Paula Deen Controversy, and her Cinnamon Rolls

Paula Deen has certainly been getting a lot of negatively publicity lately for the whole diabetes fiasco. Anthony Bourdain went so far as to call her, “the worst, most dangerous person to America…[who] revels in her unholy connections with evil corporation…[and is] proud of the fact that her food is f—ing bad for you.” Whew, harsh! Anthony Bourdain apparently has no reservations about calling people out

In my humble opinion, Paula seems like a sweet lady, but it is a little shady to have diabetes for three years and to continue to cook the same unhealthy food on her show until she begins endorsing a new diabetes drug. What were her PR people thinking? As Mario Batali pointed out on Real Time with Bill Maher, it probably would have been better if she at least tried to demonstrate a healthy lifestyle before going public about her disease. But, she does not plan to change the kinds of food she cooks on her show, because she has always been one for “eating in moderation.” I do have my doubts about that.

On the other hand, consumers certainly have a responsibility to evaluate the ingredients in the food they cook and make healthy choices for themselves. We can’t simply cook or buy everything that looks good on TV…that is definitely a recipe for bad health. So there is plenty of blame to share. I just hope that cooking shows featuring healthy options become more of a rule than an exception. Can’t hurt, right?

But I digress. Whatever your thoughts about Paula Deen and the diabetes epidemic, you have to give her this: She does make wonderful desserts. My husband and I hadn’t had any sweet treats  in quite a long time and I really felt like baking the other day. My conversation with my husband went as follows:

Me: Should I make a dessert?
Him: Ehh, I don’t know. What would you make?
Me: Cinnamon rolls
Him: YES!

Lol, needless to say, he loves cinnamon rolls. And as usual, Paula Deen did not disappoint, despite all the controversy. I did cut down on the butter a bit, though.

What’s your opinion on Paula Deen?

Cinnamon Rolls

(adapted from recipe by Paula Deen)

Ingredients:

For the dough-

• 1/4-ounce package yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup scalded milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour

For the filling-

• 2 tablespoons melted butter, plus more for pan
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more for pan
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

For the glaze-

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 to 6 tablespoons hot water

Preparation:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. In a large bowl mix milk, sugar, melted butter, salt and egg. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Knead dough on lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes. Place in well-greased bowl, cover,  place on top of warm oven, and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• When doubled in size, punch down dough. Roll out on a floured surface into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle. Brush melted butter all over dough. Mix sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon and sprinkle over buttered dough. Beginning at the 15-inch side, role up dough and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 12 to 15 slices.
• Coat the bottom of baking pan with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan and let rise on top of the oven until dough is doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake for about 30 minutes or until nicely browned.
• Meanwhile, mix butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Add hot water 1 tablespoon at a time until the glaze reaches desired consistency. Spread over slightly cooled rolls.

The Quest for an Apple Orchard, & the Resultant Best Apple Pie Ever

Ever since I started noticing the first signs of Fall, I embarked on one simple mission: To find an apple orchard in Indiana which could hold a candle to Hicks Orchard in my hometown (which, parenthetically, is frequented by Rachael Ray. Which would be kind of a big deal anywhere, but especially in my very small town).

My criteria for such a comparable orchard were quite simple. It would need to have: (a) pick-your-own apples, (b) apple cider, and most importantly, (c) apple cider donuts. That’s not too much to ask, is it? One would think not, but it was hard for me to find an orchard which met all three criteria.

Finally, my pleas for guidance on Facebook resulted in a friend suggesting County Line Orchard, about 90 miles from here. It was a trek, but this orchard far exceeded my expectations! It was GIANT! In fact, it was such a tourist attraction that police were actually directing traffic in and out of the parking lots! Not only did this orchard have pick-your-own apples, apple cider, and apple cider donuts, but it also had a corn maze, pumpkin patch, kettle corn, and well, anything else you could possibly want at an orchard and more. It was quite the thriving enterprise and had me fantasizing about  owning my own apple orchard. I tend to have fantasies like these about a simpler life whenever school is especially overwhelming, haha. I mean, c’mon, planting apple trees has GOT to be easier than writing a dissertation!

But anywho, my day at the orchard did provide a welcome reprieve to the demands of school. My husband and I had a grand ol’ time sampling countless varieties of apples before selecting the winners who would be destined to die in the name of both decadent desserts and healthy snacks.

And these apples certainly did not die in vain. They became an absolutely delicious apple pie, courtesy of  my own merger of the recipes of Paula Deen and my grandma. Could there be a better meeting of culinary minds? I don’t think so. Paula’s filling has just the right texture, consistency, and sweetness, and my grandma’s pie crust is tender and flaky. And it’s topped off by a sweet and crunchy topping. I’m not sure if I’ve ever had a better apple pie!

In fact, I think the only thing that could have made this pie better was having more of it. Next time, I’m making a deep-dish. Look out, apples!

Crunch Top Apple Pie

(adapted from recipes by Paula Deen, and my grandma!)

Ingredients:

For the Crust-

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup cold water
• 1 tsp salt

For the Filling-

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp flour
• Dash salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 1/2 cups peeled, chopped cooking apples (I used Golden Delicious and highly recommend them)
• 8 oz unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp butter, chopped into small pieces

For the Crunch Topping-

• 6 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• Dash salt
• 2 tbsp butter, at room temperature

Preparation:

• To prepare the crust, combine flour and salt in a sifter. Add 1/2 cup of butter and mix with an electric mixer. Then, add the rest of the butter and mix. With a fork, little by little, add the cold water until the pastry holds together. Roll into a ball, and cut in half. Roll out each half on a floured board. Line a 9-inch pie pan with half of the dough. Cut the remaining crust into strips and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Stir in apples, applesauce, and lemon juice. Spoon apple mixture into pie pan and dot with butter. Arrange the remaining strips of dough in a lattice design on top of the pie.
• For the crunch topping, combine flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Using a fork, cut in butter until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle crunch topping over top of crust.
• Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake for 45 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.
• Refrigerate overnight for best results.

Makes 6-8 servings.