Everything's Coming Up Zinnias!

I haven't had much time to write this week, so I hope you enjoy this riot of color courtesy of my crazy, haphazard flower garden.  I love these flowers with their multi-tonal hues.  For some reason, the colors remind me of a birthday party.  If only my birthday wasn't in the dead of winter...I would throw myself a party with vasefuls of zinnias in lieu of balloons!

In between a conference, a wedding and cat wrangling, I'll try to find time to complete my much-anticipated frozen yogurt project.  Okay, it's probably only much anticipated by me.  But, it has a holiday-inspired color theme.  I just felt the excitement level raise a couple of notches!

See you this weekend!  

In Honor of Father's Day

The words a father speaks to his children in the privacy of his home may not be heard at the time, but - as in whispering galleries - they will be heard at the end and in posterity. 

-Jean Paul Richter 1763 - 1825

April Showers Bring May Flowers, June Showers Bring...Vegetables!

During the summer months, I work 9 hours a day Monday through Thursday and 4 hours on Friday.  I look forward to getting a head start on the weekend and having the opportunity to catch up on some errands that usually get pushed to the side during the course of the week.

Stepping out the door on my way to work this morning, I felt like I was walking into a steam room.  As the temperature rose throughout the morning, the still air became oppressively hot and thick.  I was planning on coming home and working on my blog after picking up a few groceries.  However, Mother Nature had other plans.  

About four o'clock, I was forced to shut down the computer, herd the cats downstairs and try to entertain them while a summer storm blew through.  Mostly, they were just really confused because we usually only put them downstairs at night and have to bribe them with food.  Ducky especially kept wandering over to the food dishes and giving me these really perplexed looks.  "Hello...I'm in the basement.  Where's the food?"  I guess Pavlov was right. 

Fortunately, the storm was over within 20 minutes and left no tornadoes, hail damage or power outages in its wake.  The magical thing about the storms that have visited our area recently is that they are not without their effects on the world around us.  Stepping out into my backyard once the storm had passed, I noticed a few things that I swear were not there the day before.  Like this...

and this...

and this.

Okay, I don't really believe that the storm deposited some vegetable-generating fairy dust on my plants.  However, along with this beautiful bushel basket of green goodness (yay for alliteration!), I'm beginning to anticipate incorporating more fresh and locally grown foods into our meals.  This is our second year purchasing a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) subscription from MoGoOrganic. 

We receive a basket of organically-grown produce every other week from early June through early October.  It's always an adventure because you never know what you're going to get.  Tonight, we had assorted greens sauteed with olive oil, garlic and sea salt.  I also had enough peas from my little garden for each of us to have about a tablespoon along with some fresh mint.  

Even if you don't have room or time for a garden, be sure to take advantage of farmer's markets and produce stands that operate in your area.  And, don't forget generous friends who are bound to have an over-abundance of tomatoes, green beans or zucchini.  Eating seasonally and locally is not only good for you but also good for the environment.

Here's to enjoying the best that this season has to offer!

Bread in 5 Minutes a Day (Step-by-Step)

In an earlier post, I mentioned an experiment with homemade bread in five minutes a day. I never would have believed that bread this good could be this simple to make. Honestly, if you can measure, stir and tell time, you can make this bread. No kneading required! Even though I halved the original recipe, I've been very pleased with the results. Its firm, crunchy crust and chewy interior belies the minimal amount of work required. I hope you enjoy this stress-free way of creating artisan-quality bread at home.

For the original recipe and story behind this method, see this article from Mother Earth News. Please note that "5 Minutes" refers to the active prep time, not the cumulative amount of time from start to finish. :)

Basic Boule
Yields 2 small loaves

Here's what you'll need:

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

3/4 Tablespoon granulated yeast

3/4 Tablespoon kosher or sea salt

3 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose white flour

Cornmeal

1. Pour water into a lidded container. Add the yeast and salt and stir with a wooden spoon. Don't worry if it doesn't dissolve completely. Also, you will notice on the sides of my container the remains of a previous batch of dough. The leftover bits of the older dough will help to develop the flavor of the new batch.

2. Mix in the flour until uniformly moist. This only takes a minute or two and should produce a loose, wet dough.

3. Cover loosely and let rise at room temperature for at least two and up to five hours.

4. The dough will at least double in size and the top will collapse or flatten out. It can be used at any time after this step, but is best of refrigerated for at least three hours. This dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, and the longer it is stored the better the flavor.

5. When you're ready to bake, prepare a piece of parchment paper by sprinkling it liberally with cornmeal. (The original recipe calls for use of a pizza peel, which I don't own. The parchment paper seems to be a good solution for getting the shaped dough onto the hot baking stone.) Take the container of dough out of the refrigerator and sprinkle the surface with flour. For this loaf, I used half of the dough - a piece approximately the size of a grapefruit. Add flour as needed so it won't stick to your hands. Shape the dough into a ball by pulling the surface of the dough on each "side" to the bottom. You will end up with four bunched ends on the bottom of the dough. Place the ball on the parchment paper and let it rest for about 40 minutes.

6. 20 minutes before baking, place a baking stone on the middle rack of the oven and an empty broiler pan on the bottom rack. Preheat the oven to 450.

7. Make a few slashes (1/4 inch deep) in the surface of the bread to help it expand while baking. Most people use a sharp knife for this; I actually used a pair of kitchen shears in this instance. You will notice that I have also brushed away the excess cornmeal from around the bread because the exposed cornmeal has a tendency to burn. Once the oven is heated, place the bread and parchment paper on the baking stone. Quickly pour about a cup of water into the broiler pan and quickly close the door (Warning - there will be hissing, sizzling and steam!). Bake for about 30 minutes, or until crust is browned and firm.

8. This is what it should look like when you remove it from the oven:

Beautiful! You may hear the bread crackle, or "sing", as it is cooling.

You're supposed to let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing, but I just couldn't resist!

For the ultimate indulgence, this bread makes killer French toast. If you make it with fresh-out-of-the-oven bread, be sure to pop it in the toaster or oven to dry it out a little.

I'm in love ...

... with my new washing machine!

On the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend, I came home from work early hoping to spend a little time tidying up before my parents arrived for a visit.  Part of my plan included throwing a small load of clothes into the washing machine.  Soon after I started the cycle, I heard a loud noise and went down to investigate.  I was greeted by the sight of what seemed like cascades of water pour out of the bottom of our 26-year-old GE.  After frantically turning off the water supply and calling the repair, we soon learned that "Old Faithful" was beyond help.  So, for the past three weeks, I have been handwashing clothes in the bathtub.  Although it's a good upper body workout, it's really not the most thorough method of cleaning clothes.  Did I mention that I hate going to the laundromat?

Today, our brand-new Kenmore 700 was delivered and I couldn't wait to come home and start doing laundry.  You don't realize how much you miss something until it's gone.  If this machine lasts at least half as long is it's predecessor, I'll be satisfied.  They just don't make 'em like they used to.

.......................................................

Here's a little dose of cuteness for your Monday!

Buddy & Ducky doing what they do best - if you don't count eating, pooping and destroying various household items.

I'm a little obsessed with ...

... cherries!

Bread in Five Minutes a Day

The results of my first experiment with 5-minute bread ...

Crusty, chewy, and easy, easy, easy!  A step-by-step pictorial recipe coming soon ...

Simple Sweet Potato Fries

I haven't gone grocery shopping since, well, I can't even remember.  We've kind of been improvising with whatever we can find in the fridge and pantry.  In that spirit, here is a recipe requiring minimal ingredients and time that has sustained us in between trips to the store.

Sweet Potato Fries

It is only recently that sweet potatoes have been widely recognized as the superfood that they are, chock full of complex carbohydrates, fiber, beta carotene, vitamin C and B6.  For years, their true value has been hidden under mounds of marshmallows and stuffed into lard-laden pie crusts.  Not that there's anything wrong with that.

This simple preparation makes a great accompaniment to any pork dish or a healthier-than-most midnight snack.  (I never measure anything when making this recipe, so I apologize for the lack of accuracy.  Just make this according to your own taste and you can't go wrong!)

2 medium sweet potatoes

Vegetable or olive oil

Salt

Sugar

Your favorite blend of spices (chili powder, curry, jerk seasoning, etc)

Preheat oven to 425.

Wash and dry the potatoes.  Cut off the ends and slice in half, both lengthwise and crosswise.  Place each section flat side down and slice approximately 1/4 inch thick.  Place in 9 x 13 pan and toss with enough oil to coat, about 2 Tablespoons.  Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar, a few pinches of salt, and the spices of your choice.  You could also enjoy these with sugar, salt and freshly ground black pepper or seasoning salt in place of regular salt.  Toss again.

Place in oven for approximately 40-45 minutes, or until tender.  Let cool slightly before serving.  Enjoy!

Pasta with Sausage, Peppers and Onions: The Recipe

As I mentioned before, this is adapted from a recipe in Giada De Laurentiis' Everyday Pasta.  I had to make a few substitutions based on what I had available in the house.  If you have fresh herbs on hand, feel free to use them instead of dried (you will just need to increase the amount).  The wine and sugar comes into play because I didn't have any Marsala, a sweet fortified wine.  Jeff, who usually turns his nose up at most pasta dishes, raved about this one.

3/4 pound of pasta, such as rigatoni, penne rigate or campanelle

2 Tablespoons oil, olive or vegetable

1 pound sweet Italian turkey (or chicken) sausages 

2 bell peppers (red, yellow or orange), sliced

1 large yellow onion, cut in half and sliced

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

2 Tablespoons dried basil

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup Shiraz or other red wine

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes with juice

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add the sausages and cook until brown on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes.  Remove the sausages from the pan.

Keeping the pan over medium heat, add the bell peppers, onions, salt, and pepper and cook until golden, 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, oregano, and basil and cook for 2 minutes.  Stir in the tomato paste; then add the wine, sugar, tomatoes with juice and red pepper flakes.  Stir and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.  Bring mixture to a simmer.

Cut the sausages into slices about 1/2 inch thick.  Return them to the pan and simmer, uncovered, until the sauce has thickened.  This will take about 15-20 minutes.  (You may need to add salt after the sauce is done and before you combine it with the pasta.  It's okay if it seems a little salty - it's not very much sauce and it has to flavor a lot of pasta.)

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 8-10 minutes.  Drain the pasta, reserving a cup of the pasta water.  Add the pasta to the thickened sauce and toss to combine, adding pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Serves 4.

A few images from the weekend ...

Pain au chocolat at St. Louis Bread Company/Panera

A man and his toys are not easily separated.

Blind Pilot opening for The Decemberists

The Pageant

The find of the weekend - Old Rasputin Imperial Stout

Enjoyed at Brandt's in University City

A clear, sunny day in The Loop

University City

..............................................................................

And then we came home to find a dead bat in the middle of the living room next to the cats' pink fuzzy mouse toy.  At least we know they were entertained.

I think this one had something to do with it.