Monday, May 10, 2010

Yes, I'm Lazy

Okay...so it's been awhile. Amazingly enough, a couple people seem to have been checking and have made requests for a new post so here goes.

It's not that I've stopped cooking entirely and turned into someone that eats Kraft Dinner every night (though some nights...). Or that I haven't made anything post-worthy in the last few months. There was the mind-blowingly amazing Momofuku Compost cookies that were so good I made two double batches in the span of two weeks. And the experimental S'mores pizza that turned out to be the perfect emergency dessert. And a few other yummy meals that I'll attempt to post about in the next couple of weeks. Mostly things got pretty busy at work and I got lazy. Not lazy enough to stop cooking good food, but enough that I stopped taking pictures of my meals or documenting the recipes. A pretty sorry excuse, I know, but that's all I have.

Anyway, my mom had requested no presents for Mother's day this year but simply some good food. It seemed like a nice opportunity to try out some new recipes and ah! post about them.

I've been craving some sort of a brunch "roll" since the Mother's day recipes starting creeping in to the blogosphere a couple of weeks ago. I've never actually attempted my own cinnamon rolls mostly out of (again) laziness - who really has time to get up three hours early to make a real yeasted dough that needs to rise twice*? But since my mom actuallys works until 2 on Sundays I figured I had the time to whip up some rolls in time for an afternoon snack before dinner. My original intention was to make some traditional cinnamon rolls, but then these lemon rolls floated back into my memory. Lemons just seem to scream "Spring" and "Mom", don't they?? Nevermind the fact that winter just doesn't want to go AWAY and it was maybe 10 degrees at the warmest part of this weekend.

These rolls were verrrry good - soft, sticky and not too sweet. They would be a fantastic addition to any brunch spread, or as a treat to go with some afternoon tea. I actually used less lemon than the original recipe called for (they had used zest in the dough as well) and still found it quite lemon-y so I think it was a good call. And the texture of the dough was also perfect. I will definitely be using it again and experimenting with different filling options. YUM.

*Sure, I've done it for english muffins but those occasions also tend to stem from a different kind of laziness: I choose to stay at home and make my own versus the option of going (god forbid) outside to buy them on Sunday mornings.


Sticky Lemon Rolls with Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze
Adapted from theKitchn
Makes 12 large breakfast rolls...or 15 large-ish rolls

Lemon Roll Dough
2 1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast
3/4 cup milk, warm but not hot on your wrist
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, very soft
1/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs

Sticky Lemon Filling
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
2 lemons, zested and juiced
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft

Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup powdered sugar
1 lemon, zested

1. In a small measuring cup, sprinkle the yeast over the warmed milk and let it sit for a couple minutes.

2. Stir in the softened butter, sugar, vanilla, and one cup of the flour. Stir in the salt and nutmeg. Stir in the eggs and enough of the remaining flour to make a soft yet sticky dough. (I only ended up using about 3 1/2 cups of flour in total, with additional for dusting while kneading)

3. Turn the soft dough onto a lightly floured countertop and knead for about 5-7 minutes, or until the dough is elastic and pliable. Drizzle the top of the dough with vegetable oil, and turn the dough over so it is coated in oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a towel and let the dough rise until nearly doubled - about an hour.

4. In a small bowl, mix the sugar with the nutmeg and ginger, then work in the lemon zest with the tips of your fingers until the sugar resembles wet, soft sand. Stir in the juice of 1 lemon. The mixture should now be more of a sludge. Lightly grease a 13x9 inch baking dish.

5. On a floured surface pat the dough out into a large yet still thick rectangle — about 10x15 inches. Spread evenly with the softened butter, then pour and spread the lemon-sugar mixture over top. Roll the dough up tightly, starting from the top long end. Be warned...you'll have plenty of the lemon-sugar sludge leak out. At least I did (see picture). Cut the long dough roll into 12-15 even rolls, and place them, cut side up, in the prepared baking dish. I do think that 12 rolls would have fit in the pan better, but I clearly was not measuring out my rolls properly while I was cutting and it's pretty hard to go back on this one. Cover the rolls with a towel and let them rise for an hour or until puffy and nearly doubled. (You can also refrigerate the rolls at this point. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When you are ready to bake the rolls, remove the pan from the fridge, and let them rise for an hour.)

6. Heat the oven to 350 degrees Farenheit, 180 degrees Celsius. Place the risen rolls in the oven and bake for 35 minutes, until rolls are a golden brown.

7. While the rolls are baking, prepare the glaze. In a small food processor (or with a mixer, or a sturdy whisk), whip the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the lemon juice and zest and blend until well combined. Add the powdered sugar and blend until smooth and creamy. When the rolls are done, drizzle them with the cream cheese glaze. Serve while warm.

Mother's Day


This is Siev Mai, the student I sponsor in Cambodia.  I met her when I visited the country recently.  I know - you're wondering what this has to do with Mother's Day.
Keep reading.


I'll be the first to tell you I think Mother's Day is a Hallmark holiday.  Now before you accuse me of blasphemy, hear me out.  It's not that I think we shouldn't honor our mothers (heck, I am one) but I do have some thoughts on the subject (uh-oh, look out, here comes another rant....)

Let's start with brunch.  Oh, my favorite meal  (NOT, as you already know if you read my granola post).  The last thing I want to do is get all gussied up on a Sunday and head out for some overpriced buffet where they are probably just recycling leftovers anyway.  And then I will eat too much, because it's in front of me and I will subsequently feel miserable the rest of the day.  Uh ... no.

Dinner out?  Nope.  We tried that last year with my mom and it was a complete failure.  Any restaurant open on the Sunday night of Mother's Day was probably open for brunch also and guess what?  THEY ARE IN THE WEEDS!  The staff is stressed, there is no prep anywhere to be found, the larder is depleted, the bathrooms are filthy because no one has had time to check them and all the staff wants to do is get you in and out the door as fast as possible so they can go home.  I can't really blame them.

And cards?  Oh please.  Don't get me started.  Do you realize the average cost of a card these days is $3.50.  WHAT?????  For something that you will read once or twice then throw away?  I wonder how many trees are destroyed for Mother's Day cards.  Or how much money is spent on them.  Between Henry and my mom, the four cards I received cost more than $20 dollars.  That's a ridiculous amount of wasted money and trees if you ask me. 

Approximately $14 billion annually in this country is spent on meals, jewelry and flowers for Mother's Day.  I wish I was making this up.

Nick Kristof wrote about it in the New York Times.  (His book "Half the Sky" inspired my trip to Cambodia).  He writes that $14 billion would pay for a primary school education for the 60 million girls around the world who aren't attending school, effectively ending female literacy.  This is something to think about.

Students I met in Cambodia


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/09/opinion/09kristof.html?ref=opinion  

In that spirit, I decided against expensive restaurants, fancy gifts and the like this year.  I called up my mom and invited her to dinner.  Along with three of her friends.  Now really, who wouldn't want that as a gift?  I'd love it if someone did that for me!


So she, Jean, Adelaide and Vallie showed up here on Saturday night.  What a wonderful time we had!  These ladies are feisty, interesting, smart and engaging.  Any one of them could have equaled Betty White's fabulous hosting gig on SNL. 

Dinner was simple, but delicious.  We started with crostini with various toppings then moved on to shrimp scampi.  Dessert was wonderful.  Yogurt panna cotta with macerated strawberries.   The perfect end to a perfect evening.  Without costing $14 billion.


YOGURT PANNA COTTA WITH MACERATED STRAWBERRIES (adapted from Ina Garten)

2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin powder (or 4 gelatin sheets)
3 cups heavy cream
2 cups low-fat greek yogurt (I used Fage 2%)
2 teaspoons vanilla paste
1 cup granulated sugar

For strawberries:
4 pints fresh strawberries, cored and sliced lengthwise
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup good balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Lemon zest and fresh mint leaves, for serving

Place gelatin in a small bowl and add 3 tablespoons of cold water.  Stir and set aside for 10 minutes.  If using gelatin sheets, soak briefly in cold water, then squeeze out and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups of the cream, yogurt and vanilla paste.

Heat remaining 1 1/2 cups of cream and the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until just simmering.  Remove from heat and add gelatin.  Stir to dissolve then pour into the cream/yogurt mixture.  Stir to combine.

Pour mixture into 8 custard cups or ramekins.  Chill for at least 8 hours or overnight.

One hour before serving, combine strawberries, sugar, vinegar and pepper.  Let sit at room temperature to allow juices to develop.

To serve, unmold panna cottas onto plates by running a knife around edges and dipping custard cups into a bowl of hot water for 15 seconds.  Top with strawberries and garnish with lemon zest.

Serves 8

And besides this dinner, my gift to Mom?  A printed copy of this blog (she's not computer literate) and a straw purse made by a Cambodian woman who survived sex-trafficking and the brothels.

I'm finally done now.  Thanks for listening.
 
 

It's Paris!

Two things I learned in Paris:

If someone asks you if you speak English, say no. If you are asked if you are married, say yes!
That is unless your goal is to get married in Paris... :)


At the train station too early in the morning -especially for pictures.


It was pretty quiet.


Just a random stop... :)


The tracks! They take you amazing places, some not so amazing. Some strange, some scary...that was our impression of Paris... Scary, dirty and crowded! Of course it didn't help that all plane travel was canceled due to the volcanic activity in Iceland.

We walked out of the overly crowed train station into the overly crowded streets of Paris and, yes, this picture was our first impression of Paris. I wish I could say it got better but....well, it did. :)


A little prettier, huh? We found our hostel -huge accomplishment, really! The Perfect Hostel was the name, and it so happens the the Perfect Hostel is NOT perfect -go figure. Though in a sketchy part of town it actually wasn't so bad. It was a room, with a bed, with a lock on the door. That was all we needed. After we got settled in, we headed out see what we could see of Paris.


Do you like being freaked out? Go visit the metro in Paris.

Cool tile work in the metro...



but the people...are just a little ummm...different? :)




Here we go - water! Water makes everything better.


Notre Dame is fabulous!



such detailed and intricate carvings...

Wow!


There was a service going on inside. The music was beautiful! The church is beautiful! This was my favorite part of Paris.



The Louvre. We didn't have time to explore the interior, but the exterior was magnificent!








This scarf shop sold the most gorgeous scarves ever!


As our short afternoon turned into evening. We picked up a local "guyed" along the way and found the Eiffel Tower.


Sarah had the brilliant idea of climbing the stairs instead of taking the elevator...so that's what we did. I mean, really the 1000s of stairs we already climbed wasn't enough...if you go to Europe you have to climb at least 5000 stairs. It's like the stairs in Dr. Seuss' The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins.


We climbed to the second level and there the stairs stopped and the elevators closed, so that's as high as we got, but it was a fantastic view. From there we saw Paris.



The Eiffel Tower.






God was so good to us. His protection and guidance was overwhelming!

In Paris we met an angel. We didn't get his name. But I do believe if I had looked back I would have seen him disappear. Maybe it was his dark, curly hair. I'm sure it wasn't the bike helmet he held. Actually it was probably the fact that he was so helpful and friendly, and was just where we needed him just when we needed him. That's an angel for you. :)

~Anna

Indian Shrimp and Rice

  
  
When does rice become a meal?  We have plenty of rice sides: wild rice, fired rice, red beans and rice, spanish rice.  Rice can also become a meal on its own:  risotto, jambalaya, paella.  Pilafs can make a meal with the introduction of a protein such as chicken or shrimp.  Pilafs also provide the opportunity for a lighter rice meal by avoiding a short-grained rice or a cooking process designed to bring out the starch or thicken the meal.  Flavor comes through spices, which can be exotic, as well as nuts and fruit for crunch, richness and sweetness.  This recipe comes modified from Food & Wine July 2004 and has served me well any time I feel like a quick Indian meal that won't overwhelm.  I added cumin because I love cumin and swapped out the prunes for golden raisins because, hey, who needs prunes.  As always, make it your own.  Serves 2.
    
Ingredients:
1 cup cooked basmati rice
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 yellow onion, minced
1/4 cup shelled pistachios, chopped
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/2 tsp coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin
3/4 lb shelled shrimp
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 tsp finely grated orange zest
salt and pepper
1 tbsp lemon juice
     
Directions:
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onion, almonds, pistachios, coriander, turmeric and cumin and cook until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the shrimp, raisins and orange zest stir and cover.  Cook about 3 minutes until the shrimp is opaque and just cooked through.  Stir in the rice and lemon juice to coat the mixture throughout until it is even in color.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Turn out to a serving bowl.
    

Foie Gras, yes or no?

May 10

I have a new poll for you this week. I think it speaks for itself. It's on the right. Click away!

Da da da da da da-da!


On saturday, Laia and I went to Badalona for seeing one of the best concerts I've ever seen: Love of Lesbian and Sidonie!                                      (read more and see gorgeous pictures!)



Happy happy faces!

So the concert started at 23'00 pm; one hour later... but with Love of Lesbian, so gorgeous!


Click on the pictures for a bigger size!

And after Love of Lesbian... Sidonie, one of my favourite spanish bands! This was the 6th time I was seeing them in a concert!
Marc Ros in one of the cutest and well dressed boys I've ever seen!!

I get the Love of Lesbian's setlist... but... guess what? This wasn't my last concert of the weekend... but you'll have to wait a little bit more for know about this!

Tomorrow I'm travelling to Amsterdam, so I'll be back on wednesday night/thusrday morning with new pictures and stuff... wish me good luck with the volcan!! I'm so scared about the flight!

And have a lovely and happy monday... with the Happy Mondays!