beans taste better pickled

Growing up, we never put food up.  Who needs to put food up when you can go to the grocery store and buy anything, all year round? 

Two years ago, I tried my hand at canning. And what keeps me coming back is the experience of opening a jar of pickles or beets or tomato sauce to share with friends and family on new years eve. knowing that i grew the garlic and dill and beans that we are enjoying during the dead of winter is an incredible feeling. and so i put up what i can!

this year, i started with dilly beans.  easy, fast, so tasty!

ingredients

2 pounds green beans, washed and trimmed

16 cloves garlic

lots of dill

4 teaspoons red pepper flakes

8 teaspoons mustard seed

8 12-oz ball jars

4 cups white vinegar

4 cups of water

1/2 cup kosher salt

1. Start by sterilizing the jars--place jars and lids in boiling water for 10 minutes.

2. Fill your jars with all the fixings ( split beans, dill, garlic, red pepper, and mustard among 8 jars)

3. Bring water, salt and vinegar to a boil.

4. Pour brine into each jar, leaving a solid 1/2 inch of space between rim of jar and brine. Cap the jars.

5.  In large pot, bring water to a boil.  When you put your jars of beans in the water, the water should cover the jars be a few inches.

6. Boil full jars for 10 minutes (more or less depending on your location, read more)

7. Wait at LEAST two weeks to enjoy.

 

millions of peaches

I just finished making the following recipe, courtesy of Deborah Flateman...former CEO of the Vermont Foodbank and the woman who hired me for my first real job.  i remember the first time Deb cooked for me...it was a staff meeting. i can still taste that risotto pie. she is an amazing cook and this recipe will not disappoint. ENJOY every bite--and follow to the letter!

By Deborah Flateman

What can you say about peaches? When they’re good, they’re really, really good. And when they’re not, well, the disappointment one can feel is beyond description. You know, when they’re dry, mealy, tough- skinned. Not juicy and tender and sweet perhaps like the ones I remember picking from my grandfather’s tree that, despite his gross lack of attention, still managed to produce small, sugar-sweet  orbs of summer delight.  Juice running down the chin with every bite.  Heaven.

My former husband is a guy who, within ten minutes of talking with him, was able to take you into a zillion directional paths. One day at work where he came in contact with lots of folks from all over the country, he struck up a conversation with a real, honest-to-goodness Georgia peach (a really nice lady from Macon) who promised to send her recipe for peach custard pie. And true to her ‘peachiness’ form, she sent this recipe that has become my absolute favorite in the celebration of our fuzzy, pulpy passion. I also include my mom’s tried and true recipe for flaky pie crust. Give this one a try! The process is easier than you think, and the outcome is absolutely outstanding.

Mom’s Pie Crust

2/3 C (heaping) Crisco

2 C Flour

Salt

6 T Cold Water

Cut the flour and salt into the Crisco until it resembles coarse meal. Add the water and mix in. Don’t work the dough too hard or it will be tough. This is enough dough for a double crust 10-inch pie.

Peach Custard Pie (preheat oven to 375 degrees)

1.       Line a 10-inch pie plate with Mom’s pie crust (use store bought if you must!).

2.       In a large bowl, beat 3 eggs, 1 C sugar, 3 T flour, 1 t vanilla, and ½ C of melted, unsalted butter (in that order). Set aside.

3.       Peel and slice peaches (about 6 large) into the lined pie plate (peaches should fill the pie plate by about two thirds).

4.       Pour custard mixture over the peaches.

5.       Apply a lattice top over the batter and crimp edges (only a lattice top will work here).

6.       Brush with egg wash and sprinkle sparsely with sugar.

Bake for one hour. Serves 6-8 happy people. This recipe also works with frozen peaches if you have a hankering when fresh ones aren’t around.

birthday dinners

I recently invited a friend to dinner for his birthday (well more for dinner, considering he brought the dessert).

I decided on carnitas--Patrick, my friend, likes Mexican food, I like Mexican food, and because I've made this recipe a number of times, I figured it was a sure bet.

I started with a recipe from The Art of Mexican Cooking by Diana Kennedy, and after reading recipe reviews, have made a few adaptations.  The result is quite tasty.

I start with a 3 pound lump of pork butt.

Trim the fat and cut in to similar sized cubes. Add meat to dutch oven or cast iron pot, with a tablespoon of oil. Brown meat.

Once meat is brown, add enough water to cover meat (about 3 cups), along with the following:

- one orange, cut into 8 pieces

- one onion, sliced

- 4 sprigs fresh marjoram

- 4 sprigs fresh thyme

- 3 bay leaves

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tsp pepper

Bring to boil, turn down heat and simmer for 2 hours.  At this point I let the pot cool and refrigerated overnight. 

After a night in the frig, i skimmed the fat off the top, removed sprigs of thyme and marjoram, oranges, and bay leaves.  Heat pot and cook down liquid--about 20 minutes. 

Once liquid is cooked off, turn up heat, add a tablespoon of oil if necessary, shred pork and allow it to crisp up just a bit.

Serve on corn tortillas, with your favorite topping--i like salsa verde, corn salsa, or pico de gallo.

bike rides and potato salad

I definitely believe that food tastes better after strenuous physical activity--running, heavy lifting, etc.  This recipe, however, would most likely taste just as good without all of that work--although i felt better about having a second helping because i had worked so hard! 

Yesterday a friend and I went for a 35 mile bike ride--up and down Vermont's lovely hills and seriously neglected roads.  At the end of it all a beautiful pool and tasty dinner awaited us.  Dinner, the more important of the two, consisted of slow cooked, fall off the bone ribs, slathered with homemade bbq sauce (hopefully this recipe will be forthcoming), coleslaw and the following potato salad recipe:

Grilled Red Potato Salad with Bacon-Blue Cheese Vinaigrette (a bobby flay original)

Ingredients (enough for 8 servings)
4 pounds new potatoes, scrubbed, cooked until almost tender, drained, and halved
1/4 cup olive oil, plus 1/4 cup
Salt and freshly ground black 3/4 pound hickory smoked bacon
1 large red onion, finely sliced
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 cup crumbled blue cheese

Directions
Preheat grill. Toss potatoes with 1/4 cup olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Grill cut side down for 3 minutes. Turn over and continue grilling 2 to 3 minutes. Place in a large bowl.

Place medium skillet on stove or the grill and heat until almost smoking. Add the bacon and cook until golden brown and crisp. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels. Let cool and crumble.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the pan. Add the onions and cook until soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Add 1/4 cup olive oil, vinegar, and sugar and cook until sugar is dissolved. Pour the onion mixture over the potatoes, add the crumbled bacon and parsley and toss to combine, season with salt and lots of black pepper.

Spoon the salad onto a large platter and sprinkle with the crumbled blue cheese.

The flavors are so rich, a little goes a long way.

Tom and Gloria, thanks for a great day!!

strawberry bonanza extravaganza

phil and i went strawberry picking today at Littlewood Farm in Plainfield, Vermont.  Littlewood is a sweet little organic vegetable and strawberry farm in the Winooski River Valley. It's about 10 miles from our house, but today was the first time i had ever been there. PYO strawberries is in full swing at the farm--$4/lb.

the rain had been threatening all morning but phil's weather radar said it would hold off til noon.  the minute we got to the patch, it started raining. we however came prepared--raincoats and boots!

every time i pick berries, i am reminded of why they are so expensive at the grocery.  hand-picking delicate little pieces of fruit, slumped over, digging around for the most aesthetically pleasing. lucky for me, i didn’t care what my berries looked like--just that they tasted ripe and sweet!

in about an hour we had a heaping tray full of perfect-for-us berries. Nearly 9 pounds!

and then began the task of deciding what to do with them. shortcake, bread, tarts, smoothies, cupcakes, jam, ice cream, cheesecake, daiquiris, chocolate covered strawberries---can you say predicable?   every website has a scrolling carousel with the same strawberry recipes--recipes that most of us have tried and loved, but tried a million times. i really wanted something new, different.  not that strawberries aren't perfect as is, right off the stem...but i was ready for an experiment.

in all my searching i only found two recipes that caught my attention:

1. Wheat Berries with Strawberries and Goat Cheese: not much of an experiment, but i do love wheat berries and it was the first savory dish i found. Below is my adaptation of the recipe by giada de laurentiis. this recipe will definitely serves 4-6 people, easily.

Ingredients

2 cups soft white wheat berries, rinsed and drained

3 cups chicken stock

3 cups water

1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Dressing:

1/3 cup oj

juice and zest of one lemon 

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil  

2 tablespoons honey

1/3 cup fresh mint leaves, packed, finely chopped

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

10 medium strawberries, hulled and quartered

1/3 cup (4 ounces) crumbled goat cheese

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (see note)

Directions

For the wheat berries: In a large pan, combine the wheat berries, chicken broth, water, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and cook until the wheat berries are tender, 60 to 70 minutes. Drain the wheat berries in a colander (the berries will not absorb all the liquid) and set aside to cool, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a salad bowl.

For the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the orange and lemon juice, olive oil, lemon zest, honey, mint leaves, salt, and pepper until smooth. Pour the dressing over the wheat berries and add the strawberries, goat cheese, and walnuts. Toss until all the ingredients are coated.

Note: To toast the walnuts, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 6 to 8 minutes until lightly toasted. Cool completely before using.

i forgot to mention, that before all this cooking started we did breakdown and make strawberry mint margaritas! Tequila, strawberries, ice, mint, lime--and blend.










2. Strawberry Jalapeno Poppers: the clear standout, from the California Strawberry Festival, Berry Blast Off Recipe Contest.  The following an adaptation from Berry Blast Recipe Contest finalist Allan Oerlemans of Ventura, CA.

wanton wrappers
jalapenos
cream cheese
fresh strawberries
Oil for frying
Remove tops from jalapenos, slice long way. Remove the stem and chop strawberries. Spread small amount of cream cheese on wanton paper. Place jalapeno slice across wrapper. Spoon heaping teaspoon of strawberries on top of cheese and jalapeno.

Fold sides of the wrapper in, then roll.

Use a small amount of water to help hold the wrapper closed.

Fry in oil until golden brown.









Remove from oil onto a bed of paper towels. eat them hot--so tasty. the recipe suggests serving these treats with strawberry jam. i ate them plain. might try them with a salsa fresca next time, but i really like that they aren't super sweet.  I love the bite of the jalapeno...so good!
    

celebrating the sun, season

yesterday we had a wonderful solstice celebration. good food and drink, great company, perfect weather and a few heart felt games of cornhole.

the menu included roasted dill potatoes with garlic mayo, cold soba noodle salad, caprese salad, mango shrimp, grilled veggie/chicken kabobs (no recipe here--be creative: lots of veggies. marinate everything overnight with your favorite spices and quality olive oil and vinegar), veggie pot stickers with spicy soy dipping sauce, quinoa salad with mint, feta and cucumbers, build your own berry shortcakes, and pimm's cup.

DILL POTATOES
1 pound new red potatoes, bite size dicing
1/3 cup fresh dill
quality olive oil
salt, pepper, cayenne---to taste

Dice potatoes toss with dill, oil, and spices.  Roast at 400 until tender. About 20 minutes. Serve with garlic mayo (made with 1 clove garlic, diced and 1/3 cup mayo).






SOBA NOODLE SALAD
15 ounces soba noodles
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons lime
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1-2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 carrots, grated
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 red pepper, chopped
1 cup smoked tofu, diced



Cook soba noodles--add to boiling water and cook until tender (about 5 minutes). While noodles are cooking, mix all other ingredients together. Drain and rinse the noodles with cold water. Toss noodles in with veggie/sauce mixture. Refrigerate minimum of 1 hour--I made the salad the night before. Serve cold.

CAPRESE SALAD
1 cup baby mozzarella balls, drained
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste

mix ingredients, drizzle with oil and vinegar and season to taste. so fresh, so simple, so good.

MANGO SHRIMP
1 ripe mango
8 ounces fully-cooked shrimp, i used salad shrimp
1/4 cup finely-diced red onion
1 large avocado, diced
1/4 cup finely-chopped cilantro
juice of 1/2 a lime
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
salt and pepper to taste



Peel and dice the mango. Mix the mango and the shrimp together in a bowl. Add the avocado, onion, cilantro, lime juice, cayenne, salt and pepper. Cover and chill until time to serve.

VEGGIE POT STICKERS

1 red onion, diced

2 tablespoon minced ginger

1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms

1 cup white cabbage, shredded

1 cup carrots, shredded

1 cup chopped chives

salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 package wanton wrappers

Canola oil

In a wok, add a little oil and saute onions and ginger. Add the mushrooms and stir. Add the cabbage, carrots and chives. Season. Cook until mixture is soft. Add the sesame oil and cilantro when mixture is cooled. Check for seasoning. Assemble wanton wrappers with mixture. In a hot non-stick pan, coat with oil and place dumplings. When bottom gets brown, add 1/4 cup of water and immediately cover. This will steam the dumplings. Carefully watch the dumplings and completely evaporate the water so that the bottom gets crispy again and sticks to the pot. Makes about 25.

SPICY SOY DIPPING SAUCE

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1/3 cup sliced scallions

1 teaspoon sesame oil

QUINOA SALAD

1 cup uncooked quinoa

1 cucumber

4 oz feta

juice of one lemon

1/3 cup fresh mint

1 tomato, diced

2 cloves garlic

quality olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Cook quinoa and let cool (one cup quinoa, two cups water--takes about 20 minutes to cook). Let cool.  Add diced cucumber, mint, feta and tomato to quinoa and mix. dress with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper.  

BERRY SHORTBREAD STATION

1 pint blueberries

1 carton strawberries

1/2 pint blackberries

Country Style biscuits

whipped cream

homemade strawberry rhubarb compote (my first attempt at cooking with rhubarb--rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, lemon, cooked until tender and delicious!)

Bake biscuits, wash and mix berries together.  assemble as you please, top with plenty of whipped cream....YUM!

PIMM'S CUP

1 part Pimm's No. 1 (gin based liqueur)

1 part lemonade

1 part cucumber water

spash of ginger beer (reed's is a great option)

dress class with lemon wedge and cucumber slice

We had this version while on vacation in Asheville.  The cucumber water (64 oz warm water, 1 cucumber, juice of 1 lemon--mix and refrigerate) gives this drink a refreshing, clean taste.

Happy summertime!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr0tTbTbmVA&feature=related 

on the road

I've been on vacation since the end of May, which I thought would leave plenty of time for blogging.  Not so much.  But I have had lots of time for visiting and eating, of course.  Each time I have stopped in to see someone, I have labored over what to bring (sorry Lauren--IOU).   My favorite bottle of wine is a bold red and not condusive to this heat.  My favorite berries are still coming from distant lands.  And my favorite chocolates didn't survive the road trip from Vermont.

Granola has been the great stand in this time around.  I found this recipe in a February issue of Martha Stewart Living. I was looking for something sweet and delicious to make Phil for Valentines Day and found this recipe to be the only standout.

photo courtesy of marthastewart.com

Makes 7 cups--i typically double or even triple the recipe.  

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup dried unsweetened coconut chips (i get these gorgeous flakes in bulk from Hunger Mountain Coop)
• 1 cup almond slivers (Martha calls for pecans or walnuts, quartered--use your fav)
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (grade B adds the best flavor, and i have been using Phil's homemade gold!)
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries (but use your favorite dried fruit)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix together oats, coconut, nuts, syrup, oil, sugar, sesame seeds, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Spread granola in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring every 10 minutes, for 40 minutes. Add cranberries, and bake until granola is toasted, about 10 minutes more. Let cool completely.

If you're looking for a granola that clumps, this isn't it.  It's got a great crunch and sweetness, but it doesn't really clump.

He calls it "dinner duty"

Phil has been cooking a few nights a week. And as much as I love to cook and have what some might call "control issues" in the kitchen, it has been so nice to have a few days a week where I don't wake up thinking about how I am going to turn nothing into something called dinner.

Monday Phil decided to try a few recipes from the Burlington Free Press, our local daily. The menu looked like this...

First, a "tex-mex" spice rub for chicken thighs.  Next, coleslaw. And finally, potato chips. 

The Rub:

1/4 cup kosher salt

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

rub meat (in our case chicken) with rub.  Phil fired up the charcoal grill.  cooked thighs over direct heat for 3 minutes on each side and then moved the chicken to indirect heat for another 15 minutes.  keep the top on grill for better cooking, says grill master Phil.

The Slaw:
1 green onion (all of it, diced)
1 shredded carrot
1 small head broccoli, broken into small pieces
1/2 small head of purple cabbage, shredded

4 tbsp red vinegar

2 tbsp course ground mustard

2 tbsp tamari

chop, dice, shred veggies. mix wet ingredients in a small jar with tight lid.  combine. letting it sit out of the frig for a bit will allow for veggies to tenderize a bit.

The Chips:

4 potatoes (we used Idaho)

2 tbsp salt

4 cups peanut or canola oil

using a mandolin, slice potatoes thin. rinse with running water, then soak in cold water and 2 tbsp salt for 30 minutes. use towel to dry slices before frying.  Add oil to pan, heat to 325.  add slices in batches. cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden brown.  remove slices with slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.  We added salt and pepper at this point, but you could add any spice. 

And put it all together and what a treat!  A great summer meal to enjoy while watching the Bruins win game 5! Thanks Phil!!

lemon makes my world swirl

lemons are these amazing little bursts of sunshine and when i have them in the house, I feel like summer all over. sometimes I dream about living in a place where I can grow my own. maybe in my next life.

a few weeks ago, i attempted my first ever lemon curd recipe.  it was for these little lemon meringue tarts i was making. something so delicious should be really difficult to make, right? WRONG.  Lemon curd is super easy and the little lemon meringue tarts were even easier.

start with 8 egg yokes. 

squeeze enough lemons to garner a cup of juice.  my lemons were pretty juicy so i only needed four.  before you juice them, remove the zest.  you will need two tablespoons for this recipe.  

Add 2/3 cups sugar and 2 tablespoon cornstarch to the yokes. Cook medium low heat, until combined, about 1 minute--whisking constantly. Add lemon juice and zest and cook till as thick as sour cream--about 4 minutes, again whisking constantly. Strain and add butter, stir...

and that's it!

lemon curd is like cheese, bacon and avacados--it makes everything better. use it soon and often!

Vermont Restaurant Week

This year was the second annual Seven Days Vermont Restaurant Week, to benefit the Vermont Foodbank.

Last year, I dropped the ball and didn't make it out to a single restaurant during the promotion, so this year I was determined to get to at least one.  In fact, I made it out to two--Farmhouse Tap and Grill and Michael's on the Hill.  I had been to both of these restaurants before last week, but I will say that the special Restaurant Week tasting menus made for a better gastro-experience this time around.

And now, in pictures, the Maple and Ramp Tasting Menu at Michael's...

 Phil with the Rabbit and Ramp Terrine with maple mustard.

Maple-Smoked Vermont Trout with heirloom-bean salad and pickled-ramp crème fraîche...YUMMY!

Maple Glazed Pork Loin with potato-ramp roesti and creamed mushrooms.

And Maple Pudding with rhubarb compote, Chantilly cream and maple sugar.

Special thanks to Seven Days for again including the Foodbank in Vermont Restaurant Week! 

an occasion to celebrate

I spend the weekend with friends, both old and new, to celebrate my soon -to-be married friend, Sarah.  Nine of us gathered at her family's beach house for a weekend retreat, complete with swimming in the ocean, beach yoga, home grown karaoke and a few delicious meals to remember.

On Saturday night, the group headed out to Chive Blossom.  Great atmosphere, friendly service, and an open kitchen, which I love. 

The menu is packed with salads, seafood, and pasta. It took us all some time to decided. I finally settled for the chive blossom chop salad made with romaine hearts, candied pecans, dried cranberries, red onion, egg, applewood smoked bacon, hearts of palm and citrus vinaigrette.

And one of the evening's specials, jumbo lump crabcake with lobster and corn smashed potatoes, sugar snap peas, and a dill cream sauce (shown here almost completely eaten because I took one bite and forgot myself).

 

I am a firm believer that food is only as good as the company it is shared with, and perhaps that is why this meal was so good. Sarah is an amazing woman I met while working in DC and the friends that gathered this weekend are people from every walk of her special life.  Friends from grade school, from college, from work, from places she has lived, from grad school, family, etc.  And while the reasons they are drawn to her are many, so too are the reasons she is drawn to them.

Keep an eye out for these women. They are all certain to change the world. And i was lucky enough to share a meal with them!

Congratulations, Sarah and Gabriel.  Cheers to you both!



In search of the perfect cinnamon roll

I just finished watching Kings of Pastry (thanks for the suggestion Diane) about the famous French pastry competition that happens every four years called the Meilleur Ouvier de France.  Each of the 16 chefs in the multi day competition were true artisans, coming up with complex and beautiful food.  And their passion and focus was inspiring.  See it.  Its a play instant on Netflix. 

And on to cinnamon rolls. For Easter weekend, I invited myself to a co-worker/friend’s family breakfast in Montpelier, VT.  What to bring? I oscillated between coffee cake and cinnamon rolls.  But considering I have never made a successful batch of soft, tender, chewy cinnamon rolls—I opted for cinnamon rolls, of course. 

Finding the perfect recipe proved challenging.  I am currently away from my cookbook repertoire, although I doubt that I have a good recipe in any of the books I own. Instead, I took to the internet.  I was again reminded of how many food blogs there in cyber space, but found one helpful: http://spinningsugar.wordpress.com/.  A bit messy and hard to read, but helpful.  The author talks about her/his love of cinnamon rolls like this: “I prefer mine tender and fluffy, the filling sweet and spicy, and a glaze so sinful no one can resist licking the gooey remnants from fingertips.”  BINGO.  Me too!

I also took some advice from my man Alton Brown about letting the dough rise overnight in the frig.

The result?  Amazingly tasty rolls. Soft, chewy and hours later, still tender. 

The dough:

·         2 Tbsp. yeast (dry active)

·         1 cup warm water (115-degrees F.)

·         1 cup granulated sugar, divided

·         1 cup buttermilk

·         1 cup butter

·         2 teaspoons salt

·         2 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks, slightly beaten

·         5-6 cups all-purpose flour

·         6 Tbsp. melted butter

In a small bowl, combine yeast, warm water and 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Stir and set aside to proof.  Should get really bubbly.

In a small saucepan and over VERY low heat, place the milk and butter heating just until the butter melts.  Remove from heat and allow to cool to 100 degrees (F).

I was without my mixer so i mixed everything together with a wooded spoon, starting with the yeast mixture, remaining sugar and eggs.  Mix until blended.  Add the salt, warm buttermilk-butter mixture and 3 cups of flour and mix until smooth, scraping the sides often.  At this point, i added 2 additional cups of flour and mixed with the spoon and then kneaded with my hands for about 10 minutes (You may need to add additional flour.  If so, add only 1/4 cup at a time, trying to add as little as possible). 

Remove from the mixing bowl and form the dough into a round.  Place the dough into a lightly-oiled bowl and cover. Set in a warm place until double in bulk.  I left it for a good three hours and it got HUGE. 

The Filling:

• 1 ½ cup packed
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch salt
• 3 tablespoons melted butter

Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Mix until well incorporated. Set aside until ready to use.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently shape the dough into a rectangle with the long side nearest you. Roll into a rectangle—my dough was was about 19 by 15 inches. Brush the dough with melted butter, leaving 1/2-inch border along the top edge. Sprinkle the filling mixture over the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border along the top edge; gently press the filling into the dough. Beginning with the long edge nearest you, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Firmly pinch the seam to seal and roll the cylinder seam side down. Very gently squeeze the cylinder to create even thickness. Using a serrated knife, slice the cylinder into 1 1/2-inch rolls. This batch made 17 rolls. Arrange rolls cut side down in the baking dish (any kind you like—round, square, rectangle.  Be sure to butter the sides and bottom). Don’t pack them too tight, they expand; cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight or up to 16 hours.  [NOTE: i had some great pictures of this step but they are stuck on my camera. i promise the next post will be more pictures, less writing!]

Remove the rolls from the refrigerator and place in an oven that is turned off. Fill a shallow pan 2/3-full of boiling water and set on the rack below the rolls. Close the oven door and let the rolls rise until they look slightly puffy; approximately 30 minutes. Remove the rolls and the shallow pan of water from the oven.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

When the oven is ready, place the rolls on the middle rack and bake until golden brown, approximately 30 to 35 minutes.

The Icing

• 1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

While the rolls are cooling, make the icing by whisking the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy. Add the milk and whisk until combined. Sift in the powdered sugar, and whisk until smooth. Spread over the rolls and serve immediately.