[Recipe] "Rise Up" Raspberry Cinnamon Rolls

There's nothing quite like a fresh pastry for breakfast—but, I confess—it can be daunting to wake up that early just to indulge in the luxury.  Enter, bakeries.  But on those days you're craving homemade, I have just the recipe for you, requiring a bit of prep work the night before (to cut down on your wait time in the morning).

"Rise Up" Raspberry Cinnamon Rolls
A recipe inspired by Deliciously Sprinkled and Sally's Baking Addiction

I'm bad at Snapchat (my handle is, predictably, tammiest).  Or, rather, perhaps I'm not bad at it, but I don't have someone following me around or living with me who can take my Snapchat videos for me (life is hard).  This I found out the hard way as I attempted to Snapchat this recipe, complete with an all-too-appropriate soundtrack (read: complete with lots of puns) blaring in the background.  But you've only got one shot, or rather, one chance to make a shot—for example, once you've poured that icing sugar on top of the just-baked cinnamon rolls, you can't unpour it—and we all know it has to be poured to the iconic line, "Pour some sugar on me."

I amuse myself.

Soundtrack, Track #1 - My Shot
I am not throwing away my shot!
Rise up!
When you're living on your knees, you rise up
Tell your brother that he's gotta rise up
Tell your sister that she's gotta rise up

Soundtrack, Track #2 - Pour Some Sugar On Me
Pour some sugar on me
Ooh, in the name of love
Pour some sugar on me
Ooh, in the name of love

Ingredients
Dough:
4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 envelopes of Fleischmann's® RapidRise™ Yeast
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup butter
2 large eggs

Raspberry Cinnamon Filling:
1 (24 oz.) bag frozen raspberries, not thawed
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons heavy cream (or half-and-half or milk)
Splash of vanilla

Directions
1.  Combine 1-1/2 cups of flour, granulated sugar, undissolved yeast, and salt in a large mixing bowl.

2.  Microwave milk, water, and 1/3 cup butter in a microwave-safe bowl for 2 minutes or until warm; butter does not need to melt.
3.  Add butter mixture to flour mixture.  Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed.
4.  Add eggs and 1/2 cup flour.  Beat for 2 minutes on high speed.
5.  Stir in remaining 2-1/2 cups flour until batter forms.  Cover dough tightly with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for 2 hours or up to 2 days.

6.  Line a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with parchment paper.  Set aside.
7.  Remove dough from refrigerator and let it warm up for about 15 minutes.  Punch down dough.  Place dough onto a lightly greased surface; divide in half.  Roll dough into a 16 x 10 inch rectangle.

8.  Sprinkle evenly with ground cinnamon, then top with frozen raspberries.

9.  Roll dough up tightly.  Using a sharp knife, cut roll into 13 equal pieces.  Place cinnamon rolls into prepared pan.  Cover and let rise for 30 minutes in a warm place until cinnamon rolls double in size.
Pro Tip:  Both Deliciously Sprinkled and Sally's Baking Addiction suggest preheating your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, then turning the oven off before placing the covered cinnamon rolls into the oven for 30 minutes to rise and double in size.
10.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Bake the cinnamon rolls for 22 minutes, covering them with foil to prevent the tops of the rolls from getting too brown.
11.  While your rolls are cooling, make the glaze.  In a small bowl, whisk the confectioner's sugar and heavy cream until smooth.  Add more sugar or cream, depending how thick you want the glaze.  Pour glaze over the rolls and serve warm.  Cover the rolls and store at room temperature for up to 2-3 days.  Baked rolls can be frozen up to 2 months and warmed up to enjoy at a later date.  Glaze them right before serving.

[Recipe] "Simple Sophisticate" Veggie Pot Pie Muffins

I've started a new tradition of hosting Sunday Suppers—part of my 2015 vow to do things-- a la Jamie Oliver.  It's fun and relaxing—I love having guests around the dinner table, drinking wine, laughing, unwinding.  There are, however, a few challenges involved in planning and hosting, including, but not limited to, the following: 

1.  Space (meaning that only so many people will fit around my dinner table);
2.  Quantity of food (meaning that it's difficult to gauge for and cook for even a small group of people);
3.  Quality of food (meaning that I want to feed people well and do not, unfortunately/fortunately, follow the advice not to use your guests as guinea pigs);
4.  Complexity of food/prep (meaning that time can be a serious constraint); and
5.  One of my friends is a vegetarian, so I always try to make one main meat dish that everyone else can dig into and make sure there are plenty of vegetarian sides.

Today's recipe is amazing because it's delicious, super-simple, vegetarian, filling, and deceptively sophisticated.  As anyone who has ever made pot pie entirely from scratch can tell you, pot pie is not generally an easy task, nor is it a particularly cute food.  This, however, is both, and goes perfectly with a simple salad.  (I served these with my "Pick of the Harvest" Butternut Squash and Apple Salad to start.)  They would also make a great appetizer/finger food (if a bit substantial) for a bigger cocktail party.

"Simple Sophisticate" Veggie Pot Pie Muffins
a recipe by A Million Moments

I stumbled across this recipe, interestingly enough, not for a dinner party per se but because I am a huge nerd who wanted to celebrate "Pi Day."  Yes.  3.14.15.  But I'm known by my friends and have been for years as someone who tends to make a lot of muffins and cupcakes, not because I'm necessarily obsessed with them but because they are really easy to bring in to share.  So, naturally, I took to the Internet to see whether it was possible to make pies in muffin tins.  The answer is, of course, yes, but in the midst of my quest I also stumbled across these muffins, which really intrigued me because, despite my penchant for baking, it's savory foods, not sweet, that truly interest me.

Ingredients
2 cans Pillsbury Grands! Flaky Layers refrigerated biscuits
10 oz. frozen classic vegetable medley (corn, peas, green beans, carrots, etc.)
1 can sliced potatoes
1 can cream of broccoli
shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Dice the vegetables (bite-sized pieces) and put them in a medium-sized bowl.
* For simplicity's sake, this recipe called for (and I used) instant/frozen/canned vegetables, but of course you can saute a medley of vegetables simply in butter or olive oil, lightly salted, instead.

2.  Add the can of cream of broccoli soup to the bowl and combine.
3.  Prepare a surface to roll out the biscuits by sprinkling a bit of flour on top so the dough won't stick.  Each biscuit in the can will make one muffin-- roll each biscuit into a 6-inch circle.  Place the rolled biscuits into the muffin tin and add a spoonful of vegetables to each one.  Be careful not to overfill-- keep the vegetables level with the top of the muffin tin.
5.  Sprinkle a little bit of cheese on top, then pinch the excess dough together in the center to cover your filling.

6.  Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until they're golden brown.  Let cool for 5 minutes.

[Recipe] "An Apple a Day... " Apple Pie Cupcakes

I'm on a bit of a cupcake crusade.  I secretly don't really like commercial cupcakes at all, finding most to be either too sweet, too dry, or way too rich.  The ratio of icing to cupcake, in my opinion, is also almost never right—I've actually had the unfortunate experience of biting into what was essentially a large slab of butter that never got creamed...

My cupcake crusade is very personal-- creating or baking a variety of cupcakes that prove that homemade is best.  What my cupcakes currently lack in presentation, they more than make up for in taste.  Or so I'm told... 

"An Apple a Day... " Apple Pie Cupcakes
a recipe inspired by Baked By Rachel
Yield: 16 cupcakes

If you're like me, you like to think you're eating healthy, even if you're not technically.  I'm all about making desserts that are ever-so-slightly healthier than they otherwise could be, then congratulating myself on making "healthy" choices.  I'm sorry if that's too honest... but it did lead me to this apple-centric cupcake, which uses a lot of applesauce (see, healthy!) and should generally help to keep the doctor away, per the old adage.

These cupcakes are a bit time- and (kind of) labor-intensive, but I think they're worth it, especially if you're looking to impress.  They're also pretty American (seriously, American pie?), so they're perfect (and a bit unexpected) for any number of special occasions.

Cupcake/Apple Pie Filling - Ingredients
4 cups apples (roughly 5 apples)
12 teaspoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Directions
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line a baking dish (13 x 9 will work) with aluminum foil and set aside.
2.  Peel, core, and chop apples into 1/2-inch pieces.  Toss with brown sugar and cinnamon to coat.  Add to baking dish, cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 30 minutes.
3.  Remove from oven and set aside to cool. 

Apple Spice Cupcake Base - Ingredients
6 tablespoons brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup applesauce (plain or cinnamon)
3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/8 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/8 teaspoons nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves

Directions
1.  Line a cupcake tin with liners and set aside.
2.  In a large bowl or stand mixer, mix together sugars, applesauce, and vegetable oil.  Mix in eggs and vanilla extract, followed by the remaining ingredients.  Mix just until combined.
3.  Divide the batter into the cupcake liners evenly.  Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted inside comes out clean. 

4.  After the cupcakes have cooled completely, scoop out the center of each cupcake and fill the resulting craters with the cooled apple pie filling.  Carefully slice the bottom of the cupcake scoop and place the new cupcake dome on top of the filling.

Caramel Buttercream Frosting - Ingredients
1 stick unsalted butter
4-1/4 cups confectioner's sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-1/2 tablespoons caramel syrup
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions
1.  Prepare buttercream in a medium bowl or stand mixer.  Cream butter and confectioner's sugar together.
2.  Add the vanilla extract, caramel syrup, and heavy cream.  Beat until smooth and of a spreadable consistency.  More heavy cream may be added if necessary.
3.  Pipe or frost cupcakes as desired.  Drizzle with additional caramel syrup.  Top with a cinnamon apple chip or a real piece of pie crust.

This marks the first time I was ever able to use a frosting tip successfully (sort of).  The presentation fooled a lot of people—several (newer) co-workers wondered what the occasion was, for me to buy a dozen fancy cupcakes for the office.  Cupcake Mission: accomplished.

[Recipe] "Hearty Breakfast Special" Cupcakes

Nothing beats breakfast in bed, though I can't say I've ever really had it except while traveling for business.  I suppose, in those situations, I first have to get out of bed and open the door, hair mussed, but still, I love being in my PJs or wrapped up in a fluffy robe when feasting on pancakes or eggs benedict.

"Hearty Breakfast Special" Cupcakes
a recipe by Aaron McCargo, Jr.
Yield: 12 cupcakes

My friend Adam once asked for some relationship advice after he'd upset his very serious, live-in girlfriend.  Our mutual friend—a man—suggested flowers, but I told Adam to surprise his girlfriend with breakfast in bed.

Breakfast in bed is easy points, a wonderful surprise.  There's nothing like waking up to delicious smells and that amazing feeling of being completely cared for.  And it's not difficult: some toast, bacon or breakfast sausage, and eggs, scrambled or sunny side up.  Or pancakes (it can seriously even be made from Bisquick).  If you're feeling fancy, an omelette.  If cooking's not your thing, a nice bowl of cereal with fresh cut fruit.  Add a glass of juice or a mug of coffee, depending on your significant other's tastes, and it's the perfect start to any day.

Ingredients
Canola oil spray
6 thick-cut slices of good-quality bacon
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
4 cups prepared pancake batter
8 oz. mascarpone
1 cup confectioner's sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions
1.  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.  Prepare a cupcake pan with canola oil spray.
2.  Prepare a broiler pan and place the bacon on the pan.  Cook until well crisped, about 6 minutes.  Remove from the oven and reserve 1 tablespoon bacon drippings.

3.  Reduce the heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Mix the chives into the pancake batter and pour into the cupcake tins so that they are 3/4 full.  Bake for 12 minutes.

4.  Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, add the mascarpone, confectioner's sugar, maple syrup and the reserved bacon drippings.  Stir well to combine and set aside.  Crumble the cooked bacon and set aside.

5.  Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let cool on a cooling rack, about 10 minutes.  Frost each cupcake with the bacon icing and sprinkle with the crumbled bacon.

[Recipe] "Stay With Me" Pretzel Rolls

Soft pretzels are German.  Right?  But somehow I tend to associate them, especially in their soft bun variety, with America.  Maybe it's because I grew up in Pennsylvania Dutch country, which, according to this entry on the history of pretzels, was/is the epicenter of American pretzels.  Or maybe it's because I can't remember what I think of as quintessentially "American" things like baseball and football games or amusement parks without a soft pretzel in one hand and a soda in the other.

American or German, soft pretzels are an amazing comfort food.  In roll form, they're even more so.  Their texture changes, and the rolls are more pillow-y and can be almost-but-not-quite like a croissant.  The granules of salt (speaking of which, I really need to figure out where I can buy those thick granules of pretzel salt for my own purposes) satisfy every guilty salt craving I've ever had.   They're actually addictive.

I'm fond of this recipe, courtesy of Codychop of Food.com.  The following recipe yields 12 rolls, so double or triple accordingly for your needs.

"Stay With Me" Pretzel Rolls
a recipe by Codychop (Food.com)

The original inspiration for these was actually a vision of pretzel roll croutons as a topping for my Oktoberfest Mac, but I obviously "overbaked" on purpose so we'd have extra for our dinner guests and ourselves to snack on.  They proved perfect both plain and with a side of honey mustard.  KiKi and I had originally planned to improvise a recipe for honey mustard butter, but we were a little overambitious with our cooking schedule, so that experiment will have to happen at a later date.

My friends Vonnie and Apollo were the first to try these rolls.  We had made a quick pitstop at my apartment Saturday night for a change of clothes (me), a drink (everyone), and, of course, the pretzel rolls.

They impressed my friends.  We really couldn't stop eating them.  In fact, they were so addictive that my friend Vonnie's advice to me upon tasting them was, "You've got to feed these to Henri (a Frenchman, if it's not obvious).  They say 'stay with me' better than anything else.  One taste, and he'll never want to leave America."

For the curious, my pretzel rolls, while tasty, are not quite good enough to keep someone from ever going home.  But they're certainly good enough for another, and another, and another... 

Ingredients
1 cup warm water
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup oil
3 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon yeast
6 cups water
3 tablespoons baking soda
1 egg white
1 tablespoon kosher salt

Directions
1.  Mix together brown sugar, salt, and yeast in a big bowl.
2.  Mix together oil and water.  Add to the sugar and yeast mixture.
3.  Add the flour and mix to a nice doughy (not sticky) consistency.  Knead with mixer for a few minutes.
4.  Divide dough into 12 balls and shape into rolls and let rise on greased foil cover sheet for 20–30 minutes, until nice and puffy.  Codychop recommends raising in a warmed oven-- preheated to the lowest setting, then turned off, at which point the dough can be put in to rise.

5.  While the dough is rising, bring water and baking soda to a simmer in a wide pan with straight sides.
6.  Once dough has finished rising, remove from the warmed oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Place 4 rolls in the water and simmer 1 minute, than flip and simmer for an additional minute.  Drain and place the rolls on a cookie sheet.  Repeat with the remaining rolls.

7.  Brush rolls with egg white and sprinkle generously with kosher salt.  Slash decoratively with a sharp blade.

8.  Bake until "pretzel" brown, about 12–15 minutes.

[Recipe] Mac and Cheese Cook-off: Oktoberfest Mac, Attempt #1

When KiKi first asked me to enter the Mac 'n' Cheese Cookoff with her, my feelings were tentative, lukewarm at best.  But, unsurprisingly, as time went on, I became increasingly competitive, and now I've become a little obsessed with winning.  Last year, KiKi and Junglecat J lost second place by just one vote, mainly because none of their friends (yours truly included) showed up to the event.  (In my defense, I did try to go, but my talent for getting hopelessly lost interfered, and I never made it.)

Given that I want to win, I started to get anxious that our Fall-tastic Mac—with pumpkin and brussels sprouts, two ingredients that are sadly less than universally popular—would be offputting to enough people as to jeopardize our chances for the mac 'n' cheese trophy I desperately want to display in my office.

And that's how Oktoberfest Mac* was born.  Oktoberfest Mac is beer cheese, macaroni, bratwurst with onions (the traditional way), and a topping of crumbled bacon and homemade pretzel roll croutons.  Basically, everything American, Oktoberfest, and football in one cheesy dish.  What's not to love?
* A special thank-you and shout-out to MiMi, who named this for us.

There are three major components to this mac 'n' cheese as well: the beer cheese, the bratwurst with onions, and the topping of crumbled bacon and homemade pretzel roll croutons.

Oktoberfest Mac - Iteration #1
an original recipe by tammiest (the Passionfruit Fashionista)

First, the Bratwurst with Onions:

Bratwurst is a natural choice/pairing for beer cheese, pretzels, and bacon.  This is both a good and bad thing, as our tastetesters made clear to us.  It just isn't nearly as flavorful as anything else in Oktoberfest Mac and apparently felt like a "throwaway" ingredient.  This does kind of make sense, though—I love brats, but part of the experience is definitely in the pile of condiments and not the sausage itself.  Chorizo it is not.*
* Our friend Hotpants Radio Miami ("HRM" for short) suggested swapping the bratwurst out for chorizo—which would definitely give it an extra kick—but then we couldn't in good conscience really call it an Oktoberfest Mac, could we?

Ingredients
4 bratwurst sausages
3 bottles amber ale
3 cups beef stock
2 sweet Vidalia onions, thinly sliced
2-3 tablespoons butter
kosher salt and pepper

Directions
1.  Pour the 3 bottles of amber ale and the 3 cups of beef stock into a large pot and bring to a boil.
2.  Once the liquid mixture in the pot is at a boil, drop in the thinly sliced onions and the bratwurst, still in its casing.
3.  Cook the bratwurst for the recommended cooking time (as indicated on the packaging and depending on whether the bratwurst is pre-cooked), then remove from the pot.  Allow the bratwurst to cool before thinly slicing.

4.  In a new pan, melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter.  Scoop the onions out of the beer and stock mixture and caramelize in the new pan by heating over medium-high heat and stirring occasionally.  Season with a generous amount of salt and pepper.  Cook until brown, roughly 20-30 minutes.

Second, the Beer Cheese:

It's really surprising to me the number of people who have never had or even heard of beer cheese before.  It's such a football staple!  And if it isn't yet a football staple, it will clearly have to become one, at least at any football viewing I attend—along with the homemade pretzel rolls also featured in Oktoberfest Mac (entry here).

This cheese is crazy good.  You can really taste the ale, and the mustard and cayenne give it a nice kick.  And it's not terribly difficult to make, which means I really can make it (with a few modifications, which I'll certainly blog about) for future football viewings.

Ingredients
6 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
1 bottle amber ale
2-1/2 cups whole milk
kosher salt and pepper to taste
(at least) 1 teaspoon mustard power
(at least) 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 lb. elbow macaroni
10-14 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
5 oz. fontina cheese, shredded

Directions
1.  In a medium-sized pot or saucepan, melt and brown the butter over medium-high heat.  This is a process that takes longer than mere melting (and so you'll have to watch the stove), but it gives the butter (and consequently whatever you're making) a deeper, complex, almost nutty flavor.  You want to melt the butter past its melting point—it will start to foam before it subsides and begins to brown.
2.  Once the butter has just begun to brown, add the flour slowly, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring and combining completely before adding each new tablespoon of flour.  This roux mixture should brown up as well (but, again, watch to make sure it doesn't overbrown or begin to blacken).
3.  Once the roux is finished and has cooked, fully mixed, for a few minutes, add the beer.  We used Yeungling Amber, but any amber ale will do.
4.  Once the beer has been fully incorporated with the roux, begin adding the whole milk in 3/4-cup increments.  Make sure to stir and combine completely, as well as bring almost to a boil, in between increments.
5.  Season to taste with the salt, pepper, mustard powder, and cayenne pepper.
6.  Let the bechamel simmer (not boil) to thicken the sauce.
7.  While the bechamel is simmering, fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.  Once the water comes to a boil, add a generous amount of salt and then the pasta.  Boil pasta for 10 to 12 minutes or until al dente, stirring occasionally.  Drain pasta and set aside.
8.  Add the cheese to the drained pasta.  Combine well.
9.  Turn off the heat on the bechamel and pour it into and over the pasta and cheese mixture.  Combine well.

Third, the Crumbled Bacon and Homemade Pretzel Roll Croutons: 

Confession: I've been obsessed with the homemade pretzel roll croutons ever since I first conceived of them.  I made the pretzel rolls themselves a day before I made them into croutons—and made extra, obviously, so KiKi and I could serve them whole to our guests.  We also initially planned to make up our own honey mustard butter, but we ran out of time.  We'll have to experiment in the future.

These pretzel rolls were so good they deserve their own post.

Once the pretzel rolls are ready, break 4 of them into 1/4-inch pieces.  These will be used for the topping, described below.

As for the crumbled bacon, heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit on broil.  They should take 15-20 minutes to brown up.  You don't want it to be too crispy, though—they'll continue baking with the mac 'n' cheese.

Finally, combine for Oktoberfest Mac:

Kiki likes toppings on her mac, and she likes to bake and broil them in the oven.  I have to admit that I concur on this method, as it melts the cheese in a very lovely way and brings all the flavors together.

Additional Ingredients
4 oz. fontina cheese, grated

Directions
1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2.  Add the sliced bratwurst and the caramelized onions to the mac 'n' cheese mixture and combine well.

2.  Pour the combined mac 'n' cheese into a large baking pan.
3.  Sprinkle croutons made from 4 pretzel rolls, the bacon crumble from 8 strips of bacon, and 4 oz. of freshly grated fontina cheese liberally on top of the mac 'n' cheese.

4.  Bake the mac 'n' cheese in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.  This should be enough time for the bacon to crisp up, but you can also broil for the last 5 minutes.

The Verdict

KiKi and I had 8 of our friends over to my apartment for a tastetest dinner party on Sunday.  Reviews were generally positive, especially for the cheese, but every one of our friends (except one) preferred Fall-tastic Mac to Oktoberfest Mac.  The most cited reason has already been mentioned: the bratwurst seems like a bit of a throwaway ingredient, and I guess I'd have to agree.  We didn't really have to do much to it, and it kind of gets lost amongst all the other ingredients.

My biggest personal disappointment was in the pretzel roll croutons, which weren't as amazing in the Oktoberfest Mac as they are all by themselves.  Next time we could toast the pretzel rolls a bit beforehand so they also crisp up, but the reason we didn't do that in the first place is that I was worried they would lose their texture.

Ultimately, Oktoberfest Mac is losing out to Fall-tastic Mac, despite being created specifically to appeal to the "everyman."  In the words of our friend Caryn, "Think of your audience.  Who do you think is going to this Cookoff?  Probably hipsters and other types of people who love pumpkin and brussels sprouts."

Touche.

But it doesn't mean that I won't be improving on this recipe and bringing it to a house party near you.