Cooking making things from scratch?

[rottiemom]

OH MY. Recipe please!

Noodleknitter, you're going to HATE me when swimsuit season comes around again .

There's no real recipe for ciguida bread per se, just don't bother trying to make it "good for you" & use whole wheat flour. It is what it is and what it is is cold weather comfort and pure, crusty sin.

Use your favorite french bread recipe for the dough (make sure to use bread flour) and while it rises take about a pound or so of pork fat back (NOT salt pork...and look for the real meaty kind) cut into pieces about 1/2" small & place in a stock pot. Over low-med heat cook the pieces of fat back until nearly all of the fat had melted away and the remaining pieces are crispy & crackly brown. Scoop out the pieces with a spider or slotted spoon, drain on paper towels & salt to taste (easy does it but if you make a bland dough it's OK to go a little heavy on the salt). Stir into the risen dough & mix well to distribute the ciguide throughout then form into loaves or place in a tube pan & let rise while you preheat the oven to 400.
Once oven is warm & dough has risen again bake until golden brown. Try this hot out of the oven. Then HIDE THE RECIPE!

 

[Kycha]

The bread flour has a higher gluten or protein content (if memory serves). It results in a stretchier, more pliable dough that produces a NY style pizza parlor crust. This crust is very crisp & tasty, so much so that the poor dog never gets "pizza bones" anymore . The downside is that I'm making a lot more pizza ever since I started using bread flour.

I'm ashamed to admit that for all of my years of cooking I never realized that different types of flour really made a difference. I thought that All Purpose meant that it could be used for everything...and it can...but if you use the "right" flour for the job it can really make a difference in your results. Like the first time I baked a cake using cake flour.

I've since been using bread flour for all of my crusty breads and the results have been fantastic. Things like muffuletta rolls and ciguida bread (an Italian bread that involves pork cracklin's) have been unbelievable.

Thanks rottiemom! That is kinda what I figured. I have some bread flour in the freezer. I'll have to pull it out the next time I make pizza dough.

 

[Debbie]

Alright. My DD17 loves to make bread. We've always used the all purpose, but next time . . . . I think she'll be pleasantly surprised! Her buns are good, but now they'll be spectacular!

 

[Plantlady]

If only one could make marshmallows with something OTHER than corn syrup, and if only I could find a carageenan that worked just like gelatin!

Ok.. only half the battle: but here's vegan marshmallow recipe. It still needs corn syrup, abut it uses a "'vegetable gelatin". It is quite rough, camping as a vegetarian, and making s'mores. Now.. the problem is solved.

Vegan Marshmallows

 

[Karenj2]

Alright. My DD17 loves to make bread. We've always used the all purpose, but next time . . . . I think she'll be pleasantly surprised! Her buns are good, but now they'll be spectacular!

I love Recipezaar for yummie recipes of all kinds... I found this recipe: Honey Wheat Bread like Outback's. I LOVE this recipe!!

 

[Kycha]

I love Recipezaar for yummie recipes of all kinds... I found this recipe: Honey Wheat Bread like Outback's. I LOVE this recipe!!

I love recipezaar too! It is my favorite resource for recipes.

 

[nunzia]

Homemade Pizza - honestly our paper posted you can make homemade pizza faster than take out - that did it, I was hooked - now my recipe has so evolved I dont measure - and buying ingredients at Sam's club (yeast!) I figure I make two large pans of pizza for $5!

1. 2 cup flour
2 Tablespoons yeast (I dont measure, I pour a palm full)
1 cup warm water (now if you want a thicker crust add 1 1/2 cup of warm water)
2 Tablespoons sugar (never measure, just pour from the sugar bowl!)
2 Tablespoons melted butter
(I have added 1/4 corn meal at this point, gives a chewier texture, and I have added dried basil and thyme - if you want to fancy it up)

2. Put it in the kitchen aide blender dough hook, mix, add 1 cup of flour at a time, make sure you pull up from the bottom - till not sticky - maybe 4 more cups - again, I dont really follow a recipe anymore!

3. knead - maybe 4 - 5 to make sure its all blended -

4. put in large buttered bowl (you can substitute olive oil for any of the butter I've listed) cover bowl with syran wrap

5. let rise - maybe 30 - 60 minutes - when its doubled, I take half and roll it out on my cutting board (9by 12 I think) and put it in the cookie sheet (the darker the better! - I spray the pans with Pam) let rise 2nd time - oh I spray the dough with more Pam and cover with syran wrap.. while rising I make the sauce -

Sauce - simple
1 can tomato paste
water (sometimes I add a splash of red wine) to thin to your liking
salt pepper, and spices, basil, rosemary, etc

Mozzerella Cheese, and toppings -

If you let the 2nd rise go too long - you may get bubbles -

I bake at 400 deg for 20 min or until brown and bubbly - I'm sure there are other better recipes out there - but use the fast rising yeast - and you can buy a HUGE bag of it for $5 whereas the stores sell it for $5 for 3 pkgs!

That is basically my dough recipe too..but I don't even mess with rising and it comes out great. I just do it by hand, as in hands, no dough hook. For the sauce I use my Sicilian grandmother's recipe..this is really it too..open a can of stewed tomatoes, add some seasoning like garlic, basil, etc. Cook until some of the liquid is gone, kinda cutting up the tomato pieces while it boils, then just pour it over the dough (large jelly roll pan) and put on whatever toppings and bake. Quick and yummy!

 

[eatatmidnight]

I make spreadable butter. It is easy and much cheaper than buying Land o Lakes in a tub.

1 cup butter softened (completely)
3/4 cup canola oil
pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients in a mixer bowl. Beat at low speed until combined; then beat at high speed for 2 minutes. We love it.

 

[Chicklogic]

I make spreadable butter. It is easy and much cheaper than buying Land o Lakes in a tub.

1 cup butter softened (completely)
3/4 cup canola oil
pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients in a mixer bowl. Beat at low speed until combined; then beat at high speed for 2 minutes. We love it.

I do this too....except all I add is a drizzle of olive oil not 3/4 cup (and it still almost doubles in volume because of the air whipped in)

 

[bumbershoot]

Ok.. only half the battle: but here's vegan marshmallow recipe. It still needs corn syrup, abut it uses a "'vegetable gelatin". It is quite rough, camping as a vegetarian, and making s'mores. Now.. the problem is solved.

Vegan Marshmallows

that is so sweet of you. I've seen similar recipes, but the problem always ends up being finding the unflavored kojel for non-restaurant purposes.

And of course the *light* corn syrup issue, even if DS could suddenly eat corn syrup...I've only seen Karo, and it has the HFCS in it.


I haven't been bothered at all not eating smores since I went veggie, but 2 weekends ago we did a family campout through REI and our local parks system, and everyone was eating 18million HUGE smores and they looked SO good. Actually noticed one of the kids who had been sitting quietly and being reasonable and polite change behavior completely after starting to eat the smores, just like my son would (if we weren't veggie). We had had to explain why DS couldn't eat most of what was being offered to him, and why, but the boy's custodial grandparents were never around to hear it, and we coudln't figure out a good way to talk to them about our suspicions on what was causing his behavior swings, though they had just talked to hubby about the boy's recent ADD diagnosis. Wish we could have figured it out...the difference in his mood, actions, self-control, and voice were STUNNING, after he started eating the corn syrup in the marshmallows and the HFCS in the HoneyMaid graham crackers.


THAT HAS nothing to do with this thread, I apologize, it was just a long-winded way to WHINE about marshmallows, b/c what they are is corn syrup and some sort of gel, and we just will never be able to have them. WHINE.


OK done now.

 

[bangzoom6877]

I watch the show "Good Eats" all the time on the Food Network, as well as some other shows. Their website has the recipes that they use in the shows. One time this past winter, in February when we had *miraculously* our only snowstorm of the year, I made the soft pretzels from Good Eats that Alton Brown made. I took the easy way out and used the dough cycle of my bread machine, and wow, these came out soooo good! I live in NYC and these were better than any pretzel from a stand! I make these occasionally as a "project" with DS3! He loves to help me with cooking, so when I cook or bake he helps me mix! He likes trying to shape the pretzels and we have so much fun!

The only problem is that we are so spoiled now! I can't enjoy a pretzel from the park like I used to! I made these recently and substituted half the flour used with whole wheat flour, so I had a 50/50 blend of white flour and whole wheat flour. They tasted awesome and had better nutritional value! The kids lived them and so did DH!

Today I made pancakes from scratch, but not the buttermilk kind because I do not keep buttermilk in the house unless I am making a red velvet cake when we go to my dad's friend for Christmas...that's about it for buttermilk around here. But I made the pancakes with whole wheat flour, and they were delicious. The kids ate them right up and I feel good to be giving them something healthy!

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

Homemade Pizza - honestly our paper posted you can make homemade pizza faster than take out - that did it, I was hooked - now my recipe has so evolved I dont measure - and buying ingredients at Sam's club (yeast!) I figure I make two large pans of pizza for $5!

1. 2 cup flour
2 Tablespoons yeast (I dont measure, I pour a palm full)
1 cup warm water (now if you want a thicker crust add 1 1/2 cup of warm water)
2 Tablespoons sugar (never measure, just pour from the sugar bowl!)
2 Tablespoons melted butter
(I have added 1/4 corn meal at this point, gives a chewier texture, and I have added dried basil and thyme - if you want to fancy it up)

2. Put it in the kitchen aide blender dough hook, mix, add 1 cup of flour at a time, make sure you pull up from the bottom - till not sticky - maybe 4 more cups - again, I dont really follow a recipe anymore!

3. knead - maybe 4 - 5 to make sure its all blended -

4. put in large buttered bowl (you can substitute olive oil for any of the butter I've listed) cover bowl with syran wrap

5. let rise - maybe 30 - 60 minutes - when its doubled, I take half and roll it out on my cutting board (9by 12 I think) and put it in the cookie sheet (the darker the better! - I spray the pans with Pam) let rise 2nd time - oh I spray the dough with more Pam and cover with syran wrap.. while rising I make the sauce -

Sauce - simple
1 can tomato paste
water (sometimes I add a splash of red wine) to thin to your liking
salt pepper, and spices, basil, rosemary, etc

Mozzerella Cheese, and toppings -

If you let the 2nd rise go too long - you may get bubbles -

I bake at 400 deg for 20 min or until brown and bubbly - I'm sure there are other better recipes out there - but use the fast rising yeast - and you can buy a HUGE bag of it for $5 whereas the stores sell it for $5 for 3 pkgs!

Thanks for the recipe. My family made it last night and it was so good and cooked up perfectly. We used bread flour.

 

[Karenj2]

I love recipezaar too! It is my favorite resource for recipes.

Ok, this is TOTALLY OT, but *I* love your siggie picture! I copied that picture for a co-worker, who has never seen LOST, but saw a head shot of his and cut it out. (She's in her upper 50's at least, and married.) When I sent it to her she squealed, printed it out, and stared at it while running her finger along the picture. She said, "I remember what it was like to touch a hard body like that..." (I know her hubby - that wasn't who she was remembering...) I think if I found a more full-bodied picture of him, she'd swoon!

***End of OT***

 

[nairv]

Just remembered....I make my own granola too.....so yummy and healthier (and waaaaaaaaay cheaper ) than store-bought. it's a great way to use up oats. i looked up some recipes on food network, then ended up combining stuff from 2 recipes to make it my own. real easy and quick...can post my recipe if anyone wants......

 

[sharonmickey]

nairv - please post your granola recipe, school starts soon and granola would be great for a healthy snack

 

[semo233]

Of course we want it!!!
Granola goes fast in my house!!!
Sharing is so nice.

 

[Kycha]

Ok, this is TOTALLY OT, but *I* love your siggie picture! I copied that picture for a co-worker, who has never seen LOST, but saw a head shot of his and cut it out. (She's in her upper 50's at least, and married.) When I sent it to her she squealed, printed it out, and stared at it while running her finger along the picture. She said, "I remember what it was like to touch a hard body like that..." (I know her hubby - that wasn't who she was remembering...) I think if I found a more full-bodied picture of him, she'd swoon!

***End of OT***

OMG! I shouldn't have been drinking tea when I read your post. It's now all over my monitor. Just the thought of her running her finger along the picture and saying that is hysterical. Thanks for the laugh!

 

[nairv]

i'm one of those people that doesnt measure stuff, so amounts are not exact, but here goes. the beauty of granola is that it's hard to go wrong-you can really play with it until you get the taste you are looking for.

3-4 cups oats
1/2-1 cup wheat germ
1 cup flaked sweet coconut
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup whatever nuts/seeds you like/happen to have on hand
1/4 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup raisins


preheat oven to 325. mix oats, wheat germ, nuts and coconut in a bowl. in another bowl, mix honey, oil, vanilla and sugar. combine both mixtures, spread out evenly in baking pan and bake for about 30 mts, checking/stirring every 10-15 mts so that the color is even and coconut doesnt burn. add raisins after granola is done and mix well. store in airtight container and ENJOY!!

 

[pperfectmom]

Sorry I'm just now joining the party, but I love to trade tips with like-minded individuals. I try to do most of our cooking from scratch. We do homemade pizza a lot. I bake a lot of bread and other baked goods but foccacia is our current fave. I am also currently in the midst of harvesting season so I'm putting up beans, zucchini, pesto, etc. and have a ton of tomatoes to deal with. I'll most likely make and can some pizza sauce and spaghetti sauce but would like to do some ketch-up as well. I guess I could use the recipe from a previous poster and just use fresh tomatoes and then can like I do my other stuff. We also make our own beer and just made blackberry wine. I can't wait to try that this winter. It required 20 pounds of blackberries so it better be worth it.

 

[Karenj2]

OMG! I shouldn't have been drinking tea when I read your post. It's now all over my monitor. Just the thought of her running her finger along the picture and saying that is hysterical. Thanks for the laugh!

It'd be even funnier if you saw her.