Some Much Needed Exposure

Yay! my reach is finally starting to expand. Thank you to Aaron Leo at the Trumbull Patch for getting me some much needed exposure

http://trumbull.patch.com/articles/trumbull-youth-baking-to-bank

Restaurant Review: The Windmill

I have something new to add to the mix for you today: a restaurant review. The Windmill is an establishment that just recently got remodeled, and here are my thoughts on this redone classic.

What happens when an old-time joint gets a revamp from its biggest fans? The Windmill in Stratford CT is a prime example. Even though it catered to a loyal following, it was in need of a facelift. Now, it has a bright, family-friendly atmosphere while still retaining its old Windmill charm.

The centerpiece of every restaurant is its food and The Windmill does not fall short by any means in that category. The menu is full of classic American goodies with a twist. There is a long list of items, and I have just begun to scratch the surface. 

The first item that I got to try was the buffalo wings. These were fantastic. Some wings are not very crunchy, but these were super crunchy just like a wing should be. Also, they were spicy without being mouth-numbingly hot.

The menu for dinner items includes everything from hot dogs and burgers of various configurations, German-style sausage sandwiches, pizzas, and specialty sandwiches.

Of all of the things my family and I have gotten to try, the stand-out dish has been the reuben sandwich. The sandwich comes complete with russian dressing sauerkraut, and fries. The best part, however, is that the reuben doesn't just have corned beef, but it's mixed with pastrami as well.

The Windmill has a great, family-friendly atmosphere as well. The floor plan is nice and open making the space feel less cramped than it could be otherwise; it doesn't lack for seating, so bring the gang. The staff is very friendly and does their absolute best to ensure that your experience is fantastic.

As a special bonus, there are fun events throughout the week like karaoke, Guest Bartenders raising funds for their favorite charity/organization, live bands and DJ's and plenty of televisions so you can watch all of your favorite sporting events.

All in all, The Windmill is a restaurant worth putting on your radar. The food is good, the prices are very reasonable, the atmosphere is great and there are a few fun extras as a great bonus. I highly recommend you pay this revitalized joint a visit sometime..........soon!

The Windmill Restaurant

400 Hollister St, Stratford, CT

(203) 378-6886

https://www.facebook.com/WindmillCT 

Tonight's Dessert

Well, tonight Mom wanted chocolate, so I decided to do one of my favorite recipes. Chuck Hughes from Cooking Channel has an awesome molten chocolate cake recipe that I decided I should share with you tonight. I make a few modifications of my own.

The ingredients are simple:

1/2 cup butter, plus more to butter the molds                              3 eggs, at room temperature

6 ounces dark chocolate (1 cup of chocolate morsels)                2 tablespoons flour

1/3 cup sugar, plus more for the molds                                      

*Cook's note: I like to add vanilla extract once the batter is together if I am not serving it with something vanilla flavored already.

*If you want to go Mexican style, add cinnamon and maybe a little hot pepper to the melting chocolate. It sounds weird, but trust me on that one.

The process is simple too.

1. Melt the butter and the chocolate together. I like to do this in a makeshift double boiler because I am paranoid, but if you feel more comfortable doing it in the microwave or over direct heat, by all means do it.

2. Beat the eggs and sugar together until light and creamy

3. Preheat oven to 400

4. Add the warm melted chocolate to the eggs very slowly until 1/4 to 1/2 of the chocolate is in. This will temper the eggs to help prevent curdling

5. Add the mixture back into the remaining chocolate and mix well

6. Mix in the flour until just incorporated.

7. If you want to butter the inside of the molds and coat in sugar, you can. I found this to be messy, and the sugar didn't melt or dissolve during baking. This time, I just used nonstick spray.

8. Pour the batter and bake until the outside is set, but the center is still liquid. This should take 8-10 minutes.

The (Dog) Biscuit Method

The biscuits we sell to your dogs are not so difficult to make, nor is there anything secret about the method, so I figured I should show all of you the process.

"Organization will set you free" --Alton Brown. The workstation is all set. 

Measure EVERYTHING1 If there's one rule not to break in baking, it's this one.

Everything is in order. Now the process begins.

Phase 1: Dry ingredients. (Milk powder  going in with the 2 flours and cornmeal.

Mix them well.

Phase 2: Wet works. Heated chicken broth provides a perfect environment to wake up or "proof" the  yeast.

  

Sprinkle the yeast on top and wait.

After the timer beeps, here's what we have.

Phase 3 Combine the wet and dry. Mix them thoroughly to form a dough.

Phase 4: Fabricatiion

Rolling out the dough and cutting into treats.

After baking, A tray comes out golden brown and delicious

Phase 5: Let cool and feed to a drooling dog whose done all but climb in your shirt to get one since you started. :-)

LAST CALL!

LAST CALL!!!
 The introductory price of $7  a bag and $6 for additional will be ending on December 1st. From there prices will go up to $8/$7 respectively

Fun Experiment Tonight

Ah...I love it when my ideas are a success. Peanut butter laced hot apple cider? Totally comforting and delicious, and unlike normal hot cider, whipped cream is all but mandatory.

YUM!

New Treats for the Smaller Customers

Yellowdoggy Homemade Pet Treats is proud to announce our smaller size treats. They are perfectly sized for our littler customers like Ollie, who will be getting these crinkle cut hearts after they bake.

They are the same price, but you will get many more, so I suggest freezing them so that they last longer

Aren't they just too cute? Perfect for our tiny terriers and toy dogs.