Jenn makes these now, they are incredible and I highly recommend them to everyone!

Ingredients

Dough

• 1 packet "highly active" active dry yeast; or 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast; or 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 7/8 to 1 1/8 cups lukewarm water*
• 3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
• 1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes
• *Use the lesser amount in summer (or in a humid environment), the greater amount in winter (or in a dry climate), and somewhere in between the rest of the year, or if your house is climate controlled.

Cinnamon Filling

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 2 teaspoons milk, to brush on dough

Vanilla Glaze

• 1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 to 5 tablespoons heavy cream or 2 to 3 tablespoons milk, enough to make a soft, spreadable icing

Directions

1) First, make the dough. If you’re using active dry yeast, dissolve it with a pinch of sugar in 2 tablespoons in the lukewarm water. Let the yeast and water sit at room temperature for 15 minutes, until the mixture has bubbled and expanded. If you’re using instant yeast, you can skip this step.

2) Combine the dissolved yeast (or instant yeast) with the remainder of the dough ingredients. Mix and knead everything together—by hand, mixer or bread machine set on the dough cycle—till you’ve made a smooth dough. If you’re kneading in a stand mixer, it should take about 7 minutes at second speed, and the dough should barely clean the sides of the bowl, perhaps sticking a bit at the bottom. In a bread machine (or by hand), it should form a smooth ball.

3) Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise, at room temperature, till it’s nearly doubled in bulk, about 1 to 2 hours. Rising may take longer, especially if you’ve kneaded by hand. Give it enough time to become quite puffy.

4) While the dough is rising, lightly grease two 9" round cake pans.

5) Transfer the risen dough to a lightly greased work surface, and pat or roll it into a 16" x 12" rectangle. It’s a nice, soft dough, and pats out easily.

6) To make the filling, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, and flour.

7) Brush the dough lightly with milk.

Sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough, covering the entire surface.

9) Roll the dough into a log the long way; it’ll stretch to about 20" long as you roll.

10) Using a serrated knife, slice the log into 16 slices. In order to cut down on drag, it helps to rinse the blade in hot water, and wipe it off, between slices.

11) Space eight rolls in each of the prepared pans. Flatten them gently.

12) Cover the pans, and let the rolls rise till they’re noticeably puffy, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours; they should spread out and start to crowd one another.

13) While the rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 375°F.

14) Bake the rolls till they’re brown around the edges and beginning to turn golden brown across the center, about 20 minutes.

15) If you’re going to serve the rolls immediately, make the icing while the rolls are baking. Combine the sugar, vanilla, and enough cream or milk to make a spreadable icing. If you’re not serving the rolls immediately, don’t make the icing yet.

16) Remove the rolls from the oven, and loosen their edges with a knife. Turn them out of the pan onto a rack. To enjoy right away, spread with the icing and serve.

17) To serve the rolls later, allow them to cool completely, then wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. Fifteen minutes before you’re ready to serve, preheat the oven to 350°F. Unwrap the rolls, place them on an ungreased baking sheet, and tent lightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until they’re nicely warmed.

18) While the rolls are reheating, make the icing.

19) Remove the rolls from the oven, and spread with the icing. Serve immediately.

Ingredients

• 1 cup half-and-half
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons honey, warmed in microwave for 20 seconds
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 (1/2-inch) slices day-old or stale country loaf, brioche or challah bread
• 4 tablespoons butter

Directions

In medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, honey, and salt. You may do this the night before. When ready to cook, pour custard mixture into a pie pan and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Dip bread into mixture, allow to soak for 30 seconds on each side, and then remove to a cooling rack that is sitting in a sheet pan, and allow to sit for 1 to 2 minutes.

Over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a 10-inch nonstick saute pan. Place 2 slices of bread at a time into the pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and place on rack in oven for 5 minutes. Repeat with all 8 slices. Serve immediately with maple syrup, whipped cream or fruit.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/cda/recipe_print/0,1946,FOOD_9936_26808_RECIPE-PRINT-FULL-PAGE-FORMATTER,00.html

While the paychecks for working 58-62 hours a week are nice, one of the main reasons we wanted to venture to Daphne, AL was to enjoy the beaches that I never knew to exist.  However, that was short lived.  As soon as we learned about the oil and dispersants being used to keep the oil beneath the surface, our beach visits came screeching to a halt.

This made me think of why I liked Jamaica.  The beaches were nice, the ocean was amazing but there were other aspects that helped make Negril an awesome experience

• Passion Vinaigrette : This went on everything including bread, salad, chicken, seafood, and steak.  I have never tasted a better dressing in my entire life.

  

• Craft Market : Mall kiosks have nothing on a Craft Market in Negril.  Zoey got a custom finished moon. 
• Snorkeling : During the daytime, it was great to see the coral and the colorful fish.
• Night Snorkeling : INCREDIBLE.  We got to see an octopus, and a number of other forms of sea life once the sun went down.  It was a little intimidating, but with a flashlight that provides 3 feet of visibility in the pitch black ocean, who could say no?
• People : People can be so nice, why do we reserve this behavior for special occasions?  What is the difference between occasions?  Whether it were Europeans Jamaicans, or Americans, everyone we met was extremely nice.  I wish that others, including us, would display these positive vibes more often.

The other highlight of the trip was the Catamaran Cruise to the Pirate Cove area just beyond the cape.  We went with about 35-45 people right as the sun began to set.  We got to jump off the boat, swim around the cove.  Next time, I would like to bring snorkel gear, as there are so many wonders to see under the surface of the water.

The new Chick-fil-A Spicy Chicken Sandwich is hand-breaded, seasoned with a blend of peppers and served on a toasted buttered bun with dill pickle chips. The Spicy Chicken Sandwich starts at $2.99

The new sandwich is AWESOME!  It has a little more heat than the Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich but not too much.

Available June 7 at all locations.

The world s biggest animated band, Gorillaz formed in 1998, and have since sold 12 million copies over two albums Gorillaz (2000) and Demon Days (2005). They have hit number 1 in more than a dozen countries and picked up awards including Grammys, Novellos, VMAs and EMAs.

Plastic Beach is produced by Gorillaz…”

]]> http://theperkos.com/?feed=rss2&p=525 0 http://theperkos.com/?p=520 http://theperkos.com/?p=520#comments Mon, 24 May 2010 16:45:04 +0000 tom&jenn http://theperkos.com/?p=520 This week will be trial and error mode for integrating the blog with Facebook Connect.  Please remain calm

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