The Ultimate Grilled Cheese

When I was thinking of the title for this post I suddenly transformed into Tyler Florence and all his ultimate shows and how much I miss watching them! Also I love grilled cheese... and Tyler Florence. So it's time to put on my chef hat and get crazy with cheese.

Grilled cheese was always pretty basic for me growing up- two slices of white bread and those singles of American cheese. Which is still so delicious, don't get me wrong, but now the possibilities are endless! And with people going food crazy these days, there are now whole restaurants dedicated to these delicious sandwiches. My kind of restaurant. Grilled cheeses are everywhere now and people are doing things that used to be unheard of- mac and cheese grilled cheese anyone?

For my ultimate grilled cheese I will obviously cater it to my taste, but of course, feel free to use anything you want. I'm a purist when it comes to these bad boys so it's strictly cheese and bread for me, but with the volume turned up. Also this is just for one sandwich because, well, Meaghan party of one.

(In my best Rosanna Pansino voice) The things you will need are...

-Two slices of sourdough bread, 1/2-3/4 inch thick- perfect thickness.
........That's what she said.
-One thin slice Camembert (Very soft cheese- you could even scoop it and spread it on the bread.)
-Two slices Gruyere.
-One garlic clove, finely chopped.
-One sprig each of parsley, thyme, and rosemary, finely chopped.
-Two tbs butter (don't skimp).
-Pinch of salt and pepper.

1. Throw the chopped garlic, parsley, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper into a heat proof bowl with the butter and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds until the butter is melted. Put aside for later.
2. Grab your slices of bread, place the cheese on and close it up! (I like to chop my cheese so I can get a little bit in every bite- slices can get a little difficult depending on the cheese you have).
3. If you have a good cast iron skillet, use it, if not, non stick works. Put it on a medium-medium/low heat. You don't want the heat too high or you will burn the bread before your cheese melts!
4. When the pan is good and warm, brush one side of the sandwich with the butter mixture, get it allll in that bread. #foodporn. Place the buttered side down in the skillet, then butter the other side.
5. When the downside is good and golden and the cheese has melted, carefully flip it over to toast the other side. We all have different darkness preference, I like my grilled cheese on the more crisp,dark side, so I let it cook a bit longer. You know what they say, once you go darker on the grilled cheese... you get more of that black stuff in your teeth. Not a cute picture, but it's delicious, so who cares.
6. Once the sandwich is to your liking and all the cheese is just all gooey and melted, take the pan off the heat, slice it up, and go to town on that thing.

As someone who realizes this sandwich will taste delicious but ultimately permanently reside on my large booty, this is a treat yo self moment. Definitely something to have on one of those days you just want to indulge just a little bit without overdoing it. And on this cold gloomy Sunday, I'll take it! On this day in particular, it's helping me get through the last game on the Brady suspension- go Pats! Good day for pjs, chores, yummy food, those those tight ends, amirite? Gosh I love football Sundays.

Happy eating!

Meaghan 

Red Velvet

The elusive red velvet cake. Red... but chocolate... cream cheese frosting, not buttercream? What is this invention?! Delicious, that's what it is! 

This past weekend I hosted a bridal shower- a Friends themed bridal shower! Now, while red velvet cupcakes had nothing to do with that, they are, however, the birde's favorite cupcake! And what baby wants, baby gets. And as the one feeding the baby, I wanted to make it good! 
...The baby is the bride in this case, just in case you were confused. 

Red velvet was never an extreme favorite of mine, I'm not a huge fan of cream cheese frosting... or cake for that matter. HOWEVER. I don't know what it was about this time but it was perfect. The cream cheese was so light tasting it was perfection, it wasn't like I was biting into a bagel or something. The sweet frosting paired with the spongy flavorful cake is a match made in heaven. Also, if these didn't turn out the way I wanted them to I would have not been a happy camper. Baking in the heat and humidity was like death. If I'm baking in that kind of heat, it better be worth it. Along with the cupcakes we had other goodies in the theme of Friends! Phoebe's grandmother's cookies- her name of course was Nestle Tollhouse. Rachel's infamous English trifle, a meatless! Some sandwiches for Joey. Little fancy caprese skewers for Monica. And because Chandler loves baths, we had a nice little champagne bubble bath drink. 

Now, on with the cupcakes! 

CAKE

-1 1/2 sticks room temperature butter

-1 3/4 cup sugar

-2 eggs

-2 1/2 tbs cocoa powder

-1 tbs vanilla extract

-2 tbs no taste red food coloring (I don't like mine looking like a shark attack, add more if you'd like.)

-1 1/2 cups whole milk

-1 tsp salt

-3 1/4 cups all purpose flour 

-1 1/2 tsp white distilled vinegar 

-1 1/2 tsp baking soda

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

-1/2 stick room temperature butter

-7 oz room temperature cream cheese

-4 cups powdered sugar

-1 tbs vanilla extract

1. Preheat your oven to 350F.

2. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar for a couple minutes until pale. 

3. Add both eggs one at a time.

4. Add the cocoa powder, vanilla extract, salt, and food coloring, mix to combine.

5. Sift the flour into a separate bowl.

6. In thirds, alternately add the flour and milk until the batter has been fully combined. 

7. Pop the cupcake liners in your tines and fill about 2/3 full.

8. Bake for 18 minutes and let cool on a wire rack. Depending on your oven, you may have to bake for longer, but start to check at around 18 minutes. 

9. Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment place the butter, cream cheese and vanilla extract in and mix well to combine. You want the mixture pale, creamy, and oh so pretty looking. 

10. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time incorporating  so you don't look like Scarface in the kitchen and have the sugar come up in a huge cloud and get all over everything. 

11. Depending on the weather where you are, you might need to add a tiny bit of milk, maybe a tablespoon, to loosen up the frosting just a bit, it should still stay thick though. 

12. When the cupcakes have cooled completely you are good to fill a piping bag fitting with a large round tip to pipe the perfect mound onto the cupcake. If you don't have a piping bag or a tip, take a freezer bag, cut off the corner, and you're good to go.

13. Garnish with some sprinkles or whatever you'd like and you're done!

However you use this recipe it will be delicious and bring a smile to people's faces. This is a classic recipe that will always have a place at a party and people will thank you for it because it's delicious, duh. Enjoy!

Meaghan

Christmas In July

It's July... in Maine. Needless to say, it's not cold. With enough heat and humidity in the air to make you think you're in the deep south, I've decided I'm going to tun the oven on! I know, sometimes I don't seem like the sharpest tool in the shed. But I had a special request, so to the oven I go! 

Last Christmas (I gave you my heart) I made a few different types of cookies for cookie boxes. Among the goodies were some ginger molasses cookies. I'm not the biggest gingerbread or molasses fan, but I thought I'd branch out because normal people seem to like them. Well, let me tell you. These cookies exceeded my expectations as well as everyone else's. They have made me a fan of the spices of the holidays for life. If they make my grandmother want to risk slipping into a diabetic coma, they must be good right? 

Since we are in the midsts of all the Christmas in July specials on with the sappy made for tv movies and price slashes in the stores, I might as well follow suit and make my stomach happy. Plus, I really wouldn't mind if it were Christmas time right about now. Call me crazy, but this summer weather is not my friend. A world of perpetual fall would be ideal. To quite one of my favorites: "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."

Shall we?
To make these ginger molasses cookies you'll need...

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon 
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice 
1/8 tsp cardamom 
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup molasses
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar (for rolling)

1. Preheat your oven to 350F.
2. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cardamom and salt.
3. In a separate bowl combine the egg, vegetable oil, molasses and brown sugar.
4. Pour the wet into the dry and get to mixing. I suggest just roughing it with a wire whisk and then switch to a spatula. If you use a mixer or even a hand mixer it might incorporate a little too much air and fluff the batter too much. 
5. Roll 1 tsp size balls into the granulated sugar. This will help with the crackle look and taste. YUM. 
6. When the oven comes to temperature, pop these in for 8-10 minutes, check at 8 depending in your oven, mine took 9 to be exact. You don't want the cookies to be very brown, you want them to look puffed and light brown. They will deflate after cooking.
7. Let the cookies cool on a wire rack and you're done! This recipe makes 36 cookies depending on the size you want.

Even though baking in this heat makes me want to move into a deep freezer forever, my house smells like Christmas and and the comforts of home during the holidays and it makes me so happy. 

I've decided these cookies are good year round and you don't need sweater weather to enjoy them... although it does make for a better experience. For a summer treat, these chewy cookies with a little bit of a snap on the outside make them perfect for ice cream sandwiches! A couple of these babies hugging a scoop of some really good vanilla ice cream sounds pretty good right about now. In fact, I might be eating it as I type this...

So, kids, throw on a bathing suit and eat your Christmas cookies!

-Meaghan

You Want A S'more? I Haven't Had Anything Yet, So How Can I Have Some More Of Nothing?

...You're killing me Smalls!

It's summer and that means going to the beach, BBQs, sweating a little more than I'd like, and of course, s'mores by the fire! Memorial Day is the often considered the unofficial kick off of summer, and while I'm very thankful for all who have served, I am also very thankful for a long weekend. And as you do on this weekend, we had a BBQ and it was my job to bring a dessert. Challenge accepted. I wanted something seasonal and fun, but nothing usual. I'm a sucker for s'mores and I've always wanted to try making something with a choux pastry. LIGHTBULB. S'mores "creampuffs". Jackpot.

I've never made anything with choux before, I'm not amazing with a piping bag, will this take me all day? What can go wrong?

-1 sleeve graham crackers
-1 cup water
-1 stick of butter
-1 tsp salt
-3/4 cup flour
-5 eggs (4 for the dough and 1 for the egg wash)
-1 bag of mini marshmallows (sorry, can't buy these in small quantity, you'll only need 30 or so.)
-8oz semi-sweet melting chocolate
-5oz marshmallow fluff
*It's best if you have a piping bag and a large and a small piping tip. You'll need the structure and support it gives you to work with the delicate puff.

1. In a food processor, blitz up the graham crackers to fine crumbs.
2. In a large sauce pot on medium heat, bring the water, butter, and salt to a boil.
3. Once boiling, toss in the flour and graham cracker crumbs and stir, stir, stir for a couple minutes until you cook the flour taste out and it becomes a hunk of warm soft dough.
4. Take the pot off the heat and let stand to cool for 5 minutes. Keep it in the pan, no need to dirty more dishes than you have to!
5. Preheat your oven to 375F.
6. After the dough has cooled for 5 minutes mix in four eggs, one at a time. Be sure to incorporate each egg before adding the next one. Also, it's important to note that you might think you're doing it wrong because it looks like it will never come together. Trust me, it will, just keep stirring! You'll definitely get your arm workout with these babies.
7. Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a larger circle tip. Although this works best, if you cannot get these tools, use a zip lock bag with a corner cut off about an in up. If you're using a zip lock when it comes tim to pipe the fluff in the puff, carefully make a hole with a sharp knife in the bottom of the puff and stick the bag in to pipe the fluff.
8. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a non stick mat, with your bag at a 90 degree angle wth the pan, pipe a 1-2 inch round of dough. DO this until your dough is gone- since I have a small oven I had a few batches. 
9. Whisk up the remaining egg and brush over the puffs- be sure to push down any points on the tops, if you have points on the top, they will burn!
10. Set a timer for 10 minutes. *Depending on how many trays you have in there, at the end of the 10 minutes, either put the bottom tray on top and the top tray on the bottom, or if you just have one, give the tray a turn so the side that was in front will now be in the back. Set a timer for another 15 minutes.
11. When this timer goes off, take the puffs out and allow to cool for a few minutes so you can carefully remove them from the tray without crushing them- they are  very delicate after all! However, it's very important to know that if a couple happen fall into your mouth right out of the oven... I won't tell.
12. Allow the puffs to cool completely once removed from the pan. 
14. Set the oven to broil.
15. Because these puffs are so small, I cut mini marshmallows in half and arranged on a sheet tray, cut side down. Place these under the boiler for maybe less than a minute. **Be sure to watch these, they burn in the blink of an eye! You just want them lightly brown, not charcoal.** When these are done, set aside to cool.
16. When the puffs have cooled, fill a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip with the fluff  and carefully pipe the fluff into the bottom of the puffs. Don't go crazy with the pressure- it will explode. Apply the same pressure while removing the bag slowly, you'll feel the puff filling up as you go.
17. Melt the chocolate down in 30 second intervals in the microwave.
18. Dip each top of the puff in the melted chocolate.
19. While still wet, place a marshmallow on top of the sticky chocolate. *For some added fun, crunch up some more graham crackers and sprinkle some on top along with some sea salt. To. Die. For.*
20. Continue this for all the puffs and let them sit at room temperature for chocolate to dry!

ENJOY!

These were a big hit and I feel fairly confident that I conquered choux pastry with just one try! With this skill you can do a lot of fun fancy things- cream puffs, eclairs, cream horns, and even the ultimate confection- croque en bouche! Although choux doesn't traditionally have graham crackers in it, you get the picture. This is a really easy way to impress your friends, family, strangers, the cute guy in the cubical next to you, your cat. Once you get the basics down you can really work with a ton of different flavor combinations and get real fancy with yourself. 

I think I'll definitely try some more things with choux, but for now, I'll end this with a quote from the great Johnny Drama... VICTORYYYY!

-Meaghan

Cake For Coffee

Who doesn't want cake for breakfast?!

My parents are returning from a nice long island vacation to an empty fridge, so what do I do? Bring/make food! After doing a quick store run for some essentials similar to the typical winter storm run- milk and bread. I was on a mission to make some coffee cake. Because how nice would it be to get home in the wee hours of the morning to see your breakfast for the next day already made and a stocked fridge? Very nice, that's what. At this point it's impossible not to feel like Ina Garten making welcome home baskets for my very posh friends. Shall we get into it?

Cake
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pinch cinnamon
1 pinch allspice
1 pinch cardamom

Topping
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter at room temperature
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cardamom
1/8 tsp allspice

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. To make the topping for later, combine the flour, brown sugar, salt, butter, cinnamon, cardamom, and allspice. Set aside for later- or even pop it in the fridge to set up a bit.
3. In a large bowl with a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream the butter and granulated sugar until soft and a pale yellow color.
4. Mix in the eggs one at a time. 
5. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
6. To the bowl with the butter and sugar, add alternating the flour and sour cream (Add half of the dry, combine, add half of the sour cream, combine, add the rest of the dry, combine, and add the rest of the sour cream, combine.
7. Add the vanilla extract. (Feel free to add spices you like into the batter or layer them in the batter- I suggest layering, it's fun to get the different flavors at different parts of the cake!)
8. Grease up your baking dish however you'd like, as long as it's something!
9. Pour half of the mixture in and even it out.
10. Here's where you can get creative- use different spices and/or nuts to sprinkle over the top to create a yummy middle layer. I actually added a small portion of the topping to this layer- yum!
11. Carefully spread the rest of the batter over the top. Don't worry if a bit of the filling is poking out, it all adds to the goodness, it's like a tasty "hey, how are ya?!" from the filling.
12. Spread the topping liberally on top of the batter. Judging from the looks and smell of this, the topping may be the best part of the coffee cake- much like my thoughts about any kind of crisp or crumble, all about the topping!
13. Pop the pan in the oven for 30-35 minutes- check at 25 minutes just in case, every oven is different and you never know! *Side note- mine crook 40 minutes. 
14. When a cake tester comes out clean switch off the oven and let the cake cool for a few minutes. Resist the temptation to pick at the topping, you'll burn your mouth off.
15. After 5 minutes or so of cooling, run a sharp knife around the sides of the cake to make sure it loosens from the sides and bottom. Let cool for another 10 minutes or so to set up.
16. Empty the cake from the pan to display or cut and slice right from there!

Enjoy!

I can see why they call it coffee cake, I was snacking on a smeller portion I made and oh my goodness, if it wasn't so late in the day I'd make myself some good strong coffee! Maybe I'll wait until tomorrow. This cake is soft and has great flavor and smells like the holidays! That can never be a bad thing. Don't believe me? Make it and see for yourself!

Meaghan 

Winter Is Here

Game of Thrones season six premiere is finally upon us and it's time to get excited! Do we get to see if and how Jon comes back to life? Can Arya get her sight back? Can Littlefinger get any creepier? IS WINTER REALLY COMING THIS TIME? And of course my ultimate question- will Jaime see Brienne and tell her he ditched his crazy sister for her?! A girl can dream. Big tough blonde ladies need love too! 

This obsession all started a couple of years ago when a certain coworker had suggested I watch this show. And thank you Mr. Coworker because it's definitely one of my favorites. But of course, he shall remain nameless as to not feed his ego more than I already have. But you know who you are. 

Besides the obvious distraction of Jon Snow and his gorgeously emo self, was the interesting food they ate on the show. I know this is supposed to be loosely based on medieval times and I know things were... different in those days, but a horse heart? Come on Daenerys, eating a heart? Show him you care by throwing on that outfit he likes(your best animal skin, of course) and cook his favorite meal over the hot fire, sharpen his sword for him, learn his language, which you did, you go girl. Among other things, lots of rabbit, venison, and lamb. All pretty normal now that I think about it, but nothing I'm digging. I'm actually quite sure that I probably either would have starved to death or would have become a diabetic mess based on some of the sweets they had- yum. 

In celebration of the show coming back for the inevitably short season, lets make some Game of Thrones (inspired) food! First we will be traveling to Dorne to avoid the Sand Snakes at all costs and make some delicious naan bread. Since I think Dorne is looked at as the "Mediterranean" of Westeros, I'm going to add to the goodness by incorporating some za'atar- an herb been used throughout the Middle East made up of sumac, marjoram, thyme, basil, oregano, sesame seeds, and Himalayan pink salt- very delicious. Maybe some lemon? Chicken? I don't know, we'll make it good. So good that Ellaria will want to kiss you. But do not, I repeat, do not kiss her, you'll thank me later. Then we shall head north just a bit to King's Landing and make some Lemon cakes. Sansa's lemon cakes might be the most well known and searched for recipe based on my research. I'm a big fan of lemon, so I've got high hopes for these things. 

Let get started!

Naan
-4 cups all purpose flour
-1/4 tsp salt
-1 1/2 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp baking soda
-1 tbs sugar
-1/4 warm water (100F)
-3/4 tsp active dry yeast
-3/4 cup warm milk
-1 cup Greek yogurt 
-4 tbs melted butter (for brushing)
-1 tsp za'atar

1. Heat the water to an appropriate 100F and stir in the yeast and sugar. *Be careful the water is not too hot or it will kill the yeast. Also, be sure it's not too cold or the yeast will not activate. It's kind of a pest.* Set aside for 10 minutes until it gets foamy and smells like bread. **If the yeast doesn't activate, do not use it- throw it out and start again.**
2. In the bowl of your mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
3. Still in it's separate bowl, combine the yeast, milk, and yogurt.
4. With the mixer on low, carefully pour the wet into the dry and let the dough come together. You may have to scrape the sides down.
5. Let this knead for a few moments until the dough is together, sticky, and soft. Just before done kneading, add the za'atar. *This dough is a bit more wet than normal, knead for about five minutes on a low-medium speed, turn out and incorporate a handful or so of flour to bring it together, it will be very soft and very sticky.
6. Place the dough into a greased bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and place in a warm dark place like the microwave or an off own with the light on for about an hour or until the dough has doubled in size. 
7. When the dough is acceptable to you, pinch it down to release the air and sprinkle a bit of flour on your board so the dough doesn't stick. Cut into even pieces and roll out to about 1/4 inch thick, set aside.
7. When all of your dough has been rolled out, melt down some butter and put a skillet on medium heat- cast iron would work best. *For added fun, add some spices to your butter!*
8. Brush one side of the dough with the butter and place that side down on the hot pan. Cook for a few minutes until the dough is golden and crisp. While this side is cooking, brush the other side with the melted butter. Flip over and cook for can additional 1-2 minutes until it's golden.
9. Keep this process up until all your dough is cooked and you're good!

It's aliveeeeee!

When I tell you this naan is heavenly, I don't think it comes close to describing how good it really is. It's so buttery and soft and crispy and flavorful. It's perfection, I can't even deal. This recipe is so versatile, obviously it's bread- you can do anything with it! What I particularly had an interest in is something I saw on the Food Network. It was an episode of Edan Eats and she had gone to this place where they made naan with this za'atar and olive oil mixture that was broiled. It looked amazing and I've wanted it ever since. That's a long time to want something! I mixed together the spices and olive oil, spread over the naan, put it in the oven, took a moment to look around and gather my inner Khaleesi, and with one strong look, I muttered, dracarys! That baby boiled up faster than Kraznys Mo Nakloz when he learned Daenerys knew Valyrian and stuck Drogon on him. Just a few minutes under the boiler is all this needs, be careful, splatters and it's molten lava. After it's done being hot enough to kill my mouth, I took a bite and oh my lord, it was soooo good, very flavorful! Another thing I'd try is maybe some lemon chicken on the grill with some veggies. Toss that in the naan and wrap it up. Or you could make a little flatbread pizza with it! Endless possibilities, knock yourself out!

Another recipe that I've been dying to try are Sansa's lemon cakes! There are a couple recipes I've seen floating around- a more traditional take and a more modern version. After looking them over, I went with the modern version. The traditional recipe sounds a bit more savory and I'm in the mood for sweet today, so sweet it is! I like to think that if I were plopped in Westeros, I'd be in the north- I'm quite sure that Maine would be considered Stark country. And I definitely wouldn't be able to grow lemons because you really can't grow citrus here naturally, much like Sansa in the north. Too bad there wasn't a grocery store around the corner, save her a lot of trouble. She might not be the most loved character, but the girl has good taste in desserts. Terrible taste in men, but that's besides the point. 

Lemon Cakes
-1 3/4 sticks butter
-2 cups sugar
-2 tbs lemon zest
-2 eggs
-3 cups flour
-1/2 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp cardamom 
-2 tbs lemon juice
-1 cup milk
-2 Lemons

Lemon Glaze
-Juice and zest of one lemon
-1/2 cup powdered sugar

Candied Lemons
-2-3 lemons
-1 cup sugar
-1 cup water

Cakes:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. In a mixer fitted with  paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar.
3. Add the eggs, zest, and cardamom.
4. Once incorporated, slowly add the flour, salt, and baking powder. Scrape the sides along the way.
5. Carefully add the milk and lemon juice. *Add slowly because it will fly everywhere... don't ask me how I know. 
6. Spray some muffin tins with non stick spray and fill 3/4 full.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes- check at 20. Every oven is different, the recipe calls for 15 minutes, but my cakes were still liquid at that point. Stick a cake tester or toothpick in and make sure it comes out clean and you're good! 
8. Let the cakes cool in the tins for a few minutes then turn them out onto a wire rack.
9. Dip the tops in the lemon glaze and let cool.
10. An optional step would be to candy some lemon slices for a little extra cuteness. lace these on top of each cake.

Glaze:
1. Zest and juice the lemon.
2. Add the sugar to the juice and zest.
3. Mix well to get out any lumps. Adjust sugar/juice amount if you need it thicker or thinner.

Candied Lemons:
1. Bring the water and sugar to a boil.
2. Slice lemons thinly and let boil in the sugar/water mixture until translucent and soft. This should only take a few minutes. Careful they don't all rip apart like a lot of mine did, not cute.
3. Let cool on a paper towel and place on the cakes when ready.

Who doesn't love a ton of butter?!

Candied lemons.

Looking at those I can see why she likes them so much! 

No matter where you are in Westeros, you have some good eats I'm sure. These are just a couple of Game of Thrones recipes, there are so many more- next I may try the dire wolf bread Hotpie made or a Pigeon Pie! Maybe I'll wait on that last one. I do happen to own a Game of Thrones cook book, we'll see what else I can dig up that may taste quite yummy.

Until then, I hope your favorite character doesn't die! 

Meaghan

Lonely Girl Pancakes

I want pancakes and it's a table for one, as per usual. What's a girl to do?! I'm not fond of the box mix, although it is good in a pinch, and I don't want to make pancakes for an army. I was in search for a good recipe that will only give me a couple cakes. I suppose I could find a recipe with many servings and do the math to cut it down, but ain't nobody go time for that. I did some looking around and came up with what I thought was the best recipe with some added goodness of course, also as per usual.

Before I started, I had a little bit of a dilemma. This craving hit me all of a sudden and I really didn't want to leave the house to go to the store for the second time today. I thought I was good, until I realized I didn't have any milk. I found a work around, but milk always trumps, just keep that in mind!

-1/2 cup all purpose flour

-1 1/2 tsp sugar

-1 tsp baking powder

-Pinch of salt

-1 egg

-1/2 cup water *I made a little adjustment. a little less than 1/2 cup of water and topped off with hazelnut coffee creamer. But to avoid this mess, get some milk will ya?*

-1 1/2 tbs butter, melted

-1 tsp lemon zest

-1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.

2. Into the dry ingredients, mix in the egg, water, lemon zest, and vanilla extract.

3. Whisk whisk whisk- no lumps! 

4. In a skillet on medium-low heat, melt a touch of butter.

5. Here's where you can do what you want, make one big pancake, or a couple smaller ones, or even those baby ones. I'm a fan of the stack, so a stack it shall be! 

6. The general rule is wait to flip when you see a lot of bubbles. Personally, I think that's too much. I like them soft and almost underdone in the middle. Medium rare, if you will. So when I see the first sign of bubbles, I flip.

7. Cook a minute or so on the other side and you're done! 

8. Finish the cakes off however you'd like- I went for some chopped strawberries. But you can really make them your own- straight up butter, syrup, chocolate chips, fruit, cocoanut, peanut butter, caramel, nuts, broccoli... maybe not that last one, but you get the picture.

So go ahead and set your table for one, pop in a chick flick, and cry about it. Just kidding, just enjoy some alone time : ) 

...of course you can do the whole chick flick thing if you want. I may or may not have watched Pride and Prejudice. Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy can call on me any time. Just saying. 

-Meaghan

Hot Crossed Buns. See How They Run

It's Easter and what is more traditional than hot cross buns?! In America, hot cross buns actually aren't that big of a thing. We are more along the lines of a Sunday brunch, Easter dinner, lots of golf, fat pants being needed from the incredible amounts of ham being eaten... you know, the usual. Since I regularly partake in these I thought I'd get a little creative and pretend I was competing off in the middle of a field, baking in the prettiest tent ever on The Great British Bake Off! Also, I've never made bread. So this will be quite the adventure. Also, I asked my younger niece today if she knew the song Hot Cross Buns and she didn't! Granted I don't know the exact words, but what's with kids these days? I always get the song mashed up with Three Blind Mice... which she didn't know of either. Being a good aunt, I let her have a listen. I don't think she was all that concerned about not knowing the songs. Sigh. 

Once I got over my fear of bread making, I was off! I had done a lot of research on how to make these little buns and after a lot of looking around, I decided on what I thought was the best combination of ingredients. Here we go! 

Buns

1 envelope of active dry yeast
1 cup milk
3 3/4 cup all purpose flour + 3 Tbs(floured cross)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 Tbs orange zest
4 Tbs butter
2 eggs
1 Tbs cinnamon
1 Tsp cardamom
1 Tsp allspice
1/2 Tsp nutmeg

Egg Wash
1 egg
1 Tsp water

Glazed Cross
4 Tbs powdered sugar
2 Tsp lemon juice

1. In the microwave or slowly over the stove, warm the milk to 100F. *This step is very important, thus why I was afraid of making bread. The temperature has to be just right- too warm and you'll kill the yeast. Too cold and it won't activate. Only one thing to do now- wait and see if you did it correctly. Wait about 10 minutes for the yeast to bubble and foam and smell all delicious, then you'll know you did it right!*

2. Empty the packet of yeast into the milk along with 1 Tbs of the sugar, whisk to combine. 

3. While waiting for the yeast to activate, gently melt the butter and set aside.

4. In the bowl of the mixer, combine the flour, spices, sugar, salt, and cranberries. 

5. When the yeast has activated, whisk in the eggs and melted butter.

6. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry.

7. Place the bowl into the mixing stand fitted with the dough hook. 

8. Start this on the lowest speed to combine and let it knead for 4-5 minutes. The dough will eventually come together and start to pull away from the sides. *You are more than welcome to do this by hand, it will take about 10-15 minutes and you can get your workout in for sure.*
9. After about 4 minutes, add the cranberries. Mix again for another minute so everything is combined. 

10. Once the dough has been properly kneaded, place it into a lightly greased bowl.

11. Cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours or until the dough is about doubled in size.

12. This is the fun part. When this rise is complete you can take out your aggression and give the dough a good punch to deflate it. Or if you have no beef with anyone and your life is nice and pleseant, simply press the dough down to knead.

13. Peel the dough out and give it a couple folds.

14. From here you can decide what you want to do with it- I got about 12 balls a little smaller than a baseball. If you want larger rolls, cut larger, if you want a sheet of buns, roll into a rectangle and score the dough. 

15. After deciding how you'd like the rolls, position them on the baking sheet and cover again with a towel to rise for about 45 minutes in a warm place.

16. Now we are ready to get going! Preheat the oven to 375F.
17. To make the egg wash, mix an egg and a touch of water and brush on the buns- this will make them nice and golden as they bake.

18. Can't have hot cross buns without the cross! For this, make a paste out of the 3 Tbs of flour and some water to make a thick paste *Don't add too much water at once because it will become soup! I started with a tablespoon and judged from there. Place the paste into a baggie, cut the tip, and pipe the crosses on the buns. 

19. When the oven reaches temperature, place the buns in for 20-25 minutes.
20. When the buns are done take them out and place on a rack to cool completely. 
OPTIONAL- Now you a choice to make an additional cross on the buns with the glaze or just have the flour cross you did earlier- I did both. Sometimes you can't see the four cross as well after baking. If you chose the glaze route, when the buns have cooled, mix together the powdered sugar and lemon juice to make a glaze. Depending on the humidity and such the measurements may differ- might have to add more sugar or less water- make good choices.

EAT!

I must confess, I had to make these twice. The first time I made them my dough was quite dry and weird, but I made them anyway. The flavor was good but the bun was way too dense and it just wasn't working. The second time worked like a charm and I'm glad to report that I'm now feeling confident enough to dip my toe in other kinds of bread making! I'm also thinking I could win star baker with these babies- Paul and Mary would be proud and then eventually I'd go on to win the competition with ease. One can dream. 

Biscuit wanted in on the action.

Happy Easter! 

...Always makes me think go My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Chistro Nasty... gets me every time.