Pasta Rosa

This is a dish that both children and adults will love. It is hearty and creamy and yummy, and the prosciutto complements the dish perfectly.  This has been a family favorite in Claire's house for many years.  Serve with a big salad and a side of stir-fried broccoli.

1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2 cans tomato sauce, 15 oz each
1 tsp chicken soup base or 1 boullion cube
2 T dried basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 chicken breasts, sliced
4-8 mushrooms, finely diced
1 carrot, microplaned (leave out if you don't have a microplane)
10 oz. cooking cream cheese
1/2 c half and half
1 x 16 oz. box cavatappi pasta (large and twisty)
handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped
8-12 small broccoli florets, chopped
prosciutto, diced (the more the better!)

Saute garlic in olive oil in a large stockpot, 1-2 minutes, being careful not to burn.  Add tomatoes, chicken soup base, basil, oregano, and pepper flakes.  Bring to a simmer and add finely diced chicken. Add mushrooms and carrots and simmer for 15 minutes.  Once the chicken is cooked all the way through, turn off the heat and add cooking cream cheese, half and half, and fresh basil.

In the meantime, boil water for pasta and cook pasta according to instructions.  When there are about 3 minutes left, add the broccoli florets to the boiling water. Cook until pasta is al dente, and strain.  Toast or broil prosciutto in a single layer on a cookie sheet until crispy. In a large mixing bowl, toss the pasta with the sauce.  Once mixed well, pour into a serving dish and sprinkle prosciutto and parmesan cheese over the top.

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Butternut Squash Orecchietti Pasta with Sausage, Kale and Sage

Sometimes I want a quick pasta meal, but I have a tendency to get marinara'd out. And creamy alfredo or store-bought pesto alternatives are not exactly waistline friendly.  This sauce is quick and easy to find in the soup section, and using turkey sausage and kale keeps it healthy.  Substitute whole wheat penne if you want to be strict, but I like the shape of the orrechietti and the way it holds a little extra soup.  I mean, sauce.

Serve with a homemade caesar salad.

Butternut Squash Orecchietti Pasta with Sausage, Kale and Sage

2/3 carton (32 oz) creamy butternut squash soup*
1- 16 oz. box of orecchietti pasta
1 lb turkey or chicken sausage
1 clove garlic, minced
2 c kale, trimmed and chopped
1 T dried sage

Cook pasta according to instructions and set aside. Brown the sausage in a large saute pan.  Add garlic and sage. Add kale and saute until tender. In a large pot, toss the sausage, kale, and pasta with about 2/3 carton of soup.  Stir gently over med-low heat until the butternut sauce is warmed up.  The pasta will absorb some of the sauce, so add a little more sauce as needed. (No one likes dry pasta.)  Garnish with feta or shredded parmesan cheese if desired.

*I used the Pacific Natural Foods brand of butternut squash soup.  I've also used the Trader Joe's Butternut Squash Soup.  TJ's has a Carrot Ginger Soup for a more exotic twist, but if you use that, I would leave out the sage. Not so confident about the sage-ginger combination.

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Lamb Pitas with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

This is a great recipe combo because the next night, you can use up the leftover lamb in pasta.  I actually had a difficult time finding ground lamb this time of year, so we mixed the lamb with beef and turkey.  This also helped in making the lamb a little easier to take for palates that are not used to the lamb flavor.

Tell me that doesn't make your mouth water a little bit.

Lamb Pita
These are so fresh and delicious. The cucumber yogurt sauce really makes it come together.  Kids also love building their own- be prepared for a little bit of mess!  This recipe is enough to feed 4 with leftovers for the pasta the next night. Adapted from thefresh20.com

2 lbs ground meat (lamb, beef, or turkey)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 c chopped spinach (optional)

Add 1/2 tsp olive oil to large saute pan.  Once heated, add onion and garlic.  Saute until onions are soft. Add meat and spices, and cook until browned. Stir in spinach, and take off the heat once it wilts. Serve in pitas with yogurt sauce, thick sliced tomato, and red pepper strips.


Cucumber Yogurt Sauce
The lemon juice and lemon zest is the secret to making this sauce taste wonderfully fresh.

1 cucumber, peeled and grated
2 small handfuls of finely chopped spinach
1/2 large handful of chopped parsley
1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
salt to taste
1/2 tsp dried mint (or 3-4 leaves of fresh mint if available)
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon

Mix all ingredients together and serve on pita sandwiches.

Greek Pasta with Lamb
This was so easy to make, yet so flavorful. Since the ground lamb mixture was already done, I was able to prepare the veggies while the pasta was boiling, and then just toss everything together in less than 20 minutes.  I served it with a huge fresh salad.

1/2 package of spaghetti noodles (whole wheat if you have it)
ground lamb mixture (precooked from above meal)
2 T balsamic vinegar
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
1/2 c grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 small zucchini, shredded or zested into noodles (optional)
1 cup chopped spinach (optional)
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Cook pasta as directed, and drain. While the pasta is cooking, reheat the lamb in a large saute pan.  Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and add it to the ground lamb. Add the vegetables, saving the tomatoes and spinach for last. (Consider adding 1/4 cup of chicken stock or pasta water if the pasta seems dry.) Once the zucchini noodles are tender, take the noodles off the heat.  Serve immediately, with feta cheese sprinkled on top.

Please leave any comments or suggestions!

Mediterranean Zucchini Boats, Fresh Hummus, and Tabouli Salad

We still have a lot of zucchini, in case you can't tell.  We are also looking forward to the start of school, as Claire and I have found it significantly more challenging to cook at our usual pace and quantity with 6 kids running around. Not that having to pick out an occasional Nerf bullet out of a pile of chopped onions would break our stride at all. This collection of recipes is on the healthy side, with very little fat and lots of fresh vegetables and small portions of lean meat. We didn't leave out the flavor, however.  The leftovers from prepping the zucchini boats were nicely combined into a delicious pasta with whole wheat noodles. No one complained in our house.

Mediterranean Zucchini Boats
This is an original recipe. Cooking time can vary, depending on how soft you like your zucchini.  For a firmer texture, 35 minutes would probably do it. Serve this with the Creamy Greek Goddess dressing over the top.

4-6 medium zucchini
1 lb lean ground beef or chicken sausage
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, diced
2 1/2 c cooked quinoa
2 cups spinach, chopped
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1 c low fat cottage cheese
1/4 tsp cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste (less if you used sausage)

Saute the garlic and onions until the onions are soft.  Add the meat and break up into little pieces until it's cooked. Add in the spinach.  Reserve about a third on an extra plate.  (This will be combined with the zucchini guts to make a nice pasta for the next night.)  In a medium bowl, mix the ground beef/spinach mixture (the 2/3 portion) with the cooked quinoa, egg, cottage cheese, and cinnamon. Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out the insides or guts and reserve.  Thicker zucchini will mean a slightly longer cooking time, but less potential waste. Arrange the hollowed zucchini on a baking pan and stuff with the stuffing mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes.  To make the zucchini more tender (or mushy), add a small amount of water to the bottom of the pan.  Serve with Creamy Greek Goddess Dressing drizzled over the top.

Creamy Greek Goddess Dressing/Dip
Using Greek yogurt significantly increases the protein content of this dressing.  If you like it more pourable, add a couple of tablespoons of milk, although I would let it set for a few minutes before you decide, as the high water content of the parsley and herbs tends to make it fairly liquid.  It's great on salad and as a dip, and in this case, a sauce for the Zucchini Boats above.

1 c non-fat plain Greek yogurt
2 T chives, chopped
1 T mint, finely chopped
2 T cilantro, chopped
2 T parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste

Blend in a food processor.



Tabouli
I had to convince Claire that we needed to make this.  She had a recent bad tabouli experience from which she is still recovering. This won her over in one bite, though, with its fresh lemon flavor.  I squeezed fresh lemon juice, so I used a bit of zest to give it an extra pop.   I'm pretty sure that real tabouli salad doesn't include cucumber, but we really liked the addition.

1/4 c bulgur wheat
1/4 c warm water
1 cucumber, peeled and seeded, and cut into small chunks
1 1/2 large parsley bunch, chopped
2 tomatoes, diced
4 scallions, chopped
1/4 c lemon juice with diced zest
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c olive oil

Soak the bulgur wheat in the warm water for an hour while you get everything else ready. (If you're in a hurry, stick it in the microwave for a couple of minutes.) Mix the bulgur wheat with the remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Hummus
I used to always make my own hummus, in part because once you buy a jar of tahini, you are somewhat obligated to keep making hummus until the tahini is all gone. I've gotten out of the habit, but store bought hummus often has a weird flavor, and a lot of extra added fat. Actually making hummus is so easy and inexpensive that it's silly not to try it at least once. You will be a convert, I promise.  The garlic can be increased if you like the hummus spicy, and if you aren't interested in talking to people for the rest of the day.

2 cans chickpeas, drained, but with the liquid reserved
1/3 c lemon juice with a little diced zest
2 T tahini
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
2 T olive oil
paprika and chopped parsley for garnish

Blend all ingredients except the chickpea liquid and the garnish in batches in a small food processor. Or all at once in a big food processor.  Keep blending until it is creamy, adding reserved liquid as needed until the desired consistency is reached. Scrape out the hummus into a bowl and garnish.  Serve with veggies or pita wedges, or use on sandwiches.

Zucchini Guts Pasta
This pasta was created to eliminate any waste from the Mediterranean Zucchini Boats above. Some family members voted it better than the boats. It's got tons of zucchini in it, as well as chopped spinach, and we used whole wheat pasta!

2 c meat stuffing, reserved from above recipe (approximate)
2 c zucchini innards, chopped
2 c chopped spinach
1/4 c basil leaves, chopped
1/4 onion, diced (this was leftover so we added it!)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 T chicken base + 1 c water, or 1 c chicken stock
4 c cooked whole wheat pasta noodles

In a large saute pan, add 1 tsp olive oil and then saute the garlic and onions until the onions are translucent. Add the zucchini, and saute until it is cooked.  Mix in the meat, spinach, and basil leaves. Add the base + water or stock, and add the noodles last.  Stir until everything is mixed in evenly. Top with shredded parmesan if desired.

Claire holding my twins.

Please leave us a comment! 

Grandma's Old World Pasta Fajioli and Coffeehouse Coffeecake

This is a continuation of our last cooking marathon. Too many recipes for one post, even for us.  We don't want to be responsible for any overeating mishaps.  Can there be too much of a good thing?

One of my 1 1/2 year olds ate 3 bowls of this.
I was worried his stomach would explode.

Grandma's Old World Pasta Fajioli
Everyone loves this traditional Italian stew, especially on a rainy day.  Claire's grandparents ate this during the Great Depression when they couldn't get meatballs.  The sauce is like velvet, and freezes very well before you add the pasta. (Cooked pasta doesn't freeze well. Don't even try it.) Claire's been getting a lot of requests for this recipe. It's a hearty meal if you serve it with crusty bread and a crisp green salad.  It's also fast and can be made with ingredients probably already in your pantry- with the exception of the fresh basil (see tip below). My two cents: for a colorful extra nutrition boost, toss in 2 handfuls of fresh, chopped baby spinach leaves with the pasta before adding sauce. (I pretty much do this to everything.  We go through a lot of spinach.)  Make it vegetarian by substituting veggie broth for beef broth.

Dilatini pasta.  It's small pasta.
Use elbows or mini penne
if you can't find dilatini.

1/3 c olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T dried basil
1/8 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1 small can tomato paste
2 (28 oz) cans tomato sauce
1 (14 oz) can beef broth
1 (14 oz) can kidney beans or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 T fresh basil, finely chopped
1 lb. box of Dilatini pasta (see photos)

In large pot saute onions until almost translucent.  Add garlic, basil, and oregano, and cook for about 1 minute.  Add tomato paste, and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. (Claire's grandma says this takes away the tin can flavor and adds a caramel quality.)  Add beef broth and tomato sauce.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes covered, but with a crack to let the steam out. Add beans and simmer 30 more minutes.  Turn off heat and stir in basil. 

Boil water in large pot.  Add  1 lb Ditalini pasta.  Cook al dente- extra firm.  Drain all but 1/2 c pasta water, Add 4 cups sauce, let sit.  Serve in a bowl with an additional scoop of sauce and top with shredded parmesan cheese. Serve with garlic bread and Caesar salad with homemade croutons. 

Claire's tip for fresh basil:  Take 1 large bunch of basil and put it in the blender with enough olive oil to make a paste.  Pour into an ice cube tray and freeze.  The next day, empty the basil cubes into a large freezer bag or container.  It's so handy the next time you want some fresh basil to add to your spaghetti sauce or soup, but don't want to spend $4 on the out-of-season organic stuff at the store. 


My two cents: You can also pre-freeze pesto in a similar fashion.  I line mini-loaf pans with plastic wrap and fill them about 1/2 to 1 inch deep with fresh homemade pesto, and then stick them in the freezer.  The next time you want pesto linguine, just get out a pesto brick and you're all set!

And, second dinner is served...

This was our dinner Thursday night, so technically, it was first dinner.  I served some steelhead I had in the freezer with the Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glaze. Kids inhaled it. Side dished included our family's fake caesar salad, spinach potato pancakes (Costco, super yummy), and stir-fried broccolini with garlic. I broiled the fish for 3-4 minutes on each side, and topped with the glaze.  

Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glaze

This is what your life has been missing. It's super easy, and is the perfect topping to grilled meat or fish.  You could cook it briefly (just to melt the sugars) without the cornstarch to make a marinade. It's got kind of a teriyaki flavor to it, and is so yummy, brainless, and simple.

1/2 c brown sugar
1 T cornstarch
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
1/2 c water
2 T soy sauce
1 pinch garlic powder

Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan. Heat and stir until thickened. Serve over grilled meat.

Same glaze with roasted pork, sliced and shredded.

Starbuck's Coffee Cake
I am on a mission to find or recreate the recipe for Starbuck's cinnamon crumb coffee cake. This is not it, but it's pretty good. I tried a second recipe, but this one is much more moist. I baked this for my daughter's playdate (10 children, 6 adults) and for some reason was surprised that there was only one piece left. Maybe it had something to do with serving it with ice cream.  If you want, you can add 1/2 c chopped pecans to the topping.

Topping

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Cake
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Make topping by combining 1 cup flour with brown sugar, 1/2 cup softened butter and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a bowl. Mixture should have the consistency of moist sand.

In a large bowl, cream together 1 cup butter, 3/4 cup light brown sugar and 1/2 cup granulated sugar with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla extract, and mix well.

In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add this dry mixture to the moist ingredients a little at a time. Add milk and mix well. Spoon the batter into a 9 x 13-inch baking pan that has been buttered and dusted with a light coating of flour. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the batter. Be sure the topping completely covers the batter. Bake 50 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown. Cool.

Please post a comment and let us know if you tried any of the recipes!

Verde Chicken in Red

Claire and both her boys were sick today, so instead of cooking with Claire, today, I cooked for Claire. Claire still managed to contribute chocolate chip cookies and homemade croutons, as well as a loaf of bread, so today's session still deserves its own entry.  Fortunately for me, my sister and her fiance came over to help with child wrangling and cooking. We finished all our dishes in about 2 1/2 hours, not including things like simmering time and tossing the salad before serving. Not too bad.  Several people have suggested that I add a recipe index on the side.  That should be coming soon. 

Pollo Rojo  (previously Verde Chicken)

Claire and I had decided on making this last week. She says that if she ever wrote a cookbook, this recipe would be in it. Since she was not here today, I was kind of on my own, but I already had all the ingredients so I went ahead and made it.  She forgot to tell me not to add the tomatoes listed in the original recipe, which is why my chicken turned out red and not at all green.  Hence, the new name.  The chicken is great served with tortillas and Cowboy Caviar (see below) on the first night.  The leftovers can be used the next night for chicken quesadillas.  If there are any leftovers after that, try making Mexican Chicken Soup.

2 T olive oil

1 medium chopped onion

4 cloves chopped garlic

4 large chicken breasts cut in half vertically

1 cup salsa verde

½ c. chicken broth

1 T chili powder

1 tsp cumin

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 can diced tomatoes with juice (optional!)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Heat oil in the pan.  Add the chicken and sprinkle with flour.   Let it brown, remove temporarily and saute the onion and garlic until soft.  Add the chicken back to the pan, turn a few times.   Add the salsa verde, tomatoes, and broth.  Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer 20 min.  Add more broth if necessary. Shred the chicken as it simmers.  Garnish with cilantro.

Cowboy Caviar

This recipe is from my co-worker Dawn.  It's amazing.  Don't let the shoepeg corn throw you.  It's just canned white corn. Although, for some reason, I picture long-toothed cartoon hillbillies wearing overalls and worn-out boots.  This is great as a fresh salsa, on burgers, with chips, or as a stand-alone side dish.  You can adjust the jalapeno pepper to taste.  Dawn uses 1 small pepper or 1/2 large pepper, and I omitted it for the kids.  It's better with at least a LITTLE jalapeno.

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup red wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic

¼ tsp. pepper

¾ tsp. salt

1 tsp. cumin

1 can black eyed peas – drain

1 can shoe peg corn – drain

1 bunch chopped cilantro (approx. ¾ cup)

1 bunch green onion (approx. ¾ cup)

Diced jalapeno pepper (to taste)

2 diced roma tomatoes

2 diced avocados (add right before serving)

Add all ingredients together and stir.  Allow to marinate for about 2-4 hours.  Add the avocado right before serving. 

Slow-cooked Cannellini Beans and Sausage

(adapted from Williams-Sonoma recipes online)

The original recipe is a little different.  It calls for beans soaked overnight, and whole kielbasa sausages. I wasn't prepared for this, so I used canned beans instead.  We also sliced the sausages and served it more as a stew/soup. I am also terrible with slow cookers- we started this in the slow cooker, but ran out of room.  After a couple of hours, I moved it to a large pot and finished the cooking there. It was delicious.  Serve with crusty bread.  It's a lot of ingredients, but mostly things that you probably already have in your pantry or fridge.

2 T olive oil

2 lbs. sausages (I used chicken kielbasa, with sundried tomatoes and spinach), sliced into 1 inch pieces, diagonally

1 large onion, diced

3 celery stalks, diced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 Tbs tomato paste

4 garlic cloves, chopped

Red pepper flakes, to taste

2 cups chicken stock + 2 cups of water

2 bay leaves

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp sage

3 cans cannellini beans, drained

1 can diced tomatoes, including liquid

1 c fresh breadcrumbs (better with homemade larger ones rather than the finely ground premade ones)

1 T butter, melted

1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped

2 cups chopped fresh spinach

Brown the sausage in a pan with the oil. Add the onions and garlic, cook until onions are soft.  At this point, transfer to a slow cooker.  Add tomato paste, stir.  Stir in the chicken stock, water, and spices.  Add the cannellini beans. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. Stir in the red bell peppers and let it cook another 20-30 minutes. 

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, 1 T olive oil, the melted butter, and salt and pepper.  Saute in a pan until crispy.  Take off the heat and stir in the parsley. 

Stir the chopped spinach into the stew until it's wilted.  Serve in a big bowl topped with bread crumbs, and a side of crusty bread.

In progress.  The breadcrumb topping finishes it off!

For lunch, I scavenged some things from the fridge and counter:  1/3 lb. ground turkey, 1 1/2 lemons, 1/4 red onion, and a handful of grape tomatoes. I came up with this Melange Pasta, which by definition has limitless possibilities, and served it with our favorite salad.

Melange Pasta

1/3 lb ground turkey

2 cloves chopped garlic

2 T chopped onion

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp sage

salt and pepper

4 T olive oil

1/2 cup grape tomatoes

1/4 red onion, sliced thinly

juice and zest from 1 1/2 lemons (1 or 2 lemons okay too)

1/2 package cooked pasta (spaghetti)

1 cup chopped spinach

Toss the tomatoes and red onion slices with 1 T olive oil and a little salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and broil for about 3 minutes on high until browned. 

Heat 1 T olive oil in a large saute pan. Add garlic and onions. Add the turkey, rosemary, sage, and salt & pepper.  Once cooked, add the cooked & drained pasta, the roasted tomatoes and onions, and the lemon juice and zest.  Toss with the rest of the olive oil and the spinach.  Add a little more lemon juice to taste.  

Our House Dressing

(approximate)

1/4 tsp finely chopped garlic

1/8 cup olive oil

1/8 cup lemon juice (to taste)

1/4 tsp salt

Whisk it until emulsified.  My husband puts it into a small plastic container and shakes it.

Homemade Herbed Croutons

Homemade croutons are a mixed blessing.  They are awesome on salads or soups, but you have to make at least twice as many as you need, because it is impossible to not snack on them after they're ready.  Impossible. The following is an approximate recipe that we both use, although we both generally wing it.   These are also great over soup.

Stale bread (preferably sourdough)

1/3 c olive oil (depends on how much bread you have)

garlic powder

pinches of assorted spices (sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, whatever)

salt and pepper

Toss cubed bread with olive oil and spices, and add salt and pepper to taste.  Bake at 350 for a bout 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Roasted Mini Sweet Peppers

This doesn't even need a recipe because they're so simple, but I made them, and they're delicious.  I just like to eat them plain but they would be great on a sandwich with chevre cheese and scallions. So, here you go.

10 sweet mini peppers

Drizzle olive oil

coarse salt and fresh ground pepper

Trim the tops off the peppers, slice in half, and remove the ribs and seeds. Lay out on a baking pan and drizzle olive oil over the peppers.  Sprinkle salt and pepper. Broil on high, for about 4 minutes or until they are golden.  The baking sheet should be close to the top burner, about 4 inches or so.  

I dropped off salad, cannellini and sausage stew, and a loaf of bread for Claire and her family for dinner, only to find that she had been busy baking chocolate chip cookies, bread, and croutons.  (Crouton recipe above.)  I've included a link to the bread recipe, as well as posting it here.  Cookie recipe follows.  Wouldn't want to forget dessert!

No-Knead Bread Recipe 
Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
1 5/8 c water
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

One delicious 1½-pound loaf.

Original recipe at:    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html

World's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's a pretty bold statement, but these are hard to resist.


1 c white sugar
1 c brown sugar
1 c butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 t vanilla
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
3 c white ap flour
12 oz semi sweet chocolate chips

Place sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla in kitchen aide mixing bowl. Mix 1 min.  Add dry ingr.  mix 30 sec and chocolate chips mix 15 seconds.  Drop rounded tablespoon onto greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.  Bake 375 for 10-12 min>  Remove from cookie sheets and cool on wire racks.

You can also make 1 batch and freeze half of the dough for later.

Please let us know if you try any of the recipes, and leave us a comment!