Daily Loaf

First, stop looking at my bruised basil.
I had a few things around the house that were reaching their death point: peaches, mascarpone and basil. So I decided to make a yummy treat. And let me tell you how good these bad boys were — after I finished my peach, I stood over the sink and licked my plate clean. Like a dog. I couldn’t resist the plate full of melted cheese mixed with the sweetness of the agave nectar and the tiny bit of crunch from the demerara sugar. I am not ashamed to admit that I licked it clean!
I bet if you make these you will do the same!
The delicious recipe is after the break!
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I finally broke down and bought the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

It is wonderful and I highly recommend it. No more buying packaged bread for me. And my house smells like a bakery. However, it is a bit dangerous because bread makes my butt big and the fact that I slather it with butter doesn’t really help. I suppose I could have a worse habit, like crystal meth or something. Crystal meth, butter, crystal meth, butter — yep, I’ll take my butter!

I have made two types of bread so far, the 100 percent Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread and the Oat Flour Bread. Both were extremely delicious and healthy. However, I did notice the bread really didn’t rise well. I followed the very well-written directions, but the dough didn’t act right. So today I went to their website. There is a section listed “Errors”

One of the errors in the book is that all the recipes as written call for 1 1/2 packets of yeast, when it should be TWO packets of yeast! Huge boo-boo on their part.

If you have the book I suggest you check out the error section of their website.

But even with the problems, I still love the book and will continue to make my own bread.

Enjoy,
The Hungry Housewife

Dear Butternut Squash,

Please accept this letter with my sincere, heartfelt apologies.

In all of my years of grocery shopping, I have always passed you by. Sticking up my nose at your bulbous, misshapen body. Why did you not yell out my name as I walked on by” Throwing yourself off the shelf to roll in front of my cart wheel in a suicide attempt to get my attention would possibly have worked.

I am not sure what did it the last time. Maybe it was the twinkle in your root, the shimmer of your skin. But I thank you for hopping in my buggy. I know you were sad to leave your friends behind. But not to worry, I will bring them home on the next trip, because I will never again pass you by. Never, I promise!

Love Forever,

Your new BFF,
Leslie

Recipe after the break:

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Do you hear the bag pipes in the distance? Or was that angels singing? What ever it was, you will hear glorious music when you bite into this casserole.
Many a years I have been completely drunk at the Irish Pub for St. Patty’s, insisting on eating the shepherd’s pie they plop on my plate. And to be honest it is usually bland and nasty. But I still feel the need to order it. I suppose it is some sort of tradition.
A few years back I was on a mission to make a more flavorful version of the gruel. And I think I hit the nail on the head with this one, folks. Try it and I think you’ll agree, it is fabulous. And if you don’t agree, well, then you have serious issues!

Recipe after the break:

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In honor of National Pound Cake day, I thought it was only fitting to post, um, Pound Cake! Duh!

My mom gave me this recipe after I bitched about my failed pound cake attempt a while ago.

Well this pound cake was FAR from a fail. It was moist and delicious. But don’t you dare put a glaze on top because it is plenty sweet enough. Next time I make it I might even decrease the sugar by just a teensy tiny bit. I did, however, make some homemade vanilla bean whipped cream to make it cute since I already had the whipping cream out for the cake.

I think she told me she got the recipe from an old Southern Living
Cookbook.
Come on folks, whip you up one of these bad boys in honor of the Holiday

Want the recipe? Click more!

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Is it possible to be in love with a chocolate cake? Is it possible to marry it? How about toasted coconut ice cream? Can I marry it too? Please tell me I can. Oh, but wait, that means I would be married to 3 things, my husband, chocolate cake and toasted coconut ice cream. Welp, I guess it’s time to move to Utah! (I know, polygamy and polyandry is illegal, even in Utah)

What you gaze upon is quite possibly the most decedent, moist, over the top, heavenly flourless chocolate cake. If I ever get put in the slammer and am on death row and need a last meal, this will be it. With a big ass glass of cold milk. Since this cake only consists of 3 ingredients, Read the rest of this entry »

When my husband was building our house 10 years ago, we lived here and there during construction. So needless to say I didn’t have a kitchen to cook in. We ate out 2-3 times a day (crazy, I know). I got extremely familiar with the menus from just about every restaurant known to man.

This dinner is my take on Monterey Chicken from Chili’s. And to be honest it tastes better, because its not some mass produced this and that delivered from Sysco, mindlessly cooked and slapped on a plate.

Recipe after the jump:

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Have you tried my Roast Pork with Black Beans and Yellow rice yet? No? Shame on you, I don’t want to be your friend anymore. (I am at home with sick kids and a sick self, so I am feeling a bit childish!)

Well if you did make it you probably had some left-over pork. And here is an interesting way to use it up.

So you know my husband, the one who can’t boil water, the one who doesn’t even grill? He said many moons ago he ate “Cuban Pizza” at a baseball game. Well it sounded totally disgusting me me. But I will give anything a try once. Cubans, no not the people, the sandwich, are another Tampa food. The Wikipedia definition is a sandwich created by Cuban workers, either in Cuba or in the immigrant community of Ybor City in Tampa Florida. Later, Cubans brought it to other communities in southern Florida, particularly Key West and Miami, where it is very popular. The sandwich is made with ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, mustard, and sometimes salami on Cuban bread.

So Cuban Pizza it was. I just so happened to pick up some pizza dough from the bakery, so I was ready to go.
Let me tell you how wrong it felt spreading mustard over a pizza dough! I was actually grossed out. But with an open mind, I continued……
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Soon after moving to Tampa, I discovered a whole new world of Cuban food.
Tampa has a large Cuban community and their food is a staple in this town. Growing up, I had never heard of chicken and yellow rice, cafe con leche, deviled crabs, plantains, etc. I was missing out on a whole bunch of yummy food.
So if you are Cuban, I am sure this is not the authentic way to make Roast Pork with Black Beans and Yellow Rice, but my way still tastes damn good (and it tastes like the Cuban restaurants). Read the rest of this entry »

Too cold outside to run and get ice cream? In Florida, it is never too cold for ice cream. But I am sure that when you are freezing your ass off, the last thing on your mind is a big ol’ bowl of Rocky Road. So I present you an alternative, Banana Split Salad. I could literally shove my face in this bowl and lick it clean. And it’s from Paula Deen so you know it has to be ridiculously yummy! Read the rest of this entry »

Another of my P.M.S. creations — even though I made it for my hubby’s b-day — this cake was so incredibly rich, even I couldn’t eat a whole piece. Now that’s rare.

I have this thing that I can’t eat anything sweet without a HUGE glass of milk, and even with the milk I couldn’t muster up the energy to eat the whole thing. So what I am trying to tell you is cut the cake in really small pieces so nothing goes to waste. Or waist, I guess.

Another tip: Chop the Reese’s before you put them in the middle of the cake. I loved the idea of them being whole, but it made it difficult to slice the cake.

In need of a sugar coma? Go ahead and make this cake!

Recipe after the jump: Read the rest of this entry »

Mmmmm, caramelized onions, sweet like candy. Ok, so maybe not candy, cause I know I don’t crave caramelized onions when I am P.M.S ‘ing. But they are sweet as far as onions go.

I used to have an aversion to cooking them, I suppose from burning them one too many times. They require pot stalking and it’s kind hard to stalk a pot with 2 young kids. You get the, “Mom, I need help”; “Mom, she’s looking at me”; “Mom, I spilled my juice”; “Mom, come wipe my butt.” (Yeah, I still have young kids that need my help in the bathroom — oh the joys of parenthood!) Ok, so you get the point. They need constant attention.

So just stick them in the oven (the onions, not the kids). Trust me, this way they require much less stalking.

Th How-To is after the break. Oh, and I swear this is not a photo of earthworms I dug up in the back yard! LOL

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We don’t eat spuds that often in my house, quite frankly because my hips don’t like them.  I have food willpower issues, so I just avoid them like the plague! But on the rare occasion that I do make them, I don’t want mashed (even though I make MEAN mashed potatoes) and I don’t want boring old baked, cause those are no good without a whole stick of butter in them (again, not very ass friendly).
So, one night, I whipped these up. They are so very comforting, loaded with flavor and I don’t have to undo my pants button after eating them!
My measurements are usually done by sight, so I tried my best to duplicate it for you.
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Ok y’all, I know that Christmas is over, but there’s still time to eke out a little holiday spirit. After running around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to finish our pre- and post-holiday activities, you probably don’t want to spend 4 1/2 hours baking these sugar cookies. But surely you have an extra two minutes to make these cute little Marshmallow Snowmen? Do this with your kids as you pack away the decorations until next year, as a final, tasty, easy hurrah to send off the season. I bet you will get a smile outta someone!

Read on for instructions. Read the rest of this entry »

Sooooo, I thought I’d get in the Christmas spirit and make Fancy Decorated Sugar Cookies.

With all of my baking adventures, I have never made decorated or worked with cut out cookies. Hmm, wonder why?I saw this post and this post over at Our Best Bites, and I was inspired. She gives a wonderful tutorial on both the cookie making and the glazing. And her cookies are adorable. Check them out.

Enough being nice, as I am still a little bitter. Making the dough was a cinch. Threw everything in my KitchenAid mixer and in 2 minutes it was done and chilling in the fridge. Easy peasy. Holiday cheer and joy flowing!

Then the pain in the assness began. The dough was too hard to roll, so I let it sit out for a bit to warm up. Ditzo me left it out for too long and it got too soft to roll. Back in the fridge. The my daughter proceeds to blow across the floured counter top, making it snow flour in my kitchen. Oh, happy day! Read the rest of this entry »

I know these cute little Ice Cream Cone Christmas Trees have been around forever. But aren’t they darling? The kids had such a great time with these, that is after they got past the sugar rush from eating the frosting by the spoon fulls!

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While a LARGE amount of my money is funneled into Williams-Sonoma’s glorious pockets, it will not be going to the purchase of their ridiculously expensive Peppermint Bark. Yes it is heavenly, but come on — us food savvy people can make our own for a fraction of the price. Sure, we won’t be getting the cute Holiday Tin to go along with it, but who the hell cares? Yours will be made with love, people! All you need is love, all you need is love, love is all you need (can’t you hear me singing in my best John Lennon?)

Lets make some BARK! Read the rest of this entry »