It’s cold here! Very cold. Colder than it used to be. You see I’ve lost some weight so I don’t have as much body fat as I used to.

So, while I may be dieting, I’m still going to eat soup, stews and bread.

Beer bread, to be exact.

Now, here’s a little confession. I don’t like beer. Not even a little. (Sorry, Dad!)

I know I know. Some of you are saying “That’s just because you haven’t had the right beer yet.” But, I promise, dear readers, as a genuine food-and-restaurant-aholic I’ve tried a lot of beers. Lots. I guess it’s just not my thing. Sort of like broccoli. Or… fish.

Yeah. I would put beer, broccoli and fish all in the same food group: “The Yucky Stuff Food Group.” That one is right below the fats on the food pyramid, I think.

It makes sense, then, that when I decided to make this beer bread I figured it would turn out all right, but not be anything particularly special. I honestly didn’t even plan to blog about it and after I made it the first time I actually had to go back and re-make it so that I could have some pictures for you. Which, you know, was honestly a tragedy. TWO loaves of beer bread? Yeah, that’s very sad. For my hips, I mean.

Anyhow, this stuff is unbelievable. I cannot stress this to you enough. UN BE LIEVE ABLE. It’s easy to make, smells divine, it’s tasty, crispy on the outside, dense and chewy on the inside, slightly sweet and . . . oh. Words are escaping me at this point.

Just make some. O.k.? I’ve taken to making it so much that the people at my local party store think I have a serious drinking problem. I show up each week day at 8:14 in the morning, promptly after dropping off Babs at the nearby elementary school, to buy my beer.

Oh, and up here in Michigan? They call convenience stores “party stores.” You can imagine my surprise 12 years ago, having just moved to Michigan, when I went in looking for hats and a pinata for my daughter’s party and realized that they were LYING. They weren’t a party store. They were just . . . just a mini-mart with over-priced half gallons of milk and stale donuts. Not that that didn’t stop me from buying a donut, but I left shaking my fist and saying “Liars!”

Not really. I didn’t do that shaking fist part. I just left and ate my donut – thinking it was really strange that it was called a party store.

Here’s how to make your own beer bread.

Beer Bread

(found on a scrap of paper at the bottom of my recipe pile)

3 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
12 ounces beer
1/2 cup melted butter

Preheat the oven to 375 and oil your bread pan.

Measure out the flour. If you have scales, I highly suggest weighing your flour because having a heavy hand with the flour on this recipe can result in a very heavy bread – a.k.a. a brick. I use about 360 grams of flour. If you do not have scales you can use a measuring cup, but try spooning the flour into the cup instead of scooping the flour with the measuring cup. Don’t pack it down, and you might even think about removing a tablespoon of flour after you have your three cups measured out.

You can see in this picture I put three cups of flour in the bowl and it weighs in at 375 grams. This is why you must be careful and have a light hand when you measure for this recipe.

Add the baking powder, salt and sugar and mix it in, then add the beer.

Stir gently until everything is combined. No need to beat the crud out of it, just make sure it’s all mixed.

Pour the batter into your loaf pan and then pour the melted butter over the top. I know. This is utterly sinful. Don’t snub the butter. It’s a beautiful thing. If you want, you can cut back to 1/4 cup of butter, it will turn out, but it is noticeably better with 1/2 cup.

My stoneware bread pan sure looks gross in this picture. I thought about leaving this picture out, but I’m just keepin’ it real, you know? My kids hate when I say that “Keepin’ it real.” Well, now you all know ~ Angie Pangie has a ratty looking stone bread pan that she’s baking beer bread in way too often.

Put the pan in the oven and bake for one hour. Let it cool for 10-15 minutes before you slice. Then. Hide it, because your family will steal it from you! And then you’ll be back at the party store at 8:14 sharp and the clerk will just shake her head at you in pity.

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This is an open letter for all of you to read.

Dear Summer,

I miss you already. Fall is nice, but you’ll always be my favorite. Come back soon.

xo-AP

*Angie Pangie sighs*

I guess it could be worse, it could be winter, right? At least we still have pumpkins, onions, apples, plus a few tomatoes and peppers left.

Last week I used my peppers to make some spicy cornbread muffins. I served them along with my super-secret-recipe chicken tortilla soup.

Well, it’s not really super-secret. I only have a couple of super-secret recipes. They’re too secret to even tell you what they are.

Here’s that soup.

Looks good, doesn’t it? Let’s see – that’s one can of refried beans, one can of white beans, one can of tomatoes with green chilies, one can of chicken broth and the leftover cut up rotisserie chicken from the night before. Mix it up, heat it up and top it with tortilla chips, sour cream and cheese. That’s it. No. Really. That’s it.

If I’m going to make one of my super-easy soup recipes like potato soup or tomato bisque or chicken tortilla soup I always try to make something a little special to along with them. It helps me alleviate my guilt for not spending hours in the kitchen. (Yeah right. As IF that would ever happen. I mean the guilt part would not happen. As it turns out, I do actually spend hours in the kitchen.)

These jalapeno muffins are the perfect accompaniment for southwest soups and chilis. They’re served with a sweet honey butter, which makes them mellow and amazing. I think you’re going to love the way they spice up your easy dinner nights.

Spicy Corn Muffins with Sweet Butter

From Recipezaar

Start out by mixing the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix up gently and just enough to get everything wet. Don’t worry about lumps right now.

Chop up your pepper – wear gloves! Remove the seeds and membranes.

Mix in the corn and pepper and stir gently to combine.

Pour into muffin tins that have been sprayed or try my WD-40 for baking. Fill with about 1/4 cup of batter, or 2/3 full. You should get 8 muffins, or 6 if you make really big muffins.

Bake these for 14-16 minutes at 400 degrees. While they are baking mix up the honey butter. I <3 honey butter. Lots. It makes everything taste good. These muffins are good without, but they’re fantastic with it – so don’t skip this step! (Forgive the blurry picture. It’s likely I was shaking because of the great amount of will power I was exerting to not eat this muffin immediately.)

Once again, without the pictures:

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I’m working out snack time like The Pampered Chef today. No one and I mean no one knows how to rock the crescent rolls like The Pampered Chef. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then you probably have never been to a kitchen demo. They use crescent rolls for everything.

Tonight’s show features . . .

Broccoli cheese delight – in crescent rolls!

Chicken club ring – in crescent rolls!

Veggie patch pizza – on crescent roll crust!

and on and on. The thing is – they’re gooood. That’s why they use those little triangle pieces of dough for everything. And, I’m allowed to give them a little grief. I used to peddle their wares once upon a SAHM lifetime ago. Half my kitchen utensils come from their over-priced high-end catalog.

Anyhow, today for today’s snackies I’m making bacon and tomato stuffed rolls – with crescent rolls! These little morsels of goodness are a favorite around here and especially at back to school time because they make great cold leftovers in the lunchbox.

Bacon and Tomato Rolls

Ingredients:

1 can refrigerated crescent rolls
3 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup each chopped red pepper and tomato
4 slices bacon

Start out by cutting your bacon into 1/2 inch pieces. Usually I use turkey bacon when I make these rolls, but this time I was out. My arteries are still cursing me.

Then cut up the red pepper.

This gorgeous specimen of red bell pepper came from my neighbor’s veggie stand. I didn’t really need a red bell pepper, but I couldn’t leave this guy behind – he was just too handsome.

I didn’t use all the bell pepper, this is just part of it.

Brown the bacon and red pepper together over medium heat until bacon is crisp. Drain on paper towels. At this point go ahead and preheat the oven to 375.

Mix the cream cheese, bacon and red pepper together. Even though I used real bacon this is Neufchatel Cheese. At least I am trying to be good.

Now, cut up your tomato.

This beauty also came from my neighbor. All of their tomatoes this year are amazing, but the cherry tomatoes are the best. Just looking at this picture makes my mouth water.

Gently fold in the tomato pieces so as not to smoosh them all up.

Place 1 heaping tablespoon of filling on each crescent roll and roll up, pinching and tucking in edges to seal. Feel free to use the low fat crescent rolls. They work just fine – that’s what these are in the picture.

You don’t have to be neat about this, just be sure and seal and tuck everything in so that all the filling doesn’t ooze out during baking.

Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for about 13 minutes, or until golden brown.

Try not to shove them into your mouth straight out of the oven because they’re really hot. I tried it out for you, so that you wouldn’t have to find out the hard way. Yum – even with a burnt tongue, yum!

Serve warm or cold. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

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Hello readers – This post is actually a blast from the past (o.k., well from last October) that I thought you might enjoy making this summer. Also, I want to send a special welcome out to any new visitors that found me through Jolene Ketzenberger’s article in the Indianapolis Star (and a big shout out to my peeps back home). I hope you’ll take a look around my site and that you’ll come back again, soon! xo-Angie Pangie

[Saturday Sides is a weekly feature I run to help you combat the side dish blahs. Check here Saturdays to see what’s new and different you can add to your dinner table. Or, you can subscribe here so that you never miss a Saturday Sides Recipe.]

Got Zucchini?

As the season winds down and the vegetable stands in our area switch to squash, pumpkins, onions and apples – I’m left with fewer local fresh veggie options. But, just about everyone still has a few of those monster zukes left . . . a lot of the farmers are giving them away now. Hey, I never pass up free vegetables. Never. Not even a zucchini.

I’m pretty bummed because my neighbor didn’t grow any tomatoes this year. Last year she grew so many that after she couldn’t stand canning one more day she gave me the leftovers. Her leftovers were enough to keep me and mine in tomato sauce for a full year. I stopped by the other day to tell her how much we appreciated the tomatoes last year (hint, hint, hint) and she told me she skipped growing tomatoes this year since they still hadn’t finished all of last year’s harvest. As I jumped back into my truck she called after me . . . “Hey you want some of this zucchini?”

But, what do you do with all this zucchini after you’ve sauteed, grilled, shredded, baked, deep fried, mixed in chocolate and made enough bread for a small army?

You make Vegetable Blondies.

What, you might ask is a Vegetable Blondie? Well, a “blondie” is simply a moist and chewy non-chocolate bar cookie. A vegetable blondie is a moist, chewy, non-chocolate vegetable bar.

They don’t sound all that appetizing when you describe it that way, do they? Just stick with blondie and you’ll be fine. And. I promise you – they are tasty, tasty. And, they have so many benefits it’s a little overwhelming. Let’s see . . .

(Angie Pangie begins counting with her fingers)
Low-Carb
High Taste
Excellent served hot. Taste good at room-temp. Great cold!
Portable. Take them to a pitch-in potluck. (Up here in Michigan it’s a potluck, back home in Indy? A pitch-in.)
Full of scrumptious, good-for-you, delectable and fragrant vegetables that make your mouth water.
Super simple to make.
Oh yeah. And they use a bunch of zucchini.

You better get to mixing. These are perfect to take along as an appetizer, but we love them for lunch, with dinner, as a snack . . . whenever. We just want to eat them!!

Vegetable Blondies

Adapted from Recipezaar

3 cups zucchini, grated and well-drained
1 large carrot, grated
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 small red onion, finely chopped
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup sharp cheddar, grated (or more, if desired)
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/4 cup butter, melted

Heat oven to 350ºF.

This recipe takes a little bit of work because you have to grate all the zucchini and the carrot.  It goes pretty quickly with a mandoline grater attachment or even a baby food-processor.  You can always resort to the old school tower of doom, if you must.  Any which way you go about it make sure your zucchini is well drained. You can squeeze it inside a clean towel or paper towel after you grate it.

Grease bottom and sides of a 13X9 rectangular pan.

In a medium bowl, mix eggs, cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, pepper sauce, herbs, garlic and vegetables.
Add the  ingredients and stir into liquid mixture.
Stir in melted butter.

Spread mixture evenly into pan.
Sprinkle a small amount of additional grated cheddar cheese over top, if desired.
Bake about 30 – 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool slightly, cut into tiny small squares.  These are wonderful served with sour cream on the side.Similar Posts:

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• It’s the bomb

Picture this . . . 5 friends, invited to brunch for post shopping grub.

A lovely menu with fresh fruit, homemade cinnamon raisin bread, eggs, coffee cake, juice and fresh ground coffee is planned.  All that’s really left to do is to mix up the coffee cake and scramble the eggs – guests are scheduled to arrive in 45 minutes.  You turn to the fridge, humming as you go along and realize you are out.  of milk.

And.  Hubby has the car that you need to get to the store to buy milk.  And Hubby has the 5 friends in his car, and is scheduled to arrive in 40 minutes.

What do you do?

You could skip the coffee cake.  I mean, there’s raisin bread, it’s not like you’d be with out bread.

But, that doesn’t really work if you’re Angie Pangie.

I make a throw-down, fight-for-the-last-crumb, you-damn-well-better-not-forget-to-make-the-coffee cake-coffee cake. it really is so delicious that it seems nearly sinful.  And everyone who has ever had my coffee cake knows that when they get an invite to brunch they’re going to get to have some.  So, if you’re Angie Pangie, not making the coffee cake is not an option.

Here’s what you do.  You make it anyhow.  Because, my coffee cake can be made with milk, creamer, evaporated milk, OR powdered creamer.  It’s designed to be that versatile.

I love making my coffee cake because it seems so fussy with all the tasty struesel mixed in, but in reality . . . it’s simple and a perfect recipe for when you’re out of milk.

A lot of folks have asked me for this uber secret coffee cake recipe.  They’ve actually been asking for a lot of recipes.  I figure this is a peace offering for those of you out there (you know who you are) who have been frustrated with me for not sharing my coconut pie recipe, or my angel-sponge cake recipe, or any number of secret recipes.  I figure this is a compromise.

Happy holidays!  Here’s my gift to you, readers.

Angie Pangie’s Coffee Cake

2/3-3/4 cup milk, creamer, evaporated milk, or  2/3 cup water mixed with 1/3 cup powdered coffee creamer
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 large egg
1/3 cup soft unsalted butter (margarine is o.k., but for the best flavor stick to butter)

Grease a 9 inch baking pan.  Preheat oven to 375F degrees.

If using water, whisk powdered creamer into warm water and set aside.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a mixing bowl.

Add butter and mix on low speed until the flour is evenly cut into the butter.  You can mix by hand, if you prefer.  This should look like dry sand when it is done.  Working the butter into the flour this way gives you a tender, buttery cake.

Add egg and milk (or milk substitute) and mix well.  Start with the 2/3 cup, and if the batter is too thick add more milk or creamer by the tablespoon until batter is spreadable.  Milk, creamer, and powdered creamer are all different enough that you have to be a teensy bit flexible with the amount you use.  This should be about the consistency of cake batter, maybe slightly thicker.

Spoon half of the batter into 9 inch pan.  Sprinkle half of the struesel over the batter.

Pour the remaining batter over the struesel and smooth with a spatula.  Do not worry if it is not perfect, or if it gets mixed up a bit.  Sprinkle remaining topping over the batter.

Bake for 30-35 minutes.  A knife inserted near the center will come out clean when it is done.  Cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Struesel Topping

3/4 cup chopped walnuts (or nuts of your choice – pecans are good, too)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons very cold butter, cut into pieces

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl.

Use a fork or pastry blender to cut the butter into the mixture.  It should resemble wet sand when it is ready.  Do not leave any large chunks of butter.

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Halloween is over and that means . . . *queue foreboding music* the holidays are upon us.

I know what you are all saying “I can’t stand it!  Why does it have to start so early?!?  I just won’t do it!  Just say NO!”  I did go through a phase where I didn’t want to decorate and I didn’t want to succumb to the commercialism.

But, I’m over it now.  I love it, I want STUFF!  I want to buy stuff!  I want to give people stuff.  I want to bake stuff!!  Yeah!!!  Bring it on . . . and the older I get the more I love it.

I think part of the reason I used to dread the season is because it was a chance for me to showcase how crazy and out of control my life can become.  And, let’s face it, I never want anyone to know how just how nuts I can get.  But, I have a little secret about how to do it.  It’s hidden in a little black book.

Unlike some of the other little black books out there that house phone numbers and perhaps a discreet rating scale, this little black book houses my holiday budget, the list of stuff I’ve already bought, wish lists from the kids, and an envelope in the back for receipts.  I even keep my standard cookie list on the back cover (it never changes).  This has become an invaluable tool for me and my family.

I personally think everyone should a little black book, since it has helped me so much.  I don’t miss deadlines or forget that there is a class party next week.  I even make notes like this one “Don’t forget to NOT give Aunt Zelda a vase in 2008.  She commented I have given her a vase for the last 2 years in a row.”  Do you seriously think I’m going to remember that otherwise?  Not even.  Everyone thinks I’m a whiz at remembering this stuff (‘cept for a certain family member who will remain unnamed, but that’s a different story) thanks to my handy-dandy black book.

I wish I could come help every one of you guys who struggle to get through the holidays.  In all seriousness, I know this is a really hard time of the year for lots of folks.  And, I’ve been there.  It wasn’t that long ago that I couldn’t stand to decorate the tree and when it came to holiday parties at the school the girls were lucky if I even remembered the party – you can forget about sending treat bags to pass out, or a cookie tray to share with the class.

And, I can’t fill out a black book for you, and I can’t bake cookies or help you wrap presents this year.  But, I can still help you.  I’m here for you, dear readers.  Truly.

Over the next couple of months, I’m going to try posting some easy and freezable or make-ahead dinners.  Sometimes they will use convenience items.  Please know that I try my hardest to avoid using these things in my cooking.  But, when you’re trying to crank out hand sewn stockings for 20 cousins – I suppose it’s o.k. to crack open a can of mushroom soup at dinner time.

l’ll also try to adjust my posting routine for you all and focus more on holiday appropriate type snacks and veggies.  Perhaps some fresh ideas will help revitalize your holiday mood – whether you’re taking something along to Aunt Betty’s Holiday party (just say NO to green bean casserole, folks) or you’ve got 5 of your closest friends dropping by for holiday card making, you’re going to need some ideas.  Hopefully I can help you “wow” them this year.

I’ve also had a request for my “Must Have” kitchen tools.  You know, so you can hit up Hubby or the kids for something you “Must Have” on your holiday wish list?

I’ve actually been working on this list for over a year.  It’s kind of hard to keep it under about a thousand-million things.  Then, a really smart friend suggested I just list the things I take on vacation with me and I realized that she was right.  Her suggestion has helped tremendously.  I’m hoping to get the list up in time for Black Friday (since I know you’ll all be shopping early this year, right?!)

What’s that you asked??  Hmm?

YES.  I take my kitchen tools on vacation with me.  I mean.  You know.  Only the really really can’t-live-without-them things.  I do a lot of cooking when I travel, you know?  So, what of it??!!  Anyhow,

Let’s get started, shall we?

The honest truth about this dip?  I don’t really care for it, and neither does Hubby.  Now don’t get your unders all in a bunch. I haven’t lost my mind just yet. The truth is, I just don’t care for kielbasa, and Hubby doesn’t really care for cream cheese (I think it’s illegal to dislike cream cheese, btw?!?).  Since this dip has both Kielbasa and cream cheese in, it it’s not our favorite.  But, it is beautiful on a platter, easy to make, and transports well.  It’s always a big hit (for people who like Kielbasa and cream cheese, that is.)  Oh!  And, it’s great for your diabetic and low-carbing friends – if they watch the bread intake.

First, I want to send you over to The Knead for Bread to make some Pumpernickel bread.  I LOVE this blog.  The pictures are fantastic, and the step by step directions make sure that everyone feels like they know exactly what they are doing when they go to make the recipes.  Well, anyhow, this recipe for Pumpernickel bread is perfect for today’s dip recipe.  The bread is easy to make and I adapted it to my bread machine without too much hassle.

If you don’t have time to make this bread, go ahead and buy a round pumpernickel (or other rye variety) loaf.  Serve the dip filled round with the pieces of bread removed from the center. You can also purchase one of those great little sliced party loafs to arrange around the outside of the bowl.  Looks great, and gives more uniform dip holders.

Lastly, if you’re taking this dip somewhere here’s another handy tip.  Put the dip inside a zippered bag.  When you get to the party, clip the corner of the bag off and squeeze the dip directly into the bowl.  Easy, fast, and no clean up!

Killer Kielbasa Dip

8 oz softened cream cheese
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
8 ounces finely chopped kielbasa (I use turkey, with no casing/skin)
1/2 cup chopped green onion, divided (optional)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Whisk soft cream cheese, sour cream, milk, mayonnaise and Worcestershire sauce.  Using a whisk and very soft cream cheese will help get rid of any lumps.

Add kielbasa, half of the green onion (if desired) and Parmesan cheese; stir.

Heat in the microwave about 3 or 4 minutes until bubbly and hot. Stir occasionally.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Meanwhile, cut into the top of your bread round, almost to the bottom, taking care not to cut through the bottom.

Carefully pull the cut bread from the round.  Use a spoon to scrape out the inside and make it hollow.

Cut the bread from the inside into cubes and arrange them on a platter to use for dipping.

Put dip inside of bread bowl and sprinkle with remaining onion before serving, if desired.

You can also serve this hot, the choice is yours!Similar Posts:

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Every year around . . . probably April Hubby and I start in.  “North Carolina sounds good, don’t you think?”  or “Yeah, Atlanta is supposed to be really nice, too.”  sometimes we even talk about “Arizona!  We could move to Arizona!  I love the desert, it’s so good for allergies.” And so on.  The thing is, in Michigan, by April the last thing you want to do is be cold.  You’re just sure you’re going to peek out the back door one frigid morning and see a polar bear, even though you KNOW it’s supposed to be almost spring . . . it’s not.  It’s. Still.  TOO.  Cold.

But we don’t move.  And every October I’m glad that I still live in the Midwest.  Because, if there is one reason why I wouldn’t leave it’s because of the autumn.  Amazing stuff, folks.  It is 100% without a doubt my favorite season.  The trees are stunning.  The weather is cooler, not cold, but crisp and refreshing.  Pumpkin farms are open and super popular here.  Every corner boasts a “corn-maze” where you can go and just get lost wandering through some farmer’s old corn stalks.  And as you walk through the corn maze you are reminded by the crunch-crunch under your feet that soon there won’t be any leaves left on the trees.

Apples and pumpkins are in season and that means fresh cider at the road side stands, fresh warm spiced applesauce at Grandma’s on Sunday, and pumpkin pie for dessert.  Quite frankly, it doesn’t get much better than that.

And so we stay.  I’m going to ask you guys to remind me I said all these wonderful things about the Midwest in January when I’m digging out of the driveway on the kid’s fifth snow day of the year, o.k.?

Since it’s cooler outside (and in the kitchen) and I’ve got fresh applebutter up in the pantry I decided I better get back to bread making.  I personally have no problem smearing applebutter all over my fingers to eat it, but not everyone around here feels the same.  After a couple of days of that the kids even start to complain.  You know, I just want to know when kids became so darned demanding – thinking they need bread for applebutter.  The nerve.  Well, anyhow.

At the end of last winter I had started perfecting the baking method I use.  In typical Angie fashion, I had taken lots of notes so that I wouldn’t forget what to do.  And, also in typical Angie fashion, I have no idea where the heck I’ve put the notes.  Nor do I remember anything about the highly technical process that I had honed and was prepared to share with you as soon as I had one extra free minute.

So.  I started over.  Thankfully, most of it came back to me once I started baking.  It’s a lot like riding a bike . . . although I did get on a bike this past summer and let me tell you – Yes, I did remember how to do it, but OUCH – I don’t remember my rear-end feeling that way the next day.  Yeah, so where was I?  Ah yes . . . bread.

Today I want to do two things.  First I want to share with you the method for cooking a fantastic rustic loaf of bread – a method you can use with great results with just about ANY loaf of bread you make. I personally do love great recipes and I think it’s really important that you all have a good source for getting those recipes (here is fine, or somewhere else if you must), but even more important you need to know HOW to make things and how to get great results.  That’s why I’m going to spend some time on this topic today.

Second, I want to give you a recipe for bread that I just can’t get enough of.  You’ll feel the same.  I just got a hunch you will, ya know?

Baking an amazing loaf of bread takes a few tools.  I use my bread machine to mix up bread dough.  That’s up to you – you can make it by hand if you’d rather, or use your mixer or food processor, whatever works for you.  This process really begins AFTER the bread dough is mixed.  So.  You’ll need a batch of bread dough.

You’ll also need:

A baker’s stone if you have one.  Use a heavy sheet pan if you do not.

Parchment paper.

On older pan with sides at least 1 inch tall, one that you don’t mind if it looks icky when you’re done.

A disposable pie plate or bread pan.  Really any smaller disposable baking dish is fine.

Start out by making the bread.  You can use this recipe (It’s reaaaaally yummy.  Hey, I’m just sayin’) or any other.

Give Me Five Bread

3/4 cup warm water (110-115F)
1 cup warm milk (100-115F)
1 egg yolk, reserve the egg white
1/4 cup butter, soft
4 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for the pastry board
2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Topping:
1 egg white
1 Tablespoon water

Plus
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

I use my bread machine for the mixing part of this recipe.  I add the liquid ingredients and softened butter in the bottom of the pan, put the flour over the liquid and add the salt, sugar and yeast in opposite corners.  Use the dough cycle.

If you make your bread by hand dissolve the yeast in the warm water.  Add the milk, sugar, butter, egg yolk, salt and half the flour and beat until smooth.  Stir in enough flour to make a very soft dough.  Place the dough in a large bowl sprayed with cooking spray and turn it over once to coat the dough.  Let rise one hour.

At this point the directions are the same.

Turn the dough out onto a well floured pastry board or counter.  This is a very soft and sticky dough.  Knead the bread, adding flour in only as necessary to make it possible to work with the dough.

Divide the dough in half and shape it into rounds.  Tuck the edges of the dough underneath to give it a smooth, nice appearance on top.  Flour left on top is o.k. on a rustic loaf, it makes it look cool.  We’re all about the cool at Angie’s Pangies.  Place each round on a piece of 15X15 parchment paper.

Beat the egg white and the water together and brush over the top of the rounds.  If you don’t have a pastry brush, you can just use your fingers to slather it over the top.

Mix the seeds, onions and salt in a small bowl and sprinkle half over each round.

Let the rounds rise for about 30 minutes.

While the rounds are rising you can get ready to bake.

I want you to crank your oven up to 500 degrees or so.  Just set it really hot.

Place the baking stone in the dead center of the oven.

On the bottom of the oven, place the old cake pan.  It should be way larger than the disposable pan and centered on the bottom.

Use a sharp knife and carefully poke a few small holes into the bottom of the disposable pan.

I think it’s funny that is says “Durable”

Not so durable now, are ya?

Fill a narrow container, such as a vase with about 1 1/2 cups of room temperature water.

When 30 minutes have passed, or when the bread has doubled in size, turn the oven down to 375 degrees, and open the oven door.  (BLAST OF HEAT!  WOO!)

Underneath the baking stone, on a seperate rack, place the disposable pan.

Carefully pick up one piece of parchment paper with the risen dough round and set it down on top of the baking stone.

Quickly pour the water into the disposable pan (with the holes.)  As soon as you are done pouring the water shut the oven door!  There should be sizzling and steam everywhere – that’s the point – you’re creating steam in the oven to produce a thick, brown, shiny crust.

After 20 minutes, check the bread.  If the top is golden brown, it is likely done.  If it is not quite evenly brown, you can give it up to another 5 minutes.  Carefully remove the bread from the oven by grabbing the corner of the paper and pulling the loaf onto a hot pad in the other hand (or if you have a paddle you can use that – a giant pancake turner can work well, too).  Leave the stone in the oven.

Turn the oven back up for 5 or 10 minutes, then repeat the process for the second round.

Now, if you’ve made it to the end of all of this, you may be asking.  Angie Pangie, why am I doing all of this?  Why would anyone go through all this rigamarole?

The simple answer is because it makes awesome bread.

The middle of the road answer is because bread does most of it’s rising in the first 10 minutes of baking – so by placing it on a very hot stone in a very hot oven you get a great big spring from the yeast – sort of like it’s last dying act it goes “POOF”.  The steam is, like I mentioned earlier, there to help make the crust amazing.  You can read more about yeast spring and such here (this would be the other end of the road answer).

I add the dripping disposable pan to my method because I like for some steam to be made after I close the door.  When I added all the water to the hot cake pan on the bottom the steam had been created – and was mostly gone – before I ever got the door shut.  This just slows down the process a bit more.  But, you can skip that step if you want and just add water to the hot pan on the bottom.

Now, go out, be fruitful . . . and bake bread!Similar Posts:

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Have you ever had a day where you just work and work and work and then it’s the end of the day and you look up and say “Whew!  I did so much today!” and then you see the pile of stuff you didn’t do and you say “Crap, what did I do today?”  Yeah.  Me too.

Today was like that here.  I recently started helping hubby with his booming freelance writing business and no matter how fast or hard I worked today, I could barely make a dent in the pile.

Then, I finally looked up and thought “Right!  Gotta make dinner.”

Except, I fah-got!  I laid out pork chops this morning.  And I don’t like pork chops.  Oh Maaan.  Can you say DARN THE LUCK?!  I worked all day and now I get to make pork chops.  Wheee.

Now, it’s normal that about once a week I make something for dinner that I really don’t care for.  But, let me tell you, I’ve had a really giving week this week when it comes to making things I don’t like.

Case in point.  Yesterday, I made tater-tot casserole, one of my all time least favorites (don’t even ask me for the recipe, because I’m not sharing it, it’s gross).  Unfortunately, it is one of hubby’s all time favorite dinners.  If it weren’t for the fact that he loved it, the words tater-tot and casserole would never again cross my lips in the same sentence.

Oh yeah, and at the beginning of the week – I made (and ate) hot dogs.  Yeah.  Hot dogs, people!  So, now do you see why I wasn’t happy about those darn pork chops tonight?

But, I had to cook them. It was time to start dinner, not time to figure out dinner.  And, then.  I quickly realized, I didn’t have half the stuff I needed to make the damn pork chops.  This was not going well.  I actually started to get a little cranky.  Not that I would usually dream of being cranky after working all day, realizing I had to make and eat pork chops for dinner, and then realizing I didn’t have any garlic OR sweet potatoes in the house.  But this time, I did seem slightly, you know, maybe just a little agitated, if you will.  I actually started thinking about reservations.

But, reservations were not on the menu, and certainly not in line with my pocket book.  So, I angrily threw what I had together and tossed it in the oven.  Then, I drove to pick up my teenager who complained the whole way home about how unfair her science teacher is for making her do her homework.  I listened, smiled, nodded, and silently thanked my lucky stars I wasn’t in high school any longer, because making and eating pork chops is bad, but high school is way worse.

Perhaps my sympathetic attitude turned the tide because when I got home my luck changed.  I pulled those pork chops out of the oven and they looked really, really good.  And they smelled divine!

And I ate them.  And they were excellent.  And now, I’m going to share the bad day pork chops with you.

Part of the reason hubby and I don’t care for pork chops much is because the of texture of the meat.  It’s a tad unforgiving.  If you don’t cook it just right it’s either dry or it’s rubber.  Neither dry nor rubber textures are something we care for.  These pork chops were soft and tender.  Juicy and flavorful.  They rocked out loud.

I baked these in a 325F degree oven for about 1 1/2 hours, but you could certainly cook them at 300F for 2 hours, or 350F for 1 hour.  It’s up to you.  Slower is better.  Slower is goooood.

Well, here you go.  Thankfully, I’ve gotten into the habit of taking a few pictures as I start a new recipe – you just never know when you’re going to get lucky.  While I was making these pork chops I also took a few that had nothing to do with pork chops.  Like this one of my Aspie girl, Lilly, lining up her lite brite pieces by color instead of doing her homework (FYI – Lilly – and a lot of people with Asperger’s Syndrome – often display OCD traits.)  Lilly didn’t eat any pork chops or apples.  As a matter of fact, she pretty much just screamed through dinner about how mean we were that we put that food on her plate.  Hey, I said the day got better.  Not perfect.

Bad Day Pork Chops and Roasted Apples

1 pound of pork chops about 1/2 inch thick (we like boneless loin, but any should work fine)
3/4 Cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
4-5 apples (I used a combination of Granny Smith, Washington Reds, and Gala)
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. sugar

Preheat oven to 325F (or see notes above for different cook times/temps).

Rinse pork chops and pat dry.

Mix the bread crumbs and kosher salt in a dish just large enough for one pork chop to fit inside.

Dip each pork chop into the bread crumbs, then into the egg, and back into the crumbs a second time.

Lightly brown the pork chops in vegetable oil, using a heavy, oven-proof pan – like this 12″ Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet.

Meanwhile, peel and core each apple.  If you don’t have a nifty apple corer and peeler and you and/or your children like apples it is well worth the investment.  I use mine constantly.  It makes peeling and slicing apples fun and easy.  It’s safe enough for my girls to use it – and they love to do so.  It’s perfect for a recipe like this one, too.  It allows you to have evenly sliced apples – so that they cook evenly.

Place the apple pieces in a medium bowl.  Add water, vanilla and sugar and toss.

When the pork chops are browned, remove from heat and pour the apple mixture over the top.  Place the entire pan inside the preheated oven.

Bake 1 1/2 hours, or follow directions above for different cooking times.  Carefully remove from skillet and serve with apples over the pork chops.

Similar Posts:

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I know, I know. It’s been too long since I’ve had a weekday post, again. But, I finally have made it through the kids’ last two weeks of school. Any parent with a school aged-child knows what I am talking about: 4 different field trips, overdue library books to round up, cookies to bake for class parties (ohh, did you say cookies?), teacher thank-you gifts, bookbags overflowing with papers from a cleaned out desk, and bittersweet moments of watching your baby grow up. Yes, all this, times THREE children makes a blogger too busy. Thankfully, I’ve made it through all of this. And now begins. Summer. Vacation. I have no idea how I will fit in blogging this summer, but I do hope that it is easier to find the time rather than harder. I guess we will see.

Some of you may remember my very first post, where I gave up my favorite biscuit recipe. Well. I’ll be honest, I’ve been tweaking my biscuit recipe over the last couple of months because sometimes they just tasted a little “blah.” I’ve finally gotten the biscuit recipe to the point where I seriously salivate every time I say the word “biscuit”. And I want to share the new improved version. These are a little more work, but oh-so-worth it when you are in the mood for the best damn biscuit ev-ah.

This recipe comes from a hodge podge of ideas. It started with Orangette, and then I read an article about The Flying Biscuit Cafe (which I WILL visit soon), and from there I just started mish-mashing until I got what I was looking for. Let me know what you think.

Enough already, here you go.

The Better Biscuit

4 Cups All Purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup butter
2 cups buttermilk (approximately)
2 tablespoons cream
1-2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt.

Use a pastry blender, fork, or fingers to cut in cold butter. I like to use my fingers and sort of “rub” the butter into the flour. I leave some big bits and some little bits.

Pour in buttermilk and mix just until everything is very moist. The dough should not be liquid, but it will be very wet. You can add a bit more buttermilk if necessary, or a bit less.

Generously sprinkle flour on work area and turn wet dough out. This dough is very difficult to work with, because it is so wet. (That’s what she said! HA! Sorry, I just couldn’t stand it one more minute.) Just flour your hands and the board (or counter) very well and be prepared to get messy! (That’s what she Er, uh, never mind.)

Flour hands and gently pat and press dough into a 1 inch thick circle. The goal here is to work with the dough as little as possible. This will keep them from being tough or chewy.

Use a biscuit cutter or an upside down glass to cut into rounds. You can re-work the scrap dough once to make more biscuits. Don’t work it multiple times or the dough will become overworked and chewy. Oh, and look, I bought a biscuit cutter! I’m seriously moving up in the world. I found this bad boy, along with a smaller cutter and a bigger cutter (as a set), for a dollar. I don’t feel too bad about buying a biscuit cutter (when a glass works just as well) when I only spent a dollar. Although, just 84 more dollars with the 1 dollar I spent on that biscuit cutter and I would have had enough for that hot little summer purse I’ve been eyeballing. *Sigh* Yes, well, getting back to the biscuits now.

Use a spatula to move the biscuits to a baking sheet or stone.

Now, because these aren’t nearly bad enough for our hips, arteries, or complexion; brush a small amount of cream on the top of each biscuit and sprinkle the top with sugar. This is the super yummy part.

Bake at 450 degrees for 12-14 minutes.

Without pictures:

The Better Biscuit

4 Cups All Purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup butter
2 cups buttermilk (approximately)
2 tablespoons cream
1-2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt.
Use a pastry blender, fork, or fingers to cut in cold butter.
Pour in buttermilk and mix just until everything is very moist. The dough should not be liquid, but it will be very wet. You can add a bit more butter milk if necessary, or a bit less.
Generously sprinkle flour on work area and turn wet dough out. Flour hands and gently pat and press dough into a 1 inch thick circle.
Use a biscuit cutter or an upside down glass to cut into rounds. You can re-work the scrap dough once to make more biscuits.
Use a spatula to move the biscuits to a baking sheet or stone.
Brush a small amount of cream on the top of each biscuit and sprinkle the top with sugar.
Bake at 450 degrees for 12-14 minutes.Similar Posts:

• What the heck is an Angie’s Pangies?
• Thwak Biscuits and Garlic Bread
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 The other night I made crockpot lasagna for dinner (who knew you could cook lasagna in a crockpot?!) and threw this breadstick dough in the bread machine on the timer.  Unfortunately, as dinner time approached, I got hung up at the doctor’s office with Lilly and gave Bob a call. 

“Hey, it looks like I’m going to be here for a long while.  I guess I’ll stop and buy us some breadsticks from Spaghetti Express since I won’t be home in time to get the homemade ones on the table on time.”

“I can do that!  Is there directions somewhere?  I can make them!  Let me do it!  I want to help!!”

Thinking to myself.  Well Hell.  What’s the worst that can happen here?  If he fails I stop at the spaghetti joint, or if he succeeds we have cheap, and hopefully edible, breadsticks.  Come on Angie.  Live on the edge, it’s unlikely he can burn down the kitchen making breadsticks.  Besides.  He wants to help.  You must encourage such behaviors.

“Yeah!  O.k. the recipe is on my desk.  You’ll need to use the pastry board behind the sink.  And you might as well take some pictures.”

5 minutes later . . . my cell phone rings.

“Hiya Babe, what’s up?”

“Sh!t.  What the frick am I supposed to do with this gooey stuff – it’s all over my hands and I THINK THIS WAS A BAD IDEA.  Frick, frick, frick.”

“Did you flour the pasty board?”

“Er.  Uh, no, IT DOESN’T SAY TO DO THAT.  What does that even mean?”

Somehow, Bob figured out how to make these work.  I know, because they were yum-tastic.  The kids and I were all over these!  They put “Spaghetti Express” to shame.  Now, I’m going to turn things over to Bob, since he did the bulk of the work.  All I did was toss the stuff in the bread machine, set the timer, and offer morale support via phone.  Oh.  And eat them.  Yeah.  I did that, too. 

If you run into trouble I’d be glad to offer you morale support as well.  Just shoot me an email.  I think you’ll have better luck though, because I’ve written “on a floured surface” into the directions.  And like I said, live on the edge.  Now, here’s Bob . . .

The Elephant and the 3 Blind Men

You all know the parable of the elephant and the 3 blind men, right?  Maybe not. I’ll repeat it here, just to be safe.

You see, there were these 3 blind men and an elephant. A fourth man (I don’t know if he was sighted or not; I do know he was a troublemaker) asked, “Tell me what an elephant is like, gentlemen?”

“An elephant is large and cylindrical, like a tree.”

“No,” the second blind man spoke up. “an elephant is long, like a snake, with a hairy head.”

“You’ve both lost it.  An elephant is neither of those.  An elephant is somewhere in the middle, wet, and hangs down from the trees.”

The first man was, of course, hanging on to the elephant’s leg; the second man, the elephant’s tail, and the third the elephant’s trunk.  You see, human beings often interpret events from their own limited perspectives.

Anyways, I think Angie Pangie might have incorrectly interpreted that event, and given you the wrong impression.  In fact, her little tale is completely inaccurate.

I didn’t say the stuff was gooey.

I said it was sticky.

So, anyways, the  real directions for these are down below.  But, if you’re curious, here’s how I made them:

Take the dough that Angie Pangie mixed up in the bread machine.
Put the dough on the cutting board thingy.

Panic.  Call Angie Pangie for advice.
Scrape dough into a bowl.

Dump flour out on cutting board.

Brush all the extra flour off the cutting board into the sink.
Roll out the dough into a 10 x 12 inch rectangle.

Use a meat cleaver to cut the dough into 12-inch long strips around half an inch wide.
Realize you don’t have enough breadsticks for your family and cut those all in half.
Twist each of the strips. This is harder than it sounds, by the way.

Forget about the strips for half an hour or so, purely by accident.
Set the oven at 375 and set the timer for 15 minutes.
Open the empty oven.  Look around to see if anyone noticed you forgot to put the breadsticks in.
Put the breadsticks in, and let ‘em cook for 15 minutes.
As Angie walks through the door, look panicked.
Beg her to do the thingy with the butter, and the garlic salt, and whatnot.

Here’s the recipe:

Breadsticks

Adapted from Recipezaar

1 cup warm water
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
3 cups bread flour
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
Garlic salt
Shredded Parmesan cheese

Mix dough using your favorite method- bread machine, mixer or by hand.
You can allow these to rise and punch them down once before you roll them out, if you desire, but it is not necessary.
Roll out into a 10×12 inch rectangle on a floured surface. 
Use a butter knife, or a pastry cutter, and cut into strips about 3/4 inch wide.
Give each strip a twist and place on a greased cookie sheet.
Let rise for at least 20 minutes.
Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes.
Brush with butter and sprinkle with garlic salt and parmesan cheese.Similar Posts:

• Thwak Biscuits and Garlic Bread
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