 Where are all my fellow Georgians who stocked up on food and supplies in preparation for last weekends snow storm? 🙋🏻♀️ If you're like me - you overestimated the impact that freezing precipitation would have on your family's appetite and now you're faced with a pantry stocked with "snow day" food. 😬 If I had an excess of lemons - using them up would be a no brainer but what's a girl to do with leftover eggs, bread and milk? 🥚🍞🥛  French Toast!! Ricotta Stuffed French Toast. I'm not normally a french toast fan but I have to admit that this stuffed french toast is pretty amazing. And when you smother it in the honey butter, pistachio and sweet wine sauce - it takes it to a whole new level. I know you're going to love this just as much as I do.  Ricotta Stuffed French Toast 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar 1/2 teaspoon orange zest, grated 4 slices hearty white sandwich bread 3/4 cup whole milk 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/4 teaspoon salt 4 Tablespoons butter 3 Tablespoons pistachios, chopped 1/4 cup honey 2 Tablespoons Marsala 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
 Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.  As for our winter snow storm - it was kind of crazy. I'll share some video and pictures on the next blog post. You are not going to believe it. ⛄️
Ciao!
0 Comments
 What level of lazy is preheating the oven from the comfort of my bed? I wish I was asking for a friend. 😂 Last January we starting dreaming about and planning a kitchen remodel. One of my biggest priorities was adding a second oven. Nothing fancy or specific - just a means of making my baking process more efficient. I ended up ordering a wall oven that has a learning capacity greater than my own. 😅 Either my appliances are getting smarter or I'm getting dumber. This oven has as app that connects to my phone so that I can preheat, set the timer and even scan the barcode on a bag of chicken nuggets and the oven will set itself to the precise cooking time and temperature. 😯  When I first learned about all of the fancy dancy features on this oven - I swore that I would never use them. My intent was to use it to bake - not to create science experiments in this machine.😅 I guess I failed to see the NEED to have my oven connected to my phone. And then I woke up one morning, dreading the thought of getting out of bed to preheat the oven to bake a batch of cinnamon rolls. That is the moment that it dawned on me. 🤣 Preheating the oven from the comfort of my bed is the reason thatt evey oven should have a phone app. 🙃 Did I mention that this oven also has a proofing setting? In a nutshell - proofing is what you do to yeast dough to get it to rise before you bake it. Proofing cinnamon rolls is key to getting that nice soft, fluffy texture. And now that I can preheat my oven from the comfort of my bed and proof them in my oven, there's really no excuse NOT to make cinnamon rolls at least once a week. 😅
Swedish Cinnamon Rolls are amazing. The soft cardamom dough and the sweet, buttery cinnamon filling is the most amazing combination. And a steaming cup of cinnamon spice tea was the perfect compliment to this delicious roll. Don't get overwhelmed by the amount of steps in this recipe. I tried to break everything down to simplify the process but I'm afraid that the lengthy instructions might be intimidating to some. Don't worry though - I got you. The pictures will help and if you need along the way - email me with questions.  Swedish Cinnamon Buns Flour Paste 3/4 cup milk 1/4 cup bread flour Dough 1/2 cup milk 2 cups bread flour 1 Tablespoon instant yeast 1/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon salt 6 Tablespoons butter 2 teaspoons cardamom seeds Filling 3/4 cup sugar 6 Tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons cinnamon 1 Tablespoon bread flour 1/4 teaspoon salt Egg Wash 1 egg 1 Tablespoon water pinch salt 1/4 cup crystalized sugar
 Bake 13 minutes at 425.   Swedish Cinnamon Rolls require a commitment in time. These rolls actually proof twice. Once is a cold proof - in the refrigerator and the second is a warm proof in the oven. If your oven doesn't have a proofing setting - don't ;et that stop you from making these delicious breakfast rolls. Cover the rolls with a towel and put them in a warm place in the house to rise. My favorite spots are on top of the dryer while it's running or above the dishwasher while it's warm.
Ciao!  I'm fairly certain that it's common knowledge that melting cheese between two slices of bread makes a grilled cheese. 🧀🍞 What's not common knowledge is that you can melt cheese between the bread AND toast even more cheese on the outside of the sandwich to make and EPIC grilled cheese! Quite honestly, this Cheddar Crusted Grilled Cheese threw my family for a loop. My youngest asked if I accidentally made an inside out sandwich.🤣 The fact that she thought I could "accidentally" put the cheese on the outside of the bread instead of the inside makes me question her faith in my culinary skills. 😅 I mean, I can't say that it would NEVER happen but I haven't made that mistake - yet.  When it comes to kitchens and food - I really do enjoy the challenge of getting creative and pushing the limits of conventional food preparation. Why make ordinary food when you can make tortilla stacks in mini springform pans, bake pasta in a stainless steel mixing bowl, serve shrimp and grits as a mini tartlet or make jar-cuterie with homemade cheese straws and cantaloupe leaves? Out of the box cooking is way more fun than making a box of macaroni and cheese.  Cheddar Crusted Grilled Cheese 2 teaspoons mayonnaise 4 slices hearty sandwich bread 2 slices deli American cheese 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
 Slide spatula under cheddar crust and transfer sandwiches to rack. Let sit 5 minutes to allow cheese to set.  Slice in half and serve.
Grilled cheese lovers - I know you're out there, and I want to hear from you. Is this double cheese sandwich something that you would sink your teeth into or is it too over the top? I have to admit that I was a little surprised that the "grilled cheese purists" that live in my house, embraced these out of the box sandwiches. I'm anxious to hear your opinions about these sandwiches too. Ciao!  Leave it to me to take a perfectly good recipe - and mess it up. 🤦🏻♀️ If you've ever picked up a copy of Cook's Illustrated or Cooks Country - you know that before they publish a recipe - they make it at least 50 times. They do all the research. They make it - they make it again, make adjustments, and then make 20 more times until it's absolutely perfect. I put a lot of trust in the recipes that they produce because I know they're tested extensively. What they don't factor into their recipe creation however, is my incompetency. 🤪 In my defense, the day that I made these Cardamom Buns - was the day before Thanksgiving and I was simultaneously making dinner rolls, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, asparagus, standing rib roast, roasted sweet potatoes and these delicious looking buns. 🥐
These breakfast sweet rolls had my attention from the moment that I saw the mouth watering photos on the pages of my favorite cooking magazine. The use of unique spices and the uncharacteristic twisting and braiding, caught my eye. I mean - I would start to question my sanity if I DIDN'T look twice that these cardamom buns. 🤣 So here's my version of the Cardamom Buns that were featured in last months edition of Cook's Country. For the record - I'm blaming my ineptitude on distraction. 😬 Honestly, I'm not sure that I could have reproduced the Cardamom Buns that were pictured even if I had been focusing all of my attention on them - but I'm sticking to my distraction theory. I am going to go ahead and write the recipe - as it should be. As you read through my directions - it will be fairly obvious where I got off track. 😬 Basically, I mixed up all of the filling and forgot to add it to the dough. Soooo, in classic Amy style, instead of wasting the filling or starting over, I slathered the filling on top of the rolls before I baked them. Turns out - they were delicious this way. Do you think Cook's Country would send ME their recipes before they get published, so that I can run them through the Amy test?  Cardamom Buns Dough 3 cups flour 3/4 cup bread flour 6 Tablespoons sugar 1 Tablespoon yeast 1 teaspoon cardamom seeds, ground 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/4 cups whole milk, warm 8 Tablespoons butter, melted 1 egg Filling 12 Tablespoons butter 3/4 cup brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon cardamom 2 Tablespoons white sugar
 Bake at 400 for 15-18 minutes.  I've made these rolls exactly one time and they were unintentionally "different" from the original recipe. I can't speak for what the publisher intended them to look or taste like, but I can assure you that my version of Cardamom Buns was pretty darn tasty. I may (or may not) have indulged in a few too many of these sweet treats on Thanksgiving morning. Nothing like stuffing my belly before 9 am on Thanksgiving Day. 😂
Ciao!  Anyone else live with someone who is irritatingly chipper in the morning? 🤣🌝 I enjoy waking up early and getting my workout in before the sun rises but it's safe to say that no one would label me a "morning person". Early morning wake up calls are one thing - being cheerful about it, is an entirely different matter. 😴 That's what separates me from my better half. 😜 This guy leaps out of bed before the crack of dawn, ready to make important decisions, start serious discussions and sing show tunes - all without any caffeine assistance. 😳☕️ #marriage  Breakfast for me happens after my workout and shower. It usually occurs much closer to brunch time which is my excuse for eating a much bigger meal than I should. 😅 Eggs and turkey bacon are a popular choice for me but I've also been known to grab granola and yogurt if I'm in a hurry. I leave the pancake and waffle making duties to my morning-loving spouse. 🤣 I've made a simplified version of these breakfast burritos for years. Rolling eggs and cheese in a tortilla qualifies as a breakfast burrito, right? Then I discovered this upgraded burrito recipe. A soft tortilla filled with spicy chorizo, eggs, cheese and tator tots?!? I never would have put those ingredients together but let me tell you - it works. And it's amazing! 😂  Breakfast Burritos 1/4 cup vegetable oil 2 cups frozen tater tots, thawed 8 ounces chorizo, casing removed (or Italian Sausage) 8 eggs, beaten, beaten 3/4 cup cheddar cheese 4 (10") flour tortillas 4 Tablespoons sour cream
 Heat 1 T. oil in skillet. Arrange burritos, seam side down, in skillet and cook 1 minute on each side.  Tator tots for me, were something that I hadn't even thought about since I left elementary school. I'm pretty sure that I've never bought them before so when my youngest child found the bag in the freezer, she loudly announced: "mom bought tator tots!" 🤣 It's not something that I'm used to but they are a delicious addition to these burritos. And they're way easier than shredding my own potatoes.
Ciao! |
