Stromboli

It's time for that stromboli recipe I promised you.  First of all, if you are the least bit confused as to the difference between calzone and stromboli, go here.  I had some questions and this cleared it right up for me.  I can tell you right now though, I love them both!  

I had a great time with Ken and Sherri learning how to make stromboli.  It turned out to be a lot easier to make, than the finished product looks.  Ok, that sounds a little awkward, but you know what I mean, right?  Now, I'm going to take you through it step by step, so you can be impressed too. 

Start out with fresh delicious ingredients, like canadian bacon, pepperoni, tomato slices, basil, fresh mozzerella and shredded asiago cheese.

Make your favorite pizza dough recipe.  Here's one, and here's another you might like, if you need a good recipe.  I understand you can buy dough in some groceries stores, but it's really easy to make at home.

Roll the dough into a rectangular-ish shape.  Then you cut down both sides evenly, leaving space in the middle for the fillings.

Spread pizza sauce first, and then start layering on the goodies.

Is this starting to look great, or what?  I bet you've already thought to yourself,... yummy!  Sherri topped this masterpiece with fresh mozzarella slices, which in my opinion always takes pizza over the top! 

Now, comes the fun part.  Watch Ken wrap it all up!

Start at the end and pull the strips to the center, overlapping as you go.

When you get to the end, if you have a little dough left, tuck the rest under the bottom of the stromboli, making sure you have the fillings sealed in.   You don't want all the goodness in the center to end up on the pan.

Brush the stromboli with olive oil and bake in hot oven at 400 degrees.

Thanks guys for the stromboli lesson and for dinner.  It was molto delizioso!

 When I returned home from my vacation, this was the first new recipe I tried.  The pizza crust is my husband's favorite part of a pizza and I knew he would love this stromboli, because it's a lot of crust with a little filling.  I think there's just something about braided bread dough that looks so special, don't you?  And when a recipe is as easy to make as this stromboli, yet looks like you've done something really difficult, well, that's fun too.  Go ahead and impress your friends and family.  Make stromboli tonight!   

Making Bagels and Overnight Artisan Bread

In my last post, I shared the recipe for that awesome cracker bread and today I'm going to show you two more great bread recipes that I learned from J'nae.  While we were making cracker bread, I mentioned to her, that I had always wanted to learn how to make bagels.  With the same dough that we used for the cracker bread, she proceeded to teach me how easy it is to make bagels at home.  She pinched off a piece of dough and made a hole in the middle with her thumb, and then we stretched it into a bagel shape.   

Of course, each one has its own unique shape, which is one thing I love about homemade bread.  

She carefully dropped the bagels into a pot of boiling water and flipped them over after 8 minutes.  Then they cooked for another 8 minutes and were removed to a parchment lined baking sheet.

We brushed the tops with an egg wash and sprinkled with sesame seeds, before returning to the oven to bake.

I loved the finished product, especially toasted the next morning with a little jam.  Yummy!

Our last baking project was a round, artisan bread.  My friend assured me this was the easiest bread to make and that I would love it!  Easy, because you mix it in a bowl and basically forget about it overnight.  Love it, because, well, she just knows me and bread. 

She mixed the bread dough by hand in this Rubbermaid take along bowl.  You can see that it's a pretty wet dough.  She put the lid on it and then we let it sit on the counter overnight.

The next morning it looked like this.  The surface was dotted with bubbles.

We poured it onto a floured counter and kneaded it about seven times to work some flour into the dough. This bread is called a No-Knead Bread, because you don't knead for the traditional amount of time required for most yeast breads.  Just six or seven times to make the dough workable.

We then coated the bowl with cooking spray and sprinkled sesame seeds on the bottom and around the sides.  

We put the ball of dough in the bowl, covered it and let it rise for about an hour and a half.  You can see how this bread doesn't require a lot of hands on time, but it does require time.  I like recipes like this though, because you can be doing other things while you wait.

When the dough is almost finished rising, you put a cast iron dutch oven, with lid, in the oven at 450 degrees for thirty minutes.  The oven and the pan need to be blazing hot before baking the bread.  Carefully remove the pan from oven.

Turn dough over into the hot pan.

Cover and bake for 27 minutes. Then uncover and continue baking for an additional 6 to 10 minutes or until browned to your liking.  Baking in a hot, covered, pan creates an environment that produces a chewy crust with a soft, tender interior.  

Let it cool on a wire rack before cutting. The hard part is waiting for it to cool enough to slice, because at this point the house smells so good, your taste buds are screaming!

Our artisan bread was made with garlic and italian seasonings, so you can probably imagine how delicious it was.  But the possibilities are endless.  Just think about your favorite rustic bread and you can create it with this recipe.  Parmesan olive, rosemary olive oil, cranberry almond, asiago cheese- they all sound divine don't they?  I'm so excited to try this bread at home.  I have a brotform basket that I received as a Christmas gift that I've been wanting to try out and it will be perfect for this bread.

This completed our baking marathon and boy oh boy was it fun.  You know you have a good friend when she spends all this time in the kitchen baking with you and she is on an eating plan that doesn't allow bread.  What torture!  I don't think I could have done it.  Thank you, thank you J'nae.  You're the best.  I know these recipes will become favorites at our house. 

Rustic Bread

3 cups flour

3/4 t. instant yeast

1 1/2 t. salt

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 t. red wine vinegar

In large bowl, combine flour, yeast and salt.  Mix ingredients to distribute evenly.  Add any dry spices or other ingredients (olives, nuts or seeds, etc.)  Add 1/2 t. red wine vinegar to water.  Mix with flour mixture and stir until flour is incorporated; dough should be pretty stiff... cover bowl with plastic wrap.  Let dough rest for at least 12 hours up to 18 hours at about 70 degrees.  When surface is dotted with bubbles, dough is ready.  After the 12-18 hour rest, place dough on well floured work surface and sprinkle dough with a light dusting of flour.  Gently knead about 7 times.   Spray a second large bowl with non stick spray.  Sprinkle bottom with sesame seeds if desired.  Transfer dough to oiled bowl, placing dough seam side down in bowl.  Cover and let rise until it has doubled in size and does not spring back when poked with a finger, about 2 hours. After dough has been rising for about 1 1/2 hour, preheat oven to 450 degrees for 30 minutes with covered dutch oven in oven.  Pot should be at least 4 to 8 qt.  When dough has risen for the allotted time, carefully remove hot pan from oven. Turn dough over into hot pan, now seam side up.  Cover and bake 27 minutes. Uncover and bake until browned.  Cool on wire rack.

Cracker Bread

When I went on my vacation to Utah, I had so much fun learning new things.  I came home with a plethora of new recipes and I'm going to share some of these with you in the next few posts.  The first one is for cracker bread.  I'd been hearing good things from my sister about this mysterious bread.  She loved it so much, she even made it for her wedding and served it with several cheese spreads.  I was excited to try it for myself, because I was clueless as to what it could be.  But when I saw it, I knew exactly what it was, although I knew it as crispy flatbread.  I have on occasion (special occasions) bought it at Fresh Market to go with some really great cheese.  Four or five flatbreads in a little package are pricey, so it was an indulgent treat.  

To say that I was excited to learn how to make it myself, would be a bit of an understatement.  It would taste as good, or better, I had no doubt, than anything you would buy off a shelf, and could only costs pennies to make- it's basically only flour and water.  Ding, ding, ding.... this is a winner!

So while I was at my friend J'nae's home, we spent one morning in her kitchen making several kinds of breads, and cracker bread was the first on the list...

Here's the recipe for the bread dough:

Cracker Bread

3 1/2-4 cups water

2 T. yeast

1/4 cup sugar

a glug of oil (j'nae said that's probably 1/4 cup?)

Don't you just love those cooks who don't have to measure?

4 cups flour- and additional cooked grains if desired

2 T. salt

Mix together in this order and add enough flour to make

a stiff dough.  Knead for about five minutes.  We did this

in her Bosch bread machine, but could be done in any mixer 

with a dough hook or by hand.

Once the dough had been kneaded, we cut it into small pieces.  Did you notice the little flecks in the dough?  We added some spice blends with the flour to flavor the crackers and she may have added some cooked grains to it as well.  I can't remember. 

Each piece of dough was rolled as thin as possible and then placed on a baking sheet.

It doesn't matter that each one comes out a different shape and size.  That's part of the handcrafted, rustic appeal of these crackers.

Once on the baking sheet, we pricked them with a fork,

and sprayed with a little water,

before sprinkling on the toppings.  These are so good with a generous amount of coarse salt, but we also used some other fun blends that she had, along with za'atar that she brought home from Jerusalem.  Chopped, fresh rosemary would be wonderful with salt and I'm sure to try that combination when I make these at home.

We baked them at 425 degrees until they puffed slightly and were lightly browned.

Don't they look amazing?  And oh my, they are good!  When eating, you just break off a piece and top with a delicious spread.

The next day,J'nae took these to a dinner social she was attending, along with a pimento cheese spread I'd mentioned to her that I had been making at home.  She didn't write down the recipe, but remembered the ingredients I had told her were in my nana's very famous ( in our family, anyway!) pimento cheese.  It must have turned out pretty well, because one of the ladies at the social stood up at the dinner and asked who made the pimento cheese that took her right back home to NC?  She was a transplant from the south.  Isn't that funny?  I love that story and the reminder of how powerful food memories can be.

Because it's so dry in Utah, these crackers stay fresh sitting on the counter for days. That's not going to work here.  They will need to be eaten right away, so I've been waiting for a special occasion that lends itself to some great flatbread and cheese or other yummy spread.  Someone invite me over and I'll bring you an amazing hostess gift...

Thanks to J'nae for teaching me how to make these wonderful crackers.  We also made bagels and artisan bread.  Recipes for those are coming up soon, as well as a killer stromboli.  Stay tuned...  

Mornings At Micahs

If anyone had told me ten years ago that I would have time to sit in the woods for an hour every morning to think and pray, and listen, I would have laughed at them.  Back then, mornings were full of waking kids, putting out breakfast and trying to get everyone to school before the tardy bell.  And even though at the time, you feel like it's always going to be this way, before you know it - it's all "different".  

I've not had the easiest time adjusting to the "different".  Being a full time mother and homemaker has been my life's vocation.  I've never taken for granted what a huge blessing that's been for our family.  My husband has worked hard and provided for our needs, while I've kept the home fires burning.  It's what we both wanted, even though in the early years, it was hard financially, really hard.  I think today it must be even harder for families to live on one income.  Somehow we made it through those years and I always felt fulfilled and happy in my calling.

When the house started emptying one by one and my children began lives of their own, I thought how much I would enjoy the empty nest.  I had been waiting a long time to have some time of my own!  But when that time came, I felt lost.  I felt lonely and  confused as to what I should be doing with myself.  Even though my adult kids still need mom from time to time, my job has moved from full time to temp work.  In actuality, I feel like I've moved into retirement.   The problem is, my husband is far from retired.  I'm ready to turn my time and energy towards my marriage, but he's still living life in that fast lane, spending long hours at work trying to resurrect a business in a tough economic climate.   It's not working out the way I had envisioned.  Not much has. 

 Learning to let go of dreams and accept the reality can be a hard thing to do, but I'm finding that it can be done and the sooner, the better.  The longer we wallow in the "what if's?" or "if I had only's?", the longer we prevent ourselves from finding joy and contentment in the "blessings of the moment".  And even though they might not be the blessings you had hoped for, if you let go and surrender your expectations, you find new blessings take their place.  These are the lessons that I'm learning in this new season of life.  And as I write this, it sounds so simple and easy, yet it's one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.  There are struggling days, when I feel like a hypocrite, me, with a blog named, "Count it All Joy".  Because quite frankly, there are days when I don't feel it.  I struggle to find the joy.  But I know it's there for the asking and I really, really want joy and peace in my life.  It's my quest and I know where to find the source.

I've been popping out of bed pretty early these days, as I've been listening and watching my little part of the world come to life. While it's still quite dark, the dogs and I head out to Micah's place.  It's my very own sacred grove and unbelievably beautiful.  I sit on my bench and listen to the birds sing and watch the sun slip up through the trees.  The beauty of that moment is more than I can put into words.  When the words finally do come (and I don't hurry the process), I pray.  I ask questions and plead for answers.  I think about the day ahead and how I might be a blessing.  I work through my "issues of the moment", with Him who knows me best.  I ask for strength for the challenges ahead, wisdom for relationships, and   restraint for my mouth.  Because as much as I want to speak words that encourage, build up and lift, it doesn't come easy for me. I can be hard on myself and those around me.  Words are so important and they can slip right out before I've weighed their importance. 

This quiet time is so peaceful, except for the moment when the dogs charge into the woods barking ferociously at something unseen to me.  I imagine and pray for it to be a squirrel or rabbit, maybe even a deer, but not a bear please!  That would really mess up my solitude.

These idyllic mornings, would only have been a dream a few years back.  A quick prayer, a few scriptures and a promise to find time for more later, was the norm back then.  But now... in this season...which I've been reluctant to embrace, I have more time for reflection and listening.... and learning.  That is a blessing.  My heart is beginning to open to the here and now and its possibilities.  I have time for exploring new talents, developing hobbies, like gardening and knitting, reading and blogging.  I can serve in new ways, in the church and community.  When I'm lonely for little ones in my home, I invite over some friends and we play.  I still ask those questions about what I'm supposed to be doing with my life, thinking surely there must be more than this.  Can't I go to a third world country and feed hungry babies, or something amazing like that?  But the answers that come in the still of the morning seem to say, I'm right where I'm supposed to be right now, doing what I'm supposed to be doing.   Learning patience and contentment are the lessons at present... and loving like Christ.  These things will take a life time.

I love my mornings, watching the sunrise.  And even though it is an early start to the day, I am usually awake before the alarm goes off, anxious to head out in the woods.  When my energy levels start running low, I can stop and take a little power nap.  A nap in the afternoon?  Another unheard of thought, a few years ago.

"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven..." 

 Joy is possible when we stop fighting change and accept the given good from a loving Father in heaven who knows us better than we know ourselves!  Oh, the things we can learn, when we never stop learning.

Giving Beets A Chance

Well, I've found out for myself that it's true what our mamas told us about trying new foods.  If you keep trying it, you might decide you like it.  That's the story with me and beets.  I've always wanted to like them.  They're so pretty and I knew they had to be good for you.  So every year, I would be tempted to buy a small bunch in the store and experiment.  And my taste buds responded with....eh, it's ok.  That's all.  But I've persisted and guess what?  Now, I really, really like beets!  So much so, that I decided to try my hand at growing them in my garden this year.

On the day I planted in the spring, I had some little helpers and couldn't believe it when Abby said, "I love beets.  Let's plant a lot of them."  Well, that just made me smile and I said a special little prayer that these beets would grow.  Because, really, I had no idea what I was doing.  We planted Pronto beets from Seeds of Change that boasted this description on the seed packet, "a true classic that is quick to grow and produces delicious, tender, burgundy red beets."  We planted in March and it took what seemed to be forever to see the green leaves pop through the dirt.  But they grew...

I kept digging around in the dirt, checking to see how things were growing.  And then at the end of June,when I could see the beet starting to poke out of the ground, I pulled some out.  How exciting! They were ready and I was surprised how many beets we got from half of one of my raised beds. 

The first thing I did that evening was roast a few for salads.  I scrubbed them really well,

cut the tops off,

and drizzled them with a little olive oil,

salt and pepper

and then wrapped them in a foil packet.  I oven roasted them at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes, until they were fork tender.

After cooling, the peels slipped off easily.

Fresh lettuce (also from the garden), sliced beets, mandarin oranges, crumbled goat cheese and toasted walnuts- all topped with a balsamic viniagrette dressing made for some good eating.

The next day, after consulting my friend who makes the best pickled beets, I set out to make some of my own.  I was apprehensive that my kitchen would be purple from top to bottom before I finished the job.  As it turned out, it was really only my hands that stained, and I was ok with that.  I cooked them until tender and then peeled them.  Next, I cut them into pieces and put them into a sweet vinegary brine.  Hot jars and lids and a water bath for twenty minutes and I had pickled beets!

I've decided beets are the prettiest jars on the pantry shelf.  I just love them.  

Abby was pretty excited to get her own jar.  Later in the day, she sent me a text on her mom's phone that said, "the beets r soooooooooooo good!!!!!!!!  Thank u sister wray!!"  So, how cute is that?  Thank you Abby for planting lots of beets.  I think we make a good team.  

I'm glad I gave beets a second and third chance.  Okay, maybe it took four times, but I can be persistent when I want to be.  Mamas usually do know best, don't they?