Some Recipes

If you have ever read my personal bio (on the side somewhere,) you would know that I very much enjoy cooking.

Ever since I was little I have enjoyed being able to create something out of nothing, to me, even now its still just such an amazement to know something that I made will be consumed by others (and hopefully enjoyed.)

Without further adieu, here are some of my favorite recipes I have made:

Classic Cranberry Sauce (source: Food Network Magazine)   

 1 pound cranberries  (about 4 cups)
2 medium oranges
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground coriander
kosher salt

 1. Put all but 1 cup of the cranberries in a saucepan. Remove wide strips of zest from 1 orange with a peeler; ass to the saucepan with the juice of both oranges (about 1/2 cup). add the sugar, coriander, and a pinch of salt and 1/2 cup water. bring to simmer over medium heat; cook, siring occasionally, until the berries burst and the sauce thickens (15-20 minutes).

 2. Stir in the remaining 1 cup of cranberries; cook until softened, 3-4 minutes. remove from heat and let cook to room temperature, remove orange zest, transfer to serving dish and refrigerate for at lest 3 hours.

Side-note: when I made this I refrigerated this over night, and I would highly recommend that, because it gives the sauce enough time in the cold to congeal, making it more gelatinous.

Basic Dinner-Roll Dough (source: Food Network Magazine)
1/2 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 ounce packet of active dry yeast
4 1/4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons unsalted butter , at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 large lightly beaten eggs

1. Warm the milk and 1/2 cup water in a small sauce pan or in the microwave until very warm (110 F.) transfer into the bowl of a standard mixer fitted with the dough hook; mix in the sugar,yeast, and 1 cup of flour until combined but still lumpy. Let stand until the mixture is very bubble, about 30 minutes.

2.add the butter, salt and 2 cups of flower; mix on medium speed until smooth and elastic, 2-3 minutes. mix in the eggs until combined, scraping the bottom and side of the bowl as needed. add 1 1/4 cups flour, mix until the dough is smooth and starts to gather into a loose ball, about 4 minutes. The dough should be slightly sticky; if too wet add the remaining 1/4 cup flour.

3. lightly oil a large bowl; scrape the dough into the bowl and turn to coast with the oil. cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

Side-note: this is the base dough I used for the next recipe.

Sea Salt Dinner Rolls (source: Food Network Magazine)
Basic Dinner-Roll Dough
Cooking Spray
All-purpose flour, for dusting
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling

1. Make the Basic Dinner-Roll Dough. Let rise as directed. Lightly coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Lightly flour the top of the dough and pat it into a rectangle. Cut the dough into 24 equal pieces with a bench scraper or a chefs knife

2. gently roll each piece of dough into a ball; arrange on the prepared baking sheets. loosely cover with plastic wrap and let stand until puffy, about 45 minutes.

3.position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 370 F. . Bush the rolls with some of the melted butter and cut an "X" into the center of each roll with kitchen shears or a small knife. sprinkle tops with sea salt. Bake switching and rotating the baking sheets half way though, until the rolls are golden brown, about 25 minutes. let cool 5 minutes, then brush with the remaining melted butter. transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Yeah so those are 2/3 of my best recipes I have come across, I hope you give them a try and enjoy them as much as I do!

Happy cooking,
Olivia
xoxo






 

Late Night Poetry pt3

Hey so even though it isn't "late-night" as I'm posting this, I did happen to write this at night. 

Regardless this was some stored away poetry I wrote a little bit ago but was afraid to put out into the world. If you have been reading my blog for longer than a month then you will understand my hesitating on an emotional piece like the one below.

If you are new to this weird emotionally charged blog then I'll fill you in on what has been the past...

So basically the gist of it is, some people who read my blog, were um... less than pleased at what I had to say... but I did keep the post up, and I did send out an apology to hopefully soothe things over.

My point in the story was if you know me, please don't send your self into a tizzy over the words I have created, because like most humans, I feel emotion and this is my way of expressing some of my emotional turmoil.

Along those lines, please don't start playing the guessing game as to who this is about because A) I will not tell you. B) Please respect my request to keep this anonymous.

And with that intro out of the way... here is what I wrote:

Stop.

Stop making me feel unworthy of your presence;

You are not holy.

Stop the endless whining;

Life is not perfect.

Stop your discontent for the world;

Open your eyes and see there is more than the dark side.

For each time I thought this, I wonder if I am a hypocrite for thinking so;

My response is yes, I am.

I need not think of myself as any better than the next;

We are all the same on the inside.

I need to think before I speak;

Only letting encouraging words out.

I need to see life for the beauty it beholds;

Letting the optimist out from time to time.

Suppose we’re not so different you and I;

That is just what I needed to hear to change myself.

I hope you have a wonderful day, 

Olivia

xoxo