Parmesan and Chive Cornbread
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup Corn meal
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup skim milk
1/4 c vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten
handful fresh chives chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup grated parmesan, to taste
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Combine dry ingredients.
3. Stir in milk, oil and egg, mixing just until dry ingredients are moistened.
4. Fold in chives and parmesan
5. Pour batter into greased pan.
6. Bake 20-25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
Serve warm.
******
I liked this recipe but I think I would prefer a sharper cheese or herb. It was a little too subtle to stand up to the rather hearty chili I served it with. :) It was good, though. I never realized how simple corn bread was. Makes me feel a little silly for using the boxed mix.
I think one of my weekend projects is going to be to mix up a couple freezer bags of the dry ingredients. Make it just as simple to make "from scratch" corn bread as the boxed mix.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Home Made Bread
Our family has a taste for artisan bread....which happens to be quite expensive. I recently decided to try my hand at making breads at home, since they can take a big bite out of our grocery budget. I have always avoided baking for the most part at it seemed more chemistry than anything else- and that's not really my strong suit.
But once I started looking, I found the book Kneadlessly Simple by Nancy Baggett. The recipe's lack of kneading appealing, as was the stated intention of being easy!
My first shot at bread turned out wonderfully. It was easy, relatively mess-free, and the most challenging part was waiting to bake it. The slow-rise method featured in the book also means the steps are quite short. This made it easy to fit in when the baby was occupied or napping without eating up all my free time. The bread light, smooth, and rich with a wonderfully crunchy thin crust. This will definitely be a repeat!
Easy White Bread Loaves
6 1/2 cups unbleached white bread flour, plus more as needed
3 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp table salt
1 tsp instant, fast rising or bread machine yeast
1/3 cup corn oil, canola oil or other flavorless vegetable oil
2 3/4 cups ice water
Method:
First Rise
1. In a *very* large bowl, thoroughly stir together the flour, sugar, salt and yeast.
2. In a medium bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the oil and ice water.
3. Thoroughly stir the mixture into the bowl with the flour, scraping down the sides until thoroughly blended. If the mixture is too dry to incorporate all the flour, a bit at a time, stir in just enough more water to blend the ingredients; don't over-moisten. If necessary, stir in more flour to stiffen it.
4. Brush or Spray the top with oil.
5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
6. Rise options: Refrigerate the dough for 3 to 10 hours, then let rise at cool room temp (about 70) for 15 to 20 hours. If not refrigerating, let rise at cool room temp for 15 to 20 hours.
Second Rise
1. After 15 to 20 hour rise, vigorously stir the dough, adding more flour if necessary to yield very stiff dough.
2. Using well oiled kitchen shears or a serrated knife, cut dough in half, placing portions in 2 well-greased 8 1/2x4 1/2 (I used 9x5) loaf pans. Smooth and press the dough into the pans using a well-oiled rubber spatula or your fingertips.
3. Evenly brush or spray the dough tops with oil. Make a 1/2" deep slash lengthwise down the center of each loaf.
4. Tightly cover the pans with non-stick spray coated plastic wrap.
5. Rise Options: At warm room temp (80+) let rise for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. You can refrigerate from 3-24 hours, then let rise as previously noted. As dough rises, remove the plastic as the dough nears it and continue rise tunil the dough reaches 1/2" above the pan rims. Dust each loaf with 1 tbsp flour.
Baking
1. Place oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 425, let oven heat for 15 minutes.
2. Reduce oven temp to 400. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until tops are nicely browned. If loaves are over browning, the tops can be covered with foil. Loaves are done when a skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out with just a few crumbs or the center reads 208 to 210 on an instant read thermometer.
3. Cool pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn out loaves and let pans cool completely.
Bread will store at room temp for 2 to 3 days or may be frozen in airtight container for up to two months.
But once I started looking, I found the book Kneadlessly Simple by Nancy Baggett. The recipe's lack of kneading appealing, as was the stated intention of being easy!
My first shot at bread turned out wonderfully. It was easy, relatively mess-free, and the most challenging part was waiting to bake it. The slow-rise method featured in the book also means the steps are quite short. This made it easy to fit in when the baby was occupied or napping without eating up all my free time. The bread light, smooth, and rich with a wonderfully crunchy thin crust. This will definitely be a repeat!
Easy White Bread Loaves
6 1/2 cups unbleached white bread flour, plus more as needed
3 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp table salt
1 tsp instant, fast rising or bread machine yeast
1/3 cup corn oil, canola oil or other flavorless vegetable oil
2 3/4 cups ice water
Method:
First Rise
1. In a *very* large bowl, thoroughly stir together the flour, sugar, salt and yeast.
2. In a medium bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the oil and ice water.
3. Thoroughly stir the mixture into the bowl with the flour, scraping down the sides until thoroughly blended. If the mixture is too dry to incorporate all the flour, a bit at a time, stir in just enough more water to blend the ingredients; don't over-moisten. If necessary, stir in more flour to stiffen it.
4. Brush or Spray the top with oil.
5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
6. Rise options: Refrigerate the dough for 3 to 10 hours, then let rise at cool room temp (about 70) for 15 to 20 hours. If not refrigerating, let rise at cool room temp for 15 to 20 hours.
Second Rise
1. After 15 to 20 hour rise, vigorously stir the dough, adding more flour if necessary to yield very stiff dough.
2. Using well oiled kitchen shears or a serrated knife, cut dough in half, placing portions in 2 well-greased 8 1/2x4 1/2 (I used 9x5) loaf pans. Smooth and press the dough into the pans using a well-oiled rubber spatula or your fingertips.
3. Evenly brush or spray the dough tops with oil. Make a 1/2" deep slash lengthwise down the center of each loaf.
4. Tightly cover the pans with non-stick spray coated plastic wrap.
5. Rise Options: At warm room temp (80+) let rise for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. You can refrigerate from 3-24 hours, then let rise as previously noted. As dough rises, remove the plastic as the dough nears it and continue rise tunil the dough reaches 1/2" above the pan rims. Dust each loaf with 1 tbsp flour.
Baking
1. Place oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 425, let oven heat for 15 minutes.
2. Reduce oven temp to 400. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until tops are nicely browned. If loaves are over browning, the tops can be covered with foil. Loaves are done when a skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out with just a few crumbs or the center reads 208 to 210 on an instant read thermometer.
3. Cool pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn out loaves and let pans cool completely.
Bread will store at room temp for 2 to 3 days or may be frozen in airtight container for up to two months.
Monday, March 29, 2010
What's for Dinner- Brown Sugar Chicken
Another one from www.crockpot365.blogspot.com. This one I didn't alter at all since I've never really made a recipe like this. I rarely use this much vinegar in a dish.
Ingredients:
12 naked chicken thighs or 6 naked chicken breasts (I used breast meat)
1 c brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tsp black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp soy sauce (I use gluten free, low sodium)
2/3 c white wine vinegar
1/4 c lemon-lime soda (I used 7 Up)
Method:
Written for a four qt crockpot
1. Place chicken into crock.
2. Cover with the brown sugar, black pepper, garlic, and soy sauce.
3. Add vinegar and soda (it bubbles)
4. Cover and cook on low for 6-9 hours or high for 4-5 hours. Cook until done and at desired tenderness.
**the longer it is cooked on low, the more tender the chicken will be.
I served it with Lundberg Organic Risotto Florentine. It is Gluten free, very easy to prepare and absolutely delicious! For some additional freshness, I sauteed half of a red onion and lightly steamed 6 ozs of sliced button mushrooms in beef stock, that I added to the risotto in the last few minutes. A really great dinner that made the whole house smell wonderful.
I didn't allow for quite enough time for the chicken to cook. While it was cooked through, it could have used another couple hours to really absorb the flavor. Kevin loved it though, and thought it would make the perfect base for a BBQ pulled chicken. We'll probably do that next. I think this recipe makes a wonderful, versatile chicken dish that I can make and use in multiple recipes.
big recommendation for this product, it will now be a staple in our house:
Ingredients:
12 naked chicken thighs or 6 naked chicken breasts (I used breast meat)
1 c brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tsp black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp soy sauce (I use gluten free, low sodium)
2/3 c white wine vinegar
1/4 c lemon-lime soda (I used 7 Up)
Method:
Written for a four qt crockpot
1. Place chicken into crock.
2. Cover with the brown sugar, black pepper, garlic, and soy sauce.
3. Add vinegar and soda (it bubbles)
4. Cover and cook on low for 6-9 hours or high for 4-5 hours. Cook until done and at desired tenderness.
**the longer it is cooked on low, the more tender the chicken will be.
I served it with Lundberg Organic Risotto Florentine. It is Gluten free, very easy to prepare and absolutely delicious! For some additional freshness, I sauteed half of a red onion and lightly steamed 6 ozs of sliced button mushrooms in beef stock, that I added to the risotto in the last few minutes. A really great dinner that made the whole house smell wonderful.
I didn't allow for quite enough time for the chicken to cook. While it was cooked through, it could have used another couple hours to really absorb the flavor. Kevin loved it though, and thought it would make the perfect base for a BBQ pulled chicken. We'll probably do that next. I think this recipe makes a wonderful, versatile chicken dish that I can make and use in multiple recipes.
big recommendation for this product, it will now be a staple in our house:
Outgrown Clothes
There is a duality to the experience of packing away a child's outgrown clothes. Yesterday, I buckled down and went through my little monkey's closet and drawers. Folding and packing away all the newborn, 3 and 6 month clothes. It was a bit of a shock to pull out some 12 month clothes and have to really consider whether to bring them out now or wait another couple months (I decided to wait although he's almost fitting them). It just doesn't seem possible that we're approaching a year. Granted we're still a few months away, but those clothes don't seem THAT big anymore.
The one that gave me the biggest pause was the monkey costume he wore for halloween. Since we call him the monkey, it was an obvious choice for a costume. But that particular costume was warm, soft, fuzzy fleece- every time we put it on him, he was so comfortable that he would fall right asleep.
Now, if we could just put that crib to good use......
The one that gave me the biggest pause was the monkey costume he wore for halloween. Since we call him the monkey, it was an obvious choice for a costume. But that particular costume was warm, soft, fuzzy fleece- every time we put it on him, he was so comfortable that he would fall right asleep.
Now, if we could just put that crib to good use......
Saturday, March 27, 2010
My kitchen smells amazing!
We're enjoying a gorgeous sunny day here. Windows are open, the dogs are willingly playing outside, and I see green in our potato planter!
Inside, my kitchen smells amazing. I'm roasting butternut squash for my ravioli (dinner tonight). I'm also trying out a new way of making broth. Typically, when I roast a whole chicken, I make broth from the carcass in my big stock pot. It is a bit time consuming. In one of my new favorite cookbooks, there is a recipe for slow cooker chicken broth. I decided to give it a try. There are a couple adaptations. I used the leftovers of a whole chicken I roasted (see Tahini Rubbed Chicken), celery salt instead of chopped celery ( I had finished my celery), and oregano, parsley and basil instead of Italian seasoning.
Chicken Broth
Ingredients
leftovers of a whole roast chicken
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp (approx) celery salt
2 carrots, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped (I had already used a bit off the tops)
1 head of garlic, cloves peeled
3 bay leaves
Sprinkle each of dried basil, oregano, and parsley
6 cups water
Method
1. Put the chicken carcass into slow cooker.
2. Nestle the chopped vegetables in with the chicken bones
3. Add peeled garlic cloves, bay leaves, seasoning, and water.
4. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.
5. Remove stoneware from the heating element and let cool completely. Debone chicken and remove all the bones.
6. Scoop liquid and vegetables into a blender to "brothicize".
7. Pour blended liquid into freezer bags in manageable portions. Place bags on a baking sheet and freeze.
Inside, my kitchen smells amazing. I'm roasting butternut squash for my ravioli (dinner tonight). I'm also trying out a new way of making broth. Typically, when I roast a whole chicken, I make broth from the carcass in my big stock pot. It is a bit time consuming. In one of my new favorite cookbooks, there is a recipe for slow cooker chicken broth. I decided to give it a try. There are a couple adaptations. I used the leftovers of a whole chicken I roasted (see Tahini Rubbed Chicken), celery salt instead of chopped celery ( I had finished my celery), and oregano, parsley and basil instead of Italian seasoning.
Chicken Broth
Ingredients
leftovers of a whole roast chicken
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp (approx) celery salt
2 carrots, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped (I had already used a bit off the tops)
1 head of garlic, cloves peeled
3 bay leaves
Sprinkle each of dried basil, oregano, and parsley
6 cups water
Method
1. Put the chicken carcass into slow cooker.
2. Nestle the chopped vegetables in with the chicken bones
3. Add peeled garlic cloves, bay leaves, seasoning, and water.
4. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.
5. Remove stoneware from the heating element and let cool completely. Debone chicken and remove all the bones.
6. Scoop liquid and vegetables into a blender to "brothicize".
7. Pour blended liquid into freezer bags in manageable portions. Place bags on a baking sheet and freeze.
Friday, March 26, 2010
What's for Dinner- Chicken Corn Chowder
I love using leftovers in a new meal. Especially when I do it on purpose. In planning this weeks menu, I had planned to cook last night's whole roasted chicken. We ate the breasts from the chicken last night with some fabulous baby yukon gold mashed potatoes.
Tonight, I'm going to debone the rest of the chicken and use it in some Chicken Corn Chowder- which happens to be an absolute favorite of mine.
Tonight, I'm going to debone the rest of the chicken and use it in some Chicken Corn Chowder- which happens to be an absolute favorite of mine.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Tahini Rubbed Chicken
Tahini Rubbed Chicken
This was one of my "new uses for Tahini" recipes. It gave the chicken a really interesting, different dimension from my usual herb roasted chicken. And went perfectly with mashed potatoes.
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, cleaned
1 lemon
1 bunch green onions
1 tbsp tahini
1/2 c chicken broth
1 carrot, diced
1 small onion, diced
Fresh herbs ( I used tarragon, basil, thyme)
salt
pepper
Method:
*Preheat oven to 425
1. Combine tahini, chicken broth, juice of 1/2 lemon in a mixing bowl.
2. Chop a handful of herbs and add to mixing bowl. Whisk until incorporated.
3. Stuff chicken cavity with both halves of lemon, fresh herbs, and half of the green onions. Tie drumsticks.
4. Season the outside of chicken with salt and pepper.
5. Spoon 1/2 cup of tahini mixture over the top of the chicken.
6. Roast chicken for 15 minutes at 425. Reduce heat to 350, baste chicken and roast for another 15 minutes.
7. Add diced onion and carrot to pan, baste chicken, and continue to cook for 45 minutes or until juices run clear (and meat temps to at least 160).
After removing from oven,let chicken rest for 10 minutes.
Gravy
1. Melt 1/2 tbsp butter in a saucepan over med heat.
2. Whisk in the remaining tahini mixture.
3. Strain the juices from the roasting pan into gravy and mix well.
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
This was one of my "new uses for Tahini" recipes. It gave the chicken a really interesting, different dimension from my usual herb roasted chicken. And went perfectly with mashed potatoes.
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, cleaned
1 lemon
1 bunch green onions
1 tbsp tahini
1/2 c chicken broth
1 carrot, diced
1 small onion, diced
Fresh herbs ( I used tarragon, basil, thyme)
salt
pepper
Method:
*Preheat oven to 425
1. Combine tahini, chicken broth, juice of 1/2 lemon in a mixing bowl.
2. Chop a handful of herbs and add to mixing bowl. Whisk until incorporated.
3. Stuff chicken cavity with both halves of lemon, fresh herbs, and half of the green onions. Tie drumsticks.
4. Season the outside of chicken with salt and pepper.
5. Spoon 1/2 cup of tahini mixture over the top of the chicken.
6. Roast chicken for 15 minutes at 425. Reduce heat to 350, baste chicken and roast for another 15 minutes.
7. Add diced onion and carrot to pan, baste chicken, and continue to cook for 45 minutes or until juices run clear (and meat temps to at least 160).
After removing from oven,let chicken rest for 10 minutes.
Gravy
1. Melt 1/2 tbsp butter in a saucepan over med heat.
2. Whisk in the remaining tahini mixture.
3. Strain the juices from the roasting pan into gravy and mix well.
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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