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femmeharringrove · 4 years ago

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merry christmas yall have the first chapter of a fic i completely forgot about

It’s Christmas eve, and Steve hasn’t slept in at least three days but that’s fine.

It’s not, not really, but those are the two words the boy has learned to live off of: that’s fine. It’s the motto of complacency, his father said once, after hearing it on the radio. Steve was just twelve at the time and already knew then that his father’s opinion wasn’t worth shit. Steve isn’t complacent, thank you very much. If he has to label himself, he thinks chill is a better word. He’s a chill guy, he’s the most chill person he knows, and everyone loves a chill person so it’s fine.

It’s stupidly early and he’s on the stupid green sofa in his stupid big house and he feels like shit, which is a surprise to exactly no one. The living room is a mess – he should clean it, he thinks vaguely, but he doesn’t plan on making a move anytime soon. If his parents were coming home he’d do it; can’t have them knowing their son’s become a wallowing slouch as of late. But they’re not coming.

His mother called yesterday, trilling over the line in her unnaturally pitched voice about how Prague was just beautiful this time of year and she wished he could be there to see but someone had to hold the fort down and speaking of they just won’t be able to make it back for the holidays but how would he feel about driving to Cincinnati on New Year’s Eve to join them at one of his father’s business socials that would be fun right? And Steve just listened because what else could he do?

He hadn’t been expecting them, anyway. The family hadn’t celebrated Christmas together in four years.

And in those four years he’d had options. Tommy’s family was happy to have him over, he spent many a holiday with the Hagans and then he’d spent that one truly merry Christmas with the Wheelers, and it was fine, but now he’s got none of that. This year, it’s him and the big empty house and he sort of hates it but it’s fine, thanks.

Steve watches the shadows on the wall shift with the rising sun and feels some vague sense of relief; it’s easier to breathe when the sun is out. That’s what’s been bothering him, really. When he does sleep, his dreams are plagued with darkness and cold and danger, and when he wakes up it’s still darkness and he feels like he can’t breathe. Those nightmares have gotten worse, infinitely worse over time. It’s easier to avoid sleep altogether sometimes. And he has no obligations this holiday season, no parties to appear at or houses to crash, so he can afford the heavy circles under his eyes this year.

It’s fine. It has to be fine, so it is. Even if it isn’t really.

Hawkins got snow last night. Steve drags himself up from his seat and meanders to the back door, eyes gazing out over the endless white carpeting the ground outside. He used to love snow. Now anything cold makes him uncomfortable. He hates the winter, makes him think of the dark Upside Down.

Or that damned Soviet Union and their officers and their cold, cruel faces watching on as he tells them he’s not a spy.

Had that really been this year? It feels like a lifetime ago. It feels like just yesterday. He tears his eyes away from the snow and pads into the kitchen in search of something warm. Coffee? Definitely coffee. He waits in the kitchen while the dark beverage brews and since he’s here he figures he may as well get some food into his body. Steve can cook – it becomes a necessity when you spend most of your childhood devoid of parents – but he doesn’t really want to cook. Takes too much energy, and he’s not willing to put said energy into that. So he goes with toast, because you can never go wrong with toast, right? He even slathers the bread with copious amounts of butter. It’s not the most fulfilling breakfast, but he likes it well enough.

The coffee finishes brewing and Steve spills a good bit of his father’s whiskey into it before dunking three spoonfuls of sugar in and retreating back to the couch. He grabs the remote on his way over and drops himself gracelessly on the cushions before pressing a button. The screen flickers to life and he chugs half of the hot beverage, flips through channel after channel before settling on some feel-good holiday movie. He hates these movies, he really does, but if he’s lucky it might be enough to lull him to sleep for an hour or so.

Steve used to love Christmas movies. He watched families on television gather together and enjoy one another’s company, children waiting for the magic of Santa Claus while parents shared tender moments under mistletoe. It was everything a younger Steve had desired in a holiday. Even when he had his parents home for Christmas, things had been different. Their home was filled with strange adults, co-workers of his father’s and social acquaintances of his mother’s. Santa Claus never came to visit him – his parents would simply give him a gift or two gathered from their trips abroad. He used to enjoy it, but as he got older the presents got less and less interesting, less personal. He went from wishing for those perfect movie-esque holidays to resenting them. That being said, they have their appeal.

Even now Steve can’t help but get a sense of warm comfort and joy radiating from the film, a warm sensation wrapping around his chest. It’s a strange comfort to him, in spite of his bitterness. There’s something inherently warm about holidays, and yet Steve finds himself feeling cold. He wonders idly what his parents are doing now, if they’ll remember to call tomorrow. The boy sits and sips on coffee and wonders and he’s right about the movie because he ends up dozing for a little bit. He dreams of families and caroling and trees and the whole scene takes on a peaceful, golden haze. Something almost physical wounds around his body like a cat rubbing along his frame in a form of greeting. It’s the nicest dream he’s had in a long time.

Which is why, when the doorbell startles him out of his dreams, Steve feels like he’s capable of murder.

The boy is so confused at first he doesn’t realize it’s his doorbell. When the incessant ringing gets accompanied by an even more incessant knocking on the door, Steve groans. The warmth seeps away and he heaves himself up from the couch. The mug is drained of its remaining lukewarm contents before he sets it on the coffee table. Footsteps land heavy as he stomps his way to the door, yanking it open and preparing to bite off the head of whoever dared to disturb him so early on Christmas Eve of all days.

His face morphs from a snarl to a look of surprise. Dustin grins up at him, oblivious to Steve’s previous anger.

And he’s not alone, either. El is there, too, brown eyes sparkling at him, arm tucked in Max’s as they flash him identical grins. On Dustin’s other side, Will’s smile is something more timid than the rest of his co-conspirators. Steve’s shoulders drop.

“What are you dipshits doing out here?” he snaps playfully. “Not you, of course, Will.” Will’s smile widens while Dustin and the girls make faces of protests.

“Hey!” Dustin squawks indignantly. “I’m your favorite, that’s not allowed to change!”

“Oh yeah?” Steve’s hands settled on his hips. “Who rang the doorbell?” El’s hand shoots up. “Uh-huh. And who started knocking?” The younger boy shares a guilty look with Max, who kicks guiltily at the ground. Will blinks at him in innocent confusion. Steve smirks. “So, every single one of you played a role in waking me up from my nap with the exception of Will. Little Byers is now my favorite.” Max groans and Dustin makes another scandalized sound, while Will and El both try to hide their giggles. Steve feels a mix of fondness and frustration as he watches them; that seems to be his default emotion around these damned kids. Shaking his head, Steve opens the door wider. “Okay, okay, now why don’t you all come in so I can figure out what I owe this visit to?”

“No need,” El responds, her laughter dying down. That amused happiness never leaves her face, however. “Will you have dinner with us?”

“Mom and Hopper want you to join us,” Will adds. “You can help out with the tree and everything.”

“And baking and cooking and shit, because Hop and Mrs. Byers aren’t the best in the kitchen,” Max finishes, and even though Will makes a small attempt to protest he and El share a knowing shudder. Dustin bounces on his feet slightly as he looks up at the older boy.

“Plus, if you say yes I can ride back to the house with you!” He grins broadly. “Whaddya say?” Steve blinks.

What does he say?

It’s a nice idea, sure. He loves these kids, feels safe with the two adults in question, and spending the day with them promises to be interesting at the very least. But if they’re all there, he has little doubt about Nancy and Jonathan being there too, and he’s really not mad about it anymore but there’s a little bit of awkwardness lingering between the trio. And even if he did go, those lovebirds will have each other. The party has each other, Hopper has Joyce. Steve is bound to be left out eventually. He knows it’s not on purpose, of course, but he knows how this goes. How many times has it happened before? And he’s already a little bit pissy this holiday season, that truth isn’t likely to make this any more enjoyable.

But eight pairs of eyes watch him expectantly, hopeful looks etched onto their faces. Steve’s gaze shifts past them, down the driveway and he finds Hopper’s truck waiting at the end and he doesn’t have to see the man to know he’s also waiting for an answer.

He doesn’t like disappointing people. He’s chill, Steve goes with the flow as a matter of principle, and this is where the flow seems to be leading. He makes a show of sighing, theatrics making the kids smile even wider.

“I shouldn’t –“ A series of pleas and protests interrupt him and he has to work hard to keep from smiling. Damn, Steve should have run off to New York or Hollywood and becoming an actor, he’s good at this. “- Oh, alright. I guess I can come for a little while. Dustin pumps his fist into the air as the others grin widely. Dustin rushes to the Beamer and Max isn’t far behind.

“Get your keys, Harrington, let’s get moving!” he shouts. Steve can’t help but laugh.

“Hang on, you little gremlin, I gotta get real clothes on! And do my hair!” The two set on riding with him dart back over and duck under his arm into the house, and Steve waves Will and El off. “Go on, you two, don’t wait for me. Tell Hop I’ll bring the little devils with me,” he orders. Both nod eagerly before setting off back to the car. Steve sees them off before turning back into the house. Max is in the living room, face wrinkled into something resembling disgust.

“Jesus, Steve,” she says, “Do you ever clean this place?” It has gotten pretty bad over the past month or so. Steve tries not to wince at the judgement he feels radiating off of the redhead.

“Never, it’s a point of pride at this point,” he teases instead, and she makes another face, nose crinkling before she rolls her eyes and makes a snide comment about messy boys. Steve reaches over and ruffles her hair, reveling in her giggled squawk of protest. “Oh, be nice, Mayfield. It’s a holiday!” Dustin’s footsteps thud down the stairs.

“It is the holidays, so I know you got me a gift, Harrington,” he states, eyes narrowing. “Where is it?” Max perks up in interest now, spinning from the curly-haired kid to the taller boy, eyebrows arching up.

“Oh, uh, presents? Yeah, um -” Steve smiles sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his neck. Dustin’s eyes go wide.

“You forgot?” He marches down the rest of the stairs. “I can’t believe you, Harrington! Party members are supposed to get gifts for other party members! How could you forget?”

“Steeeve,” Max whines, head falling back dramatically. “I can’t believe you!” And she shouldn’t. Neither of them should. Again, he’s sure he’s missed his calling in life with the whole acting thing. Of course he got gifts for them – tucked safely away in the trunk of his car. He doesn’t plan on outright putting his name on them, but he’s sure the kids will figure it out tomorrow morning, which ones he leaves for them.

Chuckling at their antics, Steve hops up the stairs two at a time and dives into his room. How did this become his life, dealing with more barely-pubescent teens than any nineteen-year-old should? Steve’s shower is quick, and he styles up his hair before digging out an ugly sweater his grandmother had gotten him four years ago. Back then people were convinced the boy would go through a growth spurt; he did, but he hadn’t beefed up in the way everyone anticipated. The sweater still remains baggy on his slender frame, but he wears it nonetheless. Jeans are hastily yanked on and socked feet are shoved into sneakers before he trips his way down the steps.

Max and Dustin are anxious by the door, and he grins at them as he approaches the hall closet and grabs a coat. He hears his keys jangle softly in the pocket as he pulls it over his shoulders.

“The two of you have no patience,” he teases, watching them dash out to the car. He follows at a slower pace, amusement tugging at his lips. The kids are practically buzzing with excited energy, urging him to speed up, and they clamor into the car the moment he gets it unlocked, Max beating Dustin out for the coveted shotgun position. The younger boy pouts at Steve in the rearview mirror. Steve smiles right back at him. “Don’t look at me, she won this round, buddy.” Max’s smile is smug next to him, and Dustin scowls before slumping in the backseat. Steve shakes his head. “Alright, everybody buckle – even you, slouch potato,” The kid’s sulking is immediately replaced with a displeased squawk, and Steve doesn’t bother to hide his pleased smile as he eases out of the driveway and out onto the road.

It’s an easy trip; Steve exits Loch Nora and cruises down Dearborn. From there it’s a turn onto Maple and he has Max dig out cassettes from the glove box now. Wham! sings about holidays and heartbreak as Steve drives carefully past the Sinclair home, then the Wheelers not long after. He’s sure the occupants of both homes are either not there or too busy to be peering out of curtains in search of their kids’ babysitter, but he doesn’t want to risk having them see him do anything remotely reckless, and so he adheres to the laws of the road. Once he turns onto Cornwallis Street, he relaxes, speed inching up as he goes. Dustin’s previous sour mood has all but evaporated and he talks in that loud way of his, leaning up so he can get a look at the two people upfront. Max is just as chatty, and Steve is happy to let them converse, offering small hums here and there to show he’s listening.

He’s not really listening, but he doesn’t need them knowing.

Whiskey eyes try to focus on the road as he makes another turn, this time onto Kerley. It’s been five months since Hawkins last had to fight off monsters. Five months since the mall went down in flames. Five months since the Soviets and their needles and their gate.

He has nightmares still, about the room and the faces and the pain. Sometimes Robin’s there, panicked eyes screaming at him to help. Other times he sees Dustin, the kid looking betrayed as the general smugly tells him about Steve’s slip-up in his interrogation. Some nights he has dreams that leave him feeling physically cold. Those are the dreams he can never remember – whenever he tries, his head aches in a sharp sort of way that quickly has him leaving the whole thing alone. Even now as he thinks about it a dull throb warns him against it just behind his eyes. His thoughts wander further as the Beamer rolls onto Mirkwood.

Robin thinks he needs help. She may be right. Two weeks ago he almost had a full-blown panic attack in the back room of Family Video after seeing someone who looked eerily like the so-called doctor that ended up tugging his fingernails out with horrific ease. Even Keith had been surprised, awkwardly giving him the rest of the day off. Robin, bless her soul, tried talking him down, but ultimately she just held him while he sobbed frantically. Every day after that she gave him this look and he felt like he was suffocating under the weight of her pity, the cold force of her concern, the bitterness of her remorseful anger.

He still isn’t sure how he knew she was feeling all of that so clearly. Steve’s not great at a lot of things, but he’s always had a knack for reading a room. You learned how to do that after witnessing your parents have screaming matches almost every night they actually spent the night in Hawkins; he had to decide whether the tension in the air was manageable or too electric for him to safely involve himself in. When you struggle up the social ladder of high school, you learn how to read people and earn their favor. It’s his thing, always interpreting. It’s been five months since that little quirk seemed to get more sensitive. He doesn’t exactly know how he feels about that, or if it’s a good thing at all.

Steve slowly tunes back into conversation as he turns off of Mirkwood and makes his way down a simple dirt path. From what he can tell, Dustin and Max didn’t quite miss his additions to their conversation during the drive. Easily the two chattiest people in the Party, the older teen’s convinced they could talk for a week straight, without pause, and never notice the lack of anyone else’s input. It’s impressive, if you ask Steve. Max’s electric blue eyes catch his for a moment and she grins widely. She looks for all the world like a normal girl, not like someone who’d almost lost her brother on the Fourth of July.

The Beamer finally comes to a halt. Steve laughs as the two kids scramble out of the car and rush up the driveway. He takes a moment to turn the ignition off and now he’s suddenly feeling rather hesitant.

Why did he let them talk him into this?

The boy slumps in his seat. He should go home. He should crawl onto the couch in the living room and hide under blankets the rest of the night. The kids would not be particularly pleased with him, he’s sure, but he’ll make up for it with the gifts in the trunk. But if he leaves, when is he going to have a chance to leave those gifts for them? He certainly can’t come back tomorrow, and after that he’s just going to feel bad. Up ahead, Dustin’s head tilts as he looks back at the car.

“Harrington! You coming?” Steve hesitates, waves the kid off, and as soon as Dustin turns again he drops his head against the wheel.

He really, really should leave.

The door is slammed shut with a nudge of his hip, and Steve trudges his way up the driveway. Joyce is at the door, all smiles as usual. In spite of his doubts, the boy can’t help but smile back.

“Steve! I’m so glad you came,” she greets, pulling him into a hug as soon as he gets near. Steve settles in her hold for a few brief moments before tugging away reluctantly.

“Hey, Mrs. Byers. I would have brought something with me, but -“ Joyce cuts him off, gentle hands waving about dismissively.

“Oh, none of that,” she chides, “And it’s Joyce, honey. Besides, you can still help in the kitchen.” Her smile turns almost sheepish. “Hopper and I could use an extra hand.” Both of them are stellar single parents, but Steve knows for a fact that neither can cook to save their lives. Steve’s been mastering the art since he was thirteen, he’s gotten quite good at it. He nods at the woman as he slips past her into the house and for a moment he’s overwhelmed by how homey the place looks.

Wrapping paper, string lights, and other festive odds and ends litter the floor. Hopper and Jonathan seem to be in the process of setting up the tree in a corner. A holiday record plays loudly, barely heard over the roaring chatter of the kids yelling and running around. It’s chaos, the very best kind. He’s surrounded by the inherent warmth of it all and the lingering trepidation melts away quickly as Steve lets his shoulders relax.

Eleven notices him first among the kids, and is quick to slip out of a confused Mike’s grip to greet him. Her hug is warm, and Steve holds her tight, one hand rubbing her back as he returns her embrace.

“Hey, kid,” he chuckles, ruffling her hair. Eleven beams up at him.

“You came,” she proclaims. Now Steve lets out a full laugh.

“Well, of course I did! I couldn’t just not show up. Besides, you and Will left me with the little hellions, remember?” Will comes next, shy smile creeping across his face as he tucks himself easily against Steve’s side. Steve pretends to give him a scolding look. “Had my ear talked off the whole way here thanks to you.” Will knows for a fact the older teen isn’t even remotely upset with him. The attempted glare melts into a grin and the boy relaxes, his smile growing easier as his slender arm squeezes around Steve’s waist, then retracts as he backs off. Lucas, already trapped on the ground with Max and Erica, waves in greeting. His teeth flash brilliantly in his bright grin and Steve tips an imaginary hat in his direction. Not too far off, Mike nods in his own greeting, gruff in his usual manner but maybe the holiday magic is working because there’s something unusually friendly about the gesture. Steve returns it in kind.

When Nancy makes her appearance, she falters at the sight of him and Steve’s body almost flinches with the strangeness of it all. Her eyes blink once, twice before she gives him that sad smile.

“I didn’t know you were coming.” Steve’s answering smile is painfully awkward.

“Yeah, well, I wasn’t planning on coming. The kids roped me into this last-minute, you know how it is with them.” He becomes distinctly aware of Jonathan eyeing them from across the room and clears his throat.

Yeah, maybe this is a little bit of a mistake.

His escape comes in the form of Hopper, the man’s burly arm falling across his shoulders in a gruff greeting.

“Glad you decided to show up, kid. You’re the only competent chef in this house,” he jokes, but it isn’t really a joke. You’d think a couple of adults would know how to cook a decent meal – well, Joyce can cook a decent meal, but it’s just that. His smile is only slightly less awkward as he’s guided into the kitchen, tossing an odd sort of goodbye to the girl as he goes. Joyce gives him a relieved look as he enters the kitchen.

“Steve, do you think you could help me with this soup?”

He’s kept pleasantly busy after that. Between helping with Joyce’s mushroom soup, letting Dustin peel carrots for the pot roast, taking that job away after the kid hacked apart the vegetables beyond recognition, and attempting to restore some general sense of order to the lawless land of the kitchen, Steve barely has time to think about Nancy or Jonathan or the yelling all around him. He hardly pays attention to the pleasant buzz filling his body as a result of the warm atmosphere. It’s dark by the time all the food gets finished. He’s oddly proud of himself as he looks at the spread of food on the table. It’s nothing fancy, but beef and soup and biscuits on Christmas Eve isn’t a bad idea if you ask him.

He can sit at the table with the rest of the adults. There’s space, and Joyce asks him sweetly if he’d like to sit with them. Steve feels decidedly more comfortable on the living room floor with the kids, however.

And that just seems to be the bulk of his problems sometimes, doesn’t it?

Steve Harrington is almost twenty years old, and he has nearly no friends his own age. To top things off, he also has no idea what he’s doing with himself currently, his past haunts his sleep and his waking hours, and his future is all but nonexistent. He peaked in high school and his life has been in a steady decline ever since. But it’s not all bad – at least he’s got the tragic honor of babysitting the six toughest kids in all the world.

And they aren’t even kids anymore, are they? They’re creeping up on their fifteenth birthdays, all of them. Dustin’s is less than a month away already. Steve can’t believe it. They were kids just yesterday, it feels. He was a kid just yesterday, wasn’t he? Monsters have a funny way of forcing you to grow up, he supposes. And they’ve truly grown, his kids.

Eleven’s curls bounce as her head swivels back and forth to follow their conversation, smile warm and genuine as she leans against Steve’s right. Dustin’s always by his side, the little snot. He looks so happy all the time, his eyes crinkling around the edges as he talks animatedly on his left. Mike’s grown so tall, it’s crazy. Coltish legs are folded awkwardly under him as he sits by Eleven’s side. Lucas rivals Mike in height, though he looks significantly less awkward as he leans up against an engaged Max. She’s cut her hair recently; it’s not a bad look, though he knows she wants to grow it back out again. Something about her is tinged with a bitter sadness, something that makes Steve’s throat choke up in a most peculiar way. He gets it, though; Billy’s brush with death wasn’t that long ago, and she’s still struggling with her grief. But she’ll be alright, he knows. Billy’s getting better, her friends are too stubborn to allow her to struggle alone, even if Billy isn’t their favorite. And on Mike’s other side, simply enjoying the moment, sits Will. He’s grown too, but he’s kept much of his quiet mannerisms. He catches Steve’s eye and smiles a little wider, an action Steve mimics.

Sometimes, the calmer Will Byers is the one Steve claims as his favorite. In all truth, he doesn’t have a favorite.

He has different relationships with each kid, that’s all. His relationships with some are weaker than others, weaker than he liked them to be. Some of them share a bond even Steve can’t explain. But the one thing each relationship has in common is the boy’s love for each and every one of them. There’s no favoritism, even if he tells them otherwise. There’s no choosing, none of that. Each of these six kids have Steve’s whole heart.

It’s Eleven who catches him staring next, and she must see the fondness on his face because the smile she gives him is soft and tender and knowing in its own way. Eleven took to him surprisingly quick; he didn’t quite understand it yet, but he was glad the kid felt so at ease with him.

He’s dragged into the present by Dustin very suddenly collapsing against his side, snorting in laughter as Mike stares at Lucas, offense clear on his face.

“How do you not like the Beastie Boys?” he questions, and now it’s Steve’s turn to snort.

“No one likes the Beastie Boys, Mike,” he chuckles, trying to ignore the appalled look the younger teen gives him. “It’s just what you listen to when you reach the teen rebellion phase.”

“I’m not rebellious!” Mike huffs. Steve’s sure Karen Wheeler would beg to differ.

He doesn’t want to spend the night. Joyce already has her hands full with all these kids, and he doesn’t want to add on to that, so he goes out to the car once the kids have all gone to sleep in the basement and gets his sack of presents and he’s going to leave after giving them to Hopper, but Joyce stops him, a curious look on her face.

“You’re not leaving, are you?” she questions. Steve feels awkward now, shifts his weight from one foot to the other.

“You’ve already got plenty of people spending the night, Mrs. By-“

“None of that,” she cuts him off with a wave of her hand. “You’ll have to come back tomorrow anyway if you leave, you’re having dinner with us.” Steve doesn’t remember agreeing to that, but now he doesn’t have a choice. Hopper, setting a gift under the tree, grunts in agreement.

“She’s right, kid,” he confirms as he stands straight again. “Can’t get out of this one, the kids won’t leave your door until you come back with them. It’ll be much easier on everyone if you just stay.”

And he doesn’t want to because this is their tradition, this is something they’ve been doing together for years as one large family and Steve isn’t really a part of that, so he wants to give them space, but Joyce is already dragging him back inside with the gifts, then she’s off grabbing blankets and Hopper busies him with the task of wrapping last-minute gifts until he forgets wanting to leave.

The couch is his for the night. Joyce gets him some of Jonathan’s clothes and even kisses his forehead and wishes him a merry Christmas before retreating to her room for the night. Hopper wishes him a good rest, and he understands because it’s already ass o’clock in the morning and it’s only a matter of time before those kids come barreling up the stairs to yell about their gifts. The living room is dark, aside from the gentle blinking of the string lights on the tree. It’s a silent night, indeed. He feels warm, and not just from the blankets tucked in close around him.

For the first time in three nights, Steve sleeps. He’s blissfully without dreams.

It lasts barely five hours.

The basement door is opened quite aggressively, and a cacophony of feet thud in before he hears a loud hushing sound, followed by the loudest whisper he’s ever heard.

“Dudes, Steve’s asleep!” one of the little shits hisses. Steve’s fairly sure it’s Dustin. He prays they turn around and go back downstairs for another hour or two.

“Shut up, he’s gonna hear you!” a girl’s voice hisses back, and she’s impossibly louder than the first kid – undeniably Max, Eleven would never whisper that loud. Jesus, who taught them how to whisper?

“Both of you shut up, let’s just get to the target,” a third, quieter voice butts in, and they’re just quiet enough that Steve can’t tell who it is, which tells him it’s either Mike or Will. He’s betting on Mike.

He knows what their target is. Steve takes a moment to contemplate. Either he lets them poke around the presents until Jim or Joyce come in and stop them, which will definitely result in loud protesting and a permanent end to his rest, or he can get up now and get a little bit of sympathy from at least Will for them waking him up. Either way, he’s awake now.

He hears someone poking at a box and goes with the latter.

“Aren’t you little shitheads supposed to wait for your parents?” he groans, eyes peering at the group blearily. All six of them freeze.

“Abort mission?” Lucas whispers to Mike.

“Abort mission,” Steve confirms before the other kid gets a chance, sitting up and stretching. Eleven treads silently over to the sofa and finds her way under his blanket to press into his side.

“Merry Christmas,” she hums, as if she has nothing to do with the early morning shenanigans that roused him. Will joins them on the sofa, and it’s clear the other four are trying to decide how to best fit themselves on the piece of furniture with their babysitter. It’s about to get very cramped, he realizes.

“Yeah, yeah, bah humbug,” he grumbles in reply, but no one misses his fond smile.

Joyce makes her appearance thirty minutes after that, and of all the things she expects to see on a Christmas morning, this was decidedly not it. None of the kids on the couch notice her upfront, too caught up in their giggles and hushed conversation. Steve looks tired, she notes, but he’s not as pale or tired-looking as he was yesterday. He may not be her kid, but she worries about him nevertheless as if he was. Shaking her head slightly, she pads further into the room.

“I hope you all didn’t wake Steve up,” she tells the younger teens as she reaches the sofa. Guilty looks are shared and a few mouths open in hopes of explaining themselves, but Steve beats them all to the punch.

“They didn’t,” he covers, smiling softly up at the woman. “I was up before these hellions tried getting into the presents.” Joyce doesn’t believe him, not for a second, but she leaves it alone as she leans down and gives Will and Eleven kisses on their forehead. Max gets one next, followed by a gentle ruffling of Mike’s hair because he gets fussy about kisses. Lucas smiles as he gets a kiss, and Dustin responds in kind. Even Steve gets a kiss, and he smiles in spite of his surprise.

“Thank you, for keeping them out of the presents,” she tells him as she straightens up and sways off towards the kitchen. He thinks about going to help her, but he looks at the kids sprawled out on the sofa with him and he just can’t bring himself to make them get up, so he stays put. They whisper back and forth about present predictions (Dustin makes a passive comment about some people forgetting to buy presents, Max makes a face at Steve and it takes serious effort to not laugh), and by the time Joyce returns with coffee the six are practically bouncing with restlessness. Their excitement is downright infectious, Steve feels their giddy joy in his bones, his stomach twisting in a good sort of anxiousness. Hopper shuffles in soon after, makes his way directly to the kitchen and gets himself a mug of coffee. He brings an extra one out for a very grateful Steve. Mike makes a face when the smell of caffeine reaches his nose. Lucas doesn’t have to smell it before he gets that disgusted look on his face.

“I can’t understand why you drink that stuff,” he states. Steve inhales the warm smell, sips on the drink (and he’s got to give the chief a thanks because it’s got just the right amount of cream and sugar – not too much, but just enough to take the edge off of the bitter taste), and pauses for added drama before forming his response.

“Lucas, my friend, let’s revisit this conversation when you hit nineteen.” He rests the mug on top of Eleven’s wild curls and revels in her giggled protest.

Outside, the sun is just beginning to poke through the darkness. Steve glances towards the window, watches the black sky turning into blue, and couldn’t help but feel that maybe, maybe, this Christmas isn’t going to be so bad after all.

In an attempt to distract the gaggle of children from the glistening presents under the tree, Steve finally nudges the kids off of him and makes his way to his feet, and he stretches out his body with a few, satisfying cracks in his spine. He’s getting old.

“Hey. You little gremlins want hot cocoa?”

They do, of course they do. And they follow him like a line of duckling behind their mother as Steve trudges into the kitchen. They sit in a row and happily sip on the warm drinks as the brunette then sets about making breakfast. Joyce rubs his shoulder and says he didn’t have to, but Steve is happy to do it, he likes making himself useful. Besides, he’s good at this, the kids love his pancakes. He even whips up scrambled eggs and slices of wonderfully crisp bacon. The smell draws a bleary-eyed Jonathan from his room. He looks surprised by Steve’s presence, but offers a small smile.

“Merry Christmas,” he offers, ruffling Will’s hair on his way by. He pours himself a cup of coffee, and Steve smiles back at him.

“Yeah, Merry Christmas to you too.”

#steebie writes #steve harrington #stranger things au #stranger things fanfiction

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cookingmywaythroughcarryon · 5 years ago

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A Watford Breakfast

(Fried eggs. Fried Mushrooms. Baked beans and black pudding.)--Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, chapter 22, SImon POV.

How could I resist trying to recreate this, when SImon has given us an entire meal in one sentence? (Full disclosure I purchased the black pudding at the butcher shop because that is not something I have any desire to attempt to make from scratch.)

So here we go with today’s recipes for a full Watford breakfast.

1. Fried Eggs ( I went with scrambled as the family prefers that):

Ingredients:

2 to 3 large eggs per person

about a tablespoon of milk per egg

salt and pepper to taste

I tbsp unsalted butter

Method:

Crack the eggs into a medium bowl. Add the milk and season with pepper and salt. Whisk with a fork (I used a hand whisk) until there are no streaks of thick white.

Heat a medium or large nonstick skillet over medium to high heat (I used a large one as I was cooking for four). When the pan is hot add the butter (expect it to sizzle a bit). Tilt the pan to distribute the butter as it melts. Add the eggs. Pause to let the eggs heat up slightly then stir very slowly with a non-metal utensil so the eggs cook evenly. You should have large fluffy curds. Continue cooking, continuing to stir, for about two to six minutes depending on how you like your eggs but DON’T LET THE EGGS BROWN! Transfer eggs to a dish or platter when done.

2. Fried Mushrooms:

Ingredients:

1 lb of chopped mushrooms

1 tbsp butter

Method:

heat a non-stick medium skillet to medium heat. When pan is hot add the butter and swirl it around the pan to coat it. Add the mushrooms. Stir frequently until mushrooms have attained a soft consistency and brownish hue.

3. Beans: (note I used a large Dutch oven to cook this)

Ingredients:

! lb dry navy beans (you will need to soak them for at least overnight before cooking) or two cans of navy beans (which you can use right out of the can). I used canned beans because I had them in the pantry and it made the whole process very quick.

salt and pepper

2 tbsp. vegetable oil (I used olive oil)

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped

3 tbsp. brown sugar.

3 tbsp. molasses

3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

3 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

*1 tbsp maple syrup (this was a whim at the last minute and it tasted good in the mix--it was not in any of the recipes I found online but the family liked it so here it is)

2 tbsp tomato paste

3 bay leaves

2 cups tomato puree

I cup vegetable or chicken broth

Bread, for toasting (I was going to make my own bread but there was just too much going on with this so I used the store bought brioche bread I had on hand which was lovely toasted) (I will share my no-knead bread recipe in another blog post sometime)

Method:

If you are using dry beans after you rinse them off well place them in a large bowl and completely cover them with water. Add a tsp of kosher salt and stir it in. Let the beans soak on the kitchen counter overnight. Drain in a colander before using.

Heat the vegetable oil in the Dutch oven over a medium to high heat until just shimmering. Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook until soft. You don't want to it browned.

Add the beans (either the soaked overnight beans or the canned ones, whichever you are using).

Add the brown sugar, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, tomato paste, bay leaves, tomato puree (maple syrup if you are using it) and the stock.

Bring to a simmer, then cover and turn heat to low.

Cook, stirring occasionally until beans are cooked--usually 4 hours for soaked beans (THIS IS WHY I USED CANNED BEANS, PEOPLE!!!)

If you are using canned beans I cooked on low for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

Taste to determine if you need more brown sugar or maple syrup--my tomatoes were a bit tart so that’s why I added the maple syrup in the first place.

Turn heat off and let the beans cool a bit. They will thicken as they cool

Toast bread and top with a generous portion of beans.

Finished beans:

4. Black Pudding:

Remove packaging and wrapping.

Slice into discs about 1/4 inch in width

heat a small amount of oil in shallow frying pan

when oil is hot add the black pudding slices

cook on each side for about 3-4 minutes

Serve the beans on toast with the fried eggs, mushrooms and black pudding.

Overall the family enjoyed the eggs and fried mushrooms, RAVED about the beans on toast, and were definitely not fans of the black pudding. To each his own. They were gracious enough to try it and found that it was vastly improved when slathered with beans.

The breakfast plate:

Here are all the recipes with no photos:

Fried Eggs ( I went with scrambled as the family prefers that):

Ingredients:

2 to 3 large eggs per person

about a tablespoon of milk per egg

salt and pepper to taste

I tbsp unsalted butter

Method:

Crack the eggs into a medium bowl. Add the milk and season with pepper and salt. Whisk with a fork (I used a hand whisk) until there are no streaks of thick white.

Fried Mushrooms:

Ingredients:

1 lb of chopped mushrooms

1 tbsp butter

Method:

Beans: (note I used a large Dutch oven to cook this)

salt and pepper

2 tbsp. vegetable oil (I used olive oil)

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped

3 tbsp. brown sugar.

3 tbsp. molasses

3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

3 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

*1 tbsp maple syrup (this was a whim at the last minute and it tasted good in the mix--it was not in any of the recipes I found online but the family liked it so here it is)

2 tbsp tomato paste

3 bay leaves

2 cups tomato puree

I cup vegetable or chicken broth

Method:

Heat the vegetable oil in the Dutch oven over a medium to high heat until just shimmering. Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook until soft. You don't want to it browned.

Add the beans (either the soaked overnight beans or the canned ones, whichever you are using).

Add the brown sugar, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, tomato paste, bay leaves, tomato puree (maple syrup if you are using it) and the stock.

Bring to a simmer, then cover and turn heat to low.

Cook, stirring occasionally until beans are cooked--usually 4 hours for soaked beans (THIS IS WHY I USED CANNED BEANS, PEOPLE!!!)

If you are using canned beans I cooked on low for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

Taste to determine if you need more brown sugar or maple syrup--my tomatoes were a bit tart so that’s why I added the maple syrup in the first place.

Turn heat off and let the beans cool a bit. They will thicken as they cool

Toast bread and top with a generous portion of beans.

Black Pudding:

Remove packaging and wrapping.

Slice into discs about 1/4 inch in width

heat a small amount of oil in shallow frying pan

when oil is hot add the black pudding slices

cook on each side for about 3-4 minutes

Serve the beans on toast with the fried eggs, mushrooms and black pudding.

#cooking my way through carry on #carry on #carry on food #breakfast at Watford #Simon Snow #Simon snow food #beans on toast #black pudding #fried mushrooms #fried eggs #recipes #the food of Carry On

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posttexasstressdisorder · 4 years ago

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Alright...let’s talk Nanner Bread!

Had to turn my attention away from the horror/freak show for a minute. Can’t sleep. Figure best use of time is self care, and right now that means get baked and bake! I just yanked these two loaves out of the oven:

And you will have to pry my groovy vintage EKCOLOY “Silver Beauty” long (12″ x 4″) loaf pans out of my cold dead hands. Just like my cast iron. ;-)

This is a recipe I’ve used since the early ‘90s. I’ve tweaked it over the more than 25 years until I found the proportions to make it come out consistently. Easily adaptable up/down as far as amounts. This batch is plain. I usually add fresh blueberries and roasted pecans. Texture is good, crumb is consistent and airy. Here’s the recipe as I make it for these two super-long loaf pans.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In an extra-large mixing bowl, crack six eggs. Beat on high speed with hand mixer for at least a minute until super-frothy. Alternate adding 1-and-1/3 cup milk and 2/3 cup melted butter (salted), in about three alternating additions, still beating everything on high as you do. [Note: I’ve made this recipe with everything from 2% milk to Half & Half to full-fat buttermilk. It comes out nice no matter what you use, no real changes required.]

Then toss in 5 bananas that have gone brown and super soft and mushy. If they’ve started to ferment, all the better. Add 4 teaspoons of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of nutmeg to the whole thing and beat once again on high for at least a minute, until you have a thick batter, with all the banana and cinnamon/nutmeg distributed evenly.

In a separate bowl, sift 6 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 6 teaspoons plus a little more of baking powder, and 1-and-1/2 teaspoons of salt.

Pour this into the larger bowl with the beaten egg/nanner mixture. Stir/fold with a large spoon until lumps are almost gone. Leave some lumps! At this point is where I usually toss in 2 small trays of fresh blueberries and a ramekin full of broken toasted pecans. Stir the additions in until distributed evenly. Be sure to pre-roast any nuts you use, that adds to the flavor. I roast pecan halves on a pizza pan at 325 for 11 minutes exactly, let ‘em cool, and break ‘em up into a ramekin.

Grease your two pans and flour them, as well. Fill them equally. Top off with a GENEROUS sprinkling of “Sparkling Sugar”. This is what makes the wonderfully cracked top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 55 minutes. Done when toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean. Cool in pans for 15 minutes, and then remove from pans and cool on a rack. Enjoy a slice warm with some butter, or wait until it’s completely cooled and have a slice toasted in the morning. Slice about 3/4″ thick, with a serrated bread knife (thin blade) with a sawing motion.

This banana bread keeps on the countertop for several days, if wrapped in waxed paper and foil. Fridge any remains after about 4 days, 3 days if the blueberries are added. Remains can also be sliced about 3/4″ thick, separated with waxed paper, and frozen in a baggie. They come back to life in the toaster oven beautifully. Toast the frozen slice until it is slightly browned and warm all the way through...have slathered with full-fat Greek Yogurt for breakfast. ;-)

Enjoy!

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the-coconut-asado · 4 years ago

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NUT MILK CITY LIMITS

This should have been my Boston blog. And I will write one, someday soon.

But limited as we are to four walls, dodging pavement cyclists and the kindness of delivery folk, let’s settle for a tale of lockdown invention.

That said, my story does start in Boston - or rather, leaving it. It was the real start of The Weird, around early-mid March, when I still took the tube into work and was looking forward to a visit to the hairdresser (lockdown was announced the day before my appointment in case you were wondering. So there will be no selfies here). We managed to head off to the US the day that Trump banned the rest of Europe from flying and I won’t lie, we felt lucky. I sat next to a Canadian student on the flight who explained, as she coughed, that she had traded her study trip around Europe for a £2,000 ticket-chance of getting home.

We got to our faintly Psycho- throwback hotel that night, where we seemed to be the only guests. And for three days we toured the (mostly shut) sites of Boston with the streets all but empty.

At one stage, as we strolled past a CVS store, two young women emerged, insanely juggling 4x16 pack toilet roll bags. How we laughed. The way those pesky kids laugh as the Scooby-ghoul looms behind them. On the Sunday, any holiday vibe had been replaced with low level anxiety, counting down the hours to our flight leaving the US on time and as planned.

And since we landed back in London, that’s been it. Travel now means taking the car for a weekly local drive to keep the battery ticking over, and let’s not dwell on the cancelled trip to Vietnam. The Supermarket Sweep race as you grab random packs off shelves before the personal space invader twats sneak up behind you is now replaced by the delivery time lotto of Amazon Fresh. Got a formula for that, Dale Winton?

But there have been new things to smile about: neighbourhoods coming together every Thursday evening to Clap for Carers; the bravery of NHS workers and a whole army of people I hope we’ll never take for granted again; friends and family checking in on each other much more than ever usual. And the travel buzz achieved by changing our backgrounds on Zoom. Don’t knock it, the endorphin kick is real.

And dare I say there have been pleasures too: delicious meat, fish and vegetables delivered from local suppliers, and weekends full of invention possibilities. “ Are we all fucking bakers now??” Twitter ranted in week 2 of lockdown as flour and eggs became the New Disappeared. Cashew milk, the one nut milk I enjoy, became similarly scarce for a short while, but I discovered the eye-wateringly expensive delights of Milkadamia until sanity returned.

Faced with the random nature of vegetable boxes, half used packs of speciality flours otherwise doomed to outlive their sell by date and the excitement of what you can achieve with a carton of buttermilk and bicarb of soda - life in the kitchen is nothing short of a blast right now. Just like wartime? We have no rationing and plenty of Chipotle paste so, er, no.

Breaking my veg box virginity has been liberating. There are the highs of high-sheen aubergines and those creamy new potatoes of the season, and the occasional low of celery on three consecutive weeks. But the thrill of anticipation when we open the door to a new box is palpable. And finding specialist suppliers for everything from sumac to burrata has made me realise that up until the pandemic I’d been shopping all wrong and wasting far too much money. With the simple elimination of impulse purchase I have hit my notional monthly food budget for the first time ever.

So here are a bunch of recipes for what I consider my best lockdown experiments. Stock up on your store cupboard essentials and you can use whatever basics are available that week. And by store cupboard essentials I mean: Olive and coconut oils, smoked paprika, cumin, turmeric, chilli flakes, soy sauce, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda (you don’t need yeast for soda bread or flat breads). And whatever flour you can find, you’ll be able to do something with it.

Bolli-cauli biryani with camargue rice

Forget boiling cauliflower ever again. Chop florets, toss them in spice and oil and roast to crispy, caramelised deliciousness every time. Serves 2-3.

Ingredients

1 medium cauliflower, cut into florets, then cut each floret in half to create bite size pieces

The cauliflower leaves, pulled from the fibrous stalks

2 medium red onions, quartered

1-2 large red chillies, split from top to bottom but kept intact

2 tsp. Sumac

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp kosher salt

Generous grind of black pepper

1 tsp chilli flakes

3 tbsp. Olive oil

300g camargue red rice (1 small mug)

25g salted butter

Plan yoghurt to serve

How to make:

Heat the oven to 190C.

In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower, cauliflower leaves, chillies and onion (and any other chunky vegetable you hav in the fridge eg.squash, aubergine or courgettes) with the spices and olive oil. Spread out onto a large roasting pan and pop into the oven for 40-45 mins, turning everything half way through. The edges of the vegetables will caramelise and the leaves will crisp up.

Meanwhile, heat the butter in a saucepan until it bubbles then add the rice and toss until you get a toasty aroma. If you used a small cup, then now add a small cup and an extra quarter cup (or if you measured 300g then add 400ml water) and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, stirring once and then simmer on a medium heat until the water is all but absorbed (about 15-20 mins). At this point, cover with a lid, turn the heat to low and cook for a further 10-15 mins. Turn off the heat and leave covered for a further 10 minutes before fluffing the rice up.

When the bolli-cauli is ready, remove from the oven and serve over a generous scoop of the toasty, chewy buttery camargue rice. Add a dollop of yoghurt on the side and some mango chutney to serve. And treat yourself to some poppadoms for the crunch factor.

Beer and Buttermilk Soda Bread

My favourite bread of the lockdown - and no yeast required. Based on a Paul Hollywood recipe, mine replaces stout with any old beer or lager you may have in the fridge, and a range of ‘bin end flours: Wholemeal, basic brown, spelt and strong white.

Ingredients:

500g wholemeal flour (or a mix of any brown or grain flours you have)

250g strong white flour

280ml buttermilk

300ml bottle of beer or lager

2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp. bicarbonate of soda

How to make:

Mix the flours, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a large bowl.

Make a well in the centre and add the buttermilk and beer.

Mix until everything comes together then knead gently until you have a cohesive ball.

Pop into a 2lb loaf tin and press slightly into the corners.

Leave to rest for 30 mins.

Heat the oven to 210C. Bake the loaf for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 180C and bake for a further 25-30 minutes. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack. The base should sound hollow when you tap it.

Cool then slice and slather with butter. This bread is also excellent toasted.

Spinach, Ricotta and Feta Pie

The superstar look of this pie as it emerges from the oven belies a super-easy method. If you can’t get hold of ricotta, just use cream cheese. Serves 4.

Ingredients

7 sheets filo pastry

2 garlic cloves, chopped finely

1 medium onion, finely chopped

250g spinach

1 large egg

1 tsp. Grated nutmeg

250g ricotta, mascarpone or cream cheese.

125g feta cheese, crumbled

Handful of fresh oregano leaves, chopped finely.

100ml olive oil.

1 tsp. Nigella seeds

How to make:

Heat the oven to 200C.

Heat 1 tbsp. Olive oil in a frying pan then saute the onion and garlic on a low heat until soft. Add the spinach and cook gently until wilted - about 5 minutes. Turn into a sieve or colander and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and put to one side.

Beat the egg with the ricotta and nutmeg then season. Crumble in the feta, then add the spinach and onion mixture.

Brush a 22cm loose bottomed cake tin with olive oil and lay a sheet of filo pastry along the bottom and the sides. Brush again with oil, then add a second sheet at an angle to the first. Keep brushing each sheet with oil, then adding the next layers at an angle until you have used six sheets and they are lining the tin in a flower petal formation.

Tip the spinach and cheese mix into the tin then fold each ‘petal’ of filo on top to form a lid to the tart. Brush with more oil then scrunch up the seventh sheet of filo, perch it on top of the pie and brush with the remaining oil. Scatter over the nigella seeds.

Pop into the oven for 25-30 minutes (watch the top so it doesn’t turn from golden to burnt).

Remove from the oven, cool slightly, before releasing the sides of the tin and transferring the pie to a plate to serve.

Carrot cake muffins with mandarin frosting

Not really the season for carrot-eating, but grated three carrots into this cake mix and you have a winner. And the frosting is a great way to use up mandarins. Makes 6 Large muffins.

Ingredients

1.5 cups plain flour

1.5 tsp. Bicarb of soda

¾ cup demarara sugar

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. Cinnamon

1 cup cashew nut milk

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup sunflower oil

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

3 carrots, shredded

50g pecan nuts, roughly chopped.

For the frosting:

Juice of 1 mandarin

1.5 cups icing sugar

How to make

Heat the oven to 180C.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, bicarb. Of soda, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add the eggs, oil, vanilla and cashew nut milk and mix again until a smooth batter. Fold in the carrots and the pecans.

In a muffin tin with 6 cases (or double the recipe and use 12). Fill each paper cup with the muffin batter until ¾ full then pop into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until they are fully risen.

Remove from the oven and cool in the tin before removing each muffin and placing on a cooling rack to cool completely.

When the muffins are cool, mix the mandarin juice with the icing sugar until you have a smooth and sluggish paste. Ice each muffin and serve.

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lundsandbyerlys · 6 years ago

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Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls

From Twin Cities food blogger greens & chocolate: decadent homemade cinnamon rolls with sweet spiced apple filling and caramel cream cheese frosting. Perfect for a chilly fall day!

As we move into fall and the leaves start changing, I always start getting the itch to spend more time in my kitchen, especially to bake. There’s just something more enticing about a pan of warm brownies/bars/cinnamon rolls on a chilly fall day than on a hot and steamy summer afternoon, y’know?

Cinnamon rolls are definitely a treat in our house. I would say I typically have more of a savory breakfast palate, and while I love whipping up eggs, bacon and avocado toast, cinnamon rolls are pretty rare. That said, I hope I make an exception to that more often because these Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls are quite heavenly!

While testing this recipe through and through, I found a few things essential to ensuring success that we should go over. First, and most importantly, shredding the apples in the filling. I tried making these with diced apples and they just seemed too heavy and clunky in the filling. When I finally shredded the apples, they were noticeable but not overbearing in the rolls. Next, it was important to start off with room temperature ingredients in the rolls. This means having softened butter and room-temperature eggs.

For the butter, I just set out a stick the night before. I’d say this isn’t too much to ask, because if you’re going to make cinnamon rolls, it probably isn’t a last-minute decision. You go to bed knowing you’re gonna get some rolls the next morning! For the eggs, just set them in a bowl of warm water for about 10 minutes and they’ll be good to go.

Lastly, go with your gut when adding more flour. After kneading the dough, it should be soft and not too sticky. If it still seems sticky (mine did), add a couple of tablespoons at a time until it stays away from the sides of your bowl. I added about ¼ cup extra at the end, but I always like to start with 3 cups and go from there, just to be safe.

If you follow these steps you should have Caramel Apple Cinnamon Roll success!

These were absolutely delicious straight out of the oven with a big slathering of caramel cream cheese frosting. Not only that, your kitchen will smell like fall. On a crisp fall morning, these are what I will be craving!

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Makes 12 cinnamon rolls Preparation time: 2 ½ hours Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients For the dough: 1 cup warm whole milk (100-110 F) 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast 2 tablespoons sugar 3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature 1 egg + 1 egg yolk 1 teaspoon salt 3 cups all-purpose flour

For the filling: 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, divided 4 tablespoons brown sugar, divided 1 large apple, shredded 1 teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

For the caramel cream cheese frosting: 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature ¼ cup caramel sauce

Directions

Place the warm milk and yeast in large mixing bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes, until it starts to get foamy. Add the sugar, butter, egg, egg yolk and salt; whisk to combine.

Add bread flour and knead with electric mixer for 8 minutes. At this point, you should have a soft dough ball. If it is still quite sticky, add more flour, approximately 2 tablespoons at a time.

Transfer to a well-greased bowl and cover with a towel. Place in a warm area and let rise until doubled, about 1 ½ hours. I usually turn my oven on for a few minutes until it’s warm, turn it off, and stick my dough in the slightly warm oven.

Once it has doubled in size, place it on a well-floured surface. Roll out into a large rectangle that is approximately 10 x 18 inches.

Spread 3 tablespoons of the softened butter onto the rectangle, then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.

In a small skillet, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, shredded apple, cinnamon and nutmeg. Sauté until apple is softened, about 5 minutes.

Sprinkle apple over dough.

Roll the dough tightly so you have one long roll. Cut roll in half, and then into quarters. Cut each quarter into 3 even cinnamon rolls.

Place cinnamon rolls into a greased 9x13-inch baking dish.

Cover with a towel and let sit at room temperature for 30-45 minutes.

Heat the oven to 350 F.

Bake cinnamon rolls for 25-30 minutes, until golden on top.

Make the caramel cream cheese frosting by beating cream cheese, butter and caramel sauce in a bowl with electric mixer until combined.

Spread caramel cream cheese frosting over the warm cinnamon rolls. Serve and enjoy!

#apple #apples #caramel #caramel apple #cinnamon #cinnamonrolls #breakfast #fall #brunch for a crowd

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7ridgesessentials · 4 years ago

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FESTIVUS - Hot mulled apple mead fermented with orange peel, cranberries, cinnamon sticks and freshly ground cloves. Topped off with a healthy dose of brandy. Available in Bath, Body & Wax.

FIREPLACE - Brisk fall air, crisp leaves crunching under your feet. Curling up by the fire at the end of the day. Fireplace is the perfect fall scent blending natural oils of clove, fir balsam, fir needle, frankincense, cedar moss, and elemi. If you don’t have a fireplace or wood stove, this scent will make you think you do! Available in Wax ONLY

FRANKINCENSE - A warm oriental, woodsy fragrance which captures the enchanting essence of real frankincense. It’s aldehydic, sweet, herbaceous top notes are reminiscent of fresh incense, and are well balanced with floral notes of lilac and sensual notes of amber and olibanum. Available in Bath, Body & Wax.

GINGERBREAD COOKIE - Soft chewy gingerbread made with vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger. Drizzled with sweet powder sugar icing. Available in Bath, Body & Wax.

HARVEST MOON - A full moon offering of apples, orange peel, cinnamon sticks, clove buds and vanilla on a clear, crisp fall night. Available in Bath, Body & Wax.

HARVEST PARTY - Caramel apples, cider, pumpkin, fall leaves and doughnuts! Available in Bath, Body & Wax.

MAPLE VANILLA CAKE - Soft, melt in your mouth white cake layers saturated in sweet maple syrup, with caramel in between, and slathered in cream cheese vanilla frosting. Available in Bath, Body & Wax.

MARSHMALLOW MADNESS - The smell of sweet and fluffy marshmallows with creamy coconut, soft butter, whipped cream and confectionery sugar.

MISTLETOE - A festive and traditional crisp woodsy scent with top notes of sweet berries and green apples. And a heart of Siberian Fir. Available in Bath, Body & Wax.

OAK BARRELS & CIDER - A distinct oak note pulling through a classic cider fragrance will remind you of bobbing for apples. Warm and universally appealing. Notes of apple & mulled fruits with spicy cinnamon sticks, brown sugar, vanilla beans and warm wood. Available in Bath, Body & Wax.

PEPPER BERRY WREATH - Juicy orange, fresh pineapple and sweet almond form a lively accent for this fruity blend. A heart of creamy apricot intertwines with fresh berries while a complex accord of fantasy greens surround fruity tones. Orange blossom is sweetened with vanilla for a rich note that supports the fruity green blend. Available in Bath, Body & Wax.

PUMPKIN SPICE - A sweet, rich pumpkin with a delicious buttery nuance tempered by the perfect spice blend. The earthy sweetness of the pumpkin comes through with a well-balanced blend of clove, nutmeg, allspice and ginger with just the right amount of cinnamon. Available in Bath, Body & Wax.

RUM EGGNOG - Thick, rich cream, dark vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and a generous splash of dark rum. Available in Bath, Body & Wax.

SPICED PLUM CAKE - Sweet plum, exotic spices of ginger and cinnamon mashed together with creme fraiche, buttery white cake and cream cheese frosting. Available in Bath, Body & Wax.

TOASTED PUMPKIN SPICE - Comforting and sweet with just the right amount of spice. Toasted Pumpkin Spice will remind you of autumn festivals, pumpkin carving, and bonfires. Toasty top notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove give way to middle accords of silky buttercream and pumpkin. A base of smoked embers and vanilla gives this scent a warm twist on a classic fall fragrance. Available in Wax ONLY.

VANILLA PUMPKIN MARSHMALLOW - This is pure autumn bliss! Delight in this fall treat of creamy vanilla, fluffy marshmallows and spicy notes of pumpkin pie. Available in Bath, Body & Wax.

VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS - A truly unique fragrance with top notes of bay leaves, orange, and lemon; followed by middle notes of spruce, pine, and clove; and well-rounded with base notes of eucalyptus, pine, and amber. Available in Bath, Body & Wax.

WINTER CANDY APPLE (type) - A mouthwatering blend of crisp sweet apple, winter rose petals, and candied orange with sweet musky under tones. AMAZING in lotion! Available in Bath, Body & Wax.

WINTER FESTIVAL - Evergreen resins amid an infusion of sparkling tart fruit and subtle woodsy clove add to the hearty middle notes of pine and fir needle. An extremely smooth yet lively conifer fragrance with tart nuances of citrus and sparkling fruit, spiked with a base of musk and green moss. Available in Bath, Body & Wax.

WITCHES BREW Warm, spicy cinnamon and sweet raw sugar blend with dark amber and exotic peru balsam entwined around rich earth notes of Indonesian patchouli, woodsy cedarwood and heavy mysterious vetiver create a spellbinding Witches Brew! Available in Bath, Body & Wax.

#scentlist

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dailyveganmeal · 5 years ago

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Rustic Vegan Buttermilk No-Yeast Bread

Getting on the baking bread wagon? Hop on with us, because we've got a super simple & hearty bread recipe that is perfect for slathering vegan butter and jellies on, sandwiches, dipping in gravies and olive oils, toasts and as a side with soups and salads. Rustic Vegan Buttermilk No-Yeast Bread is one of our most essential, staple recipes we are loving, especially since we're all staying home more!

You need this home-made Rustic Vegan Buttermilk No-Yeast Bread! For what's it's worth, it's excellent to make when you don't want to go out, when you want to save on groceries, want to eat healthier, love easy recipes, love baked bread, quick and uncomplicated and no yeast to deal with! No excuses! :) The home-made, dairy-free buttermilk you will make for this recipe will provide a tangy southern twist of flavor that pairs well with with this bread. It also tenderizes the gluten in flour, giving it more body and a softer texture. Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour and water. It is one of the oldest man-made foods and it's one of the best comfort foods ever! "The history of bread is lost in the depths of time just like human presence on earth. It is one of the oldest artificial foods: it was already prepared, in ancient Egypt, at the time of the dawn of civilization."

Now. the sore subject no one likes to talk about and just dismiss...If bread is intimidating to you or you're just not up to the task, we get it! Making bread sounds and can be complicated, with all the timing & temperature control conventions and steps of the rising of the dough, punching it down, rising again, sometimes even multiple times, tiring...blah!! We can't be bothered with it! 😂 Check out these awesome Ultimate Vegan Cinnamon Rolls (Quick, No Yeast) for another totally yummy quick bread!

We love easy and quick! So, here's a super simple no-yeast bread recipe that even the people who claim not to be bakers will absolutely fall in love with. Once you make it, you'll find yourself wanting to bake it again and again! For variation: Add in some chopped up herbs, sun-dried tomatoes, olives or raisins for a different kind of change-up.

Rustic Vegan Buttermilk No-Yeast Bread - Easy & Hearty

We love easy and quick! So, here's a super simple no-yeast bread recipe that even the people who claim not to be bakers will absolutely fall in love with. Once you make it, you'll find yourself wanting to bake it again and again! Homemade Vegan Buttermilk (15 minutes)¾ cups non-dairy milk of choice1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemonBread Dough1½ cups all-purpose flour ((if not wanting to use almond flour/wheat flour, increase all purpose flour to 2 cups and omit almond flour/wheat flour in next ingredient step))½ cup almond flour or whole wheat flour ((omit almond flour/wheat flour if using all-purpose flour only, as in ingredient step above))½ tsp baking soda½ tsp salt½ tsp granulated sugar Preheat over to 425°F.In a bowl or large measuring cup, combine the milk and vinegar or lemon and stir to combine. Set aside so mixture will become homemade vegan buttermilk (15 mins).In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.Add enough vegan buttermilk to make a thick, shaggy dough. It should be a little wet and sticky. If the dough is too wet to work with add a tablespoon of flour or just enough flour to make it manageable. Sticky dough rises more easily than a dry dough so you want to keep this dough pretty moist since we are working without yeast for the rise.Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured area and knead 5 to 10 times - just enough to form a ball. Do not work the dough any more than this.Pat the dough into 1 or 2 loafs about 1-inch high in whatever shape you want.If desired, can try to use sharp knife to make pattern, but it won't be distinctive because of the consistency of the dough.Place dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, so check at 30 and go by this: The dough will be golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. The internal temperature will be about 175°F to 180°F when tested with a digital kitchen thermometer. A skewer inserted into the center of the loaf should come out clean or with a couple of crumbs attached.Allow the bread to cool slightly before slicing. Best served warm or at room temperature for up to 2 days. To keep long longer, place bread in sealed container and place in fridge and use as needed up to 5 days.

Read the full article

#Bread #breakfast #buttermilk #noyeast #quickbread #Sandwich #vegan

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jokehockey44-blog · 5 years ago

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Vegan Irish Soda Bread

March 13, 2019

My mom (hi Mom!) used to make Irish Soda Bread every Saint Patrick’s Day. That and Reuben sandwiches. I’ve yet to create a vegetarian Reuben (and I’m not sure I could duplicate that one successfully if I tried), but Vegan Irish Soda Bread? Completely, utterly doable, as it turns out! Talk about luck. (Get it? Luck? Saint Patrick’s Day? Moving on …)

This Irish Soda Bread tastes just like the real thing – or at least just like my previous go-to recipe. My go-to was this Irish Soda Bread recipe, based off of Ina Garten’s recipe, which is prettttty dang perfect.

But now that I’m a dairy-avoider, I wanted to come up with a dairy-free version. So I swapped in vegan buttermilk and vegan butter and decided to see what would happen if I left out the egg while I was at it.

And guess what? It’s still totally delicious! Which I guess makes sense because the most traditional Irish Soda Bread is actually made of a very simple list of ingredients – baking soda, flour, buttermilk, and salt.

I’m pretty fond of this version, though, with its added sugar and a nice bit of (vegan) butter. Plus, a nice handful of currants for a bit of sweetness studded here and there.

Look at that loaf. All golden brown, tender, flaky … just waiting for a big ‘ol smear of butter. And maybe marmalade, if you’re so inclined.

This Vegan Irish Soda Bread comes together in minutes. It’s so easy!

First, you create your vegan “buttermilk.” Add one cup of non-dairy milk to a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, then stir in some vinegar. Set that aside to do its thing. Meanwhile, toss the currants in a bit of flour. Doing this helps to keep the currants evenly distributed throughout your loaf.

Next, you stir together your dry ingredients. Then cut in your vegan butter. I like to use a pastry blender, then my hands to really get the butter distributed, because what the heck. Next, you’ll stir in the buttermilk situation, then turn your wet dough out on your floured surface. Then incorporate the additional flour – just enough so the dough’s no longer sticky – and knead 4-5 times for good measure.

Round your loaf, place on your baking sheet, and cut the signature “X” in the top of the loaf with a sharp knife.

Plop it in the oven, brew up a pot of coffee, and worry not – your Irish Soda Bread will be baked up piping hot, golden brown, and truly delicious before you know it.

Pinch me.

Yield: 1 medium loaf

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 35 minutes

Total: 45 minutes

Just because you’re vegan or dairy-free doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a little bread-o-the-Irish! Whip up this vegan Irish soda bread and never go soda-bread-less on St. Paddy’s Day again.

Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened plain oat milk or other non-dairy milk + 1 tablespoons white vinegar*

1/2 cup dried currants

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus another 1/2 cup or so for the light kneading and another 1 teaspoon for the currants

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon fine-grain salt

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) vegan butter (I use Earth Balance), cut into squares

Directions:

Get ready. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a medium baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Make sure you have a surface – clean countertop or pastry board – to use when it’s time.

Make buttermilk. Add the milk to a 2-cup liquid measuring cup or small bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon vinegar. Set aside for at least 5 minutes.

Prep currants. In a small bowl, toss the currants with the 1 teaspoon flour. Set aside.

Stir together dry ingredients. Add flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl. Mix together until combined. Add the buttermilk and currants and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until combined. The dough will be wet and sticky.

Finish prepping the dough. Sprinkle 1/4 cup flour on your surface and turn the dough out onto the surface. Sprinkle a little more flour on top of the dough. Fold the dough onto itself, adding more flour as needed, just until the dough is no longer super sticky (a little sticky is okay). Knead about 5 times then fold the corners underneath to form a ball. Set the dough on your baking sheet and, using a sharp knife, cut a large “X” into the top.

Bake. Place in your pre-heated oven and bake for 35-45 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Cool. Remove from oven and place the loaf on a rack to cool.

Eat. Slice, slather with vegan butter, and enjoy! Makes excellent toast, too. Keeps at room temp for a good 3-4 days (keep wrapped with plastic wrap or beeswax cloth).

* I’ve only made this with oat milk, as that was the only non-dairy milk I had in my fridge as I was testing this recipe! But I’m certain that almond milk or soy milk would work just fine too.

All images and text ©Kare for Kitchen Treaty.

Kare

Kare is a vegetarian home cook living among carnivores. She loves creating irresistible and flexible recipes that help multi-vore families like hers keep the peace - deliciously.

Source: https://www.kitchentreaty.com/vegan-irish-soda-bread/

#read more #see more #check it out #interesting #learn more

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passionate-baker · 7 years ago

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The Dough Diaries: Mini Challah Loaves

Pretty much as soon as I decided to do a dough mini series, I started rifling through all of my favourite cookbooks looking for interesting recipes. I’ve been on a mission recently to use my cookbooks a little bit more, & this was the perfect excuse to explore new recipes that I’d never really looked at before. I wanted to have a varied range of doughy goods, & what’s more varied than a challah bread? Not only had I never baked a challah loaf before, but I’d also never actually tasted it before either. Before baking my first challah, all I knew was that it was a lightly sweetened, moist, Jewish bread that is usually braided. What I wasn’t aware of was how addictively good it is, or how perfect it is for French toast.

Obviously the cookbook that came to mind when I thought of making a challah loaf was Molly on the Range, which is one of those cookbooks that we just always have around - either open on the kitchen table or beside me on the desk supplying me with inspiration. The book itself has received one of the highest honors in our house, in that when we talk about the recipes from it we just say “it’s a Molly recipe” or “it’s from Molly”, which makes it sound like we’re best pals with Molly Yeh, & this definitely (sadly) isn’t the case.

Challah has fast become our new go-to bread. It’s easy to make, it looks impressive, & it is downright perfect for french toast. To give you an idea of how much we fell for it: in the last month alone, I’ve made two large & four mini challah loaves. And we’ve had more French toast than I'd like to admit. It’s moist & squishy, it’s a little bit sweet, it’s super adaptable, it has a nice salty crust, & it makes the perfect snack when lightly toasted and lathered with butter. The good news is that it freezes well, so you can do as I did & bake up a whole bunch of challah loaves, slice them up, & pop them in the freezer for when that French toast craving hits. Trust me, Boyfriend & I have taken the plunge & truly tested this theory. It works.

If you like a good challah dough, then come back next week to see how I transformed this into a chocolate babka!

Print this recipe!

Makes 2 mini loaves | Ever so slightly adapted from Molly Yeh

Ingredients

1 (7g) packet of active dry yeast

3/4 cup warm water (room temperature / almost cool)

1/2 teaspoon caster sugar

1/8 cup caster sugar

3 1/4 cups plain flour, & more for dusting

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs!

1/3 cup flavourless oil (I used sunflower)

1/8 cup caster sugar

water, for washing!

flaky sea salt, for topping

Recipe

In a small bowl, lightly whisk together the yeast, warm water & 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. Leave to develop for 5-minutes, until slightly foamy on top.

Meanwhile, we get the rest of the ingredients ready. In a large bowl, whisk together the caster sugar, the flour, & the salt. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, & sugar.

When the yeast is ready, add it to the flour mixture, immediately followed by the egg mixture. Stir everything together & turn it out onto a lightly floured surface; knead the dough by hand for 5-7 minutes, or until the dough feels smooth, supple, & only slightly sticky.

Transfer the dough to a large oiled bowl, cover it with cling film, & leave it to rise in a warmish area for about 2 hours, or until it has doubled in size. (It was freezing when I made this, so I left my dough near the radiator.)

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper & set aside.

Once the dough has doubled in size remove from the warm area & begin the shaping. Divide the dough in half & leave one of the halves in the covered bowl while you shape the other. On a lightly floured surface, pat the dough out into a long rectangle (roughly 3 x 12-inches) & use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 3 long snake-like shapes of equal size. Pinch the shapes together at one end, braid them together as you would hair, and then pinch together at the other end when finished. (I had to watch a YouTube tutorial on this, as I panicked at the last minute & forgot how to braid.)

Once shaped, transfer the loaf to the baking sheet & repeat with the second half of the dough. Leave the two loaves to rise - covered with cling film on the baking sheet - for a further 30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 180C.

Before baking in the oven, brush the loaves with a light layer of water & top with a generous sprinkle of sea salt. Bake until the loaves are golden brown in colour & baked through, about 25-30 minutes. Leave to cool slightly, then enjoy a warm slice slathered with butter.

#challah #bread #recipe

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momkiddies-blog · 6 years ago

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Latest Post On https://momandkids.fun/2019/03/15/hey-mama-lets-cook/

“Hey Mama, Let’s Cook!”

Photography by: Cole Collective

I have this red apron that I only wear maybe one time a year. On the front it has a painting of me and my paternal grandmother along with some Christmas presents and a dog. My grandma made me the apron when I wasn’t even ten but the apron means nothing really without the smells and memories that it elicits.

I remember the warmth of the kitchen on a winter day.

Snow packed on the ground outside, house full of family and the pugnacious smell of chitterlings being cleaned and fried DEEP within the carpet, the walls and all throughout the air in the house. One whiff and your nose hairs just kind of curled at the ends and you never really got the smell off of you. On the stove top were six different kinds of pie and one icebox pie in the fridge (just in case you wanted to indulge).

Food was kind of the foundation upon which I was raised.

I was a regular in the kitchen from the time I could walk, searching for the crispy bits of the meat, the ugly end of the bread, the beater with the mashed potatoes/cake batter/frosting to lick before everyone came into the kitchen to eat. We started learning how to cook around the same time that we could write our name or do a basic mathematics table.

Cooking was as much a part of our home education as brushing our teeth or making up our own bed.

I recently went to Rubye’s school for a parent night and she showed me how she preps vegetables by herself in the classroom. My just turned three year old daughter went into the fridge for produce and got a cutting board and crinkle cutter knife and proceeded to rinse and chop her vegetables and offer me a snack! My mind was blown. She was so independent and self-sufficient! At that point I started wondering what else I did for her that she could do for herself. (And immediately we bought a crinkle cutter and a serrated spreader because there is no such thing as free lunch! A lesson for another day.) I realized that we were way beyond the stage of washing and sorting produce as a part of our food prep. I used to make cooking a counting or colors lesson as she poked her little nose over the edge of the counter top. She was now my sous chef and she took her job VERY seriously. Not only could she go into the fridge and identify and grab the vegetables or herbs that we needed, but she was actually learning how to prepare them for our dinners and lunches.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned when you are cooking with kids is that you can’t micromanage.

It’s going to be messy. The food may taste awful (or it might be really damn good). Their knife cuts won’t be perfect. They may throw in salt when its supposed to be sugar, but those mistakes are all a part of the learning process. Before we begin cooking, I talk to my daughter about food safety and using our kitchen tools properly. For some reason, the sharp side of the knife is really interesting for little fingers! I make sure that all of our ingredients are either laid out or easy for her to grab from the pantry or refrigerator.

I give her agency and empower her to try new things.

Its okay if your meal isn’t Pinterest quality or Instagram ready. Learning new things requires failure. I’ve eaten some pretty awful food in my days as a World Geography teacher during culture days. This Christmas, we made some sugar cookies that came out looking like little turds (but tasted like the sweetest shortbread you’ve ever had). It isn’t really about the appearance or the taste, it is about the experience. Some of my greatest memories with family and friends have been in the kitchen.

I don’t know how to properly put into words the importance of breaking bread with the people that you love. There is something about food that brings back the simplicity of relationships and love.

These meals that we prepare with our own hands and the helping hands of our future are the lifeblood of happiness. They nourish our souls and psyche just as much as they do our bodies. Teaching our children how to cook beyond the microwave ramen, strip steak on the George Foreman type of cooking- its an invaluable skill. I want Rubye and Solomon to know how to use a knife, make pasta perfectly al dente without having to throw it against a wall, cook eggs properly, make basic sauces and roast a chicken. I want them to be like Julia Childs chile! Lets create a legacy!!

These are some of our favorite recipes to make as a family:

Avocado Toast… because duh avocados plus toast is the greatest marriage since celery and peanut butter. Our Austin favorite is Irene’s because they slather the avocado on a fresh slice of Easy Tiger bread with evoo and feta cheese. We love to indulge so we usually throw some micro greens and a farm egg on top as well. This meal is quick, nutritious, easily customizable and I’ve never seen a kid not like it. For a fun alternative version, try egg in the hole avocado toast. When you break out the cookie cutters to make that hole a star or a dinosaur- it automatically makes this the best meal that your kids ever made for themselves.

2. Cacio e Pepe…. Lets get real. Pasta night could be every single night at our house. My kids are super spoiled because I like to make all my sauces from scratch but on a Monday night after working all day, rushing to swim lessons and then getting home at what would be our normal bed time nobody has time for reinventing the wheel. So many nights its Cacio e Pepe. So simple. So delicious and insanely quick. Our favorite in Austin is at this little trailer on the Eastside called Patrizis. Ask them to add the House Farm Cheese and a meatball for a complete party in your mouth.

3. Roasted Vegetables… Want to get your kid to eat vegetables? Have them paint them with olive oil and drizzle them in spices, roast them until the ends are a little brown and crispy. Call them “candied” and everyone wins. We roast veggies on the regular so that we always have snacks and side dishes readily available. Roasted veggies were both of my kids first foods so this could be great for children of all ages.

4. Beef Stroganoff… We love our Instant Pot and hearty meals like this stroganoff that can be prepped and done in about 30-45 minutes. We love our stroganoff with mashed potatoes but if there is leftover Cacio e Pepe from earlier in the week, this sauce tastes great atop that as well.

5. Shortbread Cookies… We make these every Christmas and sometimes just for fun at other times of the year. Instead of dipping ours in chocolate we usually make a fruit compote or macerated berries with whatever fruit we have in the fridge. Full disclosure- this was not the turd cookie recipe. Ina would never do that to me.

We’d love to hear your favorite recipes in your home with your kiddos! Share in the comments.

You May Also Like ::

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About chalimarchieza

For over 30 years, Chalimar has called Austin her home. Inspired by the luscious Hill Country and sacred springs, Chalimar can be found most weekends wandering barefoot with her wildlings Rubye (2015) and Solomon (2017), showing them the beauty of nature and simplicity of life. Chalimar is married to her best friend and soulmate, Tatenda, a youth soccer coach. Her passions are photography, cooking and gardening. For the last 13 years, Chalimar has taught middle and high school History. After giving birth to her daughter, she also became a birth and postpartum doula with a goal of providing advocacy and eradicating the disparities in healthcare equality for birthing people. You can find Chalimar on Instagram (@chaliiib) and at MoonTribe Doula

#Austin #Cooking #cooking with kids #easy recipes #Family Activities #kids in the kitchen #Parenting #Recipes #Working Mom #Child Development

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stygiantarot · 8 years ago

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Cast Iron Blessing/Cleansing Bread

I shared pics of my grandma’s blessing bread last year during the Autumn Equinox and meant to publish the recipe too...just procrastinated awhile. So.

Here it is! It’s a super simple no-hand knead bread! In my family Pagan tradition growing up, the term “blessing” was interchangeable with “cleansing” and that’s the purpose of this bread- it’s meant to bless/cleanse yourself before a ritual or when you think you’re hanging onto too much negative energy! Think a deeper purification than a bath- since you’re gonna eat it! Important magical aspects of this recipe: -The cast iron skillet itself: iron is good for warding off negative energy and entities. You could make this bread in the oven instead, but keep in mind it’ll be a little less potent (but I understand not everyone has a cast iron skillet large/deep enough for a round of bread!) -rosemary: a classic herb in witchcraft for purification and cleansing. -garlic: for protection (and flavor- my grandma fucking loved garlic in pretty much everything) -sea salt: also for purification and cleansing

The bread itself is meant to be pretty basic because my grandmother thought that would promote the cleansing ability of the three correspondences, but do feel free to slather it in butter or toast some cheese on slices if you like that!

Ingredients: -1 package dry yeast (I used those easy quick-rise packets because I don’t make bread constantly enough to have a bunch of yeast on hand) -2 cups warm water (test with the inside of your wrist- if it’s too hot or cold for you, it’s too hot for your yeast! Yeast is a precious baby and must be treated gently!) -1 tsp sugar (also known as “yeast-food”!) -½ tbsp kosher salt -4⅓ cups flour -¼-1/2 tsp garlic salt -dried rosemary (topping) -sea salt (topping) Directions: 1.) In a standup mixer (or in a large bowl), combine the packet of yeast, warm water, and bit o’ sugar. Let that yeast hang out in that bath for a bit and eat that yummy sugar until it starts foaming. This is happy yeast. Happy yeast makes happy bread. 2.) In a large bowl, sift together the salt and flour. Now add it to the yeasty water little bits at a time. You can use a dough hook attachment on your mixer or just a tough spoon (wooden is my fav). Be careful to add that flour slowly!

3.) After it’s all combined, cover the dough with a cloth and let it rise for about an hour. You can slip it into a larger bowl of warm water to help it rise if your kitchen is a bit chilly! 4.) Grease the skillet and gently put that delicate dough into it, shaping it to fit (you can use two or three skillets/batches if needed). Cover and let rise for another 30-ish minutes. 5.) Spread some olive oil over the top of the dough and sprinkle with the garlic salt, dried rosemary, and some sea salt if desired (you can skip this if you’re trying to go lower sodium, there’s plenty of salt in the bread and garlic salt to get the benefits!).

6.) Bake at 400 degree oven, in the skillet, for 16-18 minutes or until the top is a golden brown color. I let mine cool in the oven as well (i.e. turn the oven off and leave the skillet in until it’s cool enough to remove without an oven mitt). 7.) Enjoy! Visualize that cleansing energy as you eat it! It’s great for pre or post rituals and offerings!

#witchcraft #blessing bread #baking #homemade bread #kitchen witch #hereditary witchcraft #cleansing #protection #recipes #cast iron bread #rosemary #sea salt #garlic #grandma's recipes #no-knead bread #ritual bread #offerings #simple recipes

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amatchgirl · 5 years ago

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English Muffins

This English Muffins recipe is cooked on a skillet and makes fluffy English Muffins full of the signature nooks and crannies we love.

My Favorite English Muffins Recipe!

When you’ve got four kids, you become a pro at quick and easy meals. Back in the day, I found myself going through loads of store bought English muffins because they make for a yummy, filling, and deliciously easy breakfast. Simply toast them and slather them up with butter and jam. Or, turn them into a breakfast sandwich with a fried egg and sausage patty. At dinnertime, well, my family is all about English muffin pizzas.

It wasn’t long before I realized I’d have some major savings by making my English muffins at home! But, I psyched myself out. They’ve got to be hard to make, right?

Wrong! They are so easy to make. They are lightly kneaded, only rise once, AND you won’t even need to turn on your oven.

What Are English Muffins?

When you think of English muffins, I’d bet you picture the signature nooks and crannies. I could just drool thinking about melted butter pooling in the large nooks and crannies. I bet you can, now, too. Are you picturing it?

But, aside from nooks and crannies, what makes an English muffin an English muffin? Well, they’re not made in a cupcake or muffin tin. That’s it, really.

If you go to England, they’re simply called muffins. And, what we call muffins are called American muffins or sweet muffins. Weird, right?!?

Recipe Ingredients

Don’t let these English muffins fool you! Aside from buttermilk and yeast, I’ll bet you’ve got everything you need at home right now!

buttermilk

butter

bread flour

Instant Yeast

salt

sugar

egg

corn meal

How to Make English Muffins

Melt: In a microwave safe bowl heat the buttermilk and butter together in 30- second increments until the buttermilk is warm, reaching a temperature of 120°F – 130°F on an instant read thermometer. The buttermilk might separate and look curdled. Don’t worry, this is okay.

Mix: Add the flour, yeast, salt, sugar, and egg into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Pour in the buttermilk mixture and mix on low until combined. This should take about 1 minute.

Remove the paddle attachment and replace it with the dough hook attachment. Turn mixer up to medium-high and mix for 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.

If you don’t have a dough hook attachment, you can knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5-6 minutes. It will take about the same amount of time and you know your dough is ready when it’s smooth, elastic and bounces back when pressed lightly with 2 fingers.

Rise: Form the dough into a ball, and cover the bowl with a towel. Place the bowl in a warm, draft free place in your kitchen and allow the dough to double in size. This will take 1-2 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen. If your oven has a proof setting, this can be used as well.

Prep: Prepare a large baking pan by sprinkling it liberally with corn meal. Once you’ve done this, set the pan aside.

Divide: Once the dough has doubled in size, remove it from the bowl and divide it into 16 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and flatten the ball until it’s about 3- inches in diameter. Place each into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with more corn meal. Cover the pan and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.

Heat: Spray a griddle or large skillet lightly with nonstick spray, or coat it lightly with oil. Heat the pan on low and place the muffins onto the pan, working in batches, carefully transferring the muffins onto the griddle. You don’t want to handle them too much. This will cause them to deflate.

Cook: Cook the muffins on each side for 7-10 minutes, until the crust on each side is golden brown and the center of the muffin reaches 180°F on an instant-read thermometer.

If you don’t have an instant read thermometer, don’t stress! If your muffins cook in the skillet for 7-10 minutes on each side and are golden brown, they are pretty much guaranteed to be cooked.

If the muffins are browning too quickly, place them in a 325°F oven on a parchment lined pan for 10 minutes, or until cooked thoroughly. Depending on the pan you use, this can happen and is not a problem at all!

Cool: Allow the muffins to cool completely on a wire rack before using a fork to split them.

Why Buttermilk?

I get – hands down – the best English muffins using buttermilk. I’ve tried alllll the other options: whole milk, 2% milk, combinations of milk and water. Take it from me, buttermilk gets the best results.

I really like the texture and flavor that buttermilk adds to my English muffins. The acidity in the buttermilk works really well with the yeast to rise and create a nice, airy dough. This is what gives my homemade English muffins the signature nooks and crannies we all love

Don’t worry if you don’t have buttermilk. You can quickly and easily make a buttermilk substitute right at home!

What Happens If Your English Muffins Brown Too Quickly In Your Skillet?

If the muffins are browning too quickly, don’t panic! Depending on the pan you use, this can happen and is not a problem at all! Simply, place them in a 325°F oven on a parchment lined pan for 10 minutes, or until cooked thoroughly.

This can happen for loads of different reasons, but these are the most common:

A dark pan like a cast iron skillet distributes and holds heat, which can lead to it getting too hot too quickly.

Stove tops can heat on low at different temperatures. You might have an electric stove top, or a gas stove top…there’s no set temperature for “low” and temperatures may vary.

If you’re working in batches, your skillet will be hotter on the second or third batch than the first, creating varying cook times.

Tips for the Best English Muffins

If you’re looking for my top tips for the best English muffins, I’ve got you, girl. Here are my suggestions:

Allow the dough to rise to at least double in size. If the dough isn’t rising, just give it more time, and make sure it’s in a warm, draft-free place in your kitchen.

Does your oven have a proof setting? If yes, this works great with this dough.

Let that dough rest. Once you’ve allowed your dough to rest for 20- minutes after you’ve formed them into flattened balls try not to handle them too much. They will rise slightly and this is when all the air pockets form giving you the distinct interior texture of an English Muffin.

Both kinds of yeast work. You can use regular yeast instead of instant yeast, you just need to give it more time to rise!

If your English Muffins are browning too quickly on the stove top, just place them on a parchment lined baking sheet in a 325°F oven for 10 minutes to bake them.

How To Fork Split An English Muffin

Please! Never cut an English muffin with a knife! When you do this, you lose all of the nooks and crannies. Instead, you should ALWAYS fork split your English muffins.

Here’s how:

Hold your English muffin in one hand and your fork in the other hand.

Insert your fork into the side of the English muffin.

Spin your English muffin while simultaneously moving your fork in and out until it arrives back at the place you started.

The two sides should completely separate.

Serving Ideas

English muffins make for a great breakfast. They’re super simple to toast and serve with butter or jam. You can also use them as the bread on your breakfast sandwich – egg and cheese; egg, cheese, and bacon; egg, cheese, and sausage – on an English muffin. Scrambled eggs, over easy eggs, I’ve even been known to sandwich an omelette filled with cheese between two slices of English muffin. YUM!

My kids have always enjoyed them as mini pizzas, too. All you have to do is fork split them, spoon on your favorite sauce, and top with shredded mozzarella. Then pop them in the oven until toasted and the cheese is melted.

You could use your English muffins as the bread for any sandwich, really. Peanut butter and jelly? Sure! BBQ pulled pork? Yep! Burger?

How to Store English Muffins

Now, it’s not likely that I’ll eat 16 English muffins in one sitting. Hey, I said it’s not likely, but it’s definitely not impossible.

If you do end up needing to store your English muffins, you have two options. First, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.

Or, you can freeze your leftover English muffins in a ziptop bag for 30 days. Don’t forget to label your freezer bag so you are sure when to use them. Allow them to thaw to room temperature before using them.

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Description:

Making English Muffins at home is so rewarding…and delicious! This easy English Muffins recipe will have you enjoying homemade muffins in no time.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup butter, cubed

4 1/2 cups bread flour

1 (0.25- ounce) packet Instant Yeast (2 teaspoons)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 large egg, lightly whisked

Corn Meal for sprinkling on pan

Instructions:

In a microwave safe bowl heat the buttermilk and butter together in 30- second increments until buttermilk is warm, reaching a temperature of 120°F – 130°F on an instant read thermometer. Buttermilk might separate and look curdled. This is ok.

Add the flour, yeast, salt, sugar, and egg into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Pour in the buttermilk mixture and mix on low for 1 minute until combined. Remove the paddle attachment, replacing it with the dough hook attachment. Turn mixer up to medium-high and mix for 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Alternately, you can knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5-6 minutes.

Form the dough into a ball, and cover the bowl with a towel. Place the bowl in a warm, draft free place in your kitchen and allow the dough to double in size. This will take 1-2 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen. If your oven has a proof setting, this can be used as well.

Prep a large baking pan by sprinkling it liberally with corn meal. Set aside.

Once the dough is doubled, remove it from the bowl and divide it into 16 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and flatten the ball until it’s 3- inches in diameter. Place each into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with more corn meal. Cover the pan and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.

Spray a griddle or large skillet lightly with nonstick spray, or coat lightly with oil. Heat the pan on low and place muffins onto pan, working in batches, carefully transferring the muffins onto the griddle. You don’t want to handle them too much, causing them to deflate.

Cook the muffins on each side for 7-10 minutes, until the crust on each side is golden brown and the center of the muffin reaches 180°F on an instant-read thermometer. If the muffins are browning too quickly, place them in a 325°F oven on a parchment lined pan for 10 minutes, or until cooked thoroughly. Depending on the pan you use, this can happen and is not a problem at all!

Allow the muffins to cool completely on a wire rack before using a fork to split them.

Notes:

Store airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days. Freeze in a zip-top bag for up to 30 days. Allow English Muffins to thaw at room temperature.

Here’s the link to my Buttermilk Substitute in case you’re all out!

1 muffin2003 g179.4 mg4.8 g32.4 g6.2 g22.2 mg

Keywords:: english muffins recipe, homemade english muffins, how to make english muffins, english muffins pizza

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businessliveme · 5 years ago

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The 19 Dishes You Should Have Eaten in 2019

(Bloomberg) –Did anyone eat anything besides fried chicken sandwiches and fake meat this year?

The dishes that dominated the headlines in 2019 were the ones that, invariably, led to a fast-food counter. But no matter what the gourmands in the Popeye’s sandwich corner think, there was a lot else going on in the culinary world: next-level Japanese hand rolls, a Sicilian slice from cooks who have been obsessed since childhood, oysters from “oysteropolis” in England.

This year, my job as food editor took me around the U.S. from Chicago to Omaha to Brooklyn, N.Y., as well as to Mexico, Europe, and the U.K. These were the 19 dishes that proved impossible for me to stop thinking about. Put them on your bucket list now.

Anchovies | Table, Paris

Before he started preparing Michelin-starred food at Table, Bruno Verjus was a blogger. He’s also an excellent ingredient sourcer. These fatty, firm anchovies from the Loire are available only a few months a year. Verjus lightly cures them, then adds a splash of bright green fig leaf oil, along with chile-infused vinegar. They taste like they swam out of the sea, took a bath in a garden, and then arrived, dramatically arranged, on your plate.

Grilled Citrus-Marinated Chicken with Hot Sauce | Crown Shy, New York

The chicken at the Financial District’s new Crown Shy first captured my attention because the attached claw hung off the plate. (Chef James Kent will remove it for squeamish customers.) Equally compelling is the flavor that comes from marinating the bird in a mix that includes a lot of citrus and habanero-packed, house-made hot sauce, which infuses and tenderizes the meat. A dollop of the exhilarating, fruity hot sauce is served with the grilled bird, as is a salad that features sliced raw chiles for those who want to pile on additional heat.

Read: First, Burger King. Now Fancy Tasting Menus Are Ditching Meat

Cheeseburger | Red Hook Tavern, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Billy Durney, who lures smoked meat fanatics to Red Hook’s Hometown BBQ, highlights a different protein dish at his new spot. He and chef Allison Plumer have created New York’s most obsessed-over dish: a simple, impeccable cheeseburger. It’s made with a half-pound of beef—50% of which is funky, dry-aged N.Y. strip. A layer of white onion slices protects the bottom half of the sturdy, twice-baked bun from absorbing all the juices from its griddled patty. On top, a slice of American cheese melts over the side, doing its job perfectly.

Pescado a la Talla | Contramar, Mexico City

Chef and activist Gabriela Camara’s red and green fish, a nod to the Mexican flag, is her signature. I’d admired it on social media for years. Still, I was unprepared for how delightful the dish is. Half the red snapper is slathered with a bright parsley-garlic sauce, the other half with a multi-chile salsa that has a slow burn. As the fish cooks, the sauces form a crusty glaze. It also comes with bowls of beans, limes, house hot sauce, and tortillas. It’s the kind of dish you can linger over as you watch everyone from politicians to power shoppers walk into the restaurant.

Poularde de Bresse en Vessie | Epicure, Paris

On the other end of the spectrum from a fried chicken sandwich is poularde en vessie, or chicken braised in a bladder. At the grand, three-Michelin-starred dining room at le Bristol hotel, chef Eric Frechon recreates the forgotten classic. Part of the fun of this dish is the presentation: The bird arrives at the table in what looks like a balloon, and then is carved and plated in under a minute. There’s also the Bresse chicken itself, the gold standard of poultry. Silky and sumptuous with a gamey bite, the breast is embellished with a creamy sauce enriched with yellow wine, crayfish, and chanterelles.

Cinnamon Cayenne Pinwheels | Farine +Four, Omaha

Ellie Pegler baked at such notable New York spots as Aquavit before taking her skills home to Omaha to open a destination bakery. She uses clever flourishes to jump off classics such as the cinnamon roll. Her version is made with flaky, laminated croissant dough that’s sprinkled with a cayenne-cinnamon sugar blend, then finished with a swash of nutty, brown-butter frosting to cool it down.

Scallops With Butter Pudding | Café Cancale, Chicago

The most important thing about this starter is the butter pudding in the title, loosely based on a recipe from the side of a cornstarch box. It’s an airy mousse that’s a masterpiece of texture: The dish is irresistible, even if—like myself—you’re not a fan of scallops. Chef AJ Walker sprinkles fennel pollen on top, which adds a hit of anise to the sweetness of the pudding and the seafood.

Sicilian Slice | F&F Pizzeria, Brooklyn, N.Y.

This remarkable slice was engineered by a team of experts: Frank Falcinelli and Frank Castronova, who started the Frankie’s empire; their pizzaiolo Tyler Black; Chris Bianco of Pizzeria Bianco; and Chad Robertson of Tartine Bakery. There’s only a handful of options. Front of center are the thick, eye-grabbing Sicilian squares. The focaccia-styled, chewy crust has been generously brushed with olive oil, ensuring amazing crunchiness and char in the oven. It’s also coated with a layer of concentrated tomato sauce and enough cheese to provide a salty, melty contrast. The Franks source exceptional products from Southern Italy; I recommend adding a drizzle of their olive oil to the Sicilian slice, even if it doesn’t need it.

Tomato & Egg Hand-Pulled Noodles | Shang Artisan Noodle, Las Vegas

Off the Strip, this minimal storefront features the kind of noodles that people obsessively watch videos about—cooks whipping around yards-long lengths of dough like an Olympic sport until they evolve into masses of noodles, ready for a quick splash in hot water. Shang has a concise list of dishes that showcase its irregularly thick, chewy strands, but the bowl that stands out is the one with stir-fried tomatoes, adding a tangy sauce that coats the chewy noodles, and scrambled eggs that add a further dimension to the comfort-food staple.

Read: London Readies for Hot New Restaurants

Condensed Goat Milk Tart | Meroma, Mexico City

Set on a quiet, plant-filled street in Roma, Meroma acts as the neighborhood version of the bar in Cheers, a convivial neighborhood spot where a local might drop in with a new mezcal for everyone to sample. (At least, that’s what happened while I was there.) Mercedes Bernal and Rodney Cusic serve modern Mexican dishes straight through to dessert. Their knockout tart is like the ultimate version of dulce de leche: a delicately crusted round filled with cateja made from condensed goats milk and sweetened with honey. The oozy custard filling, as soft as caramel, is hidden by whipped cream and dusted with soothing chamomile pollen. It went great with that mezcal.

Steak Sandwich | Pastis, New York

Downtown Manhattan’s reincarnated Pastis has a section of steak frites on the menu, but the best meat in the house is the steak sandwich, a holdover from the original location. The steak in question is a pile of sliced griddled hangar that delivers a great, beefy chew. Plus, there’s the unstoppable combination of sautéed onions, Gruyère, and mustard-y frisee (ostensibly to cut the richness), all packed into a toasted roll. It’s a next-level Philly cheesesteak but with the crispy, skinny Pastis fries. To go even farther over the top, add a side of béarnaise sauce.

Salmon Temaki | Nami Nori, New York

In an energetic, white-walled space, Taka Sakaeda and Jihan Lee craft temaki, or Japanese hand rolls, so that they’re U-shaped, like a hardshell taco. They’re more visually fun than a closed roll; the chefs, who both worked at Masa, say the open shape also helps keep the ingredients evenly distributed. One of their inspirations is to pile salt- and sugar-cured Atlantic salmon, onion cream, tomatoes, and chives on top of the warm rice inside the crisp nori shell to create an uncanny riff on the New York bagel that inspired it.

Read: Cadbury candy maker sees ‘no stopping of growth’ in demand

Japanese Milk Bread With Truffles | Kumiko, Chicago

Milk bread, the ubiquitous fluffy Japanese loaf, gets to live its best in this fanciful dessert. The brainchild of chefs Noah Sandoval and Mariya Russell, the thick, toasted bread slice is topped with a scoop or two of fermented honey ice cream and shavings of the truffles of the season. The result is creamy and funky, with the crackle of the bread’s caramelized sugar crust slowly melting with the ice cream.

Scarlet Prawns with Yuzu Kosho | Flor, London

“It’s not revolutionary to say, but the best part of prawns are the heads,” says James Lowe. In an effort to get guests to eat them, the chef sources striking red prawns from the Atlantic, and then serves those heads separately from the tails. The glistening bodies are presented raw, with a sauce made from the roasted shells, and then splashed with piquant, yet floral, yuzu kosho, a Japanese chile sauce. Still, the heads are the stars. Lowe quickly grills them, leaving a bit of the body’s meat attached to retain the creamy, briny juices—but also to tempt diners who might leave the heads untouched.

Seared Wagyu | Yoshitomo, Omaha

It’s patently ridiculous to think a sushi place in landlocked Omaha would be home to a fireworks dish. Chef Dave Utterback is a disciple of elite Japanese sushi spots and imports a lot of his fish from Asia. Still, because he’s in Nebraska, Utterback found it hard not to add beef to his 17-course omakase. He rubs local wagyu with koji, a Japanese rice starter that has the effect of hacking the dry-aging process, then sears it quickly and finishes the supple beef with sea urchin butter to add a lingering bite.

Stracciatella | Rezdora, New York

The creamy center of burrata cheese, stracciatella shows up a thousand different ways on menus now, but never like this. Chef Stefano Secchi, a veteran of the world’s best restaurant, Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy, lays a blanket of sautéed king trumpet mushrooms under the soft cheese; on top is a sprinkling of porcini powder that adds a powerful, woodsy element. It’s even better with the house bread: griddled, oil-doused fett’unnata. “Dipping the fett’unta in the stracciatella is 100% the best move, and we actually make ‘stracci snacks’ later in service for the whole crew,” says Secchi.

Poached Rock Oysters | The Sportsman, Whitstable, England

Whistable, in Kent, on England’s southeast coast, has such good-quality, juicy bivalves, it has earned the nickname “oysteropolis.” The best place to eat them is at the Sportsman, a pub-turned-world-class restaurant near the ocean. Chef and owner Stephen Harris offers them in multiple guises, but the most attention-getting are the ones that are poached and doused with a luxurious, tangy butter he makes in-house. He adds diced pickled cucumber and a pungent avruga caviar that looks like lush fish roe but is actually from local herring.

Butter and Za’atar Bagel | K’Far, Philadelphia

As a New Yorker, I pledge allegiance to my city’s classic bagel. But Jerusalem bagels—long, lean ovals with less doughy filling than their Big Apple counterparts—have been gaining traction. Camille Cogswell’s phenomenal examples at the new bakery K’Far are a formidable 10 inches long with a surfeit of crusty, seed-crusted surface area. Though there’s a variety of fillings, the simplest one is the best: Za’atar spiced butter that soaks into the toasty dough.

Read: Give Up Meat (for a Day, at Least)

Mapo Tofu | Momotaro, Chicago

Mapo tofu is a dish most cooks leave alone. Gene Kato saw opportunity and tweaked the Sichuan classic. His stew-like dish cuts out a lot of oil and features a sauce made with 30-plus components, including XO sauce, to accent the overall umami-ness. Chunks of notably tender tofu, Chinese roasted pork, and chili sesame oil are also present. It’s served in a cast-iron skillet with a lid that, when removed, unleashes aroma.

The post The 19 Dishes You Should Have Eaten in 2019 appeared first on Businessliveme.com.

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