A triumph and a failure, respectively. Yesterday I decided to start practicing making homemade cinnamon rolls, because my recipe makes eight pans of them and I want to donate some to our small Christian school's auction fundraiser in February. Baked goods always bring ridiculous prices there - Grandma Baas' pecan pies used to go for hundreds of dollars. Everyone knows who the good bakers are, so when their items come up for sale, people get their bidding numbers READY.
Anyway, I started making these cinnamon rolls, and two things happened that may have influenced the poor outcome. One: After scalding the milk mixture, I had to go pick up the kids from school, and by the time I got home, it had cooled too much, so I had to re-heat it slightly before adding the yeast. I don't know if that made any difference, but the timing wasn't optimal. (As you might be able to tell, I'm a very inexperienced baker.) And two: I let my eight-year-old measure the flour and pour it into the scalded milk. She assured me she measured exactly four cups (I made a half-batch), but the dough was floppy and wet instead of...well, dough-like. I ended up adding at least a cup more flour, but this morning the dough was still too soft. I flung them into a pan and baked them anyway. We'll let you know how they taste. If you put enough frosting on them, they'll probably still be a hit with my kids. Little sugar fiends.
Now for the triumph of the beef stew! I've had this recipe for lowfat beef stew in my recipe box for years and never made it before. I got it off a package of aluminum foil, along with several others, that were designed to be sealed in a packet of foil and cooked on the grill. First I got out a package of sirloin tips and thawed them. I sliced them into bite-sized pieces. Then I sprinkled on some Lawry's salt and seared the steak pieces on both sides in a hot iron skillet with a little bit of canola oil (probably two minutes, maximum, on each side).
Next, I laid the meat in a 9x13 pan and layered some chopped baby carrots (bite-size) and thinly sliced red potatoes over the top. I topped that with more Lawry's and pepper, and then I carefully poured about 1 1/2 cups of beef gravy into the pan, being careful not to rinse the seasonings off the potatoes. I covered the pan tightly with aluminum foil and baked the whole deal for 30 minutes at 375 degrees. And here's the triumph part - my whole family loved it!
I couldn't believe they ate it so well. My kids are picky, to say the least, and I don't think I've ever found a recipe that they'll all eat without complaining (except cheesy bread from Domino's). But last night, there were clean plates and requests for seconds. I nearly wept with joy. It's simple things like this that keep me from despairing, giving up cooking altogether and hiring a catering service to feed my family.
Love,
Me (Maybe Not So Bad a Cook)
*Note: The cinnamon rolls had a cakey texture. They tasted good but weren't like real cinnamon rolls; it was more like cinnamon coffee cake. Can any of you bakers tell me what I did wrong? I would appreciate any advice.
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