my first fondant cake

since i haven't published anything in months, i figured my next thing better be HUGE. and i think it is. i am so proud of myself : )

i made this cake for my aunt's 60th birthday party. i had never made a cake with fondant before, and knew i had a lot of research to do.

this is a two-layer, two tiered cake. the bottom, larger layer is basic chocolate cake, and the top is basic vanilla - each with two layers, and surrounded in buttercream frosting. i covered it with marshmellow fondant that i made, colored, and applied.

i made the fondant a week before, and put it in the fridge. i made the cakes two days before, put an inital layer of frosting on them, and also put them in the fridge. the day before the party, i assembled everything.

this was really really a blast to make - but VERY time consuming. it definitely isn't perfect, but, i learned a lot for next time. and like i said, i was super proud of the results! : )

good golly! hot cross buns!

these remind me of my gram. she LOVES them, and always had them around when i was little. this year, she asked me to make some for her - and of course, i was delighted!

i ended up making two batches. the first batch was "OK" - but the bottom of all the buns were burnt. i cut each bottom off, and my sister said they were still yummy. but, i couldn't give them to my gram like that! so, when the recipe says "bake for 15 mins," i would check them around 10, and every minute there after : )

also, wait until they have cooled a bit before doing the glaze - or the glaze will end up EVERYwhere.

3/4 cup milk
1 package active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon granulated white sugar
3 1/2 - 4 cups flour

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons)unsalted butter, room temp

2 large eggs
1/2 cup dried cranberries, cherries, or a mix

1/4 cup raisins, currants, or a mix

Egg wash:
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk or cream

Glaze:
1/2 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon milk or cream

Place first 12 ingredients into a bread machine, according to the directions. Add the dried fruit during the appropriate cycle for your machine. Once cycle is complete, remove from pan & divide into 12 equal pieces. Form each piece into a small round ball, and place on a parchment lined baking sheet (Place three buns to a row, four rows altogether). Make an egg wash of one beaten egg with 1 tablespoon milk, and brush the tops of the buns with the wash. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel and place in a warm spot until almost doubled in size (about an hour).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush the tops of the buns with the egg wash again and, with a sharp, lightly greased knife, make a cross in the tops of each bun. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the buns are nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Glaze: Combine the confectioners sugar and milk and mix until smooth. Place the glaze in a paper cone or a small ziplock bag. Cut the end of the cone or bag and pipe a cross in the cut marks of each bun.

Makes 12 buns.

BAGELS ... all shapes, sizes, flavors ...

cranberry bagels are my favorite. and for some reason, you can only buy them in the grocery store around thanksgiving and christmas. it is like, what? cranberries disappear off the face of the earth, and magically reappear in december? i don't think so. i then decided i was going to make my own bagels, and make as many cranberry bagels in july as i wanted.

here the is the basic recipe:

1 cup warm water (heated 1 minute in microwave)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
3 cups bread flour (sometimes i substitute half bread flour, half all purpose)
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 quarts boiling water
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon cornmeal

1 egg white

Place water, salt, sugar, flour and yeast in the bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough setting.
When cycle is complete, cut dough into 6 equal pieces, and roll each piece into a small ball. Flatten balls. Poke a hole in the middle of each with your thumb. Twirl the dough on your finger or thumb to enlarge the hole, and to even out the dough around the hole. Cover bagels with a clean cloth, and let dough rest on a lightly floured surface in a warm place until bagels have doubled in size (about 2 hours).

After 2 hours, bring a large pot bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Stir in 3 tablespoons of sugar.
Sprinkle an ungreased baking sheet with cornmeal. Carefully transfer bagels to boiling water. Boil for 1 minute, turning half way through. Drain briefly on clean towel. Arrange boiled bagels on baking sheet. Glaze tops with egg white, and sprinkle with your choice of toppings.
Bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven for 20 minutes, until well browned.

so far, i have made:

cinnamin raisin (add 1 tablespoon cinnamon, and 1/2 cup raisins to bread machine. follow bread machine instructions for adding fruit to dough cycle)

onion (add 1 tablespoon onion poweder, and 1/2 cup onions - sauted briefly)

garlic (1 tablespoon garlic powder, and minced garlic - as much as you want)

blueberry (added 1 cup frozen blueberries)

cranberry! (added 1 cup cranberries, and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract)

xmas gifts! a little late ...

this year, i decided to hand make a bunch og my xmas gifts. of course, it had to involve food.

i had seen these gift ideas in stores, and thought "oh man, i can DEF do that ... even better!"

i collected as many 1 quart mason jars with screw on lids as i could (i actually bought micheal's out of them, and had to order some online!) and searched for a few different cookie recipes. i ended up making chocolate chip, cranberry white chocolate & walnut, butterscotch chip, and oatmeal raisin. i also bought some christmas ribbon & fabric at JoAnn Fabrics for the top of the jar, along with some festive index cards for the recipes. what fun! here is an exmaple recipe i used:

5/8 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Layer the ingredients in a 1 quart or 1 liter jar, in the order listed.
Attach a tag with the following instructions: Cranberry Hootycreeks 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper. 2. In a medium bowl, beat together 1/2 cup softened butter, 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla until fluffy. Add the entire jar of ingredients, and mix together by hand until well blended. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets. 3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until edges start to brown. Cool on baking sheets, or remove to cool on wire racks.

Fab.

cinnamon rolls

i am a serious slacker.

i made ALL SORTS of stuff for xmas, and totally forgot to take pictures. duh!

but, one thing i did not make for xmas was cinnamon rolls, and that upset my husband very much. so, i decided to make them for new years instead. you need a bread maker for this recipe (in the past, i kept borrowing my mom's, but, i finally ordered my own!) it is sorta time consuming, in the fact that you pretty much need to hang around the house all day in order to make them, but, perfect for a snowy december day!

here goes ... !

Ingredients:
1 cup milk (heated approximately 1 minute in microwave)

1/4 cup warm water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

2 eggs, room temperature and beaten

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

5 cups bread flour

3 teaspoons instant active dry yeast

cinnamon filling (see below)

butter frosting (see below)

Directions:

Add all the ingredients, except the cinnamon filling and the butter frosting, in the bread pan of bread machine. Process according to manufacturer's instructions for a dough setting (my bread maker - well, my mom's - has a different setting for regular dough vs pizza dough - the regular dough setting take 90 mins). When the bread machine has completed the dough cycle, remove dough from pan and turn out onto a lightly oiled surface. I use my kitchen table.

Form dough into an oval, cover with a plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes.

Butter a 9x13x2-inch baking pan; set aside.
After dough has rested, roll and stretch the dough into approximately a 15x24-inch rectangle.

Brush the softened butter over the top of the dough with a rubber spatula.

Sprinkle cinnamon filling over the butter on the prepared dough.

Starting with long edge, roll up dough; pinch seams to seal.

Rolling the log too tightly will result in cinnamon rolls whose centers pop up above the rest of them as they bake.

With a knife, lightly mark roll into 1 1/2-inch section. Use a sharp knife (I like to use a serrated knife and saw very gently). Place cut side up in prepared pan, flattening them only slightly. The unbaked cinnamon rolls should not touch each other before rising and baking. Do not pack the unbaked cinnamon rolls together.

then, you have TWO OPTIONS:

Refrigerating or Freezing Unbaked Cinnamon Rolls:
At this point, the cinnamon rolls can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight or frozen for 1 month. Before baking, allow rolls to thaw completely and rise in a warm place if frozen (overnight is best).

Bake Immediately After Making:
Cover and let rise in a warm place for approximately 45 to 60 minutes or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake approximately 20 minutes until they are a light golden brown.

Let sit for a few minutes, but spread the butter frosting on while still warm.

This recipe was originally meant for 15-16 rolls - but I always end up with only 12 or 13 : ) ENJOY!

CINNAMON FILLING:

1/2 cup butter, melted or softened

1 cup firmly-packed brown sugar

5 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Soften the butter; set aside. In a bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon

BUTTER FROSTING:

2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup powdered (confectioners) sugar

1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon lemon extract

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon extract or oil until well mixed and creamy.

checkerboard cookies

OK, how COOL do these look?

I have seen pictures of these cookies online before, and thought, 'wow, how awesome!' I am definitely a fan of a dessert that looks fantastic, as well as tastes fantastic! So, I thought I would give them a try!

They turned out fabulous, in both respects - but - oh my god, what a friggin pain in the neck ...don't be fooled by the short ingredient list! The LOOONG directions list makes up for it! But, really, just take your time, read the directions slowly, and when you make these, people will say WOW.

Ingredients:

3 cups hazelnuts, toasted

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups flour

1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
3/4 cup white sugar

1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest (1 medium orange)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake hazelnuts for 15 minutes or until skins start to blister. Remove from oven and wrap in a clean towel so the nuts can 'steam' for 5 minutes. Rub the towel briskly in a back and forth motion to remove the skins from the hazelnuts. Set aside to cool.

When cool, place the hazelnuts in a food processor along with the cocoa powder and process until the hazelnuts are finely ground. Set aside.

In a small bowl whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.

In bowl of your electric mixer (or with hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 to 3 minutes). Add the egg, vanilla, and orange zest and beat until well blended. Add the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated.

Divide the dough in half and place one half of the dough back into the bowl of your electric mixer. Add the cocoa and hazelnut mixture to the dough and beat until incorporated. Set aside.
Lay out two large sheets of parchment paper (about 10x12), and on one sheet of parchment roll out the white dough into a 6 1/2 inch by 10 1/2 inch rectangle, making sure both sides of the dough are smooth. (OK, do the best you can! This dough is very unhappy!) Wrap dough and place on a baking sheet in the freezer for about 15 minutes or until dough is firm.

Meanwhile, take the cbhocolate dough, remove 1/2 cup (used later for wrapping the checkerboard log) and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside. On the second sheet of parchment roll out the remaining chocolate dough into a 6 1/2 inch by 10 1/2 inch rectangle, making sure both sides of the dough are smooth. Wrap dough and place on a baking sheet in the freezer for about 15 minutes or until dough is firm.

When both the white and chocolate dough are firm, remove from freezer and lay the white dough on a cutting board, removing the parchment paper. Lightly brush the top of the white dough with a little water (this helps the layers to stick together). Remove the parchment paper from the chocolate dough and place it evenly on top of the white dough. Trim the edges of the two doughs so the rectangle now measures 6 inches by 10 inches. (Take the chocolate dough trimmings and add to the 1/2 cup of reserved chocolate dough.) Lengthwise cut the rectangle into thirds (3 - 2 inch by 10 inch stripes). Place one strip on a piece of plastic wrap. Brush the top of the dough with water and place the second strip on top of the first (alternate colors so you have white, black, white, black pattern). Brush the top of the second layer with water and stack the third layer. Press down lightly on the top of the dough and then wrap and freeze for 15 minutes, or until firm.

When firm, remove from freezer and unwrap, placing the dough on a cutting board. Using a sharp long knife, cut the layers lengthwise into 1/2 inch wide and 10 inch long strips. (You will end up with 4 strips). Stack the layers, turning every other strip so top faces down and bottom faces up, to produce the checkerboard effect. Rewrap stack and place in freezer again to firm up.
Meanwhile, take the reserved chocolate trimmings and 1/2 cup of chocolate dough and roll out on a piece of parchment paper into approximately 9 1/2 x 10 1/2 inch rectangle, making sure the dough is smooth. Cover and refrigerate until slightly firm.

Remove stack of checkerboard dough from freezer and place in center of chocolate dough. Wrap the chocolate dough around the checkerboard layers until you have a smooth surface that encloses the checkerboard design. Wrap in plastic and freeze until firm. At this point, you can freeze the dough for up to a month.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (again). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove dough from freezer and place on a cutting board. With a sharp knife, cut the block of dough into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place on prepared baking sheet spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake for about 5-7 minutes or until cookies just start to brown around the edges. Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool.

Baked cookies can be stored in an airtight container up to one week.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies

Stone Cat Marathon - November 8th, 2008

The only other marathon I have run in NYC, which was November 4th, 2007. My time was 5:13:15.

I am definitely down to run more - but - I also thought I would give this a try first.

The GAC (Gil's Athletic Club) sponsers a trail marathon and 50 miler in Willowdale State Forest in Ipswich. It was Saturday, November 8th. I decided somewhere around mid September that I would go for it. I mean, why not?

I was already doing 35 miles a week. and I did a 30K mid September. I figured if I threw in a few 12-14 mile trail runs, and bumped by weekly average to 40-ish I would be all set.

This marathon was amazing. It was difficult, don't get me wrong, running 26 miles through many single track trails in the woods, but, I had a great time. This marathon was a 1.2 loop around the school where the start line was, and then two 12.5 mile loops through the woods.

OK - this guy was awesome. i kept running into him; he would be way in front of me, and then, 15 mins later, he would be pulling up behind me. he said he was going for some kind of "falling down" record. the last time i saw him, he said he had already wiped out 8 times. yikes!

and I can't express how AWESOME the aid stations were enough. The first was around mile 4 of the woods loop, and then second around mile 8 - and then there was one back at the start/finish, or middle of the marathon. Since this was also an ultra-marathon, the aid stations had all your normal stuff, like water, and gatorade - plus also has crackers, cookies, PB&J sandwiches, grilledf cheeses! you name it! I also had a glass of Coke at the mile 8 aid station on my last loop, and it really boostd me to a great finish. As you can see from the photo below, lots of goodies! and gatorade shots!

ALSO, I received a jacket for finishing! My time was 5:35:26 (which, leads me to believe that I could do WAY better on a paved road marathon - 4:30 maybe? I am thinking Vermont in May - we will see ).