Happy Hippo Lien: Row- Row- Row Your Clog

Happy Hippo Lien: Row- Row- Row Your Clog: If you are following my blog, you already know that I love all the hippos handmade by the very talented artist Jen Robinson (see Posts: Hip...

Madeleines

Good Morning, 

So I lied! I ended up not making pie (yet) and went for some spongy-goodness in the form of madeleine! Besides their obvious yum factor I had been given a madeleine pan as a wedding gift (about time right!?) and every single morning my new boss comes into the office, sits down, and eats a madeleine. These were too perfect!

I found a simple recipe online and started putting my ingredients together. 

2/3 cup of flower

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel (salt)

1/3 cup sugar

Finely grated lemon zest (1 lemon)

2 eggs

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (leave a little unmelted for the pan)

2 tablespoons whole milk

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Alright! Onward to deliciousness!

In a small bowl mix together the flour, baking powder and salt, set aside. Place the sugar and lemon zest in a bowl, mix and rub together with your fingertips until sugar becomes moist. This created such a fresh lemon scent!  

For convenience, I went ahead and placed the sugar zest into my big mixing bowl and then added the eggs, giving me a lot more room! Whisk the mixture until it thickens a bit. Next add the honey and vanilla. Gently add the flour in (in three parts) and then the butter. Lastly, carefully stir in the milk. The batter will begin to look smooth and shiny. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in the fridge for about an hour. 

While you wait, butter and flower the madeleine pan. After the batter has properly chilled out, he he! spoon it into the pan and then set in the fridge for another hour. The batter will set into the molds and give it the classic madeleine shell shape! Set the oven to 400 degrees and place a large baking sheet inside for the madeleine pan to sit on. This helps to preheat the pan/process. 

Next, remove from fridge and place the madeleine pan into the oven and set your timer for 13 mins. I found that it really did not take long for them to bake, so be sure to check on them and to not leave them in too long!

After they have turned a lovely golden color (note: wait until the bumps spring back when touched), quickly remove the madeleines from the oven and release them from the pan. After a short cool-off dive in!

The madeleines were fluffy with a slight crispness on the edges. The lemon flavor was there, but not overpowering and on top of being simple to create they had the perfect amount of sweetness. Craig was pleased as well he he! So...here is another dessert that is dangerous to make, just like those pesky French macaroons! So so so yummy!!! I think I had 4 of them he he! 

Thank you for reading and stay tuned for my next creation. 

-Bunny

Ps. I brought some in for my boss, cheers Mark!

Mental Health

Morning,

I wanted to take a second to again share this company/campaign that is bringing the much closeted topic of mental health to the forefront. 

As someone who has struggled with anxiety/depression, among other things, it is refreshing to see that others have some of the same issues. Varying degrees but still important and in need of help. I wrote about them in June (2015) and I am glad that they are still going strong!

Now they have new temporary tattoos! 

http://wearyourlabel.com/collections/new-arrivals/products/motivational-tattoos

For so long I hid the chaos in my head but have finally learned that being upfront with myself greatly helped. I accepted my mental health and vowed to combat it. While I will always have my anxiety it will not consume me. 

Understanding and accepting these parts of yourself is the first step. It's okay to not be okay. No one is without flaw.

Thanks for listening, I will be making some new dishes soon...I've been in a slump as of late but cooking has always been cathartic! I see apple pie in the future!

-Bunny

Bon Temps

What happens when you get your hubby a Bonus Temps glass...he fills it with a Necromancer!! Yum!!!

Fear the Rum

Howdy!

In honor of Fear the Walking Dead's return tonight, we made a yummy cocktail!! 

I call it Fear the Rum. 

Take 1 ounce black cherry rum, 1 ounce light rum, 1 ounce Pomegranate Liqueur and 4 ounces of POM (juice). Mix/shake then add 6 ounces of Pellegrino. Don't forget to garnish with a cherry! 

It's light and refreshing. Not too sweet! Perfect for fighting off some walkers in the hot sun!! 

Cheers! -Bunny

Scotch Eggs

Hi there, 

This Sunday I made Scotch Eggs! 

Something I let Craig pick from the Outlander Cookbook. I thought that they would be difficult, but in fact they were very simple. Plus he loved them!!! It was interesting to read that these were mostly used as travel snacks, full of protein. What a great idea!

Ingredients: 

7 large eggs

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 1/2 cups of panko-style breadcrumbs

1 1/2 pounds of pork sausage and vegetable oil

To start you need to hard-boil 6 eggs, let cool and peel. Next set up three bowls, one with the flour, salt and cayenne pepper, one with an egg wash (use the 7th egg and a tsp of water and mix well) and last the flakes.

Next, take a good potion of the pork and flatten into your hand and wrap around one of the eggs. Roll in the flour, then egg wash, then flakes and set aside. The final step, before eating of course, is to take a large pan and add 3 inches of vegetable oil. Heat it up to 350 degrees and be careful not to splash. Place each ball into the oil and turn regularly. The flakes should begin to turn a nice golden color. 

Take your time and make sure that the insides are fully cooked. There were a few that once split, needed extra time and had to put back in for longer. Once cool enough to eat, take a bite and enjoy. Craig sure did, he finished off most of them! If you would prefer a spicier "ball" add some hot sauce. I don't think anything could ever be too spicy for that man!

Thanks, Bunny

Scotch Eggs Attempt

Morning!! 

Okay I asked Craig to pick out something from my Outlander Cookbook....and he picked Scotch Eggs. It looks a bit difficult but I am up for the challenge!! 

Stay tuned! 
http://outlanderkitchen.com/2012/09/24/scotch-eggs-from-an-echo-in-the-bone/

-Bunny