Sh-Sh-Sh-ShishKebab!

I'm not sure what got into me, but I managed to make an insane amount of food on Wednesday. From the time that I got off at 7am until around 8 or 9pm I made 3 king cakes, 4 home made fillings, vanilla cupcakes frosted with buttercream, a pot of white beans, marinated chicken for shishkebabs and roasted potatoes for dinner (yum!) Lately I have been making a lot of king cakes - because I offered to sell them, and people took me seriously... who would have thought!? Haha, I'm having fun! The concept of making delicious baked goods and selling them has occurred to me several times, because I love baking - but I can only afford to buy/eat so much of my products. There is a wonderful little farmers market in Ruston that is starting back up soon and I am considering trying to get some fresh bread and a few sweet treats into the mix there on Saturdays. In New Orleans, where I'm from - there are several artisan bread makers and I always enjoy buying a bagel or a yummy breakfast pastry to munch on while I'm prancing around trying to figure out which veggies I want to buy. I would really like to see some of that here in Ruston, so I guess I'm going to be the one to start it! I'll say more about that when I get more details.

So... King Cakes! I made the awesome cinnamon cream cheese filling that I want in the center of every king cake that I eat, and then blueberry, strawberry, plus lemon filling. The blueberry filling had fresh lemon zest and juice to give it a little brightness, and I resisted from adding too much sugar so that it was not overly sweet. To make a fruit filling, I basically made a simple syrup and added frozen berries. Once that came to a boil, turn it down and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes until the fruit has broken down, and strain the mixture through a sieve to remove the seeds and fruit skins. (At that point, I actually saved the fruit mulch in a mason jar for my toast the next morning). I took the strained blueberry syrup and placed it back into a saucepan and dissolved about 5 tablespoons of corn starch in 1/2 c. water and whisked that slurry into my blueberry sauce. Simmering this for about 2-3 minutes will yield a thick and fruitful filling. Honestly, Blueberry filling and cream cheese filling should both be in the middle of every king cake - but maybe that's just me!

All a king cake basically is - is a sweet egg dough (sort of like challah) with nutmeg and lemon zest in the dough. Egg yolks and yeast are key to making the dough rich and flaky, and the nutmeg really gives it that "king cake" taste. I find that lemon zest usually gives any dish something special that isn't really the star, but it just emphasizes the other flavors. I make the dough and allow it to rise for over 2 hours in the oven, where it is slightly warm. Then, I roll out the dough into a large rectangle and lather it up with filling. Once filled, I roll the dough into a large rope and flip the tail around to join the ends - forming an oval shaped cake.

The cream cheese filling is a low fat neufchatel cheese at room temperature, mixed with a small amount of powdered sugar, cinnamon, and a splash of real vanilla. To make the pecan praline filling - all I do is add butter and pecans + more vanilla to that cream cheese base. It's essential to have at least a thin layer of the cream cheese on any king cake because as I roll the king cake dough, the cream cheese keeps the cake moist throughout for days (not that it ever lasts that long). So, once I have a filled and rolled king cake, it rises for another 45 minutes with a clean kitchen towel over it and then it bakes in the oven about 30-45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the whole house smells like fresh baked bread.

With this hot baby on the counter, wait a while to let it cool completely (I know... it's hard!). At that point, you can dye some white course sprinkles into the colors of Mardi Gras! Don't freak out... when you make the purple, all you have to do is one drop of blue and one drop of red, comes out perfect every time. I put the sprinkles in old clean spice bottles for easy sprinkling because when I ice the king cake, the glaze dries quickly, so I have to ice and sprinkle in sections rather than icing the whole cake first. The glaze is made with powdered sugar, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and a tiny splash of vanilla. Make it to the consistency that you think is best.

Ok, enough about king cakes. Laura and Kevin came over in the afternoon to talk about wedding cake ideas again. I made blueberry filling for the king cakes...and well, I'm a Procido, so why not make some vanilla cupcakes very quickly, stuff them with the blueberry and swirl a tuft of buttercream on top? While I was at it, I piped some buttercream roses in a flash so that Laura could see them. The result... yum. (Alpine liked the smell, but he had to settle for a milkbone instead)

Alpine and Cupcake

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Sugar. Coma.Now, onto the savory! Dinner was almost Paleo Diet acceptable, except for those delicious roasted potatoes :) I marinated some chicken breast tenderloins for shish-kebabs. The marinade was primarily garlic and fresh rosemary, which I crushed with a mortar and pestle with a little olive oil. Then, I added rice wine vinegar and fresh lemon juice for a little acidity. As a good italian, I shook a heavy hand of crushed red pepper and cracked black pepper into the mix, plus spicy mustard, and I let the chicken marinate for about 5 hours. I then cut up some fresh veggies and tossed them in a light olive oil, salt, and pepper coating and skewered them with the chicken. Thanks to Katie for the new griddle on my stove! I was able to grill these inside instead of bundling up in the 30 degree weather and enduring the cold outside. The remaining marinade was not going to go to waste. It smelled too good. I diced up some red potatoes with their skins intact (very important) and poured the marinade over them. A little addition of more fresh rosemary and they were on a sheet pan and in the oven for about 30 minutes until golden and DELICIOUS!

Best Potatoes Ever.

Needless to say, Thursday night after I made an additional king cake + shipped a king cake to my cousin Anna and my relatives in New Jersey, I was pooped! 

So, Vincent and I grabbed some Mahi Mahi sandwiches at Portico. Perfect! Afterwards, we made a quick trip to Walmart to pick up some veggies and other necessities before I left for work this morning. Upon looking at my basket, I though that it was relatively Paleo friendly... except the dairy. I bought bell pepper, celery, carrots, and broccoli to cut up and eat with a spicy greek yogurt dip - made with plain greek yogurt and the spicy southwestern hidden valley dip mix. Also, bananas, pears, and apples for fruit in my diet other than king cake filling, haha. Then, blueberry yogurt makes a tasty snack... and of course, the puppies needed some chow also!

Speaking of puppies - they got a bath yesterday and were fluffy and ready for action!

Pepoose the Moose and Alpine - Fresh and Clean!