Every once in a while you need to cheat.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Cinnamon is a popular spice in baking and cooking. Research has found that it is not only delicious but it’s healthy, too. Just make sure that you’re buying true cinnamon and not cassia, which is often sold as cinnamon in stores.

Rick’s Cinnamon Buns (adapted from The Food Network)

Dough:

1/4-ounce package yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup scalded milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter or shortening
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:
1/2 cup melted butter, plus more for pan
3/4 cup sugar, plus more for pan
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins, walnuts, or pecans, optional

Glaze:
4 tablespoons butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 to 6 tablespoons hot water

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. In a large bowl mix milk, sugar, melted butter, salt and egg. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Knead dough on lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes. Place in well-greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

When doubled in size, punch down dough. Roll out on a floured surface into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle. Spread melted butter all over dough. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over buttered dough. Sprinkle with walnuts, pecans, or raisins if desired. Beginning at the 15-inch side, role up dough and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 12 to 15 slices.

Coat the bottom of baking pan with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan and let rise until dough is doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake for about 30 minutes or until nicely browned.

Meanwhile, mix butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Add hot water 1 tablespoon at a time until the glaze reaches desired consistency. Spread over slightly cooled rolls.

Sunday, November 2, 2013–Palm Beach Gardens Farmer’s Market

My weekly bounty–fresh arugula, basil, tomatoes, avocadoes, sweet peppers and salt sticks.

Saturday, November 1, 2013–Lion Country Safari

Garden gloves off to Katie Tremont for the fresh butternut squash.

Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time:1 hr 25 min

Serves: 8 to 10 servings

Cook’s Note: The no-boil lasagna noodles can be substituted with fresh spinach lasagna sheets. Look for fresh lasagna sheets in the refrigerated section of specialty markets.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (1 1/2 to 2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup water
3 amaretti cookies, crumbled
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups whole milk
Pinch nutmeg
3/4 cup (lightly packed) fresh basil leaves
12 no-boil lasagna noodles
2 1/2 cups shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squash and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the water into the skillet and then cover and simmer over medium heat until the squash is tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly and then transfer the squash to a food processor. Add the amaretti cookies and blend until smooth. Season the squash puree, to taste, with more salt and pepper.

Melt the butter in a heavy medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the nutmeg. Cool slightly. Transfer half of the sauce to a blender*. Add the basil and blend until smooth. Return the basil sauce to the sauce in the pan and stir to blend. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.

Lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup of sauce over the noodles. Repeat layering 3 more times.

Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and bake the lasagna for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over the lasagna. Continue baking uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, 15 minutes longer. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving.

*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

An Aspen Grove–Maroon Bells Wilderness area, Aspen, CO–October 6, 2014

Aspen in the Fall is the best kept secret. You arrive to hike, fish and experience the valley in all its autumn splendor. Within a day of arrival, it snows four inches, the gonodola opens (due to the government shutdown) and it feels like ski season.

The next morning the sky is a tiffany blue, the aspens shimmer in gold and the valley is blanketed in red, orange and green.

In Aspen, on any given day you can head to the local farmer’s market in town, enjoy local fanfare and art, embark on a leg burning hike or fly fish and listen to the water tumble over the rocks.

The best part of our adventure this year is that we enjoyed it with family.

Aspen, CO–October 2013–Enjoying the mountains with the Stoll Family

Brook Trout, Maroon Creek, Aspen, CO–October 2013

The Roaring Fork Valley is home to some of the best fly fishing on the globe with two gold medal rivers–The Roaring Fork and Frying Pan.

Each river has catch and release restrictions and is fed by the run off from the ski areas and 14,000 peaks on the western side of the Continental Divide.

If you fish in the creeks that feed these rivers, you get to eat what you catch.

Saturday, September 21, 2013–Carlin Park, Jupiter, FL

It is Week 4 of football and the leaders are starting to shake out. The contenders are separating themselves from the pack and the pretenders are exposed.

The Oxbridge Academy Football Team (3-1) earned their third consecutive shutout last night against Northwest Christian (54-0).

There is no pretending here. When this wolf pack strikes, you hear thunder roll.

September 20, 2013- Oxbridge Academy vs. NW Christian. My eye is on Player 37–Chandler Holroyd