JennaDish

Delicious Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies

I didn't have great lighting for this photo so I tried to distract you with TEXT!!! Are you impressed?  Are you razzle-dazzled? 

Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies
Compliments of JennaDish

from Martha Stewart Cookies Cookbook

Makes about 20 (3 1/2-inch) cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks), softened
2 large eggs
Sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl; set aside.

Put sugars and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed 30 seconds. Add butter; mix until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute. Mix in eggs, 1 at a time, and then the lemon juice. Reduce speed; gradually add flour mixture, and mix until just combined.

Scoop dough using a 2-inch ice cream scoop; space cookies 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Flatten cookies slightly with a spatula. Sprinkle tops with sanding sugar, then lightly brush with a wet pastry brush; sprinkle with more sanding sugar.

Bake cookies until golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks using a spatula; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies

WARNING:  These cookies are sooper awesome.  Especially the cream cheese filling.

The cream cheese filling in these would make a shoebox taste good.  But you might as well use carrot cake cookies as your vehicle.  They're prettier than a cardboard box, plus you could pretend you are being health-conscious since they do have carrots and raisins in them. 

Are you interested in learning how many pictures I took of my cookies to come up with one I liked?  Of course you are.  Now this is typical for pretty much all my blog posts, and anyone else who has a blog, I think.  I read where Chloe, the successful blogger on Chocolate and Zucchini, takes dozens of pictures of one dish just to get that one perfect photo.  Here's how it goes, for me anyway...

Crap.  There's a little cavern in my cream cheese...

Shoot.  My cookies are cock-eyed.  And the raisin looks like a black stem from an apple.

No. No. No. The cream cheese doesn't extend all the way around the cookie evenly.  And it's out of focus on the left.

  This one looks like Oscar the Grouch, or a hand puppet - you know, where you put lipstick on your thumb and finger.

Is this one levitating?

See what I mean? 

Then I got the idea to put TWO cookies on the plate.  Tah dah! ...

What's so great about this picture?  Well, for some reason, two looks more like what you really would see on plate - it looks like a serving more than one does.  But also, the angles are more pleasing to the eye.  There's a technical term for it, I think it's something like "the rule of 9."  It basically means that your eye goes to certain places in the picture naturally.  Things off center are more interesting.  And if something in the photo has movement, like the icing on the right moving up and to the left, it's just more artistic and appreciated by the viewer. 

I also did an auto correct on the overall lighting and color of the photo which enriched the colors a bit more than the previous photos.  I never use Photo Shop.  I'm too lazy.  I just use the handy editor that comes with the Image Viewer software. 

Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies
Compliments of JennaDish

from Martha Stewart Cookies Cookbook

MAKES ABOUT 25 SANDWICHES

I recommend these be made and eaten in the same day.  You can store them but they don't stay as fresh.  They do not get better with age.

1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots, (about 3 large carrots-I chopped and used a mini processor)
1 cup raisins (I used 1/2 golden raisins and 1/2 currants)
Cream cheese filling (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper, and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugars and butter; beat until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until well combined.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger; stir to combine. Gradually add flour to butter mixture; mix on a low speed until just blended. Mix in oats, carrots, and raisins. Chill dough in refrigerator until firm, at least 1 hour.

Using a measuring Tablespoon, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. Transfer to oven, and bake until browned and crisped, rotating pan halfway through baking to ensure even color, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat baking process with remaining dough. Once cooled completely, use an offset spatula to spread about 2 teaspoons of cream-cheese filling onto a cookie. Sandwich together with a second cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Cream Cheese Filling

Makes about 2 cups

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl. Using a rubber spatula, soften cream cheese. Gradually add butter, and continue beating until smooth and well blended. Sift in confectioners' sugar, and continue beating until smooth. Add vanilla, and stir to combine.

Amish Country in January

Went to Millersburg, Ohio in mid January. 

It was about 20 degrees out this day. 


Yet folks were working on their farms, riding bikes up hills in the snow...

Taking carriage rides.

Spreading manure...

 We were at a stop sign and this scene was to our left...

And this scene was to our right. Someone didn't make it around the corner, not upright anyway.
 
Weird.  Just not something you see everyday.

We stayed at Honey Run Lodge. Allen had purchased a getaway package that included 2 nights stay in this lodge-style resort, complete with a couples massage.

These are the honeycomb suites that were not available that weekend at Honey Run.


A hill we walked near the lodge.

This tree  was on the deck of the lodge, viewable from the restaurant.  Pretty lights by night, pretty birds and nutty squirrels by day.

Lehman's is a huge store that carries many items the Amish would use such as gas-powered household appliances...


Wringer washers ...

Gas stoves ...

but they also have tons of modern day cookware, camping gear, hardware, etc.  They're online.

Old Fashioned 15-Bean Soup with Kale

 
It's really hard to make bean soup pretty.  So I didn't fuss over the picture too much.  This is another basic soup that can be tweaked to your liking.  It's such a hearty and healthy winter soup.

And evidently it's idiot-proof because I assembled this early in the morning before work and forgot the 1/4 cup of parsley I had diligently chopped the night before and placed in the freezer in water to preserve.  Then when I got home I forgot to add the wine and vinegar.  It still tasted good.  I added diced ham steak at the last minute because we had some left over.

Note to self:  Allen prefers less kale next time. 

It's another crockpot recipe from "Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook" by Beth Hensperger.  I did some prep work the night before, threw stuff in the crockpot before work and had dinner waiting for me when I got home. 

The recipe calls for making a bouquet garni ...

like this.  Fresh parsley, fresh thyme, peeled garlic clove, 10 peppercorns, a bay leaf and fresh tarragon which I didn't have.  Place on a square of cheesecloth, tie with twine, drop in broth for flavor.

Old Fashioned 15-Bean Soup with Kale (and Ham)
Compliments of JennaDish

adapted from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker by Beth Hensperger

12 - 16 ounces commercial 15-bean soup or similar dried bean soup mix, rinsed (I used 12 oz)
8 cups water or chicken or vegetable broth (I used homemade 5 cups veg broth and 3 cups water)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 bouquet garni: 4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, 1 bay leaf, 1-2 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 sprig fresh tarragon, 10   black peppercorns, 1 clove peeled garlic, all tied in cheesecloth with kitchen twine
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium-size yellow onion, finely chopped
1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves chopped fine
2 Tablespoons dry white wine
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco (I put 4 shakes in and still couldn't taste it)
salt and pepper to taste

Combine the bean mix, water or broth, parsley, and bouqet garni bag in the slow cooker.  Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, in a medium-size skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring a few times, until just softened, about 5 minutes.  (I did this the night before).  Add to the cooker, cover, turn the cooker to LOW and cook the soup for 4-5 hours. 

Add the kale and stir to incorporate (if you need to let the soup cook all day while you are gone, just add the kale at the beginning or substitute spinach and add at serving time).  Coer and continue to cook on LOW until the beans are tender, another 4 -5 hours.

Discard the bougquet garni.  Stir in the wine, vinegar, and hot pepper sauce.  Season with salt and plenty of fresh black pepper. If the soup is too thick, add boiling water to thin.  Ladle into soup bowls and serve hot.

Baked Stuffed Shells with Italian Sausage, Spinach and Fontina Cheese

This is one of those super easy recipes that tastes like you spent longer than you did.  Woke up this past Saturday morning wanting to make baked stuffed shells for Alyssa and Jill since Allen and I were going out with friends that evening.  Went online to find a recipe and found one on a pretty trusted blog, Simply Recipes dot com, but I didn't have ricotta cheese or bread crumbs or tomatoes.  So I prepared a list of these things since Allen said he'd go to the store for me.  It was about 5 degrees outside or maybe I would have went :-]

Want to see what I saw out my window Saturday morning? 

This is the view from my balcony of "the duck pond" in Eden Park.  If you click on the picture to see an enlarged view, I bet you'll see a couple of nuts running around the circular road surrounding the pond.  

Oh wait.  Here's a closer view of more nuts I saw on Saturday morning from my window ...

Yes, they are running in snow and ice.  Runners go by here almost every weekend.  They are likely groups that are training for a marathon.  Bob Roncker's Running Spot (a popular sporting shoe store in nearby O'Bryonville) organizes groups to go running together.  I don't really think they are nuts, but it's fun to make fun of them from my cozy living room.  

Back to stuffed shells.  So I was reading the recipe through to the end (like a good cook should) and it said "adapted from a recipe on the side of the box of Barilla pasta shells."  Whaaat???!!!

I'm sitting here holding that dang box.  After reading the box recipe, I realized I had everything it called for.  So I broke the news to Allen that he didn't need to go to the grocery after all.  He seemed to be fine with that.

Here's another cool picture from my living room. 

I like this one because it looks like a snowglobe.   But this photo is untouched.  We just happen to live right in the middle of this curve.

So long story short.  The recipe I wound up using turned out better than the more complicated one I was going to use.

The secret is good Italian sausage, and keeping the filling fairly simple and not making it goopy.  You could use chicken sausage or turkey sausage also.  If you live in Cincinnati, go to Avril-Bleh & Sons downtown on Court Street for good Italian sausage (you can people watch cuz it's by the courthouse) or go to Findlay Market and get some quality and tasty chicken sausages from Kroeger & Sons Meats.

With the recipe below, I used about 25 shells and filled each with a 1 1/2 Tablespoon scoop.  The filling includes sausage, spinach, Parmigiano cheese, fontina cheese, egg, onion, garlic, nutmeg, salt and pepper.


The original recipe on the side of the box says to use a whole box of Jumbo Shells but you'd have to stuff another 17 or so in this dish.  If you do want to use all shells, increase meat to 1 lb. and onion to 1 cup.  You may also want to fill with slightly less than a full scoop.


1 jar of sauce is just enough to completely cover the shells, top and bottom.


Baked Stuff Shells with Italian Sausage, Spinach and Fontina Cheese
Compliments of JennaDish

25 jumbo shells (about 2/3 of a 12 oz box)
12 oz (3/4 lb) Italian Sausage (or chicken or turkey variations)
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 oz (1 1/2 cups) chopped frozen spinach or chopped fresh baby spinach
2/3 - 1 cup chopped onion (I used less)
1 clove garlic, mined
1 teaspoon salt
few grinds of fresh ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano cheese
1/3 cup (about 3 oz) fontina cheese, chopped small (optional)
1 26-oz jar spaghetti sauce (marinara or tomatoe and basil work well)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (I used bagged shredded "pizza cheese")
Dried basil for sprinkling on top (optional)

Preheat oven to 350^o.
Cook Jumbo Shells according to package directions; drain, reserving 1/3 cup of the pasta cooking water if using fresh spinach.  Not needed if you are using frozen.

Cook sausage in large skillet over medium high heat until just done (no longer pink).  Drain grease and put sausage in food processor to grind smaller, just a few pulses.

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat about 4-5 minutes.  Add ground sausage. 

If using fresh spinach, add spinach and pasta water to onions and continue cooking 10 minutes.

If using frozen spinach, add to sausage and onion mixture and cook 4-5 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Add seasonings and blend well.  Let cool in refrigerator, mixing occasionally to allow all meat to cool. 

When completely cool, add the egg, fontina cheese and Parmigiano cheese.

Pour 1 cup spaghetti sauce into a 13x9 inch baking dish.  Fill jumbo shells with meat mixture and place in dish.  Pour reminaing sauce over shell and sprinkle with mazzarella cheese over the top, cover with foil.

Bake for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated.  During the last 5 minutes, remove the foil and place the dish about 6 inches under the broiler.  Turn broiler on and watch closely not to burn the cheese.

Remove from oven and let sit about 5 minutes before serving.  Sprinkle with dried basil if desired.

 

Lentil Soup

This is a basic lentil soup recipe adapted from Alton Brown of Food Network, although for Pete's Sake, it's just lentils, stock, tomatoes, carrot, onion, cumin seed, coriander, salt and pepper.  Duh.

 

This is what it looks like when finished simmering for 40 minutes.  Tomatoes are still in large chunks.

And this is after using an immersion blender in the pan.  Forty minutes was just enough for the lentils to be cooked but not totally soft and mushy. 

Also, rather than chicken or vegetable stock as in the recipe, I wanted to use up some beef broth and chicken broth that were in the fridge left from other recipes, so I used equal parts of both.  It tasted great, especially with my favorite soup accompaniment, toasted pita bread.

Lentil Soup
Compliments of JennaDish

Adapted from Alton Brown, Food Network

Makes 6-8 Servings

This recipe calls for grains of paradise which is similar to black pepper, but more exotic.  If you live in Cincinnati, buy it at Colonel de Stewart at Findlay Market.  Or order online somewhere.

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 pound lentils, picked and rinsed
1 cup peeled and chopped tomatoes (I used canned tomatoes)
2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth (I used boxed chicken and beef broth)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground coriander (used prepared ground coriander)
1/2 teaspoon freshly toasted cumin (I toasted cumin seeds in small saucepan then processed)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground grains of paradise (I used ground black pepper)

Heat olive oil in large 6 quart Dutch oven over medium heat.  Once hot, add onion, carrot, celery and salt and sweat until the onions are translucent, about 7 minutes.  Add the lentils, tomatoes, broth, coriander, cumin and grains of paradise and stir.  Increase the heat to high and bring just to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook at a low simmer until the lentils are tender, approximately 40 minutes.  Using a stick blender (immersion blender) puree to preferred consistency.  Serve immediately (with pita toast!)

Ossobuco Milanese

 
Bought 4 veal shanks from Fresh Market, $11.99/lb x 3.20 lbs = $38

Use 1 1/2" or less or they will take too long to cook.

Saute veggies, etc in a Dutch oven then set aside.

Tie the shanks so the meat won't fall off the bone.

Brown them quickly on both sides and place on top of the vegetables in the dutch oven.

We didn't have an appropriately sized pan so we allowed the shanks to pile a bit.

This is what the pot looked like after adding all ingredients in the recipe.  But then we decided we should add lots more liquid, which was a mistake, by the way.

And this is what it looked like after about an hour and a half of baking.  Sauce is supposed to be thick like a gravy, so we poured out much of the liquid and boiled it down on the stovetop while the dish finished cooking in the oven.  Turned out very good but would stick closer to the directions next time:)

Good job Alyssa!

NOTE: Alyssa didn't like something about the sauce and we believe it is the wine.  Reduce the amount of wine next time.

Ossobuco Milanese
Compliments of JennaDish

from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan

1 cup onion chopped fine
2/3 cup carrot chopped fine
2/3 cup celery chopped fine
4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1 teaspoon garlic chopped fine
2 strips lemon peel with no white pith
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Eight 1 1/2"-thick slices veal hind shank, each tied (we used 4 shanks)
1/4-1/3 cup flour spread on a plate
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup beef broth + 1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups canned Italian plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped with their juice
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried
2 bay leaves
2 or 3 sprigs parsley
black pepper, freshly ground
salt

Preheat oven to 350degreesF.

Choose a pot with with a heavy bottom or of enameled cast iron that can subsequently accommodate all the veal shanks in a single layer.  If you don't have a pot large enough, use 2 smaller ones, dividing the ingredients into two equal halves, but adding 1 extra Tablespoon of butter for each pot.)  Put in the onion, carrot, celery and butter and turn on the heat to medium.  Cook about 6-7 minutes, add the chopped garlic and lemon peel, cook another 2-3 minutes until vegetables soften and wilt, the remove from heat.

Put the vegetable oil in a skillet and turn on the heat to medium high.  Turn the veal shankes in the flour, coating them all over and shaking off the excess flour.

When the oil is hot enough to sizzle when the veal gois in slip in the shanks and brown them deeply all over.  Remove them from the skillet using tongs or slotted spoon and stand them side by side over the chopped vegetables in the pot.

Tip the skillet and spoon off all but a bit of the oil.  Add the wine, reduce it by simmering over medium heat shile scraping the pan, about 4 minutes.  Pour the liquid from the skillet over the veal.

Put the broth in the skillet, bring it to a simmer, and add it to the pot.  Also add the chopped tomatoes with their juice, the thyme, bay leaves, parsley, pepper, and salt.  The broth should have come 2/3 of the wayup to the top of the shanks.  If it does not, add more.

Bring the liquids in the pot to a simmer, cover the pot tightly and place in the lower third of the preheated oven.  Cook about 2 hours or until the meat feels very tender when prodded with a for, and a desne, creamy sauce has formed.  Turn and baste the shanks every 20 minutes.  If while the ossobuco is cooking, the liquid in the pot becomes insufficient, add 2 Tablespoons of water at a time, as needed.

When the ossbuco is done, transfer it to a warm platter, carefully remove the trussing strings without letting the shanks come apart, pour the sauce in the pot over them, and serve at once.  If the pot juices are too thin and watery, place the pot over a burner with high heat, boil down the excess liquid then pour the reduced juices over the ossobuco platter.

Chocolate Eclair Dessert

I made this back in October last year.  But I've been a snob and have refused to put it on my blog.

Well, today I came home pretty keyed up and emotional after a full day at work and a 2-hour class about Leadership and fulfilling your dreams.  I could have really dove into a dish of this stuff so I'm willing to confess that there are times you need a 1980s dessert made of boxed pudding and graham crackers.

If you ever feel sorry for yourself, look on the internet for Randy Pausch's Last Lecture.

 

Chocolate Eclair Dessert
Compliments of JennaDish

from Food Network

1 (1-pound) box graham crackers
2 (3 1/4-ounce) boxes instant French vanilla pudding
3 1/2 cups milk
1 (8-ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Frosting
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1/3 cup milk
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Butter the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan. Line with whole graham crackers. In bowl of an electric mixer, mix pudding with milk; beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Fold in whipped topping. Pour half the pudding mixture over graham crackers. Place another layer of whole graham crackers on top of pudding layer. Pour over remaining half of pudding mixture and cover with another layer of graham crackers.

For frosting, blend together sugar and cocoa. Add butter and milk, mixing well. Add corn syrup and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Watch out for lumps. Cover cake with frosting and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Wine

Since I keep trying new wines, but very sporadically, I forget what I liked and didn't like.  So I'll keep track here, and I'll also track what I can taste, assuming I may fine tune my taste buds over time. 

2007 Clos Du Bois Merlot.  $18.99 - Sale $13.99 at Kroger

Tasting Notes:
Prime Alexander Valley grapes from superb hillside and benchland vineyards form the core of the wine's depth and character. A dark ruby red color, this lush and deeply flavored Merlot bursts with aromas of violet, baking spices, mocha, ripe plum, blackberry, and intense black cherry. On the palate, it exhibits a full-bodied mouthfeel with delicious flavors of black cherry, mocha and toasty oak and finishes with the velvety, luxurious mouthfeel that marks fine Merlot.

Like It - I can taste the black cherry and the toasty oak.  I can't taste the baking spices or mocha. 

 

 
Had this 2009 Chardonnay at The Honey Run Inn in Millersburg, Ohio. 

"Classic Clarksburg personality shines through in the green apple and pear notes, while a bit more tropical pineapple breezes by. The rich mouthfeel created by aging on the lees abounds mid-palate, while the finish is wrapped in creamy textures and tones from the malolactic fermentation. Spicy American oak notes of butterscotch and vanilla are the perfect balance to the freshness and acidity of the multifaceted wine."  Liked It - Definitely taste the apple and pear, a little of tropical in general.  I can taste the butterscotch only after I've swallowed the wine and breathe, as a nice aftertaste. 

 

 

Artisan Bread in Five - Light Wheat Bread

 
Mix the dough.

Put it in a container like this or 2 plastic pitchers.  After 2 hours it will have risen and formed a flat surface like...

this.  And it will smell "intoxicating.  And it will slowly bubble and breathe which will be kind of cool and kind of creepy.  Then put it in the fridge for at least 3 hours or preferably overnight.

When you take it out of the fridge, the dough will have relaxed and will appear smoother.  Prepare a pizza peel (preferred) or rimless cookie sheet with a generous layer of cornmeal.  Sprinkle flour on the surface of the dough and have some flour handy in another bowl or in a pile on the table.  Get flour on your hand and cut or pull off a big ball of dough (grapefruit size or 1 lb.).  It will be wet so immediately put some flour on the ball, or drop the ball in a layer of flour and within about 30 seconds or less, keeping the surface floured so it won't stick, work the dough into a ball by taking the outer part of the dough and bringing it behind itself and to the middle, rotate 1/4 turn do again, flour, 1/4 turn do again, flour.  You get the point.  This is all working quickly and with plenty of flour but just enough to not allow it to stick to your hands.
 
Place the ball of dough on the cornmeal and let sit for 40-90 minutes. 

Read the recipe for timing of starting the oven and other preparation.  Right before putting the dough in the oven sprinkle with flour, cut deeply with knife or scissors.  (Above is a hot cross buns type of cut, and below are about 4 horizontal slices.)

If you have the Master Recipe for Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day, then you just use that recipe but replace 1 cup of white flour with 1 cup whole wheat flour.

Very tasty.  Extremely delicious.

Here's the recipe if you don't have the book.  Read all the way through to make sure you have the correct equipment and ingredients.

If you have a stand mixer, use it.  However you can use a dough hook or good old wooden spoon and elbow grease.

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day - Light Whole Wheat Boule (free form ball)
Compliments of JennaDish

Makes four 1-pound loaves (recipe easily can be halved or doubled)

3 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 Tblsps granulated yeast (2 packets) - rapid rise or active dry or fast rise all work equally well
1 1/2 Tblsps coarse salt (if using fine salt, use less - about 1 1/4 Tbsp)
1 cup whole wheat flour (not whole wheat bread flour or pastry flour)
5 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
whole wheat flour and/or corn meal for pizza peel or back side of a cookie sheet

1. Mixing and storing the dough:  Mix the yeast and salt with the water in the bowl of a stand mixer (if using) or if by hand, in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.

2. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients without kneading, using a spoon, a 14-cup capacity food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy duty stand mixer (with dough hook).  If not using a machine, you may need to use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.

3. Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.

4. The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold.  Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 14 days.

5. On baking day, dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit size) piece.  Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.  Allow to rest and rise on a cornmeal-covered pizza peel (or rimless cookie sheet) for 40-90 minutes.

6. Twenty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 450^oF, with a baking stone (or ceramic tile from the hardware store about $3) placed on the middle rack.  Place an empty broiler tray on a rack at any level below the bread.

7. Sprinkle the loaf liberally with flour and make slashes in the dough with parallel slashes or cross hatches, with a sharp knife or sharp kitchen shears.  Leave the flour in place for baking; tap some off before eating.

8. Slide the loaf directly onto the hot stone with a quick jerk (have spatula in hand to help nudge a stubborn ball of dough).  Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray and quicly close the oven door.  Bake for about 35 minutes, or until deeply browned and firm.  Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in baking time.

9.  Allow to cool before slicing and eating.  Warm bread is nice but don't blame me if you find it's doughy because you didn't allow it to cool COMPLETELY.  Enjoy.

Easy Black Bean and Brown Rice Chili

This stuff is easy, basic, healthy, cheap and delicious.

Even better - you make it in the crockpot.  I got the recipe from a popular crockpot cookbook, but I had to alter it a bit.  It was much more thick than I like.  My personal opinion is that if you're going to call it soup or chili, you should be able to pour it out of the pan into a bowl.  The original recipe was so thick it stuck to the spoon like glue.

No problem, though.  Just add broth and it's perfect.

The recipe calls for a canned chilpotle pepper.  You can find these in the Mexican food section of your grocery store.  1 pepper is extremely hot and so is the adobo sauce it comes in.  1/2 - 1 pepper in a crockpot of soup that serves 4 is plenty.  I store the leftover peppers from the can in a small plastic container in the fridge - they will stay good for a few weeks.  Toss some sauce or a small portion of a pepper in your omelet or on a baked potato.  It has a nice smoky flavor.

I like to scoop up my chili with pita toast.  To make pita toast, cut a pita pocket in half.  Split it so that 1 pita makes 4 pieces.  Place rough side up under the broiler and watch closely.  Takes just a couple of minutes to toast.  You only need to toast the 1 side.

Easy Black Bean and Brown Rice Chili
Compliments of JennaDish

Adapted from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook

SERVES 4

CROCKPOT SETTING AND COOK TIME:  LOW for 6-8 hours

Two 15 ounce cans black beans, with their liquid
14.5 ounce can crushed or chopped tomatoes, with their liquid
1/2 cup brown rice
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 - 1 whole canned chilpotle chile, to your taste, cut into small pieces
1/2 - 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
Plain yogurt and pita toast for serving (optional)

Pour the beans and their liquid and the tomatoes and their liquid into the slow cooker.  Add the brown rice, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, and chipotle; stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Serve the chili in bowls, topped with yogurt and use toasted pita bread to scoop. 

 

Monster Truck Show

 

   

 

Crosstown Shootout UC vs XU

 

Cream Sherry Pumpkin Bread

Not another Pumpkin Bread recipe!?  I keep trying different recipes looking for something spectacular.

If you have some Cream Sherry and walnut oil laying around you can try this.  However, I wouldn't go out and purchase it for this recipe.  It tastes very good but it's no better than a more traditional version.

I'm just documenting at this point.  As a matter of fact, I don't even want to type out the recipe so I just uploaded a scan of the cookbook pages.

Download Cream Sherry Pumpkin Bread

Cioppino

Happy New Year! 

 

Our family went to Prima Vista Italian Restaurant over Christmas break.  Allen loves seafood so he ordered Cioppino and loved it.  Then a few days later we went to Via Vite and he had Cioppino as an appetizer.  He liked the Prima Vista version better.

Anyway, he asked me to learn how to make it, so I looked at a few versions and came up with one that was a hit.

Cioppino (Fish Soup)
Compliments of JennaDish

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 rib celery, optional
4-6 cloves garlic chopped
1 1/2 cups white wine
28 oz (3 1/2 cups) crushed tomatoes (or tomato sauce)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2-3 shakes of worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 slices lemon
1 lb. sturdy fish (I used cod), cut into 1-2" pieces
1 lb. fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lb. black mussels, scrubbed
1 lb. clams or Dungeness crab, in pieces
chopped parsley

In a dutch oven over medium heat, saute onion and celery until soft, about 5 minutes, add garlic and cook another minute.  Add wine, tomatoes, red pepper, worcestershire sauce, and oregano.  Cover and let simmer on low for 40 minutes.

Remove lid and turn heat up to medium high, add lemon slices, fish, shrimp, crab and mussels.  Cover and let boil 5 minutes.  Remove lid and check to make sure all mussels have opened up.

Scoop into large shallow bowls and serve with sourdough bread and a nice glass of wine.

NOTE TO SELF:  This can be pricey.  Need to learn how to by fish cheaper.  Also, don't use canned clams.