ice cream cones

I like ice cream.  I like ice cream cones.  I do not like leaving the house.  There are acceptable ice cream cones to be purchased at the grocery store but the closest store to us only has gluten free cones which taste like cardboard!  I am not kidding.  Though Koda Bear seems to like them.

So, instead of going to an ice cream parlor, I decided to make the cone at home.  Without any tools.  I think next time I might like an iron of some sort but this worked and they were tasty.

I probably did not get the cone thin enough and I could have probably spread them thinner before I baked them.  But those are learning experiences and I need to write the recipe down before I lose it.  I will admit that I used white whole wheat flour in them.  It is currently the only wheat flour I have in the house.

ice cream cones

Note:  I used the recipe from Bigger Bolder Baking but increased the vanilla and used white whole wheat flour.  

2 egg whites

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla 

pinch of salt

2/3 cup flour, white whole wheat

2 tablespoons butter, melted (but I think I used olive oil)

In a bowl, mix together the egg whites, sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt.  Mix in the flour until smooth.  Mix in the butter.  This batter is going to be very similar to a crepe batter.  I put the batter in a jar and put it in the refrigerator at this point.

Heat a non-stick or cast iron griddle over medium low heat.  Do not add oil to this surface.  When it is hot, drop two tablespoons of batter on it.  Spread the batter as thin as possible with a back of a spoon.  When you think the cone may be brown, carefully ease a thin spatula underneath all edges and flip.  Bake the other side.

When it is the shade of brown you wish, remove the cone from the griddle.  It will be hot but quickly roll it into a cone shape.  Hold the end a minute.

Place on a cloth and let cool.  Make the rest.

Now there are cones for ice cream!  It is not much harder then making a crepe.  And much tastier then a store bought cone!  They are also good as a cookie themselves.  No ice cream involved at all.

pumpkin babka

I have a friend who requested a pumpkin babka after seeing the pictures of funky punky monkey bread on Instagram.  I gave her options.  Pumpkin chocolate.  Monkey bread.  Cinnamon rolls.  Nope.  She wanted a pumpkin babka.  She teaches school and needed comfort food.  She did not know what shape her students were going to be in after Harvey.  They were good.  But she does not eat well during the school year anyhow so why not!

I took my pumpkin chocolate babka recipe and modified it slightly.  I wanted to get some more nutrition into her so I used white whole wheat flour and added a half a cup oatmeal.  I left out the cocoa in the dough.  I used the regular filling except making my own pumpkin pie spices because that was where I was at.

She said it was the size of a small turkey!  She actually left half of it with me.  I can say that it was quite tasty and she was not wrong on the size.  I had my half for breakfast for a week.

I would make it again.  I might cut the proportions in half though.  She was not exaggerating about the size of the babka.  But it all got eaten.  

sourdough flour tortillas

I have been asked and asked to make sourdough tortillas.  I have not.  One of the things I did not pick up at the grocery store during the storm was chips.  I am still very sensitive to corn so I do have to pick up non-corn chips.  They were left on the shelf during the storm.  But the numbers of people in the store.  It was just a bit overwhelming.

So I made sourdough tortillas to eat bean salad with.

They were a success.  And easy.  They did seem to stay more flexible longer which is always a plus.  But I did have bread dough rising that was water, flour, and salt.  I know I do not do sourdough like anyone else.  So not surprised.

sourdough flour tortillas

1 cup starter (I used bread dough, about 250 grams)

3 tablespoons olive oil or butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

Flour for kneading

Put a griddle on to heat over a medium low heat.

Put the starter (or bread dough) in a bowl (Make sure you have kept something in your jar for next time).  Mix in the oil and the salt.  Mix in enough flour to be a stiff dough.

Turn out onto a clean floured surfaces and knead until smooth.  I actually had not incorporated all the oil in when I started kneading so I was kneading that in as well.  When smooth, portion into two inch in diameter spheres.

Roll out into rounds.

Cook on both sides until there are golden dots.  Remove and cool in cloth.

The interesting gotcha here is that I have never had true success with whole wheat tortillas.  I only have whole wheat flour in the house currently and these were successful.  That is huge!  I know one more thing I will be making.  But then I was looking up how to make my own barbecue potato chip today so I just think I am crazy.  But then there was also the down the rabbit hole trip for Valentino dresses.  I want to sew dresses but I do not need dresses.  What a conundrum!

And I am babbling.  Oh well.  It is a nice feeling when a trade happened for sheetrock and tile work.  A trip to the hardwar store is in the offing.

being frugal during Harvey

During Harvey, there were no stores open near us except the corner store.  It is not a huge deal for us because we cook everyday.  I have a lot of food to make here.  The one thing we seemed to go through was large amounts of tea.  Pots and pots of tea.  With milk.  I was worried about the milk supply.  I had stashed some in the freezer but I wanted to make it last as long as possible.  

I decided to make a crepe like pancake with sourdough.  I was making bread anyway so I took a cup of the bread dough when it was in batter form, added eggs, sugar, oil, salt, and about half the milk I usually use and had sourdough pancakes.  I do not like fluffy pancakes so I did not add baking soda.  These were pretty tasty!  If I had no milk, I could use water and still have a good pancake.

I am writing this down for the next trip or storm or.  

sourdough crepe like pancakes

1 cup sourdough starter, 100% hydration (equal amounts of water and flour)

2 eggs

3 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

(for fluffy pancakes, add less milk and 1 teaspoon baking soda)

butter for cooking

Start heating the griddle over a medium low heat.

Put the sourdough in a bowl.  I was starting this for bread so there is a bit of oatmeal in it.

Mix in the sugar, oil, eggs, and salt.  

Mix in enough milk to have the consistency of pancake you wish.  I like crepe like pancakes so I used a half cup.  If you want fluffy pancakes, add baking soda too.

Melt some butter on the griddle.  Pour about a half cup batter on the griddle.  Let cook until the top is a bit dry.  Flip.

Cook for a few minutes until there is a little bit of brown on the underside.

Serve with a bit of maple syrup or powdered sugar or jam or whatever you wish.

Watch the boyos scarf them up!  I had to save a few for myself.  But the milk got stretched out.  But I will say the frugal version of the pancakes may become the standard pancake recipe.  That is how good they are.

I might make them tomorrow for breakfast.  

the current favorite pizza

Like I wrote in the past, Goat Mountain Pizza in Bellingham, WA is the only place I eat pizza out.  I ate pizza there again last time we were up in the Pacific Northwest.  It is just all decadent to my taste buds.  A lot of it is because it is good bread with stuff on top.  

I have played with it in the city, half a country away.  Then, I checked out Bianco from the library.  I have wished to go to Chris Bianco's resturaunts.  His food looks good.  I actually started to follow him on Instagram because of bread makers.  Which is horribly silly.  My Instagram feed is mostly bread, mountains, surf boards, and skateboards.  It is an odd feed.  

The cookbook was not very inspiring to me but I liked the easy of his crust.  2 cups water, 5 cups flour, yeast, 1 tablespoon salt.  I use sourdough instead of yeast.  He does a thin crust pizza but uses the same recipe for his foccaccia.  That is what I did.  Made a foccacia or sicilian pizza crust.  If I have leftover dough, I have the possibilities of a good bread or croissants.  100 grams of dough.  50 grams of butter.  I make two croissants.  I still have the problem of underproofing croissants but I am getting there.  And this way I do not have to go find a bakery.

On top of that crust, I have been putting parmesan and blue cheese, thinly sliced red onion and brussell sprouts coated with a vinaigrette of oil, balsemic vinegar, salt and pepper.  Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.  Let sit for 30 minutes before cutting it.  This is my favorite pizza currently.  I can eat a quarter of it at a sitting.  The boyos are happy because that means they will get lunch!

Everyone seems tired after Harvey.  Even if they were not "effected" they are tired because if you live here you were effected some way.  My cinnamon rolls are being asked for a lot.  I have been using white whole wheat flour in them to get more nutrition into people who need love for body and soul in the form of a baked good.  I have also been asked for cake.  Eyes lit up so big when I brought out cookies to the shop.  People are craving sweets.  They are thankful for all the good but there is some soul feeding that needs to go on.  I am trying to do what I can.  And baking for anyone who asks.