I just wanted to wish my mom a very happy birthday today. I love you and hope you have a wonderful day.
Also Happy Australia day to everyone.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
pasta night
I has been snowing a bunch here and I love it. This past Friday night we had two couples join us for dinner at our house. We all made ravioli. Most of the following pictures are from Marje.
Rafael working hard on the ravioli
Rafael working hard on the ravioli
Matt decided that the pasta need to be crimped
our yummy home-made ravioli
our cat is very social and loved having everyone overfresh bread in 5 minutes a day
I have been putting off writing this post because I wanted to have more pictures to go with it. I guess I will just make do with what I have, plus I am sure that bread will be the focus of many more posts to come. Here are my bread adventures from the past few weeks. Check the post below for the actual master recipe.
I was listening to The Splendid Table the other day and they did an article on this new cookbook "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day." I am not being over dramatic when I say that this has changed my life. My husband and I have literally eaten fresh bread, in some form or the other, 5 or 6 days a week. On The Splendid Table, they gave the master bread recipe, which is a basic bread dough that you can keep in your fridge up to two weeks and just cut off a chunk every time you want to cook some bread. The cookbook apparently has many other bread recipes that follow that same two-week storage format.
The first couple of days we just made fresh loaves of bread but pretty quickly, I started to figure out what all I could do with this endless supply of dough.
A couple of morning I have rolled out a ball and sprinkled it with some cinnamon and brown sugar then rolled it up and sliced it to make sweet rolls. I just let them warm up on top the stove while I get ready. Pop them in the over 15 minutes before we are ready for breakfast and we get to enjoy fresh sweet rolls any day of the week. To make them even richer put them in a sided pan like a loaf or cake pan and drizzle some melted butter over them before baking - amazing!
One day after work, I made some broccoli cheese soup and bread bowls in less than an hour. We have also rolled the bread out into pizza crust, baked in muffin tins for dinner rolls, and fried a little for a quick fry-bread.
my first loaf
focaccia bread with tomatoes, onions, garlic, parmesan, and some herbs
we made bagels!
I was listening to The Splendid Table the other day and they did an article on this new cookbook "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day." I am not being over dramatic when I say that this has changed my life. My husband and I have literally eaten fresh bread, in some form or the other, 5 or 6 days a week. On The Splendid Table, they gave the master bread recipe, which is a basic bread dough that you can keep in your fridge up to two weeks and just cut off a chunk every time you want to cook some bread. The cookbook apparently has many other bread recipes that follow that same two-week storage format.
The first couple of days we just made fresh loaves of bread but pretty quickly, I started to figure out what all I could do with this endless supply of dough.
A couple of morning I have rolled out a ball and sprinkled it with some cinnamon and brown sugar then rolled it up and sliced it to make sweet rolls. I just let them warm up on top the stove while I get ready. Pop them in the over 15 minutes before we are ready for breakfast and we get to enjoy fresh sweet rolls any day of the week. To make them even richer put them in a sided pan like a loaf or cake pan and drizzle some melted butter over them before baking - amazing!
One day after work, I made some broccoli cheese soup and bread bowls in less than an hour. We have also rolled the bread out into pizza crust, baked in muffin tins for dinner rolls, and fried a little for a quick fry-bread.
my first loaf
focaccia bread with tomatoes, onions, garlic, parmesan, and some herbs
we made bagels!5 minute bread
Five-Minute Artisan Bread
From Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery that Revolutionizes Home Baking by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois (Thomas Dunne Books, 2007). Copyright 2007 by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois.
Serves 4
* 1-1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (about 1-1/2 packets)
* 1-1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
* 3 cups warm water
* 6-1/2 cups unbleached flour, plus extra for dusting dough
* Cornmeal
In a large plastic resealable container, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm (about 100 degrees) water. Using a large spoon, stir in flour, mixing until mixture is uniformly moist with no dry patches. Do not knead. Dough will be wet and loose enough to conform to shape of plastic container. Cover, but not with an airtight lid.
Let dough rise at room temperature, until dough begins to flatten on top or collapse, at least 2 hours and up to 5 hours. (At this point, dough can be refrigerated up to 2 weeks; refrigerated dough is easier to work with than room-temperature dough, so the authors recommend that first-time bakers refrigerate dough overnight or at least 3 hours.)
When ready to bake, sprinkle cornmeal on a pizza peel. Place a broiler pan on bottom rack of oven. Place baking stone on middle rack and preheat oven to 450 degrees, preheating baking stone for at least 20 minutes.
Sprinkle a little flour on dough and on your hands. Pull dough up and, using a serrated knife, cut off a grapefruit-size piece (about 1 pound). Working for 30 to 60 seconds (and adding flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking to hands; most dusting flour will fall off, it's not intended to be incorporated into dough), turn dough in hands, gently stretching surface of dough, rotating ball a quarter-turn as you go, creating a rounded top and a bunched bottom. *Touch it as little a possible because you want to keep as much air in it as you can.
Place shaped dough on prepared pizza peel and let rest, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough or refrigerate it in lidded container. (Even one day's storage improves flavor and texture of bread. Dough can also be frozen in 1-pound portions in airtight containers and defrosted overnight in refrigerator prior to baking day.) Dust dough with flour.
Using a serrated knife, slash top of dough in three parallel, 1/4-inch deep cuts (or in a tic-tac-toe pattern). Slide dough onto preheated baking stone. Pour 1 cup hot tap water into broiler pan and quickly close oven door to trap steam. Bake until crust is well-browned and firm to the touch, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven to a wire rack and cool completely.
From Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery that Revolutionizes Home Baking by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois (Thomas Dunne Books, 2007). Copyright 2007 by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois.
Serves 4
* 1-1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (about 1-1/2 packets)
* 1-1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
* 3 cups warm water
* 6-1/2 cups unbleached flour, plus extra for dusting dough
* Cornmeal
In a large plastic resealable container, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm (about 100 degrees) water. Using a large spoon, stir in flour, mixing until mixture is uniformly moist with no dry patches. Do not knead. Dough will be wet and loose enough to conform to shape of plastic container. Cover, but not with an airtight lid.
Let dough rise at room temperature, until dough begins to flatten on top or collapse, at least 2 hours and up to 5 hours. (At this point, dough can be refrigerated up to 2 weeks; refrigerated dough is easier to work with than room-temperature dough, so the authors recommend that first-time bakers refrigerate dough overnight or at least 3 hours.)
When ready to bake, sprinkle cornmeal on a pizza peel. Place a broiler pan on bottom rack of oven. Place baking stone on middle rack and preheat oven to 450 degrees, preheating baking stone for at least 20 minutes.
Sprinkle a little flour on dough and on your hands. Pull dough up and, using a serrated knife, cut off a grapefruit-size piece (about 1 pound). Working for 30 to 60 seconds (and adding flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking to hands; most dusting flour will fall off, it's not intended to be incorporated into dough), turn dough in hands, gently stretching surface of dough, rotating ball a quarter-turn as you go, creating a rounded top and a bunched bottom. *Touch it as little a possible because you want to keep as much air in it as you can.
Place shaped dough on prepared pizza peel and let rest, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough or refrigerate it in lidded container. (Even one day's storage improves flavor and texture of bread. Dough can also be frozen in 1-pound portions in airtight containers and defrosted overnight in refrigerator prior to baking day.) Dust dough with flour.
Using a serrated knife, slash top of dough in three parallel, 1/4-inch deep cuts (or in a tic-tac-toe pattern). Slide dough onto preheated baking stone. Pour 1 cup hot tap water into broiler pan and quickly close oven door to trap steam. Bake until crust is well-browned and firm to the touch, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven to a wire rack and cool completely.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
picture post
Pictures from the past couple of weeks.
Dinner and then dessert with the everyone.Apparently there is nothing like Maggie Moos or Coldstone in Brazil or Germany.
For Christmas Mary Ts family took everyone to Cirque Du Soliel
It snowed and we decided to go out and play
We made snow angels - this was right after if started snowing.It snowed a bunch more after that.
Don't eat the yellow snowThursday, January 8, 2009
eat your veggies - tomato & zucchini gratin
Brett and I both want to eat a bit healthier and that included eating more vegetables. One of our favorite veggie dished is the following Tomato & Zucchini Gratin.
INGREDIENTS
An onion
a couple of cloves of garlic
Roma tomatoes
A few zucchini/squash
Grated cheese - such as Parmesan or Romano
Some olive oil
Breadcrumbs
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°
1. Slice the onion thinly and sauté in a bit of olive oil.
Chop or thinly slice the garlic and sauté with the onions.
2. While the onions are cooking, slice the tomatoes and zucchini super thin. I love my mandoline, which make this so easy.
3. In a greased baking dish, layer half the zucchini, the onion mix and the tomatoes.
Sprinkle some cheese and a little salt and pepper, and then add the second layer of all.
Top with some more cheese, salt, and pepper.
Put a fine layer of breadcrumbs over the top and drizzle a little olive oil over.
4. Cover and bake for 20-30 minutes.
Uncover and bake 10 more minutes.
Let the gratin cool for about 30 minutes and then enjoy.
We like the gratin best when it is only warm and I know that some people prefer it cold.
INGREDIENTS
An onion
a couple of cloves of garlic
Roma tomatoes
A few zucchini/squash
Grated cheese - such as Parmesan or Romano
Some olive oil
Breadcrumbs
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°
1. Slice the onion thinly and sauté in a bit of olive oil.
Chop or thinly slice the garlic and sauté with the onions.
2. While the onions are cooking, slice the tomatoes and zucchini super thin. I love my mandoline, which make this so easy.
3. In a greased baking dish, layer half the zucchini, the onion mix and the tomatoes.
Sprinkle some cheese and a little salt and pepper, and then add the second layer of all.
Top with some more cheese, salt, and pepper.
Put a fine layer of breadcrumbs over the top and drizzle a little olive oil over.
4. Cover and bake for 20-30 minutes.
Uncover and bake 10 more minutes.
Let the gratin cool for about 30 minutes and then enjoy.
We like the gratin best when it is only warm and I know that some people prefer it cold.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
limoncello jello
Brett and I had some sparkling wine left over from our New Years celebrations last night and I remembered a recipe I had seen a long time ago for wine gelees. Basically, really pretty jello shots made with wine. While looking for that recipe again I stumbled across this fun idea for making orange jello. I made mine with alcohol because that was the whole point of looking for a recipe but these could easily be made with sprite, fruit juice, or even just water.
Cut a couple of oranges in half and remove all the insides making sure not to tear the rind.
I used clementines because that is what we had.
Put the orange halves on a cooking sheet or in muffin trays - to help them stay balanced.
Mix flavored jello with 1/2 cup of boiling water and stir until dissolved.
Add 1 cup wine. (I also have a large bottle of lemonchello in my fridge that Brett and I brought back from Italy so I added a couple of splashes of that - hence the title)
Pour the jello mix into the orange halves and refrigerate until set.
Slice the oranges and there you go.
Cut a couple of oranges in half and remove all the insides making sure not to tear the rind.
I used clementines because that is what we had.
Put the orange halves on a cooking sheet or in muffin trays - to help them stay balanced.
Mix flavored jello with 1/2 cup of boiling water and stir until dissolved.
Add 1 cup wine. (I also have a large bottle of lemonchello in my fridge that Brett and I brought back from Italy so I added a couple of splashes of that - hence the title)
Pour the jello mix into the orange halves and refrigerate until set.
Slice the oranges and there you go.
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