Buns

 In my last post I wrote that I was making buns for lamb burgers.  They turned out better than expected. I used a recipe from King Arthur Baking.  

1 Cup water

2 tablespoons room temperature butter

1 egg

3 1/2 Cups AP Flour

1/4 Cup sugar

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

1 package of yeast

Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients-by hand, processor  or bread machine-to make a soft, smooth dough. I used the dough hook with my Ninja food processor.

Cover the dough and let it rise for 1-2 hours, or until it has doubled in bulk.

Gently deflate the dough and divide into 8 pieces.  Shape each piece into a round ball, flatten to about 3 inches across.  Place the buns on a lightly greased or parchment lined baking sheet, cover and let rise for about an hour, until noticeably puffy.

Brush the buns with half of the melted butter.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and brush with the remaining butter.

Cool on a rack.

I followed this recipe exactly and they turned out very good.  Nice flavor with a good texture.  The only thing I will do differently next time is instead of brushing with butter I will do an egg wash half way through the bake.  I think that will give them a better shine and hold the sesame seeds on better.  We had them with our lamb burgers and then for sandwiches for lunch one day.  I froze the remaining buns.  I will be making all my buns from now on instead of buying.

Random Thoughts

2020 was such a strange year.  In some ways I feel like we were all stuck in March when the Pandemic started here in the US but at the same time it's like the year flew by. We all experienced so many changes.  Some good, some horrible.  I know I stopped doing a lot of things that were 'the norm' for me and I want to be sure and get back some of what I had stopped doing.  I know things aren't going to magically get better so I decided this year to just focus on the little things that I can control. 

 Today is the 22nd day of this new year and so far I have done a mani- pedi each week. I had forgotten how nice it is to have nice looking polished nails.  I have started putting my daily outfit together the night before and included accessories. Firefly Grill is our favorite place to eat.  They are re opening in March and I have made the bold move of actually making a reservation in April for our Anniversary.  I know...living on the edge.  I hope things are at least manageable by then.  We will see.

We have consumed zero store bought bread.  I have made bread from scratch each week, sometimes twice.  I know we're saving money and flour, salt, yeast and water are so much better than store bought loaded with chemicals and questionable ingredients.  This weekend I'm going to attempt hamburger buns.  I'm craving a lamb burger so hopefully they will come out well.  Stay tuned to see how this works out.

My husband doesn't care for steak. (I don't understand it at all)  I on the other hand LOVE it.  For the last few years though I limit my steaks to only 2 or 3 a year.  So I enjoyed steak number 1 Saturday night.  It was a grass fed local sirloin that I seasoned with black pepper and black lava salt and cooked in a cast iron skillet.  It was so good.  

Sunday night I roasted one of our local chickens.  The taste is so amazing compared to grocery store chicken.  We had it roasted one night, I made stock and then a big pot of spicy chicken soup.  

We even had a little snow on Sunday so I was able to let Jet outside to check it out.  He's an inside cat but I do let him have supervised time outside occasionally.  How he sits his behind in that cold snow I do not know.

Now it's Friday.  I'm off work for the weekend.  Tonight I'm going to work on my grocery list and tomorrow we will go get groceries.  I haven't shopped since the day after New Years except for one trip for fresh veggies.  

What has life been like in your neck of the woods?  Are you daring to actually plan anything yet?

Flavor

I keep a pretty full pantry with all of the staples we routinely use. I always have a variety of pasta, rice, beans and canned tomatoes.  I have some veggies from the summer in the freezer along with a fully stocked baking cabinet.  I always have done this since that is how I grew up. I don't do a weekly menu plan, I plan the day before unless it is a special occasion  or one of us is craving something specific. First I look at what fresh vegetables we have that need used first, then I pick a protein or not and then I pull from my pantry and then plan what I will cook. It works for me.  

Along with a stocked pantry a large selection of herbs, spices and oils play a huge part in my cooking.  As a matter of fact, I need to hang another spice rack as mine is full and I have spices in a drawer as well.  I just love the fact that you can take a piece of chicken and turn it into countless different dishes just by the way you cook it and the spices or sauces that you use.

There is no way I could pick a favorite meal profile because there are just too many to choose from.  If I had to pick my top used spices I would say cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, turmeric, Mexican and regular oregano, fresh garlic and fresh ginger as some of the ones I use the most. We lean towards Mexican, Thai, Italian, Japanese, Indian and Americanish dishes the most.  

What is your favorite spice?  What type of flavors do you lean towards? I hope everyone has a safe and peaceful week.

Cold dark nights call for soup

Every year I try to take the first couple of weeks of the New Year to plan, reflect and relax.  I take advantage of the long dark cold nights to read, watch movies or play in the kitchen.  Once a week every winter I try to make soup because it is what the season calls for.  This week we enjoyed this cabbage soup recipe.  I've made it many times.  You can do it vegetarian or add meat if you want to make it a bit hardier.

Cabbage soup

6 cups of chicken or vegetable broth

1 can diced tomatoes

2-3 cup sliced cabbage-I used purple and savoy all are good

1 onion chopped

1 or 2 carrots chopped

2 celery stalks chopped

2 cloves garlic chopped

1/2 inch nub of ginger chopped

1/2 tablespoon turmeric

1/2 tablespoon cumin

1 tsp coriander 

1 tsp paprika

1 tablespoon oregano 

salt/pepper to taste

red chili flakes to taste

lemon optional

cilantro optional

Put all of the ingredients into a soup pot except for the lemon and cilantro.

Simmer on low for 2 hours.

Add cilantro and a squeeze of lemon when serving.

This is not a very good picture, but this gives you and idea what it looks like when it begins.  I didn't get a picture of the end result but this is a delicious soup full of healthy ingredients. 

I hope everyone had a good week.  Do you have any favorite soups?

Hello 2021

New Years Day was very relaxing.  I got up and made a big breakfast then we went in to watch the movie Peanut Butter Falcon.  I've been wanting to see it forever.  We both really enjoyed it.  I'd say it's one of the best movies I've seen in a while.  The rest of the day was spent setting up this years journal and odds and ends around the house.  For dinner I made a big batch of stuffed shells and a salad.  When it is only the two of us, I only bake enough for our dinner and then we have two uncooked meals to add to the freezer.

I don't dream very often and if I do, I rarely remember them.  But four or five years ago I had a very vivid dream.  I was buying a new house and when I got there things were very chaotic so I walked down the street a block or two to the ocean.  I went quite far into the water and a whale came up to me, brushed my check and whispered Just Float.  When I saw the Dingbat journal with the whale on it, I had to have it.  I have it all set up for 2021 and my motto through the year will be Just Float.

Seed catalogs are coming in so I am looking forward to taking some time to plan my garden this month.  I remember even as a child I would flip through my grandparents seed catalogs when they came. 

I really enjoyed this holiday season even if it was a little different than most.  October through January has always been my favorite time of year and I'm a little sad to see it come to a close.  The decorations are all put away and today I'm getting everything ready for the first full week of the year.  Here's hoping 2021 will be kind.

Be safe everyone!