"Necessity, who is the mother of invention." - Plato, The Republic
I doubt cinnamon rolls qualify as an absolute necessity, nor do I claim to have invented them.
But when you wake up to the scene as illustrated in the photo above, and have a ravenous sweet tooth from having consumed zero carbs the day before, and just so happen to be out of milk and butter- well, it becomes awfully necessary to invent a recipe to satisfy such cravings. The lack of virgin dairy culminated in substitutions that made for one tasty breakfast treat!
ZESTY ZAFTIG'S CINNAMON ROLLS
Yield: 6 rolls
For the dough:
- 1/8 cup warm water
- 1 1/8 teaspoon yeast
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup margarine, melted
- 1/2 cup vanilla ice cream, melted
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups flour
For the filling:
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup margarine, melted
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
For the frosting/icing:
- 1/2 cup cream cheese
- 1 to 2 tablespoons cream
- 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Proof the yeast in the warm water for at least 5 minutes. Pre-heat oven to 200°F. In a large bowl or bread machine, combine the dry ingredients, then add wet ingredients and yeast/water. Run bread machine on 'Dough' cycle, or knead thoroughly by hand. Turn dough in large greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in oven. Turn off oven, but make sure oven light is turned on. Allow to rise one hour.
Pre-heat oven again to 200°F. Make filling. When the dough is risen, transfer to floured surface. Roll into rectangle, 1/4" thick. Trim the side of the dough closest to you (parallell with your work surface) in a straight line. Spread filling evenly on top of the dough. Be careful to roll it as symmetrically as possible. Lightly pat or pinch the dough at the roll's seam to seal it together. Trim the very ends off- save them if you like, they can be frozen or baked separately for a small cinnamon-bread treat. Cut the roll into six individual cinnamon rolls. Place spiral-up in greased 9x9" baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap, place in oven (turning oven off immediately after inserting rolls), and allow rolls to double in size, 20-40 minutes. Remove from oven, and pre-heat oven to 350°. Put rolls back in oven (removing the plastic wrap), 350° for 15-20 minutes. Immediately after removing from oven, slather with icing and allow to rest five minutes before serving.
TIPS and TRICKS!
- Putting the roll in the freezer for a few minutes will firm up the dough; that way, when you cut it into individual rolls, they'll remain round instead of pinching the dough at the cut.
- Add goodies to the filling mixture to make it even more flavorful (raisins, chopped nuts, etc.)
There's a nickname I call my mother-in-law behind her back. Secretly, to my husband, I often shake my head and cluck my tongue at the one thing she does that I simply will never be able to do.
I've christened her the 'Casserole Queen'. No matter how many years I could spend trying to make my hot dishes as perfect as hers, I simply don't have the "low and slow" cooking skill. To my gain, my husband received a good dousing of his family's grace and generosity, which he bestows upon my cooking to such a degree every week that I feel like a direct descendant of Escoffier. However, my mild paranoia suspects that in the back of his mind, there just has comparison going on. Does my perfect execution of Coquilles St. Jacques measure up to his mama's 'Granny Special'? Heck, I've had both, and have no problem admitting that 'Granny's Special' knocks the socks off my scallops dish! That, my friends, is the difference between tasty classic cuisine, and tasty family food that was shared within cozy kitchens, among much laughter and love.
I'm jealous of my mother-in-law's ability to judge a meal's readiness just by a cute little squinch of the nose, a quick glance to the heavens, a gentle whiff of the kitchen's mouthwatering aroma- only after the ritualistic habit is the decision made if dinner is either ready, or still a few minutes out. Sure, a lot of us home cooks do that: but how many of us are always right? Perhaps just as noteworthy is her ability to stave of the hungry ones who pace in and out of her kitchen, intentionally exacerbating glazed-over stares of starvation whilst mumbling about low blood sugar. The Casserole Queen has many superpowers, among them the ability to not give in to the best puppy-eyes displays of manipulative family members.
Today's dish comes from a recipe collection scraped together by my hubby's cousin. Entitled 'Recipes for a Cure', the cookbook was produced as a fundraising effort for diabetic research; Cousin's daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 (juvenile) diabetes three years ago. Many of hubby's relatives (on both sides!) contributed to the book, and this week I felt like celebrating the spirit of family following a near-three week vacation that brought us together with his parents, an aunt, and the family matriarch.
I've tweaked the recipe from the original by just a wee bit- sorry mama!- both to reflect cooking for two people, as well as my dietary restrictions.
SALMON & POTATO CASSEROLE
Servings: 3-4
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup fresh crimini mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup red onion, roughly chopped
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup beef broth
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon parsley
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 very large russet potato, in 1/8" slices
- 1/2 large yellow onion
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups smoked salmon: drained, flaked
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- Flour
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Paprika
In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add mushrooms and stir until they begin to sweat their juices, about 7 minutes. Add onions and stir until translucent, 5-8 minutes. Add garlic powder, parsley, salt, and pepper; stir well. Add sour cream and broth. Stir thoroughly and allow to lightly simmer at least 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, grease the crock of a 3-1/2 quart slow cooker. Layer bottom with an even layer of potatoes, sprinkle lightly with flour and parika, and top with an sparse even layer of onion. Continue until two full layers have been built. Top second layer of onion with an even layer of the salmon that's been flaked and mixed with the corn. Top with additional layer of potato/onion; continue layering until all salmon is used up, making sure to retain enough potato to form a final top layer. Evenly pour the mushroom sauce over the last top layer of potato, spooning the solid ingredients evenly over the casserole. Cook on the 'Low' setting for 6-8 hours. Serve hot with warm dinner rolls.
You'd never know it now, but I was a terribly picky eater as a kid. If a food was green (with the exception of canned green beans), I refused to let it anywhere near my mouth. My parents' own eating habits coalesced nicely with my culinary aversions, so there was little drama during snack or meal times.
That being said, I knew good food when I tasted it. My tastebuds were ravaged on a weekly basis by the likes of Hamburger Helper, Little Ceasar's pizza, and McDonald's kid's meals. Despite the usual household diet, I could still pick up intricate, delicate flavors whenever we dined at quality restaurants. One such flavor profile was that of a French Onion soup served at a now-defunct restaurant in east Orlando. Marino's was a comfortable sit-down place owned by a rather large European family. I wasn't exactly an avid anthropologist at five years old, but my guess is that they were from Italy. Other hints as to their possible origin were manifested by cool accents and raven hair- oh, and a menu replete with pasta dishes. My go-to selection for our monthly visits? Lasagna, from the children's menu.
I had a plan, though. My mother always ordered their fabulous French Onion soup. This ain't Campbells' one-dimensional, over-salted monstrosity. You could practically see the cow used for the broth. From the wisps of steam, you could hear the onions sing of their sweet flavor. The toasted slice of French bread made for a happy little raft, languidly floating atop a sea of deliciousness. I routinely managed to coerce Mom into sharing the soup with me every time, and secretly looked forward to consuming the rich concoction more than the entree or dessert.
I've heard the so-called food experts on television say that French Onion soup is outdated, that it was an over-hyped dish whose heyday was over in the 80's. This leads me to believe that, 1) they're more concerned with popular trends than they are with the timeless integrity of good food, or 2) they've embarrassed because they've never made an edible pot of the stuff, so they're gonna pick on the poor little soup to make themselves feel better.
I was a naughty girl last week. Although I buy the vast majority of my animal protein from a local butcher, I can't help but poke around the meat case at the supermarket. To my surprise, the grocery store had a few packages of fresh beef soup bones. Unsure of how I'd utilize them, I nonetheless snatched up a package in unbridled delight. Someday, I hope to experience a tenth of that kind of happiness at the prospect of receiving jewelry or flowers. Until that time comes, I'll continue experiencing misguided ecstasy when stumbling across difficult-to-find ingredients. (Footnote: I'm in Alaska, so yes indeed, soup bones can be a rarity.)
Two days later, cooking book in hand, I slouched over the Dutch oven, patiently prodding the beef bones with a wooden spoon. I should have been more irate at my ignorance, but I didn't mind too much that I had a fraction of the meat needed to produce a decent quantity of stock. All in all, I only gleaned about a pint of liquid during the process, but the stock was absolute ambrosia. Worth every penny and every second of my time, period. The ensuing marriage of the aforementioned stock with a glut of caramelized onions induced a deluge of flavor that brought back memories of a happier, simpler time. Isn't that the whole point of home cooking?
The next use of the soup was inspired by the bread-and-cheese component of the standard French Onion soup serving style. Although I'm sure it's been done a million times before and is thus undeserving of a cutesy moniker, I couldn't resist. Hence I stumbled across my new lunchtime favorite: French Onion Soup, Deconstructed!
ZESTY ZAFTIG'S FRENCH ONION SOUP: DECONSTRUCTED
Yield: Two lunch-sized servings
- 1.5 pounds beef soup bones
- 1/4 cup dry red wine
- Water
- 1/4 white or yellow onion, segments removed from layers
- Salt, to taste
- Olive oil
- Red onion (half of jumbo, or 1 small), quartered and sliced
- 1-2 tablespoons butter
- 1 clove garlic, smashed
- 1 sprig of fresh parsley
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 spash of dry red wine
- Salt, to taste
- Tabasco and/or Worcestershire sauce (optional)
- Bread, 4 slices
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- Swiss cheese (quality deli-style slices, NOT the processed variety)
For the beef stock:
Heat oil in Dutch oven or large pot. Add bones and onion, searing each side of the meat/bones until deep brown. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bones and onion, transferring them to a bowl. Add the red wine to the pot, stirring until it's thickened. Meanwhile, fill a tea kettle with water and place over high heat to bring to a boil. Put the beef bones and onion back into the pot, reduce heat to medium-low, and allow the meat/bones to sweat for 15-20 minutes. Stir as needed to prevent burning. Add enough water to halfway cover the bones. Lightly simmer partially uncovered for 25-40 minutes, or until all of the liquid has turned to a very deep brown. Strain into bowl or fat separator, allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate overnight. Remove solidified fat from top of liquid.
For the soup:
Melt butter in Dutch oven or large pot over medium-low heat. Add onion, stir well to incorporate with butter. Cover pot and cook for 20-35 minutes, stirring frequently. Heat beef stock on stove or in microwave. When some (but not all) of the onions have gone carmelized and gone limp, add the spash of wine, quickly stirring it into the onions. Add the hot beef stock, salt, garlic, bay leaf, parsley (and sauces, if using); stir well. Allow to simmer on medium-low heat for 20 minutes. If the liquid is too thin, cook longer to allow to reduce. If the liquid is too thick, add boiling water until it reaches the desired consistency.
For the sandwich:
Butter two pieces of bread, placing butter side-down onto hot skillet. Top with Swiss cheese. Top cheese with second piece of buttered bread. Cook until bread is golden brown. For presentation, trim the crusts and cut sandwich into wedges.
Ceviche, prepared with Alaskan halibut. Nachos smothered in homemade pico de gallo and sour cream. Served with organic limeade.
Recipe for the ceviche can be found here.
Is there anything better than a batch of classic buffalo wings on a crisp autumn day? Yesterday I grabbed three complete wings from my butcher for a whopping total of $1.86, and anxiously awaited lunchtime today to satisfy my craving for spicy, chicken-y goodness.
The technique I used created a far healthier (and cheaper) alternative to the usual deep-frying method. Settling for nothing less than authentic flavor, the wings were doused in a sauce consisting of equal parts Frank's Red Hot Sauce and melted margarine.
- 1/8 cup warm water
