Cause I Ain't No Challah-back Girl

For some reason recently I've been fighting the urge to make bread. I've always been a little... intimidated, perhaps, of yeast. It seems so finicky, and that scares me. However, I found a recipe in one of my Martha magazines from last fall, and it was always hanging in the back of my mind. It was this beautiful circular loaf of bread, and it had apples and honey kneaded in. So delicious. Cut to last week, and I can't hold back any longer. I need to knead. I remember the recipe, and decided to give it a chance. Or, rather, decided to give myself a chance to make it. I made 2 loaves and gave them to neighbors. Of course, that didn't stop me from trying it. I made a tiny loaf for myself to try. I quite liked it! It's a Jewish bread, called 'Challah'. The apples are sliced with a mandoline, and provide a bite of sweet tartness to the bread. The honey is used as more of a glaze, and brings a beautiful color to the load. Now, this is time consuming, but solely because of the letting the bread rise. You can do your normal daily tasks while letting the bread puff itself up. I will tell you that the picture makes the bread looked burned- which it wasn't at all. It was a deep golden brown. Eh.



Recipe: Apple-Honey Challah Bread

Makes: One 9-inch round loaf

Recipe originated from: Martha Stewart Living (http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/apple-honey-challah)

Compliments: Early morning and coffee

Ingredients:
- 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter or nondairy margarine, plus more for bowl, pan, and plastic
- 3 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour, plus more for surface
- 3/4 cup warm water (100 degrees)
- 2/3 cup honey
- 2 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast (from one 1/4-ounce envelope)
- 2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 1 1/2 tart green apples, preferably Granny Smith, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 1 3/4 cups)

Directions:
1. Butter a large bowl, and melt 4 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat; let cool. Combine 2 tablespoons melted butter, the flour, water, 1/3 cup honey, the eggs and yolks, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Mix until dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and knead until smooth, about 10 minutes.
2. Transfer dough to buttered bowl, and brush with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Cover with plastic. Let rise in a warm place until dough almost doubles in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.
3. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Pat into an 8 1/2-by-14-inch rectangle. Top with apples; knead to incorporate. Return to bowl. Brush with remaining tablespoon melted butter; cover. Let rise again in a warm place until dough almost doubles in volume, about 1 hour more.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with rack in lowest position. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan. Roll dough into a rope (about 24 inches) on a floured surface. Coil into a circle, and transfer to pan. Butter plastic wrap, and cover dough. Let rise again until dough almost doubles in volume, about 45 minutes more.
5. Heat remaining 4 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup honey in a saucepan over medium-low heat until butter melts. Brush dough with half the honey-butter. Bake until golden brown and firm, about 35 minutes.
6. Brush challah with the remaining honey-butter. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Turn out loaf from pan, and let cool.

If you don't have a mandoline (which a lot of people dont) then just slice the apples as thin as you can. Grab a hunk of this for breakfast, and drink it with your piping hot coffee. Doesn't get much better than that.

Abby xx

.:EDIT:. I feel like I need to say that this bread isn't hard. The yeast actually is very easy. Just make it happy. Let it rise how much it wants and put it in when it says to. I'm not so scared/intimidated by yeast so much anymore. You shouldn't be either. Lets face it- it makes some delicious things!

Once you warm up to me, baby, I can make you feel hot

Wow! Its been a while since I've been here!

But have no fear- I'm back. I won't waste time on excuses for why I stopped posting- it's irrelevant and won't change that I did stop. Just know that I'll give any warning if there will be a break from now on, and I probably won't post as frequently as I did. Closer to once every week. Still, it feels good to be back.

So! Lets kick it off with a new recipe for me, shall we?

_______________

I should say I feel ashamed of what I did to make this recipe. Except... I'm really not. Let me start from the beginning:

I honestly haven't baked anything for about a month. I've been trying to save money, busy, and whatever other reason. Except suddenly today I have this fire in me- the fire I had all through school. I just wanted to bake. I think my inspiration came from a trip to WalMart earlier today, actually. Rebekah and I sat in the car while my Aunt and Uncle ran in. I noticed while parking-lot-people-watching that everyone was dressed like it was summer- I suppose because of the 70 degree weather we've had the past few days. 'It's winter!' I steamed, irritated that people would wear shorts and flip flops in mid February. But I found myself wishing for summer as the day went on. And then that little nagging voice in the back of my head, urging me to bake. Peaches. Thats what I wanted to use. However, we dont have any fresh peaches (and who would at this time??). So I did the unthinkable. I used canned. Yes. I used canned peaches to make Peach Cupcakes. It's absurd, if not a little gross. But we had them (quite a few cans, actually, as we use them to top pancakes thanks to a tradition started by my DD). So I grabbed a can of peaches and went on a search for a recipe. I found what I was looking for on the Smitten Kitchen blog. So, take that Winter! I can still use a summer fruit, and make a light, warm weather dessert and enjoy it on Valentines Day.

Before I put the recipe in, I also decided to try a new way to line the muffin tin. Parchment paper. I had seen several photos of cupcakes with strips of parchment as the cupcake tin. I looked up how to do it (finding out Martha Stewart was the one who taught everyone online how to do it- surprise surprise). So let me pass the knowledge on to you. Cut parchment into 5 in x 5 in squares. Spray your muffin pans. Squish the parchment paper into said pans. You may have you use something to get them to stick. As you will see from my photos, they don't lay exactly flat on the sides, which is irritating to me. Alas, they aren't supposed to be perfect.



Still, a cute idea. So here are the pictures and recipe for these yummy, summery cakes.







Recipe: Peach Cupcakes

Makes: ~ 24 cupcakes

Recipe originated from: Smitten Kitchen Blog (http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/08/peach-cupcakes-with-brown-sugar-frosting/)

Compliments: A hot summer day, Vanilla ice cream

Ingredients:
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks or 6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup dark or light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) buttermilk, sour cream or full-fat yogurt [I used Sour Cream]
- 3 large peaches, peeled, cored, and chopped smallish (I went for a 1/3-inch dice)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 28 muffin cups with paper liners.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg and set aside. Cream the butter and sugars together, beating until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl between each addition, and then the vanilla. Gently mix in the buttermilk, sour cream or yogurt. Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the peach chunks.
3. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of cupcakes comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes for five minutes in the tin, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Since I didn't have fresh peaches, I used just one can. Then I stuck the leftover "juice" on the stove, and let it quietly stew on 'low' while putting the cupcake batter together. After I pulled them out of the oven, I took the juice, which was now a glaze, and brushed it on top of the cupcakes. And THAT is why I'm not ashamed to say I used a can. That glaze is going to make sure the cupcakes are moist, and it adds that extra little peach flavor. And let me just say, these cupcakes are so yummy. They're light, and gooey, and exactly what I needed to bring a little sunshine into my life today. Not to mention, they're easy!

Abby xx

P.S. I realize they're bald- working on that as we speak!

It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time

My little sister has always loved peanut butter and jelly. I, however, don't eat it. I didn't when I was little and still won't. I don't like the combination of flavors, nor do I enjoy how sticky and squishy it is. However, these I will actually eat! They're a bit addicting, even though they are very dense. I would suggest keeping 1/2 for your family and giving the rest to another family. Share the love!

Recipe: Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

Makes: ~ 36 bars

Recipe originated from: Martha Stewart Cookies ( http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/peanut-butter-and-jelly-bars )

Compliments: A tall glass of milk! And a napkin, because they are pretty messy.

Ingredients:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups strawberry jam, or other flavor
- 2/3 cup salted peanuts, roughly chopped

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan with butter, and line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease the parchment, and coat inside of pan with flour; set aside. Place butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. On medium speed, add eggs and peanut butter; beat until combined, about 2 minutes.
2. Whisk together salt, baking powder, and flour. Add to bowl of mixer on low speed; combine. Add vanilla. Transfer two-thirds of mixture to prepared pan; spread evenly with offset spatula. Using offset spatula, spread jam on top of peanut-butter mixture. Dollop remaining third of peanut-butter mixture on top of jam. Sprinkle with peanuts.
3. Bake until golden, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool; cut into about thirty-six 1 1/2-by-2-inch pieces.

Now, I used raspberry jelly, but you could use any kind! It took me about 10 minutes standing in front of all the jellies at the store to decide, too. I just love raspberry flavor, so I decided it would mean I might actually eat these. It worked! It's salty and sweet and oh so good. Now, I will say the 'dough' is actually pretty crumbly, so you can't really spread it when you put the last bit on top of the jelly. I ended up flattening pieces out and laying them on top. It's also very crumbly. Careful when feeding to small children- you will have a mess on your hands. However, its a cute idea when you need to bring a dessert to like a picnic. So here is a quick tip that I learned from school- if using the 'creaming method' (aka cream together the butter and sugar) go ahead and throw the vanilla in. It wont hurt the mixture, and you're using Mise en Place (Remember? Everything in it's place!) you can put the vanilla up at the very beginning and don't even have to worry about it! So try these- they're great for the summer. Kind of a cheeky rendition of a child's favorite.

Abby xx

So Hot We'll Melt Your Popsicle

When I ran to the grocery store the other morning to get stuff for scones, I remembered a recipe I had seen in Southern Living the night before. I pulled it up on my phone, and grabbed the stuff I needed for them because I was there at the store anyway. They're a version of a popsicle, but muchhhh better for you than everything you can buy thats loaded with sugar. Perfect for coming home after a long day at the lake!

Recipe: Berry-Banana Freezer Pops

Makes: ~ 4 pops

Recipe originated from: Southern Living, August 2010 issue ( http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=2003446 )

Compliments: Hot sun and cool water

Ingredients:
- 3 cups fresh or frozen berries
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
- 1 banana
- 10 (2-oz.) pop molds
- Craft sticks


Directions:
1.Bring berries and honey to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. Strain mixture into a bowl, using a spoon to squeeze out juice and pulp. Discard solids. Cover and chill 30 minutes.
2. Process yogurt and banana in a blender until smooth.
3. Pour into pop molds, alternating with berry mixture. Top with lid, and insert craft sticks. Freeze.

So I used frozen fruit, and I didn't have pop molds, so I bought small plastic punch cups, and used plastic spoons as the stick. To get them to stand up I put the end of the spoon through a piece of plastic wrap first, then stuck the spoon in the mixture and put the plastic wrap around the cup. I think it worked pretty well. I also didn't dirty the blender and just mashed the bananas into the yogurt by hand. They were good, but they melted fairly quickly.. which is why the disposable cup was nice. You could drip into it. They were tart-ish, and the berry part tended to melt faster than the yogurt, but it was good! I think if you need to get rid of frozen berries this is the way to do it. Also, if you are looking for an ice cream like dessert but don't want all the calories, this is a good alternative. I don't know if I'd make them berry again... I would probably do all strawberry or all peach or something so maybe they wouldn't be as tart. But they are pretty! Very summery and cool.

Abby xx

Summer Sunshine, Pour Your Sweetness On Me

I feel like thinking of summertime conjures images of days at the lake/beach, hanging out with friends, and roasting s'mores, with the gooey-goodness marshmallow sugar leaking out the sides. So we made these in class the other day, and I thought it was a really fun and easy recipe. So you will need a candy thermometer, but you can buy those pretty much anywhere. I usually don't like marshmallows, but I did like these. Surprising!

Recipe: Homemade Marshmallows

Makes: ~ 24 - 2 1/2 inch marshmallows

Recipe originated from: joyofbaking.com ( http://www.joyofbaking.com/candy/HomemadeMarshmallows.html )

Compliments: Graham cracker and chocolate bars! They would also be good in the winter with hot chocolate.

Ingredients:
- 1 cup cold water, divided
- 3 - 1/4 oz envelopes (21 grams) unflavored gelatin
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- powdered sugar

Directions:
1. Lightly butter or spray the bottom of a 9x13 dish, then line with parchment paper. Sift about 3 tablespoons powdered sugar onto the bottom of the pan (it helps it come off).
2. Place 1/2 cup of cold water into the bowl of your electric mixer that is fitted with a whisk attachment. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let stand until gelatin softens, about 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a heavy two quart saucepan, place the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup cold water. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil. Cover the saucepan with a lid and let boil for about three minutes to allow any sugar crystals to dissolve from the sides of the saucepan. Remove the lid and attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Increase heat to high and boil, without stirring, until the syrup reaches 240 degrees F, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. With mixer running at low speed, slowly pour the hot syrup into the gelatin mixture in a thin stream down the side of the bowl. Gradually increase the speed to high and beat until mixture has tripled in volume and is very thick and stiff, about 10 minutes (looks like thick creme of marshmallow). Add vanilla extract and beat to combine, about 30 seconds longer.
5. Scrape marshmallow mixture into the prepared pan and spread with a damp offset spatula or rubber spatula. The mixture is very sticky so just smooth it out as best as you can. Dust the top of the marshmallow with another 3 tablespoons of confectioners' sugar and let stand, uncovered, at room temperature until set, about 12 hours.
6. Remove the marshmallow from the pan by first running a small sharp knife around the edge of the marshmallow to loosen it from the pan. Invert the pan onto a large cutting board that has been dusted with confectioners' sugar. You might have to use your fingers to help loosen the marshmallow from the pan. Peel off the parchment paper (the marshmallow will be sticky) and dust the top of the marshmallow with confectioners' sugar. Cut the marshmallow into squares using a pizza roller or sharp knife. Dip the cut sides of the marshmallows in additional confectioners' sugar. Shake off excess sugar and store the marshmallows in an airtight container, at room temperature, for up to two weeks.

So whats cool about this recipe is that you can make them flavored! Mine were lemon, so I just used lemon zest and about 1 teaspoon of lemon extract. Be careful about adding any sort of acidic fruit- the acid changes the structure of the sugar crystals. However, chef did make blueberry and strawberry marshmallows! You can add some of the fruit you want to flavor it with (as long as its not lime or lemon) to the sugar mixture on the stove so they break down with it, and then just throw some small diced fruit in right before you pour the hot sugar mixture in to be whipped. It will be naturally colored and flavored! Oh, and delicious. So if you are planning on doing a cookout before summer ends, put together s'mores with flavored homemade marshmallows. Can you imagine how yummy raspberry marshmallow and dark chocolate s'mores would be?

Abby xx

So Many Layers

The reason I love scones is because of the layers. Plain and simple. The delicate taste and dense dough are fun too, but I love how when you bite into a scone you can see and feel all the layers. Now, these are real scones- not the Americanized version. Americans tend to over sugar everything. Scones are supposed to compliment tea, which is delicate itself. They shouldn't overpower anything, really. I had a scone recipe I used several times, but when I bought a new book on clearance at work, I decided to try the scone recipe out. It's fantastic. They're moist but still thick, they rise so very high, and any flavor is a good compliment to them. The best part is you probably always have the ingredients on hand! Today I made blueberry with lemon zest and peach with white chocolate.

Recipe: Welsh Scones

Makes: ~ 16 scones

Recipe originated from: The Modern Baker by Nick Malgieri ( http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Baker-Time-Saving-Techniques-Cookies/dp/B003R4ZIAI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280418039&sr=8-1 )

Compliments: This scone is so neutral that you can add nearly anything to flavor it. Try whatever fruit is in season for a breakfast scone. You can also add cheese, nuts, or even meat. Just make sure to cut back on the milk a little if you add a fruit that has a high water content... i.e. blueberries, apples or strawberries.

Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter, cold
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is mealy but dry and powdery.
2. Invert the bowl of the food processor over a mixing bowl and carefully remove the blade.
3. Quickly whisk the egg, milk, and vanilla together and use a fork to toss the egg mixture into the flour mixture. Continue to toss until all the flour mixture is evenly moistened. (I use my hands to mix it all together!)
4. Gently knead the dough 3 to 4 times, until it is smooth. Divide the dough in half and pat each half into a disk about 6 inches in diameter. Cut each disk into 8 slices.
5. Bake on baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 12 to 15 minutes until a very deep golden brown.

Now, if you make round scones like I did then only bake them 8 to 10 minutes. Also, if you're adding fruit or cheese or anything, add that right after you dump the flour mixture into another bowl, before you add the wet ingredients. That way it incorporates more fully. Ta-da! Fresh Welsh scones! I always dust mine with sugar right when they come out of the oven.

After talking with a friend at work this week, I've decided to talk about 'Mise en Place' (said 'mees on plaz'). It's a French term that literally means 'everything in it's place'. We use it in the kitchen to mean that you have everything ready before you start the recipe. So, for instance, I will mise out all the flour, sugar, etc etc and have it in seperate bowls so that all I have to do is dump the milk, egg, and vanilla mixture into the flour mixture. You also preheat the oven, prepare the baking sheet, and have any bowls/whisks/rolling pins out and ready. It lets you make sure you can put away all the spare ingredients, and only have out what you need. So when I made these scones, the only things on the counter were a measuring cup with 1/2 cup milk, 1 egg, and 1 tsp vanilla already mixed, a Cuisinart with the dry ingredients and butter ready to go, the bowl I was mixing in, my fruit, biscuit cutter, bench flour, rolling pin, and finally my prepared pan. You work more efficiently this way. It's less clean-up in the end, and you're not rushing around grabbing ingredients as you go along. You miss less steps/ingredients with Mise en Place. That way, while you're baking off your scones, you can wash the bowls, measuring cup, etc etc and then you are pretty much done cleaning when your scones come out of the oven. Work faster, work cleaner, work more efficiently. Chefs are notorious for taking short cuts and being lazy. If there is an easier way to do something, they'll do it. This is faster and easier. So try Mise en Place. You won't be as tired or dirty when you finish cooking!

Abby xx

Everybody Knows A Little Place Like Kokomo

Growing up the Beach Boys were my favorite band. Period. We have numerous recordings of me singing 'Surfin' Safari' and 'California Girls' (with an 'i', rather then Katy Perry's version that uses a 'u'). My mom worked for a local radio station as an auditor when I was about 6 and I still remember getting to go into the giant room that held all the tapes (yes, that long ago). The radio guy would let me pick out the next song to play, and I always chose the Beach Boys. However, I don't think I ever fully appreciated their song 'Kokomo' until I traveled with my family to the Florida Keys several Decembers ago. The HGTV Dream Home was located in Islamorada, which is about half way between Key Largo and Key West. Since missing out on touring the Dream Home in Tyler, TX several years before, we promised we would tour the next one located anywhere near where we were living. In a spur of the moment idea, we decided to drive down for a weekend. Only a few weeks before Christmas, we headed down South on a Friday after work. The weather couldn't have been more perfect, and it was one of the best family trips I can remember. Staying Friday in Key Largo, and Saturday in Key West we ate at several restaurants that claimed to serve 'The Keys best Key Lime Pie'. Of course we had to try them all! However, it wasn't until we got home and I was telling my coworkers about all these great pies that I actually learned of the best Key Lime Pie recipe. Theresa, one of my coworkers, passed along a really simple recipe that blew all of the others out of the water. The secret? Ginger Snaps. It's as if the steel drums and saxophone from the famous song start playing as soon as you take a bite.

Recipe: Key Lime Pie

Makes: 1 pie

Recipe originated from: Theresa Murley

Compliments: A tropical drink and palm tree.

Ingredients:
crust
- ½ cup graham cracker crumbs (about 6 crackers)
- ½ cup coconut
- ½ cup dried ginger snap cookie crumbs
- 1/3 cup melted butter
filling
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
- ½ cup key lime juice(about 12 key limes)


Directions:
to make the crust:
1. Combine together dry ingredients.
2. Pour butter over dry ingredients, and press into pie pan.
to make the filling:
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Combine all ingredients.
2. Pour filling into the crumb crust.
3. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool for several hours in refrigerator.

So there you have it! The crust is what puts it up and above. It's simply amazing. So use fresh limes if you can find them, but be aware that it's a bitch to squeeze them all. I usually use bottled Key lime juice, and it's just as good. You can find it in almost every grocery store, usually on the aisle with the juices. I also always use the ginger snaps that come in the brown paper bag.. I can't remember the brand, but they are on the cookie aisle. A funny story about Key limes, actually. One afternoon my best friend calls me and tells me she is craving Key Lime Pie, but not the frozen kind. She wants to make it, but can't find Key limes. Can she just use regular limes? I had to explain that the flavor of Key Lime Pie comes from the limes. Good times.

So I have about 4 cookbooks on my radar right now. Hello, Cupcake!, What's New, Cupcake?, Classic Southern Desserts, and The Flavor Bible. Obviously I can't buy them all at once, but I am going to try and get them all in the next couple of months. Even with my employee discount at work trying to buy all four would be outrageous. The Flavor Bible is around $40 on its own!

I'm currently on the hunt for a good pimento cheese recipe. I'll let you guys know how that one goes.

Abby xx