Honey Wheat Sandwich Rolls

Living on the western coast of the U.S.,  it is quite easy to get great sour dough bread, but not as easy to find great wheat bread options. This week, I decided to make an old reliable honey wheat bread recipe that I have been making for the last ten years or so. The interior is soft and chewy while the exterior has a slight crunch. Cocoa powder gives the bread not only a deep color but an extra layer of flavor highlighted by the honey and molasses. The bread can be served with butter and a sharp knife on the side, like the bread baskets you receive at restaurants or as the perfect hoagie roll. Enjoy!

Honey Wheat Sandwich Rolls

Makes 6 small loaves.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

1 1/4 cups warm water

2 tsp granulated sugar

2 1/4 tsp (1 package) yeast

2 cups bread flour

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour

1 tbsp cocoa

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp butter, softened

1/4 cup honey

2 tbsp molasses

Corn meal dusting

In the vessel of you bread maker, mix sugar with warm water, then dissolve the yeast in the solution. In five minutes the solution will begin to foam.

While the yeast is waking up, mix the flours, cocoa, and salt in a large bowl. Add to the bread maker vessel. Add butter, honey and molasses into the vessel. Choose the Dough setting of your bread maker and turn it on. When your bread maker beeps (this normally takes anywhere between 1-1/2 hours to 2 hours) the dough should be double in size.

When the dough has doubled, take out of bread machine vessel and separate it into 6 even portions. Roll each dough portion into logs that are 6 inches long and 2 inches wide. Pour cornmeal onto your rolling surface. Moisten your hands then rub water onto each dough log and roll it into the cornmeal. Arrange the rolled dough on a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Set the dough in a warm spot to rise for another hour or so until the loaves have doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Uncover the dough and bake it for 35 to 40 minutes in the hot oven. When the bread is done, take it out of the oven and let it cool for 10 to 15 minutes.

Tags: food, Hoagie, honey, honey wheat bread, life, photography, recipes, sandwich, wheat bread

Italian Stuffed Artichokes

The roadside stand that we stopped at on our way back home this weekend had nice big artichokes that I was able to nab for this lovely dish. The very first time I had an artichoke was in my foreign language class back in high school. At the time, I thought that I would probably end up in veterinary school, so I was taking Latin. One of our projects was to bring in food from ancient Rome. Being an over achiever, I brought in a yeast risen semolina bread from a recipe that was supposedly from the ancient Roman empire. Now, I would be pretty suspicious of any recipe touting itself as “ancient” and calling for rapid rise  yeast granules, pretty sure that is not how ancient Romans went about making bread, but at the time, no eyebrows were raised.

My friend brought in steamed artichokes with drawn butter and lemon juice. Dipping the leaves into the unctuous butter and acidic lemon, then drawing them across my teeth, those sparks ignited in my food memory bank, what a yummy combination. Bringing home artichokes this weekend, I wanted to go few steps further and stuff the leaves with a highly spiced bread mixture.

Luckily, I keep homemade croutons stocked in my kitchen at all times. The fatty element I chose was olive oil and the acidic element was red wine vinegar. The croutons absorb the vinegar and olive oil to make a light flavorful stuffing. These can be prepared a day ahead and gives the seasonings enough time to blend and the cook enough time to be relaxed on the day that they are served.

Italian Stuffed Artichokes

Italian Stuffed Artichokes

4 medium to large artichokes

1 cup water plus additional for steaming

4 cups croutons, crushed into fine crumbs

5 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, minced

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Cut off the stem flush with the base and cut of the top one third (the prickly leaf ends) of each artichoke. Pour water to a depth of about 3 inches into a large pot or deep pan, place a steaming rack in the bottom of the pot or pan and bring the water to a boil over high heat. PLace the artichokes, stem end up, on the rack. reduce the heat to medium, cover and steam until the base of the artichoke offers little resistance when pierced with the tines of a fork, about 30 minutes. The timing will depend on the size and maturity of the artichokes.

Remove the artichokes from the steamer and set aside until cool enough to handle. Then, using a spoon, scoop out the central leaves from ech artichokeand remove the thistles and furry bits, to make a cavity about 1 1/2 inches wide. Set the artichokes aside.

In a bowl, combine the 1 cup water and the croutons. Stir to moisten the crumbs evenly. Let stand just long enough to soften the bread, anywhere from 15 seconds to several minutes, depending on how dry the bread is and how coarse the crumbs are. Squeeeze the crumbs dry and transfer to a clean bowl.

Add the vinegar and parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt if needed. The mixture will appear fluffy but dense enough to hold it shape if squeezed into a ball.

Spoon stuffing into the hollowed out cavity of an artichoke. Pry back a layer of leaves and tuck stuffing at the base of the leaves. Repeat. The artichoke will expand like a flower.

Squeeze lemon juice over each artichoke and drizzle with olive oil. Eat immediately or cover the artichokes with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 8 hours, before serving. If you refrigerate, let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.

Tags: Artichokes, food, italian stuffed artichokes, life, photography, recipes, Stuffed Artichoke, vegetarian

Ham and Broccoli Hash Brown Casserole

Casseroles are one of the best ways to use up leftovers from the week. Last week, I had some ham and broccoli lingering in my refrigerator, waiting to be used. Adding these ingredients to my basic hash brown casserole recipe made for a delicious mid week meal. The ham and broccoli really mixed well with the cheesy potato mixture. Because I love ham and broccoli, these would be items in my refrigerator this time of year. However, this recipe is so versatile, you could omit the ham and broccoli and have a wonderful vegetarian main dish or delicious side, or you could substitute the ham and broccoli for other items in your refrigerator. The possibilities really are endless.

Ham and Broccoli Hash Brown Casserole

Ham and Broccoli Hash Brown Casserole

1 (26 ounce) bag frozen country style hash browns

2 cups shredded Colby cheese

¼ cup minced onion

1 cup broccoli, chopped

1 cup ham, chopped

1 cup milk

½ cup stock

2 tbsp butter, melted

Dash garlic powder

1tsp salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Combine the frozen hash browns, cheese, onion, ham, and broccoli in large bowl. Combine the milk, stock, half the melted butter, the garlic powder, salt, and black pepper in another bowl. Mix until well blended then pour over the hash browns and mix well. Heat the remaining butter in a large, oven proof skillet over high heat. When the skillet is hot, spoon in the hash brown mixture. Cook the hash browns, stirring occasionally until hot and all of the cheese has melted (about 7 minutes). Put the skillet into the oven and bake for 45- 60 minutes or until the surface of the hash browns is dark brown.

If your skillet isn’t oven proof, you can spoon the potatoes into a glass 9×9 inch baking dish and microwave until they are hot and cheese has melted. Put into 425 degree oven and bake until surface is brown.

Tags: breakfast, broccoli, casserole, dinner, food, ham, hash brown casserole, hash browns, life, photography, recipes

Guacamole

This weekend, my husband and I went to a food festival. We drove a ways to get there and when we arrived we realized that it was much smaller of an event than what was advertised. We stuck around for about an  hour and decided to hit some roadside stands we spotted on the way down. Fresh cherries, strawberries, peaches, avocados, artichokes, etc… The roadside stands were awesome. Placing our wares in the back of our car, we decided to take the long road home, driving up the coast to see all of the pretty vistas. A perfectly warm weekend. We got home and put some of avocados to use with this fresh tasting guacamole. Enjoy!

Guacamole

Guacamole

1 medium avocado

1/4 cup onion

1/2 jalapeno or 2 Tbsp bell pepper, chopped, ribs and seeds removed

2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

juice of lime

salt and pepper to taste

Cut avocado in half and remove pit. Scoop pulp out into a bowl. Using a fork, mash avocado until smooth in consistency. Add the juice of half a lime first to keep the avocado from turning brown. Add onion, jalapeno, cilantro, and garlic.  Add salt and pepper gradually, until the dip tastes well balanced.

Tags: avocado, food, Guacamole, life, photography, recipes, vegetarian

Cuban Sandwich

Today I bring you a recipe for the Cuban sandwich. One of my favorite sandwiches of all time that is readily found all over Florida. If you have taken a vacation there, you have likely tried it. Perfect to use up the last of my Cuban style pork and beer basted ham in the freezer. Packed full of flavor, truly a beautiful sandwich.

Cuban Sandwich

Cuban Sandwich

Sliced Cuban style pork

3/4 pound thinly sliced smoked ham

3/4 pound thinly sliced Swiss cheese

4 dill pickles, sliced

3 tbsp butter or olive oil

Cuban Loaves or any submarine style sandwich bread

Sandwich Assembly: Slice the Cuban loaves in half horizontally. Brush the cut surfaces of the rolls with olive oil or soft butter. Layer the sandwiches as follows: Swiss cheese, sliced pickle, ham, sliced roast pork, then additional cheese.

Now comes the somewhat challenging part. You want to grill these sandwiches, top and bottom, while at the same time flattening them slightly. This helps meld all of the filling ingredients. Heat two large skillets, or a grill and one skillet, to medium-hot. Lightly grease the grill and/or skillets. Place the sandwiches in the greased pan(s). Top them with a piece of parchment paper, then the remaining skillet (or flat sheet pan, or other heavy, flat, non-meltable object — the point is to weigh them down). Press down firmly on the top pan, and weigh it down.

Grill the sandwiches for 5 to 8 minutes over medium heat, checking often to make sure the bottoms aren’t burning. Adjust the heat downward if the bottoms are becoming brown after only a couple of minutes. Turn the sandwiches over and grill for several more minutes, until they’re crisp on both sides.

Tags: Cuban Sandwich, food, ham, life, photography, pickles, pork, recipes, swiss cheese

Frosted Sugar Cookies

Okay, y’all, I love cookies. You know from my past posts that I make a holiday basket for my family and these were included in this year’s basket. A frosted sugar cookie is not only a very fun cookie, but it can take on different incarnations depending on the family. The cookie can be big and soft or thin and crispy, the frosting can be big and fluffy or thin icing or just a hint, barely a smear lightly coating the cookie.

My cookie is a sugar cookie recipe that has been in my family for more than thirty years and maybe even longer, not sure. It is my favorite, full of butter flavor. The frosting has a secret ingredient that I discovered in a bakery a few years ago that serves the best decorated sugar cookies that I have ever tasted, hands down. As I crooked my neck, as I do at all my favorite eating joints, to watch the lady in the back feverishly whipping together some frosting, I saw it, the golden key to what my frosting was missing… butter extract. I know, it sounds weird, but it is crazy good.

Anyway, if you are feeling in a festive mood, these cookies are a winner!

Frosted Sugar Cookies

Frosted Sugar Cookies

¾ cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 ½ cups all purpose flour

1tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

 Frosting (recipe follows)

Cream butter; gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture, mixing well. Divide dough in half; wrap in wax paper and chill at least 1 hour. (I make two tube like rolls so I can slice in ¼ inch slices.)

Place on lightly greased cookie sheets; bake at 350 for 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on wire rack. Yields 3 dozen

Frosting

Ingredients

1 cup butter (2 sticks or 1/2 pound), softened (but not melted!) Ideal texture should be like ice cream.

3-4 cups confectioners’ (powdered) sugar, SIFTED

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

up to 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon butter extract

Instructions

Beat butter for a few minutes with a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Add 3 cups of powdered sugar and turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so the sugar doesn’t blow everywhere) until the sugar has been incorporated with the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, butter extract, and 2 tablespoons of milk/cream and beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add remaining sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add remaining milk tablespoons one at a time.

Tags: dessert, food, Frosted Sugar Cookies, Frosting, life, photography, recipes, sugar cookie recipe, Sugar Cookies

Zucchini Snack Squares

This recipe for zucchini snack squares is from my mother in law and is a family favorite. I make this a few times a year to give my husband a taste of home. A great way to use up any summer squash varieties with beautiful cheese and herb flavors mingling with the squash in snack cake form. Perfect for portable snacks or a great lunch on the go option.

Zucchini Snack Squares

Zucchini Snack Squares

3 cups thinly sliced zucchini

1 cup bisquik

½ cup finely chopped onion

½ cup parmesan cheese

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

½ tsp salt

½ tsp seasoned salt

½ tsp dried marjoram or oregano and a dash of pepper

1 clove garlic chopped

½ cup vegetable oil

4 eggs slightly beaten

Preheat oven 350; grease bottom and sides of 13 x 9. Stir together all ingredients. Spread in pan. Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Cut into squares and then into half triangles.

Tags: food, life, photography, recipes, squash, vegetarian, Zucchini squares