Too long...

Wow, it's been too long since I've posted.

I'm still cooking (obviously - otherwise I'd be STARVING!!), but haven't been inspired to post lately.

I did have a request for Cinnamon Swirl Bread, though.  Caveat - this is not MY recipe, but Cook's Illustrated.  The only real changes I have made are to put the dough through the bread machine to start, and then into a loaf pan.

Enjoy!

BREAD
1/2 cup milk
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 1/4 tsp yeast
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 1/4 - 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (I always use the higher amount - you have to pay attention to how the dough is.

FILLING
1/4 cup sugar
5 tsp cinnamon
milk

I put everything for the bread into the bread machine and run it through the basic dough setting (for my machine, that's 1 hr and 50 minutes).  When it's done, turn it out onto an unfloured work surface, and press into an 8"x6" rectangle.  Then, with the short side facing you, roll the dough with a rolling bin into an 18"x8" rectangle (flouring work surface LIGHTLY if it sticks).

Brush the dough liberally with milk and then sprinkle the sugar/cinnamon mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2" border on the far side.

Start rolling it (not too tightly, not too loosely - you'll get it after a time or two!), pushing ends in occasionally as you roll to keep it the right width.  When you're done, pinch seam tightly to secure it, push in the center of both ends and pinch together to keep the filling from oozing out the sides.

Place seam-side down in a greased loaf pan, cover lightly with plastic wrap (sprayed with cooking spray!) and let rise about 1 1/2 hours, or until it's about 1" above edge of pan.  As the dough gets close, heat oven to 350.

Cook for about 30-35 minutes, until the temperature of the center of the bread is 185F-190F.  Remove from pan and rest sideways on a rack AT LEAST 45 minutes!  It's torture, but definitely necessary!!!

ENJOY!

Mmmm.....FUDGE

Every year, I do different activities with the kids as we head toward Christmas.  We make goodies for bags to give to friends and neighbors; snowflakes; gingerbread houses....and today we made fudge!!


All the kids got to choose a recipe (well, the girls combined their efforts).  The older three read the recipe and made sure we had all the ingredients.  We didn't, so we had to run out and get some things.  When we got back home, they measured out all the ingredients, read the instructions, and got to work!


Caroline and Victoria made White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge.  It had a nice short ingredient list, and came together very quickly.


20 oz. vanilla chips (we used white chocolate chips...it tastes fine, but I think the vanilla chips would have melted easier)
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1/2 cup crushed candy canes (it's about 4-5 large candy canes)
dash of red or green food coloring


Line an 8" square pan with foil and spray with non-stick spray.  Combine chips and and milk in saucepan over medium heat.  Stir frequently until almost melted, then remove from heat and keep stirring until smooth.  When chips are completely melted, stir in food coloring, extract, and candy canes.  Spread in prepared pan, then chill for 2 hours.  


Peter is also fond of white chocolate, but he chooses White Chocolate Eggnog every year. Probably because eggnog is one of his favorite things!

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup dairy eggnog

3 (3 1/2 ounce) packages white chocolate, broken into pieces

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow fluff

1 cup chopped pecans (optional - he doesn't care for nuts)

1 teaspoon rum extract (we forgot to get it while we were out, so I used Southern Comfort)

Combine sugar, butter and eggnog in a heavy 2-1/2 to 3 quart saucepan; bring to a full boil, stirring constantly.  Continue boiling 8 to 10 minutes over medium heat or until a candy thermometer reaches 234 deg F, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.  Remove from heat; stir in white chocolate pieces and nutmeg until chocolate is melted.  Add marshmallow fluff, nuts and rum extract.  Beat until well blended.  Pour into buttered 8” or 9" square pan.  Cool at room temperature; cut into squares.  If fudge is too soft after cooling, chill.

Jonathan chose Rocky Road - it's always been his first choice!  What's not to love?  Marshmallows, peanuts, and chocolate!! 

16 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped fine

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine

½ teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon table salt

1(14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup mini-marshmallows

1 cup chopped salted peanuts

½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Cut 12" length extra-wide heavy-duty aluminum foil; fold edges back to form 7 1/2" width. With folded sides facing down, fit foil securely into bottom and up sides of 8-inch-square baking pan, allowing excess to overhang pan sides. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Toss chocolates, baking soda, and salt in medium heatproof bowl until baking soda is evenly distributed. Stir in sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Set bowl over 4-quart saucepan containing 2 cups simmering water. Stir with rubber spatula until chocolate is almost fully melted and few small pieces remain, 2 to 4 minutes.

3. Remove bowl from heat and continue to stir until chocolate is fully melted and mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes. Stir in marshmallows, peanuts, and chocolate chips. Transfer fudge to prepared pan and spread in even layer with spatula. Refrigerate until set, about 2 hours. Remove fudge from pan using foil and cut into squares.

TO MAKE DOUBLE BATCH:
Line 13 by 9-inch pan with two sheets of foil placed perpendicular to each other and double amounts of all ingredients. In step 2, use large heatproof bowl and Dutch oven containing 4 cups simmering water.

Toffee - not mine, Marilyn's

I found this toffee recipe on the Cook's Illustrated Bulletin Board a few years ago and it has become a yearly tradition.  We give it for gifts....if we don't eat it all ahead of time!

MARILYN'S ENGLISH TOFFEE
English Toffee

1 lb unsalted butter
½ tea. table salt
2 cups granulated sugar
3 tbsp. water
1 cup slivered almonds (do not use sliced almonds)
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (chips are fine)
1½ -2 cups lightly toasted pecans (or walnuts), finely chopped

Melt ¾ of chocolate over hot water or in a microwave oven at half power for 2-3 minutes. When melted, stir in remaining chocolate and set aside. Line a large jelly roll or half-sheet pan with heavy-duty foil and butter the foil.

Melt the butter with the salt in a heavy 3 quart saucepan over medium heat. Slowly add the sugar, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Add the water about halfway through this process.

After all the sugar is added, begin testing the mixture to see if the sugar is dissolved. Place a drop of mixture on wax paper; allow it to cool and rub it between your fingers to make sure it doesn’t feel grainy. If it does, continue to cook and test again. The mixture will probably be boiling at this point.

When sugar is dissolved, add the almonds, and increase the heat to medium high. Cook to the hard-crack stage, or about 310-320 degrees on a candy thermometer, stirring often to keep the candy from burning on the bottom. When it’s done, it should be a medium-dark amber color and have a caramel aroma. The almonds should have a toasted color but they should not burn. This is the tricky part, as there’s a thin line between perfect and overdone, and to some extent it’s a matter of taste.

Remove from heat and pour into the prepared pan, spreading as evenly as possible with an offset spatula. Be careful, this stuff is hot! Set the pan on a cooling rack. After 2-3 minutes, when toffee is just set, pour reserved chocolate on top and spread evenly. Sprinkle with chopped nuts, and press them in gently with a spatula or bottom of a glass to anchor them in the chocolate.

Allow the toffee to harden at least 6-8 hours—overnight is better. Break into pieces using a sharp pointed knife with a rigid blade, or you can use your hands. Store in an airtight container in a cool place. Makes about 3 pounds.

Fall?!? Already??

Oh dear - it's been too long.  I guess I've been enjoying summer a little too much!

The weather turned quite brisk here this weekend and I have been so inspired to have soup, stew, and bread.  So much for that five pounds I've lost!

Here's a recipe for the soup I made today - it's a copy cat version of Olive Garden's Pasta E Fagioli.  It says it serves eight, but all six of us ate good portions and there's probably enough for six more.


1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, diced (about 1 cup)
1 carrot, julienned or shredded (about 1 cup)
3 stalks celery, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (I mean really - I use at least 5!)
1 15-ounce can northern beans (with liquid)
1 15-ounce can kidney beans (with liquid)
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
12 ounces V-8
2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 - 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (depends on your taste)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon basil (optional)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
8 oz cooked ditalini pasta (or some other small kind of pasta and yes, it needs to be cooked - otherwise it soaks up a ton of the liquid of the soup)

Brown meat, drain.  Add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook for about 10 minutes.  Add everything except the pasta and simmer for at least an hour.  About 15 minutes before serving, add the pasta and heat through.  Yum!

If you'd like to make this a crock-pot meal, brown the meat and then toss everything except the pasta in the crock-pot.  I would imagine keeping it on low all day would work.  

Enjoy!!

Zucchini Time!

Well, we all knew it was coming - the onslaught of zucchini has arrived.  If you don't have zucchini in your garden, I'm just SURE you'll get some from your neighbors.  Take it!  It's FREE FOOD!!  I take whatever I can get, whenever I can get it.  Here are somethings I do with it:

Zucchini bread (delish and a great way to hide some veggies in your food!), "stuffed" zucchini, zucchini casserole, steamed zucchini, fried zucchini, grilled zucchini, and even raw in salads.  Slice it nice and thin and you'll be surprised at how good it tastes.

None of these recipes are mine, but I hope you incorporate them into your summer menu planning.  You are still planning, aren't you???

Zucchini Bread

Makes one 9-inch loaf

Cut large zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon before shredding.

1 pound zucchini 

2 cups all-purpose flour 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1 teaspoon ground allspice 

1/2 teaspoon table salt 

1 1/2 cups sugar 

1/4 cup plain yogurt 

2 large eggs 

1 tablespoon lemon juice 

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Generously coat 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.  Shred and squeeze zucchini in a clean tea towel to get out most of the liquid. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, and salt in large bowl. Whisk sugar, yogurt, eggs, lemon juice, and butter in bowl until combined.  Gently fold yogurt mixture and zucchini into flour mixture using spatula until just combined. Transfer batter to prepared pan.  Bake until golden brown and skewer inserted in center comes out with a few crumbs attached, 45 to 55 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to cool at least 1 hour. (Bread can be wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature for 3 days.)

"Stuffed" Zucchini
I have stuffed in quotes because I got tired of stuffing the zucchinis, so I just chopped them up and added them to everything else.  You can stuff them for a nice presentation if you'd like.  This is one of our family's very favorites...and everything can come out of the garden, if you have one!
4 medium zucchini (about 8 oz each), washed
salt and pepper
4 Tbsp olive oil
3 medium potatoes (about 1 lb), cut into 1/2" cubes
1 medium onion, chopped fine
5 large garlic cloves, minced
3 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
6 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)


Adjust one oven rack to upper-middle position and second oven rack to lowest position, then place a rimmed baking sheet on each rack and heat oven to 400 degrees.  Meanwhile, halve each zucchini lengthwise. With small spoon, scoop out seeds and most of flesh so that walls of zucchini are 1/4 inch thick. Season cut sides of zucchini with salt and pepper, and brush with 2 tablespoons oil; set zucchini halves cut-side down on hot baking sheet on lower rack. Toss potatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper in small bowl and spread in single layer on hot baking sheet on upper rack. Roast zucchini until slightly softened and skins are wrinkled, about 10 minutes; roast potatoes until tender and lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Using tongs, flip zucchini halves over on baking sheet and set aside.  Meanwhile, heat remaining tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking, about 2 minutes. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high; stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and cooked potatoes; cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 3 minutes. Off heat, stir in basil, 1/2 cup cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.  Divide filling evenly among squash halves on baking sheet, spooning about 1/2 cup into each, and pack lightly; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Return baking sheet to oven, this time to upper rack, and bake zucchini until heated through and cheese is spotty brown, about 6 minutes. Serve immediately.

OR, just chop up the zucchini and add to everything and skip the broiling.  Goat cheese is also a nice substitution for Monterey Jack.

Zucchini Casserole

So this is not so good for you, but it IS delicious!!  My MIL's recipe.

8 oz Pepperidge Farm Stuffing Mix

1/3 stick butter, melted

4 cups sliced zucchini
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 cup sour cream

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350F.  Cook zucchini 5 minutes (I usually cook in the microwave for a few minutes - just to get it started).  Mix stuffing with melted butter.  Put half in bottom of casserole dish (I usually use my Corelle oval dish).  Add remaining ingredients to zucchini and pour into casserole dish.  Top with remaining stuffing mixture.  Bake for 30 minutes.

Steamed Zucchini

This isn't really a recipe - just telling you what my MIL does.  She slices the zucchini, chops an onion, and puts it all in a steamer basket in a pot with about an inch of water (don't forget that part!!).  She steams until it's pretty tender, then dumps the water, dumps the veggies into the pan with a bit of butter, and sautes it a little.  Yum!!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

As those of you on Facebook might know, I had to "prove" to our pastor and his family how delicious a Strawberry Rhubarb Pie tastes. Our family had eaten a whole one, so I made his family one...and since I was making them one...I made our family another. Just to be sure it wasn't a fluke. Haha!

As we were making both pies, I had Peter help me. As we were finishing up, he said, "wow, now I know what it means when people say, 'it's easy as pie'...it really is!" The real trick to a delicious pie is the crust. Just don't knead it. Handle it as little as possible, and it will be tender and flaky. If you knead it too much, gluten develops - that's the elastic structure that makes great bread, but not such great crust. If you handle it too much, the heat from your hands melts the fat. The fat between layers of flour are what makes the crust flaky.

I'd love to be able to take credit for this recipe, but as I always say, I'm a good cook because I can read. That's it. This is Betty Crocker's recipe.

PIE CRUST (makes 2 crusts - top and bottom)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

⅔ cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening

4 to 5 tablespoons cold water

Mix flour and salt in medium bowl. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost leaves side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary).

Gather pastry into a ball. Divide in half and shape into 2 flattened rounds on lightly floured surface. Roll one round on lightly floured surface, using floured rolling pin, into circle 2 inches larger than upside-down pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths; place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side.

STRAWBERRY RHUBARB PIE

1½ cups sugar

½ cup flour

½ t. grated orange peel (optional - good, but I usually leave it out because I don't often have fresh oranges in the house)

2 1/2 cups cut-up rhubarb

2 1/2 cups cut-up strawberries

3 T butter

Heat oven to 425°. Prepare pastry.  Stir together sugar, flour and orange peel. Turn half the fruit into pastry-lined pie pan; sprinkle with half the sugar mixture. Repeat with remaining fruit and sugar; dot with butter

Cover with top crust with slits cut in it, seal and flute. Sprinkle with sugar if desired. Cover edge with 2- to 3-inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning.

Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust.  Let cool and enjoy with a little vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.  Whatever you don't finish, refrigerate and enjoy for breakfast!!

Spring has sprung!

I love spring - and not just because I hate winter!  I love spring for many reasons....daffodils, lilacs, tulips, irises, but most of all....fresh fruits and veggies!  I can STUFF myself with fresh produce from the market and it's GOOD for me!!  We just finished a lovely dinner of spinach and strawberry salad, sugar snap peas, carrots with the tops still on (my kids' favorite - "eh, what's up Doc?"), and kohlrabi.  Oh yeah, we had scallops too (on clearance at Aldi for $2.99/lb).

If you're not a fan of brassica veggies, you are missing out on a LOT.  There have actually been studies suggesting that brassicas are potent cancer fighters.  The most nutritious way to cook them, of course, is steaming (and yes, microwaving counts).  However....if you really want a yummy way to cook kohlrabi, here ya go.

Buy about a pound and a half of nice fresh kohlrabi, cut off the leaves (I don't know what to do with those) and peel.  Don't skip this step.  The outer skin of a kohlrabi is very fibrous and not fun to chew.

After peeling, cut in half, then cut into about 1/4" slices, and then cut the whole thing in half.  That's the size I like them, anyhow.  In a pan (the size depends on how much you have), melt about 2 Tbsp of butter, then toss in the kohlrabi.  Toss to coat.  Add about 1/4-1/3 cup of broth, cover, and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until tender.  Uncover and cook off the liquid.  Serve - delish!!

Tomorrow - strawberry rhubarb pie!!

What's your favorite spring veggie/fruit?

Can't wait until zucchinis are in season - I have LOTS to do with them!