Happy Easter!

Hope you all are having a sweet and blessed Easter Sunday!

Hot Cross Buns

 

Hot cross buns!

This recipe is (minutely) adapted from: Breaking Bread with Father Dominic.

Hot cross buns!
One ha' penny, two ha' penny,
Hot cross buns!
If you have no daughters,
Give them to your sons
One ha' penny,
Two ha' penny,
Hot Cross Buns!

My sister started our family in following the tradition of eating hot cross buns on Good Friday a few years ago, and luckily she passed her recipe on so I could make them despite being away from the family.  They're a simple bun, but with enough hearty sustenance to get you through the fast.  

 

Needed: 

4 to 4 1/2 cups flour, divided

1/2 cup whole wheat (graham) flour (I've never been able to find it, so I just use whole wheat)

1 package Active Dry Yeast

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup milk

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs, beaten

3/4 cups craisins soaked in 2 tspoons water

Combine 2 cups of the bread flour, whole wheat flour, yeast, sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl; stir until thoroughly blended.  

Combine milk and butter in saucepan.  Warm over low heat, stirring occasionally until butter melts.  Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm.  Stir in eggs.

Add milk mixture to flour mixture, beat for 200 strokes (here's where my husband ended up helping, my arm got tired!  Ignore the strange things I use to beat... we make do :)). 

Stir in craisins.  Ad 2 cups bread flour, mix until flour is incorporated.  Turn dough out on a floured surface.  Knead lightly, adding enogh of the remaining flour to make a soft dough that doesn't stick.  

Knead about 5 min., or until dough is smooth and elastic.  Lightly rub surface of dough with oil or butter; place in rinsed bowl.  Cover and let rise in a warm draft-free place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until it rises to two times it's original size.

Punch down dough and transfer to a floured surface.  Knead lightly to remove air bubbles.  Divide dough into 12 pieces.  Form pieces into balls.  Place balls on a lightly greased baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between balls.  Cover with a clean towel and let rise 45-60 minutes or until doubled.  

Use a sharp knife or razor blade (I use scissors) to cut a deep cross in top of each ball.  (Cut deeper than you initially think, it takes a deep cut to show up in the finished bun!)

While dough is rising, preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Bake buns 15-20 minutes or until golden.  Remove from baking sheet and place on wire rack.  Let cool 15 minutes.  Happy Triduum!

To see more great Lenten ideas on Catholic Icing, click here.

Food Chronicles: We still like to eat

Last week was my week to try new things in the kitchen.  Sometimes I forget one of my love languages is words of affirmation, until my husband utters sweet words that melt me down to my toes, "You're a natural cook."  Um, he just won a week of yummy meals with that compliment :).  So, I pulled out my little Food magazine that I get once a month (amazing gift from my big sis) and cooked a three days of meals from it:

Steak and potato salad - Oh, dear, heavenly goodness in my mouth!  I don't think you could go wrong, but grilled steak and roasted mini potatoes in a salad?  It was deeelish. 

Grilled chicken, onion and pineapple wrap with tomatillo sauce - still needs a little tweaking, but I did realize I love grilled pineapple.  This was my first time ever working with tomatillos, so I was rather impressed with myself.  and as per request - the recipe for this is at the bottom of the entry. 

And last, but not least was roasted eggplant relish with pasta.  This was lovely, but I'm not sure if I did it right.  The recipe said to scoop out the flesh of the eggplant while avoiding seeds, but it seemed as if most of it was seeds!  Still, mixed with some roasted tomato, garlic and onion... so delicious!

 
Want to hear the best part of all these recipes?  Not only were they good (and by good I mean delightfully tasty and filling), but they were part of the "Light" issue.  That's right... good for you!  I love finding really yummy food that I don't feel bad about eating, because, let's be honest.  I love to eat.

 and of course... don't forget to brush your teeth when you're all done :)


Turkey kebabs with creamy tomatillo sauce (The recipe calls for turkey, but we just grilled a chicken breast instead)
from Everyday Food Magazine
serves  4
(We did several things a little different, but this was the base recipe)

1 lb boneless turkey breast, cut into 11/4 inch-pieces
coarse salt and pepper
1/2 small pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1 1/4-inch pieces
1 medium red onion, cut into 1 1/4-inch pieces
nonstick cooking spray
whole-wheat pitas or salad greens for serving
1 recipe Creamy Tomatillo Sauce


In a medium bowl filled with hot water, submerge four 12-inch wooden skewers and let soak 15 minutes.  Season turkey with salt and pepper, then thread 5 turkey pieces and 4 pieaces each pineapple and onion onto each skewer.  Lightly coat a grill pan with cooking spray and heat over medium-high.  Grill skewers, turning occasionally, until turkey is cooked through, 14 minutes.  Remove turkey, pineapple, and onion from skewers.  Serve in pitas or over salad green, drizzled with tomatillo sauce.

per serv (with pita) 475 cal; 10 g fat (1 g sat fat) 38 g protein; 66 g carb; 11 g fiber


Creamy Tomatillo Sauce  


In a small saucepan, combine 3/4 pound tomatillos, husks removed, 1 jalapeno, stem removed, and enough water to cover ingredients by 1 inch.  Bring to a boil over medium-high.  Reduce to a rapid simmer and cook until vegetables are tender, 7 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a blender and add 1 medium white or red onion cut into 1 1/4 inch pieces.  Puree until smooth.  Add 1/2 bunch cilantro, stems removed, 1/2 cup buttermilk, and 1/2 peeled avacado.  Season with coarse salt,; puree until smooth.  (To store, refrigerate in an airtight container, up to 3 days.)  Makes 3 1/2 cups per 1/4 cup 26 cal. 1 g fat.