I am fairly new to Quinoa (pronounced "keen-wah").  I began using it not quite a year ago; after my daughter was diagnosed with a gluten intolerance. Originating thousands of years ago in the South American countries of Ecuador, Bolivia, Columbia, and Peru, Quinoa is actually a seed, even though it is referred to as an "ancient grain".

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350˚F
1.  Butter the interior of a 13x9x2-inch baking pan and line the bottom with waxed or parchment paper.
2.  Make the pineapple topping by melting 1/2 cup butter in a saucepan over low heat.  Add the 1 cup brown sugar and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.  Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly over the waxed paper.  Drain the pineapple rings and reserve 1/2 cup of the pineapple juice.  Place 12 of the pineapple rings, evenly spaced, onto the bottom of the pan.
3.  Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg in a bowl.  In a mixing bowl, beat together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and 1/2 cup brown sugar.  Mix for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally.  Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  With the electric mixer at low speed, add half of the flour mixture, followed by the reserved 1/2 cup pineapple juice and milk; beat until combined.  Add the remaining flour and vanilla and mix just until incorporated.
4.  Spread the batter carefully and evenly over the pineapple slices in the pan.  Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.  Cool in the pan, on a wire rack, for 10 minutes.  Place a serving tray over the pan and using potholders or a towel to hold the two together, carefully invert.  At this point, I let the tray and pan set for a few minutes before I removed the pan, slowly.  Carefully peel off the waxed paper.
5.  Serve upside-down cake warm, topped with yogurt or whipped cream and a maraschino cherry.

MAKES 12 SERVINGS     Cake is best eaten the day it is made.

   
     I am going to tell you something that you may not know -- I am happiest when I'm in my kitchen baking. You're not surprised to hear that, you say -- I do, after all, have a blog called Passions to Pastry.  But I loved baking, or at least the concept of a bakery, at a very young age; before I even knew how to bake.  I remember when I was about seven years old, searching our property and my aunt's next door, for the perfect "retail outlet".  This would be a huge, hollow tree with a large hole in the trunk.  I would stock my pies, tarts, cakes, and cookies inside the tree and sell to hungry customers through the walk-up window (i.e. hole).  I can still remember my total and utter disappointment at not being able to find anything that met my specifications.  To this day, if I ran across the perfect tree, I would probably entertain serious thoughts of setting up shop. 
     I've never told my husband about this either, but I don't think he'd be the least bit surprised.  He's always asking me (with great trepidation) what's going on inside my little head. (Oh... he knows me well, and also knows from experience that he will be roped into becoming an accomplice to any plans I have brewing.)
  

1.  Heat milk in a saucepan on top of the stove, or in the microwave in a 2-cup, heat-proof container until warm (110˚ - 115˚).  Add 1 tablespoon sugar and the yeast.  Whisk to blend.  Let set for about 5 minutes, until foamy.  Add the eggs and whisk to combine. 
2.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour and salt.  Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the flour.  Pour in the milk mixture and stir briefly to combine.  Add the 1/2 cup softened butter, one piece at a time, mixing well after each addition.  When all of the butter has been incorporated, mix on medium-speed for 1 minute.  Increase the speed to medium-high and mix/knead the dough for about 5 minutes, until the dough is soft and shiny.  * My dough was extremely sticky, probably due to my large eggs being VERY large.  I used an additional 3 tablespoons flour, adding 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough was not as wet, but still soft, and was no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl.
3.  Brush a large bowl with a portion of the 1/2 tablespoon melted butter and place the dough in the bowl.  Brush the top of the dough with the remaining butter and cover with plastic wrap.
4.  Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free location for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until double in size. (If you would like to make the dough one day ahead, prepare through step 3 then refrigerate.  When your are ready to proceed, remove from the refrigerator and let rise in a warm, draft-free location for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until double in size.)
5.  Using the additional 1 tablespoon melted butter, brush the cups of a 12-cup muffin pan.  Punch down the dough and divide in half.  On a lightly-floured work surface, roll half of the dough into a 12-inch log (cover remaining dough with plastic wrap).  Divide the rolled log into 6 equal pieces.  Take one piece and divide into 3 equal portions.  Roll each portion into a small ball by cupping your hand over the piece of dough and rolling it against the work surface.  When you have 3 small balls, place them together in a muffin cup.  Repeat with the remaining 5 pieces and then the remaining log. 
6.  Cover the muffin pan loosely with a large piece of plastic wrap (I brush some butter onto the plastic to prevent sticking) and place the pan in a warm, draft-free location.  Allow the dough to rest for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the dough rises slightly more than 1/2-inch above the rim of the muffin pan.
7.  Preheat the oven to 375˚F.  Brush the tops of the rolls with the milk and sprinkle with the sugar.  Place the muffin tin on the center rack of the oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the rolls are puffed and golden brown.  Transfer to a rack to cool.  Serve with the Strawberry Jam (recipe below).
     The rolls may be baked, cooled completely, and stored in an air-tight container in the freezer for up to one month; thaw at room temperature and reheat in a preheated 350˚F oven for 5 to 10 minutes.

   January.  The new year.  After the busyness of the holidays, everything suddenly becomes quiet and time, very briefly, seems to slow down for me.  Many hours are spent contemplating what's ahead.  Is this the spring that I will finally change out my brick-edged vegetable plots for raised beds with new soil?  Will my hand-drawn Cochon on the kitchen blackboard be erased and replaced with a Bouledogue Francaise perhaps?

                                         (notice any similarities?)

Serves 4 as a side portion

• 1 cup black rice
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 grapefruit, peeled and quartered and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 avocado, peeled and diced
• 2 green onions, chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste

1.  Rinse the rice.  In a small, lidded saucepan bring to a boil 1 3/4 cups of cold water and 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Add the black rice, return to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to low.  Cook for about 40 minutes or until the water has been absorbed (check the rice after 30 minutes).  Once cooked, uncover and allow to rest for about 10 minutes.
2.  While the rice is cooking, make the vinaigrette.  In a small bowl, whisk together the minced garlic, orange juice, olive oil, red pepper flakes, and rice wine vinegar.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3.  Place the rice in a serving bowl and add the vinaigrette and remaining ingredients.  Gently stir to combine and adjust seasonings.  Salad may be refrigerated for up to two days.

                                   • an adapted recipe by Susan Weaver •

     Since I am supposed to stay off of my feet for several days because of a bum knee (Can you believe it -- a doctor told me I cannot be in my kitchen!), I thought I would share with you a cookie.  I ran across the Swedish recipe for this orange and chocolate-dipped cookie several years ago in a magazine and it quickly became a favorite of all who ate it.  At the urging of a neighbor, I entered it in our local newspaper's annual cookie contest in 2007 -- and won. Several weeks later, I was informed it was practically impossible to find a jar of orange marmalade in Minneapolis; all had been sold for the baking of this cookie.
     For the past several weeks it seems to me whenever I open the newspaper I see the above photograph which they are using for their holiday cookie contest ad.  And today, this cookie (recipe from the Kosta Guest House in Sweden) was just named as one of the top three cookies of all time submitted to the Star Tribune's annual holiday cookie contest.  Yes, it really is that good.
     So, while I am not standing in my kitchen today, and I am not baking anything in my kitchen today, maybe someone will be making one of my favorite cookies, ever, today.

                                               Get the recipe HERE

    recipe adapted from Once Upon a Tart by Frank Menthesana and Jerome Audureau

  
   Each and every spring when I plant my vegetable garden, I place red cabbages at the corners of my "formal" garden beds. 

                           adapted recipe from Whole Living | September 2010

                                 with Maple-Rum Syrup
            recipe by Sheila Lukins, adapted | from All Around The World Cookbook

• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup ripe mashed bananas
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• Maple-Rum syrup, recipe follows:
1.  Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
2.  In a separate medium-size bowl, combine the milk, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of the oil, the egg, and the vanilla.  Whisk until smooth.  Add the liquid mixture to the dry and mix until the batter is almost smooth.  Some lumps should remain.  Stir this into the dry ingredients, then fold in the mashed bananas.  Cover the pancake batter with a sheet of waxed paper and set aside for about 20 minutes. 
3.  In a small custard cup, mix together the remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil and the melted tablespoon butter.  Use this to brush the skillet when cooking the pancakes.
4.  Using a cast iron or non-stick skillet, heat over medium heat, and brush the base of the skillet with the oil-butter mixture.  Using a 1/4-cup measure, ladle batter onto the heated skillet.  After small bubbles form, flip and brown the other side.  Serve with Maple-Rum syrup. (recipe below).