Grilling Season is Here...But where is Dani?

I'm here--just being lazy. I have been cooking, just not blogging. Big surprise! Until I figure out what I want to say about this delicious meal, I thought I'd leave you with a picture of it!

Bagels for Breakfast

I have always loved bagels, and even more so now that I’m pregnant. Most mornings I have to fight with Munchkin and tell him/her that mummy can’t have bagels everyday for breakfast because all those carbs aren’t good for either of us! Luckily for Munchkin, Mummy guts her bagels 99% of the time (you should see the looks I get when I’m at the café tearing the meat of the bagel out and tossing it away. Truth be told, I’m not a fan of the really puffy bagels that you get at a certain national coffee chain that started in New England…there is just too much bread in them. I gut them so that when they are toasted, the outer skin (my favorite part) toasts really nicely. The exception to my bagel gutting rule is when I have a really chewy bagel that has a great outer skin. When I have those kinds of bagels, I just can’t bring myself to gut them—but rather smear them with cream cheese! I’ve been saying for some time now that I’d love to tackle making my own bagels. I’ve made a lot of different kinds of bread and rolls and bagels, other than the extra step of boiling or steaming them, really seem to be just about the same on the difficulty scale as other yeast breads. After having a bagel for breakfast last Thursday and Friday (this kid has been going through one major growth spurt because I can’t stop eating!), I decided that this weekend was going to be the weekend that I attempted making my own bagels. I turned right to the place that has yet to fail me for a yeast dough recipe—King Arthur Flour!

King Arthur had a few really nice looking recipes on their website, however I ultimately decided upon the Dozen Simple Bagels recipe. Honestly, I chose it based on its name—I thought if the word Simple were in the recipe then it had to be simple enough for my first try at bagels. I took a lot of pictures of the bagel making process but narrowed it down to about 10 photos for this post. I’ll let the recipe speak for itself, and just note anything pertinent with the photos below. I was definitely NOT disappointed by this recipe and will be making it again in the near future. I’ll probably double the recipe next time and be more prepared with toppings so that I have a greater variety for Munchkin!

The starter actually was really dry the night it was made, but became surprisingly moist and doughy by the morning.

The recipe indicates that the dough will be tough but it shouldn't be dry. My dough was very dry--so much so that it was crumbly even after kneading it. I ended up adding more water to the dough a few drops at a time until it came together enough to not be crumbly.

The recipe indicated that it would make a dozen bagels--my recipe only yielded about nine bagels. I think my bagels were only about the size of the bagels you buy in the frozen food section of the supermarket, so they were not what I'd consider large.

Honestly, one of my favorite parts was creating the hole in the bagel!

I used the brown sugar in my water, as I did not have malt handy--it seemed to work just fine.

The result was wonderfully chewy bagels--the kind that I don't gut!

Wine and Cheese...How I Love Thee!

Two of my favorite food and beverage choices for when I’m with my husband on a lazy weekend afternoon or evening, or with fantastic friends, or even at a cocktail party are wine and cheese. There is something special about wine and cheese that is hard for me to put into words, but I can say that some of my best memories have been spent with friends or family sharing a bottle of wine and a big hunk of cheese. Since discovering “the cheese shop”—Farmstead Cheese in Wayland Square on the East Side of Providence, I’ve had some amazing artisan cheese that I would otherwise never have the opportunity to taste. I get a happy, warm fuzzy feeling after I leave the Shop with my latest cheese—and always look forward to what I’ll pair with it from a wine perspective.
If I’m talking practically about the reasons I love them both is they taste wonderful—and taste even better when consumed together. If I am talking philosophically, I’d tell you that what I love the most about wine and cheese is that no two are alike and they represent so much—not only do they represent the farmer but they represent the land in which they were grown from and the challenges or triumphs which that land was exposed to that in that moment in time. Both the grapes which produce the wine, and the grass which the cows use to produce the milk for the cheese taste specifically of the land. No two bottles of wine will be exactly alike, nor will each wedge/wheel of cheese produced taste the same. When you finish the wine from the bottle or finish the last slice of cheese from the wheel, you are the last to have that experience, and it is a singular experience. What I taste and love about a wine or a cheese are completely different than what someone else loves (or hates).

Food and wine are so much an art—we hear about artisan cheeses mongers and bread makers, about small family vineyards and winemakers, and about the importance of local produce and goods more and more. I think there is something to be said about those who love what they do like these artisans. Not only does the end product usually stand apart from those that are mass produced, but the process that was used to make the product is so much “cleaner” and cared for. These artists are stewards of the land—they take care of each blade of grass that the animals eat, the cows themselves, the milking of the animals, the creation of the cheese. I am in awe really each time I have a glass of wine or a slice of cheese—I wish I had the ability to produce such quality products for others to enjoy.

Since wine and cheese are my favorite indulgences, I can say that has been the most difficult part of this pregnancy for me if I had so say something has been “difficult” thus far—no wine and none of my favorite cheeses. Why none of my favorite cheeses? All of my favorite cheeses from Farmstead happen to be raw milk cheeses! Not wanting to be without my favorite treats during the pregnancy, I’ve made some modifications. I happen to have a bottle of non-alcoholic sparkling cider in the house from my bachelorette party (one of my bridesmaids was 5 months pregnant with twins so I wanted her to be able to have some kind of bubbly in the limo with the rest of us). On a recent trip to Farmstead I had to look a little harder and find some pasteurized cheeses.

We settled on two cheeses by Carr Valley. The first was an 8-year aged cheddar—AMAZING! It was so thick and creamy that it really didn’t need any cracker to accompany it, though the Munchkin wanted me to eat some anyway! The second cheese was a sheep’s milk cheese called Marisa. According to Carr Valley’s website it took 1st place in the 2004 American Cheese Society competition. It was very different than the 8-year cheddar. It was sweeter, and a lot more mild, but it had a little bit nuttiness to me. I enjoyed them both very much, and even after I can have my raw milk cheeses back I will look for the Carr Valley cheeses at Farmstead. I can’t say the same thing for the sparkling cider though—I’ll take my Rieslings, Sauv Blancs, Cab Sauvs, and Malbecs thank you !

Happy Easter and Passover--Holiday Bread Update!!

Happy Easter and Passover everyone!! I'll expand my post later this evening, until then I'll leave you with a picture of what I'm bringing to my Aunt's for Easter dinner--Sweet Bread!

UPDATE:

I'm back from my Aunt's house and Easter dinner. As always it was a nice day with good food (a lot of it Polish) and family. This year was fun because my goddaughter was old enough to get the whole Easter Bunny thing and egg hunt ritual that was so popular in that yard when we were kids.

My Aunt tasked me with bringing the mashed potatoes and sweet bread for Easter dinner this year. My only ever attempt at making Easter Bread, or sweet bread as it is known in my family, was last Easter which didn't turn out so well actually. Last year I made the mistake of trying to proof the dough in too small a container and as a result ended up with a five-ton brick of a loaf that was not only inedible, but also could have been used as deadly weapon in the event of a home invasion.

I was determined to make this recipe work this year and made sure that I had a large enough bowl for the dough to proof in. Amazingly the dough proofed! Imagine that--give bread dough some room to rise and it is actually large enough for two loaves of bread! I opted to go the traditional route with one loaf and make it a circle with an egg baked into it. The second loaf I divided into three and braided it, like an Italian Easter loaf would be. Shortly before baking, I brushed each loaf with egg wash and dusted them with some granulated sugar. The result, 40-minutes later were two beautiful loaves of sweet bread. They were a huge hit at dinner, the recipe received lots of compliments and subsequently will remain a staple in my bread baking repertoire!

Happy Holidays everyone!

Almost Time to Plant!

With spring weather just around the corner (yes, even though it is spring by the calendar, it’s still been pretty cold and windy in the northeast), I have been thinking about our vegetable garden. Last year we had a container garden that really consisted mostly of tomatoes. We had tried some peppers and herbs but they didn’t really take. This year, we’ve decided that we are going to be building a raised garden bed along the side of our house in the back yard. Right now that bed is kind of a waste. Last year we finally planted some hostas in the bed, but they didn’t do as well as I hoped due to the vast amount of sun that area receives (southerly exposure from about 11 a.m. to close to 2:30 or 3). We’ll move those to another area of the yard and make way for a “cinderblock garden.” The thought of using CMU (concrete masonry unit; being in construction I often find myself using work terms more often than the common verbiage) never really dawned on me for some reason. We had initially though of using timber beams, but when I read about Alexandra Cooks' cinderblock garden I knew that was the construction I wanted to use.

I’m hoping to get construction of the container going in the next couple of weeks, and move on to planting by mid-May. My biggest challenge is trying to decide what to grow (or attempt to grow). I have been trying to find various tomato varieties to plant (focusing on the cherry and grape tomato size). Last summer’s tomato plants were a huge success. Other than from the Farmer’s Market and the garden’s of my childhood, I haven’t had tomatoes in such a hue of red, nor taste so sweet! I’m looking forward to not only the tomatoes, but to also the remainder of the veggies I’ll be planting.

In honor of the quickly approaching planting season, I wanted to make a dinner that reminded me of the warmer days that are to come, where we can sit on our deck and enjoy dinner in the evening sunshine! During one of my latest trips to the grocery store, grape tomatoes were on sale. I bought a pint of red and also a pint of the yellow grape tomatoes. I wasn’t sure what my plan was but knew that I’d find a way to use them.

Later that week, in looking for a quick, easy dinner, and inspired by all the pasta dishes that suddenly popped up on the covers of my cooking magazines, I opted to make a rustic tomato sauce to toss with some linguini that we had in the house. I heated some extra virgin olive oil in a large fry pan and added some finely minced garlic (about 3 cloves), and heated the garlic through along with a pinch of red pepper flakes, ground black and salt. I added the two pints of grape tomatoes (which I halved) and allowed it to cook down for about 15-20 minutes. Just before I removed the rustic style sauce from the pan I threw in some chiffande basil, the juice of one half a lemon, and tossed it with some parmesan cheese and the linguini. It was a fresh, bright, delicious and really got me excited for the fresh garden vegetables that are yet to come our way this year—hopefully with a little luck from a green-thumb!

The Best Cheesecake Recipe EVER!

For some reason, sitting down to write this post was like pulling teeth. I’m not really sure why—I enjoyed making (and eating) this cheesecake immensely! Maybe it’s the fact that it was cheesecake that has deterred me—not my favorite dessert in the world actually. I’ll be the person that if you went to Cheesecake Factory with, would order the Death by Chocolate cake instead of a slice of any one of their numerous cheesecakes. I’ve never been a huge cheesecake fan which always raised an eyebrow with my mom and her family where cheesecake is almost venerated as some kind of saintly gift from the heavens above (a bit dramatic but you get the point). Recently I’ve been eating a bit more cheesecake when there is a flavored one offered, but plain cheesecakes I tend to shy away from.

While I shy away from plain cheesecake my mom and my darling husband love them. They both like nothing more than a slice of New York Style cheesecake with a fresh fruit topping—my mom will eat flavored cheesecakes though, but my darling husband won’t. Since my mom’s birthday was last month I knew that I needed to make a cake for her. In February I had asked her what flavor she wanted and her response was lame—“I don’t want a cake!” WHAT?! Blasphemy! Who does NOT want a cake for their birthday? I was certainly NOT about to let my mom’s birthday pass without having a cake for her. Though, without a flavor direction from my mom I was kind of left blank with ideas for a flavor and a design. About a week prior to her birthday I talked with my dad and we decided that in lieu of a traditional birthday cake, I’d make her something different and something that though she might curse me for due to the caloric intake involved—a New York Style cheesecake!

My search for the right recipe was long. I feel like I read a number of recipes and after reading the ingredient lists I didn’t walk away with the flavor of what I remember a NY style cheesecake to be. After deciding on a cheesecake recipe that my friend Robin (Made With Love) had recommended, I happened to come across a recipe from of all sources—King Arthur Flour! A flour manufacturer isn’t the first place that I think of when I hear the word cheesecake, though never having them dealt me bad cards in the past I gave it a shot. The ingredient list sounded like my recollection of a NY Style cheesecake—the addition of flour to this recipe (very similar to the cheesecake balls I made for a daring Baker’s Challenge last year) convinced me to try the recipe out.

The recipe was simple, quick, and it wafted the most amazing smell into my home. I made the cheesecake on Saturday, chilled it overnight and then Sunday morning made a fresh strawberry topping. I used sliced strawberries, sugar, some water and a little cornstarch and red food coloring in a sauce pan, and chilled it for 2 hours. After chilling the strawberry glaze I opened my spring form pan and topped the cheesecake with the strawberries. When it came time to serve the cake to my mom, I loved how it slice—a knife warmed with hot water ran like silk through the cheesecake.

After her first bite my mom declared it to potentially be the best cheesecake she has ever had; after finishing the slice she said that she was now going to be disappointed when going on her Disney cruise in October. She used to look forward to the cheesecake for dessert every night, but now after this recipe, she said the Disney cheesecake wouldn’t stand up in comparison. What was my verdict—it was seriously the best damned NY Style cheesecake I’ve had—not that I’ve had many, but I wanted another slice. Now that says something (and it had nothing to do with the fact that I’m pregnant either)! If you are looking for a new cheesecake recipe to try out, check out the King Arthur Flour version. I doubt that you will be disappointed.

I swear it is on its way...

Cheesecake is coming...

Mr. Rooster wanted to put you on notice that the most fantastic NY Style Cheesecake is on it's way...I've had these photos done for about 2-weeks now and just haven't written a proper post to go with them...that is on my adenga for this weekend!

Noodle Satisfaction

As I mentioned in my previous post, this pregnancy has really kicked my carb cravings into high gear. Trying to quell the carb beast is hard—especially when you begin to rationalize the fact that I’m craving carbs because Munchkin wants them! I think though, that beyond the fact that carbs are fantastically yummy, they are comfort food when I’m not feeling well or tired, they are also easy to prepare. It takes almost no time at all to put some water on to boil and drop in the pasta. There is so much that can be done with pasta—it crosses so many ethnic food barriers I think.

For the past week I have been dying for Pad Thai—it is one of my favorite dishes of all time. We used to live down the street from this little Thai place called Thai Lotus—the little Thai ladies used to yell at us because we’d always get at least one order of Pad Thai—they would say that we needed to change our order because we will get bored and not go there any longer. I didn’t know how to explain to them that I will never get tired of Pad Thai! When Thai Lotus closed we were sad, and suddenly left without a Thai place nearby. We eventually found a place called Taste of Thai about 30-minutes way from us (we happened to be taking ballroom dance lessons for our wedding in the same plaza as the restaurant).

We went there for dinner in January and haven’t been able to get the flavor out of my mind since. I have tried a few times to make it at home with not much success achieving the same flavors or consistency. I have since given up on trying to recreate Pad Thai and “settle” for dishes that remind me of the dish. One such dish is a hand-me-down from my sister-in-law, Jenn of Jenn’s Homework. When visiting the Ohio contingent of the family about 5-years ago now, Jenn made the most wonderful Asian inspired, carb-filled dinner—an Oriental salad made from Ramen Noodles and a cold Asian Sesame Noodles. Both were killer, but the Sesame Noodles were my darling husband’s favorite, not to mention mine.

I haven’t made this dish in quite a long time, but last week, after dreaming about Pad Thai for the better part of a month and a half, I asked Jenn for the recipe again. I made the dish last night for dinner and I went back for thirds—I NEVER go back for thirds on anything! For whatever reason, the noodles hit the spot in the best way. I made enough so that we have leftovers for tonight’s dinner.

I made a few modifications to the recipe: for the sauce, I warmed mine through. The last time I made it I had a really hard time with the raw garlic used. This time I just barely cooked the garlic through in some vegetable oil (enough to get the raw taste out). While the garlic was cooking I threw in the red pepper flakes and a handful of sesame seeds. As the garlic approached the doneness stage, I added the peanut butter and used the heat from the pan (the stove now turned off) to melt and incorporate the peanut butter into the other ingredients. I finished the sauce in the same way as the directions. I also added peanuts to the final dish—I love nuts in my pasta and rice, and it reminded me that much more of real Pad Thai. Lastly, I used a regular cucumber only seeded.

This is a great recipe to inspire the flavors I love of Pad Thai, but not try and copy it. It was quick, easy, and delicious! I can’t wait for the leftovers! I have a feeling that I’ll be making this again in the very near future! Thanks for letting me borrow the recipe Jenn!

Sesame Noodles

Ingredients:

• Coarse salt
• 1 pound thin spaghetti
• ½ cup smooth peanut butter preferably natural
• 1-2 garlic cloves
• ½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 English cucumber, peeled and halved lengthwise
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and shredded

Preparations:

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain, and transfer to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, make peanut sauce: In a blender or food processor, blend peanut butter, garlic, pepper flakes, soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil until smooth.

Cut cucumber crosswise into thirds: cut each piece lengthwise into ¼-inch slices. Stack slices: cut lengthwise into very thin strips. Transfer pasta to a large bowl: toss with sauce, cucumber, and carrots. Serve at room temperature.

What's the Common Ingredient?

What do Ina Garten, a California Sauvignon Blanc, and myself have in common?

Ina Garten = The Barefoot Contessa

California Sauvignon Blanc = Barefoot Vineyards

Me = Barefoot and...

Well, not much I guess other than being able to use the word “Barefoot” in a phrase about them!! But, I am indeed "Barefoot and Pregnant!" My darling husband and I are beyond thrilled—this will be our first child and we can’t wait to meet Munchkin (what we are calling the baby since we won’t be finding out the gender). It’s taken us a long while to get to this point but here we are!

My blogging was very scarce in January and early February because I was, well, tired—my first experience with the joys of pregnancy! In addition to being tired, just about anything gave me heartburn in the first few weeks. I always had every intention of getting home from work and following my normal routine of cooking dinner but that plan was always thrown out the window when I actually got home. I am also a little embarrassed to say that Velveeta Macaroni and Cheese has become my best friend—I think there was one week where we had that for dinner for three evenings in a row! While I’m kind of embarrassed to say that, I don’t make any apologies for it. I have always been a bit of a carb junkie but since finding out I am pregnant, carbs are sometimes the only things I want to eat! My girlfriends who have gone through pregnancy have told me they were the same, so I don’t feel as bad in that respect. I do have to say that I have not had any real morning sickness to speak of--a day or two of queasiness, but beyond that I have been lucky!

So, as the end of the first trimester is in sight (10 ½ weeks along), I am hoping that I get my energy back as well as my appetite to eat something other than mac and cheese! However, until that time comes—please bear with me, I will one day cook again!