happy birthday to you, bloggy mcblogsalot.

ok, so one year ago today i said to myself “hey, i love food blogs, i love to cook, i love pictures of food”. so i decided to start a food blog. then my friend frank said in response, “so, do you have anything to say?”. of course i immediately said “well, of course i do, don’t be ridiculous”, then i went and cried myself to sleep because i was dumb enough to think that  starting a blog was a good idea. then i woke up and started my blog.

and that is how it all started. ever since then, my husband can’t eat until all the pictures are taken, i cook and take pictures during most of my time off, and i take pictures in my jammies when it’s 30 degrees outside because the light is ‘perfect’.

but, i have also given myself the luxury of cooking something as many times as it takes until it is perfect (to me, anyway).

i have reawakened a love for photography not felt since my early twenties (helped immensely by the canon given to me by husband-yes, he’s an enabler).

and i have met and befriended a community of food bloggers and writers in my hometown that mean the world to me.

there are countless people to thank for even a small endeavor such as a food blog. but mostly i need to thank my friends and family for their willingness to taste anything and everything, and my dear friend and photographer extraordinaire, casey, who has helped me grow leaps and bounds over the past year.

rocket and mazzie, my accidental food tasters and floor lickers (i mean floor cleaners).

and this beautiful man, who married me without knowing what was to come, what was to be had for dinner, and when i would allow him to start eating.

**incidentally, and unrelated to this whole first birthday celebration, i found out today that i have been named in the austin chronicle’s top 10 food blogs. happy birthday, little bloggy:  http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A933445**

pumpkin cinnamon rolls (yeah, you heard me).

i’ve had to take a short break and i won’t bother you with the details. but i hope this will make it worth your while. to me, pumpkin can (and should) be adapted to just about any recipe, sweet or savory. i love the idea of it incorporated into a dough. while it imparts only a mild pumpkin flavor, the look and aesthetic are to die for. if you substitute as pumpkin puree for as much of the liquid as possible, you can really pump up the volume on the pumpkin-y-ness (sp? word?)

oh, kitchen aid mixer with dough hook attachment, i will name my first born after you. promise.

just look at this gorgeous dough. it just screams FALL!!

i think this shadow looks like an elephant. anyhoo, brush butter on your rolled out dough rectangle.

roll ‘er up and place cut rolls in pan. at this point you could stash them in the fridge, do your 2nd rise in the am, then bake. otherwise, you’d be getting up at 4 am to make this for a crowd. the first time i made these, we ate them at 2 in the afternoon, if that’s any indication. not that there’s anything wrong with that.

pumpkin cinnamon rolls (makes 12)

adapted from king arthur flour

dough:

1 cup canned or freshly made pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie mix)

2 eggs

2 tbsp to 1/4 cup lukewarm water*

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour

1/4 cup non-fat dry milk

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground cloves

3 tbsp light brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp instant yeast

*adjust amount of water added depending on humidity and baking conditions-a.k.a. add less to begin with, then slowly add more to make a smooth, non-sticky dough.

filling:

2 tbsp melted butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup raisins, optional (i opted out, adding the same amount of walnuts instead)

glaze:*

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1 1/2 tbsp milk, or enough to make a ‘drizzlable’ glaze

*honestly, i had to double the amount of glaze, either it was because i made 12 smaller rolls (instead of the 9 the recipe states it make) or i am just crazy for glaze.

mix and knead all dough ingredients together in a standup mixer fitted with a dough hook. . alternatively, you could do this by hand, but why would you? unless you were amish. my apologies to my amish readership. remember to add the water slowly after you add all the other ingredients, until you get a smooth dough. you can always add more water, but you can’t take it out once it’s been added.

place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and allow to rise about 1/2 hours, until it doubles size.

turn the dough out onto a lightly greased surface and roll into a rectangle about 14″x 22″. it will appear on the this side. brush with a few tablespoons of melted butter.

mix together the filling sugar and cinnamon and spread out over the dough, leaving one short edge with no filling (this will be the end of the roll). top with raisins or nuts, if using.

starting with the short end of rectangle that is covered with filling, begin rolling dough into a log. cut log into 9 (or 12 smaller) rolls. place the rolls in a lightly greased pan that is at least 2 inches deep, to accommodate more rising. set aside, covered, to rise for 1 more hour.

preheat oven to 375 degrees. bake for 25-30 minutes, until lightly browned and rolls appear set in center. cool on a rack for about 15 minutes. while cooling, make glaze. heat butter and milk until butter melts, whisk in sugar until dissolved into mixture and drizzle over pumpkin rolls while they are still warm. if you like a frosting rather than a glaze, apply glaze after rolls are completely cool.

is this enough glaze yet? just barely.

sweet.

this banana bread is one of the best i’ve ever made. i have been looking for years for a great banana bread recipe: not too dry, but not artificially moist. for some odd reason or another, it has eluded me. this recipe is from bakesale betty, a great little bakery and sandwich shop we were taken to on our last trip cali. it is made with honey, cane sugar, AND brown sugar. but that’s not what made it sweet. this is. i would like for you to make a loaf of this bread and while it cools get yourself a nice cup of tea or coffee, whatever you like, and take a few quiet moments to read this story by a fellow blogger. i found it to be a moving account of life’s to-and-fro’s.

banana bread with cinnamon crumble topping (makes 1 loaf)

adapted from sweet amandine/bakesale betty/bon appetit

to toast walnuts, place in a single layer on baking sheet in a 350 degree oven. check and stir every 1-2 minutes. if you don’t set a timer, they will most likely burn. no matter how you try to tell yourself you will remember, you will not.

for the bread:

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar (i use organic evaporated cane juice sugar)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 medium)

2 large eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup toasted walnuts (optional, but not optional for me)

for the topping:

1 tbsp granulated sugar

1 1/2 tbsp golden brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

 

preheat oven to 350F. butter and flour a 9x5x3  inch loaf pan. mix together topping ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

in a medium bowl, mix togther flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, baking soda and salt. in a large bowl, whisk together the banana, eggs, vegetable oil, honey and water until smooth. add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 2-3  increments and stir until just combined. do not overmix. add nuts, if using. pour into prepared loaf pan. spoon cinnamon topping over batter.

bake for about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean (a good rule of thumb is to start checking every 5 minutes after the first 45-50 minutes). cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then turn out onto cooling rack, being careful not to dislodge too much of the topping.

p.s. and just so you know, she is alive and well and recovering at home, and even twittering about it. i know there was a collective sigh of relief with that first tweet.