A transcendent experience with cheese and bread

A couple of weeks ago, Sam and I went up to Brighton Beach, which is an area of Brooklyn which has a lot of native Russian speakers living there. I was having a blast--listening to Russian being spoken on the boardwalk, speaking to cashiers in Russian, and buying Ukrainian juice and candies.

[the ones on the right are my favorite.]

The highlight of that day, though, was going to the Georgian restaurant, and especially having the khachapuri. If you don't know what khachapuri is, it is a traditional Georgian dish which is essentially melted cheese in a bread boat.

And it is a revelation.

Seriously, every time we took a bite, it was like we were about to start weeping with joy. So. Good. DEFINITELY one of my top food experiences. If I am ever in Georgia, I'm guessing that the khachapuris there will be better, but then again, I'm not exactly sure. This one was so good. It changed all of our lives. You think I am exaggerating, but I am not.

Chocolate polka-dots

My friend Chloe and I have decided to do a "Russki Chas" (Russian hour) this summer in order to practice and improve our Russian. Every day we decide on a different theme--and it has ranged from Russian literature to electrical engineering. It's really fun. Like, really fun.

Today it was cooking. Because, let's be real. How often in Russian courses do you go over how to read even basic recipes in Russian or read a cookbook? Not often.

Today I learned the Russian word for "chocolate chips." Which you would think I would know, because, oh, I don't know, chocolate chips are one of my 5 basic food groups. But I never learned it because they don't really have chocolate chips in Ukraine or Russia. (When I baked chocolate chip cookies in Ukraine, I always just cut up a chocolate bar.)

But it's the cutest thing. It's "schokoladny kroshky," or literally, chocolate polka-dots.

Isn't that amazing?

I love Russian.

And I love chocolate polka-dots.

Farmers' Market, SLC

Sometimes I go to farmers' markets and take pictures. And eat all the cheese. And find out about amazing chocolate shops in downtown SLC.

[Winter apples.]

[And so much honey.]

[And allllll the cheese. So much cheese. It was delicious.]

[Farmers' Market Wisdom: "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."--Abraham Lincoln.] 

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

. . . or in this case, the little pumpkin.

Autumn is pumpkin season in the United States. I have never been the biggest fan of pumpkin. Well, I enjoy it. I think it's yummy. I like pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, etc. But it can get a little excessive in the States. It's like a pumpkin fetish with some people and it can be a bit overwhelming. So I guess I'm saying that I am not a person who is obsessed with pumpkin.

All the same, I started craving pumpkin as soon as I got to England. I guess I was craving the smell of pumpkin bread more than anything, since the smells of nutmeg and cinnamon go hand-in-hand with the bright leaves, dropping temperatures, and Daylight Savings Time.

However, they don't sell pumpkin-flavored things in the UK. At least, they aren't sold at the local Sainsbury's or Tesco.

So imagine my joy when I went to the Farmer's Market at Gloucester Green this week and saw a local baker selling mini PUMPKIN TARTS FOR ONLY A POUND:

Me (looking like I've just found buried treasure): I would like one pumpkin tart, please. 

Baker: One pumpkin tarrrt? (imitating my American accent)

Me: Yes.

Baker: That will be one pound. 

Me: I didn't think that I would find pumpkin tarts or pumpkin bread in England. Do you often make this? 

Baker: This is our first year making pumpkin tarts. We've sold about ten of them this morning. And they have all been bought by Americans. 

Me (laughing): Well, yes. They remind us of home. 

Baker: We'll be bringing pumpkin-walnut bread next week. 

Me (looking just a bit insane with joy now): Oh, you can bet I'll be back next week. 

Baker (afraid that I am now a stalker): All right, then. Well, have a nice day. 

That's basically how the interchange went. The baker thinks I am a crazy American (he is right) and that I want to be BFFs with him because he makes pumpkin-flavored goodies (he is also right). 

Anyway. I had my pumpkin tarrrt. And it was delicious. 

Linus could not have been happier to find the Great Pumpkin than I was to find this little one. 

Deserving Donuts

Happy National Donut Day!

I hope that you enjoyed some donuts today.

(My favorites are the old-fashioned donuts. Mmmm . . . so good.)

This is just cruel.

I'm down in New Mexico for a conference, and we stopped at Albertson's tonight to get some food for tomorrow. Normal, right? Grab some bagels and juice boxes.

But then. Then, I saw this in the frozen foods aisle:

Blue Bell ice cream. The best ice cream in America. And I can't get any because we don't have any way of getting it back Utah.

This, my friends, is cruel and unusual punishment.

Peanut, peanut butter

Guys, I've been craving peanut butter like CRAZY recently.

It's like my body knows that I'm going to Eastern Europe for 18 months or something. . . .

But seriously.

Story of My Life

When 

doesn't work, 

always does. 

The Muffin Girl

I was a conversation piece this morning.

I made muffins for a Writing Center staff meeting breakfast and carried the muffins to work. (I'm on the Happiness Committee. Yes, there is such a committee. And yes, happiness = food. Especially at eight o' clock in the morning.)

But, I had about thirty muffins to carry on two plates. I ended up balancing the uncovered muffin plates on the palms of my hands, walking up to campus.

Did I mention there was a cat who was following me?

Yeah, this odd, stray cat came out of nowhere--no doubt enticed by the delicious-smelling muffins--and followed me for a little while, meowing for a muffin.

As I walked up to campus, I think I made everyone hungry. You know how it is--you have an eight o' clock class, you wake up late, and often you don't get breakfast. But here I was, holding plates of muffins like the goddess of the muffin harvest and torturing poor students with the breakfast they never had.

Poor students.

But happy co-workers.

The Happiness Committee strikes again.

Food, Glorious Food (around town)

Basically, I love food.

I love the connections it establishes, I love the way it tastes, I love trying new things, I love the comfort it brings, I love the memories it makes.

Here are some places in Utah County that I've recently discovered:

The Sweet Tooth Fairy

Um . . . so good. So, so good. Such a cute, cozy atmosphere, and the treats are to die for. Seriously. It's heaven in every cupcake and cake bite (which are A.MA.ZING., btdubs). 

I don't know what flavor this cupcake is, but I want to try it. And isn't it so pretty? It's so pretty.

What a beautiful sight. The two strawberry shortcake cupcakes on the top left-hand corner are my favorites.

Molly's
(753 West Columbia Lane, Provo)

Great for lunch. Molly's serves up home-style brisket, roast, chicken, dutch-oven potatoes, cheddar biscuits, and has a delicious spinach salad. Delicious and filling. Oh! And their chocolate cream cheese cake? Divine.

Home-cooking.

I found a recipe for deep-dish pizza recently. It was a hit with my family. One reason it was so good was because my sister, who is a diabetic, was able to eat this pizza without her blood sugar numbers going haywire (which is what usually happens when she eats take-out pizza). I don't have any pictures of the pizza, but here's the recipe (for you, mom):

Deep-Dish Pepperoni Pizza (from the America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book)


Dough
2 and 1/4 to 2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 envelope (2 and 1/4 teaspoons) instant or rapid-rise yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm skim milk

Topping
1 (3.5 ounce) package sliced pepperoni
6 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing
1 and 1/3 cups pizza sauce
12 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (3 cups)

1. For the dough: Mix 2 and 1/4 cups of the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Combine the oil, then the milk and mix until a rough ball forms. Let the dough rest for 2 minutes, then process for 30 seconds longer. If after 30 seconds the dough is sticky and clings to the blade, add the remaining 1/4 cup flour 1 tablespoon at a time as needed.

2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and form a smooth, round ball. Place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover tightly with greased plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours.

3. For the topping: Meanwhile, place half of the pepperoni in a single layer between double layers of paper towels and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Discard the paper towels and set the pepperoni aside; repeat with the remaining pepperoni.

4. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat two 9-inch cake pans with 3 tablespoons oil each. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter, divide it into 2 equal pieces, and cover with greased plastic wrap. Working with one piece of dough at a time (keep the other piece covered), roll and stretch the dough into a 9-inch round with a thick edge. Press the dough into the prepared pans. Brush the dough lightly with oil, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until puffy, 30 to 45 minutes.

5. Spread 2/3 cup of the pizza sauce over each pan of dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge. Sprinkle each with 1 and 1/2 cups of the cheese and top with the pepperoni. Bake until the cheese is melted and the pepperoni is browning around the edges, about 20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.

6. Let the pizzas cool in their pans for 1 minute, then lift them out onto a cutting board with a wide spatula. Serve hot.

And enjoy! It's probably one of the healthiest pizzas I've ever had.

Adventures in Baking

Once upon a time I made croissants.

And they were the most delicious things I've ever made.

And probably the best croissants I've ever had. No joke.

And they lived in my stomach happily ever after.

Nom nom nom nom nom. :)

Here's the recipe:

First off, a disclaimer: These take a loooooonnnnnnnnngggggg time to make. I wasn't expecting that--so like, I wanted to eat them the same day I made them. You can't really do that. Unless you start in the morning. Then you can eat them in the evening. Anywho.

Croissants (recipe from The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book)
Dough:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 cups warm whole milk (110 degrees)

Butter Square:
3 sticks unsalted butter, chilled
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 large egg, lightly beaten, for brushing

1. For the dough: Combine 2 3/4 cups of the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook (I didn't have a standing mixer, so I just used a beater). With the mixer on low speed, add the milk and mix until the dough comes together, about 2 minutes.
2. Increase the mixer speed to medium-low and knead the dough until it forms a sticky ball and becomes elastic, about 8 minutes. If after 5 minutes the dough appears overly sticky and doesn't come together into a ball, add the remaining 1/4 cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Scrape the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover with greased plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
3. For the butter square: Lay the 3 sticks of butter side by side on a sheet of parchment paper. Sprinkle the flour over the butter and cover with a second sheet of parchment paper. Gently pound the butter with a rolling pin until the butter is softened and the flour is fully incorporated, then roll it into an 8-inch square. Wrap the butter square in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counted and roll into an 11-inch square. Place the chilled butter square diagonally in the center of the dough. Fold the corners of the dough up over the butter square so that the corners meet in the middle and pinch the dough seams to seal.
5. Using a rolling pin, gently tap the dough, starting from the center and working outward, until the square becomes larger and the butter begins to soften. Gently roll the dough into a 14-inch square, dusting with extra flour as needed to prevent sticking. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
6. Repeat step 5 and let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 2 more hours before using.
7. For the croissants: Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll the chilled dough into a 20-inch square on a lightly floured counter. Cut the dough in half.
8. Cut each piece of dough crosswise into 3 small rectangles and cut each small rectangle on the diagonal into 2 triangles (you will have a total of 12 triangles). Gently stretch each triangle of dough to lengthen it slightly and even out the sides. Cut a 1-inch-long slit in the center of the wide end, then fold the dough on either side of the slit outward.
9. Gently roll up the dough, from the wide end to the tip, gently stretching it as you go. Lay the croissants on the prepared baking sheets, with the pointed end facing down, and bend the ends of each croissant around to form a crescent shape. Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and let rise slowly in the refrigerator, 10 to 16 hours.
10. Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the croissants with the egg and bake until golden brown, 18 to 22 minutes, rotating and switching the baking sheets halfway through baking. Transfer the croissants to a wire rack and cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes about 12.

Super long and intensive recipe. But so worth it.

Build Her a Cake or Something

This summer has been a summer of baking adventures. Some have been successful, others . . . not so much.

Here's a success story:

On the 4th of July, I went to a neighborhood breakfast. There was an auction at the breakfast, with all sorts of services and goodies . . . crafts, baked goods, you get the picture.

Well, one of my friends had made these two beautiful Kit-Kat Bar Cakes, one with chocolate Kit-Kat bars around the side of the cake and M&Ms on top, and the other with white Kit-Kat bars with fruit on top. They were awesome cakes.

Since I'm broke, I asked my friend how to make them. And it was super easy. Cake, frosting, Kit-Kat bars, and M&Ms.

So I made a cake.

Yay, pretty cake! It looks like a basket of M&Ms. 

Result: success! I brought it out for a family party and it was devoured in minutes. Mmm . . . so good.

3.14159265 . . .

It's Pi Day!

March 14th.

3.14.

Get it?

I thought you would. :)

On Pi day, I like eating pie. Duh.

So yesterday, my roommate and I made Swedish apple pie. And it's delicious. We also had pumpkin pie. Yum.

Happy Pi(e) Day.

Cookie Palooza(s)

Our apartment likes cookies.

As one of my roommates says, some people have 72-hour kits. We have 72-cookies kits. 

You'd be surprised by the amount of comfort and sanity a cookie can bring. 

The past few weeks before Christmas break, our apartment literally went on a baking spree. We made real gingerbread to make gingerbread houses during the First Presidency Christmas Devotional. We also made sugar cookies while watching Elf, and there were cake balls and candy to boot, making Finals Week a lot more bearable (and tastier). 

Here are some pictures from our Cookie Paloozas: 

Making Gingerbread Houses: 

Cute roommate shot

Silly roommate shot

Did you know that you can create stained-glass windows for your gingerbread houses? First, cut out a "window" in your gingerbread. Then, crush some Jolly Ranchers. 

Next, fill your "window" with the crushed Jolly Ranchers. Melt the Jolly Ranchers by baking the gingerbread. 

Ta-da! The finished product!

It's a Gingerbread Tanner Building! 

Close-up of the Tanner Building. Pretty good, eh? 

Making my gingerbread house

Making a Gingerbread Guggenheim

The finished product! Isn't it lovely? 

A fallen gingerbread teepee, and two gingerbread houses. 

The Gingerbread Teepee

What kind of insurance should these gingerbread structures have?
Fire? No. Flood? Nein. Earthquake? Nope.
Answer: Cookie Monster Insurance!

No, not this one. 

                      THIS one. So innocent looking. Those poor cookies never knew what hit them. 

Sugar Cookie Night: 

We also made and frosted sugar cookies one night. I love sugar cookies . . . although I think I like the dough more than the actual cookies! Still, making and frosting sugar cookies brings back fond memories of listening to Mannheim Steamroller, watching the Christmas tree lights dance on the ceiling, and preparing a plate of homemade, frosting-sticky cookies for Santa. 

You know it's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas when you have gingerbread and sugar cookies baking in the oven. :) 

Muffin Mondays OR How Salmonella is Going to Kill Me

Muffin Mondays. The name itself is self-explanatory. How more deliciously awesome can you get?

Every Monday our apartment—you guessed it—makes muffins! We have a book of 100 muffin recipes, and it’s our goal to make every muffin in the book this year (excepting the ones with brandy or liquor in them, of course). Melissa, Michelle, Sharisa and I discussed doing it last year, but we weren’t sure if it would happen. (You know, you and a friend say, “Let’s do something sometime!” And you both have every good intention to do so, but it never happens.) We thought that Muffin Mondays would be stillborn as well.

But they weren’t.

Proof: For the first Muffin Monday of the year, we made Jelly Doughnut Muffins. They were so good.

In fact, we’ve never had a bad muffin. Some are better than others, to be sure, but each Muffin Monday is a success.

Yesterday we made Frosted Cream Cheese Muffins.

Sharisa being all domestic.

Me being all domestic.

And how are Muffin Mondays going to kill me? Because I can’t stop myself from licking the batter. Every. Single. Time. Yep. I’m going to get salmonella and die. But does the risk stop me? Ohhhhhh, no.

And . . . the finished product!

Consensus: Success! Frosted Cream Cheese Muffins are delectable!

Another Muffin Monday, another delicacy.

Muffin Love.