Hot Crossed Buns

Must be my sweet tooth this week..I don't know...but first I wrote about the Apple Pie,Now I'm writing about Hot Crossed Buns.. Anyway..Here is a great recipe for a snack you might think about preparing for your guests on Ressurection Sunday! (Easter for us old school cats!)


INGREDIENTS:

1 cup(s) milk

1 tablespoon(s) milk, warmed to 110°F

1 package(s) dry active yeast

3/4 cup(s) sugar

1 teaspoon(s) sugar

2 1/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour

2 cup(s) bread flour

1/2 cup(s) black raisins

2 tablespoon(s) candied lemon peel, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

2 tablespoon(s) candied orange peel, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1 teaspoon(s) salt

1/2 teaspoon(s) cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon(s) ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon(s) ground cloves

4 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter, melted

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

2/3 cup(s) confectioners' sugar

1/4 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract


DIRECTIONS:

1.Make the dough: Coat a large bowl with oil and set aside. Combine the 1 cup milk, yeast, and the 1 teaspoon sugar in a small bowl and let stand until bubbly. Combine the flours, remaining sugar, raisins, candied peels, salt, and spices in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook (or in a large mixing bowl) and mix on low speed. Add the butter, 2 eggs, and the yeast mixture and continue to mix until a sticky dough forms -- about 3 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead by hand until smooth -- about 5 minutes. (If dough has been combined by hand, increase kneading time to 10 minutes.) Form the dough into a ball, place it in the prepared bowl, and turn to coat all sides with oil. Cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until it doubles in volume -- about 1 hour.


2.Shape the buns:
Line a baking pan with parchment paper and set aside. Punch the dough down, transfer to a lightly floured surface, and knead for 3 minutes. Divide the dough into 12 equal-sized pieces -- about 3 1/2 ounces each.

Shape each piece into a ball and place the balls about 1 inch apart in three rows of four on the prepared pan. Cover and let rise until the buns double in volume and touch one another -- about 1 1/4 hours.

3. Bake The Buns-Preheat oven to 500°F. In a small bowl, combine the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the mixture on the top of each bun. Place buns in the lower third of the oven and reduce oven temperature to 400°F. Bake until golden brown -- about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. In a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, remaining milk, and vanilla. Stir until smooth. When buns have cooled slightly, drizzle a horizontal line across each row of buns followed by a vertical line to form a cross on the crown of each bun.



Serve these with milk-

Enjoy!

Spiced Apple and Pear Pie!

Yes...You read right...A spiced Apple and Pear Pie!!!! No ,I did not make this up...There is an actual recipe for this...and I am told that this pie is quite good..  It has been months now since I saw -"The Help" and I am over my pie phobia.  You would have had to of seen this movie to know what I'm talking about.. If you didn't see it...don't worry about...Anyway..here is the recipe for slices of heaven.


This pie is everything you could love about apple pies, and more. The pears add extra depth, juice, and flavor, and plus it's gorgeous on top of that. What more can you ask for? Huh?

INGREDIENTS:

Dough:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon fine salt

3/4 cup cold unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), diced

1 large egg

3 to 4 tablespoons very cold water

Filling:

1/2 lemon

3 pounds baking apples, such as Golden Delicious, Cortland, or Mutsu (about 6 apples)

1 1/2 pounds baking pears, such as Bosc or firm Bartletts (about 3 pears)

2/3 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling on the pie

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

Generous pinch freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 large egg, beaten


Dough:

DIRECTIONS:


Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl. Rub 1/4 cup of the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingers until completely absorbed. Then rub in the remaining butter until it resembles cornmeal mixed with pea-size bits of butter. (If it gets warm and sticky, refrigerate it to chill.)

Beat the egg with 3 tablespoons of the water; then drizzle it evenly over the dough. Lightly stir the dough together with a fork. (The dough should just hold together when you squeeze it together, with some dry crumbly bits.) If the dough is really dry, sprinkle it with the final tablespoon of water. (To make the dough in food processor, see below.)

Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap and shape into disks. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. (The dough can be frozen for 2 months. Defrost dough in the fridge overnight.)

Filling:

DIRECTIONS:


Finely grate the lemon zest and set aside. Peel, core and then slice both the apple and pear into 1/2-inch slices. Squeeze the lemon juice over the fruit, then toss fruit with the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt and nutmeg.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the fruit and cook, stirring until the sugar dissolves and juices simmer, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, uncovered, until the fruit softens and the juices evaporate some, about 10 minutes. Evenly mix the flour into the fruit; then cook about a minute more to thicken the juices slightly. Stir in the vanilla and lemon zest; and remove from the heat. (The filling should resemble a tight compote.) Cool completely.

Form the pie:

DIRECTIONS:


Lightly dust the work surface with flour. Roll a disk of dough into an 11 to 12-inch circle. Transfer the dough to 9-inch glass pie pan (see photo), trimming so it hangs about 1/2-inch over the edge of the pan. Fill the crust with the prepared fruit so it mounds slightly in the center. Roll the remaining dough into a 12-inch circle. Brush the rim of the crust with some of the egg.

Roll the dough onto the rolling pin and unroll it over the fruit so it hangs over the edge of the pie pan by about 1/2-inch. Trim crust if needed, reserving the scraps for decorations or for patching, if needed. Fold the top crust edge under the bottom one, then press the edges together to seal. Cut trimmed scraps into designs if desired and set aside. Flute the crust by pressing a finger into the crust against the other hand's index finger and thumb to make an even impression. Repeat every 1/2 inch around the pie to create a ruffled edge (see photo). Refrigerate the pie for at least 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, place a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat to 425 degrees F.

Brush pie with egg and place cut dough designs on top if desired. Brush again and sprinkle with sugar. Cut 6 to 8 small steam vents into the top of the dough. Place pie on a baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 375 degrees F. Bake until the crust (both top and bottom) is golden brown, about 50 minutes more. If the edges begin to brown too quickly, cut a pie shield out of a piece of aluminum foil and cover the edges (see photo). Cool on a rack.

Serve pie warm or at room temperature with whipped or ice cream. Keep pie, covered, at room temperature for a day, or refrigerate for up to four.

Cook's Note: To make the dough in a food processor: Pulse the flour, sugar, and salt together in the bowl of the processor. Add a 1/4 cup of the butter and pulse until it resembles fine cornmeal. Add the remaining butter and pulse until the butter is in small pea-sized pieces. Beat the egg and 3 tablespoons of the water together, add and pulse 1 to 2 times, but don't let the dough form into a ball in the machine (see photo). If the dough is dry add pulse in the other tablespoon of water. Remove the blade and turn dough onto a large, sheet of plastic film. Use the sides of the film to bring the dough together, then wrap tightly to chill.

Busy Bakers' Tips: The filling can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated. The pie can be fully formed, except for brushing with egg and dusting with sugar, and frozen. Place the pie in the freezer for 30 minutes, to harden it slightly, and then double wrap it with plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 2 months. When ready to bake, unwrap the pie and brush it with egg and sprinkle with sugar. If baking from the frozen state, following baking temperatures above, the pie may need to bake slightly longer at 375 degrees F, about 1 hour 25 minutes.

For a different finish, top with several slices of sharp cheddar cheese, and melt under the broiler for 2 minutes.

Enjoy!

Smothered Pork Chops (With Baked Sweet Potatoes)

Here I am with another somewhat original dinner item...Smothered Pork Cops with Baked Sweet Potato... Check it out-

INGREDIENTS:

 3 tablespoon(s) white whole wheat or all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon(s) white whole wheat or all-purpose flour

Salt (Minimum)

Pepper

4 (each 5 ounces, 3/4 inch thick)) boneless and center-cut pork chops

1 tablespoon(s) canola oil

2 large onions, thinly sliced

3 clove(s) garlic, chopped

2 container(s) (8 ounces each) cremini mushrooms, sliced

1/2 teaspoon(s) dried rosemary

1 cup(s) lower-sodium chicken broth

1 bag(s) (12-ounce) microwave-in-the-bag green beans


DIRECTIONS:

Sprinkle 1 teaspoon flour and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper all over pork chops. In 12-inch skillet, heat oil on medium-high.

Add pork and cook 7 minutes or until browned, turning over once.

Transfer to plate.

To same skillet, add onions and garlic. Reduce heat to medium and cook 5 minutes or until browned and softened, stirring frequently.

Add mushrooms and rosemary; cook 6 to 8 minutes or until mushrooms are tender, stirring occasionally. Add remaining 3 tablespoons flour; cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly.


Add broth in slow, steady stream, stirring constantly. Heat to simmering and return pork to pan in single layer; spoon vegetable mixture on top.

 Cover; reduce heat and simmer 8 minutes or until pork is barely pink in center (145 degrees F).

Stir in 1/4 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper.

While pork simmers, cook beans as label directs. Arrange beans on plates with pork and sauce.

Take a Sweet Potato...Split it slightly in half and bake it for about an hour...Until soft enough to cut into without a struggle...Add Butter!

Enjoy!

Macaroni & Cheese

Someone asked me once if Macaroni & Cheese was a "Black Thing."   Well...Macaroni itself is an Italian delicacy...But the baked part and the cheese may indeed be a "Black thing".  It has long been a staple of  so called Southern Cuisine (Soul Food)  We might debate this issue for quite some time...But what is universally agreed is that it is good food...and here is a recipe for it!

INGREDIENTS:


box elbow macaroni (about 16 ounces)

1-1/2 pounds shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup whole milk

1 stick butter, unsalted and softened

a pinch of salt

pepper to taste

Cookware and Utensils:

1 large boiling pot

1 baking casserole

1 measuring cup

DIRECTIONS:

Soften your butter using your microwave. Microwave the butter on low for about 60 to 90 seconds. You only want to soften the butter, therefore check the butter every 10 to 15 seconds to ensure it doesn't melt.

Boil your elbow macaroni according to package instructions.

Place cooked and drained macaroni in your casserole dish. Add softened butter, milk, pinch of salt, pepper to taste and one pound of shredded cheddar cheese. Gently mix to blend the ingredients. Layer the top of your macaroni with the remaining cheese, about 1/2 pound.

Bake macaroni with cheese at 350 degrees for about 1 hour. The top layer will turn golden brown when the macaroni is ready. Do not allow your mac and cheese to dry out.

Enjoy!

Honey ,Honey!

Winnie The Pooh may have been on to something after all...Did you know that Honey is the only food on the planet that will not spoil or rot?

What it will do is what some call 'turning to sugar'. In reality, honey is always honey. However, when left in a cool dark place for a long time it will "crystallize". When this happens loosen the lid, boil some water and sit the honey container in the hot water, but turn off the heat and let it liquefy naturally. It is then as good as it ever was. Never boil honey or put it in a microwave. This will kill the enzymes in the honey.

Cinnamon and Honey
Bet the drug companies won't like this one getting around. Facts on Honey and Cinnamon:

It is found that a mixture of honey and Cinnamon cures most diseases. Honey is produced in most of the countries of the world. Scientists of today also accept honey as a 'Ram Ban' (very effective) medicine for all kinds of diseases. Honey can be used without side effects for any kind of diseases. Today's science says that even though honey is sweet, when it is taken in the right dosage as a medicine, it does not harm even diabetic patients. Weekly World News, a magazine in Canada, in its issue dated 17 January,1995 has given the following list of diseases that can be cured by honey and cinnamon, as researched by western scientists:

HEART DISEASES:
Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder, apply it on bread instead of jelly and jam and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces the cholesterol in the arteries and saves the patient from heart attack. Also, those who have already had an attack, when they do this process daily, they are kept miles away from the next attack. Regular use of the above process relieves loss of breath and strengthens the heart beat. In America and Canada , various nursing homes have treated patients successfully and have found that as one ages the arteries and veins lose their flexibility and get clogged; honey and cinnamon revitalize the arteries and the veins.

ARTHRITIS:
Arthritis patients may take daily (morning and night) one cup of hot water with two tablespoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon powder. When taken regularly even chronic arthritis can be cured. In a recent research conducted at the Copenhagen University, it was found that when the doctors treated their patients with a mixture of one tablespoon Honey and half teaspoon Cinnamon powder before breakfast, they found that within a week (out of the 200 people so treated) practically 73 patients were totally relieved of pain -- and within a month, most all the patients who could not walk or move around because of arthritis now started walking without pain.

BLADDER INFECTIONS:
Take two tablespoons of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a glass of lukewarm water and drink it. It destroys the germs in the bladder..

CHOLESTEROL:
Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of Cinnamon Powder mixed in 16 ounces of tea water given to a cholesterol patient was found to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10 percent within two hours. As mentioned for arthritic patients, when taken three times a day, any chronic cholesterol is cured. According to information received in the said Journal, pure honey taken with food daily relieves complaints of cholesterol.

COLDS:
Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one tablespoon lukewarm honey with 1/4 spoon cinnamon powder daily for three days. This process will cure most chronic cough, cold, and, clear the sinuses.

UPSET STOMACH:
Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomach ache and also clears stomach ulcers from its root.

GAS:
According to the studies done in India and Japan , it is revealed that when Honey is taken with cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved of gas.

IMMUNE SYSTEM:
Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and protects the body from bacterial and viral attacks. Scientists have found that honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts. Constant use of Honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles (where DNA is contained) to fight bacterial and viral diseases.

INDIGESTION:
Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of honey taken before food is eaten relieves acidity and digests the heaviest of meals.

INFLUENZA:
A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains a natural 'Ingredient' which kills the influenza germs and saves the patient from flu.

LONGEVITY:
Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder, when taken regularly, arrests the ravages of old age. Use four teaspoons of honey, one teaspoon of cinnamon powder, and three cups of water and boil to make a tea. Drink 1/4 cup, three to four times a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and arrests old age. Life spans increase and even a 100 year old will start performing the chores of a 20-year-old..

RASPY OR SORE THROAT:
When throat has a tickle or is raspy, take one tablespoon of honey and sip until gone. Repeat every three hours until throat is without symptoms.

PIMPLES:
Three tablespoons of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder paste. Apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash it off the next morning with warm water. When done daily for two weeks, it removes all pimples from the root.

SKIN INFECTIONS:
Applying honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts on the affected parts cures eczema, ringworm and all types of skin infections.

WEIGHT LOSS:
Daily in the morning one half hour before breakfast and on an empty stomach, and at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one cup of water. When taken regularly, it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. Also, drinking this mixture regularly does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body even though the person may eat a high calorie diet.

CANCER:
Recent research in Japan and Australia has revealed that advanced cancer of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully. Patients suffering from these kinds of cancer should daily take one tablespoon of honey with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder three times a day for one month .

FATIGUE:
Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey is more helpful rather than being detrimental to the strength of the body. Senior citizens who take honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts are more alert and flexible. Dr. Milton, who has done research, says that a half tablespoon of honey taken in a glass of water and sprinkled with cinnamon powder, even when the vitality of the body starts to decrease, when taken daily after brushing and in the afternoon at about 3:00 P.M., the vitality of the body increases within a week.

BAD BREATH:
People of South America, gargle with one teaspoon of honey and cinnamon powder mixed in hot water first thing in the morning so their breath stays fresh throughout the day.

You might want to share this information with a friend, kinfolks and loved ones. Everyone needs healthy help information ~ what they do with it is up to them ~ share with your email buddies... They deserve to be healthy too!!!

A Public service announcement from the Maverick of All Bloggers!

Aspirin- Who Knew?

I started to write this for my other blog...Keith's Space.(Another shameless plug)but I decided that this was best suited for this blog...This is not food related for a change, but health related..

Since Aspirin is ingested , as is most food....(just shameless) I felt this blog best suited this.


Did you know that taking aspirin once a day may help prevent cancer?,yes...Aspirin!! Who Knew right? Not only that but perhaps even in some cases treat it, a growing body of research suggests.

A new study finds that people who took a low-dose aspirin daily for at least three years were 25 percent less likely to develop cancer than people who didn't take it.Yes..It's flooring the hell out of me too!

Aspirin also reduced the risk of death from cancer by nearly 40 percent after five years, the researchers said.

The reduced risk of death may be due in part to a decrease in cancer's ability to spread to other organs. In a second study, researchers found a daily dose of aspirin led to a 36 percent reduction in the risk of being diagnosed with cancer that spread to other organs.

This suggests aspirin is likely "to be an effective additional treatment after the diagnosis of cancer," Dr. Peter Rothwell, one of the study's researchers and a neurologist at the University of Oxford in England, told MyHealthNewsDaily.

Taking a daily aspirin has been found to have a variety of health benefits, said Dr. Stephanie Bernik, chief of surgical oncology at Lenox Hill Hospital in N.Y., including a reduced risk of heart attack and stroke. Again, I ask..Who the hell knew?

Of course ,more research will be needed before aspirin can be recommended to absolutely reduce the risk of cancer. This is because the new study analyzed data from previous studies that were not designed to test the effect of aspirin on cancer prevention. "A study has to be specifically designed to prove a point," said Bernik, who was not involved in either new study.

"People should speak with their doctors before deciding to take a daily aspirin". Bernik said.


Previous studies have found that aspirin reduces the risk of death from cancer over the long term. However, the effect of aspirin on cancer in the short term, as well as its effect on developing cancer in the first place, was less than clear.

Dr.Rothwell and colleagues analyzed data from 51 studies involving more than 77,000 people, in which about half of participants were randomly assigned to take a daily dose of aspirin.

There were fewer deaths among the people assigned to take a daily aspirin, compared with people who did not take aspirin (562 deaths versus 664 deaths).

In an analysis of six of the studies in which people took low doses of aspirin, there were three fewer cases of cancer yearly per 1,000 people in the aspirin group, compared with the group that did not take aspirin, but this effect did not show up until participants had taken aspirin for three years.

Aspirin has side effects, including an increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. However, the researchers found that after about three years, the increased risk of major bleeding went away, as did aspirin's heart benefits. What was left was the reduced risk of cancer.

"For most individuals, the risk-benefit calculus of aspirin seems to favor aspirin’s long-term anti-cancer benefit," Drs. Andrew Chan and Nancy Cook, both of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, wrote in an editorial accompanying the study.

Because the findings are new, it will take time for researchers to decide whether guidelines should be changed to include a recommendation of aspirin for cancer prevention, said Eric Jacobs, strategic director of pharmacoepidemiology at the American Cancer Society. Such guidelines would have to take into account who is most likely to benefit from the recommendation, Jacobs said.

The study and editorial will be published tomorrow (March 21) in the journal the Lancet. The study had no funding and no input from drug companies, but the lead researcher has has been paid by several pharmaceutical companies for his work with them.

Regardless...I'm headed to my nearest CVS right now to buy me a bottle of Aspirin..
(Was that another shameless plug?   I could go to Rite Aid.)