Joanne Chang's Sticky Buns

{Note: I halved the recipe and wrote in italics what I used. This made 18 sticky buns}

Brioche dough, recipe follows

Filling, recipe follows

Goo, recipe follows

Brioche Dough:

2 1/2 cups high gluten flour (I used bread flour) 1 1/4 cup

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/4 cup

1 ounce yeast 2 pkgs rapid rise

1/3 cup plus 2 tbs. sugar 4 tbs.

1 tbs. salt 1/2 tbs. salt

1/2 cup ice water 1/4 cup

5 eggs 2 eggs, 1 egg yolk

11 oz. butter 1 stick + 2 1/2 tbs.

In large bowl of stand mixer, combine all ingredients except butter and beat on low with dough hook for 10 minutes.

Add the softened butter and knead for another 20 minutes until dough slaps the side of the bowl.

Place in container and cover well. Proof in the fridge for 6 hours (I left mine in fridge over night and when I took it out the next morning I waited for about a half an hour to let it soften before I rolled it out)

On floured work surface, roll out the dough into a rectangle. Combine the following:

2 cups brown sugar 1 cup

1 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp.

1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped 1/2 cup

Sprinkle the above on brioche. Roll up the brioche jelly roll-style and slice the roll into buns about 1 inch thick. Spread cooled Goo on the bottom of a roasting pan and place buns evenly spaced in the pan.

Goo:

1/2 lb. butter 1 stick

15 oz. brown sugar 1 cup brown sugar

5 oz honey 1/3 cup

1/2 cup cream 1/4 cup

1/2 cup water 1/4 cup

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt together the butter and brown sugar. Remove from heat, let cool, and then whisk in the honey, cream and water.

Shape, cover, proof for several hours at warm room temperature.

Bake @ 350 for 15-20 minutes or until buns are lightly browned on top.

Klf

Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Cookies
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1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. dutch cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. peanut butter
1 egg
1 tbs. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
***********

Peanut Butter Filling

3/4 c. sifted confectioner's sugar
1/2 c. peanut butter
**********

2 tbs. granulated sugar

Preheat oven 350

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and pepper in a medium bowl.

Beat butter, 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar and 1/4 peanut butter until well combined. Add egg, milk and vanilla. Beat well. Gently add flour mixture about 1/3 cup at a time. Form the chocolate in dough balls. Approximately 32.

For the filling: Combine confectioner's sugar and 1/2 c. peanut butter and beat until smooth. Form into approximately 32 balls.

Working on a silpat or parchment, gently flatten each chocolate ball with bottom of a glass. Top w/peanut butter ball. Carefully fold the chocolate dough over the peanut butter ball and seal the edges. Roll dough into ball.

Place balls on parchment lined baking sheets. Lightly flatten with the bottom of a glass dipped in the 2 tbs. granulated sugar.

Bake cookies for about 8 minutes, until the surface begins to slightly crack. Let cool for 1 minute on the sheet. Transfer to wire racks and cool completely.

Heart Attack Dressing

Egg Bread:

3 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups plain yellow cornmeal
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. sugar
2 tsps. baking powder
2 sticks butter, melted
1 tsp. salt

Beat eggs, add 1 stick of melted butter and buttermilk. Mix soda, baking powder, salt, sugar and meal in a separate bowl. Beat into egg mixture a little at a time. Add second stick of melted butter. Pour into greased pan (I use my cast iron skillet) and bake @ 350 degrees until golden brown~ 30-40 minutes.

Dressing:

6 biscuits
1 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 medium finely chopped onions
4 eggs
1 cup melted butter
2 1/2 cups chicken broth (I usually add more~ depends on how big my biscuits are and how many I use)

Mix dressing w/egg bread while it is still hot from the oven. Put all in dressing pan and bake @ 350 til golden brown.

Call 911 if you experience any heart palpation's...

Klf

Twice Baked Taters

Ingredients:

Taters
Sea Salt
Kosher Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Milk
Sour Cream
Butter
Cheddar Cheese

Wash and while taters are still damp, stab w/knife a few times and cut a slit down the side. Rub with sea salt and wrap w/foil. Bake @ 425 for about an hour or till knife jabs in easily and comes out clean.

Slice taters in half. With a teaspoon, scoop out flesh and put in a large bowl. I use a ricer to squeeze the tater (a gift from a friend) meat so that there are very few lumps to contend with. Add butter, salt, pepper, milk and sour cream (to taste) and mix. Put tater mixture back into shells.

Roll taters on a plate to cover tops w/sharp Cheddar cheese. Sprinkle with more pepper and paprika. Cover w/foil and place in freezer until ready to use or bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.
That's all there is to it~

Klf

Angel Biscuits

1 envelope yeast
1/4 c + 1 pinch sugar
2 tbs. lukewarm water
5 c. self rising flour
1 c. cold Crisco cut up in small pieces
2 c. buttermilk
6 tbs. butter melted

1) In small bowl dissolve yeast and the pinch of sugar in lukewarm water and let it stand for five minutes, or till foamy. Meanwhile in a large bowl mix flour with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Using a pasty blender or two knives cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles small peas. Add the yeast and buttermilk and stir until the dough just comes together.

2) Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead 5 times. The dough should have a soft, moist texture. Return the dough to a clean bowl and cover with plastic rap. Refrigerate over night.

3) Transfer the chilled dough to a lightly floured surface and kneed 10 times. Roll out the dough to a 16 inch round 1/3 inch thick. Using a 2 1/4 inch biscuit cutter, stamp out biscuits as close together as possible. Gather the scraps kneed three times and reroll then stamp out more biscuits as close together as you can.

4) Lightly butter 2 large baking sheets. Brush the tops of the biscuits with the melted butter. Fold biscuits in half, then brush the unbuttered sides with the remaining butter and place on prepared baking sheets. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let the biscuits rise in a draft free place for two hours.

5) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake the biscuits for about 15 minutes, or until browned on the bottom and slightly golden on top. Serve warm.

*Make ahead of time: The dough can be refrigerated for up to two days.*

Mrs. Agnes' Peppermint Cough Syrup

Ingredients:

1 Pint Good Whiskey

Soft Peppermint Sticks or Pillows

In a tall slim jar with a good fitting lid, put as much soft stick peppermint candy as it will hold. Pour in 1 pint of good whiskey. Shake to help whiskey to melt candy.

You may also use soft pillows (which I used). Keep putting in candy until liquid is as thick as cold honey.

Coat spoon with syrup and lay it on the back of your tongue for proper usuage.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake ~ Emeril L's recipe

I am the queen of substitutions and had to make due with what I had on this recipe but by far, this is the BEST Upside Down Cake I've ever made; moist and full of flavor.

1/2 ripe medium pineapple, peeled, cored, eyes removed and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds (about 4 or 5 slices) (I used canned)

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter (I used regular)

3/4 cup light brown sugar (I finished up a box of dark brown that was not quite a cup full, why waste?)

14 pecan halves

1 cup cake flour (not self-rising) (I used all-purpose - two tablespoons)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk (I used whole milk + a teaspoon of vinegar)

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I used 1 teaspoon)

1 tablespoon dark rum (I used 1 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon)

4 fresh cherries, halved and pits removed (didn't have so didn't use)

Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet, over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium high and cook until the sugar mixture is bubbly, about 2 minutes. Arrange pineapple slices in the skillet in a pleasing pattern and continue to cook for 2 minutes, or until the sugar mixture turns an amber color. Turn the pineapple slices over and remove the pan from the heat. (The mixture will continue to cook even though the heat is off.) Arrange the pecan halves in the spaces between the rings. Set aside to cool slightly.

(I was not too sure of the pecans, but figured, what the hay, I have so many so I placed a few here and there~mistake. Next time I will chop the pecans and put them in with the cooking brown sugar mixture and lay the pineapple slices on top of them. Delicious!)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Stir together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. (I sifted mine)

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the remaining 1/2 cup butter and the granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing just until incorporated. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately in 3 batches, mixing at low speed after each addition until just combined. Stir in the vanilla and rum.

Spoon the batter evenly over the pineapple slices in the skillet. Bake in the middle of the oven until golden brown and a tester comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.

Cool the cake in the skillet on a wire rack for 4 minutes only. Run a thin knife around the edge of the cake and, wearing oven mitts and working quickly, invert the cake onto a cake plate, keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together. Carefully lift the skillet off cake and replace any fruit stuck to the bottom of the skillet, if necessary. Arrange the fresh cherry halves, cut side down, into the top of the cake, in the center of the pineapple rings.

Serve cake warm or at room temperature.