Blackberry Cinnamon Rolls

Digging into a blackberry cinnamon roll

A couple weeks ago I made the blackberry cinnamon roll recipe from the cookbook Peas and Thank You by Sarah Matheny. The recipes in the cookbook are, primarily, vegan. I've made a few of the recipes (which have all been very tasty). 

Dough blob!

If you are interested in the recipe, she has it up on her web site here .

 

Let the slicing commence!

I added a half cup of chopped hazelnuts, to the filling, when I made the rolls (which I highly recommend.)

 

In the pan and ready for the oven.

Overall, the rolls were very tasty (and healthy, oddly enough!). I think next time I make them I will change the wheat flour and unbleached flour ratios. I feel like the overabundance of wheat flour made the rolls slightly too dense/not very fluffy.

Moustachioed!

One of the cool cooking-related things I received for Christmas was Munchstaches, which are mustache-shaped cookie cutters! (The box contained five different types of mustaches.)

A few weeks ago, I made rolled, chocolate cookie mustaches, spread them with a chocolate glaze, and added chocolate sprinkle (you know, to make those mustaches fuzzy!).

Cookies done and drying

Naturally, we had to wear them!

Nick and I

Leaf Cookies

I forgot I had taken a picture of these fall leaf cookies back in November. Better late than never, eh? Nick's favorite cookies are sugar cookies so I make them relatively often.

Easy Cookie Glaze

1 cup of powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons of water
food coloring of your choice (optional)
sprinkles or other cookie decorations (optional)

Mix together the ingredients in a small bowl or cup with a fork. Spread onto cooled cookies; cover with sprinkles. Let sit for a half hour to an hour and store (or eat!).

To make a chocolate cookie glaze, add 1 tablespoon of melted chocolate chips and omit the food coloring.

Fried Butternut Squash- Just Like Mom Used to Make

Fried butternut squash with rice and green beans

Squash is #1 on my list of items to purchase at the local farmer’s market in the fall and winter. The Waverly Farmer’s Market, in Baltimore, runs all year round, albeit in the winter months, they are more crafts than produce. Anywho, butternuts are my all-time favorite of the squash family. I cook it the way my mother always made it when I was growing up- breaded and fried! It’s one of the few things I actually fry. (I’m not a big fan of oily/greasy foods.) Squash are also wonderful steamed, sliced in a vegetable gratin, and they’re simply fantastic in lasagna or curries.

Preparations

So here’s what you do-

Get a butternut squash, chop the ends off, and peel the entire thing with a vegetable peeler. (For heaven’s sake, do not use a knife to peel it! They’re tough suckers. You can hurt yourself trying to peel it with a knife. Plus, the skin comes off easier with a peeler.) When finished peeling the butternut, seed the squash and slice it into ¼-inch to ½-inch slices. Do not slice any thicker or the squash will not cook thoroughly.

Prepare two bowls (or one bowl and one plate). In the first bowl, scramble two eggs (you may need more eggs later depending on the size of your squash). In the second bowl (or plate), make Italian-seasoned bread crumbs using the following ingredients (do it to taste): fresh or dried bread crumbs, grated Parmesan cheese, dried basil, dried parsley, dried oregano, and a few shakes of garlic powder; mix until combined. Try to make about 1-1 ½ cups of the seasoned breadcrumbs.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle

In a large skillet, add about ¼-inch of vegetable oil. Turn the heat to medium.

To prepare squash for frying, first dip both sides of a slice in the egg then dip it into the breadcrumb mixture. Repeat with remaining squash slices. When the oil is ready, add the prepared butternut slices to the oil (as many as you can fit easily into the skillet; do not overlap). Fry until slightly darker than golden on each side. 

NOTE: If you have any leftover seasoned breadcrumbs, use them to fry up other vegetables like sliced zucchini or yellow squash. Although I don’t eat meat any longer, the crumbs would also be good for breaded pork chops.

Cooooooookiiiieeeeees!

Christmas time! My favorite time of year for food! I've been absurdly busy, making gifts for the holidays, which is why there's been a lack of posts lately. (Sorry!). My New Year's resolution? To post more in 2013! But only if the world doesn't end sometime today, of course.

Apocalypse doom aside, I made an enormous amount of cookies for my coworkers!

Chocolate caramel thumbprints, orange chocolate chippers,
Italian lemon, seven layers, and chai shortbread cookies!

I probably won't post again until the new year (I'm on holiday starting tomorrow), so I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!

Adventures at the Waverly Farmer's Market

Romanesco broccoli/romanesco cauliflower

The first time I saw a romanesco cauliflower (also known as a romanesco broccoli or, as Nick calls it, a ‘fractal flower’) Nick had brought one home from our local farmer’s market and had me close my eyes and put out my hand. My first thought upon seeing it was, “That’s a friggin beautiful piece of vegetable art!” followed immediately by, “How the hell do I cook this?!”

It’s a little difficult to tell from the photo (and in person), but each awesome fractal bunch is a floret exactly like a cauliflower or broccoli. It is a pale green in color, which becomes more vibrant as it’s cooked, and has a mild, sweet flavor and is often described as nutty. Texturally, it is exactly like a cauliflower and can be substituted in place of a cauliflower in recipes. As the name suggests, this romanesco veggie hails from Italy (from the 16^th century) and is an heirloom variety.

Amazing fractal design

Don’t be put off by its bizarre appearance. If you see one of these puppies at a farmer’s market or at the grocery store, give them a whirl. They are quite scrumptious steamed with a little butter, salt, and grated parmesan on top. They are almost too beautiful to eat. Almost…

Mushroom Soup

Mushroom soup with garlic bread

When I was in Australia, our flatmate had quite a few cookbooks on his shelf that I would read regularly. (Who doesn't like reading about food?) One recipe that stood out to me was a mushroom soup by chef Jamie Oliver. The problem? My husband hates mushrooms. However, I wrote down the recipe and eventually made it. To this day, it is one of the best mushroom soups I have ever eaten and it's extraordinarily easy to make. I tend to make the soup when my husband is out of town so I can have it for dinner without someone saying "ewwww fungus."

Mushroom Soup Recipe by Jamie Oliver

Changes I made to the recipe:
1) I omit the porchini mushrooms. One day I will try the recipe with them, but frankly, they are expensive. So I skip the part of the directions that deals with them.
2) If you can't find fresh herbs, it is totally fine to use dried.
3) I do not add lemon or marscapone. Instead, I mix into the broth 2 tablespoons of cream cheese to give the soup extra depth.

Tips:
1) Saute the mushrooms and chopped onion together, with the garlic, butter and olive oil to save time. For those of you who know my hate of onions, I do actually use them in soups. And yes, I do know it is strange for a lover of food to loathe onions.
2) Do actually use a variety of mushrooms, as the recipe states, for flavor. I tend to use three different kinds, if I can. For the batch I made last night, I used portobellos, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms.