Julia Child's French Bread!

So, I am very excited to announce that I have become a member of an amazing group of bakers called the "Daring Bakers." Each month, I will be faced with a new challenge...probably something that I've never had the guts to attempt before...case in point - Homemade French Bread. And not just any ole' bread, but Julia Child's French Bread.

This month's challenge was hosted by:

Mary at - http://breadchick.com/

Sara at - http://iliketocook.blogspot.com/

I have to admit that when I first saw this recipe - and what a whooper of a recipe! - I was pretty intimidated. After all, it took up 15 pages when I printed it. Yes, you read that correctly - 15 pages! I've made homemade sourdough bread before. In fact, that was my very first blog post a few months back. So, I thought maybe I could conquer my first Daring Baker challenge okay. It really wasn't as bad as I thought. Basically, the only ingredients are flour, yeast, salt and water. The recipe simply takes patience.

After putting it off for several weeks, I finally decided to put my apron on and start kneading last weekend. After an entire day of mixing, kneading, rising, baking, and re-reading the recipe I finally ended up with somewhat beautiful French bread. I started the process around 12pm, and I bit into my first piece of French bread yummy-ness around 11pm (yes it was late, and no we couldn't wait until the following day to try it!). I was proud of my efforts and the final product. My husband, Brad, usually isn't a bread person. But, he couldn't get enough of this stuff. I am a self-proclaimed bread girl, so I was excited to finally finish the challenge. I will admit that I was nervous though. I was worried that my entire day in the kitchen was going to be wasted if the bread wasn't any good. I anxiously watched as Brad took the first bite. After a few long seconds, he finally plastered a big smile across his face. At that point, I knew my efforts had been a success!

We love eating bread with seasoned dipping oil, so we of course had to try this bread with it. It was delish!

Because the recipe is so very long, you can use this link to view it in its entirety:
http://breadchick.com/?p=336

Don't let the recipe scare you. If you take the time to attempt this recipe once, you'll realize that it's worth almost an entire day in the kitchen!

Mozzarella and Sun-Dried Tomato Cigars

***Here's yet another yummy recipe from Giada. Her recipes never let me down! For this one, I only made the cigars....not the salad dressing. I used a pre-made, bottled Italian Vinaigrette to save time. However, I did want to include the ingredients and directions for Giada's homemade dressing because it looked so good.***

Cigars:

6 sheets phyllo dough

4 tablespoon butter, melted

8 ounces smoked mozzarella, sliced 1/4-inch thick

8 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, drained

Dressing:

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup Prosecco

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 cups field greens

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Lay a sheet of phyllo dough on a clean dry work surface. Use a pastry brush to brush the phyllo sheet with melted butter. Fold the phyllo sheet in half lengthwise, resulting in a 12 by 8-inch rectangle. Brush the top of the phyllo with melted butter. Place a few slices of smoked mozzarella at a narrow end of the phyllo rectangle, leaving 1-inch on each side. Top the cheese with a few pieces of sun-dried tomatoes. Carefully roll up the phyllo dough into a cigar shape starting with the cheese and tomato end. About half way through the rolling, tuck in the 1-inch ends of the phyllo dough, and continue rolling. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet, seam side down, and brush the top with butter. Continue rolling the 5 remaining cigars. Bake until golden, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small ball jar or in a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid combine the extra-virgin olive oil, Proseco, cider vinegar, salt, and pepper. Shake well. Toss the Proseco vinaigrette with the field greens. Place the dressed greens on a serving platter or on individual serving plates.

Slice the cigars into 2-inch pieces. Place atop the dressed field greens. Serve immediately.

Source: Giada DeLaurentiis - Everyday Italian - http://www.foodnetwork.com/

Apple Nut Pancakes

Something Brad and I love are homemade pancakes on the weekend. We've tried a lot of pancakes, and let me just say that these are the best I've ever put in my mouth! They are so scrumptious. They just melt in your mouth, and the chunks of apple are amazing. You've got to try these!

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tbsp. sugar

2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped

1 cup milk

2 egg whites

2 tbsp. applesauce

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (I used cinnamon instead)

1 cup walnuts, chopped for garnish

maple syrup

whipped cream (I left this out)

Directions:

Preheat griddle over medium heat and coat with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, and apples.

In a separate larger bowl, combine milk, egg whites, applesauce, vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon). Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and stir to combine. Pour 1/4 cup batter at a time onto griddle; cook for 3 minutes. Once the sides and top of pancake begin to bubble, flip and cook another 3 minutes.

To serve, place pancakes on a serving dish and sprinkle with walnuts, maple syrup, and a dollop of whipped cream.

Source: "Inspirations" - The Fresh Market - Feb. 6 - March 4 issue

Little Italy Chicken Pitas with Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette

***These pitas are so good, that I made them 2 days in a row! I had them for lunch one day, and then for dinner the next night. This is another great Cooking Light recipe. They are light, fresh, and healthy....these are going on my favorites list!***

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato oil

1 tablespoon chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

4 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (about 3/4 pound)

1 cup chopped tomato (about 1 medium)

1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Asiago cheese (I had to use grated parmesan instead)

1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

6 (6-inch) pitas, cut in half

3 cups mixed baby greens

Directions:

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in chicken, tomato, cheese, and basil.

Line each pita half with 1/4 cup greens. Divide chicken mixture evenly among pita halves.

Source: http://www.cookinglight.com/

Brad's Famous Spaghetti!

This is one of the first things Brad ever cooked for me....it is always fabulous! We've started a Valentine's Day tradition of cooking this spaghetti together, so it's only fitting that I include it in my blog....with Brad as my Guest Blogger! We served it with a side salad with a vinaigrette dressing and feta cheese, plus fresh French bread with seasoned dipping oil. We both love thick spaghetti sauce...if that's what you like, you'll LOVE this recipe! So, without further ado...here it is!

Ingredients:

1 box uncooked spaghetti

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 onion
2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (E.V.O.O.), plus 1 tbsp. E.V.O.O. for pasta

1 jar Ragu spaghetti sauce (we always get the garlic and onion flavored kind)

1 can tomato paste

1 can stewed tomatoes

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 tbsp. dried oregano

Garlic salt, to taste

Grated parmesan for seasoning

1 tbsp. butter

Directions:

Drizzle E.V.O.O. in a skillet over medium heat. Take half of the bell pepper and half of the onion (reserving the other half for later) and add them to the skillet; saute for a few minutes or until bell pepper and onion are softened. Add garlic and saute for an additional 2 minutes or until garlic is fragrant. Add ground beef to the skillet and cook until no longer pink, gently breaking the meat apart as it cooks.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and add pasta. Season the water with a generous amount of salt and 1 tbsp. of butter. Cook pasta until al dente.

In a separate large saucepan, pour contents of Ragu jar. Add tomato paste, stewed tomatoes, and the other half of the bell pepper and onion. When beef is completely cooked, drain if needed and then add to the spaghetti sauce mixture. Season with the oregano and garlic salt to taste. Let the sauce cook through for approximately 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

***The reason Brad sautes half of the bell pepper/onion and then adds the rest directly to the spaghetti sauce later is because it adds texture. You will end up with half soft, sauteed bell pepper/onion and half slighty crunchy bell pepper/onion. It adds a special yummy-ness!***

Pour pasta in a strainer and rinse with HOT water. Let drain. Brad hates runny pasta, so that is why he adds this step! Put drained pasta back into the pot. Drizzle with 1-2 tbsp. E.V.O.O. and sprinkle with oregano. Stir.

Put cooked pasta on a plate and top with a generous serving of the spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle with grated parmesan.

Voila!

***We always mix the left-over pasta and sauce in a container and save it for the next day. It's even better the day after!***

Source: Brad W.

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***Valentine's Surprise!***

On a side note, Brad surprised me with the beautiful red, round 5 quart Le Creuset French Oven that I've been drooling over for weeks...lol...he also gave me the matching Le Creuset tea kettle. I was beyond excited! Here are some stock photos until I take a photo of mine...