Spring Cleaning

This is the time of year to get in those storage areas and edit.  We've started on the apartment storage area and Mike has taken two loads to the dump and one load Beth took to Good Will.  I would love to have a yard sale, but I am afraid of causing an accident on Cooke.  People are so litigious now days that it takes all the fun out of everything. Next we start on the basement.  Beth doesn't know what she's in for there. One good thing is we uncovered my memory box of Andy's love letters to me from Otterbein, and pictures of my high school and college friends, many of whom have died. Varsity letters for Andy, Cheer leading letters for me, what on earth do you do with those? I am sure some clever 'crafter' could give me hints, but we have now arranged everything in two silver trunks, empty  from the many antiques they carried from London and Paris over the years.  We are redoing the apartment adding a bit, doing the floors and another closet. That is only part of the building that we are considering...I can't seem to let Mayo Construction retire.  Ray has done all the building here on Cooke and we have always been pleased with the results.

I have been making one- dish meals for us since we are running around here like ants.  Today it was beef stew.  Yesterday  red beans and rice since it was crock pot Tuesday for the kids.  Mike says Skyline Cincinnati chili is their favorite followed closely by the meal from yesterday, red beans and rice with ham.

Here is the secret to perfect sweet tea for a respite from cleaning.


              Perfect Sweet Tea. (makes 1 gallon)
(Adapted from the Lone Star Steak House)


Ingredients -
5 - 8  Family size Tea Bags. (or 12 regular Tea Bags) 
                    ( I prefer  #1 Luzianne or  #2 Liptons Brand Teas.)
1 Quart  (4 Cups) - Boiling Water
3 Quarts (12 cups) - Cool Water
1 1/2 - 2 (one & a half) - Cups Sugar. 
1/4 teaspoon - Baking Soda (this IS the SECRET Ingredient!!)


Today, Friday, the one dish meal is Rachel Ray's cheeseburger casserole. It is really delicious.  I will have to fix it for the Tuesday kids. It is not beautiful, but the taste is right on target. Actually I changed it so much you can't even call it
Rachel's.

Cheeseburger Casserole:

1 box cavatappi pasta cooked about 4 minutes in boiling water with salt (it will finish cooking in the oven, so don't over do it.)

Ingredients

• 1 box macaroni Cavatappi
• 1 pound pound ground beef and 1 roll of Bob Evans zesty sausage or two pounds ground chuck ; brown with leeks or onions of choice,
• 1 onion, chopped (I used 3 leeks)
• Salt and pepper to taste as you go
• 1 cup sour cream; 1 cup small curd cottage cheese or ricotta
• 1 cup shredded cheddar
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1 large can diced tomatoes
• 1 green pepper diced
• parsley
• other peppers of choice which is an option
• Put it all together in a baking dish and cover in oven at 325 for about 45 minutes or until the pasta is where you want it to be.

  



I am off to do more stimulating editing.  Good Will is making out like bandits today.

For years I wanted a chocolate babka recipe.  I even wrote to Cook's Corner request.  A woman called me after seeing my request and said for heavens sake don't try to make this.  It is soooo time consuming and difficult.  Go to this Jewish grocer on the east side and he has frozen chocolate babka that is delicious.  I forget which friend went with me, but over we went and sure enough there was frozen chocolate babka.  I bought a couple of them for a really big party I was having.  I had so  many dishes it took several tables to accommodate the spread.  The one item I heard the most comments about was the chocolate babka that I didn't even make. Go figure.  So today, I found this on my new favorite site, Pinerest.  It is called Cinnamon chocolate babka.  I don't think I will use the cinnamon, however.  Here is the recipe that I intend to try as soon as spring cleaning is behind  me.

 

1. The dough before its first rise.
2. The risen dough.
3. The dough rolls out easily, with no sticking or snapping back. A sheet of parchment underneath dusted with flour is helpful.
4. Scatter the chocolate-cinnamon-butter mixture on top, and get ready to roll!

1. Roll up the dough, then use your hands to elongate it.
2. Give the log a bit of a twist.
3. Coil the log into a snail shape.
4. Stand the coil up on its end, then press down to compact into a loaf shape.
5. Move the dough to a loaf pan, then wrap it up for its second rise.
6. The dough after its second rise. Ready to bake!

Chocolate Cinnamon Babka
From Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day

"Note: Whoa!!  That's one heck of a long recipe.  Please don't get scared off.  I can say with all honesty that it was harder to type up the whole darn thing than to bake it.  A mixer makes the work easy, and it's just a few steps here and there.

Also: There are variations to this recipe including an optional streusel topping, and shaping it into a beautiful braid with the filling exposed. I didn't use those, and I'm too lazy to type them up. Search out the book if you're interested."

2 tbs (0.66 oz/19g) instant yeast
¾ cup (6 oz/170 g) lukewarm milk (any kind, at about 95°)
6 tbs (3 oz/85 g) unsalted butter, melted or at room temperature
6 tbs (3 oz/85 g) sugar
2 tbs (1 oz/28g) vegetable oil
1 tsp (0.25 oz/7 g) vanilla extract
4 egg yolks (3 oz/85 g)
3⅓ cups (15 oz/425 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp (0.25 oz/7 g) salt, or 1½ tsp coarse kosher salt

For the Filling
1½ cups (9 oz/255 g) frozen semisweet dark chocolate chips or chunks
1 tsp (0.25 oz/7 g) ground cinnamon
¼ cup (2 oz/56.5 g) cold unsalted butter

Whisk the yeast into the lukewarm milk until dissolved, then set it aside for about 5 minutes before mixing it into the dough.

Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth.  If using a mixer, use the paddle attachment and mix on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes.  If mixing by hand, use a large wooden spoon and beat vigorously for about 2 minutes.  Add the oil and vanilla to the egg yolks and whisk lightly to break up the yolks, then add the yolks to the sugar mixture in four portions, mixing until each is incorporated before adding the next.  Increase the mixer speed to medium-high or continue mixing by hand for another 2 minutes, until the mixture is fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl a couple times during the process.

Stop mixing and add the flour and salt, then pour in the milk mixture.  Resume mixing at low speed, or continue to stir by hand, for 2 to 3 minutes, to make a soft, supple, tacky dough.  If using a mixer and the mixer begins to struggle, switch to the dough hook; if mixing by hand, use a very sturdy spoon or your hands.

Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead by hand for 2 minutes more, adding more flour as need to make the dough pliable.  The dough should be a beautiful golden color and feel soft and supple.  Form the dough into a ball.

Place the dough in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and leave at room temperature for about 2½ hours. It will rise somewhat, but won't double in size. If it rises significantly in less time, you can move to the shaping step or place it in the refrigerator overnight to be rolled out the next day.

Filling and Baking

Prepare the filling while the dough is rising. Grind the chocolate in a food processor until it's nearly powdered; if you don't have a food processor, chop the chocolate as fine as possible with a knife or metal pastry scraper. Add the cinnamon and pulse or stir a time or two to incorporate. Cut the butter into 8 to 10 pieces, add it to the fod processor, and pulse until the butter is evenly dispersed into the chocolate mixture; or cut the butter into the chocolate mixture with a metal pastry scraper to make a streusel-like chocolate crumble.

Once the dough has risen, roll it into a 15-by-15-inch square on a lightly floured surface. It should be between ¼ and ⅛ inch thick. As you roll, frequently lift the dough with a metal pastry scraper or bowl scraper and dust with more flour underneath to prevent sticking. Sprinkle the chocolate mixture over the dough, breaking up any clumps, so the filling covers the surface of the dough evenly, leaving a ¼-inch border.

Roll up the dough like a jelly roll and place it seam side down on the work surface. With firm but gentle pressure, rock the log back and forth to extend its length until it is 18 to 24 inches long.

For a loaf shape, grease a 5-by-9-inch loaf pan.  Carefully twist the log from both ends without tearing it, just enough to accentuate the chocolate spiral.  Coil the log into a circular snail shape, then stand the coil on its end so it's perpendicular to the counter rather than lying flat.  Press down on the coil to compress it into a loaf shape.  Place it in the greased loaf pan or on a parchment-lined sheet pan with the smoothest, domed side up.  For a coffee cake style of babka, grease a tube pan such as a Bundt pan or a kugelhopf mold with butter, vegetable oil, or spray oil, making sure to grease the tube.  Wrap the log around the tube and press the dough into the pan to connect the ends of the log.

Cover the tube or loaf pan loosely with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours, until the babka fills the pan or has increased to about 1½ times its original size.  At this point, you can proceed directly to baking or refrigerate the babka overnight.  If holding it overnight, remove the dough from the refrigerator about 2 hours before you plan to bake it.

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Use a toothpick to poke a few holes in the top of the babka to eliminate possible air pockets between the layers of chocolate and dough.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake until the top is a rich dark brown, the sides are a rich golden brown, the loaf sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom, and the internal temperature is about 185° in the center. The babka will begin to brown quickly because of the sugar, but it won't burn. The total baking time is 50 to 60 inutes for a loaf, and just 35 to 45 minutes for a tube pan. The sides may feel soft because of air pockets in the spirals. The babka will soften as it cools.

Cool for at least 90 minutes before serving. The babka is best served at room temperature after the chocolate has had time to set. 

 

Hmmm. Maybe I'll go back to the Jewish grocer and get the frozen Babka...or I will make it on a day I intend to punish myself.