Mmmmmm.....homemade bread

One of my Christmas presents was a book called "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. Their method is super easy (no kneading, minimal rising) - you basically make a big bunch of bread dough and it sits in the refrigerator for up to two weeks!! It only takes 5-10 minutes to mix up the batch of dough.

When you want fresh baked bread, you just pull off a section, shape it, let it rest for 20-30 minutes, and toss it in the oven. It's so easy and makes a nice boule, baguette, etc. The book has lots of different variations, but so far I like the basic recipe the best.

And the only equipment needed is a very large bowl or container, and a wooden spoon (although you could use a food processor or stand mixer if you wanted to - I don't happen to have either one of those and the spoon works just fine).

Of course this is not going to help my resolution to cut down on carbs!!

PICKLES!

This summer I grew boatloads of cucumbers.  While I love cucumbers, I finally ran out of things to do with fresh cucumbers.  So, I decided to make pickles.  My Mom couldn’t find her pickle recipe (she made the BEST pickles when I was a kid) so I went searching on the Internet.  I found a recipe for Spicy Refrigerator Pickles on Allrecipes.com, and then of course I changed it (because they were making sweet pickles and I don’t like sweet pickles!  I also like to use full-sized cucumbers and cut them in half and then into spears (quarters) – I just like the taste better that way (rather than using the official pickling cucumbers).

Since these aren’t officially canned, you must keep them refrigerated.  I don’t know how long they last since mine haven’t lasted past 2 months because they are eaten up!

So here is my adjusted recipe for Spicy Refrigerator Pickles.  You can make it a spicy as you want by adding more red pepper flakes or dried red peppers. This would also be a great gift if you put it into mason jars and wrapped a ribbon around it!!

Spicy Refrigerator Dill Pickles

Via Allrecipes, with changes by Barb

12 3-4 inch long pickling cucumbers (I used regular cucumbers and only used 3-4 of them)
2 cups water
1 3/4 cups white vinegar
1 1/2 cups fresh dill weed (I just guessed because I left it in sprigs – use a bunch)

1 T. white sugar

8 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed

1 ½ T. coarse salt

1 T. pickling spice

1 ½ t. dill seed

½ t. red pepper flakes or to taste (I ended up adding 2 whole red chili peppers to one jar in addition to this)

4 more sprigs of fresh dill weed

1. (optional step – makes them crisper)  Soak whole cucumbers in ice and water bath for two hours.
2. At same time, combine water, vinegar, all but 4 sprigs of fresh dill, sugar, garlic, salt, pickling spice, dill seed and red pepper flakes and let sit at room temp for 2 hours.
3. Drain water & chop cukes into spears or thick slices (if using larger cukes). Add cukes to water/vinegar mix (or add it to cukes – you will need a large bowl) and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours.
4. Remove the cukes to whatever jars you have (I used 2 one quart jars) – be sure to use a wide mouthed jar to make it easier.  Ladle in the liquid from the bowl to cover (you may have to add a little more water/vinegar if it won’t cover the cukes).  Distribute spices and garlic cloves among the jars. Place 1-2 sprigs of fresh dill in each jar, along with 1-2 dried red chili peppers depending on how hot you want it.  Refrigerate for 10 days before eating (although they were pretty good after 3-4 days).  Keep in refrigerator.

Roast a Chicken and Impress Your Family (or Guests)

Well, it's my week to cook, so tonight I am making a roast chicken.  It is one of the easiest things in the world to make, but everyone things it is hard and so they are impressed when you make it!!  Give it a try sometime - it doesn't take long (work wise) to prepare, but does take a while to cook.

Some hints before you start:
1.  Buy a roasting chicken if you can, but a frying chicken is fine.  A 3 1/2 to 4 pound chicken will serve four people.  If you have more people than that, I would suggest cooking two chickens of the same size rather than one giant chicken (they sell 8 pounders, but I have never tried to cook one).  Cooking time should remain the same.
2.  I usually roast vegetables along with the chicken (in the same pan) so I will include instructions for that.  Feel free to substitute other vegetables, or to leave them out entirely (it won't change the cooking time for the chicken).  Put as many or as few vegetables in as you want - I never even measure them.
3.  You can also put fresh herbs (tarragon or thyme or rosemary) inside the chicken cavity  with the onions for extra flavor.
4.  Sometimes we have trouble getting the thighs fully cooked (especially if I forget to let the chicken sit out before roasting) - if they don't look cooked when you carve the bird,  just zap that part in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute and it's fine! 

Roasted Chicken with Vegetables

1 chicken (3 to 4 pounds)
2 T seasoned salt
1 T lemon pepper
1 small to medium onion, cut into quarters
Olive oil

Carrots, celery, onion, and potatoes to taste - cut into pieces (1 inch for carrots & celery, wedges for onion, and 1-2 inch hunks for the potatoes).

1.  Remove packaging from chicken, and any giblets from the cavity.  Rinse well, pat dry inside & out, and set out on counter for 30-40 minutes (this helps it to cook more evenly, and you won't die from it!!).

2.  Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Rub oil inside chicken cavity and all over outside. Tuck wings under to make a little platform for chicken (look in a general cookbook for instructions on this, or skip this step). Combine seasoning salt and lemon pepper in small bowl.  Sprinkle chicken inside and out with seasoning mixture (don't put it all on or it will be too salty).  Save the extra seasoning for the vegetables.

3.  Stuff inside with quartered onions.  I use poultry pins to close the cavity because this makes it easier when you turn the bird.  Or, you can truss the bird if you want to (check out this site for details on how to truss the chicken).  Place chicken, breast side down, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.

4.  Roast for 30  minutes.  Remove from oven, and turn chicken so breast side is up.  You may want to sprinkle a little more seasoning on it if it looks pale.  Add all vegetables except onions (I toss veggies with olive oil and sprinkle some of the seasoning on them).  Just stick them in the roasting pan and spread them around evenly (or semi-evenly).  Add onions when there is 30 minutes of cooking time left (see times below) - again, toss with olive oil and a bit of seasoning and then just stick them on top of the other vegetables.

5.  Roast until meat thermometer inserted between thigh and leg registers 180 degrees (about 35 more minutes for 3 pound chicken,  45 more minutes for 4 pound chicken). 

6.  Remove from oven - transfer chicken to platter or cutting board to "rest."  Let it rest 10 minutes or so.  Meanwhile put veggies in bowl or platter and cover to keep warm.

7.  Carve chicken and enjoy (I have to admit that we are unscientific carvers, but if you want to know the right way to do it, go to this site).  IMPORTANT:  discard the onions that are inside the chicken - only eat the ones that you put in the roasting pan with the other vegetables.

Hope you enjoy this - I have made this many, many times and it is very moist and delicious!  Let me know how it goes if you try it!

Chocolate Covered Nuts (and/or Bark)

I just made some more of these today.....Make your friends or family a gift of chocolate covered nuts or “bark” – it doesn’t take long and makes a nice homemade gift (or just something good to eat for yourself!!).

1. Melt chocolate chips of your choice (I like bittersweet or semisweet, but any kind works, including white chocolate) --  put one cup of chips plus one Tablespoon of shortening in a bowl and melt in the microwave on HIGH for 30 second intervals.  Stir thoroughly between each interval (even if it hasn’t melted much). 
2. Once melted, stir in nuts.  Put as many nuts as you can fit in the chocolate and coat them all.  Any kind of nut is fine.  If you want,  you can toast them first.
3. Drop nut/chocolate mixture on waxed paper at whatever size you like (I do teaspoonfuls).  Put it refrigerate for a few hours to harden.  After that, they do not need to be refrigerated.
4. Wrap in cute bags or however you want, and give them away!!

Options:  Sprinkle a little bit of kosher or sea salt on top of each nut cluster before refrigerating (salt and chocolate are amazing together!!).  Or season the nuts while toasting them.  You can also add dried cranberries or other fruit if you like that.  Or skip the nuts and add crushed candy canes.  The variations are endless!

You can also make Almond Bark or Pecan Bark or any kind of Bark – just add fewer nuts or more chocolate – spread out on waxed paper in one big piece (as thick or thin as you like) – refrigerate and then break into chunks. You can create a marbled effect by melting dark and white chocolate - put one down first and then drop spoonfuls of the other and twirl a knife or fork in it to make a pattern.