Swirled with conditioner and love

First off... measuring ingredients by weight can be annoying... especially when you are trying to put things directly into the mixer, I'm not sitting my mixer on top of the scale, but dirty another bowl? Ok... I guess... but you have fewer measuring spoons and cups to get dirty... so maybe that's the good part? I really did like this recipe and some of the practical ways it makes cinnamon swirly better. You make two layers and roll them together - more swirl! You also spritz the dough with water so the filling sticks. In my case I borrowed a spray bottle from my kid... thinking it was water... then she rushed over... "oh what are you doing with this? Oh it has a little conditioner in it..." We were committed... It was OK, it didn't taste weird and maybe our insides were conditioned. This was perfect toasted with butter on it for Sunday morning breakfast! The swirls got gooey and oh so delicious! Way better than the store brand, maybe a tad heavier, but still pretty stinkin' good!

Cinnamon Swirl Bread
400 grams all-purpose flour
8 grams diamond crystal kosher salt
7 grams instant yeast
3 grams ground cinnamon (1 teaspoon)
236 grams warm water (90°F)
20 grams olive oil
8 grams honey
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
132 grams sugar (⅔ cup)
16 grams ground cinnamon (2 tablespoons)
14 grams all-purpose flour (1 tablespoon, tightly packed)

Mix. Mix the flour, salt, cinnamon, and yeast together in the bowl of your stand mixer. Add warm water, honey, and olive oil. Mix with the dough hook, pausing to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed, until the dough comes together in a shaggy mass on the dough hook and clears the sides of the bowl.
Knead. Increase the speed to low-medium and knead for 3-5 minutes until the dough is soft, smooth, and elastic. The dough may cling slightly to the walls of the bowl but should pull away cleanly.
Rise. Tuck the edges of the dough under to create a ball of dough with a smooth top. Place in a lightly greased bowl and let rise in the fridge for 1 hour.
Cinnamon Sugar Filling. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and press it loosely into a square shape. Use a bench scraper to divide the dough in half so you have two long rectangles. Roll each rectangle out so that they're approximately 7x14 inches.
Spritz the surface of one rectangle with water, then sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar mixture, leaving a ½ inch border around the edges clear. Spritz the top of the cinnamon sugar mixture, then place the second dough rectangle on top of the other, sandwiching the filling in between them.
Carefully lift the dough around the edges to release any air bubbles inside, then pinch the edges of the two layers of dough together. Spritz the surface of the dough with water again, and sprinkle all over with the remaining cinnamon sugar, this time going all the way to the edges.
Roll it up. Roll the rectangle up into a tight spiral log, trying to keep the edges even using the sides of your hands to guide the dough as you roll.
Rise again. Place the rolled-up log of dough in a lightly greased small pullman loaf pan with the seam side on the bottom. Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and let rise somewhere warm for 1 hour until the dough doubles in size.
During the final 30 minutes of the rise time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake. Right before baking, take a toothpick or a long cake tester and poke 4-5 holes down the center of the loaf to allow steam to escape. Bake the cinnamon swirl bread in the center of a 350°F oven for 40-45 minutes, or until an internal temperature of 195° for doneness.
Cool. Carefully turn the baked loaf out of the pan and onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Garden bursting at the seams - need recipes!

Our garden has produced some great veggies this summer and the zucchini do not want to be left out of that party. I usually make zucchini bread and muffins but saw this recipe and decided to give it a try. A few things - I would not use giant zucchini - so many seeds! Oops. Also I added extra seasoning to the bread crumbs. Some garlic powder and onion powder for good measure. This recipe was easy enough, coat and bake, layer and bake. I served with extra sauce and some spaghetti noodles. The kids weren't super fans, which I didn't think they would be - to be honest - but they at their serving anyway. Andy really liked it - but suggested smaller zucchini - duly noted!

Layered Zucchini Parmesan
3 large zucchini, sliced into 1/3-inch coins
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated and divided in half
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup marinara sauce, homemade or bottled
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a large baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Blot zucchini coins with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Place zucchini in a medium bowl and drizzle with olive oil, turning to coat each piece. In a separate bowl, combine half the parmesan, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper.
2. Dip each zucchini coin into the parmesan mixture, turning to coat and pressing the breading slightly to ensure it sticks. Place breaded zucchini coins in one even layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes or until browned and crisp.
3. Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Coat the bottom of a small baking dish with marinara sauce. Layer one third of the crisp zucchini coins over marinara, overlapping if necessary. Sprinkle zucchini layer with mozzarella and the remaining parmesan. Repeat the layers 3 times (or until the zucchini is gone, depending on the size of your baking dish) ending with a sprinkling of cheese.
4. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Let it mellow...

I grew up with the same Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe being made. It was good - just always the same. Always the same. I'm a soft cookie person, I like them chewy. I also like to try different recipes - clearly since that's what I post so often - all the recipes!! This recipe was easy and oh the cookies are so good. I loved that I could make the dough a day ahead and then bake them the following day. Food prep is absolutely my jam and I love knowing I can spend a few minutes one day putting it together and then the next day baking it when I have more time. These cookies are great. I used dark chocolate chunks - chef's kiss - so good. Others might suggest semi sweet... blah blah - ok fine. Some of us like dark, others don't. Some of us get a belly ache with milk chocolate. Meh... anyway... whatever chocolate doesn't bother your belly or that you love - add it. Even M&M's would be great! Make these cookies. The recipes doesn't make a ton, so they'll be perfect to whip up and enjoy tomorrow, not today... you need to let that dough mellow, or whatever.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (12 Tbsp) unsalted butter, melted & cooled 5 minutes*
3/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 and 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or chocolate chunks

Whisk the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until no brown sugar lumps remain. Whisk in the egg and egg yolk. Finally, whisk in the vanilla extract. The mixture will be thin. Pour into dry ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or rubber spatula. The dough will be very soft, thick, and appear greasy. Fold in the chocolate chips. The chocolate chips may not stick to the dough because of the melted butter, but do your best to combine them.
Cover the dough tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2–3 hours or up to 3 days. I highly recommend chilling the cookie dough overnight for less spreading.
Take the dough out of the refrigerator and allow it to slightly soften at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
Using a cookie scoop or Tablespoon measuring spoon, measure 3 scant Tablespoons (about 2 ounces, or 60g) of dough for XL cookies or 2 heaping Tablespoons (about 1.75 ounces, or 50g) of dough for medium/large cookies. Roll into a ball, making sure the shape is taller rather than wide—almost like a cylinder. This helps the cookies bake up thicker. Repeat with remaining dough. Place 8–9 balls of dough onto each cookie sheet.
Bake the cookies for 12–13 minutes or until the edges are very lightly browned. (XL cookies can take closer to 14 minutes.) The centers will look very soft, but the cookies will continue to set as they cool. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, press a few extra chocolate chips into the tops of the warm cookies. This is optional and only for looks. After 10 minutes of cooling on the baking sheets, transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Ignore the color, it still tastes great!

Something we find ourselves in great supply of right now is basil and cherry tomatoes. I swear I only planted four cherry tomato plants but we have far more than that bursting out of the garden. What to do with all this bounty? I found this Caprese Orzo Salad and figured I could try to add grilled chicken and it would be a summery meal - of sorts. I didn't have pesto - so I made some. No pine nuts so walnuts work just as well in my book. I made this the day before we ate it for two reasons. I had time and this seemed like the type of recipe that would be better the next day. What I hadn't planned was that it would be brown... basil is beautiful when it's fresh! When it's cut and open to the air, it changes color. Good thing it still tastes good. We enjoyed this salad - Andy really enjoyed it! Certainly worth making it again - we sure have enough tomatoes and basil!

Caprese Orzo Salad

8 oz orzo pasta, kosher salt for boiling the pasta
1/2 cup pesto
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
8 oz fresh mozzarella pearls, or chopped fresh mozzarella
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Balsamic glaze, for drizzling, optional

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a big pinch of salt. Cook orzo to al dente, according to package directions. Use a colander to drain and rinse with cold water. Transfer to a large bowl.
Add the pesto and stir until the orzo is well coated. Add the tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined. Taste and add more salt and pepper, If necessary.
You can place in the refrigerator to chill or serve at room temperature. When ready to serve, drizzle with balsamic glaze, if desired.

Why start reading recipes now?

Andy's extended family has a big gathering twice a year - once for Christmas and one for summer. The summer event is held at a house on a lake in Wisconsin - lots of food and water fun. Unfortunately, the weather was chilly and windy so very little in the way of water and boat fun. But there was a four month old puppy that the kids and I spent far too much time loving or was it just enough? I'd planned to make these Chocolate Chip Caramel Bars - but Aldi had no Caramel. Oh come on. I stood in the store knowing full well I didn't have time to find caramels elsewhere and decided to try the sweetened condensed milk in the crockpot method. Basically you cook it in the can on low in a crockpot for 6-8 hours. You let it cool, open and you have dulce de leche! Caramel! It worked!! I did end up cooking it in a pot a little longer since it wasn't as dark as I was hoping, also that helped make it thinner so I could dollop it on the bars. Here's why I had to dollop... I was racing through getting things baked and ready and rolling and didn't read the recipe correctly - use half the dough, bake for 10 minutes, add the caramel - then the rest of the dough... so... that's neat. Guess what? They turned out anyway. In fact, I think that pan was the first was empty at the party. Yay! I do love an empty pan. I even had one to make sure and it sure was good. Maybe next time I'll try with real caramels and, oh I don't know, follow the recipe? What a concept!

Chocolate Chip Caramel Bars
1 cup (2 sticks or 226g) butter, room temperature
1½ cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs, room temperature
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate morsels
Caramel Sauce
5 ounces evaporated milk
1 package (11 ounces) caramel bits or wrapped caramels (be sure to unwrap if using the wrapped caramels)

Heat oven to 350°F.
Add butter, brown sugar, and vanilla to a large bowl and with a hand-held mixer, cream ingredients until they are lighter and fluffier. Add in eggs, mixing well after.
Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix on low until combined. I usually add my chocolate morsels right into the cookie dough and mix with the hand-held mixer, but you can also stir them in by hand.
In a prepared 8×12 or 9×13 baking dish, press half of the cookie dough down. Try to get an even layer. Set the remaining cookie dough aside.
Bake for 10 minutes. While the cookie bars are baking, prepare the caramel.
In a saucepan over medium heat, add the evaporated milk and caramel bits. Stir frequently for about 8 minutes, or until the caramels are melted and the evaporated milk is fully incorporated. Remove from heat.
Carefully remove the cookie bars from the oven and place on a heat-safe surface.
Pour the caramel sauce over the bars making sure to get it into every nook and cranny.
Carefully start placing flattened dollops of the remaining cookie dough over the hot caramel. I find it works best to pick up a small handful, flatten it in your hand a bit, and then place that directly on top of the caramel. Do this with all remaining cookie dough. It is ok if there is some caramel showing.
Bake for an additional 15-18 minutes, or until the caramel is bubbling and the cookie is golden brown.
Allow bars to cool to room temperature and then cut and serve.