chocolate eclairs

 My first attempt at choux pastry was a success thanks to this recipe from Food & Wine. The kids and I loved them and will definitely be making them again. Elle even said they were Great British Baking Show-worthy!

Ingredients

CHOUX PASTRY

• 1 cup water
• 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs

PASTRY CREAM

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/4 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 5 tablespoons cake flour
• Pinch of salt
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream

CHOCOLATE GLAZE

• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. In a medium saucepan, bring the water, butter, sugar and salt to a boil over moderate heat. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the flour and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon for about 2 minutes, until the dough comes together and a film forms on the bottom of the pan. Transfer the dough to a large bowl and beat at medium speed until slightly cooled, about 1 minute. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
2. Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1-inch round tip. Pipe twelve 5-inch-long logs onto a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Turn the oven down to 325° and bake the shells for 30 minutes longer, or until golden brown. Transfer to a rack and let cool.
3. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk, vanilla bean and seeds just to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the sugar with the cake flour and salt. Whisk in the egg and egg yolks. Slowly add the hot milk, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and bring to a boil over moderate heat, whisking constantly. Continue to boil the pastry cream, whisking constantly, until thick, about 30 seconds longer. Immediately strain the pastry cream through a fine sieve into a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until cool.
4. In a medium bowl, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Whisk the pastry cream, then fold in the whipped cream until blended.
5. In a medium bowl, melt the chocolate in a microwave oven. Whisk in the butter until smooth.
6. With a serrated knife, split the éclair shells lengthwise. Spoon a generous amount of the pastry cream into the bottom half of each shell. Dip the top half of each shell into the chocolate glaze, close the éclairs and serve.

Make Ahead

The components can be made early in the day, but assemble the éclairs shortly before serving.

focaccia

 Another recipe from Salt, Fat, Acid Heat. The overnight rise makes this much chewier and more flavorful than my other focaccia recipe. I couldn't get Diamond Crystal salt, so used 365 kosher sea salt and would definitely halve the amounts next time. 

Ingredients: 

For the dough: 

• 2½ cups (600 grams) lukewarm water
• ½ teaspoon active dry yeast
• 2½ teaspoons (15 grams) honey
• 5 1/3 cups (800 grams) all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons (18 grams) Diamond Crystal Kosher salt or 1 tablespoon fine sea salt
• ¼ cup (50 grams) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for pan and finishing
• Flaky salt for finishing

For the brine:

• 1½ teaspoons (5 grams) Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
• ⅓ cup (80 grams) lukewarm water

Instructions: 

1. In a medium bowl, stir together water, yeast, and honey to dissolve. In a very large bowl, whisk flour and salt together to combine and then add yeast mixture and olive oil. Stir with a rubber spatula  until just incorporated, then scrape the sides of the bowl clean and cover with plastic wrap. Leave out at room temperature to ferment for 12 to 14 hours until at least doubled in volume.
2. Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons oil evenly onto a 18-by-13 inch (46-by-33 cm) rimmed baking sheet. When dough is ready, use a spatula or your hand to release it from the sides of the bowl and fold it onto itself gently, then pour out onto pan. Pour an additional 2 tablespoons of olive oil over dough and gently spread across. Gently stretch the dough to the edge of the sheet by placing your hands underneath and pulling outward.  The dough will shrink a bit, so repeat stretching once or twice over the course of 30 minutes to ensure dough remains stretched.  
3. Dimple the dough by pressing the pads of your first three fingers in at an angle.  Make the brine by stirring together salt and water until salt is dissolved. Pour the brine over the dough to fill dimples.  Proof focaccia for 45 minutes until the dough is light and bubbly. 
4. Thirty minutes into this final proof, adjust rack to center position and preheat oven to 450°F (235°C). If you have a baking stone, place it on rack.  Otherwise, invert another sturdy baking sheet and place on rack.  Allow to preheat with the oven until very hot, before proceeding with baking. 
5. Sprinkle focaccia with flaky salt. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes directly on top of stone or inverted pan until bottom crust is crisp and golden brown when checked with a metal spatula.  To finish browning top crust, place focaccia on upper rack and bake for 5 to 7 minutes more.  
6. Remove from oven and brush or douse with 2 to 3 tablespoons oil over the whole surface (don’t worry if the olive pools in pockets, it will absorb as it sits). Let cool for 5 minutes, then release focaccia from pan with metal spatula and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. 
7. Serve warm or at room temperature.  
8. To store, wrap in parchment and then keep in an airtight bag or container to preserve texture. Gently toast or reheat any leftover focaccia before serving. Alternatively, wrap tightly to freeze, then defrost and reheat before serving.

korean beef sloppy joes

 Kory's inner third grader still loves Manwich, but it's just not happening in this house, as I'm not much of a sloppy joe fan, much less canned sloppy joes... This recipe from Dinner than Dessert is our happy compromise. 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef , 85/15 fat content
• 3 cloves garlic , minced
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup gluten free hoisin
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons gluten free soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sriracha
• 2 green onions sliced thinly
• Gluten free rolls

Instructions

1. In a large skillet add in the beef, lower the heat to medium and cook well, breaking it apart but leaving some chunks about the size of a raspberry or small grape (don't crush the heck out of it, the larger crumbles will help give the sandwich stability).
2. Cook until well browned (5-6 minutes), then add in the garlic, sesame oil, ketchup, hoisin, water, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sriracha and stir together well until the sauce starts to evaporate and the mixture becomes "sloppy" (about 5-6 minutes).
3. Toast the buns then spoon over the mixture and top with green onions.

ragu

 After binging Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat on Netflix, Kory and I wanted to try Samin's ragu recipe. We only made a half recipe and used TJ's Moon X pinot noir. I'd consider making a full recipe next time and freezing half. 

Ingredients

• Approximately 1 cup (200 grams) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound (450 grams) coarsely ground beef chuck
• 1 pound (450 grams) coarsely ground pork shoulder 
• 2 medium yellow onions, minced
• 1 large carrot, minced
• 2 large celery stalks, minced
• 1 1⁄2 cups (340 grams) dry red wine
• 2 cups (450 grams) Chicken or Beef Stock or water
• 2 cups (450 grams) whole milk
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1- by 3-inch (3- by- 7 centimeter) strip of lemon zest
• 1 1- by 3-inch (3- by- 7 centimeter) strip of orange zest
• 1⁄2-inch (1 1/2 centimeter)  piece cinnamon stick
• 5 tablespoons (80 grams) tomato paste
• Parmesan rind
• Whole nutmeg
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Set a large Dutch oven or similar pot over high heat and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Crumble the beef into the pot in walnut-size pieces. Cook, stirring and breaking up the meat with a slotted spoon until it sizzles and turns golden brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Do not season the meat yet—salt will draw out water and delay browning. Use the slotted spoon to transfer the meat to a large bowl, leaving the rendered fat in the pot. Brown the pork in the same way.
2. Add the onions, carrots, and celery—the soffritto—to the same pot and cook over medium-high heat. The amount of fat should be sufficient to nearly cover the soffritto, so add more olive oil as needed, at least another 3⁄4 cup (150 grams). Cook, stirring regularly, until the vegetables are tender and the soffritto is a deep brown, 25 to 30 minutes. (You can cook the soffritto in olive oil a day or two in advance, if you like, to break up the time-intensive steps in the recipe. Soffritto also freezes well for up to 2 months!)
3. Return the meat to the pot, increase the heat to high, and add the wine. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release any browned bits into the sauce.
4. Add stock or water, milk, the bay leaves, zests, cinnamon, tomato paste, and Parmesan rind, if using. Add 10 zips of fresh nutmeg by grating it on a nutmeg grinder or other fine grater. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
5. Let the sauce continue to simmer, stirring occasionally. Once the milk breaks down and the sauce starts to look appetizing, between 30 to 40 minutes, start tasting the mixture and adjusting salt, acid, sweetness, richness, and body. If it needs some acid, add a secret splash of wine. If it seems bland, add tomato paste to bring it to life and lend sweetness. If it needs to be richer, add a little milk. If the ragù seems thin, add a gener- ous splash of stock. It’ll reduce as it simmers, leaving behind its gelatin to help thicken the sauce.
6. Simmer over the lowest possible heat, skimming off the fat from time to time and stirring often, until the meat is tender and the flavors have melded, about 11⁄2 to 2 hours. When you are satisfied that the ragù is done, use a spoon or ladle to skim off the fat that has risen to the surface and remove the Parmesan rinds, bay leaves, citrus peels, and cinnamon. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper again.
7. To serve: Bring a large pot filled with at least 5 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Season generously with salt until it tastes like the summer sea. Don’t worry too much about how much salt it takes to season the water properly: Most of it will go down the drain. You just need to create a salty cooking environment that will season the pasta in the few minutes it spends in the pot.
8. Add 4 portions fresh pasta or 1 pound dried pasta to water and cook until al dente. While pasta cooks, bring 2 cups ragù to a boil in a large skillet. Add cooked pasta to sauce and toss to coat along with butter and a little pasta cooking water. Serve with ample freshly grated Parmesan.

cranberry sauce

 Kory and the kids always loved their canned cranberry sauce, but I made this Tyler Florence recipe for myself. I added some maple syrup at the end for a little extra sweetness. 

Ingredients

• Two 8-ounce packages cranberries, fresh or frozen
• 1 orange, zest cut into strips and juiced
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick

Instructions

1. Put all the ingredients into a saucepan over medium heat and simmer until the cranberries burst and the sauce thickens, about 15 to 20 minutes. 
2. Serve at room temperature or cool and refrigerate. 
3. Remove the cinnamon stick before serving.

roast turkey breast with garlic herb butter

 Maybe the best thanksgiving turkey we've ever had! Recipe from Recipe Tin Eats. 

Ingredients

•  5-6 lb single turkey breast , skin on, bone in (Note 1), NOT BRINED
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Black pepper
• Small bunch of fresh herbs - 4 rosemary sprigs , 8 sprigs sage, 10 thyme sprigs
• 12 garlic cloves , smashed with side of knife 

    BUTTER:

•  5 oz (10 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 tsp table salt or 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 4 large garlic cloves , minced
• 1 tbsp finely chopped sage , fresh
• 1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary , fresh
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves , fresh
• 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley leaves , fresh

Instructions

1.  Take turkey out of the fridge 45 minutes before cooking 
2. Preheat oven to 390F (all oven types). Put rack in the lower middle position.
3. Place garlic and bunch of herbs in the middle of a baking dish. 
4. Butter: Mix Butter ingredients together.
5. Loosen skin: Use an upside teaspoon to help loosen the skin from the turkey flesh (easiest to go under the paper thin layer under the surface skin). 
6. Smear butter under skin: Use about 2/3 of the butter, and smear it under the skin on the top half of the breast. Best to smear using hands under the skin (not on surface), to ensure it spreads as evenly as possible.
7. Turn turkey upside down. Reserve about 2 tbsp butter for the surface, smear the rest on the underside.
8. Place turkey in pan on the herbs, skin side up. Now smear skin with remaining butter - you don't want much on the skin because the herb bits burn. 
9. STOP HERE for make ahead option - the turkey can be left like this for up to 24 hours. Remove from fridge 45 minutes before serving then proceed.
10. ROASTING: Sprinkle top and sides of breast with salt and pepper all over. Place turkey in oven, turn DOWN to 350F.
11. Roast for 1 hr 30 minutes, basting all over every 30 minutes.
12. COOK TIME / INTERNAL TEMPERATURE: The turkey is cooked when the meat thermometer inserted at the thickest part is 165F. I check in several places. Allow 15 minutes per /1 lb of turkey. My 5.5 lb bone in turkey took 1 hr 40 minutes.
13. COVER turkey with foil when it becomes golden to your taste, at any point during the cook time (I never had to cover)
14. Rest - Remove turkey from pan and place on serving plate. Cover loosely with foil and rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving.

GRAVY: Strain the pan juices into a large saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a simmer then add 1/4 cup of plain flour. Whisk into a slurry and cook for 1 minute. Slowly pour in 1 cup of chicken/turkey broth, whisking as you go. When it heats up, it will thicken, if it's too thick, add broth. Lastly, season with salt & pepper to taste. 

sausage gravy

 I make this Ree Drumond recipe regularly when the kids can convince Kory that biscuits and gravy count as a full meal. I like to add cajun or blackening seasoning to mine, but leave the kids' portions as is.

Ingredients

• 1 pound breakfast sausage, hot or mild
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 
• 3 to 4 cups whole milk, more to taste 
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt 
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, more to taste 

Directions

1. With your finger, tear small pieces of sausage and add them in a single layer to a large heavy skillet. Brown the sausage over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Sprinkle on half the flour and stir so that the sausage soaks it all up, then add more little by little. Stir it around and cook it for another minute or so, then pour in the milk, stirring constantly.
2. Cook the gravy, stirring frequently, until it thickens. (This may take a good 10 to 12 minutes.) Sprinkle in the seasoned salt and pepper and continue cooking until very thick and luscious. If it gets too thick too soon, just splash in another 1/2 cup of milk or more if needed. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
3. Spoon the sausage gravy over warm biscuits and serve immediately!

crepes

I love the flexibility of options with crepes-- kids have add fruit and syrup, I can add ham and cheese, but will admit I do get stressed out every time I make this recipe from foodnetwork.com. I have to remember to use cooking spray (and lots of it) instead of butter to keep them from sticking  seeing I don't own any non-stick pans, and somehow I always forget that step. Maybe writing it here will help me remember!

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup flour
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• Butter, for coating the pan (USE COOKING SPRAY!)

Directions

1. In a blender, combine all of the ingredients and pulse for 10 seconds. Place the crepe batter in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This allows the bubbles to subside so the crepes will be less likely to tear during cooking. The batter will keep for up to 48 hours.
2. Heat a small non-stick pan. Add butter to coat. Pour 1 ounce of batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly. Cook for 30 seconds and flip. Cook for another 10 seconds and remove to the cutting board. Lay them out flat so they can cool. Continue until all batter is gone. After they have cooled you can stack them and store in sealable plastic bags in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for up to two months. When using frozen crepes, thaw on a rack before gently peeling apart.

chicken broccoli cheese pasta

This is one-pot recipe from pre-kids that I never linked, but Kory and I used to eat regularly on busy nights. So easy! From tasty.com

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch (2cm) pieces
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• ½ cup yellow onion, about half an onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, about 1 tablespoon, minced
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups water
• 16 oz pasta shells
• 4 cups broccoli, or one head of broccoli
• ½ teaspoon cayenne powder
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preparation

1. Heat olive oil on medium heat in a large pot. Add chicken breasts, season with salt and pepper, and allow the chicken to brown on one side.
2. Flip chicken, then add onions and garlic as the second side browns.
3. Once the chicken has browned on both sides, add chicken broth, water, and pasta to the pot.
4. Stir all ingredients, cover the pot with a lid, and bring to a boil. When it begins to boil, uncover and stir. Bring the heat to low, stir, then cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.
5. After 20 minutes has passed, uncover and add in the broccoli. Stir continually as the broccoli steams until the rest of the liquid evaporates.
6. Add milk and cheddar cheese and stir until the cheese melts and you have a smooth cheese sauce.
7. Add salt and pepper (to taste), cayenne, and nutmeg. Stir once more, then you’re ready to serve.

carnitas

 This carnitas recipe from Recipe Tin Eats was an easy weeknight crockpot dinner. I cut the recipe in half and we still had a bit of leftovers. 

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 lb pork shoulder (pork butt)
• ▢ 2 1/2 tsp salt
• ▢ 1 tsp black pepper
• ▢ 1 onion, chopped
• ▢ 1 jalapeno, deseeded, chopped
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 3/4 cup juice from orange (2 oranges)

• RUB

  • ▢ 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • ▢ 2 tsp ground cumin
  • ▢ 1 tbsp olive oil
• Instructions

1. Rinse and dry the pork shoulder, rub all over with salt and pepper.
2. Combine the Rub ingredients then rub all over the pork.
3. Place the pork in a slow cooker (fat cap up), top with the onion, jalapeño, minced garlic (don't worry about spreading it) and squeeze over the juice of the oranges.
4. Slow Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. (Note 2 for other cook methods)
5. Pork should be tender enough to shred. Remove from slow cooker and let cool slightly. Then shred using two forks.
6. Optional: Skim off the fat from the juices remaining in the slow cooker and discard. 
7. If you have a lot more than 2 cups of juice, then reduce it down to about 2 cups. The liquid will be salty, it is the seasoning for the pork. Set liquid aside - don't bother straining onion etc, it's super soft.

TO CRISP:

• Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large non stick pan or well seasoned skillet over high heat. Spread pork in the pan, drizzle over some juices. Wait until the juices evaporate and the bottom side is golden brown and crusty. Turn and just briefly sear the other side - you don't want to make it brown all over because then it's too crispy, need tender juicy bits.
• Remove pork from skillet. Repeat in batches (takes me 4 batches) - don't crowd the pan.
• Just before serving, drizzle over more juices and serve hot, stuffed in tacos (see notes for sides, other serving suggestion and storage/make ahead).

baking powder biscuits

These easy, delicious homemade biscuits from Sugar Spun Run were a Sunday lunch hit. With only pantry staples, I'm sure we'll be making these again. I doubled the recipe and it made 15 biscuits

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 cups all purpose flower
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ 3/4 cup whole milk

Instructions

• For best results, chill your butter in the freezer for 10-20 minutes before beginning this recipe. It's ideal that the butter is very cold for light, flaky, buttery biscuits.
• Preheat oven to 425F and line a cookie sheet with nonstick parchment paper. Set aside.
• Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Set aside.
• Remove your butter from the refrigerator and either cut it into your flour mixture using a pastry cutter or (preferred) use a box grater to shred the butter into small pieces and then add to the flour mixture and stir.
• Cut the butter or combine the grated butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Add milk, use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir until combined (don't over-work the dough).
• Transfer your biscuit dough to a well-floured surface and use your hands to gently work the dough together. If the dough is too sticky, add flour until it is manageable. 
• Once the dough is cohesive, fold in half over itself and use your hands to gently flatten layers together. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and fold in half again, repeating this step 5-6 times but taking care to not overwork the dough.
• Use your hands (do not use a rolling pin) to flatten the dough to 1" thick and lightly dust a 2 3/4" round biscuit cutter with flour. 
• Making close cuts, press the biscuit cutter straight down into the dough and drop the biscuit onto your prepared baking sheet.
• Repeat until you have gotten as many biscuits as possible and place less than 1/2" apart on baking sheet. 
• Once you have gotten as many biscuits as possible out of the dough, gently re-work the dough to get out another biscuit or two until you have at least 6 biscuits.
• Bake on 425F for 12 minutes or until tops are beginning to just turn lightly golden brown.
• If desired, brush with melted salted butter immediately after removing from oven. Serve warm and enjoy.

apple coffee cake

We had some extra apples from Sutter's Ridge that the family didn't love for fresh eating and I wanted to make something other than a millionth apple crisp. This apple coffee cake from foodnetwork.com was perfect and the kids always love dessert for breakfast. 

Ingredients

Cake: 

• 1 stick plus 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups peeled, cored and chopped apples

Crumble Topping:

• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Brown Sugar Glaze:

• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons water

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish with 2 teaspoons of the butter.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the remaining stick of butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating after the addition of each. In a separate bowl or on a piece of parchment, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients, alternating with the sour cream and vanilla. Fold in the apples. Pour into the prepared baking dish, spreading out to the edges.
3. To make the topping, in a bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter, and mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the topping over the cake and bake until golden brown and set, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes.
4. To make the glaze, in a bowl, combine the sugar, vanilla, and water and mix until smooth. Drizzle the cake with the glaze and let harden slightly. Serve warm.

cranberry walnut bread

In an attempt to recreate my favorite sweet bread from Whole Foods, I tried this recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction. I followed all instructions exactly and it got a bit overdone, but was still delicious. I've adjusted the instructions below to hopefully account for my oven and prevent overcooking.

Ingredients

• 3 cups + 2 Tablespoons (390g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled), plus more for hands
• 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Red Star Platinum yeast (instant yeast)
• 3/4 cup (95g) chopped nuts (I like walnuts or pecans)
• 3/4 cup (105g) dried cranberries
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) warm water (about 95°F (35°C))

Instructions

1. No need to grease the bowl.* Stir the first 6 ingredients together in a large bowl. Stir in the warm water. The dough will be pretty sticky– don’t be tempted to add more flour– you want a sticky dough. Gently shape into a ball as best you can. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Set on the counter at room temperature (honestly any normal room temperature is fine!) and allow to rise for 12-18 hours. The dough will double in size, stick to the sides of the bowl, and be covered in air bubbles.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and, using lightly floured hands, shape into a ball as best you can. Doesn’t have to be perfect! Transfer dough to a large piece of parchment paper. (Large enough to fit inside your cast iron dutch oven)
4. Using a very sharp knife, gently score an X into the top. Cover dough lightly with plastic wrap and leave alone for 30 minutes.
5. During this 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 450°F . (Yes, very hot!) Place your dutch oven (with the lid) or heavy duty pot inside for 30 minutes so that it’s extremely hot before the dough is placed inside. After 30 minutes, remove the dutch oven from the oven and carefully place the dough inside by lifting it up with the parchment paper and sticking it all– the parchment paper included– inside the pot. Cover with the lid.
6. Bake for 20 minutes with the lid on. Carefully remove the lid and continue baking for 8-10 more minutes until the bread is golden brown. Remove pot from the oven, carefully remove the bread from the pot, and allow to cool on the counter for 30 minutes before breaking/slicing/serving.
7. Cover and store leftover bread at room temperature for 1 week.

sweet caramelized pork with rice

Because I'm tired of cooking all the same recipes during the Covid-19 pandemic, we tried this new recipe from berrymaple.com and it was an overall success. I did keep the vent fan running after the fish sauce was added to help keep the house from smelling completely like anchovies. Gage wasn't a huge fan, but everyone else had seconds.

Ingredients

• 2 lb pork butt or boneless ribs
• 1/2 onion
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1-2 cups water )start with 1 cup and than add more if needed)
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp gluten free sauce
• 1 tspn olive oil
• cooked white rice
• green onions for garnish

Instructions

• Chop the onion and cut pork in small pieces. Heat olive oil in a large WIDE skillet and cook onions and pork for about 5 minutes until the meat is well browned.
• To the same skillet add water, soy sauce, sugar and fish sauce, bring to a light boil and simmer for the next 30 minutes to 1 hour ( or until almost all the water will become a thick, brown caramel like sauce)
• Stir it and serve your caramel pork over rice with some green onions for garnish.

carrot cake coffee cake

With a continued abundance of carrots from the garden, we decided to incorporate them into breakfast too with this Pinch of Yum recipe.

carrot cake coffee cake

INGREDIENTS

Carrot Cake Coffee Cake:

• 2-4 large carrots
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup Butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Streusel Topping:

• 4 tablespoons Butter, melted
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Peel and grate the carrots (I use my food processor). You should have about 1 1/2 cups.
2. Cake Batter: Whisk sugar, melted butter, and eggs. Stir in carrots. Add flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. Mix until just combined. The batter will be very thick.
3. Streusel: Mix ingredients for the streusel until you get a texture that looks like pebbles (sometimes I use my hands to mix it all together).
4. Bake: Spread batter into a greased 9-inch round baking pan (see notes). Sprinkle with streusel. Bake for 30 minutes, until the center is just set.