2013 - Week 22

Hi :) How was your Week 22? Can you believe this year is almost half over already? My Week 22 was pretty good, I tried a few recipes that I would love to share with you. I also did more of that Wii boxing game (Gold's Gym Cardio Workout) which is surprisingly still fun, and for my "task" played cello, guitar, and sat down and read a book. I know it's not accomplishing any of the projects that I need to get finished, but it's been so long since I read a book (I think it was last year during my book reading month), it is still enriching my mind, and as an added bonus, my library's summer reading program just started, so I get fun prizes for reading . . . so it is definitely worthwhile, plus I love it. I got a few new books so that's was got me back into reading. Don't worry, my scrapbooking is still out and on the forefront of my mind, so I will try and work on that too, but for now, I have a few books calling my name :)

But first, before I go read, I have to share my yummy creations from this week. The first was something I alluded to in my post last week . . . cappuccino knots. They are made with the same sweet roll dough as the cinnamon rolls I made last week, but instead of the cinnamon sugar mixture, an espresso sugar mixture is made, the dough is rolled into logs, dipped in butter and then the espresso sugar, tied into a knot, and baked in a muffin tin. The finished rolls then get a espresso glaze and a plain glaze . . . the result was very pretty :) I think the sugar caramelized on the top a little too much so they were a bit harder than the cinnamon rolls, but they were still pretty good, and I don't even like coffee. But if you are a coffee lover, this might be a good recipe for you to try. (I found this espresso powder at my local Whole Foods in case you have trouble locating it.)

Pre-rising

Post-rising

Ta da

Next, I still have a ton of pumpkin in my freezer, so I made some pumpkin bars. They turned out pretty well, and I just winged a cream cheese frosting to put on top (cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla . . . I think I added a little too much vanilla because it was a little dark, but still tasty). I substituted applesauce for the oil and they were super moist :) Also, I followed some reviewers comments and baked it in a 10 x 15 inch pan for 25 minutes. I was a little worried it would run over the edges, but it was perfect.

Aside from sweets, I also made two tasty savory dishes. First was these bacon hasselback potatoes. My husband (who was home for the day) actually gets the credit for making these look so pretty. He did the initial steps and got them in the oven . . . I just did the last step of adding the onion, parsley, garlic, butter mixture. I'd never seen potatoes like that before and certainly had never tried them, but they turned out fantastic. We left the skins on, and they got nice and crispy while the potato was really soft and creamy (that might have to do with the large quantity of butter in the recipe) . . . overall, I think it's a really good way to make potatoes if you have the time.

Bacon Hasselback Potatoes

Finally, I made a repeat recipe. I may have lauded this seasoned chicken previously on my blog, but it's just so tasty I had to put it in again. I don't know when I found this recipe, but it's so easy and turns out so good . . . definitely a keeper. I know I have at least one blog reader (Hi Helen :)) who was looking for something easy to try, and I know has lots of soy sauce at home :) The oyster sauce is not something I usually have lying around, but I did find it at Wal-Mart. It really stinks, but trust me, it gives the chicken an amazing flavor. I always add extra garlic too, because I love garlic. I've made it with the Cornish hens before, but this time I tried it with chicken leg quarters . . . worked perfectly. The chicken is super moist and you can use the sauce from the pan to put on the rice . . . very succulent. So simple, and so good . . . give it a try :)

Okay . . . that's it for this week. Leave me a comment and let me know if you try any of these recipes and how they work for you. I'd love to hear suggestions too. Talk to you next week . . . time to go read now :)