Berliner donuts

MB is learning her way around the kitchen, and I'm trying to support that.  So when she came to me saying she wanted to make Berliner donuts - which I had never heard of - I was all for it!  We had fun making these together, and they were delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk
• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 packet (or 2 1/4 teaspoons) dry yeast
• 3 Tablespoons sugar
• 3 egg yolks, beaten lightly
• 3 1/2 cups (1 pound) flour
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• Vegetable oil (or other fat) for frying
• Raspberry jam
• Powdered sugar

Directions:

Scald milk in small saucepan.  Heat just until bubbles form around the edges - don't let it boil!  Remove from heat, whisk in butter until melted.  Cool 10 minutes.  Add to bowl of standing mixer with dough hook.

Sprinkle yeast over warm milk mixture.  Add sugar.  Stir gently to dissolve.  Let stand 10 minutes until foam appears.

With mixer on low, add egg yolks.  Gradually add in the flour.

When the dough starts to come together, increase speed to medium.  Add the salt.

Stop mixer as needed to scrape dough off hook.

Mix just until dough is supple and elastic (around 5 minutes).

On lightly floured surface, knead dough gently for 2 minutes.

Place dough in greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise 1 hour until double in size.

Roll dough into small balls.  Place on greased baking sheet and let rise another 30 minutes.

Heat 3 inches of oil in a deep saucepan.  Slip donuts into the hot oil and fry until golden.  Drain on paper towels.

Using a pastry bag with a small tip, poke a small hole in the side and pipe jam inside.  Dust with powdered sugar while still warm.

 

Adapted from Group Recipes



Creamy quinoa

One day MB and I were both milling around the house, and we started talking about what we were each thinking about making for dinner that night.  We had this crazy idea to actually make dinner together - crazy, I know!

 

We decided quinoa was necessary since she liked it when I made quinoa dishes and let her have leftovers.  We flipped open Betty, and she only really had one quinoa recipe, so we went with it!

 

There were so many vegetables in this dish, I know Tall Dark and Nerdy would have been proud if he had been around to see it (instead of in India).

Look at all those veggies!



This will be a great dish for summertime when I'm wanting something a little lighter, yet still filling and delicious.

 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
• 3 cups water
• chicken bouillon
• 3 ounces cream cheese
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or chopped
• 5 cups thinly-sliced, bite-size pieces of assorted raw vegetables - I used carrots, zucchini, squash, bell pepper, asparagus
• grated Romano cheese

Directions:

Combine bouillon and water in saucepan (to make chicken broth), add the quinoa.  Heat to boiling.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer 15-20 minutes until liquid is absorbed.

Stir in cream cheese and basil.

Melt butter over medium heat in a skillet.  Cook garlic in butter about 30 seconds, stirring constantly, until golden.  Add vegetables.  Cook 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender.

 

Combine quinoa mixture and vegetables.  Sprinkle with Romano cheese. 

4 concerts in 4 weeks

Tall Dark and Nerdy just got home from a five week trip, so I had a LOT of time on my hands for the last 5 weeks.  I stumbled into several wonderful opportunities with friends to see fantastic live music and made it to 4 concerts in 4 weeks!

Week 1 Jen invited me to see Metric with her and a roommate in Oakland at the Fox Theater.  I am not a Metric super-fan by any means, but had so much fun at the show.  And who doesn't like a female lead singer killing it on stage?

They ended the show in a really fun and unexpected way for an electronic band - the lead singer and guitarist sang an acoustic version of a song and the rest of the band joined them onstage for the last chorus.  The whole audience was singing and clapping along and totally present.  Super cool.


Concert number two was a totally different type of show.  I drug my roommate MB with me to a tiny music venue in San Francisco that neither of us had been to before to hear an artist I have followed for years, thanks to the TV show "One Tree Hill."  The character Grubbs on the show is played by Michael Grubbs, who goes by the band name Wakey! Wakey!  I was so excited to finally see him live!  We got a table reservation at Café du Nord (the venue) and made an evening of it.

 This was the view from our table.  We had the front table, right in front of the stage on the side with the piano.  There were a few rows of chairs lined up next to us, making for a very intimate show.

Most of the show was just this guy playing the piano and singing with everything he has.  And telling jokes and stories.  So many stories.  For a while there, I wasn't sure if I was at a concert or a comedy show.  I laughed so hard my stomach hurt.

The opener was less than impressive - actually, she was bad - so MB was worried that I had drug her out to a show that was going to be painful to sit through.  She had me worried for a second, too, but as soon as Grubbs took the stage and played the first few notes, messed it up, laughed it off, started again and sang his first song, we both knew we were in for a fantastic night.

In the middle of the set, he played a few songs on guitar.  As he grabbed his guitar and moved to the center of the stage, he told us that he got this really cool guitar with a jack in the back that makes it work through the sound system...but, unfortunately, it was broken.  Then he said "luckily, my career is going in such a way that there aren't that many people here tonight," so he told the sound guy to take a break.  He sat on a stool at the front of the stage with just an acoustic guitar and his voice and sang a few songs totally unplugged, including "Dance So Good," one of my favorites.

I will definitely see him any time he comes to town, and will try to get as many of my friends who appreciate good music to learn to love his music and performance as much as I do!

Number three was yet another totally different type of show.  This time Margo and I saw Jon Pardi at The Rodeo Club.  Jon is an up-and-coming country singer who has written songs performed by several popular artists, and now has his second single on the radio.  He was the first opener when I saw Justin Moore on his arena tour back home in South Dakota about a month and a half ago, and thought his music was fun.  When Margo invited me to see him in his own show - granted, at a MUCH smaller venue - I couldn't resist!  He has a little bit of a rockabilly feel, which was a lot of fun.  We also got to meet him before the show, and that boy is tall!

We also just about fell over laughing when, midway through the set, his drummer made a crazy facial expression that reminded me of my friend Brian.  I told her, she realized how uncanny the resemblance was, and we both about died.  We tried so hard to get a good picture of him, but stage lighting is never right for getting pictures of drummers, so we tried repeatedly - and he noticed...and laughed at us...a lot.

Week 4 had another concert with Jen in San Francisco at another intimate venue, Slim's.  I had been to a show here three years ago and had a great experience.  This time we were seeing Sara Bareilles, and the show was SOLD OUT.  Our spot was not ideal for, you know, being able to see, but it was fun to be in a place with so many people so excited to see a girl and her piano.

 This girl has some pipes.  What a fantastic performer, too!  She is a very talented songwriter, singer, pianist, performer, etc.  I had no idea what to expect from this show, but I was absolutely blown away by how incredible she is.

I was supposed to see a fifth show the day TDN was scheduled to be arriving home, but he got home a day early, and after my morning at TEDx Santa Clara, I couldn't resist cuddles and a nap with my boo.

First fruit

While TDN has been out of town for business, I have been periodically checking up on the garden.  I love seeing things grow over short and long periods of time, and the plants in the garden are no different.  I can't wait for the tomatoes to be ready!

The strawberries are trying to grow and ripen about halfway through TDN's time away.

Leroy came outside to help me check on things.

Look very closely and you can see the first yellow bloom of the tomato plants.  This one just happens to be on the purple tomato plant, my favorite!

When I checked the garden this week - the last week of his trip - there was a beautifully ripe strawberry.  Yes, just one.  It was the first fruit (or vegetable) I found ready to eat from this summer's garden!  I brought it home for MB to enjoy, and enjoy it she did!

MB learns life lessons - Part 1

I have a great roommate.  We have a lot of fun together.  I also get a lot of laughs at her expense sometimes.

This winter, I took her on her first real grocery shopping outing.  She had never bought groceries for herself before.  The girl was 22 at the time.  I just couldn't believe it.  Everyone in the grocery store got an absolute kick out of her telling them it was her first time grocery shopping!

The shopping wasn't the only funny experience we've had.  The next time I laughed so hard I cried came in our kitchen.  MB wanted to make herself some rice to go with her lunch. 
She asked me how to make rice, so I took out my box of rice with really good directions on it and showed it to her.  I told her to decide how many servings she wanted to make, look at the chart to see how much rice and how much water to use, and follow the directions on the box.
After about 10-15 minutes, while I was on the phone with my mom, she calls me into the kitchen asking "Do you think this is done?"
Here's what I saw:

I managed to ask her if she followed the directions before doubling over with laughter.  She assured me that she had measured out the amount of rice she wanted...and then added water.  My mom is also laughing her head off on the phone while I'm explaining to her that rice doesn't work the same as pasta where you just strain off the excess water.
Luckily, she was just going to make her rice into chicken and rice soup, so we assured her that adding it to her soup would be just fine.

It's been a couple months since this incident, and I'm not sure if she has made rice without immediately making it into soup since then. 

MB has now learned to grocery shop, make rice, and [hopefully] read directions.

Broccoli Chicken Foil Packs

Last night, Jas and I made quinoa-stuffed sweet potatoes together (which were delicious, by the way), and TDN was very proud when he heard all the veggies I was eating :) 
That meal - and the fact that most of my meals in the last two weeks have been midwestern cream-of-someone-soup casseroles - inspired me to try something new for lunch today that included vegetables.  I came across a recipe for chicken foil packs.  They didn't sound like they were really going to make a meal I would enjoy that much, but I gave them a try anyway, and I'm glad I did!
These were super simple, delicious, and gave me lots of yummy leftovers for the next couple days!

Ingredients:

• 1 box stuffing mix (chicken flavor)
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• broccoli florets
• shredded cheese
• Ranch dressing

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spray 4 large sheets of foil with cooking spray.

Combine stuffing mix and water.  Spoon 1/4 of the mixture onto the center of each foil sheet.

Top stuffing with a chicken breast.

Top chicken with broccoli.  I didn't measure the broccoli, I just tried to pile as much on as I could (probably around 1 cup per foil pack)!

Sprinkle roughly 1/4 cup of cheese on top of each.

Drizzle with around 1 Tablespoon ranch dressing.

Bring up sides of foil and fold to seal, leaving room inside for heat circulation.

Place packets in a 9x13" pan or on a cookie sheet and bake 40-50 minutes (depending on the size of your chicken breasts).

Remove packets and let stand for 5 minutes.  Cut slits in foil to let steam out.  Open and enjoy!

My roommate MB and I actually split one foil pack for lunch today and couldn't finish all of it.  This made a really good sized meal, and a filling one!

If you have bacon in your fridge, crumbling a slice of cooked bacon on each pack before cooking would be tasty!  (I don't usually have any on hand since TDN doesn't eat it...weird, I know)

Adapted from Best Life 4 Moms

Panakuchen

I grew up eating German pancake - a.k.a. panakuchen - and Swedish pancakes much more often than regular (American?) pancakes.  Baby sister and I still get treated to Grams's panakuchen often when we go home.

After spending some time on the phone with my Grams one afternoon, I decided to make her panakuchen for dinner.  She was so excited that I would be making her recipe that she made me promise to invite Tall Dark and Nerdy over for our German version of breakfast-for-dinner.

I don't make it as well as she does, but it was pretty delicious!  TDN and my roomie enjoyed it and had seconds!


Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• thinly sliced apple
• cinnamon
• sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Put butter in pan, place in oven until butter is melted.  Swirl around to spread butter out.

While butter is melting, beat eggs really well with an electric mixer.  Add milk, flour, and salt.

Pour into pan.  Top with thin apple slices, cinnamon, and sugar.

Bake at 425 for 6 minutes, then 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Grams's repeated tip - WORK FAST!  Once everything is mixed together, get it in the pan and in the oven.

Also, it will start to fall as soon as you take it out of the oven, so be ready to put it on the table as soon as it comes out.

Instead of the cinnamon, sugar, and apples, you can also wait until it's cooked to top it with applesauce or apple pie filling (Baby Sister's favorite).



**UPDATE***
While I was back in South Dakota last week visiting family, Grams made me panakuchen for lunch one day.  Hers turned out absolutely perfect, and now I think I need to up my game and keep trying this until I get it just right!
It was all poofed up in the middle - not just on the edges like mine.  And the cinnamony-sugary goodness on top made a delightful crispy little shell. Yum. There's a reason why I still request Grams to make this every time I visit!

Pink cookies and cupcakes

The week of Valentine's day, the upstairs girls and I all got together for a cupcake decorating party.  I, of course, felt the need to use my fun new cookie cutters and contribute cookies to the party.  We spent the evening drinking pink champagne and decorating with multiple shades of pink frosting while 27 Dresses played in the background. 


Since my knee surgery was less than a week before this, I was unable to put weight on my right leg and was using crutches and countertops to propel myself around the kitchen.  Thanks to this, I had to promise one of the girls that I wouldn't overdo it...so I made cookies from a mix and didn't make gluten-free ones from scratch.


Another hurdle was remembering that I don't own a rolling pin.  Oops.  I forgot that I had borrowed one from the girls upstairs for the Christmas cookies.  Luckily, I have a well-stocked wine cabinet and was clear-headed enough to think of a wine bottle as a useful alternative!

We had a great night with a lot of laughs; including several revolving around my roommate's inability to stop eating the sweet treats.  She would spread frosting on a cupcake, and immediately start eating it.  And she would stop partway through to slather more frosting in the middle of the half-eaten cupcake.

It was a fun way of testing myself in the kitchen with the new knee, a great excuse for all of us to get together on a Monday, and a delicious snack for several days to come.

Pumpkin cookies with maple-caramel frosting

My roommate MB begs me weekly to make these delicious, moist cookies for her again.  They have quickly become a dessert staple for parties and holidays.

Ingredients:
Cookies

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (I prefer dark brown sugar)
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

Frosting

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar (again, I like dark brown)
• Pinch of salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.  Stir in pumpkin.
In a medium bowl, sift together the baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, salt, and flour.  Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
Drop by heaping tablespoons onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes.

While cookies are cooling, make frosting:
In a medium saucepan, combine butter, cream, and brown sugar over medium heat.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture just begins to boil; remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Allow to cool slightly, then stir in powdered sugar.
Spread frosting over cooled cookies.

Adapted from letsdishrecipes.com