Crusty French Bread

One of our favorite breads to eat with a bowl full of soup...

2 cups warm water
1 Tablespoon yeast
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon oil
2 tsp salt
4 1/2 cups - 5 cups of flour
1/4 cup wheat gluten

Proof water, yeast, and sugar in mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix/knead the dough for 10 minutes. Form dough into a ball and rub oil all around it. Let it double in size. Shape into two loaves. Place on a pan sprayed with Pam and sprinkled with cornmeal. Make slits in the top of the loaf with a sharp knife. Let rise to double in size a second time. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place loaves in oven and bake for 30 minutes. For a crustier crust, spray with water 2-3 times during baking cycle.

Avocado Slaw

Okay so Duane and I love to watch The Next Food Network Star. This is one of my favorite recipes for this season. Susie Jiminez calls it Cabbage Slaw, I like to call it

AVOCADO SLAW

1 head of cabbage, shredded.
1 red onion, chopped finely
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped very fine
3 limes, juiced
2 avocados
1-2 jalapenos, fined chopped
1 cucumber, deseeded and finely sliced
1/4 to 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, rubbed in between hands into the bowl

Combine all the ingredients and season with salt and pepper ( in my rush, I forgot the salt and pepper and didn't even miss it!)
I quickly mashed my avocados with a potato masher, leaving some chunks as well. Mix it in softly and not too much (can produce a bitter flavor with too much mixing).

This is tasty as a side dish. I would use it on chicken and fish tacos as well. Soooo YUMMY!!!

Seriously Enjoy!!

Thai Fillet of Fish in Banana Leaves

SORRY NO PICTURE - WILL HAVE TO INCLUDE LATER!

So we just left my father-in-law's and mother-in-law's home following an awesome holiday celebration together. We had a wonderful Hawaiian meal for New Year's Eve prepared by my sister-in-law and my niece! Anyway, the left behind some Taro leaves. My mother-in-law said that she would never use them and I excitedly accepted them so that I could make one of the wonderful dishes again. I got home and found that she also sent some banana leaves! Banana leaves! What am I going to do with banana leaves?? I found this recipe on About.com. It goes together so easily. The only problem I found was in interpretation of measurements. I will provide the original recipe and then what I did.

I loved wrapping the fish in the banana leaves and my kids loved unwrapping the banana leaves to reveal the fish! My 6-year old son said, "This is like unwrapping a present!" The recipe says you can use aluminum foil as well, but I am here to tell you that you should definitely make the trip to a Polynesian or Asian store and pick up some banana leaves for two reasons: 1) Would your son ever think opening aluminum foil was even remotely reminiscent of opening a present? and 2) There is a distinct added flavour from the banana leaves! YUM!

So here it goes:

2-3 fillets salmon, red snapper, cod, or other fish, preferably fresh, but frozen will work too (SERVES 2-3), I USED 3 FILLETS OF SALMON
1 pkg. banana leaves (if frozen, thaw for at least 1/2 hour) OR 2-4 sheets parchment paper, OR tin foil, MOST DEFINITELY BANANA LEAVES!

COCONUT MARINADE/SAUCE:
1 shallot I USED 1 ONION, WE DIDN'T HAVE A SHALLOT, PLUS ONIONS ARE LESS POTENT
2 cloves garlic
1 thumb-size piece galangal (or ginger), sliced I USED 1/2 TSP GROUND GINGER
2 tsp. ground coriander
handful of basil leaves I USED 1 TBLS DRIED BASIL
2 Tbsp. fish sauce I DON'T DO FISH SAUCE, CAN'T STAND THE SMELL. I'LL EAT IT THOUGH IF YOU PUT IT IN :)
1/2 can good-quality coconut milk I USED THE WHOLE CAN OF COCONUT MILK
2 kaffir lime leaves, snipped into slivers with scissors, OR 1 tsp. lime zest I USED FRESH LEMON ZEST FROM 1 LEMON
1 fresh red chili, sliced, OR 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. dried crushed chili from the spice aisle I USED DRIED RED CHILI, NOT CRUSHED
1 tsp. chili powder
juice of 1/2 lime I USED JUICE FROM 1 LEMON

Preparation:

Place all curry marinade/sauce ingredients in a food processor (or blender) and process well.
Place fish fillets in a large bowl and add 1/2 the curry marinade. Reserve the rest for later.
Slather the marinade over both sides of the fish, then let it sit in the refrigerator 10 to 15 minutes. Tip: If you're pressed for time, you can cook the fish immediately, as the flavors are so strong, they will still permeate the fish sufficiently.
When fish is done marinading, spread a banana leaf approximately 1 foot square on a working surface (you will have to cut the leaf) - or the equivalent of parchment paper or tin foil. Place one fillet in the center of the leaf/paper/foil.
Fold both sides of the wrapping material over the fish, then fold both ends to create a square "packet". Turn it seam-side down to keep sides from opening (unless using foil, which will stay by itself). Do the same for the other fillets.
Place packets in a glass casserole dish or pie plate (to catch the drippings in case packets leak) and bake for 15 min. at 350 degrees, or longer depending on the thickness of the fillets.
After 15 minutes, open one of the packets. Insert a fork into the center of the fillet or steak (the thickest part) and gently pull back. If inside flesh is opaque and no longer transparent, the fish is cooked. If not, return to oven for another 5-10 minutes.
Over low heat, warm up the reserved curry sauce/marinade.
To serve the fish, scoop several spoonfuls of rice onto the side of the fish (right on the banana leaf, if using). Spoon some curry sauce (marinade) over the fish, then add a sprinkling of basil and/or coriander leaves. Serving Tips: This dish goes especially well with Easy Thai Coconut Rice.

AWESOME! ENJOY!

Christmas Eve Profiteroles

Step 1:

Cream Puffs

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs

In a medium saucepan combine water, butter, and salt. Bring to boiling. Add flour all at once, stirring vigorously. Cook and stir until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat. Cool for 10 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with a wooden spoon after each addition.

Drop dough by 12 heaping tablespoons onto a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degree for 30-35 minutes or till golden. Cool on a wire rack.

Step 2:

Fill Cream puffs with Farr Better Peppermint Stick Ice Cream

Step 3:
Drizzle with Hot Fudge Sauce. Recipe follows.

Hot Fudge Sauce

1 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3 cups sugar
1 can evaporated milk

Bring the above ingredients to a boil and continue to boil for 7-8 minutes. Then remove from heat and add

1 tsp vanilla

Serve warm to hot.

ENJOY!

Blueberry Buckle

Oh my goodness! This is my new favorite blueberry recipe!! Aidan saw it on Alton Brown's "Kinda Blue" Episode, which I missed for the most part. He begged me to make it because it looked so good. Good job, Aidan! I placed it in my memory if we ever had blueberries. Well, as you may know, we went to 2 blueberry U-pick farms on our recent adventure to Oregon (One in Banks, Oregon and one in Mt. Hood, Oregon) We came home with 2 gallons of blueberries and of course we all enjoyed them very much on the way home (dare I say Cora enjoyed them the most? And that is saying something, because we all loved them!)

So, I watched the demonstration of the Blueberry Buckle on Hulu today and brought out some frozen Oregon blueberries! YUMMY!

I followed the directions exactly, except that I believe if a little fruit is good, a lot of fruit is better so I used probably 1/2 cup more blueberries than Alton.

Ingredients

For the cake:

Nonstick cooking spray
9 ounces cake flour, approximately 2 cups
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
5 1/4 ounces sugar, approximately 3/4 cup
1 large egg
1/2 cup whole milk
15 ounces fresh whole blueberries, approximately 3 cups

For the topping:

3 1/2 ounces sugar, approximately 1/2 cup
1 1/2 ounces cake flour, approximately 1/3 cup
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 ounces unsalted butter, chilled and cubed

Directions

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Spray a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and ground ginger. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, approximately 1 minute. Add the egg and beat until well incorporated, approximately 30 seconds. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat on low speed just until incorporated and then add 1/3 of the milk and beat until incorporated. Repeat, alternating flour and milk until everything has combined. Gently stir in the blueberries and pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.

For the topping:

In a small bowl combine the sugar, flour and nutmeg. Add the butter and work into the dry ingredients using a fork to combine. Continue until the mixture has a crumb-like texture. Sprinkle the mixture on top of the cake. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 35 minutes or until golden in color. Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Smoked Paprika Freezer Peaches

I got this recipe from watching Alton Brown. This is a huge keeper and trust me the smoked Paprika always comes as a big surprise to people, but you will never see more magnificient color or enjoy a more lovely taste than in these freezer peaches! They are so easy to prepare and there is relatively little clean-up. What's not to like???



Ingredients
4 ounces granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground children's Vitamin C
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 pound peeled and pitted fresh peaches, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices

Directions
Place the sugar, Vitamin C and paprika into a 1-gallon zip-top bag, seal and shake to combine. Add the peaches and toss to coat well. Lay the bag flat on a counter and using a straw, suck out any remaining air in the bag. Return to the freezer.

Blackberry-Plum Cobbler

This recipe was an attempt to make a cobbler as good as Roseanna's in Oceanside, Oregon! I have always loved the marionberry cobbler there. I love how they serve it individually and I love how the fruit filling is so abundant! I love theirs so much that I refuse to buy marionberry cobbler anywhere else as I have always been disappointed. We do not grow marionberries, however, and we have a good harvest of plums and blackberries. Verdict on this cobbler?? My son says repeatedly that this cobbler "is better than Roseanna's". Today he even suggested they might be hiring someone to work at Roseanna's and I could get hired. Then he listed all the days that he wanted me off work so they we could go have fun on the beach! :)



BISCUIT
2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks cold butter
1/2 cup boiling water

FILLING
4 cups blackberries
4 cups plums
2 cups sugar
2 T lemon juice
4 T cornstarch
1/2 c cold water

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

For Biscuit: In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 1/4 cup boiling water just until mixture is evenly moist.

For Filling: in a separate bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in cold water. Mix sugar, lemon juice, blackberries, and plums a big pot on stove. Add the cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

Pour the filling into individual custard dishes or into a baking dish. Drop biscuit dough from a cookie scoop (1 scoop in each custard dish, scoops as you desire in baking dish. I like to limit them to really enjoy the fruit filling)

Place the custard dishes or the baking dish on the foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes until dough is golden brown.