tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62872856543296216602024-02-07T10:42:01.282-05:00The Crafts of MommyhoodThe adventures of a mom in the worlds of work, home and the world!Ruth H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10693462759741285632noreply@blogger.comBlogger219125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6287285654329621660.post-27783172948254192772019-02-03T14:15:00.001-05:002019-02-03T14:15:44.769-05:00Tell Me What You Want, What You Really, Really Want...I want to do this thing. There is so much to say, for so many reasons.<br />
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So what should we talk about? Yes, there will be crafts and cooking and baking and activities. There will also be discussion, and real talk, and maybe even some fun stuff, too!<br />
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I am excited to get into this again.<br />
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Unprepared, buy excited! <br />
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I can't wait to hear your thoughts!Ruth H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10693462759741285632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6287285654329621660.post-85249455590486854122019-01-30T10:55:00.001-05:002019-01-30T10:55:51.982-05:00Let's try this again...Wow.<br />
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It sure has been a long time.<br />
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So much has changed.<br />
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And yet... I seem to be drawn back here.<br />
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So here I am, Back to trying this experiment called mommy-crafts. And I want to see what I can do with it. With you. You see, being a mom (or dad. or human...) is a kind of crazy ride. Do I think I know anything now that I didn't before? Absolutely! Do I think I know better than anyone else? NO!! But. I think my experienced might, just might, help others out there. My thoughts, ideas, creations, successes, failures, all of it. They just might help someone out there spark their own ideas. <br />
Being a mom (parent. human) can be scary, intimidating, isolating, exhilarating, you name it. I know I look to others for help, guidance, amusement, and more. <br />
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So maybe, just maybe, I can use my voice to help someone out there. <br />
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So here goes. <br />
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Take three...Ruth H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10693462759741285632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6287285654329621660.post-22497399028886756582015-04-12T22:14:00.000-04:002015-04-12T22:14:04.170-04:00Change is in the air...Ok, after a VERY long time away, I am thinking it is time to come back to the blog. <br />
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Life is different, and the blog will be, too. I still cook, I still bake, I still craft, and I definitely do it all with my girls! But I also work, and I deal with this little thing called "life," so the blog is going to change to reflect that. <br />
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I think and hope...!<br />
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I am going to look at a redesign, and a new style. <br />
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Thoughts? Suggestions? Let me know what you think, and we'll see where things go from here!<br />
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But I am coming back, so stay tuned...!Ruth H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10693462759741285632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6287285654329621660.post-1244322596251978662014-01-14T00:00:00.000-05:002014-01-14T00:00:01.327-05:00Daring to do it: ArancineJanuary’s Daring Cooks’ challenge was a ball! The lovely Manu from <a href="http://www.manusmenu.com/">Manu’s Menu</a> brought our taste buds to the streets of Sicily and taught us her family tradition of making arancine – filled and fried balls of risotto. Delizioso!<br />
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My first challenge as a member of the Daring Kitchen was the risotto challenge. I loved it, and I was hooked. Back then, a few of the Cooks mentioned making arancini/arancine from the leftover risotto. This sounded really cool. Well, here we are a few years later with Manu hosting an arancine challenge! Yay!<br />
While arancine, filled and fried balls of risotto, are usually a savory dish, anyone who has met me, either in person or through the blog, knows that I will take any opportunity to make dessert versions of things. So that is what I did.<br />
I started by toasting my rice in margarine, with a touch of brown sugar:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqWGXd7ILA9FbzgMcm_oGh4AcDDtRYYgjUrysfcxvFlXNNs20S_zB99uvLqTJX-K78t2-cW7X7RYIefb28RDQw7FN0KevhJRAJXp8H4su23KXtz9JgFi4BCebU-SgXKkzHJD6E-WGD986m/s1600/IMAG0424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqWGXd7ILA9FbzgMcm_oGh4AcDDtRYYgjUrysfcxvFlXNNs20S_zB99uvLqTJX-K78t2-cW7X7RYIefb28RDQw7FN0KevhJRAJXp8H4su23KXtz9JgFi4BCebU-SgXKkzHJD6E-WGD986m/s320/IMAG0424.jpg" width="180" /></a><br />
Then I made my "stock," vanilla soy milk, water to thin it, a bit of sugar, a bit of cinnamon:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqr_SXshCMMxFOvh8qp3necsKnrOgQLdZFEpu9mgVKV3hbRj8yG_Lix12xaIL5lzo1XoYlbpGILJNgRGADxSxdllhYSAQHj1skMPKL3ZaiVjdrWposAAFrQBROwUt86Ik3SuRCzFDTvq6E/s1600/IMAG0423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqr_SXshCMMxFOvh8qp3necsKnrOgQLdZFEpu9mgVKV3hbRj8yG_Lix12xaIL5lzo1XoYlbpGILJNgRGADxSxdllhYSAQHj1skMPKL3ZaiVjdrWposAAFrQBROwUt86Ik3SuRCzFDTvq6E/s320/IMAG0423.jpg" width="180" /></a><br />
Then cook the risotto to creamy yumminess:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh90RCfKld9xSUFx7kA2korBOUFV4ACfenrHBbt3WkTqvikxOS7uuTkMZY3lwXvKYF2NPk2iwO64-7TfcZLgWys686OM8EJlR1ETR2DlQqJ9vdvkkI3Wf8bxICUCGFv0d9J65ve5XFzfGNV/s1600/IMAG0431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh90RCfKld9xSUFx7kA2korBOUFV4ACfenrHBbt3WkTqvikxOS7uuTkMZY3lwXvKYF2NPk2iwO64-7TfcZLgWys686OM8EJlR1ETR2DlQqJ9vdvkkI3Wf8bxICUCGFv0d9J65ve5XFzfGNV/s320/IMAG0431.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
Once the risotto has cooled (in my case, I made it a day in advance), form balls and make a well:<br />
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Fill the well. With chocolate chips if you are me...!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkyZTUIrjbtVrrfCYdS6fxIFWfzc5kT5kqYY8kLj2peObIQhle-2cA2OifNDx_XnCFL3nMIGCVvCq4XK7CkR2zh4O4YVty8xIlKRzaVqnxrgCsxb8HtGUCfyBApcPGiEf6CeXzdhBEX0hp/s1600/IMAG0435.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkyZTUIrjbtVrrfCYdS6fxIFWfzc5kT5kqYY8kLj2peObIQhle-2cA2OifNDx_XnCFL3nMIGCVvCq4XK7CkR2zh4O4YVty8xIlKRzaVqnxrgCsxb8HtGUCfyBApcPGiEf6CeXzdhBEX0hp/s320/IMAG0435.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
Coat the stuffed and sealed balls in egg whites and crushed graham crackers:<br />
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Shallow fry until warm and crispy:<br />
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Enjoy the amazingness!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIg6w0uHY6Kzs-_tZe0pPvg6NpLa-6mK1EGKcCnoagaDKJ2dQ3g84-AcBPxBiNkwLEo7_9gOiyJgjlS9k5pN4UNg9GUOGKCx0uWf_jKNESqf9s5kEhOLGNDB6Kl0rbQHuJRbkIDSo8t6sc/s1600/IMAG0447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIg6w0uHY6Kzs-_tZe0pPvg6NpLa-6mK1EGKcCnoagaDKJ2dQ3g84-AcBPxBiNkwLEo7_9gOiyJgjlS9k5pN4UNg9GUOGKCx0uWf_jKNESqf9s5kEhOLGNDB6Kl0rbQHuJRbkIDSo8t6sc/s320/IMAG0447.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
These were so good.<br />
I promise, a "real," savory version was planned, and will be made at some point. But I loved making these, and while they take a bit of work (one of my few Yiddish words - these are a "patchke" to make!), they will be made again!<br />
Check out what my fellow <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/blogroll/cooks">Daring Cooks</a> created this month!Ruth H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10693462759741285632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6287285654329621660.post-83949547903607272782013-12-27T16:12:00.002-05:002013-12-27T16:12:41.295-05:00Daring to do it: Whoopie PiesThis month's challenge was a lot of fun. While it wasn't necessarily complicated, it was something I never really thought I would make on my own...<br />
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The December Daring Bakers' Challenge had us all cheering - the lovely and talented Bourbonnatrix of Bourbonnatrix Bakes was our hostess and challenged us to make fun, delicious and creative whoopie pies! Delicious little cake-like cookies sandwiching luscious filling in any flavors we chose... What else is there to say but "Whoopie!"<br />
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Whoopie pies, I thought, were kind of a Pennsylvania Dutch kind of treat. To that end, I never thought about getting them, since I thought the chances of there being lard in them was high. I am so glad the lovely Bourbonatrix hosted <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/sites/default/files/u5446/Dec_2013_whoopie_pies_final.pdf">this challenge</a>...! It gave me the chance to play and to experience the joys of saying "whoopee!" with every treat! (And, yes, the four year old insisted that we all say whoopie as we at!)<br />
I made Snickerdoodle Whoopie Pies. Vanilla cakes sprinkled with cinnamon sugar filled with brown sugar buttercream.<br />
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Scooping out the batter for the cakes:<br />
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The baked cakes:<br />
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The brown sugar buttercream:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdvn9trg4ZpEegnCORK7UTP9zwF6cd-HXow7_ca5HO402rwCBuzMH6Mf878wUg0iNXKwUekRahCxiBHXXbwTb6mqFoeUnwOeEBnoXxL9TWdIw-jd0RcCkwRfMIDNUOq_kO5CidT-e67_cX/s1600/IMG_3409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdvn9trg4ZpEegnCORK7UTP9zwF6cd-HXow7_ca5HO402rwCBuzMH6Mf878wUg0iNXKwUekRahCxiBHXXbwTb6mqFoeUnwOeEBnoXxL9TWdIw-jd0RcCkwRfMIDNUOq_kO5CidT-e67_cX/s320/IMG_3409.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Filled morsel of goodness:<br />
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These were SO good. I was worried they would be too sweet, but they were really rather well balanced. I filled them one at a time - the buttercream was a little runnier than I had hoped it would be. But these were a total win. Hubby's coworkers were very happy to eat the leftovers!! And I have some more flavor combinations I can't wait to try!<br />
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Thank you, Bourbonatrix, for this amazing challenge!!<br />
Take a look <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/blogroll/bakers">here</a> to see what my fellow Daring Bakers created this month!!<br />
Ruth H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10693462759741285632noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6287285654329621660.post-78477827597193601472013-12-14T00:00:00.000-05:002013-12-14T00:00:04.637-05:00Daring to do it: Cabbage RollsSorry for the long silence. I am finally back to the challenges - making them, not just editing them!!<br />
I am also sorry that I am having a hard time getting the pictures in here. I used my phone instead of my camera, and I guess I don't really know the right way to transfer the files..! I will keep trying!<br />
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December’s Daring Cooks’ Challenge had us on a roll! Olga from <a href="http://www.effortnesslessly.blogspot.com/">http://www.effortnesslessly.blogspot.com/</a> challenged us to make stuffed cabbage rolls using her Ukrainian heritage to inspire us. Filled with meat, fish or vegetables, flexibility and creativity were the name of the game to get us rolling!<br />
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Olga's <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/sites/default/files/u5446/CabbageRolls_Dec2013.pdf">recipes</a> looked amazing. And the pictures she took were out of this world. I don't think I have ever had stuffed cabbage before and I was almost drooling wanting to make these! But with time being what it is, and with now working full time, I wasn't sure when I was going to get this done. Then came the brain - I have a slow cooker! I found <a href="http://www.rivercitysammon.com/2012/07/vegetarian-stuffed-cabbage-slow-cooker.html">this recipe</a> for slow cooker stuffed cabbage and knew I had it set. (Bonus - I also had a snow day on Tuesday, so extra time to work with! Yay!) I did make a few changes, as usual... I used beans instead of mushrooms, and I used yellow squash in the filling. I also omitted the cheese...<br />
I don't have pictures of the process, but while I was separating out the cabbage leaves I had the thought that I must have been a Daring Cook for too long if I think pealing off cabbage leaves is fun...! It was really neat to see the leaves come apart so smoothly!<br />
Thanks to Olga's great explanation and pictures, rolling the cabbage was not nearly as hard as I feared it might be. And, by using the slow cooker, I could do all of my prep work the day before, then just set the crock pot in the morning. It was great!!<br />
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Hubby and I really liked the rolls. Big Girl wasn't a fan, but she has become quite a picky eater these days, so she says she doesn't like dinner about three nights each week. Little Girl liked it, which was nice. I brought leftovers into work the next day, and my teaching cohort and I inhaled them. These are better the next day...! And the day after, if there is anything left!<br />
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Thank you, Olga, for such a wonderful challenge, and for all of your patience and support!!<br />
Take a look <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/blogroll/cooks">here</a> to see what my fellow Cooks created this month!!<br />
Ruth H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10693462759741285632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6287285654329621660.post-54483449040436290392013-11-15T00:00:00.000-05:002013-11-15T00:00:10.313-05:00Tribute to the Queen of All Daring Bakers, LisI am very sorry to be writing this post. It is going to be kind of rambling, stream of conscience, bumbling along...<br />
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One of the reasons I started this blog was so that I could join the<a href="http://www.thedaringkitchen.com/"> Daring Kitchen</a>. I remember sending in my request to join and waiting for a response. Would I be accepted into this community of talented cooks, bakers and bloggers? After what felt like forever I called my sister and asked her how long it should take to get a response. She told me to e-mail Lis, the co-creator of the forum, to make sure my request went through. A day or so later I got an e-mail back welcoming me warmly to the Kitchen. For the past three and a half years I have been cooking and baking with an amazing group of people from around the world. I am even lucky enough to have become friends with some of these people in the "real" world.<br />
I always looked forward to my dealings with Lis. Her personality came shining through, and she always made me feel special. We have teased for the last two years about finally getting together to meet - and eat!!<br />
On Tuesday of this week, Lis died suddenly. I never got to meet her. I never knew how much it could hurt to lose someone I didn't even really know. She and I had just been e-mailing over the weekend. She was getting ready for back surgery, and was looking forward to the improvement in her quality of life. She had asked my sister and me to help with some of the Daring Kitchen responsibilities while she recovered. This was a daunting task, and one I was honored to be asked to help with. But I knew Lis would be there to guide me, and laugh at and with me...<br />
I keep thinking that I will wake up and this will be some sort of twisted dream. Lis inspired so many people. She helped create more than an on-line forum, but a real community. We have shared joys and sorrows together with other members. But this one hits in a different way.<br />
I have started and deleted so many sentences while writing this post. What words are there? I know, I never met Lis. Heck, I only really learned her last name this week in learning of her passing. But I still consider her a friend. A woman full of life, love, energy, creativity and humor. Any time a person is taken too soon is a tragedy. But this one feels so wrong. <br />
To say that Lis will be missed would be like saying that there are a couple of stars in the sky. Lis's presence was felt every day around the world. <br />
I wish so much that this post, and the many like it being posted today, were never needed. I wish Lis's heart had been as strong as it was big and loving. I wish a lot of things.<br />
I wish love, comfort and peace for Lis's family.<br />
Lis - wherever you are - you are loved. You truly are the most Daring of us all.<br />
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#tributetolis #daringbakersRuth H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10693462759741285632noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6287285654329621660.post-89078763053897404522013-11-14T00:00:00.000-05:002013-11-14T00:00:03.163-05:00Daring to do it: Sopa CastellanaThank you to Begona for this wonderful challenge. Sorry for the short post which does not do justice to this host or this dish.<br />
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Our November Daring Cooks’ hostess was Begoña, who writes the beautiful blog, <a href="http://lasrecetasdemarichuylasmias.blogspot.com/">Las recetas de Marichu y las mías</a>. Begoña is from Spain and didn’t want to go with the more common challenges of paella or gazpacho, she wanted to share with us another very popular recipe from Spain that we don’t see as often called Sopa Castellana which is a delicious bread soup!<br />
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Colder days call for soup. <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/sites/default/files/u11/55_Sopa_Castellana_-_DC_Nov_2013.pdf">This one</a> fit the bill amazingly. I made a vegetarian version based on the recipe I found <a href="http://spandelish.wordpress.com/2013/06/01/sopa-castellana/">here</a>.<br />
Home-made veggie stock, home-made sourdough bread, add in an egg or two, and an amazing dinner was had by all!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/63061173@N08/10829372073/" title="IMAG0230[1] by tinkrsh, on Flickr"><img alt="IMAG0230[1]" height="240" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5503/10829372073_9e0faa0257_m.jpg" width="135" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/63061173@N08/10829072785/" title="IMAG0235[3] by tinkrsh, on Flickr"><img alt="IMAG0235[3]" height="240" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2862/10829072785_32efbec0db_m.jpg" width="135" /></a><br />
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Take a look at what my fellow <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/blogroll/cooks">Daring Cooks</a> created this month.Ruth H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10693462759741285632noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6287285654329621660.post-47211277142507195522013-10-27T00:00:00.000-04:002013-10-27T00:00:06.730-04:00Daring to do it: Savory Pot PieThis month's Daring Bakers challenge was nothing new to me, but was so super amazing. It was the return of a favorite dish which I had sadly not thought of in way too long...<br />
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Hannah of <a href="http://daringbakerduluth.blogspot.com/">Rise and Shine</a> was our October 2013 Daring Bakers’ hostess and she challenged us to bake our own double crusted savory pot pies. Using any from-scratch crust and filling we choose, we were allowed to get completely creative with our recipe, showing off the savory flavors and fillings from our own home or region.<br />
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I love pot pie. I mean, really, I love a flaky pie crust, so how can you go wrong with a dinner stuffing into one, or two, of them?! I used to make pot pies pretty regularly. I remember doing it in the apartment where Hubby and I used to live. I don't remember making one, though, in the last four or so years. WAY too long! <br />
I was all set to make my vegetarian for dinner last Friday night. On Thursday night I set the tofu pressing, I made the triple batch of crust dough, I had it all set up so that when I came home from work I would chop and saute the veggies, make the gravy and bake it all up. Then life laughed at me. I had a little knife oops at work (I know, I am in a preschool with one-year olds, how can that be where I oops with a knife?!) and wound up with two stitches in my hand. And a husband not letting me use a knife for a few days!<br />
But I finally got the pie made, and man was it worth the wait!<br />
Crust bottom, rolled out and ready:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgEFgtHlyQrH1hDVjMtETJDwMusanarod3sQH17qJmP_gVqh_zf4V2nM4E6Tk2zDfnlFJmDOyHAxp9GcMpE_Y2KsRU3x1fbSBx5BsFFC-Md5DmHUFbub0qs8VaCVHjcySc3dalil2SmP39/s1600/IMG_2092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgEFgtHlyQrH1hDVjMtETJDwMusanarod3sQH17qJmP_gVqh_zf4V2nM4E6Tk2zDfnlFJmDOyHAxp9GcMpE_Y2KsRU3x1fbSBx5BsFFC-Md5DmHUFbub0qs8VaCVHjcySc3dalil2SmP39/s320/IMG_2092.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
The filling - onion, carrot, celery, zucchini, broccoli, garlic, tofu and white beans, and the veggie gravy on top:<br />
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Into the crust it goes:<br />
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(Sorry - I have no idea why these two pictures are oriented strangely!)<br />
Covered and vented:<br />
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Baked up golden, crispy and yummy:<br />
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Flaky crust, tender filling:<br />
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I loved this challenge. I am so happy to have pot pies back in my life! This is definitely going back into the meal plan rotation!<br />
Hannah gave us some amazing recipe options in her <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/sites/default/files/u11/83_Savory_Pot_Pie-DB_Sept_2013.pdf">challenge</a>. I am really interesting in the Mediterranean Pizza Pot Pie!!<br />
Thank you, Hannah, for reminding me how amazing pot pies are! I loved every minute of the challenge. And, next time, no stitches to hold me back!!<br />
See what my fellow <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/blogroll/bakers">Daring Bakers</a> made this month, and please treat yourself to a pot pie of your own!!<br />
Ruth H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10693462759741285632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6287285654329621660.post-28912869187146155982013-10-20T22:01:00.000-04:002013-10-20T22:01:07.536-04:00Surprise! QuickbreadI don't know about you, but I don't necessarily put the word "sourdough" and "quick" together. So when I saw that this month's project for<a href="http://www.sourdoughsurprises.blogspot.com/"> Sourdough Surprises</a> was sourdough quick breads, I giggled at the oxymoron, then drooled over the tasty possibilities. <br />
And then I waited. I am not sure what I waited for... time? inspiration? energy? Well, I waited a bit long. I made my quick bread today. On posing day. But it still counts, right?! I made <a href="http://happyindolevalley.blogspot.com/2012/04/cinnamon-sourdough-muffins-muffin.html">Cinnamon Sourdough Muffins</a>. But I made them it as a loaf instead of muffins. Because I wasn' patient enough to deal with the muffin tins! (Pretty much the same general reason why I make cookie bars instead of cookies!)<br />
I actually started last night with the starter mixture. Equal parts starter and flour. Eve is a pretty wet starter, but even after an overnight, my mixture seemed pretty thick:<br />
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Then I added in (most of) the other ingredients - egg, brown sugar (instead of honey), salt, vanilla, oil, cinnamon. I wasn't so worried about how thick it was anymore!<br />
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When these two mixtures were well combined it was time to add the magic - baking soda! Just look at those bubbles:<br />
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Before baking I decided to add a layer of cinnamon sugar to the top of my loaf, because how can more cinnamon hurt a cinnamon bread?<br />
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Out of the oven and cooling, this smelled amazing:<br />
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Sliced and ready to taste:<br />
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Really good. I kept nibbling at this until I had to leave the house this morning. Even my four year old, who doesn't love sourdough as much as I do, was asking for seconds. This was an awesome treat!! <br />
Check out what my fellow sourdough friends made this month, you are sure to find something to tempt your tummy!<br />
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Ruth H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10693462759741285632noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6287285654329621660.post-40708805463496144472013-09-27T00:00:00.000-04:002013-09-27T00:00:02.898-04:00Daring to do it: Tres Leches Cake<div style="text-align: center;">
***Somehow, partway throgh writing this post, I lost the ability to add pictures. I am going to try to fix this!!***</div>
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Is it just me or did this month go by really quickly? With so much going on I kind of lost track, and didn't realize it was Daring Bakers' reveal day already! Luckily I remembered with enough time for this month's challenge.<br />
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Inma of <a href="http://lagalletika.com/category/lagalletika/">la Galletika</a> was our Sept. 2013 Daring Bakers’ hostess and WOW did she bring us something decadent and delicious! Pastel de Tres Leches or Three Milk Cake, creamy yet airy, super moist but not soggy.. just plain delish!<br />
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Tres Leches? Really? I mean, I have heard of this before, and it always sounded amazing, tempting and decadent, but in my house? With me being lactose intolerant and Little Girl's milk allergy? I knew there had to be a way to make this, I just wasn't sure how it would turn out. Inma was great, and had links to several delicious looking vegan options in her <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/sites/default/files/u11/82_Pastel_de_Tres_leches__3_milks_cake__-_DB_Sept__2013.pdf">challenge</a>. I decided to use her recipe for the sponge and play with the milks for the soaking liquid, using a few of the suggested recipes as guides.<br />
In conventional Tres Leches cake, the three milks are sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and heavy cream. (I know, this is not a cake for the light, low fat crowd!) None of those would work for me. But I still wanted three milks. So I used home-made sweetened condensed coconut milk, vanilla soy milk and chocolate soy milk. (Ok, so I am sort of cheating by calling it three milks, as two are soy, but...) <br />
I could write a separate post about making the condensed coconut milk. It is not hard, but it takes monitoring. Which is challenging with active kiddos running around. And friends arriving for a playdate. So, of course, a bit of a mess was made.<br />
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Oops. Despite the mess, and the loss of a bunch of the coconut milk, I did end up with about 2/3 cup of thick, sweet, non-dairy goodness to use.<br />
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Once the sponge cake was made and cooled, and the three milks were combined together it is time to make tres leches magic. The drenched in the milks and allowed to soak. Most recipes indicate that this should be a LONG (read, 24 hour) soak. I didn't have that kind of time. So it was a five hour soak.<br />
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The assembled cake is supposed to be "frosted" with freshly whipped cream. I made a common vegan alternative - whipped coconut milk. Of course, I did add cocoa powder to up the chocolate. And I added chocolate chips in assembly. Because, hey - chocolate chips!<br />
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The final cake was kind of magical:<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/63061173@N08/9959109556/" title="IMG_1619 by tinkrsh, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1619" height="180" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2811/9959109556_de392d142e_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
I was worried, especially with the shortened soak time, that the cake would be soggy. Instead it was creamy, light and smooth. I was amazed.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/63061173@N08/9959113506/" title="IMG_1622 by tinkrsh, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1622" height="180" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7375/9959113506_bb83ed11d9_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
The coconut flavor was a bit strong for my girls, but Hubby and I enjoyed it a lot. I am already thinking of playing with the recipe and making a coconut free version for next weekend... I would call that a success!<br />
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Thank you, Inma, for a wonderful challenge. One day maybe I will try the "real" tres leches cake to see how this version stacks up, but for now I will be happy to drool over the amazing work of my fellow <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/blogroll/bakers">Daring Bakers</a>!Ruth H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10693462759741285632noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6287285654329621660.post-87464805570165615612013-09-14T00:00:00.000-04:002013-09-14T00:00:02.806-04:00Daring to do it: GnocchiJust a really quick post for this month's Daring Cook's Challenge. This reveal day happens to fall on Yom Kippur - a fast day in Jewish culture. So a long food post is not exactly going to help me!<br />
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Todd, who is The Daring Kitchen’s AWESOME webmaster and an amazing cook, is our September Daring Cooks’ host! Todd challenged us to make light and fluffy potato Gnocchi and encouraged us to flavor the lil pillows of goodness and go wild with a sauce to top them with!<br />
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I love potatoes, I love gnocchi, I really thought I would do a lot of variations of <span id="goog_358424396"></span><a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/sites/default/files/u11/53_Gnocchi_-_DC_Sept__2013.pdf">this challenge<span id="goog_358424397"></span></a>. I made gnocchi once this month. Oops. But I really liked it, and I want to make it again...!<br />
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"Ricing" the baked potatoes:<br />
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Mixing up the dough:<br />
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Shaping the gnocchi:<br />
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Trying to get the shape and lines on there:<br />
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Cooked, served with sauteed spinach and onion and lots of cheese:<br />
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Thank you,Todd, for a yummy challenge!<br />
Here's what the other<a href="http://www.thedarigkitchen.com/blogroll/cooks"> Daring Cooks</a> created!<br />
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Ruth H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10693462759741285632noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6287285654329621660.post-14439511508341612802013-08-27T00:00:00.000-04:002013-08-27T00:00:09.315-04:00Daring to do it: Indian dessertsI love that over the last month or so I have gotten to learn so much about Indian food. First with the biryani, and now with desserts!<br />
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Aparna of <a href="http://www.mydiversekitchen.com/">My Diverse Kitchen</a> was our August 2013 Daring Bakers’ hostess and she challenged us to make some amazing regional Indian desserts. The Mawa Cake, the Bolinhas de Coco cookies and the Masala cookies – beautifully spiced and delicious! <img alt="Smile" src="http://thedaringkitchen.com/sites/all/modules/smileys/packs/Yahoo/smile.gif" title="Smile" /><br />
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I truly like and respect Aparna, and I really wanted to participate in her challenge. But it was kind of hard this month. The <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/sites/default/files/u11/81_Cake__Two_Cookies_-_DB_Aug_2013.pdf">recipes</a> she provided looked amazing, but they all had ingredients which I either don't or can't keep in the house. The don'ts were spices, which I know I could have found, but I was afraid they would go to waste. That can't was the main ingredient in the cake - mawa. Mawa is, simply put, milk cooked down to its solids. With my lactose intolerance and Little Girl's milk allergy, milk based foods are a no-go. But I found a recipe for a <a href="http://www.holycowvegan.net/2009/09/mava-cake-labor-of-love.html">vegan version of the mawa cake</a> and decided to give it a go.<br />
The vegan alternative for mawa was vegan cream cheese. Which I happened to have in the house for Little Girl.<br />
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The other key ingredient in this cake is cardamom. I have used this spice once before, but didn't really appreciate it for what it was.<br />
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If you have never used cardamom before, please do yourself a favor and get some. I toasted the pods before opening them, but that really wasn't necessary. The smell when the pods were opened and crushed was AMAZING. Like, I was almost mad at myself for not using real cardamom before.<br />
The finished cake looked and smelled lovely.<br />
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As you can see from the slice, my cardamom wasn't very finely crushed, and I think I might have needed to cook the cake a bit longer (the tester came out clean...!), but oh, my, this was amazing.<br />
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I am so glad I made this cake. I am so going to make it again!<br />
Now, the challenge, as Aparna gave to us, was to make the mawa cake and also a cookie or biscuit from the listed recipes. I only made the cake... Oh well... Sorry, Aparna! But the cake is so worthwhile, and I am so glad you introduced it to us!!<br />
Take a look at what my fellow <a href="http://www.thedaringkitchen.com/blogroll/bakers">Daring Bakers</a> did with this awesome challenge. You won't be disappointed!!Ruth H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10693462759741285632noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6287285654329621660.post-79777363937062108202013-08-20T20:43:00.000-04:002013-08-20T20:43:46.790-04:00Surprise! CrackersIn the past few days I have been awed by my sourdough starter. Eve is so cool! It's a science experiment! It's a baking toy! It's alive!!<br />
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That being said, I totally spaced on the date and thought I had one more day to do the <a href="http://www.sourdoughsurprises.blogspot.com/">Sourdough Surprises</a> challenge for the month... Oops! But there was no way I was sitting this one out. So I made my crackers today.</div>
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Mixing together the dough:</div>
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The dough came together beautifully and easily:<br />
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Rolled out thin:<br />
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Brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with Kosher salt and paprika, and cut to size:<br />
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Baked up crisp! (I love the bubble...)<br />
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These are seriously good and seriously easy. I used the <a href="http://cmomcook.blogspot.com/2012/07/july-daring-bakers-challenge-crackers.html">recipe</a> on Auntie Twin's blog, and I think I am going to have to make them again and again...! Even Big Girl, who doesn't really like strong sourdough flavor, kept sneaking them from the tray.<br />
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<!-- end InLinkz script -->Ruth H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10693462759741285632noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6287285654329621660.post-81450491720186512392013-08-14T00:00:00.000-04:002013-08-14T00:00:08.589-04:00Daring to do it: BiryaniGrace, one of our talented non-blogging Daring Kitchen members, was our Daring Cooks’ August hostess who shared with us some of her family’s tried and true Bengali Biryani recipes – all of them delicious and all of them prepared fresh from our own kitchens!<br />
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I love learning about new cultures, and food is one of the best (and most fun) ways I can think of to learn. This month's challenge was a great one for helping me learn about a food and culture which I knew little about. The thing is, I knew almost nothing about the dish, either!! For some reason I had thought that biryani was some sort of bread-type Indian food. It isn't. It is a rice dish. Which is a good thing, since rice dished are pretty much always enjoyed in my house, and making a vegetarian, dairy free version wouldn't be an issue. Grace supplied us with <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/sites/default/files/u11/52_Biryani_-_DC_Aug_2013.pdf">five tempting recipes</a> from which to choose. While only one met with our vegetarian requirement, I was pretty sure I would be able to adapt others if I chose. Then I found <a href="http://www.spiceindiaonline.com/tofu_biryani/">this recipe</a> for tofu biryani and decided that was what I would make. I did make a few alterations, but not as many as I feared I would, so, score!!<br />
I would like to give a special thank you to my sister over at<a href="http://www.cmomcook.blogspot.com/"> CMomCook</a> for supplying me with some of the key ingredients so I could pull this together just under the wire...!<br />
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The tofu:<br />
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While the recipe didn't call for seasoning the tofu, I sprinkled it with a biryani spice mix my sister had given me, just to try to add a bit more flavor.<br />
The veggies sauteing, with the whole spices:<br />
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The recipe called for a couple of things I didn't have, so I made substitutions - I didn't have fresh ginger, so I minced and "pasted" my fresh garlic with ginger powder. Also, I didn't have green chillies, so I added some green bell pepper.<br />
The sauce simmered down with the tofu:<br />
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The "gravy" was very thick. Like, it looked like well sauteed veggies to me. But since I thought it was supposed to be more sauce like, I added some water to thin it out a bit.<br />
Layered up with some saffron infused water on top:<br />
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Ready to eat:<br />
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When Hubby walked into the house his first comment was "Wow, it smells good in here!" It smelled like Indian food! He and I loved the biryani. The girls, not so much, but I think that had to do with the heat level rather than the flavor. I would like to try this again with toned down spices and see what they think. Either way, it is something I am going to have to make again!</div>
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Thank you, Grace, for introducing me to a new food and a new culture!</div>
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Check out what my fellow<a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/blogroll/cooks"> Daring Cooks</a> made this month - it is truly mouthwatering!</div>
Ruth H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10693462759741285632noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6287285654329621660.post-38330902040006371842013-07-27T00:00:00.000-04:002013-07-27T00:00:07.594-04:00Daring to do it: Eenie Meenie Miney Moe<br />
In many ways this was the hardest challenge we have ever had!<br />
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In a "celebration" of past Daring Baker and Daring Cook challenges, Lisa challenged all of us to search through the Daring Kitchen archives and pick any one we'd like! The REAL challenge was picking which delicious recipe(s) to try!<br />
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Lisa, the creator of the Daring Kitchen (and someone I am really honored to call a friend - who I can't wait to meet one of these days!), pulled this challenge together pretty quickly after the original July host was knocked out my an injury. (What can I say - this is a really supportive community where we all work together. I love it.) You would think this would be easy - choose something that looks good. Well, ALL of the challenges look god! How could I choose?<br />
But choose I did... I went way back to the November 2006 Daring Baker's challenge - Hot Buttered Pretzels. I love pretzels, but I have a soft spot for the sweet, buttery all pretzels. My best friends from college and I used to get three pretzels and one large lemonade to share when we went out together, and we still do when we can, which isn't too often with all of us working, having kids and one of us living on the other side of the country! So I decided that making these would be a nice trip down memory lane, and would help bring my friends closer in a little way.<br />
What was really cool was that my Big Girl really wanted to be hands on through the whole baking process. She really makes her mommy proud! She wanted to do it all, so she did:<br />
Measuring:<br />
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Pouring:<br />
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The dough she made:<br />
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Puffed up!<br />
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While the recipe indicates making eight pretzels, we decided to make 16...<br />
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Back to Big Girl! Rolling:<br />
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Shapes and baked:<br />
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Brown and yummy!<br />
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We made half of the pretzels salty and the other half sweet with cinnamon sugar. All of them were amazing... The one alteration I made was to use margarine instead of butter - allergies, lactose intolerance... You know... So they were really Hot Margarined Pretzels, but I would make them again any day!!<br />
Now I challenge you - choose just one of <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/recipe">these challenges</a> from the past. You'll understand why this was so hard!<br />
Thank you, Lis, for giving us the chance to go back in time! You are awesome.<br />
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And don't forget to check out what the other <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/blogroll/bakers">Daring Bakers</a> made this month!Ruth H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10693462759741285632noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6287285654329621660.post-91199005633391696492013-07-20T05:00:00.000-04:002013-07-20T05:00:07.164-04:00Surprise! Cinnamon RollsI have a soft spot for cinnamon rolls. Part of it is the flavor - sweet, cinnamon-y, sometimes with that amazing glaze or frosting... Yum. And, how fun is it to unroll it while you eat?! I know, I am kind of a geek that way, but I can't help it! It is fun!<br />
So this month's <a href="http://www.sourdoughsurprises.blogspot.com/">Sourdough Surprises</a> challenge was exciting to me. I was intrigues by the variety of recipes there were to choose from, some which required very little resting time and some which took a LONG time to proof/sour/rest. I chose one that was a little less time intensive, as time isn't exactly abounding in a house with two little ones and full time working at camp...!<br />
I was a little nervous going into this challenge, as Eve had been left to her own devices on the counter for a bit longer than she should have been. I refreshed her, and she bubbled up nicely, but she still smelled... strong...<br />
I added a lot of extra flour to get my dough to a rolling consistency. It seemed ok:<br />
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Add the filling. Brown sugar, of course, mixed with the cinnamon, dotted with margarine:<br />
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When I rolled and cut the dough I saw that, even with the extra flour, there might still be a bit of a sticking issue:<br />
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A little thin, a little stretched out... <br />
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Baked:<br />
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They looked ok, the filling smelled great, but the dough/crust/whatever you want to call the outside part still smelled strong. And guess what? It tasted strong, too. This was my first sourdough creation which I just didn't like. What a disappointment.<br />
But I will try again. Eve has been tempered and refreshed with new flour, and I think she is in much better shape now. So hopefully sometime soon you will see a sourdough cinnamon roll success from me! <br />
Check out what the others made this month - theirs turned out so well, it is more incentive to get it right next time!!
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<!-- end InLinkz script -->Ruth H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10693462759741285632noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6287285654329621660.post-19510137621593556112013-07-14T00:00:00.000-04:002013-07-14T00:00:05.829-04:00Daring to do it: YogurtBlog-checking lines: The lovely Cher of <a href="http://crazyworldofcher.blogspot.com/">The Not So Exciting Adventures of a Dabbler</a> was our July Daring Cooks’ hostess and she asked us to create homemade yogurt in our own kitchens! No incubators needed, no expensive equipment or ingredients, just a few items and we had delicious yogurt for a fraction of the cost and a whole lot healthier than what you buy in the stores! <br />
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This was a scary challenge. Yogurt? Doesn't that require a lot of careful attention and monitoring and temperature gauging? Add to that the fact that I wouldn't be using dairy milk for this, and I can honestly say that I don't remember ever being so nervous about any other kitchen project. Including souffle!<br />
In addition to the wealth of information Cher gave us in her <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/sites/default/files/u11/51_Yogurt_-_DC_Jul_2013.pdf">challenge guide</a>, I looked up as much as I could online about making soy yogurt. Even though I was scared, I was kind of excited to learn about this. Between my lactose intolerance and Little Girl's dairy allergy, soy yogurt is something we like to have in the house. And it is getting hard to find. The brand we like is becoming scarcer in the stores for some reason, other brands use dairy cultures, making them no-no's for Little Girl, and it is REALLY expensive to buy other types. So after a couple of weeks of putting it off, I finally got my act together and gave it a shot.<br />
I gathered up my supplies and ingredients:<br />
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That strange bottle marked PB8 is my pro-biotic. The culture that would turn the soy milk into yogurt. Hopefully.<br />
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After heating the milk, adding in some sugar to feed my bacteria (since soy milk does not have as high a fat content as the milk I would otherwise have used) and a corn starch slurry in hopes of thickening the end result, it was time to add my pro-biotics. Here goes nothing!<br />
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Time to incubate:<br />
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Yup, the is my slow cooker, lined with a small towel to insulate, set on warm overnight. Then it was time to walk away. SCARY. (Add to the inherent nerves the fact that my candy thermometer decided it wouldn't read anything, so I had no clue if I had killed off all of those friendly bacteria in the first place!)<br />
In the morning, when I opened the pot, I found this:<br />
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Slightly thickened soy milk. It did tasted kind of sour though. (I asked Hubby if he thought it tasted yogurt-y or like sour milk... he said yogurt..!)<br />
Into the fridge to set and cool. That afternoon I had this:<br />
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Not as thick as store bought yogurt, but thicker than I thought I would get!<br />
My girls weren't too fond of the taste plain, but I am not surprised by that. I stirred in a spoonful of strawberry preserves, and that was yummy. It wasn't thick enough to eat with a spoon, but it was a good drink! The rest of the yogurt was used to make chocolate yogurt "smoothies." Loved those. So did everyone else you tasted them!!<br />
I can't wait to do this again. Maybe I will play with it, try to thicken it up, but even thin, it made a great smoothie base, and was SO much more affordable than the store-bought variety. <br />
Thank you so much, Cher, for helping me and my fellow<a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/blogroll/cooks"> Daring Cooks see how accessible and wonderful home-made yogurt is!</a><br />
Ruth H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10693462759741285632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6287285654329621660.post-13386896035483178572013-06-27T00:00:00.000-04:002013-06-27T00:00:09.779-04:00Daring to do it: Pie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Rachael from <a href="http://pizzarossa.wordpress.com/">pizzarossa</a> was our lovely June 2013 Daring Bakers’ host and she had us whipping up delicious pies in our kitchens! Cream pies, fruit pies, chocolate pies, even crack pies! There’s nothing like pie! <img alt="Smile" src="http://thedaringkitchen.com/sites/all/modules/smileys/packs/Yahoo/smile.gif" title="Smile" /><br />
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To say I was excited when I saw the announcement of this month's challenge would be a HUGE understatement. I love pie. Like, really and truly love it. And, ever since discovered home-made crust, I make pie kind of regularly. Rachael's challenge was really exciting to me not only for the chance to make pies, but also to learn some new ones. Of the four <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/sites/default/files/u11/80_Life_of_Pie-DB_June_2013.pdf">recipes</a> Rachael gave us, I had only ever made one - and it wasn't even the same recipe, just the same type of pie. So this was going to be fun.<br />
Now, I am kind of disappointed in myself for this month's showing. I really wanted to make nine kinds of pie. (If anyone knows the picture book reference to all nine kinds of pie we like best, I might have to find a way to bake a pie just for you!) But, after one intensive week of pie baking, I didn't have the chance to make any more... So four pies was all I managed...<br />
First was a strawberry pie which my family has made for a long time:<br />
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I started with the cookie crust from the Crack Pie recipe Rachael provided:<br />
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I then decided to kick it up a notch:<br />
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Yup. Chocolate. How could that not be good?<br />
Add the berries and the berry glaze:<br />
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Slice, eat and enjoy!<br />
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Next I made the chocolate caramel tart provided in the challenge. </div>
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Start with a pastry crust, which I love making:<br />
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I also love using my tart pan... It's the little things in life...!<br />
After the shell is prebaked, yummy home made caramel goes in:<br />
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Then comes the chocolate mouse layer:<br />
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Bake until rich, dark and decadent:</div>
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Once again, slice and enjoy:</div>
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This pie is SO good. I mean, it is amazing. I have already had the request to make it again! I did make a few recipe adjustments to make it non-dairy, but they didn't seem to alter the end product, and I will totally be keeping this recipe!</div>
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Next was a recipe I have had in my collection for a while but I hadn't tried before. Brown Sugar Pie:</div>
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This time I used my tried and true pie crust recipe that I know by heart:</div>
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Then whip together the sugary filling:<br />
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Another pie bake, another chance to slice and enjoy!</div>
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Sweet! This was kind of like a pecan pie without the pecans. I really liked it!</div>
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Finally I made a double crust fruit pie: </div>
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I again used my regular pie crust recipe, doubled. Roll out the bottom layer, using between half and two thirds of the dough to leave enough overhang, then fill with fruit:<br />
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The fruit in this case was all I had in the house - peaches, plums, nectarines and an apple to fill it up.<br />
I then used my handy little pie rolling 'bag" to roll out the top crust and cut out some sort of design: <br />
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But I didn't like the way it wound up with that big hole in the middle. So I played:<br />
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I kind of felt like a rock star - that looked so cool!<br />
Last time for the month I got to slice and enjoy:<br />
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Pie month ROCKED. Rachael, you have me on a pie kick again, and I can't thank you enough. Neither can my family, who loved this challenge as much as I did!</div>
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Check out what my fellow <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/blogroll/bakers">Daring Bakers</a> made this month, but please keep a napkin handy to wipe up the drool!</div>
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Ruth H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10693462759741285632noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6287285654329621660.post-81085430261724630362013-06-20T05:00:00.000-04:002013-06-20T05:00:05.654-04:00Surprise! CrepesMy first introduction to crepes was the yummy cheese-filled blintzes my mom used to make. I had no idea they were called crepes, though, for the longest time. I just knew them as the wrappers for blintzes... Live and learn, right?<br />
And learn, I have. Crepes are so much more versatile than blintzes. (Not that there is anything wrong with blintzes! I still love them!) There is almost nothing more decadent than a warm crepe folded around gooey Nutella... :)<br />
For this month's <a href="http://sourdoughsurprises.blogspot.com/">Surprise</a> I was unsure what to do with sourdough crepes. Of course blintzes were on my mind, but with a dairy allergic kiddo, that wasn't in the cards. I just wasn't sure if sourdough would lend itself better to sweet or salty, especially when the recipe called for Eve to be the biggest ingredient - barely diluted, well soured starter... <br />
The <a href="http://heartlandrenaissance.com/2010/01/sourdough-crepes/">batter</a> was very thin. I know it is supposed to be, but I was worried it was too thin, not having added any flour other than what Eve had going for her.<br />
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As expected, the first crepe out of the pan was not a good indicator:<br />
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Soon a rhythm was reached, though:<br />
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Stack o' crepes. I had tasted the first, not-too-pretty crepe on its own, and I was still not sure what to think. It was pretty sour... What to do?<br />
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Spread with some yummy apple cinnamon preserves:<br />
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Roll it up!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrSmOmgdnecUajMPoKB9Gw2ntwVJ6ref_-isBMosYH0WPGtXAd_jy0rTfE8RDosbPZUAr1X58oRAowpm2cxnr65v4x6Psz4Qc3i8_BmJoHRAITJ-9Wh7hSYyDLg-174ulLNup2OoF4sXAB/s1600/pics+thru+6-19-2013+021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrSmOmgdnecUajMPoKB9Gw2ntwVJ6ref_-isBMosYH0WPGtXAd_jy0rTfE8RDosbPZUAr1X58oRAowpm2cxnr65v4x6Psz4Qc3i8_BmJoHRAITJ-9Wh7hSYyDLg-174ulLNup2OoF4sXAB/s320/pics+thru+6-19-2013+021.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Serve to two adorable little girls asking for something "special" to eat.<br />
Success! Big Girl, who was asking what the "strange" smell of the starter was, told me these were the best crepes she had ever eaten. (Mind you, at 4, she has not exactly sampled a large variety of crepes, but it was still cute...!) The sweetness really cut the sourness, and it worked really well together. I love being Surprised by what my starter can make!!<br />
Check out how the other crepes turned out!!
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Ruth H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10693462759741285632noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6287285654329621660.post-64152854234109773532013-06-14T00:00:00.000-04:002013-06-14T00:00:04.250-04:00Daring to do it: MeatballsThis month was a ton of fun in the <a href="http://www.thedaringkitchen.com/">Kitchen</a>. It was a great example of how something basic, like the meatball, can be turned into something fun and creative!<br />
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The June Daring Cooks’ challenge sure kept us rolling – meatballs, that is! Shelley from <a href="http://cmomcook.blogspot.com/">C Mom Cook</a> and Ruth from <a href="http://mommy-crafts.blogspot.com/">The Crafts of Mommyhood</a> challenged us to try meatballs from around the world and to create our own meatball meal celebrating a culture or cuisine of our own choice.<br />
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Oh yeah - it was also fun because my sister and I got to host it!<br />
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When we were trying to decide what our challenge would be, Auntie Twin, a.k.a. CMomCook, a.k.a. Shelley, and I kept coming back to basics. I was hesitant about meatballs because, well, the name says it: <em>meat</em>balls. What would us vegetarians do? Then she decided to give the challenge the working title of "roundish ground stuff," and I got over my hesitation. This was going to be fun.<br />
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If you want to read the whole post and recipes, check it out <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/sites/default/files/u11/50_Meatballs_-_DC_June_2013.pdf">here</a>.<br />
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For now, I will just share with you what I made in preparing for the challenge.<br />
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First were the Florentine cannellini bean and spinach balls:<br />
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These were baked first, then simmered in tomato sauce. I think these might have been my favorite.<br />
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Next were quinoa and spinach balls:<br />
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These were pan fried, which I had never done before. <br />
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I did make one type of actual meatball, since I was visiting my parents' home. These are sweet and sour meatballs using a combination of beef and turkey:<br />
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Vegan tofu balls:<br />
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I used flax seed egg replacer to make these truly vegan. This was also the first time I had ever had a meatball sub of any kind, and I really loved it!<br />
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Thank you to Shelley for all of your hard work this month. And thank you to all of the amazing Daring Cooks who participated!! Check out what they did <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/blogroll/cooks">here</a>!Ruth H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10693462759741285632noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6287285654329621660.post-89112914519898857062013-05-20T20:50:00.001-04:002013-05-20T20:50:02.046-04:00Surprise! BrowniesWell, I missed last month's Surprise of pasta. Or, rather, I made the pasta, ate and enjoyed the pasta, then never wrote my post. Oops. And I was well on my way to forgetting this month's Surprise, too, but I was reminded this morning, so was saved! (Thank, Shell!)<br />
This month we were encouraged to make brownies. Yum. I am married to a certifies chocoholic, and my girls seem to be following in his footsteps... Don't get me wrong, I love chocolate. But I am perfectly happy with non-chocolate. Hubby? If there is a choice, chocolate always wins. Always. <br />
I found the recipe on the <a href="http://pinterest.com/sourdohsuprizs/">Sourdough Surprises Pinterest</a> board and got to work.<br />
The batter came together really easily. I loved the way Eve looked going into the chocolaty gooeyness....<br />
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As I was putting the batter into the pan I realized that I had forgotten to add the vanilla. Ummm... oops? So I added the vanilla to the pan... It works, right?<br />
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Coming out of the oven things looked and smelled good. I had thought the brownies would have risen more, but it looked fine.<br />
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Holy chocolate, gooey goodness!<br />
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These might just have been the best brownies I have ever made. So yummy. So rich, so chocolaty, so good. I think we ate them in two days. And that was only because I made us put them away before we finished them in one! The sourdough tang was there, but very subtle. It did just enough to enhance the chocolate. So good.<br />
So if you still thought that sourdough was only good for breads, let yourself be <a href="http://www.sourdoughsurprises.blogspot.com/">Surprised</a> at the amazing things you will create with your starter!!<br />
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<!-- end InLinkz script -->Ruth H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10693462759741285632noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6287285654329621660.post-47676629486111686712013-05-14T00:00:00.000-04:002013-05-14T00:00:02.245-04:00Daring to do it: en CrouteAnother month, another fun challenge from another fun host!<br />
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Our lovely Monkey Queen of <a href="http://www.dontmakemecallmyflyingmonkeys.com/">Don’t Make Me Call My Flying Monkeys</a>, was our May Daring Cooks’ hostess and she challenged us to dive into the world of en Croute! We were encouraged to make Beef Wellington, Stuffed Mushroom en Croute and to bring our kids into the challenge by encouraging them to create their own en Croute recipes! <br />
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I love crust. I am a bread girl, and crust falls into that category for me. So this challenge was exciting for me. Crust wrapped yumminess? Yes, please!<br />
As soon as I read the <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/sites/default/files/u11/48_En_Croute_-_DC_May_2013.pdf">challenge and the recipes</a> Monkey Queen gave us I remembered something I had made with my mom a year or so ago: Vegetables Wellington. I knew that would be my contribution to the Challenge this month. I used the recipe for puff pastry from the <a href="http://mommy-crafts.blogspot.com/2012/10/daring-to-do-it-mille-feuille.html">Mille Feuille challenge</a> a few months back and made a yummy dinner.<br />
The rolled out dough:<br />
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The veggies and beans, ready to fill:<br />
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Assembly - not the neatest job, but it worked:<br />
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Trying to make a pretty presentation... trying being the operative word:<br />
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Flaky, vegetabley goodness:<br />
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Plated and ready to go:<br />
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We all loved it. We all decided that we would love to try other things wrapped in dough. Big Girl even said she wanted to be wrapped in dough! While I didn't want to go quite that far, a few days later we did try something different: Veggie Burgers Wellington!<br />
Fun little packages on a plate:<br />
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Yummy goodness inside!<br />
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Thank you so much, Monkey Queen, for bringing your flying monkeys out to play with us this month. I loved this challenge, and I am so looking forward to wrapping lots of meals in dough in the future!!<br />
Take a look <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/blogroll/cooks">here</a> to see what my fellow Daring Cooks wrapped up!!Ruth H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10693462759741285632noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6287285654329621660.post-41450056296953558532013-04-27T00:00:00.000-04:002013-04-27T00:00:09.299-04:00Daring to do it: Savarin<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I know I have said it before, and I am pretty certain I will say it again, but I really love being a part of the <a href="http://www.thedaringkitchen.com/">Daring Kitchen</a>. It is so wonderful to be in a community where people want to work together and ave a good time. Last month it was brought to the community's attention that the host for the April Daring Baker's challenge had gone MIA, and we were at risk for not having a challenge to do. There were a bunch of suggestions offered by Bakers, and then one stepped up and offered to prepare and host a challenge with only a couple of weeks time to research, prepare and coordinate it. Having hosted a challenge, I can tell you this is not a small undertaking! Please, no matter who you are, stop by Natalia's blog and give her huge cyber-hugs for such an amazing job, especially in such a short amount of time!! <br />
Ok, now on to the regular post...!<br />
</blockquote>
This month's Daring Baker's challenge was something I had never heard of, but not something that was entirely new to me. It was a lot of fun, a lot of work, and really yummy!<br />
<em>Natalia of </em><a href="http://gattifiliefarina.blogspot.it/"><em>Gatti Fili e Farina</em></a><em> challenges us to make a traditional Savarin, complete with soaking syrup and cream filling! We were to follow the Savarin recipe but were allowed to be creative with the soaking syrup and filling, allowing us to come up with some very delicious cakes!</em> <br />
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I had never heard of Savarin before, but I have used a cake-soak for a plain cake, so the idea of it wasn't too intimidating. The cake, though, kind of was! The savarin <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/sites/default/files/u11/78_Savarin_-_DB_Apr_2013.pdf">recipe</a> Natalia gave us was for a very plain yeasted cake. One with a sponge, lots of egg yolks added one at a time, various rises... then the baking, cooling, soaking and filling! The hardest part of getting ready to make this challenge was finding the time to do it all! Here are all of the steps, as best as I could capture them.<br />
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The sponge:<br />
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Mixing the dough:<br />
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The egg yolks:<br />
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Trying for the elastic,thready stage:<br />
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And now for the window pane test:<br />
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First rise:<br />
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Folding and shaping:<br />
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Next rise:<br />
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Proofed and ready to bake:<br />
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Out of the oven, risen quite nicely!<br />
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Cutting off the top - er, bottom!- of the cake to make a flat surface:<br />
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Making a vanilla cake soak (from my favorite Mark Bittman cookbook):<br />
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Soaking the cake:<br />
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Glazed with a simple powdered sugar/soy milk glaze, filled with dairy-free chocolate pudding, dusted with powdered sugar:</div>
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Sliced and served:<br />
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My mother-in-law hit the nail on the head when she said this tasted a lot like a chocolate eclair. And that is totally a good thing. My biggest complaint was that the cake soak did not soak all the way through the cake - the top and bottom were saturated, but the middle of the cake was still rather dry. (The plain cake was very much like a light brioche, which is yummy, but rather plain.) Were I to have the time, I can see making this again. It was delicious, and it is so versatile! It is just very labor, and time, intensive, and I am not sure I would go for it again without a special occasion. That being said, should a special occasion arise, this is an AMAZING treat!<br />
Thank you so much, Natalia, for stepping up and teaching us about this wonderful dessert! I an in awe of the hard work you put in, and of the generous support you offered all month long. I can't wait to see what the rest of the <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/blogroll/bakers">Daring Bakers</a> created!!Ruth H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10693462759741285632noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6287285654329621660.post-26875256061637444162013-04-14T00:00:00.000-04:002013-04-14T00:00:07.839-04:00Daring to do it: No Bones About ItThis month's challenge was hosted by a blogger I like. I like her food, I like her style, I like her. Sadly, though, I didn't find a way to "like" this challenge enough to do it...<br />
<br />
For the April Daring Cooks Challenge, Lisa from<a href="http://parsleysagesweet.com/"> Parsley, Sage and Sweet</a> has challenged us to debone a whole chicken, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAekQ5fzfGM">using this video by Jacques Pepin as our guide</a>; then stuff it, tie it and roast it, to create a Chicken Ballotine.<br />
<br />
Yeah. I wasn't going to de-bone a chicken. I could have done it - we were in Florida for Passover, and my parents don't have a vegetarian kitchen. And there was a whole, bone-in chicken in the freezer which I was welcomed to use. I just couldn't do it... <br />
I tried to think of a vegetarian alternative... Some way to take something with structure, remove the "bones" and stuff it. But I couldn't think or anything. And then it got to be the 13th of the month, and that meant that time was up to try something. <br />
So, sorry, Lisa! I totally get how this is an amazing challenge, and an awesome skill for Daring Cooks to learn, I was just too much of a wimp. <br />
Take a look <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/blogroll/cooks">here</a> to see the delectable dishes the braver Cooks created!<br />
Ruth H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10693462759741285632noreply@blogger.com0