Portobello, Broccoli,and Red-Pepper Melts

This is another Martha Stewart recipe that I found while exploring her website the other day. Truly, this was a fantastic open-faced sandwich...one of the best that we've tried. Martha sure knows her food, that's for sure! If you dig a hearty, vegetarian sandwich this dish is for you.

In other news...

You'll be happy to know that the husband found the camera battery charger and plugged it in. Hooray! The good news doesn't stop there...I also remembered to take a photo of our dinner last night with my iphone. Eureka! Why didn't I think of that before??? I don't know. Thankfully, my normal camera should be up and running the next time I have to take a blog pic. In the meantime, try this recipe and enjoy my shaky iphone photography skills.

Portobello, Broccoli, and Red-Pepper Melts
From: Everyday Food, March 2008

Ingredients:
1 small head broccoli, cut into small florets (stalk discarded)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 portobello mushrooms (stems removed), sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 red bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), sliced 1/2 inch thick
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1 small garlic clove, crushed through a press
4 thick slices country bread (or 1 loaf of French bread, cut horizontally)
4 ounces Gouda cheese, thinly sliced (or Gruyere, if you like)

Directions:
Heat broiler, with rack set 4 inches from heat. On a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, toss broccoli with oil; season with salt and pepper. Broil, tossing once or twice, until broccoli begins to char, 4 to 6 minutes.

Add mushrooms and bell peppers to sheet; season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Broil, tossing once or twice, until vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes more; set aside.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Place bread on a work surface. Dividing evenly, spread with mayonnaise mixture, and top with vegetables, then cheese. Place on baking sheet, and broil until cheese is melted and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.





The Result:
These were fantastic! Delicious and satisfying. I goofed and used Gruyere instead of Gouda cheese. Duh. Next time I should read the ingredients list a bit more carefully. Honestly, it didn't really matter; it was still an amazing veggie sandwich.

There were a lot of filling, so I decided to cut my French bread loaf in half horizontally, and hollow out (and discard) some of the bread in the middle. This allowed more room for the yummy, roasted veggies. I thought this would be more efficient than just doing the slices, and this method was reminiscent of the Eggplant Mozzarella Melts recipe that we LOVE. Then, when the cook time was over, I removed the long, loaf halves to a cutting board and just cut the portion sizes we needed (smaller pieces for the kids, etc.). It worked out perfectly, and now we have a new favorite Martha Stewart open-faced "melt" sandwich to make for dinner.

Egg-in-a-Hole

Or, if you prefer, "Toad in the Hole"...that's what we called this breakfast when I was a kid. I made these for another "breakfast for dinner" treat and my whole family gobbled 'em up. I guess the classics never go out of style.

Egg-in-a-Hole
From: The Pioneer Woman website

Ingredients:
1 slice Of Your Favorite Kind Of Bread
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 whole Egg
Salt To Taste
Pepper To Taste

Directions:
With a biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass, press a hole in the center of the slice of bread.

Next, heat a skillet over medium-low heat and melt a Tablespoon of butter in it. When the butter is all spread out, place the piece of bread in the skillet and crack the egg straight into the center of hole.

Cook for at least 30 seconds or so before attempting to move the bread or things could get messy. Sprinkle the egg with salt and pepper to taste. After about a minute, flip it over with a spatula and salt and pepper the other side.

Now move the whole piece of toast around the skillet, soaking up all of the glorious butter. Let it cook until the yolk feels, to the touch, still soft without feeling over-jiggly. Here’s the key: golden brown toast, white (not brown/burned) whites, soft unbroken yolk.

This yields one serving. Repeat the process for additional portions.

World's Greatest Sandwich (aka The "Spanglish" Sandwich)

Have you discovered Pinterest yet? I'm addicted; it's fantastic! It is so addicting, I literally need to limit my time on it, and use perusing it as a reward system for myself so I can get other chores done. For instance, if I clean the kitchen I get 15 minutes on Pinterest, if I do a load of laundry I get a half hour on Pinterest. You get the idea. Anyway, among the cornucopia of stuff on Pinterest, they have recipes. As a matter of fact, I found the link to this recipe on Pinterest. The recipe is entitled World's Greatest Sandwich, developed by chef Thomas Keller for the movie "Spanglish". That is a bold claim, but I must confess...this sandwich was pretty darn close to perfection.

World's Greatest Sandwich (aka The "Spanglish" Sandwich)
From: Thomas Keller, via thekitchn.com

NOTE: Ingredients yield 1 sandwich. Adjust quantities as needed, for additional sandwiches.

Ingredients:
3-4 slices of bacon
2 slices of Monterey Jack cheese
2 slices of toasted rustic country loaf (pain de campagne)
1 tbsp of mayo
4 tomato slices
2 leaves of butter lettuce (yes, it's called butter lettuce)
1 teaspoon butter
1 egg

Directions:
1. Cook the bacon until crisp, drain on paper towels,

2. Place slices of cheese on one side of toasted bread. Place in toaster oven or under broiler to melt.

3. Spread mayo on other slice of bread top with bacon, sliced tomato, and lettuce
4. On non-stick skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Fry egg, turning over briefly when the bottom is set (keep yolk runny).

5. Slide finished egg on top of lettuce, top with other slice of bread (cheese-side down).

6. Place sandwich on plate and slice in half, letting yolk run down sandwich.



The Result:
This sandwich rocked!!! I used heirloom tomatoes, applewood smoked bacon, and ciabiatta bread; which really put this beauty over the top.

The website I found this recipe on adjusted the sandwich to include avocado. I agree that would have been a delicious addition, but I didn't have any on hand. Maybe next time...yum.

English Onion Soup

This is a great variation on French onion soup from the uber-cutie and healthy food champion, Jamie Oliver. This was a perfect meal for a chilly weeknight!

English Onion Soup
Adapted From: jamieoliver.com

Ingredients:
a good knob of butter (about 3 tablespoons)
olive oil (about 2 tablespoons)
a good handful of fresh sage leaves, chopped (Reserve 8 leaves, chopped and coated in olive oil for the bread garnish)
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
5 red onions, peeled and sliced
3 large white onions, peeled and sliced
3 banana shallots, peeled and sliced
300g leeks, trimmed, washed and sliced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup of red wine
2 litres good-quality hot beef, chicken or vegetable stock (I used a combo of beef/chicken stock)
8 slices of good-quality stale bread, 2cm thick
200g freshly grated Cheddar cheese (I used Gruyere cheese)
Worcestershire sauce
a few splashes of red wine vinegar

Directions:
Put the butter, 2 glugs of olive oil, the sage and garlic into a thick-bottomed, non-stick pan. Stir everything round and add the onions, shallots and leeks. Season with salt and pepper. Place a lid on the pan, leaving it slightly ajar, and cook slowly for 50 minutes, without colouring the vegetables too much. Remove the lid for the last 20 minutes – your onions will become soft and golden. Stir occasionally so that nothing catches on the bottom. Having the patience to cook the onions slowly, slowly, gives you an incredible sweetness and an awesome flavour, so don’t be tempted to speed this bit up.

When your onions and leeks are lovely and silky, deglaze the pan with the red wine and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Cook until most of the wine is evaporated. Next, add the stock. Bring to the boil, turn the heat down and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Add a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce and red wine vinegar. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed. You can skim any fat off the surface if you like, but I prefer to leave it because it adds good flavour.

***SEE NOTES***(Preheat the oven or grill to maximum. Toast your bread on both sides. Ladle it into individual heatproof serving bowls and place them on a baking tray. Tear toasted bread over each bowl to fit it like a lid. Feel free to push and dunk the bread into the soup a bit. Sprinkle with some grated Cheddar.)***

Dress your reserved sage leaves with some olive oil and place one on top of each slice of bread. Put the baking tray into the preheated oven or under the grill to melt the cheese until bubbling and golden. Keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn’t burn! When the cheese is bubbling, very carefully lift out the tray and carry it to the table. Enjoy!

Jen's Notes:
I made a few slight variations. First, I halved this recipe. I used 2 leeks, 1 large red onion, 1 large sweet onion, 1 large yellow onion, 4 shallots, and 6 garlic cloves. There was still a lot of soup, so I am happy to have the leftovers.

Next, I used a carton of beef stock and about 3-4 cups of chicken stock, since that is what I had on hand. I didn't have cheddar cheese, so I used Gruyere cheese (which really makes it more like French onion soup).

***I didn't place my soup bowls under the broiler, since my dinnerware is not ovenproof. Instead, I toasted the bread on both sides on a sheet pan under the broiler. Then, once toasted, I sprinkled on the Gruyere cheese and some chopped, fresh sage leaves that were coated in olive oil. Once finished, I took a slice of bread and floated it on top of the soup. The result was amazing, and yielded perfect soup!***



The Result:
Fantastic soup!

Lemon Blueberry Bread

Over the weekend, the husband went grocery shopping and found blueberries on sale at our local market. He bought two containers, in which we used the first one right away to make an Ellie Krieger coffee cake (see link below). We were going to make a second coffee cake with the other container, only to find we used most of the coffee cake ingredients up in the first application. To avoid another trip to the store, I decided to surf around and find an alternate blueberry recipe. I found this Lemon Blueberry Bread on allrecipes.com, but I had to tweak a few ingredients to accommodate what we had on hand. Below is my amended recipe that is in the oven right now. I will let you know how it turns out!

First, here is the Ellie Krieger recipe:

Blueberry Coffee Cake

Okay, here is my adapted recipe:

Lemon Blueberry Bread
Adapted From: Allrecipes.com,By: ChezSpice

Ingredients:
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon of lemon extract
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup fresh blueberries
**********************************
For Glaze:
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon of lemon extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan.

In a mixing bowl, beat together butter, 1 cup sugar, lemon extract, vanilla extract, lemon juice and eggs. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; stir into egg mixture alternately with milk. Fold in the walnuts and blueberries. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 70 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool bread in pan for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine lemon juice and 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl. Remove bread from pan and drizzle with glaze. Cool on a wire rack.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2010 Allrecipes.com



The Result:
I was losing light in my kitchen, so the edges of my bread look darker in the photo than they actually were in real life. (Read: I didn't burn the bread.) With that said, this bread was sooooo delicious! I love the combo of blueberries and lemon!!! It is moist and flavorful, without being too overpoweringly tart...just perfectly yummy! This is a keeper recipe, for sure.

Thanksgiving #2

Last night, we went over to my friend Claire's house to celebrate Thanksgiving #2. Rather than post an explanation for the who, what, when, where, and how of Thanksgiving #2; here is a link to Claire's blog to give you all the details:

Thanksgiving #2

My contribution to last night's festive holiday meal, was my mom's versions of Sausage Dressing and Candied Sweet Potatoes. I would love to post recipes for both these dishes, but there are no recipes. No measurements at all. Both dishes are something that you do by sight and intuition. That is how my mom learned and that is how she taught me. Directions like, "add chicken stock until the dressing is wet...but not TOO wet" is what I am talking about. How do you translate that into a recipe???? I am not sure. Sigh. It is all very vague. I have always planned dissect each recipe and write down exactly what I am doing, but yesterday was not that day. So, I think I will post the general idea of each recipe so at least something is recorded. As it stands, there isn't even that right now. It is all verbal and by memory. I want to at least try to record something, so here it goes...

Mom's Sausage Dressing (Stuffing)

Ingredients:
equal parts of sage sausage and hot sausage (I used a 1/2 lb. of each for last night's dish)
1-2 onions, diced
4-5 stalks of celery with leaves, diced
1 loaf of white sandwich bread
1 loaf of wheat sandwich bread
salt and pepper to taste
chicken stock to taste
poultry seasoning to taste
dried sage to taste
1 or 2 eggs, beaten
cooking spray

Directions:
Toast all bread in oven on both sides. Tear toasted bread into bite sized pieces, into a large bowl. In a large skillet, saute onions and celery with a big pinch of salt; until onions are translucent but still firm. Add sausage, making sure to break up large chunks with the back of a wooden spoon. When sausage is no longer pink, mixture is done. Add to bread pieces. Season with salt, pepper, sage, and poultry seasoning to taste. Add beaten egg(s). Add chicken stock until mixture is wet (but not too wet) and mush with your hands until all bread is incorporated into the mixture. Adjust seasoning if needed (yes, you have to actually taste it at this point to figure out if you need more seasoning). Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with cooking spray, and add the dressing to the dish. Bake in a 350 degree oven until top of dressing is toasted, but bottom is still a little moist (keep checking until the desired effect is achieved...about 1/2 hour or so).

Jen's Notes:
Quantities of ingredients need to be adjusted, depending on the size of the crowd you are feeding. For example, I only used a loaf and a half of bread and a pound of sausage for last night's dinner that fed 6 adults and 3 kids.



*************************************************************

Mom's Candied Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:
2-4 red yams (not really sweet potatoes, but that is what we call 'em)
allspice to taste
cinnamon to taste
nutmeg taste
cloves to taste
ginger to taste
salt to taste
brown sugar to taste
maple syrup to taste
1-2 Tablespoons of butter, cut into pea sized pieces
mini marshmallow for topping
oil (such as grapeseed)
cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and cube yams into bite sized pieces. Place cut yams onto a large baking sheet. Drizzle with a little bit of oil. Sprinkle with a generous amount of salt, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Toss with clean hands until everything is well coated. Bake until yam pieces are soft (but not too soft).

Take the yams out of the oven and turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees.

Spray casserole dish with cooking spray and scrape all the cooked yams (and all the leftover contents of oil/spices that are on the sheet pan) into the casserole dish. Add additional salt to taste. Dot butter pieces on top. Add about a small handful of brown sugar. Drizzle maple syrup on top. Toss with hands or a wooden spoon, so everything is well coated. Top with enough marshmallows to cover the top. Bake at 350 degrees until all the marshmallows on top are puffy and nicely toasted.

Jen's Notes:
Again, everything is approximate and quantities need to be adjusted based on how many people you are serving.



The Result:
I forgot to take photos again; but Claire got some, and was nice enough to share. The only negative thing that happened is that I found out that the sweet potatoes don't travel very well. By the time we got to Claire's house, my marshmallow top totally deflated and looked kinda sad. The dish still tasted good, but looked better fresh from the oven. Overall, the food and company was fantastic and Thanksgiving #2 was soooo much fun!!!!

Sour Cream Banana Bread

It seems that I always have three overripe bananas on hand when I think of this recipe. I was re-reading the original post from this quick and easy bread, and I indicated in my commentary that I had three overripe bananas to use. Well, that is certainly the case again today. I don't know...it struck me as a little funny. Since the boy likes to help me bake, I figured this was a good way to use my three bananas and entertain my son at the same time. Nothing like a little project to get us through mid-morning.

Sour Cream Banana Bread

This recipe is great, since I usually have everything on hand for it. The sour cream really keeps the bread moist and delicious, and delivers a little bit of a tangy flavor. Yum! This has become my go-to banana bread recipe, for sure.

Jen's Notes:
I did not have any walnuts on hand today, so I just substituted sliced almonds. I think pecans would also work nicely.

Sour Cream Banana Bread

I am always at a loss at what to do about breakfast. Most mornings I just scrounge up whatever is easy, and the boy and I graze on it. Handfuls of dry Cheerios is my morning specialty. I decided I would make some banana bread, and solve the breakfast dilemma for awhile. Since I had three overripe bananas that needed to be used, my bread idea would kill two proverbial birds with one stone. I perused RecipeZaar.com a few months ago and found this recipe. I think I made it once, but never posted it for some reason. It turned out to be both an easy and yummy banana bread recipe, so I thought I would make it again. Now all I have to do is slice off some banana bread tomorrow, and breakfast will be served!

Sour Cream Banana Bread
Adapted from:recipezaar.com/recipe #9351 by Charishma Ramchandani

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of butter, melted and cooled
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed, ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup sour cream OR plain Greek-style yogurt

Directions:
1. Grease 1 large loaf pan.
2. In a separate bowl, cream together, melted butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla.
3. Add dry ingredients, and mix to combine.
4. Add mashed bananas, nuts, and sour cream (or yogurt).
5. Mix well and pour into loaf pan.
6. Bake at 350 F for 1 hour.

Jen's Notes:
I like to substitute yogurt for sour cream to make this a little healthier. It works well in this application, and tastes great!



The Result:
As you can see, I could not restrain myself. I ended up hacking off an end piece and eating it before I took my pic. This was really great...probably the easiest and yummiest banana bread recipe that I have tried, thus far.

Pastor Ryan's Bread

I thought some homemade bread would go great with our meal tonight, so I decided to whip up a batch of this Pastor Ryan recipe. Yum! I added chopped, fresh parsley for the herbs and some dried, minced onions for fun. I hope that it turns out as good as his looks!!!

Pastor Ryan Bread

Ingredients:
20 oz. of bread flour (all purpose is okay, too) - about 4 cups.
8 oz. of water (or 1 cup.)
4 oz. melted butter with chopped herbs of choice
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon active or instant yeast


Directions:
Combine these ingredients all together in the KitchenAid stand mixer with the dough hook (it can be done by hand…it just takes longer).

Mix together for about 10 minutes or so until you achieve a windowpane with the dough. This is where you can pull off a small chunk of the dough you’re kneading and stretch it gently to see if it is somewhat translucent. If you can do this without it tearing, it’s ready.

Once this elasticity has been achieved, the dough can sit out with plastic wrap over it for 1-4 hours to double in size. After it’s gotten bigger, it should be kneaded for a minute or two so that the yeast can redistribute.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Cut a large ‘X’ into the surface of the bread dough so it can bloom!

Bake inside a covered cast iron pan after coating the rounded dough with olive oil and sprinkling with kosher salt. Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on, then remove lid to finish it off for another 15 to 30 minutes.

If you like to use a thermometers, we’re looking for an internal temp. of around 200-210 degrees. (The bread can get brown on the bottom if it’s too close to the heating element; if that happens, just slice it off with a sharp knife.



The Result:
This was really yummy and easy bread. I am not the best baker, so I am pleased with the results. I did have an issue getting the bread to the "windowpane" stage in my mixer. I let it mix for 10 minutes, as per the instructions, but it didn't stretch properly. Instead, I took it out of the mixer and hand-kneaded for a few minutes. Finally, it got where it needed to be. Other than that little snafu, the bread turned out perfect!

Garden Risotto (CEiMB) and Ina's Garlic Ciabatta Bread

This is shaping up to be an excellent 'food day' for me. I love days when I look forward to every single meal...and today is that day! So far, breakfast and lunch have been really yummy and I hope to continue the good food streak with this risotto recipe from my Craving Ellie in My Belly group. I adore risotto. It is so freakin' decadent! There is really no other way to describe it but to say it is pure food bliss. --HAPPY SIGH-- Risotto.

This weeks featured CEiMB dish was chosen by Jessica from A Singleton in the Kitchen. All I can say is thank you for choosing risotto, Jessica. You are a woman after my own heart!

Since I am going for over the top 'yum' tonight, I thought the Barefoot Contessa's garlic bread recipe would go nicely with our dinner. Ina rarely leads me astray, and I have heard nothing but good things about this bread. I think we will also have a spinach salad with our meal, to help counteract all the carbs. I have a feeling that this dinner is going to be scary good, and I am very excited for 6pm to arrive!


Garden Risotto (CEiMB)
2007, Ellie Krieger, All rights reserved

Ingredients:
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth (not to brag, but I am using homemade)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
3/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 lightly packed cups baby spinach leaves
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 pound asparagus, steamed and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions:
Bring the broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan over moderately low heat and cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add wine and simmer, stirring constantly, until absorbed, about 1 minute. Add 3/4 cup of the hot broth, the salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper and simmer, stirring constantly, until broth is absorbed. Continue simmering and adding hot broth, about 3/4 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing the broth to be absorbed before adding more, until rice is almost tender and creamy-looking, about 18 minutes.

Add the spinach and peas and cook until the spinach is wilted. Add the asparagus and cook just until the vegetables are hot. Stir in the Parmesan and more broth if the risotto seems too thick. Serve in soup plates.



Ina's Garlic Ciabatta Bread
Copyright, 2006, Ina Garten

Ingredients:
6 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup good olive oil
1 loaf ciabatta bread
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the garlic in the bowl of a food processor and process until minced. Add the parsley, oregano, salt and pepper and pulse twice.

Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan and add the garlic mixture. Remove the pan from the heat.

Slice the ciabatta bread in half horizontally, and spread the butter on 1 half. Spread the garlic mixture on the other half of the bread, and put the halves together. Wrap the bread in aluminum foil.

Place the bread in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Open the foil, and continue baking for an additional 5 minutes.



The Result:
First, the risotto...fan-freakin'-tastic! Oh man, this veggie risotto was so satisfying and delicious. It was the perfect balance of textures...creamy rice with chunky, green veggies. Yum! Awesome!!! I will definitely make this risotto again. My husband and son both loved it, as well. Plenty of happy eating noises could be heard from around my table this evening.
I am happy to finally report a good CEiMB review, too! I was beginning to think I was the problem child of the group, since I was lukewarm about the other two recipes I tried. Not any more...this risotto was a total slump-buster. Hooray!!!! Now I can hang with the cool kids!

Okay, now on to the garlic bread. Let's see...this was probably the best garlic bread EVER. Yes, EVER! It was sinfully delicious! Rich, buttery, and herbalicious; with the right amount of fruity olive oil to smooth it all out. Again, fan-freakin'-tastic!!!!

This meal was a great way to end a fabulous 'food day'!

Cottage Dill and Onion Bread

I made this bread last week, and completely forgot about it! Ugh. Also, I have no idea where I got the original recipe. I have had it saved in my archives for awhile, but never made it. The planets finally aligned, and I ended up trying it out on a whim. Let me tell you...it was really good. This bread is a bit heavy (due to all the cottage cheese), but still tasty nonetheless. I have been toasting a slice every morning and smearing it with a wee little butter for a yummy, savory breakfast treat. I can tell you that this ended up being a keeper recipe!

Cottage Dill and Onion Bread

Ingredients:
1 ¼ cups warm water (110 degrees max)
1 cup low-fat, small curd cottage cheese
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 large egg, slightly beaten
2 ½ cups bread flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon dill seed
1 tablespoon instant minced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons yeast
cooking spray

Directions:
Combine water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl and let the yeast bloom for 5 minutes. Add cottage cheese, butter, and egg. Stir to combine and set aside.

In a separate large bowl, combine bread flour, dill seed, minced onion, and salt. Stir to combine. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, and stir until dough forms.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes, or until dough has elastic, smooth consistency. Place dough into a clean bowl coated with cooking spray and let rest for 1 hour.

After the rest period, place dough in a greased casserole dish (I used a glass 8 x 8 in. dish). Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30-40 minutes, or until bread is done. (Check doneness with a clean toothpick, by inserting it into the center of the bread loaf. Make sure the toothpick comes out clean when removed from the bread.)

Spiced Pumpkin Walnut Bread

About once or twice a month I go through my pantry, fridge, and freezer, and take inventory. I see what I have in stock, and then I also make a itemized list of staples that I need. While doing my pantry check last week, I found a huge, unopened can of pumpkin. It was a total head-scratcher! I think I remember buying a can during Thanksgiving, but obviously, I never got around to using it. Huh.

Anyway, since I cannot waste a perfectly good can of pumpkin, I decided to make some pumpkin bread. I love having homemade baked goods in the house, since they are usually a little healthier than anything you could buy. I did a search on recipezaar.com and found this recipe. I had everything on hand, so it was pretty easy to put together. I made a couple substitutions, and amended the original recipe to include my changes.

Here is a funny coincidence...I told my friend, Claire about my pumpkin find and, ironically, she found a can of pumpkin in her pantry, too. She decided to make some pumpkin cookies, and I went with the bread. Oddly enough, we both decided to do our pumpkin baking today. I still have some pumpkin leftover, so I will probably make her cookies tomorrow.

Spiced Pumpkin Walnut Bread
By Bev, 01/25/02, Recipe #18014
Yield: 2 loaves, 16-18 servings

Ingredients:
3 cups sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup of natural applesauce (4 oz.)
3 large eggs
1 (16 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
1. Butter and flour two 9x5x3" loaf pans.
2. Beat sugar, applesauce, and oil in large bowl to blend.
3. Mix in eggs and pumpkin.
4. Sift flour, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg,allspice, baking soda, salt and baking powder into another large bowl.
5. Stir into pumpkin mixture in 2 additions.
6. Mix in walnuts, if desired.
7. Divide batter equally between prepared pans.
8. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.
9. Transfer to racks and cool 10 minutes.
10. Using sharp knife, cut around edge of loaves.
11. Turn loaves out onto racks and cool completely.



The Result:
I am tired of typing, so my review is going to be short.

Here it is....

YUM!!!! This bread is awesome. Try it and you will see! Case closed. Over and out.

Vegetable Strata

I checked out The Red Hat Society Cookbook at the library, excited to try all the yummy, home-cooked, tried-and-true recipes that these ladies put together. I thought to myself, who better to try a cookbook from than a bunch of sassy moms, grandmas, and divas that run around town wearing big red hats and causing a ruckus. These are my kind of ladies! When ever I have spotted a group of them out and about, they are always laughing loudly...usually at a restaurant. A bunch of women who love eat and enjoy life with their pals...sign me up! I seriously can see myself become a red-hatter sometime in the future...maybe about 20 years or so. I have already started shopping for the perfect over-the-top red hat...and let me tell you, I want a big one!

Needless to say, I have high hopes for this cookbook. Also, I have heard really good things about it. I flagged a bunch of recipes, and this Strata is the first one that I am trying out. The ingredients looked really yummy, and it looks like a good vegetarian recipe to get my feet wet. Certainly not boring. I was really looking forward to making and eating this dish...past tense. Now, I am not so sure.

Sadly, I have run into some snags. Through a series of false starts, I have been stumbling through this recipe. Now, most of the problems have been my fault. This dish takes a long time to make (rather a long time to sit and rest, then to actually bake). I did not read the recipe very thoroughly. Then, I forgot about it all together. I remembered that this was supposed to be our dinner earlier today; around noonish. Oops! See...totally my fault for being a bubble-brain!!! After assembly, this strata is supposed to sit for at least 5-6 hours, better if overnight. Then, it has to rest at room temperature for another 30 minutes and then bake for an additional hour. Ugh! I did not get the thing assembled until about 1:30pm!!!! Since we have dinner plans for the next two nights, I can't put it off another day. If I did, we would not get around to it until Sunday night. By then, the whole thing may be ruined if it sat around for another three stinkin' days. Also, I made the whole darn thing. It is ready to go and resting in my fridge as I type this. If I scrap it now, I have to make a new-from-scratch meal for tonight!!!! Double Ugh. I really don't think I have a choice.

My decision is to wing it.

I am only going to let it rest for about 3 hours and then see what happens. Depending on what time it is, I will probably pull it from the fridge and just bake it (not letting it come to room temp). Or I may let it sit out for half of the recommended time. I am not sure. Either way, I am nervous about the results. I really don't want this dish to be totally screwed up. There are a lot of my favorite ingredients in it, and the dish itself is very promising. I am hoping that it will all be okay. Keep your fingers crossed for me!


Vegetable Strata

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
2 Tablespoons of butter
1 cup chopped red onion
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
8 ounces of sliced mushrooms
1 cup of seeded and diced Roma tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large loaf of stale Italian bread, cubed (8-9 cups)
1/2 cup plus 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
9-10 large eggs, beaten
2-3 cups of milk
2-3 Tablespoons of Dijon mustard

Instructions:
In a large skillet heat olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. Melt the butter in the oil and add the onions and peppers. Saute until tender and caramelized. Add the mushrooms and the tomatoes and heat through. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.

In the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 casserole dish, place a layer of bread cubes. Distribute half of the cooled veggie mixture over cubes. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese over the veggies. Add the remaining bread cubes over the top. Add the remaining vegetables over the cubes again. Top with another 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese. Top that with the cheddar cheese.

In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk, mustard, salt, pepper. Whisk with a hand mixer until frothy. Pour over the bread mixture in casserole dish. Make sure that all bread is covered and egg mixture is distributed evenly. Cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate, and let sit for 5-6 hours minimum or overnight.

When ready to bake, remove dish from fridge and let come to room temperature for 20-30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 45-60 minutes or until golden and puffy. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Jen's Notes:
Okay, I did make some changes. I used a regular onion instead of red. I added 2 cloves of minced garlic to the sauteed veggies, because I just can't help myself. I used canned, drained diced tomatoes. I used 10 eggs, 1 cup of milk, a 1 cup of heavy cream...only because everything is better with heavy cream. (The cookbook notes do say that if you want a firmer strata use 2 cups of milk.) I used a combo of mild cheddar cheese, mozzarella, and Parmesan because that is what I had on hand. I used some Dijon mustard along with some whole-grain mustard, because I like the flavor combo and the texture of the rough, whole mustard. Lastly, I toasted my bread cubes in the oven first. My bread was pretty fresh, and toasting makes it dry so the liquids will absorb better. I already shared my time-table issue, so I won't get into that again. I will let you know how this all turns out.





The Result:
I am so relieved! This was AWESOME! Seriously, fan-freakin'-tastic! We loved this dish, and I am happy to say that I was unnecessarily worried. It turned out perfect, despite my lack of following directions. Actually, I don't think I will change a thing when I make this dish again. I think the directions overstated things, as it was. My strata rested for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours tops, and it was just fine! Better than fine....perfectly cooked and delicious, as a matter of fact. I did pull it out of the fridge during the last 1/2 hour of resting and I let it come to room temp before baking. Then, I did let it rest for 5-10 minutes after it came out of the oven. This made it way easier to cut and portion. Overall, this recipe is a keeper. It was delicious! This is a great vegetarian choice, as it was filling and satisfying. The flavors blended perfectly, and the mustard gave it a tiny little twang that was complex, but not overwhelming...just savory. Yum! I can't wait to have leftovers for lunch today!!!

Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

I found this recipe on recipezaar.com, which is my new favorite go-to recipe website. They just seem to have a more diverse collection of recipes. Also, I love that they calculate the nutritional info and post it like a food label. These buns got really good reviews and I love that they are whole wheat. I try to keep all our bread products whole wheat or whole grain, and I really try to stay away from processed "white" breads. In fact, my son is the opposite of most kids...he thinks "brown" bread is the norm and "white" bread is strange.

As I type this post, my dough is rising. So far, this dough was fairly easy to assemble, but I am not even close to being finished with this recipe. I will give it a full review after dinner tonight and let you know how this works out.

Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns
Recipe #318534 by Sharon123
2¾ hours | 2½ hours prep

SERVES 12; Makes 12 buns

Ingredients:
2 cups warm water
1/4 cup corn oil or canola oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup cooked oatmeal
1/4 cup flax seed, ground
1/2 cup honey
6 cups whole wheat flour (you can replace 2 of the cups with white flour if you like)
2 tablespoons active dry yeast

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl place all ingredients except flour and yeast.
Mix, adding 4 cups whole wheat flour(or 2 cups white flour, 2 cups whole wheat, if desired)and 2 tbls. yeast.

Whip with a wooden spoon 5 minutes. Slowly, add the rest of the flour. Turn out on a floured board and knead till smooth.

Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place dough in it. Put in a warm place to rise, covered with a towel, about 1 hour.

When the dough has doubled in size, divide into 12 pieces. Roll into smooth balls. Flatten with the palm of your hand and place on a baking sheet.

Let rise till doubled, about 45 minutes to an hour.
Bake at 350*F. 20-25 minutes.
Remove from oven. Cool on wire rack.

© 2009 Recipezaar. All Rights Reserved. http://www.recipezaar.com





The Result:
These turned out great! They were not difficult to make, and they were really, really yummy. They were a little more dense than your normal store-bought hamburger bun; but I actually like that. They were the perfect texture of chewy, without being tough or too doughy. The outside of the bun was slightly crisp, while the inside was the perfect bun consistency. Also, these buns were pretty sturdy, as they reminded me more of ciabatta rolls or something. They stood up well to all the pork and cole slaw that I heaped onto them. Just heavy enough to be satisfying, without feeling like you swallowed a brick. Overall, I am happy that I tried these buns. I love making things from scratch, and these buns were no exception!

Panettone Bread Pudding

What is a holiday meal without a Barefoot Contessa recipe???? I don't think you can actually consider it a holiday! This is my one "new" recipe that I am experimenting with this evening. I saw it demonstrated on Ina's show, and then found a Panettone at Trader Joe's. How fortuitous! Panettone is not easy to find in Arizona; I only see them around Christmastime. Obviously, I was meant to try this dish!!!
Panettone is an Italian eggy, cake-like, sweet bread that is usually studded with dried, candied fruit...but it is not a fruit cake! I think the one I have has raisins and candied orange peel in it. I think it originated in Norther Italy, and is a very traditional treat this time of year. It is light and flavorful and it makes great French Toast, too. I am looking forward to trying this new application.

Panettone Bread Pudding

Ingredients:
1 Italian panettone, about 1.2 pounds
Unsalted butter, for greasing the dish
3 extra-large whole eggs
8 extra-large egg yolks
5 cups half-and-half
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons pure almond extract
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup sliced almonds


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Trim the dark brown outer crust from the panettone. Cut the rest of the loaf in 1-inch cubes and place on a sheet pan in a single layer. Toast the panettone for 10 minutes, until lightly browned.
Grease a 9 by 12 by 2-inch baking dish with the butter. Place the panettone cubes in the baking dish.
In a large bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, half-and-half, vanilla and almond extracts and sugar. Pour this custard mixture over the panettone. Set aside for 10 minutes so the bread soaks up the custard. Scatter the sliced almonds over the top of the pudding.
Place the baking dish into a larger pan and add very hot tap water to the larger pan until it's halfway up the side of the baking dish. Cover the larger pan with aluminum foil, tenting the foil so it doesn't touch the pudding. Cut a few holes in the foil to allow steam to escape. Bake the pudding for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 40 to 45 more minutes, until the custard is set and the top of the pudding is light golden brown. Allow to cool for 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Garlic and Tomato-Rubbed Grilled Bread

This is an easy and delicious twist on basic bread. It is more like a method than a recipe...not much "cooking" involved. I usually give this job to the hubby, since it needs to be done right before the meal is served for the best results. I can attend to other things, while he finishes the bread.

Garlic and Tomato Rubbed Grilled Bread

Ingredients:
1 loaf of French Bread, sliced
1 fresh tomato, halved
1-2 cloves of whole garlic, peeled
olive oil
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:
On an outdoor grill or an indoor grill pan, toast bread slices until warm. Flip once and make sure to get grill marks on both sides. Pull hot bread off the grill and immediately drizzle olive oil over one side of the slices. Working quickly, rub a garlic clove evenly over the surface of each slice (garlic clove will actually melt into the warm bread as you go...you may need a second clove depending on how quickly it melts and how much bread you have). After each slice has been rubbed with the garlic, repeat rubbing bread with cut side of the tomato (again, you may need to use both halves). To finish, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Jen's Sausage Bread

We have an errand to do this evening that will require some driving. I wanted dinner to be easy, yet not the same-ol'/same-ol' thing. I have been meaning to make Sausage Bread for a while, and tonight will be a perfect night for it! The last time I had this was right after my son was born. My mom came to stay with us for a couple weeks, and this was one of the dinner items I begged her to make. Thankfully, she taught me how to make it at that time, so I can have it whenever I want it now. The sad part is that I always forget about how much I love it, and I rarely remember to make it.

First, let me explain what it is, exactly. Sausage Bread is literally stuffed bread...best described as like a calzone or inside out pizza. It is super good and pretty economical to make. I am calling it Jen's Sausage Bread, because there is not a written recipe (until I actually write one...see below) and it is never the same twice. My mom makes it different every time. I am making it according to what I have on hand today. You could substitute any pizza topping that you like for the filling. This really is a fun dish to goof around with, sort of like a blank canvas. For example, I am toying with the idea of adding pizza sauce, which is not a typical ingredient. I think tonight, I will just stick to the classic version and save the experimentation for another time. I am looking forward to having this meal, and I don't want the addition of pizza sauce to goof it up. Anyway, the pizza sauce talk was a little bit of a tangent. So, yeah....Sausage Bread it is!!!!

Jen's Sausage Bread

Ingredients:
1 loaf of thawed frozen bread dough
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
1 small onion, sliced thinly (or 1/2 of a large onion)
1 green pepper, sliced into strips
3 cloves of fresh minced garlic
1 package of either regular or Italian sausage (mild or hot)
1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning (if using regular sausage)
1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (can omit if too spicy or if using hot sausage)
salt and pepper to taste
cooking spray
egg wash (1 egg beaten and a teaspoon of water)

Directions:
1) Thaw bread dough according to package directions and set aside.
2) In a separate skillet, brown the sausage and remove from skillet. Let drain and set aside to cool on a cookie sheet (spread out in even layer for faster cooling).
3) In the same skillet, saute green peppers and onions until soft and onions are translucent. Add Italian seasoning and salt and pepper to mixture. Add minced garlic and saute until just slightly brown (do not burn).
4) Add cooked veggies to same cookie sheet and spread out evenly to cool.
5) While sausage and veggies are cooling, roll out dough into a large round OR a rectangle shape (it does not have to be precise).
6) Place filling of sausage and veggies in center. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese and Parmesan.
7) Fold bread dough around filling and press seams together gently. (I like to roll mine like a burrito or fold it like an envelope).
8) Spay cookie sheet with cooking spray (I use the same one that the filling mixture was on). Place Sausage Bread seam side down on cookie sheet and brush top and sides of loaf with egg wash, evenly coating.
9) Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes (or whatever bread dough package recommends for cook time and oven temp).
10) Let cool for about 10-15 minutes, then slice and enjoy!

Jen's Notes:
If you have a lot of filing leftover, it freezes really nicely. This is a great shortcut if you decide to make this recipe again, since all you have to do is thaw the dough and the frozen filling for next time!



The Result:
Oh, man! This was just as good as I remembered it! Once slice of this stuff is so filling, I decided not to serve anything with it. I have minor guilt, since this recipe was not very nutritionally balanced. I made sure my little one had all the green peppers he could eat, so I would not feel so bad for only having Sausage Bread for dinner and no real vegetables. I was really the only one concerned about the nutritional aspect of this dish...the husband and boy thought it was great and just inhaled it without a second thought to the lack of vegetables. I will make this more often, since everyone in my house loves it. Maybe next time I will try the pizza sauce and sneak some more veggies into it, to ease my conscience. Either way, this recipe is a total treat!

Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread

I had some really, super-ripe bananas that were on the brink of prudent usability. I hated to waste them, since they were nice,large bananas...and I hate throwing away food. I think of tossing food as a personal defeat; especially an item that can be re-purposed pretty easily, like bananas. So, I scoured my cookbooks for a new recipe and came up with this one. It is from the first cookbook I ever purchased on my own, called Great American Favorite Brand Name Cookbook. It is one of my favorites, because it was the first cookbook I ever really used as an adult. It basically taught me how to cook. Sadly, it is now out of print. There is a second volume out there, as well...but I think that is out of print, too. Once in a while, I can find them both on the 'used books' section of amazon.com, but not too often. One of these days, I need to track down the sequel and purchase it to make my set complete.

This recipe is super-easy, and looks pretty good. I did not have any walnuts or pecans (traditional banana bread nuts), so I used unsalted peanuts for the 'nut' portion of this recipe. Also, I had a bag of chocolate chips in my pantry that I thought was half full...but it turns out someone in my house has been snacking on them. I literally had 10 chips left. Oh well. I used them any way, even though the quantity I had was no where near the 4 ounces that the recipe called for. I did compensate by adding extra nuts, so I hope it all works out.
This will be nice to have on hand for breakfast this week. My husband and son both adore banana bread, so I hope this recipe turns out okay. I was going to bring it to my MOMS Club, Mom's Night Out function this week...but I think I will come up with something a little less experimental. I will let you know how it turns out.

Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread

Ingredients:
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 package (4 ounces) Baker's German Sweet Chocolate coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped nuts


Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Stir eggs, bananas, oil and milk until well blended. Add flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; stir until just moistened. Stir in chocolate and nuts.

Pour into greased 9x5 inch loaf pan. Bake for 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan to cool on wire rack.