response 413 of 494:

Apr 21 05:52 UTC 2008

This is, bar none, the best homemade bread I've ever eaten.  The recipe
is from the December 2007/January 2008 issue of "Mother Earth News."  

No-Knead, Dutch Oven Bread

1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1-1/2 cups warm water
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting (you can use all
all-purpose, whole wheat, or a combination of the two).
1-1/2 tsp salt

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water.  Add the flour and salt,
stirring until blended.  The dough will be shaggy and sticky.  Cover
bowl with plastic wrap.  Let the dough rest at least 8 hours, preferably
12 to 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees F.

2. The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles.  Lightly
flour a work surface and place dough on it.  Sprinkle it with a little
more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice.  Cover loosely with
plastic wrap and let it rest for about 15 minutes.

3.  Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work
surface or to your fingers, gently shape it into a ball.  Generously
coat a clean dish towel with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal.  Put the
seam side of the dough down in the towel and dust with more flour, bran,
or cornmeal.  Cover with another towel and let rise for about 1 to 2
hours.  When it's ready, the dough will have doubled in size and will
not readily spring back when poked with a finger.  

4.  At least 20 minutes before the dough is ready, heat over to 475
degrees F.  Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel,
Pyrex or ceramic) in the oven as it heats.  When the dough is ready,
carefully remove the pot from the oven and if off the lid.  Slide your
hand under the towel and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up.
 The dough will lose its shape a bit in the process, but that's OK. 
Give the pan a firm shake or two to to help distribute the dough evenly,
but don't worry if it's not perfect; it will straighten out as it bakes.

5.  Cover and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove he lid and bake another 15 to
20 minutes, until the loaf is beautifully browned. Remove the bread from
the Dutch oven and let it cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.

Yield: One 1-1/2 pound loaf.

response 415 of 494:

Apr 27 23:37 UTC 2008

Made another loaf of no-knead today using Bob's Red Mill white
whole-wheat flour.  It didn't rise as much as the last loaf.  Next time
I'll try adding a couple tablespoons of gluten flour or maybe some honey
and see what happens.

response 417 of 494:

May 10 01:45 UTC 2008

Milk and vinegar might also work.  Baking soda needs an acid.

response 419 of 494:

May 11 20:37 UTC 2008

This recipe is from _The Garden of Vegan_ by Tanya Barnard and Sarah
Kramer. It's fantastic!  

Hayley & Ian's Peanut Butter Pasta

dry pasta (enough for 2 people)
1/3 C peanut butter
1/4 C hot water
1 Tbsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos (soy sauce works if you have no Bragg's)
1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dry sweetener
3 cups broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 C peanuts, dry-roasted

In a large pot of water, boil the pasta. While pasta is cooking, in a
small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter and hot water until smooth.
Stir in the Bragg's, Worcestershire, garlic, cayenne, salt, pepper, and
sweetener. Set aside. When pasta is almost done, add the broccoli to the
pasta and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. Drain and return to pot.
Pour in peanut sauce and toss well. Garnish with chopped peanuts. Makes
2 servings.

response 421 of 494:

Aug 24 17:22 UTC 2008

This one comes from _Lean Bean Cuisine_ by Jay Solomon.  This is really
good.

White Bean and Sweet Potato Salad

4 cups diced sweet potatoes (about 2 large potatoes, scrubbed but not
peeled)
1-1/2 cups coked or canned navy or great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup shredded mustard greens or dandelion greens
1/2 cup slivered red onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/2 to 3/4 cup vegetable oil (I used olive)
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Place the sweet potatoes in boiling water to cover and cook for about 15
minutes, until they are easily pierced with a fork (check them at 8 to
10).  Drain and chill under cold running water.
Combine the potatoes with the remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl and
blend thoroughly.  Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.  (I mixed
the oil, vinegar, sugar, thyme, pepper, and salt separately before
adding it to everything else.)

response 423 of 494:

Aug 29 14:04 UTC 2008

For breakfast yesterday I made cherry scones.  It was a celebration 
breakfast.  By candlelight. Enjoyed al fresco. What was the special event, 
you ask?

OUR DECK WAS FINALLY REFINISHED!  It was a challenging problem the details 
of which would bore most sane people to death.  But know nailing the 
problem is sweet.  And scones were in order.

response 425 of 494:

Aug 29 15:41 UTC 2008

I'd love to see your scone recipe.  I make them fairly often after the 
bake class, and the smell alone puts me in a happy place.

Good luck with the curry!  I have no doubt you'll do great.

response 427 of 494:

Aug 29 17:46 UTC 2008

   I'll ignore that comment about it being healthy. :)

response 429 of 494:

Aug 31 05:14 UTC 2008

I am in love with the website www.smittenkitchen.com.

I made this recipe a few times this week:

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/08/kefta-and-zucchini-kebabs/#more-539

It's a kefte ball recipe - I made the meatballs for a baby shower and 
I formed it into patties and we ate it in pita bread with greek salad 
tonight.  It's TASTY.  (I used turkey, not lamb).

But if you like to cook, I encourage bookmarking the website.

response 431 of 494:

Aug 31 15:29 UTC 2008

The scones do sound good, Mary... And I assume you had some good tea tyo
 go with those scones?

And how did the chicken curry turn out??

response 433 of 494:

Aug 31 15:50 UTC 2008

Tea?  I knew I was forgetting something... ;-)  Actually, the scones were 
consumed with good, strong coffee.  Although tea sounds delightful.

I'm most pleased with the curry recipe.  It was out of Everyday Food 
Cookbook.  What drew me to this particular recipe was its ease and the 
fact it didn't contain coconut milk or sour cream.  I made some couscous 
dressed with lemon juice, chopped scallions and apples, and it was a good 
fit for the sauce.  I'll most certainly be adding this to my favorites 
collection.

By the way, I froze all but the two scones we had from that recipe and 
have now tried 'em only to find it they taste as good as day one.  Nice.

response 435 of 494:

Sep 1 08:17 UTC 2008

  
   I had a bagel bought the other day from Barry's. I froze it, but thawed
it in the toaster.

   I'm planning on making chicken soup on Tuesday.

   It's really easy

   You need:

   1 pot
   1 whole chicken, cut up or not, depends on how lazy you feel.
   1/2 bunch of celery or celery hearts
   1 onion
   1 small bag of baby carrots. If you don't like em, don't use em.

   Several gallons of water.  Ok maybe only 1 or so. It really doesnt matter
too much. Just don't let it boil away.

  Put the chicken in the pot, add the veggies. Turn on TV watch for 1 hour
while chicken and veggies cook. It might be a good idea to add some bay
leaves, or whatever spices you'd like inc salt and pepper.
  When show is over, retrieve pot from stove. Remove chicken to a bowl. At
this point you need 1 ziploc bag and your hands. Sit down on sofa in front
of TV and begin picking every piece of meat from the bones. Caution, chicken
will still be a bit warm, so let it cool, willya?
  Add bones to ziploc bag and freeze. You'll need them for the batch of soup.
You should save all your bones from bbq, KFC, whatever. Bones=flavor.

  When you have picked all the meat off the bones, it's time to add the meat
to the broth. Add dried noodles if you have them, but if you don't, don't
worry. Add new spices, add some new veggies if you like, and simmer for 30
mins. When you cannot stand it, turn off the stove and eat your soup.


   This is another one. I was inspired by the GEICO cavemen.

   CaveMan Soup

   1 caveman... oops, wrong recipe.

   5 potatoes
   1/2 bunch of celery
   1 onion
   2 cups milk (the good stuff, like from Calder's and not that lowfat crap,
OK?)
   3 cups water
   2 tablespoons flour
   2 tablespoons butter (the good stuff again, and don't cheap it out by using
margariene)

   Make a roux. If you don't know how, it's easy. Melt the butter in the
bottom of a small saucepan. Add the flour and stir while over high heat. It
should be a paste, but don't let it burn. When 5 mins has elapsed, set it
aside.
   Boil the taters in the water, and when they're done cut into small pieces,
or you could just cut the taters before you cook them. My mother once said
that if you cut them first they cook faster. Your pick on this one. 
   When the taters are done, add the onion that you have chopped into fine
pieces along with the finely chopped celery. Add the milk and the roux. Stir
well, let it simmer for about 20 mins, or until the celery is tender. The soup
will thicken upon standing, that is IF it lasts that long. Add salt and white
pepper from Pakistan at your discretion and enjoy.


   Mac and Cheese from a box.

   This one works well.

   Background:  
   We all know how nasty Mac and Cheese from the box is. Maybe if someone made
it right, it would be served more often. 
   The secret is the cheese powder mix. Think gravy.

   It would be silly and gross to pour powdered gravy mix over your potatoes.
But this is EXACTLY what you're doing when you make mac and cheese. So...try
this

    you need 

    3/4 c milk
    2 tbs butter
    cheese powder

    Combine in a small saucepan the milk butter and cheese powder. Mix well,
leaving no lumps. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly over med heat. When
the sauce cools, it should be thick. Add pasta (mac) to the sauce and enjoy.
If the sauce binds up, add more milk, but just little amounts at a time.

   This works with any brand from the cheapie walmart brand upto the Kraft
dinners. You will never make it like the box says ever again.