Pesto and Pate...

Yes, you heard that right, pate (I don't feel like figuring out how to add all the little symbols above the actual spelling of the word, but I'm sure you all will forgive me), but not the liver kind, this was a veggie based one, and over all I'd say it's pretty tasty.

Maybe I should back up a bit - It's the 14th, which means Daring Cooks posting day. Our hostesses this month, Evelyne of Cheap Ethnic Eatz, and Valerie of a The Chocolate Bunny, chose delicious pate with freshly baked bread as their June Daring Cook’s challenge! They’ve provided us with 4 different pate recipes to choose from and are allowing us to go wild with our homemade bread choice.

I'm going to report in steps. First, as I mentioned above, I chose the veggie recipe that they provided. It wasn't as challenging as some of the others, but it's the only one that I was sure my hubs and kiddos would eat. I did most of it with the food processor, layered it in the little dishes, and then stuck it in the fridge for about 24 hours. Here area few shots I took along the way - as well as the finished product.


As always (if your interested) you can find the pate recipe here.

The next part of the challenge was the homemade bread. First off let me say that while I have made cinnamon rolls, and pita bread one time, this was my first time making loaf bread. It took me awhile to decide what KIND of bread I wanted to make - but I referred once again to my handy "Passion for Baking" cookbook, and found a recipe for a Pain Pesto. YUM! I figured this would go nice with the pesto in the pate as well. I was a little nervous when after mixing in all my flour I realized that I measured my water 1/4 c. short, but it still managed to turn out wonderful!


Sorry there aren't many pictures of the early bread stages. My camera battery was dead and it took the first part of the bread making process to charge up.

And here is the bread and pate together. It makes for a good hefty snack that's for sure. I think the pate would also go very nice with pita chips - the bread was great, but maybe too much for the pate.

Okay well that's it for me and this month's DC challenge. I'll be back soon with some other goodies that I'll be cooking up this week.

Snow days and sticky buns...

You guessed it, another snow day.

Nothing starts off a snow day like warm sticky buns (and a good cup of coffee)...well at least in my opinion. Last night I (was incredibly bored) and decided that because we wouldn't be rushing off anywhere in the AM due to the schools cancellation, I would do a nice breakfast. I have had this recipe in my "to make" file for awhile and decided it was time. I always start cinnamon rolls the night before, so that in the AM there is minimal wait time. Behold...the buns - ready to go into the fridge for the night. (I appologize for the horrible lighting in my kitchen, it was dark both at night and in the AM while we were eating so I didn't have any good natural light)

I have to say, I love slow mornings. Sure the boys get a little nutty come about 9 am, and yes, I get a little stir-crazy as well being stuck in my house. But there is just something about those nice lazy mornings that I treasure. It's not often that we are not rushing to get somewhere or do something, so it's nice when for whatever reason, life gets put on "hold" and we just slow down and enjoy our time together - in our PJ's of course. :) And to me, nothing says "lazy morning" like fresh baked cinnamon rolls...it just doesn't get any better.

I wish I could put a smell on the computer for you because the way my kitchen smelled while these were baking was nothing short of mouth-watering wonderfulness. The banana, and the caramel and the cinnamon...mmmmm.

Here is the recipe if you're ever looking for a good sticky bun. The only change I made was to leave out the almonds due to the fact that my boys (all three of them) are not fans of nuts in their baked goods. But even without, these were amazing. I ate a 1/2 of one and then we went to the gym so I could run it off! Needless to say the rest of the batch went straight to work with the hubby (along with the brownies) so that I didn't polish them off before noon! He called around nine and said they were gone with-in an hour of him being at work.

Banana Sticky Buns
(Adapted from: the domestic goddess )

Dough:
1 pkg active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F) + 1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
2 Tbsp unsalted butter -room temp.
2 large eggs
1/4 c. buttermilk powder
3 Tbsp dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 1/2 - 4 cups all-purpose or bread flour

Filling:
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Sticky Bottom:
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter + more to butter the pan
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp honey
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 cup almonds (optional)

Cream cheese Glaze:
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. In a large bowl mash the bananas with the butter to form a very soft, ever-so-slightly liquid paste. Combine the yeast with the warm water and sugar, let sit until foamy, 5 minutes. Add the eggs, buttermilk powder, brown sugar, salt and flour and stir with a wooden spoon until a rough mass forms.

2. Scrape it all together with a bench scraper and transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Knead until it is smooth and elastic, adding more flour if necessary, about 5 minutes. Or use your mixer with the dough hook for about 5 min on low speed. The dough should be soft but not sticky.

3. Form the dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Allow to rise in a warm, draft-free spot (on top of the fridge works really well) until it doubles in size – about 1 ½ hours.

4. Make the filling: in a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

5. Punch down the risen dough and turn out onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll out to a 14- by 9-inch rectangle. Brush the surface of the dough with the melted butter, then sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon-sugar combination and press into the dough lightly. Beginning at the long side, roll jellyroll style. Pinch to seal seam and set aside, covered in a warm spot while you make the sticky bottom.

6. Lightly butter the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch baking pan. In a small saucepan, combine the butter and brown sugar and honey to cook, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the cream and keep stirring until smooth and incorporated. Pour the mixture into the pan and Sprinkle with almonds. Cut the buns into 12 pieces, about 1 ½ inches wide and arrange, cut side up in the pan with the sugar-butter-almond mixture. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 30 to 45 minutes (or over night in the fridge) or until doubled in volume.

7. Bake in a preheated, 350 F oven for 25 – 35 minutes, or until caramel is bubbling and tops are slightly browned. Meanwhile, make glaze: in a small bowl, stir together the confectioner’s sugar, cream and vanilla until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens slightly. When the rolls come out of the oven, allow them to cool slightly and then drizzle with the glaze while they are still warm. Pull apart and serve warm.

I think the rest of our day will be a lot like our morning - pretty uneventful. I see lots of board games and book reading ahead and I'll probably tackle a few loads of laundry as well. I'm running out of things to clean with all the time I've had at home I have to say the house is looking pretty good! I hope you all enjoy your Thursday and are keeping warm wherever you are!

Mind blank

I can't remember if I've posted these or not?? Every now and again I'll treat the boys to cinnamon rolls from scratch. Usually I save this for a holiday or special occasion, but sometimes it's just because. In this case it was because the big kid and the hubs both requested them for breakfast Saturday morning and who am I to say no? Plus they are SOOO good! Believe me when I tell you it takes every ounce of self-control I have not to sit down and eat the whole batch.

I've tried a few different recipes for cinnamon rolls, but this one from Alton Brown is the best I have found yet, and to me, the easiest to make and not muck up!! Just keep in mind they have to sit overnight in the fridge so don't try to make them the same morning that you want to eat them because it just doesn't work like that for these suckers. I add a little more brown sugar than the recipe calls for, but that's the only real change I make. Oh, and I always end up with more than 12, I usually get around 15 but I guess mine are just smaller.

These pictures are actually from over Easter which is the last time I made them, but my batch this past weekend looked about the same. I just didn't feel like digging out the camera.

Not much else to report really. The kids started swimming lessons this week which has been a lot of fun for all of us. This weekend we head out for the hubs first Tri! WHOO HOO! We're all very proud of him. We'll be home Sunday evening. My parents are flying in as well to see him so it will be nice to have them around and get to see my dad for father's day.

Well, I need to get a move on some laundry and cleaning while the little ones are resting! Catch y'all later!

Out with the old...

...and in with the new (or clean, or just different). Clean sheets, new haircuts, even transformed some old bananas into something much better (pictures and recipe on that below).

Yesterday was pretty busy for us - although for most of the day I was feeling lazy...don't quite know why though. So lets see, the day started out getting rid of old dirty laundry and replacing it with clean stuff...changed sheets, picked up the house, all that fun stuff. By 9:30 we were on our way to the gym.

Came home for lunch, the little one took a nap, and the big kid did quite time. I have been inspired to make a shower curtain for the boys bathroom - and therefore re-decorate it, so I browsed online for some ideas to get a start on that. After quiet time I decided it was time for the big kid to get a haircut that would be better for him this summer. If you've ever met my kid you know he has a TON of hair, and he's always so hot and sweaty - so (drum roll please) here are the before and after pictures.

BEFORE

AFTER

HE LOOKS SOOOO BIG!!! And if it were even possible, it makes his eyelashes look even LONGER than before. It's quite the change, and I still can't believe I did it, but it will be good for the summer. Although mark my words, come this winter I'll let it grow out again!

Anyway, so after the new haircut, he helped me use up some old bananas for this wonderful banana bread! It is really yummy, and it's from cooking light, so it's not too bad for you either!!

Classic Banana Bread (Cooking Light)

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar (I used 3/4 cup)
1/4 cup butter, softened (I used 3 Tbsp instead of 4)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas) *I used 4*
1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cooking spray

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.
Place sugar and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt, and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Spoon batter into an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean (in my oven it took about 1hr 10 min). Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Nutritional Information (for original recipe)
Calories: 187 (21% from fat), Fat: 4.3g (sat 2.4g,mono 1.2g,poly 0.3g), Protein: 3.3g, Carbohydrate: 34.4g, Fiber: 1.1g, Cholesterol: 40mg, Iron: 1mg, Sodium: 198mg, Calcium: 20mg

I just love the smell of my house when the bread is cooking...YUM!! So, all in all that was the majority of our day yesterday. Last night I had book club which was nice. Today has been pretty low key. We've had thunderstorms off and on all day, so we manly hung around the house with the exception of a quick trip to target. Oh, and I cleaned out my car! It really needed to be done, and I love getting into a nice clean car!

Well, that's it for me. I'll be back soon with more updates!