It's All About the Dish!

Saffron Rice

2024-05-15T08:44:00.000-05:00

1 small onion chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 cups white rice
3 3/4 chicken broth
2 pinches of saffron
1 tsp salt

crush 1 pinch of saffron and add to 1 /2 cup warm water the add the other pinch of threads let sit
fry onions in olive oil until carmilizeded
add the rice and stir about 5 mins then add the saffron mixture
add broth bring to a boil lower heat to low and cover about 20 minutes until all water is gone

3/6/17 maid with brown rice it takes longer to cook.at least 35 to 45 minutes

6/22/20 this is excellent

3 1/2 chicken broth

1/2 t Tumeric

1/2 t saffron

1/2 t chili flakes

Squeeze lemon

2 cups white rice

2 tablespoon fish sauce or c1/2 tsp salt

Boil stock while it’s coming to boil add all stuff bring to boil reduce heat cover and cook 12 to 15 min

Sourdough made with our starter...12/23/18

2023-09-01T08:12:00.001-05:00

We weighed everything as the recipe says..
It was quite a bit of work but came out fabulous - we had so much bread we had to freeze one of these.

https://www.theperfectloaf.com/beginners-sourdough-bread/

5/18/20-made pizza with the starter.
https://littlespoonfarm.com/sourdough-pizza-crust-recipe/

Makes 4 pizza's, we made just 1 which was plenty for 2 of us..put another in the refer and froze 2 in their own plastic bags covered with olive oil.
Used our lodge frying pan- the thinner parts was better, 1 is good for the pan - we need to try to make it as thin as possible... we put the dough in the pan and then sauce, onion,sausage and cheese. I think we should fry the dough first before any toppings. When its done add the ingredients and put in the broiler..that might be best, Can add green peppers but might be best to cook them first..the broiler was just a couple minutes. Takes about 7 minutes in the lodge before the broiler.

Ingredients

Sourdough pizza crust

1/2 cup (100 g) sourdough starter discard
2 teaspoons (10 g) fine sea salt
2 tablespoons (30 g) olive oil
1/3 cup + 2 teaspoons (50 g) whole wheat flour
3.5 cups + 1 tablespoon (450 g) all-purpose flour
1.5 cups (375 g) water (see notes)

Bread
5/3/20 Bread made this one with the starter in our big le creuset (oval) dutch oven.
Baked at 425pm for about 45 minutes..after about 35 was brushed with butter and added salt and sesame..probably could have left the lid off so the edges were crunchy..the stop was like a loaf of bread but the sides and bottom we are little harder. used the bulk Redstar yeast
https://timbercreekfarmer.com/sourdough-starter-for-french-bread/

1 cup warm water
1 cup sourdough starter
2 teaspoons yeast
1 and 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 and 3/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons oil or softened butter

Add 4 cups of flour (the dough may require more to become a stiff dough)

Add flour one cup at a time, until incorporated.

This will be a stiff dough. Place in a greased bowl, turning so both sides are greased. Cover and let rise until doubled, about an hour. Knead down a few times. (I use these containers for bread dough rising )

On a greased surface and with greased hands divide dough into two equal portions and roll into two long loaves. (or shape into loaf pans or roll shapes.) Place the long loaves on a greased baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. With a sharp knife, cut 4-5 shallow cuts down the loaf. Let rise about an hour until doubled. Alternatively, grease two loaf pans well. I use coconut oil.

this one below was 3/16/16

My very first sourdough loaf surprisingly turned out to be pretty decent, but oh boy was it sour. Sour like those candies you really only eat at the movie theater because they destroy your tongue, sour. Ok, maybe that’s an exaggeration but I remember my wife choking down a slice commenting that it was “pretty good, yeah, pretty good bread” and only later did she fess up that it was “actually not really that good to be honest.” But all-in-all the bread baked fully rose nicely and had a pretty decent crust. And you know what, we ate the entire thing because despite its sourness it still was tasty, and one has to start somewhere, right? And starting out can be daunting, especially with sourdough, but that’s what this post is about: a beginner’s sourdough bread. A how-to guide on getting started with baking my style of sourdough at home with a touch more explanation for some of the steps and terms.

I vividly remember the weeks leading up to that first loaf: weeks of voraciously reading Tartine Bread finally thinking that my newborn sourdough starter and I were ready to take on the sourdough world. Dog-eared pages, post-it notes, bookmarks, torn pages and highlighted passages peppered the book that first kindled that baking spark. My notebook had a schedule scribbled down, surprisingly mostly the same schedule and outline I follow today, with what to do when, and how to do it. Flour was purchased. Water was filtered. Kitchen towels were cleaned. And just like any good engineer I dove in head-first and got my hands dirty.

Fast forward a few bakes, a few “aha” moments (like don’t use the entire levain made from the Tartine recipe, they make extra), and many breakfasts and dinners with fresh sourdough — I found myself descending into a full baking obsession. There was something ancient about performing the whole process, something exciting about mixing together such simple and humble ingredients that would eventually produce beautiful life-giving sustenance: modern-day alchemy. It’s such a simple thing and yet brings so much joy when family & friends tear into a freshly baked loaf. I wanted to bake every day of every week.

My original motivation for starting this site was to not only journal my baking progress but to pass on those things I learned along the way. When I first started baking there were only a handful of resources with step-by-step help for baking sourdough. Recently I’ve come to realize that here at my very own site I don’t have a beginner’s sourdough recipe, a recipe for those just starting out to get in and get their hands dirty. And so here we go: if you’re just starting out in the world of baking sourdough bread, this is a jumping-off point, a beginner’s sourdough bread.

Baker’s Terminology

I’ll start off by briefly introducing some common baker’s terms and their definitions, this will help us all have a common vocabulary and you’ll certainly run into these terms elsewhere.

Starter

A starter is a mix of flour and water that naturally ferments. The starter is fed indefinitely, and when the bread is to be made a small amount of this starter is taken to create an off-shoot, or levain, that will eventually be used in making bread and cease to exist when baked in the oven.

Levain (or leaven)

Made with the starter, but only a small off-shoot, the levain is what is “built” to provide the dough with a starting population of yeast and bacteria. It’s an off-shoot because the levain is eventually mixed into the dough when making bread, and has the same fate as the bread itself: to be baked in the oven. The levain is always made with a portion of a starter when the starter is mature, or at its peak (more on this later).

Autolyse

Autolyse (“auto-lease”) is a step in the baking process where only flour and water are mixed together, always at the beginning of the whole process. Not only does it initiate enzymatic activity in the dough which helps draw out sugars from the flour, but it also increases its extensibility (the ability for the dough to stretch out without tearing). Increased extensibility is a good thing: it allows the dough to expand and fill with gasses, resulting in a light & airy loaf.

Bulk Fermentation

This is the first rise of the dough as a single cohesive mass and takes place after mixing the flour, salt, and levain. The fermentation process during this step is critical and provides flavor to the dough in the form of alcohols & acids and also leavens the dough through gaseous byproducts.

Proof

The final rise, typically done at cooler temperatures for recipes here at my site, is where the divided and shaped dough continues to ferment, further strengthening the dough and leavening it.

Final Dough Temperature (FDT)

The final dough temperature (FDT) is the temperature of the dough right after mixing all ingredients together. Naturally, each ingredient (levain, the flour, the water, and the ambient environment) has a temperature and while most of these are out of our control, we can adjust the water temperature. Adjusting it enables us to change the FDT of the entire dough mass to meet whatever the recipe calls for. In the following example we will determine what our water temperature needs to be to achieve a FDT of 78°F (25°C):

Ingredient	Measured Temperature
Levain	75°F (24°C)
Flour	70°F (21°C)
Room Temperature	75°F (24°C)

WaterTemp = (FDT x 4) - (LevainTemp + FlourTemp + AmbientTemp) 
WaterTemp = (78 x 4) - (75 + 70 + 75)
WaterTemp = 92°F

We need to warm our water to 92°F (33°C) so at the end of our mix, our final dough temperature will be 78°F (25°C).

For more information on dough temperatures, and even a live desired dough temperature calculator, head to my post on The Importance of Dough Temperature in Baking.

Baker’s Math

Baker’s math, or baker’s percentages, help bakers adjust the actual quantity of the ingredients up or down, depending on how much bread they have to make. All of the formulas here on my site are expressed in baker’s percentages where all ingredient weights are expressed as a percentage of the total flour weight, which always adds up to 100%. The best way to understand this is with an example. The table below shows the levain build we’ll make later when we bake this bread, but let’s go through it now.

Weight	Ingredient
40g	Mature sourdough starter (100% hydration)
40g	Whole Wheat Flour
40g	Bread Flour
80g	H2O @ room temperature

The flour is always expressed as 100% and all other ingredients are expressed as a percentage of the flour weight. In this example to calculate the percentage of mature starter required:

40g starter ÷ 80g total flour × 100 = 50% starter

This means we need half as much starter as flour in the levain build. You’ll also notice the water is also at 100% (80g water ÷ 80g flour = 100% hydration), which tells you this will be a “liquid” levain.

The full computed table as you’ll see it throughout my site:

Weight	Ingredient	Baker’s Percentage
40g	Mature sourdough starter (100% hydration)	50%
40g	Whole Wheat Flour	50%
40g	Bread Flour	50%
80g	H2O @ room temperature	100%

Creating a Sourdough Starter

It all begins with a sourdough starter. The first thing we need to do is get a strong sourdough starter rising and falling predictably. If you’ve already done this we can proceed, if not I have an entire post dedicated to creating a sourdough starter.

If you’re wondering how I maintain my starter on a day-to-day basis, take a look at my sourdough starter maintenance routine. This guide will show you what visual cues to look for to determine when your starter is ready for a refreshment (feeding) when it’s gone a bit too far before refreshment, and lastly when it’s at its peak and ready to be used for making a levain.

Baking Tools

There are a few necessary tools to baking your first loaf of bread. This might look like a long list but many of these things you probably already have in your kitchen — only buy what you don’t have.

One item is so necessary I have to draw attention to it upfront: a kitchen scale. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, please consider buying one. You can use it for so many things in your kitchen, it pays for itself time and time again. Measuring flour with cups and scoops is wildly inaccurate.

combo cooker like a Lodge 3qt. cast iron combo cooker or a Le Creuset Dutch oven that can withstand 500°F (260°C) in the oven, has a lid and will create a good seal when covered
two medium-sized kitchen bowls to proof your dough
two kitchen towels or tea towels to line the bowls
bench knife to cut and shape the dough
kitchen scale that measures in grams
mixing bowl
instant read thermometer
white rice flour for dusting proofing bowl
pack of razor blades & a coffee stirrer, or a pair of kitchen shears, for making a “lame” to score the dough before baking
sea salt
parchment paper
pizza peel (don’t buy this if you don’t have it, but comes in handy for sliding your dough into the combo cooker)
heavy duty oven mitt

You can find a full list of all the tools I use when baking at my baking tools page.

Temperature

One thing I didn’t quite grasp when I started baking was how crucial it is to monitor your dough and ambient temperature. This is where an instant-read thermometer plays a role.

Treat temperature as an ingredient, just as flour, water and salt are ingredients.

You must treat temperature as an ingredient. This means if you mix with water that is 70°F (21°C) and then a week later mix with water that is 80°F (26°C), you will get drastically different outcomes. I clearly list a temperature range for each of the baking steps below. If you’re not able to keep temperatures in the specified ranges, know that lower temperatures generally mean things will take longer and higher temperatures generally mean things will take a shorter time. Note that you can use your (turned off) oven with a light on inside to create a temperature-stable environment for your dough.

For more information on temperatures in baking, see my post on The Importance of Dough Temperature in Baking.

Flour

For this recipe, I used commonly available supermarket flour: Bob’s Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour, Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour and Bob’s Red Mill Dark Rye Flour. These are great flour choices but equally suitable are any of King Arthur’s offerings. I chose “bread flour” for the white component as it has a higher protein percentage compared to “all-purpose” flour. This will help give your bread strength and generally makes things a bit easier when first starting out. That said, I find the flavor to be a little gummier compared to lower protein flour. As you become more and more proficient you can play with blending bread and all-purpose flour to suit your taste (or refer to any of my other recipes).

If you have a local source for flour I highly recommend seeking that out first. Not only does it support local farmers and millers, but it will also be fresher flour.

Beginner’s Sourdough Bread Formula

Vitals

Total Dough Weight	1800 grams
Pre-fermented Flour	7.50%
Hydration	78.00%
Yield	2 x 900-gram ciabatta

If you want to halve this recipe just take all ingredients in the Total Formula, below, and divide by 2. I still recommend using the same quantities for the Levain Build below, however.

Total Formula

This is a roll-up of the entire formula for this dough. Read on to see the levain and the dough mix broken out into two separate tables.

Weight	Ingredient	Baker’s Percentage
784g	Bob’s Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour	80.00%
147g	Bob’s Red Mill Stoneground Whole Wheat Flour	15.00%
49g	Bob’s Red Mill Dark Rye Flour	5.00%
765g	H2O	78.00%
18g	Fine sea salt	1.80%
184g	Mature, 100% hydration levain	20.27%

Levain Build

As defined above, a levain is composed of a ratio of bacteria and yeast and is essentially flour that has been pre-fermented. Not only does it add flavor complexity to the dough, but it also is the primary agent responsible for making it rise. The levain is made ahead of time and is separate from the Dough Mix below. Typically you make the levain the night before you plan to mix your dough, but it can also be done really early in the morning.

Note that while the recipe below only calls for 184g of levain, we make a little extra (200g) to have a little excess so we are sure we have enough to meet the recipe’s requirements. The extra 16g can be composted or used to make other delicious sourdough foods.

Weight	Ingredient	Baker’s Percentage
40g	Mature sourdough starter (100% hydration)	50%
40g	Bob’s Red Mill Stoneground Whole Wheat	50%
40g	Bob’s Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour	50%
80g	H2O @ room temperature	100%

Dough Mix

Target FDT for this formula is 78°F (25°C).

Note that the table below shows the weights for the ingredients only for the final dough mix. In other words, the weight of the flour here will be less than the Total Formula lists above because some flour needs to be used to build the levain, also above.

Weight	Ingredient
748g	Bob’s Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour
110	Bob’s Red Mill Stoneground Whole Wheat Flour
49	Bob’s Red Mill Dark Rye Flour
691g	H2O (warm/cool water temperature to meet the desired dough temperature)
18g	Fine sea salt
184g	Mature, 100% hydration levain (from above)

Method

1. Levain – 8:00 a.m.

Mix together everything called for in the “Levain Build” section above in a clean jar in the morning and store somewhere around 74-76°F (23-24°C) ambient for 5-6 hours.

Keep an eye on how your levain is progressing during this time. When its ready to be used it will be expanded, bubbly on top & at the sides, and smell almost a little sour. The photo above is the state of my levain just before going into my dough mix at 1:00 p.m. below.

2. Autolyse – 12:00 p.m.

Using your hands mix all the flour and most of the water (reserve 50g water for later) called for in the “Dough Mix” section above in a bowl until all dry bits are hydrated. Cover the bowl and store somewhere warm (near your levain is convenient) for 1 hour.

Note that this autolyse stage does not incorporate or use salt or the levain build in any way, they are two separate entities at this point that will be mixed together later in the process.

3. Mix – 1:00 p.m.

At this point your autolyse is complete and your levain is ready. Add salt, reserved water, and levain to your already mixed flour & water and mix thoroughly. I like to spread everything on top of dough resting in the bowl and use my hand to pinch all the ingredients together. Transfer dough to a tub or thick-walled bowl for bulk fermentation.

At this point use your instant read thermometer to take the temperature of your dough to get your final dough temperature. If your FDT is below 78°F (25°C) next time use warmer water, and conversely, if it’s above 78°F (25°C) use cooler water.

4. Bulk Fermentation – 1:10 p.m. to 5:10 p.m.

At 76-80°F (24-26°C) ambient temperature bulk fermentation should go for about 4 hours. Perform 3 sets of stretch and folds during bulk fermentation, spaced out by 30 minutes.

Each set consists of 4 folds, one at the North, South, East and West sides. Wet your hands with a little water to prevent sticking and then lift up one side (North) of the dough with two hands. Stretch the dough up high enough just so that you can fold it completely over to the other side of the dough in the bowl. Rotate the bowl 180° and do the other side (South). Finish the other two sides (East and West) to complete the set. Let the dough rest 30 minutes, covered, between sets.

After that third set of stretch and folds, let the dough rest the remainder of bulk fermentation. During this time we let the flour ferment further, aerating it (making it rise), strengthening it and developing flavor.

At the end of bulk fermentation your dough should have risen anywhere between 20% and 50%, should show some bubbles on top, sides and the edge of the dough where it meets the bowl should be slightly domed showing strength. In the photo below you can see all these signs.

5. Divide & Preshape – 5:15 p.m.

Lightly flour your work surface and dump out the dough. With your bench knife in one hand divide the dough into two halves. Lightly flour your other hand and using both the knife and your hand turn each half of dough on the counter while lightly pulling the dough towards you. This gentle turning and pulling motion will develop tension on the top of the dough forming a round circle.

Let the dough rest for 25 minutes, uncovered.

6. Shape – 5:35 p.m.

Lightly flour the top of your dough rounds and the work surface. Working with one at a time, flip the round so the floured top is now down on the floured work surface.

As seen in the image below, lightly flour your hands and grab the bottom of the round and stretch it lightly downward towards your body and then up and over about 2/3 the way to the top.

Then, grab the left and right sides of the dough and stretch them away from each other, fold one side over toward the other and repeat with the other side.

Then, grab the top of the circle and stretch away from your body and fold down and over all the way to the bottom of the resting dough. You’ll now have a tight package that resembles a letter.

Finally, flip, or roll down the dough so the seams are all on the bottom and using two hands cup the top part of the round and drag the dough gently towards your body. The angle of your hands will gently press the bottom of the dough on the counter creating tension, forming a skin on the top of the dough as you drag.

If you’d like to shape this dough as a batard instead of a boule, check out my batard shaping guide.

After shaping, let the dough rest on the bench for a few minutes and then place seam-side-up into a towel-lined kitchen bowl that was lightly dusted with white rice flour.

7. Rest & Proof – 5:40 p.m. to 9:30 a.m. (next day)

To prevent your dough from drying out overnight, place your bowls containing your shaped dough in plastic bags sealed shut with a rubber band. I will usually puff up the plastic bag around the bowl by opening it wide and then quickly closing the opening.

Once covered, let the dough rest on the counter for 20 minutes. Then, retard in the refrigerator at 38°F (3°C) for 16 hours.

During this time overall fermentation will slow, but (good) bacteria activity will continue, contributing to a more complex flavor and deeper crust coloring.

8. Bake – Next Morning: Preheat oven at 8:30 a.m., Bake at 9:30 a.m.

Preheat your combo cooker or Dutch oven inside your oven for 1 hour at 500°F (260°C). If you’re using a combo cooker, place the shallow side face up on one side and the heavier, deep side, face down on the other.

When you’re done preheating, take one of your plastic bag-wrapped loaves out of the fridge and unwrap it. Cut a piece of parchment paper so it fits over the top of your basket and place on a pizza peel. Invert the peel and parchment paper so they are resting on top of your basket containing your dough. Then flip the whole thing over. Remove the basket and your dough should be resting on the parchment.

Score these loaves at a 90° angle between the razor blade and dough. If you want a more pronounced “ear” at each score line, lower the angle between the blade and the dough (so the blade is close to horizontal with the dough). I chose to do a “box” pattern. If using scissors, snip the dough a few times at a very shallow angle between the scissors and the dough, forming a set of ridges down the center of the dough.

While wearing your oven mitt, and with caution, pull out your shallow side of the combo cooker. Using your pizza peel, drag a corner of the parchment paper to slide your dough into the combo cooker. Place it back into the oven and cover the shallow side with the deep side to create a seal. This sealed environment helps trap the escaping steam from your dough to steam the exterior of the loaf as it cooks, allowing it to fully rise as it bakes.

Turn the oven down to 475°F (246°C) and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, use your oven mitt to very carefully remove the top of the combo cooker. Leave the large side of the combo cooker in the oven to the side of the shallow part of the cooker holding your dough. Close the door, turn the oven down to 450°F (232°C), and bake for 30 more minutes. If you are unsure if your bread is done, use your thermometer to test the internal temperature, it should register over 208°F (97°C).

When done, carefully use your oven mitt to remove the bread from the combo cooker (I will grab a corner of the parchment paper and drag the cooked bread out of the cooker) and cool on a wire rack. Place the combo cooker back in the oven and bring the temperature back up to 500°F (260°C). Repeat for the second loaf.

Conclusion

For those new to sourdough baking, this is a great place to start. The hydration of the dough is not wildly high making shaping much more approachable, but as you can see below, this makes some really great (and healthy) bread. A crunchy crust, open interior and a taste that will put a smile on your face. This recipe is also a jumping off point for you to make this bread your own: higher or lower hydration, the addition of seeds and nuts, fruit and/or different shaping.

Crust

Baked in a combo cooker, this bread had ample steam to rise high with excellent coloring and a thin, brittle crust. A rustic bread like this just begs to be torn apart and eaten with a thick, hearty stew. Perfect.

Crumb

A nice and light bread with an open crumb — I’m very happy with the outcome. The added whole wheat and rye flour really boosted fermentation but also contributed to a nice crumb structure and imparted a desireable creamy hue to the crumb. With the addition of even more whole grains, the crumb could take on even further taste complexity.

Taste

Thanks to a lengthy and cold overnight proof, you first get a touch of sourness at first taste. The soft crumb and crackly crust present a really nice contrast fall into balance. I’m not a fan of bread that has a pale and uninteresting crust with a spongy crumb, and this is not that kind of bread. As I mentioned earlier I do find the taste of these higher protein flours to be a tiny bit more “gummy” when used in high quantity, but don’t let that discourage you from making this bread — it’s fantastic.

With this basic sourdough process & formula, you can endlessly modify with add-ins like walnuts, cranberries, seeds and a host of other ingredients bound only by your imagination. As your baking experience increases you can tweak the taste of this sourdough by blending flour types (with more or less whole grain), increasing or decreasing hydration, changing the amount of levain in your mix, and begin to work on a flavor profile that suits your individual taste. But the most important thing is to bake and have fun, remember that sometimes bread doesn’t come out as you intended but stick to it and you’ll be rewarded time and time again.

My goal for this post was to give you a jumping-off point and a push to dive in and get your hands dirty. I really hope you’ll find yourself baking this beginner’s sourdough bread this weekend!

And of course, buon appetito!

I’d love to see your bake with this recipe! Tag me (@maurizio on Instagram) or hashtag your photo #theperfectloaf so I can take a look!

Print Sourdough Recipe

Sourdough from our starter with a bit of rye flour

2023-09-01T08:11:00.003-05:00

1 1oaf:

2 1/2 cups bread flour
1/2 cup rye flour
1/3 cup starter
1 1/2 cups room temperature water
1/2 tsp salt
Cast Iron pot with lid- ovenproof

Mix the flours and starter and mix until combined. It will be sticky. Let it sit for 30 minutes and then add the salt. Knead for 5-8 minutes.

With a large plastic container (large enough to stretch and fold the dough without removing it from the container. Cover the inside with vegetable oil

Let the dough set in the container covered with plastic wrap and allow it to sit for 2 1/2 hours at room temperature. Every 50 minutes stretch the bread north to south and east to west -add video.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Slightly flatten the dough and then begin to form a ball - add video here. Sprinkle with flour and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare a round bowl with a kitchen towel (add plastic wrap if your towel is knotty)
sprinkle with flour. Add the dough seam side up, cover the edges with the towel and proof for 2-3 hours at room temperature. You will know when its ready when you press the dough and it comes back slowly.

Have your oven, pot and lid in the oven at 475 for at least 20 minutes. Turn the loaf onto parchment paper and score- add video. Carefully transfer to the pot add the lid and return to the oven immediately.

Bake for 30 minutes and check your bread. The bottom will brown faster than the top so be sure not to let the top get to dark so the bottom isn't burnt. If the top is light return to the oven for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool completely on a wire rack. At least 2 hours

Slow cooked pork shoulder butt. 7.3 lbs 12/13/20

2023-09-01T07:32:00.005-05:00

4/11/21 made it in the over 7.5 lbs about 3 1/4 hrshours came out perfect. 30 minutes a lb. 200 degrees internal tenp and let rest

Did the rub here with out the brown sugar

Excellent

4/24/21 made again with cooking info on label below

Started at 530pm 12/12/20 - finished 830am 12/13/20

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Measure out spices in a medium mixing bowl and whisk together.

Before owning a Saffire Grill and learning how to smoke pork shoulder, I wasn’t a huge pulled pork fan. But now, I can’t seem to get enough of it! My mouth is watering just thinking about the pulled pork we ate last night! This recipe is super easy, but it does take time for the pork to smoke. Plan ahead and start your pork the night before and you’ll have it ready by dinner. First, make my bbq rub and rub it all over your pork shoulder. It’s called “rub” for a reason, really rub it into the meat.

Next, preheat your grill to 250°F and make sure it has plenty of charcoal in it so it will keep going for the duration of the time. We will be grilling this on indirect heat at 250°F for about 16 hours depending on your size of meat. Plan on smoking the pork shoulder for 1.5-2 hours per pound of meat plus an additional 1-2 hour cushion. I have found that when doing a long smoke with pork, there is typically a “stall zone” where the meat’s internal temperature stalls for awhile. This stall zone is normally around 165-180°F. Don’t worry when this happens to you, just plan ahead and give yourself a cushion just in case the stall zone takes longer than anticipated.

A few other notes on timing… It’s better to overestimate on time when smoking pork. I’ve found typically, an 8-12 lb. pork shoulder takes around 15 hours at 250° F. I always plan on at least 16 hours though, because for whatever reason, some take longer. Also, I’ve grilled larger quantities of pork totalling an overall higher weight that took less than 16 hours, i.e. 3 pork shoulders weighing in around 15 lbs. ended up taking around 14 hours. So if the weight of your meat is divided up, it might take less time.

Don’t sweat it if the pork reaches the final internal temperature early! If it finishes early, just wrap your pork (in butcher paper or foil), wrap it in a towel, and then put it in a cooler to keep it warm. This will keep the pork warm for hours! However, if you underestimate the time for smoking pork, you will be rushed and might end up turning the heat up on your grill to reach you finish time and that results in drier meat. So always give yourself plenty of time! Remember it’s a low and slow smoke 🙂

Once your grill is at 250°F, put your meat in a roasting rack and set it on your Kamado. Alternately, you can brush your grill grates with olive oil and set pork shoulder directly on your grates. I prefer using a roasting rack because sometimes when pulling the meat off the grill, it can get stuck on the grill grates.

Add wood chips if using them. I used apple wood chips and it really made the meat taste good. If you like a strong flavor from your wood chips, add more about every hour. The Kamado I grill on, the Saffire Grill, has an amazing feature called the Smokin’ Chip Feeder that makes it super easy to add wood chips. If you’re interested in learning more about that feature, please check out the Saffire website.

I could continue to go on and on about how much I love the ingenuity of the Smokin’ Chip Feeder, but I digress…

When the internal temperature of your pork shoulder reaches 190° F, you are done grilling it.

Take your meat off the grill, wrap it (in butcher paper or foil) and let it rest for a good 30 minutes. Shred your meat and you’re done! I usually eat pulled pork on a bun with my favorite bbq sauce. Sometimes I get fancy and buy pretzeld buns and add jalapeno cheese and some hot sauce as well.

Best Pizza dough 8/22/23

2023-09-01T07:32:00.004-05:00

Chicago butter crust pizza dough

So this is a great dough recipe. We are NOT deep dish people so step 10 below is not what we did. We took a small portion of the dough and rolled it really thin and let it rise for 20 minutes. It easily made 4 pizzas. We use the Lodge and also a pizza stone, both worked really well.

INGREDIENTs

(1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast

1 1⁄4cups lukewarm water
3 1⁄4cups flour, plus more for dusting
1teaspoon sugar
1⁄2cup cornmeal
1teaspoon salt
4tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1garlic clove, ground to a paste
pizza toppings, your choice

DIRECTIONS

In large bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup lukewarm water.
Add 1/4 cup flour and the sugar, stir together.
Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.
Stir the remaining 1 cup lukewarm water, 3 cups flour, the cornmeal and salt into the yeast mixture.
Combine the butter and garlic; mix into the dough.
Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until soft and elastic, 10-12 minutes.
Lightly grease a large bowl, add the dough and turn to coat.
Cover and set in a warm place until the dough is doubled in size, 1 hour.
Punch dough down, then knead for 2-3 minutes.
Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan, then press in dough to cover the bottom and 2 inches up the sides; let rise for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
Top the pizza dough with your favorite toppings.
Lower the oven to 450 degrees and bake for 30 minutes.

Sauerkraut Soup (Capusta)

2022-12-11T16:55:00.003-06:00

This is my husband, Tom's family recipe. His uncle Steve got the recipe originally from "Mama" Novotny (his mother) and perfected it.

32 oz beef broth
1 quart good quality sauerkraut,
5 polish sausages
5 cloves garlic chopped
1 1/2 t of caraway
1/2 lb bacon fried and chopped (reserve 2T bacon grease)
1 1/2 cups dried mushrooms
pepper to taste
1 1/2 T flour (for the roux)

In a medium pot, add the sauerkraut, beef broth, caraway, garlic, pepper and water if needed to fill 1/2 of the pot. Simmer for 45 minutes. Add the mushrooms, polish sausage (cut into 1/2 pieces, cut diagonally for looks) and cook for another 45 minutes.

Fry the bacon and break into pieces. Add to the soup.

With 2T of the bacon grease that you saved add to a skillet along with the flour

Bone in pork roast from costco

2022-04-06T11:52:00.000-05:00

Set the roast on the counter for 3 hours - room temperature

1 1/2 T thyme

1 1/2 T sage

2 t salt

2 t pepper

Coat the whole roast after it’s room temperature.

Put in a pan on a rack (fat side up) cover with foil

Add a cup of water to the bottom of the pan.

Cook at 350 for about 1 1/2 hours until the inside is 145. Then let it rest for 20 minutes covered on the counter.

Check the temp after an hour to be sure you don’t overcook it.

Keto mozzarella chips

2021-05-16T13:37:00.004-05:00

INGREDIENTS

2 c. shredded mozzarella 8oz

1/2 c. almond flour

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. chili powder

Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a microwave safe bowl, melt mozzarella, about 1 minute 30 seconds. Add almond flour, salt, garlic powder, chili powder, and a few cracks black pepper. Using your hands, knead dough a few times until a smooth ball forms.
Place dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll out into a rectangle ⅛” thick. Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into triangles.
Thinner is better.
Spread chips out on prepared baking sheets and bake until edges are golden and starting to crisp, 12 to 14 minutes

Chicken aka king 1/30/21 excellent

2021-01-31T15:08:00.005-06:00

We used water chestnuts instead of mushrooms since we didn’t have any. Next time shrooms! Turned out fabulous and less than 30 minutes to prepare

Ingredients

Instructions

In a large high sided 12-inch skillet add butter and set over medium-high heat.

When the butter is melted, saute mushrooms and onions until they start to soften, about 5 minutes.
Season with garlic powder, black pepper, and kosher salt.
Sprinkle in the flour and stir until a paste is formed.
While stirring, slowly pour in the chicken stock and half and half. Stir to make sure no chunks of flour remain.
Lower the heat to low and stir until the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the peas, chopped pimentos, and rotisserie chicken.
Serve over pasta, rice, or biscuits

Christmas Tree with Pillsbury cresent rolls

2020-12-21T18:18:00.005-06:00

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Pull-Apart Crescent Christmas Tree

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Kitchen Tested

Prep20 MIN
Total45 MIN
Ingredients4
Servings32

It’s official: this is the appetizer we’re bringing to every party this holiday season. This cheese-stuffed tree is trimmed with melted butt... MORE+

By Pillsbury Kitchens

Make with

Pillsbury Crescents

Savings on 2 ingredient(s)

Enter Zip to change location:

Ingredients

cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury™ refrigerated crescent rolls SAVE $

packages (5.5 oz each) garlic & herbs Boursin™ cheese

tablespoon butter, melted

tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves SAVE $

Steps

Hide Images

1

Heat oven to 375°F. Line large cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper. Separate dough into 16 triangles. Use kitchen scissors or knife to cut each triangle in half lengthwise.
2

Spoon about 2 teaspoons cheese on shortest side of each triangle. Roll up each, starting at shortest side of triangle and rolling to opposite point. Using photo as a guide, place crescents next to each other in tree-shaped pattern on cookie sheet, starting with trunk and working up to top.
3

Bake 20 to 24 minutes or until deep golden brown. Brush with melted butter; sprinkle with parsley.

To transfer tree to platter, lift it up still attached to parchment paper, and place on platter. Run large, flat spatula underneath tree on all sides, then lift parchment paper on one side, and slide tree onto platter.

Tri-Tip Marinade

2019-06-19T12:15:00.000-05:00

We've been pretty spoiled having had Reams (Elburn IL) in our backyard for over 20 years. They had an amazing Tri-Tip that they had in a marinade. Since we no longer have that we have been in search of a butcher which is a bit harder than we thought here in Nashville.

Bare Bones Butcher is our new go-to. Located at 906 51st Ave N in Nashville. Everything we have had has been fantastic. They offer the Tri-tip but not in a marinade but fear not we have found this recipe that came out just perfect.

Ingredients:

2 t salt

2 t freshly ground black pepper

3 t garlic powder

1 1/2 t paprika

1 t onion powder

1 t dried Rosemary

1/4 t cayenne pepper

1 (2-4 lb) beef tri-tip roast

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

4 cloves crushed garlic

1/2 t Dijon mustard

Directions:

Stir salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, rosemary and cayenne pepper together in a bowl. Place beef in a glass baking dish and coat beef on all sides with spice mixture. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.
Combine vinegar, vegetable oil, crushed garlic and Dijon mustard together in a seal able container. Cover the container and shake to blend ingredients.
Remove beef from refrigerator, uncover and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat your grill for high heat and lightly oil the grate
Place the meat on the preheated grill and brush with garlic-vinegar mixture. Cook for 4 minutes, flip and baste. Repeat the flip and baste process every 4 minutes until beef starts to firm. About 20 minutes total or to your liking. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read about 105 degrees F. Let rest (covered) for about 15 minutes before slicing.

Chicken Ala King

2018-12-12T08:21:00.001-06:00

Ingredients

1-3/4 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup butter, cubed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup - 1 can chicken broth
1 cup milk
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 tablespoons diced pimientos

Directions

You can add anything you want of course, we added peas.

In a large skillet, saute the mushrooms, onion and celery in butter until crisp-tender. Stir in flour and salt until blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Add chicken and pimientos; heat through. Serve over toast.
Next time we will kick this recipe up and try fennel and leeks too!

Nutrition Facts

1 each: 550 calories, 34g fat (15g saturated fat), 110mg cholesterol, 1169mg sodium, 35g carbohydrate (8g sugars, 2g fiber), 29g protein.

Sourdough bread made with "starter" 12/9/18

2018-12-11T20:28:00.002-06:00

This is one of the best breads ever, it’s sweet and a bit sour. The consistency is like a pound cake but it is 100% a bread. It makes great sandwich bread and toast. Today we used it for our Chicken ala King dish and it was perfect in every way. I think it’s really in the Starter which takes some time but it’s worth it. The starter can be stretched out if you don’t share it as the recipe states, hence friendship bread, you can make several different breads. We are working on dIfferent receipes and will post the ones that we’ve tried and love. This is one of them. I’ve read pancakes are wonderful with the starter too but we haven’t tried that yet so stay tuned.

Sourdough Bread

The best homemade bread! Soft, chewy sourdough bread with a beautiful golden brown crust. This easy homemade bread recipe makes two loaves and is the perfect white sandwich bread.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time50 mins

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 156kcal

Author: Julie Clark

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups warmed milk (110-115 degrees Fahrenheit)
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast (I love Red Star Platinum)
1 cup sourdough starter
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 1/2 cups bread flour (plus an additional 1/2 cup for handling the dough)
2 tablespoons canola oil (for brushing the tops of the loaves)

Instructions

Pour the warmed milk into the bowl of a stand mixer*. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk.
Add the sourdough starter, canola oil, salt, sugar, baking soda and flour.
Using the dough hook, mix the ingredients on medium speed until they are combined. Then set the mixer to medium speed and knead for 4-5 minutes. The dough should be slightly tacky to the touch. If you think the dough is too wet, add additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time, being careful not to add too much flour.
Transfer the dough to a large bowl sprayed with cooking spray. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until double.
Divide the dough into to loaves and place them in greased 8x4 or 9x5 loaf pans.
Cover the loaf pans and allow the dough to rise for another 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Uncover the bread pans. Brush the top of the dough lightly with oil.
Bake the bread loaves for 25-30 minutes. The top should be golden brown and the loaves should sound hollow when you tap it.
Allow the loaves to cool 10 minutes in the pans, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container.
We baked at 400 for 20 and turn it down to 300 for 5 more minutes..perfecto!

Notes

*If you don't have a stand mixer, just mix the ingredients in a large bowl and then knead by hand for 5 minutes.

Nutrition

Friendship bread recipes

2018-11-17T11:51:00.000-06:00

The sourdough bread recipe is here Sourdough bread

AMISH CINNAMON BREAD
(you need to make the starter first)

To your starter add:

1 cup vegetable oil (or 2/3 cup oil and 1/3 cup applesauce)

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 small box vanilla instant pudding

1 cup sugar

2 cups flour

Stir well - add 1 cup nuts and 1 cup raisins (optional) Pour into 2 greased loaf pans or 1 bundt pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour, or until done. (After removing from the oven, spread butter on top, then put cinnamon sugar mixture on.

APPLE FRIENDSHIP BREAD

1 cup Friendship starter at room temperature

3 eggs

2/3 cup vegetable oil

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped English walnuts or pecans

2 medium apples peeled and finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9 X 5 inch loaf pans. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the starter, eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and blend. Fold in the nuts and apples and transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pans. Bake for 50 minutes and remove from the oven. Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes, then tip onto a rack to finish cooling.

Friendship bread starter

2018-11-17T11:50:00.003-06:00

Friendship bread starter is the beginning stage of a really fun bread to share with family and friends.
This does take 12 days before you can bake so plan accordingly!!!

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 cups warm water

1 package active dry yeast

Day 1: In a glass or ceramic (no metal) bowl, mix the first 3 starter ingredients thoroughly. Leave on the kitchen counter: do not refrigerate

Day 2: Stir

Day 3: Stir

Day 4: Stir

Day 5: Add 1 cup sugar, 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk and mix well.

Day 6: Stir

Day 7: Stir

Day 8: Stir

Day 9: Add another 1 cup sugar, 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk and mix well

Day 10: Stir

Day 11: Stir

Day 12: Ladle 1 cub starter into each of 4 containers and refrigerate. DO NOT REFRIGARATE THE MIXTURE UNTIL DAY 12. Use one to make the bread, keep 1 for yourself and give the other to 2 friends.

If you do not bake on this day, add 1 teaspoon sugar and refrigerate the mixture. The sugar will feed the yeast and keep it alive. Date the containers and every 10 days remove the starter from the refrigerator, transfer to a bowl and feed it the usual combination of 1 cup sugar, 1 cup flour and 1 cup milk. Let is out of the refrigerator for 2 days and then either bake it or divide it among friends but always save some for yourself.

Some rules to observe: use non metallic bowls, use wooden (or plastic) utensils for stirring, not an electric mixer. Leave the mixture outside the refrigerator. This is so the starter can pick up from the air, the natural yeast flying around your kitchen! Do not use the starter on the day you feed it, the bread will not rise as high. Do not refrigerate the mixture until day 12. Thar starter really multiplies after the 5th day so be sure your container is large enough.

Once you receive your starter you can use these Recipes

Kamodo Joe smoking a pork shoulder 7 lbs

2018-05-10T09:27:00.000-05:00

Started our Kamado Joe at 600am
Used Alton Browns rib rub and put mustard on the meat for the rub to stick
took 50 minutes to reach 225. You can find the rub here:Once of the best rubs
Its pretty easy to maintain a smoking temperature, a slight turn here and there
to the daisy wheel in the 1st hour kept our temp between 225 and 240.
We kept the meat moist by spraying it with Apple cider vinegar. Don't spray until you are
about 5 hours in and then maybe every 90 minutes.
You'll want the internal temperature to be 200 for pork. So once we hit 200 we double wrapped in foil and let still for another hour.

Well worth the whole day of monitoring this but now we see how easy it is, next time we'll just put the meat on the smoker and let it cook all night!

Homemade Soft Pretzels bites for Superbowl Sunday!

2018-01-31T19:54:00.001-06:00

As you can imagine there is no posting a recipe until its been tested until perfection. This needed just 1 try and they came out great - perfect for a party. Cheese sauce recipe is below but we used our own sauce for dipping, Greek yogurt with Sriracha. I bet any dip with be fabulous! I'm sure it will be a big hit at our party!

Homemade Soft Pretzels:

1 1/2 cups warm water

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

3 ounces unsalted butter, melted

2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour

Vegetable oil

3 quarts water

1/2 cup baking soda (for boiling the pretzels)

1 whole egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water

Coarse sea salt

For the cheese sauce:

½ Tablespoon unsalted butter

½ Tablespoon all-purpose flour

½ cup milk

8 ounces Cheddar cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS:

1. For the Pretzels: Combine the 1 1/2 cups water, sugar, yeast, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with the dough hook until combined. Let sit for 5 minutes.

2. Add the salt and flour and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes. If the dough appears too wet, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a flat surface and knead into a ball with your hands. We made this without the mixer or the dough hook, just some good old man power - came out perfect! But you will want to mix thoroughly as if you are the dough hook!

3. Oil a bowl with vegetable oil, add the dough and turn to coat with the oil. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.

4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

5. Bring the 3 quarts of water to a boil in a small roasting pan over high heat and carefully add the baking soda. It will boil over, so add slowly and be careful!

6. Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, about 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 ounces each. Roll each piece into a long rope measuring 22 inches and shape. Cut the dough into one inch pieces to make the pretzel bites. Boil the pretzel bites in the water solution in batches. We did about 15 bites at a time. Boil for about 30 seconds. Remove with a large slotted spoon. Place pretzel bites on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Make sure they are not touching. Brush the tops with the egg wash and season liberally with the salt. Place into the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown.

7. Remove to a baking rack and let rest 5 minutes before eating. Serve with cheese sauce.

8. To make the cheese sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and cook until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the Cheddar cheese until smooth and all of the cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

9. *If you want to make cinnamon and sugar pretzel bites-instead of adding salt, sprinkle the bites with cinnamon and sugar. For the frosting mix-soft cream cheese-about 3 T, powdered sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla extract, and a little bit of milk. Whisk together. Add more milk if it is too thick, if it is too thin, add more powdered sugar. I don’t measure. I just guess until the consistency is right.*

Recipe makes a lot of bites-perfect for sharing

Shrimp in a bag

2017-07-07T20:18:00.000-05:00

We found this dish at 55 South a restaurant in Franklin, TN It was great and to easy to prepare. Although we have tried it many times with several variations, this is the bomb. May not seem like enough liquid but the shrimp will reduce and it will be fabulous.

1 bag will be plenty for 2:

10-12 good size raw shrimp
3T unsalted butter
1t Old Bay
5 cloves of garlic minced
2 T Louisiana hot sauce
1T chives
1t lemon juice
1t hot paprika if you have it. Sweet will work too.

Melt the butter and pour into a good size plastic bag. Not a ziplock. Add all of the other ingredients and loosely tie a knot in the bag, get most of the air out. Drop the bag into boiling water and
boil for 4 minutes. Use a deep pot with plenty of water.

Remove from the pot and pour into a bowl. Get some good bread for dipping and you are all set!

Gumbo ZEB base

2015-11-22T13:59:00.004-06:00

11/12/22 Doubled this used large Le Cruset pot. 2# bag of mustard greens , 2# bag Turnip greens, 2# bag Collard Greens, 1 bunch of Swiss chard,, 1 bunch Parsley, bought spinach it’s a lot of greens.The pot was full to 1/2” from the top. Came out great but a little gritty, should wash greens. Used Hillshire Andouille.

We have been making this for years - its very time consuming to prepare the base but in the end
you will have base that you can make several different meals from. This leaves plenty to freeze and
whats really great about it is that its pretty simple to judge how much to freeze based on your family size. 50% base to 50% stock and you're done.

There are 4 parts to this:

Roux
1 cup vegetable oil, you can also use peanut, corn or soy
1 cup all purpose flour

Vegetable saute
8 T or 1 stick butter
2 large onions chopped
2 green peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped
1 bunch of celery with the leaves chopped
1 large bunch 8-10 large scallions chopped

Seasoning puree
8 cloves of garlic peeled
1/4 cup pickapeppa or worcestershire
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 T tabasco sauce
2 t dried basil
2 t dried oregano
2 t dried thyme
1 t paprika
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t ground alspice
1/2 t ground cloves
6-8 good grinds of fresh peppercorns
1 can (16 oz) whole tomatoes drained, coarsely chopped. The juice and tomatoes reserved separately.The juice will ultimately mix with the roux.
1 bunch of fresh Italian flat leave parsley- leaves and stems, rinsed and coarsely chopped

Stock and greens
Pam cooking spray
6 C any well flavored chicken, vegetable stock or bottled clam juice
2 C tomato juice or V8 vegetable juice
1 t salt
4 bay leaves
6 bunches greens ideally 1 bunch each of: mustard greens, spinach, turnip greens, beet tops, collard greens, arugula and watercress, very well washed and finely ribboned. Omit any thick stems

1. Roux: Start with a well seasoned pot or skillet. Into the skilled pour 1 part oil (not olive oil) turn the heat to medium and using a wire whisk, immediately beat in the 1 cup of flour. Keep stirring, this can take up to an hour to achieve the desired color which ultimately will begin to color and scent the room. As it colors keep whisking. It will become a light brown and then gradually come to the brown of a caramel and then to a dark caramel color. This process cannot be hurried. When the roux begins to become fairly brown, the oil will partially separate from the flour. Do not take the roux off the flame before this point. After this point it is a matter of taste, the darker the roux, the stronger the nutty rich flavor. Keep stirring, if you go off to check your facebook and return and there are little black specks in it, its ruined. Period. Start over. This can be made ahead of time and refrigerated. When the roux is ready take it off the stove and let it cool. The oil will separate the the flour (roux) will harden on the bottom. Tilt the pan and drain off the excess oil. Be sure to leave every bit of the brown flour.

Vegetables and the start of the roux

2. Vegetable saute: In a heave cast iron skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until softened, 5-6 minutes. Add the bell pepper and celery; lower the heat slightly and continue to saute another 10 minutes. Add the scallions and saute until limp, about 5 more minutes. When this is done remove and set aside.

3. Seasoning puree: Place all the ingredients for the puree (except the tomatoes and parsley) in a food processor. Buzz the ingredients until the garlic is chopped fine. Then add the tomatoes and parsley and chop coarsely.

Stock and greens

4. Stock and Greens: Use a large soup pot large enough to hold all the mixtures. Spray the pot with Pam. In it, bring to a boil the stock and tomato or V8 juice. Add the salt and bay leaves. Drop in the fresh greens, bring back to a boil, turn down to medium low and simmer covered for 30 minutes.

Roux with tomato juice

At this point you have 4 mixtures: The roux should be cooled, the excess oil drained and and the reserved tomato juice whisked in. When the greens have finished their 30 minute simmer, remover from the heat. Add to the stock pot, the roux mixture, the vegetable saute and the seasoning puree.
Give a taste and adjust the seasons. Set the pot back on the stove and let simmer over the lowest possible heat, covered another 15 minutes and stir often.

Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Thats all there is to it, you have concentrated gumbo base. We like it spicy so we freeze it in quart containers and then add 3 cans of stock. So you just have to see how you like it. Below is our favorite gumbo made from this base.

Our favorite is Andouille Gumbo

Andouille Gumbo

2015-11-22T13:59:00.002-06:00

To make this dish, you'll need to start with the Gumbo Zeb base

1 lb Andouille or other smoked sausage, sliced
4 C of the Gumbo base
3-4 cans of chicken stock
1 C cooked white rice
finely chopped fresh parsley for garnish.

In a skillet fry the Andouille over medium heat until slightly brown. Cook out as much of the fat as possible. In a large soup pot, combine the base, stock and andouille, bring to a boil, turn down the heat to medium low and let simmer, stirring occasionally 30 minutes.

In a service bowl, place a mound of rice and ladle the hot gumbo over. Garnish and enjoy!

You can use the base with seafood, chicken or anything you want. I read a recipe that used it for breakfast. As an omelet filling or a slightly diluted base (3 parts to 1 part stock) served hot over
poached eggs resting on a bed or rice - which sounds fabulous!

Pepper Jelly-Goat Cheese Cakes

2014-11-23T07:28:00.001-06:00

I came across this receipt looking for something "pretty" for the holidays. Since the pepper
jellies are a little red and green, it seemed like the perfect fit. So we had them at a party and they
were a huge hit. Everyone wanted the recipe. So with that in mind, it just said "blog me baby".
So, here we are! Enjoy

24 aluminum foil miniature baking cups

Vegetable cooking spray

1/4 cup fine, dry Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs

1/4 cup ground toasted pecans

2 T grated Parmesan cheese

2 T butter, melted

1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened

1 (3-oz.) goat cheese log, softened

1 large egg

2 T heavy cream

1 T Asian Sriracha hot chili sauce

1/4 cup green pepper jelly, melted

1/4 cup red pepper jelly, melted

Preheat oven to 350°. Place baking cups in 2 (12-cup) miniature muffin pans;

coat baking cups with cooking spray

Stir together breadcrumbs and next 3 ingredients. Firmly press about

1 tsp. mixture in bottom of each baking cup.

Beat cream cheese and goat cheese at medium speed with an

electric mixer until light and fluffy; add egg and next 2 ingredients,

beating just until blended. Spoon into baking cups, filling three-fourths full.

Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until set. Cool completely in pans

on a wire rack (about 20 minutes). Spoon 1 tsp. melted green pepper

jelly over each of 12 cheesecakes. Spoon 1 tsp. melted red pepper

jelly over remaining 12 cheesecakes. Cover and chill 2 to 12 hours before serving.

Tagliatelle with Chicken

2014-11-16T14:53:00.004-06:00

As we do every year, we look for a new dish ideas that aren't just really good, but look really good on your plate for the holidays. If this is a holiday dish, you want to also make the Tomato sauce that is also here on the blog. This has been a big hit this year already and we are just getting started. We've made if for a few parties so far and we haven't had any leftovers yet!

Serves 4
8 oz tagliatelle. The green pasta works well with this dish for the holidays! You can buy a great spinach/garlic that was fabulous.
1 T olive oil
Salt
Tomato Sauce use 1 full recipe for 4
Basil leaves for garnish

Chicken Sauce
1/4 cup unsalted butter
14 oz. boned, skinned chicken breast (or thighs) sliced thin
3/4 cup blanched almonds
1\2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 1\4 cups heavy cream salt and pepper

1. Make the Tomato Sauce.

2. To make the chicken sauce, melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat and fry the chicken strips and almonds for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently until the chicken is cooked through.

3. Meanwhile pour the cream into a small saucepan over low heat and bring to a boil. Simmer slowly for about 10 minutes until reduced by almost half. Pour the cream over the chicken, add the parmesan and keep warm.

4. Cook the pasta, drain and keep warm.

5. To plate your dish, add the desired amount of pasta, spoon tomato sauce over the pasta and then spoon the chicken and cream in the center. Garnish with basil and extra Parmesan if desired.
Serve immediately.

Tomato sauce

2014-11-16T14:43:00.001-06:00

1 small onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 T olive oil

7 oz can chopped tomatoes

2 t tomato paste

1/2 t sugar

1/2 t dried oregano

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper

1.Fry the onion and the garlic slowly in the oil for five minutes until softened but not browned.

2. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, oregano, Bay leaf and seasoning stir well.

3. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally, until the sauce thickens.

4. Remove the bay leaf and adjust the seasoning to taste. Let this cool completely before refrigerating . This sauce keep well, in a screwtop jar in the refrigerator up to a week.

If you want a spicy sauce, just add a chopped fresh red chili when frying the onions.

Harlequin salad dressing

2014-11-16T12:38:00.000-06:00

My mom has made this salad dressing forever. It's a little time consuming, but worth every second.
It's the best I've ever had anywhere! I'm just learning about this gluten free world and this is a great gluten free dressing! You want to use a regular blender, not a vitamix or any blender that will heat the yokes

2 egg yokes at room temperature
2 cups vegetable oil ( it must be wesson oil)
1 t salt
1 t pepper
3 T grated Parmesan cheese (use the chunk and grate it yourself)
4 drops Tabasco
1 t Worcestershire
1t garlic powder
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

All at room temperature and in a blender, whip the egg yokes until creamy.
Add the vegetable oil very slowly while blending. You want it to incorporate completely.
Then add the cheese and the spices. Add the lemon juice last. Blend for a few seconds.

Makes 2 1/2 cups.
Refrigerate and mix before using.
I keep mine in a salad shaker and just shake it up before using.

Bechamel Sauce

2014-07-29T18:34:00.000-05:00

Bechamel is a white sauce. Considered to be the mother of French Cuisine. This takes a different twist, other than the butter, flour and milk. If you are new to making sauces and you try this sauce you will become a pro in no time. There are so many variations to a white sauce and this is one of them!!

1 1/4 cups milk
2 bay leaves
3 cloves
1 small onion
1/4 cup butter plus extra for greasing
6 T flour (all purpose)
1/4 cup light cream
large pinch grated nutmeg
salt and pepper

1. Pour the milk into a small sauce pan and add the bay leaves. Press the cloves into the onion, add to the pan and bring the milk to a boil. Remove from the heat immediately and set aside to cool. Do not take out the onion or bay leaves.

2. Strain the milk into a pitcher and rinse the saucepan. Melt the butter in the sauce pan and stir in the flour, whisk it well to avoid lumps. Gradually pour in the milk, stirring constantly. Cook the sauce for 3 minutes, then pour in the cream and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and season with the nutmeg, salt and pepper.