Welcome to Cinnamon Bunny–miscellaneous thoughts below, baked goods to order on the right. Baked goods are available both wholesale and retail–vendor queries are welcome. Want to know more? Just email the Bunny at meg(at)cinnamonbunny(dot)com or use the contact form. Bun Appetit! =;D
hullo from the cookery!
February 2nd, 2010Uptown Cafe
February 2nd, 2010There’s a brand-new coffee shop in town, Uptown Cafe . Man, they have some good coffee there, a wonderful atmosphere, and good eats. Go there if you want to try my Roasted Veggie Lasagna, Macaroni & Cheese with Prosciutto, Ham and Potato Gratin, various quiches, lemon tarts, berry tarts, carrot cakes, and of course my signature Cinnamon Buns.
Uptown will have it’s public Grand Opening Thursday, February 4th, starting at 6 pm. I’ll be there and hope to see you there, too!
Happy Groundhog Day!
February 2nd, 2010Maybe that rodent in Pennsylvania saw his shadow, but none of the ones around here did–spring IS around the corner! That’s my opinion and I’m sticking to it! =;D
Idiot-Proof Bread–it’s Fast, Cheap, & Vegan, too!
January 19th, 2010In the course of life as a professional cook, it’s easy to run out of time to feed yourself and your family. The no-knead bread recipe I used for our dinner party last year was a hit and I made it often afterwards, simpifying the procedure even more. We find it to be the sort of heavy, filling bread that you don’t need a lot of to feel satisfied, a real boon when you’re watching your weight. It goes well with the comfort foods I tend to cook. And at 75 cents a loaf, it’s a real money-saver, too. (I cook, not code; if the text & images below are cockeyed, I did my best.)
There are 4 ingredients: flour, water, salt, & yeast. Ceresota Unbleached flour is really nice. The yeast, though, needs to be the instant kind. The only place I have found it in the area is at Gordon Food Service in Merrillville. Anyway, whisk together 3 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, and a 1/2 teaspoon of the instant yeast. Stir in @ 1 2/3 cups of 120-degree water. It’ll make a really stiff dough. Spray cooking oil on the inside of both the lid and the pot of an enameled cast-iron dutch oven, preferably a 3- or 3-1/2 qt. one like this KitchenAid one:
Then just dump in the dough:
Put on the lid and set it aside for at least two hours and preferably several. It’ll gradually rise and smooth out and look something like this:
Put the pot (with the lid on) into your cold oven, and set the temperature to 450 degrees. Bake for 40 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for another 15 minutes or so until the top of the loaf looks nice and golden:
Turn it out onto a cutting board to cool:
It doesn’t have to cool for long, though =;D :
I especially like a slice of it with a little butter and honey and a cuppa Earl Grey tea.
Having an Early Groundhog Day
January 11th, 2010–and so far I haven’t seen my own shadow. Haven’t posted anything since just before Thanksgiving, as it’s just been one of those times when it is best to lay low. You know the kind of thing I mean–when you’re not quite sure where you stand, or which shoe is going to drop next, or whether things are very very good or very very bad, don’t trust your own instincts, feeling the lack of sunlight, lack of energy, and just wanting to save what little there is of your best for your nearest and dearest during the holidays.
But the holidays are over now, and life is going on!
Gluten-Free Apple Pies
November 25th, 2009Just got done baking a pair of apple pies for a Thanksgiving order. These are gluten-free, no wheat flour in either the crust or the filling. They smell soooo good, and they look sooooo yummy!
Here they are on the cooling racks
A nice flaky closeup!
Where Will I Hop Up Next?
November 10th, 2009Sometimes things get beyond one’s control, and during these days of a difficult economy, that is the case for nearly everyone I’ve talked to. I am no longer supplying baked goods and soups to Isabella Bean Coffee House. We parted on good terms, and I wish Karen, and Paulette at Bangles, the best of luck.
This leaves me a free agent to pursue new coffeeshop relationships, and I am interviewing with one tomorrow morning. Who? What? Where? When? We’ll see what develops…
Today I am experimenting with some new gluten-free recipes and a twist on my signature Cinnamon Bun. In the Artisan Food business, there is always room for improvement!
The Latest Happenings at Isabella Bean
October 21st, 2009My favorite boutique, Bangles, is moving into the front half of the building occupied by Isabella Bean coffeehouse and Frizzy Izzy hair studio! The painting is done, the fitting rooms are almost done, display pieces are moving in, and it’s looking great. Both shops are planning a grand opening soon, and I’ll post more info as soon as I can.
Getting Back in the Groove
September 22nd, 2009If it isn’t raining, I’ll be back at the Valpo Farmer’s Market on Thursday and Saturday mornings this week. I actually miss it. But it is now autumn, and that’s the time of year baking gets to be sooooo much fun, and eating everything in sight is sooooo tempting. I feel an apple pie coming on, as well as some oatmeal-raisin cookies.
Today I am also setting up a “new” painting studio, the result of swapping work spaces with my husband. It’ll not only have the easel and paints and art stuff, but a rocking chair and reading lamp, and shelves for all my bunny stuff which is still packed away in moving boxes. It will be a true “room of one’s own.”
