Birthday Surprise!

Today I turn the uneventful age of 29. I've always loved having a birthday in October because it lends itself to doing something that involves the outdoors and this gorgeous fall weather. This year I was feeling a little un-inspired, so I decided not to do anything special for my birthday (I figured eating a pint of coffee ice cream and watching Boardwalk Empire would do the trick). My husband, however, decided to throw me a surprise get together last Sunday in beautiful Riverside Park. Although it was a great idea, the secret was quickly exposed when Tom realized he needed my help (food) for the party. I kept it simple by making some dips and my friends all chipped in by bringing candy and drinks! I also made this apple tart with cheddar cheese crust with the remaining apples I stole picked fair-and-square from a recent apple picking trip.

This small get together was perfect, even down to the ice cream cone piñata! Little did I know that Tom really did have a surprise planned for me—making the most amazing KitchenAid Mixer cake ever! I knew he wanted to make me an extreme cake, but the mixer idea was a total surprise. I'm truly amazed at this cake (video below). I guess all those nights of me making cakes really has taught him a thing or two! One thing's for sure....I'm a pretty lucky gal. Thank you to my amazing hubby and here's to an eventful 29th year!

Heres a video my friend Jeff took of me vs. the piñata. I may lose this fight, but I got the candy in the long run!

Now, to the cake! Here's a look at Tom's process and the amazing result. 

Once I figured out that Tom was making me a mixer, I had to document the making of this amazing cake!

Cinnamon-Sugar & Walnut Pull-Apart Bread

Wow, say that title three times fast! This pull-apart yeast bread is simple and the process of making it is really fun. Plus, it's made with cinnamon, sugar and butter so your kitchen will smell AH-MA-ZING! Seriously, if you ever need to impress anyone, bake anything in your oven that has cinna-sugar and you're sure to please any nostril. 

Cinnamon-Sugar & Walnut Pull-Apart Bread
Makes one-9 inch loaf
Dough:
 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 envelope active dry yeast

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tbsp. unsalted butter

1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup water

2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Filling:

1 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

1/2 cup walnuts

4 tbsp. unsalted butter

1. In a large mixing bowl sift together 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Set aside. In a small saucepan, melt together milk and butter until butter has just melted.  Remove from the heat and add water and vanilla extract. Let mixture stand for a minute or two, or until just warm to the touch.

2. Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula. Add the eggs and stir the mixture until incorporated into the batter. Add the remaining 3/4 cup of flour and stir with the spatula for about 2 minutes. The mixture will be slightly sticky.

3. Cover dough with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel. Place in a warm space and allow to rest until doubled in size, about 1 hour. 

4. While the dough rises, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg for the filling. Grease and flour a 9-inch loaf pan. Melt 2 ounces of butter until just browned. Turn off the heat. Set all aside.

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread out walnuts on a lined baking sheet and toast in the oven until slightly browned, or about 3 minutes. Turn off the oven, let cool and chop coarsely. Set aside.

6. Punch down the risen dough and knead for about a minute. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 5 minutes. On a lightly floured work surface, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out. The dough should form a rectangle approx. 12x20 inches wide. Use a pastry brush to spread melted butter across all of the dough. Sprinkle with all of the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Sprinkle with walnuts, reserving a few for the top. Slice the dough vertically, into 5 equal-sized strips. Stack the strips on top of one another and slice the stack into 5 equal slices once again. You’ll have 5 stacks of 5 squares. Layer the dough squares in the loaf pan one stack at a time. Sprinkle the top with the remaining walnuts. Place a kitchen towel over the loaf pan in a warm place for 30 to 45 minutes or until nearly doubled in size. 

7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake on center rack for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top is very golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Turn out onto a cake stand or plate. Best served warm, but it can also we wrapped and kept at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Here's the Recipe Card!

Fall into Warm Apple Cider

It's been chilly here in New York City for the past week, leading me to believe that fall has officially started strutting her stuff. I welcome her with open arms and now I can finally start cooking for these colder seasons. First things first: Homemade Apple Cider. I'm sure many of you are like me and get overly excited about the idea of apple picking. Next thing you know, you are stuck with dozens of apples. 

Unless you are like Diane Keaton's character in the movie Baby Boom and planning on starting a baby food applesauce company, I suggest you make this easy Apple Cider. The smell of the steeping apples and spices alone are about as fall as it gets. 

Homemade Apple Cider
prep 5 min, cook time 2.5 hours
12 small-medium apples

1 orange

1/2 cup brown sugar

3-4 cinnamon sticks

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tbsp whole cloves

water to cover

1. Wash and roughly chop apples and orange-do not worry about removing peels, seeds, or stems. Toss into a large stock pot.

2. Add sugar, spices, and pour in water until apple mix is just covered.

3. Leave uncovered and bring to a boil for an hour.

4. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for at least 1.5 hours.

5. Uncover and use a wooden spoon to roughly mash content of pot. Let cool slightly. 

6. Strain apple pieces and whole spices into a clean pitcher or pot. If you have one, use a cheesecloth and twist and squeeze to get every last drop. Keep cinnamon sticks to use as garnish. 

7. Serve warm. Store in the fridge and reheat as desired. (You will have about a 1/2 gallon of apple cider).

Back to School

It's September! Get out your wide ruled paper and Trapper Keepers (or whatever school supply kids flaunt these days on the first day of school). Lucky for me, I never have to go to school again (I'm not really the academia type). But, I do know that if I was in school, these are the supplies I would be showing off! 

1. Anthropology Imprinted Egg Cady  2. Sandwich Lunch Box  3.The Flavor Thesaurus   4. Letterpress notecards by Pie Bird Press  5. Alphabet Totes by Left Right Left  6. Ceramic Ruled Pitchers  7. Alphabet Filigree Candy Lollipops 

And while were on the topic, I suggest avoiding the old apple for the teacher gift. It seems to me that an apple is a pretty crappy gift–unless were talking about an Apple computer, that is. If you happen to be the sentimental type and want to give your teacher an apple, I suggest you upgrade and make these deliciously moist apple muffins adapted from King Arthur Flour. Give your teacher these and you're sure to make honor roll. 

APPLE MUFFINS

serves 12

INGREDIENTS

1 cup (4 ounces) King Arthur 100% White Whole Wheat Flour

1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar

3/4 cup (5 5/8 ounces) dark brown sugar, divided

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk

2 large apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped, or 1 1/2 cups dried apple nuggets

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with parchment paper squares.
2. Mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and add the granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar Beat until fluffy. Add the egg and mix well; stop once to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Mix in the buttermilk gently. Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the apple chunks.
3. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, sprinkling the remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar on top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from the oven, cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the tin, then turn them out onto a rack to finish cooling completely.