Hot Chocolate – Kevin stole my mug

We spent a lot of time cooking this holiday season. Most of our family gifts included homemade breads and other goodies, plus we cooked our usual holiday meals. In honor of our new kitchen, most of my gifts were cookbooks. (The cookbooks are also great photography books!)

Highlights here are both deep fried. Christmas dinner turkey (on Christmas Eve), and beignets from Cafe du Monde mix on Christmas morning. Both have been traditions in our family now for many years.

Deep Fried Turkey, waiting to be carved

Cafe du Monde Beignets

Sarah’s grandfather would make Rolly Pollys from scratch on occasion. Though they seem to be a lot like cinnamon rolls, her grandfather would prepare them for dessert. Tonight we did the same.

The dough is simple, and more like a crust than bread. Here’s his recipe:

ROLLY POLLYS

• 4 cups sifted flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 level teaspoons baking powder
• generous cup of shortening
• liquid (milk) to make a fairly soft dough.

Mix flour, salt & baking powder together. cut in shortening or rub it in until mixture is crumbly. add liquid to make a soft dough. roll dough to about 1 inch thick, spread 1/2 lb soft butter (not melted) then spread this over with light brown sugar to at least 1/2 inch thick, sprinkle with cinnamon, roll up into a long roll. cut slices 1 inch thick, grease pan & place rolly pollys right side, dont pack to tight in the pan. Bake in a hot over for 20 minutes or until light brown & sugar & butter begin to bubble. be careful they do not burn.

The process photos:

The recipe doesn’t say how much milk to use. I used a cup and a half, and that was about right. I also baked them at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Because it’s a crust and not a bread it doesn’t turn brown like cinnamon rolls do. Critique from the expert also notes that the roll should be much tighter than the one I did.

Part of her happy memories was the mess that was created and that if you made them right you’d be covered with flour at the end. Success!

If you ever visit Monrovia Canyon Park, be sure to grab their “Top 10 Birds of Monrovia Canyon Park” handout. My Acorn Woodpecker photograph was used in it.

Yea Monrovia!

I wrote my first full Flash game over the weekend. It’s called Pong Pong and you can play it at
www.anirama.com/pongpong.

It’s a simple game. You have two paddles, one that moves vertically along the left wall, and one that moves horizontally along the bottom wall. Balls are served from the upper right corner. Using the mouse to control the paddles you need to keep the balls in play. After a number of successful hits additional balls are launched. The more balls you manage, the higher your score per hit.

My best score so far is 1250, with six balls in play. To be fair, I never had a chance to hit the sixth ball – I failed soon after it was launched.

Let me know how you do. Good luck!