Hasselback Potatoes and Apple Braid Bread

I have been putting off a post because I've got nothing to report. Nothing much has happened, I haven't heard back from either interview yet (although I called to check in today). I've got a couple crafts in mind that I want to try out but I don't have the right color tulle for tutu's, canvas for pictures, or yarn for crocheting.

Oil Pan holes & crack size.

As you may know from Facebook, Monday night Ed was driving Hans (the Jetta) home in the pouring rain (when we had record breaking rainfall) and someone threw a rock off an overpass as he was driving under. The rock was small enough to go under the car, but large enough to get stuck. Cracked and put a hole in the oil pan and promptly drained all 5 quarts of oil. It was horribly scary at 10:30 pm in the rain, but in the light of day Tuesday it wasn't nearly as bad as we all thought. He brought the rock home, and while I have yet to see it, Ed says it's flat on two sides from dragging along under the car. A new oil pan and oil was ordered and Ed has been removing the damage and cleaning up the car in preparation for it's arrival. UPS made it here just before Ed was leaving for work tonight, tomorrow Hans should be put back together and running again.

While Ed was working on Hans, I started planning dinner. Made a meatloaf adapted from a meatball recipe. Used rolled oats instead of breadcrumbs, and Ed mixed up BBQ sauce in eggs to mix in throughout the hamburger as well. Also roasted some carrots in butter with salt and pepper which turned out better than planned. The big fun was the potatoes. I've been wanting to try out Hasselback Potatoes for a while now and thought since we have a bag of potatoes trying to sprout I should use them. The main trait of Hasselbacks is that they are thinly sliced but not entirely though the potato. (And in looking for recipes I discovered that they originated in the 1700's from a Swedish restaurant named Hasselbacken.)

Garlic Butter Potatoes: Good.
Using Minced Garlic: Bad.

Baked at 350 for 40-50 minutes. 

We lightly sauteed some garlic in butter and then spent forever debating the best way to get the *minced* garlic butter in the potatoes. Ended up just pouring it over, and I painstakingly made sure there was garlic in each and every slice of potato with skewers. Before putting them in the over with the meatloaf, I drizzled some olive oil over the tops and followed with course sea salt and pepper. They turned out pretty dang amazing and they are versatile. The slices don't have to be super thin, and you can season any way you like. There are recipes all over the internet, such as this one using tomatoes and bacon. Here is one using sage and butter. This site has 10 different suggestions in one. Ed isn't a big fan of baked potatoes, and I'm too lazy to mash 'em myself so I see this being a regular use of potatoes in our kitchen. Since making dinner, I've also learned that the best way to slice though without going all the way though, it to cut the potatoes on a (wooden) spoon. Good to know.

Kirk and/or KD bought a bag of Honeycrisp apples the other day that have just tasted amazing, and Ed has been bugging me to make an Apple Braid Bread ever since. So tonight I have.

For the Filling:
3 medium-size Granny Smith apples
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Peel, core and slice the apples (I didn't peel.. or use Granny Smith). Cut the slices in half (I did smaller pieces, bite sized triangles). Toss with cinnamon, sugar & lemon juice. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Sorry it's so dark...

For the Bread:
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon instant yeast (I prefer SAF Instant Yeast)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons vegetable oil
Mix dry ingredients together. (Tonight I used 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour and 1 cup all purpose white. And  splenda instead of sugar. And I think I forgot salt.. huh.) Add water and oil and mix. (Original recipes says to use a mixer.. I didn't want to, so I didn't.) Once the dough begins coming together flour a surface and kneed until smooth. Roll out dough into a large rectangle (12 x 16 is recommended, but I've never measured). Transfer dough to a greased baking sheet. Cut 1 inch long slices into the sides of the dough, without going all the way across. You should have a solid 1/3 of dough in the middle, and the remaining 2/3's of dough on either side with slices though them. Spread the apple filling down the middle of the dough. Fold the strips of dough across the filling, alternating from one side to the other. Bake for 25 minutes at the 350 degree from before. When golden brown, remove and let cool. (The original recipe has wonderful pictures if you need a more visual explanation. I know I do.)

For the Glaze:
1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
5 teaspoons whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of kosher salt
Pinch of nutmeg
Mix together, and while the braid is cooling brush glaze over in a thick coat. Transfer to a cooling rack to prevent the bottom from getting soggy from sitting in glaze. (I didn't have any confectioners sugar or whipping cream so...)

Hopefully I've got something better to chat about next time.