Midway Atoll -- Island Adventures: January 2008

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

A New Year

We left Midway Atoll on December 07. After spending a few days in Honolulu we headed home (Wisconsin) via a stop over in California. We hung out in Southern California for a few weeks to tend to dental and medical apointments--but here's the fun part--we had plenty of time to visit with family. We were visiting our grandchildren the week before Christmas when Santa made a surprise visit to their home. It seems he wanted to make sure that they had been behaving and it also gave him a chance to clarify what was on their wish list. The grandchildren were simply beside themselves with excitement. Photos are on www.wickensweb.com. We loved visiting our grandchildren's website while we were living on Midway Atoll. The videos were a particular favorite.

While we were in California we hosted an engagement party for Beth and Scott. The party was at a restaurant called "Dave and Buster's". Food was good and the entertainment was novel. Dave and Buster's is like an adult Chucky Cheese's. We are looking forward to the wedding in Albuquerque, New Mexico on August 05, 2008.

We miss Midway's weather, beauty, and wildlife (human and not human) put we can still get a quick Midway "fix" by visiting Pete's blog at http://peteatmidway.blogspot.com/ . Pete is a great photographer and patiently explains the ins and outs of living and working on a remote island.

We are taking some time off from working. We've returned to our homebase in Wisconsin just in time for the coldest weather. Oh well--we have lots of indoors project to keep us busy. We hope the new year is off to a good start for you. We'll keep you posted on our next adventure. Take care and Happy New Year! Cheers!

RECIPES

Jim’s Butter Cream Frosting

Jim doesn’t measure so you have to tweak amounts to get the consistency that you need.

1 pound Confectioners’ sugar
1 cup unsalted butter or buttered flavored (no trans fat) shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (clear, if available)
1 pinch of salt
milk

Place sugar, butter and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Incorporate using a spatula. Mix with a mixer, add a little salt (to brighten the flavor). Add milk (one teaspoon at a time) to get a smoother consistency. If you get it too thin, add more sugar. You can add food coloring for the desired effect.

Yeast Doughnuts

1 ½ cups milk
2 ½ ounces vegetable shortening (approximately 1/3/ cup)
2 packages instant yeast
1/3 cup warm water (95 to 105 degrees F)
2 eggs, beaten
1/4/ cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
23 ounces all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting surface
Peanut or vegetable oil, for frying (1 to ½ gallons, depends on fryer

Place the milk in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat just until warm enough to melt the shortening. Place the shortening in a bowl and pour warmed milk over. Set aside.

In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and let dissolve for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, pour the yeast mixture into the large bowl of a stand mixer and add the milk and shortening mixture, first making sure the milk and shortening mixture has cooled to lukewarm. Add the eggs, sugar, salt, nutmeg, and half the flour. Using the paddle attachment, combine the ingredients on low speed until flour is incorporated and then turn the speed up to medium and beat until well combined. Add the remaining flour, combining on low speed at first, and then increase the speed to medium and beat well. Chang to the dough hook attachment of the mixer and beat on medium speed until the dough pulls away from the bowl and becomes smooth, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a well-oiled bowl, cover, and let rise 1 hour or until doubled in size.

On a well-floured surface, roll out dough to 3/8-inch thick. Cut out dough using a 2 ½-inch doughnut cutter or pastry ring and using a 7/8-inch ring for the center hole. Set on floured baking sheet, cover lightly with a tea towel, and let rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oil in a deep fryer or Dutch oven to 365 degrees F. Gently place the doughnuts into the oil, 3 to 4 at a time. Cook for 1 minute per side. Transfer to a cooling rack placed in baking pan. Allow to cool for 15 to 20 minutes prior to glazing.

Orange-Spice Banana Bread
Makes one 9-inch loaf or 4 mini loaves

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt (use just a pinch if you have to use salted butter)
1 ¼ cups lightly toasted walnuts , chopped coarse (about 1 cup)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons grated orange zest
3 very ripe bananas, soft, darkly speckled, mashed well (about 1 ½ cups)
¼ cup plain yogurt (the secret ingredient)
2 large eggs , beaten lightly
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of regular loaf pan, or grease and flour bottom and sides of nonstick 9-by-5-by3-inch loaf pan; set aside. Combine first eight ingredients together in large bowl; set aside.
Mix mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs, butter, and vanilla with wooden spoon in medium bowl. Lightly fold banana mixture into dry ingredients with rubber spatula until just combined and batter looks thick and chunky. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan; bake until loaf is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Oatmeal Bars with Plum/Walnut Filling

Fillings
1 ½ cups (10 ounces) pitter dried plums (prunes)
1 cup walnuts
¼ cup sugar
Cookie Base
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups old fashioned oatmeal

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Filling: Combine dried plums, walnuts and ¼ cup sugar in a food processor; pulse until coarsely chopped (or chop plums and nuts and combine with sugar). Set this mixture aside.

Cookie Base: In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; mix thoroughly. Combine flour, salt and baking soda; add to butter/egg mixture and mix until well blended. Stir in oatmeal. Spread half of the mixture evenly into a 9x13-inch baking pan. Sprinkle the top evenly with the dried plum/nut mixture; and press into the cookie base. Spread the remaining cookie base evenly over the filling. (Do not worry if the filling shows through slightly.) Bake or 25 minutes or until lightly brown. Cut while warm into 48 pieces.

Patriotic Cupcakes

Prepare any flavor cupcakes. Fill the pan with enough batter so that the cupcakes will have a raised center. Bake and cool.

For the Filling:

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

In an electric mixer, beat the butter for 3 to 4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Divide the cream into 4 pieces and add them to the butter one piece at a time, beating well after each addition.
Beat the vanilla, followed by the sugar. Mix just until smooth. If the frosting is too thin, refrigerate until firm.
When the cupcakes are cool, use a sharp knife to cut the tops about ½ inch from the edge, cutting at an angle to produce a cone shape in each cupcake. Set each top beside its cupcake.
Divide the cream cheese mixture into three portions and place each of the three portions into individual small bowls. Add blue food coloring to one portion and red food coloring to another portion and leave the third portion white.
Use a spatula to place each of the three colors of cream cheese mixture into a pastry bag being careful not to mix the colors together.
Squeeze the bag to fill each cupcake cavity with the cream cheese mixture.
Replace the “lid” of each cupcake on top of the cream cheese filling.

Bacardi Mojito

1.5 oz Bacardi Rum
12 fresh spearmint leaves
½ lime
7 oz club soda
2 tbsp. simple syrup
(or 4 tsp sugar)

Gently crush mint leaves and lightly squeeze lime in a cool tall glass. Pour sweet syrup to cover and fill glass with ice. Add rum, club soda, and stir well. Garnish with a lime wedge and a few sprigs of mint.

Midway Atoll -- Island Adventures

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

A New Year

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Jim and Nancy

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