Birthday Muffuletta

When I was asked what I wanted for
my birthday dinner I new instantly "muffuletta"!!
We got online and found this great blog
which I've attached the link:

http://neworleanscuisine.blogspot.com/2005/03/muffuletta-recipe.html

Timm applying olive oil over the bread before loading it up with :

1/4 lb Genoa Salami

1/4 lb Hot Capicola

1/4 lb Mortadella

1/4 lb Havarti

1/4 lb Provolone

Mmmmmm....we loaded it up with so much

delicious meat and cheese!  It's really a simple recipe

-crusty round loaf, olive salad, meat and cheese of choice. 

 Pre-heat the oven to 400, remove some of the inside of

the bread to make room for all of the layers.  Next generously

 slather the oil from the olive salad on the bread and then layer

the meat and cheese.  Finish it off with as much olive salad as

 you want (we used a little more than half of the jar)

Once we had it all stacked up we put it in oven for 8 min

to toast the bread and get the cheese a little melted.  It was delicious!

Tim's Bacon Birthday Bash 2010

This whole fiasco started with a thought of making candied bacon!  I found one good recipe that I followed, but I tweaked it and want to pass on those tips to you!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/32078869@N00/3115496119/

A lot of blogs recips say to start with thick cut bacon.  Over the course of this bacon bash I used both regular cut and thick cut and found that as far as taste and texture they were both equally tasty! 

Ingredients:
Bacon
Brown sugar

Equipment:
Jelly roll pan

Aluminum foil (it works better than the parchment paper as some suggest)

Preheat oven to 350, line the jelly roll pans or cookie sheets with aluminum foil.  I found that partially freezing (about 15min in freezer works) the bacon makes it easier to cut in half.  Place the bacon on the foil, it can be touching, but do not overlap the pieces.  Coat each piece with brown sugar, sprinkle it on and then pat it into the meat.
Bake for 12-15min, then take the pan out and swirl the bacon in the juices on the bottom of the pan and then flip each piece over and bake for another 12-15min.  I prefer my bacon to be crisp, where as others like it a little less crisp. 

Once its done place the bacon on cooling racks (over paper towels) until cool.  Then the fun can really begin!

I made Candied Bacon Chocolate Chip cookies, the recipe is the basic Tollhouse Cookie recipe (found in the blog I posed above), and I used 1/2lb candied bacon, milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chunks. 

As an extra bonus to the festivities I made candied bacon dipped in chocoloate and some of them sprinkled with chopped toasted almonds. 

Also I made bacon wrapped dates and deviled eggs filled with bacon bits and cheddar cheese.


All in all everyone loved the candied bacon in its many forms! 

Homemade Bagels

Recipe: Bagels

(Peter Reinhart’s Artisan Breads Every Day via the kitchn)  I found this on the blog One Ordinary Day.
http://oneordinaryday.wordpress.com/

I just followed this recipe except I took half of the dough after the first 3 minute kneading process and added 1tbs cinnamon and 1C raisins (rinsed with hot water and drained).

Dough

1 tablespoon barley malt syrup, honey, or rice syrup, or 1 teaspoon diastatic malt powder (I used honey)
1 teaspoon instant yeast (I only had active dry yeast and just used that with no problem.)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or 2 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons lukewarm water (about 95°F)
3 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour* (I used 2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour and 1 c. whole wheat flour)

Poaching Liquid
2 to 3 quarts water
1 1/2 tablespoons barley malt syrup or honey (optional) (I used honey)
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt, or 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

Day 1:

To make the dough, stir the malt syrup, yeast, and salt into the lukewarm water. Place the flour into a mixing bowl and pour in the malt syrup mixture. If using a mixer, use the dough hook and mix on the lowest speed for 3 minutes. If mixing by hand, use a large, sturdy spoon and stir for about 3 minutes, until well blended. (This is when I added the cinnamon and raisins) The dough should form a stiff, coarse ball, and the flour should be fully hydrated; if it isn’t, stir in a little more water. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.  Resume mixing with the dough hook on the lowest speed for another 3 minutes or transfer to a very lightly floured work surface and knead by hand for about 3 minutes to smooth out the dough and develop the gluten. The dough should be stiff yet supple, with a satiny, barely tacky feel. If the dough seems too soft or overly tacky, mix or knead in a little more flour.  Place the dough in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise at room temperature for 1 hour.

When you’re ready to shape the bagels, prepare a sheet pan by lining it with parchment paper or a silicone mat, then misting it with spray oil or lightly coating it with oil. Divide the dough into 6 to 8 equal pieces. (A typical bagel is about 4 ounces or 113 grams before baking, but you can make them smaller. If you make more than 6 bagels, you may need to prepare 2 sheet pans.) Form each piece into a loose ball by rolling it on a clean, dry work surface with a cupped hand. (Don’t use any flour on the work surface. If the dough slides around and won’t ball up, wipe the surface with a damp paper towel and try again; the slight bit of moisture will provide enough traction for the dough to form into a ball.) There are two methods to shape the balls into bagels.

The first method is to poke a hole through the center of the ball to create a donut shape. Holding the dough with both thumbs in the hole, rotate the dough with your hands, gradually stretching it to create a hole about 2 inches in diameter.

The second method, preferred by professional bagel makers, is to use both hands (and a fair amount of pressure) to roll the ball into a rope about 8 inches long on a clean, dry work surface. (Again, wipe the surface with a damp towel, if necessary, to create sufficient friction on the work surface.) Taper the rope slightly at each end and moisten the last inch or so of the ends. Place one end of the dough in the palm of your hand and wrap the rope around your hand to complete the circle, going between your thumb and forefinger and then all the way around. The ends should overlap by about 2 inches. Squeeze the overlapping ends together by closing your hand, then press the seam into the work surface, rolling it back and forth a few times to seal. Remove the dough from your hand, squeezing it to even out the thickness if need be and creating a hole of about 2 inches in diameter.

Place each shaped bagel on the prepared sheet pan, then mist with spray oil or brush with a light coating of oil. Cover the entire pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for up to 2 days. (You can also proof the full piece of dough in the oiled bowl overnight and then shape the bagels on baking day, 60 to 90 minutes before boiling and baking them, or as soon as they pass the float test.)

Baking Day:
Remove the bagels from the refrigerator 60 to 90 minutes before you plan to bake them, and if you plan to top them with dried onion or garlic, rehydrate those ingredients*. Immediately check whether the bagels are ready for baking using the “float test”: Place one of the bagels in a small bowl of cold water. If it sinks and doesn’t float back to the surface, shake it off, return it to the pan, and wait for another 15 to 20 minutes, then test it again. When one bagel passes the float test, they’re all ready to be boiled. If they pass the float test before you are ready to boil and bake them, return them to the refrigerator so they don’t overproof. About 30 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 500°F and gather and prepare your garnishes (seeds, onions, garlic, and so on).

To make the poaching liquid, fill a pot with 2 to 3 quarts of water, making sure the water is at least 4 inches deep. Cover, bring to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain at a simmer. Stir in the malt syrup, baking soda, and salt.

Gently lower each bagel into the simmering poaching liquid, adding as many as will comfortably fit in the pot. They should all float to the surface within 15 seconds. After 1 minute, use a slotted spoon to turn each bagel over. Poach for another 30 to 60 seconds, then use the slotted spoon to transfer it back to the pan, domed side up. (It’s important that the parchment paper be lightly oiled, or the paper will glue itself to the dough as the bagels bake.) Sprinkle on a generous amount of whatever toppings you like as soon as the bagels come out of the water.

Transfer the pan of bagels to the oven, then lower the oven heat to 450°F.

Bake for 8 minutes, then rotate the pan and check the underside of the bagels. If they’re getting too dark, place another pan under the baking sheet. (Doubling the pan will insulate the first baking sheet.) Bake for another 8 to 12 minutes, until the bagels are a golden brown.

Cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing or serving.

Variations:

*You can replace any amount of the bread flour with an equal amount of whole grain flour (by weight), such as wheat or rye. If you do so, increase the water in the dough by 1 tablespoon for every 2 ounces of whole grain flour you substitute.



Top your bagels with any combination of the following garnishes: poppy seeds, sesame seeds, coarse salt, or rehydrated dried onions or garlic. (Soak dried onions or garlic in water to cover for at least 1 hour before applying.) The toppings will stick even better if you first brush the top of each bagel with an egg white wash made by whisking 1 egg white with 1 tablespoon of water. If using coarse salt as a garnish, remember that a little goes a long way.

Chocolate Devils Food Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Buttercream

I'm following in my same trend of buttercreams!  These were for a friend of Timm's birthday.  I used a devils food cake mix and to it I added chopped up milk chocolate chunks and chopped up semi-sweet chips.  The little fine crumbles I saved for sprinkling on the cupcakes later.  Other than that I followed the directions on the box of the cake mix.  Once the cakes were cooled I made a peanut butter buttercream frosting.  I used all sorts of crazy designs for the frosting on these and then sprinkled some of them with the left over chocolate shavings.  Hope the birthday boy likes these!

Peanut Butter Buttercream

1 1/2 sticks sweet cream butter

3/4C peanut butter

1/3C 1% milk

1tsp vanilla

1/2tsp salt

4-5C powdered sugar

Beat the butter and peanut butter with vanilla until

smooth.  Slowly add in the powdered sugar with

the salt until you reach a stiff texture. Add milk and

 or more sugar until you reach the consistency you

desire. 

ps I always make about 8 mini cupcakes

so that I can taste test them before I serve them!

Also its nice to have some samll bites arounds.

Mixed Berry Cupcakes with Mixed Berry Buttercream

So...I am obsessed with homemade buttercream frosting!!  This time was for the Super Bowl party.  I started again with a cake mix, this was a strawberry flavored mix that I added real fruit to.  I had frozen mixed berries in the freezer so I thawed them out and added them to the mix along with the required ingredients (3 eggs, 1 1/4C water and 1/4C oil).  To make up the water I drained the berry juice and added water to reach 1 1/4C so the cakes would have extra berry flavor and not too much artificial strawberry flavor.  I reserved about 1C of the berries for the frosting.   After mixing the cake batter I gently folded in the thawed fruit so I didn't break up the berries too much.  I then scooped the batter into 24 prepared cupcake liners and baked for 20 min at 350.  Once they were done I let them cool completely before I made the frosting.

To make the frosting I thawed the remaining berries in the microwave for about 2 minutes.  I drained them and discarded the juice.  I placed the berries in a sieve over a small bowl and used a spatula to smash them through.  I wanted to get as much pulp from them as possible.  There were black berries and raspberries in my mix and I didn't want those giant seeds in my frosting.  Similar to my green tea frosting I creamed the berry puree and butter before adding in the powdered sugar. 

These turned out so pretty and yummy! 

I don't think I will ever buy canned frosting again-and I'm out cupcake liners!

Green Tea Cupcakes with Green Tea Buttercream

I wanted to make this recipe for a friends birthday and the idea just popped into my head. I found several recipes online, but I opted for the easier way out and didn't make the cupcakes from scratch. These were a hit with everyone, even the guys who tend to not like things they dont know about.

Cupcakes-makes 24 large cakes:

1 box of white cake mix and ingredients required on box (3 egg whites, 1 1/2C water and 1/4C oil)

3-4T Matcha green tea powder (instant mix, found in asian food stores and online here: http://www.asianfoodgrocer.com/ ) I added 4T because I wanted the flavor to stand out more, for a more subtle flavor use less.

butter flavored cooking spray

24 cupcake liners

Preheat oven to 350, prepare cupcake pans with liners and I spray each one with a little butter spray.

I mixed the water with the tea powder and then combined the ingredients for the cakes and scooped them into the prepared pan and cooked for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Once the cakes are done, let them cool completely before frosting.

Green Tea Buttercream:

1 1/2 sticks softened butter

3T green tea powder

3T milk or water

5C powdered sugar

Mix the water and the green tea powder to make a paste. I used my stand mixer and put the butter and the green tea paste in and mixed them until combined. Gradually add 1C of sugar at a time until you read your preferred consistency. I wanted it stiff so I could pipe it out. Once it is all combined load it into a prepared piping bag with the type of tip you want.

I looked for advice online on how to frost cupcakes and found some tips to keep the frosting/piping bag still and move the cake in a circle starting on the outside and working your way in. I found for me it was easier to hold the cake and sort of twirl it around and move the frosting around the cake in an outside in fashion. I also wanted to use some cute decorator candies to embelish.

Also I have to say these turned out such a pretty green color. They may not show it in my pictures. I'm still working on my photography skills.

Coq a Vin

This is Alton Brown's recipe and it is pretty time intensive, but so worth it! We also increased it to 6 chicken thighs, because it was going to take so much time we wanted to make sure we had lots of left overs!


24 to 30 pearl onions (we used the frozen ones)
4 chicken thighs and legs, or 1 (5 to 7-pound) stewing chicken, cut into serving pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons water
6 ounces salt pork, slab bacon, or lardon, cubed
8 ounces button mushrooms, quartered
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 (750-ml) bottles red wine, preferably pinot noir
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 medium onion, quartered
2 stalks celery, quartered
2 medium carrots, quartered
3 cloves garlic, crushed
6 to 8 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 cups chicken stock or broth
Directions
Cut off the root end of each pearl onion and make an "x" with your knife in its place. Bring 2 to 3 cups of water to a boil and drop in the onions for 1 minute. Remove the onions from the pot, allow them to cool, and then peel. You should be able to slide the onions right out of their skin. Set aside.


Sprinkle the chicken on all sides with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the chicken pieces, a few at a time, into a large (1 or 2-gallon) sealable plastic bag along with the flour. Shake to coat all of the pieces of the chicken. Remove the chicken from the bag to a metal rack.

Add the 2 tablespoons of water to a large, 12-inch saute pan over medium heat along with the salt pork. Cover and cook until the water is gone, and then continue to cook until the salt pork cubes are golden brown and crispy, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the salt pork from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan, using the remaining fat, add the pearl onions, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and saute until lightly brown, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the onions from the pan and set aside. Next, brown the chicken pieces on each side until golden brown, working in batches if necessary to not overcrowd the pan. Transfer the chicken into a 7 to 8-quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven.

Add the mushrooms to the same 12-inch saute pan, adding the 1 tablespoon of butter if needed, and saute until they give up their liquid, approximately 5 minutes. Store the onions, mushrooms and pork in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Pour off any remaining fat and deglaze the pan with approximately 1 cup of the wine. Pour this into the Dutch oven along with the chicken stock, tomato paste, quartered onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Add all of the remaining wine. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Place the chicken in the oven and cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until the chicken is tender. Maintain a very gentle simmer and stir occasionally.

Once the chicken is done, remove it to a heatproof container, cover, and place it in the oven to keep warm. Strain the sauce in a colander and remove the carrots, onion, celery, thyme, garlic, and bay leaf. Return the sauce to the pot, place over medium heat, and reduce by 1/3. Depending on how much liquid you actually began with, this should take 20 to 45 minutes.

Once the sauce has thickened, add the pearl onions, mushrooms, and pork and cook for another 15 minutes or until the heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, remove from the heat, add the chicken and serve. Serve over egg noodles, if desired.

Cook’s Note: If the sauce is not thick enough at the end of reducing, you may add a mixture of equal parts butter and flour kneaded together. Start with 1 tablespoon of each. Whisk this into the sauce for 4 to 5 minutes and repeat, if necessary.

* As another note we've made this before using bacon and it had the same taste and was much easier to work with than the salt pork. If you are using the salt pork it might be easier to freeze it lightly and be able to cut it into smaller pieces.

Again overall a great recipe that takes quite a bit of prep but the end result is amazing!