Christmas Cinnamon Rolls

I started cooking when I was a kid, maybe around seven years old. I don't really remember learning to cook, just always had an interest in it and enjoyed spending time in the kitchen with my mom. I have frequently said how lucky I am to have a mom who can actually cook well, because I have grown up to be one of the few  young adults who can put ingredients together to create good food. And, a bonus is the fact that I actually like to do so most of the time.

Growing up, my mom would let me in the kitchen and show me how to prepare food, how to read and follow recipes, and how to analyze food for the perfect taste and experience, adjusting flavors as needed. Without this early childhood food experience, who knows what my kitchen would be like today. I find the creation of food to be gratifying, comforting, enjoyable. And yes, I tend to be an alpha in the kitchen - sorry mom.

I had the joy of cooking with my mom again over Christmas, I find it entertaining to be the one who shows my mom new tricks and tools, but she still has new discoveries to show me as well.
Together we made stuffed french toast (day 10), salted chocolate caramels (day 11), and cinnamon rolls (day 12). When I was a kid, my grandmother had a tea room that had the most incredible cinnamon rolls ever. She would make them over Christmas when we visited, and we loved them. I remember the day I found out that she ordered her cinnamon rolls from a company and just baked them at the shop. Boy, was I disheartened. But then, I realized I have the opportunity to make cinnamon rolls better than my grandmother's - which would be awesome.

The only problem is, yeast scares me. Yeast is the volatile little creature that can make or break your baked goods. Yes, yeast is a bit terrifying at times. And then, when you feel you have mastered the yeast, proofed it just right, and allowed it to rise, you have to face the oven. Which is where my cinnamon rolls really suffered. Overly brown on the outside, still a touch doughy on the inside. They weren't as good as grandmother's, but they were still tasty!

12 Days of Christmas, Days 5-9

Well, two 12-hour shifts in a row, along with the parents coming to visit for Christmas has left me a little behind in the blogosphere, and it turns out that I've forgotten to write for the last few days.  The Christmas season has been hectic, but is drawing to a close - phew! Only four days left in this challenge.

Day five brought popcorn balls - I did two versions, cranberry ginger and Mexican chocolate. If you want to surprise your friends, don't tell them that there is chili powder in the chocolate popcorn balls.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting were the special for day six - if you want bonus points, put extra frosting into an icing bag with a smallish tip, shove it into the top of each cupcake and inject some frosting into the middle of each cake before frosting the top. You'll know you have enough when the cupcake swells a little. I got hugs all day from friends at work for these.

Day seven was a flurry of Christmas candies. I like to make different   bag them up and give them to friends as little gifts. It is fun and relatively easy to do. I went a little overboard, making another batch of apple cider snicker doodles (see disaster cookies from previous episode), peppermint bark, Mexican chocolate truffles (chocolate truffles with almond extract, cayenne and chili powder - yum!), peanut butter chocolate pretzels, turtles, and maple walnuts.

Day eight - I totally forgot to make something. It was an hour before I had to leave for work when I realized I hadn't made a single thing, but figured it was ok given the overload of goodies from day seven. Right?

Day nine brought my parents in town, which means I get the joy of cooking with my mom again. More on this later. We made triple-ginger gingersnaps, which were flat out awesome. I definitely recommend this for ginger fans.

Triple-Ginger Gingersnaps - recipe courtesy  Taste of Home Magazine December 2011

2/3c butter, softened
1c packed brown sugar
1/4c molasses
1 egg
2tsp minced fresh ginger root
1c all-purpose flour
3/4c whole wheat flour
3tsp ground ginger
1 1/2tsp ground nutmeg
1/4tsp ground cloves
3tbsp crystallized ginger, finely chopped
1/4c sugar
1 1/2tsp ground cinnamon

1. in a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the molasses, egg and fresh ginger

2. combine the flours, ground ginger, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cloves; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in crystallized ginger. Cover and refrigerate for one hour or until easy to handle


3. In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Shape dough into 1" balls, roll in sugar mixture. Place 3" apart on parchment paper lined baking sheet, bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes.

12 Days of Christmas, Day 4

If you are paying any attention to the 12 Days of Christmas, you may notice I skipped Day 3. Yes, I still baked (Gingerbread Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream frosting - they were amazingly delicious but not the prettiest things to look at), but otherwise there wasn't much to say that day. My momma always told me, if I don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all. So, on to day 4!

Day Four, AKA the cursed cookies.
These cookies were supposed to be delicious. And, in their defense, the ones that didn't land on the floor and didn't get burned to a crisp WERE good. All six of them.
It was one of those days where the baby wouldn't take a nap. Flat out refused, despite multiple attempts on my part to get her to go the hell to sleep. No, no napping for this baby. Which leads to the baby making that incessant noise that makes me feel like my brain may just explode - not quite crying, but longer than a regular whimper. A good, extended, high pitched, tired-baby whine. All. Night. Long. But, life doesn't stop just because a baby is whining, on with the show!

Apple Cider Snicker Doodles. It sounds so good, it couldn't possibly be a failure, right? Less than halfway through the recipe, the high-pitched brain-rattling noise emanating from the baby finally got to me. So, being the good mom that I am, I decided I could finish making the cookies and making dinner with the baby on my back in a backpack. No problem! And it worked, or at least seemed to. The baby was soothed, the awful noise she was making ceased, and things were good.
With exactly three cookies on the cookie sheet, I heard a "BANG!", and turned around to see, to my horror, the mixing bowl of cookie dough upside down on the floor. It turns out that she can reach the countertop when she is strapped to my back, interestingly enough. I laid my head on the counter and had a good, long cry.

Then, with the urging of my husband, did the only thing one can do in this instance, and saved what I could from the floor.

Then, called in the cleaning crew to take care of the rest while I put the cookies in the oven.

Bake for 11-13 minutes at 400F. But don't really, because this will burn them beyond recognition. The first tray came out inedible, not even worthy of a picture (my exact words to the husband when I pulled them out: "Oh my gosh! They are smoking! There is smoke coming off my cookies!"). Into the trash they went. The show must go on. The second batch came out beautifully (9 minutes, not a second longer!) and were incredibly delicious, a must have for fall/holiday recipes.

Apple Cider Snicker Doodles - recipe courtesy of Food Network Kitchens

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups apple cider
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 3 tablespoons for rolling
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons finely chopped red and green crispy apple chips, plus whole chips for garnish
• 2 teaspoons apple pie spice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat the cider in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil. Continue to cook until syrupy and reduced to about 2 tablespoons, 12 to 14 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

Whisk the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Beat the butter with 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar and the light brown sugar in a separate bowl on medium-high speed until fluffy and smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the reduced cider and the egg (the mixture may look slightly curdled). Stir in the flour mixture and 1/4 cup of the chopped apple chips until combined.

Stir together the remaining 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons of chopped apple chips and the apple pie spice in a small bowl. Roll heaping tablespoons of dough into balls, using lightly moistened hands if the dough is too sticky, and then roll in the spiced sugar mixture. Place the dough balls 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets and top with a few pieces of whole apple chips. Bake until the edges are just set but centers are still soft, 11 to 13 minutes, rotating pans halfway through the baking time. Cool 2 to 3 minutes on the baking sheet, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

12 Days of Christmas, Day 2

A snag in the 12 Days of Christmas in the Budding Gastronomer household is that baking something from scratch every day requires a steady stream of butter, flour, sugar, and as it would seem, chocolate. Day 1 was no problem - we have enough supplies to whip up a few loaves of bread on a whim. Even a batch of cookies, or a cake. Easy! But eleven more days? That's going to require a trip to a store. Which is where I went wrong.

When my husband dropped me off at my hair appointment and offered to head to the grocery store with the baby while I waited, it sounded like a fabulous idea. But half an hour into the appointment I received a desperate text message, begging me to help with the shopping. Okay, okay, I'll help.

There is nothing quite like dragging a confused husband and a tired baby through a grocery store, trying to grab everything one needs to bake enough to feed a small army for nearly two weeks. A bit frazzled by the end, we headed home. The thought crossed my mind to scratch today's effort. After all, eleven days of Christmas are plenty, right? But no, I can't quit on day two. So, on I forged.

Day Two of the 12 Days of Christmas: Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
This is a tried and true recipe. A must if you are a chocolate lover. Really, I have no complaints about this one; it is easy, it is delicious, and it's a crowd pleaser. If you're going to make it, you have to eat one (or three) while they are warm.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Baking

Place the 4oz unsweetened chocolate and 2oz butter in the top of a double boiler placed over barely simmering water. Heat, stirring often until butter and chocolate melt. Cool slightly. In a bowl, stir together 1.5c flour, 1/2c cocoa powder, 2 tsp baking powder, and 1/4tsp salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine 4 eggs, 2c granulated sugar, 1tsp vanilla exract. Beat on medium speed until light in color and thick, about 3 minutes. Beat in the melted chocolate mixture on low speed. Add dry ingredients until blended. Mix in 1.5c semisweet chocolate chips.

Cool in the fridge for 2 hours.
Roll 1tbsp of dough (I used a cookie scoop) into a ball, then roll in confectioners sugar. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.


Bake 13-17 minutes until puffed and crinkled. Transfer to cooling rack.

12 Days of Christmas

Yesterday began the 12 Days of Christmas in the Budding Gastronomer household. A personal challenge to churn out a delicious, holiday-related baked good each day for 12 days, finishing Christmas day.

When I was a child, I remember the feeling that Christmas would never, ever arrive. The countdown to Christmas seemed like an interminable parade of endless days. Grown-ups would sit at the adult table and talk about how quickly time flies, and yet to me it seemed to just creep by. They would prophesy that as I grew, there would occur some alteration in the space-time continuum that would cause time to suddenly pass faster and faster each year. I scoffed. That would never, ever, happen.
And yet, here we are. I firmly believe that it is a sign of aging when you turn around and Christmas is suddenly upon you again - it seems as though it was just Christmas last year, and somehow the year has passed and it is holiday season once more.

Day 1 of the 12 Days of Christmas: Cranberry Pecan Bread, recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse. Ah Emeril, you had me at orange liqueur.  I have to admit that I was slightly disappointed in this recipe - I guess I expected more oomph from Emeril (king of "Bam!"). It just seemed to be missing something. Also, the cranberries all sank to the bottom of the loaf, so the top of each slice was a little bland, and the bottom was a tad soggy. I'll try this recipe again sometime, but will mix it up to add some oomph. Nutmeg? Ginger? Tossing the berries with flour to keep them from sinking?

Cranberry-Pecan Bread

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2002

Prep Time:

25 min

Inactive Prep Time:

30 min

Cook Time:

1 hr 20 min

Level:

Intermediate

Serves:

1 loaf

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup orange flavored liqueur
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick, halved
• 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries (or defrosted if frozen)
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 cup chopped, toasted pecans
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

In a saucepan, combine the orange liqueur, sugar, water, cloves, and cinnamon stick and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the cranberries. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the berries burst, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the berries cool in the liquid. Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves and discard.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 1/4 by 5 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan.

In a mixer bowl, using the mixer on high speed (or using a hand mixer), cream the sugar and butter. Add the eggs and beat until light and fluffy. Into a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk and orange juice. Alternately add the dry ingredients and buttermilk mixture to the creamed butter, beating after the addition of each. Fold in the reserved cranberry mixture, pecans, orange zest and vanilla. Pour into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until a tester comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes.

Turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Can be made ahead. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature 1 day or freeze for up to 2 weeks.
)

Therapy Brownies

To me, baking is therapeutic. I have a thing for baking. No, not the mixing of pre-fabbed boxes of substances they call "brownies" or "cookies", and certainly not heating a can of something labeled "crescent rolls", but the actual mixing of ingredients to create baked goods. There is something about bringing together the perfectly measured amounts of flour, sugar, butter, and eggs, and winding up with a perfectly baked pastry that just makes me happy. No matter what kind of mood I may be in, baking is almost guaranteed to cheer me up.

Baking is a science, an art. It takes practice to perfect, and even when you've achieved perfection you can have an "off" day and end up with a total flop. It happens. There is a reason that there is an entire specialty school especially dedicated to baking - it's not easy. But is sure is therapeutic. Something about cutting in butter and blooming yeast, digging fingers into fresh dough and forming beautiful little baked goods. Baking is a stress reliever, releases endorphins and clears the mind. One of my goals in life is to learn to perfect the more difficult baked goods - croissants, puff pastries, turnovers, tarts. The ones that require almost tedious amounts of folding, chilling, mixing, but ends with an edible piece of art, equally appealing to the eyes as the taste buds.

Tonight's therapy came in the form of brownies. Simple, delicious, brownies. Melting fresh, bittersweet chocolate with cocoa and butter, mixing sugar with eggs and sprinkling in flour, creating a rich, dark batter you could eat with a spoon. And my favorite part of the recipe? "Wait 2 hours, or until completely cool, before cutting." Yeah, right. As soon as that baby's cool enough to keep from burning my fingers, it's history! And the best part of this therapy? Eating a warm, fudgy brownie with a cold glass of milk at the end of a long day.

Fudgy Brownies
5oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2oz unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2c butter
3tbsp cocoa powder
1 1/2c sugar
3 eggs
1c flour

Melt chocolate, butter, and cocoa powder in microwave 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Allow to cool slightly
Beat together sugar and eggs
Add in melted chocolate mixture, stirring until completely mixed
Add flour, stirring until just incorporated
Pour into greased 8x8 baking tin
Bake at 350F for 35-45 minutes

Allow to cool 2 hours before cutting (or cool slightly and dig in, because with those smells wafting through the house there is no waiting 2 hours!)

Brinner Fail

It was a bad day. I awoke that morning with a fever and pounding headache, a cough that rattled my ribs, and feeling as though my husband had secretly dragged me out into the street and run me over with a Mac truck. In short, I felt awful. A stop by the doctor's office and a handful of drugs later (steroids, antibiotics, pain meds, decongestants) and I was feeling much better. In fact, I was feeling good enough to make dinner. Breakfast for dinner. Or, as one of my favorite TV shows, Scrubs, calls it: Brinner.

Brinner is a feel-good meal, and sick days call for feel-good meals. So it only made sense that I would make my favorite brinner food - biscuits with chocolate gravy.

Growing up, summers consisted of trips to Arkansas to visit my grandparents. Many memories of my childhood include my granny's famous biscuits and chocolate gravy. A trip to visit granny was not complete without my favorite meal, and it has become one of my ultimate comfort foods. For those not familiar, chocolate gravy consists of cocoa powder, sugar, and milk cooked together until thick, rich, and delicious (see below for recipe). Then, you pour the gravy over the top of steaming hot homemade biscuits for an incredible meal. Yes, on this sick day, biscuits with chocolate gravy it was.

I pride myself on my biscuits, and have even been called "the biscuit queen" by friends. My biscuits are perfect - they come out warm, flaky, buttery, and wonderful. They are always made from scratch. They are never over-kneaded or tough. And when they emerge from the oven, they are the perfect golden-brown on top. I  started making biscuits in college, and discovered that they were easy to make. Then I discovered that I was actually pretty good at making them. I knew I reached perfection when my dad confided in me that my biscuits were better than my mom's biscuits. Yup, biscuit perfection.

Everything started out well. Biscuits were made and put in the oven. I was feeling slightly foggy-headed from all of the drugs I had gotten from the doctor's office, so I made sure to set the oven timer to remind myself to take the biscuits out. I mixed the chocolate gravy and opted to microwave it so I could make omelets and bacon on the stove. While the gravy was cooking away, I sizzled the bacon and mixed the omelets, grated cheese and chopped fresh spinach. Things were going well. If only I wasn't feeling a bit loopy.

I checked on the chocolate gravy, and it was going perfectly - nearly done. A few more seconds in the microwave and it would be perfect. At this point, the baby began to cry. Well, less of a cry and more of a high-pitched, extended whine. The decibel level and intensity of the whine makes you feel as though your eardrums may shatter like crystal in an opera house. My already weak concentration was broken, and I begged Nathan to entertain the baby so I could finish brinner. Just a few more minutes and it would be done.  If only I could focus. Damn these drugs and their ill-effects on my concentration.

The bacon came off and was perfect, it was my favorite kind of bacon, sugar-cured pepper bacon, thick cut slabs of peppery, sweet, crispy bacon. The omelets were done and were nearly perfect, a few dark spots where they were over-cooked (I blame the continuous stream of baby whine in my ear), but Nathan likes them cooked longer than I do, so not a total fail. Besides, how bad can spinach and cheddar omelets be? Another ear-shattering whine from the baby. My headache was starting to return, and things were going downhill. Time to pull things together for the finish so we  could eat.

Suddenly, I realized that the microwave had completed its cooking cycle and I hadn't checked the chocolate gravy. I pulled open the door and groaned - chocolate gravy explosion. Chocolate gravy poured over the edge of the bowl and coated the bottom of the microwave. It had exploded and coated the ceiling, the door, and all three walls of the microwave. In fact, very little gravy actually remained in the bowl. And then it hit me. When had the biscuit timer gone off? Oh crap!!! I whipped open the oven door, and saw my prize-winning biscuits in their worst. Tops overly brown, hard, edges nearly black. Not flaky. Not tender. Not golden delicious. Not my perfect biscuits. I poured the little remaining gravy into a new bowl, scraped the darkest parts of the biscuits off, and served brinner. After all, how bad can it really be when you smother the biscuits in chocolate gravy? Better pop another decongestant....

Chocolate Gravy

3tbsp cocoa powder

2-3tbsp flour

1c sugar

1tsp salt

2c milk

- Mix together dry ingredients with a whisk until lumps are gone

- Add a small amount of milk and mix to make a paste (makes it smoother and mix easier), then add the rest of the milk

- cook on stovetop or in the microwave. If microwaving, start with 2 minutes, then 1 minute increments stirring each time. Check frequently, as when the gravy starts to thicken it WILL explode if not removed at the perfect time (see above)

- serve with biscuits. I like to crumble my biscuits and mix them up with gravy. Others like to slice their biscuits and pour the gravy on top. Either way, it's delicious!

The Budding Gastronomer

I love food. I won't lie about it, I love everything about food - the appearance, the smell, the texture, the entire food experience.  There is nothing like spending a rainy day wrapped in a blanket flipping through food magazines or cookbooks, savoring each picture and every word. I love perusing recipes, imagining what the foods would taste like when they finally emerge as a finished product. I plan entire vacations around food, seeking out new experiences with cuisines and eateries unique to different regions, delving into new cultures one bite at a time. I love to prepare food; the process of taking individual ingredients and combining them in a manner that enhances each flavor and creates amazing eats. I love the social aspects of food and eating,  sharing favorite meals and experiencing new foods with friends. Most of all, I love to share my love of food with others.