Peasant Bread

Don't be scared. I know you saw the word "bread" and wanted to go hide behind a pillow. I know. I really do. I've been there. I've spent entire days devoting myself to a bread recipe, kneading until my wrists caught fire, punching down the dough, letting it rest, letting it rise, letting it rest again, giving it positive affirmations, singing it songs, rocking it to sleep. And most of the time, when all is said and done, it doesn't taste much better than what I could have gotten at the grocery store on a 10 for $10 sale. But I promise you, this bread recipe is, quite possibly, the easiest bread recipe I have ever tried, and, more importantly, it is divine. Yes, DIVINE. I promise. The only teeny, tiny hitch is that you have to plan ahead. Say, two days ahead. To really improve the flavor of the bread, you have to let the dough sit in your fridge for 24 hours (the recipe says 12-24, but I highly recommend the 24). But it's just sitting there! I swear, you don't even have to lay a finger on it. Then, after the time spent in the fridge, the dough has to rise a room temperature for 18 hours. But, again, you don't have to do anything to it! You don't even have to look at it if you don't want to! As long as you have the time, this is the easiest recipe ever. You combine the flour, salt, yeast and water, until it looks like a lump of goo.

Looks wrong, I know, but just trust me. After the time in the fridge and the 18 hour rise, it'll look like this:
And then, after you bake it (in a dutch oven, which I love!), it looks like this:

I know!!! It looks like something you'd get at an artisan bread bakery. And it's not all looks, either. It is so good. So much flavor; nice and dense (kinda like me). I was blown away. And after being blown away, I promptly made eggs:

Goat cheese, free-range eggs and chives from our garden. Yes, I am a domestic goddess. (Actually, I'm not, I just really like to stuff my face.)

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour (I used King Arthur bread flour)
  
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
  
• 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• All-purpose flour, for dusting

Combine the bread flour, whole-wheat flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add 11/2 cups lukewarm water (about 100 degrees F) and mix with your hands or a spoon until the dough comes together (it will be wet and sticky). Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap. If you have extra time, refrigerate 12 to 24 hours; this is not necessary but will improve the flavor of the bread.

Let the dough rise, covered, at room temperature for about 18 hours; this rise is necessary whether you refrigerate the dough first or not. The surface will be bubbly after rising.

Generously dust a work surface with all-purpose flour. Turn the dough out onto the flour, then sprinkle flour on top. Fold the top and bottom of the dough into the center, then fold in the sides to make a free-form square. Use a dough scraper or a spatula to turn the dough over, then tuck the corners under to form a ball.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and generously dust with flour. Transfer the dough to the baking sheet, seam-side down, and sprinkle with more flour. Cover with a cotton kitchen towel (do not use terry cloth) and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 2 to 3 hours.

Position a rack in the bottom of the oven and place a 2- or 4-quart cast-iron or enameled Dutch oven (without the lid) on the rack. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F for at least 30 minutes. When the dough has doubled, carefully transfer the hot pot to a heatproof surface. Uncover the dough, lift up the parchment and quickly invert the dough into the pot (shake the pot to center the dough, if necessary). Cover with the lid and bake 30 minutes, then uncover and bake until brown and crusty, 15 to 30 more minutes. Turn out onto a rack to cool.

Honey, Garlic & Sage Pork Sirloin Roast

It's getting to be that time of year where I absolutely refuse to turn my oven on, lest I will just burst into flames and leave a large me-shaped crater in the kitchen floor (and for those who know us, you know our poor kitchen floor has already endured enough this year). So last night I swallowed my fear of being blow up by our garbage-picked gas grill, and cooked us up some good eats on our breezy back porch.

I absolutely loved, loved, LOVED the wet rub that went on this pork roast.


A lovely combo of lemon, garlic and sage. However, I should note that this recipe called for the roast to go in the oven, not on the grill, so unfortunately I had nothing left of the delish rub when all was said and done. The next time I make it on the grill, I may actually make a second batch of the wet rub and let it simmer in a pot on the grill while the roast cooks, just to have some of the yumminess at the end.

Half way through cooking the roast, you bring in the honey, which really balances out the acid of the wet rub, and gives the roast a beautiful color.

Of course, this isn't all about looks. It's got to taste the business, too. My honest opinion? I need serious Bobby Flay lessons on how NOT to destroy pork. I should have pulled it at 145 degrees and let it creep up to temp as it rested, but I let it go a little too long and several of the pieces tastes like a deliciously seasoned shoe. But, had it come off the grill as it hit prime loveliness, it would have been perfect. I served it with a couple grilled potatoes and huge salad (with mounds of blue cheese...just cuz).

(And, just a side note - I urge anyone who is a meat-a-saurus like me to seek out a local sustainable farm in your area that offers organic beef, chicken and pork. It's better for the environment, better for your local economy, and most of all, better for you!! If you're in Michigan, I highly recommend Creswick Farms - they deliver almost everywhere. You can also check Local Harvest for a list of farms in your area.)

Here's the recipe:

1 Pork Sirloin Roast, 2 to 3 lb.
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons fresh sage, minced
or 2 teaspoons sage, dried and crumbled
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, coarsely ground
2 tablespoons honey


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line shallow roasting pan with foil. Place pork in foil-lined pan.
Stir together oil, lemon juice, garlic, sage and pepper in small bowl; brush over top and sides of pork roast. Roast pork 30 to 45 minutes; brush honey over top and sides of pork. Roast 20 to 30 minutes more or until done (internal temp 155°F).

Yeast Waffles

Wow...it's been ages since I've blogged! Don't let that fool you into thinking I haven't been cooking or baking. My ever growing cankles and love handles would argue otherwise. No need to bore you with the details of where I've been (in the kitchen) or what I've been doing (eating). Let's just dive right in, shall we?


There have been many a weekend morning where my family and I have enjoyed waffles, but this past weekend I tried yeast waffles for the very first time. First, I must say a word about waffle makers. No matter what kind of waffle recipe you have, having a GOOD waffle maker makes all the difference in the world. That being said, I do not have a good waffle maker. I have a bottom of the line, crap-tastic, "barely a waffle and more like a squishy blob" waffle maker that hubby and I registered for seven years ago for our wedding. No matter what I did, no matter what recipe I tried, I could not get crispy waffles. Ever. Until now! I have found a new way to waffle, people, and it's all about the yeast! It's also about NOT having to beat the heck out of egg whites or honing your "folding" skills. This recipe couldn't be any easier. The only slight trick is remembering to prep it the night before. Then the batter sits out at room temperature overnight, and in the morning you add the eggs, baking soda. Here is the recipe I followed:

Ingredients

• 2 cups milk
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 3 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions

1. Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine milk, yeast mixture, butter, salt, sugar and flour. Mix thoroughly with rotary or electric mixer until batter is smooth. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight.
3. The next morning, stir beaten eggs and baking soda into the batter; beat well.
4. Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown.

These are definitely a new staple in our household. They were delicious - crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. And they are not sweet waffles on their own. I suppose you could add more sugar if you wanted them sweeter, but the bonus is that these waffles could be used for savory dishes as well.

Now, if I could just convince hubby that we need to spend $100 on a new waffle maker...

English Tea Scones

About a year ago, I became obsessed with scones. I can't really explain why, other than that a) they're easy to make, and b) you can put chocolate in them. I started doing a ton of research and watched a bazillion videos on Expert Village, many that were little old British grandmas making their century old family scone recipe. I soon realized that the big debate with scones seems to be the fat. Do you use butter or margarine? I even found one recipe that bypassed them both and used olive oil. (By the way, I tried that recipe. I would only recommend using olive oil when making a savory scone, like garlic and rosemary. I used it in a raspberry scone recipe and all I could taste was the oil. Blegh!)

The other debate was how to incorporate the fat. Pastry cutter or by hand? Or by mixer, which is Ina Garten's method for her orange cranberry scones. Her theory is similar to the theory of pie crust. You want the butter to be COLD and to stay cold until it goes into the oven. If you touch the dough too much, the butter will start to melt. However, many of the British women I saw making scones used their hands and "rubbed" the butter into the flour mixture. Then there's the flour. Some use all-purpose, some use bread flour and some use pastry flour. Well, after a year of trial and error, I've concluded that there really is no right answer. It just depends on your personal taste.

See, I have baggage. When I lived in Seattle, there were two places that sparked my taste for scones: Hi Spot Cafe in Madrona, and Madison Park Cafe in Madison Park. In particular, Madison Park Cafe's lemon poppy seed scones, with that omigod-delish lemony glaze. And I think all of my scone endeavors have been an attempt to recreate these "perfect" scones. Dense, but moist, flavorful but not too sweet. My choice would be butter for the fat. Margarine tends to melt faster and makes the dough a little, well, doughy. And I prefer pastry flour, though, if you're in an experimental phase, that can get expensive. All-purpose works fine just for day to day use. But I have yet to figure out how to recreate the omigod-delish lemony glaze. It isn't a white, confectioners sugar concoction. It's a clear, shiny glaze brushed on, but it's not sticky and it tastes like tangy lemons. I think it might be just lemon juice and sugar, simmered and reduced to a syrup, but I still need to do some experimenting.

Anyway, while visiting my parents, I was put in charge of making yummies for my mom's weekly quilting group. A group of women sitting around sewing? Could there be a more appropriate time for scones? I think not.

Normally when I make English Tea Scones, I use currants. However, my parents live in a rural town in southern Washington, so I had to rely on what I could find, and luckily I found dried cranberries. (For the record, I prefer currants in this particular recipe. Cranberries I prefer in in an orange scone. I think the flavors really compliment each other.)

so the recipe goes:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbs sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 beaten eggs
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup currants or raisins
Milk
Sugar

First you mix the dry ingredients, then you cube the butter.


Cut in the butter using a pastry blender

Then mix the egg, heavy cream and the dried fruit (some recipes have you toss the fruit in flour and have you add it to the dough at the end, but I've done both and don't see much difference, and this method is much easier.)

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and stir the wet ingredients in with a fork

Until it comes together

Then turn it out on a floured surface. Now, here's the tricky part. DON'T TOUCH IT. Well, okay, you can touch it a little. But don't overwork it or you'll make the butter angry! You don't even have to kneed it. Just flour your hands and quickly form it into a ball, and then roll it out so it looks like this

Or, you can roll it into a square (which I'm very bad at, so I stick with round) and, instead of using a biscuit cutter (or rim of a cup), you can cut them into wedges. But I prefer my scones round (you'll see why in a minute!). Brush the tops with milk and sprinkle with sanding sugar.


Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes, until they look like this


Now...to cut, or not to cut? I say cut. Or, fork split, which leaves all the nooks intact. Now, if I was just eating one of these with a cup of coffee, I'd probably just use a little jam or honey. But, since these were a yummy treat for a gaggle of women...


Yep. Real whipped cream and strawberry preserves. Forgive the blurry photo. My mom had a serious case of grabby hands. There is not time for pictures when there are women waiting for food! I should really know this.

The one thing about scones is that they don't keep. I've tried everything to get them to maintain their pizzaz for at least a couple days, but, like most baked goods, they're really best right out of the oven. However, I have had some success with wrapping them individually in waxed paper and freezing them. Then you can defrost one at a time. (Okay, three at a time. I mean, who can eat just one scone??)

Back to Basics: Oatmeal

I know it might seem pedestrian for my very first post to be about oatmeal. Oh, stop it with the gagging and barfing sound effects. Oatmeal is very misunderstood, mostly because it's been bastardized for convenience into small packets of dust that quickly turn to little mounds of gooey paste when you add liquid. Most people who "hate" oatmeal, my husband included, have only known the instant goop version of this fabulous breakfast food. I encourage you to give it another day in court. Only this time, buy REAL oats and make it from scratch. (Steel cut oats - or Irish Oats - are the best, however, they do take a little longer to cook. But if you have the time, do it!)

I made the following batch one morning while staying at my parent's house in Washington. My mom didn't have the steel cut oats, but luckily she did have just regular oats. My recipe - and I use that word loosely because there's really only one way to make oatmeal i.e. boil water and/or milk and add oats - is a take on Ina Garten's Sunday Morning Oatmeal.


1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup oats
brown sugar, maple syrup, sliced bananas, dried cherries or cranberries, chopped walnuts - basically anything your little heart desires.
ground flax seed or tbsp flax seed oil - *optional

I didn't have the flax seed on hand, but it does add a delish nutty hint, and it's way super good for your heart, so I highly recommend getting some. Now, this isn't rocket science. You bring the milk and water to simmer, add the oats, let it all cook for about five minutes (longer for smoother oatmeal).

Then you add all the yummies - my favs being brown sugar and bananas.

I know what you're going to say next. You don't have time in the morning to make it from scratch. My response would be to re-read the above paragraph. Five minutes, folks. Okay, add on another two to get the water/milk simmering. But still. You're already boiling water for the instant goo, right? Oh, you have to eat a particular kind of instant oatmeal because it's recognized by Weight Watchers, or because the little blurb on the box promises it has less sugar or will lower your cholesterol better than any other? Come on, think about it. ANYTHING you make from scratch is going be to a bazillion times better than what comes in a box because YOU are controlling the ingredients. You want low sugar, then use just a little bit of sweetener, or use agave nectar or honey or something that is naturally sweet. And unless you're using whole milk, it's naturally low-fat. And ALL oatmeal has cholesterol lowering abilities. They don't grow a special, magical oatmeal that is more potent. I'm no food scientist, but I'd be inclined to say that making it from scratch would retain more of the nutrients that using instant anyway. But above all...homemade oatmeal is YUMMY. I promise.

Well...unless you're like my husband, who still, after tasting my fabulous oatmeal creations, still shakes his head and goes, "meh...still tastes like mush". If you still feel that way after making it from scratch, then you have my permission to make all the gagging barfing sounds you want!

Open wide...

Hello. Yes, yes, another food blog. But...mine will be fun because a) I have no idea what I'm doing and b) my husband is a really good photographer, so all of my mishaps will be well documented. See, I used to be big time culinarily challenged, but then I became a mom on a budget and quickly realized how expensive convenience foods are. I had a choice. I could go back to work, or learn how to cook. I chose the latter. And then something amazing happened. I fell in love. Like, MAD love. The kind of love you want to shout from rooftops. "Hey, world! Did you know that if you make mashed potatoes from scratch using Yukon gold potatoes and add a dash of nutmeg right at the end, they're little spoonfuls of heaven??!!!!!!!"

Many of my friends are void of any culinary interest, so if I start talking about pulled pork tacos with cabbage slaw, they fall asleep within moments. That's why I'm here. I found with my other blog - which reps my other mad love, writing - that if I blogged enough, other writers eventually found me. That's what I'm hoping will happen here. So, if you've found me, and get excited about things like crab won tons and pasta machines, please stay. I know we'll get along swimmingly.