January is up and has been kicking ass for a couple of weeks, and I am still throwing off the aftereffects of what turned out to be the longest cold I've had in my memory. A reminder that Bruce is right when he gets up to wash his hands after touching a menu. I think that's where I picked it up .. and I hope our visitors from the US didn't take it home with them.
I suppose its just as well that I didn't have a chance to finish off that bottle of liqueur in the fridge or cook up and eat all those delectables I had envisioned before beginning the traditional January diet. Instead, Bruce was a real trooper, taking on all the meals. Its amazing how much guilt I felt over that, but I'm over that too.
I've talked to a few members of my family and have some news to share or gossip to spread. Ian and Nikki have parted, but Ian is in good spirits and is seeing a woman from southern Saskatchewan. His daughter Angelina may stay with Ian when Nikki moves either down east or to BC with a new fellow she met online. At any rate, Ian reports that he is happier now than he has ever been, so I guess the new year is one full of promise.
Ralph and Debbie called to say hello and impart News from the North Pole. Seems my Dad was down with a cold on the day he came to visit, so I imagine Debbie kicked into nurturing mode, which is so very like her. I caught Dad on Christmas Day as he was about to do something, so we're overdue for a chat now.
Aunts Sandy and Brenda have been in touch and I got the Christmas letters, which I do appreciate. I had thought to do one myself and even bought the cards, but ... December got away from me like a slippery trout in streams of spring glacial melt.
During the ecoli outbreak in the Fall with the Brooks packing plant debacle, Bruce and I stopped eating beef and switched to a rotation of pork, chicken and fish. Funny, but even now, we just haven't redeveloped a tolerance for what beef does to our bodies, so we're eating it sparingly. Still, slap a nice rib steak on the grill .. we'll be there!
Each year, I try to embrace a new food. 2012 was the year of honeydew melons and pomegranate I won't say 'never,' but I don't think cantaloupe will ever be a choice for my plate. This year, I'm trying to eliminate dairy and wheat .. so who knows where that will take me. I'll keep you posted, but for now .. quinoa looks interesting. If you have recipes to share, I'd love to have them.
I'm back to my workouts and my trainer Simone delighted in testing my limits yesterday ... I found them some much sooner than I had hoped, but there was an increase in weights in a couple of exercises, so I"m hopeful that I'll be in fighting form soon.
I know this post isn't so very newsy and I don't even have interesting photos to share, but I did create an amazing breakfast one day in December for Bruce's outrigger team. I'm sharing the recipe for Cinnamon Roll pancakes below. This came from a member of the guild in one of the online games I play, and they were truly something to write home about.
Cinnamon Roll Pancakes!
A little bit involved, as there are three parts, but I'll be as detailed as I can. First time giving this a whirl, so it was a little iffy on parts, but end result was great.
Things to note:
This recipe yields about 8 4-inch diameter pancakes. If making for a group, I'd suggest doubling.
Also beware: They're tasty.
I'll do this in sections - The Filling, The Glaze, The Cakes
The Filling
Ingredients:
1/4 c butter (it called for unsalted, I used salted because that's all I had)
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
Prep:
First off, melt the butter down. In a medium/small bowl, mix the melted butter with the b. sugar and cinnamon. Put it in a ziplock baggy and set it aside. (Yes, there'll be a bit of melted butter that separates from it, but that's ok. Let it cool to room temperature while you move onto the next part - The Glaze) [Mo's note: I put about 2 Tbsp more brown sugar in and it solved the extra butter issue]
The Glaze
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
2 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Prep:
In a small pan, heat the butter on low until it's all the way melted. Once it's nice and melty, turn off the heat and whisk in the cream cheese until it's pretty smooth. (Takes a bit; also I left my heat on low while I whisked just maintain heat to help the cream cheese get its groove on.) Now when you've got the mixture nice and smooth, sift in the powdered sugar and whisk that in. Also add the vanilla. Whisk away until smooth. (Probably best to add the p.sugar in batches as to maintain a consistency.) Set that aside for the time being and move onto The Cakes!
The Cakes
Use your favorite recipe or batter mix.
While the first side is cooking, take your filling bag and snip one corner just a little. Squeeze the filling into the open corner and apply it from the center outward in a swirl. Don't get too close to the edge or it'll seep out the side... which really wasn't a bad thing, but I would recommend a quick wipe with a paper towel, as suggested, in between pancakes to control the excess mess and prevent sticky overload. Cooking time on each side was about 2 or 3 minutes give or take.
If you need, rewarm the glaze just a bit. (I kept stirring occasionally while I made the pancakes) Drizzle it over the top and devour!
It's a bit of putzing around, but overall not too bad. Below are some of the pictures of the procedure and final product. Good luck!
Swirl example:
Finished:
A little bit involved, as there are three parts, but I'll be as detailed as I can. First time giving this a whirl, so it was a little iffy on parts, but end result was great.
Things to note:
This recipe yields about 8 4-inch diameter pancakes. If making for a group, I'd suggest doubling.
Also beware: They're tasty.
I'll do this in sections - The Filling, The Glaze, The Cakes
The Filling
Ingredients:
1/4 c butter (it called for unsalted, I used salted because that's all I had)
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
Prep:
First off, melt the butter down. In a medium/small bowl, mix the melted butter with the b. sugar and cinnamon. Put it in a ziplock baggy and set it aside. (Yes, there'll be a bit of melted butter that separates from it, but that's ok. Let it cool to room temperature while you move onto the next part - The Glaze) [Mo's note: I put about 2 Tbsp more brown sugar in and it solved the extra butter issue]
The Glaze
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
2 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Prep:
In a small pan, heat the butter on low until it's all the way melted. Once it's nice and melty, turn off the heat and whisk in the cream cheese until it's pretty smooth. (Takes a bit; also I left my heat on low while I whisked just maintain heat to help the cream cheese get its groove on.) Now when you've got the mixture nice and smooth, sift in the powdered sugar and whisk that in. Also add the vanilla. Whisk away until smooth. (Probably best to add the p.sugar in batches as to maintain a consistency.) Set that aside for the time being and move onto The Cakes!
The Cakes
Use your favorite recipe or batter mix.
While the first side is cooking, take your filling bag and snip one corner just a little. Squeeze the filling into the open corner and apply it from the center outward in a swirl. Don't get too close to the edge or it'll seep out the side... which really wasn't a bad thing, but I would recommend a quick wipe with a paper towel, as suggested, in between pancakes to control the excess mess and prevent sticky overload. Cooking time on each side was about 2 or 3 minutes give or take.
If you need, rewarm the glaze just a bit. (I kept stirring occasionally while I made the pancakes) Drizzle it over the top and devour!
It's a bit of putzing around, but overall not too bad. Below are some of the pictures of the procedure and final product. Good luck!
Swirl example:
Finished:
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