Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
lattice chicken pot pie
Mexican street corn pasta
chicken Ghiveci
creamy chicken tortilla soup, jalapeno jack popovers
butter basted ribeyes, twice baked potatoes, broccoli
brisket tacos, pinto beans
pork souvlaki, naan

Monday, March 31, 2014

Cucumber and Tomato Shrimp Salad

Cucumber and Tomato Shrimp SaladThis dish was inspired from my spring dinner party. For lunch the next day, I had leftover shrimp, cucumber and tomatoes...so Cucumber and Tomato Shrimp Salad was born and it was the perfect lunch. And I have had it a couple times since I enjoyed it so much. I love a good cucumber and tomato salad and the addition of chilled roasted shrimp puts it over the top.  This combination would be equally lovely served over top of mixed greens as well.  My mom has planted cucumbers and tomatoes in the garden again this year, so I hope to be having it garden fresh this summer.
Cucumber and Tomato Shrimp Salad

½ pound shrimp
1 teaspoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 English hothouse cucumber
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sour cream
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
¼ cup chopped fresh dill
1 garlic clove, minced
½ teaspoon sugar
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place them on a sheet pan with the olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread them in 1 layer. Roast for 8 to 10 minutes, just until pink and firm and cooked through. Set aside to cool. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Cut cucumber in half by slicing down the middle lengthwise. Scoop out the center seeds. Cut into thin slices and place in a colander with the salt.. Toss with salt and let sit in sink at least 30 minutes to drain the water out. While the cucumber is draining, make the dressing. Whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, white wine vinegar, dill, garlic, sugar and black pepper in a medium bowl. Pat the cucumber dry with a paper towel, then toss it and tomatoes with the dressing. Top with the chilled shrimp.
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Thursday, March 27, 2014

Buried Treasure Cupcakes


Buried Treasure Cupcakes To say my family likes Disney is a massive understatement. For the past two years, we have had the Premier Passports, annual passes to both Disneyland in California and Walt Disney World in Florida. By my calculations, Miss F has spent over a month in the Disney parks in the last year alone, including a day trip to Hong Kong Disneyland. Last week, we surprised Miss F with a trip to Disneyland to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. It had been closed for over a year and was opening for a passholder preview. It is her most favorite ride. We planned the trip in under a week and we departed from Aspen during spring break. So she not only got a week full of skiing, she also got a weekend in sunny Disneyland. She was surprised and beyond excited. And the ride was worth the yearlong wait. And the crazy planning was worth the massive smile on her face.

So when I was contacted to celebrate the release of Disney's The Pirate Fairy (available on Blu-ray™ and Digital HD on April 1st), I jumped at the chance. Miss F is obsessed with making cupcakes and got me a cupcake cook book for Christmas this year, so we both flipped through the book to find a pirate themed cupcake. The winner was a pirate themed "buried treasure" cupcake that would be a fun treat for her lunchbox. Like many schools, Miss F's is peanut and nut free, so I selected candies that fit in with that policy, but these cupcakes would be equally delicious with miniature peanut butter cups.

While we prepared the cupcakes, Miss F sang, "Yo ho, yo ho, a mommy's life for me!" Pirates of the Caribbean is also a favorite ride and like every Disney ride, Miss F knows all the words to each and every song and can adapt them to suit whatever we are doing at the moment. Her role in cupcake preparation is preparing the pans with liners and dishing out the batter, even though it can get quite messy, it is worth it. An added fun moment was burying the candy "treasure" in each cupcake before baking. I am not fancy with frosting, so the graham cracker sand is a perfect way to cover up any frosting issues. A simple licorice "X" to mark the spot completes these adorable cupcakes.
 
Buried Treasure Cupcakes

1 box yellow cake mix
24 square miniature candies, unwrapped (I used Kit Kats)

½ cup butter, softened
3 ½ cups confectioners' sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup graham cracker crumbs
red licorice straws

Prepare the cake batter per package instructions. Line 24 cupcake tins with paper liners and fill each ¾ full with batter. Dunk a candy in each cupcake. Bake per package instructions. Cool completely.

Beat the butter with a mixer, adding a half cup of sugar and tablespoon of milk at a time until completely incorporated and desired consistency. Beat in the vanilla.

Frost the cupcakes and top each with a teaspoon of graham cracker crumbs. Cut the licorice into 48 one inch pieces, use two pieces per cupcake to create a red "X" to mark the spot.
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Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Chicken Piccata

http://sotastysoyummy.blogspot.com/2013/06/crabcake-sandwiches.html
I don't know what it is about capers, but I love them. I found myself mixing the capers with my mashed potatoes when I ate this recipe for Chicken Piccata. They really do go with anything! I think it is their acidic flavor that I like so well. I have been known to pour apple cider vinegar over my baked potato and broccoli. Miss F and C both enjoyed this dish, I left the lemons off their plates because I knew it wouldn't be appreciated. Maybe Miss F might have been okay with it, but C definitely would not have been. Thanks to Okay I'll Eat That for the great recipe!
Chicken Piccata

1 large lemon
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt and ground black pepper
¼ cup flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small garlic clove, minced
½ cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon capers, drained
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves

Halve one lemon pole to pole. Trim ends from one half and cut crosswise into slices ¼ inch thick; set aside. Juice the remaining half and reserve the juice.

Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breasts generously with salt and pepper. Coat each chicken breast with the flour, shaking off any excess. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot, about 2 minutes; add the oil and swirl pan to coat. Sauté the chicken, without moving them, until lightly browned on first side, about 2 to 2 ½ minutes. Turn the chicken over and cook until second side is lightly browned, 2 to 2 ½ minutes longer. Remove to a plate.

Add the garlic to now-empty skillet and return skillet to medium heat. Sauté until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add the broth and lemon slices, increase heat to high, and scrape skillet bottom with wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Simmer about 3 minutes. Add lemon juice and capers and simmer one minute more. Remove pan from heat and swirl in butter until butter melts and thickens sauce; swirl in parsley. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve immediately.
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Monday, March 24, 2014

Strawberry Basil Cheesecake

Strawberry Basil Cheesecake
Ever since I ordered a new springform pan, I have been very into making cheesecake. I absolutely adored the recipe for Meyer Lemon Cheesecake, so I decided to change it to a simple, plain cheesecake. I once held a lemon themed dinner party, complete with Lemon Mousse for dessert. The lemon didn't go over as well as I thought it should, so plain cheesecake seemed like a better fit. And I decided to macerate some strawberries with fresh basil as a topping so people could decide if they wanted it or not (they all did!)  The entire cheesecake was eaten by the end of the party, which is my mark of a delicious dessert.
Strawberry Basil Cheesecake

Crust:
1 ¼ cups graham-cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
4 tablespoons melted butter

Filling:
3-8 ounce packages of cream cheese, room temperature
1-8 ounce container of sour cream, room temperature
1 ½ cups sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 eggs, room temperature

Topping
1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons minced basil leaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the graham-cracker crumbs and brown sugar. Mix well. Mix in the melted butter until well-moistened. Press mixture into a springform pan.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese, sour cream and sugar on low speed until smooth. Scrape sides of bowl as needed ensure even mixing. Add in the lemon juice, then the eggs one at a time, mixing until each is well incorporated before adding the next one. Again, scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl as needed to get the mixture uniform.

Pour the filling into a springform pan and gently smooth the top of the filling. Place cheesecake in the oven, and reduce the heat to 300 degrees. Bake for 45 minutes. Do not open the oven again until the cheesecake is cooled. Turn off oven and keep the cheesecake in the oven for 2 hours (without opening oven). If the cheesecake doesn't feel 100% cool after 2 hours, allow to continue cooling, up to another hour or so. Refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours.

Stir together the strawberries, sugar and basil 15 minutes before serving. Top each slice with the strawberry mixture before serving.
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Friday, March 21, 2014

Balsamic Roasted Beef

Balsamic Filet of Beef
Filet of beef is always my go to dinner party main dish. It is easy to prepare, a crowd pleaser and reasonably priced when purchased at Ranch 99 Market, a local Asian grocer here in Houston. Ina Garten has never failed me whenever I follow her beef tenderloin recipes, so when I saw a recent episode of Barefoot Contessa that featured Balsamic Roasted Beef, I knew that was going to be a winner. I may have purchased two beef tenderloins because I always like to be over prepared, we lost of couple ladies to sickness the day of the party, so I went ahead and only cooked one, which worked out perfectly. Now I have another lurking in our freezer, the big question is which recipe to use next!
Balsamic Roasted Beef

2 ½ pounds filet of beef, trimmed and tied
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon coarsely cracked black pepper

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil.

Place the beef on the sheet pan. Combine the mustard, vinegar, and salt in a small bowl. Spread the mixture on the filet and brush it evenly over the top and sides. Sprinkle the cracked pepper evenly all over the meat.

Roast the filet for 30 minutes exactly for medium-rare (25 minutes for rare and 35 minutes for medium). Remove the pan from the oven, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and allow the beef to rest on the pan for 10 minutes. Slice and serve hot or warm.
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Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Caramelized Onion Bread

Caramelized Onion Bread
Last dinner party, I made Mozzarella Basil Bread with much success. I knew I wanted to use the same recipe somehow, just wasn't quite sure what. When I was browsing appetizers, Caramelized Onion Dip struck my fancy, but I didn't want to do a dip for my dinner party, so Caramelized Onion Bread was born. I replaced the mozzarella with a more onion friendly cheddar and the basil was swapped out for sweet bits of caramelized onions. I prepped the onions the night before and then baked the bread the day of the party. The whole house smelled amazing for 24+ hours.
Caramelized Onion Bread

2 large yellow onions
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon yeast
1 tablespoon salt
5 cups bread flour, or as needed
1 cup shredded cheddar
¼ cup milk
1 tablespoon melted butter

Cut the onions in quarters and then slice them into 1/8-inch thick slices. (You will have about 3 cups of onions.) Heat the butter and oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions, salt, and pepper and sauté for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 more minutes until the onions are browned and caramelized. Allow the onions to cool.

Mix warm water with sugar in the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the paddle until the sugar has dissolved. Sprinkle yeast over the surface of the water, and let stand until the yeast begins to form a creamy layer on the water. Stir the yeast into the water. Stir in salt, and 1 cup of bread flour, and beat the flour in to form a loose batter. Stir in 1 more cup of flour, and mix in the cheese, cooled onions and milk. Mix in the remaining 3 cups of flour in ½ cup additions. Swap the paddle for the dough hook and knead for 6 minutes. Form into a ball, coat with olive oil, cover and allow to rise for one hour.

Punch down the dough and turn out onto a well-floured work surface, and knead the dough just long enough to eliminate the remaining bubbles in the dough, about 1 minute. Cut the dough into 2 equal pieces, and form each half into a round ball. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray, and place the balls onto the baking sheet. With a sharp knife, slash an X into the top of each loaf. Cover the loaves with a towel, and let rise until doubled, about 25 minutes. Brush each loaf with the melted butter.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake the loaves until browned, about 25 minutes. To serve, cut each loaf into 8 wedges.
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Monday, March 17, 2014

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail
I love shrimp cocktail, the more horseradish the better. I think of it as the cheaper version of my most favorite appetizer, oysters on the half shell. I love chilled shellfish and it makes for an easy presentation at a party. I stored the serving dish in the refrigerator prior to the party starting, but it would also be beautifully presented over crushed ice. This platter was actually a wedding gift and is called a shrimp server. And nine years later, I finally used it to serve shrimp. I guess shrimp server is a fancy way to say chip and dip set.  This is Ina Garten's recipe for shrimp cocktail and it really doesn't get any better.
Roasted Shrimp Cocktail

2 pounds (12 to 15-count) shrimp
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons horseradish
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
dash or two of hot sauce
1 fresh lemon for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place them on a sheet pan with the olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread them in 1 layer. Roast for 8 to 10 minutes, just until pink and firm and cooked through. Set aside to cool.

For cocktail sauce, combine ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, lemon juice and hot sauce in a bowl and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes before serving. Salt to taste.

Serve the shrimp with the cocktail sauce and lemon wedges.
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Friday, March 14, 2014

Raspberry Lemon Scones

Raspberry Lemon Scones
So I was lucky enough to spend five spectacular days in Aspen with some of my best girlfriends. C came home to watch Miss F for part of the trip, but for the rest of the time, Miss F stayed with my mom and dad. And I knew I wanted to bring a baked good of some sort as a thank you. My mom loves scones and she adores raspberries and lemon, so I adapted the blackberry lemon scone recipe from the amazing Confections of a Foodie Bride.  Miss F was a super helper with these and she was quite proud of her creation.  And my dad informed me that they enjoyed them for breakfast every day while I was gone.
Raspberry Lemon Scones

3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/3 cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 stick chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
Juice of 1 lemon
¾ to 1 ½ cups buttermilk
6 ounces fresh raspberries
1 egg
2 teaspoons water
2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine flours, baking powder, sugar, and salt on low speed. With mixer running, gradually add cubes of butter until the mixture is crumbly and studded with flour-butter bits about the size of small peas. Add lemon juice and ¾ cup of the buttermilk. Mix by hand just until all ingredients are incorporated. If dough is too dry to hold together, use remaining buttermilk, adding a couple tablespoons at a time, until dough is pliable and can be formed into a ball. Stir as lightly and as little as possible to ensure a lighter-textured scone. Remove dough from bowl and place it on a lightly floured flat surface. Pat dough into a rectangle. Using a well-floured rolling pin, flatten dough into a rectangle about 12x8 inches. Spread half of the fresh raspberries over the long of the dough and fold the short half over onto the top of the raspberries. Press the remaining raspberries into the dough. Cut into 8 triangles. Whisk egg and water in a small mixing bowl to combine. Brush each wedge with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Place scones on a Silpat-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown and no longer sticky in the middle.
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Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Crispy Chicken Salad with Avocado Ranch

Crispy Chicken Salad with Avocado Ranch
The original recipe for this salad called for Buffalo chicken, which I usually adore. The issue was that I had eaten my weight in super spicy crawfish for lunch and I was ready to dial down the heat. I will definitely be using this breading recipe a lot in the future, Miss F was a huge fan of the chicken strips. She wouldn't touch the salad, so she had fruit with hers instead. The whole meal is on the table in less than 30 minutes and I was left with a generous amount of leftovers for a lunch salad the next day.  Feel free to add crumbled bacon, shredded cheese or even cucumber to the salad mix.  Most anything would work great with the tasty dressing.  Thanks to Smells Like Home for the inspiration.
Crispy Chicken Salad with Avocado Ranch

2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
½ cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Cooking spray
1 pound chicken tenderloins (or breasts sliced into ¾ inch strips)

½ of an avocado, scooped from the skin and roughly diced
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice
up to ½ cup buttermilk
1 small clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

4 to 5 cups chopped romaine
2 tomatoes, chopped
½ avocado, scooped from the skin and roughly diced

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.

Add the Panko to a shallow dish. In a second shallow dish, whisk together the flour and salt. In a bowl, whisk together the egg, water and mustard.

Spray a wire rack with cooking spray (rub the wires to make sure they are well-coated - this will prevent the breading from sticking) and place over a rimmed baking sheet. Working in batches, dredge a few pieces of the chicken in the flour, then the egg whites, and finally the breadcrumbs to coat, shaking off the excess between each step. Lay the coated pieces on the prepared wire rack and repeat with the remaining chicken. Spray the tops of the chicken pieces lightly with the cooking spray. Bake until the chicken is cooked through and the breading is lightly golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

While the chicken bakes, place the avocado, mayonnaise, sour cream, olive oil, lemon juice, ¼ cup of the buttermilk and garlic in the food processor. Process until smooth. Add more buttermilk until the desired consistency is reached. Stir in the parsley, salt and pepper.

Toss the lettuce, tomatoes and avocado with the dressing, top with the crispy chicken. Serve.
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Monday, March 10, 2014

Spring Dinner Party

Spring Dinner Party 1
Spring Dinner Party 2
Spring Dinner Party 3
Spring Dinner Party 4
Spring Dinner Party 4
Spring Dinner Party 5
Spring Dinner Party 6
Miss F and I have plans to travel to Aspen for almost two weeks for Spring Break. Because of that, C didn't fly home for the weekend before the big trip. So what's a girl to do when she has a free weekend? Dinner party time! I stocked up on our favorite champagne, Piper-Heidsieck, along with a refrigerator full of wine for our evening. It is always so nice to get together with friends for an evening of food and fun.

We started the evening with a dinner party favorite, artichoke tarts, along with a new recipe for Roasted Shrimp Cocktail.  I made 48 artichoke tarts and every single one was eaten, they are always a crowd pleaser and they are incredibly easy to make.  I want to try a spinach and artichoke version next time I make them.  For the salad, I prepared Mixed Greens with Creamy Dijon Vinaigrette, the egg yolk adds an incredible richness to the dressing.  For the main course, I made Balsamic Filet of Beef, Potatoes Dauphinois and simply steamed green beans.  For dessert, we devoured an entire cheesecake with strawberry basil topping. 

I made three simple flower arrangements for the centerpiece.  There are some amazing flower markets close to my house, but my most favorite has buckets full of flowers for 75 cents each stem, it ranges from carnations to roses to daisies.  They are basically remnant flowers from arrangements made earlier.  The tricky part of this scenario is that you cannot go in with an idea in your head of what kind of flowers you are looking for, you really have to be open to anything because you never know what they are going to have in stock.  I went in hoping for either pale yellows or deep pinks, but the flower shop had a different idea for me.  The buckets were full of a gorgeous variety of purple flowers, so even though it was not at all what I had envisioned, it turned out just perfectly.

We ended the evening with dancing, a few party crashers and lots of selfie taking.  All in all, it was a great success and I can't wait to host my next dinner party.

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Friday, March 7, 2014

Southwest Shrimp Po-Boys

Southwest Shrimp Po-boy
I love a good sandwich. Especially one that involves seafood. Nothing beats a good crabcake sandwich because I am still a Maryland girl at heart, but moving south introduced me to the beauty of a good Po-Boy. So I decided to merge the traditional Cajun po-boy with all the southwest ingredients I have come to love living in Texas.  The traditional remoulade is swapped out for a rich avocado cream sauce and hints of cumin and spice are added to the fried shrimp.  What you get is a perfect shrimp sandwich.  Miss F had her shrimp plain, she doesn't get the seafood sandwich love just yet, but I know one day she will.
Southwest Shrimp Po-Boys

1 egg
½ cup milk
½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
½ cup flour
1 teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pound shrimp, peeled and de-veined
vegetable oil, for frying

1 avocado, peeled, pitted and mashed
½ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon lime juice
dash of hot sauce

4 Bolilo or small sub rolls
½ cup chopped green leaf lettuce
2 Roma tomatoes, sliced

In a shallow dish, whisk together the egg and milk. In another shallow dish, combine the Panko, flour, cumin and cayenne pepper. Toss the shrimp in the egg and milk mixture and then dredge in the Panko mixture. Refrigerate the shrimp for 15 minutes to set the coating. Heat two inches of oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Fry the shrimp for 3 to 4 minutes, remove and drain on paper towels.

Stir together the avocado, sour cream, lime juice and hot sauce.

Slice the rolls in half lengthwise, layer the lettuce, tomato and shrimp on the bottom layer. Spread the avocado cream on the top layer and place on the shrimp. Serve, slicing each in two.
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Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Easy Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Easy Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
I got a bee in my bonnet to make cinnamon rolls, but most of the recipes would require me to wake up around 4 am in order to eat them for breakfast. And cinnamon rolls for dinner just doesn't work for me. Maybe as dessert, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to cut the richness.  I originally read Alton Brown's recipe for overnight cinnamon rolls, but they had a morning proof, which meant I would have to wake at 6 am, which is still unacceptable.  These rolls have the same silly shaped as the Pillsbury pop n serve rolls because they are baked in a round cake tin.  But they taste so much better.  And unlike the Pillsbury rolls, I can eat one and be completely satisfied.  I think C can eat the entire pan of the Pillsbury ones and I could probably eat half.  This recipe is adapted from AllRecipes.
Easy Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

2/3 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter
1 ½ teaspoons yeast
1/3 cup white sugar
3 cups flour
¾ teaspoon salt
2 eggs

½ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

¾ teaspoon light corn syrup
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup confectioners' sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Heat the milk in a small saucepan just until it begins to bubble, remove from the heat. Swirl in the butter until melted.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in the milk mixture. Add the sugar, 2 cups of the flour, salt and eggs; stir well to combine. Add the remaining flour a ½ cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Knew for 5 minutes using the dough hook of the stand mixer.

Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 10x10 inch square. Lightly brush the far edge with water. In a small bowl combine the cinnamon and brown sugar, sprinkle over the prepared dough. Roll up the dough into a log and seal the seam. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and place into a greased 9 inch cake pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rise overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, while the oven is heating, let the prepared rolls rise on the countertop. Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. While the rolls are baking, combine the corn syrup with the vanilla in a small bowl. Whisk in the powdered sugar and enough milk to make a thick glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the baked rolls and serve warm.
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Monday, March 3, 2014

Roasted Salmon with Thyme Vinaigrette

Roasted Salmon with Thyme Vinaigrette
I am very particular when it comes to lunch. I really dislike having a cold lunch, even if I am having a salad, I prefer to have whatever meat is served with it warm.  Even when I have a salad at Panera, I have to request that they warm the chicken.  This salad fits the bill perfectly and comes together in about 30 minutes.  The vinaigrette is perfect over the roast salmon and just plain mixed greens is the perfect complement to the fish.  This is a beautifully simple recipe from Williams-Sonoma and will be a great addition to my regular lunch rotation.  It would also be delicious with sliced English cucumber.
Roasted Salmon with Thyme Vinaigrette

1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced shallot
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 salmon fillet, cut into two equal portions
3 cups mixed greens

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard and vinegar, gradually whisk in 2 tablespoons of oil. Whisk in the shallot and thyme, season to taste with salt and pepper. Brush a baking dish with the remaining oil and add the salmon, skin side down. Spoon half of the vinaigrette over the salmon and let marinate for 15 minutes at room temperature. Roast the salmon for 15 minutes, until just cooked through. Toss the lettuce with the remaining vinaigrette, divide between two plates. Serve the salmon alongside the salad.
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