Gingerbread Cinnamon Buns

Another day of staying at home because of snow day.  It snowed late morning yesterday and even though there was not much accumulation, the snow has turned into a thin coat of ice this morning.  The school was canceled which meant I didn't have to go to work either.  Honestly I didn't feel like going to work :)  I have to drive uphill to my work and if the roads weren't cleared, which sometimes can happen, I'd rather stay home.

Because of that, I had quite a bit of time at home right now.  I ventured out to the back yard to take photos of icicles and then went back to do the same with my fruitcake.  Yes, I made a fruitcake yesterday afternoon.  No, it isn't a brick-heavy one; this is a lighter fruit cake from a Mary Berry's recipes.  I made this first last month and we really loved it.  It is rather cakey with lots of dried sour cherries, raisins, and fruitcake mix.  Some people are turned off by that fruitcake mix, but I don't mind it at all; my mom used to make a Dutch-style fruitcake using glace red and green cherries when I was young so I grew up eating it.

I will share the recipe later on but this time I want to share what I made for breakfast last weekend.  This is gingerbread cinnamon buns because we're a fan of cinnamon buns.  I think these buns are perfect for the season, the smell of the spices when they're baked is absolutely delicious.  I've always made cinnamon buns the night before and let them do the second proofing in the fridge.  In the morning of, I take them out and let rest for 30 minutes before baking them.  The freshly baked buns are ready in less than 30 minutes.

Gingerbread Cinnamon Buns

Makes 9 servings


1/4 cup warm water (105-115 degrees F)
2 pkg. active dry yeast
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/3 cup molasses
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 3/4 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 recipe Spiced Glaze

In a large bowl combine the warm water and the yeast, stirring to dissolve yeast.  Let stand 5 minutes.  Stir in the next six ingredients (through salt).  Stir in as much of the flour as you can.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough that is smooth and elastic (3 to 5 minutes total).  Shape dough into a ball.  Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size (1 to 1 1/2 hours).

Punch down dough.  Turn out onto a lightly floured surface.  Cover and let stand for 10 minutes.  Lightly grease a 13x9-inch baking pan.  For filling, combine the next five ingredients (through cloves).

Roll dough into a 12x8-inch rectangle.  Spread dough with butter.  Sprinkle with filling, leaving 1 inch unfilled along one of the long sides.  Roll up rectangle, starting from the filled long side.  Pinch dough to seal seams.  Cut into 12 slices.  Arrange and let rise in a warm place until nearly double in size (about 45 minutes).  At this point, you can cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to proof for overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Bake 22 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes.  Drizzle with Spiced Glaze.


Spiced Glaze:  Stir together 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.  Stir in additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, to make a glaze drizzling consistency.


Source:  adapted from Fall Baking 2015, Better Homes and Gardens

Grilled London Broil with Rum Molasses Sauce

How's your Mother's day today?  Mine was wonderfully full of children and good music throughout the afternoon.  My son had his first recital since we switched him to a new teacher last summer.  His teacher has a studio which holds recital in springtime.  The recital was held at Sherman Clay Piano store in downtown Portland, a beautiful store that has old and new pianos, grand and no grand alike.  This year's recital has a theme of Chopin and Schumann's 200th birthday, so students have to pick their music from the Romantic Period.

My son was quite nervous the day before and the morning before the recital; he wished that he could just not go to the event.  The feeling in the room was actually very relaxed and familiar; his teacher didn't want the students to feel pressured to not making mistakes.  Of course, some children were naturally flawless performers :)  Nevertheless, I really had the best Mother's day's gift today since I got to see my son braved himself to play in front of a crowd.

The weather seems to be getting better each week, sunny days are ahead and even with some rains, I couldn't be more happier to finally see some changes in the weather.  But, there's a catch with that, my allergy also seems to worsen.  I went out jogging again last Thursday and immediately my throat hurt and  I can't stop sneezing.   I have to wait until my nasal spray is refilled by Tuesday.

This recipe that I'm sharing today is a grilled London broil with rum molasses sauce.  Grilling time can be resumed in my household because nobody likes to grill under the rain and in the cold weather.  London broil is a perfect meat for grilling but the meat can be tough unless it's marinated for several hours.  When it's ready to be eaten, it's best to slice it thinly and across the grain.   Rum, allspice,  and molasses make a good marinade for the meat; the flavors penetrate it fully and gives out mouth watering aroma when the meat is being grilled.  By using lime juice, the meat is guaranteed to be tender and it lends some acidic taste to balance out the sweetness of molasses.

The accompaniments for the grilled meat were Green Beans with Balsamic Butter and Scalloped Potatoes with Crème Fraîche and Gruyère.  Meat and potatoes, my favorite duo :)

Grilled London Broil with Rum Molasses Sauce

Serves 6



6 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from about 3 limes)

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup dark rum

2 tablespoons molasses (not robust)

1 tablespoon habanero pepper sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

2 1/2 pounds top round London broil (1 1/4 inches thick)



Whisk together lime juice, oil, rum, molasses, habanero sauce, salt, pepper, and allspice in a bowl until well combined.  Put steak in a large sealable plastic bag, pour in marinade, and seal bag, pressing out excess air.  Put steak in a shallow pan (in case of leaks) and marinate in refrigerator, turning several times for 12 hours.

Prepare the gas grill for direct-heat cooking over high heat.

Meanwhile, lift steak from marinade, letting excess drip back into bag, and transfer to a tray.  Pour marinade into a small saucepan, bring to a boil over moderately high heat, and boil, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.  Reserve 1/4 cup marinade for basting and set remaining marinade aside for serving with steak.

Oil grill rack.  Pat steak dry and sear, covered, turning once, until grill marks appears on both sides, about 2 minutes total.  Reduce heat to medium and grill steak, covered, turning occasionally, for 8 minutes more.  Baste steak on both sides with reserved 1/4 cup marinade and grill until thermometer inserted horizontally 2 incehs into meat registers 120 degrees F, about 5 minutes more.

Transfer steak to a cutting board and let stand, loosely covered with foil, for 5 mintues.  Holding knife at a 45-degree angle, thinly slice steak.  Serve with reserved sauce.



Source:  Gourmet Today