Daring Bakers - December ~ Gingerbread House

The December 2009 Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to you by Anna of Very Small Anna and Y of Lemonpi. They chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ everywhere to bake and assemble a gingerbread house from scratch. They chose recipes from Good Housekeeping and from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book as the challenge recipes.

I used the Scandinavian recipe. The recipe worked really well. We made a huge batch because not only were we going to build a house but Sean wanted a gingerbread outhouse too!

I also added some melted sugar windows to the house. I put a strand of Christmas lights under the house so the windows light up and it looks like there is a fire inside! I am really proud of my windows! :)

Y's Recipe:
Scandinavian Gingerbread (pepparkakAstuga)
from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book by Beatrice Ojakangas

1 cup butter, room temperature [226g]
1 cup brown sugar, well packed [220g]
2 tablespoons cinnamon
4 teaspoons ground ginger
3 teaspoons ground cloves
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ cup boiling water
5 cups all-purpose flour [875g]

1. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until blended. Add the cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Mix the baking soda with the boiling water and add to the dough along with the flour. Mix to make a stiff dough. If necessary add more water, a tablespoon at a time. Chill 2 hours or overnight.

2. Cut patterns for the house, making patterns for the roof, front walls, gabled walls, chimney and door out of cardboard.

3. Roll the dough out on a large, ungreased baking sheet and place the patterns on the dough. Mark off the various pieces with a knife, but leave the pieces in place.

4. [I rolled out the dough on a floured bench, roughly 1/8 inch thick (which allows for fact that the dough puffs a little when baked), cut required shapes and transferred these to the baking sheet. Any scraps I saved and rerolled at the end.]

5. Preheat the oven to 375'F (190'C). Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the cookie dough feels firm. After baking, again place the pattern on top of the gingerbread and trim the shapes, cutting the edges with a straight-edged knife. Leave to cool on the baking sheet.

Royal Icing:

5 tablespoons meringue powder
1/3 cup water
1 pound confectioner's sugar (about 3 3/4 to 4 cups)


Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Use a paddle attachment and beat SLOWLY until stiff peaks form. When ready, the icing turns pure white, not fluffy and slaps against the bowl. Should NOT be shiny. Don't overbeat. If you do, it gets spongy. If it sits for awhile, it becomes spongy, so stir before using it every time. Don't rebeat because it will break icing down. If it dries and flakes, it's too dry. Add a few drops water. If you don't use the icing immediately, cover with a damp cloth over the bowl.

Here is how we put it all together ~



Miss Agnes helped cut out the pieces with the templates we made.
















THE GINGERBREAD OUTHOUSE!

We definitely have a new holiday tradition! I can't wait to make another one next year!!

Agnes' 4th birthday cake and cupcakes.

This is the cake I made for Agne's 4th birthday. She wanted a Backyardigans- The Tale of a Mighty Knight cake. She had to have a red dragon on it too. Her imaginary friend is a red dragon named Dough Dragon. :) I have more photos of all the figures. If anyone wants to see them let me know and I can post them too. :)





She took the cupcakes to school to share with all her friends. I airbrushed them with purple and sprinkled them with edible glitter.

April Fool's!

Agnes wanted to fool her daddy today so we made meaty cupcakes. We had so much fun piping the mashed potatoes on like icing. Little did Sean know that when he bit into them they were meat-loaf iced with mashed potatoes! Agnes could barely stop laughing to ask him "How are your cupcakes? They aren't cupcakes! They're meat!!" She is just so awesome!

Wow. Just wow!

I was reading Cooking with Rosie when I came across a recipe that made me drool. It is a recipe for Capellini con Prosciutto e Mascarpone. I knew I had to make it for dinner this week. Well, I couldn't wait until later this week...I made it tonight. Oh. My. God. It was a bowl of perfection. Sean gave it a 4 out of 4 stars. Miss Agnes ate a HUGE bowl full.

The recipe includes on a few simple ingredients but the outcome is perfection. I added a couple of things to the recipe. I threw in about 1/2 clove minced garlic and a couple handfuls of fresh spring peas. YUM!!

Capellini con Prosciutto e Mascarpone
160 g capellini or angel hair pasta (about 4 bunches)
3.5 tbsp butter
1 small or medium onion, finely chopped
100 g prosciutto cotto or cooked ham, finely chopped
250 g (2 3/4 cup) mascarpone

salt to taste

1. Bring to boil a medium pot of salted water but don't add the capellini yet (they cook quickly).
2. In another medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat and add the chopped prosciutto and onion. Let gently simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Place a medium heat-proof bowl over the cooking prosciutto-onion mixture and add the mascarpone. Using a spoon, gently stir the cheese until it is melted. (I put my bowl over a separate small pot of simmering water).

4. The mascarpone will take a few minutes to melt, but it will still be cool to touch. Don't be tempted to heat in the microwave because it will be heated through once the hot, drained pasta is added.
5. Once the mascarpone has melted, cook the capellini pasta for a few minutes and then drain well. I threw the peas in with the pasta.
Miss Agnes stirring the peas. She loves to help me cook!
6. Add the pasta and prosciutto-onion mixture to the mascarpone and stir until well blended.
7. SERVE IMMEDIATELY before it starts to cool down. Garnish with parmesan (if desired) and fresh chopped herbs.

Thanks Rosie!

I love my daughter

Our Tradition

Ever since Agnes' first Christmas in 2005 I have taken her to see Santa. I like to take her by myself. Just my daughter and me. I always take her as soon as Santa is at the mall. Neither of us like standing in line and it gives her more time to chat with him.

Since she is in pre-preschool everyday I miss hanging out with her so she took today off to see Santa. She was so excited to talk with him. Last night she was practicing what she would say to him. She didn't want to forget what she wanted him to bring her.

When we got to the mall she was practically running to Santa Land. We were the only ones their so the staff really took their time and let her hang-out for a bit. She sat and chatted with Santa for about 15 minutes. She had to explain every single thing (drum kit, dinosaurs, volcano, gummi bears, care bears, rocketships, big girl bed, piano, princess presents, it was a never ending list!) she wants from him. By the time we left Santa was trying his hardest not to start laughing at loud. All the elves were losing it. She is definitely a girl who knows what she wants! Afterward we went to the Nordstrom cafe for coffee (hot chocolate for Miss Thing) and cookies.



Each year our Santa day gets better. I am already looking forward to Santa day next year!

I'm on a seafood diet. I see food and eat it. HA!

Agnes wanted to have fish for dinner tonight. She loves fish. I am not talking about breaded fish sticks (well, who doesn't like those) but really fish. She will eat halibut, salmon, tilapia, cod, basa, and all sorts of other seafood. The other night she ate a plate of squid and razor clams. She is such a cool kid!!

Our Safeway here is having a sale on fresh tilapia for 3.99 a pound. Yeah, it doesn't get any cheaper than that. In Denver we were lucky to get it for 10.00 or so. The seafood here is so CHEAP! So, Agnes and I decided to make:

Tilapia with Balsamic Butter Sauce, Thyme Mashed Potatoes, and Sugar Snap Peas

Thyme mashed potatoes
3 pounds russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, quartered
4 1/2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
6 tablespoons (or more) warm whipping cream
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme

Balsamic butter sauce
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups sugar snap peas, strings removed

2 tablespoons olive oil
6 4- to 5-ounce tilapia fillets

1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

For thyme mashed potatoes:
Boil potatoes until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain; return to pot. Add butter, 6 tablespoons cream, and thyme; mash. Season with salt and pepper. Do ahead Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm over medium heat, stirring often and adding more cream by tablespoonfuls if dry.

For balsamic butter sauce:
Simmer vinegar and garlic in small saucepan over medium heat until reduced to thick syrup, about 5 minutes. Set aside.Cook snap peas in boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Drain. Return to same pan; set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in each of 2 large skillets over high heat. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Sauté fish until golden, about 2 minutes per side.
Rewarm balsamic syrup over medium-low heat. Whisk in 3/4 cup butter 1 piece at a time.
Divide potatoes, tilapia, and peas among plates; drizzle with sauce.


I put the mashers on the plate, a piece of tilapia on top, drizzled the sauce on top and served the sugar snap peas on the side .

OMG! It was so good. The sauce is freaking awesome! I wanted to lick my plate clean. Agnes cleaned her plate. She kept moaning "mmmmm, fish good, mmmm".

The masher took the most time. If you grabbed some premade mashers from your deli or even the ones in the refrigerator cases at your grocery store this meal would take 10 minutes from start to finish. I sprinkled our sugar snap peas with some sea salt and tossed them in a Ziploc zip & steam bags (I can't live without these things) for about 3 minutes and they were perfect.

You must try this dinner!

“Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.”~ Jim Davis

Last week so cake crazy! I made a birthday cake for Sean, birthday cupcakes for him to take to work, a birthday cake for my adorable niece Elly, and a batch of vegan cupcakes for Sean's birthday party. I have never made so much chocolate cake in my entire life. The batter was flying! LOL

Sean's birthday is on Halloween so we had a small cocktail party after trick or treating. It was a blast. We have made some great friends here.

Sean's birthday cake. Agnes designed the cake. She wanted her daddy to have a spooky cake!


Sugar skull cupcakes for Sean's work & his birthday cake. Agnes designed the cake. She wanted her daddy to have a spooky cake!


TRICK OR TREAT! AHOY MATEY!



We also made sugar skulls for our Dia de los Muertos ofrenda. I made a sugar Virgin de Guadalupe. She turned out so beautiful. It was so much fun making these with Agnes. It was her first year to decorate some all by herself. The one thing that sucks about making these is every year I have to make at least one more. This year we had to make one for Sean's dad Jim. I think it was really good for Sean to make it.


Agnes decorating her sugar skull.

Virgin de Guadalupe. She turned out so cool.

Our oferenda


Here is the cake I made for Elly. I was so happy with how it turned out. Elly loved it!

Daring Bakers - September ~ Lavash Crackers & Toppings

I am late posting my Daring Bakers challenge. I swear I have a good excuse. I had surgery last Weds. and I am just now feeling up to being on the computer. Anyhoo, on to the goodness...

This months challenge was vegan lavash crackers & toppings hosted by Natalie from Gluten A Go Go. Agnes and I had a blast making these.


Agnes helped roll out the crackers and used cookie cutters to make the crackers.


Some of the shapes look better than others. But considering I had a broken arm (it has been a rough month lol) and a she has two little 3 year old ones I think we did pretty good.



We sprinkled the crackers with cinnamon and sugar. Instead of a dip (my arm was killing me so I just couldn't cook anything else) I made a glaze out of the leftover cinnamon and sugar. Agnes now has iced vegan animal crackers. YUM!


Lavash Crackers ~ the recipe includes instructions for a gluten-free version

Makes 1 sheet pan of crackers

* 1 1/2 cups (6.75 oz) unbleached bread flour or gluten free flour blend (If you use a blend without xanthan gum, add 1 tsp xanthan or guar gum to the recipe)
* 1/2 tsp (.13 oz) salt
* 1/2 tsp (.055 oz) instant yeast
* 1 Tb (.75 oz) agave syrup or sugar
* 1 Tb (.5 oz) vegetable oil
* 1/3 to 1/2 cup + 2 Tb (3 to 4 oz) water, at room temperature
* Poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, or kosher salt for toppings

1. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt yeast, agave, oil, and just enough water to bring everything together into a ball. You may not need the full 1/2 cup + 2 Tb of water, but be prepared to use it all if needed.

2. For Non Gluten Free Cracker Dough: Sprinkle some flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Knead for about 10 minutes, or until the ingredients are evenly distributed. The dough should pass the windowpane test (see http://www.wikihow.com/Determine-if-Bre … ong-Enough for a discription of this) and register 77 degrees to 81 degrees Fahrenheit. The dough should be firmer than French bread dough, but not quite as firm as bagel dough (what I call medium-firm dough), satiny to the touch, not tacky, and supple enough to stretch when pulled. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

or

2. For Gluten Free Cracker Dough: The dough should be firmer than French bread dough, but not quite as firm as bagel dough (what I call medium-firm dough), and slightly tacky. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

3. Ferment at room temperature for 90 minutes, or until the dough doubles in size. (You can also retard the dough overnight in the refrigerator immediately after kneading or mixing).

4. For Non Gluten Free Cracker Dough: Mist the counter lightly with spray oil and transfer the dough to the counter. Press the dough into a square with your hand and dust the top of the dough lightly with flour. Roll it out with a rolling pin into a paper thin sheet about 15 inches by 12 inches. You may have to stop from time to time so that the gluten can relax. At these times, lift the dough from the counter and wave it a little, and then lay it back down. Cover it with a towel or plastic wrap while it relaxes. When it is the desired thinness, let the dough relax for 5 minutes. Line a sheet pan with baking parchment. Carefully lift the sheet of dough and lay it on the parchment. If it overlaps the edge of the pan, snip off the excess with scissors.

or

4. For Gluten Free Cracker Dough: Lay out two sheets of parchment paper. Divide the cracker dough in half and then sandwich the dough between the two sheets of parchment. Roll out the dough until it is a paper thin sheet about 15 inches by 12 inches. Slowly peel away the top layer of parchment paper. Then set the bottom layer of parchment paper with the cracker dough on it onto a baking sheet.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Mist the top of the dough with water and sprinkle a covering of seeds or spices on the dough (such as alternating rows of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, kosher or pretzel salt, etc.) Be careful with spices and salt - a little goes a long way. If you want to precut the cracker, use a pizza cutter (rolling blade) and cut diamonds or rectangles in the dough. You do not need to separate the pieces, as they will snap apart after baking. If you want to make shards, bake the sheet of dough without cutting it first.

5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crackers begin to brown evenly across the top (the time will depend on how thinly and evenly you rolled the dough).

6. When the crackers are baked, remove the pan from the oven and let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. You can then snap them apart or snap off shards and serve.


I am throwing a birthday party for Sean at the end of October and I will be making the crackers to serve. Only I will probably sprinkle with granulated garlic and onion to serve with hummus.

I just have to say being a Daring Baker is so cool. I love all the new recipes and techniques I am learning!

Thanks Natalie! These crackers are so easy and delish!

"Rocky Mountain High" ~ John Denver

We went back to Denver this weekend for Sean's family reunion. It was nice seeing everyone but it was a hectic, fast paced weekend.

We flew in Friday morning, went out to lunch with Sean's mom, went to happy hour with friends, got back to the hotel at midnight.

Saturday- we got up early drove 2.5 hours to Lily Lake for a reunion picnic, drove home, got ready, drove to a reunion dinner, got back to the hotel around 11 pm.

Sunday- Agnes and I got up early and went to my moms house. I wanted to be able to spend the whole day with my Grandma. I miss her so much! While we were sitting in my moms backyard visiting with my family I was attacked and stung by a wasp!! OMG! It hurt so bad when it stung me. I had no idea it would hurt that bad. My left hand is still totally swollen and black & blue. Will the throbbing ever end? LOL After my exciting day at Casa Ruby we met Sean and went to the last family get together. We got back to the hotel around 8 and all 3 of us crashed.

Monday - Checked out of the hotel, went by our old house to see all the home improvements that have been done (It looks okay, but it sure is small. I don't remember it being so small), went to El Tejado for lunch so I could get my green chile fix, went to the new Tattered Cover bookstore, drove around Denver, went to the airport, and finally got home around 11. Whew! What a weekend.


Here is Agnes at the airport. She was insistent that she be allowed to wear her pirate outfit. Who am I to say no? She was a dream on both flights. She is a born traveler.


Miss Agnes looking adorable at Lily Lake.


The Family on the dock at Lily Lake. I love this picture! It was such a gorgeous day. I am thinking of making this into an 8 x 10 to hang in our hallway.


My Grandma does not allow people to take pictures of her. Ever. I think it has something to do with cameras stealing your soul or something. Anyhoo, she was excited to have her picture taken with Agnes and me. Agnes and I haven't had our picture taken with my Grandma since Agnes was 2 weeks old. I love my Grandma so much. She absolutely rocks!

"We're goin' to the zoo, zoo, zoo" ~ Peter, Paul, and Mary

A picture of Miss Agnes on the zoo train today. I am playing around with picture sizes so I can figure out this blog layout. I am so technically savvy. LOL

"Fatherhood is pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope." - Bill Cosby

Having lost my father when I was 3 Father's day was always a miserable day. Sure, I had my Grandpa and Uncle but it just wasn't what all the other kids had. After having Agnes I love Father's Day. I love watching her make a card for him and picking out the books for his present. The book tradition started with Sean's first Father's Day. I picked out a few books about children and their dads. Books like Hop on Pop and Daddy's Girl. For the past couple of years Agnes has been able to pick them out herself. It is such a fun time book shopping with her. Agnes has the best dad ever. Sean is an amazing father who loves his little girl more than anything in the entire world.

For a daddy that great he deserves a great food today. So, I got up a 6 a.m. made some of my blueberry muffins (which are the best muffins ever) and a big pot of Guatemalan coffee. For dinner I am making him orange-ginger marinated beef tenderloin and veggie kebabs with saffron rice and a spring mix salad w/a homemade raspberry vinaigrette.


Here is the muffin recipe. It is so amazing. My mom gave me this recipe. She got it from my dad's mom.

INGREDIENTS:
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup and 2 tablespoons white sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 2 egg
1/2 cup milk + a splash or two if batter seems way too thick
Splash or two of vanilla
1-1/2 - 2 cups fresh blueberries
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature but not super soft.
2-1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners. Be sure to grease the top of the pan between the muffin cups or the muffins will stick. Do this even if you use muffin liners.
2. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg, splash of vanilla and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
3. To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Super easy. Super tasty! Enjoy!

Happy Father's Day to all the dads who read this. I hope you were pampered and were able to take a long nap today. You deserve it!b

"Tutti fruiti" ~ Little Richard

Why do I love the Pacific Northwest? The farmer's markets here rock. We went to the Vancouver market today. I am really happy right now.




Can you say yum?

There strawberrys are amazing. The smell SO good.

The. Best. Cherries. Ever.

Apples the size of Aggie's head.

“The only cure for grief is action.” ~ G. H. Lewes

In 2002 I was pregnant with our first child. We were so excited and so naive. As soon as I found out I was pregnant I knew exactly how I wanted the nursery to look. It was going to be an explosion of Dr. Seuss. I bought every Dr. Seuss thing I could find. Stuffed Dr. Seuss characters, fabric, books, an extremely rare hand painted ceiling light fixture (this is hanging in Agnes' room. It is too cool and means too much to me), and 19 different figurines and snow globes. Well, those of you who know me know how this story ends*.

For the past 6 1/2 years I have kept these things locked in a closet. I didn't know what to do with them. When Agnes was born I couldn't bring myself to use them for her nursery. These weren't for her! These were for Saffy (the name we gave our baby boy). It just didn't seem right to decorate with them. It seemed disrespectful. Like if I used them it meant Saffy was just a thing that happened and not our child. I don't really know how to explain it. It's like if I keep them long enough it will turn back time and things will be made right.

When we moved to Portland I packed the figurines and snow globes in a clear, plastic tub. When we got to Portland they went in the basement. I didn't see them for months. Then they came with us when we moved to Vancouver. The tub ended up on a top shelf in our garage. Every time I pulled out or into the garage I would see them and think of Baby Saffy. Yesterday I had had enough. I asked Sean to bring in the clear, plastic tub filled with memories that need to go away.

I just listed all 19 figurines and snow globes on Ebay. As I was taking pictures of them I started to cry. Sean gave me a big hug and told me this is a really good thing. It is another step in the right direction of letting go. Sean is completely right that we don't need a museum to remember Saffy. We will never forget him.

Ugh.


**If you are new to my blog and you want to know the whole story I am more than happy to share with you. Just let me know

The past week has been rough on the old diet and exercise routines. I haven’t been able to go to the yoga studio since we moved. It sucks. I have been getting a lot of exercise but I feel like crap. Our new house has individual thermostats for each room so I can heat up our bedroom to about 90 degrees. I turned the heat up in our bedroom and did an at home Bikram class. It went really well. I worked just as hard as I do at the studio. As much as I love having my mom here it is really screwing with my routine. I miss my yoga classes so much. I can’t wait until next Friday! I can drop Miss Agnes off at school and head down to the studio.

It was a busy weekend. Saturday we hit up the farmers market in Vancouver. It was such a great time. I can’t wait to shop there the weekends this summer. So much produce.

Yesterday, my mom, Agnes, and I went to the Portland Classical Chinese Gardens. It was absolutely beautiful. The flowers, trees, water building, and pathways are amazing. We stopped in the tradition tea house for some tea and snacks. Agnes was so cute. She shared tea with her grandma and ate some handmade almond cookies. Mmm… I have a bunch of pictures from yesterday that I will post later. I am too tired to mess with iPhoto.

Agnes starts her new school tomorrow. I hope she likes it as much as she did her old school. After I drop her off I have to head over to my doctor appointment. I am having back surgery in the next few weeks and I need to get everything all set up. I am hoping that this will be the last time I need the surgery. Between the surgery and the Bikram my back should be as good as new by the end of the fall. My mom and I are going to IKEA tomorrow too. I need to get a bunch of stuff for the new house.

Later this week I am taking my mom to the Japanese Gardens. I want her to see as much of Portland/Vancouver as possible.

For Mother’s Day we are taking my mom to The Restaurant at the Historic Reserve for brunch. Sean and I went for dinner here the other night and it was fantastic. I think my mom will totally dig it.