I found this recipe last fall and have made it several times since then.  I seriously think I could eat this soup every day and never get tired of it.  I love love love it!  The only thing that keeps me from making it more often is the work required in getting the butternut squash peeled, cubed, roasted, and pureed.  But don’t let that deter you from trying this soup….it is delicious!  I’ve never actually made more than a half recipe….this make a LOT of soup.

Smoked Sausage, Butternut Squash and Wild Rice Soup

Recipe from Emeril Lagasse 2005, via The Food Network

Ingredients:

• 2 medium butternut squash, about 3 to 4 pounds, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 12 cups chicken stock
• 2 1/2 cups chopped onions
• 1 cup wild rice
• 3/4 pound smoked sausage, such as kielbasa, cut into 1/4-inch
• 2 cups fresh corn kernels
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half 
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.Season the squash with 1 tablespoon of the oil, salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until tender. Remove from the oven and cool completely. In a blender or food processor, puree the squash with 2 cups of the chicken stock. Puree until smooth and set aside.

In a saucepan, over medium heat, bring 4 cups of the stock and 1/2 cup of the chopped onions to a simmer. Stir in the rice and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally with a fork. Remove the rice from the pan and cool. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, add the remaining tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot, add the sausage and brown for 3 minutes. Add the remaining 2 cups of onions and corn. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 3 minutes. Add the remaining 6 cups of stock and squash puree. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Skim off any fat that rises to the surface. Stir in the rice and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the half-and-half and reason with salt and pepper. Stir in the parsley and serve.

Picky Apple Notes:

• I used frozen corn kernels instead of fresh
•  I keep a bag of store-bought frozen, pre-chopped onion on hand for all recipes using chopped onions.  I don’t eat raw onions, and I can’t stand chopping them.  None of the tricks to prevent crying while chopping work for me, so this is an easy way to get around it.  Timesaving too!

This time I used a recipe from Rebecca Rather’s The Pastry Queen cookbook I stole borrowed from my mom.  This is one of those cookbooks that I can just sit and read like a novel.  It’s got great pictures, great recipes, and interesting notes about each recipe.  Ms. Rather really seems like someone you’d like to be friends with.  Her bakery, Rather Sweet, is just a hop, skip, and a jump from here in Fredericksburg, Texas, and she used to live and work here in Houston.  My parents have been to her bakery and experienced first-hand some of the divine desserts featured in this book.  Hopefully I’ll get there someday too, but The Picky Apple is a homebody, and not big on traveling.  (Raise your hand if you are surprised…)

I’ve made beer bread several times before, and when I saw this recipe in the “Lunches and Light Dinners” section of the cookbook, I knew it would be a perfect side for the entrees I’m serving this week.  Beer bread is simple and delicious, and best served hot from the oven.  For the beer, I used Shiner Bock, which is made in Shiner, Texas.  Shiner is halfway between Houston and San Antonio, and is home to the infamous Bocktoberfest, a celebration of beer and music.  This is my entry into Emiline’s St. Paddy’s day Pub Crawl event.  This is her first time hosting a blogging event, so go check out her blog, Sugar Plum, on March 20 to see the roundup of recipes containing beer and liquor!  And be sure to check out all of the other great dishes she’s created and written about on her blog.

I made two easy variations for the bread: Jalepeno Cheddar Beer Bread and Ground Beef and Monterey Jack Beer Bread.  At one of our favorite BBQ joints, they serve a jalepeno cheddar bread that The Picky Apple loves.  So I thought I’d just throw some jalepenos and cheddar into one batch of the beer bread to make it extra yummy and spicy.

The other variation came about because I’ve been thinking lots lately about bread made with ground beef and cheese that I tasted once upon a time.  I can’t for the life of me remember where I tasted it, but I know it was homemade and not from a restaurant.  I discussed this with my mom, and she swears she never made any like that.  It is really driving me crazy that I can’t remember.  Maybe I just dreamed about it.  So that’s the inspiration for the other variation, the Ground Beef and Monterey Jack Beer Bread.

Beer Bread

from The Pastry Queen, by Rebecca Rather

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 (12 ounce) bottle good-quality beer or ale  ()
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Generously grease a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan with butter or cooking spray.  In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.  Pour in the beer and stir until just incorporated.  (The dough will be sticky and heavy).  Pour half the melted butter into the bottom of the prepared loaf pan.  Spoon in the bread dough and pour the remaining half of the butter on top.  Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the bumpy top is golden brown.  Remove from the pan and serve immediately.

Jalepeno Cheddar Variation: After stirring in beer, add 1-2 chopped jalepenos (remove seeds) and 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese to dough.  Continue with original recipe.

Ground Beef and Monterey Jack Variation: Brown 1/2 pound ground beef with 1/2 cup chopped onion.  Transfer to paper towels to soak up any extra grease.  After stirring beer into dough, add ground beef and 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese to dough.  Continue with original recipe.

All of the recipes I read about on other blogs are really piling up, so I picked a few to try this week.  Melanie at My Kitchen Cafe posted a recipe for Chicken and Corn Chowder with Sweet Potatoes a couple of weeks ago, but it was still fresh in my mind when I was doing my menu planning Monday night.  Additionally, I had all the ingredients on hand already!  This chowder was delicious-creamy and slightly sweet.  I love the idea of sweet potatoes in the chowder!  The Picky Apple and I both thought it would be fun to add some spice to the chowder as we like a good sweet/spicy combo.  He threw some ground chipotle in his.  I bet it would taste great with jalepenos or roasted red peppers too.  Head on over to My Kitchen Cafe for the recipe and many other tasty dishes!

I’ve been doing lots of cooking and baking and not so much blogging lately….I’ve been feeling under the weather with a sinus infection, and The Littlest Apple is back to waking up 5 or 6 times a night, which is just dandy.  So I’m doing my best to get caught up during his naptime today.  Ahhhh, naptime….I still can’t believe we finally got The Littlest Apple to actually take a nap during the day.  We’ve come a long way.  Anyway, I’ve got quite a few new recipes to share with you, so stay tuned!

After making those Sun-dried Tomato Chicken Roll-ups, I had some leftover penne and sun-dried tomatoes.  In an attempt to cut back my ever-increasing grocery bill (all that baking adds up!), I “shopped” at home first, and found a recipe in Taste of Home that I could make with ingredients already on hand.  It was easy to put together and not too rich.  I would use homemade alfredo sauce (as opposed to the stuff in the jar) if I made this again.  The Picky Apple didn’t care for this dish because of the wine sauce.  You would think I’d have learned my lesson after serving him the Mediterranean Chicken Fettuccine with red wine sauce, but this dish used white whine, and much less of it.  Thought I could sneak it by him, but apparently not.    Those of you that love alfredo sauce and wine sauces will like this dish.

Darn Good Pasta

from Taste of Home Brand Name Cookbook, Spring 2008

Yields 4 servings  (probably more like 6!)

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces uncooked penne or bow tie pasta
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1/4 Pinot Grigio
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
• 1 jar (about 10 ounces) alfredo sauce
• 3/4 cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesean cheese, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook shallots and garlic in olive oil for about 30 seconds.  Add chicken and cook for 3 minutes until no longer pink.  Add wine, basil and parsley; cook for 1 minute.

In a large bowl, combine cooked pasta, chicken mixture, alfredo sauce, tomatoes, milk, 1/4 cup cheese and pepper.  Spoon into a shallow 2-qt. baking dish.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes.  Uncover and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until heated through.

This is adapted from a recipe in a recent Southern Living magazine.  It was the idea of an oatmeal pecan cookie with a little bit of pumpkin pie spice that originally drew me to the recipe, but I changed many of the other ingredients, proportions and mixing/baking methods.  I was very pleased with how they came out, but might add more pecans next time.

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. pumpkin spice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 6 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 cups uncooked regular oats
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking soda.  Beat butter, cream cheese, and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy.  Add egg and vanilla, beating until blended.  Gradually add flour mixture, beating at low speed just until blended.  Stir in oats, dried cranberries, pecans, and chocolate chips.  Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray.  Bake in batches, at 350 degrees F for 13 to 14 minutes.  Remove cookies from baking sheets to wire racks, and let cool 10 minutes.

The Picky Apple loves lemon-y desserts.  Me?  Not so much.  As a result I don’t make them very often.  Last week we watched an episode of Everyday Baking on PBS featuring cupcakes, one of which was lemon.  This is a new show featuring desserts from the pages of Everyday Food magazine.  We weren’t too crazy about the host…he didn’t seem very comfortable in front of the camera, but it was obvious he was a professional baker.  The Picky Apple thought the lemon cupcakes looked yummy, so I promised to bake them sometime soon.  Today he got his cupcakes, and he seems to really like them. I was pleased with how they turned out as well.  My only complaint about the recipe is that it calls for the zest and juice of one lemon.  There are varying sizes of lemon, and the lemon I used was of the giant variety.  I was afraid there would be too much lemon, but the cupcakes have just the right amount of tartness.

Glazed Lemon Cakes

from Everyday Baking

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for muffin tin
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for muffin tin
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk, or plain low-fat yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated, plus juice, plus 2 tablespoons more lemon juice for the glaze
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 6-cup jumbo muffin tin. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, vanilla, and lemon zest and juice of 1 lemon. Set aside.
2. With an electric mixer, cream butter and granulated sugar until light. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk mixture.
3. Divide evenly among muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in tin, then cool completely on a rack.
4. Set rack over wax or parchment paper. In a small bowl, stir confectioners’ sugar with remaining lemon juice until smooth. Pour over cakes, spreading to edges with a small knife. Let set 30 minutes.

This is my first month being a part of the Daring Bakers, a super-cool group of bloggers who take on new and exciting baking challenges each month.  In past months, they’ve tackled Lemon Meringue Pie and Yule Logs.  February’s challenge was Julia Child’s French Bread, hosted by Breadchick Mary of The Sour Dough and Sara of I Like to Cook.  Many people are wary of baking bread.  I’ve successfully baked yeast bread before, so I wasn’t too concerned….until I saw the length of the recipe.  It is 15-17 pages long, and can be found here.  A very daunting first challenge indeed!

I noticed that the hostesses for the month indicated that the best type of flour to use for this recipe was french style flour, which is a lower gluten all purpose flour.  King Arthur Flour was mentioned, so at the beginning of the month, I headed on over to the King Arthur Flour website (which I love) to order some flour…..and noticed it was sold out.  Out of stock until February 14.  Yes, the best indication that the Daring Bakers are baking up bread this month is when a certain type of flour is sold out.  Craziness!  That’s when I knew that being a Daring Baker is serious business.  I went ahead and order some, knowing that it might not be here in time to complete the challenge by month’s end.  In the meantime, I found some flour at the grocery store that seemed to be similar in gluten content.

The next big challenge for me was timing.  The recipe indicates that it takes 9 hours from start to finish since the bread requires three separate rises.  With a needy six month old son who is currently going through a “don’t set me down ever ever ever or I’ll screech like you are pouring boiling hot acid all over me”, I figured I’d probably have to wait until the weekend when my husband was around.  Then my husband told me at the last minute he was going out of town for work one weekend.  Grr!!  But somehow, I found the time, sacrificing some sleep in the name of good bread.

My first attempt at the bread was a complete failure.  The dough never made it pas the first rise.  After reading through the recipe again, multiple times, I realized that I may have killed the yeast by using water that was too hot.  Stupid mistake, easily preventable.

The second attempt fared a little better.  A new day, a fresh start.  I very carefully tested the temperature of the water with a thermometer.  The dough made it past the first rise.  Hizzah!  But the second rise was a little lackluster, and took way too long.  At that point, I figured I’d already invested quite a bit of time, so I might as well soldier on.  After forming my batons, the shape I chose for the bread, the third rise never really happened.  Hoping that maybe the bread would rise in the oven, I went ahead and baked it anyway.  The result, this time at 1 am, was some very hard loaves that were anemic looking.  Bread 2, Cara 0.

For those of you that don’t know me, I can be very stubborn.  (And for those of you who do know me, I know you’re snickering right now….understatement of the year, right?)  And I have trouble admitting defeat.  This can be both a good and bad thing.  For instance, I took Advanced Placement Calculus my senior year of high school, and struggled the whole year, refusing to transfer to the regular Calculus class because that would be admitting that I wasn’t able to handle the AP class.  It was very silly and stupid of me.  But that’s how I was feeling about this recipe.  Frustrated, but not wanting to let the bread win.  I vowed to give it one last shot….

For my THIRD attempt, I bought new yeast, just in case there was an issue with the stuff I’d been using (doubtful because I’d used it recently with success, but I was covering all my bases here).  I bought new flour, because the flour I’d ordered STILL(!!) wasn’t here.  This time, the dough came together, rose, and generally behaved itself.  Success at last!  My husband and I impatiently waited for the bread to cool before digging in.  We both thought it was really good bread.  Really good.  Some Daring Bakers named it the best bread they had ever tasted.  In all the breads I’ve tasted, this one was definitely up there…  And it was still good two days later, reheated.  I’ll probably make this again in the future now that I’ve got this recipe all figured out, but it definitely takes some patience.  Now I’m ready for my next challenge!  You can read all about how the other Daring Bakers fared here.

Oh yeah, and that flour I ordered?  STILL not here…

 This soup is one of the easiest soups I’ve ever thrown together.  It is a Paula Deen recipe (but no butter this time).  My mom “discovered” it, and passed the recipe along to me.  I served it with hot, crusty bread.  It was great!  I don’t have any good pictures this time because I was starving and too impatient for photos.

Italian Chicken and Vegetable Soup

from Paula Deen via the Food Network

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces (about 1 3/4 pounds)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 cup sliced carrots (about 3 small)
• 2 1/2 cups sliced zucchini (about 2 medium)
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
• Grated Parmesan

Directions:

In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add chicken, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add onion and carrot, and cook for 5 minutes.  Stir in zucchini, diced tomatoes, and chicken broth.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes.  Top each serving with grated Parmesan.

I’ve been tagged for two separate memes, and I’ve really been procrastinating with my responses.  But here they are, finally, so for the few of you out there reading that don’t know me in real life (and maybe even if you do), hopefully this will help you learn something new about me.  I really wanted to include some pictures, by my printer/scanner was broken by my devil-cat, so the pictures will have to wait.

First, I was tagged by Deborah of Taste and Tell so here goes…

Rules: 1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.  2. Share 5 facts about yourself 3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them). 4. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

Five facts about myself:

1. I have extremely neat handwriting.  People always comment on it.

2.  My favorite store is J. Crew.  I’m pretty sure at least half my wardrobe is from there.  Kind of boring, right?

3.  This is going to make me sound so dorky and young, but my favorite TV show of all time is Felicity.  The writing is so smart and funny, and I loved all the drama.  I think it also just takes me back to when I was in college because the show was on the air when I was in college.  But seriously folks.  I feel a little ashamed that I still watch it so much.  I have all 4 seasons on DVD and watched all of them, most recently, last summer, late in my pregnancy, while I was at home with nothing to do.  I watch the whole series in marathon sessions at least once a year.  And for those of you familiar with the show and wanting to know my take on Ben vs. Noel….Ben.  Always Ben.  In fact, I’m feeling the urge to start another marathon right now…

4.  My favorite color is pink.

5.  I started my own law firm straight out of law school.  I stopped practicing law to stay home when my son was born.

And in case that didn’t give you a good enough glimpse into who I am, I was also tagged by Elle of Feeding My Enthusiasms, for another meme.  So here’s some further info about me….

INSTRUCTIONS: Select five people to tag:  I’m still new to blogging, so I don’t really feel comfortable yet picking anyone.  I know, I’m a lame-o.

Here are the things to blog about:

What were you doing 10 years ago?
1998 – I was a freshman in college at the University of Texas….having my worst academic semester of all, but having a great time doing way too much partying at sorority events and Texas Spirits events.  I had a 3.8 GPA going in to this semester, and got a little too comfortable, thinking I didn’t really need to study.  Or go to class.  But most importantly, 10 years ago I was also just starting to date my husband.  I kept asking him to all of the aforementioned events, and being the homebody that he is, he kept turning me down.  Luckily for him, I persisted, and wore him down (hmmmm, much like now…) until he finally went on a date with me.  Incidentally, he got a 4.0 that semester.  What a smarty pants.

What were you doing 1 year ago?

Practicing law; experiencing some unpleasant morning sickness while pregnant with my son.

Five snacks you enjoy:
1. Cheese

2. Smoothies
3. Yogurt and granola

4. Nuts, preferably pecans or almonds

5. Bagels and cream cheese.  My favorite combo is an Asiago cheese bagel with spinach artichoke cream cheese from a local bagel shop.

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
1. Pay off debt

2. Finish decorating the house, or maybe buy a bigger house

3. Buy a new car

4. Go on a shopping spree at the Galleria

5. Take a trip to France and Italy

Five bad habits:
1. Spending too much time online

2. Not returning phone calls to friends in a timely manner

3. Staying up too late when I should be going to bed early.  (I’m still getting up with my son several times a night.)

4. Trying on lots of outfits every time I get dressed, then just throwing the stuff I decide not to wear on the floor of the closet instead of hanging it back up.

5. Not cleaning out my refrigerator often enough.

Five things you like doing:
1. Reading.
2. Cooking and baking

3. Looking at the internet….food blogs, fashion and beauty blogs

4. Spending time with my husband

5. Making my son smile

Five things you would never wear again:
1. Flannel pajamas.  They look so cozy, but I’m a nightgown girl.

2. Turtlenecks.  Hate the way they feel.

3. Birkenstock sandals

4. Pleated pants
5. Long flowered dresses

Five favorite toys:
1. My new MacBook.  My husband gave it to me for Christmas

2. My camera

3. My KitchenAid Mixer.
4.  My DVR-indispensable for recording stuff to watch after The Littlest Apple goes to bed.

5. My CuisinArt Thermal Grind and Brew coffeemaker.  Coffee is an important part of my day.

Chocolate and cinnamon, two of my favorite ingredients! I don’t think I’ve ever made any baked goods combining those two ingredients, and boy, was it time. Apparently I have been missing out. Why haven’t I done this before? Chocolate and cinnamon go great together, and I will be seeking out more recipes like this in the future. This bread isn’t really a bread. It is more like a chocolate-y pound cake, with a crunchy topping. This recipe comes straight from the Starbucks website.

Confession: I’ve never actually tried any of the pastries at Starbucks. I usually consider the coffee itself enough of a treat, since I am incapable of ordering plain coffee. Coffee purist I am not. I like the chocolate-y, creamy coffees and frapps. Made with whole milk. Whipped cream on top? Yes, please! So you can see why it might be overkill to have a pastry too. Or is it?

This was actually my second attempt at making this bread. The first time around, I thought I would use a mini-loaf pan to make four super-cute mini loaves. About 10 or 15 minutes in to the baking, we smelled burning. The mini loaves had risen, overflowing out of the pan and all over the bottom of the oven. I tried to salvage them by putting a cookie sheet under the loaf pan, but the batter just kept continuing to pour over the edge of the pan, and off the cookie sheet onto the bottom of the oven. Seriously, it was like a volcano of chocolate batter. What a mess! Here it is a week later, and we still have a faint burning smell every time we use the oven.

That batter sure did taste great though, and I really wanted to try this recipe again. For my second attempt, I used regular size loaf pans, and made sure not to fill them up too much. No disasters this time around. This is a delicious chocolate cake, but it is really the crunchy sugar and spice topping that makes me like it so much. The hint of nutmeg and clove in the topping, combined with the chocolate and cinnamon of the bread is genius. My only complaint is that my sugar topping didn’t stick to the top of the cake very well, and I hate to see any of this delicious topping wasted! Also, my loaves look nothing like the Starbuck’s picture. Mine wasn’t nearly that dark, perhaps because I didn’t use Dutch processed cocoa, but just the regular cocoa I had on hand. This would be great for a brunch, bake sale, dessert, breakfast for company….or just because! I’ll be sure to grab a slice next time I go to Starbucks, too…..you know, for my research.

Starbuck’s Chocolate Cinnamon Bread

Chocolate Batter Ingredients:

• sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 cups granulated white sugar
• 5 eggs, room temperature
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups Dutch-processed cocoa
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Cocoa Spice Sugar Crust:

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 cup decorating or sparkle sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pans and line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper. Make the Chocolate Batter: In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar with the paddle attachment on medium speed, until light and creamy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating until each egg is completely incorporated before adding the next and scraping down the sides of the bowl several times.

Meanwhile in a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, water and vanilla. With mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to butter, beginning and ending with the flour and beating just until blended. Divide the batter between the two pans, shake the pans to even the tops and set aside.

Make the Cocoa-Spice Sugar Crust: In another small bowl, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, cocoa, ginger and cloves. Sprinkle the surfaces of both batters with the decorating sugar. Sprinkle with the cocoa sugar mixture, dividing evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool completely, run a thin knife around the sides to release the breads and remove from pans.