hot non-cross buns

I know most people think of hot cross buns for Easter.  I think of them for any time, and usually not Easter.  This year it was a couple of weeks after Easter when I made them.  I have a got recipe but I wanted to try something new.  I think I found something better.  I want to make them again but I need to write the recipe down, which is what I am doing today.

Hopefully, the evening with much tea, I will finish the last sleeve of my sweater.  I am also washing a canvas drop cloth to make a bag.  I have been looking at the origami type bags for ahwile now, pondering making them.  I saw one today in a linen with a leather accent.  $165.  The drop cloth I bought was $12 for the same look.  I was thinking it would be great for taking fiber, a spindle, and crocheting on my trip.  And if I truly enough extra time, a few extra Mother Day prezzies.

Now, tea, typing.  Get the recipe recorded!

hot non-cross buns

sourdough starter

1 cup flour

3/4 cup water

1 cup milk

4 tablespoons butter

1 egg

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup dried currants

about 4 cups flour

3 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

white frosting of your choice (powdered sugar, vanilla, milk)

The night before, mix sourdough starter, 1 cup flour, and 3/4 cup water in a large bowl.  Cover and let get bubbly.  In the morning, take a bit of the starter out for next time.

Mix in the milk, 4 tablespoons butter, sugar, egg, and allspice.  Mix in the currants.  Mix in two cups of flour.  You should have a thick dough.  Cover and let sit for about two hours or until bubbly.

Mix in the salt and 1 cup flour.  Keep adding flour until you have a stiff dough.  Turn out onto a counter and knead until smooth.  Do not add too much extra flour so you will have a lighter bread.  Put back in a clean bowl and let rise.

I divided my dough into 18 small balls because I wished to use my small muffin pans.  You can make larger buns and just place them on a cookie sheet.  Roll the dough the size you wish and either put in a greased muffin pan or on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.  Those on the parchement paper, flatten bit.  Cover, and let rise for one hour.  The buns need to be puffy.

Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.  They will be golden.

After you take them out of the oven, in a small saucepan mix the honey, 1 tablespoon of butter, and cinnamon.   While the buns are still warm, brush or dip each bun in the honey mixture.

After the buns are cool, frost.  I always do more then just the simple cross.  But they are homemade so why not?

I think another batch.  I do not think there will be time before gallivanting.  When I get back.

Time for sweater immersion, Battlestar Galactica, put the drop cloth in the dryer, and tea.  Just a quiet evening.

vegetarian picadillo tacos

With the boyos gone, I have been eating many more vegetarian meals.  I even took the time and made myself the crispy avocado tacos I posted.  So good.  Before the boyos left, I tried putting vegetarian picadillo into tortillas with a few more toppings.  It was excellent and I would highly recommend.

Put vegan picadillo in a tortilla, a few beans, avocado cream, goat cheese, cabbages, salsa. 

Eat to your hearts content but get a fork and napkin because you will need it.

Now, you will notice that I did not put a real recipe here.  That is because I have a plan for tomorrow night.  My one complaint was there was not enough different texture.  Sprinkling tortilla chips on the tacos may have helped that. 

But because I want tacos, I have a plan (Good plan, lady, good plan.  It is from Gerald and Piggy books)!  I am going to try to make a roasted type of picadillo tomorrow so there are crispy edges.  Texture with flavor!  More tacos!  More experimentation!

Yes, I know I am being very silly but I admit to hurting most of the day.  Silly is helping to deal with pain.  Tea helps too.

crispy avocado tacos

When we were at MotoGP, we found a taco place that had better mojitos then margaritas but also had crispy avocado tacos.  Personally, I thought maybe not for me but I decided to give them a try.  Most everything else on the menu was too heavy or too much chicken.  I find chicken just hurts.  I had a fish taco and I had a crispy avocado taco.  Usually fish is my favorite but not at this place.  We went back for more tacos and I just ate the crispy ones.

These I decided to replicate.  I read more then a few recipes.   Came up with a plan and proceeded.  Oh my gosh!  Heaven.  The recipe I came up with is gluten free.  It can also easily be vegan if you so wish.  I just did not have any almond or hemp milk in the house.  I had a very full tummy after two tacos, which is half an avocado.  Very happy but very full.  Just be aware.

crispy avocado tacos

1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced into eighths.  It should be soft but firm.

1/2 cup millet flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons dairy or non-dairy milk

1/2 cup almond flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/16 teaspoon ground chipolte pepper

1/16 teaspoon ground ancho pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

4 corn tortillas

1/2 cup black beans

coleslaw, vinegar and oil based

salsa of your choice

avocado crema

goat cheese crumbles

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.  Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a shallow dish, put the millet flour.  In a shallow disk, whisk together the oil and milk.  In another shallow dish, mix the almond flour, salt, pepper, and spices.

Dust an avocado slice in the millet flour.  Shake off extra.  Dredge the slice through the oil/milk mixture.  Dredge in the almond flour mixture.  Place on the baking sheet.  Continue until all the slices are done.

Bake for 20 minutes or golden.

Warm the tortillas.  Warm the beans.

When the avocados are roasted, take out of the oven.  Put a tortilla on a plate.  Smear with a bit of bean.  Put two avocado slices.  Add avocado crema, cole slaw, and goat cheese crumbles or anything else you wish.  Repeat until you have four tacos.

Happy belly!

vanilla brioche

Yes, we like chocolate around here.  But we really like vanilla as well.  My Beloved asked for vanilla brioche so I decided to give it a try.  He really liked the vanilla cream that is used in the brioche au chocolat that I make.  He asked if the brioche could be filled with just that.

I have been liking the little brioche and did not want to make a whole sheet.  The little muffin sizes are perfect for breakfast or with tea.  That became tricky.  How to get the cream in them.  I really did not but they do have a lovely vanilla flavor. 

vanilla brioche

the dough from the chocolate brioche

1/4 of the vanilla cream from the brioche au chocolat

When the dough is at the point for shaping in the chocolate brioche recipe, have the vanilla cream cooled and eighteen small muffin pans buttered.  Portion the dough into eighteen pieces.  Flatten into a round in the palm of the hand.  Push into the muffin form, leaving a well in the middle.  Spoon a teaspoon of vanilla cream into the well.

Cover and let rise until puffy, about one hour in a warm place.

Preheat the oven to 424 degrees Fahrenheit.  Sprinkle the brioche with sugar.  Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

These are lovely warm or reheated.

it has been a long day and I wanted mac and cheese

I worked too many hours today in the office.  There were too many conversations with answers that said "they drank the kool-aid."  There were too much of fixing things because other people did not truly understand.  I could have stayed another four hours but I decided to go home after an extra three.  I just wanted comfort food like mac and cheese.

But I did I do the simple thing of pulling out pasta and melting cheese and butter with it?  Nooooooooo!  I make gnocchi from scratch.  Cook the gnocchi.  Sauté a bit of basil in olive oil.  Pine nuts and garlic if you wish.  Put in a bowl.  Sprinkle with asiago cheese. 

My type of comfort food.  My type of mac and cheese.

I have probably written this recipe here before but this is really this easy.  Even after working an eleven hour day.

gnocchi

2 cups mashed potatoes, prepared for eating

1 cup flour

Mix the potatoes and flour together.  Knead until smooth.  You may need a bit more flour for the sticky.

Roll out snakes.  Cut.  Roll with a fork if you want the ridges.

Bring water to boil.  Dump in the gnocchi.  Pull out when they float.

You can serve them with anything you wish but I was craving mac and cheese.

Smiles.