Sourdough Bread and other things…

What a weekend!  Here where I live, Ohio, we experienced our first major snow storm this weekend.  Last year, we had snow all winter…more snow than we had in a long, long time.  We have been pretty fortunate this winter in that we were having a mild winter…until Sunday morning.  It started snowing at about 12 am Sunday morning and it snowed all day….and all night until about 10 am today.  All together I think we received about 12-14 inches.  Thankfully today, I was able to work from home! This is a picture from Sunday morning when I work up:

So, I took myself to the grocery store (which I loathe) and got a few things.  One of them was a 4 pound beef chuck roast.  I came home and put it in the oven to make barbeque beef.  Three hours later on 350 degrees and it was falling apart.  Then Sunday morning I put some premade (store bought) meatballs in my crock pot with a jar of spaghetti sauce and a can of tomato soup for later in the week to have meatball subs.  Well–I didn’t think about what I would eat the bbq beef sandwiches or meatball subs on, so I ended up making these sourdough bread rounds/buns:

They are glorious, so good…and if you wanted to make regular bread you can.  It’s a simple recipe and always turns out great.

Sourdough Bread Starter

1 package active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons sugar

2 cups warm water

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water.  Add flour, salt and sugar; stir in 2 cups of warm water.

Mix well.  Cover bowl, stir often for the next 72 hours.  After 72 hours, store in an mason

jar in the refrigerator and occasionally shake jar to mix.

Sourdough Bread

2 packages active dry yeast

1 1/4 cup warm water

1 cup sourdough starter

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon salt

2 eggs

1/4 cup oil

5 1/2 – 6 cups flour

Mix yeast, warm water and starter, let it get bubbly.  Add sugar, salt, eggs, and oil and mix well.  Add flour, knead until

smooth and elastic.  Put dough in a greased bowl and cover, letting rise in a warm place.  Punch down and make

bread as desired, letting rise again covered until double.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 – 35 minutes.

Add 1 cup flour and 1 cup water to starter mix to replace the starter you used for bread, mix well and put back

in refrigerator.

I also decided to try my blueberry muffin recipe in another way:

I made it into a bundt cake instead of muffins, and it turned out way better, although I had to bake it a lot longer, almost an hour.  You can find the recipe here.

I have been in a cooking mood lately!  I also made crockpot lasagna for a coworkers birthday, and it turned out fabulous, even though I don’t have a picture.  Here’s how I made it:

Crockpot Lasagna

1 1/2 pounds ground beef, browned and drained

1 large container cottage cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

2 jars spaghetti sauce

1 can tomato soup

1 package lasagna noodles (regular kind)

Mix cooked beef, spaghetti sauce, and tomato soup together.  Mix cottage cheese and 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese together with Italian seasonings (garlic powder, onion powder, basil, oregano etc).  Layer as follows: meat mixture, lasagna noodles (uncooked), cheese mixture (repeat 3 times) and top with remaining mozzarella cheese.  Cook on high for about 1 1/2 hours and turn down to low for 2 1/2 more hours or until done.

I have to admit that this recipe gave me anxiety, because you have to work and adjust the noodles to fit.  I didn’t like it.  But it tasted fabulous and it was a big hit!!!

Keep Simply Delighting!!!

 

 

 

 

Staying in on a snowy Sunday

We are in the middle of a mini snow storm.  It’s cold, windy and snowy out.  Yesterday I ran errands and got a few things for the week.  I am not a big fan of grocery shopping, so I tend to only really go on a big shopping trip every 2-3 months.  When I do that, I stock up.  And I mean stock up.  I spend about $400 to stock up my pantry and freezer and pick up fresh items every week or other week.

So, yesterday I needed to get some stuff for a potluck at work this week (I am making crock pot lasagna…more on that this week) and some items for this week.  I wanted to make some queso so needed a few things.

After I got home, what I had in mind for dinner quickly went out the window, and I ended up making one of my favorite salads.  It’s a version of Cabbage Crunch Salad–and it was so yummy.

I know it’s not a great picture but here’s how you make it:

cabbage–sometimes I use broccoli-slaw (precut)

1 carrot, grated

1 granny smith apple, peeled and chopped

craisons

slivered almonds

uncooked ramon noodles, broken up

The dressing is:

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 tablespoons vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 packet of chicken ramon noodle flavoring

Today, I made some homemade refried beans (you can find the recipe by clicking here), and some queso dip.  The queso is super easy…just take a block of velveeta cheese, a can of rotel, and some browned ground beef and mix it in a crock pot.  Let it melt together and it’s perfect for a dip or for a snack or for dinner.

So that’s what I did today.  Check out the blog later this week for crock pot lasagna!

Keep Simply Delighting!

 

Snowy Saturdays

Happy Saturday ya’ll!

This is a picture from my bedroom window.  I know it doesn’t look like a lot of snow, but it has been snowing since last night.  And it’s supposed to continue to snow all day and night and all day tomorrow.  So, I figured it would be a good weekend to stay inside and sew!

I started working on my 2 inch #scappytripalong quilt.  I am kinda methodically in how I sew.  I use (and reuse) little zipper top baggies to put my blocks in.  So, before I even started to sew any strips together, I put together all my blocks individually in bags. That way, if I wanna just grab a few and do some, I don’t have everything laying out.  Anyway, all of that to say this, I made 5 blocks today.

On my living room floor design wall

A close up

My blocks are truly scrappy, but I am loving the way they are turning out.

I also found a recipe for homemade refried beans over at Sewfrench.  It is her friends recipe, which you can see her blog post about the recipe here.

I followed the recipe, with the exception that I added a whole jalapeno, not just a 1/2, and mine were done in like 4 hours, but my crock pot cooks fast.

Pre-mash

Post-mash

This made nine 1/2 cup servings.  I froze most of them individually.  They are delicious and so much more flavorful than store-bought.

Linking up to Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Crazy Mom Quilts and TGIFF!  I am counting my blocks that are finished as a finish, and my beans!

Keep Simply Delighting!

Wonderful Wednesdays for WIP

Happy Wednesday ya’ll! 

Am I the only one that can’t believe that it’s almost Christmas?  We are down to less than a week…where does the time go?  I have not been so productive this week, but have had a lot of things on my plate.  I feel like my mind has been working non-stop.  I need to write all the things down that I have been thinking about, it’s overwhelming me. 

I am looking forward to having a few days to spend the day doing whatever I want…without having to have a deadline.  I will be at my parents house for Christmas, and it’s a great place to just veg out and do stuff.  I have about 4 ruffle scarves I want to make and will be able to get those done at my parents.  Also, I am planning to work on a granny square afghan for myself and I can get a good start on that at my parents. 

I am completely done with Christmas presents (as much as I can do) except for one last thing.  I want to make my Mom a checkbook cover.  I plan on using the fabric below which is from Moda’s Vintage Modern collection.

Sorry the lighting in the picture is bad.  I need to get batteries for my camera and start using it instead of the camera on my cell phone.

Here is the updated WIP list for December, updates in green:

1. Finish Mom’s queen size quilt and shams-not done…won’t be til after Christmas now

2. 2 throw pillows to go with Mom’s quilt –done

3. A couple special presents for my Mom (very small projects)–All but one is done

4. Granny square challenge–ends today!  I made 12 squares!

5. 4 ruffle scarves-working on them over vacation!

Also, I am putting  a list together of the projects I want to complete over the next year and for January.  Additionally, I am going to put together a list of all the projects I completed for 2012.  It’s been a great first year of quilting and I feel so blessed to have learned and developed this skill and hobby.

Linking up to WIP Wednesday

As always, Keep Simply Delighting!

Guacamole

My friend Craig makes great guacamole!  He graciously agreed to share his recipe and photos.  Congrats Craig, on being Simply Delighting’s first guest blogger!!!

Most store-bought guacamole has a ton of ingredients that are not needed.  Here is how to make your very own guacamole
without sacrificing taste.

For this recipe you will need 4 ripe avocados, a lime, 2 roma tomatoes, garlic, an onion, salt and pepper.

First, cut the avocados in half and remove the seeds and set aside for later.  Scoop them out and into a large bowl.

Roughly chop the tomatoes.

Roughly chop the onion and garlic.

Add the juice of the lime.  Put as much salt and pepper into the bowl that you think is reasonable (Remember, you can always add more later).

Mix everything up until there are only some small chunks of the avocado visible.

Once everything is mixed together, bury the seeds into the guacamole (this helps the avocado stay fresh longer).

Serve chilled and enjoy!

Apple Butter Pork Chops and Twice Baked Potatoes

Apples and pork are a great combination.  Growing up we always had my Mom’s homemade applesauce when we had pork chops.  I had a jar of her homemade apple butter and thought it would be the perfect thing to add to the crock pot with some boneless pork chops.  Twice baked potatoes is also a favorite of mine, and the two go together great!

Put two 8 ounce boneless pork chops in the crock pot (mine were still frozen, right out of the freezer…that’s the joy of crock pot cooking), and add a pint of homemade apple butter.  Turn the crock pot on high and let it cook for 4 hours.  Occasionally turn the chops and stir them, but for the most part leave them alone. 

About an hour before the pork chops are ready, put 4 washed potatoes in the microwave for 10 minutes. 

When the potatoes were done, mash them with a fork. 

To the potatoes, add 1/2 cup of ranch salad dressing, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and about 1/4 cup of butter and mixed well.  Add a handful of mozzarella cheese and mixed well again. 

Put the mashed potato mix in a small baking dish and topped with mozzarella cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese on top is melted.

Ready to eat!

My pork chops were so tender they were falling apart.  Serve with some apple butter on the side. 

Vegetable Pizza

This recipe is great for hot summer days that call for a refreshing, light healthy snack or dinner.  It is also great to take to a party or family picnic.

To make the crust:

Mix 1 package of active dry yeast, 1 1/4 cups of flour, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of oil and 1 cup of warm water (110-115 degrees) with an electric mixer to combine well.  Continue to add 2 cups of flour at small increments until you can no longer beat with an electric mixer (for me, I added about 3/4 cup of flour until my mixer could no longer do it).

Spread remaining flour on clean surface and turn dough out on surface to knead.  As you knead, try to incorporate as much of the remaining flour as possible.  Knead about 6-8 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. 

Form dough into a ball, cover and let rest for 5-10 minutes.

Spread dough out on a greased pan.  Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until it doubles in size, about 30-45 minutes.  After it has doubled, bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

If you don’t have the time to make your own crust, you can use the ready-made pizza crusts or a package of crescent rolls that are found in the refrigerator section of the grocery store.  If using crescent rolls, roll them out flat and piece the dough together to create one piece of dough.

While the dough is baking, prepare the veggies to top the pizza.

I used julianned carrots, and simply snipped them into small pieces with my kitchen shears until I had 1 1/2 cups.

Next, finely dice 1 green pepper and 1 cup of mushrooms.

Finely dice 1/2 of an English cucumber and quarter 8-10 grape tomatoes. 

After the crust cools, spread a pint of dill dip or ranch dip over the crust. 

Mix the chopped veggies together and spread over the entire pizza.

Top with your favorite cheese–cojack, cheddar or mozzarella.  Keep chilled. 

So good!

Creamy Parmesan Potatoes

This dish is a perfect and easy addition to any family party or church potluck.  It also makes a delicious side dish for any supper. 

Start by either slicing or cubing 6 good-sized potatoes.

Spray 9 x 13 inch dish with cooking spray.  Place potatoes in dish.

Melt 1/2 cup of butter over medium heat.  Add 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Whisk together.

Add 1/3 cup of flour.  Whisk continually.  Mixture will get thick. 

Add 2 cups milk.  Bring to boil while stirring continually.  Mixture will begin to thicken.

Stir in 3/4 cup parmesan cheese.  Cook and whisk until smooth.

Pour parmesan cheese mixture over potatoes, stir to coat.  Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

 

After baking for 30 minutes, stir the potatoes and continue to bake for another 30 minutes.

 

After baking an additional 30 minutes, stir potatoes again, and sprinkle 1/4 cup parmesan cheese on the top.  Bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Perfect!