Fajitas, French-style bread with dipping oil and Sweet Corn Soup

First up, a delicious fajita combo that makes for a quick and easy dinner.  Slice up some steak (or chicken if you'd rather), onions and green peppers with a splash of oil, salt, peppers, chili powder, paprika, bouillon, onion powder, minced garlic, cayenne pepper and cumin.  Load into a small tortilla with avocado slices and sour cream (I may have overdone it a little...), and you've got yourself a good dinner.

Next up, a french-style bread and a couple ideas for dipping sauces.  For the dough, start off by combining 3C warm water, 2C bread flour, 2C whole wheat flour, 2T honey and 2.25T activated yeast into a well-mixed soup, and let rise for about an hour.  Mix in about 2.5C bread flour, 1C whole wheat flour and 4t salt, then kneed well.  Let rise another hour, then form into loaves.  To make the loaves (I made 3 loaves out of this recipe that each can serve 2-4 people) stretch the dough into a square, roll tightly and pinch the seams.  Let rise another 30 minutes to an hour, then slash the loaf and bake at 425 for 10 minutes and then turn the oven down to 375 for another 35 minutes or until nicely browned.  Wonderful right out of the oven, especially dipped in olive oil with Balsamic vinegar, Parmesan cheese, fresh herbs or garlic.

Finally, a tasty sweet corn soup.  Boil 4C milk, 4C chicken stock, 6-12 ears of fresh sweet corn with the kernels cut off, 2t salt, 1t sugar half an onion, 5T butter, 1T flour, pepper, cumin, cayenne pepper, cardamom and salt in a stockpot for about an hour, then puree with an immersion blender until the desired consistency.

Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce, African Peanut Stew, Ricotta and Olive Stuffed Bread, Orange Beets, Stuffed Chicken Breast and Spicy Boozy Mousse

Today we have a larger collection of recipes.  The first two make great dinners for a couple nights, and the rest combine to make an amazing night's dinner.  Stick with me till the end; I finish with an incredible dessert.

First up today, we have a Beef and Cabbage Stir-Fry with a Peanut Sauce, which makes for a decently healthy dinner, and makes it quite simple to eat half a cabbage.  To make, saute 3 cloves garlic and 1lb thinly sliced steak in a bit of hot oil until barely pink.  Then, saute 1 small head cabbage, thinly sliced cabbage in a bit of oil with a bit of water until it wilts, then add the cooked steak back in.  Whisk 1/4C peanut butter, 1/3C orange juice, 3T soy sauce, 1T rice vinegar and 2t sugar together and pour over everything, and serve topped with peanuts.  Makes a good dinner that's quite simple, healthy and tasty; but this is the weakest of this batch of recipes.  Via http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/beef_cabbage_stir_fry_with_peanut_sauce.html

Next up is an absolutely awesome African Peanut Stew.  Saute 2-3lbs of chicken thighs and/or legs, 1 sliced large onion, a 3-inch piece of minced ginger and 6-8 minced garlic cloves in a pan with a bit of oil, in stages if necessary.  Add 2-3 lbs chunked sweet potatoes, 1qt chicken stock, 1 15oz can crushed tomatoes, 1C peanut butter1C peanuts, 1T coriander, 1t cayenne pepper to the chicken and onion in a stock pot, and simmer for ~90 minutes, or until the meat shreds easily and the potatoes are tender.  Shred the chicken well and add salt and pepper to taste; there should be a nice peppery taste.  Add in 1/5-1/2C cilantro, and serve.  Also quite good cold.  Another way that this soup is very good is blended; I took a portion of the soup and pureed it with an immersion blender, and it turned into an extremely creamy and complex soup that was just awesome.  Via http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/african_chicken_peanut_stew/

Next up we have the first course of an awesome dinner; a Ricotta and Olive stuffed Bolso bread.  To make the dough, combine 3+C flour (half all purpose, half bread) with 1T proofed yeast, 1 1/4C milk, 1T honey, 2t salt, 2t melted butter, 1t ground oregano, 1/2t basil and 1/2t crushed rosemary, and kneed until smooth and well combined.  Let rise for at least an hour, or until doubled.  Meanwhile, make the filling.  Combine 1 egg, 1/3C grated cheddar, 1/3C sliced green olives, 1/2lb ricotta cheese, 1/4t salt, 1t dried oregano, 2 cloves minced garlic, 2+T finely chopped sun-dried tomato and 1/2C grated Parmesan.  Once the dough has risen, roll out into a large square on semolina flour, and spread the filling down the center third.  Using kitchen shears, cut diagonal slits down each edge (with the same number on each edge) that are ~1/2'' wide.  Fold a flap up at the top and bottom, then alternate sides, braiding the sliced dough to form what you see in the picture.  Brush with egg wash (an egg beaten with a bit of water), then bake on a stone at 350 for ~45 minutes.  Makes a bread that is great cold or warm, and makes a quite attractive loaf.

The freshly made loaf

And the cut loaf, showing the filling

Next up, a simple recipe for roasted beets.  Wrap cleaned and trimmed beats in tin foil, and bake at 375 for about an hour.  Unwrap, then peel immediately under running cold water (the outside will get cool enough to handle while under the tap, and the inside will stay hot.  Beets suck to peel before baking).  Then, slice 75% of the way down in slices, spread the wings and drizzle with orange juice and orange zest that has been reduced by half.  Beets are naturally sweet, and adding the juice just accentuates the natural flavors.  Via http://www.lemonsandlavender.com/2011/02/hasselback-style-roasted-beets-with.html

Next up, we have a spinach stuffed, bacon wrapped chicken breast which, besides being quite large and impressive looking, are quite tasty.  Start off by thoroughly flattening 3-4 chicken breasts with a meat hammer.  The thinner you can get them the better (I may have used a regular hammer to help; I suggest a layer or two of plastic wrap over the chicken while you beat it.  Prepare the filling by combining 1 package chopped frozen spinach with 2/3C ricotta, 1/2C shredded pepper-jack cheese, 4 cloves minced garlic, 2T lemon juice, black pepper, salt and 2/3C sliced and sauteed mushroom caps.  Fill the flattened chicken with the mixture, then wrap with 3 pieces of bacon to secure and place in a baking dish.  Bake for 35 minutes at 375, then broil for 5-10 minutes to crisp the bacon.  Make sure not to overcook it, as overcooked chicken gets dry.  Consider pouring some white wine in the bottom of the baking dish to add moisture and flavor to the oven as it cooks.  They end up being quite large, and exceedingly tasty.  Via http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/spinach-stuffed-chicken-breast/Detail.aspx

The wrapped chicken

And cut open revealing the deliciousness within

Finally, a absolutely jaw-droppingly amazing mousse that has the consistency of rich custard and the flavor of a decadent spiced dark chocolate bar.  To make, combine 2 eggs, 3/4C milk, 3T dark rum, 1T maple syrup, 1/2+t cinnamon and a pinch chili powder in a bowl and mix well with an immersion blender.  Melt 6oz good chocolate (I used dark Ghirardelli chips) and add in 3T strong brewed coffee, then slowly pour that into the other ingredients while running the blender.  Continue blending for a bit until nice and frothy, then distribute into ramekins and chill for at least a couple hours.  Absolutely amazing; I have no other words for it.  Via http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/dessert/recipe-spicy-boozey-mousse-041125

So there you have it, enough for dinners for at least a week and enough for a nice dinner party.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie and Cake, Pecan Pie, Carrot Cake, Honey Whole Wheat Bread and Spaghetti Squash

Alrighty, I've had my list of recipes to post building up for quite a while, but have been practicing my procrastination techniques instead of putting them up like a good little cook. Good news on the procrastination front at least, as I'm close to pro-level! Anyway, I figured that I would end the year on a good note, and today I've got a couple holiday and seasonal recipes as well as some standards tacked on at the end.

To start with, a pumpkin pie based on a recipe by Paula Deen (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/pumpkin-pie-recipe/index.html). Anything made with canned pumpkin gets a really nice and creamy texture, but the addition of cream cheese in this makes it nearly cheesecake-like in consistency.

I made a crust for this the same way that I made the torte crust in a previous post, but instead of must making a basic torte crust shape, I chilled the dough, rolled in into a circularish shape, chilled again, then pushed into a pie pan. Remember to fold the edges back under the crust, then press down with a fork or other design to make the crust more uniform (because mine was totally circular... right?). Pre-bake the crust at 350 for 15-20 minutes with something weighing down the middle of the crust so it doesn't poof too much.

For the filling, combine a softened 8oz package light cream cheese , 2C canned pumpkin, 1C sugar, 1/4t salt, 2 eggs, 1C milk, 1/2 stick melted butter, 1t vanilla, 1t cinnamon, and 1/2t ginger with beaters until smooth and creamy, then pour into a crust. I had leftover filling, and put the remainder in ramekins to bake and have individual pies (with or without mini-crusts). Bake your dish(es) at 350 for 50 minutes, or until the edges of the crust are golden brown. Utterly delicious.

Next up is a pumpkin cake, which is great for larger groups of people or pot-lucks, as it's in a 9x13 pan and travels quite well. To start, combine 1 box yellow cake mix except 1 cup with 1/2C melted margarine and one egg, and press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Then, combine a 15oz can pumpkin, 3 eggs, 2t cinnamon, 1/2C brown sugar, 1/2C white sugar and a 5oz can evaporated milk well, and pour over the base layer in the pan. To make the toping, mix together the reserved yellow cake mix, 1/2C sugar, and 1/4C melted margarine, then crumble that over the top, and bake at 325 for an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes. I got rave reviews from this, and it was quite tasty.

Continuing the holiday trend is a chocolate bourbon pecan pie. Now, I made this a month ago so don't remember precisely how I made it, but this is the best re-creation I can come up with. It doesn't use any high-fructose corn syrup like most pecan pies, only sugar. So, again start with a crust pushed into a pan. To make the filling, combine 3 eggs, 1/2C melted butter, 1C brown sugar, 1/4C white sugar, 1T flour, 1T milk, 2t vanilla extract, 2+T bourbon (I used Makers Mark) and 2/3C chopped pecans. Line the bottom of the crust with ~2/3C of good dark chocolate chips (like Ghirardelli), then pour the filling over them. Finish the top with whole pecans, and bake at 400 for 10 minutes, then turn down the temperature to 350 and bake for another 30-40 minutes. The pie will poof up while it bakes, and will then settle back down once it comes out of the oven. Utterly delicious, and feel free to modify any ingredients based on what you like.

I also had leftover filling for this pie, so put it in a ramekin with leftover crust and made a personal pie. Awesome present to myself the next night.

Moving on, we have a carrot cake from The Tassajara Bread Book. It has carrots in it, which means you can almost justify it as being healthy. It's not. Rather, it's extremely rich, excellently spiced and makes an awesome dessert. To make, combine 1C white sugar, 1C brown sugar, 4 eggs, 2/3C melted butter and 2/3C canola oil. Then, mix in 2 C flour, 1+T cinnamon, 2t allspice, 2t freshly grated nutmeg and 1C chopped walnuts. Finally, mix in 3C grated carrots and 1C raisins and divide into 2 piled 9 inch pans. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes, and serve with cream cheese icing. Delicious.

Growing up, there was a bakery my family went to that gave kids honey whole wheat bread sticks when they came in. These bread sticks amazing; sweet, soft, wheaty and delicious. I was looking for a good recipe for a standard whole wheat bread loaf I could use for my breakfast toast, and I think I found a recipe that is almost identical to those bread sticks, and so moist and tasty. Ok, enough adjectives, on to the recipe. Combine 3C warm water, 2t yeast and 1/3C honey, and let sit a couple minutes. Then, add 3C whole wheat flour, 3C bread flour, 3T melted butter, 1T salt, a drizzle of canola oil and a couple tablespoons of sugar, combine and kneed until smooth and a good consistency. Add up to a couple cups of bread flour as you kneed to adjust the consistency to a nice level. Let rise for a couple hours until doubled, divide into 2 loaf pans, let rise another couple hours until the pans are filled, then bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden on top. I may or may not have eaten a third of a loaf as soon as it came out of the oven. Oops.

Finally, a quick tip. Spaghetti squash is awesome. Furthermore, it makes a really quick easy dinner. Cook the squash by cutting it in half and cooking at 375 for 40 minutes, then scrape out the flesh, and add hummus and any veggies you may have. Hummus makes a remarkably good sauce, much like a pesto.

Baking Bonanza and Easy Gourmet

So, being that it is the beginning of the holiday season, I decided to do a couple recipes with a holiday theme. I also got an awesome new bread cookbook from my Aunt Trish full of amazing-looking recipes (The Tassajara Bread Book), so I just had to start making them.

To start off, a Pumpkin sweet bread that is just awesome. To make, combine 1 15 oz can pureed pumpkin, 1.5C brown sugar, 1 stick butter and 3 eggs, and stir until creamy. Add to that 3.5C flour, 2T baking powder (yes, tablespoon), 1t cinnamon, 1/2t salt and 1/2t nutmeg, and stir till well combined. Fold in 2C chocolate chips and bake in 2 loaf pans at 350 for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. The bread is creamy, pumpkin-y, chocolaty and really delicious.

Next up is a new take on gingerbread (from the new cookbook) . It has ground mustard in it, and is more cake-y and less cardboard-y than traditional gingerbread (though you can't really build houses out of it), and comes out quite moist and not that unhealthy. To make, combine 2.25C whole wheat flour, 1.5t baking powder, 1/2t salt, 1/2t baking soda, 1/2t cloves, 1t ground mustard, 1t cinnamon and 1t powdered ginger. In a separate bowl, combine 1 stick melted butter, 1C molasses, 1 egg and 1C hot water, then add that mixture to the dry mix and stir thoroughly (it ends up looking a bit runny), then bake at 350 in a 9x9 pan for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. It's got a really good flavor, and would be great with a bit of whipped cream on top.

Sticking with the healthier theme, I found (in the new cookbook) a really good base wheat muffin recipe, to which I added festival spices (one of the half dozen modifications they recommend) to make it more appropriate for the season. To make the base, combine 2C whole wheat flour, 2t baking powder, 1/2t salt, 1 beaten egg, 1/4C oil, 1/3C honey (or molasses) and 1.5C milk with as few strokes as possible (it's fine if it's still lumpy; the muffins will turn out just fine). Then, bake at 400 for 15 minutes or (can you guess?) until a toothpick comes out clean. I added 1/2t cinnamon, 1/2t nutmeg, 1/4t allspice and 1/4t ginger to the dry ingredients as well. The muffins taste quite good, and would make a great breakfast with some yogurt or just as a snack.

Finally, a random meal suggestion. Making pork chops (or steak) in a frying pan makes them fricken' awesome. Take a pork chop and salt and pepper each side, then place in a very hot, dry non-stick fry pan. It will initially stick to the bottom, and you will know when it's time to turn by when it releases itself. Flip over and repeat, but just before it finishes, add a couple drams of red wine and simmer the wine down with the pork chop so you end up with the flavor wonderfully infused; the pork chop comes out tender and moist. Top with some caramelized onions that were made with a drizzle of red wine, and you're getting gourmet. Add some green beans and red potatoes from a farmers market and you're in business!

Pita, Balsamic Onion Tart, Dumplings and Maple Salmon

To start off, we've got homemade pita bread. I had never really considered making it before I had a bunch of extra hummus (see earlier post) and no pita to go with it, such a calamity! So, after making it, I found that it's really quite simple, quite fun to make, and is very good. To make it, combine and kneed 3C flour, 1.5t salt, 1T honey, 2t yeast, 1.25C water and 2T olive oil until well combined, and let rise about an hour and a half. Then, divide into 8 balls and press/roll into pita shaped on a well-floured counter. If you work them too much and they won't hold the flattened shape, let the dough rest 10 minutes and try again. Bake on a stone in the oven at 400 degrees until the bottom is lightly golden. They turn out soft and light, and go really well with hummus, or make a nice personal pizza crust. Based on http://www.thefreshloaf.com/recipes/pitabread

Next up, we have a savory tart that turned out to be absolutely fantastic. I found a recipe for a French tart dough that made a shell similar to a pie crust that was quite simple, and went from there. To make the crust, put 6T butter, 1T oil, 1T sugar, 1/8t salt and 3T water in a Pyrex measuring cup, and bake at 410 degrees in the oven until the edges of the butter are just starting to brown. Carefully remove from the oven, and mix in 1 rounded cup of flour, then stir until well combined, let cool, then roll out to form a crust on a well-floured counter.

At this point, you can fill it with pretty much whatever you'd like, but I think my concoction was pretty delicious. I started by drizzling some reduced balsamic vinegar on the bottom, then layered thickly sliced onion and tomato, basil, oregano, thyme, more reduced balsamic vinegar, and top with mozzarella cheese. Now comes the challenging part, folding it up without making a disastrous mess. I used a pastry scraper to fold up the sides and press them together and used a small sheet pan as a peel to transfer to the oven. Bake at 400 degrees on a stone until nicely browned and bubbly. It turned out to be absolutely fantastic, and the crust is quite versatile. I have also used it with pear slices that were boiled in water, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, and it made a fantastic dessert. The crust is based on http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/05/french-tart-dough-a-la-francaise/

Next up is a dumpling that turned out OK, but weren't outstanding; I think because the filling I used wasn't the best. To make, kneed 2.5C flour, 1t salt, 3/4C water, 1t baking powder, 1t oil and 1 egg, then roll out on a well-floured counter. Make sure that you get it nice and thin, otherwise it doesn't cook evenly. Then fill with something good; the Italian sausage I used was good, the potato not so much. I think mozzarella would be good, as well. Make sure you cut the dough into larger pieces than you think, otherwise they can be tough to get closed. Once made, boil for a few minutes, then drain and serve with sauce, Parmesan, or whatever other garnish you like.

Finally, we end with an awesome maple salmon recipe. To make, mix 1/4C maple syrup, 2T soy sauce, 2 cloves garlic, 1/4t garlic salt, and 1/4t black pepper in a small bowl. Place the salmon in a foil-lined appropriately sized dish, pour over the glaze, and bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until easily flaked. If you have a larger piece of fish, double the sauce, and use leftover for pouring on rice.

Kung Pao Chicken, Tuna Pasta Salad and Stuffed Italian Herb Bread

Today we start with one of my favorites growing up, a cold tuna pasta salad. This is quite simple to make, and packs really well for lunches. To make, combine 3 diced hard-boiled eggs, 3C cooked macaroni, 5-10oz defrosted peas (and/or whatever other veggie suits your fancy), 2 6oz cans flaked tuna, 1/4C mayonnaise, 1/4t each salt and pepper, cubed cheddar cheese, chopped green onion and chopped celery. Delicious fresh, and it just gets better in the fridge as the flavors meld. One of my favorites for quite a while.

Next, we have a simplified Kung Pao Chicken I've actually made this a couple times, and it is reliably tasty. To start, marinade ~2 chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces in soy sauce, water and cornstarch for a couple minutes. Meanwhile, make a sauce by whisking together 2t apple cider vinegar, 2t soy sauce, 1t sesame oil, 1T water, 3t sugar, and 1.5t cornstarch. Heat a bit of sesame oil in a skillet, then add 4 cloves of minced garlic, ginger, chili powder and pepper, then add the chicken and marinade. Cook for a bit, then add 6 chopped green onions and 2/3C roasted peanuts, and simmer until the sauce has reduced to whatever thickness you desire. Serve over rice, and you've got a tasty meal.

Finally, a bit more in-depth bread that makes an absolutely enormous loaf that's filled with a tasty meat and cheese filling.

-Add 1.5t pepper, 2t basil, 2t chervil, 2t thyme, 2t savory and 1/3C olive oil, and let sit for at least an hour.

-Combine 1.5 yeast, 1C warm water, 1C white wine, 1T salt, 5.5C bread flour and infused oil with herbs, and kneed to a smooth, springy, resilient dough. Place in a greased bowl and let rise for an hour.

-Meanwhile, in a large skillet, combine 1.5 lb italian sausage, 1 large chopped onion, 3 cloves minced garlic and cook until browned. Then, add 1/4C chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes and 2T anise liquor. Let cool.

- Turn out the risen dough onto a floured surface and spread into a big rectangle. Spread the sausage mixture into the center third of the dough, and sprinkle with 8+ oz mozzarella cheese. Bring the 2 long ends together and pinch to close, then slash slits in the top with a sharp knife. Bake in a preheated oven on a pizza stone for 40-50 minutes or until brown and hollow-sounding when tapped. Cool before slicing.

I completely forgot to take a picture of it sliced, but it looked really cool with the layers inside, and was extremely tasty. I sliced it into a couple big pieces and froze it, and it lasted me a couple weeks (it was a really big loaf), that pan is ~13x16.

French Bread and Awesome Scrambled Eggs

Today I've got a basic french bread recipe that is pretty easy to make and adds some class to a meal, as well as my version of scrambled eggs that taste pretty awesome.

First, the French bread. To make the dough, combine 3C all-purpose flour, 2.5t yeast, 3/4t salt and 1C warm water. mix and kneed for about 10 minutes, then let rise for an hour or two. Then, roll or stretch out into a largish rectangle, and roll up from a wide end. Moisten the edge with water to seal it, taper the edges and place onto a lightly cornmeal'd pan. If you want a lightly brown and glossy top like in my picture, brush lightly beaten egg whites on top. Then, cut 3-4 about 1cm deep slices into the top of the bread and bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until golden brown on top. This is best right out of the oven and, once sliced into, will begin to become stale rather quickly. I made a dipping sauce for this out of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, red pepper, black pepper, oregano, rosemary, basil, parsley, garlic powder and minced garlic, and it was fantastic. Based on http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/French-Bread/Detail.aspx

Next, my version of scrambled eggs. This is largely personal preference, but I make them by combining 3 eggs, about 1.5t each of basil, oregano and thyme, and about 1.5T Parmesan. Whisk well, then cook on high heat. When the eggs are beginning to become differentiated, take the pan off the heat for about 15 seconds while still stirring. This makes them fluffier for some reason. Then, continue cooking until they are 97% done and put them on a plate; they will finish with their internal heat.

Soft Pretzels and Stuffed Tomato

Happy Sunday! I've been wanting to try my hand at soft pretzels for a while now, and decided that today was a great opportunity to do so. I also needed a side dish for my dinner, so made a stuffed tomato with what I had in the house, and I think it turned out pretty well.

Soft pretzels have a dough that is very similar to a lot of breads. What makes them have their unique crust is a short bath in baking soda. Years ago, lye was used instead with the same result, but cooks today use baking soda because it is safer, cheaper, and easier to work with. To make the dough, combine 1.5t activated yeast, 2T brown sugar, 1T heaping salt, 1.5C warm water, 3C all-purpose flour and 1C bread flour and kneed for 8-10 minutes, then let rise for an hour. Make the bath in a 8x8 pan with 2C warm water and 2T baking soda. Then, divide the dough into 12 pieces, roll out to ~3 feet and pencil-thin, create pretzel shape, dip in bath, and place on pre-greased pan. Let rise on the pan for an additional 15 minutes, then bake at 450 for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. When they come out, brush with melted butter and whatever toppings you like; I used coarse salt. When rolling out the pretzel dough, I found it easiest to angle my hands 90 degrees apart, then roll them forward and apart to stretch the dough while rolling it because of the stretchiness of the dough. Also, I twisted the middle of the pretzel twice and massaged the dough where the arms end on the body so that it would stay together in transit to the pan after forming the pretzel shape. Makes 12 delicious pretzels. Based on http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mall-Pretzels/Detail.aspx

The other thing I made came to exist because I wanted a side dish with dinner and didn't have anything specifically planned. I started out by hollowing out a large tomato like a pumpkin - carve a circle in the top and clean out most of the guts with a spoon. Then, I combined a bit of the guts with 2 strips of crumbled bacon, ~1.5T cream cheese, parsley, oregano, ~1T tomato paste, ~1/4C sauteed onion and ~1/4C milk, spooned it into the tomato cavity and baked at 350 for about half an hour. I served it in a ramekin because of the soupyness of the contents, and it worked very well, and the flavor was delicious, delicate and creamy. Also, it had bacon in it, which makes anything awesome. If you want sauteed onion but don't want to take the time to make it, try putting the chopped onion in a pile in the skillet, then placing a small pot lid over it. The steam causes it to cook quickly and become limp in only a few minutes.

Breads, Bisque and Pork, Oh My!

So in honor of not having much to do today, I decided to do some baking. Lately, I've gotten into baking breads in muffin tins, I think that they last a lot longer than a partially cut loaf. I made a rosemary bread recipe that is one of my favorites and a new bagel bread recipe in the tins. I also made a tomato basil bisque that turned out absolutely spectacularly and a very simple pork chop recipe.

The rosemary bread is one of my absolute favorites. It is very herb-ey, moist, light and fluffy, and is overall just awesome. I combine 2.5C bread flour, 1C water, 3T olive oil, 1.5t white sugar, 1.5t salt, ~1/2t each oregano, basil and thyme, pepper to taste and 1.5t activated yeast (put in dish with honey and warm water for a few minutes) in a bowl, then kneed for about 5 minutes. Then, add 1.5T or more dried rosemary and kneed for another 5 minutes. This dough is the stickiest I've worked with, so be prepared for lots of dough sticking to your fingers. Let rise an hour, punch down, then let rise another hour. Then, either form into loaf or divide into a muffin pan, and rub with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse sea salt, Bake until lightly browned at around 375. Always delicious. Based on http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Jos-Rosemary-Bread/Detail.aspx

Next, I tried the bagel bread. This is a much tougher and denser bread, much like the bagel it emulates. It has almost a cake like consistency on the inside, and would be great with cream cheese or other spreads on it. This dough has 2.25C bread flour, 1T white suger, 1t salt, 1.5 t activated yeast, 1 egg, 1/3C water, 1/2C milk. Kneed for 5-7 minutes, then divide or form loaf, then bake for about half an hour or until browned at 375. Not bad at all, but definitely more of a meal than other breads. Based on http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Bagel-Bread/Detail.aspx

The tomato basil garlic bisque turned out awesomely. The final product tastes like a heavy cream dish, but the thickness is from flour, so it's actually not too bad for you at all. Sautee a chopped onion in 3T butter and 2T olive oil until wilted, but not browned. Add 2T minced garlic and sautee a bit longer, being careful not to brown it. Then, add in 4.5C chicken broth, 2T dried basil, 1 large chopped tomato, 2T tomato paste, 1/2t thyme, salt and pepper, and simmer for 20 minutes. Then, combine 1/2C chicken broth and 1C flour, and add to everything else once it is combined. Incorporate as best as you can, then puree everything. If desired, simmer a bit longer, but I don't think it's needed. This could easily be a sauce or bread dip, or is a delicious soup. Highly recommended, based on http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1648,153175-252199,00.html . This says to make a roux with the flour and broth, but a roux requires butter or oil, and applying heat to the combination cooks it like a pancake; therefore I don't recommend that. EDIT: after being refrigerated, the quantity of flour causes it to firm up to a stiff pudding consistency. Next time, I would add at most 1/2C flour instead of the 1C in the recipe.

Finally, a very simple pork chop recipe. First, rub the chops with garlic powder, onion powder and pepper, then brown in butter in a skillet. Then, put in a pan and cover with sauce. How much sauce you want depends on how many pork chops you have, but for 4 chops, combine 1C ketchup, 1C cola and ~2T brown sugar and a little flour to thicken it if you want. Once combined, just pour over the browned chops and cook at 375 for 30 minutes. Quite tasty and copiously simple. Based on http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cola-Pork-Chops/Detail.aspx#

Beginnings, Cream Cheese Bread, Beer Bread, Beef Casserole

I was going through my RSS feeds today, and realized that I had quite a number of cooking feeds, but was not really happy with any of them, because the recipes they posted were often either something I had no interest making or absurdly complicated. Since I cook a pretty often, I figure that I will post what I make, what recipes I use and what modifications I make. I make pretty much everything, and have a special penchant for breads. I got my love of cooking from my mother, who cooks every day, and rarely the same thing twice.

Since Tuesday afternoons are when I have free time, that is when I have been doing most of my cooking lately. Last Tuesday, I made red velvet cupcakes with strawberry frosting (in honor of Valentines Day), a cream cheese bread in cupcake tins, beer bread, and a really easy beef casserole. The cupcakes were very simple and from a box, but I'll go through the other three recipes.

The cream cheese bread sounds a little odd, but I assure you, it makes for a very moist final product. I also made them in cupcake tins instead of a loaf, which makes small, roll-like breads that keep a lot longer than a cut loaf. To make it, combine 1/3C milk, ~2/3C cream cheese (I used about half a Philadelphia block; the more you use the creamer your result), 1/4C butter, 1 egg, 4T sugar, 1t salt, 3C bread flour, 2.5T yeast. I prepped the yeast with honey and warm water, and melted the butter and cream cheese in the microwave, then stirred everything together. After it has become almost dough-like, dump it onto a CLEAN counter and kneed for 5-10 minutes. Kneading makes the dough into a very uniform, stretchy form that ends up making a very nice final product. I then separated it into 12 cupcake cups and baked at 375 for ~25 minutes. From http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cream-Cheese-Bread/Detail.aspx

Beer bread is the simplest bread I have ever found, and it always is a hit when you get it fresh out of the oven. All it takes is 3C self rising flour, 3T sugar and 1 can flat beer (pour it between 2 cups a couple time to flatten it). Mix and pour into a loaf pan, then bake at 350 for 1 hour. If you want, you can grease the top with butter for a shiny presentation. Tastes just dandy with the cheapest of beers, and is best eaten fresh. I got this recipe from my mother a long time ago.

Finally, the very easy beef casserole, almost a stew. In a crock pot, put 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 package fresh mushrooms, 1 onion cut up however suits your fancy, 1 large envelope onion soup mix, 1/2 C milk, and 1 to 1.5Lb stew beef. I cooked it on low for ~10 hours, served it over egg noodles, and it was delicious. One recipe makes enough for 3-4 servings (depending if you eat like a college guy or not), so it's great for leftovers. From http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/42/Easy-Beef-Casserole131756.shtml