A New Tool!

      Yes....a zester it is!  I have never used one before and after getting a gift certificate from Williams Sonoma for all of the holiday purchasing from their fine establishment I figured I should go after something I have always wanted.  I have this wonderful recipe for lemon loaf, it actually comes from a secret cookbook that was given to me by my Nanny (maternal grandmother).....it is a collection of all of her mother's recipes that she complied and wrote out for her....what a treasure, the cursive is a work of art!  Everything I have made from it, which I have to admit is a small fraction, has been simply sublime.  Perhaps you will read more about it in the near future as I continue my baking expedition.  Today's lemon loaf is going to the science department meeting that I have been asked to be a part of (woohoo).....See, I am the kind of person who shows my appreciation and care for others through food.  Nothing beats the love that goes into something that is baked.  It really is magical how a few ingredients, a properly chilled bowl for beating eggs, and a little heat can make a warm moist almost too lemony loaf....my favorite part is the glaze that goes on top.  As I pulled the loaf from the oven I drizzled on a mixture of lemon juice and sugar, it soaks into the hot loaf and cools to a fine sweet crust.....yum. 

   About the new tool......I was rather pleased to wake up this morning coffee in hand, apron tied, and zester locked and loaded....then I tried to zest an over-ripe lemon.....much to my disappointment it did not work at all....I am not sure what type of lemon it was but the rind was rather thin, lesson learned - don't ask others to pick out lemons for you - it was a nice gesture by the other but unfortunately it brought me back to slicing the rind then filleting off the white portion that has no flavor.....what I wanted to get from the zester was the perfectly curled miniature strands of nothing but lemony goodness that unleashes bursts of citrus smell with each stroke. 

  So not everything turned out the way I wanted it to....does it ever?  Heck no, and I know that many more severe disasters await as I continue to challenge myself and my culinary skills....I am thinking about no longer buying bread....only baking it.....

..until next time ;) 

Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls

So here they are....the first success I have had with baking yeast bread.  I was so nervous when it was baking and both of the times it had to rise.  I admit I rather enjoyed the opportunity to punch the dough after it has risen to twice its size!  Adding the whole wheat flour was a variation included in the recipe, thank goodness because as we all know baking is a science....I found that it allowed for a nuttier flavor.  The dinner rolls are rather dense, yet full of air and nothing beats butter as the perfect thing to put on these steaming rolls after pulling them apart....

 I am thinking that they will end up being great for left overs, imagine the possibilities to use to make a sandwich, or to dip in the stew that the other is making.....at any rate I am looking forward to further experimentation and discussion with myself about it!

Cracking the Egg...

   So here we are off in never-never land again as I attempt to communicate my love for cooking.  After experimenting with the Dollar Menu I realized how much I loved just talking about one of my loves....cooking frugally.  At this point in time it is just too time consuming and I feel as though I would rather try these blogging waters out without the restrictions.....so it's just for the love of it!
   Later today I will attempt to make some dinner rolls.  I love to cook, I love to bake, and I love to experiment in the kitchen, but I have to admit the daunting task of bread is something I have always shied away from.  So I have decided to start simple, with dinner rolls from the Better Homes and Garden's cookbook.  Hopefully this will give me the courage to finally attempt the baguette recipe that was given to me by a student who rocks!