Freezing temps!!! Currently 7 degrees and Sunny...time for Fondue

Nothing is cozier than fondue and when you have 4 fresh loaves of bread, fondue is a good choice.  I picked up my fondue pot at JC Pennies online for $25...really nice stainless steel.  A really great value.

Sunday I didn't post but I should have.  I made two batches of cookies, homemade ice cream and something else but I forget now...which is why I started this blog...to keep track of what I make and the mistakes along the way.  I made the good ol' Oatmeal cookies that are already posted and put half in the freezer.  I also made Ginger cookies...I thought I was making gingerbread from reading the recipe reviews but it was more like a gingersnap only delicious and chewy.  I put half in the freezer as well.  6 to a baggie and then put the baggies inside of a freezer bag.  I've been trying to stop buying these types of snacks at the store and just make them instead.  I figure it cuts out some of the processed food and preservatives we are now plagued with at every turn.  The one thing I really try to avoid is corn syrup!

Two snow days in a row! What to do...

I braved the roads in to downtown yesterday.  I have a great car for the snow.  Unfortunately my husband has a nice car that is not so great in the snow.  Why do they even make rear wheel drive vehicles anymore?  I left work early so he could get to his class and right when I got home, Creighton closed for the day.  Probably a good thing since crazy drivers were all over the place fishtailing everywhere.  The snow kept coming and again school was canceled.  My boss text me this morning saying I could work from home or come in late...whatever I was comfortable with.  I GREATLY appreciated that.  Knowing Sean would again need the car and with my work computer on the fritz the last thing I wanted to do was drive in to find I can't do much because of my computer and then have to leave early.  I was able to work remotely for a couple of hours.

So what to do?  I made bread.  ALLLLLLL Day.  I didn't used processed yeast and only a starter so the first rising was 6 hours.  The bread turned out amazing.

I made a double batch due to adding too much flower at the wrong time.  I will freeze a couple of loaves.

This bread is the best I've made so far.  I had planned to do Fondue tonight for dinner but the bread wasn't ready.  6-8 hours for the first rising, 2-2.5 hours for the second, and 1-1.5 for the third with time to knead in between.  Crazy.

Next time I make this I will make up the dough and let it rise while I sleep, then I should only need a spare 4 hours to babysit the bread.  I use to think $3 a loaf was too much now I am thinking it's not enough.

I doubt anyone will want this recipe since it requires a starter (mine I started back in November) and takes so long.  Let me know if you do and I'll post it.  It makes exceptional bread.

Snowy Sunday

After the hockey game the snow really started coming down. I wanted to make gingerbread cookies but I don't have molasses. Called a couple of neighbors but they didn't have it either. Oh well, made up some dough for facaccia to make the special sammy. Come to find out we don't have all the ingredients for that either. I'll have to bake it up and save it for tomorrow and pick up the fixings on the way home from work. It's the grocery shopping and ingredients that are frustrating to me. I quite enjoy cooking otherwise.

Since we ate up all the homemade ice-cream I guess I'll make some. Going for mocha flavored this time. I would make the cinnamon but the kids don't like it as well. I'll make that tomorrow maybe.

I just don't want to go out in the snow to the store. Lots of gumbo from last night. I tried posting a pic but the mobile blog isn't working. I'll post it the old fashioned way later.

Gumbo repeat

I've been craving the gumbo we had a couple of weeks ago. Not quite as easy to make in Nebraska. Went to a few places looking for file powder. Finally found it at whole foods. That place kills the pocketbook for sure. Didn't want to shell crab so I'll be making some substitutions. We'll see how it goes. Wish I would have bought fondue stuff for tomorrow. It's going to be a cold one.

Owen just put in a request for cinnamon rolls so I'd better get busy.

Breakfast Surprise!!!

Last night while dinner was cooking I decided to make cinnamon rolls for the morning.  I used this recipe and a bread machine to make the dough.

Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup margarine, melted
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup butter, softened

• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Place first 7 ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start.
2. After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
3. Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
4. Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving. 

Instead of preheating the oven, I put the frosting in a container and covered the pan with the cut out rolls into the refrigerator over night. 

When I woke up I took them out and set the oven to 400 and brought them to room temperature while I showered.  Then I popped them into the oven for 15 minutes.

I frosted them while warm.

They turned out amazing.  The dough was perfect.  The rolls went well with lattes from my new nespresso coffee machine.