Happy Halloween!!!!!

This cutie little cupcake was insanely easy.  I had to make bread, soup and dessert for my mother to bring to a coworker (her husband is getting chemo) so I sadly had to cut a few corners.  I used an Ina mix.  Judge me people.  But, I then jazzed it up with a mummy kit from target (on sale!). For four bucks you get the white bandage gumny stuff and eyes.  Super cute and super easy.

Orange Item of the Week

Sometimes, you just can't find an orange item when you need one.

rosemary baguette

As part of my whole recent Barnes and Noble splurge, my m
Joann got The Bread and Soup Cookbook.  It should be called A Damn Treasure Trove of Yumminess.  Guess it does not roll off the young as easily.  I made a root vegetable chowder and a free form hearth bread that my family loved.  So, last night, date night, as in my father takes my mother out drinking and they leave me home, I decided to make the cauliflower and cheddar soup with a rosemary baguette.  This lovely loaf is made in the cuisinart.  I could not believe how easy it was.  I forgot the rosemary, and it was still amazing, and they say to spray the loaf before it goes in.  I could not find a spray bottle, so I just put water in a preheated cookie sheet right after I popped hither loaf in.

Rosemary Baguette

3 cups bread flour
1 package or 1 scant tablespoon of active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water (as hot as your tap will go)
1 1/2 t salt
2 T fresh rosemary leaves

In a medium bowl, combine 1 1/2 c bread flour, yeast and water.  Stir until smooth.  Set mixture aside until it begins to proof and bubble, about 10 minutes.  (Because my parents refuse to turn on the heat, I placed mine next to the stove while I was making the soup.)

In a food processor, combine remaining flour, and salt and pulse to blend.  Add e proofed dough to he bowl and process until the dough ball spins around about 25 times.  This can be a challenge to count.

Turn the dough (it will be fairly soft) out onto a floured work surface .  Invert a bowl over the dough and let rise until doubled in bulk, about an hour.  I greased my bowl with Pam, it was a good move.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 475.

Dust 2 baking sheets with flour.  Divide dough into two logs about 19"-20" long.  Place loaves diagonally on baking sheet.  Using a knife, slash the log about 5 or 6 times.  To be honest, my logs were gnarly, but it was fine.  Spray generously with water.  Bake each loaf, one at a time for 20 minutes, until golden.

Apple Spice Snaking Cake

My mother got a discount this week from Barnes and Noble and treated me to a cookbook shopping excursion.  I got a ton devoted to bread baking, but I found one from the Flour Bakery in Boston.  I have to be honest, Boston annoys me.  The thing is I am not a New Englander at heart.  In fact after living here for about 23 years total, I would be more than happy to get out of dodge and never look back.  It is nothing specific about boston, it is more of a reminder of how far i am fron home in NYC.  These are a few of my issues.
     So, about New Englanders.  They are a different breed.  In spite of cold winters they try to never put on the heat.  And once they do the thermostats never go above 65 degrees.  They never call in sick, and if they do call an ambulance.  Whatever they have can not be cured by you or asperine.  It is going to take an elite team of German doctors to take care of their illness.  And lastly, they are not aggressive spicers.  In fact, they are cheap with them.  (Frugal people, another trait of the New Englander.) So, when I made this cake I  made all 1/4 teaspoons a full teaspoon except for the cloves.   This is the updated version.   And seriously, I was right.  Spices are good.  I am fairly sure I a right about Boston too.

1 cup AP flour
3/4 c cake flour
1 1/2 baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1 t ginger
1/8 t cloves
1 1/2 c sugar
3/4 c butter at room temperature
2 eggs
4 cups (about 3) Granny Smith apples peeled, cored and diced
1/2 c raisins (I had golden, so I used those.)
1 c pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 10" round cake pan.

Sift dry ingredients together in a bowl.
Add butter and sugar in mixer, and beat until light and fluffy.  Then add the eggs one a time until incorporated.  Scape down bowl.  Add the dry ingredients, and mix until incorporated.  Add apples.  The batter will be stiff and you might thnk there are too many apples.  It should look like that.  Add raisins and pecans.  Then scrape the batter into the pan.  Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until the cake feels firm in the middle when you press down.  Cool on a wire rack.  Flip over on a ate when cool , then invert again, so the cake is right side up.  Add little powdered sugar.

orange item of the week

Joann decided I needed to be a substitute teacher, since I have student loans and a sephora addiction to maintain I agreed.  I was expecting hyper badly behaved kids, nights of drinking and crying and a room full of women midday eating yogurt and talking about their kids.  What I did not expect was taking care of Flower.  She was quiet and lived through the day, which really is all I can ask for.

redemption

Last weekend, I discovered the hard way that apple cider and apple cider vinegar are not the same.  OK, I kinda knew.  I was making soup while tired and my mom was making capanata.  When it came time to add the cider, joann was asking about sherry vinegar.  At this point there was some sort of neurological malfunction and cider became cider vinegar.  Clearly, it was a disaster.  So today, while alone and well rested I made multi grain bread. It is slightly misshapen, but I am a proud mama.  We have yet to cut it, but if nothing else she is pretty.