bagels

I love bagels and have been wanting to make my own for a while. In keeping with my resolution to try to bake more bread, I went for it yesterday! I tried it with some heartier flours and as a result, I think I should have been more patient with the rising time {winter day + denser flours} and done a bit more research as to how the dough is supposed to feel after kneading. I let them start their rising without getting the dough to a supple stretchiness. Adding a bit more water during the kneading process would have fixed this easily, but I wasn't sure how the dough was supposed to compare to the feeling of pizza dough that I'm used to. I'm thinking it should feel as supple as pizza dough because mine were still pretty dense after rising, which then affected how well they baked.

Homemade Bagels
Adapted from Artisan Breads Every Day by Peter Reinhart and BGSK
Makes 6-8 bagels

You can find barley malt syrup at a specialty foods store or Whole Foods.

Ingredients
For the dough:
1 tablespoon barley malt syrup, honey, or rice syrup
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 ½ teaspoons salt, or 2 ½ teaspoons coarse kosher salt
3 ½ cups (16oz) unbleached bread flour (or other flour by weight. I did about 4oz rye and 8oz bread flour and 4oz whole wheat flour

For the poaching liquid:
1 ½ tablespoons barley malt syrup, honey, or rice syrup
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt, or 1 ½ teaspoons coarse kosher salt

Stir the malt syrup, yeast, and salt into 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons lukewarm water. Place the flour into a mixing bowl and pour in the malt syrup mixture. Use a large, sturdy spoon and stir for about 3 minutes, until well blended. The dough should form a stiff, coarse ball, and the flour should be fully hydrated; if it isn’t, stir in a little more water. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.

Transfer to a very lightly floured work surface and knead. The dough should be stiff yet supple, with a satiny, barely tacky feel. If the dough seems too soft or overly tacky, mix or knead in a little more flour.

I did this all in a stand mixer with the dough hook, about 8 minutes.

Place the dough in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise at room temperature for 60-90 minutes. Patience is key.

Prepare a sheet pan by lining it with parchment paper, then misting it with spray oil or lightly coating it with oil. Divide the dough into 6 to 8 equal pieces.

Form each piece into a loose ball by rolling it on a clean, dry work surface with a cupped hand. Holding the dough with both thumbs in the hole, rotate the dough with your hands, gradually stretching it to create a hole about 2 inches in diameter.

Place each shaped bagel on the prepared sheet pan, then mist with spray oil or brush with a light coating of oil. Cover the entire pan with plastic wrap and let rest 10 minutes

Fill a pot with 2 to 3 quarts of water, making sure the water is at least 4 inches deep. Cover, bring to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain at a simmer. Stir in the malt syrup, baking soda, and salt.

Gently lower each bagel into the simmering poaching liquid, adding as many as will comfortably fit in the pot. They should all float to the surface within 15 seconds. After 1 minute, use a spoon to turn each bagel over. Poach for another 30 to 60 seconds, then use the spoon to transfer it back to the pan. 

Transfer the pan of bagels to the oven, then lower the oven heat to 450°F.

Bake for 8 minutes, then rotate the pan and check the underside of the bagels.  Bake for another 8 to 12 minutes, until the bagels are a golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. 

Image belongs to Smitten Kitchen who has a similar albeit more complicated version of Peter R's bagels. There was no way I was going to attempt bagels for the first time with all that business. Too daunting to attempt. This was simple and I was quite happy with the result and what I learned. I plan to keep working on them and will keep you posted.

By the way, this is helpful baking advice. ... because I freeze butter too and yet am also an impulsive baker.

french baguettes

I made bread and it was heavenly. It made my house smell great. It was killer straight out of the oven, with butter and honey, and now I'm hooked. I can't figure out what website this recipe came from, but I just printed nearly every bread recipe over at pete bakes and can't wait to try them all. I've come a long way and so can you! Do not be scurred.



{french baguettes}
adapted from artisan breads every day by peter reinhart
INGREDIENTS
5 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
2 tsp salt or 1 tbsp kosher salt
2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
2 c. lukewarm water {about 95 degrees. Tap water that feels just warm to the touch is fine}
DIRECTIONS
{prep day} combine all ingredients in bowl of mixer with paddle attachment and mix on lowest speed for 1 minute until well blended and smooth. Dough should form a coarse, shaggy ball. Let rest uncovered for 5 minutes. Switch to dough hook and mix on medium low speed for 2 minutes. Dough should be smooth, supple and tacky but not sticky.

Knead dough by hand on lightly floured work surface for 1 minute, then transfer to a large, clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and immediately refrigerate overnight or up to 4 days.

{baking day} remove dough from refrigerator 2 hours prior to baking. Gently transfer to lightly floured work surface. Divide dough into 10 ounce pieces for baguettes. Just divide the dough in fourths if you don't have one but Yes! I bought a $7 kitchen scale for this. I had four 10 ounce balls and then a little 5 ounce one leftover.

Form baguettes: by batting each piece of divided dough into a thick rectangle. With the long end facing you, fold the bottom half to the center and seal the seam. Fold the top half to the center and once again seal the seam. Roll the top half of the dough over the seam to create a new seam on the bottom of the loaf. Rock loaf back and forth with hands moving out toward and increasing pressure at the ends, to slightly taper the loaf until baguette is length of your baking sheet (or baguette pan if you have one).

Mist top of dough with spray oil, loosely cover with plastic wrap and proof and room temperature. Make a "couche" by placing baguettes on a clean towel dusted with flour, bunching up fabric between each loaf to create walls for support. Proof for about 1 1/2 hours or until they have increased to  1 1/2 times their original size.

Prep for baking: About 45 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place a rimmed sheet pan which will serve  as the steam pan on the shelf under which the baguettes will be baked. Remove plastic wrap from the dough 15 minutes prior to baking. Gently roll dough onto baguette pan or baking sheet. Just prior to baking score the dough 1/2 inch deep with a serrated knife. Transfer loaves to oven, pour 1 cup hot water into steam pan. Wear an oven mitt & be careful, the steam will be steamy in the hot pan. Warmed the water in my stovetop kettle and poured it in so there was some distance.

Bake for 12 minutes, then rotate pan and bake for another 15-25 minutes until the crust is rich golden brown and the loaves sound hollow when thumped, and the internal temperature is about 200 degrees. Coll on a wire rack for at least 35 minutes before slicing or serving. good luck with that. Store wrapped in a dish towel to maintain crust's crispiness.

chai tea latte concentrate

'tis the season for spicy warm drinks like pumpkin spice and chai tea lattes. i got a chai tea latte today from central market and it was glorious. however, since i can't be shelling out the big bucks each afternoon, morning, evening... that i get a craving, i pulled out this recipe i'd been saving for at home, on-demand, chai tea lattes.

Chai Latte Concentrate
from foodie with family

Ingredients:

• 12 Chai tea bags
• 4 cups cold, fresh water
• 1 1/2 cups milk

Place the tea bags, cold water and milk in a medium saucepan over high heat.  Bring to a boil.  When you reach the boil, drop the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and squeeze the tea bags to extract as much flavor and liquid as possible.  Discard tea bags and transfer the Chai Latte Concentrate to a heat-safe container, like a glass Ball jar. Allow to cool to room temperature, put a tight fitting lid on the container and store in the refrigerator for up to 12 days.

To prepare a Chai Latte: (it's really flexible, adjust to your taste)

Ingredients:

• 1/3- 1/2 cup of milk (use whole milk or even half and half to make a creamy, rich one)
• 1/2- 2/3 cup of Chai Latte Concentrate
• 1-3 teaspoons, to taste, of sweetener.  Foodie recommends agave nectar. I used Splenda and skim milk but may try adding real sugar with the milk and warming it together stovetop then topping with whipped cream and some cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice. I also found decaffeinated chai tea bags, which was a plus!

yum!

quesadillas. a tutorial.

this is for hallie and macey.

{quesadillas}
serves 1
INGREDIENTS
2 good tortillas 
a big handful of grated cheese {monterey jack is usually what you find in mexican food quesadillas but any cheese is good. feta, cheddar, parmesan... use whatever you have}
shredded chicken from a rotisserie chicken
or rinsed and drained black beans from a can of black beans
or some chopped baby spinach
1 tablespoon of butter
tools needed:
a skillet {non-stick is easier to deal with, but i think regular skillets make better quesadillas}
a spatula {any kind will work. i use a wide, rubber spatula}
a pizza cutter is recommended
DIRECTIONS
heat the skillet on medium high on the stove top, about a 7. on a plate or cutting board assemble your quesadilla, layering half the cheese on one tortilla, adding beans, meat or whatever else, then sprinkle the rest of the cheese. it's ok if it seems full, when the cheese melts, it won't be. leave a little border around the edge of the tortilla so the cheese doesn't ooze out while it's cooking. and top with the other tortilla. 
place the butter in the skillet and swirl the pan or stir it around until it melts. when the butter starts bubbling a bit, place your quesadilla in the pan. as that one side cooks, press down on the top tortilla with your fingers, especially around the edges, this will make it easier to flip. cook about 2-3 min, or until the bottom starts looking crisp and brown in spots.
  
then flip. slide a spatula under it, hold it with the top with your hand and flip in one quick motion. if it splatters or the tortilla folds it's ok, fix it. it may be messy but it will still taste good. press down a bit with your fingers and cook 2-3 min on this side, till tortilla is brown in spots. remove, allow to cool and cut. i think it's easiest to cut quesadillas with a pizza cutter.

{to make it extra good, and to be sure the second side doesn't stick, you could take the quesadilla out, place another tablespoon of butter to melt in the pan, then flip it.}

good luck!

green pizza

Pizzas are such a great leftovers meal. Especially since I'm overcoming my fear of yeast. Since we've been frequenting The Grove, it's inspired me to throw just about anything on there. Too bad I didn't have any mushrooms, then it'd be heavenly. But then I probably couldn't call this Green Pizza.


I realize I'm using spaghetti sauce on this but I sort of like how it's sweeter and plus this jar is much more versatile if I use it for more than just spaghetti. I also like how these come in flavors. The tomato & basil has chunks of tomato that add to pizzas. In my honest opinion. Obviously you could just use marinara sauce or even tomato paste with some garlic but that wouldn't be as random....
Note the feta placement in the bottom picture. Taylor claims to not like strong cheeses, but I really do. And they make pizzas and a lot of other dishes much more fun. So I thought I start him out on feta {since blue cheese would probably be a criminal starting place....but we'll work up to that}. I put a little cluster to see what would happen, and he ate it! I informed him later, at The Grove actually, that he likes feta. Was that mean? I'm not sure but it makes it easier to cook for both of us if I can work on cheese diversification.


green pizza
INGREDIENTS
this pizza dough, or prepared dough {some hebs sell raw dough near their deli section}
1/4 cup thinly sliced and then quartered zucchini
1 cup uncooked baby spinach leaves
4 tablespoons of this pesto, or basil pesto
1/3 cup cooked chicken, diced
1/3 cup shredded colby jack cheese
1/4 cup shredded parmesean cheese
3 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup of your favorite, well seasoned tomato sauce {or omit and increase the pesto!}
DIRECTIONS
Lightly saute zucchini and spinach {or zap in the microwave} until just beginning to look and feel cooked. I cooked the spinach just about all the way and then squeezed out the moisture and diced it. I cooked the cut zucchini till it was tender but not completely cooked. {see note}

Oven to 550. Cover pizza stone or baking sheet with parchment paper if you have some. {I'm never consistent about using parchment paper}. Roll out pizza dough to desired thickness, will {or should} rise some. Spread pesto then tomato sauce. Sprinkle with about 2/3 of the cheeses. Add zucchini, spinach and chicken evenly. Sprinkle the rest of the cheeses. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

{note} I'd never tried these veggies on a pizza and wasn't sure if they'd cook all the way, being put on the pizza raw. So I gave them a head start. I have no idea if it was necessary but they turned out great.


{recommended variations for your green pizza} asparagus, green peppers, green tomatoes, arugula. ooooo arugula...

buttamilk biscuits

These buttermilk biscuits are reminiscent of my scones. Which if you don't make anything from this site, please make those. Your life will be changed for the better.

I love biscuits. Do I have a problem? Possibly. I think it's important you don't overcombine the dough and are comfortable with it being flaky. I think it's also important you use a biscuit cutter (or heart shaped cookie cutter) so that the edges of the biscuit don't seal a prevent it from rising. The recipe I tried said 15 minutes; thankfully, I only did 12 and I think that was even too much. Have your honey and your butter ready to go when you pop these babies out of the oven.

buttamilk biscuits
adapted from Epicurious
INGREDIENTS
3 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup chilled butter
1 cup buttermilk
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425°F. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in large bowl to blend. Cut or grate butter to dry ingredients and combine with hands or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk slowly and stir with a fork until evenly moistened. Press dough into flaky ball using the sides of the bowl. Place dough onto lightly floured surface and flatten until about an inch thick, err on the generous side. Dough will be crumbly and flaky still. Cut with a cookie cutter or biscuit cutter. Do not twist, as it will seal the sides and the biscuits with not rise. Place on a cookie sheet. If you like them to have soft edges, place close together. Bake until biscuits are golden brown on top, about 10 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve warm.

aaaahhh summer aaaapple crisp

We devoured this too quickly for me to snap a shot, so here's another borrowed flickr pic. These people take better pictures than me anyway, so part of me wonders why I bother... The only thing missing here is some Blue Bell Vanilla Bean.

photo belongs to minimallyinvasive

Ignore my crazed ramblings at the end and just make this according to the directions. If it's disastrous, then read my ramblings. Read them and laugh at the food blogger that supplies you with a recipe then states that she, in fact, is confused and has no idea what she's doing or where she's leading you.

INGREDIENTS
adapted from AllRecipes.com and Joy of Baking
3 - 4 cups apples: peeled, cored and cut in bite sized pieces
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup water
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup butter, chilled
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the sliced apples in a 8x8 inch pan, or deep pie dish. Mix the white sugar, 1 tablespoon flour and ground cinnamon together, and sprinkle over apples. Pour water evenly over all. Combine the oats, 1/2 cup flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda. Grate or cut butter into mixture and combine with hands or pastry blender. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture.Bake at 350 degrees for about 30- 35 minutes.


Ok. I'm being honest with you people...

I think this is what I made.

In regard to the filling, add the water slowly, you may not want it all, and maybe skimp on the sugar, a bit. I thirded? is that a word? a recipe and combined it with halving another. What I'm trying to say is that there may be too much filling. I'm not really sure what ended up happening....but let's be honest; it's sugar. Can you really go wrong?

fettuccine with light white sauce

This could be called fettuccine alfredo. Except that a real alfredo sauce, I think, based upon minimal online research, is made mostly with cream and much more Parmesan. I made a sauce base, similar to my Mac & Cheese and my
Pot Pie, used 2 % milk then added some cheese and a little bit of lemon. It was a bit lighter than alfredo sauce.

I think the lemon and fresh parsley really set this sauce apart. I was honestly surprised at how good it was, and I was amazed at how easy the sauce was to whip up with basic kitchen ingredients. It was even be better the second day, after all the flavors became better acquainted. I imagine that baking it is not a necessity but I think it helps the noodles soak up some of the sauce flavor....I'm not sure. Try it both ways!

image belongs to chowdownphoenix

fettuccine with light white sauce
inspired by PioneerWoman
8- 10 oz wheat fettuccine pasta (3-4 cups cooked)
2 cups grilled or roasted chicken, diced

1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. flour
2 cloves garlic, minced
generous dash of nutmeg
2 t. cracked pepper
1 t. salt
3/4 to 1 c. milk (room temperature recommended)
3/4 c. low sodium chicken broth
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese divided
3 t. lemon juice
3 t. chopped, fresh parsley

Heat oven to 375. Cook fettuccine according to package directions, drain and place in oven safe dish. In small pot, warm chicken broth. Melt butter in saucepan on medium heat, add garlic and lemon juice and whisk occasionally until butter is bubbly, about 3 minutes. Add flour slowly with pepper, salt and nutmeg and whisk until combined, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and slowly whisk in broth and milk, alternating. Add more milk if it seems too thick. Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup cheese. Pour over noodles. Add chicken. Bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Then remove foil and bake for an additional 7 to 10 minutes. (Don’t bake too long or the pasta will dry out.) Top with remaining cheese and parsley. Yield: 4 servings.

chicken pot pie

Thanks for letting me take about a week hiatus. With school wrapping up, graduations, Memorial Day weekend, there was just not enough time in the day to keep you updated on my culinary adventures. Or perhaps I was just too lazy to upload my pictures. ...you may never know...While this dish may not seem summer appropriate, allow me to posit that it can be spring appropriate. We had some drizzly, dreary spring weather early last week and I thought it would be perfectly apt to attempt homemade pot pie. Now I did not make the pie crust. So, to be candid and true to you loyal readers, I made homemade pot and store bought pie.

I had fun making them individually, the smaller one was taken out about ten minutes early. The big one is in about a 16 oz dish and the small one, about 10 oz. Here you can see the filling station.

My sloppy pie crust job resulted in some excess dough that inspired my artistic sensibilities, but you'll have to glaze over the recipe to reach the finale. I think the next time I make this, I'm going to grate about a 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese into the filling. You know, for the added calcium.

Chicken Pot Pie
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1.5 whole chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on (I used 2 cups diced rotisserie chicken meat)

1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teasp nutmeg
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup milk (room temperature recommended)

1/2 (10-ounce) package frozen peas (or approx 1 cup)
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup diced potato
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
1 egg beaten
1/2 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. white wine
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
1 egg beaten
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
{chicken}
Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 2 to 3 cups of cubed chicken. (Can be done in advance)
{veggies}
Heat large non-stick saucepan with lid on medium. Add potatoes, 1/2 c. chicken broth, wine, lemon juice and garlic. Bring to boil and cook covered 5 minutes, add carrots and cook 5 min more, stir uncovered for 3 minutes to allow liquids to reduce. {see note}
{filling}
Add any remaining liquid from vegetables to small pot. Add the rest of the broth to the small pot and heat on low. In large saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper. Slowly stir in milk and warmed chicken broth Simmer over medium-low heat until thick, stirring often. Add the cubed chicken, potatoes, carrots, peas and parsley. Mix well.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Sprinkle bottom of deep pie plate lightly with flour, spread into a thin layer with your fingers. Press crust into bottom of dish and repeat with flour. Pour the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Bake 45 min. Allow to cool for 5 - 10 minutes before serving.
{note}
I did not have carrots. Also, an alternative to cooking the vegetables is to just blanch them: Add diced potatoes to 2 quarts water and boil for about 10 minutes. Add diced carrots to boiling water for about 2 minutes. Remove together and submerge in ice water. Drain and set aside. This is the truly British (though arguably less inspiring) way of cooking the vegetables.
Ah yes, and there's what I did with the excess dough. Who doesn't want a personalized pot pie? Now you're certainly realizing that is what your soul has been missing.
That's a cursive T. In case you're having trouble.

pizza dough (with yeast!)

Yeast makes me nervous. It's this freaky alive substance that eats and grows. Kneading makes me nervous too. Releasing the gluten...gummy...silky...stringy...chewy. I feel that these are severely subjective adjectives. Don't underdo it and don't overdo it. Then there arises (heh) the issue of all these whilly nilly bread making peoples that just whip this stuff out without overmixing or overgrowing or "killing" things. Its just that this exact chemistry with specific water temperatures, hungry fungi and strange consistency specifications makes me nervous...
We are baking! This is chemistry, people! I need times! Specific times! Measurements! Specific measurements! I'm a rule follower! I can't handle whilly nilly!
The reason there is often a specified water temperature in bread making recipes is to proof the dough to ensure it's not dead. My heroine over at Smitten Kitchen skips this step for her pizza dough and saves me the uncertainty of water temperature measuring. We'll just assume my yeast is still alive and kickin...

Pizza with Homemade Dough
adapted from Smitten Kitchen
1 1/2 cups flour (can replace up to half of this with whole wheat flour)
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast*
1/2 cup warm water (may need up to 1 or 2 tablespoons more)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
*If using instant yeast, use a tiny bit less
Stir dry ingredients, including yeast, in a large bowl. Add water, honey and olive oil, stirring mixture. Dump all clumps and floury bits onto a lightly floured surface and knead into a ball.
SmittenKitchen recommends: "If you are finding this step difficult, one of the best tricks I picked up from my bread-making class is to simply pause. Leave the dough in a lightly-floured spot, put the empty bowl upside-down on top of it and come back in 2 to 5 minutes, at which point you will find the dough a lot more lovable."
Knead it for just a minute or two. {update: this maybe what s.k. said but I found it needs to be kneaded for about 5 minutes. Or more. Knead until a piece of it stretches in your hand without breaking. Lightly oil the same rinsed mixing bowl with shortening, butter or cooking spray. Dump in the dough, turn it over so all sides are coated, cover it in plastic wrap {update: a cotton dishtowel} and leave it undisturbed for an hour or two, until it has doubled in size. It's ready when two fingers pressed firmly leave an indentation and the dough does not bounce back into shape.

Dump it back on the floured counter and gently press the air out of the dough with the palm of your hands. Fold the piece into an approximate ball shape, and let it sit under that plastic wrap for 20 more minutes.
Sprinkle a pizza stone or baking sheet with cornmeal and preheat your oven to its top temperature. Roll out the pizza, toss on whatever topping and seasonings you like.

Bake it for about 10 minutes until "it’s lightly blistered and impossible to resist."
Then clean your kitchen.


{notes}
I used instant yeast instead of dry active yeast. It made me nervous.

After the intensive google research I conducted to figure out the difference, I gathered that I was supposed to do a tiny bit less instant yeast. Something about 80%. Though the consensus among many random "authorities" on various bread loving message boards was that it "didn't matter." Those whilly nilly bread peoples!

All that I was really able to determine was that the instant yeast would make the dough rise faster. Naturally, the name is a give away. Thanks for nothing, whilly nilly bread people. Once I began making the dough, I read the package of instant yeast. The conversions were in grams and I didn't feel like troubling to convert grams to teaspoons. So I did a scant 3/4 t. instant yeast. My confusion began when the package said to double the water. Now that's a lot more water and a significant deviation from my original recipe. And that made me feel scared. And whilly nilly. I think I ended up adding about an additional 1/4 cup of water. It seemed "silky" and didn't break when I took a chuck and spread it out in my hands (windowpane test?). Smitten's one to two hours timeframe also was a little too whilly nilly for my taste and was merely fuel to the fire of my confusion about this whole instant yeast fiasco being faster.

I let it rise in my pantry for about an hour and 15 minutes.
I cooked it at 500 degrees.

It was good. Success!

a better baked tater

No offense intended for the baked potato lovers of the world, but I just don't know why you'd settle for a baked potato when you can do this to them....

Twice Baked Potatoes
INGREDIENTS
2 medium sized potatoes
1/3 c. low fat ricotta
1/2 to 3/4 cup mixed grated cheeses such as Parmesan and Monterrey Jack
seasoning salt
cracked pepper
DIRECTIONS
Clean and cook the potatoes. Give them a few good pokes with a fork and either bake them on 400 for an hour or put them one by one in the microwave on some variation of the Baked Potato setting.

Heat oven to 400. Allow cooked potatoes to cool just enough to handle. Cut each in half lengthwise and carefully scoop flesh in to bowl, leaving a small, even layer on the skins. Place skins on baking sheet. With a fork or hand mixer, combine potato with cheeses and salt and pepper generously to taste. Scoop mixture back into skins and sprinkle with cheese and a pinch of cracked black pepper. Bake about 10 minutes.
The image on the right is before they were subjected to the oven for the second go 'round. The image in the left is obviously just another shot of the completed savoriness in case you missed it the first time.

This is a baked potato done right, in my book. Take everything out (isn't that what you wish you could do to a baked potato in order to mix it up properly?...or is that just me?) Add some creamy cheese. Ample salt. Bake it again to melt it all up to gooey greatness.

Baked Mac & Cheese

Ahhh the gloriousness of macaroni and cheese! The nostalgia, the creaminess, the yummy cheesiness... I'd been aspiring to make homemade mac & cheese for a while and made enough of this for my coworkers to quickly inhale the next day. It was really easy and not even that unhealthy since I dubiously substituted cream and whole milk for whole milk and 2% milk and it turned out great. I also learned that the butter and flour whisked mix before the milk is added is called a roux. Cooking vocab word. You're welcome.

Baked Mac & Cheese with Garlic Breadcrumbs
adapted from Gourmet
INGREDIENTS
For bread crumbs:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs
For macaroni:
1/4 stick unsalted butter
scant 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup 2% milk
8oz elbow macaroni
16 oz sharp cheddar, grated (or your choice of white, yellow, sharp, extra sharp etc.)
DIRECTIONS
Make bread crumbs: Heat butter and oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides, then cook garlic and bread crumbs, stirring, until crumbs are golden. Transfer to paper towels to drain and season with salt.

Cook macaroni according to directions. Drain in a colander and transfer to a 1 1/2 quart shallow casserole. Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt butter in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan over moderate heat, then add flour and cook, whisking, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk* and simmer, whisking occasionally, 3 minutes. I added a few dashes of ground pepper and garlic powder. To macaroni, stir in white sauce, cheese, and salt to taste. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake in middle of oven 30 minutes, or until bubbly.

*I recommend allowing the milk to reach room temperature before making sauce. I had to stir a lot longer than 3 minutes before it thickened even a little. It should thicken slightly to resemble a sauce.

That's it, my friends, enjoy!

Congressional Chili

So the State Legislature is in session and Taylor is sick. Perfect time to make Chili. According to my research, Former House Representative Jake Pickle, who represented Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives for almost 30 years started making venison chili and giving it away in the cafeteria while the Legislature was in session. It became very popular and so demanded that the cafeteria asked him to stop giving it away because no one was actually buying things on the menu. This became a favorite of President LBJ, beginning, according to Wikipedia, when he was Senate Majority Leader. Lady Bird had the recipe printed out on cards and mailed it out when it became so requested from the White House. Furthermore, the Texas Chili Parlor is a popular eatery for capitol workers AND chili con carne is Texas' national dish.

That highly extensive five minutes of research done to figure out why this would be called Congressional Chili by the Junior League of Houston's new cook book entitled Peace Meals, which was featured in my recent edition of House Beautiful. I halved this recipe and didn't have mole. The only thing I'd change is cutting the peppers a bit smaller. It was really good!







Congressional Chili
adapted from Peace Meals: JL of Houston
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, diced
2 green bell peppers, diced
4 cloves garlic, pressed
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 1/2 pounds ground beef, preferably sirloin
16 ounces canned tomato sauce
3 tablespoons prepared red mole ( I did not use this but will try it next time)
3 tablespoons chili powder
3 cups water
32 ounces canned kidney beans
Shredded cheddar cheese

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium. Add the onions, peppers, and garlic. Sauté until the onions are translucent and the peppers begin to soften. Perhaps add garlic closer to the end or take care to stir frequently so that garlic does not burn to the bottom of the skillet. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Brown the beef in a soup pot; drain off any excess fat. Add half of the sautéed onion-pepper mixture to the meat. Stir in the tomato sauce, mole, chili powder, and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Adjust the seasonings by adding additional salt, pepper, mole, or chili powder. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add the beans and the remaining half of the onion-pepper mixture; cook for 15 minutes. Serve topped with cheese and onions.

I was skeptical because it was chunky but I thought it was really good! I'd recommend being sure the peppers are really soft when you're sauteeing them so that they only provide flavor not a surprising crunch. As you can see, Taylor endorses it.

zimply ziti

I first made this when our friends, David and Emily, came to Austin for New Year's. Taylor about died telling me how good it was. So it returned for our first married meal, before we even had real silverware. It's modified from Real Simple: Meals Made Easy. For appropriate portion sizing, I cook the whole pound of hamburger meat and then refrigerate half of it for spaghetti or something else involving ground beef, for later in the week.

Lasagna-Style Baked Ziti
INGREDIENTS
1/2 lb. (half a box) dry ziti
1 T. EVOO
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3/4 t. kosher salt
1/4 t. ground black pepper
1/2 lb. ground beef
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. fresh oregano or 1 T. dried oregano powder
1/2 to 3/4 a jar chunky pasta sauce
3/4 c. ricotta
1/2 c. grated Parmesan
1 c. shredded mozzarella
DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 400. Cook ziti according to package directions. Heat oil in large pot over medium, add onion, salt, pepper and cook for 5 min. Add beef and cook, crumbling with a spoon, about 7 min. Add garlic and oregano and cook for 2 min. Add pasta sauce and cook for 3 min. Remove from heat. Add drained ziti to pot and toss. Add ricotta and 1/4 c. of Parmesan, 1/2 c. mozzarella and toss again. Spread mixture into a 2 quart baking dish and sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake about 12-15 minutes, until the cheese melts. Serves 4, with leftovers. :)

Tay likes this and diced tomatoes can be added as well as spinach. I want to try it with chicken soon. Stay tuned for pumpkin cookies!!

soouuuth'rn parmesan chicken

This little dish holds a near and dear place in my heart because, after the Ziti, it was the first married dish I made that Taylor RAVED about and said was his favorite. This one is Paula Dean inspired so get ready for butta.

Souuth'rn Parmesan Chicken
INGREDIENTS
1 to 1.5 lb. chicken tenders (about 8)
2 cups parmesan cheese (I tried fresh grated last night and it was great!)
1 T. fresh thyme
1 t. garlic powder
1 T. cracked pepper
1 c. fine bread crumbs
butter
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 c. flour
DIRECTIONS
Season chicken with pepper and pound to even thickness. Combine bread crumbs, spices, herbs and cheese in shallow bowl. For each tender: coat in flour, dredge in beaten egg and coat with bread crumb mixture. Heat 2 T. butter in skillet on medium heat (4 on my stove :). Cook tenders, about 4 minutes on each side or until coating is dark and crispy. I served this with spaghetti last night. It makes a huge mess, but is pretty quick, very easy and nice and crispy goodness. I've seen recipes calling for cooking this in EVOO but the butter has the best result. Also, I use tenders because they are thin enough too cook through while the coating is getting crispy. When done with breasts, at least in my amature cooking experience, you have to cover the skillet and actually "cook" them and then the coating gets mushy.

This is one of our favorite dishes but sorry, no pic yet.

easypeasy chicken enchiladas

Oh man, Taylor loved these. I put together a bunch of recipes from All Recipes.com and it seemed like the good reviews coincided with the ones that were more casserole-y involving Cream of Chicken soup. So I didnt resist. Here's what I came up with and Taylor loved it.



Chicken Enchiladas
INGREDIENTS
1/2 c. onion chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced, or 1/2 tsp. garlic powder.
1 tsp cumin
1 1/2 cup cooked chicken, cubed or shredded
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can green enchilada sauce
1 cup grated cheese. (I recommend monterrey jack and sharp cheddar)
6 flour tortillas, warmed so they're soft.
DIRECTIONS
Oven to 350. Lightly grease large baking dish. Heat oil in skillet on medium and saute onions about 4 min. Add soup and combine. Transfer 3/4 mixture from pan into small bowl and stir in the enchilada sauce. Set aside.

To the remainder in the pan, add chicken, cumin, garlic. Mix well. Lower heat and add half the cheese and stir to melt.

Pour enough of the set aside sauce mixture into the baking dish to cover the bottom. Fill each tortilla with the chicken mix from the skillet. Line filled tortillas in baking dish. Pour the rest of the sauce over the top and top with remaining cheese. I put about 5 green chili peppers on top. Bake for 30 min or until cheese is bubbly.

That's that! next time I may try more things in there, like peppers or spinach or a more interesting cheese like goat or feta, and perhaps corn tortillas.

{image belongs to vivamex}