Friday, March 11, 2011

Buttermilk info

I found this on a blog I follow and well could not help but share this cause I know that I have run into this problem before.
You all know that I love to bake and cook and eat it too! I recently found this blog and the tips I have gotten are just great!
Check it out and let me know if you have any great tips like this....Lynns Kitchen Aventures Buttermilk Help and a later post Here


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Friday, March 4, 2011

Been away.....

Well I have been away....away in Disneyland. Well Southern California to be exact. We had one heck of a trip...next one for sure will be to a sunny HOT beach some where. Any family friendly locations you want to share from your personal experience....please share.

So I am now currently in the search for Disney - theme park type scrapbooking kits......HELP anyone know of some good ones out there????

Now that is out of the way and I am now mostly coherent....so tired from the trip!! We got the fridge well stocked again and tonights menu was homemade pizza (been a long time since we have made it right from scratch!). The crust was devine. I hadn't made it in a super long time (I like to cheat quite a bit when I cook) I came a across this book a long time ago at our local library. 
After so research I found more of her books and bought this one
Pizza Dough Recipe
1 1/3 cup water
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp bread machine or instant yeast
Combine all ingredients in pan according to manufacturers recommendations.  Select dough or pizza dough option on machine and press start.
Preheat oven to 450 or 500 degrees for at least 30 minutes.  Recommends to use a baking stone I have only used a large cookie sheet.  Bake 15 - 20 mins.  I bake ours on convection for that extra crispiness!
If you are interested in books especially cookbooks like me then check out this site....Book Close Outs.  I just checked and they don't have any of her books but check back often as their stock changes frequently and you can get some sweet deals on damaged books like some pages may have a wrinkle or the front cover is damaged.  You can save quite a lot of money there on all types of books.

Then for dessert I whipped up some cinnamon buns...not my regular recipe ( you know the secret one that you have to be my bff for ever and ever to get! LMAO! and that you will never share with anyone or I will hunt you down and .....) I went with my most favorite regular bun recipe from food.com (my most favorite site)

Hot Dog/Hamburger Buns/Rolls/Cinnamon Buns Dough Cycle A.B.M

• 1 1/4 cup skim milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil or 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1/4-1/3 cup sugar (use 1/3 for cinnamon buns)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (I have never found the need to use bread flour these rise beautifully)
• 2 1/4 teaspoons bread machine yeast
Directions:
Prep Time: 3 hrs
Total Time: 3 1/4 hrs
1. Place all ingredients in order recommended by your bread machine manufacturer.
2. Select dough cycle and start machine.
3. I preheat my oven to 100°F and turn off.
4. When dough cycle is complete remove from machine and proceed.
5. I roll into a long log and cut into 12 pieces for hot dog buns or 9 pieces for large hamburger buns.
6. How big you want them is up to you.
7. For Hot Dog Buns, I roll out till they look like long skinny wieners,.
8. Hamburger Buns, I flatten with my palm till about the thickness of a pancake. They rise beautifully and look as nicely shaped as store bought ones.
9. Put on parchment-lined baking sheet so sides are almost touching.
10. You can brush with melted butter if you wish but I never bother.
11. Cover with cloth and put in the warm oven for 45-60 minutes to rise.
12. When doubled remove from oven.
13. I bake mine on the top shelf in my oven.
14. Turn oven to 400°F and when you put the buns in the oven, reduce temperature immediately to 375° and bake hot dog buns 15 minutes and hamburger buns 17 minutes.
15. CINNAMON BUNS. Use 1/3 cup sugar in recipe. Made 10 large buns.
16. Roll out to about 12 x 15" and spread with butter or margarine. Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture over all and roll up tightly. Cut into as many buns as you want. I make 10.
17. Set oven to 400° and turn down to 375° when you put buns inches Bake 20 minutes.
This recipe makes a killer bun so why not a cinnamon bun.  I had a butt end before starting in on getting caught up on my TV shows
it was quite yummy.

So I need a favor from you all.......I am in the market for a new bread machine. Do you have one? What kind? what is your favorite feature?

Off to relax and upload some pictures and shop for some scrapbooking kits!

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