Fly on the Wall – December

Posted on December 20, 2013 by Lorinda

Have you ever been curious about what goes on in other people’s homes when they think no one is watching? (hint: you might need a little help, if you know what I mean.) Here’s your chance to give in to your voyeuristic tendencies and be a fly on the wall as a group of brave bloggers opens the screen to let you in once a month. Watch and learn, my buzzy little friend! After you’ve read my post, click on the links at the bottom and fly over to to read the others.

There have been so many things going on this month, I’m afraid you’ll drop from the wall and land with your little feet in the air, buzzing pathetically in circles by the time you read through this post. (Cheery thought, huh? Fa la la la la.) I don’t have kids to throw me little one-line humorous lines, so I have to resort to telling you all the fun stuff I’ve been up to.

Before I start listing all the festive fun stuff, there was an interesting conversation at Thanksgiving. Youngest son (Lord Voldemort) was here, and it was just the three of us. This would usually make The Man very happy, since he detests confusion and noise and people – especially on holidays. He had the house and all that food to himself, but was still a bit grumpy and…well…bossy.

Me to The Man: “Well, YOU woke up kind of bossy this morning.”
Lord V chimed in: “Yeah, about 5 decades ago.”
The Man: “That’s because there are so many people in this world that are intellectually unarmed. They need guidance.”

What can you possibly say to that?

If you’ve read my blogs in the past you’ll know I’m just a wee bit OCD. I like to count stuff. I count dishes as I load them in the dishwasher. I count laundry as I fold it. I guess it’s just a way to relieve boredom and keep me on task. So all of the December countdowns I’ve been involved with have been so.much.fun!

There was 12 Cakes of Christmas, where a group of bloggers each chose a day to present a festive cake. Mine was a Brownie Bombe. What a fun bunch of ladies to work with!

There is my “24 Shirts of Christmas” countdown I’m currently doing on my personal Facebook page. Yes, I actually own 24 Christmas Shirts. Here are a few of my favorites:

And there was a fun virtual advent calendar a bunch of us did for Karen, of Baking in a Tornado (the organized genius behind Fly on the Wall.) We each picked a day to post something fun or sentimental for her to “open”. I created a cake recipe for her using hot cinnamon liqueur. You can see it here on Day 16.

Add in an Orange Cranberry cake for my Yummy Northwest Column and one for the Homemaker’s Club luncheon, and flour has been flying.

Then (cue Johnny Mathis singing “We Need a Little Christmas” ) I saw a really cool log cabin made out of pretzel rods on Facebook. The reasonable version of this creation can be found on Worth Pinning’s awesome blog.

I, however, don’t like to do things the easy way. I prefer to stay up until 3:00 a.m. swearing like an ironworker. I had to complete my cabin by the next morning because my friend and fellow blogger Stacia, of the blog Dried-on-Milk, had challenged me to a pretzel cabin competition, and I’m not one to back away from something like that! To hell with the grandkids’ presents…the cabin came first!

I invited anyone and everyone to join in the fun on my Rowdy Baker web page, but….crickets. I think that made it official: Stacia and I were the only nutcases willing to throw reason aside in the middle of December and work on a totally non-essential project!

Here’s how it looked when I started. Um -the wine was just to get the creative juices flowing. And to lessen my frustration when trying to notch the brittle pretzels.

Ready, Set, GO!

And…later. Much, much later:

Making a huge mess.

How can you build a log house when the logs all look like this?

The final result.

Was it worth all the time, money, and patience? Hell, yeah!

For Stacia’s – ahem – unique take on the competition, check out her blog! Virtual Challenge

The man tolerates my messes because he has no choice. The kitchen looked like Christmas had exploded, and he just walked around looking dazed. We had our 35th anniversary this month…but this mess almost sent him over the edge. It can’t be easy living with me!

In case anyone thinks I just ruined my chances for Grandmother of the Year, I want it known that after two all-nighters I managed to get both of the girls’ presents done and shipped JUST in time. A few years ago my youngest granddaughter, Taunee, was given an enormous candy cane for Christmas by her auntie and uncle. Taunee hates peppermint, but they didn’t know that. They got her a nice gift too, but her reaction was priceless and will always be repeated every year by the whole family:

“Whyfor you think peppermint is a good present? This is the most ruinist Christmas EVER!”

I did not want to be responsible for making any Christmas worse than that for the poor child! However…and this was The Man’s idea…we decorated our granddaughter’s presents with packages of Sixlets (you know, those little fake chocolate candies in the bright, toxic, food coloring shells) and then in the hopes that they would sneak and eat them before they were allowed to actually open the gifts, we included this photo inside one of the presents.Hopefully they won’t read this and spoil the “surprise”!

Now buzz off and check out these other blogs. And, MERRY CHRISTMAS to you!

Baking In a Tornado
Just a Little Nutty
Menopausal Mother
The Sadder But Wiser Girl
Follow Me Home
Spatulas on Parade
Sorry Kid, Your Mom Doesn’t Play Well With Others
The Momisodes
Moms Don’t Say That
Juicebox Confession
Writer B is Me
Dates 2 Diapers
Kiss My List Adventure into Domesticland

Chocolate Nonpareil Cookies

Posted on December 12, 2013 by Lorinda

I brought home one of my husband’s favorite treats the other day – nonpareil candy. You know, the little flat chocolate wafers with the crunchy white sprinkles on top? I love ’em too, but after sampling a few just to make sure they were fresh (ahem) I satisfied myself with staring at them and wondering if I could make a cookie that would have the same eye appeal.

Yes, yes…this is JUST what I envisioned!

They’re pretty and festive, and pack a lot of crunch! You can NOT go all frugal and just sprinkle the little nonpareil sprinkles on them. The crispy, rich (and I mean rich!) cookie has to be dunked in chocolate and then pressed into the sprinkles to look right. I’ll tell you right now that you’ll need at least 2 bottles, maybe 3 of the nonpareil sprinkles. I can’t tell you for sure because I ran out of them part way through! I had no idea it would take that many. Plan B was to dip the remaining cookies in chocolate and sprinkle with crushed candy cane. Ta Da!

Nonpareil Cookies

Author: The Rowdy Baker

Makes approximately 60 small cookies.

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
⅔ cups unsweetened cocoa
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 bag (12 oz) chocolate chips (milk or semi-sweet)
1 teaspoon vegetable shortening
LOTS of nonpareil sprinkles. 2-3 large bottles.

Instructions

Heat oven to 350 F.
Cream together the butter and sugar.
Add the vanilla, milk, and egg, and beat well.
Add the dry ingredients (slow down there, Tiger...the cocoa will fly everywhere! Beat it on low until it's incorporated) and mix together well.
For best results, roll out between two pieces of parchment until it's about ¼" thick.
Cut with a small round cookie cutter, or improvise with a shot glass or a plastic cap. With a spatula, lift the rounds carefully and place ½"-1" apart on ungreased bafking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes. The cookies should be fairly firm. If they're still soft, give them another minute or two. They'll harden a bit as they cool.
Allow the cookies to sit on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once cool, melt the chocolate chips and shortening together in the microwave at 15 second increments, stirring each time. Dip the tops of the cookies in the chocolate, gently shake off excess, and then press into a separate bowl of sprinkles. Place on waxed paper and move to the refrigerator to set. (Approximately 15 minutes.)

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This is a wonderful basic cookie recipe to have on hand. The cookies keep their shape very well, so they’re perfect for a sandwich cookie. Fill them with peanut butter frosting, marshmallow fluff, mint ganache…wherever your imagination takes you!

Roll the dough out between two sheets of parchment

Cut out small circles (I used a shot glass)

Dip them in the chocolate…

And then dip them into the nonpareil sprinkles.

Next week will be the big push to make and bake for Christmas platters. Stay tuned…lots of goodies are in the works.

Chocolate Peppermint Soufflés

Posted on December 10, 2013 by Lorinda

There is no culinary experience as sensual – as sinfully decadent – as dipping a spoon into a warm chocolate souffle and raising it to your lips. I’ll admit my body betrayed me, and I went back for more.

For a spectacular and satisfying finish to your holiday meal, make a warm Chocolate Peppermint Soufflé for each guest. The top is encrusted with sugar and crushed candy cane, and the inside is a heavenly blend of dark chocolate, espresso, and peppermint.

Be prepared to bring the soufflé straight from the oven to the table, because even though this version has a little more density than most, it’s still the nature of the soufflé to deflate quickly. Enjoy them while they are warm and fluffy!

Oh, and you can make them ahead and keep them in the fridge. Just remember to bring them to room temperature before baking.

Chocolate Peppermint Soufflés

Author: The Rowdy Baker

Ingredients

3 candy canes (1/2 oz. each)
⅔ cup sugar, divided
1 tablespoon butter
3 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped (good quality, no chips!)
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
½ teaspoon cornstarch
⅛ teaspoon salt
¾ cup half & half
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon peppermint extract
2 egg yolks, room temperature!
4 egg whites, room temperature!
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
pinch of salt

Instructions

Heat oven to 400 F. Place the rack in the lowest position.
Finely crush the candy canes and move to a small bowl. If necessary, sift the crushed candy through a strainer. Larger pieces may be re-crushed or saved for decorating the soufflés.
Add ⅓ cup sugar to the bowl and combine well.
Prepare the ramekins by buttering generously and then adding sugar and candy cane mixture, tipping the ramekin to entirely cover the butter. Pour excess back into the small bowl. Set aside.
Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl.
In a small pan, whisk the flour, remaining ⅓ cup sugar, espresso powder, cornstarch, and salt together until well blended.
Turn the burner to medium heat and slowly add the half & half, whisking continuously. Continue to cook until it begins to thicken. It can just start to bubble, but don’t allow it to boil.
Pour over the chocolate and let it sit for one minute. Gently stir until it is combined. Let it cool for at least 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the vanilla, peppermint extract, and egg yolks. Stir well.
In a medium bowl, whip the egg whites, cream of tartar, and pinch of salt until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture.
Divide between the 4 ramekins. Ideally, the ramekin should be ¾ filled. A little more or less is just fine.
Sprinkle generously with some of the remaining sugar and peppermint mixture. Add a few larger pieces of candy cane if you’d like for more color. Not too many, or it won’t rise properly.
Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and put into the oven. Close the oven door and turn the heat down to 375 F.
Bake for about 16-18 minutes. Serve immediately!

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Folding egg whites into chocolate mixture

Spoon batter into ramekins

Sprinkle generously with sugar/candy cane

Dig in!

Brownie Bombe

Posted on December 6, 2013 by Lorinda

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…

Printable recipe at the bottom of the post!

A Brownie Bombe with a chocolate brownie shell, three kinds of ice cream, layers of dark chocolate ganache, and a whipped cream icing.

Hey. Sometimes I just crave ice cream!

When Amy from Crumbs in My Mustachio came up with the brilliant idea to post a Christmas cake each day made by twelve different bloggers, I jumped right in. I may have even muscled other people aside in my enthusiasm. What a blast! I dithered over this to a ridiculous degree, considering and discarding all different kinds of recipes. And even though my final choice wasn’t technically a cake, it’s a refreshing and crowd-pleasing dessert for any time of the year! I used pistachio-almond, vanilla, and peppermint ice cream for a traditional Christmas color scheme. You may use any flavor or color that appeals to you, of course.

I also put ganache between the ice cream layers because…well…because I love ganache! This is optional. It’s one more step, but I love the way it delineates the colors.

It isn’t a hard dessert to make, but you do have to give yourself a lot of time. Like at least a day ahead of the occasion, because it gets popped in and out of the freezer countless times. This was made in a 4 quart mixing bowl, so it’s huge. I’m guessing it will serve 16-18 people. Scale it down if you’d like. You’ll need:

3 half-gallons of ice cream. (I know…they aren’t half gallons any more. Do they really think we haven’t noticed this???)
2 batches of brownies. Guard them with your life; you will need ALL of the brownies. Trust me on this – I had to make a third batch because I let the guys “test” them.
10 ounces of dark chocolate. Good dark chocolate, not chips!
1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
A large tub of non-dairy topping. I usually avoid this stuff like the plague, but it holds up so much better than whipping cream that I caved it this time.

Begin by baking the brownies. Chewy or cake brownies? Doesn’t really matter. Cool them thoroughly. Line a bowl with foil, smoothing it out as much as possible. Don’t lose any sleep over this; the weight of the brownies and ice cream will flatten out most of the little ridges.

Line bowl with foil.

Firmly press large brownies all over the bowl, covering the foil completely, and bringing all the way to the top of the bowl. Save enough to cover the top when you’re done!

Press brownies along sides and bottom of bowl.

Stick the bowl in the freezer for an hour. This is the perfect time to make your ganache if you’re using it.

Chop 10 ounces of dark chocolate and put it in a medium bowl.
Heat 1 1/4 cups heavy cream until it’s beginning to bubble but not boil.
Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Let it sit for a couple of minutes, then stir gently until it is blended. Cover and set aside to cool. Give it a stir occasionally.

When the hour is almost up, bring out your first carton of ice cream and allow it to soften. I can tell you through experience that you don’t want to try to flatten lumps of frozen ice cream. Let it soften, and maybe stir it around in a bowl first. It will make the next step a LOT easier! Press the ice cream (yes, the whole carton) over the brownie layer, bringing it almost to the top. Leave a generous 1/2″ at the top, because there will be a brownie “cover” added at the end. Smooth the ice cream as much as possible with a spoon, rubber spatula, or (brrr) your fingers. Return the bowl to the freezer.

Add ice cream flavor #1.

When the ice cream layer is firm, pour enough ganache into the bowl to coat the ice cream. Tip and rotate the bowl to spread the ganache, or use a pastry brush. Work quickly so the ice cream doesn’t melt! Return to the freezer.

Add ganache.

Soften the second tub of ice cream. Spread over the hardened ganache in the bowl and (you guessed it) return it to the freezer. When firm, repeat the ganache layer and freeze again. Fill with the remaining ice cream. (You’ll have a little left over. Grab a spoon; you know what to do with it, right?) Return the bowl to the freezer. Cover the ice cream with the remaining brownies, pressing firmly. Cover the bowl with foil, and freeze until solid. (Overnight is best.) When you’re ready to serve, remove the foil from the top, cover the top of the bowl with your platter, and flip it over. Peel the foil off of the bombe and frost it with whipped topping.

Frost it with whipped topping.

Sprinkle with sparkly edible glitter, add chocolate shapes, cookies…whatever is appropriate for your theme, or just leave it a beautiful fluffy white. Slice and serve! Use a knife that’s been dipped in warm water if your bombe is hard to cut. If you have any left over, put it in the freezer until the whipped topping is firm, and then cover well with heavy foil.

Brownie Bombe

Author: The Rowdy Baker

Ingredients

3 half-gallons of ice cream
2 batches of brownies, baked and cooled
10 ounces of dark chocolate (the good stuff, not chips!)
1¼ cups heavy whipping cream
Large tub of non-dairy topping (16 ounces) softened

Instructions

Line a large mixing bowl (mine was about 4 quarts) with foil.
Firmly press brownies over the inside surface of the bowl, reserving enough to cover the top at the end of the process.
Put the bowl in the freezer for an hour. While it's freezing, make your ganache.
Ganache:
Chop 10 ounces of dark chocolate and put it in a medium bowl.
Heat 1¼ cups heavy cream until it's beginning to bubble but not boil.
Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Let it sit for a minute or two, then stir gently until it is completely blended. Cover lightly and set aside to cool, stirring occasionally.
When the hour is almost up, put your first tub of ice cream on the counter to soften. You may want to stir it in a bowl so it is evenly thawed. You're looking for soft, not runny!
Remove bowl from freezer and press the entire carton of ice cream over the brownie layer, bringing it almost to the top. Leave at least ½ of brownie showing around the top of the bowl. Working quickly, smooth the ice cream as much as possible.
Return the bowl to the freezer.
When the ice cream layer is firm, remove from freezer and pour enough ganache into the bowl to coat the ice cream. Tip and rotate the bowl to spread the ganache, or use a pastry brush. Return to freezer for at least ½ hour.
Bring the second tub of ice cream out to soften. Spread over hardened ganache. (You may have a little ice cream left this time.) Return to the freezer.
When firm, repeat the ganache layer and return to the freezer.
Soften the third tub of ice cream.
When the ganache is firm, fill the rest of the space with ice cream and return to the freezer.
When the ice cream is firm, cover with the reserved brownies, pressing firmly. Make sure all of the ice cream is covered.
Cover the bowl with foil and freeze until solid (overnight is best)
Remove the foil from the top and turn the bombe over onto a serving platter. Peel off the foil and frost with whipped topping.
Cut with a knife dipped in warm water.
To freeze remaining bombe, put it uncovered in the freezer until the whipped topping is firm, and then cover with heavy foil.

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Here are the links to the first five cakes. I’ll add a link for each new cake, so make sure you come back and visit each day!

December 1st: Lemony Thyme’s Chocolate Truffle Pirouette Cake December 2nd: Cooking From a SAHM’s Strawberry ‘n Cream Cake December 3rd: Moore or Less Cooking Blog’s Coconut Tres Leches Cake December 4th: 365 Days of Baking’s S’mores Cake
December 5th: it’s yummi’s Pomegranate Lime Bundt Cake
December 6th: My Brownie Bombe.
December 7th: Hun What’s for Dinner’s Chocolate Roll with candy cane whipped cream.
December 8th: Chocolate, Chocolate and More’s Eggnog Pound Cake.
December 9th: Manila Spoon’s No-Bake White Chocolate Cranberry Cheesecake.
December 10th: Baking in a Tornado’s White Chocolate Peppermint Cake.
December 11th: Crumbs in My Mustachio’s Hot Cocoalicious Cake.
December 12th: Tampa Cake Girl’s Red Velvet White Chocolate Cheesecake.

I hope you’ve enjoyed our twelve cakes as much as we enjoyed presenting them!

Maple Bacon Pockets

Posted on December 3, 2013 by Lorinda

Okay, I’m kind of cheating here, since I already posted a Maple Bar Recipe a while back, but this is a little different.

Maple Bacon Pockets are mini maple bars with a chewy piece of bacon in the center. For anyone who has ever dipped a piece of bacon in maple syrup, this is a flavor combination that is irresistible.

They are delicious when fresh, but also freeze well. They disappear quickly, so you might want to consider making a double batch!

Maple Bacon Pockets

Author: The Rowdy Baker

Makes about 30 pockets, depending on the thickness of your dough and size of the bacon!

Ingredients

6-7 slices of bacon
3 tablespoons butter or shortening
¾ cup whole milk
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup warm water
1 package active dry yeast
¼ teaspoon sugar
1 egg
2½ cups all-purpose flour
Peanut oil for frying
......
Icing:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon maple flavoring
2 cups powdered sugar
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Slice bacon into 1" pieces and fry until cooked but not crispy. Drain well between paper towels and set aside.
In a small saucepan on low heat, melt the butter (or shortening.) Add the milk, sugar, salt, and cinnamon, and stir until the mixture is lukewarm. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl (a stand mixer is best) combine the warm water, yeast, and ¼ teaspoon sugar. Let sit until bubbly - about 5 minutes.
Add the warm milk mixture, egg, and 1 cup of flour. Mix until well combined.
Add the remaining flour. If using a stand mixer, switch to a dough hook and knead for 5 minutes. Dough will be very soft, but should come cleanly away from the sides of the bowl. If dough is sticky, add additional flour a little at a time until it can be easily handled. If kneading by hand, drop dough on a floured surface and knead for 7-8 minutes. Dough should be very soft and elastic.
Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel, and allow it to rise until double, approximately 1 hour.
Punch down dough and roll it out to a thickness between ⅛" and ¼" on a floured surface. Cut into strips a little wider than the pieces of cooked bacon. Cut each strip into rectangles long enough to fold easily over each piece of bacon. Pinch the edges to seal. HINT: Once the bacon is folded up in the dough, neaten up the sides of each pocket with a pizza cutter; they will seal better and look nicer when cooked. As each pocket is formed, place it aside on a lightly floured surface.
When all of the pockets are made, cover with a kitchen towel and allow them to rest for 15 minutes.
Pour at least 1½ inches of oil in a large pot and heat to 350 F. Watch the heat carefully; it can spike quickly. Reduce heat if necessary to maintain a 350 F. temperature.
Beginning with the first pockets you formed, drop a few in the hot fat. They will puff up quickly, so don't put too may in at a time...they need room to move. When the bottom of the pastry is a rich golden brown (approximately 1 minute), flip each one over with a spoon. When both sides are brown, use a slotted spoon to move them to paper towels to drain.
Combine all of the ingredients for the maple icing, whipping until light and fluffy, and spread on slightly warm pockets. You can also add a little more liquid to the icing and dip the warm pockets.
Keep loosely covered.

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Prettiest dough ever!

Cut up the bacon

Cut strips a little wider than the bacon

Wrap that piece ‘o bacon up nice and snug!

Trim the edges neatly with knife or (my favorite) pizza cutter.

Frying in peanut oil.

Ice them while slightly warm and enjoy!

Is there anything that I haven’t already said about maple? If you’ve been reading my blogs, you’ve heard me wax eloquent on the subject over and over, and I think I’ve finally run out of new ways to praise it.

Did I mention I could just sit and eat the icing with a spoon, as long as I had a nice strong cup of coffee to go with it? True story.
Addictive little buggers. Betcha can’t eat just one!

Fly on the Wall – November

Posted on November 22, 2013 by Lorinda

Have you ever wished you could be a fly on the wall in someone’s home? Each month a group of brave bloggers lets you in through that pesky hole in the screen so you can see what really goes on when they think no one is watching. This month there are 13 of us who are doing our dirty laundry in public. Come and see! When you’re finished with my post, please click on the links below and visit the other 12 crazy women.

Whew, what an eventful month! Not all sunshine and roses, but enough drama to rate my own reality show.

Love me some babies!

I babysat twin baby boys for a weekend. Holy CRAP! They are wonderful, sweet, easygoing babies, but it’s been a few decades since I was solely responsible for even ONE infant. Two was a little daunting (I’m glad I’m not footing that diaper bill) but so much fun. I’d been needing a baby fix and I got it. Sweet gummy baby smiles made up for all the diapers, even if I did come home smelling like eau de spit up!

Happy Halloween!

So much for Halloween around here. No trick or treaters. Nada. The first few years we lived here I bought candy bars “just in case”. The kind I like, of course…Butterfingers, Reese’s, Snickers. I’ve finally given up hope, and the only concession to Halloween was my “BOO!” shirt and these contacts. I think the wrinkles scare me more than the eyeballs, though. Eeeeeek!

PLEASE don’t vote for The Rowdy Baker…we want our cook back!!!

Poor guys – life was pretty rough for them during the Blogger Idol competition. Just when my sprained ankle was healing and the man got to turn in his apron, I got all involved with Idol. It was a blast, but it took a lot out of me, and meals were pretty much ~~uninspired~~ nonexistent. They were hungry. Oh, so hungry.

Then the ups and downs of being a contestant on Blogger Idol came to a halt. I wrote a post that I loved, but unfortunately the judges were unimpressed. So much for fame and fortune! I was on my way to a funeral six hours away when my husband called to tell me I’d been eliminated. I was bummed – but under the sad circumstances, getting the boot from Idol didn’t seem all that devastating. There’s nothing like losing a good friend to put losing a contest into perspective!

The whole Idol experience was…well…eye opening! Behind the scenes is a raunchy, sometimes shockingly explicit, hysterically funny world where drama runs rampant and egos are often bruised. I met some wonderful people. In fact (yes, shameless plug here) my friend Jen is still going strong and is in the top five. Voting is today, until midnight central time, so if you have 10 seconds to spare, would you please click on this link and vote for Real Life Parenting? You don’t have to sign in or anything…just scroll down to the blue area and vote! If I couldn’t win the coveted #1 spot, I’d sure love to see her get it.

Bad boy Otis has pushed his luck again. At least it didn’t involve pulling stuffing out of furniture this time, but….EEEEEUUUUWW! What the…?

WHAT is that SMELL??!!

His first bath. He didn’t like it.

Hunting season came and went. We’re 3 for 3, folks! 3 for 3! Here’s how it went down:

Youngest son (aka: Lord Voldemort) got his buck first. He worked hard for that deer. Hours of scouting and setting up cameras in the woods paid off and he got a very nice whitetail. He rubbed it in a bit, because his dad hadn’t gotten one yet. He’d wave his little hunting tag holder around, talking about how light it was feeling since he’d tagged a bear and a deer.

I bought my first license this year – not because I wanted to hunt, but because I’d told Lord V that I would buy a deer tag if he would watch Chicago all the way through, which he did. Now, technically I just had to buy a tag. I didn’t say I would actually shoot a deer! But those tags are $45 – and I hated the thought that it would go unfilled. There were also some heated “discussions” about the implied meaning of the bet. So…I said I’d try, but didn’t know if I could actually pull the trigger.

You know that healing ankle I talked about? Turns out it wasn’t really healing. It was just waiting to bite me in the ass again. Apparently I ruptured one ligament completely and tore another. So here I am in an air boot, in plenty of pain (when I’m not actively taking…ahem… liquid pain relief) and I’m supposed to bag a deer? I took the easy way out. We have 20 acres and a lot of deer on our hill, so I sat in the shop with my .243 pointed out the window and got lucky at daybreak on day two. I got a perfect shot at 240 yards. I think the distance helped, because I couldn’t see his big beautiful eyes.

Bittersweet moment

My deer was smaller than Lord V’s, but we still joined forces to tease and torture The Man. We were pretty relentless, but it’s not often that we get that opportunity. He paid us back by getting a buck that was very similar to Lord V’s.

So…guess what I’ve been doing?

Canning venison. Lots of venison.

You know how I always tell a story on my husband? This isn’t a story, per se. It’s more like me, venting. I try not to whine on Facebook, but I posted this and it got some interesting responses.

I was complaining because there were a whole bunch of really cute shoes on a website I was in, and it had just occurred to me that in all likelihood I would never be able to wear heels again because of this stupid ankle. That’s a big deal. I love heels, though I rarely have an opportunity to wear them. I’m short – heels help! The man just looked at me blankly and said “Why would you want to wear them at 60?” OK. In the first place, I am NOT 60 yet. Not for 14 months and 9 days. And…(sputter)…seriously? I’m just supposed to throw in the towel and start wearing sensible shoes and a plastic rain cap? I was alternating between finding this hysterically funny and horribly insulting.

Excuse me, but I’ll have to catch you next month. I believe there’s a Lawrence Welk Marathon coming on. ..

Check out these fun blogs!!!

Baking In a Tornado
Stacy Sews and Schools
Just a Little Nutty
Menopausal Mother
The Sadder But Wiser Girl
Follow Me Home
Moore Organized Mayhem
Spatulas on Parade
Sorry Kid, Your Mom Doesn’t Play Well With Others
The Momisodes
Moms Don’t Say That
Juicebox Confession

Gooey Pumpkin Nut Cinnamon Rolls

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Lorinda

I promise this is my very last pumpkin-related recipe for the season. Honest! I wasn’t going to open another can of pumpkin until it was time to make pies for Thanksgiving, but the thought of a pumpkin filled cinnamon roll got into my head and wouldn’t leave…and I’m glad I paid attention, because these are so good!

Nothing compares to the fragrance of cinnamon rolls warm from the oven. Except, perhaps, cinnamon rolls with a spicy pumpkin-walnut filling. Add a vanilla glaze dripping down the side, and you have a pastry worthy of company―or an afternoon indulgence for a busy day.

They also freeze well and can be quickly microwaved for an impromptu snack. The recipe makes 20-24 rolls (depending on what kind of pan you plan to use) and just for the record I want you to know I had ONE of them. And then they were gone. So you got the two-thumbs-up seal of approval from my menfolk.

Here you go:

Gooey Pumpkin Nut Cinnamon Rolls

Author: The Rowdy Baker

Makes 20-24 rolls.

Ingredients

Dough
⅓ cup warm water
2 packages active dry yeast
½ teaspoon sugar
1½ cups buttermilk
⅓ cup sugar
½ cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1¼ teaspoon salt
5 cups all-purpose flour
.............
Filling
½ cup pumpkin puree
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
2 tablespoons soft butter
¼ cup flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
.............
Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon soft butter
Cream or milk for desired consistency

Instructions

Lightly grease two or three round cake pans or one 12-inch by 18-inch rectangular pan. Feel free to improvise―rolls spaced closely together will rise higher, and rolls placed farther apart in a rectangular pan will be more uniform.
In a large bowl combine water, yeast, and ½ teaspoon sugar. Let the mixture sit until bubbly – about 5 minutes.
In a small bowl combine the buttermilk, ⅓ cup sugar, melted butter, eggs and salt. Whisk together.
Add the buttermilk mixture to the yeast mixture and mix until combined.
Add the flour slowly. (If using a stand mixer, use your dough hook.) Mix for one minute. If you will be kneading by hand, put dough on a floured surface and knead for 8 minutes. If you are using a stand mixer, it will take 5 minutes. The dough should come cleanly away from the bowl. If it doesn’t, add flour a little at a time. This should be soft, elastic dough, but should not be sticky.
Place the dough in a large greased bowl and cover with a clean dish towel or plastic wrap. Allow to rise until double – about an hour.
While the bread is rising, combine all of the filling ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
When the dough has doubled, punch it down. Working with half of the dough at a time, roll into a 10-inch by 14-inch rectangle, with the long edge facing you. Spread with half of the filling.
Beginning at the long edge facing you, roll the dough, gently pulling towards you as you roll, to keep it snug. Slice into 12 pieces. (If using just two round cake pans, slice into 10 pieces) Repeat with the remaining dough.
Place pieces in greased pan. If using 3 round pans, arrange 8 slices in each. If using 2 round pans, arrange 10 slices in each. For a large rectangular pan, space all 24 slices evenly. Cover and allow rolls to rise for about an hour.
Heat oven to 400 F.
Bake rolls for 17-20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Cool in the pans on a rack until they are slightly warm, and transfer to a serving platter.
When the rolls are cool, combine all of the ingredients for the glaze, beginning with 1 tablespoon of cream or milk, and mix well. Add additional milk until it reaches the desired consistency. Pour or brush over the rolls.

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Rolls are in the pan, ready to rise.

Pretty! Poofy! Ready for the oven.

And…done! Can you smell them?

Now on to eggnog and peppermint and chocolate and caramel and rum and….well, you get the picture. I hear those sleigh bells ringing!

Hearty French Bread

Posted on November 19, 2013 by Lorinda

A tender bread with a crispy-crackly crust, french bread is one of my favorite breads to bake. It’s very simple to make, as long as you’re not in a big hurry. It rises twice before you form the loaves, so although you spend less than a half hour of actual prep time (if you’re using a stand mixer), you’re committed to hanging around for nearly four hours, total.

This is almost identical to my french roll recipe. I just replaced one cup of white flour with one cup of whole wheat flour and dropped the baking temperature just a little, and of course shaped the dough differently.

The trick to getting a nice crust on the loaves is steam. I put a big lasagna pan of water on the bottom rack of my oven and start it preheating while the loaves are rising. This fills the oven with steam, and then the loaves are carefully put in the oven to bake. From experience I can tell you to wear an oven mitt and don’t get your face close to the oven door when you open it up. That steam is HOT!

Hearty French Bread

Author: The Rowdy Baker

Ingredients

2½ cups warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
2 packages active dry yeast
1 cup whole wheat flour
5 cups white bread flour (regular is okay, too)
2 teaspoons salt
Cornmeal

Instructions

In a large mixirollng bowl, stir sugar into warm water and then stir in the yeast. Let sit until bubbly (about 5 minutes).
Add whole wheat flour, 4 cups of white flour and the salt. Beat with electric mixer, using paddles, for 5 minutes.
If you prefer to knead by hand, put the remaining cup of flour on the board and knead for 7-8 minutes. If you have a sturdy stand mixer and prefer to let the machine do the hard work, switch to your dough hook, add the remaining cup of flour, and let it knead for 5 minutes. Your finished dough should be smooth and elastic. If it isn't coming cleanly away from the side of the bowl, add a little more flour.
Place the dough into a large greased bowl. Turn to coat. Cover and let rise until doubled. Depending on room temperature, this could take anywhere from 1-3 hours. (A slow rise makes more flavorful bread, so don't rush it!)
Punch down the dough, turn it over, and let it rise again until doubled, about 1½ hours.
Punch down the dough and divide into two pieces.
Sprinkle cornmeal generously on a large baking sheet.
Shape each piece into a long slender loaf, and place on prepared baking sheet. Cover lightly with a clean dishtowel and allow to rise for 45 minutes.
While the loaves are rising, place a large pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven, and preheat to 425 F.
When the loaves have risen, dust them with flour and, with a very sharp knife or razor blade, cut ¼" deep diagonal slashes along the top of the loaves.
Carefully (it will be HOT) open the oven door and quickly put the loaves in, trying to let as little steam escape as possible.
Bake until rich brown, about 35 minutes, and cool on a rack. Listen to them crackle!

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French bread is luscious when it’s warm and fresh, but goes stale fairly quickly. It rarely has the opportunity to get stale at my house, but If this happens I just make french toast, garlic bread, or croutons!

Bread doesn’t get more basic and satisfying than this, and sometimes that’s just what we all need.

Triple Trouble Caramel Corn!

Posted on November 17, 2013 by Lorinda

I try to stay away from Google when I’m creating a recipe, because I don’t want to be influenced by other bakers’ methods or ingredients. When I’m happy with my recipe I take a peek, and am usually surprised (and yes, maybe a little discouraged) to find out how many other people have already made my “original” idea.

And RATS…it happened again. I thought this was going to be at least a fairly new idea. My son, my husband and I were sitting around brainstorming ideas for caramel corn. (I love my caramel corn recipe, but it’s pretty basic, and I wanted something unusual.) I knew we were on a roll when the discussion turned to bacon. What goes with bacon? Maple, of course! And if you’re have maple, you must have pecans, right?

Caramel Corn with Maple, Bacon, and Pecans. Yeah, baby…come to Mama!

After we’d sampled it over and over and over, I checked the search engine, and pfffft – it’s been done. Sigh. I guess most things have already been done in one form or another – so I’ll just give you MY take on this tasty treat.

Triple Trouble Caramel Corn!

Author: The Rowdy Baker

Ingredients

6 quarts popped popcorn
8 oz bacon (or more) chopped and cooked
2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2 cups dark brown sugar (golden brown is fine, too!)
½ cup honey
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon maple flavoring (Watkins is good, but I prefer Mapleine)
½ teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

Heat oven to 250 F.
Prepare two large, shallow pans by coating with cooking spray. (I used coconut oil instead, and it worked pretty well.)
In a very large bowl or roasting pan, combine popcorn, cooked bacon, and pecans. Set aside.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add the brown sugar, honey, and salt. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil.
Without stirring, allow the mixture to continue cooking at a low boil for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat. Stir in the maple flavoring and baking soda. (It will foam up a little.)
Pour over the popcorn and stir to combine. Divide between the two pans, spreading the popcorn mixture as evenly as possible.
Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. The mixture will seem soft when you're stirring it, but don't worry - it will crisp up nicely when it cools.
Remove from oven and cool completely in the pans. Break apart.
Store in airtight container.

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Boil the sugar mixture for 5 minutes.

Stir it into the popcorn, nuts and bacon. (If you’re making the bacon/maple/pecan version, this will look darker.)

Spread onto two greased baking pans.

Once you start eating it, you won’t stop!

I implore you to cook up the popcorn in a big pan or an air popper. The stuff in the microwave bags is SO bad for you. I know, I know, butter and sugar aren’t exactly health foods, but at least they are real. The microwave bags have a coating inside that is really gross. It’s honestly not hard to make popcorn “from scratch”!

If you want the plain Jane version (just like Cracker Jack), substitute unsalted or lightly salted peanuts for the pecans, and skip the bacon. Use 1 teaspoon vanilla instead of the 1 tablespoon maple flavoring. Or…gussy it up with a variety of nuts. Almonds, cashews, walnuts…all are yummy.

I wish you could see my kitchen right now. I made a peanut batch first. Then I tried the maple/bacon/pecan batch, but wasn’t happy with it (maple syrup in the sugar solution didn’t work out well, and I chopped the bacon and pecans too small) so I tried again. Each of these batches makes about 5 quarts, so just picture 13 quarts (hey, we had to try some of it!) of caramel corn. Yikes! I’m going to have to find someone to give some of this to or else dig out my “fat pants.”

Think crisp cellophane bags with pretty ribbons and a little silk poinsettia. What a welcome hostess gift this would make!

ABUNDANCE

Posted on November 12, 2013 by Lorinda

School is in session, the weather changes, kids don costumes and it’s dark before dinner; all signs that holiday time is right around the corner. Before we know it plans are made, preparations have begun, and Thanksgiving is just weeks away.

Thanksgiving is the perfect occasion for ushering in the holiday season; it’s a time for stories, projects, cooking and sharing. That’s exactly what this post is about. I’ve linked up with 5 other bloggers, each sharing a piece of what the season has to offer. We have humor, thought, family projects and food.

I hope you’ll click on all the links below to see what we’ve all put together for you:
Home on Deranged has a family post about the first and last Thanksgiving spent with mom.
Kiss My List is sharing a simple but meaningful family craft project that does double duty as Thanksgiving decor.
Writer B is Me will share a humorous story about what happens when someone is asked to make the mashed potatoes one too many times.
Pink When shares a project you can display for Thanksgiving dinner and guests.
And Baking in a Tornado (the genius behind this group post) will share a recipe for that leftover turkey.

And I, of course, bring you dessert!

It’s so hard to leave room for dessert when your table is groaning with rich Thanksgiving food! My family always had a fairly late dinner, so we’d manage to tuck in a tiny slice of pumpkin pie after the meal, but serious damage to the pies had to wait for breakfast the next day. And oh, it tasted good the next morning.

As much as I love pumpkin pie, sometimes it’s nice to change things up a bit. Here is the dessert I’ll be serving this year instead of pie – Pumpkin Cake Roll with Butterscotch Cream Cheese Filling.

Pumpkin Cake Roll with Butterscotch Cream Cheese Filling

Most people don’t frost cake rolls, but I wanted a whipped cream icing to lighten it up a bit. The leaves were made with white chocolate and a little food coloring. The Pumpkin Roll can be made ahead and frozen…just let it thaw for an hour and smother it with whipped cream before serving. If you don’t think it will be all be eaten right away, I would recommend that you use a non-dairy whipped topping or (my choice) stabilized whipped cream.

I believe this was the first cake I made from scratch. Had it not been foolproof, I probably would be using Duncan Hines mixes to this day – but it was so simple to make, I never looked back. My recipe is really old, and probably adapted from the original Libby Pumpkin Roll recipe. It calls for a 10-inch by 15-inch jelly roll pan. I don’t happen to have one, so I use a larger pan and spread mine a little thinner…and it works just fine!

Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Filling

Author: The Rowdy Baker

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
⅔ cup pumpkin
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
......................
BUTTERSCOTCH CREAM CHEESE ICING
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup powdered instant butterscotch pudding mix
8 ounces softened cream cheese
4 tablespoons softened butter
1 cup powdered sugar
½ cup (or more) chopped, toasted pecans

Instructions

Heat oven to 375 F.
Prepare a 15"x10" jelly roll pan (or cookie sheet with sides) by lining the bottom with waxed paper or parchment. Grease and flour the paper, or spray with an oil/flour spray like Baker's Joy.
Beat eggs on high for 5 minutes.
Beating continually, gradually add sugar.
Add the pumpkin and lemon juice and mix until well combined.
Sift together the dry ingredients and fold into pumpkin mixture.
Spread batter evenly in prepared pan, and bake 12-15 minutes, or until the top springs back when touched.
Coat a cotton dish towel generously with powdered sugar and turn the cake out onto the dish towel. Peel off the waxed paper or parchment.
Starting from the short end, slowly roll cake and towel together. Place in the refrigerator to cool completely, approximately one hour.
While the cake is cooling, make the butterscotch filling:
In a medium bowl, combine the cream and pudding mix. Add the cream cheese and butter and mix together at medium-high speed. Add the powdered sugar and mix well. Refrigerate until needed.
Unroll the chilled cake carefully. Spread with filling and roll it back up (without the towel this time, of course.) Refrigerate at least one hour.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar, or ice with sweetened whipped cream and serve.

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Folding together.

Spreading the batter.

Roll up cake AND towel!

Add filling and pecans.

To make the white chocolate leaves, melt white baking chocolate (if you have candy melts, they’d probably be a lot easier to work with) in three bowls, with just a little bit of chocolate in two of them. Add green and orange Wilton candy coloring to the two small bowls. Note: chocolate does NOT like water, so regular coloring can make it seize up. Use powdered or oil based food coloring! Melt a small amount of dark chocolate in another small bowl if you wish. Put the melted white chocolate on a waxed paper covered baking sheet, drizzle it with the colored and dark chocolate, and spread it out thinly with a spatula, with as few strokes as possible.

Let it harden at room temperature and then cut leaf shapes with cookie cutters. Cut more leaves than you think you’ll need – a lot of them may break! Move the entire sheet to the refrigerator and let it harden completely. Separate each leaf carefully with a small spatula. If you want to shape the leaves, put each one on a square of waxed paper, melt in the microwave for 2-3 second intervals until the leaf is flexible, and shape by draping over scrunched up foil or a spoon handle, or by setting it in a small custard bowl. Chill again and place on cake.

Ready to melt

Mixture of white chocolate colors.

Cutting out chocolate leaves

Too much trouble for you? One word: SPRINKLES. Everyone loves sprinkles.

From my kitchen to yours, have a wonderful, blessed Thanksgiving!