Danish Puff---and other news.

I do apoligize for the long gap between posts. Life has been pretty busy over here and I just couldn't find the time to write this post! :-) So here (Right before Lent, of course. :-) is a really lovely recipie for a danish. I really love most danishes and this recipie is actually pretty easy.

1 cup margarine divided.

1 cup all-purpose flour

2tablespoons water

1 cup water.

1 teaspoon almond extract

3 eggs

Glaze:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons margarine

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 to 2 tablespoons warm water.

Heat oven to 350*.

Cut 1/2 cup margarine into 1 cup flour until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons water over flour mixture: Mix with fork. Gather pastry into a ball and divide into halves.

Pat each half into rectangle, 12x3 inches, on ungreased cookie sheet,. Rectangles should be about 3 inches apart.

 Heat 1/2 cup margarine and 1 cup water to rolling boil; remove from heat. Quickly stir almond extract and 1 cup flour. Sir vigorously over low heat until mixture forms a ball, about 1 minute; remove from heat.

 

Add eggs; beat until smooth and glossy. Spread half of the topping over each rectangle.

Bake until topping is crisp and brown, about 1 hour; cool. (Topping will shrink and fall forming the custardy top.)

Spread with Powder Sugar Glaze; sprinkle with nuts.

2 coffee cakes (6-8 servings each); 320 calories per serving.

I found this recipie in our Betty Crocker cook book and I think it is delicious.

I didn't have any nuts to sprinkle over the top. :-(

And now for the 'other news.' I AM GOING TO JOSH GROBAN'S CONCERT IN AUGUST. For those of you that don't know this, Josh Groban is my favorite singer...ever. I am absolutey thrilled. It's going to me amazing. More than amazing! Yay, yay, yay! Sigh. In a way, the looking-forward-to-it part is the best. All the excitment and anticipation are great. :-)

In honor of that little litle announcement, I'm posting one of Josh's songs from Illuminations.

Messy Bun

So, here's the next hairstyle post I promised one of my sisters. Again, all you people with normal length hair, this probably isn't going to work for you. It's for very long hair. :-)

This tutorial may be more confusing than the last one for which I apologize... but I'm doing my best! Okay, down to business. First you smooth your hair back into a pony-tail then start twisting as you would for just a normal 'cinnamon roll' bun.

Keep you left hand at the base of the 'pony-tail' and make your first wrap with your hair...thus. Now your fingers on your left hand should be sticking through the center of the bun.

Grab that leftover hair into those fingers and pull it through. (Gee...this is super hard to describe! Hopefully pictures help.)

 

You are going to have to adjust your bun so that it is centered on your head and pin it in place. Now, you can leave it like this (which is very cute...except my hair looks a little weird in this shot!:-) and put your favorite pretty hair clip in to make it fun. OR you can take it a step farther and turn it into a sort of messy bun.

All that leftover 'ponytail' hair is just perfect for making curls! Yay! LOL. So, you start curling little (and I mean little) sections of hair around your fingers and pinning them in place all over your existing bun. This takes time, patience and quite a few hair pins. :-) Don't worry if your curls aren't staying perfect or are 'puffing' up a little. That's okay. It'll look pretty when you're done. Well...hopefully.

And TA-DA!! Isn't it pretty?

AND! If you try it and it doesn't turn out well the first time don't give up. It takes a little practice. But it's worth it.
God Bless,
Amy