Mystery Ingredient Monday #2

I'm feel'n SUPER FLY!! (said with all kinds of swank and swagger that I don't possess) that this little-O-blog has recieved some attention from some BIG-O-bloggers. I will attribute it to my much more suave SIL's whom are literature extraordinaires. Thank you for helping this random idea become successful.

Last week Jessica kicked off the Mystery Ingredient Monday (MIM) with her choice of Cherries.
This week is my choice, so at the end of this post you will find our new Mystery Ingredient (MI).

Cherries

I used these. Whole dried tart cherries

Robert has a keenness for cherries and since fresh ones aren't in season all year long, we buy the dried to get him through the other 9 months of the year. They are plump even though they're dried and have a sweetness to complement their tang. Usually we eat them out of the bag, by the handful like the primates we are... Yes, we have opposable thumbs.

I thought I would spice things up a bit. I have an Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe that calls for coffee and pretzels, I figured adding cherries would bring a whole new level of YUM. So, I went with it. Robert did all my prep while I nursed the huge babe I birthed so he would be content while I played baker with the girls. 

Look how all the ingredients are showcased so beautifully. 

Boy oh boy does this photo come back to bite me in the-you-know-what!

My intent was to show the importance of prepping your ingredients, especially if you have children who want to help. Doesn't it look like I know what I'm doing? HA! Just wait...

Here's our end result. 

Good news. They taste great. 

Bad news.

1. They are a bit rubbery chewier than I like.

2. They aren't as fluffy as they should be.

3. You see the 2 WHOLE sticks of butter in the previous picture...

Yea. That didn't get prepped.

Soooo, the recipe calls for 14 Tablespoons of butter not 16 and well, since I thought all the ingredients were prepped, I didn't bother to double check the ingredient list. Also, I pulled the butter out and placed it on the counter so Robert thought I was going to prep it. Nope, sure didn't. I just started following the directions. Yup, I added all 16 Tablespoons of butter. Whoops! This is why I don't usually bake or cook. But hey, I thought I would be genuine and share my mistake, because well, you live and you learn. And humility helps us grow in virtue. Am I Right. Plus it does showcase the importance of prepping. 

SURPRISE!!

Added bonus to this post curtsey of my husband and his mother, who both, decided to play along. A family that bakes together... Shares a lot of L O V E. Love. 

My Mother-In-Laws' entry

Jessica submitted this fun Cherry Clafoutis recipe last Monday when she announced Cherries as her MI. My Mother-In-Law equipped with her savvy William Sanoma Cherry Pitter  and some family friends gathered around and went to work on this fabulous dessert! I promise you. It was divine! 

My Husbands' entry

Because all the O'Brien's have a healthy sense of competitions. Robert had to throw down too. Well in reality he was baking it for the Catholicism DVD series we take part of once a month; it just happened to fall on this Sunday and he just happened to uses Cherries. Okay, okay, okay... He made other things for it too. But still. 

His recipe is from the April/May 2010 Cooks Country magazine.

 Titled: Cherry-Almond Coffee Cake.

I know, it even looks prettier than mine. Whatever.

Oh.My.Goodness! I could eat this everyday for the rest of my life but that sure won't help me shed the extra baby weight I'm still lugging. The great and all powerful, almighty, Culinary-Extraodinair, himself had a bit of difficulty with this recipe. This MIM has caused him to seek new heights. He has never worked with almond paste before, so that proved to be a challenge causing him to remake the cake.

He also warned that the recipe is written convoluted. The streusel and cake ingredients are combined in the list of ingredients; it's not until you read the directions you are instructed to separate certain ingredients. It was a lot of work, tasted awesome, but ultimately, a lot of work. 

If you would like me to post the cookie or coffe cake recipe, comment below or send me an email. I'll be happy to hook you up! Hope your endeavor was as eventful. Go link up with Jessica so we can see what you came up with. 

Now, I'm off to see what Jessica and Anne whipped up with Cherries. 

Stay tuned for next weeks post on what we did with... MINT! Yes, MINT. That is my MI choice this week. Feel free to play along. I'll host the link up next week, so see you back here on Monday. Go fourth and be inspired!

Theme Thursday: Mom

One of these weeks I'll get fancy and use one of the two Really nice Cameras my husband bought for me and let go of my go-to IPhone camera in hopes to give you a better pic. I say what I mean and I mean what I say; so believe me when I tell you; "one on these weeks" just not this week.

Robert was gone on retreat all weekend so it was just me and the three and I tried to plan activities to keep us from missing him too much. I had great success! It was Saturday night, when a group of lovely girls were at the house to help my sister (who is getting married in September) work on her invites that I became aware of how much SUCCESS I had. The girls were annnnything but compliant! I knew their behavior was partly my fault. They had reached the point of NO return. Thankfully they recovered quickly and I had the common sense to realized I over stimulated them with so many activities and people. 

 Plus, what little girl (IN THEIR RIGHT MIND) would want to go to bed when there was wedding planning and invites to be made?! I couldn't blame them.

So, on Sunday I planned to reconnect with the girls. We were having company for dinner and there was lots of baking to be done. I took the opportunity the have them help make rolls.

 Now, IF you are family, Especially IF you are from my husbands side, you know what rolls I'm talkin about....

MARGARET'S ROLLS!!!!!

Okay, for those of you on the outside looking in, MARGARET'S ROLLS are LEGENDARY! (soooo, let's pretend that every time I say "Margaret's Rolls", it sounds like the words are echoing back to you from the great open vastness of the Grand Canyon). My mother-in-law makes MARGARET'S ROLLS. The recipe was passed down to her from a family friend named (you guessed it) Margaret.

 There's a certain technique and finess that goes into the art of making Margaret's Rolls. One can not merely duplicate them without the insight and knowledge learned from The Master Baker herself, my mother-in-law. The making of these rolls are science meets intuition at its' culinary finest.

Unless you are one of the lucky few who becomes an apprentice to The Master Baker, these EPIC roll can only be replicated and NEVER duplicated. Once word on the street gets out that you have completed your apprenticeship and are worthy to make MARGARET'S ROLLS SOLO, you will be the most popular of all the land and asked to bring them to any dinner part you attend. 
It is a high honor!

Soooo, without further a due I present to you..............

The picture of Marie and me making MARGARET'S ROLLS together. 

Disclaimer: Sorry!!! I am not at liberty to divulge the recipe, but if you ever visit The LOU, I will gladly have you for dinner and proudly make them for you. These dinner rolls surpass all dinner rolls and should NEVER, I repeat! NEVER be kept from enjoyment!

Below is a "not so recent" picture of The Master Baker and the next generation of apprentices, Marie and Elise.

Happy Mother's to you and yours from all of us at A Clan's Tale! 
Hope to see your pics over at Clan Donaldson!