Christmas (and other) Craziness

Let me start this post by apologizing for the long absence. This was our first Christmas with a child, and let me tell you, it was absolutely nutty! And to think, when it was just the two of us, we thought the holidays were crazy. :) And then we found ourselves buried under toys and empty toy boxes, on top of our already cluttered, tiny house. So, I've spent the last week digging us out. The result: an impeccably organized and slightly less cluttered home. It feels so good! Now it's time to get down to brass tacks...the food!

As I mentioned in my last "Weekly Menu" post, I was in charge of making the bread and noodles for Christmas dinner at my grandma's house. And I did. My noodles never taste as good as grandma's, but she was thoroughly impressed with how tender they were! (We have slightly different methods of making them...she goes old school, mixing the dough and rolling them by hand. I have a bit more modern method...mixing and rolling with the trusty Kitchenaid. We both still cut the noodles by hand, though.) I also tried a new bread recipe from ABin5. I knew I wanted to take a whole grain and a white bread, so I stuck with the Whole Wheat and Flax recipe for the whole grain, but I wanted a lighter, less dense dough for the white. Both were a hit!

Christmas day was a bit hectic. Since we knew we wouldn't be able to see everyone in our families on Christmas day, we invited everyone to our house to watch The Munchkin open her gifts. I made a sticky bun recipe I found on Pinterest, coffee (of course!), and we had a hot cocoa bar, complete with all the fixins'! We are hoping to make this a tradition.

While gifts were being opened, the bread dough, mixed up the previous day, was resting and preparing for its trip into the oven. The pasta dough, also mixed the previous day, was chillin' in the fridge. After everyone left, I frantically stuck the bread in the oven and began rolling and cutting pasta. The noodles went into the pot. And we were still late to grandma's house! I literally pulled bread out of the oven, rushed it to the car, and we were off! I was praying it was done! Thankfully, it was. :)

Another culinary adventure began Saturday evening. We rarely ever go out to celebrate New Year's. Instead, I was watching the Cooking Channel's marathon of Unique Sweets. And then, I began craving French toast...made with brioche. Since we don't live anywhere near a bakery, I decided to make my own. But, alas, we were out of eggs (from all those noodles I made!). After a quick trip to the store (where I also bought candy bars!), I mixed up a 1/2 batch of brioche dough from ABin5. Three hours later, it was done...gorgeous and ready to be soaked in custard and fried the next morning. :)

I must also mention that, in the midst of the brioche business, The Man repeatedly told me how crazy I was for making bread for the sole purpose of French toast for breakfast. I justified my actions by saying, "But honey, it's brioche!! It's bread made with eggs and butter, and in the morning, I'll dip it in more egg and slather it with more butter!" :) Seriously, though, there's nothing like brioche French toast!

Ok, I've ranted on long enough...here are recipes! :)

---

Sticky Buns
(yields 8-10 servings)
2 tubes Pillsbury Grands buttermilk biscuits
6 T butter or margarine, melted
1 c maple syrup
2/3 c packed brown sugar
1 t cinnamon

Combine the melted butter and syrup in a small bowl and set aside. In another bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon.

Place about half of the syrup mixture in the bottom of the pan. Then sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture on top.

Lay the biscuits on the bottom of the pan, overlapping edges (closely together) to form a ring. (I strayed a bit from the original recipe here and dipped each biscuit in the syrup mixture before layering to ensure the yummy goodness made its way in between each biscuit. I also put thinly sliced apples in between the biscuits, but only in half the pan.)

Top with remaining syrup and sugar mixtures.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool for 1 minute in the pan, then invert onto a serving platter and enjoy!

---

Hot Cocoa
(yields 4 servings)
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c cocoa
Dash kosher salt
4 c milk
3/4 t vanilla extract
mini marshmallows
pirouettes
whipped cream
cinnamon sticks
whole nutmeg

Stir together sugar, cocoa and salt in medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil and stir 2 minutes. Add milk; stirring constantly, heat to serving temperature. Do Not Boil.

Remove from heat; add vanilla. Beat with rotary beater or whisk until foamy.

For a complete hot cocoa bar, serve with marshmallows, pirouettes and whipped cream. Allow guests to grate cinnamon or nutmeg on top for an interesting twist.

---

Soft American-Style White Bread (half recipe)
1 1/2 c lukewarm water
1 packet, or 3/4 T granulated yeast
3/4 T kosher salt
1 T sugar
1/4 c unsalted butter, melted, plus additional for brushing the top crust and greasing the pan
3 1/2 c unbleached all-purpose flour

Mix the yeast, salt, sugar, and melted butter with the water in a 5-quart bowl. Using a mixer with a dough hook, add in the flour until completely incorporated.

Transfer the dough to a lidded, but not air-tight container. Let the dough rest at room temperature until it doubles in size (about 2 hours).

Preheat the oven to 350 and lightly grease a 9x4x3-inch nonstick loaf pan. Dust the top of the dough with flour and quickly shape it into an elongate oval. Drop the dough into the prepared pan. Dust the loaf with flour and slash the top using the tip of a sharp knife. Brush the top surface with melted butter.

Bake the bread in the center of the oven for about 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

---

Brioche (half recipe)
3/4 c lukewarm water
1 packet, or 3/4 T granulated yeast
3/4 T kosher salt
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 c honey
3/4 c unsalted butter, melted, plus butter for greasing the pan
3 3/4 c unbleached all-purpose flour
egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 T water)

Mix the yeast, salt, eggs, honey, and melted butter with the water in a 5-quart bowl. Using a mixer with a dough hook, add in the flour until completely incorporated.

Transfer the dough to a lidded, but not air-tight container. Let the dough rest at room temperature until it doubles in size (about 2 hours).

Preheat the oven to 350 and lightly grease a 9x4x3-inch nonstick loaf pan. Brush the top surface with egg wash.

Bake the bread in the center of the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

To make French toast for two, I cut 4 thick slices (just under 1") of brioche. In a shallow dish, beat 2 eggs, 1/2 c milk, 1 t vanilla and cinnamon and nutmeg to taste. Let both sides of the bread soak until the mixture is completely absorbed. Meanwhile, heat a heavy bottom skillet over medium-low to medium heat. Transfer the bread to the skillet, allowing each side to brown nicely before flipping (a few minutes per side). Serve with butter and warm maple syrup.

Mangia Bene!