Flour today, Bread tomorrow

Pimento Cheese Sandwich

2012-01-28T14:48:00.000-05:00

I’ve always been a fan of a good sandwich. Piled high with meats and cheeses or grilled panini style with just cheese and a sliced tomato. Then of course, there’s the bread. So, when our esteemed mentor, Michelle, challenged us this month to create a sandwich, I was in a daze at all the possible choices that were available. Then, there, on the Cooking Channel, was a new show I was watching called Not My Mama’s Meals with Bobby Deen. He was lightning up a pimento cheese recipe. I like pimento cheese and thought that I would try that.

Then, tragedy struck, of course I’m exaggerating, but MJOL developed a very large kidney stone that had to be removed by surgery through his back. Ouch. I’d never even heard of them doing that, but then again, I’d never heard of a one inch around kidney stone either. But finally after a one week hospital stay and a hefty amount of pain medication, all is on the mend. Now, back to the pimento cheese.

Instead of mayo, this recipe substituted non fat Greek yogurt. I love Greek yogurt, so it was a go. Diced up red and yellow pepper and jalapeno, chopped chives, shredded cheddar and low fat mozzarella, salt and pepper. Pretty easy. And it tastes great. Not your traditional pimento cheese, but it has a very nice flavor with a good bit of crunch. A great change of texture from the regular. Find the recipe here.

Isn’t the universe funny, as I’m typing this entry, I’m watching the Cooking Channel, (of course, I’m obsessed) and what should Kelsey’sEssentials be about…sandwiches!

Until our next baking adventure.

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T18:45:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year to all our family and friends, our hope is that it is healthy and all your dreams come true.
We spent a quiet New Year’s Eve at home, very nice actually. Not by choice as it seems MJOL is passing kidney stones and somewhat cranky about it. :)
We got around to exchanging Christmas gifts. Our main gift is Key West, but a small little present is always welcome. I got MJOL a book, by a local author, about bees and the economy and he got me..well look at the picture. I made yeast rolls, very tasty, and we watched True Blood until it was time for the ball to drop. Gotta love CNN with Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper. They always cut away to the party in Key West…sigh.

Thanks to Cathy at Bread Experience for the yeast roll recipe.

Tradition, Key West and Cuban Bread

2011-12-18T11:53:00.000-05:00

Tradition, an interesting word for me, after thinking that I didn’t grow up with any, I began to remember that we always had certain dishes at the holidays, corn bread dressing with oysters, cherry pie and sugar cookies. My mother didn’t particularly like to cook, and only did so out of necessity. My love of cooking developed much later in life. I’ve never cooked a holiday meal, but always bring dishes to the holiday table. Anyway enough of going down that path.

My current family’s tradition is going to Key West during the first part of December. MJOL and I always try to celebrate our anniversary there. We’ve missed a few years, (only 3) but have made 12. This year we continued tradition and were accompanied by MJOL’s sister and brother-in-law. It’s fun seeing our favorite place through someone else’s eyes. I’ve discovered through the years that people either love KWF or they don’t. We saw old friends that we meet there every year and of course made new friends that we hope to see there in the coming years. We did a sunset cruise, Hemingway’s house and many of the tourist things that we don’t do that often. My most vivid memories usually revolve around the friends, food, and relaxation. Grilled grouper with a Thai curry sauce over sushi rice at Seven Fish, Cuban roast pork with yellow rice, black beans and plantains at El Sibonay, and lobster fresh out of the sea at Pepe’s.

So, I decided to extrapolate our Key West tradition and attempt Cuban bread. Pan Cubano, that loaf with the creamy interior and crisp crust, pressed with meats and cheese. Yum. So, after a little research I found that “traditional” Cuban bread is made with lard..yikes! At the store, I found my little tub of lard and put it in my cart, carried it around the store and in the end, just had to put it back. I opted for using solid shortening, probably not much healthier, but it made me feel somewhat better. I thought it turned out well. Since most recipes called for a starter, I just used my sourdough. I can’t wait to make some Cuban roast pork and make my own Cuban sandwich.

"Anna was a lovely bride, but Anna, damn 'er, up and died."

2011-11-20T18:16:00.000-05:00

The golden-colored Anadama bread is a specialty of New England that is always made with cornmeal and molasses. Many cookbooks relate stories about the origins of its unusual name. One being the quote above that was supposedly on Anna’s tombstone. I like this one best, only because it reminds me of an epitaph on the tombstone of B. P. Roberts, a notorious hypochondriac, in one of our favorite places, Key West. “I told you I was sick.” I’m drifting slightly here because our annual trip to Key West is only 12 days away.

Anyway, Anadama bread has been around a least since 1850. According to Wikipedia, it is thought it came from the local fishing community in Rockport MA. but it may have come through the Finnish Community of local stone cutters. During the turn of the century around 1900 it was baked by a man named Baker Knowlton on King Street and delivered in a horse-drawn cart to households in Rockport by men in blue smocks.

I modified a recipe from “The Original King Arthur Flour Cookbook” using my active sourdough starter. Wow, when baking, this bread smells amazing and lingers in the house for a while. It’s great toasted for breakfast and I don’t expect it to hang around for very long.

Thanks to Michelle for suggesting this historical challenge.

Public Art

2011-10-23T18:44:00.000-04:00

P.A.I.N.T. Producing Art in Neighborhoods Together

Saturday we had the installation of some public art that was sponsored by The Center for Neighborhoods and designed for our community garden. The artists, David Bibelhauser and Lauren Argo, came to the garden and invited the gardeners, neighbors, and friends to help assemble two geodesic domes. The domes were designed to complement the garden and to show that connected we are all strong. Each piece of the dome supports a part of the whole structure’s weight. If just one piece weakens or is removed, the entire structure becomes unstable.

The day started with the installation of the dome on the lower part of the garden. This dome will eventually be covered with trumpet vines.

Throughout the day, there were workshops on composting, bee keeping, creating a community garden, and harvesting rain water.

For lunch, The San Diego Sandwich Works food truck offered great sandwiches and soup. MJOL and I had the La Jolla wrap. It was so tasty and they even substituted Havarti Cheese for me. Maybe because I said I could eat my weight in that cheese? While talking to the owners they invited me on the truck. Heaven! Cause you know I’m fascinated by food trucks. The truck has been totally redone and the electrical can run on quiet batteries instead of not so quiet generators. Totally plumbed by a master plumber and up to code. Totally cool.

The Mayor, Greg Fischer, stopped by and helped plant some of the vines for the lower dome, and took our electric goat for a spin.

Then the installation of the upper dome started in the afternoon. This dome has painted canvas panels, with colors taken from the garden logo, to provide shade. When the dome was finished it was dedicated by our Councilperson, Tina Ward Pugh. A beautiful fall day.

Food Truck Round Up

2011-10-08T18:39:00.000-04:00

Last night MJOL and I hopped on down to the First Friday Trolley Hop. Mainly because we knew that there would be food trucks at the Main Street Garden. Now, given the chance, in a former life, I would be a food truck chef. They fascinate me. Don’t know why, but serving gourmet food out of a truck..could be fun.

We decided to partake of Lil Cheezers. We both ordered the Caprese. Mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, balsamic reduction and a little garlic, served on wheatberry bread. It was so very tasty. Alongside was a homemade curried catsup that I really enjoyed, sweet, a little spicy..yum. (MJOL was not such a fan.) The only thing I didn’t enjoy was the potatoes that came with. They were a little greasy, soggy and lukewarm. Could have left them off and it would have been fine. But, the sandwich made up for that. I was licking my fingers!

Holy Mole truck was there,

along with Mozza Pi

and the San Diego Sandwich Works.

It was a beautiful evening and after eating we walked along Market Street and enjoyed all the festivities. We visited the Bodega, which was hopping at the hop, what a great place and we plan to return there soon. We watched a glass blowing and forming exhibition at Flamerun that was way cool. The artists made a large apple. We strolled past the Garage, man that place was jumping, and then stopped by the Fairness table to chat with Chris for a minute.

Bellies full and minds expanded we made our way home to get rested up for our Community Garden Harvest Festival happening this Sunday.

It was a great Friday night.

Il Bollo

2011-10-03T16:50:00.000-04:00

Whose bread I eat: his song I sing.
–German Proverb

It’s hard to believe that we are at the end of our two year bread baking journey. We’ve made many loaves, some we liked, some we didn’t. We’ve shared happy times, and sad times. We’ve gained knowledge and distributed it. What a great gift. Thanks to Michelle at BigBlackDogs for her leadership and hard work at keeping us going. Here’s hoping we all continue forward with new projects, individually or as a group.

For this final assignment I made Il Bollo, a festive Italian bread, traditionally eaten to break the fast of Yom Kippur. Enriched with eggs and made with honey, lemon, vanilla, and anise, the aroma while it was baking was amazing and very comforting. Although it sounds like it would be a sweet bread, for me it really wasn’t. I liked this bread very much, and we are having it tonight with Eggplant Parmesan (with the final eggplants from the garden.) I’m sure there will be plenty left over to toast for breakfast.

Until our next baking adventure.

Apples and Honey Whole Grain Challah

2011-09-19T18:42:00.001-04:00

Our challenge for HBin5 this time was an apple and honey whole grain challah. Being a beekeeper, how could I not attempt this one? This dough came together easily and after leaving it in the refrigerator overnight I pulled it out to make my bread. This was one of the stickiest doughs that I’ve made so far in the challenge. I was hoping to do a traditional braid, but once I handled the dough, I knew that wasn’t going to happen. So, I took the easy way out and put it in loaf pans. This was a very light and airy bread, and I sent one loaf off with MJOL to share at a meeting he was attending. I sliced it up for easy serving and had to have a few of the wayward crumbs. It is very good and I think it will toast up very nicely.

We have an abundance of bread in the kitchen this week. I made my regular 2 sourdough loaves and now this extra loaf also. But, is that really a problem? I don’t think so.

Until our next baking adventure.

No-Knead 100% Whole Wheat Bread

2011-09-05T10:47:00.001-04:00

This time for our challenge I decided to try a recipe that I’ve saved from the back of my King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour bag. I’ve always wanted to try it and it seemed like a good time. It is more of a batter bread and easy to mix up. After mixing it rises for 90 minutes.

Well, of course I couldn’t just make it totally like the recipe. I didn’t have any orange juice, but I did have pomegranate juice left over from our last challenge, so I used that. The dough (or batter) rose well, but when baked it flattened out. I think that next time maybe I won’t let it rise for the whole 90 minutes. It tastes great toasted.

Until our next baking adventure.

BTW, some bounty from my garden.

Warning: PG Rated Post

2011-09-04T11:56:00.002-04:00

Well, not really.
Last week, Ray, the guy who gave us our rabbits, called to request a favor. He wanted to know if we still had our rabbits (we do) and if he could bring over one of his females to mate with our male, Hemingway. We agreed.

So far we have not bred our rabbits. What to do with all those little bunnies?

Anyway, we have Florida Whites, a smaller rabbit breed, around 5 lbs. Hemingway is even a little smaller maybe around 4 lbs or so. Ray brought over his female, Charcoal, a beautiful, dark gray, almost chocolate bunny. However, she is around 8 lbs, even bigger then our little Yorkie. Well, Hemingway was more than agreeable, and Charcoal was somewhat ambivalent, but not adverse to the attention. Poor Hemingway tried every which way he could, but just couldn’t connect. After a while he wore himself out without being successful. If you’ve ever seen rabbits mate…you know when they connect! So much for the term ******* like bunnies.

Now, after this experience, we’ve decided to mate one our females, Bette, with Hemingway. Bette is our feisty bunny. She grunts and bats at you when you reach in her hutch. Ray said that mating her would probably calm her down. He also said that he would take two of the female babies, and help us place the rest. So, on to a new and exciting adventure.

Update: 09/05/2011 Today I think we were successful with Bette and Hemingway. So the first week of October we will see!

Brown Rice and Prune Bread

2011-08-28T13:40:00.001-04:00

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted, and I’m glad to be back. The garden has been keeping us very busy.

Well, I used the brown rice, but substituted raisins for the prunes, and pomegranate juice for the prune juice. So, maybe the title should be Brown Rice, Raisin and Pomegranate Bread?

Anyway, I thought it was very good. We had it toasted for breakfast. But, now thinking about it, how about with some spicy mustard, smoked turkey, creamy Havarti cheese and fresh tomato slices? Ok, next time that’s on the menu.

Cool thing happened in our community garden; we received a grant from our Councilperson, Tina Ward Pugh, for an all electric zero turn riding lawn mower. It is so nice; it will cut about an acre on a charge. We had a great press conference with the Mayor, Tina, our garden board of directors and gardeners, loads of fun. If you have never driven one of these puppies, they are a little hard to handle. MJOL got the hang of it right off the bat, but for me it is a little counter intuitive. But hey, chasing friends and family around the back yard with it can be fun!

Until our next baking adventure.

Confessions of a Bread Machine User

2011-06-04T12:07:00.000-04:00

Hi, my name is Elwood and I have used a bread machine.

…Hello Elwood…

Yes, I will admit it; from time to time I have used my bread machine. And yes, when someone asks if I use a bread machine to bake my breads, I act somewhat indignant. My machine was a gift, but I’ve heard a lot of people say they bought them at yard sales. I’ve also heard some people say they have put them in yard sales. Most of the time my Breadman Ultimate sits on the kitchen self, but like every kitchen tool there are times when it is useful.

In the 10 years I’ve had my machine I’ve probably used it around 15 times. All this musing came about due to a bread making class. I’ve taken several classes and at least one participant asks about baking in a machine…pause for some fake indignity…Really, though, the machine works well for making dough. I have rarely used it to actually bake the bread, partly because of the finished shape and partly because I just like to feel my dough. I am all about the tactile. It’s a great tool for handling wet dough and holds a great temperature for the first rise. Don’t believe that you can make great bread by just adding ingredients and presto..bread though. I usually open the lid while it’s kneading and check the dough…too wet?....too dry? Make adjustments.

My machine has a trap door where you can put things to be kneaded in during the last part of the process. Raisins, Cranberries, nuts..whatever. It does a great job with that. When the dough cycle is done, I take it out, shape it, let it rise and then bake it in the oven. Are most people any the wiser? Probably not, most everyone is just amazed that you baked bread.

I decided to make a cranberry pistachio bread, a variation of a raisin bread that is in my bread machine cook book (gasp! Yes I have one). RusticEuropean Breads from your Bread Machine by Linda West Eckhardt and DianaCollingwood Butts. This bread starts with a biga that’s mixed in the machine and left overnight. The final bread came out well. But, let’s just keep the process our little secret.

Until our next baking adventure.

Beer Bread

2011-04-22T11:05:00.000-04:00

Bread, slightly sweetened with honey, and beer, what could be wrong with that? I made the beer bread for our assignment this time around. I found this dough really easy to work with, but I thought it was a little dry..well, if I had actually used the right amount of beer it probably wouldn’t have been as dry. Gotta watch that halving of the recipe don’t you?

I had made some red beans and rice, and doesn’t that go with beer bread? A good friend brought some fresh asparagus; literally pick an hour before I steamed it…yummy.

BTW, has anyone been watching, TLC’s Extreme Couponing? I’m a totally hooked.

Until our next baking adventure.

Every Weekend Sourdough Loaves

2011-03-12T12:52:00.000-05:00

Instead of making the pumpernickel and braided loaf that was our assignment this time, I just decided to make my normal every weekend sourdough bread. I know, kind of a wimp out but, rye just doesn’t go over very well here at our house.

I try to make 2 sourdough loaves every weekend for us to use during the week. I start with ½ cup of my cold starter and then activate it by adding 1 ½ cup of flour and 1 cup of room temp water. Let that work for 12 hours or so at room temp and then add 1 cup flour and ¼ cup room temp water. After another 12 hours it’s ready. Use it all and make your favorite bread. It will raise the dough in anywhere from 2 to 4 hours.

After activation

Dough

After Rise

Baked

Last week we went thrifting for some props for my photos. Here’s what we got for less than 10 dollars. Can’t wait to photograph them.

Until our next baking adventure.

Whole Grain Rye Bread

2011-02-20T13:13:00.000-05:00

Isn’t it interesting that our challenge this time around for HBin5 was rye, and in my bread baking class this week we made rye. Both pretty much standard, rye flour, bread four and of course caraway seeds. I like rye, MJOL not so much, but he did want to cut it and try it while it was still warm. Isn’t that a universal desire? But, as we are always told, if you cut it while it’s warm, it will be gummy. OK, I get it, but warm bread, smeared with butter, sometimes you just have to go for it.

This dough was a little sticky, but I’ve often found rye to be that way. Adding too much more flour is always a temptation that I have to squelch. This bread smelled really good while it was baking and I thought it turned out well. I am giving it away as a gift today, since I have 2 loaves of sourdough and another loaf of rye already in the kitchen.

Until our next baking adventure.

Photography Class

2011-02-13T11:31:00.000-05:00

Recently I started a digital photo class to help me make my blog pictures better. Leslie, the instructor, is fun, knowledgeable, and makes the class interesting. The class is held at Spot5artstudio on Frankfort Avenue in the historic Clifton Neighborhood. They offer several types of classes on a rolling basis. If you get a chance stop in and say hello.

My class is 6 weeks long and so far we have covered camera controls, color and light temperature. I’m having a great time. Here is one of my most recent class photos.

Wheat Buns and Baked Pasta

2011-01-30T14:15:00.000-05:00

Our assignment this time for the HBin5 challenge was a gluten-free boule and cheddar sesame cracker. I have to say I wimped out on this one, knowing that getting the herd here to eat a gluten free loaf would be a near impossible feat. So, I made wheat rolls from the King Arthur flour Whole Grain Baking book. Easy and I had all the ingredients on hand. This is very nice dough to work with and they came out so nice. We had them last night with baked ww rotini, and then again today for lunch as pimento cheese sandwiches. Very tasty.

Baked Rotini

1 box (12oz) ww rotini
1 lb lean ground beef
1 tub (15oz) ricotta cheese
4 cups mozzarella cheese
¼ cup parmesan cheese
4 oz goat cheese
1 jar (26oz) pasta sauce
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp onion powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Salt a pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9 X 13 inch pan.

Prepare the rotini just shy of al dente, usually 10 to 11 minutes for me. Brown the ground beef. Mix the ricotta, goat cheese, 3 cups of the mozzarella, pasta sauce, and spices together. Stir in the ground beef and the pasta. If the mixture is too dry add some of the pasta cooking water. Pour into prepared pan. Combine the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella and ¼ cup parmesan and sprinkle over the top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes, uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until cheese is brown. Remove from oven and let stand for 15-20 minutes before cutting.

Of course you can change up this recipe anyway you want. Different shapes of pasta, different cheeses, different spices etc. This time I used roasted tomato sauce that I had made and frozen from the garden. I also added a little garam masala, an Indian spice blend with cumin, coriander, cardamom, and cloves. If you like it spicy add some red pepper flakes or chilies. It’s all good.

Until our next baking adventure..

Dilled Rye with White Whole Wheat and 100% Whole Grain Rosemary Potato Dinner Rolls with a Salt Crust

2011-01-17T17:06:00.000-05:00

Our HBin5 challenge this time around was Dilled Rye with White Whole Wheat and Whole Grain Rosemary Potato Dinner Rolls with a Salt Crust. Both of these breads have rye flour and I’ve discovered that people either like rye or they don’t. I’m a fan, but MJOL, not so much. I love rosemary’s strong assertive flavor, but again, MJOL’s not hip on the herbs for the most part, something about them smelling like dirty socks…huh? Anyway I digress.

I was looking forward to the Rosemary Potato Dinner Rolls. I like rosemary, I like potatoes, I like salt..hmmm recipe for perfection right? Didn’t really work for me. I liked the texture of the bread itself, but the texture of the potato chunks after baking was a little weird. Would I make them again? Probably not.

The Dilled Rye was a good bread, with nice texture and crumb, but I thought the dill flavor was muted. I used dried, so maybe that made a difference. But all in all I liked it.

Until our next baking adventure…

WW Flaxseed and Roasted Garlic Breads

2011-01-11T17:43:00.000-05:00

Well, the garden is all tucked in, covered in a blanket of snow. The bees are clustered around their most precious resource, the queen, keeping her warm and protected until next sping when she will start in ernest to replenish the hive.

I've come out of retirement and starting working as a medical case manager for a non profit, doing case management for people affected by HIV/AIDS. Sometimes heart rendering, sometimes heart warming, but always interesting. So, my baking efforts have been on the back burner (or maybe back oven?) while I get use to working again.

This time our goal was to make Whole Wheat Flaxseed Bread and Roasted Garlic Bread. I love flax and I love garlic, so how could I resist jumping back in this time around. Both loaves were very good. I made pasta with sauce and both breads were great, toasted up with a parsley butter. Yum!

Until our next baking adventure...

Whole Wheat Brioche

2010-10-02T12:07:00.000-04:00

Since, so far in my baking adventures, I've never made brioche....gasp... I decided to keep it fairly simple. Hamburgers were on the menu for dinner, so buns were on the menu to bake. They came out really nice, great texture and very delish with the burgers. I only mixed up a half batch of dough, so with the rest I made a loaf. MJOL will like that for toast with breakfast.

I have to say that I really like the buttery, eggy flavor and texture of brioche. Why did I wait so long to add it to my baking ensemble? Check out what the other bakers did over at Michelle’s Big Black Dogs.

Last week the community garden hosted some students from a local school to get in the bee hives with me. It seems that bees really catch the imagination of the kids and that gives me a chance to relate the importance of the bees and their relationship to the food supply. That in turn helps establish the connection between food and the land and the land and the environment. Fun for all!

Until our next baking adventure.

Maple Oatmeal Bread and Quinoa Bread

2010-09-18T12:45:00.000-04:00

This time around for our HBn5 assignment we made maple oatmeal bread, and quinoa bread.

I was looking forward to both, maple and oats.. yum, and I loves me some quinoa.

The maple oatmeal dough smelled really good while I was mixing it up. Maple syrup and cinnamon….duh! I found that it didn’t rise as quickly or as high as some other breads that we’ve done. When I took it out of the fridge and shaped it, it took longer to rise. It smelled wonderful while baking and I could hardly wait to dig in. The loaf came out nice I thought, but I didn’t feel that it had the taste I was expecting. While I am writing this, I am munching on some made into toast and schmeared with butter. Not bad, still not my favorite.

The quinoa bread is one of my favorites so far. I like quinoa, and so does MJOL, if I don’t tell him that’s what he is eating! This dough rose very well, before I put it in the fridge and after I shaped it. It had a nice crust and crumb and I liked the crunch of the quinoa. We had it last night with whole wheat rotini, and sauce made with roasted tomatoes from the garden.

Check out what the other bakers did over at Michelle’s Big Black Dogs.

Until our next baking adventure.

Algerian Flatbread

2010-09-11T09:39:00.000-04:00

For this HBn5 assignment I chose to do a loaf of WW bread, which was gone before I could get a picture, and the Msemmen. The spices smelled so good when I was mixing them up. My thought was that 3 tablespoons of olive oil was too much. When I rolled up the dough a lot of the spice mixture leak out; it was so runny. I was afraid that I had lost all of the flavor, but I was wrong. Great tasting bread with a kick from the cayenne that grew in the back of the mouth. MJOL liked it but did think it was a little too spicy.

Check out what the other bakers did over at Michelle’s Big Black Dogs.

I had an influx of tomatoes the last couple of weeks and have been scrambling to find things to do with them. I made and canned some salsa. I made and froze some stewed tomatoes and then I thought hmmm.. I think I'll try roasting. I cored, quartered and seeded them, added some olive oil, balsamic, and garlic. I roasted them at 275 for about 2 1/2 hours. The house smelled so heavenly I could barely stand it, and the product....like sweet candy jewels. I froze them for use in those cold dreary winter months when tomatoes would taste so good.

Until our next baking adventure.

Rosemary Flax Baguette

2010-08-15T12:15:00.000-04:00

For this HBn5 assignment I chose to do the Rosemary Flax Baguette. I always have flax meal and wheat germ on hand. The rosemary came right out of the garden. So, no new ingredients to buy. The texture of this dough was really nice, and after I mixed it up..the aroma...outstanding, very earthy and robust. Rosemary has that quality. Then during baking, I think I was transported by the smell. As they say in the south, good enough to make you wanna slap your Grandmama!

I took the baguettes and sliced them diagonally, rubbed the slices with garlic, topped them with freshly harvested tomatoes, basil, and some Parmesan. Popped them in the oven until the cheese was melted and tomatoes soft. One bite and well...look out Grandmama.

Head over to Big Black Dogs to see what the other bakers did with these breads.

Until our next baking adventure.

Our Sophie

2010-08-05T10:05:00.000-04:00

Sad news, last Wednesday our 12 year old lab Sophie got sick and after several trips to the Vet, we discovered she had cancer of the spleen. We scheduled removal of the spleen, but she didn't wait around for the surgery and died in her sleep on Saturday morning. Sophie (named after Sophie Tucker) was your typical lab, energetic and addicted to attention. She was a wild woman and never met a ball that she didn't like. She will be sorely missed by me, MJOL, and her doggie sister Sadie.

A Poem

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. Her bright eyes are intent. Her eager body quivers. Suddenly she begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, her legs carrying her faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

Jalapeno and Basil Bread

2010-08-05T09:50:00.000-04:00

This time around for our HBin5 challange, I made the Mesquite Bread. Really, that is probably a misnomer, because, even though I looked high and low, I couldn't get my hands on any mesquite flour. I substituted WW and it worked fine. I imagine I lost some flavor, but all in all I thought the bread was quite good. Since cilantro is not my fav I substituted basil, fresh from the garden. The jalepenos were also right off the plant. I used two, and took out the seeds and veins. Great flavor, with just a little heat. This bread is definitely a make again. Go on over to Big Black Dogs and check out what the other bakers did with this challange.

Today I went down to the garden and picked some eggplant and okra. The rice cooker is loaded up with brown rice and now the eggplant, okra, and onions are in the oven roasting to be added to the rice. A little dressing of lemon juice, and balsamic...yum.

Till our next baking adventure...

A Story About the Community Garden

2010-07-27T10:35:00.000-04:00

We had a little excitement around the community garden last week. One of the local channels did a story on us. See it here: http://www.whas11.com/community/Honey-Bees-invade-City-Community-Garden-99255469.html

Brownies

2010-07-25T12:18:00.000-04:00

For this week's assignment I went way out of the box and instead of the gluten free breads I decided to use my sourdough starter for something different, brownies. They turned out great! A cake like brownie that was sweet with a hint of sour in the backround. They didn't last very long.

I activated my starter like I would when making bread and then used it in the recipe. To activate I use 1/2 cup of starter from the fridge and add 1 1/2 cup WW flour and 1 cup of water and let it proof for 12 hours. Then I add 1 more cup of WW flour and 1/4 cup of water and let it proof for another 12 hours, this is the activated starter. There was more than I needed for the brownies, so a loaf of bread was a nice side product. Worked like a charm.

Sourdough Brownies

4 (1 ounce) squares sweet baking chocolate
1/2 cup hot water
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup Margarine ; (2 sticks)
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sourdough starter

Place chocolate in small saucepan and add hot water; bring to a boil, stirring. Add baking soda and mix well. Mixture will be foamy. Set aside until lukewarm.
In a large bowl, cream margarine and sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs and mix in thoroughly. Add vanilla extract and cooled chocolate mixture and nuts. Gradually add flour that has been sifted with salt. Lastly, add the starter. Beat well after each addition. Grease and flour a 9 x 13-inch pan and pour batter into it. Place pan in a warm spot for 30 minutes.
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake brownie for 35 to 40 minutes.

Go on over and visit Michelle at bigblackdogs and check out what the other bakers did this time around.

Mixed Berry Bread

2010-07-04T12:21:00.000-04:00

This week I made the mixed berry bread from our HBin 5 challenge. I kind of liked it, not my favorite, but with some peanut butter it was pretty good. In general we are used to the sweetness of batter breads, so these whole grain breads are an acquired taste. I used more berries (raspberries, blueberries and blackberries), than called for in the recipe and got a pretty good berry flavor. One loaf went to friends and they liked it toasted with butter. Check out what the other bakers did with this recipe over at Big Black Dog.

I harvested my first eggplants and cucumbers from my garden. Looks like the eggplants are going to be very prolific this year. MJOL thinks he doesn't like eggplant.....I'm going to have to be very creative with some recipes. The basil is also getting busy and full of fragrant green leaves. Pesto is in my future!

The community garden is doing very well this year. So successful, that we have become our own non profit, called Billy Goat Hill Garden. Billy Goat Hill for where the garden is located. Goats were raised there at one time. We have partnered with local schools, a boy scout troupe (for 3 Eagle scout projects), and an adult daycare program. We have converted the hoop house into a hoop shade house for the summer. Neighborhood folk love to come sit in the shade house to watch the birds, bees, butterflies and other goings on. The wildflower area is blooming away, the sunflowers are headed for the sky (some as high as 10 feet) and the raspberries and blackberries are getting loaded with fruit. It seems that everybody has tomatoes in their raised beds, all types and colors, heirlooms and hybrids, hopefully there will be lots of trading going on.

BTW, does anyone know how to post pictures side by side in blogger? It would make for a smaller post. :)

Until our next baking adventure...

Trying to Keep my Mancard

2010-06-16T13:37:00.000-04:00

This time around I only made the roasted red pepper and Fontina pizza in the oven from my WW dough with olive oil. Two reasons for this, one I knew that MJOL wouldn't eat the pita loaf, and second...gasp.. we don't have a gas grill. Now that I've admitted that publicly, I'm going to be watching for someone to come and take away my mancard.

The pizza was very, very tasty. I love fontina and I added some goat cheese too, another of our favorites. The roasted red peppers gave the pizza a nice smokey taste. I would definitely make this one again.

Until next time.

Stalking the Wild Kentucky Yeast

2010-06-04T13:44:00.000-04:00

Early on in my baking adventures, I developed a fascination with sourdough and wild yeast starters. Twenty years ago I kept a culture that my Mother had given me. It was the kind that required feeding with potato flakes and sugar. It was vigorous and had a great rise, and though the baked loaves, or cloverleaf rolls that I loved to make, were very good, they hardly tasted like sourdough. After some months of neglect it expired and I went for years with no starter in my fridge. Then the bug bit again and I ordered a starter and book from Sourdoughs International. They have quite a selection, but I chose the original San Francisco sourdough. This culture served me well. But again, neglect and life got in the way and I discovered that starter way in the back of the fridge, looking like a science experiment gone very wrong. So once more I went for several years culture free.

Now, after baking for this blog, I felt the call of the siren’s song. This time I decided to attempt a capture of my own yeast. Armed with info gleaned from many resources, most contradictory, the journey began. I mixed 2 cups of all purpose flour and 1 ½ cups of warm water in a plastic jar I found in the cabinet. No doubt left empty by the lost lives of past starters. Covered with cheesecloth, it went out on the deck. After one day there seemed to be some activity, could this be? Or had I captured some mutant urban bacteria hungry for my flour?

I added another cup of flour and ¾ cup of water. The next morning, definite signs of life! I did this for two more days and had a respectful head of foam and rise. I took one cup of this and added 2 cups of flour and 1 ½ cups of warm water. The next morning it was ready as far as I could tell. Using the recipe for World Bread from Classic Sourdoughs, A Home Bakers Handbook by Ed Wood, I started my dough. It behaved beautifully and made two nice high loaves, each with a nice sourdough twang. I only got a picture of one loaf, since the other was scarfed up while still warm, with plenty of butter.

Now, once again, there is a starter snuggled comfortably in the fridge, waiting for this weekend’s feeding.

Steamy

2010-05-30T11:20:00.000-04:00

The heat and humidity are on! We’ve been having temps hovering around 90 for the past week. The tomatoes and other summer veggies are loving it, but the lettuces, broccoli, and other greens are a some worse for the wear. My raised bed is now full, with petunias, marigolds, peppers, okra, basil, rosemary, cucumbers and tomatoes, all still small plants yet, but with great promise! The bees are going gangbusters after a rough winter, and the rabbits are growing by leaps and bounds.

This time around our HBinFive breads were made with the master recipe. Like the other blogfolk, I’m glad to get back to the basic recipe. However, this assignment’s breads are far from basic. I knew that I would like the cherry black pepper Focaccia, but with ingredients like shallots, dried cherries and red wine, I was a little concerned about MJOL, but he thought it was scrumptious and ate it up. This is definitely a make again recipe.

The cinnamon raisin bagels were a challenge for me. Since I’m a little OCD, I wanted them to be perfectly shaped. I had to let go of that dream! It was the first time I’ve ever made bagels and it was an adventure. I have to say though; once I lowered the perfection threshold it was a lot of fun. They also were very tasty, toasted with cream cheese slathered on them, or toasted with honey…that hint of cinnamon and just sweet enough….delish! MJOL liked these toasted with butter for breakfast with his bacon and eggs.

The moon and stars bread was easy to shape and came out pretty, but really…it’s just a regular bread shaped differently.

Check out what other bakers did with these recipes at Big Black Dogs.

Until our next baking adventure…

New Additions

2010-04-25T14:49:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm way late in posting this bread assignment. We now have some new additions to our family, three florida white rabbits. One male, Hemingway, and 2 females, Bette and Judy. Yes, they are in seperate hutches, so no baby bunnies until we decide. So, one excuse for not getting this post done sooner was that I was testing my carpentry skills building a shelter for the rabbits. Now, I never claimed to be that efficient with power tools, but it came out pretty well. A little off plumb, but then again, so I am; it fits right in!

The other excuse for not getting this post done was that I didn't have most of the ingredients for gluten free bread, and I knew that it would probably go over like a lead balloon, so I ducked out. Bad me. :) To see what the other bakers did with the bread check out their posts here, http://www.bigblackdogs.net/search/label/HBinFive.

Instead of the gluten free bread, I saw Ina Garten make some Irish soda bread that looked really good, so I made it. Although it's not leavened with yeast, it's still no knead. :) MJOL really liked it and so did I. The recipe is available on the Food Network website, here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/irish-soda-bread-recipe/index.html. It has a touch of orange and some currants. Very tasty.

I also made the soft whole wheat sandwich bread which was a big hit at our house. This time I used molasses instead of honey. I know, how awful since I'm a beekeeper, but I use honey all the time, so thought I would use something different. It was tasty, but I think I like it with honey better. :) I think that I'm a little partial!

For those of you not from Kentucky, we here in the Bluegrass are gearing up for The Kentucky Derby. All this week there are festivities, a parade, a steamboat race, hot air balloon races, chow wagons, concerts and lots and lots of parties. Yesterday Churchill Downs opened for the spring meet and we attended. It's always a lot of fun. Check out the goings on here: http://kdf.org/ and be sure to watch the Derby on May 1st.

Until our next baking adventure.

Carrot Bread and Olive Spelt Bread

2010-03-31T10:35:00.000-04:00

I want to start this post by thanking everyone who sent wishes to me and my family after the passing of Mom O, such support always lifts the spirits. Things are beginning to return to normal, if they were ever normal anyway! The garden is beginning to shape up, the bees are buzzing and spring is in the air.

This time for our bread baking challenge we made Carrot Bread and Olive Spelt Bread. I have to say I really liked both of these breads. Check out what the other bakers did with the recipes and our esteemed leader Michelle at her blog Big Black Dog.

First the carrot bread; it was great, and just sweet enough but with great yeasted bread quality. It was very good with cream cheese, and toasted with butter, forget about it! I took all the dough from the ½ recipe and used it to make one big loaf. It seems that most of the ½ recipes don’t make enough dough to fill the pan twice, but using it all made a nice loaf. I had enough to share and I did! Everyone loved it and I certainly will make it again.

I had a few stumbles with the Olive Spelt bread. Focaccia was calling to me, so I oiled up my sheet pan and spread out the very wet and sticky dough, let it rise, dimpled, sprinkled with kosher salt and baked. The smell was amazing; it looked amazing, but was absolutely glued to the pan. It took me about 3 days to chisel it out. I thought that I had put enough olive oil on the pan and the dough to keep it from sticking. Wrong! Not to be deterred, I whipped up another batch of dough and this time just shaped it as usual and put it on parchment paper on my pizza peel. It spread out quite a bit. Once again it smelled fantastic and came off the stone looking great. I let it cool and sliced it and it was delicious! I love olives. Next time I’m going to add some garlic to the dough, shape it as a baguette and make bruschetta. Fresh tomatoes, onions, basil, olive oil, more garlic, piled on top, wait I have to wipe the drool off the keyboard!

Now, I have a confession to make. I miss kneading. The rhythmic motion of turning the dough over and over, feeling it come alive in your hands, smelling it, seeing the blisters start to form on the surface. So, I made my favorite challah dough and did a six strand braid. Ah, desire calmed.

The weather today is gorgeous, so enough time sitting here at the keyboard. Garden work is calling, the bees are calling, so until our next bread adventure together, happy baking.

Avocado-Guacamole and Pesto Pine Nut Breads

2010-03-17T00:31:00.000-04:00

My Avocado Guacamole bread for this assignment was a big hit. The tomato and avocado made the bread very moist and tasty. I was afraid that the dough would be very sticky, but it was very easy to work with. When I made the 1/2 recipe I still used the whole garlic clove, because, really, can you have too much garlic? I thought the bread was really good with a smear of cream cheese.

The pesto pine nut bread was also one of my favorites, but then again, garlic, basil, well you get the picture. After reading Michelle's blog about making a baguette, that's what I decided to do also. Very nice. Thanks Michelle! I made the dough with walnuts, because they were on hand and I think they were a great substitution for the pine nuts. Yummy, Yummy bruschetta.

Unfortunately MJOL's mother passed last Thursday and we've been a little preoccupied around here. Mom "O", as she like to be called, was a formitable woman, and a typical Irish Catholic matriarch. Her strength was only outshined by her grace. She was commited to her family, church and neighborhood and will be sorely missed. Luckily her passion for those commitments and our city was passed on to her five children. We all take strength knowing that we now have a very special angel guiding our paths.

As I often do in times like this, I turn to baking. It calms my soul and gives me peace. I made 2 loaves of braided bread to share with our family, made with honey from our hives. Mom O was so very proud of the community garden and insisted that we give her 2 bears of honey, one to eat and one to save. That saved honey bear was sent with her on her final journey yesterday.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh sí

I'm looking forward to our next baking adventure.

Gardening and Beekeeping

2010-03-06T09:08:00.000-05:00

So our next 8 raised garden beds are being installed next week in the community garden. That makes a total of 24. Last year we had 16. I am taking on a bed this year and am going to try the square foot gardening thing. The beds are 4 feet by 8 feet so they are the perfect size. I'm planting petunias, marigolds, okra, peppers, eggplant, basil, rosemary, tomatoes and cucumbers. My seeds were all delivered wednesday, and obsessive compulsive as I am, I already have my planting guide all figured out. Starting my pentunias indoors today!

We started our weekly work parties for the garden last week also. We need to prepare the hoop house for the gardners to use for starting seeds. The raspberry beds need to be cleaned out and we hope to add 3 more bushes. We hope to put up 2 more bat houses, work on our bulb bed, and compost bins. We are partnering with a local school and the 7th and 8th graders are going to have classroom instruction in the garden twice a week. We are really excited because these are urban kids who really haven't had a chance to see how the plants, the earth, the bees etc interact. We are also partnering with a local Eagle Scout troop and they are going to identify native plants, create a meditaion area, install some walking paths and create a bird sanctuary for us.

This weekend the temperatures are supposed to be close to 60 so it's time to start beehive inspections. I afraid that we may have lost another hive over the winter. It seems that everyone I've talked to has lost at least half of their hives over this winter.

We would like to go up to 5 hives this year, so we may have to start either 3 or 4 more depending on what I find on inspections tomorrow. Starting a hive is an interesting process. We order a mated queen and 3 lbs of bees (about 10,000) for each hive that we want to start. The queen and bees are installed in the hive and then you hope that your beekeeping skills are up to par. Once the hive is established and healthy (An established healthy hive has about 50,000 bees)it can last for years, with periodic queen replacement and maintenance. Bee society is amazing and will always keep you humble.

Last year we got about 60lbs of honey from our hives. Our first harvest in June was entered in the Kentucky State Fair and won 1st place in our catagory (light amber). Very exciting stuff. We should be so lucky this year!

100% WW Bread with Olive Oil

2010-02-28T11:13:00.000-05:00

This time our Healthy Bread in Five baking assignment was to make 100% whole wheat bread dough w/olive oil. If you're interested in joining our baking group head on over to Big Black Dog for information. Thanks again Michelle for your hard work!

The dough worked up nicely for me. It was not nearly as sticky as some of the past recipes. The first project we were to make was a loaf. The dough was easy to work with, but as it was resting it did spread out quite a bit. During baking there wasn't much oven spring and even though the loaf was crusty when it came out of the oven it softened up as it cooled. It had a tight crumb and was a little chewy. I didn't really like the taste very much. All in all it wasn't my favorite bread and I probably won't make it again.

I didn't make the Aloo Paratha loaf. MJO hates peas and as my main taste tester he was not too enthused about it. So, I forged on to the focaccia. I made mine more like a pizza instead, and rather than a Southwestern flare I did pesto, goat cheese, fresh grape tomatoes, left over roasted chicken and mozzarella. The dough was easy to shape and I thought it looked very pretty.

I used parchment paper to put the pizza on the stone and after ten minutes removed the parchment and let it finish directly on the stone. It smelled wonderful while baking and looked nice when it came out of the oven, but once again the crust was not really crisp enough. I wonder if that is because there is so much olive oil in the dough? It did taste ok, but again I don't think that I will make it again. I had been baking 300 ginger cookies and flax oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for a friend's birthday and kick off for her campaign for Councilperson, and was anticipating the pizza as a reward.

As a side note, this last tuesday I attended a bread baking class given by Mary Wheatley of Cook with Mary. We did "no knead bread" baked in a dutch oven, pizza and ciabatta. It was a great class and you can imagine the smell of the kitchen as we cooked. Yummy!
Mary gives lots of classes, so if you're in the Louisville area or close it's a great thing to do.

Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T19:04:00.000-05:00

I made one half of the red beet bun dough and let it rest for 2 days. I read somewhere that it takes a while for whole grain flours to absorb the water in recipes and become fully hydrated. I also read that this is especially important for spelt flour.

I cheated and grated the beets in the food processor, so I avoided the red stained mess.

The dough had a really pretty red, almost purple color. I made the buns according to the directions and they came out a nice red color. They were moist inside and very tasty. Mike commented that he thought they tasted like they had potatoes in them, but then again he's Irish. :)
I was wondering if these could be made with grated carrots instead of beets..hmm..

The chocolate espresso bread was somewhat of a challenge to work with, very wet, and a very interesting texture. I used Ghiradelli chocolate and didn’t have the bitter taste that some of the bakers talked about. I was fooled in that the tangerine bars looked like brownies, so my taste buds were geared up for a sweeter treat, but with a dollop of chocolate ice cream on top the contrast was very tasty! With the left over dough I made a small loaf of bread that was pretty good with peanut butter.

As a side note, for Valentine’s Day I made a buttermilk chocolate cake (not with the bread dough), a one 9 inch layer that I sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar over a cut out heart stencil. It looked very pretty and tasted pretty good too. One note though, don’t sprinkle it until right before you get ready to serve because the sugar fades into the cake.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Soft Whole Wheat

2010-02-01T08:56:00.000-05:00

Well, the soft whole wheat bread was a mixed bag for me. I have to brag a little here though, the dough was made with honey from hives that I tend. The loaf, I think turned out nice, great taste, great texture and was really good toasted with apple butter.

The hamburger buns were a little hard to form, with the dough being so wet, but after a few I got the hang of it. They also had great taste and texture.

Now, the apple strudel bread was quite a challange. I thought that I would have trouble rolling out the dough, but I used my Roul'Pat and enough flour and it rolled out pretty well for me.

I used cameo apples (they were on sale) for the filling. Rolling up the bread was a little difficult but I used a dough scraper to help and got it rolled up pretty nicely I thought. After letting it rest I brushed it with an egg wash and baked it for over an hour.

I suspected something wasn't quite right when I was getting spill over into the oven. The outside crust was great, nice and brown and tasty, but inside it had air pockets and wet spots. I think maybe I should have covered it and let it bake longer. My partner loved the taste of the filling but the dough wet spots were a bit off putting.

Some suggestions were to saute the apples before using them, and maybe using a thermometer to make sure the internal temp is correct. I don't know that I will make the strudel again though.

Now, on to the beet buns! My usual store didn't have any beets, so I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and head up to Whole Foods.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. This is turning out to be great fun!

Crackers

2010-01-18T13:58:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I attempted to make the crackers. First I tried to use a pasta roller to make the dough very thin and uniform, for me that was a disaster. So, I took the bull by the horns and rolled the dough out by hand. I had some issues getting it even and thin enough, but all in all not bad. I didn't have any chili powder on hand so I used some garam masala that I had made a few weeks ago. I really liked the taste.
Last night I made the dough for the next braid, it looks nice and is sleeping in the fridge until tomorrow.

First Attempts

2010-01-15T13:12:00.000-05:00

Today I'm venturing into the scary world of blogs. Well, at least scary for me.
I've baked bread for many years, but never using this no knead method. I made my dough earlier in the week, after returning from a very chilly Key West. Today I shaped and baked my first loaf using the Master recipe. Then, I shaped and baked the Epi. The Epi was somewhat of a challenge, and I've posted a picture of the results. It was great fun and with a little practice I hope the next ones will turn out better.

I'm going to attempt the crackers tomorrow armed with the great advice from the other posts.
Thanks Michelle of BigBlackDogs for organizing this blogging adventure, I would have never taken it on without you.

I made applebutter from Michelle's recipe at BigBlackDog. I did it in the slow cooker. It took a little longer to get to the right thickness, but great flavor. I'm going to serve it with HBin5 bread at a neighborhood meeting on thursday.