04-01-11 Anniversary and Baking Galore

I have caught a cold.  This sucks.  I was going to catch up on some work, had no clients/appointments/other things to do for a couple of days.  And now I am sick.  Rats.

Today is our third Anniversary.  I stopped for a moment earlier to ponder the idea that exactly three years ago at that precise moment, I was getting my toes done and scampering off to find the groom at the golf course to collect him for our wedding.  It feels like we have been married forever and for five minutes all at the same time.

To celebrate our anniversary, I sent JR a cake.  An amazing cake.  He is on a mission in El Paso at Fort Bliss.  I found the recipe in the latest Country Woman magazine that my mother in law sends me a subscription for.  This is the simplest cake recipe on the planet.  And so dense and rich and moist.  You must try it.  It all mixes up in a sauce pan on the stove top, then pop it in the oven and poof!  Chocolate cake.  With a surprise ingredient.  Guinness Beer.  I didn't make the icing, just put the entire spring form pan in a cake carrier and sent it off to him to share with his buddies.  Of course I doubled the recipe and made two of them, so I could try it before sending it off.  This is an amazing recipe.

Chocolate Guinness Cake

Ingredients

• 1 cup Guinness (dark beer)
• 1/2 cup butter, cubed
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup baking cocoa
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 
  TOPPING:
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

• Grease a 9-in. springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper; set aside.
• In a small saucepan, heat beer and butter until butter is melted. Remove from the heat; whisk in sugar and cocoa until blended. Combine the eggs, sour cream and vanilla; whisk into beer mixture. Combine flour and baking soda; whisk into beer mixture until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Remove sides of pan.
• In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add confectioners’ sugar and cream; beat until smooth (do not overbeat). Remove cake from the pan and place on a platter or cake stand. Ice top of cake so that it resembles a frothy pint of beer. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 12 servings.

I don't know about the 12 servings..........I guess if you gave out little tiny slices..........

Also, the nettles were as delicious as I remembered them being.  Like spinach but better.  I can't explain it.  You just have to get some and try it.  I made a chicken based soup stock, added the nettles, some chicken, some Israeli cous cous, and poof!  Yummy yummy soup.

And then today I have been baking bread. I really wanted some toast, but don't want to go to the store, so thinking that I really do own everything needed to make some bread, it would be silly not to.  So I did.  I used the recipe for no kneading bread that Aunt Fay sent me the book about.  Made two loaves.  House smells great.   I can't wait until it cools enough to have a slice.  

Kate is coming over tomorrow and I shall give her the other loaf.  She loves this bread.  

And I immediately put another batch together in the same bread bucket, so as soon as I am done with this loaf, I can make more.  I don't know why I stopped making this bread, it is ridiculously easy. 

No Knead Bread 

• 3 cups water, filtered and no more than 100 degrees
• 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
• 6 1/2 cups flour, AP
• flour, for dusting

Directions:

Prep Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 50 mins

1. 1 Measure water, salt and yeast into a large plastic container with a loose fitting lid.
2. 2 Stir in the flour. Sometimes it is stiffer than others but it should be a wet looking mess when you are done stirring. Do not knead.
3. 3 Put the lid on loosely and let rest for 4 - 6 hours on the counter. Refrigerate loosely covered overnight or up to 10 days. The longer it rests in the fridge the more flavor it develops.
4. 4 On baking day, heavily flour the dough and cut into halves  I bake two pound loaves because we devour this bread. Scoop the dough into a long or round loaf and put into greased bread loaf pans. (you can also bake this on a baking stone in the oven and get more of an artisan look).  I cut the dough in half with a bench knife while it is still in the dough bucket and get a nice oval shape that way.
5. 5 Let sit on the counter for 40 minutes.  Preheat your oven 450 degrees. Put a broiler pan under the loaf pans. Let the oven heat for 20-30 minutes. Heavily dust the top of the loaf with flour.
6. 6 Slash the loaf with a very sharp knife or lame. If your bread is round slash a tic tac toe pattern into it and for a long loaf slash it 3 or 4 times diagonally. This helps the bread pouf up during baking. Put the bread in the oven and  immediately pour 1 cup of hot water into a broiler pan and shut the oven door for 10 minutes. Toss a couple of ice cubes into the oven after the first ten minutes if you are baking a 2 pound loaf.
7. 7 Bake one pound loaves for 40 minutes and two pound loaves for 45 minutes.
8. 8 Cool on a wire rack and please try to resist cutting it until it is totally cool or it will not be crispy on the outside and chewy in the center.

That's enough baking for one day.

Happy Anniversary Darling Husband!!!!

Caroline