December Daring Baker's Challenge

The 2010 December Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Penny of Sweet Sadie’s Baking. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make Stollen. She adapted a friend’s family recipe and combined it with information from friends, techniques from Peter Reinhart’s book.........and Martha Stewart’s demonstration.


Stollen.  What can I say about stollen?  Well, the first thing would be to make certain that you have a lot of bowls and pans and dishwashing liquid before you start.  Seriously!  This has to be one of the messiest, time consuming recipes that I have ever tried. Was it worth it?  You bet.

The smell of the dough was overwhelmingly fragrant.  The kitchen smelled heavenly for hours.

I let it sit in the refrigerator for two days and gathered up the courage to roll it out and shape it.  This part was exciting for me because I've never rolled anything into a rectangle before.  I had a lot of fun checking the size with my tape measure.

I had one problem that I couldn't overcome.  I have a very small oven and none of my pans were large enough to allow the wreath to rise to it's full shape.  One side ended up kinda flat where it pressed up against the pan.  I can't be upset about that though because it was beyond my control and it really didn't harm anything other than my excessive desire for perfection.

Out of the oven, it smelled wonderful.  After I had dusted the stollen with the powdered sugar both my husband and my daughter begged to eat it straight away.  They were denied.  This little beauty was meant for the holiday table.

As the smell suggested, the stollen was delicious.   A labor but worth the effort

Halloween Fun

This month I decided to try again with blogging some of my food.

I love Halloween and with having a five year old, it's a great time for fun recipes.

I decided to try my hand at owl cupcakes inspired by Owl Cupcakes which were initially taken from Hello, Cupcake!

My little guy isn't fond of chocolate cake so I went in search of a pre-portioned six vanilla cupcake batter. Six because it's Halloween and I really don't want a dozen or so left over cupcakes. What I found was Small Batch Cupcakes. I like the use of only egg whites and was intrigued that all the dry good would be mixed with butter first. Most recipes I've used go with the old standby of butter and sugar then the rest, so I thought this would be interesting to try.
My first surprise was that the batter was so fluffy that it filled each of the six cupcake liners. I was apprehensive that they would overflow in the oven but just closed my eyes, told myself it was the egg whites and trudged on. It was an experiment after all, may as well trust the recipe. *It did overhang the cups but after it cooled they came out without breaking and look rather like cute little mushrooms. If only I'd been planning mushroom cupcakes!

I used a basic chocolate buttercream for frosting.
The basis of the recipe is:
1/2cup powdered sugar
1/2cup cocoa
4Tbsp softened butter
1&1/2tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
After a good mixing, I alternate milk and powdered sugar until it get the consistency and sweetness that I need for the recipe.


They turned out well.

I also wanted to make this spider bread I found at BOTD: Sourdough Spider. Since I have had two horrible experiences starting my own sourdough culture, I used the basic bread recipe that was suggested.

 

The shape didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped, but since this was my first attempt at shaping dough into a specific shape, I think I'll just be grateful that it can be recognized as a spider.  :)

Spinach and Tomato Frittata

Like pretty much everyone, I'm attempting to lose some weight. So, I've been cutting back on the excess carbs and fats that my taste buds love but my hips love to keep. With that decision, my normal breakfast options require a revamp. What better to try than an Egg Beater frittata? I'm not a big fan of the great faux egg, but I am becoming quite fond of their low cholesterol and calorie levels. For that reason, I'll try to eat them regularly while saving my delicious eggs an indulgent brunch.
That said I love frittatas. They're one of the easiest ways to use whatever you have on hand, and they can be made as big or as small as you need. They truly are a friendly food. If I'm to return to my once healthy eating habits, I will need some friends in the kitchen.
Here's to experiment a la Egg Beater number one, the Frittata.

Spinach and Tomato Frittata

1 tsp olive oil
¼ cup finely diced onion
¼ tsp garlic
1 slice Jones Dairy Farm ham, diced
½ cup of diced roma tomato
½ heaping cup of ribbon sliced baby spinach
¼ tsp each of thyme, oregano, and tarragon
Ground black pepper

Garnish two Tbsp of shredded Kraft Mexican Four Cheese

Serves 1
Nutritional info:
Calories 218, Fat 10.1 (5grams from the olive oil and 4grams from the cheese)

What was the outcome?

It was full of flavor and surprisingly rich with the added cheese. I couldn't taste the Egg Beater itself at all, and that was my initial goal. I will definitely use non-stick cooking spray next time. I had to cut the frittata into two pieces to get it out of the pan. Maybe just add a drop of olive oil for the flavor because it really did enhance the taste. Overall, I'm full but not overly so. I didn't even miss the toast.

Regrets?

Only that I was too lazy to go out on a chilly morning and get fresh oregano and thyme for the frittata. Note to self... get tarragon for the garden.

A reason to dine out

Be sure to take advantage of the opportunity to contribute to a good cause while dining at some of Nashville's finest restaurants this Tuesday, April 27th.

Take a look at the participating restaurants!
http://www.diningoutforlife.com/nashville/participating