These are insanely delish! Braided cinnamon sticky buns 🤤

Tags

baking, bread, bread dough, butter, cinnamon, cinnamon buns, comfort food, cooking, delicious, dessert, easy cooking, eat, eating, entertaining, food, kid friendly, kids baking, Nadia bakes, Netflix, simple entertaining, sugar

I was watching a TV show called Nadia Bakes on Netflix this weekend and in one of the episodes she spotlighted a baker named Richard Bertinet. He was born in France but has lived in the UK for more than 30 years now and he is the godfather of breads. I watched his segment and rewatched it 5 times. I was inspired to try them. These are an adaptation of his famous cinnamon buns.

Braided sticky cinnamon buns

These are sweet, sticky and oh-soo delicious little cinnamon buns twisted in beautiful knots. Perfect to enjoy with your favourite cup of tea or coffee.

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Proving Time 3 hours

Total Time 4 hours

Servings 12 buns

You need a scale to make these!

Ingredients

For the dough:

250 ml milk any type

60 g salted butter cubed

500 g AP flour

15 g fast-action dried yeast

100 g granulated sugar

1 tsp salt

1 large egg

For the filling:

150 g salted butter softened

200 g light brown sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

Place the milk in a small saucepan and heat it up until it is lukewarm. Add cubed butter to the lukewarm milk, swirling the saucepan every now and then to encourage the butter to melt. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a bowl of a freestanding mixer fitted with a hook attachment, mix together the flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Add milk and butter mixture followed by the egg. Mix on low speed until dough comes together, about couple of minutes, then increase the speed to medium and and mix for 8-10 minutes until you have a smooth and elastic dough that no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and using your hands, roll it into a ball. Place it in a clean, large bowl, lightly greased with some oil. Cover the bowl with clingfilm or reusable kitchen wrap (clean shower cup works great here!) and leave somewhere warm for an hour or until it doubled in size (depending on the temperature in your kitchen, this may take more, or less than 1 hour).

In a meantime, prepare the filling. Place softened butter and brown sugar in a bowl of a freestanding mixer and beat together on medium speed until pale, fluffy and well combined. Reduce speed to low and add ground cinnamon. Mix until combined and set aside.

Remove the dough from the bowl into a lightly floured surface. Gently knock out the air from it, then stretch it into rough rectangle shape. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into larger rectangle, roughly about 15 by 19 inches with the longer edge facing you.

Spread the filling over ⅔ of the top of the dough, leaving ⅓ of the dough clean. Fold the clean part of the rectangle towards the middle, then fold the other end of the dough on top of that. Use a rolling pin, roll it over the rectangle to flatten it out and stretch a bit.

Using a sharp knife trim off the edges of the rectangle. Divide the rectangle into 12 equal pieces, widthways, each strip roughly about 1.5 ish inches across. Next, use a knife or pizza cutter to cut twice down the length of each strip to make three strands. Braid the three strands together, then roll it up along its length to create a knot. Repeat with remaining strips.

Lightly grease 12-hole muffin tin, then transfer the knots into it. Cover and allow to prove for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until they have doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 350 or 325 for convection bake and bake in the middle shelf of the oven for roughly 18 minutes or until golden brown.

Don’t worry if some of the filling has leaked. Mine did. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool only for a minute or so, then transfer the buns onto a cooling rack. Do not leave them to cool in the tin, as it will be hard to remove them later. Enjoy them while still a bit warm!

Chloe ate hers in under 2 minutes and Holly and Joel thought they were delish.

Notes!! 

Do not go overboard with the filling! Thin, but even layer is what you are aiming for.

Don’t worry if some of the filling comes out and spill from the sides while the buns bake. This is normal.

Once baked, allow the buns to cool in the tin for only a minute or so. Transfer them to cooling rack while they are still hot, before the leaked sugar and butter sets and becomes hard.

HOLY THESE ARE DELISH!!! They are the perfect blend between a very sticky bun and a cinnamon bun.

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Mini vanilla bean scones

Tags

baking, butter, comfort food, cooking, delicious, easy breakfast, easy cooking, eat, entertaining, food, kid friendly, kids baking, make ahead meals, mini scones, quick cooking, scones, simple entertaining, starbucks scones, sugar, treats, vanilla, vanilla beans, vanilla scones

This homemade version of vanilla bean scones is so easy to make. Great for kids and quick snacks.

Prep Time 30 minutes – Cook Time 16 minutes

Makes 16 mini scones

INGREDIENTS

SCONES:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup granulated white sugar or vanilla bean sugar
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, grated into pieces
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup cold heavy whipping cream (depends on the moisture in your flour and house)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

GLAZE:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• seeds scraped from one vanilla bean or 1/4 tsp vanilla bean paste (I swear by this stuff!)
• 1½ tablespoons milk

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (I did 350 degrees for convection bake) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine. Add the grated butter and rub butter and flour together with your hands. Continue until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Then mix in the cream and the vanilla extract.
• When the dough has gathered itself into a ball and divide the dough into 2 equal portions. I had to add more cream to make this happen… keep that in mind. Flatten each portion of dough into a disc shape, about 1 1/2-inches thick. Score each disc into 8 triangles with a knife, and pull the triangles slightly away from one another (allowing about 1/2-inch in between).
• Brush with cream on top and bake the scones for 16 to 20 minutes, until set in the centers and slightly golden on the bottoms.

ADD THE GLAZE:

• In a small bowl, stir the powdered sugar, vanilla bean seeds, and milk together until smooth. Spread a small amount of glaze on top of each scone.

NOTES

These are delish, you can’t eat just one. The recipe makes 16 mini scones, 2 hours after baking I have 8 left. They got a 12/10 for taste. 🙌

Enjoy!

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Eating my Feelings Vanilla Bean Pound Cake

Tags

bakery, baking, butter, cake, comfort food, cooking, delicious, dessert, eat, eating, eggs, entertaining, food, kid friendly, kids baking, pandemic, pound cake, quick cooking, simple entertaining, sugar, vanilla, vanilla beans

This rich and buttery pound cake is simple to make but so elegant to eat while wearing jammies and watching “90 day Fiancé” or “My 600 Pound Life.”

Number of Servings: 1, perhaps 8, or even 12 depending how one is feeling that day 😉 This blog is a judgement free zone.

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 50 Minutes

Total Time: 1 Hour 5 Minutes of drooling in front of the oven

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons milk (skim, low fat, or whole)
• 3 large eggs
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste or a vanilla bean
• 1-1/3 cups cake flour … but seriously any flour you can find during this pandemic (I used AP), spooned into a measuring cup and leveled with a straight edge aka knife.
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 13 tablespoons salted butter, softened (no need to cut it in pieces) 16 tbls is a cup so y’all need to do some math or buy the butter in the sticks. Yes Salted … to be honest I only bake with salted butter. I remember saying it to my French instructor at Le Cordon Bleu and he almost fainted 👀 I’m too old to care anymore.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Lightly grease an 8-in x 4-in x 2½-inch loaf pan with butter like you are in an episode of Mad Men. Dust with flour, shaking off any excess. (Alternatively, use a nonstick cooking spray with flour in it, since we are 6 weeks into a pandemic the 1950s way suited me just fine.)
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, and vanilla until just combined.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), place the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low speed for about 30 seconds or until blended. Add the butter and half of the egg mixture. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase the mixer speed to medium (high speed if using a hand mixer) and beat for one minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining egg mixture, in 2 separate additions, beating about 30 seconds after each addition to combine. Do not over-mix. (The batter may have a slightly curdled or grainy appearance — that’s okay.)
4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a thin wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
5. Place the cake on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes. Then remove the cake from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Wrap the cooled cake in plastic wrap or store in a large sealable plastic bag.
6. The wrapped pound cake will keep for several days (it will never last the long) at room temperature, for one week when refrigerated.
7. Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, double-wrap it securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place it in a heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.

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The Bomb Banoffee Pie 🤤

Tags

baking, banoffee pie, butter, chocolate, comfort food, cooking, delicious, dessert, Easter, easy cooking, eat, eating, entertaining, food, holiday, holiday baking, kid friendly, pie, pies, simple entertaining, sugar, toffee, vanilla, vanilla beans, whipping cream

Description

Banoffee pie is an English dessert pie made from bananas, cream and toffee, combined either on a buttery biscuit base or one made from crumbled biscuits and butter.

In simple terms it is a pie that is freaking delicious!

Ingredients

• 1 and 1/2 cups (150g) graham cracker crumbs (about 10 full sheet graham crackers)
• 5 Tablespoons (72g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
• 1 and 1/4 cups dulce de leche**
• 2 large bananas, sliced

Whipped Cream

• 2 cups (480ml) cold heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar or granulated sugar*
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• optional toppings: chocolate shavings, chopped nuts, or toffee bits for garnish

**

What is Dulce de Leche?

Dulce de leche is similar to caramel, but a little sweeter and creamier. It’s prepared by slowly heating sugar and milk until everything caramelizes. If we’re getting all scientific, I learned that a lot of the flavor comes from the Maillard reaction. Interesting! Dulce de lecheis Spanish for candy made/of milk. There are a few ways to prepare dulce de leche including:

1. The classic method of cooking down and constantly stirring milk and sugar
2. The shortcut method of cooking sweetened condensed milk

We’re using the shortcut method today, Both are delicious!

You need 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, a non stick frying pan, spatula and patience.

Pour the can of sweetened condensed milk into a non stick frying pan. Put heat on medium and stir with a spatula. You want the milk turn into a deep caramel colour that we will use for the banoffee pie. This whole process will take anywhere from 15-30 minutes. Whatever you do don’t stop stiring it! You can also do it on medium low heat too. This is a marathon not a sprint.

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
2. If you’re starting out with full-sheet graham crackers, you can use a food processor or blender to grind them up. Or crush them in a zipped top bag with a rolling pin. Mix the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and granulated sugar together in a medium bowl until combined. The mixture will be thick, coarse, and sandy. Press the mixture into the bottom and slightly up the sides of a 9-inch pie dish. Make sure it is tight and compact. Use the bottom of a flat measuring cup to press it down tightly. Bake the crust for 15-16 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes (and up to 2 days) before adding the layers. Meanwhile, make the whipped cream. (Next step.)
3. For the whipped cream: Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract on medium-high speed until medium peaks form, about 3-4 minutes. Medium peaks are between soft/loose peaks and stiff peaks and are the perfect consistency for topping and piping on desserts.
4. Spread dulce de leche on top of the crust. Arrange banana slices in 1-2 layers on top of the dulce de leche, then spread whipped cream on top.
5. Refrigerate pie uncovered for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day. Garnish with toppings before serving, if desired.
6. Cover and store leftover pie in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It won’t last 5 days…. just sayin’.

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Putting on the Pandemic Pounds Cinnamon Buns

Tags

bakery, baking, butter, cinnamon, cinnamon buns, comfort food, cooking, delicious, dessert, easy cooking, eat, eating, food, kid friendly, kids baking, simple entertaining, sugar, treats, vanilla, vanilla beans

Big, fluffy, soft and absolutely delicious. I have to admit I’m not much of a baker. I prefer to wing it in the kitchen, but with baking you can’t do that.

This recipe is pretty fool proof however! It takes a while though… from start to finish you are looking at about 3 hours or so. On a rainy day these are perfect to make!

Ingredients

For the dough:

• ¾ cup warm milk (whole milk or 2% preferred) (110 degrees F)
• 2 ¼ teaspoons quick rise or active yeast (1/4-ounce package yeast)
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
• ¼ cup salted butter, melted
• 3 cups flour, plus more for dusting
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• For the filling:
• 2/3 cup dark brown sugar (light brown sugar also works)
• 1 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
• For the cream cheese frosting:
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Warm milk to around 110 degrees F. I like to do this by placing milk in a microwave safe bowl and microwaving it for 40-45 seconds. It should be like warm bath water. Transfer warm milk to the bowl of an electric mixer and sprinkle yeast on top. Add in sugar, egg, egg yolk and melted butter. Mix until well combined. Next stir in flour and salt with a wooden spoon until a dough begins to form.
2. Place dough hook on stand mixer and knead dough on medium speed for 8 minutes. Dough should form into a nice ball and be slightly sticky. If it’s TOO sticky (meaning it’s sticking to the bottom of the mixer, add in 2 tablespoons more flour.) If you don’t want to use an electric mixer, you can use your hands to knead the dough for roughly 8 minutes on a well-floured surface.
3. Transfer dough ball to a well-oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a warm towel. Allow dough to rise for 1 hour to 1 ½ hours, or until doubled in size. This may more or less time depending the humidity and temperature in your home.
4. After dough has doubled in size, transfer dough to a well-floured surface and roll out into a 14×9 inch rectangle. Spread softened butter over dough, leaving a ¼ inch margin at the far side of the dough.
5. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and cinnamon. Use your hands to sprinkle mixture over the buttered dough, then rub the brown sugar mixture into the butter.
6. Tightly roll dough up, starting from the 9-inch side and place seam side down making sure to seal the edges of the dough as best you can. You will probably need to cut off about an inch off the ends of the dough as the ends won’t be as full of cinnamon sugar as we’d want it to be.
7. Cut into 1 inch sections with a serrated knife or floss. You should get 9 -12 large pieces.. I got 10 🤷‍♀️
8. Place cinnamon rolls in a greased 9×13 inch baking pan or round 9 inch cake pan. (I also recommend lining the pan with parchment paper as well, in case any of the filling ends up leaking out.) Cover with plastic wrap and a warm towel and let rise again for 30-45 minutes.
9. Preheat oven to 350 degrees or 325 convection bake F. Remove plastic wrap and towel and bake cinnamon rolls for 20-25 minutes or until just slightly golden brown on the edges. You want to underbake them a little so they stay soft in the middle, that’s why we want them just slightly golden brown. Allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes before frosting. Makes 9-12 cinnamon rolls.
10. To make the frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Spread over cinnamon rolls and serve immediately. Enjoy!

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Vanilla Bean Scones

Tags

baking, breakfast, butter, cooking, delicious, easy breakfast, easy cooking, eat, eating, food, kid friendly, scones, vanilla, vanilla bean scones, vanilla beans

These Best Ever Vanilla Bean Scones are the perfect homemade coffee shop treat for vanilla lovers! Follow all my pro tips for making the best flaky scones!

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 vanilla bean or you can use 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste or 2 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter COLD and grated
• 3/4 cup cream – I used heavy but you can use coffee cream
• 1 egg

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Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Start by sifting the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a clean, dry bowl using a sieve or sifter. Tap the sieve against the palm of your hand until all the dry ingredients have passed through it and you’re left with the lumps. Push the lumps through the sieve with your finger tips.
• Next, slice a vanilla bean down the centre lengthwise using a paring knife. Skip this step if you are using vanilla bean paste or extract
• Open it up and scrape out as many of the teeny tiny vanilla bean seeds as you can using the back edge of your knife.
• Even after you’ve scraped out all the vanilla seeds you can, don’t throw away the rest of the bean! Put it in your sugar container for vanilla sugar.
• Add the vanilla bean seeds to the flour mixture and blend in using a whisk. Try your best to break up the clumps of vanilla bean seeds, but if there are a few tiny clumps left that’s ok. The vanilla bean seeds will probably disappear into the flour mixture, but don’t worry. They’ll become visible again once the wet ingredients are added.
• In a liquid measuring cup, measure the cream and add the egg. Whisk together using a fork and set aside.
• The next few steps should be done quickly, as you’re working with cold butter and you want the butter to be as cold as possible when it hits the heat of the oven. This will result in a flaky scone, rather than a heavy and dense one.
• Grate your butter, right from the fridge, into little pieces and dump it into the flour mixture.
• Using your hands (wash them well first and remove any rings), pick up handfuls of the butter and flour mixture, rubbing the pieces of butter and the flour between the heels of your hands to create “sheets” of butter. You should act quickly here, and don’t allow the pieces of butter to sit in your hands for any length of time as the heat from your hands will cause it to soften. The goal is to create paper-thin pieces of butter, small and large throughout the mixture. Once there are no thick chunks of butter remaining, only thin sheets, remove your hands from the mixture. Hands equal heat, so handle the mixture as little as possible.
• Pour in the wet ingredients and mix roughly with a fork. Do not over mix, or the result will be heavy and dense. Once the wet ingredients have been incorporated but there are still several streaks of flour, turn the dough out onto a clean and floured counter surface. Press the dough down into the counter and then fold one half over the other half like you are folding a piece of paper. Press down again and make another fold. Repeat this 2 or 3 more times, gathering any outlying dough bits and flour into your folds. Don’t knead the dough like you would if you were making bread, and don’t stir or mix the dough like you would if you were making muffins. Scones are technically a pastry, so the goal is flaky layers that are created by the thin sheets of butter and all the folding.
• Once your dough is formed after folding several times, shape it into a 10-inch rectangle (approximately).
• Again, be careful not to handle the dough too much, so a few little cracks here and there are fine. I sometimes sneak in a few mini chocolate chips for Holly into 1/2 the batch. 😉
• Cut the rectangle into 12 squares with a very sharp knife
• Arrange the squares on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for about 18-22 minutes. I usually set the timer and start watching them after about 16 minutes. You want them to stay nice and white and not get too brown, especially on the narrow end of the triangle.
• Remove them from the oven when they’re just barely golden brown on the bottom and the surface of the scones lose their shine. Let them cool for 3-5 minutes on the baking sheet. Transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. Eat and enjoy !

Sometimes I just need a curry in a hurry (Cauliflower and tofu korma)

Tags

butter, cauliflower, comfort food, cooking, curry, easy cooking, easy dinner, easy dinners, eat, entertaining, food, fresh, indian, Indian food, korma, make ahead meals, quick cooking, simple entertaining, spices, tofu, tomatoes, winter

An easy vegetarian Indian vegetable korma recipe with tofu, cauliflower, peas, and warming spices.

This curry took me 45 mins to make. Will anyone else in the house eat it? Hello no.. but now I have 4 make-ahead meals I can devour. It’s a win for Me!

I feel like roasting the cauliflower gives it a better taste and adds body to the dish, so I highly recommend. I also tossed the tofu in cornstarch and salt after I pressed it to (google how to do this) add a bit of bite it to, but that is optional. I am a texture wh@re when it comes to food. I need crunch and a toothy feel, if everything is soft I am out!

Carrots and cream (or coconut milk) add body to the korma curry base, while puréed tomatoes and lemon add the punch you need for balance.

Serves 4 or 2 if you are REALLY HUNGRY

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil or unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 2 tsp garam masala and cinnamon and garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup roughly chopped carrots run through a food processor
• 1 onion, peeled and put in a food processor
• 3 cloves garlic, and again put in the FP
• 1 (28 oz) can pureed plum tomatoes
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup of heavy cream or canned coconut milk (add the entire can for a looser, soupier korma base, if desired)
• Add a handful of frozen peas
• 1 (350g/12 oz) pkg extra firm tofu, (pressed if you have time) cut into 1/2-inch cubes as tossed with some corn starch and a generous pinch of salt
• 1 small cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets (extra spices needed for this part see instructions)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint or cilantro, and toasted almonds and or cashews to serve (optional)
• Cooked brown rice or basmati rice, hot, to serve (optional) or naan

Directions:

1 Turn oven on to 425 and get ready to prep the cauliflower for roasting. Lay the florets in a baking sheet on parchment paper and spread them out. If they are too close put them on two different trays you do not want the cauliflower to steam you wanted to roast. Drizzle with oil, 1-2 pinches of salt, 2 tsp garlic powder and 1 tablespoon of turmeric. Toss and into the oven it goes for 15-18 mins. Cooking is fun not an exact science if you are missing the turmeric no big deal it will still be delish. You want to roast the cauliflower so you will get the all the little dark tasty spots .. that is okay. You want it to have personality not be mushy. Mushy is BAD.

2 While the cauliflower is in the oven…In a large pot, heat oil or butter over medium heat; add spices, salt, and everything in food processor. Sauté for 10 minutes, until onions are translucent.

3 Add tomatoes and cream or coconut milk, bring to a simmer, reduce to medium, cover, and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until vegetables are very tender.

4 In a frying pan toss the cut up tofu in 1-2 tablespoons of oil and get it crispy.

5 Then it’s magic time. Add everything into the sauce. The roasted cauliflower, the crispy tofu, hand full of peas and lemon juice. Toss gently and keep on low heat for 5-10 mins. Here is the trick. TASTE IT. Is it missing heat? I added 2 chili’s because I LOVE it spicy, missing sweetness? I added 1 tbls of honey to it, not enough salt? Add some, add more curry powder if you need it…it’s your dish adjust how you like it! Make this 24 hrs in advance so the flavours develop even more.

6 Top with nuts and fresh herbs (optional)

7 Serve hot with brown rice, basmati rice, or quinoa or naan or nothing!

Enjoy!!

Soup Addict – Italian Wedding Soup

Tags

basil, butter, cheese, comfort food, cooking, delicious, easy cooking, easy dinner, easy dinners, easy pasta, eat, fall, fall dishes, food, fresh, italian, Italian wedding soup, Italy, kid friendly, leftovers, make ahead meals, Parmesan, pasta, pork, quick cooking, simple entertaining, soup, soup recipes, wedding soup, winter, winter soups

When you live in Ottawa, and it’s the winter and it’s cold than Mars (true story) I crave soup. This delicious Italian Wedding soup always makes feel cozy and warm. Italian wedding soup is a combination of a killer broth, mini tasty meatballs, a small pasta, veggies and greens.

I honestly adore soup.  I love it for lunch with a piece of crusty bread and it makes a great appetizer before dinner. My youngest Holly loves this soup (she loves meat) my oldest Chloe avoids meat like the plague, so I wanted to create a version that would appeal to both kids. Chloe just eats hers minus the meatballs.

This soup is made on the stove 🙂 sorry Instant Pot lovers this is old school 🙂 This soup will keep in your fridge for 5 days and freezes superbly well. Rolling the meatballs are the most time consuming part of this recipe so if you have child labor kids to assist you, use it.

Ingredients

Ingredients for Pork Meatballs (can be done ahead of time and frozen):

• 1 pound ground pork (makes a tender meatball, but you can also use beef)
• 1/2 cup onion , finely diced (about 1/2 medium onion)
• 2 cloves garlic , peeled and minced (or use a rasp)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs or seasoned breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons mixed fresh herbs (parsley, basil, rosemary)
• 1 egg

Ingredients for Soup:

• 1 tablespoons butter or oil
• 1 cup onion , finely diced (1 medium onion)
• 1 cup carrot , peeled and diced (1 medium carrot)
• 2 cloves garlic , peeled and minced
• ~3 liters chicken broth – organic if you can (or homemade… I don’t have time for that though :)…)
• Salt and pepper for seasoning
• 1 cup orzo, seme di Melone or acini di pepi
• 1 pound fresh tender spinach
• 2 tablespoons finely diced mixed herbs

Instructions

Meatballs:

1. In a large bowl, mix together pork, onion, garlic, Parmesan cheese, salt, bread crumbs, herbs, and egg until combined
2. Shape into tiny bite-sized meatballs, roughly 1/2 inch in diameter; place onto parchment covered cookie sheet and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use. Luckily if you live in Canada during the winter you can put these babies outside to freeze while you prepare your broth 🙂 * Refrigerating is important as it will keep them from falling apart in the soup. You need a minimum of 30 mins to set up.

Soup:

1. In a large stock pot, melt butter; add onion, carrots, and garlic. Saute until tender, but not soft (about 5 minutes)
2. Add chicken broth; bring to a boil. Turn to simmer, cover, and simmer 30 minutes.
3. Taste and season with salt and pepper, to taste
4. Drop meatballs into broth; cook 7 minutes. Add pasta of your choice and cook 5 minutes
5. Add herbs and simmer for 30 minutes to meld flavours, adding more broth, if needed. Add spinach for the last few minutes.
6. Serve with crusty bread, or garlic bread (my kids favourite) and top with additional Parmesan cheese. I also love to add a bit of Sriracha to my soup too.
7. Enjoy!

http://www.monicaskitchen.com

Bakery Style Buttermilk chocolate chip muffins

Tags

bakery, baking, butter, buttermilk, chocolate, dessert, eat, entertaining, food, kid friendly, kids, kids baking, mini muffins, muffins, simple entertaining, sugar, summer, summertime, treats

First let me start by giving credit where credit is due, this recipe was given to me by a friend who found it on Pinterest these have got to be some of the best chocolate chip muffins I have ever eaten. I have tweaked the original recipe a bit, so here is my version. 

Chloe makes them at least every 10 days or so, they freeze incredibly well all you need to do is take a muffin out of the freezer put it in the lunch bag and by snacktime it’s thawed, Voila! These are a winner winner.

 INGREDIENTS:

1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar or vanilla bean sugar 

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 larges eggs beaten 

1 tbsp vanilla bean paste or the best extract you can find 
1 1/2 cups miniature chocolate chips

sanding sugar for sprinkling on top – makes all the difference. 

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 425ºF. Use muffin liners or Grease a 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. This recipe makes 12 large and 12 mini muffins.
In a larger bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add the butter, eggs, vanilla, and the buttermilk. Stir JUST until a batter with lumps forms.

Fold in the chocolate chips.

Fill each cup in the muffin tin to be completely full (about a heaping 1/4 cup).

Bake at 425ºF for 5 minutes. Then decrease the heat to 375ºF and bake for another 13 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 2 minutes before removing from the tin and serving.

Enjoy! 

http://www.monicaskitchen.com (new website coming soon!) 

Kouign-Amann…where have you been all my life?

Tags

bakery, butter, delicious, dessert, french, kanata, kouign-amann, pastry, sugar, treats

I’m going to apologize in advance to everyone who is going to see me in a swimsuit this summer. Today I discovered a little Parisian patisserie that is officially going to throw a wrench into my beach body… but I have come to terms with it and I hope you can too.

La Maison Du Kouign-Amann (a mouthful… for time saving purposes lets just call it La Maison) just opened up in the Kanata North BIA in March 2017. It is located conveniently across the street from Greco Kanata North and in the same plaza as ProStyle Martial Arts and Fitness.

Fran Jung is the owner of this fine establishment and she is the one responsible for baking these authentic french delicious delicacies.

People… let me introduce you to the most amazing buttery morsel I have ever eaten…. the “Kouign-Amann” (insert hallelujah emoji).  It is an amazing small buttery pastry that originated in Brittany, France. It is crispy and caramelized on the outside, yet tender and soft on the inside. To make it even more delectable, drizzle with salted caramel and devour. It is Heaven on earth! Fran supplies over 35 little shops in Ottawa with these delights. To serve them perfectly heat them in a 350 degree oven for 3 minutes or in a pinch in a microwave for 15 seconds or in a pinch, don’t heat them at all… I didn’t and it still rocked.

La Maison sells out almost daily so if you miss out, you can buy other goodies like mini cakes, and mini tarts, quiches, sandwiches, the list is endless.

A box of 5 was ~ 12$ and well worth it. I can’t wait to go back next week!

For the love of tasty food.

Monica xo

http://www.monicaskitchen.com