mama's cafe

i recently had the opportunity to go to my favorite place for work (san francicso - what i'll always think of as my home) and we were able to find the time to eat at my favorite breakfast place, mama's cafe. here are a few pictures.

there is always a line outside, wrapping around the corner. it usually moves pretty fast, and since it's in north beach, there are always fun things to look at to make the time go by quickly. old asians doing thai chi on the grassy square across the street, the gorgeous st. peter and paul church and just the general area off columbus street. once you get up to the door, they ask you how many in your party and you get asked inside. finally! you watch these guys preparing the amazing food you are about to eat and look over the incredible options and then order. it's cash only so be prepared for that. then you are directed to a quaint table and salivate while you patiently wait for your food.

this is the pan dore. i typically order this because it's so unique and so good. so good, in fact, when i had my mom try it, she figured out how to replicate it and i always ask for that when i go home, too.

i added their home-made huckleberry jam that i always want to buy when i go there. they don't typically sell it but they said next time, if i bring a jar, they might possibly sell me some. i would imagine it costs a small fortune, but would be worth every penny.

so that is my tour of one of my very favorite places to eat, ever. you should make a point to go there, if it's ever possible.

grandma ruth's cinnamon rolls

i've made my fair share of cinnamon roll recipes, but i've never made these ones because they intimidated me. now that i feel more comfortable with making yeasty breads, i was craving some so i busted these out.

the thing i love about these is they don't get tough and dry the next day like other recipes. i will definitely make these as my cinnamon roll of choice, but maybe make a recipe and a half of the frosting to have more to work with, the second pan of these got the shaft with the amount of frosting they received.

scald: 2 cups milk (i researched this and there is no reason to scald the milk, i would just warm it up so it melts the next ingredients)

add: 2 rounded teaspoons salt
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
let stand until warm

in separate bowl:
2 beaten eggs
2 T. yeast dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water and 1 t. sugar

now add milk mixture.
add:
6-7 c. flour until it just curls and handles easily.
drop dough on floured surface and knead a few times adding flour if necessary. put in lightly buttered bowl, cover and let double (about 1 hour). punch down and let come up again (give it about 15 minutes). divide into two and roll on floured board one half at a time. melt 2 T. butter and spread on dough then sprinkle with sugar mixture (1 cup brown sugar and 4 t. cinnamon). roll and cut into 16 rolls. repeat with remaining half.
place rolls on lightly greased pan and tuck under ends. let rise and then bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes. frost while hot out of the oven.

frosting:
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. evaporated milk
1/8 t. salt
2 T. flour

cook until thick, stirring constantly. add:
1/4 c. butter
1 t. vanilla
2 c. powdered sugar (sifted to avoid lumps)

spoon one tablespoon of frosting on each hot roll.

dear fried plantains,

i love you and i think about you all the time.

with love,
caroline.

image courtesy of laylita's recipes.

lizano salsa

is the jam. it's so good. in costa rica, we put it on everything, especially the super delicious rice and beans we had everywhere. you can buy it here. it's a good thing i bought a supply for myself to use at home. i crave it daily.

i'm back...

...and until i have time to post any of my food pictures, i'll leave you with some posts from my photographer friends' pictures here and here. you girls are very talented and thanks to all the girls for making the trip possible and so amazing.

best birthday ever!

gone baby gone

basically i'm going to be out of town till about july 2nd for fun and work purposes starting very early tomorrow morning. so, i won't be able to post anything but i plan to take a bajillion photos of my tropical getaway with some girlfriends for my thirtieth birthday. yep. 30. hard to believe. so, when i get back from that then my work trip right on the heels of my vacation, i will try to post a few things. i hope to learn some local recipes or something.

have a great rest of the month!

xoxo,
caroline

strawberry banana muffins with toasted coconut

i saw this recipe on the joy of baking and wanted to make it but add toasted coconut and use fresh strawberries.

Strawberry-Banana Muffins Recipe

1/2 cup (1 stick) (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup (160 grams) light brown sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon (4 grams) pure vanilla extract
2 large ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
1 cup (240 ml) fresh or frozen blueberries or strawberries (cut into pieces) (i used fresh strawberries)
2 1/4 cups (315 grams) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon (4 grams) ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 grams) salt
** i added about 2/3 cup toasted coconut.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Position rack in center of oven. Line the muffin pan with paper liners or grease with butter or a vegetable spray. Set aside.

In a small saucepan melt the butter. Set aside.

In a medium sized bowl whisk together the brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and mashed banana. Add the melted butter to the brown sugar mixture and stir to combine.

In another large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gently fold in the berries, making sure they are coated with flour. This helps to prevent the berries from sinking during baking. Do not overmix or the blueberries will end up coloring the batter blue. Add toasted coconut. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are just combined. Do not overmix the batter or tough muffins will result.

Fill each muffin cup about two thirds full of batter, using two spoons or an ice cream scoop. Fill any unused muffin cups halfway with water to prevent warping of the pan and/or over browning of the muffins. Place in the oven and bake until a tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Makes 12 regular sized muffins.

Adapted from Oregon's Cuisine of the Rain by Karen Brooks.

lemonade cupcakes

my oldest sister sent me this recipe the other day and i have to say, it's all she said it would be. moist deluxe and lemony.

Lemonade Cupcakes

white cake mix
3 eggs
8 oz cream cheese, softened
8 oz sour cream
6 oz lemonade concentrate, thawed; reserve 2 T for frosting

Mix together on high for 3 minutes. Fill muffin tins
3/4 full and bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes.

Frosting:
1 can cream cheese frosting
2 T reserved lemonade from above

Makes 30 cupcakes

these are messy but so worth it!

ps- happy mother's day mom!

working from home

equals toasted PB&J on homemade bread with mom's homemade apricot jam.


sorry you couldn't be there...

i'm gonna have to get me one of these

i can't tell you how many times i could have used this.