11.7: progression

in case you’re curious, made using the recipe from my new pioneer woman cookbook. easy as can be and *super* tasty!

some notes:

• since i’m not feeding an army, i halved the recipe and then prepped and baked half of my dough. this yielded about a dozen cinnamon rolls. i’ll bake off the rest of my dough in a day or two.  (recipe says the dough is good for up to 3 days.)
• i prepped everything the night before, which i highly recommend. then i pulled out the rolls and let them come up to room temperature while the oven preheated.  while i waited (impatiently) for them to bake, all i had to do was brew a pot of coffee and make the glaze.
• i modified the glaze since i didn’t have maple extract and didn’t want to go to the store.  i used 1 cup sugar + 1 tsp. vanilla + 2 tbsp. cream + 2 tbsp. milk.  that was the perfect amount for 12 rolls and the right consistency for a thick but pourable glaze.

11.6: grand central

image from Grand Central Bakery

Although I’ve gotten much better about limiting myself, I have a cookbook problem. I get excited about a style of cooking, a chef, a particular restaurant, etc. I buy a related book. Said book sits on the shelf, takes up a lot of space, is a bitch to move, and collects a lot of dust. I probably have a couple dozen cookbooks (many now sitting in storage in my parents’ basement) but only three get pulled off the shelf regularly. Those books are tattered, torn, and show evidence of many a kitchen spill or mishap. I’m happy to say that this book, The Grand Central Baking Book, will be joining the ranks of regularly used. It’s been a long time since I’ve been as excited about a cookbook as this one.

The book has a fantastic mix of recipes for sweet and savory baked goodies. I’m not sure which one to tackle first. I’m itching to try a recipe requiring yeast (perhaps the amazing cinnamon rolls?) since I picked up a few blocks of fresh yeast from the store last weekend. The only thing holding me back is the fact that many of their yeast recipes require making a starter, something that a) adds more time to the recipe, b) requires some advance planning, and c) I’ve never done before. I’m trying to set aside some time tomorrow to make something from this book. I will, of course, report the results back here soon.

Happy Friday friends!

11.5: baked

This may be my new favorite cookie recipe, the black forest chocolate cookie from my go-to baking book. Only changes I made was that I used dried cranberries instead of dried cherries (it’s what I had on hand) and milk chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet (again, what I had on hand). Otherwise, I followed the recipe as is. I think the chewy chocolate cookie base has great potential for endless variation. I want to try it again soon with peanut butter chips or mint chips instead. Go out and make some now!

Black Forest Chocolate Cookies
From Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
16 oz. dark chocolate (60-72% cacao), coarsely chopped
10 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 large eggs
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup (6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup (6 oz.) white chocolate chips
1 cup (6 oz.) dried cherries

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl and set aside.

In a large nonreactive metal bowl, combine the dark chocolate and butter. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugars on high speed until the mixture is pale and thick, about 5 minutes.

Add the cooled chocolate mixture and the vanilla and beat until just combined. Scrape down the bowl and beat again for 10 seconds.

Add the flour mixture and mix on low until just combined, about 10 seconds. Do not overmix.

Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and dried cherries. The dough will look very loose but it will harden in the refrigerator. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until the tops of the cookies are set and begin to show a few cracks. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before removing from the pans and serving.

The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

11.4: mendocino

I can’t believe how fast the year has flow by?! I just bought my plane tickets home for Christmas and it’s already my month for my quilting bee! I chose several bits from Heather Ross’s Mendocino line along with a variety of Kona cotton solids and a little bit of Denyse Schmidt Flea Market Fancy. I really hope I sent enough fabric and I can’t wait to see what people create.

11.3: vestvember

Have you heard? It’s Vestvember. I started a Honeycomb ages ago and the poor finished back has been languishing in my pile of unfinished projects. I’m hoping that Vestvember will get me motivated to finish this project. I could use a good sweater vest. I’m planning on casting on for the front tonight while watching Frost Nixon.

Any old projects that you’ve picked up again?

11.2: playing catch up

some quilt blocks for the october people in my quilting bee that i put in the mail today. november’s my month and i need to start cutting and packaging fabrics to mail. i’m still kind of in a daze from october and not quite believing that it’s november already. it’s my favorite month and i have lots of fun things planned in the coming weeks. let’s just hope work doesn’t get in the way!!

11.1: wobbly

It’s done! It’s done! The details.

Pattern: This one from the Purl Bee.
Yarn: Lion’s Brand Wool Ease (approximately 28 skeins)
Hook: J Hook
Finished Size: 67" x 67"
Started: September 4, 2009
Finished: October 31, 2009

The weekend wasn’t quite what I hoped. I still don’t feel 100% and my energy levels are at an all time low. The crazy hours I worked in October have really thrown off my rhythm and I’m having some trouble getting back on my feet with the rest of my life. But I do appreciate having a warm, finished afghan. I got to see some friends on Friday I haven’t seen in a while. And of course, I did appreciate having that extra hour of sleep last night.

I’ve decided that I’m going to try something I did last November, which is posting every day this month. Hope y’all had a great weekend.

finally. friday!

Hello friends. Anyone else happy that it’s Friday? Because I sure as hell am. I’m ready to kick this week, this month, and (hopefully) this cold to the curb. Since I’m still feeling a bit under the weather, I’m hoping to take it easy this weekend, but I still have a few fun things planned. This weekend, I want to:

• bake something seasonal (debating between these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and these saffron pumpkin macarons)
• catch up on my quilting bee blocks and start cutting and packaging fabric for my blocks (November is my month for blocks and I will be digging through my stash this weekend to match up some fabrics to go with the Heather Ross Mendocino fabrics I’ve already set aside.)
• watch Where the Wild Things Are with an old friend
• make a pot of soup to go with the mushroom flatbread I baked earlier in the week (and it will give me a chance to test out my new 12 quart stockpot!)
• listen to this mix

Halloween’s never been a big holiday for me but Happy Halloween to those who will be celebrating.  See you back here next week!

curing what ails you

1. blue skies, 2. a taste of summer, 3. whoopie!, 4. the annual tradition, 5. profile, 6. golden

work continues to be nightmarishly busy but i managed to escape the office this weekend. autumn is, without a doubt, my favorite season, so it just breaks my heart that i’ve spent a good chunk of it locked away in offices and conference rooms. i’m so ready for october to be over and praying that november will be kinder.

i spent most of the weekend sleeping and fighting off a cold (entirely caused, i’m convinced, by all the stress i’ve been under lately) but i did manage to get out and have a little fun. a stroll around the neighborhood to take in the fall colors, fish tacos, whoopie pies (using this recipe, which i heartily recommend), and pumpkin carving with old friends. i will have to hold onto these moments during, what promises to be, another crazy week of working late and hope that i get next weekend off too.

hope y’all had a great weekend.

it’s a celebration!

1. crème brûlée trio, 2. the guests of honor, 3. shrimp with celery remoulade,
4. roasted squab with jewel sweet potatoes, wilted spigarello greens, and house made bacon, 5. veal porterhouse with broccolini and green peppercorn sauce,
6. roasted heirloom cauliflower with chilies and mint, 7. grilled berkshire pork with cornice pears, pumpernickel croutons, grilled red onions, wild watercress, and sherry vinaigrette, 8. warm maple poundcake with fuyu persimmons, roasted figs, market raspberries, and crème fraîche sorbet, 9. trio of treats (courtesy of the pastry chef)

Some favorite scenes from the weekend. After days and days, hours and hours of working with few meals and no breaks, it was so nice to have some friends come into town, a few birthdays to celebrate, and several great meals. These photos are all from Saturday’s dinner at MK, one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago. As usual, MK did not disappoint. If you go, you *must* get the pomme frites with truffle aioli. Must.

Hope y’all had a great weekend too!