If you bake a lot (like me)… and love vanilla (like me)…

you go through a lot of vanilla…

I know I do…

So while I was Stumbling around last week I saw a recipe on how to make your own Vanilla extract… It was so easy that I just memorized how and today I bought the ingredients…

and just put it together… I will in 6-8 weeks share exactly how it turns out but I have a good feeling about it…

Vodka, vanilla beans and a bit of rum…

pour the vodka into a mason jar…

add a bit of dark rum (if you have some) it adds a bit of sweet…

admire the vanilla beans…

split the vanilla beans…

look at the vanilla goodness….

halve them…

add the beans to the vodka…

and place in a dark cupboard and shake for about 30 seconds everyday for about 8 weeks… until ready….

Simon has been wanting me to make some chocolate chip cookies… so when he asked me again today I got right to it…

I wanted to find a new cookie since though I love the ones I used to make I also like trying new one…  the last ones I tried were too cakey.. so this time I went to foodgawker and typed in chocolate chip and ended up here…

Then we choose the first one that looked like the chocolate chip cookie that we have been craving…

To my surprise it ended being the Alton Brown Recipe for “the chewy” (recipe below)

So I made them… omg they are amazing!!!

The dough is just perfect… and you can see right away that they are going to be chewy…

After chilling the dough I scooped them out and then put them back in the fridge for a few minutes… then put them in the oven…

For so many years I have had an oven that we could not see into and I had forgotten what a pleasure it is to watch things bake…

The boys are discovering that pleasure for the first time…

A great chewy perfect chocolate chip cookie!!!

Ingredients

* 1 cup unsalted butter
* 2 1/4 cups flour
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
* 1 egg
* 1 egg yolk
* 2 tablespoons milk
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift or mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

Pour the melted butter in a bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Chill the dough, then scoop onto baking sheets.(I used a 1/8 cup measuring cup)

They really get the thumbs up!

I have been cursing at our old range for a while now…

We bought it used and cheap almost 10 years ago… and though it was still usable it was making it harder and harder to cook things efficiently..

Last week when I went out for some last minute shopping I stopped and looked at the ranges and just fell in love with the oven size of one… then the sales lady showed me a new one that had just come in and would be on special for boxing day… big convection oven, warming drawer, ceramic flat top and of course…  self cleaning…

She told me that I could just call her if I wanted to buy it so I didn’t have to go in… I have to admit that I was sold right there…

I talked to Simon about it and well… I called on the 26th at about 1pm and ordered it and it was delivered on Wednesday…

When I shared with Annie what I had purchased she brought up the concern of canning… but there won’t be a problem!  I can in my stock pot (which has a flat bottom) with a canning rack and even in the manual there is no mention at all about canning… and some searching on the net showed that newer models don’t have the same problems as the older ones it seems…

I did though have to buy a new cast iron pan… the one that I used all the time had a rim so it was not flat on the bottom so I went and picked up a new one… It works beautifully… the stove top heats quickly and when you put the temp down it actually goes down… (the other one had plaques that took forever to heat up and then stayed hot… so to simmer you needed to start warming another element to the temp you needed and then switch the pan over)

Anyway… to date I love it… the first thing I did was bake bread in it… and I love that I can see through the door (the other you couldn’t see through the door at all)…

and because of the convection feature the bread browned all evenly all over and baked to perfection…

I love eggnog but had never made it before… or even had fresh eggnog before… but I won’t buy the fake chemical laden grocery stuff anymore so to get my eggnog fix I bit the bullet and found a recipe… and it is SO easy to make and SO much better!

• 4 eggs yolks
• 1/3 cup of sugar + 1 Tbsp
• 2 cups of milk
• 1 cup of cream
• 3 oz of rum
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 4 egg whites

beat egg yolks until light, add 1/3 cup of sugar and beat until completely dissolved.. add milk, cream, nutmeg and rum and mix together well…

Whip egg whites until soft peaks, then start adding sugar and whip until stiff peaks…stir the egg whites into the the mixture and then chill…

This makes about 5-6 glasses worth…

Sometimes little things make me happy…

Today it was finding wasabi at the local grocery store that is free of artificial colouring…

instead of the usual petrol based food colourings it has gardenia blue and tumeric to make it look green…

Tonight we are having friends over for supper and I am making “chinese fondue” (thin slices of beef dipped and cooked in an onion and beef broth on the table) and when I make fondue one of my favourite sauces is a Wasabi mayo (mayo, wasabi, tamari, rice wine vinegar and a bit of sugar) and I would always feel guilty when eating it especially because Xavier loves it… and he couldn’t have it… (and he would remind us of such)

So we can all enjoy it tonight… guilt free…

(I also found some picked ginger the other day that is colouring free…I think that companies are starting to catch on )

My first cookbook when we moved in our first apartment was a Pillsbury cook book… it is small but filled with recipes and I used it alot for a while… especially when baking…

The banana bread that I have been making for at least a decade now is from that book and it is still the best banana bread that I have ever eaten…it always comes out perfect…. a bit dense but not too much and very moist… the favour and texture are just perfect…

I was looking online the other day and saw a few references to the Pillsbury being one of the first banana bread recipies having come out in 1933… no wonder it is the best…

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 cup (2 medium) mashed ripe bananas
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts, if desired (I use chocolate chips)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom only of loaf pan. In large bowl, combine sugar and butter; beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs; beat well. Add bananas, milk and vanilla; blend well.

2. In small bowl, combine flour, nuts (or chocolate chips), baking soda and salt; mix well. Add to banana mixture; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour into greased pan.

3. Bake at 350°F. for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

The other day I was looking around for some articles and found this one… I think that it is a great one that explains well what the additives are and what they do…  and then he goes on to talk about alternatives… The only think that is not mentioned are that artificial flavours including Vanillin (fake vanilla) come from the same sources and have the same effects…

Here is part of it… and you can read the rest on the author’s site…

Replace Artificial Food Colors with Natural food Colors
by Pete Maletto

Jan 25, 2007 - It was not long ago when I was conducting my daily ritual of research on the internet and stumbled upon consumers growing concerns about artificial food colors. While it didn’t surprise me because I have the same concerns, I noticed that many consumers are complaining about side effects with artificial colors. Most consumers are concerned about yellow dye consumption and its side effects such as headaches, vomiting, hives, asthma and a possible cause of ADD and ADHD.

While I found that yellow dye has quite a laundry list of possible side effects, I also found that red dye has its share as well. One that really amuses me is that this artificial food color can actually dye our own internal systems red color (they do this with salmon to make the pink color).

While side effects are not as documented as it should be, there also seems to be some people that have allergic reactions to most artificial colors. Just ask any doctor that performs colonoscopies and you’ll hear him tell you about artificial blue color and red color showing up and coloring the colon for days. This has lead many consumers to believe that artificial colors are bad for you and that they are another cancer causing agent found in foods today. Now the media is piling on and consumers are starting to avoid artificial food colors.

And as an experienced food technologist, I tend to agree…..

The FDA manages the Adverse Reaction Monitoring System (ARMS) as an added safety check on color additives to food, with a computerized database to track potential public health hazards. FDA’s Advisory Committee on hypersensitivity to food constituents concluded in 1986 that FD&C Yellow No. 5 may cause hives in fewer than one out of 10,000 people, but found no evidence that it provokes asthma attacks as some reports had indicated. You would think a system as sophisticated as this would catch the problems but they decided to permit the usage of Yellow No. 5 to continue, with product labeling allowing those with hypersensitivity to avoid it.

Yellow dye is basically a hidden term for tartrazine, a coal tar derivitive which has proven side effects on the central nervous system. For example, in a study published in 1978, 122 patients who had a variety of diagnosed allergic reactions were given 50 milligrams of tartrazine.

This dose elicited reactions such as palpitations, weakness, hives and itching in these susceptible individuals; 50 milligrams is a large dose, but could be consumed by someone drinking a few bottles of soda during the day. Or a serving of Mac and Cheese to your kids (get the hyperactive hint here?) which has close to 50 mg per box and at a childs body weight, that’s a lot of tartrazine. It is also important to note that there is a connection between people allergic to aspirin and allergic reactions to tartrazine.

Usage of Red No. 3 was voluntarily terminated in 1990 after animal testing indicated an association with thyroid tumors. Although it still remains on the list, the FDA is proposing to remove it. A panel from the National Institutes of Health determined in 1982 that coloring additives were not related to claims of hyperactivity (look at the kids today and it makes you think twice). Although approved by the FDA, some people may still have allergic reactions.

Currently, any blue or green food on the U.S. market gets its hues from certifiable colors FD&C Blue No. 1 (Brilliant Blue), Blue No. 2 (Indigotine), or Green No. 3 (Fast Green). Blue No. 1 and Green No. 3 are both petroleum-derived triphenylmethanes–that is, they have three aromatic rings attached to a central carbon atom. Blue No. 2 is a disodium sulfonate of a naturally occurring compound called indigo.

However, the indigo used to create Blue No. 2 is synthesized by fusing N-phenylglycine in a molten mix of sodamide and sodium and potassium hydroxides. And we are feeding these chemicals to our kids!

Lets face it, there is no way you could tell me that something that can stain the cells of our body and come from chemicals such as coal tar/tartrazine, triphenylmethane, and other chemicals would not cause some type of mutagenic effect in the body over a period of time.

None the less, it’s seems obvious to me that consuming artificial colors can definitely cause side effects with some people (some side effects that they may not even notice) and they are quite possibly “cancer causing chemicals” that we do not need in our food supply, especially when healthy alternatives exist.

Read more about the alternatives….

I found this recipe at The Fresh Loaf and I just had to try it… and now that I have I will make it again…

Buttermilk Cluster
Makes 12 to 18 rolls, depending on size
6 to 6 1/2 cups (750 grams) bread or all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 envelope (2 1/2 teaspoons) active dry or instant yeast, or 1 15 gram cake fresh yeast
1 tablespoon warm water
1 3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon honey

Glaze:
1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Topping:
1-2 tablespoons seeds (poppy, sesame) or grains (cracked wheat, rolled oats)

Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Combine the warm water and yeast in a small cup and allow to proof for 10 minutes.

Pour the yeast, buttermilk, and honey into the flour mixture and mix well. If the dough is so dry that some of the flour won’t stick, add a bit more buttermilk or water. If the dough is too sticky to knead, more like a batter, add more flour by the tablespoon until the correct consistency is achieved.

Knead by machine or hand for approximately 10 minutes. Return the dough to the bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp cloth, and set aside to rise until the dough has doubled in size, approximately 90 minutes.

I made the dough, let it rise and then used a 9X9 cake pan and separated the dough into 12 pieces…
and then let that rise again for about 40 min and then brushed with the egg and sprinkled with sesame seeds…

Then bake at 425 for about 30 min… (mine took about 25min)

It makes an amazing bread with a great consistency… It was the perfect bread to go with the soup I made, I it is great not having to cut it because the pieces come apart easily..

This will be a great bread for when company comes also because it looks beautiful also…