tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54367617191721936002023-11-16T03:11:57.377-08:00Seattle Pastry GirlRoadtrek Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13613040285492585556noreply@blogger.comBlogger213125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436761719172193600.post-62985612769629813682015-02-13T13:07:00.000-08:002015-02-13T13:07:48.417-08:00Something Sweet and Something Spicy for a Go'Shay Mardi Gras<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So most of you who follow me know that the reason my posts as Seattlepastrygirl have been few and far between is because I'm posting on my other blog as Roadtrekgirl. Sometimes there is crossover and this is one of those times.<br />
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I love to experiment and challenge myself with our meals while we are on the road. And sometimes I get really ambitious and push myself and my little Roadtrek cooking area to the limit. This week was one of those times. We were on our way to meet up with a group of friends in Gautier, MS to celebrate Mardi Gras. Everyone was bringing something and I volunteered to bring dessert and an appetizer. I wanted to stick with the Mardi Gras theme so I came up with spicy deviled eggs for the appetizer-deviled eggs with Andouille sausage-yummy. <br />
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With the appetizer out of the way I searched the Internet and I couldn't find anything that struck my fancy, that is until I ran into Bananas Foster. Hmm, that had possibilities. But what I needed to do was make it small enough to fit into our 3 way oven in the Roadtrek (its a microwave,convection and half time Apollo oven). Plus it needed to be easily stored since I would have to prepare it ahead of time and store it in our little space. And of course I wanted it to be something easy and neat to serve-and thus my version of Bananas Foster Cupcakes !<br />
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I took a few recipes from all over the Internet and played with them until I came up with what I wanted for my cupcakes. They turned out decadent and delicious. I will warn you of two things. 1. Don't even ask how many calories are contained in each one; and 2. This is not a quick bake it and go recipe-it has multiple steps but each step is easy to accomplish.<br />
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Caramelized bananas being added to the pastry cream</div>
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<b>Bananas Foster Pastry Cream</b><br />
2 cups milk<br />
1 vanilla bean<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
2 Tablespoons cornstarch<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
4 eggs<br />
2 yolks<br />
4 Tablespoons Butter<br />
<b>For the Caramelized Bananas</b><br />
4 medium bananas<br />
1/2 cup brown sugar<br />
pinch of salt<br />
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2/3 cup whipped cream<br />
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<b>Banana Instructions</b><br />
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1. Cut up the banana in to 1 inch pieces and toss with the brown sugar</div>
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2. Let it macerate it for ten minutes while the sugar draws the moisture out of the bananas.</div>
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3.Place the mixture in a heavy duty pan ( I used cast iron) and place it on to medium heat. Stir often, so that it does not burn. It will take about 15 minutes to cook. Really, stir ofter, it will get close to a medium amber color.</div>
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4. Spread the mixture out on a plate evenly and place in the refrigerator so it can cool. Now go and make the pastry cream.</div>
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<b>Pastry Cream Instructions</b></div>
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1.Place the milk in a heavy bottomed pot with the scrapings of the vanilla bean as well as the whole pod. Turn that on and bring it to a scald. </div>
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2. Place the eggs, cornstarch and sugar in a bowl and whisk together. Have ready a heat proof spatula, and a larger bowl that will fit the pastry cream. </div>
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3. Cut up your butter and have it accessible.</div>
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4. Once the milk has come to a scald. Add small amounts of it to the egg mixture completely stirring in the milk before adding a small amount more. This helps to stop the eggs from scrambling</div>
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5. Once you have added about 1/4 a cup of milk to the eggs, add the egg mixture to the pot and mix until totally incorporated. Turn the heat on to medium high. With a combination of the whisk and the spatula stir constantly, mainly with the spatula. Making sure that bottom of the pan is constantly being stirred, because anything left to long directly on the bottom will scramble and burn. </div>
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6. When four or five bubbles start to appear, it is ready,and it will be fairly thick. </div>
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7. Turn it off and add the cut up butter. </div>
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8. Put the the caramelized bananas into that large bowl you set aside and mix until smooth and then add pastry and cream and mix until smooth.</div>
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9. Chill this mixture overnight in a shallow dish, I put it inside 2 small bowls,since the refrigerator in a Roadtrek doesn't have a great deal of space.</div>
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10.Cover it with plastic,placing the plastic wrap directly onto the pastry cream so that it doesn’t form a skin.</div>
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11.The next day, whip the heavy whipping cream to soft peaks. Then with a spatula or bowl scraper gently fold the whip cream in to banana pastry cream mixture. Now it is ready to use.</div>
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Toasting the pecans in butter</div>
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Filling up my little cupcake cups<br />
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<b>Butter Pecan Cupcakes</b></div>
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Ingredients</div>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 2 cups chopped pecans</div>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 1 1/4 cup salted butter (2 1/2 sticks) softened to room temperature</div>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 2 cups granulated sugar</div>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 4 large eggs</div>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 1 TBS Butter Vanilla Emulsion (or plain vanilla extract)</div>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 3 cups all purpose flour</div>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 2 tsp baking powder</div>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 1 cup whole milk</div>
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Instructions</div>
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1. Preheat oven to 350-use the convection control on the Half Time Oven. Line 24 muffin tins with liners or if you are using rigid cups like I did just set them up on the metal plate from the Half Time Over. You will have to bake them 12 at a time due to the size of the oven. Set aside.</div>
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2. Place 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter and pecans on a baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until toasted. Remove from oven and let cool.</div>
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3. In a large bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Combine milk and emulsion (or extract) in a measuring glass. Set aside.</div>
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4. In the bowl of your mixer, beat 1 cup butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy -- about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. With the mixer on medium low, add flour and milk mixtures alternately, starting and ending with flour. Fold in the toasted pecans.</div>
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5. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full and bake for about 15 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched in the center. Remove to cooling rack to cool.</div>
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6. Once cool , use whatever tool you have, a teaspoon or knife to scoop out the center of the cupcake in order to make room for the banana pastry cream.</div>
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7. Fill the cupcakes with the pastry cream-I used a small spatula. Once filled also lightly ice the top layer of the cupcake with the remainder of the pastry cream.</div>
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8. Once you finish your buttercream icing, ice the cupcakes,then place a dehydrated banana slice in the center of the cupcake. Let the cupcakes set up for about 1 hour before drizzling with caramel.</div>
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9. Once the caramel cools-about 45 minutes to an hour drizzle over the cupcakes, and voila , your masterpiece !</div>
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And here is that lovely amber caramel getting ready to drizzle on the cupcakes</div>
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<b>Easy Caramel Sauce</b><br />
<a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2014/01/easy-caramel-sauce/">From the Pioneer Woman</a><br />
Ingredients<br />
1 cup Brown Sugar<br />
½ sticks Butter (4 Tablespoons)<br />
½ cups Half-and-half Or Cream (cream Will Make It Thicker)<br />
1 Tablespoon Vanilla<br />
Pinch Of Salt<br />
Preparation<br />
Mix all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-low to medium heat. Cook<br />
while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until thicker. Turn off heat. Let cool ,so that it doesn't melt your icing. (If sauce is thin, just continue cooking for a few more minutes.)<br />
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<b>Kracken Black Spiced Rum Buttercream</b></div>
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Ingredients</div>
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1 cup unsalted butter, softened</div>
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5 cups powdered sugar</div>
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1 teaspoon cinnamon</div>
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1/2 teaspoon salt</div>
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1/2 cup spiced rum</div>
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1/4 cup heavy cream</div>
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Instructions</div>
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1. Whip the butter with a whisk attachment. </div>
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2. Add the powdered sugar a cup at a time. </div>
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3. After 3 cups add the cinnamon and salt. Beat to combine.</div>
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4. Add the rum</div>
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5. Add as much cream as you need to make the frosting the desired consistency. You are ready to ice those babies.</div>
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Lethal !<br />
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And for you savory types, here is the recipe for the Spicy Andouille Deviled Eggs</div>
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<b>Spicy Deviled Eggs</b><br />
INGREDIENTS<br />
1 tablespoon olive oil<br />
1 package (13.5 ounce) Fully Cooked Andouille Sausage,diced<br />
2 dozen eggs, hardboiled<br />
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard<br />
1/3 cup mayonnaise<br />
Several dashes of your favorite hot sauce<br />
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt a few turns of freshly ground black pepper<br />
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DIRECTIONS<br />
1.Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. When oil is shimmering, add diced<br />
Andouille Sausage. Cook until well browned on all sides. Remove from pan with<br />
slotted spoon; set aside to drain on paper towels.<br />
2. Slice eggs in half lengthwise. Remove yolks and grate on small holes of box grater into mixing<br />
bowl. Add mustard, mayonnaise, hot sauce, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Add yolk<br />
mixture to a large seal able plastic bag.<br />
3,Fill egg whites half way with diced sausage. Cut off tip of plastic bag and pipe yolk mixture into<br />
the egg whites over diced sausage, overfilling the whites. Top yolk mixture with more diced<br />
sausage.<br />
4 Refrigerate until ready to serve.<br />
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Check out the Mardi Gras party I made these for at <a href="http://roadtrekgirl.blogspot.com/2015/02/low-country-boil-and-mardi-gras-goshay.html">Roadtrekgirl</a>. We had such a great time ! Bon Appetit everyone-see you can be a Roadtrek Chef !</div>
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Roadtrek Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13613040285492585556noreply@blogger.comGautier, MS, USA30.385755 -88.611685430.1666775 -88.9344089 30.6048325 -88.2889619tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436761719172193600.post-13268224858141996032015-01-09T07:17:00.000-08:002015-01-09T07:17:23.536-08:00Chocolate Chip Clouds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I think chocolate chip cookies were the first cookies I ever tasted. ( Not counting those nasty baby biscuits they used to give us in the 50's ). And I think I've tried a hundred different recipes for making them. The recipe I finally settled on as my go to favorite chocolate chip cookie ever was <a href="http://seattlepastrygirl.blogspot.com/2011/03/chocolate-chip-cookies-and-change.html">David Lebovitz's recipe</a>. I wrote about it <a href="http://seattlepastrygirl.blogspot.com/2011/03/chocolate-chip-cookies-and-change.html">here</a>. And that is still my favorite if you want a soft chewy on the inside, crisp on the outside then David is your man ! Now if you want to switch it up and have cookie that is a mound of soft airy chocolate then try this recipe. I stumbled on it while surfing Pinterest-where else ? I had been passing by it on many occasions and thought what the heck I should try this,people keep pinning it, maybe they know something I don't. Pssst, the secret ingredient is cream cheese ! Yes cream cheese-brilliant.<br />
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Once I whipped up the batter (and whip is a key term here), I thought oh know these are going to bake as flat as pancakes. The batter was almost like whipped cream. But I hung in there and refrigerated the scooped cookies for 2 hours. And then like magic-they baked beautifully-not a single flat one in the batch. And these are definitely like eating a chocolate chip cloud. Not bad.<br />
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I won't give up David's recipe because I happen to love the crisp slightly caramelized edges his recipe produces but these are nice for a change now and then. Thanks to <a href="http://www.averiecooks.com/2013/06/softbatch-cream-cheese-chocolate-chip-cookies.html/">Averie over at her blog : Averie Cooks </a>for enticing me to make these-her results are gorgeous ! Try them, I'm sure you'll love them !<br />
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Soft Batch Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies<br />
by <a href="http://www.averiecooks.com/2013/06/softbatch-cream-cheese-chocolate-chip-cookies.html/">Averie Cooks</a><br />
INGREDIENTS:<br />
1 /2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened<br />
1 /4 cup cream cheese, softened (use cream cheese in a block or spreadable, don't use fat-free, light or whipped)<br />
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed<br />
1 /4 cup granulated sugar<br />
1 large egg<br />
2 teaspoons vanilla extract<br />
2 1 /4 cups all-purpose flour<br />
2 teaspoons cornstarch<br />
1 teaspoon baking soda<br />
pinch salt, optional and to taste<br />
2 1 /4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks (I used 1 cup chips and 1 1 /4 cups chunks)<br />
DIRECTIONS:<br />
To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, cream cheese (measure it by smooshing it into a 1 /4-cup measure), sugars, egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until well creamed,light and fluffy , about 5 minutes (or use an electric hand mixer and beat for at least 7 minutes).<br />
Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, optional salt, and mix until just combined, about 1 minute.<br />
Add chocolate chips and chunks, and beat momentarily to incorporate, or fold in by hand.<br />
Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, form heaping mounds (I doubled this recipe and made 48). Place mounds on a large plate, flatten mounds slightly with y our palm, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 5 days,before baking. Do not bake with warm dough because cookies will spread and bake thinner and flatter.<br />
Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat ,or parchment paper or spray with cooking spray and place mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart <i>(I baked 12 cookies per sheet)</i>. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just beginning to set, even if slightly undercooked, pale and glossy<i>(mine took 10 minutes)</i>in the center. Do not bake longer than 10 minutes as cookies will firm up as they cool. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.<br />
Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.<br />
Alternatively , unbaked cookie dough can be stored airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.Roadtrek Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13613040285492585556noreply@blogger.com0Cape San Blas, Florida 32456, USA29.6635469 -85.3554745000000142.1930638999999985 -126.66406850000001 57.1340299 -44.046880500000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436761719172193600.post-11892289420278016932014-12-22T14:15:00.004-08:002014-12-22T14:15:52.709-08:00Christmas Spirit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is our first Christmas in the condo in Florida and I feel so blessed. We have had a wonderful year,in spite of medical setbacks, we are two lucky people. The only thing missing is our family. We didn't realize being so far away was going to be so difficult. There were so many times I wish I could have jumped in a car to hold my sister or sit and laugh with my brother. That's the reason we have put the condo up for sale. The market here is so very slow, we probably won't get any bites until the Spring-and then we will be on the road. Such is life. <br />
I've been trying to get in the Christmas mode, but it's been challenging. I don't want to buy a tree because it's just another thing to haul back across the country when we do make the move. So I have 2 little Santas and a couple of other little Christmas decorations.<br />
Today, I decided to quit feeling sorry for myself and I needed to get in the Christmas spirit. So I do what I always do -bake. <br />
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This was my preliminary list of recipes:<br />
Coconut macaroons<br />
Baileys Thumbprint Cookies<br />
My go to spicy Gingerbread Cookies<br />
Decorated sugar cookies<br />
Raspberry pie shortbread cookies<br />
World Peace Cookies<br />
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I'm proud (or crazy) to say I baked most of them ! Ha, I skipped the World Peace Cookies (so if something goes awry in the world it's not my fault ) and I didn't get around to the raspberry shortbread either. Baking does bring back so many wonderful memories. I had the Steeler game on and the TV screened turned towards the kitchen so I could watch and cheer my team while mixing-and I didn't get any ingredients wrong !<br />
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My wish is that my family would show up on my doorstep to share these cookies-but that's a wish that needs a genie in a bottle. So instead, I'll share the cookies with our adopted family of neighbors, the police and fire department. These are friends who stepped in when I was rushed to the hospital with a concussion and took Hailey under their wing. They didn't have to-they hadn't even met us yet. But they co-ordinated among themselves, and it relieved so much stress for Jim and myself not having to worry about Hailey. And of course Hailey was spoiled to death. These are good folks here and we will definitely miss them when we do move.<br />
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Now I'm into my second day of baking-remember that <a href="http://seattlepastrygirl.blogspot.com/2010/12/sugar-cookie-palooza-on-oregon-coast.html">Christmas on the Oregon coast</a> when I took cookies with me to decorate while the winter storms kept us inside.<br />
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These were some of the ones I created on the Oregon Coast that year !</div>
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I look back at those cookies and think I must have had a temporary lapse of sanity. Even though I did a lot this year, honestly I kept it kind of simple. Those of you who know me, know I'm an all or nothing kind of gal. Tried to change that about me,but decided I liked it -I like to throw myself into anything and everything I do with all the passion and love I can muster. And when it's time for the nothing at all side of me-well I can relax with the best of them !<br />
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Clockwise from about 9 o'clock-Coconut Macaroons-Baileys Thumbprints-Russian Tea Cookies aka Mexican Wedding Cookies.</div>
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<a href="http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2005/06/an-american-mac-1/">Coconut Macaroons</a><br />
Thank you <a href="http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2005/06/an-american-mac-1/">David Lebovitz</a> for this fabulous recipe<br />
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4 large egg whites<br />
1¼ cups sugar<br />
¼ teaspoon salt<br />
1 tablespoon honey<br />
2½ cups unsweetened coconut (see note)<br />
¼ cup flour<br />
½ teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped<br />
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In a large skillet, mix together the egg whites, sugar, salt, honey, coconut and flour.Heat over low-to-moderate heat on the stove top, stirring constantly, scraping the bottom as you stir.<br />
When the mixture just begins to scorch at the bottom, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Transfer to a bowl to cool to room temperature.<br />
(At this point, the mixture can be chilled for up to one week, or frozen for up to two months.)<br />
When ready to bake, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.Form the dough into 1 1/2-inch mounds with your fingers evenly spaced on the baking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes,<i><span style="color: blue;">(watch your oven carefully-my electric baked these quickly-12 minutes)</span></i> until deep golden brown. Cool completely.<br />
To dip the macaroons in chocolate, melt the chocolate in a clean, dry bowl set over a pan of simmering water (or in a microwave.) Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap. Dip the bottoms of each cookie in the chocolate and set the cookies on the baking sheet. Refrigerate 5-10 minutes, until the chocolate is set.Note: Unsweetened coconut is available in most natural-food shops or you can purchase it online.It goes under various names, such as coconut powder, medium shredded coconut, and coconut flakes. All will work well in this recipe.<br />
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<a href="http://tutti-dolci.com/2012/12/baileys-irish-cream-thumbprints/#more-12432">Baileys Irish Cream Thumbprints</a><br />
Recipe from <a href="http://tutti-dolci.com/2012/12/baileys-irish-cream-thumbprints/#more-12432">Tutti-Dolce</a><br />
2 2/3 cups flour<br />
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
1 large egg<br />
2 tsp vanilla extract<br />
Ganache<br />
2/3 cup heavy cream<br />
6 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped<br />
2 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped<br />
2 Tbsp Baileys Irish Cream<br />
Preheat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper. Whisk together flour, cocoa, and salt in a large bowl. Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla, then reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture and beat until combined.<br />
Roll dough into 1-inch balls; place 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets and press a well into the center of each with the handle of a wooden spoon. Freeze until firm, about 10 minutes. Bake for 7 minutes, then remove from oven and press centers again. Bake until firm, 5 minutes more. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.<br />
For the ganache, pour cream into a saucepan and bring just to a boil over high heat. Place chopped chocolate in a medium bowl; pour cream over chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted and smooth. Cool 5 minutes; whisk in Baileys. Working quickly, use a spoon to fill each thumbprint with warm ganache. Let set before serving.<br />
Yield – 54 cookies (more or less depending on what size you start with )<br />
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<a href="http://www.crazyforcrust.com/2013/12/momsrussianteacakes/">Russian Tea Cookies</a> (aka Mexican Wedding Cookies)<br />
Thanks to <a href="http://www.crazyforcrust.com/2013/12/momsrussianteacakes/">Crazy for Crust</a> for this delicious recipe<br />
Mom’s Russian Teacakes<br />
Yield: 48 cookies(I doubled this recipe and it performed beautifully)<br />
<br />
Ingredients<br />
1 cup butter, softened<br />
½ cup powdered sugar<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla<br />
2 ¼ cups flour<br />
¼ teaspoon salt<br />
¾ cup finely chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, or almonds)<br />
Powdered sugar for rolling<br />
Instructions<br />
1. Preheat oven to 375°. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.<br />
2. Mix butter, ½ cup powdered sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add flour and<br />
salt and mix until the dough comes together. Stir in the nuts. If dough is too soft, chill it until you<br />
can work it easily with your hands.<br />
3. Scoop 1 tablespoon balls of dough and place on prepared cookie sheet.<br />
4. Bake cookies for 7to 8 minutes until bottoms are just slightly brown. Remove from oven and cool<br />
for just a minute, until you can handle them. Fill a small bowl with powdered sugar and roll each<br />
cookie in the sugar until coated. Place on a rack to cool. (Once cookies are cooled, you may<br />
want to re roll them in more powdered sugar to give them a beautiful powdery dusting.)<br />
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Love the edible gold glitter stars</div>
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You can find my sugar cookie recipe<a href="http://seattlepastrygirl.blogspot.com/2010/12/sugar-cookie-palooza-on-oregon-coast.html"> here</a>:<br />
http://seattlepastrygirl.blogspot.com/2010/12/sugar-cookie-palooza-on-oregon-coast.html<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxcmd5GAMsUdBKy-JXNSe1EZwqhGY_2_t2IJO4C6QsucxiWqF_o-N6si0U8UIMSsqRn76iv8hURcJRt-dP9vZwx8eh9zAgkHjeicc0JwYkgPOgECeuNlOqAtXLTmi6ZKdZI2wqSxr_t4/s1600/20141222-IMG_0022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxcmd5GAMsUdBKy-JXNSe1EZwqhGY_2_t2IJO4C6QsucxiWqF_o-N6si0U8UIMSsqRn76iv8hURcJRt-dP9vZwx8eh9zAgkHjeicc0JwYkgPOgECeuNlOqAtXLTmi6ZKdZI2wqSxr_t4/s1600/20141222-IMG_0022.jpg" height="412" width="640" /></a></div>
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And my gingerbread recipe <a href="http://seattlepastrygirl.blogspot.com/2010/12/gingerbread-christmas-cookies.html">here</a>:<br />
http://seattlepastrygirl.blogspot.com/2010/12/gingerbread-christmas-cookies.html<br />
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Wishing you all a Happy Holiday and Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah.</div>
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Roadtrek Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13613040285492585556noreply@blogger.com2Cape San Blas, Florida 32456, USA29.6635469 -85.3554745000000142.1930653999999983 -126.66406850000001 57.134028400000005 -44.046880500000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436761719172193600.post-83465983581097421902014-11-04T11:19:00.000-08:002014-11-04T11:19:42.153-08:00Bomb's Away with Dirt Bombs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVfUlxBmn3rFdb-pUp1DJ6XB7sVrbO_DquCVyTe4npJpZ34ezaJzOeVvVDPbxs4e35iPXHwS3P69oeF6WiS1Z_FMmrmAxAX0DB1dy4-FtAnQdKUuprE3QsolYppcYvNUQ8H9s38xAvdxM/s1600/untitled-0073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVfUlxBmn3rFdb-pUp1DJ6XB7sVrbO_DquCVyTe4npJpZ34ezaJzOeVvVDPbxs4e35iPXHwS3P69oeF6WiS1Z_FMmrmAxAX0DB1dy4-FtAnQdKUuprE3QsolYppcYvNUQ8H9s38xAvdxM/s1600/untitled-0073.jpg" height="640" width="574" /></a></div>
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I get the <a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/dirt-bombs">Bon Appetit</a> newsletter emailed to me. I usually just peruse the summary ,unless something really catches my eye. And these little babies did. Anything with a dipping of cinnamon sugar will always catch my eye. I started to wonder why I had this addiction to cinnamon-where did it come from ? When I go through my recipes on file there are more cinnamon roll recipes than I could every try in a month; there are cinnamon scones; cinnamon cupcakes; cinnamon bread; you get the picture.<br />
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While pondering this addiction, I remembered where it came from. Growing up, one of the favorite things my mom made us in the morning was cinnamon toast. Nothing fancy, just a couple slices of Wonder Bread,toasted,buttered then sprinkled with a ton of cinnamon and sugar . Then we would take our knives and spread the cinnamony sugar goodness all over the bread until it was well blended. I'm sure none of this was healthy-I mean really white Wonder Bread ? I'm surprised we all didn't balloon up like the Michelin Man. I would love to say that this was a treat after eating some very healthy breakfast-but no it wasn't it was a normal occurrence ! So in honor of my childhood memories I give you Bon Appetit Dirt Bombs (they are really like a donut muffin), but Dirt Bombs sounds like so much more fun ! Enjoy.<br />
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<b>DIRT BOMBS</b><br />
<a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/dirt-bombs">May 2014 Bon Appetit-Makes 12</a><br />
Muffins can be made 6 hours ahead. Keep tightly wrapped at room temperature.<br />
<br />
<b>INGREDIENTS</b><br />
<b>Muffins</b><br />
Nonstick vegetable oil spray<br />
2¼ cups all-purpose flour<br />
2 teaspoons baking powder<br />
1 teaspoon kosher salt<br />
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg<br />
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter,room temperature<br />
¾ cup sugar<br />
1 large egg<br />
1 cup whole milk<br />
<br />
<b>Topping</b><br />
½ cup sugar<br />
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon<br />
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, melted<br />
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<b>PREPARATION:</b><br />
<br />
<b>MUFFINS</b><br />
Preheat oven to 375°. Coat a standard 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg in a medium bowl; set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in egg. With mixer on low speed, add dry ingredients in 3 additions alternating with milk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Divide batter among muffin cups and bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a tester inserted into center comes out clean, 30–35 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes in pan, then transfer to a wire rack.<br />
<b>TOPPING AND ASSEMBLY</b><br />
Mix sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Working one at a time,<br />
dip tops of muffins in melted butter, then cinnamon sugar.<br />
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Warning-these are extremely addictive. Also, if you don't wrap them too tight and they start to get a little hard-pop them in the microwave for about 30 seconds-hmmm warm and tasty like they just came out of the oven. Bon Appetit.<br />
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<br />Roadtrek Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13613040285492585556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436761719172193600.post-46446312595415114402014-10-30T07:23:00.002-07:002014-10-30T07:23:15.033-07:00Apple Blackberry and Thyme Hand Pies-Hello Stranger<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I know, I know, I have so neglected this blog. And to my friends-I am so sorry. You know a lot has happened since last year. We <a href="http://www.roadtrekgirl.blogspot.com/2013/08/good-bye.html">sold our house</a> in Seattle; (remember in 2012 we <a href="http://www.roadtrekgirl.blogspot.com/2012/09/ruby-and-roadtrek-girl-beginning.html">bought Ruby the Roadtrek</a>); we bought a<a href="http://www.roadtrekgirl.blogspot.com/2013/12/a-compromise-between-fisherman-and.html"> condo in Florida</a>; we c<a href="http://www.roadtrekgirl.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-adventure-begins.html">amped our way from Seattle</a> to Cape San Blas; remodeled the condo; I <a href="http://www.roadtrekgirl.blogspot.com/2014/04/scenes-from-cedar-key-definitely-on.html">fell off a ladder</a>-ended up in intensive care for a few days; as a result of the fall discovered I needed a pacemaker; had to have the <a href="http://www.roadtrekgirl.blogspot.com/2014/08/cape-san-blas-to-cedar-key-road-to.html">pacemaker surgery redone</a> since the leads incorrectly wrapped around the device ;<a href="http://www.vrbo.com/508042">rented the condo </a>out for the summer while we traveled to the Keys and finally have <a href="http://www.roadtrekgirl.blogspot.com/2014/09/cape-san-blas-tin-cup-for-chalice.html">returned to settle in for a few months of Florida </a>Winter on the coast.<br />
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Whew,definitely has not been a boring 2 years. But I do feel badly that I have skipped out on this blog while I devoted all my attention to the previous mentioned events and to my <a href="http://www.roadtrekgirl.blogspot.com/">Roadtrekgirl blog</a>. Well-I'mmmmmmmmm baaaaaaaaaaaack ! Even though I'm over 2500 miles from Seattle, I will always be Seattlepastrygirl! So I'm keeping the name while I bake and cook in hot and humid Florida.<br />
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With Fall upon us I've been missing that crispness in the air that we enjoyed on the West Coast. Here in Florida we get a little chill in the evening but it's been in the 80's during the day. But today it's raining and I thought I would warm up the house and bring back those Fall memories with some apple pie. But no ordinary pie-I love making the little hand pies so that's what I decided upon. Apple because I miss the apple trees that were in front of our house in West Seattle. Every Fall I would gather the apples and make oven baked apple butter-the house smelled incredible and the apple butter was the best I've ever tasted<br />
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I felt experimental so I thougth I would add blackberries to the mix along with some seasonings and jam . The following recipe is my own for the filling and a million zillion thanks to <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/11/pie-crust-102-all-butter-really-flaky-pie-dough/">Smitten Kitchen and her wonderful All Butter, Really Flaky Pie Dough !</a> Hope you try the recipe, if you do let me know what you think of the flavors.<br />
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<br />
<b>Apple Blackberry Thyme Hand Pies</b><br />
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1 recipe of <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/11/pie-crust-102-all-butter-really-flaky-pie-dough/">Smitten Kitchen's pie crust</a><br />
<b>All Butter, Really Flaky Pie Dough</b>-love her recipe for these -make sure you check out <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/">her blog</a> it's incredible.<br />
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Makes enough dough for 16 3inch hand pies<br />
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2 1/2 cups flour<br />
1 tablespoon sugar<br />
1 teaspoon table salt<br />
2 sticks (8 ounces, ) unsalted butter, very cold<br />
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Gather your ingredients: Fill a one cup liquid measuring cup with water, and drop in a few ice cubes; set it aside. In a large bowl — I like to use a very wide one, so I can get my hands in — whisk together 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon of sugar and a teaspoon of salt. Dice two sticks (8 ounces or 1 cup) of very cold unsalted butter into 1/2-inch pieces. Get out your pastry blender.<br />
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Make your mix: Sprinkle the butter cubes over the flour and begin working them in with the pastry blender, using it to scoop and redistribute the mixture as needed so all parts are worked evenly. When all of the butter pieces are the size of tiny peas — this won’t take long — stop. Yes, even if it looks uneven; you’ll thank me later.<br />
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Glue it together: Start by drizzling 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the ice-cold water (but not the cubes, if there are any left!) over the butter and flour mixture. Using a rubber or silicon spatula, gather the dough together. You’ll probably need an additional 1/4 cup (60 ml) of cold water to bring it together, but add it a tablespoon as a time. Once you’re pulling large clumps with the spatula, take it out and get your hands in there (see how that big bowl comes in handy?). Gather the disparate damp clumps together into one mound, kneading them gently together.<br />
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Pack it up: Divide the dough in half, and place each half on a large piece of plastic wrap. I like to use the sides to pull in the dough and shape it into a disk. Let the dough chill in the fridge for one hour, but preferably at least two, before rolling it out.<br />
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Do ahead: Dough will keep in the fridge for about a week, and in the freezer longer. If not using it that day, wrap it in additional layers of plastic wrap to protect it from fridge/freezer smells. To defrost your dough, move it to the fridge for one day before using it.<br />
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<b>Filling:</b><br />
4 medium Gala Apples-diced (not my preferred apple-use what you like)<br />
4ounces fresh blackberries-chopped -I had large berries so I just quartered them<br />
4 ounces blackberry jam ( I substituted Cassis Blackcurrant jam)<br />
Zest from 1 lemon<br />
1/4 cup sugar<br />
2 Tablespoons brown sugar<br />
3 tablespoons cornstarch or flour<br />
1/2 teaspoon sea salt<br />
1 Tablespoon cinnamon<br />
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg<br />
1 teaspoon ground allspice<br />
3 Tablespoons fresh finely chopped Thyme<br />
Pinch of ground ginger<br />
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<b>Ingredients for Assembly:</b><br />
1 Tablespoon water<br />
1 large egg<br />
1 egg white beaten lightly<br />
Coarse sparkling sugar for finishing (about 1/2 cup)<br />
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<b>Filling prep:</b><br />
Peel,core and dice apples. Add quartered blackberries to diced apples along with jam. (stir your jam to soften it out of the jar before mixing in with the apples and blackberries). Whisk sugars,cornstarch,sea salt,Thyme and spices in separate bowl. When evenly whisked together sprinkle over your fruit mix -add lemon zest and mix everything together into spices are incorporated with the fruit. Set aside.<br />
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<b>Assembly:</b><br />
Beat 1 large egg with 1 Tablespoon water for "gluing your pie dough circles together"<br />
1 beaten egg white for brushing on your hand pies before sprinkling on the coarse sugar<br />
Remove one of the dough rounds from the refrigerator.<span style="text-align: center;">Roll the dough into a circle about 1/8 inch thick. With a 3 inch pastry cutter circle cut out as many circles as you can from the rolled dough-but cut an even number because 1/2 will be the base and 1/2 will be the cover.</span><br />
Divide the filling among eight of the circles, using about a heaping tablespoon for each (it helps if you use a slotted spoon for those so some of the liquid can be drained before placing the filling on the circle). Brush some of the beaten egg along the edges of each filled circle.<br />
Cut a vent into the each of the remaining eight circles, using a decorative cutter of your choice.(I did half with a star cutter and with the other half I just used a paring knife and put a few slits in the top of each hand pie-I liked the slits better)<br />
Top each filled circle with either a vented circle,or a solid circle and use the paring knife to add a few vent slits. Then press along the edges with the tines of a fork to seal.<br />
Brush the top of each pie with the lightly beaten egg white, and sprinkle with sparkling sugar. Transfer the pies to the prepared baking sheet. Place the pies in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.<br />
Repeat the process for the 2nd dough round. (It was quite the challenge to keep my dough from softening-I kept putting it back in the refrigerator-then I would pull it out-roll a little-then back in the refrigerator-fun!)<br />
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<b>Preheat oven to 425F</b>. Bake pies at 425 for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375F and bake for an addition 15-20 minutes,until crust is deep golden brown. (this time may fluctuate depending on your oven). Rotate the pans about every 10 minutes. I baked mine on the center rack.<br />
Remove from oven and carefully transfer pies to wire rack and let cool for at least 20 minutes (if you can ! ) before eating.<br />
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Bon Appetit !<br />
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PS. These taste so much better the 2nd day- the Thyme really has a chance to develop a great flavor with the rest of the spices-see if you can hold off not eating them all the 1st day !<br />
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<br />Roadtrek Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13613040285492585556noreply@blogger.com0Cape San Blas, Florida 32456, USA29.6635469 -85.3554745000000142.1930689 -126.66406850000001 57.1340249 -44.046880500000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436761719172193600.post-78194271241237691672013-04-21T10:53:00.000-07:002013-04-21T10:53:07.837-07:00Buttermilk Cupcakes and Believing <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Hasn't this just been one hellacious week ? The Boston </span></span><span style="line-height: 18px;">Marathon</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Bombing; the ricin threat in Washington DC and the horrific explosion in West, Texas. I couldn't bear to read the online news this morning-sometimes it's just too much. I cannot even imagine what those involved have been going through. I can only offer my thoughts and prayers and keep them in my heart.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Last night when J and I were out walking, we passed two little 8 year old boys playing in a front yard. Just seeing the innocence in their faces pierced my heart and took my breath away. I don't have children but I thought about the mother inside that house, cleaning up after dinner, doing all those little things that we take for granted. I tried to imagine myself with those two little boys and it hurt to think about how quickly life can change. How in an instant that sweet little scene of the two boys playing could turn into an unfathomable emptiness. My heart goes out to everyone whose life has been changed drastically by the events of this week. Even more importantly this week has been another reminder of how important it is not to take anything for granted-reach out and tell someone every chance you can how much you love them or value them. And believe that as corny as it may sound good will always triumph over evil. And the number of good people far outnumber the bad. Go out and share your goodness and enjoy your life to the fullest.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 115%;">I started the baking process for these cupcakes before the bad guy was captured by the amazing law enforcement community of Boston. My heart wasn't in them when I started and now I am so grateful for how it ended. Peace and love to you all.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 115%;">Buttermilk Cupcakes:</span></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 115%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.parislovespastry.com/2012/09/heavenly-buttermilk-cake.html">Nigella Lawson's
'Heavenly Buttermilk Cake' </a></span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.parislovespastry.com/2012/09/heavenly-buttermilk-cake.html">from Paris Loves Pastry</a></span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><span style="line-height: 115%;">With the sweet little containers I used, I got 14 cupcakes from this recipe</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 115%;"><u style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 115%;">Ingredients:</u></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose-flour</span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder</span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> ½ teaspoon baking soda</span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> ¼ teaspoon salt</span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> ¾ cups + 2 tablespoons buttermilk (or you can use ⅓ cup
plain yogurt mixed with ½ cup low-fat milk)</span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract</span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> ½ cups soft unsalted butter</span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> ¾ cup sugar</span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> 3 large eggs room temperature</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u><span style="background-color: white;">Instructions:</span></u><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">- Preheat the oven to 350˚F</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">- Sift flour, baking powder and salt together
into a bowl and set aside. Pour the buttermilk into a measuring cup and stir in
the vanilla. Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer
at medium speed until it's light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs one
at a time, beating for 30 seconds between additions. At this point the batter will look like it's breaking but don't worry -the flour will bring it together. Add alternating increments
of the flour mixture and the vanilla-buttermilk, blending well after each
addition, ensuring that you finish with the addition of flour; this should take 3 to 5 minutes.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">- Fill the cupcake liners ¾ full and bake for 15
to 20 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Chocolate
Buttermilk Frosting<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(Makes about
4-5 cups)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">4 ounces
unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled slightly<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2 sticks
butter, at room temperature<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">5 cups (20
ounces) powdered sugar<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1/4 cup (3/4
ounce) cocoa powder<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 teaspoon
vanilla<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1/3 cup
buttermilk</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In a large
bowl, cream together the melted chocolate and butter until smooth and creamy.
Add the powdered sugar, coco</span></span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">a powder, and vanilla, and begin mixing. Slowly add
in the buttermilk until the frosting reaches your desired spreading
consistency. If the frosting is too stiff, add a few more drops of buttermilk.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">PS I saw these sweet little cupcake holders over on Sonia's blog,click <a href="http://nasilemaklover.blogspot.com/2012/04/hokkaido-chiffon-cupcakes.html">HERE</a>. She has a PayPal account and shipped them from Malaysia so the postage is actually more than the cost of the containers. I searched the Internet for them but she is the only one I could find who was selling them. Check out her store on her website-very reliable and quick response and shipping.</span>Roadtrek Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13613040285492585556noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436761719172193600.post-11032043304929326152013-03-31T08:57:00.000-07:002013-03-31T08:57:14.633-07:00Lemon Ricotta Doughnuts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">I cheated here, I added a dollop of leftover filling to the doughnut !</span></i></div>
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I wasn't paying attention the other day when I placed my order with Amazon Fresh and ended up ordering twice the amount of Ricotta I needed. So here I am with extra Ricotta , what should I do with it? Off to Google Land I go. After searching and searching this recipe caught my eye : Baked Lemon Ricotta Doughnuts. Hmm,baked doughnuts-well that's healthier than fried, right ? Filled with a Lemon Ricotta filling-yum that will use up my leftover Ricotta. Dusted in lemon sugar-okay I'm sold.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>This is what they really look like out of the oven, the filling permeates the center of the doughnut, so you have a moist ricotta center.</i></span></div>
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Next time I make these I will do a few things differently. #1 Freeze the little scoops of ricotta filling-being a soft cheese the ricotta melted into the doughnut,still delicious, but I prefer to find a nicely filled center when I bite into a doughnut. I think if the ricotta filling is frozen to a truffle type consistency-not rock hard-it would soften nicely while baking. #2, I would not mix the lemon zest with the sugar until I dried out the lemon zest a bit. The moisture in the lemon zest makes the sugar clump. Either that or wait until the very last minute to mix up the zest and sugar. And #3, I would probably try a nice lemon glaze instead of the sugar and sprinkle the zest over it while the glaze was still wet.<br />
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The doughnuts are delicious straight out of the oven, but then again what isn't ? The next day they were a little dry but a quick 30 seconds in the microwave solved that problem. This is a really good recipe and I love the dough-seems like you could make some really good savory doughnuts with it. It bakes up like a fluffy biscuit. Maybe I'll try some feta filling with spinach and work some sun dried tomatoes into the dough. Oh the possibilities are endless.<br />
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After coffee and a doughnut I'm off for a long, long walk. Maybe if I add another mile to my walk I can justify a doughnut for dessert tonight. Remember I'm the Queen of Rationalization ! Bon Appetit.<br />
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Baked Lemon Ricotta Doughnuts</b></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><i>adapted from <a href="http://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/baked-lemon-ricotta-doughnuts.htm">Australian Gourmet Traveler </a></i></o:p></div>
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5 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting<o:p></o:p></div>
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½ cup plus 3 Tablespoons super fine sugar (Baker’s Sugar in
grocery stores)<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 package of yeast <o:p></o:p></div>
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Zest of 2 lemons <o:p></o:p></div>
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1 cup lukewarm whole milk plus extra for brushing <o:p></o:p></div>
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1/3 cup buttermilk at room temperature <o:p></o:p></div>
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2 eggs at room temperature <o:p></o:p></div>
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2 Tablespoons (1 ounce) butter, melted <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Lemon Ricotta Filling</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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8 ounces Ricotta <o:p></o:p></div>
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1/4 cup sugar <o:p></o:p></div>
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Zest and juice of 1 lemon <o:p></o:p></div>
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1 large egg<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Finishing</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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8 Tablespoons unsalted butter <o:p></o:p></div>
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1 cup super fine sugar<o:p></o:p></div>
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Finely grated zest of 2 lemons<o:p></o:p></div>
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Prepare one large or two medium sized baking sheets with
parchment paper or Silpats.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Combine flour, sugar, yeast and lemon zest in the bowl of an
electric mixer-use a whisk to combine. Once combined fit the mixer with a dough
hook. In a separate bowl whisk together warm milk, room temperature buttermilk
and eggs and the melted butter. With the mixer running on slow, add the liquids
to the flour mixture, then mix on medium speed until dough is smooth and
elastic (about 4-5 minutes). Shape the dough into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl,
cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size (1
– 1 1/2 hours).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Lemon Ricotta Filling</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Whisk together ricotta, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and
egg just until smooth. Transfer the mixture to an airtight container and chill
for at least 1 hour.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Dough<o:p></o:p></div>
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Gently punch down the dough and turn onto a lightly floured
surface. Roll the dough out to ¼ inch thickness or just slightly under (5mm
thickness). Cut out 24 rounds using a 3” cutter. Cut out another 24 rounds
using a 2” cutter. Place a heaping teaspoon of lemon ricotta filling in center
of 24 2” rounds. Brush edges of the 2”
rounds with milk, cover with the remaining rounds 3” rounds and press firmly to
seal the edges. Trim with the 2” cutter. Transfer to baking sheet(s), cover and
let stand in a warm place for 1 – 1 1/2 hours.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake the doughnuts for 10-12
minutes until the bottoms are golden-the tops will bake up with just a blush of
brown.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For the finishing garnish, melt the 4 ounces of butter and
set aside. For the lemon sugar, place the sugar and lemon zest in a bowl of a
food processor and pulse until the sugar is aromatic. Pour into a bowl and
fluff with a fork or a whisk. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Once you remove the doughnuts from the oven dip the hot doughnuts
immediately in the melted butter and then toss in lemon sugar. Serve warm.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<br />Roadtrek Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13613040285492585556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436761719172193600.post-44240013572922341192013-03-15T15:25:00.002-07:002013-03-15T15:25:12.920-07:00Abracadabra Magic Custard Cake <br />
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Have you seen this cake on <a href="http://pinterest.com/search/?q=magic%20custard%20cake">Pinterest</a> yet ? I don't know how you could miss it-everyone has been pinning it for days. When I first spotted it I immediately went to the blog :<a href="http://whiteonricecouple.com/recipes/magic-custard-cake/">White on Rice Couple</a>, since they had just posted it. I love everything that Diane and Todd do on their <a href="http://whiteonricecouple.com/recipes/magic-custard-cake/">blog</a>. I probably have more of their recipes bookmarked and saved than anyone else's on the web. And their pictures of this cake are absolutely gorgeous. So of course I had to try it out. The recipe is fairly simple. And after coming off my marathon Cubano Croissant recipe I needed something simple and sweet. If you don't like custard I wouldn't recommend this cake-it is after all a custard cake ! I took Diane & Todd's advice to beat the egg whites in a copper bowl, but if you don't have a copper mixing bowl just add the vinegar to the egg whites as called for in the recipe.<br />
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This cake goes into the oven in an 8 x 8 pan almost filled to capacity-I thought it was a little too thin of a cake batter,but oh boy was I wrong. When it was finished baking it had souffled higher than the pan edges. By the time I got my camera the cake had sank a little. I checked Diane & Todd's pictures and I wasn't worried. This cake looks so unassuming coming out of the oven-don't let that fool you.<br />
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The smell of the vanilla custard was hard to resist and before it had a chance to properly cool, I was cutting a little tiny piece out of the corner to test it. Holy Custard Cake Batman-this is indescribably delicious. Addictive, not too sweet with the puffy top cake layer, the creamy firm custard layer and a very thin bottom cake layer. Swoon. When you make this,here is a winning bet for you; bet the other person that they just can't eat one piece-you will win-trust me. I had to quickly wrap up little packages of this deliciousness for my neighbors. Otherwise it would have been about 3 hours on the treadmill for me.<br />
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This recipe is definitely a keeper. I can't wait to try it out when we are camping and see how it bakes up in <a href="http://www.roadtrekgirl.blogspot.com/">Ruby our camper van</a>. I know one thing, sharing this around the campground will result in friends for life.<br />
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Yummy custard</div>
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Go ahead, try it, so very good with a hot cup of espresso. Head over to Diane & Todd's blog for the recipe : <a href="http://whiteonricecouple.com/recipes/magic-custard-cake/">White on Rice Couple</a>. Bon Appetit !<br />
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" <i>A party without cake is really just a meeting"-Julia Child</i></div>
Roadtrek Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13613040285492585556noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436761719172193600.post-18294180121326878122013-03-06T12:29:00.002-08:002013-03-06T12:29:51.606-08:00Cubano Croissants ala Christina Tosi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I was casually reading the HuffPost Taste section Friday morning when the title "<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tastedcom/croissant-recipe_b_2769886.html">Christina Tosi's Cubano Croissant"</a> caught my eye. I am absolutely crazy about Cubano sandwiches and when I saw the chance of making it as a croissant-well my little heart skipped a beat ! Add to the fact that it was a recipe from <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/lifestyle/2012/05/james-beard-awards-2012-christina-tosi-named-rising-star-chef/">Christina Tosi, the 2012 James Beard Rising Star Chef</a>- it couldn't get any better. Christina is the founding chef of <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;"><a href="http://milkbarstore.com/">Momofuku Milk Bar</a> and if you haven't made her crazy delicious <a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2010/09/crack_pie">Crack Pie</a> yet, you should.</span></span><br />
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Warning-this is a very time consuming but "simple" recipe. Simple meaning basic cooking and baking methods-nothing fancy required. Time consuming yes - 15-20 minutes to make the dry rub; 6-12 hours to roast the pork shoulder; 20-30 minutes to make the mojo marinade; 30 minutes to make the relish butter;a minimum of 3 hours to make the croissant dough;and about 1 hour to fill and bake the croissants ! Would I do it again ? Not next week, but yes I will make these again-they are freaking incredible. You can't believe the taste. A buttery,flaky croissant dotted with dill relish,a schmear of yellow mustard, then filled with ham,Swiss cheese and the mojo marinated pulled pork. We ate these for dinner Monday night and all we could do while eating was make those mm mm sounds between bites. I lost count of how many times J said this was the best sandwich he ever had. I second that !<br />
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I started this recipe on Saturday-cooked the pork for about 9 hours. On Sunday I made the relish butter and on Monday morning I made the croissant dough. By Monday afternoon I was ready to roll these little beauties and pop them in the oven. The recipe stated that they should be baked for 2-25 minutes at 375degrees. My oven has been calibrated so I know it's accurate-my baking time was more like 45 minutes until they got that beautiful caramelized brown color. <em>(I've listed a few other changes I made to the recipe below). </em>I could barely wait for them to cool down before that first test bite. OMG , that is all I can say. The recipe appears at the end of the You Tube Video. Christina Tosi uses her "mother dough recipe" for the croissants and if you have her Milk Bar Cookbook you can find the recipe there. Otherwise,use your favorite croissant recipe. My policy is not to list a recipe unless it's on the Internet already and the Mother Dough isn't. You might be able to find it <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=xohBTmnvEX4C&pg=PA223&lpg=PA223&dq=momofuku+bagel+bomb+recipe&source=bl&ots=gKWZ16EYIh&sig=kpukORgrEAHd6h0y86ivNU3uIO8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=nZ0KT6y7CuHkiAKtosilBw&ved=0CE4Q6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=mother%20dough&f=false">here</a>. Buy the book,it's filled with wonderful scrumptious recipes !<br />
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I made a few changes to the recipe:<br />
<ol>
<li> I used dill relish in the relish butter and a combination 1/2 dill relish and 1/2 of sweet relish in the marinade.</li>
<li>I added Swiss cheese to my layers when putting the croissant together-one below the pork filling and one on top of the pork filling-I've always had my Cubano's with cheese.</li>
<li>And the next time I will use my slow cooker to make the pork-the oven dried it out too much-I should have trusted my instincts. When I put it in the oven a little voice said use the slow cooker but I ignored it. </li>
<li>I chopped the pork mixture into smaller pieces-made it more manageable to form into the little mounds before rolling the croissants.</li>
<li>I quadrupled the ingredients for the marinade-the amount the original recipe called for barely gave a tiny hint of taste to the 6 lb pork shoulder I made.</li>
<li>I used a full recipe for the "mother dough"-that gave me enough dough for 12 nice sized croissants and I still had lots of pork left over (very good as Cubano sliders on those Hawaiian buns !)</li>
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Happiness does not come from doing easy work<br />
but from the afterglow of satisfaction<br />
that comes after the achievement of a difficult task<br />
that demanded our best.<br />
<strong>-Theodore Isaac Rubin</strong></div>
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Honestly, I will definitely make these again- and there was a huge amount of satisfaction when I completed these !<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="280" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XCHVe8nD6tI?rel=0" width="653"></iframe><br />Roadtrek Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13613040285492585556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436761719172193600.post-43677292235271034802013-02-27T10:03:00.001-08:002013-02-27T10:03:40.906-08:00Blueberry Cream Biscuits with Blueberry Sauce<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last week I was sitting in my dentist's office waiting for my name to be called. I hate the dentist. It took me forever to get up the nerve to make my appointment. I take care of myself so I thought I was going to skate by. Unfortunately that was not the plan my teeth had for me. Two crowns-one upper and one lower-did I tell you I hate the dentist ? My dentist is a very sweet and a nice guy-I don't hate him-just the process. So while I was waiting, with high anxiety, I tried to distract myself with the usual waiting room reading material. I started flipping through the pages of Better Homes and Gardens, whoa..what is that-blueberries ? I wanted to run home and try the recipe immediately. Of course it had nothing to do with the fact that I was looking for any reason to run out of the dentist's office. Too bad, they called my name, and for the next 2 hours I endured the drilling and water squirts down my throat. I'm not afraid of drills, I just don't like having tools and hands in my mouth. I start to get very anxious and have to remind myself to breath. I don't do laughing gas, it just makes me more anxious and doesn't make me laugh ! So I sat there thinking about these biscuits in order to distract myself. The recipe seemed far too simple.<br />
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Two hours later and finally out of the dentist's chair I was finished. Thanking my dentist and his assistant for the torture they inflicted on me-why ? I mean really, thank you for making me sit with my mouth opened for 2 hours while you drilled and scraped and suctioned out my mouth ? Needless to say I just about ran out of the office. On the way home I did manage, (in spite of the swollen tongue and mouth), to stop for fresh blueberries and whipping cream . As soon as I got home I suddenly felt very tired. Stress will do that and dental work is at the top of my stressors. So instead of baking I took a nap. These could wait one more day.</div>
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The next morning I looked over the recipe and about 45 minutes later I was pulling these babies from the oven. This really is a super simple recipe and oh so good. Another one to add to my "go to recipes ". Even the blueberry sauce was easy peasy ! You should make these. Run out to the grocery store right now and get your blueberries and any other ingredients you might need. And if you go to the Better Homes and Gardens site and read the review saying that these were horrible,too sticky, only the tops baked, etc. etc., ignore it. It couldn't be further from the truth.<br />
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Now please don't let my dentist know that 48 hours after he finished I was eating teeth staining blueberry biscuits with blueberry sauce. Just kidding ! No stains , nothing but sweet deliciousness-enjoy !<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Blueberry Cream Biscuits with Blueberry Sauce</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.bhg.com/recipe/blueberry-cream-biscuits-with-blueberry-sauce/">Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Yield: 12 biscuits<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Ingredients:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 cups all-purpose flour<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 teaspoons baking powder<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 tablespoons sugar<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 teaspoon salt<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup blueberries<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 1/2 cups whipping cream<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl thoroughly mix flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and nutmeg. Toss blueberries with the flour mixture. Stir whipping cream into the flour mixture until just moistened.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Turn out dough on a floured work surface.<i>( I</i></span><i>n order to not overwork or over flour the dough , I turned it out onto my parchment lined baking sheet. Didn't have to worry about it sticking, just gently formed it into the 7 inch square.</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i> And I used the edges of the parchment paper to help gently lift and fold the dough)</i> Gently lift and fold dough four or five, making a quarter turn between each fold. Place dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Form dough in a 7- to 8-inch square, approximately 1 inch thick. Using a floured pizza cutter or knife, cut 12 to 16 squares in dough, leaving biscuits intact. Bake in upper half of oven for 17 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cut through or pull apart biscuits. Serve warm with Blueberry Sauce.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Blueberry Sauce:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 2 cups blueberries<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 1/3 cup sugar<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 2 tablespoons water<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 1 teaspoon vanilla <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In a medium saucepan combine 1 cup of the blueberries, the
sugar, and water. Bring to simmering; cook and stir until blueberries pop and
sauce has thickened. Remove from heat, then stir in the vanilla and remaining
blueberries. Serve warm or at room temperature.</span><br />
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Roadtrek Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13613040285492585556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436761719172193600.post-21099575307236991792013-02-23T14:35:00.000-08:002013-02-23T14:46:20.510-08:00Creme Brulee Eclairs Set on Fire<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was in the grocery line on Valentines Day doing some last minute shopping for our camping trip . We would be celebrating Valentines Day over the long President's Day weekend. The grocery clerk was making small talk and asked what plans I had. Of course I was bubbling over with enthusiasm about the upcoming trip and told her we were going to a new campground on the Washington Coast that we had never been to before. When I told her the name -<a href="http://www.roadtrekgirl.blogspot.com/2013/02/cape-disappointment.html">Cape Disappointment</a>-her mouth dropped and she said: "Oh" with a sad frown face. Then she added that it didn't sound like a very good place to be celebrating. Isn't it funny how we allow people to interfere with our happiness ? As I walked out of the store I realized I had allowed her to steal my joy. By the time I got the groceries loaded into the car I realized how silly I was. Shame,shame,shame on me for allowing her to be a black cloud over my happiness. <br />
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<i>Cape Disappointment ? No! More like "Cape could never be disappointed" because it's so beautiful .</i></div>
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Cape Disappointment or Cape Happiness,the name didn't matter-it's what you make of it and we always try to make the very best of it. So smile back on my face,to do list in hand and groceries packed in <a href="http://roadtrekgirl.blogspot.com/2012/09/ruby-and-roadtrek-girl-beginning.html">Ruby</a>. Now to decide what special dessert to make for our camping celebration. I had to think about what would keep well and still look pretty and very special when it came time to eat. Cupcakes? Mmm,a little too mundane for this trip. Cake? Too much for just the two of us. Pie? Nahh,wasn't in the mood for rolling dough. Doughnuts? Doughnuts are always a good idea but best eaten fresh out of the frying pan and I wasn't plan on heating up a pan of oil inside Ruby our camper. Eclairs ? Yes I know the last post I did was on eclairs-but they are so lovely and so special. And they keep very well. Now what could I do to make them even more special. I started thinking about flavor combinations and after looking at a zillion eclair images on Google I thought -Creme Brulee ? Why not,it's a pastry cream filling and I could torch the sugar at the campsite with little or no effort. And what a fabulous surprise it would be-sitting on the beach eating Creme Brulee eclairs to celebrate our good fortune and our being together !<br />
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These Creme Brulee Eclairs were definitely a challenge. I knew the creme brulee pastry creme would be less firm than regular pastry creme . I decided that I would slice the eclairs in half and fill them that way, rather than trying to fill them with a pastry bag . My reasoning was that I was fearful that the torch to brulee the tops would melt the filling. I should have been more fearful about burning the tops of the eclairs ! Since I had a rounded surface to work with, the sugar kept falling off . And the nooks and crannies associated with eclairs started to burn around the edges. I set quite a few on fire ! Trust me,burnt sugar and burnt pastry are not very tasty.<br />
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I decided I wasn't going to have a four alarm fire going inside Ruby down at the coast so I opted to finish these off at home. And I opted to give up the torch and use my copper caramel making pot ! I burned a few finger tips while dipping the tops but we all have to make sacrifices-and well worth the pain for the taste. The creme brulee filling was creamy and tops were caramel crunchy. Just like a spoonful of creme brulee with the added taste of crispy pastry.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I used my new go to recipe for eclairs from Tom Douglas's book:<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"> </span><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/roadtrekgirlsfavorites-20/detail/0062183745" style="background-color: white; color: #990000; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: initial;">The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook</a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">. His recipe produces perfect eclairs every single time ! And I used <a href="http://www.joepastry.com/2009/basic_creme_brulee_formula/">Joe Pastry's recipe for the creme brulee</a>. For the hard crack caramel topping I cooked 2 cups of sugar with 1/2 cup water over medium high heat until it turned a nice amber color-about 15 minutes. Once you take the caramel away from the heat you have to work quickly because it's still cooking in your pot-be careful , it's extremely hot ! I dipped each top into the caramel very carefully. After the caramel hardened I filled the other half of the eclair with the creme brulee filling and placed the two halves together-Voila !</span></span><br />
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Oh, I almost forgot to share with you the good fortune that came my way this week ! The<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/21/french-dessert-recipes_n_2726974.html#slide=2129665"> HuffPost Taste Section</a> used my photo of my <a href="http://seattlepastrygirl.blogspot.com/2011/04/kouign-amann-part-2.html">Kouign Amann posting from April 2011</a>. When I got the email from them I thought it was a scam or virus and almost didn't open it . So glad I did-that news was like the icing on the cake after our wonderful weekend ! Thank you Huffington Post !</div>
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<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/21/french-dessert-recipes_n_2726974.html#slide=2129665">Huffpost Taste Section February 21, 2013</a></div>
Roadtrek Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13613040285492585556noreply@blogger.com3Cape Disappointment, Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Washington 98624, USA46.289822400000013 -124.0604319000000324.293001400000012 -165.36902590000003 68.286643400000017 -82.751837900000027tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436761719172193600.post-5208074495832138562012-12-04T16:12:00.000-08:002012-12-04T16:12:33.075-08:00Maple Eclairs-My Dirty Little Secret <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I haven't told anyone and now I'm telling all of you, shhhh, I'm addicted to Tom Douglas's Maple Eclairs. There I've said it and now I don't have to hide my dirty little secret anymore. But I do have to hide the Maple Eclairs. Oh my goodness, what deliciousness in an eclair-thick maple pastry cream,lighter than air pate a choux pastry,and topped with a light crunchy maple sugar glaze.<br />
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Before I dropped out of Pastry School, I was working on perfecting 3 things-Eclairs,Croissants and Ciabatta. The holy trinity of my pastry repertoire . I'm still working on perfecting them,but I've come very very close to the perfect eclair -Thanks to Chef Tom Douglas. The pate a choux-so easy, the maple pastry cream so thick and smooth and the maple sugar glaze-genius. I wish I could publish the recipe here. But my practice has always been that if it isn't published on the Internet already , I won't post it on my site. I believe in supporting the Chef, so buy the book. Get to your computer quickly click <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/roadtrekgirlsfavorites-20/detail/0062183745">HERE </a> to buy it .<br />
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It's a beautiful cookbook,tons of photos,tips and how to instructions-hint hint-it would make a great Christmas gift for that baker in your life. Or even better, treat yourself. I couldn't stop drooling over most of the recipes and my first attempt did not disappoint. I have the puffiest eclairs still rising in my oven.Beautiful roly poly shapes ( I made them slightly smaller than Chef Douglas recommends) and golden brown. <br />
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It's taken everything to not open the oven and try one. I plan on working my way through this cookbook and cooking and baking every single recipe in it and I encourage you to do the same.<br />
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But back to the Maple Eclairs-imagine a maple bar with thick luscious maple pastry cream-heaven . I couldn't find a recipe for eclairs close to the one in <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/roadtrekgirlsfavorites-20/detail/0062183745">The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook</a>. Many have similar or exact ingredients,but none seemed to match the oven temperatures used and cooking times.<br />
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I will share a little tip with you -Chef Douglas recommends filling the eclairs from the top-that way the glaze seals the filling in and it won't squeeze out from the bottom as you eat the eclair.<br />
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When I was in Pastry School, The Dahlia Bakery was at the top of my list for bakeries I would dream about an internship there as I precisely cut my Napoleons or piped my little pate a choux swans. But life always has little surprises around every corner. One of those little surprises popped up in the Fall of 2008 and I left school-I thought I might return,but never did. It was one of the best experiences of my life, I will never forget what I learned and I now use this blog to recreate those experiences in my own kitchen. But, like Old Blue Eyes sings:<br />
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<i>"Regrets, I've had a few </i></div>
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<i>But then again, too few to mention </i></div>
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<i>I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption </i></div>
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<i>I planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway </i></div>
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<i>And more, much more than this, I did it my way "</i></div>
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I've said it hundreds of times before,everything happens for a reason. I accept the change ,sometimes laughing,sometimes crying. I throw myself into what life throws at me. Someone once told me that I live my life like it is all or nothing at all; and that I needed to find a better balance in my life. Do you understand when I say all or nothing at all is my balance ? I love where it has taken me and what it has taught me .So now I think I will have another Maple Eclair and ponder where it will take me next. Bon Appetit !<br />
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Roadtrek Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13613040285492585556noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436761719172193600.post-4246611115368026722012-12-03T12:48:00.001-08:002012-12-03T12:51:25.990-08:00Sriracha Deviled Eggs<br />
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I'm doing a quickie post today ! I've been working on recipes and some crafty things for our Family Christmas Celebration in Seabrook. But I didn't want to wait until Christmas to post this recipe. If you are looking for a fabulously simple appetizer to add to your repertoire this is it . Incredibly delicious with just the right amount of spice. Definitely a keeper-hope you like them as much as I did. I found this recipe on a lovely little blog called <a href="http://www.lifesambrosia.com/">Life's Ambrosia</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.lifesambrosia.com/2009/11/sriracha-deviled-eggs-recipe.html">Sriracha<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Deviled Eggs</span></a><br />
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<em _idv_element_hash="115251728"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Makes 12</span></em></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.5em;">You will need:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 15px;">6 hard boiled eggs</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 15px;">3 tablespoons mayonnaise</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 15px;">1 tablespoon Dijon mustard</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 15px;">2 teaspoons Sriracha</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 15px;">1 tablespoon minced onion</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 15px;">1/2 teaspoon garlic powder</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 15px;">salt and pepper</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 15px;">chopped green onions for garnish</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 15px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 15px;">Peel eggs and cut in-half lengthwise.</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 15px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 15px;">Scoop all yolks into a bowl and mash with a fork. Add mayonnaise, mustard, Sriracha, minced onion and garlic powder. Stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 15px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 15px;">Use a spoon or piping bag to fill each half of an egg with mixture. Squirt a dab of Sriracha sauce on top of each egg, sprinkle with green onion and serv</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 15px;">e.</span><br />
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Roadtrek Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13613040285492585556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436761719172193600.post-73404758620368232712012-11-08T11:43:00.003-08:002012-11-08T11:43:48.724-08:00Family and Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I love my family. That's it. I'm always grateful that through the workings of the Universe we all ended up living within a short drive of each other. That's a feat unto itself considering we were scattered like ashes all over the country for such a long time. We lived in Utah, Florida, Colorado, Oregon, Arizona, California,Pennsylvania, Massachusetts,and Virginia. How did it happen that we all ended up living in Washington ? We never had a family meeting to say: "Let's all move to Washington". But somehow our spirits,our souls and our family bond brought each us together.<br />
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<i>My sister and brother</i></div>
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<i>Mel,Martha,Jorge,Deb</i></div>
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I know we had to each find our own path in life and follow our wandering souls and we did. If you put together a list of previous addresses and former jobs of ours,well the addresses I'm sure would number in the hundreds and the jobs probably in the fifties. What were we searching for all those years ? I've always believed it to be a home. No matter where we were living or what we were doing we stayed close to each other-I have no memories of sibling rivalry or fights or not speaking (other than a few brief moments when we were pre-teens!).<br />
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<i>Growing up </i></div>
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Our common bond was the dysfunctional family we grew up in. We protected and loved each other while the craziness swirled like a cyclone around us. That love got us through some very difficult times; the untimely deaths of close friends; two aunts and an uncle killed in a plane crash; suicide of our mother; and all the baggage that came with these events. We watched relatives fight over possessions and vowed we would never become them. We watched relatives quit speaking to each other and vowed we would never do that. It wasn't easy to make it to where we are today. We all have probably funded the college education of a great deal of children of our therapists ! And here we are many many years later-still speaking,still loving and still bonded together by our love. I love that we can get together to celebrate each other. And this past weekend we celebrated J's birthday and Mel & Martha's upcoming wedding in Hawaii. <br />
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Mel and Martha</div>
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J</div>
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Instead of a cake I decided to do cupcakes for our celebration. And not just any ordinary cupcakes ! I made Martha Stewart's Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes. So rich and so good. These are some of the richest cupcakes I have ever made. Well worth the effort for the family I so dearly love. </div>
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<b _idv_element_hash="99102304" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://52cupcakes.blogspot.com/2009/09/martha-stewarts-chocolate-salted.html">The Cupcakes</a></b><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Ingredients</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">1 1/2 cups sugar </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">3/4 teaspoon baking powder </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">3/4 teaspoon salt </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">2 large eggs </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">3/4 cup buttermilk </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">3 tablespoons vegetable oil </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">3/4 cup warm water </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Directions</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line mini muffin tin with paper liners. Whisk together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low speed, add eggs, buttermilk, oil, extract, and the water; beat until smooth and combined.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Spoon the batter into liners about two-thirds full. Bake approximately 15 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. Transfer tins to wire racks and allow to cool for 10 minutes; turn cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 1 month in air tight containers.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">To finish, use a paring knife to cut a cone-shaped piece (about 1/2 inch deep) from the center of each cupcake and throw away the pieces. Spoon 1 to 2 teaspoons warm Salted Caramel Filling into each hollowed-out cupcake. The caramel will sink into the cupcake a little, just fill it up each time it sinks-this takes about 30- </span>45 minutes<span style="font-family: inherit;"> for the caramel to finally settle. Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt over the caramel filling.</span></span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Use a pastry bag with a medium open-star tip and pipe Dark Chocolate Frosting onto each cupcake, swirling tip and releasing as you pull up to form a peak. Garnish each cupcake with a pinch of sea salt. Cupcakes are best eaten the day they are filled and frosted. Store at room temperature in airtight containers - do not refrigerate or your caramel will harden !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white;" /></span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Salted Caramel Filling</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><b style="background-color: white;">Ingredients:</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">2 1/2 cups sugar </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">2/3 cup water </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">1 tablespoon light corn syrup </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">3/4 cup heavy whipping cream </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">2 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, preferably fleur de sel </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;">Directions</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Heat sugar with the water and corn syrup in a heavy saucepan over high, stirring occasionally, until syrup is clear; clip a candy thermometer to side of pan and stop stirring.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Cook until syrup comes to a boil, washing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush as needed. Boil, gently swirling pan occasionally, until mixture is caramelized and just reaches 360°F. Remove from heat and slowly pour in cream; stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in sea salt.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Use immediately; if caramel begins to harden reheat gently.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white;" /></span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Dark Chocolate Frosting</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><b style="background-color: white;">Ingredients:</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon boiling water </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">2 1/4 cups (4 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">1/4 teaspoon salt </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">1 1/2 pounds best-quality semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled ( I ran out of semi sweet so I used bittersweet and it was delicious )</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;">Directions:</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Combine cocoa and boiling water, stirring until cocoa has dissolved.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">With electric mixer on medium-high, beat butter, confectioners' sugar, and salt until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add melted and cooled chocolate, beating until combined and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in the cocoa mixture. </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Frosting can be refrigerated up to 5 days, or frozen up to 1 month in an air tight container. Before using, bring to room temperature and beat on low speed until smooth again.</span></span><br />
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<i><span class="huge bqQuoteLink" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span></i></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Desmond Tutu<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>Roadtrek Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13613040285492585556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436761719172193600.post-4514473923116155562012-11-01T14:29:00.000-07:002012-11-01T14:33:19.789-07:00Beignets and My Bucket List<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Last weekend we were cooped up in Ruby on the WA Coast at Grayland Beach State Park. It rained all three days that we were there. From buckets pouring sideways to soft heavy misting rain. Whenever there was a break in the clouds, we took advantage of it and walked on the beach. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Normally we wouldn't let the rain bother us,just suit up in our rain pants and parkas and turn our face to the rain. But we were both just at the tail end of horrible colds so that didn't seem like the wisest thing to do. Instead,we snuggled up under a cuddly sheepskin (faux of course) blanket and while J read, I started daydreaming. Mainly about sunshine but then I started thinking I never completed the bucket list I started when I was struggling with my Lyme Disease. Yes, horrible diseases will do that to you, make you realize you might not have tomorrow and you should just grab for it now. That's why we've been doing so much camping lately. We </span>don't<span style="font-family: inherit;"> want to just wait for J's retirement next Fall. So, even though we can't wander full time right now,we can wander and ramble with every free moment. And as far as I am concerned a little rambling and wandering vs none is a zillion times better. </span><br />
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">So back to the window I was gazing out of. I love to travel-it's in my soul,don't know where it came from or how I got that way. J thinks its a sign that I'm a closet escapist-I don't see anything wrong with that-it's a great gig if you can get it. Anyway while I was snuggled in with my Bailey's and coffee I started daydreaming about places to visit and things I wanted to do while I'm still able to walk this </span></span><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">glorious</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Earth. And I thought, perfect, now I will make my official bucket list. So Ta DA here it is. In no particular order, just a list of random things I would like to accomplish,complete,do in my lifetime. Anything catch your fancy? Anything we have in common ? What's at the top of your bucket list ?</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;"> MY BUCKET LIST</span><br />
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GO DANCING WITH J ANYWHERE IN PARIS WHILE WEARING A
DRESS LIKE THIS<br />
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DINE AT THE FRENCH LAUNDRY IN NAPA<br />
EAT TAPAS IN SPAIN<br />
DRIVE TO ALASKA AND SPEND 3 MONTHS CAMPING<br />
CATCH HALIBUT AND CRAB IN ALASKA<br />
BUY A PAIR OF CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN SHOES<br />
CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS IN NEW YORK<br />
CELEBRATE NEW YEARS EVE IN SYDNEY<br />
SPEND VALENTINES DAY IN A CABIN IN THE SNOW ANYWHERE WITH J<br />
RENT AN APARTMENT IN PARIS FOR A MONTH & DRINK CHAMPAGNE
EVERY NIGHT<br />
TAKE A TRIP TO BALI<br />
RETURN TO PROVENCE<br />
TAKE COOKING CLASSES IN PARIS, PROVENCE, SPAIN AND SAN
FRANCISCO<br />
SEE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS ANYWHERE REMOTELY CLOSE TO THE ARTIC
CIRCLE<br />
TRAVEL ALL OVER THE COUNTRY WITH MY SWEETIE FOR AT LEAST A
YEAR<br />
BE IN NEW YORK DURING A HUGE SNOWFALL<br />
VISIT NEW ENGLAND IN THE FALL<br />
LEARN TO PLAY PIANO OR SAXOPHONE<br />
LEARN TO SPEAK MUCH BETTER FRENCH<br />
LEARN TO SPEAK SPANISH OR ITALIAN<br />
LEARN TO PLAY CHESS<br />
LEARN TO MAKE A PERFECT CROISSANT<br />
LEARN TO PRACTICE YOGA<br />
WINE AND DINE OUR WAY THROUGH SAN FRANCISCO<br />
EAST AT CHEZ PANISSE<br />
SEE JIMMY BUFFET IN CONCERT JUST ONE MORE TIME<br />
VISIT FOLEGANDROS, GREECE AND SANTORINI<br />
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TAKE J TO NEW ORLEANS AND EAT BEIGNETS AT CAFÉ DU
MONDE<br />
EAT AT THE ZUNI CAFÉ IN SAN FRANCISCO<br />
FIND THE PERFECT LITTLE BLACK DRESS , WEAR IT WHILE EATING
CREPES IN PARIS<br />
LAY DOWN IN A LAVENDER FIELD IN SOUTHERN FRANCE<br />
DRINK BORDEAUX IN BORDEAUX<br />
EAT CANALES IN BORDEAUX<br />
HIKE PATAGONIA<br />
HIKE MACHU PICHU<br />
WATCH THE GLORIOUS SUNSETS WITH MY SWEETIE WHEREVER WE ARE<br />
GO SNOWSHOEING WITH MY SWEETIE AND HAVE A PICNIC IN THE SNOW<br />
LEARN TO HAND QUILT<br />
SKYDIVE JUST ONE MORE TIME<br />
BICYCLE THROUGH THE FRENCH WINE COUNTRY OR PROVENCE LIKE THIS
: <a href="http://gourmetcyclingtravel.com/bike-tours/provence-luxury">http://gourmetcyclingtravel.com/bike-tours/provence-luxury</a><br />
VISIT CAPE BRETON ISLAND IN NOVA SCOTIA<br />
VISIT ISTRIA IN CROATIA<br />
STAY AT THE ROMANTIC <span style="color: #252525;">CONRAD MALDIVES HOTEL ON RANGALI
ISLAND</span><br />
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GO BACK TO TASMANIA<br />
EAT A TON OF STONE CRAB CLAWS WITH CHAMPAGNE<br />
DRINK GUINNESS IN IRELAND<br />
VISIT THE ISLE OF MULL, SCOTLAND<br />
EVERYWHERE WE VISIT, FIND THE BEST STREET FOOD VENDORS<br />
SPEND THANKSGIVING OR CHRISTMAS IN A CABIN IN THE WOODS WITH
MY FAMILY<br />
GET TO THE OCEAN AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE<br />
WATCH THE PLEIADES METEOR SHOWER FROM A REMOTE WILDERNESS
AREA WITH MY SWEETIE<br />
LIVE EACH DAY AS THOUGH IT WERE THE LAST<br />
LEARN TO WATERCOLOR<br />
VOLUNTEER<br />
DRINK RED WINE, GOOD RED WINE AT LEAST ONCE PER WEEK<br />
LISTEN TO MUSIC AT EVERY MOMENT POSSIBLE<br />
WATCH THE RISE OF EVERY FULL MOON NO MATTER WHERE WE ARE<br />
DRIVE TO BAJA IN RUBY FOR AT LEAST A MONTH<br />
VISIT THE GEORGIA OKEEFE MUSEUM<br />
WATCH MORE FOREIGN FLICKS<br />
LIVE ON A BEACH ANYWHERE<br />
EAT AT ANY BOUCHON RESTAURANT<br />
LEARN TO MAKE PERFECT FRENCH FRIES<br />
SHOP MORE AT THE FARMERS MARKET<br />
EAT ORANGES IN VALENCIA, SPAIN<br />
LEARN TO FLY FISH<br />
SEND MY SWEETIE ON A FISHING TRIP TO ALASKA<br />
LEARN TO SURF AT LOS OLAS<br />
LEARN TO KNIT<br />
SWIM IN THE WATERS OF ROTTNEST ISLAND, WESTERN AUSTRALIA<o:p></o:p></div>
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Wow, that's a challenging bucket list 70+ items,but it's so much fun to put one together. It really starts to feel magical and it's such wonderful fodder for dreams. And then you start planning to make those dreams come true-what better way to spend a rainy day on the Washington Coast. I've decided to rename Grayland Beach State Park to Dreamland Beach State Park ! And all this Bucket List thinking has made me hungry; by the way , did you notice how many things on my list are food related ? With a hot Bailey's and coffee I think a beignet would be perfect . <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-_3hPi_lVEDVz3sntcCkkloLdW_T384hfMd23ZVIChFKRdqyMxpFzQXeNzQusjg83-dPW3RLp-NRnqaE0KGf4nPaCgdPVX0zk_5G_k3UwG_K2CbTLA6Y5Otg-seZQ6lZ93g3biIWIl1o/s1600/P1020358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="391" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-_3hPi_lVEDVz3sntcCkkloLdW_T384hfMd23ZVIChFKRdqyMxpFzQXeNzQusjg83-dPW3RLp-NRnqaE0KGf4nPaCgdPVX0zk_5G_k3UwG_K2CbTLA6Y5Otg-seZQ6lZ93g3biIWIl1o/s400/P1020358.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I was very fortunate to have my very first beignet in New Orleans. I was down there about one year after Hurricane Katrina, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity-not building but tearing down the interior of the houses because of all the damage from the hurricane. That was one challenging time for me-J and I had just split and I was in search of myself. Cliche, right ? Working in the 9th ward , shoveling out mud and muck,tearing down water soaked and bug infested insulation-all that made me so grateful for the life I had. And fortunately for me,it only took me two years to find myself and my way back to J. Before I left New Orleans I wandered into the French Market and found <a href="http://www.cafedumonde.com/history">Cafe Du Monde</a> and had my first powdery bite of a warm sweet beignet. Someday I will take J there and enjoy a cafe au lait and beignet with my love.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdYTc4fW7wZ6tqCJs6NQhSzrZHthkgPZPBUg_QGF5YXSjnP7dmMICUtc5P5a10JsalSpYdmhmc1WYIHf5Ig4NcicACdobC8tPAaePw1sxX08X-aPu_1gL0NCp1inXGeIhgsSnQt356WRM/s1600/P1020353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdYTc4fW7wZ6tqCJs6NQhSzrZHthkgPZPBUg_QGF5YXSjnP7dmMICUtc5P5a10JsalSpYdmhmc1WYIHf5Ig4NcicACdobC8tPAaePw1sxX08X-aPu_1gL0NCp1inXGeIhgsSnQt356WRM/s400/P1020353.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe-Tools/Print/Recipe.aspx?recipeID=7179&origin=detail&servings=10&metric=false">Beignets </a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Adapted from <a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe-Tools/Print/Recipe.aspx?recipeID=7179&origin=detail&servings=10&metric=false">Allrecipes.com</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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Ingredients:<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">/45 degrees C)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 cup white sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 teaspoon salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 eggs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup evaporated milk</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">7 cups all-purpose flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/4 cup shortening</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 quart vegetable oil for frying</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/4 cup confectioners' sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Directions:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water (110 degrees F). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Add sugar, salt, eggs, evaporated milk, and blend well. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mix in 4 cups of the flour and beat until smooth. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Add the shortening, and then the remaining 3 cups of flour. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cover and chill for up to 24 hours.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Roll out dough 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 2 1/2 inch squares. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Fry in 360 degree F (180 degrees C) hot oil. Your beignets should float to the surface of the oil within 8-12 seconds as an indication your oil is hot enough.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Drain onto paper towels.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Shake confectioners' sugar on hot beignets. Serve warm.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVaygAPZuhZI70WkN3-Mz9XMt_TaXPsm3pD0XDG4pbyXKZHzwZM5N5U0mgnGao87H62ghsNwVxCxzTfH-r1bKjHetkgPI19t4z_veI_f9lzlVzCKhWho3i0ndnE8TiiOWSLU7lRAqxVX0/s1600/P1020350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVaygAPZuhZI70WkN3-Mz9XMt_TaXPsm3pD0XDG4pbyXKZHzwZM5N5U0mgnGao87H62ghsNwVxCxzTfH-r1bKjHetkgPI19t4z_veI_f9lzlVzCKhWho3i0ndnE8TiiOWSLU7lRAqxVX0/s400/P1020350.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This dough keeps very well, up to 1 week in the refrigerator. If you get tired of eating beignets (which I can't even imagine) you can roll the </span>dough<span style="font-family: inherit;"> out and make cinnamon rolls from it !</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I think I'll have another beignet ,Bailey's and coffee and a little more daydreaming......</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Sit in reverie and watch the changing color of the waves that break upon the idle seashore of the mind. ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow</i></span></span></div>
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Roadtrek Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13613040285492585556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436761719172193600.post-39375086709852229072012-10-22T14:51:00.002-07:002012-10-22T14:51:37.941-07:00Pistachios and Memories <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Pistachios were always a treat growing up . My mom loved them and got me addicted to them. In those days the only way to buy pistachios was with Red Dye number something or other . I grew up thinking pistachios were naturally red. Of course I've learned the real story about red pistachios, but honestly,even with the crazy chemicals in the red dye I miss those stained red fingers, red lips and red teeth. That was one treat you could never sneak a bite of, your fingers and lips gave you away immediately. I rarely buy pistachios in their shell anymore-one of those childhood treats that has fallen by the wayside. Now when I buy pistachios it's usually for something I'm baking. After I saw these beautiful <a href="http://whiteonricecouple.com/recipes/pistachio-olive-oil-mini-tea-cakes/">Pistachio and Olive Oil Teacakes on White on Rice's</a> blog I found myself hurrying out to the grocery store to buy pistachios ! The original recipe for these was for a lovely bread found on the beautiful blog: <a href="http://farmtotablegeek.com/">Farm to Table Geek</a> .<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEABRb5AQCLr75Nc_6SKLgcEgnOqtZ6gLcBicUOLViAH054slZvSPCZA_xTSBhJoF34eHyrP9ypGG49dyRWQpIgQn4vPMzZlBMsXzye6OVRXwfePhwjmkt1t8660tBHUTqHkrqSNBmgSw/s1600/P1010878.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEABRb5AQCLr75Nc_6SKLgcEgnOqtZ6gLcBicUOLViAH054slZvSPCZA_xTSBhJoF34eHyrP9ypGG49dyRWQpIgQn4vPMzZlBMsXzye6OVRXwfePhwjmkt1t8660tBHUTqHkrqSNBmgSw/s640/P1010878.jpg" width="472" /></a></div>
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Want the recipe for the Pistachio Olive Oil Teacakes ? <a href="http://whiteonricecouple.com/recipes/pistachio-olive-oil-mini-tea-cakes/">Click here and visit WhiteOnRice.</a> I decided to add a little orange glaze to my tea cakes, it added just a little bit more moisture and really enhanced the taste of the pistachios.<br />
<b style="line-height: normal;">Orange Glaze</b><br />
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<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 22px;">2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup powdered sugar</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mix the orange juice and powdered sugar until no lumps remain. Drizzle over the Pistachio cakes .</span></div>
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Roadtrek Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13613040285492585556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436761719172193600.post-16769199882120880582012-10-12T15:37:00.000-07:002012-10-12T15:37:18.041-07:00Butter Pecan Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream and Candied Pecans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Woke up to fog this morning and rain this afternoon. Yes I'm whining about the weather-again. Don't get me wrong, I am so very grateful for the gorgeous extended summer weather we have been enjoying but I wanted it to last, at least until March ! I'm glad we went <a href="http://www.roadtrekgirl.blogspot.com/2012/10/cougar-rock-mount-rainier-national-park.html">camping last weekend at Mount Rainier</a>, and got to enjoy what now appears to have been the end of Summer as we know it. Fall in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest is pretty spectacular-the way the fog rolls in over the sound; all the gorgeous maple and oaks changing colors; sunny crisp days and cool snugly nights-okay so it's not so bad.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">One of the nicest things about the weather changing is all the projects I can accomplish while staying inside. Like baking Butter Pecan Cupcakes. This recipe has been on my "Want to bake" list forever. I'm not even sure where the recipe originated. I was on <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/99571841732710692/">Pinterest</a> this morning (yes I'm one of those people) and spotted a picture of butter pecan cupcakes with Swiss buttercream and candied pecans and knew I just had to make these today. Butter Pecan Ice Cream is one of my favorites and I thought the flavor would be outstanding in a cupcake. I also didn't want the frosting to over power the cupcake so I thought Vanilla buttercream would be perfect (also one of my favorites). And just to dress it up a bit-the candied pecans. Yes it's 3 components you have to put together-but they aren't complicated. Trust me-have I ever led you down the wrong road ?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So until the fog burns off (not looking like it will ), I will be in the kitchen putting these little lovelies together. Enjoy !</span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: inherit;">Butter Pecan Cupcakes</span></strong><br />
<em><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yield: 24 cupcakes</span></em><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 1/4 cups butter </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 cups chopped pecans </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">3 cups flour </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 tsp baking powder </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 tsp salt </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 cups sugar </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">4 eggs </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup milk </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 tsp vanilla </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Preheat the oven to 350 F and line your muffin pans with cupcake liners </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Melt 1/4 cup butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the pecans and brown the butter and pecans for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant.(Caution-pay very close attention to browning the butter with the pecans-they can go from fragrant to stinky burnt in the blink of an eye). Remove from heat and set aside. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In another large bowl cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.Add the eggs two at a time to the creamed butter and sugar component, mixing well after each addition. Add half of the flour mixture and mix well .</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Add the milk and vanilla, again mixing well. Mix in the rest of the flour and then fold in the pecans . Fill your cupcake liners to just a little over 1/2 full but not 3/4 full-or they will overflow.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Bake for 18 - 22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into a cupcake </span><br />
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<span class="c4"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>Vanilla Bean Swiss Meringue Buttercream</strong></span></span></div>
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<em>Yield: 5 cups</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">5 large egg whites</span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar</span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pinch of salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 lb. (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room
temperature</span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">2 teaspoons vanilla extract</span><br />
1 Tablespoon vanilla bean paste (Optional)<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">To make the frosting, combine the egg whites, sugar and salt
in a double boiler or heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Heat, whisking
frequently, until the mixture reaches 160° F and the sugar has dissolved. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated. If the frosting looks curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more (don't panic at the separated appearance, it will come together!) Stir in the vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste and mix until incorporated. </span><br />
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<em>Note: If you have trouble with your buttercream head over to </em><a href="http://sweetapolita.com/2011/04/swiss-meringue-buttercream-demystified/"><em>Sweetapolita's blog.</em></a><em> Not only is this a blogalicious blog, she has a great recipe for Swiss Buttercream along with step by step instructions.</em><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>Candied Butter Pecans</strong></span><br />
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<em>Yield: 1 cup</em></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">3/4 teaspoon granulated sugar </span></div>
<div sizcache04186381889700073="12" sizset="2" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/8 teaspoon salt </span></div>
<div sizcache04186381889700073="12" sizset="3" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/4 teaspoon cinnamon </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 pinch nutmeg </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 tablespoon butter </span></div>
<div sizcache04186381889700073="12" sizset="6" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 tablespoon maple syrup </span></div>
<div sizcache04186381889700073="12" sizset="7" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup pecans </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Preheat oven to 375
degrees.
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mix sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small bowl and set aside. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Saute butter and maple syrup in a large pan, and bring to a boil. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Remove from heat. Add nuts and toss to coat. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Transfer nuts to a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the top of the nuts and toss gently to coat; don't over toss because the sugar will dissolve and won't stick to the top of the nuts. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Spread out the nuts ensuring they are not touching one another. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Toast in the oven for 5 minutes. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Let nuts cool completely. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />Roadtrek Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13613040285492585556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436761719172193600.post-55416402118457834512012-09-29T19:36:00.000-07:002012-09-29T19:36:48.388-07:00My Favorite Doughnut Muffins from a Blogger Missing in Action <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On July 8 I posted Where in the World is Seattle Pastry Girl ? And then I disappeared for 12 weeks. I would love to say I was out on camping adventures the entire time, but unfortunately I had an adventure of a different kind. It's funny I can call it an adventure now because while it was happening it definitely wasn't an adventure. So in that July 8th blog posting I told you about the fabulous "Ruby", our RV that we had brought back from California. Well , besides bringing Ruby back I brought back something else-<a href="http://www.webmd.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/arthritis-lyme-disease">Lyme Disease</a>. One of those nasty- nasty 6 legged deer ticks also known as Ixodes pacificus found me somewhere in Northern California-most likely Big Sur where we did most of our hiking. I didn't even know I had been "bitten".<br />
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Long story short, about a week and a half after returning from our trip I felt like I was getting the flu-except a horrible version of it. Terrible achiness,excruciating headache,killer neck pain,fever, pain through out my body so bad I couldn't stand to have a blanket touch me, super sensitivity to sound-my sweetie could barely talk to me without the sound of his voice causing pain and no desire to eat or even drink water. Any attempts would make me feel even worse. I went to the emergency room and was sent home with the diagnosis: "a virus of some sort" . This was after they did a spinal tap and eliminated meningitis. The symptoms came and went until a week later when they got even worse and prompted another visit to the emergency room. More tests and again sent home with pain pills and the "virus diagnosis". Symptoms were up and down, until the 3rd week,just when I thought they couldn't get any worse they did and back to the emergency room for my 3rd visit. Hallelujah, a Doctor who finally said-you have something, we don't know what it is but I'm not sending you home until we figure it out! So they admitted me to the hospital .<br />
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I had just started to develop a <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/signs_symptoms/index.html">bull's eye</a> type rash on my back and other rashes were popping up all over. An infectious disease specialist and an internist were brought in to take over. Those 4 days were the most challenging days I have ever experienced. Until I was finally diagnosed, I would fall into my pain medication induced sleep not knowing if I was going to wake up in the morning . I always thought that if life threw me a curve ball in the form of a life changing disease I would be one of those quietly strong brave people who would tackle it head on and fight it with grace and dignity. Oh, that couldn't have been further from the truth-I learned how frightened and scared I was and bravery and grace were far far removed from my experience. I didn't give up but I did give in to the overwhelming fear of what was going on and spent a lot of time crying . You have to realize that each day the doctors would show up and let me know what they thought my diagnosis could be-and these weren't diseases you recovered from-they were diseases you either died from or they were diseases that would result in lifelong challenges with no happy endings in sight. The day my doctors walked in and confirmed Lyme Disease,as bad as I felt physically,mentally I was doing the Snoopy Happy Dance.<br />
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I was released from the hospital on July 27 with nothing but good thoughts about recovery on my mind. But whoa,another roadblock- a nasty little blood clot formed while I was trying to get better in the hospital. Just another challenge to overcome. So here I am today,feeling pretty good about the Lyme Disease- experiencing some joint issues that I'm told will clear up over the next 6 months to 1 year and my clotting level is finally stabilized so the whole blood clot treatment should be over and done with in 3-6months ! As frustrating and frightening as these last few weeks have been I do feel truly blessed-there is a happy ending in sight and I've had a wonderful family and loving friends to support me and lean on. So I guess this really wasn't a long story short kind of thing-thanks for bearing with me. Today I feel wonderful-I turned in my notice at work,Sept 6 was my last day and we just finished a very relaxing and rejuvenating trip to the San Juan Islands and British Columbia. You can read about those adventures on my new blog : <a href="http://www.roadtrekgirl.blogspot.com/">www.roadtrekgirl.blogspot.com</a></div>
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See what I mean,very blessed ! To celebrate getting back to "normal" I making one of my favorite treats. I love doughnuts but don't particularly care for frying . So years ago when I discovered doughnut muffins I fell in love with them. I've made them <a href="http://seattlepastrygirl.blogspot.com/2010/06/i-have-need-for-nutmeg.html">before</a> (an PS I like the recipe I used <a href="http://seattlepastrygirl.blogspot.com/2010/06/i-have-need-for-nutmeg.html">before</a> better than this one )and have never been disappointed. Great for weekend guests ! This recipe is from <a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/doughnut-muffins-recipe">King Arthur Flour</a>-enjoy !</div>
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<a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/doughnut-muffins-recipe">Doughnut Muffins</a></div>
<span id="Instructions">Yield: 12 muffins.</span> <br />
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<strong>Batter</strong></div>
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1/4 cup butter</div>
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1/4 cup vegetable oil</div>
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1/2 cup granulated sugar</div>
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1/3 cup brown sugar</div>
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2 large eggs</div>
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1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder</div>
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1/4 teaspoon baking soda</div>
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1 to 1 1/4 teaspoons ground nutmeg, to taste</div>
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3/4 teaspoon salt</div>
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract</div>
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2 2/3 cups all purpose flour</div>
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1 cup milk</div>
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<strong>Cinnamon Sugar Topping</strong></div>
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8 oz. (16 Tbs.) unsalted butter; more as needed </div>
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2 cups sugar </div>
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2 Tbs. ground cinnamon </div>
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<strong>Alternate Glaze Topping</strong></div>
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3 tablespoons butter; melted</div>
1 cup confectioners’ sugar; sifted<br />
3/4 teaspoon vanilla<br />
2 tablespoons hot water<br />
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<strong>To make the muffins</strong></div>
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<tr id="InstructionSet"><td colspan="1" rowspan="1"><span id="Instructions">Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin. Or line with 12 paper or silicone muffin cups, and grease the cups with non-stick vegetable oil spray; this will ensure that they peel off the muffins nicely. </span></td></tr>
<tr id="InstructionSet"><td colspan="1" rowspan="1"><span id="Instructions">In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter, vegetable oil, and sugars till smooth.</span></td></tr>
<tr id="InstructionSet"><td colspan="1" rowspan="1"><span id="Instructions">Add the eggs, beating to combine.</span></td></tr>
<tr id="InstructionSet"><td colspan="1" rowspan="1"><span id="Instructions">Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla. </span></td></tr>
<tr id="InstructionSet"><td colspan="1" rowspan="1"><span id="Instructions">Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined. </span></td></tr>
<tr id="InstructionSet"><td colspan="1" rowspan="1"><span id="Instructions">Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan, filling the cups nearly full. A #16 ice-cream scoop gives you the perfect amount</span></td></tr>
<tr id="InstructionSet"><td colspan="1" rowspan="1"><span id="Instructions">Bake the muffins for 15 to 17 minutes, or until they're a pale golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean.</span></td></tr>
<tr id="InstructionSet"><td colspan="1" rowspan="1"><span id="Instructions">Remove them from the oven, and let them cool for a couple of minutes, or until you can handle them. </span><br />
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<strong>To finish with Cinnamon Sugar Dipping Mixture:</strong><br />
While they're cooling, melt the butter for the topping (this is easily done in the microwave). </td></tr>
<tr id="InstructionSet"><td colspan="1" rowspan="1"><span id="Instructions">Use a pastry brush to paint the top of each muffin with the butter, then sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar. Or simply dip the tops of muffins into the melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon-sugar.</span></td></tr>
<tr id="InstructionSet"><td colspan="1" rowspan="1"><span id="Instructions">Serve warm, or cool on a rack and wrap airtight. Store for a day or so at room temperature.</span></td></tr>
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<strong>To finish with the Glaze:</strong></div>
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In a medium bowl, prepare the glaze by mixing together the melted butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and water. Whisk until smooth. When muffins have cooled slightly, dip the muffin crown into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden. If you like you can glaze them twice for a sweeter topping.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJbq1z37XRECOAXzB96U5NIHByE_ZcnJnQNrdOyA8d5Fv7BZ9se3Zdb1AEr3tLFsfaOtdOtAwYFIxP18YIN8moFK55mVeMNPCAYkdraTmvSvjZxfaA3sag1tFHqJ4yXT98VOOXD1VLeiY/s1600/P1010805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJbq1z37XRECOAXzB96U5NIHByE_ZcnJnQNrdOyA8d5Fv7BZ9se3Zdb1AEr3tLFsfaOtdOtAwYFIxP18YIN8moFK55mVeMNPCAYkdraTmvSvjZxfaA3sag1tFHqJ4yXT98VOOXD1VLeiY/s640/P1010805.jpg" width="626" /></a></div>
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I made these in my tiny little kitchen in <a href="http://www.roadtrekgirl.blogspot.com/2012/09/ruby-and-roadtrek-girl-beginning.html">Ruby our Sprinter van</a>. This is the extent of my mise en place ! You can read about the trip and my experience baking in the RV kitchen over at my other blog : <a href="http://www.roadtrekgirl.blogspot.com/">www.Roadtrekgirl.blogspot.com</a>.<br />
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Roadtrek Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13613040285492585556noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436761719172193600.post-21062947268376887492012-07-08T16:32:00.000-07:002012-07-08T16:32:02.454-07:00Where in the World is Seattle Pastry Girl ?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFjqOTQULJyxU07c5KZ9tSOn4cJfAnpvyp5UySajQ6g3a2V2i5G4PH81hbNgEgQjrsgc3ocKSYuOPZv6LepFaLMNxqq7aCyU3M_n3EhxqjvV-NMClfmnhy390VIceYUZYziJkN_v1GavA/s1600/P1010366.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFjqOTQULJyxU07c5KZ9tSOn4cJfAnpvyp5UySajQ6g3a2V2i5G4PH81hbNgEgQjrsgc3ocKSYuOPZv6LepFaLMNxqq7aCyU3M_n3EhxqjvV-NMClfmnhy390VIceYUZYziJkN_v1GavA/s640/P1010366.jpg" width="636" /></a></div>
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<em>Sherman & Kathy & Jim & Homer aka Ruby</em></div>
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Oh I've been a bad blogger,no posts since June 26. But I have a good excuse-honest-I've been away from the kitchen for a bit ,planning our retirement. Guess I'm not so good at multi tasking! But this planning also involved some activity which resulted in me being in WiFi dead zones for a bit and once I got home I was so excited about what was going on that ,GASP ,baking took a back seat. So what could be so distracting ? Well for the past 7 months J and I have gotten very serious about how and where we want to spend our retirement and we narrowed it down to exotic living in Costa Rica or Belize or buying some type of RV to travel the country in for at least a year. And while I can definitely envision myself sitting on a beach in a tropical location with a mojito in one hand and my Kindle in the other, I cannot envision myself being so far away from my family and loved ones. So guess which of the 3 finalists won out-yes it was the RV. Or as one of my loving and funny friends referred to it as the "Westin on Wheels".<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-D9xZbTM44MPDiY_T8yG33mN9uBHW8dt20GVCnTrYGdU1K3e7PHeIprWuuPFx6W_KW8-21hz9kRNgPgSHn92DmUr3-sNL_rYgufsKHv-9R2G1bKnBD1yg0FC83hjm4TQx1t7-P3tw6Y/s1600/P1010461.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-D9xZbTM44MPDiY_T8yG33mN9uBHW8dt20GVCnTrYGdU1K3e7PHeIprWuuPFx6W_KW8-21hz9kRNgPgSHn92DmUr3-sNL_rYgufsKHv-9R2G1bKnBD1yg0FC83hjm4TQx1t7-P3tw6Y/s640/P1010461.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<em>Stopping for breakfast along Monterey's 17 Mile Drive</em></div>
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J and I have always love traveling around the country and camping out. It was after a very wet 3 days of tent camping at <a href="http://www.wellsgray.ca/">Wells Grey Park</a> in Canada when I crawled out of the tent and said please no more tent camping. So J indulged me and we bought one of those little pop up campers-we've lived with that for10-15years now and have been quite happy. But I've been so envious of the folks that just pull into the campsite, open the door and voila they have set up camp. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9npjoHQyNNCtfSHYQA0613mChY3nSuuKVgHWb_wenjIhhr9InFNQmKatpm9lnYuu5eXZlCQ_EisaNLGno65MPSu-k9sauWJR4rSEuBvqdvRlwxDmiUu7DKK1Vh4tr8D-y66LULitUh8A/s1600/P1010512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9npjoHQyNNCtfSHYQA0613mChY3nSuuKVgHWb_wenjIhhr9InFNQmKatpm9lnYuu5eXZlCQ_EisaNLGno65MPSu-k9sauWJR4rSEuBvqdvRlwxDmiUu7DKK1Vh4tr8D-y66LULitUh8A/s640/P1010512.jpg" width="548" /></a></div>
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<em>"I like mine with lettuce and tomato<br />Heinz 57 and french fried potatoes<br />Big kosher pickle and a cold draft beer<br />Well good god almighty which way do I steer for my cheeseburger in paradise<br />Makin' the best of every virtue and vice "-Jimmy Buffett</em></div>
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We knew we didn't want some giant 45ft bus and we started looking at VW Camper vans but didn't know how long the marriage would last in such a small amount of space. Then we discovered Sprinter camping vans through <a href="http://www.roadtrek.com/default.aspx#">Roadtrek</a> and the bells and whistles started ringing all over the place. We found our home. For the last 7 months we have been searching Craiglist all over the country and tons of other sites until we found Ruby. Ruby was living in Santa Barbara so we flew down to bring her back home with us. We changed her name-she used to be Homer-not Simpson, but Homer the ancient Greek poet of the Iliad and the Odyssey . A beautiful name and lovely name but we had to make her our own. </div>
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<em>There's no place like home</em></div>
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And we liked Ruby, as in the Wizard of Oz Ruby Slippers,as in Glinda the Good Witch telling Dorothy that she always had the power to return home, but that she needed to learn for herself that she didn't have to run away to find her heart's desire. Click your heels together 3 times and repeat "There's no place like home, there's no place like home". We both loved the notion that with Ruby we could return home anytime we wanted and that in fact Ruby would be home for us !<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZhkh8U0CDhuTGiMmcheefjomqrd4JZBpe0Rt5V2l6fs0UYaLDdC4AMOIdDYcp8fYS22RRVLbA24oAeA-oWpuMFbdZ-xzIScsFk1DK1X21ISHf0aL7VY0XbSN3xUiyk4OmxMJnkaj2dQ/s1600/P1010498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZhkh8U0CDhuTGiMmcheefjomqrd4JZBpe0Rt5V2l6fs0UYaLDdC4AMOIdDYcp8fYS22RRVLbA24oAeA-oWpuMFbdZ-xzIScsFk1DK1X21ISHf0aL7VY0XbSN3xUiyk4OmxMJnkaj2dQ/s640/P1010498.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<em>One year on the road crossing the country -that's our plan-always taking the road less traveled !</em></div>
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We aren't officially retiring until next year but we will be doing lots of shakedown trips to get very familiar with Ruby because once we sell the house we are off for at least a year of exploring this beautiful country,Canada and Mexico. And I will be challenging myself to see what I can bake and cook in my little kitchen and share both the travel and cooking adventures with you.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifgAja4VVGFmqUl0m3dCAqkG3sEncZ2XRghtNFIA9gfpxd5S-h4ZemmSRprvxrkhdJCYBlRkycXLt_iFvF5yMVV4sgZ-LBtoBw4v8nnXra7d347C0GafoTfNWcug8vvvLMm3Ponl5uTqY/s1600/oven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifgAja4VVGFmqUl0m3dCAqkG3sEncZ2XRghtNFIA9gfpxd5S-h4ZemmSRprvxrkhdJCYBlRkycXLt_iFvF5yMVV4sgZ-LBtoBw4v8nnXra7d347C0GafoTfNWcug8vvvLMm3Ponl5uTqY/s400/oven.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<em>My galley kitchen with refrigerator,propane stove,sink and oven that is convection,conventional and microwave !</em></div>
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Here's a little more pictures of our first road trip with Ruby, if I haven't bored you to death with these already ! We left Santa Barbara late evening about 5pm so our first stop wasn't too far north in <a href="http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=594">Morro Bay</a>. Next day we took our time and really enjoyed the winding road up through Big Sur-stopped and camped at <a href="http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=570">Pfeiffer Big Sur Camp Ground</a>. Took off for Monterey and absolutely had to drive the gorgeous <a href="http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-most-scenic-roads/4">17 Mile Drive</a> and oh and ah over the homes along the way. We made a little detour through Wine Country and stopped at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=436513016388275&id=100000887405660#!/starlitevineyards">Starlite Vineyards</a> in Geyserville-stop by if you are anywhere near Geyersville-their wines are absolutely deliciously incredible,especially the Cabernet ! Heading further north,we entered Redwood country and stayed at <a href="http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=422">Richardson Grove State Park</a>. Then onto the Oregon Coast,where boo hoo, the first time we hit rain. It was still incredibly beautiful and we stopped at one of our favorite campgrounds-<a href="http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_122.php">Beachside</a>, just outside of Yachats. We used to tent camp there all the time and the pop up camper saw it's share of fun there too. We headed home to Seattle . We can't believe our good fortune and our so grateful for the blessings we continue to experience.<br />
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<embed id="vp1Ei2Bn" src="http://static.animoto.com/swf/w.swf?w=swf/vp1&e=1341790229&f=Ei2BnB5bX50RNUA1I4dWLw&d=92&m=a&r=360p&volume=100&start_res=360p&i=m&options=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="432" height="240"></embed></object></div>Roadtrek Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13613040285492585556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436761719172193600.post-71865345317015683542012-06-26T22:36:00.000-07:002012-06-26T22:36:46.923-07:00Mexican Cooking with Cindy Pawlcyn - The Pantry at Delancey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I really don't want to sound all gushey with this post but it's going to be hard to avoid-this class rocked ! Of course I went into it very excited-who wouldn't be-the opportunity to learn from <a href="http://mustardsgrill.com/our-team">Cindy Pawlcyn</a> - you often don't get opportunities like this. I wasn't going to let this one pass me by. And I'm so glad I took my sister with me. It was an incredible 1st experience for her with The Pantry at Delancey.<br />
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I've been in awe of Cindy Pawlcyn for some time. Her <a href="http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef-masters/bio/cindy-pawlcyn">bio</a> on the internet summarizes her experience very well:<br />
<em>Cindy Pawlcyn is widely recognized as a pioneer of wine </em><em>country cooking and one of the first proponents of the farm to table philosophy. Pawlcyn began cooking at the tender age of 13-years-old, and through college and self-study was able to work alongside the likes of James Beard and Julia Child. Pawlcyn is the author of five widely acclaimed cookbooks – The Fog City Diner Cookbook, Mustards Grill</em><em> Napa Valley Cookbook, Big Small Plates,Cindy Pawlcyn’s Appetizers and her newest,Cindy's Supper Club . She is also the executive chef and owner of three Napa Valley restaurants –<a href="http://www.cindysbackstreetkitchen.com/"> Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen</a>, <a href="http://brassicanapavalley.com/">Brassica,</a> and <a href="http://mustardsgrill.com/">Mustards Grill</a> each of which uses her extensive kitchen gardens.</em><br />
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We squeezed a lot of cooking in to a short period of time and created fabulous food with direction from Cindy. I can still taste the warm egg yolk in the <a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/recipes/ci_20859531/recipe-huevos-motule-241-os">Huevos Motuleños</a>. And the halibut with tomato habañero and citrus was incredible and so fresh. We made a spicy smoky hot chipotle salsa that was poured over the Huevos Motuleños. Dessert was a Yucatan inspired tiramisu made with Mexican chocolate -absolutely to die for. When my sister and I left ,we felt like we should have walked home to work off those calories ! It was a very special evening-another good vibe from fellow classmates. Cindy was such a calming influence and so free with sharing all her cooking tips and kitchen stories. Another great evening at The Pantry at Delancy.<br />
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Cindy starting to plate the Huevos Motuleños</div>
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How scrumptious do the finished Huevos Motuleños look ?</div>
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The halibut with tomato habañero and citrus</div>
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Cindy putting the finishing touch of whipped cream on the tiramisu</div>
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The tiramisu with sugared almond topping-so very very good !</div>
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The recipes for the food we made were pretty straightforward-easy to follow and nothing too complicated. I especially liked that many of the components could be made a day or two ahead-thus freeing you up to enjoy your dinner guests ! If you want the recipes for everything we made in class buy Cindy's Book <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/ealotr-20/detail/1607740249">-"Cindy's Supper Club"</a>. I was lucky-my birthday is just around the corner so my sweet sister bought a copy for me for my birthday-perfect way to end a perfect class !<br />
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<br /></div>Roadtrek Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13613040285492585556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436761719172193600.post-91220708985627701762012-06-19T16:54:00.001-07:002012-06-19T18:19:37.431-07:00French Strawberry Cake-TWD Baking with Julia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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How could I resist this recipe ? Anything that has the word strawberry in it goes straight to the top of my list. Especially this time of year when strawberries are showing up at the farmer's markets and look so pretty in their little green baskets. I discovered the Hood River variety of strawberries on a recent jaunt to the Portland State University Farmer's Market-sad to say I have not been able to find them locally so far (too fragile to transport) , I continue to look.</div>
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I purchased Albion strawberries this weekend from the West Seattle Market-they are very sweet, but still nothing comes close to the Hood River berries I covet. I'm also in search of Shuksan strawberries,another one with a short shelf life and difficult to transport. I think I have convinced J that a road trip to Portland is in the cards to search for my beloved Hood River Strawberries! If and when I find either variety you can count on my buying several flats and then it will be strawberrypalooza at our house for a while.<br />
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This recipe is a basic genoise with whipped cream and strawberries. A genoise is a whole egg sponge cake that instead of using leavening,it uses air suspended in the batter to give volume to the cake. You handle the egg batter very gently as you are whisking so that you create enough volume but not too much. And again a gentle touch is needed when folding in the dry ingredients. If you are gentle and follow directions and keep an eye on the oven you should easily succeed with your genoise. I made a few little changes to the basic recipe-I used my rhubarb simple syrup that I had on hand instead of creating the one called for in the recipe. I also used the home made mascarpone I brought back from my <a href="http://www.seattlepastrygirl.blogspot.com/2012/06/goat-cheese-asparagus-prosciutto-pie.html">cheese making workshop</a> at <span style="color: #990000;"><a href="http://quillisascut.com/">Quillisascut Farm</a></span> in place of the cream cheese in the recipe.<br />
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Thanks to Sophia at <a href="http://sophiasbaking.blogspot.com/2012/06/twd-french-strawberry-cake.html">Sophia's Sweets</a> and Allison at <a href="http://thinklovesleepdine.blogspot.com/2012/06/twd-french-strawberry-cake.html">Think,Love,Sleep,Dine</a> for hosting this delicious recipe. You can find the recipe on Sophia's blog or even more fun,buy the book: <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/ealotr-20/detail/0688146570">Baking with Julia</a> and join the group, <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">Tuesdays with Dorie</a>. Head over to our <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/2012/06/18/lyl-french-strawberry-cake/">TWD blog</a> to see how everyone's cakes turned out.<br />
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I had the absolute pleasure of attending a <a href="http://quillisascut.com/cheese-workshop/">Cheese Making</a> Workshop at the <a href="http://quillisascut.com/">Quillisascut Farm School</a> in Rice, Washington. It could not have been any more perfect. It's about a 6hour drive north east of Seattle and the weather cooperated-I had the most gorgeous blue skies the entire way. To call the route scenic is an understatement. I watched Lenore Lake go by, then Blue Lake and then the grandest of all Lake Roosevelt. I had never been to this picture postcard area of Washington before and it was astounding-breathtaking doesn't do it justice. I kept my radio off and listened instead to the birds chirping and singing as I slowed for the sharp turns; watched a hawk's shadow cross the road and hood of my car; saw two little does peeking out from the pines and more deep blue lupine than I had seen in a very long time. <br />
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The smell of the pines in the high dessert brought back so many memories of a favorite camping spot outside of Flagstaff,Arizona. And then when I drove up the dirt road leading to the farm and spotted the red roof my heart was so happy. I felt so grateful for my good fortune and for being able to enjoy a trip like this in a place like this-it was magical. Everything was sparkling and glistening in the bright sun. Lora Lea Misterly and her husband Rick started the farm over thirty years ago and their spirit and love permeates every inch of the property. You feel so special that you are invited in to share a very special time with them.<br />
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Our class was taught by Lora Lea and was completely hands on. Our group consisted of a pastry chef from San Francisco; a landscaper from Driggs,ID; a wonderful local teacher; an incredibly traveled local husband and wife team; a wellness nurse and a woman who had gotten married on top of the Tetons. We all had one thing in common-we love cheese ! And we were not disappointed. We started with a little cheese tasting. Cheeses included several types of Chevre ,ricotta, mozzarella, Provolone,along with pickled jalapeno peppers,pickled mustard seeds,raisin bread and crackers with jam.<br />
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I never thought that by the end of the workshop I would be able to make all of the cheeses we tasted. Lora Lea has been doing this for over thirty years and she gently guided us through the process without making us feel that the recipe was what was driving us. The recipe was the guide-she wanted us to see and feel and smell what the cheese was like during every stage of the process-something you can't learn from recipe.<br />
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<em>Lora Lea</em></div>
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The time went by so quickly, between Friday afternoon and Saturday afternoon it was hard to believe we had learned how to make farmer's cheese; ricotta,cottage cheese,mascarpone,feta,provolone,cow's milk mozzarella; goat's milk mozzarella; Havarti and sweet cream butter. It truly was magical-we all came together,laughing and learning and sharing stories-time flew. And the meals we ate in between cheese making sessions was absolutely delicious.<br />
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Steen our chef,is a creative chef from Spokane. She cooked us some incredible meals. Even though I loved the chicken and roasted duck my favorite had to be the chili she made and the corn bread that she "threw together"-so very good. It was sad to say good bye to everyone, I felt like I was leaving friends behind . I was sent home with tomato plants along with the cheeses we made. When I got home I showed of my hand made cheeses like a small child at show and tell. While at the farmer's market today I saw some beautiful asparagus and started thinking about how I could use that with some of the cheese I brought home from the workshop. So I came up with the idea of combining the mozzarella,both the cow's milk and goat's milk along with a little ricotta, a little feta ,some basil,olive oil and prosciutto. I initially was going to make a pizza but decided to make little hand pies filled with the cheese goodness. It was heartwarming to combine Kate McDermott's recipe with the cheeses I learned to make from Lora Lea -it just felt right to bring the two together. The hand pies turned out very good and brought back the aromas of the kitchen at <a href="http://quillisascut.com/blog/">Quillisascut Farm</a> and Kate's <a href="http://artofthepie.com/artofthepie/Welcome.html">cottage kitchen</a> in Port Angeles.<br />
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<strong>Goat Cheese,Asparagus and Prosciutto Pie</strong><br />
<a href="http://artofthepie.com/wordpress/crust/flour-salt-fat-and-water/">Kate McDermott's Pie Crust Recipe</a> <br />
16 pieces of Prosciutto<br />
16 Asparagus tips-about 3" long<br />
1 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella Cheese<br />
4 -6 oz. mix of Feta,Ricotta and Goat Cheese<br />
4 Tablespoons olive oil<br />
3 cloves garlic crushed<br />
1/4 - 1/3 cup fresh chopped basil leaves<br />
ground black pepper<br />
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Wrap a slice of prosciutto around each Asparagus tip and set aside. Mix the mozzarella,goat cheese,olive oil,garlic and basil. Add fresh ground pepper to taste. When you roll the first piece of pie dough out use a 3-4 inch circle to cut out the pie base. Spoon on about 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture and top each with 2 of the wrapped asparagus slices. Then wet the outside edge of the dough just slightly and place the top dough layer over (like a ravioli). Press the edges together and seal with the tines of a fork. Brush on a little egg wash,sprinkle with some more ground black pepper and gently pierce the top of the pie with the tines of the fork. Place in the oven and bake at 400F for 10 minutes then lower oven to 350F and bake for another 20-30 minutes or until they turn that pretty pie crust golden brown shade. Serve immediately-especially delicious with a side salad of arugula.</div>
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<em>The goats of Quillisascut Farm</em></div>
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<em>Rick</em></div>
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<em>Rick and Lora Lea on their wedding day -from a photo on their refrigerator</em></div>
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I put together a little slide show to share my trip with you -I'm going to watch it while I finish off the last hand pie ! </div>
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<embed id="vp1RoiG8" src="http://static.animoto.com/swf/w.swf?w=swf/vp1&e=1339985842&f=RoiG8X111YFw3q6gvvsfxQ&d=175&m=a&r=360p&volume=100&start_res=360p&i=m&options=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="432" height="240"></embed></object></div>Roadtrek Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13613040285492585556noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436761719172193600.post-85993360529499517942012-06-14T12:37:00.000-07:002012-06-14T12:37:34.083-07:00Mixed Berry Pie - Welcome Home Fishman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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J was gone last week on one his fishing trips to Eastern Washington with the boys. Since he is a catch and release kind of guy I decided I would bake him a pie to honor the fish he left behind . While my fishies are happily swimming in a mix of berries and <a href="http://www.klwines.com/detail.asp?sku=998084">Buddha's Hand Vodka</a>, his are still out in the lake. I used (and will always use, now that I've learned the recipe) <a href="http://artofthepie.com/wordpress/crust/flour-salt-fat-and-water/">Kate McDermott's recipe</a> for the fabulous pie crust.<br />
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<strong>Pie Crust</strong><br />
You can find the recipe and directions <a href="http://artofthepie.com/wordpress/crust/flour-salt-fat-and-water/">here </a>at Kate's blog.<br />
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<strong>Pie Filling</strong><br />
Mixed berries-enough to fill your pie pan up to the rim<br />
3/4 cup sugar<br />
2 teaspoons vanilla<br />
Pinch of fresh nutmeg (or just grind a fresh one over the bowl until it looks like a pinch)<br />
Shot of Buddha's Hand Vodka (about 1 1/2 oz. if you don't have Buddha's Hand use any lemon flavored vodka)<br />
1/4 cup flour<br />
2 Tablespoons quick cook Tapioca<br />
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Sprinkle the sugar over the berries and let set for about 1hour. Drain off excess liquid (you can save this for a delicious berry syrup). Don't worry you are going to have plenty of Vodka tainted fruit juices in your pie filling. Add the vodka,vanilla,nutmeg ,flour and Tapioca and gently mix it into the berries.<br />
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Assuming you've followed Kate's instructions for making the pie dough and rolling the crust, you can now place the pie crust into your pie pan and gently place the pie filling inside your uncooked crust. You can pop that into the refrigerator while you roll out your top crust. I rolled out my top crust and used my fish cookie cutter to cut out my crust topper. Before you add the top crust,dot your pie with little pieces of butter (use about 1 Tablespoon butter and squeeze off little pieces from that and toss them around the top of your fruit filling).<br />
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Brush your pie with an egg wash (lightly beaten egg with a little water) and sprinkle the pie with sugar.<br />
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Bake at 425F for 20 minutes then reduce oven to 350F and bake for an additional 30-40 minutes until your pie has that beautiful brown hue to it.<br />
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You don't have to kick into obsessive compulsive mode when baking pies, like Kate said,Chill. Really-everything I did was based on what I learned in class and not from reading a written recipe. Taste,taste,taste and don't be afraid to experiment. Read Kate's <a href="http://artofthepie.com/wordpress/crust/flour-salt-fat-and-water/">blog</a> for more recipes and tips and check out Gwen's blog at <a href="http://livinginlangley.blogspot.com/2012/06/art-of-pie.html">Living in Langley:Notes from an Island</a>-she has some wonderful step by step instructions and photos to help guide you.<br />
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Top this wonderful berry pie with ice cream,yogurt or like I did, with fresh whipped cream-don't add any sugar to the whipped cream-the pie is sweet enough !Roadtrek Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13613040285492585556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436761719172193600.post-24350788081955398962012-06-10T16:26:00.002-07:002012-06-10T16:26:53.710-07:00Estonian Kringle-One Gorgeous Cinnamon Roll-Maybe<div style="text-align: left;">
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<span style="color: #333333;">Several weeks ago,during my Pinterest addiction phase , I came across an incredible looking pastry. The photography was so beautiful I bookmarked it immediately as a must try recipe, along with the 1000 other must try recipes on my </span><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/251146116690582634/">Pinterest Board</a><span style="color: #333333;"> ! But this one was calling me,bake me Sandy...bake me...I would look so pretty on your kitchen table...bake me. I really tried to ignore it's siren song but on this rainy morning with occasional sun breaks, it lured me in. It wasn't hard to be seduced by this-it's undulating design, the cinnamon and sugar and the ease of the recipe itself. Too bad J is out of town,he's missing a good one ! But it wasn't just the gorgeous picture that hooked me, I love all things cinnamon. The smells in the kitchen when something with cinnamon is baking in the oven takes me immediately back to my childhood. I don't remember my mother ever baking cinnamon rolls but she made the best cinnamon toast ever. We had a shaker of cinnamon sugar always at the ready,just pop some Wonder bread into the toaster,slather with butter while still hot and sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the buttered bread-and there it was-one of my favorite treats that I remember from my childhood</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">1st attempt-baked at too high of a temperature</span></em> </div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">My first attempt was a challenge. I didn't quite understand a couple things in the translation of the recipe from Romanian to English because the filling calls for softened butter but the method describes it as melted butter. So I melted my butter-not a good idea because once I cut the roll in half the butter had no stickiness to it (since it was melted and coated with sugar) and the pretty little leaves created kept falling apart and it was quite the challenge to hold them together and not lose the cinnamon sugar filling . The 2nd mistake I made was that for some reason the first time I read the recipe I misunderstood baking it at 400F. I had it in my mind that it baked at 400F until the last 5-10 minutes. Needless to say I felt as twisted as my Kringle ! And that's why you don't see pictures of a pretty little circular Kringle-my joining of the two ends left a lot to be desired. But don't let my mistakes intimidate you-this is a delicious and quite pretty pastry (even if mine was a hot mess !) It will definitely stay at the top of my baking list .</span><br />
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Most of my 2nd attempt looked pretty,I won't put you through viewing the section where the 2 pieces were joined together-it's not pretty !</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></em>I want to experiment with the dough for this recipe. With both attempts the dough never really got a very good rise on it. I may just try the weaving with a cinnamon roll recipe I have in my baking repertoire and see how that turns out. If you try this recipe I would be curious as to what you thought about it,let me know . In spite of it's not so perfect appearance it is delicious ! I am not going to give up -I want a gorgeous one just like <a href="http://www.justlovecookin.com/2011/11/estonian-kringel.html">Ana's</a>-when I achieve that perfect Kringle I'll share the photos with you. You can find the recipe over at <a href="http://www.justlovecookin.com/2011/11/estonian-kringel.html">Ana's blog "Just Love Cookin"</a> if you feel like a challenge !<br />
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</div>Roadtrek Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13613040285492585556noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436761719172193600.post-61453145196036043322012-06-07T16:28:00.001-07:002012-06-07T16:28:35.978-07:00Art of the Pie, Kate McDermott and Whiskey Creek<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Last week end I had the absolute pleasure of taking Kate McDermott's <a href="http://artofthepie.com/artofthepie/Welcome.html">Art of the Pie</a> class. I was so excited. From the time I got my confirmation I had been counting the days until the class. I met <a href="http://artofthepie.com/artofthepie/About_Kate.html">Kate</a> at a food blogging conference once and ran into her again at a University Farmer's market event. Every time I had contact with her I reminded myself that I had to get to her class. She lived so close to me,just blocks away. But schedules and life's responsibilities have a habit of getting in the way of what we really want to do. I finally decided if I wanted to take the class I was going to make it happen. What a surprise when I discovered she had moved to Port Angeles-3 to 4hrs away from Seattle. But I was determined. Bags packed,car loaded ,reservations made , off to Port Angeles we headed on Friday night. </div>
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<em>Kate demonstrated everything before we started our pies</em></div>
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If you don't know about Kate's classes please check out her <a href="http://artofthepie.com/artofthepie/Welcome.html">web site.</a> She was Seattle Magazine Editor's Pick for Best of 2010; her class was voted the Best Cooking Class 2010 by Seattle Weekly and my absolute favorite chef, Dorie Greenspan (author of Around My French Table and Baking with Julia) said : "I would do anything to take an Art of the Pie class from Kate." Kate recently returned from a month of teaching in Europe at <a href="http://kitchen-at-camont.com/">Kate Hill's Kitchen at Camont</a>-another favorite of mine and on my bucket list ! So taking all of that into consideration,can you even imagine how thrilled I was about taking the class? </div>
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As soon as I walked up to the sweet blue cottage with the pretty purple door I felt like I had come home. The "Will work for Pie" sign in the window brought a smile to my face. The door was open and my fellow pie makers were waiting inside. It was a nice intimate class,only the 4 of us and Kate. Kate has a way of putting everyone at ease and her house is filled with love just like her baking. Her most important rule when baking pies is "chill"; not just the ingredients and pans but yourself-relax, it's only pie making. We laughed all afternoon watching Kate work her pie magic and than laughed even more at our own attempts .<br />
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<em>After talking to us about placing our good intentions into the pie, Kate showed us how to gently but quickly mix our flour with our fats for the dough. If you put love into what you do what results will always be</em> <em>good.</em></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4gFMnmCJFBxHMlvhOLsSryXlDbXpQBUjFfRGhnkHfBA1ieUlHQjhRjAXbkia30y0uQ0KWeb5mDYtfzBBvoDLmT8CE6GPjRUVKmJ_-elilgd0MBlPsr2SqJ2KQXsQkVCXLFKD7KVeIFmo/s1600/IMG_5949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4gFMnmCJFBxHMlvhOLsSryXlDbXpQBUjFfRGhnkHfBA1ieUlHQjhRjAXbkia30y0uQ0KWeb5mDYtfzBBvoDLmT8CE6GPjRUVKmJ_-elilgd0MBlPsr2SqJ2KQXsQkVCXLFKD7KVeIFmo/s640/IMG_5949.jpg" width="640" /></a><em>Beautiful rhubarb used for our pies</em></div>
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We couldn't believe the size and quality of the rhubarb that was waiting to be the heart of our pies. We chopped rhubarb; grated a little fresh nutmeg;sprinkled sugar;added vanilla and oops spilled in a little Orange Cointreau. We tasted the tartness and sweetness of the mix before adding it to the pie shell.<br />
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<em>Kate had us place our intentions into the pie before we made it and I wanted to put more of my love on the outside of the pie too !</em></div>
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<em>The last slice of my rhubarb pie</em></div>
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It's all about love and following your senses, not having rigid rules. Fresh fruit, quality ingredients and good intentions. Don't get caught up in "the ingredients and the directions". Is it Zen like-yes it is. I was again reminded of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103994/">Tita from Like Water from Chocolate</a> and the love she put into her cooking-that's the love Kate puts into her baking and wants to pass on to all of us. <a href="http://www.mannmuseum.com/like-water-for-chocolate/">Susan Dobrian</a> wrote an article titled: "Romancing the Cook" and in that article she describes meal preparation that perfectly describes Kate's approach to baking :
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><em>The kitchen becomes a
veritable reservoir of creative and magical events, in which the cook who
possesses this talent becomes artist, healer, and lover. Culinary activity
involves not just the combination of prescribed ingredients, but something
personal and creative emanating from the cook, a magical quality which
transforms the food and grants its powerful properties that go beyond physical
satisfaction to provide spiritual nourishment as
well.</em> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Faith over at her blog </span><a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/art-of-the-pie-expert-tips-fro-151457"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Kitchn</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> has an excellent article that contains all of Kate's tips and basic recipe for the pie crust. I have fallen back in love with baking pies and can't wait to make my next one. I'll be off to the Farmer's Market this week end to see what looks and tastes fresh enough for my pie-you should do the same !</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"></span> So,not only was I so very blessed to be able to meet 4 wonderful pie makers and share time and baking with them I stumbled on one of the most wonderful places to stay outside of Port Angeles. It's a place that has been around for years and is owned and managed by 2nd generation family members-<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Whiskey-Creek-Beach-Resort/116107758427484">Whiskey Creek Beach Resort</a> . I couldn't believe my luck when I called Friday morning at 10am and got a reservation for a cabin on the beach for that evening ! When I told J we had to bring our own bedding and towels he just shook his head and wondered what I had gotten us into. As we drove down the road to our little cabin he was smitten. He fell head over heals in love with this place - we both did. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiUnK8JOB7r22wWTffO7q5aTRRsnRFtLeLHYT2lUhBlNDsmEVuH3myB-NfC7JFTRqhzMaAKWLYVHBQc2WFpHQANNfmwKK0bghzevLi9iEtO6_KA645SWQYQljngr6ToiCOwgVkI-JTL6g/s1600/IMG_6015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiUnK8JOB7r22wWTffO7q5aTRRsnRFtLeLHYT2lUhBlNDsmEVuH3myB-NfC7JFTRqhzMaAKWLYVHBQc2WFpHQANNfmwKK0bghzevLi9iEtO6_KA645SWQYQljngr6ToiCOwgVkI-JTL6g/s640/IMG_6015.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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It's right on the water and feels thousands of miles away from civilization. We watched the eagles soar; the otters swim; the waves crash and the boats head east and west through the Strait of San Juan de Fuca. We could sit at our kitchen table and watch everything outside of our window-it couldn't have been more perfect. We had a fire going most of the time in the wood stove . Our last evening there the sun was shining, we took our crab legs and beer out to a log on the beach and had a lovely romantic dinner at the edge of the water. When I start to feel stressed I will put myself back on the log and remember the smells, the sounds of the water crashing on the rocks and eagles soaring overhead.</div>
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<em>Drift Inn Cabin at Whiskey Creek-sweet and right on the water</em></div>
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<em>If you want to see more pictures from Whiskey Creek watch the video !</em></div>Roadtrek Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13613040285492585556noreply@blogger.com5