I am Turning into an Italian Grandmother.

Yes it is true. I am slowly but surely turning into an little old Italian lady. Pay no mind that I am in fact mostly of Norwegian descent, and that I am the ripe old age of 25.

I know because of the look I got when I told people I spent almost 10 hours in the kitchen last weekend making lasagna. Why did it take you so long they asked. Well because I took the long way. I made a near-traditional meat Bolognese sauce. I made a béchamel sauce. I made my own egg noodles. I made the ricotta. Yeah you heard me correctly. I made the ricotta.

Have I gone insane you ask? My mom asked. Some of my friends asked. Maybe I have. But man was it fun. And rewarding. And by rewarding I mean this lasagna was so damn good. Insanely good. Standing for 10 hours stirring sauces, and kneading pasta dough, and straining curds and whey? Yup, it was worth it. SO worth it.

No Hold's Barred Lasagna

recipe adapted (barely) from Serious Eats

The bolognese sauce cooks for a good 3-4 hours so I would prep as much of the ingredients as you can, and then start with the sauce. While the sauce is simmering, make and drain the ricotta and make and roll out the pasta dough. Right before you are ready to assemble, put together the ricotta mixture and make the béchamel sauce. Lots of multi-tasking, but that's the fun part right?

Special Equipment:

Cheesecloths, pasta roller, food processor, deep 13 X 9 baking dish

For the ragù Bolognese:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
1 pound 85/15 ground beef
1 pound ground pork
3-4 ounces chicken livers, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 large carrots, peeled, and cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 1 cup)
3 large ribs celery, peeled, and cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 1 cup)
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
large pinch red pepper flakes
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 cups homemade chicken or veal stock (or 2 cups low-sodium canned chicken broth)
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup minced basil

1/4 cup minced parsley

For the ricotta:
One gallon whole milk
1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

For the ricotta mixture:
3 cups fresh ricotta
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons minced basil
2 tablespoons minced parsley

For the pasta:
6 eggs, divided
6 egg yolks, divided

5 cups all purpose flour, divided

1 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
6 tablespoons of water, divided

For the béchamel:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 cups whole milk
1/2 pound dry whole milk mozzarella cheese, grated or finely chopped (buy the ball of cheese, stay away from pre-shredded stuff here)
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To assemble:
Fifteen 4" by 8" sheets fresh rolled pasta (or sized to fit your pan)
4 ounces parmigiano reggiano, finely grated (About 2 cups)
1 tablespoons minced basil
1 tablespoons minced parsley

To make the bolognese sauce:

Heat the butter and oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the pork, beef, and chicken livers, stirring to break up meat, and cook until no longer pink, about 7-10 minutes. Transfer meat to strainer set over a large bowl. Transfer about half the liquid back to the pot and reduce heat to medium. Add the onions, carrots, celery, sage, garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook until vegetables are softened, but not browned, about 10 minutes.

Return the meat back to the pot, along with the tomatoes, red wine, milk, stock, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer partially covered, about 3 hours stirring occasionally.

When sauce is reduced and slightly thickened, remove bay leaves, add soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, and heavy cream and simmer for about 5 minutes longer, stirring frequently. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and let come to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Stir in parsley and basil, set aside until use. If making ahead of time (do it, it only gets better) reheat until warm before assembling lasagna.

To make the ricotta:

In a large pot, using a candy thermometer, bring a gallon of whole milk to 180 degrees F, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. When it reaches temperature, remove from heat and gently stir in the vinegar. Curds should start forming immediately.

Cover and let sit for about 2 hours. Line a colander with a few sheets of cheesecloth or food safe paper towels, and set over a bowl. Transfer the larger curd to the colander with a slotted spoon, then slowly pour the remaining curds and whey into the colander.

Let drain for 1-2 hours, depending on desired texture and consistency.

If using that day mix ricotta with the eggs, parsley, basil, salt and pepper, and set aside. If making ahead of time, place in air tight container and refrigerate for up to 7 days, mix with eggs and herbs directly prior to assembling the lasagna.

To make the pasta:

This much pasta should be made in two batches. In a food processor, combine the 2.5 cups flour and 3/4 teaspoon salt, pulse a few times to combine. In a small bowl lightly beat together 3 eggs, 3 egg yolks, and 3 tablespoons of water. With the food processor running, slowly stream in the egg mixture and run until a sticky dough forms. Add water by the teaspoons if mixture is dry. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and pliable, about 10 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 45 minutes. Repeat with the other half of ingredients.

Take each ball of dough and divide it into four pieces. Flatten 1 piece of dough with heel of hand into a rectangular shape. Put through pasta roller at widest setting 5 times, folding edges over to retain rectangle shape.

Reduce the setting by one, and roll the rough three times on each setting, until you reach the 3rd thinnest setting (this is on a 7-setting roller).

I prefer my lasagna noodles thick, but feel free to go to the second thinnest setting if you like. Repeat with each piece of dough. Flour sheets of dough and let dry on dry dish towels until ready to use, at least 20 minutes.

Cut round edges off of dough and then cut pasta into square or rectangular sheets to fit your pan. I used two slightly smaller pans, so your ratios may vary a bit. You will most likely have lost of leftover pasta, cut into shapes and freeze for later use. Don't you love it when there are bonuses?

To make the béchamel sauce:

Heat the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until it stops foaming, about 1 minute. Whisk in the flour and continue stirring until mixture turns a light tan color, about 1 minute. Add garlic, whisk to combine. Slowly stream in the milk while whisking, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and add the cheese and nutmeg and whisk until cheese is completely melted. Return to a simmer then remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.

Almost there, time to assemble! If you are using the 9X13 pan, you should end up with five layers of noodles. If you are using smaller pans, you may end up with less noodle layers in each. Exact measurements are not important for each layer, but I will give you an approximation. Just use your best judgement and hope you don't run out before you reach the top!

To assemble:

Preheat your oven to 375 F. Add about 1 - 1 1/2 cups bolognese sauce to bottom of baking dish and drizzle with about a 1/2 cup of béchamel. Top with three sheets of pasta. Add another 1 - 1 1/2 cups bolognese sauce and 1/2 cup béchamel sauce, and sprinkle with 1/3 cup parmigiano reggiano cheese. Add three more sheets of pasta. Spread 1/2 of your ricotta onto the noodles and spread it evenly with a rubber spatula. Top with another 1 cup of meat sauce and sprinkle with 1/3 cup of parmigiano reggiano cheese. Repeat the noodle-meat-béchamel-parm and noodle-ricotta-meat-parm layers. Top with the last layer of noodles, the remaining meat sauce, the remaining béchamel, the remaining parmigiano reggiano. Now, stand back and bask in the glory of this almost-overflowing dish of cheesy, delicious, wonderment.

Place baking dish onto a foil-lined baking sheet (to catch all the bubbly overflow) and place on middle rack in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes- 1 hour until hot and bubbly and cooked through. Tent with tin foil during baking if the top is getting too dark.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with basil and parsley. Be sure to let the lasagna sit and rest for at least 10-15 minutes at room temp before cutting into it.

Seriously just try not to pull off the little almost-burnt corners of pasta and pop them in your mouth while you let the lasagna rest. Just try, its hard.

Serve if you must have some greens with a light salad, but I say the best side dish for this lasanga is just another piece of lasagna and a big 'ol glass of Chianti. If I am indeed turning into a grandma, there's gotta be wine.

Oh and one last thing...get off my lawn.

Lemon Poppyseed Scones

This may be the first year that I have uttered the words "I don't think I am ready for winter to be over". It may be the Minnesotan in me, but I am pretty content with the dreary freezing weather and blustering snowy days right now. I am just not ready for spring. I have been thoroughly enjoying cold saturday mornings spent in the kitchen with some bubbling soup on the stove and a cup of coffee in my hand.

Spring means waking up and heading outside, going to the farmers market, taking a bike ride, and enjoying the warm sun. As excited as I am for all this, I won't mind the excuses to make soups, lasagnas, short ribs, and various other hearty heavy food for a little while longer at least. It is only March 1st for christ sakes.

I have been letting spring creep in slowly though. Very slowly. The citrus fruits are in season, and no matter how gray the sky outside is, a little meyer lemon zest under your nose immediately conjures visions of green grass and cherry blossoms.

Meyer lemons paired with poppyseeds and a boatload of butter creates some absolutely sublime scones. I didn't know I liked scones until I actually made them myself and realized how buttery and delicious they can be. A simple citrus juice and confectioners sugar glaze tops these scones, and seeps in to keep them impossibly moist and tender, and adding just the perfect amount of sweetness.

Meyer Lemon and Poppyseed Scones

recipe adapted from Ina Garten

I have made these by hand, in a food processor, and in a stand mixer, but my favorite by far were the scones that were made in the food processor. The sharp blades cut the butter in perfectly, without over mixing, creating moist, buttery layers similar to biscuits.

4 cups plus 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon grated meyer lemon zest

3 tablespoons poppy seeds
3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cold heavy cream
1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water or milk, for egg wash
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
4 teaspoons freshly squeezed meyer lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In the bowl of a food processor (or stand mixer fitting with the paddle attachment) combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, lemon zest, and poppy seeds. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the cold butter and pulse until the butter is cut into pea-sized pieces. Combine the eggs and cream in a small bowl. While pulsing, slowly add the cream mixture, mixing just until blended.

This will be very crumbly, but thats okay! Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead just until mixture forms a ball. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough out until it is 3/4 inch thick. At this point you can cut it into the more common triangle shapes, or use a cookie cutter of your choice. You can re-roll scraps once or twice as needed.

Place cut scones on a parchment paper or silicone mat lined baking sheet. Brush the top of each scone lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle with a bit of sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes, switching the pans top to bottom and front to back halfway through the cooking time. The scones should be light golden brown on top and firm to the touch.

Let scones cool for 15 minutes on wire racks. Meanwhile whisk together lemon juice and confectioners sugar in a small bowl. Transfer to a piping bag or ziploc bag with a very small pice of corner cut off. Once scones have cooled, drizzle or pipe glaze onto scones. Let glaze dry for another 10-15 minutes (if you can wait that long).

Happy March!

Cabernet Braised Short Ribs and Mushroom Risotto

There are some people that tie their memories to the weather, different smells, specific dates, or the time of year. I have been finding that recently I have been tying many of my great memories with friends and family to food. For example, I can't remember a specific christmas by the year, or by how much snow we got, or what my christmas presents were, but jog my memory of what we cooked for 'christmas eve-eve' dinner? Now I remember.

It works the other way too. Lobster crosses my mind? I immediately think about the many July 4th's throughout my childhood when the cousins in my family would draw a track on the driveway with chalk and "race" the lobsters before our parents murdered them (but for good cause) in the giant bubbling stock pot in the kitchen. Granted they usually only moved an inch or so, but it was still fun picking them up and being terrified that they were going to pinch us (even though their claws all had rubber bands on them).

I also think about last winter when some of my favorite people in the world got together at a cabin in northern Wisconsin and had a BYOL party (Bring Your Own Lobster). It unexpectedly took hours to bring the huge stock pots full of water and crab seasoning to boil and didn't end up eating until almost 11 pm, but we kept ourselves busy drinking wine, playing with the very lethargic lobsters, and catching up on lives being lived three states away from each other.

Short ribs and risotto will be one of those meals that is tied to so many great memories for me. It was one of the first 'extravagant' meals I cooked for my boyfriend after we moved to chicago together. It was on the menu last winter when some of my best girlfriends from Purdue finally found a night we could all get together for the first time in months.

It was also the meal I made for eight hungry skiers this past weekend, at what is quickly becoming my favorite tradition: Valentines Day Cabin Weekend. In lieu of the Hallmark world of hearts and candy and forced romantic evenings, my Minnesota friends and I, along with our wonderful significant others, have turned v-day weekend into a weekend full of skiing, laughing, drinking, and eating. Rarely does the v -word even cross our lips, but when it does we aren't just celebrating love in our romantic relationships, we are toasting our friendships as well. The card I received from one of said Minnesota friends sums it up pretty well: "I hope we are still spending valentines day together when we are 80". Until I am 80, when I think of short ribs and risotto, I will be reminded of this very awesome valentines day, the giant red le creuset filled with braised meaty goodness, and the very best friends a girl could ask for.

Cabernet Braised Short Ribs

recipe adapted slightly from epicurious.com

Serves 8 with leftovers

These are great made a day early and chilled overnight. This allows you to to skim some of the hardened fat off the top to produce a less greasy pan sauce, but are just as good made the day of.

8-9 pounds meaty short ribs

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced

2 tablespoons fresk thyme, minced

1 tablespoon coarse salt

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup (about) vegetable or olive oil

2 - 750 ml bottles of Cabernet Sauvingnon

2-4 cups beef stock (this will depend on the size and shape of the pot you use, you will need enough to just about cover the ribs with liquid)

2 tablespoons of butter, room temperature

2 teaspoons all purpose flour

The day before cooking the ribs, season the ribs on all sides with the rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper and place in a large glass baking dish. Cover and chill overnight.

Let ribs stand at room temp before continuing. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large dutch oven, heat two tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add short ribs to pot in a single layer, turning about every 2 minutes to brown all sides. Place browned ribs in large bowl, and add more oil to pot as needed to brown all the ribs. Once all ribs have been seared, pour off drippings from pot and return to medium heat. Add the wine, scraping up and browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring wine to a simmer, then return the ribs and any accumulated juices to the pot. Add enough beef stock to almost cover the ribs. Bring to a boil, then cover and transfer pot to oven.

If making these the day of consumption, cook for about 3-3.5 hours, until meat is incredibly tender and falling off the bone.

If making the day before, cook for about 2.5 hours, then let cool, cover, and chill overnight. The following day, skim some of the congealed fat off the top and return to 375 degree oven for another hour to and hour and a half, until the meat is tender and falling off the bone.

When ribs are done, remove meat and bones from pot, place in a tightly covered bowl and keep warm. Skim any fat from the top of the liquid, and bring to simmer over medium high heat on the stovetop. Boil until reduced to about 2 cups, about 20 minutes. Mix together butter and flour in a bowl until well combined, and whisk into simmering braising liquid. Continue whisking over medium-high heat until thickened slightly, about 2 minutes.

Plate ribs next to, or on top of the risotto, topped with sauce and the mixed herb gremolata.

Meyer Lemon Herb Gremolata

adapted slightly from epicurious.com

Please don't skip this topping. It lends an amazingly bright citrus note to the earthy meatiness of the short ribs.

1/4 cup chopped italian parsley

3 tablespoons finely grated lemon peel, meyer lemon if it is in season

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons finely minced rosemary

2 tablespoons finely minced thyme

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Can be made one day in advance, but I would recommend making it the day of so the citrus is at its freshest.

Mushroom Risotto

serves 8 plus plenty of leftovers

12-16 cups canned low sodium chicken broth

1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms

1/2 cup unsalted butter, divided (one stick)

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

5-6 shallots, minced

1 1/2 pounds fresh mushrooms, chopped (I used a mix of white and baby bellas)

3 cups arborio rice

1 1/3 cup white wine

1 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/3 cup italian parsley, chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Bring the broth to a simmer in a large saucepan or small stockpot. Add the dried porcini mushrooms, reduce heat, and keep the broth warm over very low heat while you cook the risotto. The mushrooms will flavor the broth as they steep.

In a large heavy pot, melt two tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add two tablespoons of olive oil. Add the shallots and saute until tender, about 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic, and saute for another 2-3 minutes.

Stir in the rice, and let cook until the rice toasts a bit and becomes slightly translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the wine and cook until it has absorbed, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low, and add 1 cup of hot broth, stirring rice very frequently until broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1 cup at a time and stirring, until rice is just al dente. This should take about 30-40 minutes, and you may not need all the broth.

While rice is cooking, remove the porcini mushrooms from broth with slotted spoon, chop, and set aside. Heat two tablespoons of butter and one tablespoon of live oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add fresh mushrooms and porcini mushrooms and saute until mushrooms are slightly browned, 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover to keep warm and set aside.

When rice reaches the al dente stage, remove from heat and stir in remaining 1/2 stick of butter, parmesan cheese, mushrooms, and parsley.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add some roasted carrots for good measure and you have yourself a meal.

Make this, and make it often. I can only hope that this wonderful meal may be attached to some amazing memories for you as well.

Two Soups for a Cozy Weekend

Bags are packed, skis are in the car, and the short ribs are seasoned on ice. Cabin weekend, the winter version is here at last! Soon I will be in the car on a 6 hour journey to spend a weekend up in Wisconsin with my best friends and their significant others. We will be making a feast on Saturday night, a cozy Italian winter meal with Cabernet braised short ribs, wild mushroom risotto, and roasted carrots. How good does that sound after a long day of skiing in the cold Wisconsin air?

Yeah I know, I would be jealous if I were you too. But fret not, I leave you with two hearty, soul warming soups to get you through the chilly weekend. I won't wax on yet again on how much I love soup, because I have done that a few times already on this blog, but trust me when I say, these soups will be made again and again in my house, and I hope you find the time to try them for yourselves.

Curried Ginger-Lentil Soup

adapted slightly from Hungry Cravings

2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup minced garlic
¼ cup minced ginger
4 carrots, diced
3-4 tablespoons hot curry powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 bay leaves
2 quarts water

2 quarts chicken stock
1 ¼ pounds lentils, picked over
2 limes, juiced
Kosher salt
½ cup minced cilantro

Place olive oil in large heavy pot and heat over medium-high heat until oil is hot. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for a few minutes, just until softened. Add the carrots and saute for another 3-4 minutes. Add the curry powder, cumin, and bay leaves, stir to combine, and saute for 1-2 minutes.

Add the water, chicken stock, and lentils, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 40-45 minutes, until lentils are soft, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard bay leaves, stir in cilantro and lime juice.

Serve with some extra cilantro on top and some sour cream if you are feeling naughty. This makes a LOT of soup, but fear not, it freezes beautifully.

Black Bean Chorizo Soup

recipe by Rick Bayless

3/4 pound (1 1/2 cups) dried black beans, picked over
6 cups water

6 cups chicken stock
6 ounces (about 1 link) Mexican-style chorizo, casing removed and crumbled
1 stalk fennel, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 chipotle chilies in adobo, chopped
4 teaspoons salt, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place beans in large stock pot and cover with 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil then remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 1 hour until beans are soft. Drain the beans return them to the pot.

Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and add the chorizo, fennel, onion, and chipotle peppers. Cover, leaving the lid open a crack, and simmer for about 2 hours, until all veggies are tender to the point of falling apart.

In batches, transfer soup to food processor or blender and pulse until you have a smooth, thick puree. Return puree to pot over medium-low heat and stir in salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with queso fresco, avocados, crushed tortilla chips, sour cream and basically anything else you fancy.

Hope you have a lovely weekend, and stay warm!

Et tu macarons?

2 days, 6 aged egg whites, and 4 pans of macarons. My first and second attempts at making these delicate, immensely sweet french cookies, were filled with apprehension, excitement, disappointment, pride, betrayal, and a little bit of swearing...okay a lot of swearing.

I have seen the beautiful pictures of these cute little sandwiched cookies all over the blogosphere, and although I had never even tasted one, I knew I had to give them a go. I made these purely for superficial reasons, they are just so pretty, plus I love a challenge.

Any of you who know me knows I am not a big sweets person, but I truly enjoy the process of baking. I love the repetition, and the preciseness of baking. I didn't always feel this way, but have come to think that the tediousness of baking is a great way to hone your skills in the kitchen. The focus and attention to detail that is required in making something like macarons is something that can be applicable to other areas of cooking.

I think of it almost like doing yoga. When holding a pose in yoga, you have to completely clear your mind and focus on the pose itself, because if you are thinking about tomorrow's to-do list, you will fall on your ass. Lose your focus in a macaron-making kitchen, and you will wind up with meringue in your hair, and pistachio powder in your slippers (don't ask me how I know this).

They are known for being fussy, and boy did they live up to their reputation. After the first two attempts, I am only a little closer to making perfect macarons. The first batch was much too liquid-y and did not hold their shape on the pan, nor did the batter stay in my piping bag very long before dripping out all over the floor.

I attributed this to not whipping the eggs whites long enough. I baked them anyway, and lo and behold, they got their feet anyway.

The 'feet' are the little ruffles that form when the macarons are baked, and they are usually a good sign that you did something right. So I had the feet, but unfortunately between the feet and the glossy domed top, they were hollow and missing their light cake-like mid section. That is a sign that I did something wrong. So deceptive, these little creatures. They can look perfect from the outside, but poke the top and the crumble into a thousand little shards of pistachio-flavored betrayal.

My second attempt went much more smoothly and was much less emotional than the first.

The egg whites were whipped into oblivion and the batter in turn, actually held together when it was piped onto the baking sheets.

The two pans went into the oven and they were flipped top to bottom and front to back halfway through. Even as I tried to get even cooking between the two pans, they still came out of the oven completely different. One of the pans was lopsided and hollow, and the other was the closest I came over these two days of macaron-making to actually succeeding.

Since I am FAR from being an expert on macaron making, and haven't really nailed down a reliable process and recipe, I am going to turn you, my dear readers, over to one of my favorite blogs, Tartlette. She is the macaron expert, and her recipes are tried and true. She takes beautiful pictures of these lovely cookies. So until I prefect these little critters, and by god someday I will, I shall defer to her:

Pistachio Macarons with Lemon and Raspberry Buttercream Filling by Tartlette.

I used her pistachio shell recipe to a T, and modified her basic buttercream recipe, adding lemon zest and juice to half, and homemade raspberry jam to the other half. Even though some were hollow, some were gooey, and some were lopsided, they all still tasted wonderfully like pistachio sugary goodness.

This will not be the last time we meet my little macarons, but I may need a little time apart before our next encounter.

Bagels Round Two : Gettin Fancy

I can't believe it's almost February. I feel as though the waning days of winter are creeping up on me way too fast, and the weeks are starting to fill up with road trips, friends visiting, bridal showers, concerts, and dinner dates. It's hard to find time to spend a weekend in the kitchen with a schedule like mine approaching. I will long for the lazy days of January when I had time to devote an entire day just to baking.

It may be a while before I have the time to whip up a batch of bagels again, so the ones in the freezer will just have to last me until April. My first attempt at bagels back in July went swimmingly, and I decided now that I got the basics down, it was time for some flavor! Taking a nod from Ina Garten's flavor combo in my favorite scone recipe, I made a third of the batch with dried cranberries and orange zest, one third topped with everything (onions, garlic, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and salt) and the last third plain and boring (but equally delicious).

I think this round of bagel-making secured my confidence in baking, and I am ready to keep on making my own baked goods, and veering a bit from the recipe books.

At the fault of this new found confidence, I now have three egg whites 'aging' on my counter top, waiting until tomorrow when they will be whipped into a batch of french macarons. I have been saying for the last few months, as soon as I get myself a Kitchenaid stand mixer, the first thing I am going to make is macarons. Well, I was a good girl this year and Santa brought me one for Christmas. Actually he brought me two (I must have been REALLY good), one from my family and one from my boyfriend (guess I gave enough hints huh? Subtlety is not my strong suit).

So with this being one of the last few weekends with an open schedule and no work, I will embark on what is supposedly a very tricky and fussy cookie, but is said to be well worth the effort and patience. Stay tuned!

Cranberry Orange Bagels and Everything Bagels

adapted from Peter Reinhardt's the Bread Baker's Apprentice

Sponge

1 teaspoon instant yeast
4 cups unbleached high-gluten or bread flour (I could not find bread flour, let alone high gluten bread flour, but I did find Vital Wheat Gluten Flour which I swapped one tablespoon of all purpose flour for the vital wheat gluten PER CUP of flour. So I ended up with 4 tablespoons of vital wheat gluten and 4 cups minus 4 Tablespoons of All Purpose flour)
2 1/2 cups water, room temperature

Dough

1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
3 3/4 cups unbleached high-gluten or bread flour
2 3/4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons malt powder or 1 tablespoon dark or light malt syrup, honey, or brown sugar (see note below)
2/3 cup orange flavored Craisins (or plain dried cranberries) chopped finely ***
1 tablespoon packed orange zest***

***I only made a third of the dough into cranberry-orange bagels. These are the measurements for a third, if you are making the entire batch cranberry orange, I would triple the amounts of cranberries and orange zest. ***

To Finish

1 tablespoon baking soda
Cornmeal for dusting baking sheets
1/4 cup each of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dried garlic, and dried onions, plus a dash of salt***

***Again, I only made a third of the batch into everything bagels, but I had a good amount of extra toppings leftover. If you are making the entire batch into everything bagels, you can probably get away with 1/3 cup of each***

Day 1: To make the sponge, stir the yeast into the flour in a 4-quart mixing bowl. Add the water, whisking or stirring only until it forms a smooth, sticky batter (like pancake batter). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the mixture becomes very foamy and bubbly. It should swell to nearly double in size and collapse when the bowl is tapped on the counter top - mine did not fall, and it wasn't super foamy or bubbly... but they still worked out just fine.

To make the dough, in the same mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer), add the additional yeast to the sponge and stir. Then add 3 cups of the flour and all of the salt and malt. Stir (or mix on low speed with the dough hook) until the ingredients form a ball, slowly working in the remaining 3/4 cup flour to stiffen the dough - again, mine did not go quite so smoothly, I had to skip to the next step way before I was able to incorporate the 3/4 cup of flour in the bowl. Its okay, you can just work it in as you are kneading.

Transfer the dough to the counter and knead for at least 10 minutes (or for 6 minutes by machine). The dough should be firm but still pliable and smooth. There should be no raw flour and all ingredients should be hydrated. The dough should pass the windowpane test and register 77 to 71 degrees F. If the dough seems to dry and rips, add a few drops of water and continue kneading. If the dough seems tacky or sticky, add more flour to achieve the stiffness required. The kneaded dough should feel satiny and pliable but not be tacky.

If you are making cranberry orange bagels, during the last two minutes or so of kneading, work in the chopped cranberries and orange zest, kneading until it is evenly incorporated. I made a third of this dough plain, a third everything, and a third cranberry orange. So before incorporating the fillings, I divided my dough into three even pieces and just kneaded the orange and cranberry into one of the thirds. If you are making one big batch of the cranberry orange, there is no need to divide the dough at this point.

Immediately divide the dough into 4 1/2 ounce pieces for standard bagels, or smaller if desired. Form the pieces into rolls.

I do not have a kitchen scale (yet) so I pretty much just kept cutting the dough in half until the pieces looked like a good size. I ended up with about 36 small-ish bagels.

Cover the rolls with a damp towel and allow them to rest for approximately 20 minutes.

Line 2 sheet pans with baking parchment (I used sil-pats, but parchment works as well) and mist lightly with spray oil. Poke a hole in each ball of bagel dough and gently rotate your thumb around the inside of the hole to widen it to approximately 2 1/2 inches in diameter (half of this for a mini-bagel). The dough should be as evenly stretched as possible (try to avoid thick and thin spots.)

Place each of the shaped pieces 2 inches apart on the pans. Mist the bagels very lightly with the spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let the pans sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.

Check to see if the bagels are ready to be retarded in the refrigerator by using the “float test”. Fill a small bowl with cool or room-temperature water. The bagels are ready to be retarded (meaning they will go into the fridge and slow proof overnight) when they float within 10 seconds of being dropped into the water. Take one bagel and test it. If it floats, immediately return the tester bagel to the pan, pat it dry, cover the pan, and place it in the refrigerator overnight (it can stay in the refrigerator for up to 2 days).

If the bagel does not float, return it to the pan and continue to proof the dough at room temperature, checking back every 10 to 20 minutes or so until a tester floats. The time needed to accomplish the float will vary, depending on the temperature of your kitchen, humidity, time of year, color of shirt you are wearing, mood your cat is in...okay those last few may not affect it, but sometimes it can seem that way.

Day 2: Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F with the two racks set in the middle of the oven. Bring a large pot of water to a boil (the wider the pot the better), and add the baking soda. Have a slotted spoon or skimmer nearby.

Mix the poppy seeds, sesame seeds, garlic, onion, and salt together and spread in a thin layer on a large plate. Set aside for later.

Remove the bagels from the refrigerator and gently drop them into the water, boiling only as many as comfortably fit (they should float within 10 seconds). After 90 seconds flip them over rand boil for another 90 seconds. If you like very chewy bagels, you can extend the boiling to 2-2.5 minutes per side . While the bagels are boiling, sprinkle the same parchment-lined sheet pans with cornmeal or semolina flour.

For the non-topped bagels, remove them from the boiling water with a spider or a slotted spoon and place them on the prepared sheet pans. For the topped bagels, remove them from boiling water and place them directly onto the plate with prepared toppings. Press them down gently to get toppings to adhere (be careful, they are hot) and then move them to the prepared baking sheet, topping side up.

When all the bagels have been boiled and topped, place the pans on the 2 middle shelves in the oven. Bake for approximately 5-7 minutes, then rotate the pans, switching shelves and giving the pans a 180-degree rotation. After the rotation, lower the oven setting to 450 degrees F and continue baking for about 10-15 minutes, or until the bagels turn light golden brown.

Remove the pans from the oven and let the bagels cool on a rack for 15 minutes or longer before serving. Before you do this:

Or this:

Simple Comfort

After the holidays are over, it is refreshing sometimes to have a meal that is a bit on the lighter side (especially after eating all those fake girl scout cookies). It's also great to have a meal that you can clean out your fridge with. Its a great basic formula, but definitely not your run of the mill pasta dish or stir fry that usually seem to constitute a pantry meal.

This dish has all the good stuff. Creamy, crispy polenta and sauteed mushrooms and carrots, topped with a big 'ol fried egg. I am a firm believer in the "everything is better with a fried egg on top" school of thought. This separate but equally as valid as the "everything is better with bacon" school of thought. When the oozing yolk mixes with the earthy veggies and the cheesy polenta, it is heaven. Now that I think about it, I am totally adding bacon next time I make this.

I first saw a version of this recipe on thekitchn.com and really loved the combination, but I ended up changing it quite a bit. The night that I made this for dinner I made a soft polenta, but I truly believe the leftovers were better the next day when I cut squares of the cold polenta and sauteed it in a bit of olive oil. The cheese in the polenta became brown and crispy on the outside and was soft, hot, and creamy on the inside. Either way though, it is a filling, hearty meal that is full of protein that won't ruin your new years resolutions.

Fried Polenta with Balsamic Mushrooms and Carrots

adapted from thekitchn.com

Serves 3-4

1 lb mushrooms, cut into a 1/2 inch dice

3 medium carrots, cut into a 1/2 inch dice

1 clove garlic, finely minced

2-3 tablespoons oilve oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup instant polenta

1 1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cup water

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

3-4 eggs (depending on how many people are eating, 1 egg per serving)

salt and pepper to taste

Bring water, milk, and 1/4 teaspoons salt to a boil in a small saucepan. When it reaches a boil, whisk in the polenta and reduce the heat to low and cover. Let simmer for 15 minutes with the lid cracked, stirring occasionally. Add the parmesean cheese and stir to combine. **You can make this a day ahead of time. Spread the polenta in a thin layer in the bottom of a baking dish and refrigerate overnight. Heat some oil in a non-stick skillet and fry the polenta until heated through and brown and crispy on the edges.**

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and saute for 2 minutes until garlic becomes fragrant. Add mushrooms, carrots, thyme and balsamic vinegar, stir to coat evenly. Saute for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until mushrooms and carrots are cooked through.

When the polenta and vegetables are fully cooked, heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a small non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and cook the eggs over-easy, making sure to leave the yolk runny (this is the best part).

Place a dollop of the creamy polenta (or a fried square of polenta) in the middle of a plate, top with a spoonful of the veggie mixture, and one fried egg. Sprinkle with a little extra parmesean cheese and devour.

This is a wonderfully quick (and inexpensive) weekenight meal, and a great way to use up leftovers. Enjoy!