Homemade Bread (But I promise, its super easy!)

After months of thinking about it, I sat down a few weeks ago and composed a "bucket list."  Do you have one?  After that movie came out a few years ago, I have had the experience over and over again of friends referring to something on their bucket list and the idea intrigued me.  I've always been a bit of a dreamer so I had fun sitting down and writing a list of things that I want to do or learn before I die.

After finishing my list and reviewing, I found one item that really didn't belong:

#7 - Get over my fear of yeast and master the art of making homemade bread, pizza crust and cinnamon rolls.

I thought to myself, "Jenny, that is not a life-long aspiration.  That should just be your cooking goal for this year."  And so item #7 was removed from my bucket list and I promptly pulled out a book I was given a few years ago called, Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day.  It has been collecting dust on my shelf for quite a while because I haven't been eating bread for about 6 years.  But...  I have this great guy in my life and he has two kids and guess what?  They eat bread!  And I have an office full of co-workers who are also good friends and guess what?  They eat bread!  I have all these people who would be super happy to have me bake them bread.  And since cooking is part of how I say "I care about you" I dove in!

In the last week, I have baked 4 loaves of homemade bread.  No bread-maker.  No loaf pans.  No kneading.  No punching down.  Nada!  About 15 minutes worth of effort and a WHOLE lot of excitement.

I am not going to repeat the recipe/method here.  It is all over the internet and you can find it in their books.  Below is a short video that will give you the gist of it.  In addition to the master recipe, the book is full of variations and explains how to use the master recipe to make homemade pizza dough, pita bread, cinnamon rolls, dinner rolls, coffee cake, pastries and more.  They also have another book called Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day, that I have on hold at the library.  It talks about how to use this method with whole grains instead of just white flour.

As a side note, they recommend using an oven thermometer, baking stone, pizza peel and broiler pan for hot water/steam.  I don't have any of these things and still got a lovely result just trusting my oven temp, using a cutting board and regular cookie sheet and skipping the steam.  Easy!

So have at it!  Revel in the fragrance of baking bread filling your home! Do a little celebration dance around your kitchen when your first loaf turns out perfectly lovely!  Tell someone, "I love you" and serve them warm homemade bread!

Chicken, Apple, Herb Breakfast Sausage

Yippee!!!  I found another breakfast option!  And it's super tasty.  Here we go...

You might be wondering to yourself, "What is wrong with this girl?  Why would she take the trouble to make Chicken Apple Sausage when she can drive her little self right down to the store and just buy some??"

I have two responses to such a person.  First, this is just who I am.  I get a strange and inordinate amount of pleasure over making for myself what most people would just buy.  Its fun for me.  Its a creative outlet. Its an adventure.  Often its cheaper.  And, best of all, it makes me feel like a domestic queen!

Secondly, when it comes to sausage, they just put funky things in it.  Even the supposedly all-natural stuff has things in the ingredients list that I'm not familiar with.  And during this time when my poor little digestive system is feeling so fragile, sausage that I can make myself is a great option!

So if you happen to LOVE sausage, like I do and are up for a little adventure, give this recipe a try.  I don't think you'll be disappointed!

Chicken Apple Herb Breakfast Sausage
(From the FoodNetwork.com, passed along to me by my dear friend Tarah, who is always on the lookout for new recipes that I can eat.  Bless her!)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup grated Fuji or McIntosh apple
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
1/2 pound ground pork
1 tablespoon chopped, fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped, fresh sage
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon white pepper

- Heat olive oil in a pan.  Add onion and apple and sautee about 3 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for another minute.  Remove from heat and cool completely.
- In a large bowl, mix the meat, herbs, salt & pepper and cooled onion/apple mixture.  (I had to get in there with my hands to get it to mix well.  But I'm super tactile and didn't mind...)
- Form into patties and cook!  (Or, if you are me, crumble and cook in a pan with some veggies for a little sausage/veggie stir-fry breakfast)

My only thought on this, was that it might be good with just a hint of sweetness.  I might try adding a tablespoon or two of maple syrup or agave nectar to my next batch.

Happy Labor Day!

Spicy Homemade Hummus

Last night I went to an engagement party for two of my favorite people and was asked to bring hummus. I made it Thursday night and pulled it out last night before the party to check on the flavors. Not enough garlic. And much too "stiff".  I decided to try remixing it with more olive oil and garlic and I decided to do it in my blender. I've been irritated with my food processor recently and thought my blender might do a better job.

Not my best idea.

Take a tip from me: Don't try to make this recipe in a blender. Its too thick and you will mix the heck out of the bottom while the oil you added stays right on top.

And then you might decide to turn off the motor and try to mix it up a bit so the liquid gets to the bottom. Which would make a big mess and cover your wooden spoon with thick, garlicky hummus that drips on your floor. And it wouldn't work anyway.

So then you might try to prod at it with your wooden spoon while the motor is running. That wouldn't work either. So, foolishly, you might go deeper and deeper with that wooden spoon. 

And then... yes... Your wooden spoon might get caught in the blade and split the top in half, making a terrible noise, and flinging more bits of garlicky hummus all over your clothes and floor.  Irritation!

But, best of all, you then might not be able to find the 1/2 of a top of a wooden spoon in your very "wood-colored" hummus!  Sigh... Yep, I washed my hands and then dug right in, hunting for 1/2 a spoon in my hummus with my bare fingers.

After a huge mess and hummus all over my hands, counter, kitchen sink, etc, I retrieved that darned 1/2 of a spoon, cleaned my kitchen, tried to get the garlic smell off my fingers and had a wonderful time with friends celebrating two people that we really love.

So here you go with the recipe. Even if you have a crummy food processor, just go with it and leave that blender in the cupboard!

Spicy Homemade Hummus
2 15-oz cans garbanzo beans or great white northern beans (or, if you're feeling adventurous, try black beans!)
8 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup tahini (sesame paste - think peanut butter, but made from sesame seeds)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 T soy sauce (I use gluten-free)
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp ground corriander
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2-3 T cold water Olive Oil

 - In a food processor, pulse garlic cloves until chopped. Add beans and pulse a few more times.
- With the motor running, slowly add in the tahini, lemon juice and soy sauce. Blend until smooth.
- Add spices. Add the water.
- Now you are pretty much going to add olive oil until the hummus reaches a consistency that you want.

This is best if you let it sit overnight so that the flavors can really blend and then pull it out of the fridge for a couple hours before serving. And when you are ready to serve it, drizzle a little olive oil over the top to keep it from drying out and looking ugly!

 There you go! Have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend.

(I'm hoping to cook up a storm this weekend! I have 3 new things to try out: One involves my favorite meal of the day... One will create what is perhaps my favorite smell in the world... And the other will be my celebration of the quickly approaching end of summer... Stay tuned!)