March Daring Bakers Challenge - Dutch Crunch Bread

Sara and Erica of Baking JDs were our March 2012 Daring Baker hostesses! Sara & Erica challenged us to make Dutch Crunch bread, a delicious sandwich bread with a unique, crunchy topping. Sara and Erica also challenged us to create a one of a kind sandwich with our bread!

This is a perfect example of why I love being a Daring Baker.  Before this month, I had never even heard of Dutch Crunch Bread (or Tiger Bread as it as called, after the Dutch tijgerbrood or tijgerbol) and now it is going to be a regular recipe in my baking rotation, especially when I am out to impress.  I was wowed by the unique appearance of this bread and so happy that it turned out exactly as planned.

This recipe is a combination of two actually, the sandwich rolls and the Dutch Crunch topping. Once you have formed your buns and they are rising, start the topping.  This recipe was for 6 buns, but they were huge, if you want, you could make 8 easily.

The recipe for the Dutch Crunch topping came from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s The Bread Bible. The recipes for the buns were adapted from Baking Bites.

Soft White Sandwich Buns

Makes 6 Big Buns

1 tbsp active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1 cup warm 2% milk

1 1/2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp canola oil

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

In bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook, combine yeast, water, milk and sugar.  Allow to sit for 5 minutes.

Once yeast is dissolved and starting to foam and bubble, add the salt, oil and 2 cups of the all-purpose flour and mix on medium speed.

Once you have a nice 'gloppy' dough, add the remaining flour 1/4 cup at a time on low speed, until the dough no longer sticks to the side of the bowl (I used just shy of 3 1/2 cups... if you need more, add a tbsp at a time).  

Allow the bread to knead on low speed for 4 minutes.  Remove dough hook, take dough out of bowl, oil the bowl and put the dough back in, rolling it around to get a light coating of oil.  Cover and allow to rise in a warm spot until doubled, about an hour.

Once risen, gently deflate, move to a floured board.

Pat the dough into a disc and cut into 6 equal(ish) wedges.  Take each wedge and form into a round bun, pinching together at the bottom, then rolling between your hands.

Put the buns on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover them with a clean tea towel and set them somewhere warm to start their second rise.  

About 15 minutes into the second rise, start making your Dutch Crunch topping.  

Dutch Crunch Topping

Enough for this bun recipe or a standard loaf of bread

1 tbsp active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp canola oil

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup white rice flour

Mix all of the ingredients together very well with a whisk and set aside for 15 minutes.  The mixture will be similar in consistency to royal icing but will thicken as it stands.

After the topping has rested for 15 minutes, it's time to get goopy!  Using your hands is the best way to do this... gently spread the topping over the surface of the buns, making sure not to push to deflate them.  You should use all of the topping as it is put on generously.  

Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven (I gave the oven a few sprays of water right before adding the bread) for 25 minutes.  Allow to cool on a wire rack.

As for my sandwich, I was still blown away by the beauty of these buns and I went simple with a twist.  I made an egg salad but added red onion and a touch of curry powder to the mayo.  I also spread the buns with red pepper jelly and topped it with some baby spinach.  It made for an interesting combination... but as much as I love curry, I don't think I dig it in my egg salad.

The first thing I do each month when I find out what the Daring Bakers challenge is, is a Google image search to see what it is I'll be making.  When I did this this month, the first thing I thought was that the bread didn't look like a tiger at all, but it did look exactly like a giraffe.  It turns out that I'm not the only one who felt that way...

Web Photo

Lily Robinson, a 3 1/2 year old from the UK thought the same thing and sent a letter to her local grocery store.  Her letter and the store's awesome response went viral after her mom posted it on her blog... and Tiger Bread is now called Giraffe Bread in all of their stores.  

I'm with you 100% Lily.

Yay Giraffe Bread!

Warm Spinach & Apple Salad

This is another one of the recipes we got to try a few weeks ago at the Loblaw's livelifewell Blogger/Media event.  I had forgotten how much I enjoy a warm salad... it takes some of the 'starkness' out of a salad, making it more comforting, more like a meal.

I did make a few changes to the original recipe though.  I added some almonds and cranberries, I also adjusted the vinegars... more out of necessity, I ran out of balsamic vinegar tonight (darned heavy dark glass bottles!).  I find it a bit odd that the original recipe states that the apples taste like nectarines this way... they look like nectarines perhaps, but as far as I am concerned, they taste like warm apple-y heaven.

Warm Spinach & Apple Salad
Adapted/Modified from President's Choice
Serves 4

5 oz fresh baby spinach, washed and dried
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 medium apples, cored and sliced about 1/4 inch thick (I used Macintosh)
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp red wine vinegar
4 tsp pure maple syrup
2 tbsp chopped natural almonds
2 tbsp dried cranberries

Place washed spinach in a large bowl.  In a skillet, heat olive oil and then add the apple slices. Cook the apples for 2 or 3 minutes, or until they are starting to soften. Mix together the vinegars and maple syrup in a small bowl.  Add all at once to apples and continue cooking for another minute. Pour over spinach and toss lightly.  Top with almonds and dried cranberries. Serve immediately.

Do you enjoy warm salads?  I've made them before with grilled portobellos and of course, grilled chicken and I'd love to hear some of your ideas.

Happy Birthday Mmm... is for Mommy!

Ah Caramel! inspired Birthday Cake... this is one of those
recipes that needs some more work before I'll share it.

Friday marked the official one year mark for Mmm... is for Mommy.  When I look back over the past year, to say that I am overwhelmed by the love and support I have received would be a major understatement.  I have connected with so many fun and interesting people, received some opportunities to review and represent products and brands, and most of all... I have grown.  My cooking, baking, photography and writing have all improved, simply by doing what I love to do.

I've also learned that not everything can be 'blog-worthy' or 'food porn-worthy'.  Some ideas and recipes just don't turn out.  Unless I can find a worthwhile lesson to share when I have a kitchen failure, I usually just scrap that post and keep on trying until I get it right.  Some recipes just don't photograph well, and I've accepted (after a lot of rejection) that I'm not going to get the best photographs during the winter when my opportunity for natural light is about an hour in the early afternoon.  Finally, I've learned that as much as I like to, I can't make something new everyday.  Sometimes I make something that just blows us away (Barbecue Ribs, anyone?) and we end up eating it frequently... that's what families do.

The year ahead is starting to look like a busy and exciting one as well.  I'm a member of the new Cooking Light Bloggers' Connection am so inspired to put more healthy meals on my family's table... but don't worry, there are always treats in 'Mommy's' house.

I was planning on writing something of a retrospective of the past year, but instead decided to put that time and effort into the future, by taking some time to simply visit, read and drool over my favourite food blogs as that's where it all started... by being inspired.

Puff Pastry (Garlic) Cheese Sticks and a 'Crack' at a World Record

When I heard through the grapevine this week that on this coming Saturday (March 24, 2012) select Loblaw stores, including the Atlantic Superstore on Joe Howe, were attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the most Parmigiano-Reggiano wheels cracked simultaneously, I knew that I wanted a 'piece' of the action (and of course, a big ol' wedge of cheese).

This recipe is based one from the President's Choice website, with just a couple tweaks of my own.   They deem it an intermediate recipe, but I say it's easy peasy!                            

Puff Pastry (Garlic) Cheese Twists

Adapted from President's Choice

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (thawed) (ie: PC Butter Puff Pastry)

1 egg white, lightly beaten

2/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1 tbsp poppy seeds

1/2 tsp sea salt (I used my Epicure Herbed Garlic Sea Salt, which was excellent... you could also simply add a dash of garlic powder)

1 large parchment-lined baking sheet

An oven preheated to 400 degrees

First of all, grate yourself some cheese.  I think the folks at the Superstore in Bayers Lake have been practising their cheese wheel cracking skills as there was a mountain of rustic-looking wedges for sale last night when I went shopping.  

I used my new Microplane grater to grate it up and I loved how fluffy it looked, it almost looked like a plate of quinoa.

Once you have your pastry in about an 8 or 9 inch square, simply brush it with a beaten egg white (this was not in the original recipe, but I thought it would help the toppings stick when being twisted), and sprinkle on the cheese, poppyseeds and salt.  Lightly press the toppings down (again, to help more of the toppings stick).

Using a pizza cutter, I then sliced the pastry into thin slices, about half an inch thick.  Pick up a slice and give it a few twists and lay it on the parchment-lined pan.  They can fit fairly close together as they rise up, not out.  Continue with all of the strips.  Lightly brush any spots you see without toppings with the egg white and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 13-15 minutes, or until golden.

We had these today at lunch with some leftover soup and they were sooooo yummy!  These would go great with pretty much any soup, as a appetizer with some marinara sauce to dip them in, or with any Italian-inspired meal.

All Halifax area Superstore locations will be participating in the World Record-breaking cheese cracking attempt on Saturday, March 24^th, including Bayers Lake, Tantallon, etc. The Joe Howe location will be the place to be though – in attendance will be the Guinness World Record adjudicator, as well as a representative from the Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese Consortium in Italy who can answer any Parm-related question you might have.

Other Loblaw banner stores are participating in this event in Atlantic Canada, Quebec and Ontario, so check online or with your local store for more details.

What: Guinness World Record-breaking attempt for the most wheels of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese cracked simultaneously.

Where: Joseph Howe Superstore®, 3601 Joseph Howe Drive, Halifax, NS

For a full list of participating Atlantic Canada banner stores, please visit:

Superstore.ca

Dominion.ca

SaveEasy.ca

When: Saturday, March 24 @ 1:00 p.m. ADT/1:30 p.m. NDT – Simultaneous cracking of Parmigiano-Reggiano

Who: Loblaw Companies Limited spokesperson, a representative from the Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese Consortium, world record adjudicator.

The current world record sits at 176 wheels and was achieved in 2008. Parmigiano-Reggiano is a hard Italian cheese produced in the region of Parma, Italy using the same recipe for almost 1,000 years. Parmigiano-Reggiano has been considered for centuries as the “king of cheese” with its amazing taste and crystalline texture. It is sold exclusively through the Parmigiano-Reggiano Consortium (or Consorzio).

Disclosure:  I received no compensation for this post, just a great recipe :)

Wordless Wednesday - Well Hello There Spring!!

Learning Money with Leo App - $50 RBC VISA Gift Card Giveaway

Chelsea received her first piggy bank for Christmas, that was her first real interaction with money, which she simply called "coins" at first, because that's what it is called in one of her favourite books. Over time we have been trying to teach her the value of money and how it is a big responsibility. She's not quite 3 yet, so she doesn't get an allowance, but once she understands money a bit more, we will have to start I'm sure!  This new app from RBC Royal Bank is getting her that much closer.

I was really excited when I was selected by Mom Central Canada to participate in the RBC Learning Money with Leo program.  Learning Money with Leo is a new iPad app from RBC Royal Bank that is especially for kiddos under 6 and was put together by the bank, early childhood education experts and parents.  The app was designed to:

– Provide kids with an introduction to the concepts and value of money

– Teach kids about earning, saving and spending money

– Help kids develop a foundation of basic money skills that they can build upon in the years to come

To locate the free iPad app, simply go into the iTunes App Store while on your iPad and search for "Learning Money with Leo"  Once you download the app (which is available in both English and French), you can easily create user profiles for your kids (and their friends too... they'll want to play when they see it, trust me).  Once you create a user profile, you can select from 8 fun activities and Chelsea went to the Colouring Book right away.

I loved that the pictures in the colouring book were simple and really loved how the page was set up.  Chelsea was easily able to change colours and never once got frustrated, which she has with some other kids apps...  this one is very easy to navigate and use.

Once Chelsea would let me back at the iPad, we tried out Gather the Coins, which is a fun game with a space motif... the goal is to gather as much money as you can.

Chelsea soon got bored with collecting money, but I'm sure older kids would love this game.  All she wanted to do was 'colour de piggy pweeze'.

Eventually she decided to try a new game and we selected the Read-Along Story, which was called "The Smart Cents Kids", it was a fun interactive story... but we soon went back to, you guessed it, colouring.  By playing the different activities, your kids can earn coins, which they can use to buy their own stickers for their very own virtual sticker book.

This is one of the best app for preschoolers I have ever come across... and because it can help instil such essential life-skills, it is just that much better.  Can you tell, I love this app!?

There are more tips on how to start teaching your children the value of money at:

http://www.rbcadvicecentre.com and

http://www.rbcroyalbank.com/learning-money-with-leo/index.html

For your chance to win a $50 RBC VISA Gift Card, please do the following:

Mandatory Entry:

Leave a comment, telling me how and at what age you started teaching your children about the value of money.

Additional Entries (you must leave separate comments for each entry, and please make sure I can reach you if you win, leaving your email address in comments if necessary):

• Follow Mmm... is for Mommy on Facebook (leave first name, last initial)
• Follow Mmm... is for Mommy on Twitter (leave Twitter handle)
• Tweet about my Giveaway on Twitter - Enter to Win a $50 RBC VISA GC with @mmmisformommy #MoneywithLeo http://ow.ly/9KShe  (leave status URL) DAILY ENTRY
• Follow Mmm... is for Mommy via RSS
• Follow RBC Royal Bank on Facebook (leave first name, last initial)
• Follow RBC Royal Bank on Twitter (leave Twitter handle)
• Leave a comment on any of my recipe posts (tell me which recipe)

This contest is open to residents of Canada only.  Contest is open until 11:59PM AST April 17th, 2012.   I will email the winner on April 18th, 2012 and they will have 24 hours to email me back with their info or another winner will be selected.  I'll select winner by using the random number generator at random.org.  Similar giveaways are currently being sponsored on other blogs.  While you can enter on each blog, you can only win one prize.  Mom Central Canada will send the prize to the winner within 4-6 weeks... I will be forwarding your contact info to them for mailing purposes only.

Contest is closed.

Disclosure – I am participating in the RBC Learning Money With Leo program by Mom Central Canada on behalf of RBC Royal Bank.  I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion. The opinions on this blog are my own. 

Gingered Carrot Soup

For whatever reason, I have not made many soups so far this year.  Maybe it's because we've had a really mild and gentle winter, maybe I just haven't been inspired... I'm not sure.  Well, I first tried this soup last week and since then, have really been inspired, and finally made it for myself.

This is my slightly adapted version of the one I had at the Media/Blogger Session I had at the Superstore last week. Mine wasn't quite as thick (which was probably because two of my carrots were kind of small and the original recipe used leek, not onion), and did not have as much curry flavour as theirs did, but I am using a mild curry powder at the moment.

Gingered Carrot Soup

Adapted from President's Choice

Serves 8

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp finely chopped ginger root

3 cloves of garlic, minced

4 large carrots, sliced

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks

1/2 tsp curry powder (I'd double or triple if you like curry)

1 box chicken broth (900mL)

1 cup water

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

1/2 tsp salt

Freshly ground black pepper and plain Greek yogurt for serving

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil and cook the onions and ginger until the onions are translucent, about 7 to 9 minutes.  Add the garlic and curry and cook for another minute.

Add the carrots and sweet potato and stir.  Then add in the chicken broth and water.  Stir and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to low and allow to simmer for 25 minutes or until the veggies are tender.

While the soup is simmering, grab your orange and get to squeezin'.

Once the veggies are tender, remove from heat and using an immersion blender, purée until smooth.  If you don't have an immersion blender, you can do it in a blender, just be careful and do it in batches.  Hot soup and blenders never get along for me.

Pour in the orange juice, stir and serve... topped with a dollop of Greek yogurt and freshly ground black pepper.

Does your family enjoy soup?  I have yet to make one that our little girl will even try... maybe some day.  What are your favourites?

I'm Part of the Finish Revolution! AKA The Story of Frankenwasher

You may have noticed the new Finish Revolution button on my blog.  If not, you'll see it down there a bit on the right.  I was lucky enough to be selected to be a Finish Revolution Blogger! I do admit, this might be the first time I have ever been excited about anything related to washing dishes.

We have been using a store-brand liquid dishwasher detergent since we moved into our house. The main reason for that is that when we moved, I didn't want to spend a ton of money on a dishwasher detergent, just to have the dishwasher break down... you see, we inherited the world's ugliest portable dishwasher, that seemed to have been made up of the parts of 101 dishwashers, a Frankenwasher if you will.  

Well, we have been in the house almost three years and Frankenwasher is still going strong. We even decorate her with bling and fruit stickers from time to time, just to celebrate her ugliness. When I found out about the Finish Revolution opportunity, I felt ol' Frankenwasher deserved a bit of spoiling, as I have noticed quite a few spots lately, on both our glasses and silverware.

As you can see above, we are a non-rinsing household... I see lots of dried on Parmesan cheese and 2-day old Nutella (and some whole wheat spaghetti?).  The new FINISH® Quantum has powerful scrubbing micro-beads that soften burnt-on food as well as Powermax Bleach granules that attack tough stains like tea and coffee.  Each tab utilizes a breakthrough multi-chamber technology that releases each agent when needed during the dishwasher's cycles.  I'll show you one in a bit... they are pretty cool for dishwasher detergent!

Oh, there are some dishes with dried on baked blueberries... that Power Berry Breakfast Crumble I posted yesterday was yummy, but made a lot of purple dishes.

Frankenwasher got her first feed of FINISH® JET-DRY® Rinse Agent since we've owned her, maybe ever... she gobbled it down.

Here is a shot of the FINISH® Quantum tab.  One word though if you have kiddos, you'll want to make sure they are stored out of reach (really all the cleaners should be anyway), they look like toys and/or candy.

Since Frankenwasher's soap dispenser doesn't open fully because a rack blocks it (thus why we've been using liquid dishwasher detergent), I was happy to read in the instructions that there was an option for folks like us... simply put the tab on the bottom of the dishwasher!

Holy cow, when I opened the dishwasher the dishes were just sparkling!  The kitchen also didn't have that bit of funky odour our old detergent had... score!

Remember that Nutella knife?  That's it above!  Since I'm not (according to hubby) the best dishwasher loader, there are many times where items have been put right back in the sink to soak and then scrape off the hardened on egg, cheese, whatever.  In this whole load, I only came across two utensils that had some 'crud' left on them, but the 'crud' was really softened and I could simply rinse and wipe it off!  Double score!

Next I gave the FINISH® Dishwasher Cleaner a test.  In a perfect world, I would have done this first, but when the delivery man showed up with my box of goodies the dishwasher just happened to be full.  

Now you know Frankenwasher has never had a spa treatment like this before... it was so easy too.  You just peel back the paper covering on the lid, this exposes a wax plug that is quickly melted when the dishwasher fills with hot water.

To use the Dishwasher Cleaner, after you peel back the tab, you simply place it upside down anywhere on the bottom rack and run the dishwasher on the longest and hottest settings.  The Dishwasher Cleaner really gets into the hard to see places in your dishwasher where grease and lime scale build up.  The Cleaner has a mild orange scent, which was a pleasant surprise because I was expecting something much more harsh.  Triple score!

When your dishwasher is FINISHed (mwahaha ;) ), simple remove the package to put in with your recyclables (if applicable in your area). 

Finish you have done it, you have made me excited over dish washing! You should feel pretty awesome about this.  As a food-blogger that spends a ton of time dirtying dishes, thank you for making my life easier when it comes to washing them.  I wear my Finish Revolution Blogger button with pride.

I encourage all of you to join the Finish Revolution and like their brand new Facebook page, where there will be free sample offerings and details on a very cool upcoming contest that you are going to love!

Disclosure: I am part of the Finish Blogger Program by Mom Central. I received compensation as part of my affiliation with this group.  The opinions on this blog are my own.

Salmon Fishing In The Yemen Advance Screening Pass Giveaway

When I was offered passes to the advance screening of Salmon Fishing In The Yemen to give away on my blog, my head was spinning with clever ways to combine it with a food post.  Salmon came to mind first (duh)... but alas the only salmon in the house today was of the canned variety, which I learned when I opened it, is not fit for human consumption... ew.

Okay, scrap salmon.

Web Photo

Movies = Popcorn!

I was going to try making some Middle Eastern inspired popcorn by popping some corn, drizzling it with a fragrant olive oil and tossing it with some Za'atar, a blend of dried herbs, dried sumac, sesame seeds and other spices... but then I couldn't get a hold of any in time.

I took that as a sign to just post the darn giveaway and move on to other recipe ideas before the advance screening has come and gone.

Alliance Films has provided me with 9 double passes (okay, 10, but I really want to see this one) to giveaway for the advance screening of Salmon Fishing In The Yemen, staring Ewan McGregor (swoon), Emily Blunt and Kristin Scott Thomas.  It fits in the genre of comedy/drama/romance... hey I like all those things.  I hadn't heard of this film, so when I saw the title I was kind of afraid it was some sort of Eco-documentary, but far from it.  If you are able to attend the advance screening on Wednesday, March 21 (2012 of course) at 7:30PM at the Empire Theatres in Bayers Lake, and would love a double pass for free... enter below!  The contest will close Sunday at 12:01AM EST and I will contact the winners via email on Sunday.

Passes were provided by Alliance Films, but no compensation was provided for this post... and all opinions, as always, are my own.