Baking Up A Storm!

Whew! Let me tell you all, I have been baking like a mad woman and I am tired!

I love to bake, and I love trying new recipes.  So when this opportunity came for me, I couldn't resist.  It's a very complicated recipe and has taken a lot out of me.  I will tell you it is the hardest thing I have ever made.

The recipe is mixture of two ideas from two different cultures.  Korean and American.  I know it will come out beautifully.  So, after combining the ingredients I bake at 98.6 (it's a slow bake recipe) for 9 months and then viola, on April 15, 2012 the bun will be ready to come out of the oven!

Yes peeps I am with child, four months along and I am so excited!!!  It was by far the hardest secret I have ever had to keep! I can't wait to share this experience with you!

Oh, by the way, while I was at the Warrior Dash doing this:

Yes, that is me running through fire. 

Little did I know, I was three weeks along with this:

Which means my baby is gonna be born wearing this:

Cinnamon Rolls...Must Read!!!

I can't believe that I have not put my favorite cinnamon roll recipe on my blog yet.  Thanks to The Pioneer Woman.   

I highly encourage you to make these.  Do it.  Right now.  Well, read the post first then go. 

• 1 quart Whole Milk
• 1 cup Vegetable Oil
• 1 cup Sugar
• 2 packages Active Dry Yeast
• 8 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
• 1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt
• Plenty Of Melted Butter
• 2 cups Sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon 

MAPLE FROSTING:

• 1 bag Powdered Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Maple Flavoring
• ½ cups Milk
• ¼ cups Melted Butter
• ¼ cups Brewed Coffee
• ⅛ teaspoons Salt

Preparation Instructions

Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. Scald the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in both packages of Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.
After rising for at least an hour, add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it – overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).
When ready to prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle 1/2 to 1 cup melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar and half the brown sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.
Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.
Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a seven inch round foil cake or pie pan. Then begin cutting the rolls approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans.
Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes, then bake at 400 degrees (see note below) until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.
For the frosting, mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. It should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls. Go crazy and don’t skimp on the frosting.
If you don't like the coffee don't worry about adding it also you can use vanilla instead of maple as well.

By the way, this recipe makes around 7 round pans of rolls.  Believe me though, they will not last long. 

Why Reading Directions is a Good Thing!

Yes, a basic concept, but reading directions CAREFULLY is a very important detail when baking/cooking. 

I made some pumpkin pies last night.  Well, I attempted to make pumpkin pies last night.  After baking the pies, I kept wondering why they weren't setting, the top of the pies were nice and firm, but once you cut it, it was still very mushy. The directions say to bake for 50 minutes at 375.  I did, then baked it for another 50 minutes and it would still not set.  (Insert frustration here.)

Here is why, when the directions say use 2 cups of pumpkin, use 2 cups, not 2 CANS!

 *sigh, such a Karen move.

Husband said they still tasted good, just mushy, he is so sweet isn't he???  I do plan on redeeming myself tomorrow night.  I will keep you all updated!!!

By the way, I am not a big fan of pumpkin pie, so maybe my subconscious was sabotaging my pie making skills.  Thing's that make you go hmmm....  SABOTAGE!!! (Ok, when you read that, how many of you heard it in the style of Beastie Boys????)

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am about to present to you, THE BEST cookie recipe EVER!

Husband was "stumbling" one day and came across this recipe.  After the first batch, it went to the top of my chocolate cookie list.  It is very very very chocolatey, you should probably be a chocoholic like moi to enjoy them.  Although husband does not have a huge sweet tooth he loves them, so you should definitely give them a try, he has dubbed them "Happy Cookies".  Like right now, write down the recipe and go to the store, get the ingredients and make them tonight!

I wish that I was amazing enough to have concocted these delicious morsels of heaven on earth.  Although, as long as they are in my life, I am content. 

Happy Cookies

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 cups semisweet chunks.

1. Place the butter in a large bowl and cream at high speed until
fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until light and fluffy, about 4
minutes, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs, one
at a time, until completely mixed.
2. In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt and baking soda. Add to the
butter mixture at low speed until just combined and add vanilla
extract. Beat on medium speed, scraping bowl down, until blended. Do
not overmix.
3. Add chocolate chunks and mix till thoroughly combined. Refrigerate
batter until cold, preferably overnight.
4. Preheat a conventional oven to 350 degrees or a convection oven to
300 degrees, and line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop
heaping spoonfuls of batter 2 inches apart on the lined baking sheets
and bake, turning tray once, until golden brown around edges and soft
(but not bubbly), about 9 minutes in a convection oven or 12 in a
conventional one. Cool on a wire rack.
Yield: 36 to 72 cookies, depending on size.

 Small note, I don't refrigerate mine all the time and they still come out perfect!  I have included pictures of a batch I made, I want to have some just writing this post!  Mouth.Watering.Must.Have.Some.

 

Happy Baking!

The Yumminess

Cake. 

Really, that word in itself can be a single blog posting.  I could just type the word "cake", be done with it, and go knowing that I just made an incredible blog post.  Although, I shall continue, because it gets even better.  (I know, settle down folks.)

As I was on the information superhighway one evening, I "stumbled upon" a recipe on the food blog The Sweet Spot.  Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Cake.  Need I say more???  You can find the Uh-mazing recipe here.

I have posted the pictures of the one I made below.  Please keep in mind these were taken on my cell phone and I am not a professional photographer.  Although, I do believe they get the point across.  I only wish there was such a thing as "taste-o-monitor".  Just pure delightfulness. 

It is such a great summer cake because it is cold and not very heavy.  I don't like heavy or hot things (besides myself) in the summer. 

Please feast your eyes on what is about to appear and enjoy!

And now, a view of a slice.  It is a very pretty cake too because of all the layers.

I think I should invest in a better camera, these just don't do the cake justice.  Although, the pictures on The Sweet Spot are to die for!  So, I hope you have enjoyed all the yumminess you just partook in, and more recipe posts will be coming soon ( I have been slacking in that department)

Mmmmmmm Food.

Now, as I have said before I love to cook. Looove to try new recipes and am always on the lookout for new exciting ones. Just the other night I made homemade mac and cheese for the first time, it turned out ok, not amazing or perfection, but it was just fine. I must admit I think that I am better at baking than actual cooking.

Just a few weeks ago I made an apple cake in my cast iron skillet (which I am in loooove with).  I also make a mean chocolate chip cookie.  My husband calls the "happy cookies".  They also go very fast when I bring them to work.  I "stumble" a lot, so I am able to get recipe ideas from other people's blogs.
I work with some awesome people who are amazing cooks themselves, so I am able to get amazing ideas and help from them.  It also didn't hurt that my mother was the head baker at a university for quite a while.  So just watching her and learning from her I think really helped me out.  There is nothing better to me than hanging out and baking or cooking a huge meal and having friends over to share in what I just made.  I think cooking/baking is therapeutic for me, also I cook to make people happy. 
I also said on a previous post that I do not want this to become a food blog, but since cooking is such a huge part of my life, that I think I am going to start sprinkling in some more posts about the yummies I have made.  Please if you have any recipes you love and think I should try please post your comments or link my your posts as well.
Oh, yes, and just an fyi, the pictures of the food will be mine unless otherwise noted in the blog.  :-)

Food

Food. I must say this is my favorite word in the English dictionary. I am trying to become an awesome cook. I'm not going for good, average, or very good. I mean when I make something I want people to love my food. I want them to talk about my food weeks after they have eaten it. I know, it is a selfish thing to want, but it is what I want.
I am getting better at baking, I do make a mean chocolate chip cookie, which my husband

Image via Wikipedia

calls "Happy Cookies". I also make peanut butter surprise mini cupcakes which are so delicious. At least I have been told, I actually have not tried one, since I am afraid if I have one I won't be able to stop.
A new project for me is going to try and keep tabs on this blog about my cooking endeavors. I will try to take and post pictures and explain any heartaches I had making that item.