Day Two- Breads

It seems as if most of my holiday/party recipes are of the peripheral/side dish variety. Easy to transport and not so important that they would be missed. This is mostly due to the fact that I am low man on the totem pole, so to speak, when it comes to holiday entertaining. There are many relatives older than me who must die before I'm allowed to host a holiday dinner. Not that I am wishing them away, but by the time I am allowed to cook Thanksgiving Dinner, I will be so old that I won't even remember what turkey is supposed to taste like, let alone how to cook it.

Which brings us to my favorite "buffet bread" recipe. Though to call it a recipe is rather generous.


Sweet or Savory Danish/Appetizers


Take a package of refrigerated crescent roll dough (or you can use those nifty little sheets that they make now), and open it but do not unroll (so you have a little log of dough). Slice into 6 to 8 rounds (depending on your application) and lay them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Use your thumbs to make indentations in the center of the cinnamon-roll shaped rounds.

And here is where the fun begins.

Fill each indentation with the filling of your choice. Need an easy morning danish? Add your favorite fruit pie filling and drizzle with an easy icing sugar glaze when they come out of the oven. Need a tasty hot appetizer? Fill with a little cooked sausage and a sprinkle of cheese and red pepper. Your imagination can be as free as it likes. Only two rules; one, make sure the filling is cooked. No raw meats or veggies. And two, make sure it can stand up to the heat of the oven. So, traditional chocolate custard pie is out, but maybe you could tweak it a little and make some tasty fudge centers. The sky is the limit.

Bake the rounds at the temp directed on the package and remove when they are golden brown. The filling you choose will affect the cooking time. Also, the thicker your slices, the more "bread-like" your finished product will be(no kidding !?!). So for danish, a little thicker, but if you want a nice crispy platform for say ham or mini pizza, thinner is better.

Holiday Recipes

Today is Day 1 of Julie Mom's Holiday Recipe Party, and I am SOOOOOOOO excited! Day 1 is Main Dishes and my recipe is not for the "Big Day" per se, but for those days surrounding the holiday that may pose a different culinary challenge.

This is what I call a 'Pantry Meal'. It's one of those dishes that I always have the ingredients on hand. You can take the sausage straight from freezer to skillet and ditto for the cheeses. Add an easy garden salad and some frozen garlic bread and you have dinner for six adults. If you want to up the veggie content you can add green peppers, onion, zucchini, or mushrooms. Anything that you like in lasagna, you will like here.

My One-Pot Oh-My-Goodness-My-House-Is-Full-Of-People-And-I-Forgot-To-Take-Something-Out-Of-The-Freezer Lasagna


1 lb. Shaped Whole Wheat Pasta (Penne, Farfalle, or Rotini)
1 lb. Ground Italian Sausage
1 quart of Your Favorite Tomato Paste Sauce
1/2 cup Pepperoni
1/2 cup Shredded Mozzarella
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan


Cook pasta according to directions, drain, and return to pot. Simultaneously, brown sausage in med. skillet. Once pasta is back in the pot, add sausage, pepperoni,and sauce. Mix thoroughly. Add cheeses and mix again. Serve with grated Parmesan and Red Pepper Flakes.


Come back tomorrow and every day this week for more recipe fun.

Early Christmas Gifts

I've just returned from a short visit with my sister, who lives in Georgia. Sydney and I went alone, and my poor husband had to rough it on pizza and his mother's delicious home cooking while we were gone. Poor Baby, lol!

But now we are back, and I was greeted with an early Christmas surprise.

Chickens!

I've wanted chickens for ages. I'm not sure why. I just love the idea of having my own little backyard flock. And now that we live in the "country", I've been lobbying hard to make those dreams a reality. My husband, being the loving wonder that he is, has rolled his eyes and humored me.

So now I have a little chicken coop and three fat beauties.

And eggs!

We've gotten two eggs so far. Aren't they gorgeous?!




I would show you pictures of the girls themselves, but the little darlings/demon spawn are cooped up for a few days, until they learn to roost here in their new home.

And by the way, if you were driving past my house this morning about 7:00 AM and saw me flapping round in my pink nightgown, trying to get my new chickens into their coop after their return from being away all night, I offer my apologies. No one should have to see such things

The Untold Secret of Christopher Columbus

This is what happens when you have a princess/ballet crazed five-year old in your house. She automatically sees a tutu and sparkles.



Poor Chris. Nice gams though.


I guess this also explains the very fashionable sails.

Ouch.

Note to all of you homemakers out there:

If you are putting up some seasonal produce and it includes peppers,
wear gloves.

No matter how hard or often you scrub your hands, there will still be hot pepper oils under your nails that will inevitably find their way to your eyes.


The 10 pints of salsa and 3 pints of relish are a happy sight though.


Or would be if I could see through my stinging eyes.

Tomatoes

I had written off my tomatoes this year. The horn worms wanted them, the slugs wanted them, and I am a squeamish pest battler to say the least. I figured that though my vines were prolific, I just couldn't keep the pests at bay without spraying all sorts of chemicals.

Add to that the fact that we only had 3 days this summer when the temperature rose above the 90 degree mark. We just hadn't had enough sun to ripen them properly.

Imagine my surprise tonight when I was on my way out to the compost pile and noticed quite a bit of red peeking through the jungle that had developed when the pole beans decided that the huge tomato vines would make a good trellis.

Tomatoes!

Ripe Tomatoes!

Piles of Tomatoes.

Sydney and I filled three dutch ovens and my biggest colander with plum, cherry and a few globe tomatoes. She kept saying "It's a tomato fiesta!".

I'll have enough for 9 pints of salsa and 4 or 5 quarts of sauce. I can taste it already.

I almost hate to eat those beauties above because they are so perfect!

No Shampoo

Lest my friends think I am insane, here is a little explanation post that was sparked by a comment that I left on another blog.



All my life I have had straight hair. Super straight hair. Hair so straight that I have had perms that lasted less than twenty four hours. So straight that for high school prom, the beauty shop slicked my whole head with gel, wrapped my hair in curlers, and baked it under the dryers. I had the lovely, high-piled, curly up-do that was all the rage then, but my hair was as hard as a rock. Completely stiff. It took five washings to return it to normal.

So, as anyone with straight hair can tell you, I have always had a struggle with hair products. Almost anything (that I am willing to pay for) weighs down straight hair. Even the wrong kind of shampoo can leave your hair stringy and lifeless. This has led to a lifetime of less-than-enthusiastic hair care. Why bother when no matter what you do, it looks the same.

But...

About a year ago, I had someone suggest to me that I stop using shampoo altogether. After I looked at them like they were crazy, I did a little research and found out that my friend was not as crazy as I thought. So a new regimen was born (and has continued).

So here's what I do:

For my "shampoo"
I mix one tablespoon of baking soda/bicarb with one cup of warm water.

The ratio is important. If you want to mix more at a time, you can, but just keep that 1T to 1C ratio. I use a whole cup when I wash my hair, but I have long hair (four or five inches past my shoulders), you may not need as much. Too much baking soda/bicarb and you will have crispy, dry hair. Too much water and it may not clean effectively.

For my "conditioner":
I mix one to two tablespoons of vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar)to one cup of warm water.
(I actually make a double batch because I find that I need more for rinsing my long hair)


I mix this up fresh every time I wash my hair. It only takes a few seconds. But if you want to mix up more and keep it in bottles in your bathroom, just follow the ratios and you'll be fine.



So I wet my hair thoroughly and pour the soda mixture over my scalp a little at a time gently working it in as you go.

This is the part that may throw some of you because there is no lather. We have been conditioned to think that foamy bubbles=clean. But trust me it is working.

I let it stand for about a minute and the rinse out with cool water, completely flooding your scalp. Don't skimp on the rinsing. I made that mistake once after I had been doing this for a few months and afterward my scalp was so itchy that I though I was having an allergic reaction, lol! (the vinegar also helps with this because it neutralizes the soda)

After my hair is well rinsed, I pour on the vinegar mixture, and massage into my scalp. Let stand for one or two minutes. Then rinse with cool water.

Towel dry and you are done.


A few notes:

Cool water is important. It calms your scalp and is nicer to your hair than hot water. I normally wash my hair in water that I would consider too cold for a shower, wrap my head in a towel, then crank on the hot and finish my shower.

There is an adjustment period. Your hair has to "detox", especially if you use a lot of product. For about a week or two, you find your hair feels or acts different. The same is true if you are traveling and the water has different mineral content, so be aware. I'm not talking "Bride of Frankenstein" different, just a difference in texture and touch.

If you use styling products (i.e.-hairspray, mousse, gel) you should comb out your hair before washing. It helps to loosen the gunk and allow the soda to do it's thing.

This will make your hair clean. Literally "squeaky" clean. I find myself going longer and longer between actual washings. At this point I only actually wash my hair two times a week with warm water rinses whenever I shower in between to remove dust and dirt.

Yes, in the shower, your hair smells like vinegar, and I know that this is a smell that most people don't like. But it fades as soon as your hair is dry, I promise. Your hair will smell like clean hair, which is to say, like nothing. No perfumes or scents. If you like a little "smelly" for your hair you can add a few drops of essential oil to the rinse. Lavender and citrus are nice, Tea Tree can even help with dandruff and scalp issues. I've even used Vanilla extract. Experiment.



Why this works:

Traditional shampoo is a detergent. So, by it's very nature it strips your hair of everything, both good and bad. That's why we need conditioner; to put back all of the natural oils that the shampoo stripped away. That is also why your hair gets greasy. Your scalp is trying to compensate for all of the missing natural oils.

Baking soda/Bicarb doesn't do that. It removes the dirt and debris and leaves your hair and it's oils alone to do their own thing. The vinegar makes your hair shiny and soft, while also neutralizing the soda.



So there it is. My foray into the "crunchy" hippie lifestyle. I love it. My hair has never been healthier or shinier. It actually has body and doesn't go flat two hours after I leave the bathroom.

And the icing on the cake?

IT IS CHEAP!!!

Here the Midwest US the supplies cost me about six cents a wash, and they keep on the shelf indefinitely. Take that, $35 dollar bottle of shampoo!!

Firehouse Tour

Now you know why I post so rarely.

We're always on a field trip, lol!

Field Trip!

Scenes from a recent field trip to a local airport. Although, it's only technically an airport. It has a runway and hangars, and a few die hard local pilots; and that's about it.

But the kids had such a good time. They even got some pilots together to take off and land every five minutes or so while the kids were out by the runway. It was magical!

Pita- The Recipe

Heavens! I didn't even think of giving you all the recipe!

I originally found my recipe here at The Fresh Loaf.

And let me tell you, if you are interested in baking your own bread, of any kind, this is the place for you. Along with recipes and tutorials, they have a forum where people just like you have made the same mistakes that you have made and they discuss how you can fix it. It's kinda like having an experienced bread baking mentor right there in your computer.

I've done things a little differently though.

I use 1 1/2 cups AP Flour and 1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour. I add my honey and warm water together, then bloom the yeast in the resulting mixture. And the biggest change, I cook mine in a very hot cast iron skillet instead of in the oven.

The rising time is much shorter than conventional bread (I can do a whole batch, start to finish, in under two hours) and I actually split my dough into 12 pieces, instead of 8, because we use them for sandwiches. In fact, this is the only bread that I bake some weeks, lol!

Enjoy!

Pita

My very homely but oh-so-delicious homemade pita bread. I can't believe I ever bought this stuff ready-made. It's so easy to make and so much more tasty than store-bought. The whole house is addicted. Sydda even eats it plain!