Artisan Bread is the best thing since, well, artisan bread! It is so yummy--chewy, yet sort of soft, with a great crust.
To make Artisan Bread you need:
6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur's--after all, they live in the next town south)
1 1/2 Tablespoons dry yeast
1 1/2 Tablespoons kosher salt
3 cups tepid water
Mix all together in a large bowl (are a covered bucket from the Coop's recycled bucket corner) and stir together with a spoon. Be SURE to stir in ALL the flour in the bottom of the bowl or you will have icky hard spots in your finished bread. Just to be sure you have mixed in all the flour into the water, wet your clean hand and arm and give a few good swipes at the dough, picking up any flour that was left and mix it in by hand. Wash hand and arm immediately.
Cover the bowl/bucket and let sit on the counter at room temperature for two hours. At the end of two hours, particularly if you are edgy for some great bread, you can then shape your loaves. This will make four small round loaves or two larger loaves or one pretty good-sized loaf.
Before shaping, put a piece of parchment paper on a baking pan to receive the loaf. To shape, quickly, but gently, form into a ball by rotating the ball a quarter turn or so at a time. The top/outside should be nice and smooth...but be GENTLE and BE QUICK! Don't overwork the dough. Gently put the ball down on your parchment-lined pan and let rise for 30 minutes then turn the oven on to preheat at 450 degrees. By the time the oven is pre-heated the bread will be ready-but ONLY if you have let the dough rise 30 minutes before you turn on the oven!
When the oven is ready/hot, with a sharp knife slash 3 diagonal lines across the top of the loaf and slide into the oven to cook for 30 minutes. If you want to be fancy, you can make an egg wash or a cornstarch and water wash, brush the wash onto the dough before slashing then sprinkle on your favorite seeds, like sesame, poppy, or caraway. Go wild and try something else. Anyway, after the wash and seeds, give the diagonal slashes and pop the bread in the oven to bake.
When the bread is baked, let it cool on a rack until completely cool, if you have the self-control. If no control, give it at least 5 minutes to cool so you won't totally burn your fingers, then cut off the end slice (by FAR the best part of the bread) and slather it with real butter. Never, never, NEVER use margarine or fake stuff on this bread. If you have some butter issues, the get a great olive oil bread dipping sauce, but don't ever ruin the bread by using that garbage-y nasty fake butter-type stuff which was invented during the war. Never mind what someone tells you about how bad dairy butter is. The fake stuff is worse. Just use olive oil if you can't bring yourself to use butter.
Try not to eat the whole loaf yourself. That IS bad for you...
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Greek Salad (fiasco, almost...)
This Greek Salad is so good...even if you forget the feta!
Ingredients:
8 cups bite-sized romaine lettuce
1 cup thinly sliced and quartered English cucumber (not being a fan of cucumber, this was the way to go for our salad)
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
4 Roma, or other plum, tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 cup diced green bell peppers
1 cup Kalamata olives
8 peperoncini, or more if you want
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
Toss all together in a large salad bowl then pour on the dressing, starting with about 1/4 cup then add a little more at a time until you have enough. It is MUCH better to start with too little!
NOTE: I think the feta doesn't want to be in this salad! Even while typing in the recipe above I forgot the feta cheese!!!
Homemade Greek Dressing
Ingredients:
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
3 teaspoons fresh grated garlic
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar, or other vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-2 ounces feta cheese
NOTE: Have on hand some lite ranch salad dressing in case you discover the garlic bites back a bit too much! For our salad I cut the Greek dressing 50/50 with the ranch dressing.
In food processor put in everything except the olive oil and pulse until the garlic is very finely chopped. Drizzle in the olive oil a little at a time while the processor is still running. The dressing will thicken up somewhat.
Put into a glass jar with a cover...perhaps an empty clean wide-mouthed salsa jar?...and refrigerate for two hours or more. About 30 minutes before dressing your salad take out of the refrigerator to let the olive oil come back to room temperature. When the oil is liquid again, give the jar a good shaking then take a small bit of artisan bread, or other bread, and dip into dressing to test for bite. If too strong, add some of the ranch dressing. When you are happy with the dressing dress the salad by pouring on about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of dressing. That is all we needed on our salad. If you like to drown your salad in dressing, feel totally free...just be sure you and your guests like it that way. It is impossible to undress a salad.
Even without the feta cheese in our salad, it was really really good. That was all I ate for supper and there were many other good things that went with it.
Ingredients:
8 cups bite-sized romaine lettuce
1 cup thinly sliced and quartered English cucumber (not being a fan of cucumber, this was the way to go for our salad)
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
4 Roma, or other plum, tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 cup diced green bell peppers
1 cup Kalamata olives
8 peperoncini, or more if you want
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
Toss all together in a large salad bowl then pour on the dressing, starting with about 1/4 cup then add a little more at a time until you have enough. It is MUCH better to start with too little!
NOTE: I think the feta doesn't want to be in this salad! Even while typing in the recipe above I forgot the feta cheese!!!
Homemade Greek Dressing
Ingredients:
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
3 teaspoons fresh grated garlic
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar, or other vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-2 ounces feta cheese
NOTE: Have on hand some lite ranch salad dressing in case you discover the garlic bites back a bit too much! For our salad I cut the Greek dressing 50/50 with the ranch dressing.
In food processor put in everything except the olive oil and pulse until the garlic is very finely chopped. Drizzle in the olive oil a little at a time while the processor is still running. The dressing will thicken up somewhat.
Put into a glass jar with a cover...perhaps an empty clean wide-mouthed salsa jar?...and refrigerate for two hours or more. About 30 minutes before dressing your salad take out of the refrigerator to let the olive oil come back to room temperature. When the oil is liquid again, give the jar a good shaking then take a small bit of artisan bread, or other bread, and dip into dressing to test for bite. If too strong, add some of the ranch dressing. When you are happy with the dressing dress the salad by pouring on about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of dressing. That is all we needed on our salad. If you like to drown your salad in dressing, feel totally free...just be sure you and your guests like it that way. It is impossible to undress a salad.
Even without the feta cheese in our salad, it was really really good. That was all I ate for supper and there were many other good things that went with it.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Wheat Meat
In Pam Crockett's Wheat Cookin' Made Easy on page 245 she has a recipe for Wheat Meat. I love it. Some others tolerate it. Here are the ingredients and how I made it.
2 cups wheat berries
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 medium onion
4 teaspoons poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Oil for cooking
In Pam's book she calls for Bernard Jensen protein seasoning which she says can be found in a health food store. I did not have that so I used the above seasonings. I need to fiddle with them a bit more...maybe add something with a bit of bite, but certainly more garlic. More onion, too.
Put the wheat berries (I used white wheat) into a large pot and put more than twice as much water in. Bring to a boil and cook until tender. This takes quite a while.
When wheat berries are fully cooked and soft, drain in a colander then then put half of them into your food processor with half the sunflower seeds, onion, and seasonings. Process until a nice finely chopped consistency. I was going to say "pasty goo-like consistency" but you might be put off by that designation. Empty into a good sized bowl and process the remaining half of the ingredients then mix all together and shape into balls which you will then flatten and put into hot oil in a (cast iron is what I used) frying pan, and let cook until they are nicely browned on the bottom the turn over and brown other side.
If there is more mixture leftover after you have made the number of burgers you wanted, put a little more vegetable oil in your frying pan and crumble the mixture in and let cook, stirring occasionally, until the crumbles are nice and brown. They really will work in many recipes as a hamburger alternative.
The burgers go well with vidalia onion sauce. They are also great with mayonnaise and dill pickle chips on a whole wheat bun.
To read The Adventure of the Wheat Meat with the Grandchildren, go here.
2 cups wheat berries
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 medium onion
4 teaspoons poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Oil for cooking
In Pam's book she calls for Bernard Jensen protein seasoning which she says can be found in a health food store. I did not have that so I used the above seasonings. I need to fiddle with them a bit more...maybe add something with a bit of bite, but certainly more garlic. More onion, too.
Put the wheat berries (I used white wheat) into a large pot and put more than twice as much water in. Bring to a boil and cook until tender. This takes quite a while.
 |
| Cooked white wheat berries. Be SURE to refrigerate any leftovers as the do "go by" relatively quickly (within a few days) if left out, or in my case, transferred from one house to another without refrigerating upon arrival. |
When wheat berries are fully cooked and soft, drain in a colander then then put half of them into your food processor with half the sunflower seeds, onion, and seasonings. Process until a nice finely chopped consistency. I was going to say "pasty goo-like consistency" but you might be put off by that designation. Empty into a good sized bowl and process the remaining half of the ingredients then mix all together and shape into balls which you will then flatten and put into hot oil in a (cast iron is what I used) frying pan, and let cook until they are nicely browned on the bottom the turn over and brown other side.
 |
| Burgers:about 3 1/2 inches across and a little more than 1/2 inch thick |
 |
| Crumbles ready for taco seasonings and tortillas! |
The burgers go well with vidalia onion sauce. They are also great with mayonnaise and dill pickle chips on a whole wheat bun.
To read The Adventure of the Wheat Meat with the Grandchildren, go here.
The Heart-center Doughnuts
To make the heart-centered doughnuts:
Mix 1/4 cup warm water with 2 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast and a pinch of sugar. Let sit about 10 minutes. In the meantime, mix 1/2 cup warm milk, 2 1/2 teaspoons sugar, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 2 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil, and one egg at room temperature. When well stirred and the proofed yeast mixture then add 1 cup all-purpose flour and stir well. Add up to 1 1/2 cups more flour until the dough is soft and not sticky. Knead for 5-10 minutes then cover and let rise 40 minutes. Divide into 6 or more parts and roll out about 1/2 inch thick, or more, depending on your choice of doughnut size. Cut into the doughnut shape of your choice and fry in 375-degree oil until nicely browned on the first side then flip them to cook on the other side. When cooked, put on paper towels to drain a moment then put 1/4 granulated sugar (or confectioner's sugar if you like a mess) into a bag and toss the doughnuts in the sugar. If you are very lucky, you will have one, or possibly, two left for Dad when he comes home from work. The kids really like these.
Ingredient list for a quick check to see if you have what you need:
1/4 cup warm water
2 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
pinch sugar
1/2 cup warm milk
2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla--I consider this optional
2 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 egg at room temperature
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, more for the roll-out board
Mix 1/4 cup warm water with 2 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast and a pinch of sugar. Let sit about 10 minutes. In the meantime, mix 1/2 cup warm milk, 2 1/2 teaspoons sugar, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 2 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil, and one egg at room temperature. When well stirred and the proofed yeast mixture then add 1 cup all-purpose flour and stir well. Add up to 1 1/2 cups more flour until the dough is soft and not sticky. Knead for 5-10 minutes then cover and let rise 40 minutes. Divide into 6 or more parts and roll out about 1/2 inch thick, or more, depending on your choice of doughnut size. Cut into the doughnut shape of your choice and fry in 375-degree oil until nicely browned on the first side then flip them to cook on the other side. When cooked, put on paper towels to drain a moment then put 1/4 granulated sugar (or confectioner's sugar if you like a mess) into a bag and toss the doughnuts in the sugar. If you are very lucky, you will have one, or possibly, two left for Dad when he comes home from work. The kids really like these.
Ingredient list for a quick check to see if you have what you need:
1/4 cup warm water
2 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
pinch sugar
1/2 cup warm milk
2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla--I consider this optional
2 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 egg at room temperature
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, more for the roll-out board
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Mini Dutch Babies
This morning I got a late start for breakfast, but still managed to get these made. I rather liked the one I ate while it was warm. Eldon had already eaten breakfast and didn't want any more food. Caleb was happy to take one but then said he didn't like it because he had just had a banana. Leah made some comment which was unintelligible to me. Despite this very lukewarm reception, I know that I will make them again...particularly on days when I am making Eggs Goldenrod at home and have run out of bread. (Yes, that does happen...)
This recipe is similar to one I found on The Prepared Pantry's website (Rigby, Idaho--and lovely people to deal with) where they have many suggestions for variations, plus Dutch Baby mixes. I have used those in the past and found them excellent but this works very well, too.
Mini Dutch Babies
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
butter
To make in an extra large muffin tin with six muffin wells (or the KAF hamburger bun pan).
Put one pat/less than one Tablespoon butter in each well of the tin. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees, and while pre-heating, put the pan in the oven to melt the butter. Remove pan when butter is melted. When oven has completed pre-heating, scoop about 1/4 cup of batter into each well of the tin and place in oven for 10-12 or more minutes, until lightly browned and (potentially) puffed up. Remove from oven and sprinkle with sugar if you have sweetness-loving family members. Mini Dutch babies can also be filled with berries, whipped cream, sweetened yogurt, etc, or you can go the other way and go savory...putting eggs goldenrod filling in the cases, or creamed turkey, or any other thing that you like to serve. I bet it would also be good with beef stroganoff or meatballs in sauce. The sky is the limit...or maybe just your imagination is the limiting factor.
 |
| These were put into the oven before the oven had completely heated up to 425 degrees so they are just shells. Normally they would be nicely puffed up and then drop, sort of like popovers. They still tasted good with just a sprinkling of granulated sugar...confectioner's sugar being too messy. |
This recipe is similar to one I found on The Prepared Pantry's website (Rigby, Idaho--and lovely people to deal with) where they have many suggestions for variations, plus Dutch Baby mixes. I have used those in the past and found them excellent but this works very well, too.
Mini Dutch Babies
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
butter
To make in an extra large muffin tin with six muffin wells (or the KAF hamburger bun pan).
Put one pat/less than one Tablespoon butter in each well of the tin. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees, and while pre-heating, put the pan in the oven to melt the butter. Remove pan when butter is melted. When oven has completed pre-heating, scoop about 1/4 cup of batter into each well of the tin and place in oven for 10-12 or more minutes, until lightly browned and (potentially) puffed up. Remove from oven and sprinkle with sugar if you have sweetness-loving family members. Mini Dutch babies can also be filled with berries, whipped cream, sweetened yogurt, etc, or you can go the other way and go savory...putting eggs goldenrod filling in the cases, or creamed turkey, or any other thing that you like to serve. I bet it would also be good with beef stroganoff or meatballs in sauce. The sky is the limit...or maybe just your imagination is the limiting factor.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Yay for Greens!
During our vacation in Williamsburg, VA we stopped at a resale store/thrift shop one day. In the parking lot was a pickup truck with a table full of fresh vegetables. They had many beautiful vegetables. This included a huge batch of greens.
Having heard about collards and other greens that are popular in the South, I purchased an armful. I asked the gentleman how to cook them. He said to just put them in a big pot with water and bacon. Well...Bob being vegetarian, that was not going to fly so I had to think of something else. I elected to finely chop the whole bunch, stems and all, and saute them in a little olive oil. They were very good. It turns out they were not collards, but kale. The second time I cooked them I threw in some chopped onions. Really yummy.
When we got to Myrtle Beach we stopped at a farmers' market and did get collards. Those I sauteed with onions and some sausage since Bob declined to eat any of them. These were really really nice! Jessie and Johnny spent the weekend with us and helped me eat them. They loved them, too!
So, just wanted you to know that greens are so yummy and so good for you, if you can believe the nutrition people. Give them a try.
Since I have not mentioned any quantities this is what I did: chopped one large onion and put it in perhaps 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a very large put. After stirring the onion around a bit, I threw in the chopped greens...about 1 pound, which just about fills the pot. They shrink down to almost nothing so DO put a whole potful of them cooking. Stir every so often so they won't burn. A little salt and pepper on top is great. If you need a little more grease in your diet, add a bit of butter.
Having heard about collards and other greens that are popular in the South, I purchased an armful. I asked the gentleman how to cook them. He said to just put them in a big pot with water and bacon. Well...Bob being vegetarian, that was not going to fly so I had to think of something else. I elected to finely chop the whole bunch, stems and all, and saute them in a little olive oil. They were very good. It turns out they were not collards, but kale. The second time I cooked them I threw in some chopped onions. Really yummy.
When we got to Myrtle Beach we stopped at a farmers' market and did get collards. Those I sauteed with onions and some sausage since Bob declined to eat any of them. These were really really nice! Jessie and Johnny spent the weekend with us and helped me eat them. They loved them, too!
So, just wanted you to know that greens are so yummy and so good for you, if you can believe the nutrition people. Give them a try.
Since I have not mentioned any quantities this is what I did: chopped one large onion and put it in perhaps 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a very large put. After stirring the onion around a bit, I threw in the chopped greens...about 1 pound, which just about fills the pot. They shrink down to almost nothing so DO put a whole potful of them cooking. Stir every so often so they won't burn. A little salt and pepper on top is great. If you need a little more grease in your diet, add a bit of butter.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Early Memory of Educational Opportunities: Kindergarten
The earliest educational opportunity I remember was kindergarten which was in the front left corner of the building which is now (in 2011) a building of the Vermont Law School in South Royalton, Vermont. Only two things really remain in my mind. The first thing is that either Jimmy Eaton or Johnny Dumville thought I needed bangs so he cut a part of the front of my long hair to form bangs. I do not know where the teacher was, I just remember it was not popular at home.
The second thing I remember is that sometime in the winter I developed pneumonia and had to spent time in the hospital in Randolph, Vermont, the same hospital in which I was born: Gifford Memorial Hospital. One one particular day I was looking out of the window at the hospital and saw my mother drive into the parking lot outside my window in the little red Jeep, and then drive right back out again. I was so terribly disappointed as I was missing her and my brothers and sister and father. It turned out that she was just parking somewhere else....probably at "Grammie Neill's" house which was just across from the hospital and down the street a few houses.
Grammie Neill was the mother of my mother's first husband, Douglas Hinman Neill, who was shot down over Tokyo, Japan just a few days before the end of World War II. I remember her being a lovely lady who treated us children as if we were really her grandchildren.
The second thing I remember is that sometime in the winter I developed pneumonia and had to spent time in the hospital in Randolph, Vermont, the same hospital in which I was born: Gifford Memorial Hospital. One one particular day I was looking out of the window at the hospital and saw my mother drive into the parking lot outside my window in the little red Jeep, and then drive right back out again. I was so terribly disappointed as I was missing her and my brothers and sister and father. It turned out that she was just parking somewhere else....probably at "Grammie Neill's" house which was just across from the hospital and down the street a few houses.
Grammie Neill was the mother of my mother's first husband, Douglas Hinman Neill, who was shot down over Tokyo, Japan just a few days before the end of World War II. I remember her being a lovely lady who treated us children as if we were really her grandchildren.
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