Pots and Pins

Juanita's Orange Rolls...

Years ago when I paid a visit to my bro's home in Fairfax, South Carolina, I was introduced to many things, like humidididity - which is way worse than your regular humidity - and snakes and alligators - not that I ever saw any but they were there - lurking in the bushes - just waiting for a dumb little mountain girl (me) to stumble on in...and food...aaahhh...like nothin' I'd ever tasted and all of it fried to perfection.  Except for these rolls.  Not fried.  Unbelieveably good.  Miss Ellie, my SIL, made a batch of these Orange Rolls and I immediately got out my pen and paper and asked her for the recipe - and as with most recipes I write down, something gets lost in the translation.  And so it was with this - when I got home and tried to make these rolls, they were good but not exactly as I remembered.  I tried tinkering with the recipe and eventually got a worthy roll out of it - but they were different from the original and still not as good.         

Why didn't I just call my SIL and ask her for the recipe again?  Good question - and the answer is I just plain forgot.  So last week I got an email from Julie, a dear friend of my SIL - and Julie is the person who gave the recipe to my SIL - so, thinking I was going to the source, I asked her for the recipe.  And when she emailed it back I was surprised to learn it wasn't hers but someone named Juanita Bennett.  She told me that Juanita didn't share the recipe for a very long time and you had to be in her kitchen when she was making them to get the "secrets."  In Juanita's later years she finally did share her recipe, but only with a select few and you know how that goes - now the entire town of Fairfax makes these orange rolls - I think they're the "Town Food."       

Here's a few of the "secrets" I've now been privvy to...you need to use pastry flour, for a softer roll.   King Arthur Flour has a couple of pastry flours that I like.  I also like their all-purpose flour for these rolls - it just seems lighter to me.  Also, it makes a difference as to the oranges that are used...Valencia are great and flavorful but if you can't find them use a deeply orange colored Navel orange.  I did find some Valencia oranges but they had seen better days so I used a Navel orange.  Juanita, Julie and Miss Ellie all roll their rolls into a crescent shape but rolling them into a more traditional "cinnamon roll" shape works well, too.   

This recipe takes time - about 4 to 5 hours start to finish, depending on how warm your kitchen is for the dough to rise.  But after one bite you will come to understand why these are worth every second.  (The girl and I have been known to pay $30.00 for a ferry ride to Bainbridge Island just for a chance to buy one of the orange rolls at their local bakery - because we thought they were the best in the world - an hour over and and hour back - and often times we would get there and they would have sold out. And Juanita's Orange Rolls make the ones we've always loved on Bainbridge seem oh so blah!!)   

Miss Juanita Bennett's Orange Rolls - Adapted Ever So Slightly from Julie Strong and Ellen Wagner

(My deepest thanks to Juanita, who has now passed on, and in keeping with Juanita's example, I shall only share this recipe with a select few...thanks, too, to Julie Strong and Ellen Wagner, who have unwittingly contributed to the size of my thighs with their recipes over the years!) 

To make the dough:

1 tablespoon yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

6 tablespoons butter, softened but not melted

3 cups flour, plus more for rolling

For the Filling:

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup coconut

finely grated rind from one large orange (Valencia or Navel)

For the Glaze:

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup butter

2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate (fresh squeezed orange juice doesn't have as strong of flavor as the concentrate but you can use it in a pinch.)

1 tablespoon water

To Make the Dough:  In a large bowl, add yeast and warm water.  Stir until yeast is softened.  Stir in sugar, sour cream, salt, eggs and butter.  Gradually stir in flour until all comes together into a soft dough.  Knead just a few times, shape into a ball and place into a greased bowl, covered with plastic wrap, to rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours in a warm kitchen.  (If your kitchen is cold, it will take longer to double.) 

While dough is rising make the filling. In a medium bowl, combine all of the filling ingredients and mix well. 

When dough has doubled in size, divide in half.  Roll one half of dough into a 15-inch circle and spread with 2 tablespoons of softened butter. Spread half of the filling over dough and using a pizza cutter, cut into 12, equal sections.  Roll into crescent shapes, starting with the wide end, and place point side down on a well-greased (or silpat lined) cookie sheet.  (My SIL and Julie use a 9x13-inch pan to make these rolls in, I opted for the cookie sheet.)  Repeat with remaining dough.  Line the rolls up, 3 rolls across, 8 rolls down for a total of 24 rolls.

Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned on top, about 25 minutes.  While baking, make the glaze by putting all of the glaze ingredients into a sauce pan and stirring to blend.  Heat over medium-high heat until mixture comes to a rolling boil.  Reduce heat and keep warm until rolls come out of the oven.

 Pour hot glaze over rolls immediately upon taking them out of the oven.  Let them cool slightly before serving - if you can!  Makes 24 of the best tasting Orange Rolls in the universe.  5 dangs for sure!

"Always fall in with what you're asked to accpet.  Take what is given, and make it over your way."  ~ Robert Frost

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One year ago today:  Thanks - A Million Times Over  (My dear sweet mom celebrated her 76th birthday last Friday - she received lots of visitors and cards from friends.  She's been laid up with another  issue - this time it was a spontaneous bleed into her knee, related to her Coumadin levels, so she wasn't able to fly up here as planned or even go out to dinner to celebrate.  But when we talked about her day she said, "I've been thinking about last year's birthday - it was one for a lifetime."  So the memory of all YOU did for my mom continues - and continues to make her smile - thanks again!

Peanut Butter Bars...

I was browzing thru blogs while Baby Max was sleeping and visited some of my favorite sites, including Little Piggy Food.  This blog is full of interesting recipes, and it's a "community blog" which means there are several contributors.  One of the many recipes that caught my eye at Little Piggy was this one for Peanut Butter Bars...and it sounded so familiar...so I dug through a pile of my recipes and discovered I had  almost the exact same one - which came from a friend of a friend in Utah, who is probably related to one of the contributors at Little Piggy...everyone in Utah is related to everyone else...it's a Utah thing.           

If you like peanut butter, you'll love these bars.  They are rich and chewy, thanks to a tiny bit of oats, and the frosting on top is so light and creamy it just takes the cake or should I say bar?       

I have to tell you my good news - I have recently begun working with Lavender Rabbit Patterns and I'll be able to show you some of the things I've been busy with soon - and it looks like I'll be going to the BIG SHOW in HOUSTON this fall - the big quilt show!!!  I informed the mister that I would be going to Houston and that in the past this show has been around Halloween...and the mister said, with a straight face, "How can you be gone on Halloween, who's going to pass out the candy?"  It would KILL him to answer the door - KILL HIM!  I don't think he's EVER answered our door - even when it's not Halloween!  It's totally beneath him...as is answering the phone...come to think of it, many things are beneath him, but I won't bore you with them now.     

Make these bars - you will be SO glad you did - they are absolutely, positively delicious!!  They travel well and will keep for about a week in an air-tight container in the refrigerator, but let them come to room temperature for the perfect bite!

Peanut Butter Bars - Adapted from Karen Krissman

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy or with nuts

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup flour

1 cup oats

1 package (12 oz.) milk chocolate chips

Frosting Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened but not melted

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons milk, if needed

small piece of chocolate for chocolate shavings on top

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl combine the butter, peanut butter, sugars, egg and vanilla.  Mix well with a whisk to combine.  In a small bowl combine the soda, salt, flour and mix well.  Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and stir with a wooden spoon; fold in the oats.  Spread the mixture into a 9x13-inch jelly roll pan or a 9x13-inch pan, using the back of a spoon to even out the mixture.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 10 to 13 minutes, or until it is golden brown on top and slightly firm to the touch.  Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips on top, spreading evenly.  Let sit for 4 minutes and then carefully smooth the melted chocolate over the top of the bars.  Put the bars into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to cool completely. 

Meanwhile, make the frosting:

Blend all ingredients together in a medium bowl, whisking until smooth.  Frosting should be a spreadable consistency so if it's a little thick (depending on the type of peanut butter you use) you may need to add a few tablespoons of milk to thin. 

When bars are completely cool, spread frosting on top.  Sprinkle with shaved chocolate, cut into 2x2-inch bars and serve.  Makes 24 bars.

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"Ability may get you to the top but it takes character to keep you there."  ~ John Wooden

Baby Max's New Quilt...

I know I've asked this before but is it really possible for one baby to have too many quilts?!?  Naw...I'm sure it's not - not with all the puking and pooping that goes on!  I've had this one pieced for some time and I finally got it finished - here's a close-up...pretend you haven't seen it before and ooh and aah out loud - we'll both feel better... 

It's not huge - just big enough to cover the most wonderful baby on the planet...34x40-inches...a car quilt, or stroller quilt or a Baskin-Robbins-late-night-with-grandma-quilt! 

I love the striped binding - with thanks to the Fashionista who first taught me to cut binding on the bias.  The red small border fabric has words on it that you can't see in the pic - frogs, marbles, boys will be boys, trucks, tops, toyboat, bugs and fishing - it's darling fabric and I used some of it on the pieced back.   

I'll leave you with a bit of eye candy...Here's Baby Max showing off his Melba Toast...it's his new thing - holding up his food for all to see...not only is he beautiful but he's talented as well!

Now do you see why he deserved another quilt?!?

Oops!

I thought it was spelled wrong...but I checked myself by looking at the picture of the shirt I saw (which gave me the idea of painting one for Baby Max) - I checked and checked...again, by looking at the picture...without my glasses...and what I saw was  F R A S E R..... I did not see the "I" at all!!!  Perhaps if I had my glasses on I would have saved myself the embarrassment of it all....perhaps.  I proudly presented Baby Max with his new shirt - knowing the girl would be so pleased with my handiwork...and she laughed out loud and said, "You spelled Frasier wrong!"  I begged to differ and showed her the picture of the shirt - and she very calmly pointed out the "I" snuggled up nice and close to the "E".  Idiot.  Sometimes it's hard being me. 

So here's the new version...the good news is Baby Max will have outgrown this by the time he can read.

Pork Roast in Cherry Chutney and Cider...

I don't think I've ever told you where the mister likes to eat...his favorite place, where he would be happy eating morning, noon and night...the food court at Costco.  He likes the one on 4th Avenue in Seattle because it's inside, the one closer to home, is outside and no matter what the weather, he is happy to sit out there, on freezing plastic benches, and eat a slice of their cheese pizza AND a polish hot dog with mustard...he can't eat one without the other and now that Costco has started spraying some grape-scented stuff in the air to keep the birds away, the mister enjoys the ambiance so much more!  Eating on the sidewalk, in the cold, with cars and trucks backfiring mixed with the aroma of exhaust fumes all the while watching people maneuver their 500 pound carts loaded with things they didn't intend to purchase, in and out of traffic - yes, that's what I would call ambiance!  It's rather manic and exhausting (as was that last sentence) eating outside with the hope of a fender bender but for a buck fifty you'll not find any better people watching, except maybe at the airport when a late night flight arrives from Asia - now THAT'S entertainment!  I'm sure you're wondering what this recipe has to do with Costco, nothing except that I bought my pork roast there - a three pack of pork shoulder roasts for $12.00.  The only thing that beats that is the buck fifty hotdog!         

I went to my pantry and took out a jar of Cherry Chutney which I made and "canned" a while back.  If you don't have any cherry chutney on hand, just buy some at the store - it's fabulous with pork.  Note to the girl:  This is a no-brainer and you'll love it...trust your mom.

Pork Roast in Cherry Chutney and Cider - ME

1 cup cherry chutney

2 cups apple cider

1 3 to 4 lb. pork shoulder roast

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Rinse roast and pat dry with paper toweling.  Place roast in a 9x13-inch baking dish and cover with cherry chutney and cider.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 2 hours, basting occasionally.  Remove from oven and cover with foil and let sit for 15 minutes.  Slice the roast and arrange slices in baking dish, cover again with foil and return to a warm oven to allow the slices to soak up the sauce, for 10 minutes.  This is so flavorful and delicious and as the mister lapped it up he said, "Nice!  You managed to make something good without any spice."  Always a pleasure to serve that man.  Serves 4 to 6. 

"The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love and something to hope for."  ~ Joseph Addison

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One year ago today:  Sugar Cookies Fit For A Queen

Brownies With Cherries...

We never lock the door from the garage to the house.  Never.  So this morning I let Caesar Beezer The Wonder Dog outside, then I went out into the garage to retrieve a protein drink from the garage fridge - where we keep all the extra stuff - and when I went to come back into the house - you guessed it - the door was locked!  We used to keep a key, for just such an occasion, in the garage - but that was years and ago and it's long since disappeared so there I was, bare-footed and in my pj's freezing.  The boy had already left for work and the mister was in the bathroom - singing - above the garage.  I grabbed a broom and began hitting the ceiling, right under where he would have been standing.  Nothing.  I waited and hit it again.   Nothing.  And again.  Nothing.  I yelled and sang along and hit the ceiling with the beat...again nothing.  Finally, after my feet had turned into blocks of ice, he heard me...and the door opened.  His face was covered with shaving cream and he opened his pie hole and said, "What the hell are you doing out here?"  Like I DID something wrong!  I asked him why he locked the door that we NEVER lock he said...laughingly,  "I always LOCK this door!"  Liar.  Liar.  Pants on fire.  I don't recall the last time I saw the mister that happy.  Game ON.     

I had this little epiphany standing in the baking section at the store...what if I put a can of cherry pie filling into a brownie mix?  I'm sure someone else has thought of this because it just seems like a no-brainer...and it's so good...I'd give it a 4 on the Dang Meter...dang, dang, dang, dang good! 

I used a Pillsbury Brownie Classics,Traditional Fudge Family Size Mix and followed the directions on the box for making them.  Then I took a can of Cherry Pie Filling (21.5 oz.) and dumped it into a strainer so most of the thick sauce drained off.  When just the cherries were left, with a nice coating of the heavy sauce, I folded them into the brownies.  I followed the directions on the box for baking, too.  I let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then cut them into squares and removed them to a rack to cool.  Just look at those bits of cherries...mmmmm...I'm telling you straight - these are company worthy.  Just don't mention they came from a box! 

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One year ago today:  Ugly Doll Update  

Irish Soda Bread...

Top o' the Mornin' to Ya!  Scrap whatever you are doing right now and make this bread...seriously, it's THAT good.  Oh sure, I know what you're thinking...Irish Soda Bread is bland and needs tons of butter and jam to make it palatable...well yes, that's true, REAL Irish Soda Bread IS bland...but this is American Irish Soda Bread...it's got sugar in it and raisins (which a real Irishman would never permit!) and buttermilk to make it creamy with a bit of a zip!  I fell in love with this bread the first time I made it and have been making it for St Patrick’s Day for years.  As I was making this in the wee hours of the morn, the mister asked what I was doing...I told him I was making it in an attempt to lure a Leprechaun with his pot of gold to the front door...and the mister said, "Well good, make sure you catch the little bas----, we need the cash!"  It's always so nice to start the morning with a positive thought.  Bet you wish you were married to a wordsmith, too!

         

 

Irish Soda Bread, made the traditional way, not only doesn't include sugar or raisins but no caraway seeds either!  I don't happen to like caraway seeds so I didn't put them in but if you like them just add in a tablespoon after you add the raisins.

     

 

Oh, one more thing, if you want to make a classic Irish Soda Bread, there are a cazillion recipes on line, or you could just follow the recipe below except omit the egg and decrease the sugar to 2 tablespoons (c'mon, you have to have a leeetle sugar!) 

Irish Soda Bread - Adapted from Baking Illustrated

4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the work surface

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened,  plus 1 tablespoon melted butter for crust

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 cup raisins

1 tablespoon caraway seeds (optional)

Adjust an oven rack to the upper middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Whisk the flours, sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt together in a large bowl.  Work the softened butter into the dry ingredients with a fork or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. 

Combine the buttermlk and egg with a fork.  Add the buttermilk-egg mixture, raisins and caraway seeds and stir with a fork just until the dough begins to come together.  Turn out onto a flour-coated work surface; knead just until the dough becomes cohesive and bumpy, 12 to 14 turns.  (Do not knead until the dough is smooth, or the bread will be tough.) 

Pat the dough into a round about 6 inches in diameter and 2 inches high; place on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.  Score the dough by cutting a cross shape on the top of the loaf.  Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, covering bread with aluminum foil if it is browning too much (check after 20 minutes).  Bread is done when a skewer is inserted into the center and comes out clean or the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees.  Remove the loaf from the oven and brush the surface with the melted butter, cool to room temperature, 30 to 40 minutes before slicing. 

"May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face, and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand." ~ Old Irish Blessing

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One year ago today:  Tourista For A Day (Whenever anyone comes to town, this is the tour we give them...and it's also what we do when we want to play Tourista...we never get tired of it!)

Fun Giveaway!

Simply This That and The Other is having a great giveaway!  Go and enter - NOW - it closes on Sunday, March 22nd...you'll have to scroll down a bit but you'll enjoy the ride - it's a fun blog!  Here's a pic of what she's giving away...I'd be happy if you won, but I'd be more happy if I won!   

She's giving away some of her favorite things, along with this darling table runner, to celebrate her 703rd blog post...which got me to thinking...how many posts have I done?  Well, I lost count after 500...and that was a while back...I'm sure I have a "post counter" on here somewhere but darned if I can find it!  It's probably time for ME to do another giveaway...and I will...to celebrate my 100,000th visitor...which won't be long now so stay tuned!

Bette's Diner Buttermilk Pancakes...

NOTHING is better on a cold wintry morning than pancakes - and these pancakes are the best I've ever tasted...and I'm sure will be the best you'll ever taste - I'd bet my griddle on it!  I haven't been to Bette's Oceanview Diner but I recently picked up a copy of their book, The Pancake Handbook, and have added them to my list of PLACES TO EAT before I die...everyone has a list like this, right?  These pancakes are the favorite at Bette's and I can see why - they are buttery and cakey and fluffy...just the way a pancake should be.     

The mister will be out of commission for the next week because the "Big Dance" has started - otherwise known as college basketball.  He's been pacing around the house today just waiting for the selection show to get underway...His teams, Memphis and Maryland, are certain to play but the mister takes nothing for granted...he's dressed in his teams jerseys, socks and hats...yes, he wears them both at the same time and thinks that's normal.  Whatever.  He did come out of his basketball trance long enough to say these pancakes were great...high praise indeed...and even the boy loved them, eating 11 pancakes in one sitting! 

Bette's Diner Buttermilk Pancakes - Adapted From The Pancake Handbook by Steve Siegelman, Bette Kroening, and Sue Conley

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup milk (I used whole milk - much better than 2% or that bluish-white stuff)

1/4 cup butter, melted

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs, buttermilk, milk, and butter.  Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients all at once, stirring just to blend.  The batter should be slightly lumpy and quite thick.  Let the batter rest for 5 to 10 minutes.  Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium-high heat.  Portion 1/4-cup measures of batter onto the hot griddle, spacing them apart.  Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles cover the surface of the pancakes, and their undersides are lightly browned.  Gently turn them over and cook for about 2 minutes more, until the other sides are browned. 

Pancake tips:  Do not mix out all the lumps in the batter!  If you want light, tender, fluffy pancakes you need to resist the urge to beat the batter!

Make sure the griddle is hot but not too hot - sprinkle a few drops of water onto the griddle after it's heated up, if the water vaporizes immediately then the griddle is too hot.  If it just sits there and steams a bit, then it's not hot enough...it will be perfect when the water jumps around a bit - much like the mister when his team wins.

Don't let the pancakes touch each other - they need room to spread out and they'll cook more evenly this way - and if you eat 11 pancakes in one sitting like the boy you'll need room to spread out too!

Only flip the pancake once...and do so gently...and NEVER pat the pancakes down with the spatula...remember, they are supposed to be fluffy!

If you want to add fruit or nuts, like apples, raisins, blueberries, pecans, etc., add them after the batter has been mixed and has rested - just gently fold them in.

To make sure everyone gets HOT pancakes, heat your plates in the oven for a bit and heat the syrup in the microwave or on the stovetop and try to serve the pancakes straight from the griddle...slathered in butter, of course!

That's it...that's all I've got to give you on pancakes except that on the Dang Meter these would get 5 dangs...they are dang, dang, dang, dang, dang good! 

"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody."  ~ Bill Cosby

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One year ago today:  Sweet Potato Muffins

I want to give you all plenty of time to celebrate St. Paddy's Day properly this year...I failed to do that last year...so instead of the usual corned beef and cabbage, try making Irish Corned Beef and Cabbage Roll-ups - it's sure to bring a Leprechaun to your door! 

It's Beginning to Look at Lot Like...Spring?!?

  This is the view out my kitchen window this morning...SNOW!  It's a repeat of last Sunday when we woke to snow...it melted the next day and we even had two glorious days of sun this week...I was certain Spring was on it's way...and now this!  Oh but it IS beautiful out...a winter wonderland to be sure!