Lunch Ideas

Visit here for more than just sandwich lunch ideas!!! pretty balanced as well.

Sour-ish dough bread

Artisan Bread

makes four 1 pound loaves.

3 cups lukewarm water
1-1/2 tablespoons granulated fast acting yeast (2 packets)
1-1/2 tablespoons kosher or other coarse salt
6-1/2 cups unsifted, unbleached all purpose white flour *

* (My favorite way to make this bread now is to use half bread flour, half all-purpose flour and throw in 3/4 cup wheat bran into the dough.)

tip: After baking, if your bread is gummy on the inside, try either increasing the amount of flour by 1/4 cup and/or increasing the baking time by 5-10 minutes.

Also, If the dough is just too sticky for you to work with comfortably, increase the flour in your next batch.

Mixing and Storing the Dough

1. Warm the water slightly. It should feel just a little warmer than body temperature, about 100 degrees F. Warm water will rise the dough to the right point for storage in about 2 hours.

2. Add yeast and salt to the water in a 5 quart bowl or a plastic container with a lid.

(Note: I dump all this in my KitchenAid mixer, let it mix it for just about 10 seconds and then put it in the plastic container. I just find it easier to let the mixer do this part).

3. Mix in the flour - kneading is unnecessary. Add all of the flour at once, measuring the flour by scooping it and leveling it off with a knife. Mix with a wooden spoon - do not knead. You're finished when everything is uniformly moist, without dry patches. This step is done in a matter of minutes. The dough should be wet and loose.

4. Allow to rise. Cover with a lid (not airtight). Lidded plastic buckets designed for dough storage can be purchased many places. (I used a plastic square food storage container at my local grocery store. I just punctured a small hole in the top). You want the gases to be able to escape a little. You can also do this in a large bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and puncture a small hole in the top. Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse (or at least flattens on top), about two hours. Longer rising times will not hurt your dough. You can use a portion of the dough any time after this period. Fully refrigerated wet dough is less sticky and is easier to work with than dough at room temperature. So, the first time you try this method, it's best to refrigerate the dough overnight (or at least 3 hours) before shaping a loaf.

Baking

5. Shape your loaf. Place a piece of baking parchment paper on a pizza peel (don't have a pizza peel - use an unrimmed baking sheet or turn a rimmed baking sheet upside down). Sprinkle the surface of your dough in the container with flour. Pull up and cut off about a 1-pound piece of dough (about the size of a grapefruit), using scissors or a serrated knife. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball as you go. Dust your hands with flour if you need to. This is just to prevent sticking - you don't want to incorporate the flour into the dough. The top of the dough should be smooth - the object here is to create a "gluten cloak" or "surface tension". It doesn't matter what the bottom looks like, but you need to have a smooth, tight top. This whole step should take about 30 seconds! Place the dough onto your parchment paper.

6. Let the loaf rise for about 30 - 40 minutes (it does not need to be covered). If it doesn't look like it has risen much, don't worry - it will in the oven. This is called "oven spring".

7. Preheat a baking stone on the middle rack in the oven for at least 20 minutes at 450 degrees F. Place an empty rimmed baking pan or broiler pan on a rack below the baking stone. This pan is for holding water for steam in the baking step. (If you don't have a baking stone, you can use a baking sheet, but you will not get the crisp crust on the bottom. You will still have a great loaf of bread. Baking stones are cheap and easy to find - Target carries them - and are a must for making pizzas, so go out and get one as soon as you can.)

8. Dust the loaf with a little flour and slash the top with a knife. This slashing is necessary to release some of the trapped gas, which can deform your bread. It also makes the top of your bread look pretty - you can slash the bread in a tic tac toe pattern, a cross, or just parallel slashes. You need a very sharp knife or a razor blade - you don't want the blade to drag across the dough and pull it. As the bread bakes, this area opens and is known as "the bloom". Remember to score the loaves right before baking.

9. Bake. Set a cup of water next to your oven. Slide the bread (including the parchment paper) right onto the hot baking stone. Quickly pour the water right into the pan underneath the baking stone and close the oven door. This creates the necessary steam to make a nice crisp crust on the bread. Bake at 450 F for about 30 - 35 minutes, depending on the size of your loaf. Make sure the crust is a deep golden brown. When you remove the loaf from the oven, you will hear it crackle for a while. In baking terms, this is called "sing" and it is exactly what you want.

10. Cool. Allow the bread to cool for the best flavor and texture. It's tempting to eat it when it's warm, and that's fine, but the texture is better after the bread has cooled.

11. Store the remaining dough in the refrigerator in your lidded (not airtight) container and use for up to 14 days. Every day your bread will improve in flavor. Cut off and shape more loaves as you need them. When your dough is gone, don't clean the container. Go ahead and mix another batch - the remaining bits of dough will contribute flavor to the next batch, much like a sourdough starter does!

The Italian Dish
theitaliandishblog.com

St Patrick's fun

How to go over-the-top and extreme in St Patty's day celebrating, which we should since its such an important day for our family!

this website has the goods

And here is the list of ingredients to match-up with the tags:

• St. Patty's Pancakes - green pancakes
• Shamrock Syrup - maple syrup
• Pinch-proof Potion - green milk
• Clouds in a bottle - whipped cream (in a can)
• Chocolate O' Hersheys - chocolate syrup
• Magic clover dust - powdered sugar or green sprinkles
• Lucky leprachaun teeth - white chocolate chips
• Lucky Charms - Lucky Charms cereal
• Pot O' Gold eggs - scrambled eggs
• Rainbow on a stick - fruit kabobs

Cookie gifts

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Mix it up

All-Purpose Quick Mix

5 lb. bag flour (20 Cups)
4 C. nonfat dry milk powder or buttermilk powder
3/4 C. baking powder
2 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. cream of tartar
5 C. vegetable shortening

In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. With Pastry blender (or your hands) cut in shortening until mixture resembles cornmeal in texture. Store in airtight container.

~Use 1/2 whole wheat flour, if desired.
~Cut recipe in 1/2 for smaller households.

Biscuits

3 C. All-purpose quick mix
3/4 C. milk or water

Stir together until blended. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto baking sheet. Bake in 450 degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

~Add 1/3 C. shredded cheese and chopped herbs to dough for a cheesy herb biscuit

Gingerbread Mix
8 C. flour
2 C. sugar
1/4 C. baking powder
1 Tbsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cloves
1 Tbsp. ginger
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
2 C. shortening (I use all natural palm oil)


In a large bowl mix together dry ingredients (I like a whisk for this job). Using a pastry blender, cut in the shortening until mixture resembles cornmeal. Store in an airtight container.


~This mix makes a great gift packaged in a cellophane bag.

~To use this for gingerbread house: use the Easy Ginger Cookie recipe below adding 1 C. flour (you will have to use a mixer or your hands to get it mixed). Roll 1/8"-1/4" thick and cut as desired. Bake about 7 minutes, until edges are browned. Cool on wire racks overnight. This makes a very durable gingerbread house!

Perfect Pancake Mix

6 C. Unbleached flour
2 C. Whole wheat pastry flour
2 C. Nonfat dry milk powder (or buttermilk powder)
1/2 C. sugar
3 Tbsp. baking powder
1 1/2 Tbsp. baking soda
2 tsp. salt

In a large bowl, whisk all ingredients together. Store in large airtight container.

-You can use all unbleached flour or combination of flours to get to 8 C. (I found it is best not to go over about 1/2 whole wheat flour with this recipe).

Pancakes:
2 C. perfect pancake mix
1 1/2 C. water (or to desired consistency)
1 egg
2 Tbsp. oil

In a medium bowl, combine egg, oil and water. Whisk in pancake mix. Let stand 2 minutes. Add additional water, if desired. Cook on preheated griddle or pan.

Corn Bread Mix

4 C. unbleached flour
4 C. yellow cornmeal
2 C. nonfat dry milk (or buttermilk powder or milk powder substitute)
1 C. sugar
1/2 C. baking powder
1 Tbsp. baking soda
2 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir with wire whisk. Store in airtight container.

To make:

1 egg, beaten
1/2 C. water
2 Tbsp. oil
1 1/4 C. cornbread mix

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix egg, water and oil. Add cornbread mix and stir to combine. Place batter in greased 8" x 8" pan and bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown.

Brownie Mix

8 Cups of sugar
6 Cups of unbleached flour
2 Cups of cocoa powder
1 1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. salt


Mix together and store in airtight container.

To Make:

2 1/4 C. brownie mix
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 C. canola oil (or melted butter or margarine)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 C. chopped nuts or chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 inch square pan. Combine ingredients and mix until smooth. Bake for 30-35 minutes until center is set. Cool, cut, serve.

*try adding mint chips for choco-mint brownies.
*top warm brownies with mini-marshmallows, choco chips and some chopped graham cracker pieces for s'more topped brownies

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Lots of Mozz

For Christmas we received a Mozzarella kit from Leener's. We had heard it was quite easy to make but I have to admit I was a little skeptical. Well, I was so wrong, making mozzarella was super easy to make & the results were wonderful! You just have to have a little patience to let the milk heat slowly & in an hour you are eating your own fresh cheese!

First you ripen 1 gallon of milk with a bit of citric acid, lipase, and calcium chloride. Slowly heating over medium heat to 88 F, stirring from time to time.

Once the milk reaches 88°F, you add rennet and continue heating to 105 F. Only stir gently every couple of minutes so you don't break up the curd too much.

By the time it reaches 105°F, it will start to look at little chunky. At this point, turn off the heat and let it sit for 20 minutes.

After resting for 20 minutes you'll be rewarded with a big chunk of cheese curds.

Remove the curds with a slotted spoon, leaving the whey in the pan.

Lightly smash the curds with a spoon to squeeze as much whey out of them as possible, then drain. Microwave for 60 seconds and repeat, adding a bit of salt. Microwave again so it reaches 140-150°F, and start kneading the hot cheese with the spoon to help even the heat out.

Continue kneading with a spoon until the cheese pulls together into a ball and sticks to the spoon.

At this point you will have a soft mozzarella ball. You can stop at this point.

Or you can stretch & pull it like taffy until you have a cooled firmer cheese better for grating & such.

Now you can enjoy your own homemade cheese. We made a baguette earlier in the day. Split it in half & topped it with some homemade pizza sauce, a few sliced of pepperoni & then our cheese. Perfection!

http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com/

Mmm Dulce

Some hints for perfect cheesecake :

• For a smooth batter, the cream cheese needs to be very soft. Leave it out overnight, or put it in the microwave a few seconds at a time.
• Keep the mixer on low-medium speed, to avoid incorporating too much air.
• Scrape the bowl and paddle diligently. There’s nothing worse than noticing a lump of unincorporated cheese stuck to the bottom of the mixing bowl as you’re pouring the filling into the pan.
• A Springform pan can allow water to seep into the crust when you bake the cake in a water bath, even if you protect the bottom with foil. A straight-sided cake pan is better. Unmold it by inverting it onto a plate and then again onto a second plate. It might stick a tiny bit but this is a creamy cake so you can smooth it out with an offset spatula and no one will notice it if the cake has a topping. If it’s to be left bare, try lightly buttering the plate onto which you invert the cake, as well as the plastic you wrap it with.
• Cool the cake completely at room temperature before refrigerating or freezing. Leaving it in the water bath helps it cool slowly and prevents cracking.
• For clean cuts, dip the knife in hot water and dry it with a towel before cutting each slice.
• For a completely gluten-free cake, make the crust with gluten-free graham wafers.

I’m sorry there are no photos of the sliced cake. It went too quickly.

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake

Yield: one 8-inch cake

Time:

• Mix: 15 minutes
• Bake: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Cool: at least 2 hours
• Chill: overnight
• Unchill and top: about an hour
• Chill: 2 hours or longer (optional)

Crust Ingredients:

• 132 grams graham cracker crumbs
• 44 grams sugar
• 64 grams butter, melted

Filling Ingredients:

• 54 grams heavy cream
• 54 grams sour cream
• 454 grams cream cheese, softened
• 155 grams dulce de leche
• 145 grams sugar
• 30 grams melted butter
• 11 grams (2 tablespoons) lemon juice
• 6 grams (1 1/4 teaspoons) vanilla extract
• 157 grams (3 large) eggs at room temperature

Topping Ingredients:

• 100 grams sugar
• 21 g (3 tablespoons) water
• 119 grams heavy cream
• 28 grams unsalted butter
• pinch of salt
• about 100 grams dulce de leche
• 1 – 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 285F if you have a convection setting, or 325F for the regular bake setting. Start boiling water for the water bath.
2. Butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch cake pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, and butter the parchment.
3. Mix the crust ingredients together well with your fingers. Press the crust into the pan and partway up the sides, to a thickness of 1/4 inch.
4. In a small bowl, blend the cream and sour cream together.
5. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese and dulce de leche on medium-low speed until the mixture is free of lumps.
6. Add the following ingredients is this order, mixing on medium-low speed until smooth after each addition and scraping the bowl frequently:
   • butter
   • sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla
   • eggs, one at a time
   • cream/sour cream mixture
7. Pour the batter over the crust in the prepared pan. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles.
8. Place the cake on a rimmed sheet pan and set it in the oven. Pour boiling water in the sheet pan to just below the rim.
9. Bake until the cake has just a slight wobble in the center when nudged, about an hour and fifteen minutes. Check it after one hour.
10. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool, still in its water bath, to room temperature.
11. Run a knife around the edge to make sure it is free of the pan, then invert the cake onto a plate and again onto a second plate so that it is right-side-up.
12. Cover the cake with plastic wrap directly on its surface, and chill overnight.
13. Remove the cake from the refrigerator and let it unchill slightly while you prepare the topping. Keep the plastic wrap on during this time so any condensation forms on the plastic and not on the cake.
14. In a medium saucepan, stir together the topping sugar and water over low heat to dissolved the sugar. Heat on medium-high without stirring, washing down the sides with a wet pastry brush occasionally, until the mixture turns an amber color.
15. Stir in the cream, butter, and salt. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring from time to time, until the caramel is thick but not chewy (gauge the consistency by dripping a bit onto a metal spoon).
16. Remove from the heat and pour into a metal bowl. Cool at room temperature until it is slightly warmer than body temperature; it should still be quite pourable at this point.
17. While to caramel is cooling, warm the dulce de leche. Thin it with just enough cream to make it soft enough to drizzle smoothly with a spoon.
18. Pour the caramel topping over the cake; use an offset spatula to spread it to the edges and let it drip down the sides. You may not use all of the caramel, depending on how thick you like your topping.
19. To make the design, drizzle three thick stripes of the thinned dulce de leche across the top of the cake and lightly draw a knife perpendicularly to the stripes several times in alternating directions.
20. Cover with a cake dome. For a firmer cake, chill for 2 – 6 hours before serving. It can also be served at room temperature.

i like peanut butter

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Squares

1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 large mashed banana
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Mix together the quick cooking oats, light brown sugar, baking powder, kosher salt and ground cinnamon.

Add in the vanilla extract, milk and egg. Mix the ingredients together.

Then add in the mashed banana and peanut butter. Combine all of the ingredients.

Pour the mixture into a lightly greased 8 by 8 inch metal baking pan. Bake at 350 F degrees for 20 minutes.

Cut into squares and enjoy!

Just to clarify If you found my recipe on Pinterest with the suggestion about using applesauce in place of the brown sugar…Do not use applesauce in place of the brown sugar.
Applesauce is not used as a sugar substitute in baking, it’s a fat substitute.
It’s also a liquid and will mess up the texture of the squares because of the added liquid.
So please use brown sugar, it’s only 1/4 cup for an entire pan. Not that much.

And because I keep getting this question: do not use honey. Honey is a liquid…brown sugar isn’t. The added liquid will mess up the texture of the squares. Honey also causes whatever you’re baking to brown more quickly and you would have to change the temperature and baking time. It also has acid and would need to be neutralized with baking soda.