I mentioned this book a little while ago, and this past week I just went to town with the bread baking. I think I've figured out this yeast thing, and I'm so happy about it! After a little research I decided to try reducing the amount of yeast I used just a little bit because we are at a higher altitude (4000 feet above sea level, to be exact). I made the basic boule recipe from the book, and used half all-purpose flour and half white whole wheat flour. It was just a little denser than I had hoped, but really delicious. I think the denseness was probably because of the wheat flour, and I can live with that. I made it seem very artisanal and peasant-y. So, with one recipe, you can basically make four loaves of bread. Here's what I ended up with: first was just your basic boule. We sliced and ate half of it just with butter and honey.

 
 

The rest of the loaf was sliced and torn into pieces which I added to simple green salads for our lunches one day (red leaf lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, sun dried tomatoes and a little asiago cheese) tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette (grainy dijon mustard, olive oil, garlic, herbes de Provence and balsamic vinegar). It was so good, I need to remember to make it again soon.

Then I baked some little baguettes and made sandwiches with grilled eggplant, roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, feta and arugula. Dressed with just olive oil and vinegar, they were also really delicious. I didn't get pictures, but they were also very pretty sandwiches. The sturdiness of the bread held up well with the juiciness of the filling ingredients. Mr. HeyLucy said it was one of the best sandwiches he's had, which is pretty high praise, coming from a carnivore like him.

Next up was pita bread. I should have probably done several smaller pitas, but I made one big one. It just took a few minutes to bake, and it was amazing the way it just puffed up.

 

Isn't it pretty? It was so big I sliced it into quarters. I made myself a breakfast sandwich with scrambled eggs, cheese, salsa, and sour cream. Mr. Heylucy made himself a sandwich of cucumbers, tomatoes and feta cheese. 

 
 

Last night I used the last of that batch to make a pizza. Topped with bleu cheese, Canadian bacon, sliced apples and caramelized shallots, it was perfect (I was inspired by this tart from the Artisan Bread website). I also served it with arugula dressed simply with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and freshly ground pepper, and just piled it on top of the pizza. It was so delicious. I want to make it again very soon. 

 
 

I can't recommend Artisan Bread in Five Minutes enough. I've already got another batch in the refrigerator, just waiting to be baked. I may never buy bread again. 
 
  
 I also wanted to add: there are a few things you will want to invest in, if you start baking bread regularly. I was lucky enough to get a pizza baking stone as a wedding present all those years ago, and a stone is really probably the most essential tool to have. I also did get a pizza peel, which is great for sliding breads (especially flatbreads) into the oven. I found it at World Market for about $15. I also have a dough scraper, which was just a few dollars at Target. Other then those items (and a container for storing your dough, of course), you can get started pretty quickly. I just mix up the dough with a wooden spoon, right in the big plastic lidded bowl I use to store it in. 

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This is just a very quick post before I fall into bed, to point out my tumblr blog. It's mostly just a repository for me to put things I come across on this great big internet that I like or want to remember. I've been adding to it for the last week or so, so if you really want to see what I've been up to, go have a peek.

 
 

I also enjoyed this little bunch of ranunculus I got at Trader Joe's for just a few dollars. It lasted nearly two weeks! I love these peachy pinks and yellows. 

I made this pasta for dinner this weekend, it was the perfect embodiment of spring. 

 
 

Good night!
 
 

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I'm spending quite a bit of time in the kitchen this weekend. I am trying, after a long hiatus, to conquer my fear of yeast breads. I've noticed this book mentioned here and there, and what could be better, really, than good bread in five minutes? I had a 33% off coupon for Borders burning a hole in my pocket, so I picked up a copy on my way home from work last Friday. I had planned to attempt a brioche, but found myself without enough butter or honey, so I went with the challah for my first loaves. I loved the idea of the turban shaped loaf, studded with raisins, but put my own twist on it and used dried cherries and apricots instead, and sprinkled almonds on top instead of sesame seeds. 

  

I snipped the fruit into small bits. I love dried cherries. Then I rolled it all up and let it rest:

  

I completely forgot the egg wash, so it didn't come out as shiny as it probably would have, and the continued rising while it baked caused most of the almonds to fall off. Still, it's a pretty little loaf:

  

I've got to figure some stuff out, however. According to the book, their dough recipes are very, very wet, and mine wasn't at all. I also don't think it rose nearly enough; the finished bread is really delicious, but denser than it should be. I think our altitude may have contributed to that. There's a whole lot of science to this bread baking thing, but the artisan bread website is full of information, and the authors seem to be incredibly helpful. I'm going to try a little less yeast in the next batch, which is one of the suggestions for baking at higher altitudes. The challah was just half a recipe, which is just two small loaves, and they are perfectly edible, just a little disappointing. I'm going to try a plain old basic boule for the next batch. 

  

I've been trying to be more organized about the food in our house. Because of our different work schedules, I often am on my own for dinner. I also know myself, and if there isn't something fast and easy, I will eat all sorts of weird things. I can eat the same thing several times in a week, so I'm trying to plan ahead and make it easy to fix myself a quick, light dinner for the next few days. One of my favorite breakfasts is huevos rancheros, so I made my own version of ranchero sauce. It came out quite delicious, if I do say so myself. I have a whole jar full, so all I have to do is heat up a corn tortilla and some sauce, and cook a couple eggs. I'm pretty sure my version is healthier than the taco shop version, and it wasn't hard at all. My secret ingredient is chipotles in adobo sauce. Yum! They are so delicious and spicy.

  

I'm adding the recipe for my own reference, but if you try it, let me know what you think!

1/2 a medium onion, chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

a large clove of garlic, minced

olive oil

1 large can whole plum tomatoes

1 can diced tomatoes and chiles (I used Trader Joe's fire roasted, they're delicious!)

a couple finely chopped chipotles, and a spoonful of the adobo sauce from the can

Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the onions, bell pepper, and garlic until the onions are translucent and the peppers are soft. Add both cans of tomatoes, breaking up the whole tomatoes with your fingers. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat a little, and let cook for a few minutes. Add the chipotles and adobo sauce to taste. I find that there are sometimes variations in the hotness levels, so add a little at a time and taste before adding more. I think it gets a little hotter as it cooks, so add them accordingly! Let it simmer for a good 10-15 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

To serve: heat a corn tortilla (or two) in a skillet (I use my cast iron skillet, and spray a little cooking spray in it; I then use the same pan to cook my eggs). Remove tortillas to your plate. Top with a little of your ranchero sauce. You can add a little grated cheese at this point, if you'd like. Cheese isn't authentic, but I felt a little cheese-y myself today, so I added it. I like this just as well without, too. 

Cook two eggs over-easy. Place them on top of the tortillas, and spoon more sauce over the top. Add more cheese, if you'd like, and garnish with fresh cilantro. If you want a more hearty meal, you can serve this with rice and/or beans, as well. 

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Happy Good Friday! Since I have the day off, I made some delicious breakfast. 

  

I used the puff pancake recipe in the current issue of Mary Jane's Farm magazine.  Then I heated up some frozen berries with a little sugar. 

 
It was a nice little treat, and super easy. Here's the recipe:

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

Melt a couple tablespoons butter in a cast iron skillet.

Beat two eggs, add 1/2 cup flour, and 1/2 cup of milk, and 1/8 t. nutmeg. Mix to combine, but don't worry about getting out all the lumps. Pour into the skillet, and bake for 15 minutes. 

For the fruit, I just used a frozen mixed berry blend (Trader Joe's Very Cherry Berry blend-blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and cherries-really good!), threw about half a cup in a saucepan, and sprinkled a spoonful of turbinado sugar on top, and just heated it until the fruit was all defrosted and warm and juicy. I probably could have shared it, but I ate it all by myself. 

Now I'm going to spend the afternoon sewing and knitting.  

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One of the items on my to-do list for 2009 was to learn to make creme brulee. I'm a little late, but I finally did it this weekend. 

  

I used this recipe, and it wasn't really all that hard. I had a butane torch from the hardware store, and it didn't work so well. It may have been user error. My brother Cary was visiting, and he did most of the sugar caramelizing using the highly dangerous and exciting lighter and butane torch technique. Yum, yum, yum! I can't be making this too often, but I will definitely make it again, it was so delicious!

I might have also started another sweater. I was using this lovely alpaca yarn for another sweater, but when I was nearly done I realized it wasn't very flattering. So I'm reusing it for a tea leaves cardigan. 

  

I think this one will work out much better. 
 
 

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Good grief it's been gloomy and dark around here. I attempted to take some photos of knitting projects Monday morning and this was the best I could do:

  

I know I have my Ravelympics project, and I have been working on it, but it's laceweight yarn, and I needed a break. This is the opposite of laceweight, it's two strands of yarn held together and knit on giant (size 17) needles. Plus, it's a blanket, so it kept me warm while I was knitting it. This pattern is from Lion Brand, it's called Cascading Colors blanket, and it's made with Lion Brand Jiffy and Cotton Ease. I love the colors. It's pretty small, but just perfect for a stroller or car seat, or for a toddler to drag around. I blocked it by throwing it in the washer and then in the drier, and the Jiffy yarn got pretty fuzzy and pill-y. Also, every single end that I had carefully woven in popped through to the front side. I trimmed everything neatly, and now it looks pretty good, If I do say so. 

And now I have some opinions and reviews for you, whether you want them or not. I splurged on a set of Zephyr knitting needles from Knit Picks, since they are on sale right now. They're clear acrylic, and I think I rather like them. They're slick, although not as slick as nickel-plated needles. I switched my Featherweight cardigan from a pair of plastic needles to these, and it's going much more smoothly. The yarn slides nicely, and the tips are nice and pointy, so they're especially nice for this very fine yarn.

I watched Bright Star this week. My goodness, it was boring, but so very beautiful. I'm not really one for wimpy poets, and Fannie was kind of bratty, but her clothes were wonderful and every scene was like a painting. I could look at it over and over. How's that for the oddest review ever? I loved it, even though the story was slow. Maybe I'll just let it play without sound next time, and enjoy the eye candy.

I went to the Asian grocery store and bought ingredients for Tom Yum soup, which is very easy when you use the paste mix from a jar. I got a big bag of shiitake mushrooms for just $2.99 a pound. When I was at Vons a few days later, I noticed their price for shiitake mushrooms was $15.99 a pound. That's just crazy, how can they do that? My cheap mushrooms were delicious in the soup, they absorbed all that sweet and sour broth and just melted in your mouth. I don't think they would have done that if I had paid $15.99 for them. 

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