Want some warm bread and that smell in your house? mmmm

My friend Julia says this bread is DEEEELICIOUS...give it a try and let me know what you think!

No-Knead Bread

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
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.

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

What's SUNDAY DINNER at your house? Or, what was it growing up?

..........and, if it was good enough for then, why not NOW? :-)
Did you have a meal every single Sunday after church, for example? Mr. Z's aunt made the same exact meal every single week...pork, peas and mashed potatoes, I think it was. Do you have a family meal or two that were traditional meals every week? I love hearing about things like that...please share!
Do you call it SUPPER or DINNER? And what time was the main Sunday family meal?

Potato Peeling 101...who knew?

Have you ever tried this? It's amazing! I've got to admit I haven't tested this...but I will!

Potatoes, next to mac and cheese and white truffles, are my very favorite food. Certainly, they're my favorite vegetable...!! Do you have a better way to peel a potato? let me know if you try this!
What's your favorite vegetable? And what's your favorite way to COOK a potato? Or favorite potato recipe? mmmm
z

Olive Oil.............who knew?

I can't imagine stir frying Asian recipes with olive oil, but I do quite a lot of sauteeing with it....THIS ARTICLE tells us that's even BAD for us...the article is interesting and has some good tips in it. It tells what oils to use for what............some are surprising. It omits using olive oil in salads and I believe that's one of the healthiest ways of using it. Anyway, very interesting.....Check it out! (if anybody reading here is too young to recognize the lady to your left, do NOT let me know....!)
z

SUPER BOWL FOOD!!

What will you be eating during the Super Bowl? Please share it with us!!
I'll be having Chicken Tortilla Soup at my sister's........with lots of friends and family.
Have a great time, everybody. (I wish the Lakers were playing instead :-)

good roast chicken and stock

COMFORT FOOD means "chicken" to so many of us, doesn't it? So many really great cooks, when asked about a favorite meal, will say "roast chicken and a good loaf of fresh bread with it".... Here's the simplest way to get Chicken Stock and a great bird at the same time, according to my friend, Ellen. Do you have any good roast chicken recipes or any nice memories that involve chicken dinners with family, etc? Please share them in COMMENTS!
Ellen's Bird (no basting, watching, just timing)

Oven-450 degrees

1 BIG fryer 5 lb. ++
Season inside with salt & pepper
Stuff with cut up onion
Rub outside with butter or olive oil
Season outside & tie legs together

Place on a large rack on the RIM of a non-reactive baking pan

In pan put 2 C. water & some white wine along with garlic cloves, peppercorns, celery, onion skin (if nice & dry), Bay leaf, etc. (Z: you could probably include carrots or whatever else you like to have flavoring your broth, too)

Put in oven uncovered for 30 min.

Turn temp. down to 350' & roast for another 2 hours, or until leg moves freely.

You will have perfect Roast Chicken + a great stock after you strain it. About 3 C. +-

You can do 2 at once if you have a large pan & rack. Just increase the liquids.

If you use a Sunday Best Roaster (6-7 lbs.) increase the time as needed.

So, you have a perfect roast chicken and a beautiful chicken stock all at one time! ENJOY

And thanks, Ellen, for your wonderful recipe...
z

Armenian Pizza, or "Lahmajoon" mmmmm

For Mr and Mrs Cube.....but you'll all LOVE it, I promise!
LAHMAJOON

Ingredients;

2 garlic cloves
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 small green pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
1 pound ground lamb (or ground beef, but...)
1 - 6 oz can tomato paste
1 - 14 1/2 can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt and Pepper
Flour Tortillas

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Pulse the garlic in a food processor to mince it. Add the onion and pulse to chop, then add the green pepper and pulse to chop. Add the lamb, tomato paste, tomatoes, parsley, cumin, cayenne, and salt and pepper; process until everything is well chopped. The consistency should be wet and pasty. Spread a thin layer of the meat mxiture onto flour tortillas all the way to the edge. Bake directly on the oven rack for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are browned and the meat is cooked through. If the tortilla begings to inflate in the oven, pop it with a fork from the top.
To serve, cut into the size you want, like a pizza, and you can sprinkle some lemon or a little Tabasco or add absolutely nothing...it's good just as it is! (I really don't remember how much this makes but I'm thinking a dozen tortillas to a pack, so that's probably what it made....)
This can be cut in thinner slices as an appetizer with cocktails or for lunch or dinner in larger wedges....Enjoy! Z