Success!

For this bread, I will maintain my friendship bread sourdough starter!

Dense, chewy, and moist on the inside, crusty on the outside, with a hint of sour flavor. I think if I used half unbleached flour instead of all whole wheat, the sour flavor would be more prominent. But, I love the whole wheat goodness. This bread is going to be a standby! Baking it in the Dutch oven is easy as can be and I ended up with a huge loaf that looked, tasted and felt like an artisan loaf from the bakery.

This is definitely one to experiment with. How about whole wheat/unbleached with a bit of garlic and jalapenos; all unbleached with rosemary; all whole wheat with cinnamon and raisins....oooooh, lots of possibilities.

I also want to try the original recipe from which I got the idea for baking in the Dutch oven. It's here.

Trying new things

You know that friendship bread starter that 47 of your friends have tried to give you and when you give in and accept it, it sits in your fridge til it gets strange things growing on it. Yeah. That stuff. You know what I'm talking about.

Well, I got some from Kay the other day. I am determined this time not to let it turn colors in my fridge. The problem is, I am cutting way down on sugar and don't really want to feel obligated to make a sugary quick loaf every ten days. So, this morning I am trying an experiment.

This is a sourdough starter, right. And most of the sourdough bread I have eaten and enjoyed is not sweet, but sour and chewy and crusty and delicious. So, I'm trying an experiment. I have mixed my usual bread dough in the Magic Mill using the organic stone ground flour I got yesterday. I did add a little yeast (not depending on the sourdough to do all the rising). I'm going to let it rise a bit longer to give the sourdough time to infiltrate the loaf and give it flavor. Plus, I think a completely whole wheat bread needs a little longer rise time.

Then I will bake a nice round loaf in my cast iron pot a la the method I just found online when I went searching for how to make a crusty loaf. I am, obviously, not using the recipe in the link, but I want to try that another day. It sounds good.

I'll let you know how this experiment turns out. If it's no good, Coty will still take this bread, toast it, and eat it for breakfast. I can always count on him to say, of failed bread, "Well, it makes good toast." One of the reasons I love him.

The second new thing this morning is roasting peppers. After our walk, Amber and I were talking peppers and she told me what she did with her bumper crop of peppers. I took her advice, plus that of several online helpers, and now have two aluminum foil lined pans with banana and long green peppers roasting and filling my kitchen with the most wonderful roasty, peppery aroma.

Finally, my breakfast this morning is a new twist on an old goodie, again, thanks to Amber. My organic steel cut oats that also arrived yesterday will be in my breakfast bowl this morning. I am following Amber's method. I toasted a cup full in a small amount of butter in my cast iron Dutch oven. They are, at the moment, soaking in a mix of yogurt and water. In a little bit, I'll add more water and cook them. Amber says the toasting before cooking adds a nice flavor and keeps the oats more fluffy. Sounds good to me. I will eat these lovely oats with blackberries and a little maple syrup while I smell roasting peppers and wait for the bread to rise.

Not a bad way to start the day.

On the stove...

bubbling away and filling the house with earthy, healthy aromas are a big pot of pinto beans and a bigger pot of collard greens. I'm cooking the greens Teresa's way with an onion, a bit of chicken stock, some lemon juice, and a little salt. Homemade salsa with fresh tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, and peppers from the garden will grace the beans and brown rice. Brown rice will get cooked in the rice cooker later. Love that appliance. It's a nice big one and can cook brown rice for a crowd.

In the oven...a carrot cake.

Heading back to the kitchen to mix up cream cheese frosting while it bakes.

Currently reading...

Looks very interesting. As I think about our "Eating like the rest of the world" food experiment (stay tuned for more on that), this will be an informative read.









Curious to see what is recommended here and looking to make some dietary changes.










I also want to read Nourishing Traditions and a good cookbook. Any suggestions?

I love...

a good summer meal like last night's....Sorry, no food glamour shots.

From the Harrisburg farmer's market - okra cooked in coconut milk and curry paste, fresh corn on the cob, and the sweetest watermelon of the season.

From the garden - fried green tomatoes. Yes! Love 'em. Not particularly healthy, I know. But so good, dipped in a little corn meal and fried in olive oil with just a little salt.

From the freezer - collard greens.

And leftover from lunch - brown rice.

Here it is...Best ever cinnamon rolls

Several of you, seeing pictures of celebratory cinnamon rolls or reading about such rolls on the blog, have asked for this recipe. The page that the recipe is on fell out of the cookbook years ago. It is now taped to the inside of my kitchen cabinet for easy reference. It is one of those recipes that has oil and cinnamon stains from frequent use. I wish I could give credit to the author of the long lost cookbook. Alas, all I can tell you is that it was a bread, roll and muffin cookbook I bought long ago. I don't even have the rest of the cookbook anymore, but this recipe has survived. For good reason.

Best-Ever Cinnamon Rolls
4 1/2 to 5 cups all purpose flour
1 package (or 1 tablespoon) active dry yeast
1 cup milk
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs

For filling:
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
1 tablespoon light cream or half and half

In a mixing bowl stir together 2 1/4 cups of the flour and the yeast. In a saucepan, heat and stir milk, 1/3 cup butter, 1/3 cup granulated sugar and salt til just warm. Add to flour mixture. Add eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping the sides of the bowl. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.

On a lightly floured board or counter, knead in enough of the remaining dough to make a moderately soft dough that is smooth and elastic. Shape the dough into a ball. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface of the dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place til double, about an hour. Meanwhile, for filling combine brown sugar, the 1/4 cup flour, and cinnamon. Cut in 1/2 cup butter till crumbly and set aside.

Punch dough down on a lightly floured surface. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes (I don't do this). Roll the dough into a 12 inch square. Sprinkle filling over dough, top with raisins and nuts if you wish. Roll up jelly roll style. Slice roll into eight one inch pieces. (Sometimes I roll it into a bigger rectangle and cut each roll a bit smaller). Arrange dough rolls cut side up in a greased 12 inch deep dish pizza pan. (I usually make the thinner bigger rectangle and cut out more rolls and place them right next to each other in a greased 9 x 13 glass baking pan). Cover with oiled waxed paper, then plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours.

When ready to bake, take out of fridge and let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Brush dough with half and half or light cream (I don't usually do this). Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes or till golden brown (if the rolls are thinner, it could be a little less time). Remove rolls from oven. Brush again with half and half (I don't do this either).

Drizzle with vanilla icing made from a little milk and some powdered sugar and a little vanilla flavoring. Eat warm. Mind you, these cinnamon rolls are not health food but they are very, very delicious and will bring a smile to your face when you smell them baking. My sons will attest to this fact!

Tilapia two - no three - ways

Here, for Kathie, are my tilapia ideas. Enjoy!

Pesto Tilapia
My favorite way to prepare tilapia is with pesto. This is sooo very easy if you have plenty of fresh basil around - which I always do in the summer. Not sure I could go through the summer without plenty in my garden.

First you have to make pesto. I don't have my recipe written down anywhere. I've made it so many times, I just do it by feel. Basil, garlic, olive oil, parmesan cheese in the food processor. You can jazz it up with pine nuts or walnuts but I usually do it without nuts. Whiz it around and you've got the most wonderful, green, delicious substance the summer has to offer. Anyway, if you need a recipe, here's one you can use. It's close to what I do. Just remember, the pine nuts are not absolutely necessary.

Once you've made your pesto, simply spray a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray or coat with a little olive oil, lay the tilapia filets in it and spread pesto generously over the fish. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. That's it.

Tilapia in Coconut Milk
This second way of preparing tilapia is equally as easy and just about as delicious. I got this recipe idea from my friend, Lori, and I claim no credit for coming up with this delicious way to prepare tilapia.

Once again, spread your tilapia filets in a 9 x 13 inch pan (no greasing the pan necessary on this one). Pour a whole can of coconut milk over the tilapia. Add a few thinly sliced pieces of fresh ginger, a sprinkling of fresh cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. And then enjoy!

We like both of these tilapia dishes served over rice with the pan juices drizzled over the rice. Oh, so good.

Both are good with a simple green salad or an Asian style slaw with thinly sliced napa cabbage and red, yellow and green sweet pepper strips with a dressing of a little vinegar, a tad of sugar, and a few dashes of hot chili sesame oil (if you don't like it so spicy, use regular sesame oil). Toss it all together, sprinkle a few cashews on top and refrigerate til ready to serve.

One more tilapia idea
I have written before about how much I love Lynne Rosetto Casper and her radio cooking show. I now receive her email newsletter and every time I read it, I want to try her recipes. The last newsletter included an idea for a very simple way to prepare fish. I think I'll try it next time I do tilapia. Here's a link to her current newsletter with Sicilian Sweet-Sour Seafood Saute.

OK, it's time for dinner. Nothing nearly as exciting at our house as the tilapia dishes above tonight. Just good old mac and cheese made my mom's way which is the best. With three bean salad and fruit salad and fresh bread. Joel's been asking for mac and cheese for awhile. Happy to oblige, sweet boy.