Smitten Kitchen's Flatbreads with Honey, Thyme, and Sea Salt

I have been sadly neglecting this blog, but not for any lack of experimenting in the kitchen.  I have been busy trying new recipes right and left, utilizing our delicious, fresh produce from the CSA.  Unfortunately may of the delicious recipes I've tried have been straight out of the Appetite for Reduction cookbook, so I can't share them here--but I would highly recommend the cookbook!  I'm beginning to really appreciate vegan cooking and the recipes have a lot of flavor (sometimes a bit TOO much flavor, but I'm learning to adjust the quantities of her spices).

A new adventure for this week is from the smittenkitchen.com blog: Flatbreads with Honey, Thyme, and Sea Salt.  Doesn't that sound amazing!  I'm also eager to try the smittenkitchen recipe for homemade ricotta cheese.

Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

I LOVE fresh bread!  It fills the house with a homey aroma and is delicious slathered in jam or butter or with a slice of cheese.  It makes great sandwiches, a quick toast breakfast, or a simple snack.  I especially love artisan bread: peasant loaves, french bread, olive bread, and cheese breads.

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day is a great, easy method for baking as much fresh bread as I want.  The basic idea is that you make a large batch of dough, mix it without kneading, let it rise once, let is rest in the refrigerator, and then pull it out and bake it whenever you have a fresh bread craving.

In using this cookbook I have learned to bake on a pizza stone, including the difficult task of sliding a fully dressed pizza off of the peel onto the hot stone.  One piece of advice: coat the pizza peel liberally with corn meal or flour.  You will be glad you did!  You can also freeze partially baked loaves and finish baking them at a later date for the treat of fresh bread straight out of the oven.

Hip Girl's Guide to Homemaking

I just finished reading Kate Payne's Hip Girl's Guide to Homemaking.  It's a fun read and chock full of tidbits of useful information and other book and internet resources.

A few things I am now inspired to do:
1) Bake a loaf a bread--I've gotten sadly out of the habit.  More on that soon!
2) Can a few things this season--tomatoes & applesauce are at the top of my list.  I just need to get my courage up while I wait for those things to be in season!
3) Ditch my toxic cleaning solutions and start using more natural products.  This feels like a bigger project, but one that I may be ready to tackle soon.
4) Shop at thrift stores, consignment shops, and Craigslist more often--you never know what you might find!

Made From Scratch: Salad Dressing

Salad dressing is simple enough to make from scratch.  You can vary the seasonings and create many variations.


Salad Dressing
from my dad

Ingredients:
6 T olive oil
2 T lemon juice or vinegar
salt
pepper
garlic
herbs

1) In a small bowl, whisk together 1 T olive oil, 1 T lemon juice or vinegar, & seasoning.
2) Add 2 T olive oil and whisk.
3) Add 3 T olive oil and 1 T lemon juice or vinegar and whisk.
4) Adjust seasoning to taste.

Made From Scratch: Buttermilk

Who knew you could make your own buttermilk!  Just add one tablespoon on vinegar or lemon juice to 1 c of milk and let it sit for about 10 minutes.  No need to buy a quart of buttermilk at the store anymore when recipes only call for a cup!

Made From Scratch: Yogurt

Last year I discovered how easy it is to make homemade yogurt!  You don't have to have a yogurt maker, but it makes the process a lot easier and more reliable.

Equipment
Double boiler OR a large pot and smaller pot or metal bowl that fits inside
Spoon, metal
Thermometer
Tongs (for removing items after sterilizing)
Yogurt maker, heating pad, oven with pilot light, or slow cooker.

Ingredients
Milk, (I use 2% milk from our local dairy, but skim, 1%, or whole milk work, too.  The fattier the milk, the thicker the yogurt). You need an equal amount to the amount of yogurt you want--for example, 1/2 gallon milk = 1/2 gallon yogurt.
2-3 T plain yogurt (for starter)
Powdered milk (optional, to thicken yogurt, 1/4 c per 1/2 gallon of milk)
Fruit (optional, for flavor)
Sweeteners, like honey, maple syrup, agave (optional, to sweeten)

How to...
1. Boil a large pot of water.
2. While you wait for the water to boil, make an ice bath in your sink.
3. Sterilize your equipment by dunking it in the boiling water.
4. Put the milk in the top of the double boiler and heat to 180-degrees F, stirring frequently.
5. Place milk pot into ice bath to cool the milk to 110-degrees F, stirring occasionally.  (This is a good time to add the powdered milk, if you're going to use it.)
6. Add yogurt to milk once it's cooled and stir until dissolved.
7. Put yogurt into yogurt maker and follow manufacturers directions.  Or put it in a warm place (with a heating pad, in the oven with a pilot light, or in the slow cooker) and let it sit undisturbed for 7 hours. The longer it sits, the thicker and tangier it will become.
8. Chill the yogurt in the refrigerator.
9. Add sweetener or flavor. I like to sweeten my yogurt by the bowl with honey and fruit and eat it with granola.
10. Enjoy!  But don't forget to save a few tablespoons of yogurt as starter for the next batch!