The Glory of the Baked Loaf

     Well my little Witches, it's the end of the 2010 soup era here at the Wilson home. And probably the end of homemade bread, till the Autum. But what a way to end it! I have always loved to bake, and it really doesn't much matter to me as far as desserts are concerned. I love baking them all, but my first love in baking has got to be homemade bread.

     Do I use a bread machine? You're kidding, right? Where's the fun in that? I enjoy the process of making bread- from the very beginning stage of proofing the yeast, when it smells so wonderful, to the first kneading and the second rising (which is now where we see what we have) and the final step of removing from the oven. That pivotal moment when the entire kitchen is consumed with the heady scent of fresh baked bread...the streets and markets of old Europe are vibrantly brought to life in the simple, single, moment when you close your eyes, breathe deep, letting yourself tumble head first down those steps of fresh-baked-bread-euphoria...

Sorry. I got carried away on that one, but do you blame me?

     My point is, I love fresh baked bread. And it's simply my own quirk that I'm loathe to use a bread machine. You see to me, bread baking is a sacred art. We didnt always bake cakes, cookies, and pies, but the sustenance families have gleaned from this unassuming art form has been around forever. Call me old- fashioned. I'm not ashamed of it in the least. I enjoy trying my hand at kitchen skills and techniques that have been in use for centuries. Especially when they conjure up incredible foods, like these bread bowls.

     I think my family ate more of the bowl than they did of the soup, and the soup was incredible! You could fill these with any thick stew or soup. I made a chicken vegetable, but potato or tomato or a crab stew would have worked just as well.

Hmmm...Crab Stew? (note to self)

     Very easy and as far as breads go, not too very time consuming. I'm already planning the different ways we can use this bread recipe. It's a thick and hearty bread that's very similiar to Ciabatta. You'll want to keep this recipe around to use again and again, and in different ways.

Bain sult as! (Enjoy!)

Italian Bread Bowls for Soups and Stews

2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
7 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

Add salt, oil and 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture; beat well. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well with an electric mixer at medium speed after each addition.
When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes.
Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.

Punch dough down, and divide into 8 equal portions. Shape each portion into a 4 inch round loaf. Place loaves on lightly greased baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 35 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a small bowl, beat together egg white and 1 tablespoon water; lightly brush the loaves with half of this egg wash.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Brush with remaining egg mixture, and bake 10 to 15 more minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks.

To make bowls: Cut a 1/2 inch thick slice from top of each loaf; scoop out centers, leaving 3/4-inch-thick shells. Fill bread bowls with hot soup and serve immediately.

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A Sunday Dinner, but wait...it's only Wednesday

Believe it or not, we  do eat meats other than chicken. 

     Really.  It’s just that chicken is SO incredibly versatile, and there are a million ways to prepare and serve it. Whatever strikes your fancy…baked, fried, sautéed, grilled…so many choices. I find myself eating less beef these days, and when I do it’s usually a big juicy burger. Steak has gotten ridiculously expensive, and my grocery store usually has chicken breasts on sale at fairly regular intervals.

Enough of the intimate, scandalous, earth shattering details of my private grocery habits.

     This was, far and away, one of the best chicken recipes of the past few months. It had a delightful taste, and a tantalizing combination of aromas that kept you interested in a “what the heck is coming out of the oven” way, with a little bit of “and how much longer till dinner anyway” thrown in. The orange adds a suggestion of the exotic, while the green beans and mushrooms apply a dose of that warm and fuzzy Sunday dinner feeling. Not bad for less than hour, wouldn’t you say?

     I like more bang for the buck…or the cluck (little bit ‘o poultry humor)…especially when you consider my little Kitchen Witches already have most of these ingredients in their spice cabinets. Factor in the price of a whole chicken, cut up, some fresh green beans and mushrooms, and the entire meal comes in at under 12.00, even with the rice you probably want to serve it over.

 Try feeding a Fabulous husband and the Daring Duo at (insert fast food chain HERE) for that.

     This recipe is courtesy of the Real Simple website- I LOVE their recipes. If you enjoy this one, you can sign up for their daily email.

Bain sult as! (Enjoy!)

Roast Chicken with Green Beans and Mushrooms

1 3 1/2 to 4 lb. chicken
3/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garli, minced and 12 cloves, unpeeled
1 small navel orange, halved
3/4 of a pound of green beans, trimmed
1 10 ounce fresh button mushrooms, caps quartered

Heat oven to 400. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Place in your roasting pan.
Combine thyme, red pepper,  3/4 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the black pepper.
Brush the chicken with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with garlic and the spice mixture. Arrange the whole garlic cloves and orange halves around the chicken. Roast until chicken is fully cooked, about 45 minutes.
Place green beans and mushrooms on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the remaining oil and season with remaining salt and pepper. Roast until the mushrooms are cooked and green beans are slightly browned, about 15-20 minutes.
Divide the chicken and garlic among individual plates and squeeze the roasted orange halves over the top. Serve with rice, green beans and mushrooms.

*NOTE* I played around A LOT with the seasonings on this one, especially on the green beans and mushrooms. As always, feel free to adjust to your own personal tastes.

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Chocolate Stuffed Cheesecake

     Sundays were simply made for epicurean pleasures...and one of the most heady of those, my Kitchen Witches, is chocolate.  Chocolate in any configuration, aspect, or serving size. I can always gauge how well I am going to like a bakery by whether or not it smells like chocolate. My  personal idiosyncrasy, but it has never led me astray in my quest for bakery excellence. I gauge my kitchen the same way when I am baking.

      Chocolate milk, chocolate cake,chocolate souffle, chocolate sauce, chocolate ice cream, chocolate chip cookies...chocolate cheese cake, chocolate chip cheesecake. Wait...

     Yes. Chocolate chip cheesecake. A heavenly combination of delightful chocolaty, cream cheesey goodness... baked to perfection. The aroma of it inundates not only the kitchen, but the adjoining rooms as well. No matter what the weather, chocolate is always in season. What could be more perfect? A chocolate chip cookie crust, and a chocolate filled cheesecake. It just looks SO decadent, so full of "chocolate sin". A totally naughty cheesecake that tastes as though you spent hours on it,  but very easy. The most time consuming part is cooking your crust...but it's worth it. This one is sure to impress.

Paired with homemade whipped cream and a cup of chocolate hazelnut tea, or a mocha latte, of course.

Bain sult as! (Enjoy!)

Chocolate Stuffed Cheesecake

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon vanilla, divided
2/3 cup pistachios (Walnuts or almonds are fine)
4 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese
1 1/2 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 (12 oz.) package of mini semi-sweet chocolate morsels
Sweetened Whipped cream (optional)
Chocolate shavings (optional)

Beat butter until creamy and add sugar. Gradually add flour. Stir in 1 teaspoon of the vanilla, and the nuts. Press into bottom and up sides of springform pan.

Bake at 350 for 10-13 minutes or until golden. Cool on wire rack.

Beat cream cheese until light and fluffy, add 1 1/2 cups sugar, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time and beat just until yellow disappears. Stir in remaining 2 teaspoons vanilla.

Pour in 1/2 the batter and sprinkle chips to measure within 3/4 inches of the edge. Top with remaining batter, starting at outside edge and work into center. Place cheesecake on baking sheet and bake at 350 for one hour or until set in center. Cool for 1 hour on wire rack and serve with whipped cream. Garnish with shaved chocolate if desired.

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I'll Have What He's Having...

Do you ever wonder if a massive shift in our food and drink preferences occurs every so often as we age?

     I remember when I was little there were things that were definite "food favorites". Everyone has them. I don't think that just because someone is of a limited number of years that has to mean they don't know what they like. My preferences became clear at a very young age. I liked veggies, and fish- which we caught ourselves- and chocolate sno-cones my Gramma made for me. And ketchup on my scrambled eggs (gross).

     I liked coffee. I think I was completely hooked at, oh...well, probably 13. The funny thing is, I don't remember where or when I started drinking it. And drink it I did.

     After more than 35 years of being a die-hard coffee-head, I have given it all up (for the most part) and I have Starbucks to thank. Yes, I am being sarcastic, but honest. One too many times lately I have walked into a Starbucks (kinda, because most of the ones I have time to visit on a regular basis are in the grocery store, but it still bears the Starbucks name and logo) I have encountered general coffee ignorance. Most of the employees cannot begin to tell me the ingredients in an item in the baked goods case, much less what kind of a "roast" a certain coffee is. I could go on at length about this, the employee disdain, their exorbitant prices, their commercialism, etc., but this is not a corporate bashing session. I am simply disgusted personally, but I guess they do fill a niche.

     I want something better, and I am tired (still) of forking my money over to a company whose lattes have become the excellence standard of, quite frankly-  the coffee equivalent of the Happy Meal.

So...coffee off the list. Check. And when I do drink it, I try to drink decaf. Cringe.

     I am discovering the joys of loose teas. My current love affair is with Stash Premium Super Irish Breakfast Tea, Loose Leaf, 3.5-Ounce Pouches (Pack of 3) and I am totally enchanted with the whole process of tea making. My latest purchase, Yedi Houseware Classic Coffee and Tea Dancing Fairies Tea For One, hasn't arrived yet but I can't wait!

     The terrific thing about loose teas is that there are SO many...each more beautiful than the last. I am going to add a display shelf to my kitchen this year. I can see it in my mind, filled with canisters of tea and spices, herbs drying on racks... we will probably build it rather than buy one already put together, unless I can find an antique one somewhere here in town.

     I enjoy the ritual of tea making- it's more complex than starting a pot of coffee and to me, more satisfying. With tea I feel like I am really doing something. I remember when I was a small child that my Dad used to have tea every morning he was home (he was a Baltimore City Fireman, so he wasn't always there) and I always knew when he was awake because I could smell the tea. It's one of my favorite childhood memories. If I close my eyes I can smell it still, and hear the sounds of my Mother in our country kitchen.

Or perhaps it's just in my Irish/English/Scot/German/Lithuanian peasant DNA...come 'round for a cuppa and we'll talk about it...

Bain sult as! (Enjoy!)

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Drive Thru Alternatives (Installment 8) Thinking outside of the to go box.

"It's a process...you just have to build your own". So says Sean. About sandwiches. Go figure- out of the mouths of babes.

A sandwich is nothing special, right? You take some bread, some meat, some cheese, some veggies, and you put it all together. Add a little salad. Fairly straightforward run-of-the-mill dinner...but not neccessarily. Surely it doesn't have to be boring just because it's simple.

And that is the point that I have been trying to make with all my "Drive Thru Alternatives". We don't have to sacrifice taste and nutrition for "easy access", and with as expensive as groceries are these days it makes no sense to waste your time fixing meals that (1) no one is going to enjoy and (2) takes so long to produce from the kitchen that by the time it's ready no one is hungry anymore. You also shouldn't be giving away your hard earned money to corporations that couldn't care less if they poison your family, just so long as their stock prices increase.

I want to live well, and enjoy. And I wish the same for all of you.

That being said, on to the business of "building your own".

I believe that if you are going to do a sandwich night, make it a really super duper sandwich night. Complete with all the sandwich trimmings. That would include high grade meats (Boar's Head if you want to do coldcuts) and an abundance of lovely sandwich fillers...red leaf lettuce, bibb lettuce, tomatoes, avacado, cheeses- as many as you wish, 'cause you can't go wrong with cheese! Olive oil and vinegars (get creative with them) and mayonnaise and dijonaise, and horseradish sauce and salad dressings...the combinations and additions are limited only by your imagination. I made a lovely salad  and one of my favorite things to add is fruit. I used grapes and thin sliced granny smith apples this time, and a nice butter mix of lettuces. Feta cheese, avacado, spring onions, and roasted slivered almonds...

Feed them, and feed them well. Keep them healthy. Don't forget how very important those family nights are around the dinner table. I hope that you all will put to use some of the Wednesday night recipes, and that perhaps you came away with a greater awareness of how important it is to be concious of what we put in our bodies, and into our children's bodies. Even the simplest meal, like life, when created in love and gratitude, is amazing.

And THAT, my Kitchen Witches, you WON'T find in a Happy Meal.

Family is kinda like sandwich building. It's a process...you just gotta build your own.

Bain sult as! (Enjoy)

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Drive Thru Alternatives (Installment 7) This Little Piggy In A Blanket

     One of my favorite things about this season is that the cold winter months allow me to not only hibernate, but also to eat my fill of soups and sandwiches. The winter months bring some much needed bonding time between myself and my kitchen, and time seems to move at a slower pace (sorta) in our home. It’s a great season to experiment with different foods, and to expand my recipe base.

This is where the saying “everything old becomes new again” comes into play.
   
     My mom didn’t make a lot of fun dinners when I was growing up; probably because she was born at the end of the Depression and my Grandma worked a full time job trying to raise three daughters. Food wasn’t fun- it was simply a necessity that there frequently wasn’t enough of. Some of that ideology carried over to me in my formative years. By the time I was a young wife and mother (while I was a good cook), meals were serious business. I don’t think I made many “fun” dinners. That didn’t come until I reached my 30’s and learned to s-l-o-w down a bit. One of the foods that the Daring Duo used to like (thanks to their Dad) was Pigs in Blanket; hot dogs rolled up in a biscuit.

So sue me- it’s not gourmet.
    
      And probably not served at finer restaurants (well, maybe in some) but none that I have seen. But they’re F-U-N, and you can get innovative with them. That’s important to me, especially when I am trying to get the Fab Family all to the dinner table at the same time and have them actually like what they’re eating.
    

      So since ‘tis the season, I took full advantage of my winter hall pass and made my own “grown-folks” version of Pigs in a Blanket, paired with Tomato Bisque. I love a good tomato soup, what a great winter comfort food! It’s a hearty meal, the soup rounds it out nicely, and the “Pigs” are made with chicken and apple sausage. While not technically a sandwich, they’re a wonderful alternative. This meal rocks the house for taste and gets an “E” for ease factor. I have tried these before, in spaghetti. I love them. They make a jalapeno-mango variety I cannot wait to try…its almost grilling season! Yay for J.C.’s mad grill skillz!
    
     In honor of spring and the return of the Sun, I am in the process of redecorating my kitchen space (I hope to be finished by the Equinox) and wanted to share a little “find” with you all.
   
     I ADORE bright and rich colors in the kitchen, so when I saw some of the items in the Fish Brew Etsy store, I knew I had to have at least one…although Mr. Wilson and I are so enchanted by our purchase that I foresee at least one more Wish Ball in our immediate future. I have a very cute kitchen window (it’s a pass through or a butler’s window) where we have a couple special “pretties” hanging. We gave it a place there, with the others. The energy surrounding it is exactly what you would want in a creative space…warm, flowing, bright, playful, alive, and full of artistic energy and potential.
    

  
   The Fish Brew Wish Balls would be a welcome addition to any space you wish to enhance- many thanks to Shannon and Jill for their superior merchandise and top-notch service. Please pay them a visit if you have time. You won’t regret it!

Bain sult as! (Enjoy!)

Creamy Tomato Bisque

1/2 cup onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 crushed clove garlic
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
3 1/2 cup whole peeled tomatoes & juice ( that's a 38 oz. can. I just used the diced.)
1 1/4 cup (10 oz.) chicken broth or stock
3/4 cup water
1 cup milk (I opted for 1/2 & 1/2)

Saute onion, celery, and garlic in butter in stock pot. Stir in flour and seasonings. Stir in liquids except for the milk, heat to boiling, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Process soup in blender, return to heat and add milk.

Pastry Wrapped Sausages

2 8 oz. tubes crescent rolls
honey mustard
grated sharp cheddar
4 fully cooked mild sausages, quartered lengthwise. I used the chicken/apple variety.

Spray baking sheet with non-stick spray. Unroll dough on work surface and separate on perforations. Add 1 teaspoon honey mustard and 1 tablespoon cheese to each. Lay sausage parallel to short side and roll. Place seam side down and repeat with remaining sausages. Cook 20-25 minutes at 375.

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Drive Thru Alternatives (Installment 6) The Redemption of a Pastaholic

Hi. My name is Tracy, and I am a pastaholic. There. I said it.

     I experience a personal sense of satisfaction when I find a new pasta recipe; and this one is superb. Easy to cook, easy on the wallet, AND aesthetically pleasing. Nutritious, and simple. Served with fruit and bread, this pasta dish recipe is a keeper that found its way into our kitchen purely by chance while surfing the net. Have I told you how much I LOVE the Internet?

     Recently I put Mr. Wilson and myself (yes, I do like to test his devotion every now and again) at the mercy of a certain sadist and instrument of torture; a.k.a. Tony Horton and the P90X. If I am still able to creatively function  at the end of the three months, I may just pen my own P90X Diary…but chances are I will simply be too tired.

     Jumping into the spirit of the program with both feet and up to my elbows while maintaining a “can do” attitude (seriously?), I am trying to use some of the program recipes and some of my own. I am still a HUGE fan of simplicity, especially on a weeknight. Particularly in my household, where there is Husband. The Daring Duo. Raven the “special” canine, and The Fabulous Earl. Factor in a full time job, laundry (which needs its own event planner), Mr. Wilson teaching Jess to drive (J.C. is a thrill seeker, I am convinced of it), and all the other incredibly wondrous happenings that make up the madness and beauty that is our life…well, ‘nough said. I worship the Goddess of Simplicity, Monday through Friday.

*For any of you working the program, I have tried some of the recipes and made a few adjustments to them; but I have found that quite a few of them involve numerous steps (not that it’s not worth it) and my time is limited throughout the week. I save the majority of them for weekends, and try to follow the lunch recommendations.*

     In regard to this Greek Chicken Pasta, less is more. The Goddess of Simplicity takes care of her own.

Bain sult as! (Enjoy!)

Greek Chicken Pasta

1 lb. angel hair pasta

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 (6 oz.) boneless skinless chix breasts, halved.

2 cups chopped red onion

1 cup chopped yellow pepper (I used 2 cups and used orange too)

6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon oregano (fresh is better)

1 teaspoon basil (fresh is better)

3 oz feta (3/4 cup)

Heat oil in large non-stick pan and cook about 3 minutes per side. Add onion and next 5 ingredients and stir well. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes. Add cooked pasta and serve.

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