Valentine's Day! =)

Happy Valentine's Day you crazy kids out there!

The creation for this special day required a bit of thought....  So I got to thinking about romantic movies, that people really love.  I personally, love "Pretty Woman".  Oh that kooky hooker with a heart of gold!!!

Which led me to think about the champagne and strawberries scene...  *LIGHTBULB*

So for you, gentle reader, the cupcake of Valentine's Day is called

Pretty Woman

A champagne cake with fresh strawberry filling.  A dark chocolate champagne ganache, all topped off with a chocolate covered strawberry.

The dental floss -- you're on your own.

Accidents will happen

Accidents sometime happen...  like your chocolate cupcake recipe says I totally bizarre oven temperature and even though you think it sounds weird, you do it any way because hey it's in print....

so you end up with one gigantic cupcake...

but that's ok, because you can save all that cake for some random experiment...  (cuz hey the cake still tastes really good... and then you save some vanilla cake from some cupcakes you needed to fill with stuff.  YAY Mixed Bag of Cake!

And then let's say you work for a really long time on a post, only 

to realize you posted it on the wrong blog.  That's ok... no one judges you.

The post is still there.  I'm not moving it!  Take that!

On a very awesome note your friend made some very tasty cupcakes and let you eat two of them.  TWO!  And then she even entrusted you to bring the cupcake home so your boyfriend could have one.  (It almost didn't make it.)  But here they be in all their delicious glory!

WOOHOO!!!!  These were so good - I don't lie about baked goods, ever.  Make em again!!!

Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Needing some comfort... where to turn, where to turn?

The chocolate chip cookie...

No other cookie - not peanut butter, not oatmeal raisin, not sugar provides the childhood comfort more than the chocolate chip cookie.  (You can try to argue with that, but you'd be so wrong there's just no point in wasting your time.)

Which chocolate chip cookie to make though?  Ghiradelli's recipe, or Tollhouse?  Oh wait!!! I got a wonderful book for Christmas called, "Demolition Desserts" by Elizabeth Faulkner - THE LADY from Citizen Cake in San Francisco.  Oh joy!  Let's get this party started

Chocolate Chip Cookies Straight Up or with Nuts (no nuts thank you says Brat)

8 tbl unsalted butter, softened but still cool

3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup plus 1 tbl granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp kosher salt

1 1/4 cup plus 3 tbl all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped to the size of chocolate chips, or bittersweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional... NO THANK YOU!)

In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, cream together the butter and brown and granulated sugars until smooth but not overmixed.  (You can use a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment or a handheld mixer, beat on medium for 1 to 2 minutes, and then scrape down the sides of the bowl before continuing)  Add the egg, vanilla, and salt and stir until just combined.  Sift in the flour baking soda, and baking powder and stir gently until combined.  Add chocolate and stir just until evenly distributed throughout the dough.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Position the racks in the upper third and lower third of the oven and preheat to 350.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Scoop up 1-inch balls of the dough with a spoon or mini scoop and set them 2 inches apart on the prepared pans.

Bake the cookies, rotating the pans after 7 to 9 minutes, for 13 to 17 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown.  If you like a very soft cookie, bake them for 13 minutes.  If you like a crisp cookie, bake them for 17 minutes.  Transfer to the racks and let cool.

Best the day they are baked.

Raspberry Buns - adventures in Rice Flour

Very simple - rather exciting...

I was interested in using rice flour since I never had before... so I looked up recipes to use rice flour with.  This recipe for raspberry buns comes from aaa-recipes.com.  =)

You will need

1 cup AP Flour

3/4 cup rice flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup tepid milk

1 large egg, beaten

8-10 tsp raspberry jam

Mix the flours, salt and baking powder together.  Rub in the butter and then work in the sugar.  Add the milk to the egg and mix them into the dry ingredients.  Form the mixture into 8 to 10 balls and place them on a buttered baking sheet.  Make a well in each ball with your finger and put 1 tsp of jam into the well.  Fold the dough over the well to seal it.  Bake the buns in a preheated 400F oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Let cool.

These were really good and very simple.  I imagine you could use any sort of jam you want.  No one would stop you.  The thing that was strange to me about using the rice flour is that when you pour in the liquid, it is as if that one spot of flour wants to take ALL the liquid.... so you have to stir and stir and stir to get it incorporated... but you don't want to go crazy and build up the gluten (remember you're using AP flour too) too much.  I'm not sure how to get around that...  It was super soft though (the rice flour) it was silky - I liked it.  Buns were yummy!

Yeasted Dinner Rolls

The stuff

3 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

pinch of sugar (not a spoonful....  we're not taking medicine here)

1/3 cup warm water (105 to 115degrees)

1 cup tepid buttermilk

1/4 cup sugar or 1/4 cup honey (I went for the honey)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

2 large eggs, lightly beaten (please don't hurt me!!!)

1 tsp salt

4 1/2-5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour - plus extra as needed

Canola oil for greasing

Whachoo gotta dooooo

In a bowl, sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the warm water and stir to dissolve.  Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes....

during this time - amuse yourself by imagining Alton's Brown Sock Puppet Yeastie Beasties burping like mad in the bowl.  BURP!

In a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the buttermilk, sugar, melted butter, eggs, salt and 1 cup of the flour.  Beat on medium-low speed until creamy, about 2 minutes.  Add the yeast mixture and 1 cup of the flour, and beat for another minute.  Beat in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the bowl sides.

Switch to the dough hook (after you're done pretending to be Captain Hook.... you know you do it - YAR!)  Knead on low speed, adding flour 1 tablespoon at a time if the dough sticks, until a very soft dough forms, about 1 minute.  The dough should be softer than typical bread dough, yet smooth and springy.

Transfer the dough to an oiled deep  bowl and turn the dough once to coat it.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

Grease two 8-inch cake pans.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board.  Divide the dough in half and roll each half between your palms into a tight rope 18 inches long.  Cut each rope into eighteen 1-inch pieces.  Shape each piece into a ball, and place the balls, sides just touching, in the prepared pans.  Cover loosely with plastic and let rise at room temperature until puffy, 30 -45 minutes.  During this time you could be doing sit-ups... but I doubt you will.

Preheat the oven to 375F.  Bake the rolls until light golden brown 18-23 minutes.  Let cool slightly in the pans or transfer to a rack.  Serve warm.

Makes 36 Rolls

From the Williams-Sonoma Bread Book

I am a bread junky.... these rolls delivered everything I could have hoped for... and it made so  much that there's plenty to put into the freezer to save for later.  =)  I highly recommend it!

Cracker Barrel Chicken and Dumplings

Ok so we know I like the comfort food.  I made this version of Cracker Barrel Chicken and Dumplings and I was highly disappointed.  It tasted like a bowl of salted chicken.  There was not a whole lot more flavor invited to the party.  I'm sure there's a way to make this better... I just need to find it!!!