Home-made Toffee

I decided I wanted to make some toffee over a year ago, found this recipe, and made some. I made it again last Sunday, and wished I had made notes last time. The recipe is from "allrecipes":

Best Toffee Ever - Super Easy

Candy fresh from the fridge.

That first time, I skimmed through all the "allrecipes" comments, and decided to... make it exactly per the original instructions. I find it amazing how much people will alter a recipe before even trying it once per instructions! I recall that it came out well the first time I made it, but I couldn't find any notes on how it went, but I do recall: tasted great, stuck to my teeth more than desirable, I didn't taste the almonds much, and the chocolate that I used (Pete's Burgandy) was maybe overpowering the toffee.

I'm Dreaming of Great Santa Cookies!

Every year I help my kids make cut-out cookies for Santa. They love to choose the cutters, cut and lay them on the baking sheet, and then cover them with more icing and sprinkles than there is cookie underneath! Every year, though, I try a new recipe. I have some notion buried in the back of my mind (or maybe it's on my tongue) of what these cookies should be, and those that I've made always miss the mark. However, the kids will not be persuaded to abandon cut-out cookies.

I've tried my go-to sites (King Arthur Flour, Alton Brown, Cooks Illustrated, Food Network), and been disappointed. This year, I've found three new candidates off the net. They seem to simply be motivated home-bakers that are driven to make good things and enjoy the rewards of sharing. I have high hopes once again!

Blog Shift, Starting NOW!

It's time to revamp my blog. I found myself wanting to re-date my blog entries as a way to organize my articles. Also, I've been using Google Docs to store my recipe collection, which leads to the problem of having a Blog version and a Doc version of some recipes. That would be fine if I would leave them alone, but, well, I can't keep from tweaking the recipes as I find ways to improve them.

So, here is what I've decided to do. I'm building a Doughcrafter Website, where I will lovingly organize, cross-reference, and enhance my various recipes and articles. Note that this is an activity that I've just started, and that site is pretty bare right now. That will free me to use this blog to post about things like my current search for a really good cookie cutter recipe to use on Christmas Eve for Santa's cookies.

Scandinavian Cardamom Braid

 This is such a good, exotic bread, I'm not sure why I don't make it more often.  Cardamom is the second most expensive spice, after saffron and before vanilla bean. Happily it is also super strong, so you don't need much. The almonds toast on top while the bread bakes, and then a drizzle of buttery orange glaze... 

This is a holiday bread, and I usually only make it in December. It can be a real show-stopper at the office "goodies" table, or at a party. I usually have to cut the first slice myself, because no one wants to mess it up. I serve the glaze in a bowl on the side, for two reasons: 1. If there is any bread left over, it will keep better, and 2. Everyone gets to decide how much they want to drizzle on their serving.

 I just made it as a 6-strand braid, and it was beautiful that way also.

Sourdough Bread

Based on King Arthur Flour's Extra-Tangy Sourdough Bread

Latest revision, on my website: 

Sourdough Bread Recipe

A work friend hinted and nudged me until I broke down and made a sourdough loaf, which I had not done in a long time. My old bit of dried starter failed to revive, so I bought a start from King Arthur Flour. It is a very nice, lively starter that made some delicious bread. I have had sourdough that is super dense, and so sour it will knock you over. This one has a nice "medium" density, is a bit chewy, and the sour sneaks up on you with a nicely assertive but not extreme kick. 

Navy Bread

I created this unusual bread to satisfy our desire for bread with a reduced carb load, for those days when we feel compelled to be extra healthy. The result is a rather pleasant bread with an unusual purplish color, served here with Navy Bean Soup. The kids really liked it too. A really rare win-win for food!

Navy Bean Soup

Derived from Cook’s Illustrated American Classics U.S. SENATE NAVY BEAN SOUP.

Alas, apple pie...

After my good fortune with the pancakes, and having an excellent pie dough recipe, I tried my luck with Google and apple pie. I found this one from Allrecipies.com. It boasts 101,000 saves, five stars, 3,800 reviews, 62 photos, and 68 custom versions. I made one yesterday. As many people commented about, I added cinnamon and vanilla, and I mixed part of the goo into the apples, then poured the rest on top as instructed. I baked per the original recipe. Smelled of heaven, looked nice. And...... meh.

What happened?? Well, all the thickening is on the top of the pie. When the apples juiced up, they soaked my beautiful bottom crust and made it mushy. It also needed some salt and a lot more spice. One teaspoon of cinnamon and one of vanilla just didn't do the trick for us. It was, well, ok. Not great. I was looking for outstanding. Guess the numbers don't always mean anything special. Next time I may look to Julia Childs.

Pancakes

Based on the notion that 77,000 people might know a good pancake recipe, I chose "Good Old Fashioned Pancakes" from Allrecipies.com: 4.5 stars, 4,550 reviews. I had my kids make them. It's really easy. Turns out, it's really good too. My husband liked it quite a bit. He's not really a pancake fan, and has not really liked any of the other recipes I've tried. Go figure. ;)

LAL's Cinnamon Rolls

Quest for the Ultimate Cinnamon Roll: Completed!

A friend and I have discussed cinnamon rolls for months now. In fact, more like a couple of years. Here is the current revision of the recipe.

What we talk about really is how amazing TJ Cinnamons® cinnamon rolls were, and how sad it is that you can no longer get them. We alternated trying recipes. We tried Alton Brown. Tried an old recipe I had saved long ago. Tried one from the Bread Baker's Apprentice. Tried the filling from King Arthur Flour. I've lost track of all the recipes we tried. They mostly make good cinnamon rolls, and our family and friends enjoyed eating them. But, somehow, they always missed the mark. I started to doubt my memory of the amazing rolls, now lost to a fast-food chain, and modified beyond recognition. Googling for TJ Cinnamons® turned up dozens of copies of the same recipe that, just from reading it, I knew by now was not worth trying. So I looked instead for old recipes, and found one called "Mom’s Cinnamon Rolls" by Amy on October 11, 2009.

Finally, this sounded about right.

Cheesy Breakfast Beans

As you might suspect from the title, this is not really a baking recipe. But it is quite good, and made a great substitute for cheese grits. It is here because I like it. :) It also helps make up for the sugar-shock of having cinnamon rolls for breakfast on other days. :D  I think it would also qualify as a low-carb recipe.

Sliders, Yum!

We made sliders at home, and they were definitely worth the trouble. We used Alton Brown's recipe, and added home-made buns from King Arthur Flour. Two of my favorite food sites, together making something wonderful! They're great in a sack-lunch too.