Cinnamon Rolls

The food in Alaska has been a bit less than stellar. In fact, some of it has been downright bad. But then the momma, with a little assistance from the poppa, came to the rescue, with the purchase of a five pound bag of flour, a generous container of cinnamon, and a bit of butter. We waited several days to actually make the cinnamon rolls since we were without our own kitchen until we reached Seward. But yesterday morning, these delicious treats emerged from our sketchy oven and made their way quickly into our hungry bellies!

Cinnamon Rolls

Kathy Gondring [Mom]

Makes 10 rolls.

Dough
In a large bowl, mix together:
1 cup water
1 tablespoon yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg

One half cup at a time, mix in:
about 2 cups flour
Kneed dough for about ten minutes, so that it is soft and tacky. Cover and let rise until dough has doubled in height, about 90 minutes. The warmer the room, the faster the rise, so rise time will depend upon the temperature of your kitchen.

While the dough is rising, prepare the filling.

Filling
In a small bowl, use a fork make a crumbly paste:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Set aside until ready to use.

Punch down the dough and roll out into a 12x18 inch rectangle. Use a spatula to spread the filling over the dough. Roll dough into a long cylinder. Cut the roll into 3/4 inch pieces with a very sharp serrated knife - or even better, unwaxed unflavored dental floss.

Place rolls in buttered casserole dish. Place in the refrigerator and let rise overnight.

In the morning, remove from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature about 2 hours.

Preheat oven 350º

Let rolls bake for 20 minutes.

While the rolls are baking, prepare icing.

Icing
In a medium bowl, combine:
2 cups confectionary sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
If the icing is too thick, add a little more milk until the consistency feels right. Use a spoon to drizzle over the warm rolls. Serve immediately.

Eat up!

Alaska: The Denali Highway + Denali National Park

While usually a woman of many words, I think this blog post is best left to the photograph. They are, after all, worth a thousand words.

On our first full day in the 49th state we drove from Anchorage, the biggest city in Alaska, to Paxton,  possibly Alaska's tiniest township. The views were so spectacular, we stopped at this pull off in an attempt to capture the beauty.

Jason is usually the first to spot wildlife, but I am proud to say this moose spotting was all mine!

In addition to $.25 coffee, Eureka Lodge served up a giant slice of delicious coconut creme pie and a great view of the mountains [note the reflection in the window].

America: Stars, Chevys, and Fireworks

Day #2 consisted of more great views. We drove on the Denali Highway from Paxton to Healy, stopping three times to hike. This first hike was a short jaunt along the ridge for a view of Echo Lake.

Hike #2 was to McClaren Summit. The day started out without a cloud in the sky, but I think I like it even better with these big poofy cotton balls.

Jason reclaimed the title of Best Moose Spotter after he spotted this Momma Moose with her two little ones off in the distance.

Back on the road again, we saw several swans a swimming.

Hike #3 straight up a hill through fields of mosquitos yielded this amazing view.

Denali, often known as Mt. McKinley, is the highest peak in North America. We were lucky enough to see her on our drive through Denali National Park, a feat that is only accomplished 20% of the time.

In order to get inside the interior of Denali National Park, visitors can hike, bike, or take a shuttle bus. We opted for the third with only one minor hiccup: our bus broke down! Instead of sitting in the overheated bus waiting for the mechanic, the four of us decided to walk along the road until another bus came by with room.

Luckily, we were on the bus when we saw this beauty. We heard that her two cubs were hidden somewhere in the bushes, but we never saw them.

Pot Roast with Root Veggies + Gravy

My good friend, Ashley, drove all the way to Winston-Salem to visit me on Monday night. We had an excellent time catching up. I always enjoy our visits together, as this one was no different. Yay for good friends!

Pot Roast with Root Veggies + Gravy
Kelley Gondring

Preheat oven 350º

In a large, deep skillet, heat on medium high:
1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Sprinkle a:
4 pound piece of pot roast
on all sides with salt + pepper
Place in the skillet and brown on all sides.

Remove beef from skillet. Reduce heat to medium low and heat:
1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Add:
1 white onion, peeled and very coarsely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, diced
Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add:
4 cups beef broth
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
2 teaspoons pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon salt
Let simmer uncovered 15 minutes.

Add the beef to the broth, plus:
4 turnips, peeled and cubed
6 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 large Yukon potatoes, peeled and cubed
Cover and place in oven. Let bake 2 hours.

Remove the skillet from the oven and let sit for several minutes. Transfer the meat and veggies to a serving dish. Use remaining liquid as au jus or to make gravy. I prefer gravy!

Gravy
In a medium saucepan, melt:
2 tablespoons butter

Add:
2 tablespoons flour [for gluten-free version, use sorghum flour]
Stir together with a whisk until a thick paste forms. A little at a time, add the reserved broth to the paste, whisking constantly. Add only a spoonful or two at a time to begin with so that it incorporates easily into the paste. As more and more broth is added, you'll be able to do so in larger quantities.

To serve, pour over meat and veggies.

Horseradish Sauce
Jason was hungry enough that he wanted me to skip this extra step. Luckily, I knew how good this addition would be and took the 2 extra minutes to make it. Make as much or as little as you wish, but the proportions are two parts mayo and one part horseradish. In exact terms:

In a small bowl, combine:
2 dollops mayonaise
1 dollop horseradish

Serve with a green veggie to add some extra color [and nutrition] to your plate. We sautéed bok choi in a little butter and three small cloves of garlic.

Eat up!

Lemon Cheesecake

It is a testament to the phrase "practice makes perfect" that I was able to make a cheesecake without planning it all out ahead of time. So much of cooking is screwing it up for years until you finally get a feel for a dish. The trick for me was learning which cooking method I liked best, and trusting everything I'd read saying a cheesecake continues to set even after removing it from the oven.

At the last minute, Dad became available for Father's Day lunch. We needed chicken for the Thai Chicken Wraps I planned to make for lunch, so Jason and I headed to the grocery store. It was there I pondered what to make for dessert. Something with lemons was the obvious choice, but I'd already made him a Lemon Meringue Pie for his birthday, so that was out. I could do a cake, but cake never tastes as good days later, and there would certainly be leftovers since it was only the four of us eating lunch. Then it dawned on me: Lemon Cheesecake. We'd already planned to stay in for movie night (Midnight in Paris), so timing wouldn't be an issue. And cheesecake has the amazing ability to freeze perfectly so that when we didn't finish it, we could return from Alaska and eat frozen Lemon Cheesecake!

Lemon Cheesecake
Kelley Gondring

Preheat oven 500º

Crust
Combine in a medium bowl:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
6 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
Thoroughly mix so that all ingredients are well incorporated. Pour mixture into the springform pan. Spread crumbs evenly across the bottom, using your fingers to firmly pack. Place in refrigerator.

Custard
In an electric mixing bowl, add:
2 eight ounce packages cream cheese, softened
2 eight ounce packages reduced fat cream cheese, softened
Using the paddle attachment, mix at moderate speed for thirty seconds.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and slowly add:
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup whipping cream
Mix 1 1/2 minutes so that the ingredients are smooth and creamy. Half way through, scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Over beating the batter will result in it rising too much and then falling when it cools, so set a timer if necessary.

One at a time add:
4 large egg yolks*
Beat until yolk is incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and repeat.

*Funny story. We had exactly four eggs, which was perfect. No obnoxious extra trip to the store. There I am, separating the yolks from the whites over the sink. Normally, I save the whites and freeze them, but I have two entire containers of eggs whites in the freezer, so I decided to let these go. Bad idea. I was separating the second egg when both the yolk and white slid from the shell and down the drain. The lesson here? Don't separate yolks and whites over the sink, no matter how many years of practice you have. All that said, I risked using just the three yolks and it worked out fine.

Using a low speed, mix in:
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
zest from two lemons
until just incorporated.

Pour batter into the spring-form pan over top of the graham cracker crumb crust. Cover with a piece of aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 200º and bake for one hour.

Turn off the oven and use a wooden spoon to hold the oven door ajar (yes, the center of the cheesecake should still be jiggly in the middle). Let the cheesecake sit for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before refrigerating.

Refrigerate at least 12 hours before serving.

Decorate with whipped cream and lemon zest.

Eat up and wish your old man a "Happy Father's Day!"

Cucumber Salad

As a kid, I wouldn't even try this salad. Now it's a favorite.

Cucumber Salad
[mimicking Mom's recipe]

Thinly slice:
3 small cucumbers
3 small green onions, bulb only
Place in a medium bowl.

In a small bowl, combine:
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons white sugar

Once the sugar has mostly dissolved, pour over the cucumbers. Let sit for at least and hour before serving.

Eat up!