Fudgy February

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef. We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge. When I saw the challenge I knew that I wanted to make it when I went home. You see, it was my dad's birthday, and he loves chocolate cake! I was a little leery of making ice cream. I mean, it's February and it's cold...but I decided to try it anyway. How glad am I that I did...it's the first time that I made ice cream and I now know that I can do it! I decided to do all semi-sweet chocolate. Most people will tell you that you MUST use a high quality chocolate...I say, Toll-House morsels work great! Not to say that high quality chocolate probably does have a smoother taste, but this does not have to be a high budget dessert. For me, the hardest part was melting the chocolate. You see, I was unwise in the bowl I chose for the double boiler and it was too small, making the process take a lot longer than it should have. However, this is a fairly straight forward recipe that results in an impressive, delicious, fudgy cake. My dad appreciated the dark taste of the cake. I paired it with a cinnamon ice milk, which I changed a bit...nope, no cream here. The frozen confection ended up being VERY cinnamony...the intensity of the flavor could easily be decreased by reducing the enormous amount of cinnamon used. If you were aware of the intense flavor, it was delicious. I don't think my brother would agree as he nearly choked when he ate it. However, the rest of us and a guest really enjoyed it. Being that it is simply ice milk, it has a very light texture. I felt like I was eating snow!!! The cinnamon really complemented the chocolate nicely. For more results, check out the Daring Bakers here! Chocolate Valentino
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter (I only used 1/2 cup)
5 large eggs separated

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.
2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.
4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).
5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.
6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.
7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter. {link of folding demonstration}
8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C
9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C.
Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.
10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.

Cinnamon Ice Milk adapted from Gluten-Free Desserts
3 cups milk
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons Cinnamon - VERY cinnamony...use less if desired
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
original recipe calls for 1/4 cup cocoa...you can use this to make it chocolate flavored, I just didn't want more chocolate!

Directions

Just place all these ingredients into your mixer's bowl, and mix on low speed until the sugar dissolves and the cocoa and cinnamon are distributed nicely (feel free to alter the blance of cocoa and cinnamon to your liking). Then pull your pre-frozen ice-cream maker bowl from the freezer, placed it in the ice-cream maker machine, and fill the bowl with the mixed ingredients and turned the machine on for 20 minutes or until it is done.

It's a Wrap!!!

Tomorrow, I finish my ethics course. It's been interesting, concerning, and enlightening. I hope that I will be able to put into practice what I've learned and the things I'm convicted of. With spring on the horizon, here is a light and healthy lunch that my mom and I enjoyed over Christmas. It was based off of a sandwich that she had from Panera bread. It was the veggie sandwich. Her sandwich had a pesto on it, but we just used hummus instead. I used a La Tortilla Factory wrap (which I love!) but this would also be delicious on any other tortilla, focaccia bread, or beer bread...of which I will be providing a recipe soon!!! Veggie Wrap
1 tortilla
hummus (see "recipe" below)
lettuce
tomatoes
red onion
cucumber
olive (not on this one but would be GREAT!)
goat cheese

Spread hummus on one side of the tortilla and goat cheese on the other side. Place lettuce on one side. Top with tomatoes, onion, cucumber, and olives. Roll and enjoy!

Hummus (this is how I make it about once a week)
1 can chickpeas, drained
2 Tablespoons olive oil
salt
parsley
garlic or garlic powder
1/2 cup water

Place all ingredients (except water) in food processor. Process (!). Gradually add water until processor runs smoothly. Taste and season as desired. Be careful not to add too much salt! I did this time and the only way we could eat the hummus was on this wrap!

Happy Mardi Gras!!!

Before I show you an easy recipe for King Cake, I want to tell you about a contest at Southern Plate. Christy is giving away an AWESOME Wilton cupcake set. This is a sacrifice to tell you about this contest because I really want to win this...but telling you about it gets me extra entries, so I'll be nice. Drop by here and enter!

I guess I celebrated today a bit early...I had my pancakes on Saturday when I went home! However, the pediatric chief resident's wife, Maggie, gave me a recipe for King Cake that I was excited to try. Overall, this is a very simple recipe. The first proof is only an hour long and the second probably about the same, though I wouldn't know because I accidentally missed that you were supposed to let the formed ring rise! Ooops...wonder if that had anything to do with it being underbakes....ooops again! This was REALLY good. It tasted just like a store bought (which in MS is good) King Cake. The recipe had a simple cinnamon-sugar filling, but on request of my friend Sarah (the one who just had the baby) I did a sweetened cream cheese filling. Makes me wonder if the filling is the reason it was underbaked. The cream cheese certainly added moisture and thickness, so maybe I should have cooked it longer to start with...hmmmm. Overall, I highly recommend this recipe. It's quick and easy and makes TWO cakes...one to keep and one to give away!

King Cake from Maggie

1/4 cup Butter
1 16 oz. carton Sour cream
1/3 cup Sugar
1 teasp Salt
2 pkg Yeast (or four teaspoons)
1 tbsp Sugar
1/2 cup Warm water
2 Eggs
6 1/2 cups Plain flour (six cups directly stirred in, 1/2 cup kneeded in)

Filling:
1 cup Granulated sugar
4 teasp Cinnamon
2 teasp Flour
1/2 cup Butter
2 Token plastic babies
OR (per king cake)
1 block cream cheese
1/2 cups sugar

Frosting:
3 cups Powdered sugar
3 tbsp Butter, melted
3 to 5 tbsp Milk
Colored sugar for garnish

Mix first 4 ingredients in a saucepan. Heat until butter melts. Let mixture cool.
Dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in warm water in a large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes.
Add butter mixture, eggs, and 2 cups flour; beat 2 minutes. Gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise 1 hour.

For filling, combine sugar, cinnamon, and flour. Set aside with butter. OR cream together cream cheese and sugar.

When dough has risen one hour, punch dough down, and divide in half. Turn one portion of dough out onto a floured surface, and roll out to a 28 by 10 inch rectangle. Repeat with remaining dough portion. Spread butter over each rectangle and sprinkle with filling or spread with cream cheese mixture. Roll up each rectangle jellyroll fashion, starting at short side. Place a token plastic baby inside each roll. Gently place each roll of dough seam side down, on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bring ends of each roll together to form an oval ring of each roll. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until double in bulk.

Bake at 375 F 15 to 20 minutes (probably 30-40 minutes if using cream cheese filling). To prepare frosting, mix powdered sugar, butter and milk. Decorate each cake with frosting; sprinkle with colored sugars. (Makes 2 King Cakes)

The Importance of Fat

I went home this weekend, and we all know what that means...banana bread of some sort! Well, this time, it didn't work as I wished. I pulled the muffins out of the oven and decided to check the inside of one. It just wasn't quite right, why? Oh my goodness! I realized that I had totally forgotten to put in any form of fat (or fat substitute)! I had hopes that they might still be good, but when I got up in the morning my mom told me that they had to "punt!" Oh, well! Over Christmas I DID have a very delicious new banana bread recipe, though. This is a gingerbread banana bread that I found at Baking Bites. It ended up with a VERY moist crumb...almost gummy but not quite. I honestly kind of like that texture! I highly recommend this recipe if you want a flavorful bread to go with tea...at least, I assume it would be good with tea! The addition of sugar on top of the batter makes for a lovely change in texture and appearance, my mom even noticed! And for those of you who want to redeem something healthy...it has whole wheat flour AND bananas in it! There you go...eat away! Banana Gingerbread
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup banana, mashed (about 2 large)
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup buttermilk
4 tbsp vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.
In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, banana, molasses**, buttermilk and vegetable oil. Pour into dry ingredients and stir until just ombined. Pour into prepared pan and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.
Bake for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Makes 1 loaf, 8-10 slices.

**Hint - to more easily get the molasses out of the measuring cup, spray the cup with cooking spray before measuring. It just slides right on out...slow as molasses, but out! :-)

A Meal for You

I feel like such a blog slacker! I totally have recipes to give y'all but just haven't done any posts. So, today I'll give you an entire meal! It's really pretty easy and, except for the fact that it cooks for longer than 30 minutes, could be a 30 minutes meal. :-) Over Christmas break, my brother and his girlfriend decided that they wanted to make dinner for all of us...he made it a big surprise as to what he was making. They ended up doing pork loin, creamed corn (from the tube!), and garlic mashed potatoes (from the bag) and I added a salad. It was all very good. The pork loin was SOOO good. He just used an A1 marinade and instead of marinading the meat, cooked it in the marinade. I don't remember exactly how long but I think it was about 1.5 hours on 350...he followed the instructions on the meat package and then tested with the meat thermometer. Great job, Philip!!!

I provided the dessert (ooops, not at this meal but earlier that week!). After seeing so many rave reviews about the Levain Bakery, I decided to try Anna's recipe for the copies. I made four cookies instead of two. I don't know if I did something wrong, but they pretty much turned out like your typical chocolate chip cookie, though still good.

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies from Cookie Madness

2 ounces unsalted butter, room temp
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 3/4 tablespoons beaten egg (that’s half an egg)
3/4 cups BREAD flour (3 1/4 oz) – weigh if possible. If no scale, scoop and sweep
1/8 plus 1/16 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat butter and both sugars just until they come together. Don’t over-beat. Add the egg and beat just until incorporated. Mix together the flour, salt and baking soda. When thoroughly mixed, add to batter and stir just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. The dough should be neither sticky nor dry. Divide dough into four freeformed mounds. Bake on ungreased insulated cookie sheet or an upside down rimmed cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes at 350. Cool on sheet for about 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Philip and Kenna shared one with some ice cream.

Steak and Apples

I have had a yummy food week. On Tuesday, our pediatric department hosted a dinner for all the M4's. It was at a really nice place and our menu consisted of roasted corn chowder (which was more like a sweet tasting potato soup), autumn salad (with field greens, apples, blue cheese, and a vinegarette), a choice of filet or mahi mahi (I had mahi mahi!) with broccoli and roasted potatoes, and bread pudding. It was SO good! Then tonight I was invited to stay and eat with my friend Sarah. I had been visiting with her, baby Luke, and her mom all afternoon and was helping with him while she dealt with a dog issue as it neared supper time. We had steak and salad. It was VERY good! Although, my recipe tonight isn't as elegant or excited as the eats described above, it was a yummy breakfast option...or snack! I found this recipe for muffins on Cook, Craft, Enjoy. I made a few changes that turned out to be really good. I used whole wheat flour which lended a really wholesome and satisfying taste to these. If you're looking for something to satisfy your tummy, taste buds, AND body...try these!

Apple Muffins

2 cups whole wheat
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 apple, cored and chopped
2 eggs
1/2 oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin or line with paper cups.
2. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together in a large bowl. Stir in apple.
   
3. In another bowl, mix together eggs, oil and buttermilk mixture. Add this to the flour mixture all at once and mix until just combined.
4. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack.

Birthdays All Around

I don't know if you remember, but last year I had a friend who had a miscarriage. Well, Thursday she gave birth to her little boy, Luke! I spent about 2 and a half hours visiting with them yesterday. He is so cute and precious! Makes me want one of my own but I'm going to have to wait on that...gotta have a husband first! :-) I told her that she was supposed to wait until today to have him, as it's my birthday today, but I guess I'll let her keep being my friend even though she didn't wait! Anyway, at the end of December I hosted a baby shower for her. It turned out quite well even though we didn't have a big turn out. It is quite difficult to get a lot of fourth year medical students together at one time...except for three days: Match Day (March 19), Long Coat Ceremony (May 21), and graduation (May 22). I decided to serve my Polynesian Chicken because it's easy, yummy, and makes a lot for not a lot of time. For dessert, I pulled out a delicious recipe from Southern Sideboards. It has quite an impressive name...Pineapple Cake...but really is delicious. I decided to decrease the oil in the cake, as I knew that the mandarin oranges would add extra moisture (see the yummy oranges?). The end result was still very moist...not quite as moist as the recipe as written but more moist that a regular cake. It's such a fresh tasting cake and isn't overly sweet. I had some extra "icing" leftover and highly suggest using it for a fruit dip. It's perfect! Pineapple Cake adapted from Southern Sideboards
1 box butter recipe golden cake mix
1-11 oz can mandarin oranges with juice
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups (I used 1 cup) cooking oil
1 (15.5 oz) can crushed pineapple with juice
1 box vanilla instant pudding mix (I used sugar free)
1 (13.5 oz) carton Cool Whip

Beat the cake mix, oranges, eggs, and oil together until well blended. Bake in 3 9-inch cake pans at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Cool completely. Meanwhile, mix together pineapple and pudding mix. Fold into Cool Whip. Spread over one cake layer, top with another cake layer. Proceed to top second layer with cool whip mix. Top with the last cake layer. Spread over the top and sides of the cake. Refrigerate overnight. Will keep for several days in the refrigerator.

Lemonade and Pumpkin

No, these two don't really go together. Typically, lemonade makes me think of summer and pumpkin brings thoughts of autumn. However, I was given an award a few weeks ago by Jane and Loves To Eat called the lemonade award. If you are not familiar with the Lemonade Award, it is given by a previous winner to 10 people who have shown a great attitude or gratitude this week. It’s a great way to show these people that you appreciate them. So....here are my awards:
1. Jenna at Eat, Live, Run
2. Deborah at Taste and Tell
3. Ashley at A Year in the Kitchen
4. Laura at The Dawkins Narrative
5. Kaytie at Tiny Biscuits
6. Kristen at Dine and Dish
7. Erika at Tummy Treasure
8. Casey at Blog a la Bradshaw
9. Peabody at Culinary Concoctions by Peabody
10. Megan at The Johnsons

I hope all of you ladies enjoy your award! Now on to the Pumpkin! I made this bread from Jenna's site MANY months ago, but it was so good I just have to share it with you. Jenna is a baker at Greenwise, so you know it has to be good! I halved the recipe and it still turned out well.

Spiced Pumpkin Bread by Jenna (halved with a slight alteration)
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 CAN pumpkin
1/3rds cup warm water
1 cups chopped, toasted pecans

Per Jenna, just dump everything except the nuts into a mixing bowl, mix with a paddle attachment for about 2 minutes (or until everything has come together…do NOT over mix!!!!!), fold in the pecans and bake for 50 minutes at 350.

Getting Ready for February!

I am finished with my internal medicine month!!!! That is my last call month for my entire M4 year! From here on out I have an ethics month, 2 clinic months, and an off month. I better enjoy that because in July, I will start a year with at least 6 Q4 call months as an intern. But until then, I am going to enjoy my M4 year...and get ready for February. First of all, I want to let you know about a month of giveaways hosted by the lovely lady of Southern Plate. Just check out this post with all the wonderful possibilities! Personally, that Wilton set is SO tempting looking...I love the cupcake holder! So, be sure and check back with Christy this month.

Next, one of my favorite things about February is having a reason to make sugar cookies! Valentines' day is the perfect opportunity. Now, I must admit, at this point in my life, I make these cookies for my children's choir and that's fun enough. However, if you have a Sweetheart or someone who's your Valentine, I don't know many people who dislike a good sugar cookie! I made these right after Christmas (and can't find my pictures! Sorry!) because I was not pleased with the recipe I had used earlier. As Anna says, they are perfect! Not too sticky when rolling them out and still pretty soft when eaten...though for some reason my dad thought they were hard. Seems that he was expecting something more like the kind you can buy at Walmart...you know, the fluffy ones with thick pink and yellow icing and sprinkles? I've never found a sugar cookie recipe like that! If anyone has a recipe like that let me know because those are SO good! Anyway, here is the recipe for "clean," quick, and easy sugar cookies.

No-Fail Cut Out Sugar Cookies from Cookie Madness (halved)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 stick butter, unsalted, cool room temperature
1/2cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 large egg (whisk and then put half in)

Thoroughly stir together the flour and baking powder; set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the salt, scrape sides of bowl and beat in egg, beating only until egg is blended in. Add the flour mixture gradually (1/2 cup at a time) and stir until incorporated. Form the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Roll the dough onto a lightly floured surface to approximately 5/8″ thick. Cut the cookies into shapes and place the cut cookie shape on baking stone. Bake the cookies for approximately 10 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden brown in color. Remove cookies from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

Yield will vary depending on how big you make the cookies

Turkey Bowl

It's that time of the month...Daring Baker time! I almost didn't get around to this challenge and the results make that pretty evident. As you know, I've been busy with my house medicine month, and though I've made time for "simple" baking for call, a DB challenge was the last thing on my mind. Thankfully, I had today off, so I put together a quick batch of the challenge.

This month's challenge is brought to us by Karen of Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux.
I decided to do the savory tuiles. As I was putting together the batter, I did a quick "batter check." Yes, I am a batter taster. To me, this tasted like pancake batter, just thinner. Now, the directions say to make a cardboard mold but I was lazy and just free handed a circle on top of the Silpat. It worked okay; however, when I pulled out the tuile to mold it, it just didn't want to mold! I got only a very shallow bowl. My original plan had been to put some roasted sweet potato in the bottom with a poached egg on top, but this just wasn't deep enough to do that. So, I made a quick little turkey snack. I put a small layer of spinach on the tuile, added some turkey, swiss cheese, and tomato and added a drizzle of spicy mustard. It turned out pretty good. I think it would make a great little bite for a shower. Thanks to Karen and Zorra for the unique challenge. If you would like to see more results, check it out here. Below is the basic sweet and savory recipe. Recipe:
Yields: 20 small butterflies/6 large (butterflies are just an example)
Preparation time batter 10 minutes, waiting time 30 minutes, baking time: 5-10 minutes per batch

65 grams / ¼ cup / 2.3 ounces softened butter (not melted but soft)
60 grams / ½ cup / 2.1 ounces sifted confectioner’s sugar
1 sachet vanilla sugar (7 grams or substitute with a dash of vanilla extract)
2 large egg whites (slightly whisked with a fork)
65 grams / 1/2 cup / 2.3 ounces sifted all purpose flour
1 table spoon cocoa powder/or food coloring of choice
Butter/spray to grease baking sheet

Oven: 180C / 350F

Using a hand whisk or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle (low speed) and cream butter, sugar and vanilla to a paste. Keep stirring while you gradually add the egg whites. Continue to add the flour in small batches and stir to achieve a homogeneous and smooth batter/paste. Be careful to not overmix.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up. (This batter will keep in the fridge for up to a week, take it out 30 minutes before you plan to use it).

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with either butter/spray and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. This will help spread the batter more easily if using a stencil/cardboard template such as the butterfly. Press the stencil on the bakingsheet and use an off sided spatula to spread batter. Leave some room in between your shapes. Mix a small part of the batter with the cocoa and a few drops of warm water until evenly colored. Use this colored batter in a paper piping bag and proceed to pipe decorations on the wings and body of the butterfly.

Bake butterflies in a preheated oven (180C/350F) for about 5-10 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Immediately release from bakingsheet and proceed to shape/bend the cookies in the desired shape. These cookies have to be shaped when still warm, you might want to bake a small amount at a time or maybe put them in the oven to warm them up again. (Haven’t tried that). Or: place a bakingsheet toward the front of the warm oven, leaving the door half open. The warmth will keep the cookies malleable.

If you don’t want to do stencil shapes, you might want to transfer the batter into a piping bag fitted with a small plain tip. Pipe the desired shapes and bake. Shape immediately after baking using for instance a rolling pin, a broom handle, cups, cones….

Savory tuile/cornet recipe
From Thomas Keller "the French Laundry Cookbook"

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons (65 grams/2.1/4 ounces) all purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt (= 2/3 teaspoon table salt)**
8 tablespoons (114 grams/4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened but still cool to the touch
2 large egg whites, cold
2 tablespoons black sesame seeds

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the softened butter until it is completely smooth and mayonnaise-like in texture. Using a stiff spatula or spoon, beat the egg whites into the dry ingredients until completely incorporated and smooth. Whisk in the softened butter by thirds, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary and whisking until the batter is creamy and without any lumps. Transfer the batter to a smaller container, as it will be easier to work with.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Make a 4-inch hollow circular stencil. Place Silpat on the counter (it is easier to work on the Silpat before it is put on the sheet pan). Place the stencil in one corner of the sheet and, holding the stencil flat against the Silpat, scoop some of the batter onto the back of an offset spatula and spread it in an even layer over the stencil. Then run the spatula over the entire stencil to remove any excess batter. After baking the first batch of cornets, you will be able to judge the correct thickness. You may need a little more or less batter to adjust the thickness of the cornets.

There should not be any holes in the batter. Lift the stencil and repeat the process to make as many rounds as you have molds or to fill the Silpat, leaving about 1 1/2 inches between the cornets. Sprinkle each cornet with a pinch of black sesame seeds.

Place the Silpat on a heavy baking sheet and bake for 4 to 6 minutes, or until the batter is set and you see it rippling from the heat. The cornets may have browned in some areas, but they will not be evenly browned at this point.

Super Bowl Snack

Only a week left...I'm so excited! This morning, I started teaching Sunday School in our college department. I'm really excited about this. But, next Sunday we are having a Super Bowl party. I plan on making something sweet (haven't decided what yet), maybe a dip, and these yummy pinwheels that I created a few years ago. If you like muffulettas, then you will really enjoy these. They have a simple olive salad, ham, and cheese, all rolled together in crescent rolls. I've posted these before, but after almost three years, I think they deserve another posting! After I make them, if I get better pictures, I'll add them here. Since this is such a good recipe for the Super Bowl, I'm entering this in Recipe Girl's recipe contest...how fun would it be to have a gift card to Sam's!!!!!? So, if you have a recipe you think would fit, go by and check out the details. If not, try these pinwheels...I don't think they'll disappoint!

Muffuletta Pinwheels

2 packs of cressent rolls
1 10 oz. bottle of spanish (green) olives
1 10 oz. bottle of black olives
5 garlic cloves, minced
a dash garlic powder
~1/4 cup olive oil (I didn't measure this. Just put enough that it looks "right" to you)
8 sliced deli ham
4 slices provolone cheese
5 cheese Italian blend (if desired)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Chop the olives (both). Mix with garlic, garlic powder, and olive oil. Open the crescent rolls (there are four "rectangles" per package). Press down each rectangle until slightly larger than it started. Going the length of the rectangle, place two half pieces of ham on the dough (you will have one piece of ham per rectange). If your ham pieces are small then you could you 2 pieces. On top of the ham, place 1/4 piece of provolone cheese (1/2 piece per rectangle). Spoon some olive salad over this. It is around 1-2 Tablespoons; however, I didn't measure how much, but if there is too much you'll know - it won't roll! Sprinkle the extra cheese on this if using it - I recommend using it! Roll from the stuffed side toward the other. Use a serrated knife to cut the pinwheels. Place in a greased round cake pan (as you would place cinnamon rolls) almost touching. Bake for around 11 minutes or until slightly browned. Remove and enjoy!

Rolling Along

These Q4 months just get away from me! Despite not wanting to work with adults, I have REALLY enjoyed my team and, thus, my month. One of the things I enjoy doing is making on call treats. There's just something about having a treat to get you through 30 hours of work with minimal sleep. I have made Sharpei cookies (which my over REFUSES to bake correctly!) and oatmeal krispie cookies. Last week, I decided to make some cinnamon rolls. The month before I joined the Daring Bakers, they made some cinnamon rolls. I made them over Christmas and my dad really liked the dough, though he did say I needed to put more sugar in the filling...I had already done that! :-) One thing I really liked about the dough is that it makes a manageable amount of cinnamon rolls. My other recipe is pretty big and makes about double what I can use easily. The lemon (or orange as I used in the second round...no lemons!) zest in the dough lends a lovely flavor that kind of floats around your tongue leaving you noticing it but wondering what that extra flavor is. I did change the flour a bit the second time (for my team) and used about 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour and 1 1/2 cups AP flour, as I didn't have bread flour. It still turned out great...if you don't overbake it (oops!) the dough is a pleasant texture as well. I highly recomment this wonderful dough recipe from The Break Baker´s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart as provided here. However, instead of using the traditional icing, I decided to use a cream cheese icing that I found on an AllRecipes recipe for Cinnabon clones. This was a really good icing, though I highly recomment that you NOT use margarine...it makes the icing an ugly yellow! So, if you want to make homemade cinnamon rolls and have a few hours for a couple of proofing times, this is a WONDERFUL and pretty easy recipe. Try it! And stop back by...I've already got plans for the next call treat but I need ideas for the final call...any suggestions?

Cinnamon Buns

Ingredients:

6 1/2 tablespoons (3.25 ounces) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 1/2 tablespoons (2.75 ounces) shortening or unsalted butter(I used 3 TBSP shortening and 2 1/2 TBSP butter)
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
3 1/2 cups (16 ounces) unbleached bread
2 teaspoons instant yeast*
1 1/8 to 1 1/4 cups milk, at room temperature
1/2 cup cinnamon sugar (6 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar plus 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Cream Cheese Icing - recipe follows

Cream together the sugar, salt, and shortening or butter on medium-high speed in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a large metal spoon and mixing bowl and do it by hand). Whip in the egg and lemon extract/zest until smooth. Then add the flour, yeast, and milk. Mix on low speed (or stir by hand) until the dough forms a ball. Switch to the dough hook and increase the speed to medium, mixing for approximately 10 minutes (or knead by hand for 12 to 15 minutes), or until the dough is silky and supple, tacky but not sticky. You may have to add a little flour or water while mixing to achieve this texture. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
Ferment at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.
On a pastry cloth or oiled countertop, roll out the dough with a rolling pin, lightly dusting the top with flour to keep it from sticking to the pin. Roll it into a rectangle about 2/3 inch thick and 14 inches wide by 12 inches long for larger buns, or 18 inches wide by 9 inches long for smaller buns. Don´t roll out the dough too thin, or the finished buns will be tough and chewy rather than soft and plump. Pour and spread the melted margarine over the dough. Sprinkle with brown sugar and the cinnamon sugar over the surface of the dough and (C) roll the dough up into a cigar-shaped log, creating a cinnamon-sugar spiral as you roll. With the seam side down, cut the dough into 8 to 12 pieces each about 1 3/4 inches thick for larger buns, or 12 to 16 pieces each 1 1/4 inch thick for smaller buns.)
Line 1 or more sheet pans with baking parchment. Place the buns approximately 1/2 inch apart so that they aren´t touching but are close to one another.
Proof at room temperature for 75 to 90 minutes, or until the pieces have grown into one another and have nearly doubled in size. You may also retard the shaped buns in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, pulling the pans out of the refrigerator 3 to 4 hours before baking to allow the dough to proof.Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with the oven rack in the middle shelf.
Bake the cinnamon buns for 20 to 30 minutes (closer to 20) or until golden brown.
Cool the buns in the pan for about 10 minutes. While they are cooling, make the cream cheese icing recipe below:

• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients together. Spread the icing across the tops, while the buns are warm but not too hot. Remove the buns from the pans and place them on a cooling rack. Wait for at least 20 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Pie and Pictures

I don't know if y'all have seen the picture meme going around, but I have and thought it looked like fun. However, I don't do memes unless I'm tagged. Well, I finally got tagged by Jill! So...here it is. I'm supposed to choose the fourth folder and fourth picture in my picture file. Unfortunately, it's not a very good picture. This is from my friend Rachel's wedding. I was trying to be artsy and get her in the picture with the cake; instead, it just looks silly! Oh, well! Now, I tag Red Dirt Mummy, Emily, Brilynn, and Jane.

Now, on to the pie! My family doesn't really have a traditional Christmas dessert. We do always have prime rib roast, though it's not my favorite, and squash casserole, one of my favorites! So, this year, when Mama asked what we were having for dessert, I said that I wanted to try an apple pie. I had never made one until now and have wanted to try for a while. When I think of apple pie, I think of a wonderfully layered pie, with yummy tart apples. Well, mine was NOT wonderfully layered...I used a pie plate that was too large in diameter. I wanted it's depth but should have gone with the smaller plate. I think that would have helped the topping more concentrated over the apples. In the end, I had fun and dressed it up a bit with caramel sauce and cinnamon. Despite it's original humble look, it turned out pretty good, and, as my dad said, looked homemade! I'm taking that as a compliment! Apple Crumb Pie (from Mama's recipe box)

Pie Crust (from Granny)

1 cup sifted flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 T water

1/3 cup shortening

Sift flour and salt into bowl. Remove 1/4 cup flour and blend to a paste. Cut shortening into remaining flour until pieces are size of small peas. Add paste to flour mixture. Mix with fork until dough comes together and can be shaped into a ball (this is best done by putting a piece of saran wrap over the bowl, dumping it, and pressing the dough together.) Place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes (not a must, but I find it works better this way). Roll out crust to 1/8 inch thick to cover 9-inch pie pan

5 to 7 tart apples (5 cups)
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 t. ground cinnamon
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
6 T. margarine

Pare apples, core, cut into eighths, arrange in unbaked pie shell. Mix 1/2 c. sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over applies. Mix 1/3 c. sugar, flour, cut in margarine till crumbly. Sprinkle over apples. Bake at 400 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes 'til done. Serve warm with ice cream.

Disappearing Cookies

So far on my medicine rotation I've had some interesting experiences. I've performed a paracentesis, I've seen someone's heart shocked back into rhythm, I've had a patient pass away, and I've prayed with a patient (after he requested that I do that). You say, none of these has to do with cooking...well, here's one more...I had ALL of the cookies I made eaten before the day was over, basically by one guy. Wow! Now, I must admit, these were really good cookies. I got them from the Cookie Bible with minimal changes. The end product is a perfectly textured cookie (soft) with a bit of crunch from the cereal. I don't really like crunchy cookies but this one is a good crunch, not that overcooked, flat crunch. I HIGHLY recommend these cookies and am sure that I'll be making them again. Look out for more on-call treats, as I'm currently making something yummy for my 4th (almost halfway through!) call tomorrow. Crispy Oat Drops from The Cookie Bible
1 stick butter
1 stick margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 cups AP flour
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup mint swirl chips
1/2 cup chocolate chips (the original used baking M&M's)
1 cup rice krispies cereal
1/2 cup coconut (I did NOT toast it this time!)
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cream the butter/margarine and sugars. Beat in the egg. Put dry ingredients on top of this mixture and lightly stir together (the dry ingredients...this saves another bowl to clean!). Then blend into the creamed mixture. Add the chips, cereal, coconut, and almonds. Drop onto baking sheets or stones. Bake for 11 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks. Makes about 4 dozen cookied. Here is a heart that just formed on its own!