Showing posts with label Bread. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bread. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Gluten Free Basil Parmesan Popovers #TwelveLoaves


August is my favorite month so far for Twelve Loaves because we are working with herbs.  I love them all. I find great joy in preparing a dish and walking to my herb plant boxes in my front yard and snipping a few leaves or bunches of fresh herbs to add to my meals for the day.  I guess it makes me feel nostalgic.

My daughter cringes if I use the word vintage.  It is a joke now with us and she points out all things vintage to me.  It is true. I do feel connected to a simpler time.  I enjoy old things.  I find myself happiest when I have worked hard all day and then sit down to a meal that I made from scratch using ingredients that I grew.

Popovers are a vintage dish to me.  They use basic ingredients that we have had in our kitchens for centuries.  They are an American version of the Yorkshire Pudding from England.  I usually make them "as-is" but last week I decided to have some fun with them. I wanted to incorporate a fresh herb into the batter and add a bit of cheese to see if they would still be loved by my family with the extra ingredients.

Isabella asked for seconds and thought they were the "bees knees".  I guess they were too.


Making anything gluten free from a regular recipe is challenging.  I am working with some of the same ingredients but then adding new flours and starches to the mix.  Sometimes it works and every once in a while it does not.  This time it worked.   The outside was crispy, the inside hollow and the top "popped" over the top of the pan, hence we have a great Gluten Free POPOVER!  YAY.

I get excited about this stuff because those that have to eat with food restrictions give up a lot of their favorite foods.  It makes me happy when I can share a recipe that brings an item they miss back into their diets.

I hope that you will experiment with your own popover version mixing up the herb of choice.  Try thyme, rosemary or parsley--or get crazy--and combine all three.

Scroll to the bottom of this post to see my friends recipes too!  We have a great selection for Twelve Loaves this month.  The highlighted links will redirect you to their pages.  If you need help converting a recipe to gluten free, let me know.  Most recipes  can use a basic all purpose gluten free flour to exchange 1:1 for the wheat based flours.


NOTE:  To guarantee the success of this recipe I encourage you to use the volume measurements.  I have tried to get the cup measurement as close as possible but using the grams will guarantee the recipe turns out the same each time.  The batter is thicker than crepe batter yet thinner than pancake batter.  If the batter seems too thick, add a bit more milk.  If the batter is too loose then add more rice flour.  


Gluten Free Basil Parmesan Popovers 
Makes 12

4 large eggs
215g (just under 1 cup) milk
85g (1 cup) tapioca flour
110g (1 cup)white rice flour, fine
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum or guar gum
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons lard or butter, melted (used in bottom of popover pans)
1 tablespoon fresh basil, minced fine
2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan (divided between the 12 popovers)
lard, for popover pan

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2.  In a medium bowl combine eggs and milk.  In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients and whisk well.  Add the two together.  Whisk until the batter is smooth.

3.  Mince the basil and combine with egg batter.

4.  Let batter sit for 15 minutes.  While batter is sitting, put a small dab of lard or butter into each popover. If you use butter, adjust time, because it may burn.  My pan has 12 popovers.  Put pan in oven long enough to heat pan and melt lard, about 5 minutes.

5.  Take pan out of oven and ladle the batter into each popover. They should be about 3/4's of the way full.  Sprinkle the batter with a dusting of parmesan cheese.

6.  Return to a very hot oven and let cook18-20 minutes.  Do not open the oven to keep checking on them.  This may cause them to not rise or POP.

7.  Remove from oven and serve immediately or let cool and refrigerate leftovers.  My kids reheat them in the microwave with butter, lemon and powdered sugar.  






  • Thyme for Beer Bread by Kudos Kitchen by Renee
  • Pesto Quick Bread by Rhubarb and Honey
  • Basil Buns by  Rise of The Sourdough Preacher
  • Herbed Skillet Cornbread by Magnolia Days
  • Rosemary Grissini by  Cake Duchess
  • Rosemary Parmesan Flatbread Crisps by A Shaggy Dough Story
  • Herbed Buttermilk Biscuits by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
  • Keema Naan by Food Lust People Love
  • Gluten Free Basil Parmesan Popovers by Simply Gourmet
  • Pull-Apart Bread w/ Herbs & Seeds  by  girlichef
  • Pesto Bread by Karen's Kitchen Stories



  •  #TwelveLoaves August: Herbs If you’d like to add your bread to the collection with the Linky Tool this month, here’s what you need to do!

    1. When you post your Twelve Loaves bread on your blog, make sure that you mention the Twelve Loaves challenge in your blog post; this helps us to get more members as well as share everyone's posts. Please make sure that your bread is inspired by the theme!

    2. Please link your post to the linky tool at the bottom of my blog. It must be a bread baked to the Twelve Loaves theme.

    3. Have your Twelve Loaves bread that you baked this August 2014, and posted on your blog by August 30, 2014.

    #TwelveLoaves is a monthly bread baking party created by Lora from Cake Duchess. #TwelveLoaves runs smoothly with the help of our friends.

    Thank you to Sherron from Simply Gourmet for hosting this month’s event!
    Written by Sherron Watson

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Gluten Free Cornbread



Some days I just want comfort food.  Something warm, and filling.  I want to feel and taste my blues away.

Why does food have the ability to offer comfort when sometimes a hug or a kind word does not?

I think of corn bread as comfort food because it reminds me of days spent with my family growing up in California.   It stirs a memory of my family being snowed in to our home in Utah during a winter storm.  I am instantly thinking of the chili recipe that my brother n law shared with me last year.  He was so proud that he created a dish that won first place.  I was able to recreate it for my family and make this cornbread to go with it.

This past week we have, as a nation and country, felt great sorrow and pain.  We see ourselves in the shoes of those parents that lost loved ones.  We remember a time that fear was felt in our spines.  I, for the first time, thought about my safety and that of my family, in greater detail.

I became more aware of my surroundings.  I noticed every person in line.  I watched with an uneasy eye as I entered the grocery store.

I cried.  I tried to reason in my mind why something of this nature could and would take place.  I was at a loss for words.  It hurt to my core.

All this emotion and I was someone on the outside looking in through the media, internet and personal stories being shared with friends.   I cannot even begin to understand the emotion and loss that the town in CT felt or those affected by the Clackamas Town Center shooting in Oregon.

Clackamas Town Center is a place that I worked when I graduated from high school, I sat numerous times on Santa's lap, I enjoyed ice skating with my family and friends on weekends, I visited See's Candy more than was necessary; this was my neck of the woods growing up, and yet, I have not lived there for many years and the shock of what happened still confuses me.

I never heard of Sandy Hook Elementary before Friday but I can guarantee to you that I will never forget the school or the poster of those that lost their lives.

This week has left me questioning everything.

With this questioning I know some things for certain.  I know that I love my family.  I know that there are many many good people in this world.  My hope is that I and my family will not live by the fear that is so easy to feel at times like this.  I want my kids to understand that bad things happen but from them we must learn and see the good.  I know that the loss and heartache will ease with time.  Never forgotten, not buried but put into a special place that can be visited with fond memories and joy deep within our souls.

Our world is changing.  I would hope for the better but I don't know.

Words are hurtful and mean or they can be comforting and caring.

I have seen the hurtful words a few times this past week and it makes me sad especially during such a sorrowful time.  We all have opinions and ideas of what should be the change to come and how it should manifest itself; we all have varying ideas that make discussing these items challenging.  We all come from different experiences and lives.

So it is because of the events of the last few weeks that I needed some comfort food.  I wanted to escape for a few minutes into a few memories that brought a smile to my heart.

Enjoy this easy cornbread recipe the next time you make chili or beef stew.  It would also make a great brunch item served with honey and butter.

Enjoy


Recipe:  Gluten Free Cornbread

1 cup of corn meal
1/3 cup of sorghum flour
1/3 cup of tapioca starch
1/3 cup white rice flour
1.5 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
3/4 cup of milk
1/3 cup of oil, I used sunflower oil
2 whole eggs
1/2 cup of corn, drained

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  If using a cast iron pan, put into oven now with 2 tablespoons of butter.

While your pan and oven are preheating, combine the dry ingredients in one bowl.  Whisk to blend.

In a small bowl, combine wet ingredients.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, fold in the corn.

Remove hot pan from oven and add cornbread batter.

Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly brown on top.  the middle should be firm to the touch.

Written by Sherron Watson


Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Gluten Free Gingerbread Pear Quick Bread #TwelveLoaves November


You can also make this quick bread in small canning jars.  I found these jars at a thrift store and they make the perfect single size portion for desserts.  Bake them at the same temperature, just not as long. They will rise above the rim and this is a good sign they are done.
Twelve Loaves is a fun group of bloggers and bakers that focus on baking breads, yeast or quick breads, from scratch.  Lora, from Cake Duchess, is the creator behind the group.   Each month a theme is decided upon and she or others host the party.

To learn more about Twelve Loaves you can visit Lora's page here.   This month's theme is apples or pears.  You can find Lora's beautiful recipe for Apple Bread Ring here.  This will also take you to the link party where all of the recipes are being hosted in one place.

When you see these recipes you will be blown away, the ladies that contribute to this group are all amazing bakers.  In fact I have been stalking the group for a few months and wondered to myself if I could fit in.

I love to make bread.  It is something I have been doing for years for my family.  Of course, that all changed a few years ago when I found out I could not eat any wheat based bread.  I missed working with wheat and flour.

I dabbled a bit here and there for family gatherings to keep myself practiced in the art of baking a fine loaf of bread, foccacia, a dozen or two rolls or my favorite, breadsticks.  I still have a few recipes on the blog that are not gluten free from my earlier days of bread baking.

Last month I decided that I needed to get back to making bread, yeasted or quick bread, and prove to myself that I could still get in the kitchen a produce a quality but gluten free loaf of deliciousness.

I instant messaged my friend, Jamie, from Life's a Feast to get the details and to see if there was an interest in a participant that could offer some gluten free choices to the bread discussion and recipe sharing group.

I was welcomed to participate and so here I am with my first recipe for Twelve Loaves.  I decided on making a quick bread.  A quick bread is a style of bread that uses baking soda as the leavening agent and not yeast.  One quick bread that everyone enjoys and loves is banana bread.

Making these quick breads gluten free is very easy.  I work mostly with almond meal and this flour will create the perfect quick bread texture and flavor.  I had an idea of the combination that I wanted to use and went in search of finding recipes that shared a similar combination of flavors.  I wanted to first see if gingerbread and pears went together.

I was happy to have found several gluten free recipes that were very close to the one I wanted to make. I used my recipe for Harvest Cake as a place to start.  I love this quick bread and it works every time.  I also found a recipe by Meg at Sweet Twist of Blogging for Pear Bread.

I have just recently posted a recipe for Gingerbread Granola that was out of this world.  The full and rich flavor of molasses shined through with the hint of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves.  I wanted this cake to also have that same exceptional flavor.

I sat on this idea for about two weeks working out the flour combinations in my mind.  Working with gluten free flour is a test in how well you listened and followed directions in your high school science classes..LOL   Mixing the flours with the starches and other ingredients can be tricky and if you over or under calculate you can end up with quite the creation.  Sometimes it works and sometimes it does not.

This is why I love almond meal.  It seems, for me at least, to be the one guarantee when it comes to baking gluten free that I know well and it always turns out.  This makes working in the kitchen with gluten free ingredients a joy.

I have come across very few recipes that I am not able to convert to a gluten free version.  Once you understand the combinations and ratio's, then a whole new world of baking and recipe development opens up.  You no longer have just one flour to use but many.  You no longer have white or wheat to choose from but amaranth,  sorghum, rice, millet, oat, coconut and a so many more.  Each of these flours offers something unique to the recipe, texture and flavor.

To learn more about gluten free flours and baking, I would suggest that you visit a few experts in the field.  Gluten Free Goddess was my go to site for many months while I retrained myself to work in the kitchen after first discovering I had Celiac Disease. Karina has a wealth of information on her site.

This recipe was a wonderful treat for my family to wake up to this past weekend.  It made my home smell like gingerbread and browned butter.  It was a warm breakfast on a cold morning.  It was a healthy alternative to cereal or toast.

What I loved the most about this quick bread was when I took each bite, I was able to enjoy a piece of pear.  That little hint of sweetness along with the gingerbread flavor was wonderful to my taste buds.

I have kids and sometimes they like a bit of sweetness to be added to their cakes.  I made brown butter frosting for those in my family that needed a bit of a sugar fix (recipe below).

Please enjoy this Gluten Free Gingerbread Pear Cake.


Bobs Red Mill 24852 Almond Meal Flour Gluten Free (Google Affiliate Ad)

Recipe:  Gluten Free Gingerbread Pear Cake

2 cups of almond meal
3/4 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup flax meal
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup molasses
1 tablespoon real maple syrup
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs + 2 egg whites, beat
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon vanilla
3/4 cup pear puree (about the size of one average ripe pear)
1 cup of chopped pear pieces (smaller pieces work best, 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch)
powdered sugar, optional for dusting
brown butter frosting, optional (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray your pan well with a non stick baking spray.

You will need three bowls.

First bowl:  Add almond meal, tapioca starch, flax meal, all the spices, salt and baking soda.  STIR WELL

Second bowl:  Add molasses, maple syrup, canola oil, 2 large eggs, apple cider vinegar, vanilla and pear puree.  STIR WELL

Third bowl: Beat 2 egg whites until peaks form.

Combine the first and second bowls and stir well.  Add diced pear pieces.  Stir.

Gently fold in egg whites from third bowl.

Spray a small Bundt pan and pour batter until it is 1/2 inch from top.  My Bundt pan measured 8.5 inches across the top from side to side.  If you do not have a Bundt pan you could use an 8X8 square baking pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top springs back when gently pressed.

Cool in pan for 5 minutes and remove to a cookie rack to cool completely.  Keep covered in plastic wrap and store in refrigerator for continued freshness.


Serve with powdered sugar sprinkled over each sliced piece or a small spoonful of brown butter frosting.

Recipe: Brown Butter Frosting

2 tablespoons of butter, browned
2 tablespoon of milk
1/4 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2-1 cup of powdered sugar

Using a small saucepan, add butter and cook until butter starts to turn brown and has a very nutty aroma.  Remove from heat.  Cool for 10 minutes.  Add vanilla and milk, stir well.  Slowly add powdered sugar until desired consistency is met.  The more you add the thicker it becomes.



  

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Gluten Free Pumpernickel Foccacia


One of the things I love about having a fan page is the interaction and communications that I am able to have with a variety of people from all over the world.

It is not uncommon for me to open my email and find a recipe that has been shared with me.

Usually they are recipes that are handed down through the family and the directions are scratchy or not complete.  Sometimes the recipe has left out an ingredient or a measurement.

If you are not familiar with ingredients and recipe development, this can lead to a bit of stress for the family member or friend.

I had an experience with this when my grandmother passed away a few years ago. I was fortunate to have spent a lot of time with her in the kitchen so I was able to piece together the remnants of the recipes that she left behind.

Kitchen shorthand.

 I think we may all be guilty of this at one time or another in our lives.  I still do it when I go to the book store or sitting in the doctors office, I will take any scrap of paper I can find and try to write enough of the recipe to be able to transcribe it when I get home.  LOL

It just happens when we get busy.  I am trying to be much better about not leaving my kids recipes filled with "kitchen shorthand". This blog is a place that I can share my recipes and the kids will have access to it no matter where they live.

I received this recipe from a friend that had recently discovered they had celiac disease.  She had found it and was wondering if it would be easy to make and if she should make it.  I told her I would make it first to test the recipe.

I love pumpernickel and so this recipe thrilled me.  To find something that I could introduce back into my "skimpy" list of things I could eat was exciting.  I envisioned one rueben sandwich after the other in my near future.

The problem is that some of the ingredients were not accurately listed.  We had the list but not the measurements.

This is where I was able to fill out the recipe for both of us.

The bread is excellent!  The texture is soft. It cuts easily into slices for sandwiches.  The flavor was spot on.

The ingredient list is long, the rising of the dough takes time but some things are just worth the little bit of effort it takes to make a quality loaf of foccacia, especially for those of us that are so limited in what we can and can't have.


Recipe:  Gluten Free Pumpernickel Foccacia
Adapted from a recipe by Donna Nagel

DRY:
1/3 cup tapioca flour
2 cups brown rice flour
2/3 cup potato starch
2 1/2 teaspoons of xanthum gum
1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dry powdered milk
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon coffee granules
1/2 teaspoon sugar
--------------------------------------------------
WET:
7/8 cup of warm water (14 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon of Molasses
1 teaspoon of vinegar
1 tablespoon of light olive oil
--------------------------------------------------
1 tablespoon of sugar
2/3 cup warm water
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
2 eggs, at room temperature

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Stir well.

In a small bowl, combine the wet ingredients.  Stir well.

In a small bowl, combine sugar, water and yeast.  Let proof until bubbles are present.

Combine the three bowls into one.  Add eggs. Stir to combine.

The dough will be more like a thick brownie batter.  This is normal when making bread that is gluten free.

Beat with a hand mixer or a table mixer on high for 2 minutes.

Cover the bowl for 1 hour.

Beat again for 2 minutes.

Prepare the cake pans with a spray of vegetable oil.  Scoop the dough evenly into each of the cake pans. It will be very sticky and you won't be able to shape it much.

Let rise for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375.

Bake for 30-45 minutes.

Cool on wire racks.  Once the bread is cool, it can be sliced and stored in an airtight container.  You can also freeze the bread into smaller sizes and thaw when ready to use.

NOTE: The bread does get crumbly after 3 days and would be best stored in the refrigerator if not eaten the first day.


This is how I used the bread.  I made a rueben dip and served it as an appetizer.







Friday, June 1, 2012

Caramelized Onion and Garlic Focaccia Bread


I am so excited to be sharing my recipe for focaccia bread with Sumptuous Spoonfuls.  Ann is wonderful and she has always been so supportive of my blog and photography.  This is the post that I shared with her last month.  ENJOY!

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It will be one year in June when I started my blog, Simply Gourmet Photography.  I have been taking pictures for a long time and just happened to be asked to work with some amazing companies as a food photographer.  I recently moved to MD and was needing a change, so I started the blog with the hope that new opportunities would come my way and they have.  I am now a writer for one of our local magazines and I enjoy it very much.  I still get to take pictures, develop recipes and write. 

One thing that I love about Ann's recipes are they are fresh.  I love her salads the most!  She has inspired me on more than one occasion to create a fun salad and dressing.  What better accompaniment to a salad than a fresh loaf of bread.  

I love bread and I make bread a lot for my family.  I have easy one hour recipes and then I have the all day, double rise, let sit over night recipes.  I enjoy them all. I love the way the dough feels in my hands after it has risen, so soft and airy.  I find the process of making bread creative.  There are so many types of bread, toppings, flours and styles.  You could never get bored with making bread.

This recipe for focaccia has been made numerous times for my family.  I especially like to make it for sandwiches and big parties.  It makes two loaves and the options for toppings are endless.  This flavor of the caramelized onion and grilled garlic is my favorite.  I will make this focaccia and use the bread for French Dips.  It holds up great for a sandwich and the onion/garlic combination compliments the beef well.

Recipe:  Caramelized Onion and Garlic Focaccia

Makes 2 loaves

To make the caramelized onions you will need:

1 large red onion, sliced
1 T. of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Splash of red wine

In a large saute pan, add oil.  Add the sliced onion and cook over medium heat.  The onions will start to turn a light brown and then gradually become darker.  If you need to add a bit more oil go ahead.  You don't want them to get dry.  When the onions are dark brown, add your splash of red wine.  This step is optional but it does add a deep rich flavor to the onion.  Continue cooking until the onions are dark, not burnt.  The process takes about 25 minutes depending on how many onions you have.  If you only use half of the onion, the cook time may be shorter.

To make the grilled garlic:

1-2 bulbs of garlic
1/3 cup of olive oil

Cut the ends off of each garlic bulb.  Brush the ends with the olive oil.  On your BBQ, set your grill to 350 and grill the garlic until browned on both sides.  They should be done at around 15 minutes.  I try to do a bunch at this time and then store the extra's in the fridge.  When they are cooked, I remove the cloves and smash into a small bowl with 4 T. of olive oil, this will be used on the focaccia bread.

To make the loaves of focaccia:

2 cups of warm water
1 teaspoon of sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons of yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
4-5 cups of flour, start with the smallest amount and add as needed
5 T. of olive oil

Toppings for focaccia:

coarse salt
pepper
fresh herbs or dried (optional)
Parmesan cheese (optional)
olive oil
grilled garlic (recipe above)
caramelized onions (recipe above)

Prepare the yeast by add the water, yeast and sugar to a small bowl.  Set aside for 5 minutes until it starts to bubble.  If your yeast does not create a foam/bubbly top then you may need to start over.

In your Kitchen Aid mixer with the paddle, add the salt, 3 cups of flour and 2 T. of olive oil.  Start to mix together and add yeast mixture.  Mix well.  Let rest 10 minutes.

Change from the paddle to your bread hook.  On medium speed, add a 1/4 cup of flour at a time until the dough forms a ball and no longer sticks to the bottom of the bowl.  Because my humidity is so high I usually end up adding more than 5 cups…just add it in 1/4 cup increments and you won't add too much.

Knead in your mixer for 7 minutes. Move dough to an oiled glass bowl and let rise until double.

When the dough has doubled, turn onto a floured surface and knead for one minute.  Cut dough in half.

Preheat your oven to 400.

Prepare your cookie sheet.  Spray or oil the sheet then sprinkle some cornmeal across the cookie sheet.

The two focaccia loaves should fit side by side on your cookie sheet.  With your hands pull and push the dough into a small rectangle to fit on half of the cookie sheet.  Leave an inch in between the two loaves.  It will be uneven, this is okay.  It should look like little hills and valleys over the top of each loaf.

Take a pastry brush and brush the olive oil and grilled garlic over the top of both loaves.  It will pool and look like a lot, this is okay as it all cooks into the focaccia.  Let sit for 15 minutes.


Next, add the caramelized onions.  


The final step is adding your herbs and coarse salt.  I used dried herbs in this recipe.  I sometimes use fresh and I love that too.  I usually use an Italian spice blend or you can use oregano, rosemary, basil and thyme.


Bake the loaves for 20 minutes.  The focaccia bread should be golden brown.  We slice ours into 1 inch chunks.


I often times serve the focaccia with a dipping mixture of: extra virgin olive oil, parmesan cheese, Italian herbs and salt.  My guest love it!




Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Orange Bow Knots and 24 years of Wedded Bliss




Our Engagement pictures were done by a friend of the family.  Our pictures were not a priority for us and it makes me sad when I see the quality and such.  This is something I always counsel brides and grooms about, in the future the cake is all eaten, the flowers are dead, the dress is too small…BUT…your pictures are what you will have your whole life.  Spend your money wisely and hire the BEST photographer you can afford.


24 years ago today on a beautiful Thursday morning in Seattle, Washington, I married my best friend.  It was a beautiful day and we were so lucky to have blue skies and not your typical North West weather of rain, rain and more rain.

Our story is unique because it was a short and a whirlwind courtship.  I met Cory in person on January 19th,  we had our first date January 26th, we were engaged on February 14th and married on April 28th…ALL OF THE SAME YEAR!   YEP, about 3 months total.

Now, I look back and think, "how in the world did we know at such a young age what we wanted?"



I had just turned 20 and Cory was barely home from Japan.  We had nothing.  We did not know what our future would hold.  We just took that leap of faith and it worked.

With our future ahead of us we made plans.  Cory joined the Air Force, went to school and we moved to Austin, TX.  That would be the first of many, many moves for us.  I won't scare you with the double digit number of how often we have moved…LOL


Through out our time together we have remained the best of friends. People ask us what our secret is.  Is there a secret? I don't know other than I know what has worked for us.

Honesty-we are extremely honest with each other. No secrets or lies.
Lots of communication-we are open to each other, we listen, we share, we agree and learn to disagree
Friendship-we laugh, play, learn and find challenges together.
Date Nights-we still date after all these years.
Forgiveness-we have learned that nobody is perfect.  We have good days and bad.  We forgive often.
Acceptance-we never tried to change the other person.  We loved each other as they were.
Love-it was conditional in the beginning because we were young, and we have learned as time passes that to truely love, it must be unconditional and freely given….no strings attached.

This list could be much longer, but those are the basics to what make our relationship work.  I look forward to many more years together.  I still look at him, and get butterflies in my tummy.  His love is so pure and perfect, that at times, I can't believe how blessed I am to have a person that loves me so much.  It took me a long time to feel worthy of this great man in my life.  He saved me.  My life was not easy and I had a lot of issues to deal with when we first met.  He took all of it and patiently cared, loved and endured my time of healing.


I wanted to share a special recipe with you today that would signify a union.  Cory's Mom introduced me to the original recipe many years ago. I have updated it a bit. It is a special treat in our family and they get made once a year.  I usually share them with our neighbors and friends.

A knot has several meanings and is symbolic of love, eternity and togetherness.  I found a few definitions of various knots that I liked.

1. Symmetrical knots that tie into themselves; without beginning or end; are a universalsymbol of the eternity of life, the eternity of nature, and the eternity of love. Original quote here.

2. The knot is an ancient heraldic symbol of longevity, commitment, and permanence.

3. The marriage-knot or knot of Hercules, a strong knotcreated by two intertwined ropes, originated as a healing charm in ancient Egypt, but is best known for it’s use in ancient Greece and Rome as a protective amulet, most notably as a wedding symbol, incorporated into the protective girdles worn by brides, which were ceremonially untied by the new groom. This custom is the likely origin of the phrase “tying the knot.” Original quote found here.

We did tie the knot and for that I am so grateful ever day to have this very special man in my life. 

I love you more than ever Cory!




Recipe:  Orange Bow Knots, makes about 50

1 T. dry yeast
1/2 cup of sugar
2 cups of warm water
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup of orange juice
2 eggs, beaten
3 T. grated orange peel
1/4 cup whole milk
1 cup of melted butter (not hot)
9-11 cups of flour

1 stick of butter for later usage

In a small bowl, add 1 T. of sugar, yeast and warm water.  Let sit until foam is visible on top. (5 minutes)

Add the yeast/sugar/water liquid to the Kitchenaid.  

In your kitchenaid with the dough hook attached, add remaining sugar, salt, butter, milk and 6 cups of flour.  Mix on medium speed until well combined.  

Add the orange juice, orange peel, eggs and butter.  Start adding more flour.  Add one cup at a time.  You want the dough to not stick to the bottom of the bowl.  Depending on the humidity in your area you could easily end up adding 3-5 more cups of flour. 

Set your timer for 10 minutes and let your kitchenaid knead the dough on medium with the attached bread hook.  The dough should not stick to the bottom of the bowl.   If this is happening keep adding a little bit more flour until the 10 minutes is up.

The dough will be heavy yet pliable when you remove it from the bowl.  Transfer it to a large glass bowl that has been oiled with butter. Cover with plastic wrap.

Let the dough double.  Mine took 1 1/2 hours but it was a cool day in MD.  



Lightly dust your work area and dump the dough onto the table.  I use a metal scrapper to cut chunks of the dough so that I can work with smaller pieces.  Melt a stick of butter in a bowl. Roll each piece out into the shape of a rectangle.  I like the measurements to be in the area of 6X12 with the thickness being about 1/2 inch.


I use my pizza cutter to make strips of the rectangle.  With the bowl of melted butter close.  I dip the middle of the strip in the butter and proceed to tie a knot.  You can dip the whole strip into the butter but it's a lot of butter and I find that if I dip a portion of the strip, that by tying the knot the butter spreads to the whole strip anyways.


This will make about 50 knots.  It took 4 cookie sheets for my last batch.  Let the rolls double in size.  Mine took about 1 1/2 hours.


Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes.  You want the rolls to be golden brown on top.  Remove rolls to a wire rack to cool.

Drizzle each roll with an orange icing.


Recipe:  Orange Icing

2 cups of powdered sugar
1 T. orange rind, grated finely
1/3 cup of orange juice

Mix all three ingredients together and drizzle atop the orange bow knots.  Let icing set.


April 28, 2012

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Pretzels and Cooking with Kids


I have mentioned before that some of my fondest memories with my grandmother and Mom have been cooking together in the kitchen, for holidays and at the restaurant.

I find that as my older kids prepare to leave the nest in the next few years I am more focused on making sure they have recipes available that they can easily find (the blog), they have the basics down (rice, steamed veggies, smoothies, etc) for healthy eating in college and that they have memories to cherish.

I hope that they understand and know that homemade food taste better and it's often times, better for you.  I do realize that life happens and they will have to figure out busy schedules, budgets and roommates and at times food may not be that big of a priority as it is to me.

We have tried to teach them to read labels, shop as local as they can (Farmers Markets, CSA's), choose lean meat, eat plenty of fish, drink lots of water and exercise every day.

Isabella, our 5 year old, loves to cook and be in the kitchen.  As we planned out her homeschooling weeks, I felt it was important that she have some class time in the kitchen.  I needed a recipe that could be done in about an hour, one that she could help with her hands and that would teach her a few things (measuring, portions, time management).

I was thrilled when Melissa from Chindeep shared on her blog that she and her daughter, Gracie had made pretzels.

I would be able to teach Isabella how to measure flour, to read all of the instructions of a recipe FIRST ( I helped her with most of the reading) and how to use a timer.  It was a great first recipe for us.

 I am here to promise you that these pretzels are the best!  There is that taboo word, but, they quite simply are the best that I have ever made.  In my past attempts at making pretzels, they always lacked something….the chewy tender texture.

Well, this is what I love about this recipe.  It taste just like any pretzel you buy at the mall and even better!

The batch makes 12 and Isabella and I were surprised when they quickly disappeared in about 30 minutes. The family wanted more!

Today, we decided to make them again.  This time I was hoping to switch out some of the plain white flour for spelt (a type of whole wheat flour that some people can eat easier than regular whole wheat).  It's always a bit nerve wracking when you take a perfect recipe and try to change things a bit.  You just never know what you will get.

My house soon smelled like fresh wheat bread was baking in the oven.  This was a good sign.  They baked up great.  The taste was just like a wheat pretzel.

 Success!



Recipe:  Homemade Pretzels
Adapted from Chindeeps recipe

for the dough:

5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon of yeast

2 cups warm water

Soda wash:

1/4 cup of baking soda

1 cup of warm water


Add yeast and sugar to warm water. Let rise for about 4 minutes.

In Kitchenaid, add flour and salt.  When yeast has activated, add to the flour.

Mix until combined and then knead for 6 minutes. Turn your oven to 500 degrees.


 I had Isabella measure everything into its own bowl and then I went back and double checked as I added the ingredients to the Kitchen Aid mixer.  She did really well measuring everything.


Let dough rise for 30 minutes.  When a few minutes are left on the rise time, prepare your warm water and baking soda mixture.

 For some reason, my kitchen cupboards are ice cold.  I microwaved my glass bowl for 45 seconds so that the dough went into a warm bowl.



Have two cookie sheets ready to go.  Dump your dough onto your table and cut it into 12 sections.  I usually cut the dough in half, then those halves are split in half again. From the four quarters on the table, you should be able to get three smaller sections which will total 12 small mounds of dough.




Spray your table with Pam and start rolling your dough into long "snakes, about 20 inches. 




Dip each pretzel in the soda wash, and place 6 on each baking sheet.



Have your oven trays so that one is in the middle and one below that.  Add your sheets together.  Let them cook for 4 minutes and then switch the trays.  If you want your pretzels to be darker then just add an extra minute or two.  Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack.


 I brushed with butter when they got out of the oven and then sprinkled them with cinnamon and sugar or salt.




Enjoy your day!

Sherron













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