Italian Bread Bowls

Oh goodness, it has been a long time! Not because I have been super busy or anything, just lazy. And I am getting slightly to very caked-out, which I never thought could happen to anyone, ever. Anyhow, here in my little town, the weather has been miserable. My favorite quote describing the weather is a friend was talking to his daughter and said "I thought it was supposed to be Spring" and his daughter said "Well, winter thought it was supposed to be winter". That about sums up the weather.

One of the perks about it being so cold is that it makes soup taste extra good. And since I love bread bowls (LOVE!) I decided to make clam chowder and bread bowls for dinner one night. These are the best bread bowls I have ever eaten, seriously. EC liked them too, and he doesn't like soggy bread, so that tells you just how good these are. They are definitely the perfect cure for ANOTHER snowy day.

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Italian Bread Bowls

adapted from allrecipes.com

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1 1/2 tablespoons yeast

2 1/2 cups warm water

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

7 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon cornmeal

1 egg white

1 tablespoon water

In a large bowl (or bowl of an electric mixer), dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
Add salt, oil and 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture; beat well. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well with an electric mixer at medium speed after each addition until a soft but not sticky dough is formed (you may not need to use all 7 cups).
When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes (or let knead in an electric mixer). Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Punch dough down, and divide into 6-8 equal portions. Shape each portion into a round ball. Place loaves on lightly greased baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 35 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, beat together egg white and 1 tablespoon water; lightly brush the loaves with half of this egg wash. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Brush with remaining egg mixture, and bake 10 to 15 more minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks.

The Time I Forgot My BFF's Birthday

I had a conversation last week that went like this:

BFF: my editor: Di tells me they wouldn't sing to you at Chili's me: nope. thank goodness. amorie asked them to but they only do that for children.editor: (nods) (awkward pause) ... well, enough idle chitchat
me: and why is your editor talking to you about Chili's in the first place?
oh no
oh no
oh no
oh no
oh no
oh no
oh no
it's your birthday isn't it? crap
BFF: you're funny! oh my gosh don't even worry about it
me: oh no
oh no
oh no
oh no
Happy Birthday
BFF: THANKS!!!
me: how long were you waiting until you thought I noticed?

So that story illustrates how good of a friend I am. I forgot my BFF's Birthday. Guilt swept over me, especially since I remember Freshman year, when we had first met and it was her birthday. We had only known each other for 7 months and we were not BFF's at this point, we were roommates, she was BFFs with our other roommate. Anyway, so it was her birthday. I was grocery shopping and remembered her saying something about being out of milk. After much deliberation I decided to buy her a gallon as a birthday present. I wrapped it in newspaper, stuck it in the fridge, and gave it to her as a present. Lame? Possibly - BUT - her current BFF at that point had forgotten her birthday, so my token milk present seemed pretty amazing.

And now I have turned into the BFF who forgets birthdays. Sad.

So in order to make up for it, I made her a cake. Now, BFF and I do not live in the same state. We do not even live in the same time zone. So EC devised an ingenious packaging plan and we packed the cake up and I had it shipped to her. I am happy to report that she said it made it there looking like the picture, which somewhat restores my faith in the United States Postal Service. And, I hearby resolve to add her birthday to my calendar, thus sparing me any more awkward, hey, I forgot your birthday, again, moments.

The cake was a chocolate cake from The Perfect Cake by Susan G. Purdy. I was a little concerned about it because it turned out super moist. I mean almost dripping moist. So I let it sit out at room temperature for a while and the moisture seemed to have seeped back into the cake or the air. The frosting was a simple buttercream with half a pack of oreos blended up and mixed in. The filling was oreos. BFF said it was good. We had a leftover layer that was good, so I guess it was good, but the post-baking sogginess was a little too worrisome for me, so I don't think I will make this again.

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Chocolate Buttermilk Cake

From The Perfect Cake by Susan G. Purdy

2 c Sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 ts Salt
1/4 ts Freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/2 ts Baking soda
4 oz Unsweetened chocolate
1 c Unsalted butter; at room
1 3/4 c Granulated sugar

4 lg Eggs
1 1/3 c Buttermilk

1 ts Vanilla extract

1.Prepare pans: Spread solid shortening on bottom and sides of pan(s), then dust evenly with unsweetened cocoa or flour; tap out excess cocoa or flour. Position shelf in lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 325 F (165 C).

2.Sift together the flour, salt, nutmeg, and baking soda. Remove 1 tablespoon of flour mixture and set rest aside.

3.Melt the 4 ounces of unsweetened chocolate in the top pan of a double boiler set over hot, not boiling, water. Remove chocolate from heat, stir to make sure it is completely melted and smooth, then set aside to cool until comfortable to touch.

4.In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beaters several times. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

5.With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to batter, beginning and ending with flour. Stir in the vanilla and cooled chocolate, blending until the color is even.

6.Turn the mixture into the prepared pan(s). Smooth it level, then spread it slightly from the center toward the edges of the pan so it will rise evenly. Bake in the lower third of the oven for 40 to 50 minutes for the sheet cake, 35 to 45 minutes for layers, or until the top is lightly springy to the touch and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Leave the cake in its pan(s) on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Top with a second rack and invert; lift off pan(s). Cool the cake completely on the rack. (If splitting layers, use a serrated knife.) Fill and frost the layers. Or leave the sheet cake in its pan to cool, and frost and serve it from the pan, making 3-inch squares.

Toffee Apple French Toast

The local newspaper has a "Cookbook Corner" where a few times a week the author will post a recipe. I have not been impressed with the recipes thus far. The author posts things such as: Creamed Eggs, Old-Time Tuna Bake, Savory Pea Soup with Sausage - things that just don't sound appealing, EVER.
Then, one day, the author posted Toffee Apple French Toast. Now, I am not a lover of French Toast. In fact, I don't like it at all. But I like Toffee and I usually like apples. Now ED on the other hand LOVES French Toast and always wants to make it. So, when I saw this recipe, I decided it would be a good compromise. The only problem with it was that it took WAY longer to cook than 35-45 minutes, even though I halved the recipe. And it isn't a very aesthetically pleasing dish, but it tasted all right, as good as any French Toast can ever taste, I suppose.

Toffee Apple French Toast

• 8 cups cubed French bread (1-inch cubes)

• 2 medium tart apples, peeled and chopped

• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1 3/4 cups milk, divided

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided

• 1/2 cup English toffee bits or almond brickle chips

• 5 eggs

Place half of the bread cubes in a greased 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish; top with apples. In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugars, 1/4 cup milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth; stir in toffee bits. Spread over apples. Top with remaining bread cubes. In another mixing bowl, beat the eggs and remaining milk and vanilla; pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate over night.Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Oreo Truffles

I have no good words today. I just don't feel it. Sorry. So, this is an Oreo Truffle. I liked it. EC liked it. My co-workers liked it. So chances are if you try it, you would probably like it too. And they only have three ingredients.

Oreo Truffles
From Bakerella

1 pkg. Double Stuf Oreos - (1 lb. , 1 oz. pkg.) use 22 cookies with cream centers included• use 10 cookies with cream centers discarded
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, room temperature
chocolate bark or candy coating

Finely crush the cookies in a food processor or a ziploc bag with a rolling pin.
Stir in softened cream cheese. Use the back of a large spoon to help mash the two together completely.
Roll the mixture into 1" balls and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet.
Place covered in freezer or refrigerator for a few minutes to help retain shape when dipping in melted chocolate.
Melt chocolate as directed on the package and then dip balls into chocolate, tap off extra and set aside on wax paper covered cookie sheet to dry.
Refrigerate and enjoy!

Strawberry Tuxedos

Hooray for February! One of the special treats I made for EC for V-Day were these little guys. However, I think they may have been more for me than for him, since I have been dying to try them out ever since I saw them here. Something happened to the stems during dipping and they got all dried out and weird, but they were sure tasty. But then again, it is chocolate and strawberries, it is really hard to go wrong with just two ingredients.

Strawberry Tuxedo

As seen on Cafe Fernando

Ingredients:
15 strawberries
3 ounces bitter chocolate
3 ounces white chocolate
Method
Chop chocolates and place in separate bowls. Place these bowls over a pot of barely simmering water and let stand until melted. Stir until smooth and let cool a little bit. Dip one side of the strawberries in white chocolate and place on a baking sheet. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Dip sides of the strawberries in bitter chocolate. Back to the refrigerator for 10 more minute. Dip a thin paint brush in bitter chocolate and draw the bow tie and buttons.

Penne Gorgonzola Chicken

EC and I decided that we wanted to celebrate Valentine's Day on the Friday the 13th this year instead of the 14th, so we did. We had good food, lots of it, but what I really want to say is what happened on Valentine's Day.
EC's computer has been slowly dying, which is not a good thing for someone who is in Law School. So we decided to get him a new one, and since Office Depot was having a President's Sale, it was perfect timing. So, we scoped out the laptops, did our research, and decided on one. When we got there, the salesman informed us that they were out of those particular laptops but that we should get this other brand, same "Specs" but cheaper, since it was an HP and not a Sony. So we agreed. He went to grab it for us, and came back empty handed, stating that they actually did not have those. Way to sell us on something you don't actually have, salesguy.
So we drove home. We called the next closest Office Depot and they did not have it either, but were slightly more helpful and mentioned that the computer was showing one left at another store in the same city. So we called that store. After much talk and much waiting on hold, they said they would hold the laptop for us. So we got in the car again to make the hour and forty five minute trek to the next nearest Office Depot (it was a really good sale).
We got off the freeway at the right exit, but I was in the third left hand lane, and needed to turn right, so of course, a normal person would assume they need to get over two lanes, right? No, you would be wrong. I went to change lanes and all of the sudden there was a KUTHUNK and we were going over a barrier, in the middle of the road, on a one way street.
After much screaming (by me) and an interesting mix of nonswear words, I managed to get the tire back over the barrier. Turns out that intersection is the stupidest one in the world and there is a RIGHT turn arrow for the THIRD lane at the LIGHT.
I'm ok, EC is ok, and luckily the car is ok. Apparently studded snow tires are good for more than just driving on ice. They also help you climb cement barriers.

Penne Gorgonzola Chicken

From My Kitchen Cafe

3 chicken breasts

1 lb. penne pasta

½ C. butter

1 pt. heavy cream

4 oz. gorgonzola, crumbled

¼ C. shredded parmesan

½ tsp. nutmeg

Season chicken with salt and pepper and grill (I used my indoor grill pan). Slice into thin strips. Bring water to a boil and add pasta. While pasta is cooking, make the sauce. Melt butter in saucepan, heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Simmer 1 minute being careful not to let the butter burn! Slowly add cream and heat to a low boil to reduce, stirring constantly. Boil for 3 minutes. Reduce heat, add gorgonzola, parmesan, and nutmeg. Stir until melted. Serve sauce over noodles and top with chicken.

Wedding Cake, Teddy Bear Edition

This week's wedding cake practice came in the form of a Carmel Cake with a Carmel Whipped Cream Frosting. Obviously this would not actually be practical for a REAL wedding cake because of the Whipped Cream Frosting but I didn't want to make two white cakes in one week. And can I tell you, this cake was superb. The flavor of the caramel was subtle but having the cool, light taste of the whipped cream made it great. As my boss said "You need to find a way to make the frosting firmer, but if you make this for the wedding, you will have a reputation." She didn't mention what kind of reputation and I didn't ask.

I also had a leftover teddy bear from my learning-how-to-sculpt-teddy-bears-that-don't-collapse-on-themselves night, so I put it on top of the cake as a sort of Valentine's Decoration, I guess, because what is more cliche than a teddy bear with red hearts for V-Day? I also had a little too much batter, so I made cupcakes to give to my favorite food critics. Happy upcoming V-Day everyone!

Caramel Cake
From Shuna Fish Lydon

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Ingredients:
10 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 c. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/3 c. Caramel Syrup (see recipe below)
2 eggs, at room temperature
Splash vanilla extract
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 c. milk, at room temperature

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Preheat oven to 350F. Butter one tall (2 – 2.5 inch deep) 9-inch cake pan.In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth. Add sugar and salt & cream until light and fluffy.
Slowly pour room temperature caramel syrup into bowl. Scrape down bowl and increase speed. Add eggs/vanilla extract a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down bowl again, beat mixture until light and uniform.
Sift flour and baking powder. Turn mixer to lowest speed, and add one third of the dry ingredients. When incorporated, add half of the milk, a little at a time. Add another third of the dry ingredients, then the other half of the milk and finish with the dry ingredients. {This is called the dry, wet, dry, wet, dry method in cake making. It is often employed when there is a high proportion of liquid in the batter.}
Take off mixer and by hand, use a spatula to do a few last folds, making sure batter is uniform. Turn batter into prepared cake pan.
Place cake pan on cookie sheet or 1/2 sheet pan. Set first timer for 30 minutes, rotate pan and set timer for another 15-20 minutes. Your own oven will set the pace. Bake until sides pull away from the pan and skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool cake completely before icing it. Cake will keep for three days outside of the refrigerator.

*As a random side note, learning how to sculpt things is a good idea - it helped me at a recent retreat when we played Pictionary with clay. My team didn't win, but I did get someone to guess "light" by sculpting a light bulb.