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Menu Plan Monday: 09 Feb 2009 3

Filed under yum food
Written by Annie on 9th Feb -09

Click on the button above to visit OrgJunkie, home of Menu Plan Monday.

This week my menu planning is a bit different. I don’t actually have a menu made for this week, and I probably won’t be making a grocery trip. So I’m just picking up a few recipes here and there that fit with what I have in my pantry and look amazing… and that’s what we’ll be eating this week. Voila. I give you the blog-browsing-flexible-nonshopping-menu plan for my household this week:

  • These Lazy Day Cinnamon Rolls from Tasty Thoughts blog look amazing. Joe’s day off is Thursday this week, so we’ll probably have these Thursday for a late breakfast. And then an early lunch… I love cinnamon rolls.
  • For dinner tonight, Spicy Pinto Beans and Ham from Are You Hungry? blog. I have a big ham bone in the fridge that I need to use up, and I always have beans. We’re on.
  • From Laura at Min/Min, I’m grabbing a chicken salad recipe that sounds great. I love chicken salad with fruit in it, and I just happen to have dried cranberries and apples. I have a couple of chickens in the freezer (always) so we’ll have this for Tuesday or Wednesday. I better get that chick out to thaw…
  • I think this recipe for Roasted Vegetables in the Crockpot looks amazing. Found the recipe from the link on Practicing Thrift blog, which is something I need to do this week… see how well that works out?
  • From In the Moment blog I followed the link to this Chicken, Corn, and Tomatillo Chili which looks and sounds and, I’m sure, smells and tastes amazing. Now tomatillos are not something I stock regularly – call me crazy – but I’ll probably have to purchase diapers for Wick before Friday anyway….
  • If I can, I’m going to make a batch of these Bee Rocks from the Happy Housewife blog. I’m going out of town on Saturday (yes, Valentine’s Day…) and will be leaving my man with no cook but himself until Tuesday… he’d appreciate something made ahead for a quick meal.
  • I also really like the sound of this Pasta Fagioli soup from $5 Dinners blog. And since it’s only $5, I can swing picking up the couple of ingredients I don’t have already. You know, when I go get diapers and tomatillos.

The End. Happy Cooking, everyone!

Blackberry Cobbler 1

Filed under yum food
Written by Annie on 1st Aug -08

I think, technically, this is a pie because cobblers generally are made with lumps of a biscuit-like dough dropped into the fruit filling, and this is decidedly not that method. However, every year on my birthday when my Mom made me a blackberry cobbler because it is my very favorite dessert of all time, she used pie crust and a berry filling similar to this. And she called it cobbler. Technicalities aside, I’m calling it cobbler too.  This is my own version of our family “cobbler.” By the by, you could use another berry – raspberry or strawberry – or a mixture, or any other fruit really – peaches, apples, etc. But really, can anything beat fresh summer-sweet blackberries? I think not.

You will need:

4 – 5 cups of fresh blackberries
App. 3/4 cup sugar
App. 4 T. butter
App. 2 T. flour
Double piecrust
Ice cream or whipped cream

Method:

Gently wash and pick over the fresh blackberries. Put into a tightly sealable container with the sugar. (Use only as much sugar as needed to get the berries sweet enough.) Stir gently. Stick in refrigerator for a couple of hours or overnight. The berries will release lots of juice and you will want to eat them all just like that. But resist the urge and continue on.

Preheat the oven to 350. Get your double pie crust and roll it out into one large roughly circular shape. Grease the bottom of your pie plate. Loop the pie crust over your rolling pin and transfer it to the pie plate. The edges will overlap. This is good. Do not trim them. Poke a few holes in the bottom of the crust. Now get those berries that you haven’t eaten yet.

Dump the berries right in the middle of the pie crust. Yum. Yes, juice will probably run out between the crust and the pie plate. This is okay, because you greased your pie plate, remember? (I use butter to grease mine.) Your cobbler should look something like this now:

Now dice the 4 T. of butter and sprinkle over the top of the blackberries, then sprinkle with the 2 T. of flour.

Gently fold the excess pie crust up and over the mound of scrumptious looking blackberries. This is not a perfectionist pie so take it easy. Just flip them up and over. They may or may not cover the entire pie. Make sure there are some little vents for steam to escape. Poke a couple of holes if needed.

Now slide your pie plate onto a cookie sheet (just in case the juices run over) and then into your preheated oven. Cook for about 20 minutes until the crust is lightly browned on top. Remove from oven and try not to drool. Scoop in large helpings into bowls and top with ice cream or whipped cream (the real stuff, please, not the nasty Cool Whip junk – blackberries deserve the best). Serve immediately to your friends and family if you’re feeling generous. Or just eat it all yourself!

Best Homemade Bread: An Easy, Forgiving Recipe 1

Filed under the home, yum food
Written by Annie on 27th Mar -08

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This is my go-to recipe for a basic, good bread. It’s strong enough for sandwiches and can easily be shaped into rolls rather than a loaf. I’ve made it all white or with a mix of white and whole wheat flour, and it’s always risen beautifully and tasted wonderful. The recipe is from Joy of Cooking, 1997 edition, which my Mom gave me on my 17th birthday. It’s been my favorite cookbook ever since.

I often double the recipe and stick half the dough in the fridge after the first rise so we can have more fresh bread later in the week. It also makes great pizza dough – just roll out into pizza shape after the first rise, then bake at 350 for 10 minutes or so, until just beginning to brown. When you’re ready for pizza, top the pre-cooked crust with sauce, cheese, and topping, and bake at 350 until everything is warm and melty.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 t. active dry yeast (I use SAF yeast.)

1/4 cup warm water

2 T. sugar

3 cups bread flour (I just use all purpose flour.)

2 cups warm water (I use half milk, half water sometimes.)

1 T. melted butter (Sometimes I double the butter amount, sometimes I leave it out altogether. Depends on how luxurious I’m feeling at the time. The bread is good either way.)

1 T. salt

3 to 3 1/2 cups flour (all purpose white or wheat)

Mix the yeast, water, and sugar in a small bowl until the yeast is dissolved and frothy, about 5 minutes.

In large bowl, combine the flour, the yeast mixture, the water, butter, and salt. Mix until well combined. Add the remaining flour by half-cupfuls until the dough is moist but not sticky. You may need more or less flour. The dough should begin pulling away from the sides of the bowl.

Knead the dough for 5 – 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Butter or oil the sides and bottom of a large bowl and place the dough in it, turning it once to coat. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Gently press the dough down and divide into two pieces. Grease 2 loaf pans (8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inches) and place half the dough in each pan. Let rise until again doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 and cook the loaves for about 30 minutes, or until lightly browned and hollow sounding when tapped. Remove from pans and let cool on wire rack… or just go ahead and cut yourself a piece as soon as you can and eat it ravenously. It’s great with butter and honey.

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