Do you know what happens when you make 3 different kinds of bread dough in one afternoon? I do. I gigantic loaf of Italian bread happens!!! Seriously - this loaf of Italian bread was huge. It was a result of poor timing really. I started out making a batch of bread dough and while that was rising, I started a batch of whole wheat roll dough. I set that on the counter to rise and then I started a batch of Italian bread dough. No problem. Three doughs rising perfectly on the counter. Everything was going smoothly UNTIL I started to bake the first batch of bread and realized that my Italian dough was going to have to wait a REALLY long time before I could bake it. (Like a couple of hours long!) It just kept rising and rising and rising. I should really know better than to try and make all of that bread in one afternoon. I sliced the giant loaf of Italian bread and despite its gargantuan size, it was really tasty. It didn't seem to really be affected by the 3 hours of proofing. I was pleasantly surprised. This recipe came from www.micheleswomancave.blogspot.com. She made her bread in a bread machine so I modified her recipe to make it without. Italian Bread 3 cups bread flour 2 1/2 tsp bread machine active dry yeast 1 1/4 cups warm water 2 tsp salt 1 1/2 tsp brown sugar 2 tbsp extra light virgin olive oil 1 large egg slightly beaten 1 tbsp water
Bake for 30 minutes at 350°F I am anxious to make this recipe again without over proofing the dough and see how it turns out. I have to admit, this giant Italian loaf - not so bad.
Ciao!
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Here we go again friends... toasted oats and almonds... sweet, salty and chocolatey goodness. My latest (and greatest) granola bar recipe. These are ridiculous! This recipe came from my America's Test Kitchen Made From Scratch cookbook. I altered it a little and added chocolate of course but the essence is still the same. Crunchy Granola Bars 1/3 cup maple syrup 1/4 cup brown sugar 3/4 teaspoon sea salt 1/3 cup olive oil 2 cups old fashioned oats 1/2 cup chopped nuts (I like almonds) 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds 1/2 cup sunflower seeds 1/2 cup flaked coconut 1/4 cup chocolate chips Line a 9x13 inch pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
Cool in pan for 1 hour. Carefully lift granola out of pan using foil. Slice into bars. These are my favorite homemade granola bars --- so far. And, they were one of the easiest granola bars to make. (Bonus) I loved these crunchy, not to sweet oat filled bars of goodness. They were so good, I even wrapped a few for gifts. Have I convinced you to try these yet? Good. My work here is done.
Ciao! Every once in a while, someone in my family surprises me with their food preferences. I found a recipe for white chicken pizza in the latest issue of Cooking Light and I thought I would give it a try - with some hesitation. Courtney tends to be the most particular about her pizza lately so I decided to make 3 white pizzas and 1 with red sauce and cheese - just in case. When she came into the kitchen and saw the white pizza cooking she wanted to know what it was and with a turned up nose she asked me to list everything that was on it. I'm not going to lie - it wasn't look good for the white chicken pizza. I told her that she had to at least taste it before making her evaluation. (Yes, she is 15 and I still have to beg her to try new things.) Out of respect for my effort, she tried the pizza - AND SHE LIKED IT! WooooHoooo! Seriously, she actually liked it. Even though those words were never uttered from her lips - her empty plate after dinner was all the satisfaction that I needed. I am celebrating my pizza victory because I am fully aware that the next time that I make a white chicken pizza - she may want absolutely nothing to do with it. (That's just how teenagers roll.) As for today though - I am the queen of the white chicken pizza. More importantly, she tried something that she had never tasted before and found out it can be delicious. White Chicken Pizza whole wheat pizza dough 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper 4 garlic cloves, crushed 4 thyme sprigs 2 cups 2% milk 2 teaspoons cider vinegar 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt 1 cooked chicken breast 2 cups mozzarella cheese Heat a baking stone on the Big Green Egg or preheat oven to 450.
Discard liquid. (I know, it's extremely wasteful.) Combine oil, curds and salt.
Top with sliced (or shredded) chicken.
White chicken pizza - sooooo good. Although Courtney thought it should be renamed white "sauce" chicken pizza. Enjoy my friends.
Ciao! I am so thankful for my friends who like to take morning walks around the neighborhood. I definitely don't have the motivation to go out and take these walks on my own and if I do manage to drag myself out the door, I end up letting my mind wander and before I know it, I'm strolling along the street instead of walking briskly. I also have one more reason for walking in the morning. This is the face that stares back at me in the morning if I don't take her on a walk. Seriously, how can I resist this face? Mia is actually much less mischievous when I take her for a walk in the morning to get some of her energy out. (Probably true for me too.) We both feel better all day if we just get 20 minutes of exercise to start our day. I'm not really sure why but I tend to make better food choices all day when I exercise too. This recipe for basil and chicken rice bowls came from Cooking Light. It is a great way to eat delicious food and still feel like your eating healthy food. Personally, I loved the chopped cashews sprinkled on top. Chicken and Basil Rice Bowls 1/2 cup brown rice 1 Tablespoon canola oil 1 teaspoon sesame oil 1 pound chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes 2 Tablespoons soy sauce 1 Tablespoon minced fresh garlic 1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger 1/2 teaspoon crushed pepper 2 cups fresh broccoli florets 2/3 cup chicken broth 2 teaspoons cornstarch 3/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn 2 Tablespoons chopped cashews
Remove chicken from pan. Add remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan and add broccoli. Cook until crisp tender. (I had to add a little water to the pan and cover it so it could steam.) Combine 1 T. soy, chicken broth, and cornstarch. Add to skillet along with chicken. Bring to a boil and simmer 2 minutes until thickened. Add basil and cook through. Spoon mixture over rice and sprinkle with chopped cashews. I had these rice bowls packed and ready to go to a soccer game but as it turned out - it was rained out so we ended up eating them at home. I love the fact that they're packable and easy to eat while I'm sitting in the stands on a bleacher. (Yes, I do get strange looks when I pull something like this out of our cooler for dinner but I really don't care - it beats concession stand hot dogs.)
Ciao! I started a new workout program at the beginning of March. Don't laugh --- I'm doing TapOut. I investigated all sorts of workout videos and there seemed to be a lack of video programs with really intense cardio AND good resistance workouts. In what I think was a moment of temporary insanity, I ordered TapOut and prayed for the strength to get through it. Now that I'm about 3 weeks into the program I feel like I can I can give you my honest evaluation - it's awesome. The cardio is as hard as Asylum but I don't feel like I need a nap 30 minutes after every workout. All of the resistance work is all done with bands which is my new favorite way to build strength. I'm somewhat of a home workout video junkie. I've done P90X, One on one with Tony Horton, Insanity, Asylum and some of the Jillian Michaels so I'm no stranger to high intensity workouts. I've learned that in order to keep up my energy while I go through these programs, I need to increase my protein intake. Lean protein becomes my best friend. I tried a new recipe from http://stephscafe.blogspot.com for Orange Roughy and it was REALLY yummy. It totally hit the spot since I was starving after my TapOut workout. Baked Orange Roughy 2 cups dry bread crumbs 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (or dried) 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp dried basil 2 tsp salt 1 tsp pepper 6 orange roughy fillets 1 cup buttermilk, well shaken
Serve. I love really simple fish dishes. Nothing fancy or overly fussy - just simple, delicious fish. Yep, this dinner hit the spot.
Ciao! |
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