|
Quote:
Thank you so much... I have a bread maker, but it just feels like cheating to me.. But on the other hand, I don't have the hand and shoulder strength to kneed dough to the proper consistancy any more... I'm so trying this tomorrow... |
Quote:
You can find some AMAZING deals on bread machines, used, because people are often given them as giffts or buy them and then just never get around to using them. I managed to get Sparx's a couple years ago for like $50 and it was a nice one that makes horizontal loaves... Although... ultimately I could have gotten a totally different one because Sparx never bakes it in the machine. What She does that really seems to make it fun is she uses the machine for the mixing and kneading, and then unplugs the machine and lets it rise a bit, then pulls it out and shapes it into whatever (baguettes, buns, rolls, loaves, rounds), and if she wants it to have a really crusty outside she sprays the crap out of the dough with a bunch of water (she always mists it lightly while it rises to keep it moist but for a crusty/chewy crust, get it pretty darn damp) and then bakes it. She's finally perfected focaccia which is pretty easy and once you get the hang of it is one of the easiest ones.... We now buy 10kg (20lb?) bags of flour for like $7, and that plus sugar (or honey), yeast, a bit of salt, bit of oil, some powdered milk for white breads - gives them a nice texture) and we figured that our cost per loaf is something ridiculous like $.58-$.60 and omg is it yummy. Once the bread has cooled, we put it into a plain white kitchen garbage bag to keep it from getting dry/hard too quickly - and it freezes well too (but we have a tiny freezer). LOL |
I made pureed cauliflower as a side tonight - it was on a cooking program last week and I was intrigued. Well, we weren't huge cauli fans before that, but we are now! It was a hit!
I was a bit frightened by the amount of butter the recipe called for - I didn't use quite as much as it says below, and it was still really really yummy. Ingredients ½ head cauliflower, cut into florets 1 cup milk 125g (1/4 lb) unsalted butter, cut into 2cm cubes Place cauliflower in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Place the cauliflower and milk in a saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for about 8 minutes until cauliflower is very soft. Remove from the heat, then add 1 teaspoon salt and the butter and stir until well combined. Blend in a small blender or food processor until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve set over a bowl, pressing down on the solids with a plastic pastry scraper. |
Here's what I do when I make bread (I make it by hand, not machine):
When I make regular bread and it has just come out of the oven, I brush down the whole loaf with olive oil (herbed with rosemary) and then when it's not so warm, I wrap it in cheesescloth to help it remain soft. For those of you who want to reduce dependency on plastic, I have found that cheesecloth works great for various purposes! |
Quote:
|
So I made the bread today..
Umm.. Yummy.. Yummy.. I made one batch extra wet.. (1/2 cupish more water) and it turned out lovely.. I was shooting for a ciabatta like bread that didn't have to mix for ten years... The white? well, I found out that it only likes one rising after it's been formed... So, I will be handling it much more carefully next time.. ( I only have one baking stone and thought to try a cast iron skillet.. nope.. not great results, so the other loaf that I had proofing in another skillet I tranfered to the baking stone and it deflated... pooh..) The ciabatta was wonderful with soup.. lovely.. yum... |
Quote:
I am glad it turned out well! I just love this method! Even for just one person (me), it works out well, because I can bake two loaves at a time and freeze one if I want to, or bake a larger loaf and freeze half of it! Once you are organized, it is a breeze, and you can experiment with the master recipe, I add whole grains etc... Elle* |
I used this recipe with orange instead of lemon. Given how mild the flavour of my first go with the lemon was, I ramped up the zest and the juice and added some cornflour. The orange I had was a bit bitter so I also added a couple of drops of maple syrup. It turned out really good!
Quote:
|
Not frugal, but the best darn sauce
Iron Chef Sesame/garlic.. Michele is making short ribs (was going to be Kobe, but...) and oh my gads... Sweet, savory with just a hint of heat.. Totaly to live for... |
Saw some black currants at the green market this week, and got 3 pounds for $10. With it I made two and a half liters of Crème de Cassis (using a bottle of red wine in the process, and three cups of vodka donated by a friend who had it in her freezer for months - she does not drink, and it was left over by a guest -).
As the recipe called for filtering the juice, I was left with a loft of soft black currant wine mush, and decided to make jam with it. Adding equal parts of sugar, and a cup of black cherries bought at the same time but languishing in my fridge (I ate some raw and got an allergic reaction, so left them alone after that, but could not bring myself to compost them), I just canned five cups of delicious black currant/cherry jam! The residual wine in it gives it a flavour to die for! So I have very expensive French Cassis liqueur and out of this world jam, at a very very good price! By the way, the Cassis recipe called for discarding the mush! Elle*. pretty pleased, and going to get more red currants and black currants while they are in season! |
I got more currants and some cherries, and will do another batch of crème de cassis and cassis/cherry jam, which is incredible! I also got yesterday at the green market huge bouquets of basil and cilantro for $2 a piece, and just finished making pesto: I used a mixture of nuts I already had (almonds, cashews and pistachios), olive oil, garlic, sea salt and fresh ground pepper, with Parmiggiano for the basil pesto, and habañero pepper for the cilantro. I need to get freezer labels, because otherwise I will have some surprises! I love the summer, when I can preserve my own stuff! Cheaper, satisfying to make, and oh! so much tastier!
Elle*, who needs to bake some banana somethings, because I had to defrost some I had thrown into the freezer to make room for the pesto! |
Quote:
|
Has anyone had any luck making fat free pesto? :wine:
|
Quote:
The cilantro one I just made up on the spot because I could not resist the beautiful cilantro...It might not last as long, but in any case, it will all be long gone after two or three months! Elle* |
Quote:
It might not be a traditional pesto, but you can freeze basil chopped very fine in your cuisinart with a little water, just enough to wet it, and add the nuts and cheese. Freeze in ice cube trays, then you can store in freezer bags. Elle* |
And now about those frozen bananas! I always buy more than I can eat and since I am frugal, I throw them in the freezer before it's too late! But I am not a fan of banana bread, so usually they stay there until I get annoyed and put them in the compost!
So! I went to MarthaStewart.com (Love her), and of course, bingo! Banana/yogurt/blueberry popsicles! Very easy, I had all the ingredients in the house: one and a half cup Greek yogurt and a cup blueberries, juice of one lemon, three tablespoons sugar, and of course, 1lb bananas. Blend it all in your trusted cuisinart, and voilà! I had bought on sale at Williams-Sonoma a popsicle maker (four years ago!) which I have never used, and so, presto! I licked the spoon it was so good! Merci, Martha! Once again, you came to the rescue! Elle* P.S. I would strain yogurt a little if it were not Greek yogurt, because it makes the popsicles creamier and more sinful! |
We found a blender on sale for $19, Greek yogurt on sale for $3, and cherries on sale for $2 a pound.
Smoooooothie time!!!!! :cheesy: Ice cubes Greek yogurt (honey flavored) fresh Bing cherries a little sugar I didn't measure anything so this is just a guesstimate, but I think it was about six ounces of yogurt, a tablespoon of sugar, and somewhere between a quarter to a half a cup of cherry halves (after I pitted them). I used three ice cubes and that was one or two too many but I didn't care! It works out to about $2 a smoothie, with lots of cherries leftover. |
Fresh pea soup - Potage Saint-Germain
Made this today, loved it, so I thought I'd share - http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Fresh-Pea-Soup/Detail.aspx
Oh, but I used frozen peas - it was still wonderful. I am in love with simplicity :) Ingredients 2 tablespoons butter 2 medium shallots, finely chopped 2 cups water 3 cups fresh shelled green peas salt and pepper to taste 3 tablespoons whipping cream (optional) Directions Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Cook the shallots until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Pour in the water and peas, season to taste with salt and pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the peas are tender, 12 to 18 minutes. Puree the peas in a blender or food processor in batches. Strain back into the saucepan, stir in the cream if using, and reheat. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving. |
Oops, probably ought to mention that I added some stock powder to the soup... and some rosemary that I had on hand.
|
Maybe a little off the topic, but I love grilling in the summer. When it's warm out, it's almost a must to get out of the stuffy kitchen and throw something on the fire outside. I delight in finding new things I like to grill, so here's what came out of this weekend....
* Corn on the cob - cooked - then cut off the cob * Sliced long-ways and grilled zucchini - then cut into smaller pieces * A dash of Montreal Steak seasoning * Mix it all together and toss it in the fridge * Toss in fresh - chopped up tomato just before eating it It was simple, and my taste buds are smiling. :) |
| All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:19 PM. |
ButchFemmePlanet.com
All information copyright of BFP 2018