week of my undergraduate career, so perhaps I'll slack a little.
And now, a gratutious photo of my nephew, just because he's so darn cute!
March 24th, my wonderful big sis gave birth to her first baby, a little boy named Dylan who is not only my first nephew, but also my godchild. (He's adorable, btw). Unfortunately, hours after his birth the doctors realized he had a congenital heart defect (tetralogy of fallot for those in the know). It seemed pretty serious, so I drove down to New Orleans to meet up with everyone at the Children's Hospital where he shall spend the first month or so of his life. Even before I arrived, the outlook brightened exponentially. He had surgery this past Friday and is doing quite well.. impressively so. If all continues to go well, he should be able to go home in 2 weeks!
But driving to NoLa and back wrecked a wee bit of havoc on my schedule. I've been playing catch up with school and sleep. I'm finally back into the swing of things, so the posts should start coming again. BUT this is the last week of my undergraduate career, so perhaps I'll slack a little.
And now, a gratutious photo of my nephew, just because he's so darn cute!
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