T is for (Sun-dried) Tomato Artisan Bread

This original recipe came from http://www.simplysogood.com/2010/03/crusty-bread.html and it's one of my favorites. (That's saying something considering I practically run a "bakery" on the weekends.) But seriously, this recipe is the best. I doubled the original recipe because I have two cloches and one loaf is never enough.

Now, don't let the word "Artisan" make is sound harder than it is. I always thought it was some kind of fancy bread, but it's actually one of the easiest. Also, since this is a flavored version, I have lots of more tips and advice. Patience. We'll get there. If you want to cheat, read the numbers or skip to the bottom for the bare minimum.

Also, remember this is a FLAVORED and DOUBLED batch. If you want it plain, just do the flour, water, salt, and yeast. Half the ingredients I have if you only want one loaf.


Sun-Dried Tomato Artisan Bread:

1) First, put the dry ingredients in. 
I just mix mine in a Bosch although I've seen it done by hand. Doesn't matter.

• 6 cups of white flour
• 1 Tablespoon of salt
• 1 Teaspoon of yeast
• 2 Cups Mozzerella Cheese
• Dried Basil
• Italian Seasoning
• OR *Replace basil and Italian with Fresh Lemon-Basil*

First off, the only thing I measure in this recipe is the flour, water, and yeast. the rest I just dump in until it looks good, so this isn't exact measurements. Feel free to take or add.

If you don't like those seasonings, you can do what I call a "smell test". Does it smell good? Does the smell match the rest of your ingredients? Go for it. This mostly comes from my lack of real seasoning knowledge. Whatever is in the cupboard will work.

2) Put flavor combination in food processor

• 1 C of Sun-dried tomatoes
• Any Fresh Seasonings
• Lemon Juice/Zest

In my food processor, I grind about a cup of sun-dried tomatoes, and whatever fresh seasonings I'm using. If it's dry, you're OK to toss them in with the dry ingredients, but I like to mix them with the tomato. If I don't have my lemon basil, I put a little lemon juice and/or zest in with the tomatoes and grind them up to make a kind of paste.

It's about two cups of cheese, and a cup of tomato paste. Again, give or take.

3) After you've mixed up your dried ingredients, add:

• 3 C of warm water
• Tomato paste/flavors

I use instant yeast, but if you don't have that, just dissolve it in a little water first. Also, I've found that 3 C isn't enough water. You'll get used to the consistency. Add more if you need it.

4) Mixa-mixa-mixa! Just stir it up till it's well blended. It should still hold a little shape, but be a sticky, messy, glop. 

5) I put it in a fairly large *GREASED* bowl, but it doesn't need to be huge. If you forget to grease, your life will be a little less enjoyable. Ask me how I know.

6) Put some plastic wrap over it, and let raise for 12-18 hours.

 I haven't tried just covering it with a towel, but I just seal it up with plastic wrap. Don't refrigerate it! I just put it in my pantry overnight. Let it raise for 12-18 hours. I've let as much as 18 hours, and as less as 8, and it worked great. It's easiest to just let it sit overnight.

I forgot to take a picture of it when it's done raising, but it fills my silver bowl up about 2/3. It's a sticky, puffy, mess again.

7) Shape the dough on a WELL floured pastry cloth.

 If the dough meets just a floured counter? They form some kind of inseparable friendship and you'll lose half of your dough to a sticky counter. If you don't have a pastry cloth, you can use just a plain smooth towel. But, I would definitely recommend a pasty cloth. It's an investment.

The original recipe then covers them with plastic wrap, but I usually roll them out while my pans are preheating, so they don't sit out long enough for me to justify covering them. 

8) Next, preheat your oven to 450 F, and put your cloches in while it preheats. 

I have a stone cloche, and a ceramic one. You don't necessarily have to have a cloche, just anything that can handle 450 degree heat with lid. But if you're a bread maker, a cloche or La Creuset is another investment.

10) After the oven and pots have preheated, carefully (with floured hands is preferable) drop the loaf into your UNGREASED pot. 

9) Let them cook for half an hour. I've never done less or more time, but your ovens may vary. 

I don't oil or corn meal anything, just drop em' in there. Also, it's HOT so be careful. Also, some people slice or put fancy designs to make the finished product look cool. Don't! That's the best part about this recipe. It naturally looks gorgeous.

Drum roll? This is the best part! Mmmmm. Yum.

TA-DUM! Please enjoy!



The "Bare Minimum" (Plain Artisan)
*doubled*

Mix Together:

• 6 C flour
• 1 TBS salt
• 1 TPS yeast
• Any other dried ingredients from flavor combination

Add:

• 3 C water
• Flavor Combination

Flavor Combinations:

Sun-Dried Tomato:

• 1 C Sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
• Fresh Lemon Basil OR Dried Basil and Italian Seasoning
• 2 C Mozzerella Cheese
• Lemon Juice and/or zest

Lemon Rosemary:

• 2 C Cheese (I use Mozzerella)
• Zest of four lemons
• Fresh/dried rosemary

Cranberry Orange:

• 1 1/2 C Cranberry
• 1 C sliced almond
• Zest of two oranges

N is for Nectarine

So I found this idea to grill nectarines...weird, right? But I bought myself some nectarines, and put them in a brown paper bag to help them ripen a little bit more... store bought in early spring are never guaranteed yumminess... but I'm excited to try this.



Just stick em' on the grill (Add some seasons on first if you want), top it with some vanilla ice cream, and if you're feeling gourmet, add some mint leaves for garnish.

 Get creative with this! Slice it up, shake some brown sugar or cinnamon sugar on top, grill it, broil it, try it fresh in a bowl of cream or milk. Add different seasonings and toppings. Experiment. This is why I love cooking. And nectarines. And Spring. The best of THREE worlds. :)

-Jannallred

J is for Julius

I LOVE orange Julius or fruit smoothies in general. Smoothies are a lot easier than you think. I never measure, just dump in what sounds good. Here's a general recipe.

Basic Fruit Smoothie:

• Frozen fruit (whatever is in the freezer, but I love mangoes, strawberries, or mixed fruit)
• Milk
• Vanilla
• Yogurt/ice cream
• Sugar/tank drink mix

Just dump and measure till you have the consistency you want. If you aren't the dump in and don't measure type of person, allrecipes.com or food.com is the best for any recipe. It's easy to find a five star recipe for any type of food. Google is also genius. 

My favorite smoothie is probably an Orange Julius. They've been in my family since I was little. It's basically the same things as the list above. Here's an exact recipe from food.com.

Orange Julius:

• 6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate
• 2 C milk
• 1 C water
• 1/4 C sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 8 ice cubes

Strawberry Julius:

• 1 C strawberry sliced (Fresh is good, but I use whole frozen strawberries too. Just use less ice)
• 1/2 C milk
• 1/4 C sugar
• 1/2 or 2/3 tsp. vanilla (I like extra)

This one doesn't say you need ice, but if it's too runny, and a little ice to your preference. If you want to go for a little more healthy, you can put spinach in a basic fruit smoothie. It sounds nasty, and it might turn funny colors, but you can't even taste it. 

That's it for today.

-Jannallred

Yogurt Bites

I found this idea on Pinterest Best. Easiest. Snack. Ever.

90 degree summer weather is unnecessary. Make them anytime you need a cool snack to munch on, but not something you'll have to work off later. Put yogurt in a Ziploc bag, cut a *small* hole on the corner, squeeze small amounts onto a pan, put in the freezer for a few hours, and voila! It's like ice cream bites, but healthy.

I usually put them into a cup and eat like popcorn, dry cereal, whatever you like that.... Naturally they'll start to melt. So, you have to options: eat fast, or let them melt a little bit, mix all the pieces together, and eat it like  soft-serve ice cream. Now it's like ice cream, but healthy! Yup, best ever.

-Jannallred

B is for Banana Bread

Banana Bread? What's so great about that? You could google it, find a recipe, and have it made in 20 minutes. Well, hate to break it to you, but that's true of just about everything these days.

But, let me tell you. This isn't just ordinary Banana Bread. This is Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze. *mouth water* Difference is the key. Banana Bread? Meh. Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze? Mmm, I'll take some of that, thank you. The key to success is being different.

Now, don't make this any more complicated than it needs to be. Do you already have the perfect banana bread recipe you love? Perfect! Add a few cups of coconut to the batter, and shake a little on top before baking. When it's done, you'll want to take some to the neighbors just to show off its looks. But, to top it all off, make a lime icing with powdered sugar and lime juice, and drizzle it on top. The finished product?



This is a picture from http://www.ourbestbites.com/2010/04/coconut-banana-bread-with-lime-glaze/ where I got the original recipe. If you don't have a banana bread recipe, or want details on how to do the above mentioned, this website has it all, including visuals.

I've made this bread more than a few times, and here are a few tips I've found in the process:

• It will make your life so much easier if you mash the bananas first, (I just mix them up in my Bosch/mixer and call it good) then add the wet ingredients into the mixer with your banana poop. :) I also mix my dry ingredients in a separate bowl and then dump them into the wet ingredient mixture. Separating the dry and wet ingredients isn't super necessary, but since I'm usually making several loaves at a time, it just makes it easier. *And mix as little as possible.* Don't over-mix it! 

• When mixing the glaze, I don't measure. I just dump around a cup of powdered sugar in a bowl, and add a tablespoon or two of lime glaze. This is the important part: it doesn't take very much lime juice! You think you need a lot, but you really do not. It takes a lot of patience to get it mixed in, but if you just stir for a while, it will eventually combine, and make the right consistency. But seriously, I only use one MAYBE two tablespoons, and I'm making four loaves at a time.

• Again with the glaze, try for the right consistency. You'll find out what's best after making it a few times, but you can get a general idea before you start. It should drip off your spoon, but shouldn't be watery. If it's watery, it just soaks into the bread, and doesn't get the look you're going for. If it's too thick, you won't be drizzling anything. Also, make sure the bread is COMPLETELY cooled before you drizzle, otherwise it will melt and soak into the bread, and it wont look like you made any glaze at all. 

• If you don't have enough bananas, substitute! I've used apple sauce to cover a few bananas before, and I almost liked it even better! It was lighter and fluffier. You can also mess with the ratio of bananas and sugar depending on how sweet your apple sauce is.

• It's OK to use rotten bananas! I use bananas that have gone completely black, and it doesn't mess with the bread. In fact, it's better to use them at least slightly browned if not completely brown/black. It makes it sweeter. Whenever our bananas go bad, it only means it's time for banana bread. Quit wasting all those brown bananas!

• If you add the coconut, it'll browned way faster than the bread is cooked. For this particular recipe, I cook it for forty minutes, then cover it with tinfoil (shiny side down) and continue baking for another twenty minutes. The tinfoil keeps it from browning, but allows it to keep cooking.

Good luck with you're baking!

-Jannallred