Snow Day Baking

So I unexpectedly got a snow day today. After being outside shoveling I was in dire need of something warm and comforting and delicious.

Upon my return to the house, I cranked the oven up to 425F and made blueberry oat muffins. They are great but not quite what I was really wanting.

So right now I have a batch of the Mexican bar cookies in the oven. Maybe that will do it.

But perhaps an apple pie is in order because I just laid in a supply of Granny Smiths.

Hmm. I already have rye bread from the weekend's baking. What else should I make? What's your favorite thing to bake when the weather is horrible?

Girlfriend, you scare me sometimes, I sat down to drink my tea, having just decided I was going to make blueberry oat muffins !

We never get truly horrible weather, but when it's bleak, there's nothing like chocolate to lift your spirits. Or something lemony, like lemon curd, or lemon meringue pie. Here are some of my favourite recipes for you :

Lime and Buttermilk Cake

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MRS FIELDS BUTTERSCOTCH BARS (from the Mrs Fields Cookie Book)

2 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
250g salted butter, softened
1 large egg
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
1.5 cups semisweet chocolate chips
(nb. I use 2.5 cups of mixed chocolate chips - no nuts. Celia)

Yield : 16 bars

Preheat oven to 150 deg C. Grease or line an 8-by-8 inch pan with Bake.

Combine flour and soda in a medium bowl. Mix well with a wire whisk. Set aside.

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to blend the sugar and butter. Add egg and vanilla, and beat at medium speed until light and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the flour mixture, pecans and chocolate chips. Blend at low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.

Transfer batter into the prepared pan, and level top with a rubber spatula. Bake in centre of oven for 35 - 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean but centre is still soft. Cool on rack to room temperature. Cut with sharp knife into 1-by-2 inch bars.

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The Best Brownies
(from CHOCOLATE by Trish Deseine)

90g butter
120g dark chocolate
2 eggs, beaten
225g sugar
90g plain flour
50g hazelnuts of macadamia nuts, toasted and crushed, or pecan nuts, crushed (NB. I use almond meal..Celia)

Preheat oven it 180 deg. C.

Grease a 20cm square baking pan.

Melt butter and chocolate in microwave and leave to cool slightly.

Add beaten eggs, followed by sugar and flour.

Mix together quickly but gently, then incorporate nuts.

Turn into baking pan and bake for about 30mins. It should be crisp on top and soft inside.

Leave to cool slightly before turning out.

Great minds, Celia! Thanks for the recipes. I'm putting them on my To Try list. Maybe today yet!!

Lemon! Yes, I have lemons and will make madeleines next. Perfect, girl!

I'm not much of a dessert person, but whenever I think of comforting and dessert in the same bubble I think of bread pudding with burbon sauce (I always put in about 2 Tbsp shredded, unsweetened coconut in my pudding). Yummmmm!!!!

I have to confess that I have never made bread pudding, Jo Ann. Maybe I better add that to my list too so I can learn how! Thanks!

I have to confess that I have never made bread pudding, Jo Ann. Maybe I better add that to my list too so I can learn how! Thanks!

The one in Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen is very good (almost identical to my family recipe). If you don't have that book, let me know and I'll reproduce it for you.

I make these...

Chocolate Chip Espresso Blondies

1 ½ stick butter
1 pound brown sugar
1 ½ tablespoons instant espresso powder
1 tablespoon water
2 eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
6 ounces mini chocolate chips.


Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9x9 pan with parchment paper and butter/spray the sides. Or , use Baker’s Joy.

Melt butter and brown sugar in a 3 quart saucepan. Add the espresso powder and water and still to combine. Let cool.

Whisk in the eggs and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix to combine. Add the chocolate chips.

Spread the mixture in the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of pan.

Cool and cut into 1 ½ inch squares.

Jo Ann, I'd love the recipe! I don't have any of Prudhomme's books. But I'd especially like your family recipe if it's not a secret.

Traci, it's a darned good thing I can take all these baked goods to my workplace and be everybody's best friend, because that one has to go on my list too!

Cynthia...I do the same thing. My co-workers usually eat very well. And when there's even more goodies to go around, I start sending things up to the winery where my boyfriend works.

where my boyfriends works.

Plural? You go, girl!

Yikes! Just a typo!! Don't need to get in any trouble!

[Jenise]

where my boyfriends works.

Plural?

That's our Traci. [proud look]

[Jenise]

So I unexpectedly got a snow day today. After being outside shoveling I was in dire need of something warm and comforting and delicious.

Upon my return to the house, I cranked the oven up to 425F and made blueberry oat muffins. They are great but not quite what I was really wanting.

So right now I have a batch of the Mexican bar cookies in the oven. Maybe that will do it.

But perhaps an apple pie is in order because I just laid in a supply of Granny Smiths.

Hmm. I already have rye bread from the weekend's baking. What else should I make? What's your favorite thing to bake when the weather is horrible?

Rainy day/snow day cooking for me is never about sweets, but savory foods. Or I should say, was. Now that rainy days are frequent I'd forgotten about the coziness of cooking on the infrequent rainy days in California. There, the baking part would be bread or biscuits, and the pot of something on the stove was often split pea soup. It reminds me of one of the first rainy weekend days we had together when Bob and I first met. I insisted that we walk to the store--my rules, no umbrellas--and get the ingredients needed for the above menu. We did, laughing and stomping in puddles the whole way, only to find that the store was completely out of dried peas. Have no idea what we did instead, besides get totally soaked and have a blissful afternoon at home after we'd shed the wet garments.

What's your favorite thing to bake when the weather is horrible?

Pizza.

Of course, that's my favorite thing to bake when the weather is nice, too.

No baking for me on snowy or cold rainy days. Last week I made split pea soup and used the world's best ham hocks that I buy at our local meat shop. Because of a bumper crop of lemons, I've made two lemon meringue recently. Oh yum!

Pizza.

Of course, that's my favorite thing to bake when the weather is nice, too.

Well, of course! But I have leftover pizza in the fridge already.

Hmm. I already have rye bread from the weekend's baking. What else should I make? What's your favorite thing to bake when the weather is horrible?

Nice, thick bread pudding with vanilla sauce.
Gooey cinnamon rolls.
Just a wonderful loaf of crunchy bread and side of of lentil or pea soup.

Okay, now I want Traci's boyfriends in Jenise's neighborhood. Hey, I am building myself some kind of life...a virtual one.
b

Okay, Cynthia, here you go. A combination of mine and Paul's
Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce
about 6 C stale, crusty peasant bread
3 large eggs
about 2 C sugar
about 4 C half and half
1/2 stick butter, cut into small dice
nutmeg, to taste (1 to 1.5 tsp)
cinnamon, to taste (1.5 to 2 tsp)
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp shredded, unsweetened coconut
1/2 C raisins

As uniformly as possible, cut the bread into about 1-1.5" cubes and set aside. Beat the eggs in a large bowl with a wire whisk until well incorporated. Combine with sugar, spices, half and half, and vanilla and beat to mix well. Stir in bread, coconut, butter pieces and raisins. Set aside and stir occasionally, until most of liquid appears to be absorbed, about 45 mins to 1 hour. (Try to not beat the bread into a mush. The crusty pieces that float to the surface of the pudding will create a nice crunchy texture to some servings.) Generously butter a 9" x 13" baking pan (or whatever size appears needed). Place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven and bake about 45 minutes. Turn heat up to 425 degrees the last 10-15 minutes of cooking. Do not let all moisture cook out of the pudding. Pudding should be moist, puffy and brown. Remove from oven and let cool til pleasingly warm. Serve with Whiskey Sauce (follows).

Whiskey Sauce
1-1/4 C heavy cream
1/2 C sugar
2 large egg yolk
1/4 C whiskey (burbon, rum or brandy may be substituted)

In a heavy bottom saucepan combine cream and sugar and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Once simmering, remove from heat. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks adding hot cream in a slow, steady stream, stirring constantly. Pour cream mixture back into saucepan and place on heat, continuing to stir until it thickens (coating the back of a wooden spoon), but do not boil. Remove from heat and add whiskey. Remove to bowl and cover surface with plastic wrap and keep warm by sitting over warm water.
Enjoy!

Thank you so much, Jo Ann!

I'll buy bread tomorrow and let it sit until the weekend. I'll report back!

[David M. Bueker]

Go way back to January 1996 - there was a blizzard, and for only the 2nd time ever the company where I work closed for the day. Get up in the AM & there's already 15 inches of snow on the ground. I have to eat something before i go out there & start clearing snow. So I whipped up some cinnamon apple muffins & got them in the oven. Zipped out for 15 minutes of quick snow removal, then came back in the house to just finishing muffins. And what a smell - warm cinnamon and apples.

Did a first clearing of the driveway, as well as a first clearing of the flat section of our roof. Now what to do for luch. Hmm...need warm bread. So I mixed up some soft dough & set it to rise while I cleared some more snow (the plow had come by). Dough risen I make up a focaccia with salt, pepper, garlic & basil. Pop that in the over for baking while I clear more snow. Come back in to the aroma of warm bread, garlic and herbs. Ahhhhh.

Spent the rest of the day either snacking on muffins and focaccia or clearing snow. It gets near dinner time & I made biscuits to go with some hearty soup!

A good snow day of baking, and with all that snow clearing work I lost weight!

Thank you so much, Jo Ann!

I'll buy bread tomorrow and let it sit until the weekend. I'll report back!

Oops! Edited the RCP post to include vanilla -- I forgot. Sorry.

Apple pie cures what ails ya'.

rwj

You know what Princess? I have been working a few morning classes of late. The first thing I do when I get there is make a pot of oatmeal. You may well know that my oatmeal is made with raisins, cinnamon, vanilla, and almond butter. There is always some leftover so I have taken to making loaves of "Leftover Oatmeal Bread". I just toss the leftover oatmeal in after I have proofed the yeast and then start adding flour until I get the right consistency. You could try that as it makes great toast. I would make some today if it weren't 85 degrees here.

rwj