Mom Meals: No-Knead Bread

It's been a hectic few weeks, and adding a camera into the mix at dinner time seemed a bit more than I could handle.  Then, I remembered one of my favorite additions to a meal, homemade bread!  I have made Smitten Kitchen's No-Knead Bread numerous times over the years. It makes a fantastic addition to any meal, or a starting point for some meals like the one I  made that included this bread, cream cheese, and smoked salmon as the main course.  The bread also works well when you add in yummy, flavorful bits like garlic cloves, cheddar cheese, and more!

The best feature of this bread is that it works as a multi-step process over a couple of days.

No-Knead Bread

Adapted from Jim Lahey at the Sullivan Street Bakery via Mark Bittman at New York Times by Smitten Kitchen

Yields one 1 1/2 pound loaf

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/4 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°F. 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.

Enjoy!

Mom Meals: Dorito Bake with Zucchini

This past week we welcomed Thane's mom, Ari's Gigi, into our home. She helped out while I returned to work, watching our little man and making the transition "easier" for me (the quotes around easier are because this whole going back to work thing is just a tad emotionally challenging).  Anywho, we have not always had the easiest of meals this week, or they have been of the eat-out variety. 

Tonight, though, I needed to cook something that would allow for leftovers.

I found a yummy Dorito Bake recipe that I wanted to try, but I added a few twists of my own, including sneaking in some zucchini (since our garden is somewhat overrun).

Ingredients

1. 2 cans Pillsbury crescent rolls
2. 1 pound ground turkey
3. 1 can Original Rotel
4. 1 package Taco Seasoning
5.  3 cups chopped zucchini
6. 6-8 oz Low-fat Sour Cream
7. 1 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
8. Crushed Doritos to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 350.

1. Brown the turkey in a skillet with the taco seasoning, Rotel, and zucchini.
2. Roll out the crescent rolls and fit the flattened dough side-by-side in a 9x13 greased pan.
3. Top crescent rolls with the meat mixture,
4. Spread Sour Cream over meat. 
5. Top with shredded cheese and crushed Doritos.
   Bake for 35 minutes.

The meal was a perfect fit for my mother-in-law and husband who spent the day rebuilding our fireplace mantle while I played with Ari, did a bit of gardening, and folded laundry.  They were starving, and this fit the bill!  My husband also commented, "This would be good kid food!" So, I know I'm holding onto this recipe to remember for when Ari is a bit older.

Mom Meals: Dressed Up Zatarain's

While I tend to ignore the plethora of dressed-up desserts on sites like Pinterest, Dressed Up Zatarain's is a favorite here at our casa.  When Costco sold the packs, we bought them like they were going out of style. Now, I just grab a few (usually the jambalaya or dirty rice) when they are on sale at our local grocery store, usually for $2 or less a box.  Considering that, with just a few editions, this makes 6 portions, my bank account is a fan.  It's also quick. Depending on how fast you chop and how much else you are trying to accomplish while dinner cooks, the meal can take 25-40 minutes to prepare.

This meal requires, at the least, the box of Zatarain's and your favorite ground meat. From there, the blend is entirely up to you! I wanted something that would help us get through the quickly aging veggies on our counter and in our fridge. My ingredient list looked like this:

1. One box Zatarain's Jambalaya Mix
2. Several tomatoes (many more than in the picture)
3. Yellow Sweet Peppers
4. Zucchini
5. 1 pound ground beef

 If I had more veggies, I would have chopped them up and thrown them in, as well!  I made the mistake of defrosting the wrong meet, but I was saved by a husband willing to defrost the ground beef while I prepared the rest of the meal.

1. Prepare the Zatarain's according to the package instructions (I omit the oil)
2. Sautee ground meet until brown
3. Add in veggies of your choosing and cook until all of the juices are almost gone
4. Add in cooked rice and stir

 It's even better the next day as leftovers!

Mom Meals: Grilled Zucchini

It's entirely possible that we let our zucchini grow a day too long.

This thing is about as long as our three-month old.  There are so many recipes on these vast interwebs that will tell you how to make zucchini bread or cake, zucchini and cheese, and more.  My favorite zucchini recipe, however, is the simplest one.

Ingredients:

1. Zucchini
2. 1 tbl garlic salt
3. 1 tbl Italian seasoning
4. 1/4 cup olive oil

Steps:

1. Slice zucchini into spears
2. Put zucchini in a large bowl and toss with the garlic salt, Italian seasoning, and olive oil
3. Grill (or pan fry) for 15 minutes, or until the meat of the zucchini is somewhat translucent.

In our house, my husband does the grilling, but when he sees a wealth of zucchini (or one giant zucchini) in the yard, he'll say, "Can you make YOUR zucchini?"  I'll do the seasoning, and he'll do the grilling. It's a partnership that works.  Even with just one person, though, this makes for a delicious (and filling) side dish!

Photoshop: Wrapping up

I finished working my way through the 31 Days to Learning Photoshop Basics series. I learned how to manipulate pieces of photos using perspective and how to distort people's features using liquify. I even made the new header for this blog using Photoshop, something, I had no idea how to do before following this series.

The end of this tutorial also marks the end of my summer. I have four days off before returning to school after not only summer break but also my maternity leave. I'm heading to work after 16 weeks of days filled with my personal life (with some professional work thrown in to prepare for the new year).  I can't quite write about this new change yet, or I may break down into tears.

Back to photography! Yay!  The two tutorials this summer changed the way I take pictures and the way I process pictures. I've already started on another photography tutorial, 31 Days of Photo Tips, and I'll post anything here that seems worth sharing.  Beyond that, I've found a wealth of websites and other tutorials through Pinterest. I'll mention them by name in a post, or on my Photography page, if they make a difference in my little photography hobby.  Thanks for following along through these posts. I've been glad to have a way to make myself accountable for what I've been learning!

And, just for fun...I was going to post some liquified photos of Ari's smile, but they kind of creeped me out, so, instead, I'll just leave you with a happy baby:

Mom Meals: Salmon with Lemon Butter

Since I needed my mom to watch Ari for a bit this afternoon, my dad is also coming over, and we're having dinner as a whole family.  My mom is diabetic, so the recipes I choose for her visits require a careful balance of carbs.  Rice, pasta and bread-based meals do not fit her diet.  Potatoes, however, work well.  In general, she also tries to eat healthy, and I try to respect that when cooking for her!

Did I also mention that my mom's primary ethnic make-up is French? And you know what they say about the three secrets to French cooking...butter, butter, butter.  I never fry things in butter, but when it comes to baked dishes, butter just does the trick.

Inspired by this Salmon and Lemons recipe I found on Pinterest, I set to work.  Instead of going for just pats of butter on the salmon,  I decided to make lemon butter.

This is a really simple meal with few ingredients!

• Salmon
• 1 cup butter
• Juice of one half of a lemon
• A dash of salt
• Several lemons
• Potatoes
• Salt
• Pepper
• A splash of lemon juice
• Tarragon

Full disclosure, I had a very angry baby on my hands by the time I got to step 5.  I left the foil packet to wait until the oven warmed up to tend to the wee one.  My husband offered to help; so, I put him in charge of the potatoes and of moving the salmon in and out of the oven.  We work well as a team, and we enjoyed a lovely meal!

1. Pre-heat oven to 300
2. Blend softened butter, the juice of 1/2 a lemon in a food processor
3. Lay salmon on foil, spread butter on salmon
4. Slice lemons and layer slices on the salmon
5. Fold up the foil packet
6. Bake the packet on a cookie sheet for 25 minutes
7. Boil the potatoes (length depends on the type of potatoes)
8. After potatoes are done, add a pat of butter, a splash of lemon juice, salt, pepper and a sprig of tarragon.

 

Mom Meals: Spinach, Raspberry and Cheese Salad

We have a standing weekly potluck with friends of ours who also have an infant. This makes for a great evening in, as we both have the resources to care for small humans at our homes.  Whoever hosts cooks the main dish, and the visitors bring a side or dessert.

Tonight's mom meal is one of my favorite salads: Spinach, Raspberries, Cheese and Poppyseed Dressing

Ingredients:

• 1 pint raspberries
• 1 bag spinach
• 8 oz crumbled feta or blue cheese
• Brianna's Poppy Seed Dressing

I toss this salad in a big Tupperware bowl with the lid on (so much easier than me trying to awkwardly toss a salad with salad tongs) and then serve it.

I especially love this salad with feta or another goat cheese, but this evening's hostess is NOT A FAN of goat cheeses; blue cheese makes a nice substitute.  If raspberries aren't available, you can also slice in strawberries or try out raspberries for a nice splash of color, flavor, and nutrition -- as long as the berries have at least a hint of sweetness, they'll it nicely with the salty flavor of the cheese and the sweet dressing.

If you're not having to slice strawberries, this is totally something you can do one-handed, with a baby on your hip!