Focaccia Bread

*newly amended

 

Supper co-op tonight was very a certain smile maker! The one family gets truly excited over cheese ravioli with marinara sauce, while our family loves alfredo. So tonight everyone got a salad with Olive Garden Dressing, pasta of their choosing, and focaccia bread.

This recipe of Focaccia bread I found on the beloved recipe database "All Recipes.com"
It has 4 3/4 stars with over 500 reviews and over 9000 viewers had "saved" the recipe.

It did not disappoint! Jackson (my almost 8 yr old) helped me make it. We were all delighted with the results. The herbs baked into the bread made the kitchen smell wonderful!


Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella

Directions

1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, sugar, yeast, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, basil and black pepper. Mix in the vegetable oil and water.
2. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Punch dough down; place on greased baking sheet. Pat into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Brush top with olive oil. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.

*To make it more wellness plan approved, I used 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour, instead of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, I spread on Basil Pesto and just a slight sprinkling of Italian cheese mixture...mostly as a garnish.  The man clan was still begging for more.  I encourage you to try the revised version.  We also enjoy individual little dipping plates with a dollop of pesto, olive oil, fresh ground black pepper, and a few dots of balsamic vinegar, you know like Macaroni Grill and other fine restaurants treat you.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Focaccia-Bread/Detail.aspx

Fried Cornbread

One of our favorites is fried cornbread with chili. I have had it included on my menu several times in the past month or two. Cornbread is good with most any Southern meal. Another favorite would be rice, tomato gravy and fried cornbread with pork chops. This also is great with a vegetable plate.

After one of my high school friends, who now live in Yankee territory:-) saw my many references to fried cornbread on my menu she requested instructions for making it. Here it is Megan and Michelle. On those days that you are yearning for some southern love and comfort try this one and I truly hope it does not disappoint!

There's cornbread and then there is glorified fried cornbread. Eating this fine southern staple transports me to the tables of some of my favorite cooks. I credit my former pastor's wife, Mrs. Myra, and my mother-in-law, Mrs. Jackson (yes, that is her first name) with teaching me how to make this fine, fine simply divine southern staple!

The first and most essential tool in a southern kitchen would be a well-seasoned iron skillet! I cannot imagine cooking without it.


The simplicity of this recipe keeps me making it. I know the baked cornbread is finer for the figure, but the sheer facility of this recipe has me making it far too frequently!


The ingredients required are:

• 1 cup self rising cornmeal
  
• 1 egg
• 1/2- 1cup of your choice water, milk or buttermilk

If I have buttermilk, it is my favorite version; however, water makes a fine cornbread as well.
For those of you that like exact measurements, this one cannot be done that way. I can tell you start with meal, egg and 1/2 cup of liquid and beat the mixture. Add liquid only until the consistency below is reached.


Now focus your attention on the skillet, have about 1/4 inch canola oil heating. Allow the oil to get hot enough to sizzle when the spoonful of very thick batter comes in contact. The bread will be far too greasy if the oil is too cold and if it is too hot the bread will burn on the outside before it is cooked on the inside. Often, I test the oil with a quarter sized drop of batter to assess the readiness of the oil. Remember, it should sizzle! Cook on med high.

I use a serving spoon for sizing my cornbread. Mrs. Myra always seemed to measure them up using the the size of her palm. (That's how I remember it anyway. It has been several years since those cherished days of mentoring.)


Be prepared to flip the bread as you see the edges browning.


Get your plate ready! Seems like the fried cornbread was always the last thing in the skillet right before sitting down to eat! Hope you enjoy and don't blame me if you find yourself making this more than you buy the "jiffy" mix.

Tonight I made 2 versions of Blueberry Muffins!!!

The Family could not tell the "healthy version" from the self-rising white flour version!!! I call that success! To those of you that don't know me extremely well, I like using oat flour and sometimes whole wheat flour to increase the "carb value" of my breads. It relieves me of some of the angst of eating what I love...pancakes, waffles, muffins, ect...you get the idea?!?!?! It does not always turn out well. Tonight I was excited to work on this favorite muffin of mine!

This recipe came to me from a dear friend, Mrs. Becky Coffey. She made them for a bridal shower that I hosted a few years ago. From this recipe, I learned, that nutmeg and blueberries were created for one another!

For those of you that don't care, and you want the wonderfully fattening muffin recipe in its original form: Here it is in black and white....the revisions will be in red.

2 eggs, beaten
1 cup sugar (1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 TBS stevia)

Beat the sugar and eggs together.

1/2 cup cooking oil
1 tsp. vanilla

Add to the egg and sugar mixture. Beat well.

Combine dry ingredients.
2 cups self rising flour (1 cup self-rising flour and 1 cup oat flour, 1/4 tsp. soda, 1/2 tsp. baking powder and 1/4 tsp. salt)
1 tsp. nutmeg

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.

1 cup sour cream ( 1 cup low-fat plain yogurt)

Add the sour cream to the muffin batter.

Add 1 cup of blueberries................................

right before scooping batter into Demarle mini-muffin tray or you can use a greased traditional mini muffin pans. I just have 2 objections to the "greased traditional pans": 1. it is too tedious and 2. I said "grease" doesn't that scream yuck!

Bake at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.

I do encourage you to try this recipe, even if you do not yet have any demarle cookware. It is worth the effort to grease your mini muffin tins! I promise you!!!

Yeast rolls

Received this one from Mrs. Kate a wonderful Southern cook, over 10 years ago.

It is my job to take these to Thanksgiving and whatever other family dinners. This recipe was requested for the dinner rolls at our annual Bible Conference.

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have. (scheduled posting)

Mrs. Kate’s Dinner Rolls

1 package active dry yeast
¼ cup water
1 tsp. sugar
Combine above ingredients in a small bowl to activate yeast.

¼ cup sugar
¼ cup shortening
1 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
Combine these ingredients in sauce pan and scald ….does not need to boil.
Set aside to cool to room temperature.

1 slightly beaten egg
3 ½ cups all-purpose milk (I often do 1 ½ cups of whole wheat and 2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour)

Combine set 1 and 2 of ingredients. Add 2 cups of the flour; beat well. Gradually add remaining flour or enough to make a soft dough. Cover; allow to rise in a warm place till double (about 1 ½ hours).



Punch down. Turn out onto lightly floured surface.
No helpers in sight until I got to this point! When it comes to rolling them out and cutting them there always seems to be someone more than willing to get their hands in the lovely dough!!


He is fascinated!!!

He is getting closer!


Roll dough to ¼ inch thick. Enlist some help if you can stand it!!! MLC loved it!


Cut rounds of dough with a 2 inch cutter.

Yep, it is 2"!!!

Shape in small balls- 3 should half-fill a muffin cup..

Cover; let rise until double. Get distracted. Write a blog entry, fold some laundry or start perusing friend's facebook photo albums. The rolls will be doubled in no time! Whatever you do....don't just stand there and watch them!!!!

Just another view of the same roll! Makes me proud! Nothing like happy dough!


Bake at 400 degrees for about 10-12 minutes. Serve hot.
I do believe the 4 men in my life view my making yeast rolls for them as tangible love!



MLC rolled and cut for the next 20-30 minutes. He enjoyed the boot, heart, circle, and doggy cutters. Over and over he said "me do it." It was absolutely satisfying for this littlest of my men to get his hands in the dough!!! He absolutely loved every minute of it!

Mocha Maple Cinnamon Rolls

My friend, Leah, shared this winner with me. We have made them together a few times….with rave reviews, I might add! I took them to Bible Camp and many requested the recipe…So, here is the post!
Drum roll please!!!!!!!!!!

Maple Mocha Cinnamon Rolls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Heat together…do not boil.
4 cups milk
1 cup oil
1 cup sugar

Cool to room temperature.
Add:
4½ tsp. yeast (2 pkts)
Give it some time to activate…..become frothy . The sugar makes that yeast really happy.

Add
4 cups whole wheat flour
4 cups all purpose flour
Mix, cover, and rest 1 hour.

Add:
1 heaping tsp. salt
1 heaping tsp baking powder
1 scant tsp. baking soda
1 cup more of all purpose flour

Mix well. Knead about 10 turns until ready to roll dough out.

Roll it into a long rectangle. Spread with softened BUTTER 2/3 stick, ¾ cup SUGAR and liberally shake CINNAMON over the sugar. Roll and cut 1“ thick. Place into buttered pan. Allow to rise again till doubled in size. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes.

GLAZE:
1 bag powder sugar
2 tsp maple flavoring
½ cup milk
¼ cup butter
¼ cup coffee
¼ tsp salt

Beat well with wisk until thick and smooth. Pour over cinnamon rolls while still hot!
original recipe from Ree @ Pioneer Woman