Sunday, January 22, 2012

Artisan Bread in the Deep Covered Baker


 This is a fantastic bread recipe and very easy.  Prepare the dough in the evening and let it rise overnight.  Need it and let it rest another 2 hours and bake. 


I made this bread two days in a row it was so good! 


YUM!



Artisan Bread in the Deep Covered Baker

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1 ½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups tap water

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 ½ cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at room temperature.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Liberally flour a Pastry Mat using the Flour/Sugar Shaker, and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself 3 or 4 times. Fold the 2 sides of the Pastry Mat over the bread and let it stand on the counter for 2 hours to rise.

3. 1 ½ hours into the 2 hour rising time, preheat oven to 450 degrees and place the empty Covered Baker with lid on in oven for 30 minutes. You want the Covered Baker blazing hot. Dump the dough into the Covered Baker, put the lid on and put back in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes then take the lid off. Bake for few minutes until the bread is golden brown on top. Cool on a rack. OK, go ahead and eat it. We don’t have the patience to let it cool in our house either.

If you buy the 50 lb bag of bread flour and the yeast in bulk at Costco ( Keep most of the yeast frozen until needed), this bread costs about 30 cents a loaf and takes about 4 minutes of your actual time!

***When letting the bowl set, you can put it in the microwave so that it is kept away from a draft.  I had mine on the counter and it didn’t fully rise until I put it in the microwave since it’s chilly out right now***

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls



My son Nicholas has been asking me to make cinnamon rolls since this summer!  I am not a fan of cinnamon rolls.  I'd rather have a bagel, scone, muffin, anything else really.  I just have never been a fan.  BUT I decided to go ahead and give the boy the gift of cinnamon rolls.  He doesn't like to bake with me as much as he did when he was younger so I figured that it would be great for us to bake these.

Keep in mind that anytime you make bread, rolls, etc there is a LONG wait time for the dough to rise.  I usually make dough the night before and let it rise over night when I am going to bake bread.  For these rolls we got up early and didn't get to have breakfast till about 11:00am, which is extremely late in our household!  Especially since my boys are up at 6-7:00am!

The boys were happy, and they were delicious, just be prepared for waiting!  


They come out of the oven perfect!  You just need to drizzle all of your icing over the top and serve!


You can find the recipe we used at King Arthur's Flour.  Enjoy!

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Hearty Turkey Chili


This is the best chili ever and it is good for you!  I love chili on a cold day.  I know everyone has their special recipe, but I found this a couple years ago when I did weight watchers.  For those of you watching your figure, this is a good one!  If you are doing weight watchers, it is only 6 points for the meal. 

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Pork Shoulder Roast with Tomatoes


If you have time to cook this slow in the oven, you will not be disappointed.  I'm usually making pork tenderloin.  I've made it many ways, but I had yet to get a pork shoulder.  I saw this recipe in the December 2011 Everyday Food magazine and flagged the page immediately.  After we got back from our Christmas vacation it was on my shopping list!  

You can follow the recipe by going to http://www.marthastewart.com/868641/pork-shoulder-roast-tomatoes.  You will not be disappointed!  The leftovers make fantastic sandwiches.  We bought rolls and the kids loved making little mini pork sandwiches.  I served it with baked potatoes, but you can serve it with whatever you like.  I was just lazy and popped them in the microwave, so technically they aren't baked, but that's what that button is for on the microwave!


Here's my plate.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Peppermint Marshmallows


Those of you who know me know that I love a good marshmallow in the winter!  Nothing beats a hot cocoa with marshmallows after a day of playing in the snow.  It warms you up, tastes good, and hits the spot!  Last year I made marshmallows with cocoa balls for the bunco girls.  This year I made the same vanilla marshmallows AND made some peppermint ones!  Um, YUM!  They are soooo good that I wondered if I could put them in my coffee this morning.  (No I didn't try it...but I probably will!)

Here is the link to last years recipe for the vanilla marshmallows: Homemade Marshmallows with Rich and Creamy Hot Chocolate, or you can just click on "marshmallow" over there to the left. 


To make the peppermint marshmallows you simply substitute peppermint extract for the vanilla. Please use PURE extract.  It just tastes better.  Once you flip it out of the pan and remove the foil, you sprinkle the top with more powdered sugar, and cut it into pieces.  I like little squares (plus it's easiest) so I slice it into strips and then cut into pieces.  


Roll into more powdered sugar to keep them from sticking together and put it in a pan or container you will store them in.  Or bag for gifts!


I made a tray of vanilla and a tray of peppermint.  My kids LOVE these and look forward to them every year.  They store well in an airtight container in the pantry.  Give it a try and I promise you, you will not be disappointed! 

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Salmon with Quinoa and Kale, and a Roasted Shallot and Cherry Vinaigrette


I was watching the food network the other day.  I have been stuck in a rut...cooking the same recipes.  They are all good, but I missed the the fun of cooking something new.  Emeril's Table was on and I had never seen it.  (Reminds me of Molto Mario...copy cat Emeril!)  Anyway, he had a show that I really enjoyed.  He had these nutritionists on and they were raving about quinoa and kale.  Quinoa we make a lot...it's fantastic.  I love it, the kids love it, and my hubby loves it too.  I make mine with chicken broth to add flavor to it.  This recipe used balsamic vinegar and dried cherries.  Talk about flavor!  If you are wondering what quinoa is...google it.  Then go out and buy some and enjoy!  


I got the quinoa started first.  Simple:  balsamic vinegar, dried cherries, then quinoa, chicken broth and a shallot I roasted in the oven.  Simmered and fluffed with a fork when done.

Kale is another story...we've never had it.  I went ahead and got it when I did my grocery shopping that same day.  It looks like curly parsley gone wild.  It tastes like a cross between spinach and broccoli, but it has it's own taste.  Definitely give it a try!


Here I've sauted some onion and fresh thyme in a skillet and added the chopped kale.  It's such a bright green!  Later I added chicken broth and dried cranberries to it. 

Another favorite at our house is salmon.  I love it any way you want to cook it.  Its great grilled, sauted, baked, steamed...oh I love salmon!  This time I grilled it in a grill pan about 3 minutes on each side and only seasoned it with salt and pepper.   It's so good on it's own it doesn't need anything really.


To plate the dish you put the quinoa mixture on the bottom, top with kale and then the grilled salmon.


It got a thumbs up from my 10 year old son, Nicholas.


Even Marcus was ready to dig in.  (He's 7!)


I topped my plate with an amazing Roasted Shallot and Cherry Vinaigrette.  Easy to make and really complimented the salmon.  Enjoy!  This is a delicious and healthy dish!


You can find the recipes at Emeril's Table:  

Friday, October 7, 2011

Apple Crostata


The boys picked these apples at County Line Orchard and they couldn't wait to get home and have mom bake them up!  I must say, if you want a lazy baking dish, this is it.  It's really easy and super delicious!


The recipe came from one of my favorite cooks, Ina Garten.  You can find the full recipe at this link:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/apple-crostata-recipe/index.html


Don't forget to serve it with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream!!!