Garlic Bread

Garlic bread is something that I could eat even when I'm not hungry. It's especially delicious when made from homemade baguettes. I posted the baguette recipe before but now I'll give you my recipe for warm, tasty garlic bread. We eat it with pasta or chili and sometimes, we'll just eat it by itself!

Garlic Bread

INGREDIENTS

1 loaf of baguette or other crusty bread

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (can add more if you like it garlicky)

1/4 grated cheese (you can use cheddar or something tangy) (optional)

STEPS

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Slice the loaves diagonally to make individual slices, but do not cut all the way through.
• Melt the butter in the microwave in a small, microwaveable dish. Stir in the garlic powder.
• Using a spoon or a brush, spread the butter onto both sides of the bread slices. If using cheese, sprinkle cheese on top of the loaf.
• Wrap the loaf in foil and place in preheated oven for 10 minutes. If you like the bread crispy, you can open up the foil in the last few minutes to brown or place under the broiler.

Not Just for Christmas!

We were invited to a friend's house for some food and fun while we watch a hockey game. We were asked to bring something for dessert, so I thought long and hard about what would be a good dessert. Rum balls came to mind. They're normally a treat enjoyed during the Christmas season, but I don't see why we shouldn't have them whenever we want! This is an easy recipe to follow and is a lot of fun to make. You can even substitute any kind of nuts or alcohol that you like, or you can leave out the nuts for those with allergies. Play with the recipe and make it your own!

Rum Balls

INGREDIENTS

3 cups crushed vanilla wafers

3/4 cup icing sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

3 tablespoons corn syrup

1 1/2 finely chopped walnuts

1/2 cup rum

STEPS

1. Using a blender or a food processor, crush the vanilla wafers into a powder like bread crumbs. You can use vanilla wafers with the creme filling if you like your rum balls a bit sweeter, otherwise you can use plain vanilla wafers without the filling. These can be found at your local bulk food store. You can even experiment with different flavors of wafers like chocolate or strawberry.
2. Using the blender or food processor, finely chop the walnuts (or whatever nuts you choose to use). If you like a bit of crunch in your rum balls, leave the nuts a bit chunkier. If you like them smooth, then chop them until they turn to a powder.
3. In a large bowl, stir together the crushed wafers, icing sugar, cocoa powder and nuts. Then blend in the corn syrup and rum.
4. Using about 1 teaspoonful of the mixture, shape it into 1-inch balls. You can roll the balls in sweetened cocoa powder or icing sugar. I learned the hard way that coconut and sprinkles don't stick very well unless you dip the balls in more alcohol or cover them in melted sugar first.
5. Store the balls, refrigerated, in an airtight container for several days to develop the flavor. Roll again in icing sugar or cocoa powder before serving. Makes approximately 30 balls.

This is a versatile recipe and you can change the ingredients around to suit your tastes. I divided up the recipe into thirds and made two of the batches with almonds and the other with walnuts. I used rum in the walnut batch, triple sec (orange flavored liqueur) with one of the almond batches and amaretto (almond flavored liqueur) with the other. But you can use anything you like. Try it with pecans, hazelnuts, pistachios, or whatever you like. You can even make the balls a bit more exotic by using alcohol like Bailey's or Kahlua. Have fun playing with the recipe!

Quick and Easy Chili

Fall is in the air and it's time to start making some hearty dishes again. With the house for sale, we're cooking things that can last a few meals and can be done relatively quickly. Here's a quick and easy chili that tastes pretty good. You can experiment with the type of pasta sauce that you use to achieve different flavors.

Quick and Easy Chili

INGREDIENTS

1 to 1-1/2 pounds ground beef or turkey

1 medium sized onion, diced

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 can red kidney beans, rinsed

1 bottle pasta sauce, e.g. Ragu

1 chipotle pepper, chopped (optional)

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated (optional)

STEPS

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the meat, onions and chili powder and cook until the meat it is no longer pink. If using ground beef, you will want to drain the liquid once it is cooked. If using turkey, there is no need to drain since it is leaner than beef.
2. Add the beans and the pasta sauce. If you are using a chipotle pepper, add it now. Stir together and bring to a boil. Once it has reached a boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Serve in bowls and sprinkle grated cheddar on top if desired. I usually serve the chili with garlic bread made from my own baguettes. This recipe makes 4 large servings or 6 small servings.

Baguettes

The smell of freshly baked bread is absolutely irresistible. Today, I decided to make some multigrain baguettes for us to enjoy. The recipe below is for regular baguettes, but you can substitute some or all of the flour for different kinds depending on what kind of baguette you want to make. For my multigrain baguettes, I substituted 1 cup of multigrain bread flour for the white flour. You can also use an egg wash instead of the milk for a harder, crispier crust. To make the egg wash, mix 1 egg or 1 egg white with 1 tablespoon of water.

Baguette Recipe

INGREDIENTS

1 cup very warm water

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

2 1/2 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons milk

STEPS

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar into the water. Sprinkle the yeast on top of the water and let sit for 5 minutes.
2. Add the bread flour and mix together to form dough. Then add the salt and knead in. Knead dough for a few minutes until it forms a ball of dough. It should still be slightly sticky. Once kneaded, cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
3. Once the dough has risen, punch it down. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 16 x 12 inch rectangle. Cut the dough in half, forming two 8x12 inch rectangles. Beginning from the 12 inch side, roll each half of dough up tightly, then gently pinch in the ends and fold over to seal. Turn the roll over and pinch the seam shut. Gently roll it back and forth to smooth out the seam. Cover and allow to rise for another 35 minutes.
    
    
    
   
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. If you have a baking stone, preheat the stone in the oven. If not, you may transfer the baguettes to a cookie sheet for baking.
5. Once the baguettes have doubled in size, gently brush the milk over the tops of the loaves. Then, with a very sharp knife, make deep diagonal slashes across each loaf about 2 inches apart. 
   
6. If using a baking stone, bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. If using a cookie sheet, bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool on a rack.

For Sale

Well, the house is for sale and our lives have been turned upside down. We're constantly cleaning the house to make it spotless for people coming in to see it and with people in and out of the house at various times, it's made cooking and blogging happen sporadically. Sorry, I'll try to be better about it, but for now, just keep your fingers crossed that we'll sell the house soon.

You Learn Something New Everyday...

I was so excited to buy a sugar pumpkin and make pumpkin puree. I actually made it and took some photos. I put it all into a mason jar, got out my immersion blender and whipped it all up into a puree and let it sit and cool off. Then I put it into the freezer because I wouldn't be using it until this weekend. Well, I looked in the freezer when I went to get something else out. It turns out that I must not have let it cool down enough. The glass broke. I had to throw out the puree so I never got to try it. I will make it again, but not until things are more settled at home. I will also post a picture or two of the puree that I made, but it may be a few days before I get the chance.

Regardless, here's how I made the puree.

1 sugar pumpkin, cut in half, stem, seeds and pulp removed

Place the pumpkin on a cookie sheet and cover each half with aluminum foil. Roast in an oven preheated to 325 degrees F for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. It will be ready when it is tender enough to easily poke with a fork. While still hot, scoop out the flesh and put into a blender or into a jar and use an immersion blender. Blend until you form a puree.

Then, as I learned, allow to fully cool before refrigerating or freezing.

As promised, here are the photos.

  

A Lazy Catnap Kind of Day

It was a busy week for us all, including Riley and Nutmeg so we were all happy to see the weekend arrive. Riley was happy to relax in the office while I did a few things on the computer and Nutmeg, who is always with me when I'm home, was there too. She hadn't seen me for most of the week, so she insisted on being as close to me as possible. This is one of the few photos I managed to take that didn't show her as a blur while she tried to climb into my lap.

Riley was missing his dad since his dad was out during the day. This is Riley's "When is Papa coming home?" look.

Riley and Nutmeg haven't always gotten along and sometimes, they still have a few spats, but Nutmeg still adores her big brother. She knows that she's not allowed to get too close to him otherwise he'll get mad. This is her getting as close to him as she can without annoying him. The expression on her face just tells you how much she wants to turn around and climb on top of Riley and give him a good ol' snuggle.

There's a first time for everything!

Yesterday was actually the first time that Riley has ever let Nutmeg sleep so close to him. Look how happy she is!

He looks pretty happy too, but shhhh, don't tell him!

Every day should be spent like this!