The First Cut is the Deepest

(Not the best looking dish I admit)

So who saw this coming? I was preparing my Irish dish for cooking club this month and I was cutting the onions and all of a sudden my knife slipped and cut my finger. Oh Boy did that baby bleed. I told BP II that I needed to go to the hospital for stitches and that he should to stop watching basketball and take me before I lose a finger. He wondered over to assess the damage and helped me run it under cold water. As the water cleaned the cut, we could see what it really was: a little baby nick that was not even one millimeter long. BP II found a Band-Aid and very kindly wrapped it around my wounded finger, patted me on the head and went back to his game. I went back to my Irish dish.

The theme this month was Irish food/ Something Green. I wanted to make something that was traditional Irish food but something that was not typical like corn beef and cabbage. I was hunting around the internet and found a Colcannon dish. I have never heard of colcannon and it seemed super Irish with cabbage and potatoes. I thought I was so unique. Wrong! Klamp brought the exact same dish. They tasted different and she got hers from Tyler Florence but it still let some air out of my sail. But they dish was good. It makes a lot so I guess it would be good for a party. Definitely too much for just a weeknight meal, unless you are eating just colcannon. Which you might be, I don’t know.

Diane's Colcannon
Fom: All Recipes

Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 slices bacon
 1/2 small head cabbage, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup milk
 salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. Place potatoes in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender.

2. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, reserving drippings, crumble and set aside. In the reserved drippings, saute the cabbage and onion until soft and translucent. Putting a lid on the pan helps the vegetables cook faster.

3. Drain the cooked potatoes, mash with milk and season with salt and pepper. Fold in the bacon, cabbage, and onions, then transfer the mixture to a large serving bowl. Make a well in the center, and pour in the melted butter. Serve immediately.

Cooking Club: Meeting 3

This past Sunday was cooking club and the theme was German Food. I think this was our best yet. We had a great turn out and the food tasted amazing. Sundays are tough because we are all lushes and have usually have hangovers to contend with and I was no exception. But everyone put themselves together and made quite the spread. I am looking forward to next month where the theme is aphrodisiac. Ohhhhlalalala!

Cooking Club: 2nd Meeting

Please don’t hate me; I know that I have been away for awhile. I don’t really even have an excuse, just absent and maybe a little hungover. Anyways, I have so much to blog about. First there was the second cooking club meeting. Which went off spectacularly. Comfort food was delish and even the double mac and cheese was fantastically different and comforting. Unfortunately, I did not get everyone recipes this time around so I will just have to show the pic.


I will start with my cinnamon buns. This is a great recipe to have in your repertoire. Make the dough ahead and in the morning just pop them in the oven. I actually made these twice. The first time was after ice skating, a couple friends came over to hang out. ( I made them play monopoly with me) I knew I had cooking club the next day and wanted to try my recipe out to see if I had to make any tweaks. I must say the only downside was the waiting. I had to wait for the yeast to rise and then wait for the buns to rise. Lots of waiting. That’s why if you make the dough ahead of time and refrigerate; it should be so bad.

Also, this was the first time I used yeast and I was a little unsure of how it was supposed to work. I put the little guys in a bowl with sugar and lukewarm water and waited (yes lots of waiting) for the bubbles to form. The first package, the yeast kinda stuck together and was clumpy. I figured that was not correct so I tried the second package. That combined a little more nicely.

The first time I made these, they turned out perfect. When I made them for the cooking club however, they were a little dry and burnt on the bottom.

Cinnamon Buns

Ingredients

For the dough :
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 package)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
3.5-4 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg, lightly beaten

For the filling:
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecan nuts, lightly toasted
 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Icing:
/3 cup icing sugar
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
3 teaspoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

To make the dough, dissolve the yeast and 1 tablespoon of the sugar in 1/2 cup lukewarm water. Set aside for about 5 minutes until foamy. Meanwhile, warm the milk in a saucepan. Add the butter, remaining sugar, and salt, and stir until dissolved. Remove from the heat.

Sift 3 cups of flour into a large bowl. Add the yeast, warm milk mixture, and the egg, and stir to make a dough. Knead for 10 minutes on a lightly floured board, incorporating more dough as necessary, until the dough is soft, silky, and pliable. Form into a ball. Place in a buttered bowl and turn to coat the dough all over. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise until twice its original size. This will take about 2 hours. At this point, the dough can be left overnight in the fridge, ready to use the next morning. When well risen, punch down the dough, then leave to rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, butter a baking sheet. Prepare filling by mixing the sugar, cinnamon, and nuts in a small bowl.

Roll out the dough into a rectangle measuring about 12 x 9 inches. Brush with the melted butter. Sprinkle the filling mixture over the dough, pressing it in slightly. Roll up the dough like a jelly roll, starting at one long side. Using a sharp knife, cut the roll across into 12 equal slices. Arrange the rolls, cut-side up, on the prepared baking sheet. Allow to rise, covered, for at least 40 minutes until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until well risen and golden. While the buns are in the oven, prepare the glaze. Sift the confectioners' sugar into a bowl. Whisk in the melted butter and enough milk to make a thick but pourable mixture. When the buns are ready, remove from the oven. Pour the glaze over them and leave to set for a few minutes before devouring.

The First Meeting

On Sunday was the first meeting of my cooking club. The theme was Thanksgiving and I was very impressed with what everyone brought. Everything was so good and not one repeat. I thought for sure that there would be a double pumpkin pie or sweet potato. We even had someone bring vegetables! I don’t even think anyone had any disasters either. Well at least none were shared with the group.

The event started off with champagne punch drinks- which is pretty much just rum and orange juice topped with champagne. But when we ran out of champagne, I just kept drinking the rum and OJ concoction without skipping a beat. Nothing better then getting a little tipsy on a Sunday afternoon before you eat some delicious treats.