Taking a little time out

It's been a great holiday around here. Mild temperatures and plenty of opportunitites to go outside and take a few pictures. I've been cooking like mad but haven't documented much. Kevin's birthday is two days away so it's planning time for what to have that evening with cake and ice cream.

Bob bought me a Canon zoom EF-S 55-250 mm lens for Christmas which brought me to tears. I've been taking pictures of buzzards, geese flying, and neighbor's cars but nothing of great excitement to post. I went on a little field trip before Christmas Day to a great little town called Wye Mills and took a few pictures there.

Grinding stones from the mill.

Lazy stream leading to the mill.

Window to.......

The best cafe in the world

Here's Mr. Construction Worker and Laura waiting for our breakfast in New York City at the Essex World Cafe. Without any exterior fanfare it's the coolest cafe I've ever been to. It's located on a street that faces the huge hole that was the World Trade Center. Construction workers that are busy at work on the WTC site seem to frequent this place as, I'm sure, the many people who used to work at the Twin Towers did seven years ago. Once inside the cafe you slowly realize where you are. In a place of humble history.


The Essex World cafe became known by another name on September 12th 2001 as the "Liberty Treatment Site". After the Towers came down it became a medical center and I can only use the best of my mental powers to try to imagine the activity that may have happened inside it's doors.

This is a picture of a picture inside the cafe during the time it was a medical station.

The walls have memorials and pictures from September 11th. It was quite sobering but more-so, healing. The construction workers that arrive and leave in a steady flow seem representative of a sense of pride in the anticipation of newness for the area. The cafe continued on and stayed open. It adapted to the situation and has morphed into a symbol of the continuity of life with a reverance for the past. It's the best breakfast Bob, Kevin, and I have had in a long time.

A little farting around: (GARLIC-CHEESE KNOTS)

I'm not really a full fledged home baker but I try to pretend with my bread machine that I've had for billions of years now. I love that machine. It even churns butter but I haven't used that feature in years too. Shame on me! Anyway, I tweaked a recipe for Garlic Parmesan Bread and turned the bread into knotted rolls, instead, through the dough cycle. No mystery and no great challenge there I know. But, I've always loved a local pizza joint's garlic knots and thought I would try to recreate some for home. Those garlic knots were HORRIBLE for you as they were covered, no DRIPPING, with melted butter and garlic and they were DELICIOUS. Bob, Kevin, and I would wolf a few down while waiting for our pizza. Real easy to polish off about five or so if you're not careful. But, I haven't had them in years and the memory is still there. I thought I would pay homage to Colosseum Pizza's yummy garlic knots as best I could.

Garlic-cheese knots:

Ingredients:

1 cup water
2 1/2 tbs. butter
1 tbs. honey
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 tsp. yeast

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tbs. finely chopped garlic
3 tbs. butter

Directions:

1. Layer the above ingredients, starting with the water and ending with the yeast, into the pan of your bread machine.

2. Press the dough cycle and allow to process for the alloted time (mine's 90 minutes). Be watchful of the dough during the first few minutes to see if the dough incorporates well. Add water or flour as needed.

3. In a medium pan melt 3 tbs. butter and keep warm. Combine the parmesan cheese and garlic in a small bowl and set aside.

4. After the cycle is finished on your machine pull the dough out onto a lightly floured board. It should feel silky soft and not too sticky. Cut the dough into about 18 pieces and roll into small logs. Twist the dough log into a single small knot and place on a large greased baking pan in a single layer.

5. Dip each knot into the melted butter and then in the garlic cheese mixture. Place back on the baking sheet.

6. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise 30 minutes in a draft-free warm area (this sounds crazy but I use my dryer for this step...preheat the dryer on high for 15 minutes, install the dryer rack, and place the tray inside).

7. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. I place my baking stone in the middle of the oven and allow room at the bottom of the oven for a large aluminum pan to be filled with hot water during baking.

8. After the knots have risen, remove the plastic wrap (I know that you know that), and place the pan on the middle rack or on the baking stone. Place aluminum pan on the very bottom rack and fill with hot water. The idea is to create steam while baking.

9. Bake for approximately 30 minutes. Remove from oven and further slather some more melted butter on the knots.

The recipe for the dough is based on a "medium" size recipe for the bread machine. Approximately 18 rolls.

The rolls rose more than I would have preferred but still turned out pretty nice. I used them the next day with the left-over French Dip roast with au jus. Just sliced the knots up the middle and made small french dip sandwiches. Yummy indeed.

Isn't she lovely?

When Bob and I were looking around the antique store in Flint Hill I spotted this and immediately fell in love with it. I wanted to call her The Spirit(s) Faery but she's actually, I think, The Beer Faery. The poster is a copy of a lithograph advertising beer for The Globe Beer Company in Baltimore Maryland. I Googled Globe Beer Company and found informative but somewhat sporadic information about it. I did find out that there was a pub affliated with the beer company in Baltimore but it closed in 2004.

Anyway, she's going to hang on our kitchen wall after I get her properly framed. Right now she's lightly, uh-hum, taped on the back, to the wall. I know. Bob was a little horrified too. I have a bad habit of not being able to wait patiently for things.

Element

Tarragon dreams

Pointing the way

Another oddity that warmed my heart. I love things slightly askew and Mr. Tree seemed like he was pointing the way towards "something". I love that he still had a previous bloom of leaves on the end of his one viable limb.


I loved this gate. It had two gargoyle's on either side. Front Royal is truly beautiful.

Anniversary at home: (BEARNAISE SAUCE)

Kevin had Younglife this past Monday night so it was a "Score!" for an evening alone for an Anniversary dinner (our 18th). I had thought I would grill lobster tail but ended up substituting with grilled shelled shrimp that I had marinated in olive oil, Old bay, and Lemon Pepper for thirty minutes in the fridge. I was going to make homemade Bearnaise sauce from my antique store find cookbook, The Cordon Bleu Cookbook, for the Filet Mignon but had limited resources, namely, tarragon vinegar. I've saved a neat glass bottle, washed it in hot soapy water, and am making my own tarragon vinegar tomorrow from my own herb supply. The baked potatoes were twice baked and the filling was comprised of wasabi, chedder cheese, real bacon, and sour cream. The veggies were roasted in the oven at 375 degress until most of the juices sloshing around at the bottom of the pan were cooked off. An enjoyable and relatively easy dinner for two. There were ample leftovers and I was able to fix a plate for Kevin later. A few days later I diced up the remaining filet mignon (minus the bacon), 6 or so shrimp, the roasted veggies and tossed them together in a medium bowl. I found a recipe for spinach pancakes and thought that the mixture would be good served over them and covered in a parmesan-chedder sauce. It worked out great. Two meals out of one.

I'm anxious to make homemade bearnaise sauce so when the tarragon vinegar is ready I'm making it. Here's a version from The Cordon Bleu Cookbook (page 137):

Bearnaise Sauce:

Ingredients:

2 egg yolks

1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar

2 tablespoons cream

salt, to taste

cayenne pepper, to taste

4 tablespoons fat (butter)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs

1 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic (I'm subbing shallot instead which is more traditional)

Directions:

1. Put in a bowl egg yolks, vinegar, cream, salt, and cayenne pepper.

2. Put the bowl in a pan of hot water over a slow fire; beat until the sauce begins to thicken.

3. Add, bit by bit, the butter, herbs, and garlic. Whisk well to incorporate. Season to taste and serve warm.

I've researched different bearnaise recipes for the "chopped herbs" portion of the recipe. I'm assuming it would be some chopped fresh tarragon. It's going to be what I'll use. On the other hand I found some more different ways to prepare the sauce as well. I'll probably try this one too.

Some more fabulousity

The rear view of Killahevlin Bed and Breakfast

Bob hit it out of the park, yet again, for a wonderful wedding anniversary. Eighteen happy years full of growth, excitement, and friendship. I'm lucky to have him. He made reservations at my most favorite place in the world, Killahevlin Bed and Breakfast. Owned and operated by Tom and Kathy it is located in beautiful Front Royal Virginia. Bob had booked the Blue Room, in the main building, two years ago and we never forgot the experience. This time he booked the Raspberry Room. It's the room featured on the front page of the link above. A beautiful large room, I never wanted to leave it. We become friendly with few other couples who were staying at Killahevlin to take advantage of the weather-friendly hiking trails that are in the area that weekend. Two couples, specifically, came to re-visit their favorite restaurant Apt. 2G. Bob and I, regretfully, did not have an opportunity to eat there but it's only one more reason to come back to Killahevlin once more. We ate, instead, at the bistro underneath, and affliliated with, the restaurant Apt. 2G. Called Element, it is owned and operated by a duel-chef married couple. This was a great late afternoon lunch break and was, luckily, filling after wine tasting for three hours earlier.

The Host and I at Element (aren't we fabulous!?)

We stumbled upon a book signing at the book store across the street from Element. Bob and I had the pleasure of meeting Lynne Johnson Lewis who is an author, poet, and humorist. She pleasantly signed two books for me, Cousin Birdlegs, and we visited and laughed with each other for about 30 minutes.

Some scenes from the car. The weather was unseasonably warm and the temperature actually peaked in the upper 70's on Saturday. The massive rain storm that was projected to come right for us was kind enough to skip around the area. It was a convertable-top down kind of day. Bob and I hated every minute of it.

Bob and I met many wonderful people that weekend. From seeing Tom again to meeting Phillip at The Wine and Duck we had a rich variety of people to eat and laugh with. The new wine and cheese shop on Main Street, Vino E Formaggio, provided entertainment in the form of Tory and Dennis. Light hearted friends whose carefree manner belies the fact that these men love their jobs and have a deep knowledge of wines and cheese. Bob and I had a lovely evening in our suite eating the delicious spoils from the store in the form of a creamy blue cheese, fresh sausage, and a delicious red that Dennis picked for us himself. Later, we enjoyed drinks and an appetizer, The Capri which was delicious, at the Lucky Star Lounge after leaving the cheese shop. The atmosphere was younger and the Oyster shooters that the lovely staff provided were sweet, spicy, and outstanding. Dennis sauntered over clutching his prized bottle of Mead and poked around a little with the owner and some of the wait staff. One can certainly assume that this is a friendly and close little town.

The best memories are of morning's in Killahevlin's dining room which was a pleasure. Tom, minus Kathy who just had a total knee replacement the Monday before, tended to each table professionally and with friendly charm. The chatter between tables livened the mood and the food was without fault. Breakfast, the owners relaxed charm, and the setting is enough to lull me back time and time again and to recommend Killahevlin to anyone who's willing to listen.

Leftover bonanza: (RICH CHEESE CRUST)

I can't take it anymore. I am officially finished with the meat from our party. I am sick. Do you hear me. Sick of ham. The beef wasn't so bad and actually we finished the last of it in a beef pie. I wish I knew how to make decent "gravy" out of stock. I mean, I really wish I knew how. Nothing ruins a pot pie worse than a yucky gravy for the top. And we slather our pie's in gravy. I usually never have roast drippings when I have leftover meat. The gravy I made for the beef pie came from an experiment using au jus mix and beef stock. It was mediocre. I think I'm going to just reduce the stock next time and leave out the au jus. I added 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and about an 1/2 cup of red wine to the mix. I'm nixing the wine next time too. I thickened the broth with a slurry of corn starch and water. I think that's where it went really wrong. Now that I've researched gravy I see where it really went wrong. Corn starch is great in other areas but not as a gravy thickener. It's sorta a "blah" or "raw" taste to me. But it's what I've always known and I'm breaking that habit now. Here's a way I think I'm going to try next time (from cooks.com):

Melt butter in a saucepan then add flour. Blend together until no lumps are visible. Add salt and pepper. Cook and stir over medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until mixture starts to brown. Turn heat to low and slowly add warmed broth, stirring constantly. (note: use equal parts butter and flour).

The crust recipe was for a single crust. I borrowed the recipe from a new/old cookbook I found while going through an antique shop in Flint Hill Virginia. A great place by the way. Okay. So, I found a recipe for Chicken Pie in my The Cordon Blue Cookbook and loved the idea of a cheese crust for my beef pie. It's a rich crust with 3 egg yolks.

Rich Cheese Crust

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

4 tablespoons fat (Crisco)

3 egg yolks

2 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons grated sharp cheese ( I love Cracker Barrel extra sharp)

1/2 teaspoon smoky paprika

Directions:

1. Put flour on a large board, make a well in the center and put in the fat, egg yolks, water, grated cheese, paprika, and a pinch of salt.

2. Work the center ingredients into a smooth paste, and gradually move the side walls of the flour well in towards the center into a crumbly dough.

3. Gather the dough into a ball as well as you can without manipulating the dough excessively. Wrap the dough into plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. You'll be pleasantly surprised how the flour in the dough will be hydrated and pull together most of the loose bits.

4. After 30 minutes pull the dough from the refrigerator and remove from the wrap. On a floured board roll out "not too thin" and enough to cover the top of the pie nicely.

5. Trim the pie, brush with beaten egg, and bake as called for in the recipe.

This time last week.....boo hoo

This was our breakfast last Saturday. Or, the beginning of our breakfast at Killahevlin in Front Royal Virginia. Tom, one half of the hosting team of Tom and Kathy, began our morning meal with vanilla custard filled tartlets, fresh berries, a melon ball sized scoop of homemade strawberry ice cream, and finished with a drizzle of strawberry sauce. Bob finished his meal with homemade whole wheat apple spiced pancakes and sausage. I had the sausage with 4 minutes eggs over whole grain toast. Just delicious! Tom was a beautiful host and accomodated my selfish request for the four minute eggs. Lucky us had our breakfast before the power went out. Tom definately had his hands full that morning.

Here's a freaky view from the front porch through the leaded window into the parlor.

Stained glass off of the back dining area.

On our way out to the parking area. Charlotte was busy the night before.

Tom outdid (is that a word?) himself Sunday morning. I mean OUTDID himself. This, my friends, is Killahevlin-style Eggs Benedict. Tom made a waffle which consisted of cheese and herbs. It was orgasmic. I love Eggs Benedict but this by far was the best I've EVER had. Tom was so accomodating and served everyone, which consisted of five couples, fresh hot breakfast. We started with poached pears which were delicious. These, apparently, were Kathy's speciality. As we found out the night before though, Kathy is laid up in the the Plum Cottage Suite (being tended to by Tom) recovering from a total knee replacement. We all wish her well. Bob and I had a beautiful weekend and WILL be back again!

Germ factory: (CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP)

My nose is so sore from blowing it that I've considered just letting it drip for a little while but that would be gross! I don't have much confidence in the Puffs tissues I bought either. I thought about twisting up some pieces of tissue and shoving them up each side of my nose but Kevin has a friend over and I don't want to look like I belong in the psych ward of the 12 monkeys. My nostrils sting! I guess I shouldn't be talking about such things around pictures of food but my nose feels like my soup looks. The soup was delicious though.

I looked for an official Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe and found many different variations. It could also be made vegetarian too but I think that would mess up the title wouldn't it? I like the fact that, eventually, I could embellish it with more ingredients like hominy or squash. I may try that in the future.

Chicken Tortilla Soup:

Ingredients:

1 24 oz. jar Thick and Chunky Southwest Salsa (I like it with corn bits and peppers)
1 7 oz. can diced green chili's, undrained
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2-3 cups cooked shredded chicken
2 cups chicken broth
1 tbs. smoked chipotle tabasco sauce
1/2 cup shredded chedder cheese
crushed tortilla chips

Directions:

1. Place the shredded chicken in a large wide pot. Cover with the chicken broth (it takes more or less to cover).

2. Add the remaining ingredients, except cheese and chips, and simmer until reduced and thickened a bit (about 1-2 hours).

3. Add cheese and chips after spooning into serving bowls.

I like this recipe because it's relatively fast and easy. It's really a no-brainer and can be made in the afternoon and simmer unattended until the kiddies get home from school. And, when you have a clogged nose it's great for getting things moving.

My rosemary nights: (LEMON/ROSEMARY MARTINI)

Since I had some free time this evening I was going through some old drafts of previous recipe experiments. I thought this sounded pretty good and decided to post it now. Bob and I had a trip to the Outer Banks this past July and we found this great martini bar that served a lemon and rosemary martini, amongst many other delicious ones. This is my version of that drink. Since I have an enormous amount of rosemary in the garden I felt I could experiment with the rosemary sugar water for forever. It took me a while, and A LOT of taste tasting, before I think the drink is close to the original. It would be shame not to try it since I did go out on a limb and pretty much got wasted getting the right blend. (I STILL can't smell vodka right now!)

Lemon/Rosemary martini:

Rosemary sugar syrup:
Ingredients:
3/4 cup fresh rosemary leaves, tightly packed
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. Splenda
1 1/4 cups water

The Martini:
2 ozs. rosemary sugar syrup
4 ounces Grey Goose le citrus-infused vodka
2 ozs. lemon juice or lemon fruit nectar

Directions:

Rosemary sugar syrup: (This is listed first due to the chilling time)

1. In a food processor or blender combine rosemary and 2 tablespoons of the Splenda. Process for a 20-30 seconds to only bruise the rosemary (it’s OK if it isn’t chopped). Smell the wonderful aroma.

2. In a medium saucepan combine the remaining Splenda, water, and rosemary mixture. Heat just to boiling, stirring to dissolve the Splenda. Simmer on low for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 30 minutes. Strain once then strain again through a coffe filter, discard solids, and thoroughly chill the syrup (about an hour). It is not a thick syrup. It IS flavorful though.

The Martini:

1. Pour the vodka, rosemary sugar syrup and lemon juice into a shaker 3/4 full of ice. Shake well.
2. Retrieve your martini glass and strain. Get a little crazy and garnish with a rosemary sprig if you choose.

*I looked for "lemon nectar" in the grocery store. Aside from all the other nectars available, this one wasn't. I looked up the definition of nectar which states (Webster's New World Dictionary of Culinary Arts), refers to nectar in the United States as "undiluted fruit juice or a mixture of fruit juices," So I took two lemons, cut down the sides, removed the peel and the white pith, cut and separated the sections out, removed the seeds, and blended in the blender. I then strained (one time) the juice and waahlaah. Nectar. I'm assuming. It's worth the trouble. Make extra because the drink tastes better with nectar instead of just pure lemon juice.

The end of the season

This morning it was 38 degrees. There was frost covering everything and I felt a sudden panic that my basil was in terrible terrible danger (which it was). I had picked the vegetables in the picture a few days before and thought it was best to document the last of the garden bounty since Mr. Frost had decided to visit and was apt to come back again soon. I feel little pangs of guilt that I didn't do more with the garden this year, but to satisfy myself, I say I didn't do too bad either. I managed a batch of pesto and dried a TON of parsley before I ripped it up.

I have a shitty cold that continues to keep me from having a restful sleep. I'm definately a nose breather when comes to nestling down for the night and it's hard to keep one nostril open so I can zonk out. It switches sides too. I'll wake up at 3am and have to get the OTHER nostril unclogged so I can breathe. At least Bob doesn't have to suffer with me right now.

I tell myself I should have posted my chicken tortilla soup recipe but I didn't take a picture of it. It was the perfect solution for my crappy cold. Easy too. I have leftovers so I'll post it tomorrow.

I decided that I'm going to give Bread Baking Babes a whirl this month too. I saw a post on Lucullian Delights about Challah bread so I thought, why not. I've been eyeballing their posts for a little while now and think I can work up the courage to participate. There's no way I'm in the same league as these talented ladies but I'm going to give it a try! Tomorrow I'm popping over to Sara's page (she's the host this month) for the recipe and instructions. Anyone else game to try with me?

Strange visiter

I was going outside to light the grill and saw, what I thought was, a green leaf stuck to the side of the house. I almost flicked it until I noticed that it had white stripes, and eyeballs. Now we have the "usual" frogs around here and I have never seen anything like this unless I was watching The National Geographic Channel or Animal Planet. I'd like to pick it up but frankly it kinda creeps me out. It would be hard for me to not think that it's a poison tree frog and I only have minutes to live after touching it. Cute fella though. As long as it stays away from me.

Recycle Day: (APPLE BREAD FRENCH TOAST)

Desire: I wish I knew how to type so that my thoughts could keep up with my fingers.

Goal: I'm going to find a program, or something, so I can learn.

Ah. Now I feel better. I would like to be able to look at the screen as I'm typing. That would be great. I'm VERY anal retentive about certain things and miss-spelling is one of those things. I'll lose my train of thought if I see a miss-spelled word. I hate losing my train of thought. Onward to recycling my Apple Chunk Bread.

I couldn't put Kevin through one more grilled ham and cheese on Apple Chunk Bread. Even though I thought it was a fabulous idea I couldn't make him eat any more this week. I think he had three or four. My husband says that I can beat a dead horse until it's alive again (CPR) so no more beating horses. The bread was getting stale anyway so I thought making french toast was a good alternative.

I whisked 2 eggs and a healthy splash of milk with a fork in a shallow pasta bowl. I then sliced the already stale bread into 1 1/2 inch slices. I'm being a bit bass ackword here but I had a morning school bus to compete against for time and did things as I thought of them. Alton Brown (whom I LOVE) had a great episode on french toast, if you're interested, and you'd see why I feel bass ackword.

I dipped each side for a healthy, one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two, one-thousand-three, kind of timing. I grilled each side in a non-stick pan that had been preheated on medium heat and sprayed lightly with oil. Kevin tore them up along with his maple sausages. Success!

Sandwich Day

It started this morning with Kevin. I toasted the apple bread I made yesterday for his morning breakfast. Out of the blue he wants a toasted ham and cheese on apple bread. Hummmm. Sounded pretty good to me. I've made apple and peanut butter sandwiches on waffles before. This could be good too.

I used real butter on both sides of the bread, tavern ham, and chedder cheese. Kevin had two sandwiches and Bob, later, had one too.

Bob stayed home from the office today because he's traveling tomorrow. I coerced him into being lazy yesterday so we ran around like crazy today. After running around doing some errands, earlier in the morning, we raced home for lunch around 1pm. I was STARVING. I had just bought baby spinach and a few small eggplant a couple of days before at the grocery store and knew there was some way to use them at lunch today. I was craving eggplant chips again and wondered how to use them this time around. Again, I roasted them, sliced very thin, in a 375 degree oven for about 25 minutes, swooshed in olive oil and salt and pepper. I smell another sandwich!

I made a vinaigrette dressing from equal parts (1 1/2 tbs.) balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard, 1 tbs. fresh chopped oregano, 1 tsp. fresh ground pepper, and 1 tsp. fresh chopped garlic. I whisked olive oil into the mixture until thick (1/4 cup).

I then stuffed whole wheat pita's with baby spinach, tomatoes, and the eggplant chips. I drizzled in the dressing and Yum!

Lazy Sunday: (APPLE CHUNK BREAD FOR THE BREAD MACHINE)

Man I love Sunday's! Just change out of your pajama's into your sweat's kinda day. I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and applied deodorant. I consider myself clean. Since it was a day where I farted around in the kitchen I wanted to make something I never made before. I found Apple Chunk Bread, yet again, from the old bread machine recipe book from Sam's Club that's a hundred years old. I had all the ingredients so I gave it a try. This is a combination of some of the printed ingredients and my variation on the instructions.

Apple Chunk Bread for the bread machine:

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups milk (room temperature)
3 tbs. vegetable oil
1 tbs. plus 1/2 tsp. Splenda for baking or 2 1/2 tbs. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. yeast
1 1/2 medium peeled, diced apple

Topping:
2 tbs. Splenda
1 tbs. ground cinnamon
sprinkling of poppy seeds

Directions:

1. Layer ingredients in order, in bread machine pan, as listed above, starting with milk and ending with yeast. Start dough cycle on machine.

2. When machine stops kneading the dough and is at 50 minutes stop and pull dough from pan.

3. Preheat dryer to high or find dry area to set your formed dough. On a floured surface knead dough into diced apples. You may need to add bread flour occasionally to keep from sticking to the board.

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Form dough into football shape. Place on greased aluminum foil or parchment paper on cake pan. Cover with oiled (sprayed) plastic wrap and allow for expansion. Let rise for 90 minutes (in dryer or dry spot) until doubled.

5. Whisk 1 egg with a splash of water until blended. Blend 2 tbs. Splenda with 1 tbs. cinnamon until incorporated. When bread is finished rising, brush with egg mixture, sprinkle with Splenda/cinnamon mixture, and poppy seeds to taste.

6. Place in oven and reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until evenly browned and sounds hollow when thunked on the top.

7. Allow to evenly cool before slicing. Chill a good chardonnay to eat with later.

Post Script: The next morning Kevin requested a grilled ham and cheese on his apple chunk bread. I thought it was such a marvelous idea that I grilled one right up for him. It was wolfed down so fast I didn't get a picture (Kevin would've freaked). Needless to say it was a rousing success.

Fish eyes: (COUSCOUS SALAD WITH BLACK OLIVES)

That's what my dad called black olives. I used to have an aversion to them, half based on my dad's distaste and half because I thought they looked gross. Later, as I matured (form your own opinions), I discovered that I liked black olives. Certain black olives like Kalamata and Nicoise. I'm not trying to sound like a smarmy foodie, I just know that I don't like the presliced, canned black olives. Fish eyes. Ick.

So, when I found a recipe for Mediterranean Couscous, I thought, wow, I can put a dent in the spaghetti sauce jar of olives I got from my sister-in-law. She gets them bulk. And I mean bulk. But they're great and I won't turn down yummy black olives. Dinner last night was couscous with black olives, juicy burgers I managed to grill in between the rain drops, and Macaroni Grill Chianti (cheap and tolerable). Here's my version of couscous salad.

Couscous Salad with Black Olives:

Ingredients:

1 (14 1/2 oz.) can chicken broth
1 1/2 cups whole wheat couscous
1/2 cup diced green pepper
1/4 cup roasted red pepper, diced (from a jar)
1 (14 oz.) jar artichoke hearts drained and chopped (reserve liquid)
1 (10 oz.) can chickpeas (drained)
1 cup drained, brined, kalamata olives
1/2 cup celery, small dice
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbs. fresh chopped mint
1 tbs. fresh chopped basil

Dressing:

1/4 cup bottled Italian dressing (your favorite brand)
1 tbs. Dijon mustard
1 tbs. balsamic vinegar
fresh cracked pepper

Directions:

1. In a medium heavy saucepan bring the broth to a boil, remove from the heat, add the couscous, stir quickly with a fork, and cover for 5 minutes.

2. After 5 minutes, empty the couscous into a large bowl and fluff with a fork. Add 2-3 tbs. reserved artichoke hearts liquid while stirring with fork. Continue to fluff every few minutes to cool the couscous to room temperature.

3. Add the remaining ingredients to the couscous bowl except dressing.

4. Mix dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until well incorporated. Pour over couscous mixture and stir well.

5. The salad can be served at room temperature or covered and refrigerated to allow the flavors to blend a bit better.



Now don't judge the recipe based on my poor photography. I enjoyed this room temperature and I did not rinse the olives because I wanted the saltiness. This will probably serve 6-8 people. I'm going to use the leftovers in pita pockets or perhaps mixed in with some pre-seasoned ground lamb.

I'm such a cheater and I know it: (CORNELL BREAD FOR THE BREAD MACHINE)

This recipe was found in a bread machine cookbook that I've had FOR YEARS. I bought it at Sam's Club, when I used to shop at Sam's Club. I don't shop there any more because I was tired of having a gallon jar of olives for the rest of my life. Plus, I spent waaaay too mucho peso for "lunch supplies". I'm getting off track here.

Since my son Kevin wants to turn into He-Man (he's all of 15 and plays football) he wants to eat more protein and drink those shitty nasty "energy drinks". I won't buy the drinks but I'll help with the protein part. I saw this recipe for high protein bread and thought I would give it a try to have with his sandwiches at lunch. I've made it before and since we're out of bread (and poor) I thought I would make it again. I like making the dough in the bread machine and then forming it for final shaping and baking outside of the machine in the oven (hence the "cheating" statement). I know this sounds weird but I "proof " my bread in the dryer. I have a dryer rack and I place the molded bread on it after I "pre-heat" the dryer on high cycle for a few minutes prior. Sounds crazy but it works. Makes the bread rise and that's all that matters to me. When I become more sophisticated and own a proper proofer and oven I'll change.

After an hour and a half beating around in the bread machine I removed the soft-as-silk, lucious dough, formed it into a log, and squeezed it into a loaf pan.

After proofing the dough in the pan in the dryer I placed it in a 375 degree oven and baked it 40 minutes. Good grief I love it when the house smells of baking bread. The bread was a little lopsided but like anything else with a slight defect, I love it even more.

I sliced it up this morning for Kevin's sandwich and YUM! Like a dork I tasted a wee bit of the soy flour while making the dough, and yick. But, when mixed with the other ingredients there's no yick. The bread is quite dense but amazingly had a great rise before baking. There was no additional rise when in the oven so I'm glad I got out of it what I did. I am NO expert in making bread (and I'm sure there's few out there who would cringe at my technique, or lack of one) so I'm glad when I have a success!

Cornell Bread (for the bread machine):

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups water
2 tbs. vegetable oil
2 tbs. honey
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup soy flour
1 2/3 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups bread flour
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
1 tbs. vital wheat gluten
2 1/2 tsp. yeast

Directions:

1. Place all the ingredients in the bread machine pan, layering, starting with the first (water) through the last (yeast).

2. Press the machine's dough cycle and watch for any extreme dryness or wetness of the dough and adjusting the dough to either one (the weather is a factor) by adding a slight amount of bread flour or water.

3. After the dough cycle is finished, without too much manhandling of the dough, form into a log and place into a greased loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with oil, but not too firm to allow expansion.

4. Place pan in a draft free, warm, moist area to allow to rise. Like I said before, my dryer is the BOMB for making bread rise. I preheat the dryer for a few minutes and place the pan on the dryer rack.

5. After about 90 minutes place pan into a preheated 375 degree oven for 40 minutes. I use a glass loaf pan so I can see the browning on the sides of the bread.

6. When the bread is an almond-brown color and sounds hollow when thunked on the top it's done.

7. Cool completely on a wire rack and resist slicing for a couple of hours or overnight.

This makes a "large" loaf which I estimate slices about 12 nice sized pieces of bread. We've already consumed 7 pieces already this morning.