Savory Whole Wheat Monkey Bread

When I was in 5th grade I read a book about a group of kids who were trying to raise or save money for..something, I'm not sure and that's not the the point, it's how they did it! They decided to make... toothpaste. Seriously. I swear this wasn't just one of my super odd dreams. I remember thinking 'you can't make toothpaste!' and I was amazed that they did. They even had a recipe for the toothpaste in the back of the book. I was impressed and I started looking at everything around me and wondering how to make it myself (one thing that kept me up at night- what was in windex? why was it blue? Oh, the things I concerned myself with seem so strange now, but they seemed so vital at the time).

I bring this up because I have those 'toothpaste' moments a lot lately. You can make wheat thins? goldfish crackers? That just blows my mind. Maybe you already knew that, and if you did- why didn't you tell me?? Hello! Share please! 

Since I beg you to share, it only seems fair to share one of my favorite 'oh no you didn't' moments in the kitchen recently. I make bread. No really, like homemade bread. What? That's no big deal? Well, it's whole wheat or whatever, so there's that. And it's easy. Seriously. I mix up a few ingredients in a big ol' tub and put it in the fridge, then I take out a chunk when I get home from work and turn it into a cute little loaf of bready fabulousness. I use this whole grain recipe and I love having it in my fridge.

So, when I saw this savory monkey bread recipe I thought I had to give it a try using the bread dough I already had in my fridge. What a cheater- I know! But isn't that the thing with 'traditional' (ha!) monkey bread? Don't people use biscuit dough or the like? I thought I was having a stroke of genius. I rolled out the dough. I diligently cut it up and rolled it around in delicious dill butter. Then I baked it and gobbled it up. Well, some of it. Then I tried a bit more. But. Hm. It was missing something. Yep. Missing something for sure. Don't you just hate that?

my hopes were so high

I thought it was maybe a 7 out of 10. It was good and the dill butter was phenomenal. I was afraid of dill before this (don't laugh) but now I'm totally in love with it. That's why I chose to include some rosemary. But I felt like I was left with an unsatisfied feeling in both. Maybe it was those amazing pictures from the recipe, maybe they set my expectations too high. It was good, and I'd make it again, but I wanted this to really float my boat and it didn't.

a little rosemary action

I thought it had so much potential though, so much so that I made it again the next day but made a batch of the dough that went with the original recipe, but I made it whole wheat-ish. It smelled so amazing, but it tasted pretty much the same to me (don't hate!). It did get me thinking though and I loved using my super easy bread dough to make something very different. It's these experiences that keep me coming back to cooking even when I'm tired or feeling burnt out. I'm just too curious to leave it be. I love when I'm cooking and I think 'what if...' I'm going to attempt some more savory monkey bread recipes soon. I'll let you know how that goes. And if you do, by all means, share!


If you want to make anything from above here are the links for your reference:


Whole What Bread Dough with Vital Wheat Gluten

Savory Monkey Bread with Dill Butter 

Enjoy!
-m

Thanksgiving Wrap Up

The Highlights:

Cider-Glazed Turkey from Food and Wine magazine: This was an amazing turkey. I especially loved the butter soaked cheesecloth that was draped over the turkey prior to cooking and remained there until we pulled it out of the oven. Peeling the cheesecloth off the bird and revealing a perfectly cooked, brown, crispy, gorgeous turkey was just about the most exciting thing ever. No, really. We 'oohed' and 'awed' very loudly. Gorgeous and delicious, this recipe is a keeper.

slightly overcooked but delicious stuffing muffins

Lemony Mushroom and Pine Nut Stuffing Muffins from Food and Wine magazine (say that 5 times fast!): Brioche, cream, lemon juice, toasted pine nuts, a multitude of mushrooms and a splash of stock make this an amazing stuffing recipe. The muffin idea is a cute one, but not super practical. I made two batches of this; one was cooked too long (45 minutes- too long!) but the muffins stayed together when removed from the pan, the other was cooked just long enough (35 minutes- perfect!) but they fell apart very easily. I would make this again in a heartbeat, but I think I'd go more traditional. The novelty of the 'muffin' wore off quick.

Brie and Pear baked in Phyllo Dough: This was a recipe of a friends of a friends, or a family member of a friend of a friends, I'm not sure but it was amazing. So simple, and a soon to be staple- I can just see it. It's quite simple, if I'm remembering it correctly, cut up a pear or two, saute in a few tablespoons of brown sugar and butter. Put a bit of brie (triangle, circle, whatever) in the center of the phyllo dough sheets, pour the pear/sugar/gorgeousness on top and fold the dough over it. Bake until brown and melty inside. This was heavenly.We gobbled it up with crackers in what seemed like seconds.

Candied Mandarin Oranges and Cranberries from Bon Appetit: Hm. I loved the idea of this recipe, but in reality it wasn't so great. The issue I had was with the oranges- I couldn't get them to carmelize in the oven. Seriously. They had been under the broiler for 10 minutes and nothing, could have been user error. Also, the center of the oranges were tough and hard to eat. I would just use pieces of oranges instead of the whole thing next time, even if it is not as gorgeous. The cranberries cooked in the orange syrup were my favorite part- I saved them and served them the next day with some cheese and crackers. I had planned to photograph this entire recipe, and I did, but since it was hardly what I think of as a success, I won't be sharing it. I wish I had taken the time to photograph the stuffing! Darn.


Pecan, Bourbon, and Butterscotch Bread Pudding from Bon Appetit: Wow. That's all I can say here. Wow. This was such a winner. I'm making this again, and soon. I have to share the whole process, it's just too easy and delicious not to. You prepare the bread pudding the night before, which makes it super easy the day of. The butterscotch sauce is so easy and a perfect addition to the bread pudding. The poppy seeds add a touch of interest to the look- you know bread pudding can be kind of.. odd looking. The flavors in this were so fabulous- the vanilla bean especially. Try it!

pecan tarts!

There were many other amazing food offerings- pecan tarts, brussel sprouts and bacon, cake pops, spice cake, potato gratin and cheesy mashed potatoes- but these were the ones that especially stood out to me. I want to remember these for next year! Anything you especially enjoyed about your turkey day? Share!  :)

Enjoy
-m

Leek and Potato Soup

 I plan my meals pretty religiously each week. I buy mostly what we need for each recipe, but sometimes I buy a bag of carrots instead of just the one or two I need. Who doesn't? Seems normal to me. But it means I end up with weird left over things in the fridge and pantry. I almost always have a potato on hand. They have a very distinct odor when they start to go sour, those darn unused potatoes.

That's why, when I decided to make this soup because I had all the necessary goodies on hand, I decided to just use the rest of the stinkin' (well, not literally thank goodness) potatoes. The recipe calls for two, I used three. What's the big deal? It's just one extra potato. Extra heartiness, right?

Then it hits me. I'm thinking of tweaking this recipe, I'm not doing exactly what it says to do. Whoa. That's big for me in the cooking world, or it would have been in 2006.  I'm still such a.. what's the word? I still have a lot to learn. But I'm much more comfortable these days with using what I have to make a meal. That wasn't the case years ago. I would have just let that potato rot.
Because really, what do you do with just one potato?

I like to keep a tidy workspace. Ha! I was planning to freeze the leftovers and had these containers on the counter, it made for easy and clean prepping!

I have noticed the same thing with my running. I have a lot of gadgets and gizmos for running- gps watch, multiple water solutions, a cleverly disguised fanny pack, tons of technical gear. When I first started really running regularly years ago, I thought in order to be a real 'runner person' I would need some serious gear. Stuff. I read the magazines, they said buy the stuff. I read the reviews, I bought some of the stuff.

I love knowing I'm going to puree a soup- pieces cut funky? Who cares!

Now, like with cooking, I'm realizing that you don't need all that extra stuff all the time. I don't have to follow all the directions I hear and read all the time. The recipes. The reviews. The must-haves. The get-nows. I still love my gps watch just like I love my immersion blender, but I'm not taking it on every run.

People cook without recipes, without all this stuff, and they run without all this stuff as well. What exactly have I learned? I'm not really sure. I feel like I need a big moral of the story here, but I'm still figuring it all out. I'm just now noticing the pattern, that I'm relying less on the stuff and more on myself. It's kinda nifty. Sometimes it rocks, and sometimes I use one too many potatoes and make more of a mashed potato and leek thing than a soup. Then I realize I can just add more stock and a bit of milk and voila! Soup once again.

It was about this point, after simmering for 15 minutes, that I realized I'd made a starchy mess. Luckily, it was a delicious starchy mess.

This is one soup I make pretty often, it's pretty classic. I added some mascarpone cheese and whole milk to up the ante a bit and whoa, it didn't go unnoticed. Even with that extra potato heartiness.

Leek and Potato Soup
adapted from one of those cookbooks without an author that I'm unable to find online. What's up with that? 

print this recipe

ingredients

4 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 leeks chopped (whatever you can find or have on hand!)
3 potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3 1/2 - 4 cups of vegetable stock
2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese (or cream cheese)
1/3 cup milk
salt and pepper
chives or green onions for garnish


Melt the butter in your big ol' soup pot. Add the onions, leeks and potatoes and cook for 5-7 minutes until they cook through a bit.

Pour in the 3 1/2 cups of stock and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the heat down and let it simmer for about 15 minutes.

Take the soup off the heat when the veggies are all soft and fabulous. Puree with your preferred method of doing so- immersion blender, blender, whatever you please, then pour it back into the pot and bring the heat to medium low. Add the mascarpone cheese and stir to combine, not that anyone would complain if they got a little chunk of that cheese on their spoon. Add the milk, salt and pepper to taste- as well as any more stock if you desire a thinner soup. Garnish with chives or green onions.

Enjoy!
-m

food for thought: Rain!

This has been one of those weeks where no amount of sleep is enough. I went to bed last night before 9, and I woke up at 5:30 and I'm still tired. I could make a daunting list of all the thoughts swimming in my mind, but I don't particularly care to right now. Instead, I'm heading towards distraction-ville. Where I won't think about the fact that it's going to be a straight up rain storm on Sunday, the day I signed up to run a crazy 13.1 miles in Monterey. Check it out:

 

from weather.com

  Yep.

So, I would like a distraction. That's where the lovely internet comes into play.

Food for Thought

My food/life/whatever blog is pretty much a youngin. It hasn't been around very long and I'm always looking for ways to make it better,  to have more fun blogging and all that jazz. I've read quite a few posts about it on other blogs, but none as succinct, honest and enjoyable as this one. 
I especially like his suggestion about recipes that work- I tried a penne with cheese pasta last night from a food blog that tasted good but looked like vomit, I'd never serve it to a crowd, and I'm not sure I want to check out that blog again.

Do you ever have to ask people what date would work best for them for a family gathering, meeting, vacation, coffee talk? I hope so! If not, you may be bossy. Telling people when to meet and what to do.. I know you. If you want their opinion in the planning process- I highly suggest this site for a quick, easy survey of dates when people are free. I really love it!  (and the name. doodle? Come on! Could you love it any more?)

Wreaths. Love them, or hate them? I'm going through a 'love them' phase right now. I was insanely jealous of everyone's kooky Halloween wreaths a while back and now I am bound and determined to acquire a fabulous one for the winter festivities- I'm using these as inspiration.

And this. This Chicago deep dish pizza is on my list 'to make very, very soon but probably not until December soon'.

My husband is an avid mountain biker and our lovely, large dog sometimes gets to go with him on his adventures- here is another biking duo that is almost as cute as the duo I live with. This video really made me smile, it was just what I needed. Isn't little Lily just the cutest darn thing?

I woke up this morning and sauntered out to the kitchen to get a cup of glorious coffee, only to notice I hadn't left the coffee pot in the coffee maker which had done it's job and automatically made the coffee I diligently prepared last night- all over the counter, the floor..

After cleaning that mess up, I made another pot of coffee and decided to start my day with a bit of chocolate. You would agree that that was the wisest choice at the time, wouldn't you? Here's the kicker. It's not just chocolate. It's like holiday happiness in a wrapper, it's the most amazing chocolate to grace my kitchen junk drawer (that's where I hide my chocolate, shh). A good friend of mine recently traveled to the wonderful city of Portland, Oregon and was willing to share a bit of this, holy moly delicious chocolate, and I suggest you get on that website and buy some yourself. It's amazing, really. I take teeny tiny bites so as to savor the bar for days. Mm. It's gingerbread chocolate for goodness sakes! I'm not sure how I survived so many holiday seasons without it.

I teach a lot about writing, in 6th grade writing can be such a blast and I think literary devices make it even more fun- but so hard to teach at times. I think I need a big print of this in my classroom- it sums the literary devices up so well!

Is anyone else as excited about Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me getting a tv show? If you have no clue what I'm talking about, you are missing out my friend.

That's quite a bit of distraction, just the perfect recipe for my tired mind and hopefully yours, not that I hope you are tired.. you know what I mean.

Enjoy!
-m

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

I did that thing I'm not supposed to do.

I tried a new chocolate chip cookie recipe.

After October Unprocessed I was left curious about how I can make some of my favorite things less processed. I had tried to simply add whole wheat or raw sugar to other recipes and found that it doesn't always work that easily. Sometimes you need a recipe that is tailored to the new ingredients, so I turned to a cookbook I haven't used much but that I drool over often, Good to the Grain.

The only thing I wanted to change in the recipe was the sugar. I've been noticing that refined sugar makes me jittery and makes it hard for me to sleep, so I've been using raw sugar or honey whenever I can. This would be my grand experiment with these cookies- make them whole wheat, as the recipe suggests, but to change the sugars to raw sugar, honey and molasses.

The recipe calls for 1 cup of refined sugar and 1 cup of brown sugar. I used 1 cup of raw sugar and 1/4 cup of molasses and 1/4 cup of honey. I was worried about the moisture I was adding, more than I was worried about the flavors. That's why I started with the small amounts, 1/4 cup seemed small but also seemed like a lot of a much more viscous liquid than the sugars I was replacing.

Here I was, sitting in my kitchen doing math. I'm totally going to use this in a math lesson, as I do often. I bring in my recipes where I have halved or doubled a recipe and had to do real life math, adding fractions or converting them to decimals since me and fractions have a love/hate/super despise relationship. The kids always seem in awe of the chicken scratch pencil math above the recipes and the crumbs I so proudly leave in the crevices of my cookbook. It's fun. It's real.

The dough was much darker than your average cookie dough but it tasted amazing. The baked cookies were even more so. But the darkness of the dough did make it hard to identify when they were done in the oven, golden? They were golden to begin with! I went with a dark golden. I'm such a smarty pants with that one, eh? I actually always use the bottom of the cookies to tell when they are 'done'. I really really don't like crunchy cookies, so I just check the bottom of one cookie. If it looks golden, crispy and solid (as in, will provide a solid base as opposed to a floppy base) then they are done even if the tops looks less than done.

I wish I had made more. I want to have these around always. They were that good. Don't get me wrong, they were definitely a 'healthy' version of a cookie but they didn't taste like a cracker or a muffin (if you have ever attempted to convert any traditional recipe to a 'whole wheat' or healthy alternative I'm sure you'll know what I mean there- one time I tried to make whole wheat cookies and Dylan walked in the front door and asked me why I was making homemade cereal. That's just how it smelled, like I was making homemade bran flakes).
They were all cookie and all delicious. They were moist and chewy and the chunks of chocolate were just perfect. You can make them super large, 3 tablespoons of dough (!), or smaller, 1 tablespoon worked as well.

Even after a few days in an airtight container, they were still moist and tasty.

 
If you are looking for a healthy twist on a favorite, give these a try. I plan to include them in my cookie rotation.

Whole Wheat Cookies
adapted from Good to the Grain

click here for printable recipe

ingredients

3 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
8 ounces cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 ounces dark chocolate, cut into medium-large chunks (depending on what you prefer)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, line your baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together and set it aside.

Add the raw sugar and butter to the bowl of a mixer and mix on low speed until the mixture has blended. Turn the mixer on low and slowly add the honey and molasses, waiting until it is mixed together before adding each. Mix in the eggs and vanilla.

Add the flour to the wet mixture and stir until it is combined, then stir in the chocolate. The cookies were best when made large, about 3 tablespoons of dough, but also worked well with about 1 tablespoon of dough. Decide what size to make your cookie and drop the dough on the cookie sheets. Bake the large cookies for 14-18 minutes, and the smaller ones for 12-16 minutes. Keep your eye on them, pull them out when they are golden, but not dark, around the edges. I take them out before they seem done, when a finger pressed into the cookie leaves a little dent. but I'm crazy and love moist cookies.

They kept well for 3 days in an airtight container.

Enjoy!
-m

food for thought

I forget how much I love the internet sometimes. This week I have spent so much time on my computer for work reasons, that I have been avoiding it when I get home. Which means that I'm missing out on one of my favorite sources of entertainment! I think part of it is that I feel so worn out when I get home, I don't want to see the messages I make for myself behind my laptop... I just want to nap!

Luckily, I had some free time tonight and my eyes weren't aching and I didn't feel so lazy. Here are a few of the things I found most time worthy and a few things I cannot wait to try myself.

Food for Thought

I'm trying to figure something out. I made artichokes for dinner, should I save the water I cooked them in or throw it out? It's so gorgeous and green. This thing says yes, this thing says no. I haven't made up my mind yet.

I'm such a grammar nerd. That's why this makes me laugh so hard, grammar jokes!

I received a bunch of dill in my CSA box and I'm not the biggest fan of dill, sorry dill, but I'm sooo going to try this dill monkey bread type thing with the whole wheat bread dough that I have in the fridge! I'll keep you posted.

If I was crafty, I'd make these felt bows. They seem perfect for the holidays, either as a gift wrap accessory or as lovely decor.

Also, I'm completely obsessed with The Sing Off and particulary, the group Pentatonix. If you don't watch this show, you are really missing out. I adore this group. I'd buy their cd today. Watch them rock one of my favorite songs, then go to you tube and watch every other performance and be amazed. Amazed.

Enjoy!
-m

Cream of Tomato Soup

October Unprocessed was such a success for me. How do I know? Let me explain.

Last weekend, right before my long run, I woke up with a stomach ache and a sore throat. I managed to finish my long run, but the feeling lingered. On Monday, I came home from work and just wanted comfort food. Someone floated the idea that I just get some takeout. Decide what I want, and just go get it. What an idea. The thought hadn't even occurred to me. I had already decided that I was going to make homemade tomato soup and bread. I knew what I wanted, I wanted homemade goodness and I knew that even though I felt crummy and wanted to rest, my effort would be so worth it. And it was. I passed on the 'easy' route, no take out for me. Tomato soup. Homemade bread. Comfort to the max.


See what I mean? Two months ago, I may have taken that offer for take out. Now, better habits are taking over. I'm digging it.

looks like a lot, but I doubled it- keep that in mind!

This tomato soup is so easy to make. I'm completely in love with it.

to prevent curdling when adding the milk? Or to reduce the acidity of tomatoes? Not sure. But it works. Do it.

It takes no time at all, and I'm hoping it freezes well because I just made a double batch and froze a bunch so that next time I come home feeling yucky I can just heat up some goodness.

You know what? Two years ago I would have never made tomato soup. I actually don't even really like tomatoes. But thank goodness I'm realizing that tomatoes can be more than just marinara sauce.

Almost done! Just add the milk..mm creamy..

I have made this soup four times, each time I make it the two of us eat it all. It's that good. Not only is it easy but it's good- I'm serious. This is a new staple. I plan to have this on hand, in the freezer, at all times.

Cream of Tomato Soup
adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

ingredients
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
a pinch of ground cloves
2 tablespoons flour
2 15 ounce cans of diced tomatoes in puree (if you can find it in puree, you can also use one large 28 ounce can)
a pinch of baking soda
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock or water
1 1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper
tomato paste (if needed)

Melt the butter in a large pot, then add the onions, basil and cloves and cook until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir the flour in and then add the tomatoes, baking soda and stock and bring it all to a lovely boil. Bring the heat down and simmer it, slightly covered for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it cool just slightly before you puree the heck out of it. Add the milk and season with salt and pepper. If you want it thinner, add more milk or stock. If the tomato flavor is a little lack luster, add some tomato paste. Serve it hot! Splash some cream in for a rich flavor.

Enjoy!
-m

looking forward

I promise, I'm busy cooking and taking pictures and getting ready to share some really fantastic stuff.

I totally am.

As soon as I'm done being sick, tired and confused. I can't believe it's only Tuesday.

How is it only Tuesday?












I need to take some time for myself. Play. Yoga. Read for fun. Play. 

Run. I need to run. I went for a little run this morning. My leg felt alright, which was nice. The half marathon is so close! I can't wait. But it's making running for fun kind of.. difficult. My mind isn't as free to wander. And my mind really needs to just wander.

When I get this overwhelmed, it's easy to feel like I'm going completely insane. I have so many post it notes written at home, at work- even in my car. It's kind of bonkers.

from http://h-e-r-o-i-n.tumblr.com/

Do you agree?

-m