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| Almost a smile! |
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| Check out my nostrils. |
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
He's here!
Sorry, I've been MIA for a few days. Our Little CP arrived on June 7 at 6.18pm weighing in at 7 lbs and 15 oz and measuring 20.5 inches tall. Here are some photos from his first day at home.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Apple Cinnamon Sticky Rolls
When I was in high school, my siblings and I went to day camp where we played violin in a youth orchestra. In the afternoons, we would participate in different activities such as hanging out at a pool, playing ping pong or baking delicious cinnamon rolls. I was craving those rolls recently and decided to make something similar with the addition of some apples.
Ingredients
For the Dough:
1 envelope (= 2 1/4 teaspoons) yeast
3/4 cup milk, warmed to about 100°F
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, very soft
1/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
For the Apple Filling
2 large cooking apples, chopped
1 tablespoon AP flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/8 cup butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
1) In the bowl of a stand mixer sprinkle the yeast over the warmed milk and
let it sit for a couple minutes.
2) With the mixer paddle, stir in the softened butter, sugar, vanilla, and one cup of the flour.
3) Stir in the salt and nutmeg. Stir in the eggs and enough of the remaining flour to make a soft yet sticky dough.
4) Switch to the dough hook and knead for about 5 minutes or knead by hand for 5-7 minutes or until the dough is elastic and pliable.
5) Spray the top of the dough with vegetable oil, and turn the dough over so it is coated in oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a towel and let the dough rise until nearly doubled - about an hour.
6) Prepare the apple filling - In a saucepan, mix the chopped apple pieces, flour, sugar and butter and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Cook for about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring constantly until thick. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg. Cool completely.
7) Lightly grease a 13x9 inch baking dish with baking spray or butter. (I use a small convection oven, so I split the rolls into one 8x8 inch dish and one 5x8 inch dish.) On a floured surface pat the dough out into a large yet still thick rectangle of about 10x15 inches. Spread evenly with the filling over the dough. Roll the dough up tightly, starting from the top long end. Cut the long dough roll into 12 even rolls, and place them, cut side up, in the prepared baking dish.
8) Cover the rolls with a towel and let them rise for an hour or until puffy and nearly doubled.
9) Heat the oven to 350°F. Place the risen rolls in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into a center roll reads 190°F.
Ingredients
For the Dough:
1 envelope (= 2 1/4 teaspoons) yeast
3/4 cup milk, warmed to about 100°F
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, very soft
1/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
For the Apple Filling
2 large cooking apples, chopped
1 tablespoon AP flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/8 cup butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
1) In the bowl of a stand mixer sprinkle the yeast over the warmed milk and
let it sit for a couple minutes.
2) With the mixer paddle, stir in the softened butter, sugar, vanilla, and one cup of the flour.
3) Stir in the salt and nutmeg. Stir in the eggs and enough of the remaining flour to make a soft yet sticky dough.
4) Switch to the dough hook and knead for about 5 minutes or knead by hand for 5-7 minutes or until the dough is elastic and pliable.
5) Spray the top of the dough with vegetable oil, and turn the dough over so it is coated in oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a towel and let the dough rise until nearly doubled - about an hour.
6) Prepare the apple filling - In a saucepan, mix the chopped apple pieces, flour, sugar and butter and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Cook for about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring constantly until thick. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg. Cool completely.
7) Lightly grease a 13x9 inch baking dish with baking spray or butter. (I use a small convection oven, so I split the rolls into one 8x8 inch dish and one 5x8 inch dish.) On a floured surface pat the dough out into a large yet still thick rectangle of about 10x15 inches. Spread evenly with the filling over the dough. Roll the dough up tightly, starting from the top long end. Cut the long dough roll into 12 even rolls, and place them, cut side up, in the prepared baking dish.
8) Cover the rolls with a towel and let them rise for an hour or until puffy and nearly doubled.
9) Heat the oven to 350°F. Place the risen rolls in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into a center roll reads 190°F.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
How is it already June?
I can't believe how quickly June has arrived. Grandma CP lands in SF today in anticipation of the arrival of Baby CP, which should be any day now. Grandma CP will be in town for about a month to help out. I'm sure I'll be needing it!
After we get her settled in, the first task on the list will probably be food shopping. My mom will probably be taking over most of the cooking responsibilities here and we need to stock up on those healthy green veggies and protein for Chinese soups and other yummies!
After we get her settled in, the first task on the list will probably be food shopping. My mom will probably be taking over most of the cooking responsibilities here and we need to stock up on those healthy green veggies and protein for Chinese soups and other yummies!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Bicycle Notecards Back in Stock!
In addition to printing my 2011 Father's Day Cards over the long weekend, I also printed 20 sets of our popular Bicycle Note Cards Rainbow Pack. They're ready to ship now!
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| ChunkyPineapple on Etsy |
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
2011 Father's Day Cards Are Here!
Father's Day is just a few weeks away and quickly approaching!
This year, I decided to print our Happy Father's Day card in red ink on a few different colors of cardstock. My favorite is the red ink on heavyweight cappuccino gold leaf coverstock, but I think the red ink on blue has a very fun retro look. This is a limited run of 15 cards.
Last year, I printed the design with blue ink on a variety of colors of cardstock. If you prefer the blue, we only have two 2010 cards left in stock in our etsy store.
This year, I decided to print our Happy Father's Day card in red ink on a few different colors of cardstock. My favorite is the red ink on heavyweight cappuccino gold leaf coverstock, but I think the red ink on blue has a very fun retro look. This is a limited run of 15 cards.
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| ChunkyPineapple on Etsy |
Sunday, May 29, 2011
The Backyard - Phase II
Phase II of our garden makeover was completed a couple months ago. The back of the yard was sheet mulched and all of the trees were pruned, including the lemon tree, which of course means another few dozen lemons were harvested, but there are still so many more.
Afterwards, my brother and I installed the scarecrow sprinkler. It seems to be working, because I haven't seen any cats in the yard since.
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| New mulch |
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| Our cleaned up lemon tree and butterfly bush |
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| Pruned persimmon tree and herbs planted in the corner |
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| Two cherry tomato plants planted in the back section |
Afterwards, my brother and I installed the scarecrow sprinkler. It seems to be working, because I haven't seen any cats in the yard since.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Lemon Curd Favors
Mr.CP and I decided to throw a pre-baby party after all. The get-together was co-ed, we didn't call it a baby shower and we did not play any weird baby shower games. I was able to reserve a couple picnic tables at Presidio Heights Playground and guests each brought something tasty for a potluck style lunch.
As baby party favors, I decided to make good use of my lemons and made little jars of lemon curd for our guests.
Lemon Curd
(yields 3 cups)
Ingredients
9 Tbs unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tsp grated lemon zest
Directions
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes.
Slowly add the eggs and yolks and beat for 1 minute total. Mix in the lemon juice - the mixture will look curdled, but it will smooth out as it cooks.
In a medium, heavy-based saucepan, cook the mixture over low heat until it looks smooth. (The curdled appearance disappears as the butter in the mixture melts.) Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 15-20 minutes. It should leave a path on the back of a spoon and will read 170°F on a thermometer. Do not let the mixture boil.
Remove the curd from the heat; stir in the lemon zest and pour into a bowl or the jars and refrigerate. I used 4 oz canning jars
to make the favors.
As baby party favors, I decided to make good use of my lemons and made little jars of lemon curd for our guests.
Lemon Curd
(yields 3 cups)
Ingredients
9 Tbs unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tsp grated lemon zest
Directions
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes.
In a medium, heavy-based saucepan, cook the mixture over low heat until it looks smooth. (The curdled appearance disappears as the butter in the mixture melts.) Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 15-20 minutes. It should leave a path on the back of a spoon and will read 170°F on a thermometer. Do not let the mixture boil.
to make the favors.
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