Let the Smell of Cinnamon Rolls fill the air

• I hope you give these a try.......  these can work for a sticky bun too . These are not for the "healthy eater"  None the less they are my Kris's favorite! 
• 
  
• The Rolls 
• 1 1/4 (ounce) package dry yeast
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter 
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 4 cups flour

Filling 

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1/3 cup butter, softened

Icing 

• 8 tablespoons margarine
• 4 oz cream cheese
• 2-3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 

Dissolve yeast in warm milk in a large bowl . Add sugar, butter, salt, and flour - mix well Knead the dough, make sure you flour your hands. Form into a ball , place in a bowl cover and put in a warm spot for 1 hour and let rise. Roll dough on a floured surface ... to 16 by 21 inches in a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick..... Spread the dough with the filling butter and sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over the top. Working carefully, from the long edge, roll the dough down to the bottom edge. Cut the dough into 1 3/4 inch slices, and place in a lightly greased baking pan. Bake 10-15 minutes at 400 until golden brown.  

Mix all the icing ingredients together with a electric mixer and spread on top of the warm rolls and enjoy :) 

F*cking Profiteroles !

What is there to say about Gordon Ramsay......... the man is AMAZING, I really like this mans great cooking abilities, ok ok and his foul mouth. F*CK F*CK F*CK . As I was following his recipe, I couldn't help but continue looking over my shoulder thinking I was going to get a "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING??!!" (excuse my french) But I would say he'd be happy with my outcome of his recipe. 

INGREDIENTS

Choux pastry

• 125ml milk
• 200ml water
• 150g plain flour
• 1 tsp golden caster sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 100g unsalted butter
• 4 medium eggs, lightly beaten

Chantilly cream

• 1 ½ a vanilla pod, split
• 300ml whipping cream
• 1-2 tbsp icing sugar

Chocolate sauce

• 200g good quality dark Chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
• 30g unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp clear honey
• 125ml full fat milk

• METHOD

  How to make profiteroles with hot chocolate sauce

  1. Preheat the oven to 200@C/Gas 6. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Place the milk, cold water, salt, sugar into a pan and set over a low heat. Once the sugar and salt has dissolved add the butter. Once the butter has melted, bring to a rolling boil. Turn off the heat then tip in the flour and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon. As soon as the mixture starts to come away from the side of the pan, stop beating and tip onto a plate to cool.

  2. Return the mixture to the pan, then gradually beat in the eggs, a little at a time, mixing well between each addition, until you have a smooth paste. (Alternatively, transfer the mix to an electric mixer and gradually add the eggs while the mixer is running on a low setting).

  3. Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper. Spoon the choux pastry into a piping bag fitted with a large plain nozzle (about 1.5cm in diameter). Pipe a small blob of the pastry mix under each corner of the greaseproof to keep the paper in place. Now pipe about 20 walnut-sized balls onto the baking sheet, spaced well apart. Level the peaked tops with the tip of a wet finger then bake for 18-20 minutes until well risen and golden brown.

  4. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before filling.

  5. For the Chantilly cream scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod into a large mixing bowl. Add the cream, and icing sugar then whisk together until the consistency of a soft meringue with floppy peaks. Spoon the cream into a clean piping bag, fitted with a small plain nozzle. Pierce the base of a choux bun with the tip of the nozzle and pipe in the cream. Repeat with the remaining choux buns.

  
  

  I hope you give this a try :) 

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

Leave the gun take the cannoli

The movie(s) The Godfather a GREAT movie......  I love the lines, the story, the violence, and of course the FOOD!

Last night we had a full on Italian Feast........ Here's the rundown on what was on the Menu from start to finish, and worth every damn calorie !

Fried Ravioli with a Marinara dipping sauce
Homemade Gnocchi with Basil Pesto
Homemade Gnocchi with Arriabata Sauce
Grilled lemon shrimp
Cannoli with Mascarpone chocolate chip filling drizzled in chocolate
AND Peach Bellini's (for Adults only that adult being me!!)

I will mostly focus this posting on THE GNOCCHI ............ little edible pillows brought down from Heaven.

3-4 Russet potatoes
1 1/2 cups flour
1 large egg
salt and pepper

Boil Potatoes until tender, peel and run your potatoes threw a food mill or mash them really good with a potato masher or fork. Sprinkle your counter with flour , then take your mound of potatoes and make a well in the center. Add your egg in the middle of the well, then sprinkle flour, salt and pepper all around the mound. Incorporate all together until a firm like dough forms (if too sticky add more flour, if too dry add a couple drops of water)knead about 4 minutes ... then break off a tennis ball size off .... roll out into a 3/4-inch dowels, and cut into 1 inch pieces. Roll the pellets on the back of a fork to get the indentations. Drop into about 6 cups of boiling water. The gnocchi will float to the top once ready. Takes about 4 minutes. Serve immediately by tossing with your sauce of choice... I chose to make a fresh Basil Pesto for the kids, and a Spicy Arriabata for the adults ... Both AMAZING *drool*

"The trouble with eating Italian food is that five or six days later you're hungry again." - George Miller. ~ AMEN to that!      Mi piacerebbe visitare l'Italia un giorno di questi!

Fear of failure must never be a reason not to try something

* Ahhhhhhh * the art of Eggs Benedict . The perfect balance of English muffin , canadian bacon, melt in your mouth poached egg, Hollandaise sauce............. Sheer perfection for a breakfast item. Breakfast places that offer Eggs Benedict mostly offer this Menu item on weekends .... I now KNOW why. 


Hollandaise Sauce ........"melted butter which has been whipped into a frenzy with egg yolks until it's died and gone to heaven". Basically that's what it is, I have the sore arms to prove it. 


Ok- Picture this CRAZY morning... I wake up about 8am, decide you know what I'm going to make Eggs Benedict for breakfast today... thus meaning I'd have to run to the store to get the rest of the items I need to complete such an AMAZING breakfast.... canadian bacon, english muffins....  You can NEVER have too much butter (that's my OCD obsession .... I buy butter, I never walk out of the store without butter, even if I'm not using it that particular day-needless to say I LOVE butter) butter, and Potatoes to make hash browns. Ok , Ok, Mccormick makes instant Hollandaise sauce, it's in powder form that you add milk and butter to... Yes yes I needed a back up just in case this sauce didn't come out. Word to the wise when dealing with hungry inpatient kids- ALWAYS have a back up plan! I'm gathering all my pots, and items to start making the Hollandaise sauce, the entire time I'm thinking out loud "I'm scared, I'm intimidated to make this sauce " I really was! You have to be precise with it or your sauce can break... or the eggs start to cook.. etc etc.  This is what you'll need. 

• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, if needed (or more)
• 6 -8 ounces very soft unsalted butter
• 1 dash cayenne pepper
• salt, to taste
• fresh ground white pepper, to taste

You whisk the egg yolks, water, and lemon together - Fast! When I say fast I mean fast.... You gotta whip it, whip it good. Ohh sorry can't help but get that song stuck in my head. Back to this sauce.  Whip it until thick and pale. Set the pan over moderately low heat and continue to whisk at reasonable speed, reaching all over the bottom and insides of the pan, where the eggs tend to overcook.As they cook, the eggs will become frothy and increase in volume, and then thicken. When you can see the pan bottom through the streaks of the whisk and the eggs are thick and smooth, remove from the heat. By spoonfuls, add the soft butter, whisking constantly to incorporate each addition. As the emulsion forms, you may add the butter in slightly larger amounts, always whisking until fully absorbed. Continue incorporating butter until the sauce has thickened to the consistency you want.Season lightly with salt, pepper, and a dash of cayenne pepper, whisking in well. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding droplets of lemon juice if needed. Serve lukewarm.

Somewhere in between the whisking, the sweating, the crying, the yelling , and finally the breaking up of the Texas Death matches between my 3 boys - I broke my sauce. I can NOT admit failure easily. But I did partially fail at this sauce, it came out pretty good... then I was ready to serve it and I made the mistake of re-heating it on the stove top... and it broke :( Do NOT re-heat ! After that it was a runny mess that I couldn't dare serve. I made my sauce from a package. Boo-Whoo I was not a happy camper. On the other hand I poached a beautiful egg, that deed I did beautifully . I guess you can't have it all right....... well sometimes you can !   

I hope you give this a try, it's not gonna be the last of me....  My sister told me everything is better the second time around. *Cough, Cough* maybe the reason my first marriage sucked! Ok, hey now! Hee hee  ~ Til next adventure folks :)