All over the place ....

Not sure if it's the state of the world, but for the past two (2) weeks I have not been able to focus ... squirrel!  I seem to be all over the place, not knowing what to work on and continuously wanting to start a new project ... not to mention that I've been on social media (Instagram) way more than I would like.  I feel zoned out .... I'm numbing ..... Sigh! 

On the sourdough front, Bob the Blob is doing well. 

I baked my first loaf of bread.

My oven tends to run 25 degrees hotter and I adjusted the time but not the temperature. It's darker than I would like but tastes yummy.

The recipe that I used is from King Arthur and I had to substitute bread flour (had none on hand) for all purpose. It still turned out lovely. I did notice that their recipe calls for a bit of instant yeast. That is to reduce the bulk rise time. Traditional sourdough can take up to eight (8) hours of bulk rise. This recipe called for (two) hours maximum (always depending on the temperature of your room).

On the home front, I decided to embellish my back porch with flowers, and herbs. I needed more than ever the beauty of nature in my life ... create a little oasis .... 

I may add more .... haven't decided yet ... You'll know in two weeks! I would so love to own a little farm house with at least an acre of land for gardens, as well as chickens, but at this point in time it is not in the financial plan. This will have to do for now. I love daisies!

I do have one grape tomato plant. I have not had much success with vegetables in containers ... I'm hoping the grape tomato plant will be a success.

Well, that's it for now. Today, I'm working on my motivation. Perhaps I will go in my sewing studio and organize some stuff. 

Hope you have a wonderful day! Thanks for stopping by my little corner in cyberspace. Cheers1

A new venture ....

Now that it feels like I have all of this time on my hands .... I've decided to start a sourdough journey. 

Pumpkin and I took a course on Eastern Flatbreads at King Arthur Flour (Vermont) a few weeks ago, and I made the decision to buy a sourdough starter. I could have started my own, however I liked the idea that the starter is from New England and part of decades of nurturing. There's something about feeling like you are a part of something that I enjoy. ;) 

Once home, I did not activate the starter right away, but waited a week. I needed time to think about the commitment and whether I was willing to put the time and effort into it. Truth be known, I've struggled with my body image most of my life ... would bread be a good thing or did I want to continue to deprive myself? This body image thing is a work in progress .... F it! I activated the starter. After 24 hours, that's what it looked like ... smelled so good too.

I continued feeding it every 12 hours for a week. I even bought a new home of it ... Brod & Taylor Sourdough home. I still need to come up with a name .... Bob the blob comes to mind! lol

By this Sunday, I felt it had matured/aged well and I made my first recipe from the discard. The recipe is from King Arthur website, Buttery Sourdough Biscuits. OMG, they were to die for, almost ate the whole thing until the Troll came over and rescued me. 

I kidd you not, it was like eating a sourdough croissant ... so flaky, so flavorful. Yum ... the recipe is a keeper.

That evening, I made a sourdough discard pizza crust for dinner ... another keeper!

I only used half of the dough and froze the other half. 

This week I plan on baking a loaf of bread after which I will probably slow down the fermentation by decreasing the temperature. Don't want to be baking every day ... summer is coming.

Thanks for stopping by. Cheers1

Frittata kick .... !

I've never been much of a frittata kind of gal. Never made it myself until now. To me, it just tasted like an omelet, bland and yuck! So it was never a dish I would make .... That is .... until I came upon a recipe from Mary Jane Butter's magazine MaryJanesFarm. That's when I fell in love with frittatas and have not looked back.

I have since adapted the recipe to what ever is in my fridge.  Today I made a Broccoli Frittata and it's delicious! It taste even better the next day! Just warm it in the oven ... Voila! ... you have lunch!

BROCCOLI FRITTATA

8 eggs

1/4 cup of milk (whole fat milk or cream)

1/2 cup of grated Sharp Cheddar cheese

1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp of kosher salt (to taste)

1/8 tsp of pepper (to taste)

2 Tbsp of unsalted butter

1 small minced onion

1 minced shallot (optional)

1 minced garlic clove

1 head of cooked broccoli (pre-cooked/can use frozen or fresh)

Preheat oven at 400F

Combine eggs, milk & mix until smooth. Stir in the cheese, salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside.

Melt butter in a 9inch cast iron pan (or pan of your choice); add the onions and shallots. Cook until translucent; add the garlic and cook stirring frequently. (approximately 5 minutes). Add the broccoli.

Brush side of pan with butter (prevent eggs from sticking), pour the egg mixture. Distribute evenly.

Pop it in the over 400F for 20 minutes (or longer depending on your oven)

Let it cool for 5 - 10 minutes.

ENJOY!

Thanks for stopping by my little corning in cyberspace! Cheers!

I truly stink ....

At pita making/baking, that is. Although one did pop properly. Statistically, one out of eight is not a great stats!

So, I've resolved myself to making pita for the purpose of ... pita chips! I do make a mean pita chip if I do say so myself!

Home made pita chips are so much better than store bought. Aside from the fact that you don't have all those preservatives, mine are soft yet crunchy ... perfect for Bruschetta.

I know ... it's not how you traditionally eat Bruschetta ... but it's so good! I do make a mean Bruschetta. It's so easy to make, I don't understand why I hadn't done it sooner. Want my recipe?

BRUSCHETTA

3 - 4 Plum Tomatoes

3 tablespoon Olive Oil

1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar 

1/8 teaspoon Kosher Salt (adjust to taste)

1 Garlic Clove (I use a micro grater)

1 tablespoon Fresh Basil chopped (I wing it!)

It's that simple!

The key is to have a good quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Those are the two things I do not skimp on. It makes all the difference in the world. 

Well, best be going ... the Shoppe Troll is coming over for Bruschetta! Catch you all later!

My misadventure with a Frigidaire Freezer

 I've been thinking about this purchase for the past couple of years. The fridge freezer is so small ... it wouldn't even hold a small turkey unless it was empty. I tend to cook a lot and need the freezer space ... never mind that I'm always digging into my freezer looking for what I need. Everything is pilled up ... drives me nuts!

So a few weeks ago, I bit the bullet and bought myself an upright freezer.

The freezer was delivered with the door opening from the left size. It made more sense to have it open from the right side ... the kitchen side.

I proceeded to work on changing the door opening. OMG, what a production! All went according to plan until .... two (2) friggen screws wouldn't budge. I called my friend, Shoppe Troll, and she had her DH stop by to help me out. Mr. Shoppe Troll couldn't get them off either and we were starting to strip the screw. He actually went back home and got his impact wrench! After a few tries, the screws finally loosened up. Who in their right mind at Frigidaire would have screws on so tightly that you need an impact wrench to get them loose? That was not a tool on the list of "tools required" to change the door ... seriously only two tools were mentioned. So grateful he had the impact wrench! 

I haven't decided if I should write a complaint letter to Frigidaire. Not even sure it will make a difference. I don't know about you but I'm finding good customer service less and less of a thing these days... as if companies just don't care. Hum ... just checked the Frigidaire site, no snail mail or e-mail address ... interesting!

I will admit, it is wonderful to have freezer space. 

Thanks for stopping by! Catch you all later! Cheers!

Soulfulness ...

 I've been in a quiet reflective mood ... A baking/cooking mood. There's something about being in my kitchen, prepping, cooking, baking that feeds my soul ... settling my soul in quiet solitude, as the world goes Covid crazy ... yet again! Our stats are way up, despite the increase number of vaccinated people. I give up! If you need me, you'll find me hiding in my kitchen ... hanging on to my peace.

Last weekend I gave baking Pita another try. If you recall, I made my first attempt way back in March 2020. In all honesty, I stink at Pita making. 

They may look good in the picture, but they did not open very well. So when life gives you Pitas that stinks, you turn them into Pita chips!

Oh, and they are delicious! Even better on the third day! I used kosher salt, next time I'll use a finer salt.

I also did a flat bread recipe from the King Arthur site. The recipe can be found here. I cooked them on a cast iron skillet. They turned out lovely. I think I don't stink at flat breads! lol

They freeze wonderfully and thaw in no time. Great with soups etc. You can even toast them if you'd like. Definitely a staple in my freezer.

Hope all is well with you. Catch you all later! Cheers!

Farmer's Market

 I have now switched to working from home. I had avoided this for quite some time. I figured, working at the office would get me out of the house. But, I will admit, I am enjoying working from home. 

Because I am such a home body (what can I say I'm comfortable in my home ... it's so peaceful and there's so much to do) I have to plan outings. So ... on Saturday, I went to the Farmer's Market. It was nice to get out ... it was such a gorgeous day. 

Bought lots of locally grown organic vegetables and treated myself to a bouquet of flowers from Mossbrook Roots Flower Farm. Who knew we had a flower farm in our area.

They included Thai Basil in the bouquet, it smells so lovely!

I do hope you are taking the time to enjoy the outdoors. We have had such a lovely summer here in way upstate NY.

Thanks for stopping by. Catch you all later.

Cooking ... a new passion!

I've always enjoyed cooking. In my late teens I was baking bread from scratch. I love to eat too! ... Good foods that it ... Not that I don't enjoy the occasional junk food, it's just that I would much prefer to eat at a nice restaurant rather than fast food.

I do love eggs but am not a hard boil egg kind of gal. I thought I would turn my love of eggs into mini frittatas. 

The recipe - Frittatas

6 eggs

1/2 teaspoon Himalayan or sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup of cooked corn (I use frozen organic corn) 

1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese 

3 slices of crumbled bacon cooked (I use Organic humanely raised fruit smoked North Country bacon)

Preheat the oven at 350F

Butter your pan. Place the cheese, corn & bacon in the container of your choice. I use ceramic cupcake molds. 

Mix the first four (4) ingredients together. If you want a little heat, add a couple of drops of hot sauce.

Using a gravy ladle, pour the egg mixtures into your prepared cups. I fill the cups half way and mix the ingredients with the eggs.

I then pour the rest of the egg mixture into the cup and Bake at 350F for 20 to 25 minutes ... Voila!

Enjoy them warm or save them for later. They are great at room temperature. I grab a couple for lunch. You can also substitute the corn for what ever vegetable you prefer. I have done them with broccoli and also a batch with asparagus. Yummy!

Because I don't eat bacon much (as a matter of fact I only use it when called for in a recipe).. I freeze it as individual slices in a large ziplock bag. I use freeze paper (as a quilter I have tons of it) and place the strips layered between freezer paper. Works great, I just pull the number of slices I need. They thaw in no time.

Hope you enjoy this recipe. It's so easy and versitile.

Catch you all later! Bon Appetite!

Almond Cookies ... A retirement treat!

 I recently made a batch of Almond Cookies for a colleague retiring from my present work place. She loves Almond Cookies and I thought I'd bake a batch just for her. They were a hit!

Almond Cookies - The Ingredients

2 sticks unsalted butter room temperature

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

1 teaspoon Almond extract

2 cups unbleached flour (I use King Arthur Flour)

1 cup almond flour

Sugar coating

1/2 cup powdered sugar sifted

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Pre-heat the oven 350F. Combine butter, sugar, extract and salt and beat till light/fluffy. Slowly add the flour. After a bit the dough should come together. 

I use the orange Zeroll Universal EZ disher scoop, (purchased mine from King Arthur) which is a a bit larger than a teaspoon. I turn all of my dough into little balls.

I will then roll the ball into a log.

Turn the logs into crescent shapes and flatten them out. Of course you can shape them as you wish.

They are not perfect but once coated with the powdered sugar, no one will notice ;) ... I think! lol 

VERY IMPORTANT: Refrigerate the shaped cookies for at least 30 minutes prior to baking. This will help prevent spreading during baking.

BAKE at 350F for approximately 11 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack. Once cooled coat them with the powdered sugar.

Enjoy!

Summer goodness ...!

 I'm an all season gal. Every seasons has its perk ... 

Summer ... I love all the fresh vegetables. Sadly, at this point in time in my life, I do not have space for a vegetable garden ... but I can certainly enjoy the bounty of others.

I love zucchini ... and yellow squash .... They makes such a wonderful refreshing dish.  This is one of my favourite dish .....

What you will need ...

1 yellow squash

1 zucchini 

Olive oil (high quality)

Fresh garlic (you can use powder)

thyme (fresh or dried)

salt to taste

Sun-dried tomatoes

Added at the end - while in a serving dish:

Fresh lemon juice (you do not want to cook your lemon juice)

Parmesan cheese (optional)

Fresh ground pepper

Sauté the vegetable with all of the ingredients except the sun dried tomatoes. I like to add them towards the end of my desired cooking time. I like my vegetable crisp. Plate your creation and squeeze the lemon ... add the cheese. 

This was my lunch today ... so yummy

I added some pine nuts for protein. You can add cooked pasta to the dish. It is so light and a wonderful summer dish.

How are you enjoying the summer bounty? I cannot wait to have my own garden ... soon I am hoping!

Bon appétit!

Catch you all later!

Getting down to some serious baking ...!

During these times of social isolation, I find that I have more time to keep up with my Instagram account ... checking out what all my favourite bread bakers have been up to. By Sunday, after watching Martin Philip and his Son making pitas ... link here I became overwhelmed with inspiration and decided to get down to some serious baking business ... time to make some pitas

I used the Golden Pita Bread recipe from the King Arthur site and started my mise en place. Then in no time I'm ready to bake ... Okay, the wine might have helped pass time a bit quicker! lol

After a period of rest and a bit more wine, it was time to bake those pita ... check this out! Pouff!

They didn't all puff up ... but hey! It was my first first time making pitas They are quite touchy and it is a science to get them out of the oven in time before they dry out.

Voila the finish product ...

All in all, they turned out pretty good. I will admit, they are easy to make and are so delicious. With practice, I'll get pita baking down pat.

What have you been up to?

By the way, King Arthur Flour Instagram account has some wonderful baking videos. You might want to check them out at

Thanks for stopping by my littler corner in cyberspace. I do hope you have been keeping safe and healthy. Cheers!

Pizza party .....!

Last Sunday, I invited some friends over for a pizza party! What fun and I didn't have to cook! They make their own pizza so if they don't like what they're eating, it's on them! lol

The beauty of this dough is that you can "retard" the dough. That is, slow down the rate of fermentation by placing it in the refrigerator after an hour of fermentation; to be enjoyed at a later date

I made a batch dough, divided into six (6) 250g portions and threw one in the fridge while the others were in the proofer.

 Pulled it out of the fridge on Wednesday for a pizza lunch. Ohhh, looks kind of strange!

Shaped it into a nice round pizza and cooked it.

However, I still need practice using a peel ... Somehow it just doesn't slide off like in the movies! lol

It's a heart pizza!

It was delicious! Yummy lunch!

Hum ... would that be considered a left over? lol

Thanks for stopping by! Cheers!

I made pizza .... From scratch!

I've been re-watching some baking classes I purchased from Craftsy. I though it was high time I practice what I have been learning.

I used the pizza dough recipe from Richard Miscovich's book From the Wood-Fired Oven. 

I love cookbooks ... more particularly, cookbooks that are personal ... that have a story to tell ... For me the recipes are somewhat secondary .... I just love to learn about other people's passion. I do not have a wood-fired oven but I do have an electrical oven that works amazingly. 

The recipe I used had a five (5) hour bulk fermentation (yes I used my handy dandy proofer) and let me tell you it makes all the difference in taste. I also used an autolyse ... meaning I incorporated the yeast and salt at a later time.

The toppings .... whatever I had in my fridge ... so it became a vegetable pizza!

The result .... Voila!

It looks a tad wonky on the right because .... let's just say I need to practice using a peel! No, it did not roll off the peel like in the movies! lol

Here is a side view ... check out that crust!

OMG, it was delicious .... whipped out the butter and ate the crust!

I have learned that the trick to a perfectly cooked pizza is a high oven temperature and a bread/pizza stone. I purchase my stone at King Arthur Flour (one of my favourite stores). It was a tad more expensive than other places but the stone is made in the USA and I didn't have to worry about any strange chemicals used to fabricate the stone.

Contrary from what most people think, bread/pizza or any other type of baking from scratch is really not that complicated .... and the results are out of this world.

Thanks for stopping by my little corner in cyberspace. Catch you all later! Cheers!

When life gives you soon to expire cream ...

Make butter!

I've always wanted to make my own butter. I don't know, there's something about being self sufficient that entices me, peaks my curiosity.

I had a container of Organic heavy cream in my fridge that did not have a purpose within the near future.

Hum .... what do I have to lose? If it doesn't work out, I get to throw it out and if it does, I have delicious butter. 

I pulled out my stand mixer and started whipping. Make sure you have a splash guard ... it does get messy towards the end.

What an experience! 

It is so strange to see it going from a thick whipping cream to something that looks like cottage cheese ...

And as you keep going, it liquifies and then you have this ... 

Empty out the buttermilk in a different container and reserve for your favourite recipe ...

The fresh buttermilk will keep in your fridge for approximately two (2) weeks. 

Using your mixer, rinse your butter with cold/ice water by whipping it. It is important to continue mixing it with fresh cold water, discarding the water and adding fresh water until the water is fairly clear. If you skip this step, you butter will not have a long shelf life, and will sour.

Once you're done, mix in a pinch of salt. I used a fine sea salt. I shaped it using wax paper ...

Voila!

The butter is delicious .... I will most definitely make more!

Thanks for stopping by ... Catch you all later!

Vanilla Cranberry Scones ...!

I just love cranberry scones ... So I've been working on perfecting a recipe to give me a delicious Vanilla cranberry scone. It's been challenging, but I think I've got it!

THE RECIPE:

VANILLA CRANBERRY SCONES

2-3/4 cups Flour (I use King Arthur all purpose)

1/2 cup of Sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt (non iodized)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 cup cold butter (one stick)

1/2 cup Cranberries (I use frozen)

2 large Eggs

2 Teaspoon Vanilla extract (I use Nielsen Massey)

1/2 cup of cream or milk

TOPPING

2 teaspoon of milk

Demerara sugar (crystal sugar)

Preheat the over at 425F - bake 20-25 minutes

TRICKS AND TOOLS:

I like to work with a "mise en place" which means to put everything in place. It is a technique I learned when I started baking bread from scratch. By having all of my ingredients in place, I don't have to worry about missing anything ... did I add the salt?

"Mise en place" simplifies things ... yea some of you might say ... but that just creates more dishes to wash. Yes, but well worth it. Besides, I have come to enjoy doing the dishes. My mom never asked any of us kids to help wash the dishes ... we were free to play. I asked her recently about this and she said "doing the dishes was my quiet time, a time for reflection" I get it!

A great tool to have for any recipe that requires cutting in fat is a pastry cutter.

Because we will be working with cold butter, you want a sturdy one. There are two types of pastry cutter, the one that looks like a whisk is actually used for cutting in soft fats. Never use that one with hard butter, you'll trash it.

After you've mixed your dry ingredients together (I use a whisk),  add the cold butter.

Once the butter is cut into small chunks, the fun part starts! lol

With your bare (clean) hands, find the chunks and smash/flatten each chunk of butter. They should all look like this:

This will create layers in your scone ... flakier scones.

Add the cranberries. I tend to purchase cranberries in season, wash and freeze them. By using frozen cranberries, they will not break down and colour your dough while you are mixing.

Now add the liquids ... mix. Do not over mix. The goal is NOT to develop the gluten strands.

On a lightly flour surface, work the batter lightly and create the desired shape. In my case, I use a scone dish so I shape my dough into a scone circle.

I use the underside of my scone dish to mark the size of my pieces.

Place the Scone Circle on the dough and gently press to create an indentation

Cut on the lines

Place the wedges in the scone dish. Baste the scones with milk and sprinkle with a form of sugar crystal.

Voila! Delicious scones!

I hope you enjoyed this post. Drop me a note and let me know!

Catch you all later! Cheers!