Golden Focaccia from King Arthur Flour

Starter
1/2 cup (4 ounces) cool water
1/16 teaspoon instant yeast or 1/16 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Dough
all of the starter
1/2 cup (4 ounces) lukewarm water
2 teaspoons instant yeast or 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
2 cups (8 ½ ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk
2 tablespoons (7/8 ounce) olive oil

Topping
Olive oil
Dried rosemary
Coarsely ground black pepper
Coarse sea salt or kosher salt

1) To make the starter: Mix the water and yeast, then add the flour, stirring till the flour is incorporated. Cover and let rest at room temperature for about 14 hours; the starter will be bubbly. If you make this in the late afternoon, it’ll be ready to go by the next morning.

2) To make the dough: Combine the starter, water, and yeast. Stirring to combine. Add the remaining dough ingredients, and mix and knead—by hand, mixer, or bread machine set on the dough cycle—to make a soft, smooth dough.

3) Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let it rise for 1 hour. Gently deflate it, and allow it to rise for another hour; it should have doubled in bulk from its original volume.

4) Lightly grease an 18" x 13" rimmed baking sheet (or two 9" x 13" pans) with non-stick vegetable oil spray. Drizzle olive oil atop the spray; the spray keeps the bread from sticking, while the olive oil gives the bottom crust great crunch and flavor.

5) If you’re using the baking sheet, gently pull and shape the dough into a rough rectangle, and pat it into the pan. As soon as it begins to fight you and shrink back, stop patting. If you’re using two 9" x 13" pans, divide the dough in half, shape each half into a rough rectangle, and pat one piece into each pan. When the pieces start to shrink back, stop patting. Wait 15 minutes; pat the dough farther towards the edges of the pan(s). Repeat once more, if necessary, till the dough is close to covering the bottom of the pan(s).

6) Cover the pan(s), and allow the dough to rise for 2 to 3 hours, till it’s very puffy, almost billowy. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 400°F.

7) Gently dimple the dough at irregular intervals with your fingers, pressing down firmly, but not abruptly; you don’t want to deflate it too much.

8) Spritz heavily with warm water, and drizzle with olive oil (enough to collect a bit in the dimples), then sprinkle with rosemary (or the herb of your choice), black pepper, and a tiny bit of coarse salt.

9) Bake the focaccia for about 10 minutes. Reverse the pan(s) in the oven (top pan on the bottom, bottom pan on the top), and bake for an additional 10 minutes, until the focaccia is light golden brown. Remove it from the oven, and immediately turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool.

Yield: One large or two smaller focaccia, about 12 generous servings.

Cavatappi with Vodka Sauce

1 and lb. cavatappi pasta
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, minced
One half cup vodka
One half pound prosciutto, cut up in small pieces
2 28-oz. cans plum tomatoes
1 cup fat fee half and half cream
1 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/4 C fresh basil
2 cups frozen peas
One cup grated Romano cheese

Saute onion and garlic in a pan with olive oil until brown, about 5 minutes. Add prosciutto and saute for 3-5 minutes to crisp it up. Add tomatoes and liquid. Cook down for about 10-15 minutes. Add crushed red pepper, basil and peas and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add heavy cream,cheese and vodka and cook for 5 more minutes until sauce thickens. Meanwhile, in a separate pot, boil pasta until it is al dente and drain. Serve with extra cheese.

Zucchini "Crab" Cakes

2 1/2 cups grated zucchini
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup minced onion
1 T Old Bay Seasoning TM
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying
In a large bowl, combine zucchini, egg, and butter or margarine. Stir in seasoned crumbs, minced onion, and seasoning. Mix well.
Shape mixture into patties. Dredge in flour.
In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium high heat until hot. Fry patties in oil until golden brown on both sides.

Spicy Orange Chicken Skewers

2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken sliced in strips
1 C olive oil
2 T minced fresh parsley leaves
1 T grated lemon rind
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 c orange marmalade
Combine all marinade ingredients and marinate chicken in the refrigerator for 4 hours. Remove chicken from refrigerator and bring to room temp for 30 minutes. place on skewers and grill a few minutes on each side. for dipping sauce Combine on the stove:1 c apricot preserves, 2 T red wine vinegar, 1 T minced fresh parsley leaves, 1 tsp. grated lemon zest, salt and pepper, 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes. Let simmer for 10 minutes to thicken. Serve with skewers.

Harvard Beets

Our garden fresh beets! First scrub the beets. Place in a large stockpot with salted water and boil for 30-45 minutes or until fork tender. In a seperate sauce pan heat 3/4 C. sugar, 2 tsp.cornstarch, 1/3 C vinegar, 1/3 C water and boil for 5 minutes. Drain the beets and with a paper towel peel the skins off, quarter the beets. Place vinegar mix in the stockpot with the beets and simmer for 30 minutes. Add 3 T butter season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Maple Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
3 teaspoons maple flavored extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts

In a mixing bowl, beat the 3 eggs; add oil, sugars and flavoring, mixing until foamy. Blend in the flour, wheat germ, baking powder, soda, and salt. Stir in zucchini and nuts. Pour batter into 2 greased bread pans
Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 1 hour. Cool.

Zucchini Cake

1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup butter, room temp.
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini and walnuts. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched. To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and butter; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl add confectioners' sugar, milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mix. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.

Twice Baked Potatoes from Cook's Illustrated Magazine

4 russet potatoes (7 to 8 ounces each), scrubbed, dried, and rubbed lightly with vegetable oil

4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3 medium scallions, white and green parts sliced thin (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper
1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake potatoes on foil-lined baking sheet until skin is crisp and deep brown and a skewer easily pierces flesh, about 1 hour. Setting baking sheet aside, transfer potatoes to wire rack and let sit until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.

2. Using an oven mitt or folded kitchen towel to handle hot potatoes, cut each potato in half so that blunt sides will rest on work surface. Using a small dinner spoon, scoop flesh from each half into medium bowl, leaving 1/8- to 1/4-inch thickness of flesh in each shell. Arrange shells on lined sheet and return to oven until dry and slightly crisped, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mash potato flesh with fork until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients, including ground black pepper to taste, until well combined.

3. Remove shells from oven and increase oven setting to broil. Holding shells steady on pan with oven mitt or towel, spoon mixture into crisped shells, mounding slightly at the center, and return to oven.I topped with extra cheese and bacon.
Broil until spotty brown and crisp on top, 10 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Crockpot Corned Beef , Carrots & Cabbage

In a crockpot Layer half of the carrots( fresh from our garden) then the corned beef the other half of the carrots, and 1 head of cabbage( also fresh form our garden) add 1-1 1/2 cups water salt and pepper to taste and 3 bay leaves.

Fig Bars from allrecipes.com

1 cup water
3 cups dried figs
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Soak figs in the water for 1 hour. In a small saucepan, combine the fig mixture with the sugar, and cook over medium heat until thick and stewy. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the milk and vanilla until smooth. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt, stir into the creamed mixture. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
Divide the dough into two pieces and knead each piece about 5 or 6 times. On a well floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Line the prepared pan with one piece of the dough. Spread the fig mixture over it, then cover with the other piece of dough.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Cool and cut into squares.

Almond Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1&1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-7 oz box
Odense Almond Paste
1&1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar, divided
2 large egg whites, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
40 almonds or halved marashino cherries


Preheat oven to 325° F with rack in center. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a small bowl. Set aside.
Grate almond paste on large hole side of grater.
Combine almond paste, butter and 1/2 cup of the sugar in mixing bowl. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes, or until soft and fluffy.
Add egg whites and vanilla. Beat until well mixed.
Mix in flour mixture on low speed until just incorporated.
With a tablespoon or small ice cream scoop, scoop enough dough to form a 1-inch ball.
Roll dough between palms to make balls. Roll balls in remaining 1/2 cup of sugar.
Place balls on prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between for spreading.
Firmly press an almond on top of each cookie.
Bake for 15 - 17 minutes or until bottoms are light golden. Remove from pans and cool on wire racks.

Best Bran Muffins

6-7 C Raisin Bran cereal
2 C boiling water
1 C vegetable oil
4 eggs
5 C all purpose flour
3 C sugar
5 tsp. baking soda
4 C buttermilk
In a large mixing bowl, combine cereal and boiling water;stir in oil and eggs. Add flour, sugar, baking soda and buttermilk;mix well. Spoon batter into greased muffin tins, 2/3 full. Bake in oven at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Batter keeps in refrigerator tightly covered for up to 6 weeks.

Garden

Garden

Garden

Garden

This years garden

Poppy and Cornbread Chicken with Spaghetti Squash

*1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breastthick
* 2 eggs
* 3 tablespoons water
* 1 (6 oz.) package cornbread stuffing mix
* 1/4 cup grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese
* 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
* 1/4 cup butter-flavor shortening

Cooking Directions
Beat together eggs and water in a small bowl until foamy. Pour into a shallow bowl.

Place stuffing mix in a self-sealing plastic bag; finely crush with a rolling pin.
Stir in Asiago or Parmesan cheese and poppy seeds. Transfer to a second shallow bowl.

Coat chicken with crushed mixture. Dip into egg mixture and coat with crushed mixture again.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it sizzles.
Reduce heat to medium. . Cook chicken in batches. Transfer to a serving platter; cover to keep warm.

Making Bread In a Bag

Here is a fun project to do with the kids. The bread was excellent and the whole project was easy and fun. Here are great photos and excellent directions. We did not make 3 small loaves just 1 whole loaf with instead.

http://www.skiptomylou.org/2007/02/16/making-bread-in-a-bag/

Pork sate with Peanut Mirin Sauce

Ingredients
Pork:
2 teaspoons grated lime rind
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon peanut butter
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 16 (4-inch-long) strips

Sauce:
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons mirin (sweet rice wine)
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 T crushed red pepper
2 tablespoon honey roasted peanuts, chopped

1. Prepare grill to medium-high heat.
2. To prepare pork, combine first 9 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring until smooth. Add pork to bowl; toss well to coat. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes.

3. To prepare sauce, combine 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar and next 6 ingredients (through peppe), stirring with a whisk. Stir in peanuts.

4. Thread 2 pork pieces lengthwise onto each of 8 (12-inch) skewers. Place skewers on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 3 minutes on each side or until done. Serve with sauce.

Yield

Zucchini Corn Cakes

3 medium zucchini, cored, seeded, shredded (about 5 cups)
2C corn
2T dehydrated onion
1T dried oregano
1 1/2 cups Bisquick
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 Eggs
1/4 C Parmesean cheese
1/2 C vegetable oil

Blend zucchini, corn, onions, oregano, Bisquick, salt, pepper, eggs, and cheese in large bowl until well-mixed.

Heat vegetable oil in large skillet or griddle on MEDIUM until oil faintly smokes.

Drop 1/2 cup batter onto large skillet and spread to form 3 to 4-inch pancake with back of spoon. Make 3 more pancakes. Cook about 3 min on first side, until golden-brown. Turn over; cook 2 min. Transfer to serving plate; keep warm.

Zucchini Yeast Bread

1 lb. zucchini, grated
2T salt
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
1 1/4 C lukewarm water
3 1/2 C bread flour
olive oil for brushing
granulated garlic
grated Parmesan cheese
In a colander, alternate layers of grated zucchini and salt. Leave for 30 minutes then squeeze out the moisture with your hands. Combine yeast with 1/4 c of the water. let sit for 15 minutes. Place the zucchini, yeast and flour in a bowl. Stir together and add just enough of the remaining water to obtain a rough dough. Transfer to a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Return the dough to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 1 1/2 hours or until double in size. Grease a baking sheet. Punch down the risen dough and knead into a tapered cylinder. Place on the baking sheet cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 45 minutes, until double in size. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and granulated garlic. Bake until golden brown 40-45 minutes. Cool on a rack. For extra crispness double bake the loaf. When you are ready for serving place bake in the 425 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

1 egg, beaten
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
Combine in large bowl.
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
Combine in a separate, small bowl and blend into liquid mixture
1 cup finely shredded zucchini
12 oz chocolate chips
Stir these into other ingredients, mix well. Drop by spoonful onto greased baking sheet, and flatten with the back of a spoon. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes. Today I doubled the recipe and placed them in a greased 9"X 13" pan and baked for about 30 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

4T butter
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups grated zucchini
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoons baking powder
1 C semi sweet chocolate chips
In a saucepan melt butter. Set aside to cool. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, mix oil, eggs, vanilla, sugar, cinnamon,allspice and nutmeg. Blend in zucchini and melted butter. Stir flour mixture into zucchini mixture.Stir in chips. Pour batter into two greased and floured 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 60-70 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before unmolding. Cool on wire racks.

Raisin & Walnut Zucchini Bread

4T butter
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups grated zucchini
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoons baking powder
1 C raisins
1 C chopped walnuts
In a saucepan melt butter. Set aside to cool. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, mix oil, eggs, vanilla, sugar, cinnamon,allspice and nutmeg. Blend in zucchini and melted butter. Stir flour mixture into zucchini mixture.Stir in raisins and walnuts. Pour batter into two greased and floured 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 60-70 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before unmolding. Cool on wire racks.

Zucchini Pineapple Bread I

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups grated zucchini
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 C raisins
cinnamon sugar

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a large bowl, mix oil, eggs, vanilla, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Blend in pineapple and zucchini. Stir flour mixture into zucchini mixture.Stir in raisins. Pour batter into two greased and floured 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.Top with 1T cinnamon sugar mix on each loaf. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour. Cool on wire racks.

Stuffed Sweet Peppers

For stuffing mixture:
In a large bowl combine-2 eggs, 1 C Italian bread crumbs, 1T granulated garlic, 3T dehydrated onion, 2 T jalapeno pepper sauce, 1 T sugar, 1 tsp. oregano, salt and pepper, 2 T cornmeal, 1 oz. dry Vermouth, 1T Tabasco sauce, 2 lb. ground beef
Stuff sweet pepper. Place 1 bottle of meat sauce on the bottom of a crock pot. Place peppers upright in the sauce, pour another bottle of meat sauce on the top. Keep crockpot on low setting for at least 8 hours.

Church's Fried Chicken Sandwich

1 T sugar
1 1/2 C self rising flour
1/2 C cornstarch
3 tsp. celery salt
2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 C biscuit mix
1 pkg. Italian dressing mix
1 pkg. onion soup mix
Combine all ingredients in a 4 C container. Mix to blend thoroughly. Store tightly covered at room temperature up to 3 months. To use dip chicken (boneless, skinless cutlets) in an egg mixture(2 eggs beaten with 1/4 C cold water) and the into dry mix, egg again and dry mix. Heat 1 C vegetable oil to piping hot in a skillet. Brown each piece and flip and brown on the other side.