If you’d like to make the Harvest Stew, just substitute one small cubed butternut squash in place of the potatoes, carrots and turnip.  It’s good both ways.  I’m sorry, I think I might just be a little prejudiced against butternut squash in my beef stew.

Personally, I’m going to put this in my crockpot the morning of Black Friday so that a hearty warm stew will be waiting for everyone when they return from shopping. This is a real stick-to-your-ribs kind of stew.

Every year Hubby and his friends brave the brutal weather at 3:00 a.m. in late November to stand in line and bring home the deals.  While they jump up and down to stay warm in line out in front of Best Buy, I lay snug in bed.  Dreaming of anything but being cold.

Beef Stew

2 1/2 pounds stew meat, cubed
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup flour
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 6oz can tomato paste
2 tsp. beef boulion
1 1/2 cup hot water
1 cup chopped sweet onion
1 cup chopped celery
3 minced garlic cloves
3 large potatoes, cubed
1/2 turnip, peeled and cubed
1 large or 2 small carrots, peeled and sliced

Rinse the stew meat and pat dry with paper towels.

Place flour, salt and pepper in a large zippered bag.  Add stew meat and shake to coat.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan over medium-high heat.  Add stew meat, stirring until browned.

Add the tomato paste, beef boulion and hot water.  Stir and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen the cooked bits.  Pour the entire mixture into the crockpot.

Add celery, carrots, onion and garlic.  Stir.

Place potatoes and turnips over the top of the stew.  If you use a soft skinned potato, such as Yukon Gold, you do not need to peel the potato.

Do not mix in the potatoes and turnip, let them sit on top of the stew.  Cover and cook for 4 1/2 hours on low, or until meat is tender.

I a big fan of skillet recipes, too.  Easy cleanup (one pan!) and faster cooking.  When it’s done on the stove-top I pop it in the oven and call everyone to dinner.  By the time the kids have washed their hands, dinner is done! Everyone needs a good oven proof skillet, and this dish will make good use of it!

If you have an evening where you have to be in and out of the house with dinner cooked and eaten in less than an hour, this is the perfect solution.  During the holidays it is a total lifesaver.  I make it a lot on Karate night, which is our super busy night.  You can make it on art lesson night, basketball practice night, parent teacher conference night . . . well, you get the idea.

Served with a salad and some breadsticks you have a complete meal on the table in about 20 minutes.

Skillet Parmesan Chicken

1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs (I like to to the Italian seasoned kind)
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
8 chicken tenders, or about one pound
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup prepared marinara sauce (jarred or homemade)
2 large slices of Mozzerella cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Combine breadcrumbs, pepper and salt in a plastic zippered bag.

Rinse the chicken tenders and pat them mostly dry.  Add them to the bag, seal and shake.

Melt butter and oil in an oven-proof skillet over medium heat.

Use tongs to remove the tenders from the bag and carefully, so as to not remove the breading, place the tenders in the pan.  Cook chicken about 4 minutes on each side until lightly brown and done.  Do not keep turning the tenders, or you will lose the breading.

Spoon a small amount of marinara sauce over the tender, and top with a small piece of mozzerella cheese.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top.

Broil or bake in the oven until the cheese is melted and serve immediately.

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!

[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.]

As far as I know there’s basically two kinds of people out there.

Those who love stuffing.

And

Those who do not love stuffing.

I personally do love stuffing. But, I understand if you do not. My daughter loves bread pudding. I do not. See how that works? Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.

If you happen to be one of those folks who do not like stuffing, then you might try one of these previous favorite Saturday Sides and I’ll meet you right back here next week, o.k.?

Roasted Grape Tomatoes
Roadhouse Home Fries
Glazed Julienned Carrots

So, moving right along. Today I am offering a dish that I wasn’t sure I would love. I do like stuffing, but I’m not overly thrilled with the idea of stuffing a tomato. It probably comes from my long history of stuffed green pepper snubbing. I kept telling myself that even though stuffed tomatoes and stuffed green peppers look somewhat alike, stuffed tomatoes couldn’t possibly be that bad. Thankfully, I was able to overcome my hesitation . . . and I’m so glad I did because stuffed tomatoes are very delectable! Stuffed green peppers on the other hand? Yeah, I’m still not feeling the love there.

I was concerned that these would take a really long time to make, but I was able to crank them out in about 50 minutes, which is saying a lot because I am S-L-O-W. Add in the fact that I have to take a bunch of pictures and let’s just say turtles could run by me when I’m working in the kitchen. They take 30 minutes to bake, so twenty minutes of prep for me is really quite speedy.

The stuffing is made with onion, garlic, herbs and Parmesan and it is wonderfully fragrant and tasty. I had to use dried herbs because of the horrible selection at the market. Would someone PUH-LEASE write a letter to Hillary or Tina Fey or someone with some clout and ask her to do something about my lack of decent market selections because I keep writing letters and no one seems to be listening to me!

Nevertheless, even with my puny dried herbs, my mouth was still watering when today’s Saturday Side was cooking - OH! The smells coming from the kitchen! I can’t even imagine how wonderful they would be with fresh basil and parsley. (Please do let me know if you have the chance to try it that way.)

And.  Bonus!  These could be used not only as a side dish, but also as an appetizer.  You could stuff them, cover them and refrigerate until right before your guests arrive.  Then pull them out and bake them as people are arriving.  Cherry tomato size is natures’ way of saying “Snack Size!”

Well, here you go. These are a complete winner in my book.  I hope you love them!

Stuffed Tomatoes

Adapted from All You

2 large tomatoes
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup finely chooped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 teaspoon dry parsley, or 1 tablespoon fresh
1 teaspoon dry basil, or 1 tablespoon fresh
1/2 teaspoon dry oregano
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 egg white, beaten

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Cut tomatoes in half and scrape out the insides. Set aside the tomato pulp. It’s easier to scrape out the insides if you cut around the inner rim of the tomato and I’ve found the best luck using my melon baller.

Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the inside of tomatoes, and set on a towel to drain.

Squish the pulp of the tomatoes through a sieve to create tomato juice. Discard the pulp and keep the juice.

Melt the butter and a splash of olive oil in a small pan over low heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in bread crumbs, herbs and cheese. Add the egg white and enough of the tomato juice to moisten the stuffing completely (I used about 2 tablespoons).

I used Aunt Millie’s bread for the this stuffing and it was great.  Any fresh bread will do fine!

Stuff the tomatoes evenly and place them in a small baking dish or pie plate. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven when the top of the stuffing is brown and crisp.

I couldn’t wait to post today.  I got all creative with the pumpkin seed recipe and was so excited to tell you all about it.  And you know what happened?  As always it was amazing.  It was sort of fair.  It didn’t turn out! It tasted like crap.  After I tried them I figured you all would just prefer plain salted pumpkin seeds.

I guess my family and I are pumpkin seed purists because I tried to make a sweet and salty version and I’m eating them thinking “OK, these aren’t very good, but they’re, you know, edible.  They could maybe grow on you in a weird kinda way, yeah, they aren’t so bad.  I think I can use this.  I wonder what Bob will think?”

And then Bob came home and I said “Hey!  Try these pumpkin seeds, tell me what you think, OK?” and he ate one.  two.  three. and said “No.  Not even.”

Damn it.  He’s so picky!!  Fine, I’ll ask Katie, she’s into pumpkin seeds big time.  She’ll love ‘em!

Katie came in from her trip to the mall with her friend and I pounced.  “HEY!  I made sweet & salty pumpkin seeds!  Try ‘em!!”

Her eyes got real big and she ate one.  not two.  definitely not three.  She just said in her well-trained-keep-it-even-so-Mom-doesn’t-get-her-feelings-hurt voice, “I don’t really care for these, I’m sorry, Mumma.”

So, no.  I don’t have a new and improved pumpkin seed recipe for you.  Instead, I’ll share my regular recipe with you and go back to the drawing board.  Sometimes you just have to admit defeat.  And sometimes, old standbys are still the best.

Old Standby Pumpkin Seeds

1 quart water
pumpkin seeds from one pumpkin
2 tablespoons olive oil or real butter, melted
1/8 cup salt plus 1/4-1 teaspoon salt or seasoned salt

Wash the pumpkin seeds and get all the pumpkin off.  Dry them by spreading them out on a towel in a single layer.

Boil 1 quart of water.  That’s 4 cups of water for those of us who cannot remember.

Add 1/8 cup - that’s 2 tablespoons to you and me - to the boiling water.  Add the pumpkin seeds.

Boil the seeds for 10 minutes- stir every minute or so.

Drain the seeds and mix them with the oil or butter.

Add some more salt and/or seasoning salt, if you’d like. I like! I like!!

Spread the seeds on a sheet pan and place in oven at 350 F for 30 minutes.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

[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.]

Lately, things around here have been rather hectic.  I know I mentioned that my Hubby’s freelance writing business has just been crazy busy lately, but wow, I’m working more and more hours for him every week and soon, I’m going to need help to keep up.  Not that I’m complaining . . . Momma needs a new pair of shoes (and lots and lots of magazines) and all.  Considering all the talk about the rotten economy I know how blessed we are to be busy.

As busy as I am I’ve done a lot of delegating of the housework, errands and chores, but even with all the extra help from Hubby and the girls, one thing that quickly fell off my docket was:  Dinner.  Every night at 6:30.

Not that we don’t eat or anything.  It’s just that I’ve been seriously contemplating converting Angie’s Pangies.com into a Fast Food Review website.  I’m sorry folks, I just couldn’t seem to find my cooking mojo.  I mean, and I’m quite ashamed to admit it, I didn’t make anything - not even break apart cookies or the wretched puppy chow - for my kid’s school bake sale.

And that’s just sad.  But I’m done beating myself up about that.  O.k.?!?  O.k., good.  Those kids didn’t need my coconut-cupcakes anyhow, right?!  (Pay no attention to the sobbing from behind the keyboard!)

You know what, though?  I’m a firm believer in the old saying “The more I do, the more I want to do.”  It seems the more I have to do the more time I find to do other stuff.  So, as I get used to working full time I’m finding out that I’m getting more done than ever before.  I mean, have you noticed that I blog more regularly now?  No wait.  Don’t answer that!

And another thing I’ve noticed; I’m starting to miss my kitchen.  I caught myself caressing the wooden spoons this morning and singing “It can. not. wait.  I’m YOURS I’M YOURRRS!” I think I will always gravitate back to cooking.  I just have to create.  It’s what I do.

So, no worries, readers.  I won’t stop cooking dinners, vegetables, and blogging for you (and singing badly while I do so.)  All it took was one of my friends saying in desperation “Someone needs to invent a new veggie!” and you know what?  I ran into my kitchen and did my best.  I didn’t invent a new veggie, per se, but I think this one is pretty interesting.  And seasonal.  Oh, and yummy - well at most of us thought it was good.  Teens.  Can’t live with them, pass the pumpkin.

Roasted Pumpkin Gratin

Adapted from Recipezaar

8 cups pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
1/2 flour
1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup olive oil

Start out with a cute little pumpkin and cut it in half.

Remove the seeds and stringy stuff and discard.

Cut off the skin.  Now, I won’t lie to you here, my pumpkin was a complete pain in the butt to get to this point.  Not all pumpkins are created equal though, it depends alot on how “tough” the skin on your pumpkin is.  This one was stubborn.  Allow yourself some extra time to prep the pumpkin, if you get it done early - great, but at least you won’t be eating an hour late (like a certain blogger and her family who will rename nameless.)

Whoa . . . hold the phone.  Did I just say discard the seeds?  Scratch that.  Keep those, they’re awesome roasted.

Preheat the oven to 400 and grease a 13X9 baking dish.

Put the flour, salt and pepper in a bag.  Wash the pumpkin and drain it.  Add the pumpkin to the bag and shake.  The kids might like to do this part.

Toss the excess flour and put the pumpkin in the prepared dish.  Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top and add extra salt and pepper, if you want to.

Add the minced garlic to the olive oil and stir well.  Then drizzle the oil all over the top of the pumpkin.

Bake for 30-40 minutes.  Because pumpkins can vary in texture your cooking time may vary.  My stubborn pumpkin took 40 full minutes to cook throughout.  Cutting your pumpkin in similar sizes and shapes will help it cook evenly.  The pumpkin should be soft with crispy cheese.  If the cheese begins to get too done before the pumpkin is soft, cover the pan with some foil.

I used to only drink sweetened tea and eat pizza, macaroni and cheese, french fries and mashed potatoes. To be fair, as I got older I branched out and started eating more daring things like chicken fingers, mushrooms and cheeseburgers. In fact, I ate so many cheeseburgers that as a teen my Dad literally bought me a license plate for the front of my medium blue Chevette that said “Fast Food Angie.” Sad, but true. I’m just bein’ honest here, folks.

But, when I was a just wee one I discovered one of my favorite foods was the most unexpected tuna casserole, of all things. My super smart and ingenious Dad (the same Dad who bought the above mentioned license plates which I will decline comment on) knew there was no way I was ever going to willingly eat something called “casserole” or “fish” so when I said “What’s for dinner, Dad?” he replied:

“Lamb Stew.”

And I said something along the lines of “Hmm. I don’t think I like that.”

To which he said something about how it was FANTASTIC. A local FAVE. Something that shouldn’t be missed out on!! And, being the wonderfully behaved only child that I was,  I said “Ohh! A local fave?! I can’t wait to try it!  Bring on the lamb stew!!”

Actually, I don’t really remember what exactly he said, but I think it was probably something more along the lines of “You’ll eat if I damn well say you will.” or “You’re about to find out if you like it or not.” It’s really hard to know exactly what it was he said, but I think you get the general idea.  And, likewise, my response was more likely “You’re so MEAN!  That’s yucky!!  I don’t waaaaant it!”  Like I said, I was pretty little.

You know, I was thinking the other day about something else that my Dad told me once when I was little. It was something like “Every time you take a bite it is considered good manners to wipe your mouth with a napkin afterward.” And, you know, I worked HARD at doing that. It wasn’t easy either! At the young age of five I was taxing my brain thinking bite, chew, wipe. Bite, chew, wipe. Bite, chew, bit . . . oh, I mean wipe! Well, anyhow, I did that for years, people! Not until I was in high school and one of my friends asked me “Why do you wipe your mouth so much?” did I realize I’d been bamboozled by my very own Dad. Misled, even, if you will. WHY would he tell me that? I used to lay in bed at night (not really) and wonder what the deal was.

Then, I had children. Oh, Oh-MY-Goodness, please would you WIPE your mouth before I scream and-no-I-don’t-mean-on-your-sleeve!!  Yeah.  Good one, Dad.  Nice form.

I really do lay in bed at night now trying to come up with ways to be even half as cunning as my Dad was with me.  My kids tell me that I have managed to perfect the twitching eye-vein popping out of my forehead “I’m not screwing around here!” look that my Dad was so good at.  That took a lot of work, readers.

But, back to my story. Dad told me we were having lamb stew and I tried it and I LOVED it. Lamb Stew (aka Tuna Casserole) was my favorite for many, many years. I don’t really love it now, but I do still like tuna fish.

But, today’s recipe really is lamb stew. It is!  Really.  No tuna, I swear!!  And it really is FANTASTIC. A local FAVE. Something that shouldn’t be missed out on!! Sweet raisins combine with the rich curried gravy and tender delicious meatballs to make an out of this world dish.  And, this one’s for you Dad. You’re still the smartest most ingenious guy I know.

Love ya, Fast Food Angie (Pangie)

Curried Lamb Meatball Stew
Adapted from All You Magazine

Meatballs
2 pounds of ground lamb
2 egg
1/3 cup milk
3/4 cup italian or plain breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dried oregano
3 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Combine all ingredients and shape into 1 1/2 inch balls. Bake on rack in oven for 20 minutes at 350F, or until browned. Use paper towels to drain meatballs before adding to stew. Don’t skip the draining part unless you like greasy stew. Eww. I do NOT like greasy stew, Sam I Am.

Stew
3 Cups chicken broth
1 onion, chopped
3 teaspoons curry powder
1/4 cup flour
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup raisins (don’t skip, these MAKE the dish!)

In the bottom of the crockpot whisk chicken broth, curry and flour. Mix in onions.

Gently add meatballs, so as not to break the meatballs into smaller pieces.

Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. Add carrots and raisins and cook for an additional 2 hours. If necessary, use a spoon to remove excess fat from the top of gravy before stirring and serving(Like I said earlier, I skipped the paper towel part, not a good idea!)

Serve over rice.

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!

This is Georgia, or George, for short. Georgia is our little old Japanese Chin that we got suckered into that we adopted from the rescue.

It went down a little like this.  I wanted a dog.  Hubby did not.  I really wanted a dog.  Being that I’m an only child, I refused to take no for an answer and I brought home Mesha.

This is Mesha.  I wanted her badly, but she didn’t really want me, she wanted Hubby.  And her big brown eyes won him over instantly.  So, Hubby got a dog, and I still wanted one.

Not too long after we adopted Mesha, a lady that works with the rescue called me and told me about Georgia.  She was shipped here from England as puppy, worked as a show dog for a while, then was “petted” out to the woman from the rescue.  According to the woman from the rescue, Georgia was getting older now and needed a family that was home more than she was.  I instantly agreed.  She sounded cool.  After all, she had history, had came here from England, was a show dog.  A real lapdog.  My lapdog.

If you’ve ever read my blog before you won’t be surprised to find out.  I. Was. Wrong.

Georgia waltzed into this house, walked over to Lilly and looked at her as if to say “Hey toots.  How about you and me hang out for a while?”  Now, Lilly had never really had much in the way of a friend before Georgia moved in.  Having Asperger’s Syndrome really makes it hard to make and keep friends.  But Georgia didn’t care about Asperger’s Syndrome.  She just knew that Lilly held her, and petted her, and was little just like she is (Georgia weighs about 4 1/2 pounds and Lilly weighs about 60) - before you knew it they were like Forrest and Jenny.  Peas and carrots.

Dang it!  I still had no dog.  *sigh*  Oh well.  Who am I to tell a dog who they belong to, right?

But, shortly after Georgia waltzed into our house I realized that I might have made a mistake.

First off, Georgia was ancient - as far as Japanese Chins go, that is.  Like old humans, old dogs don’t always make it where they’re headed when they have to go to the bathroom.  And, as Lilly likes to say “She’s deaf, and she can’t hear either.”  Apparently, she was born that way - and she really can not hear anything.  You can literally run over her tail with the vacuum cleaner and she won’t notice until her tail is stuck inside the thing.  Oh, and, she has a wry bite, which means - that cute little tongue always hangs out of her mouth.  Yeah, and it isn’t so cute when it’s all dried out and got fuzz balls stuck to it.

But, Lilly loved her and she loved Lilly.  So we kept her. What else could I do, really?

One of the things that I think is most hilarious about little deaf Georgia is that she loves, and I mean loves, cheese crackers.  It doesn’t matter where you are in the house, if you open a box of Cheese-Its that little deaf dog comes running.  I don’t know if Mesha gives her the heads up in Doggy sign-language or what, but that dog just knows when you open the box.  And, maybe because she’s deaf, she’ll often come running when you open other things too; like cereal, graham crackers, potato chips and pretzels.

We’ve had Georgia for four years now, and I’m happy to say she’s really had a wonderful, loving family here.  Sometimes, she drives me bonkers with all her idiosyncrasies, but she is a sweet and loving dog.  Her days here are certainly numbered, as she’s taken to having seizures every so often and sleeps more and more each day.  It will be hard on everyone when she passes, but our lives have been richly blessed by this little pint sized dog.

Yesterday, when I opened the bag of pretzels to make today’s snackies, she woke up and came trotting into the kitchen hoping for a cheese cracker.  I tossed her a pretzel, gave her a smile and said “George - I don’t know if dogs go to heaven, but if they do, I sure hope there’s a big Cheese-It there with your name on it.”

So, obviously, today I am going to tell you how to make my locally famous Ranch Pretzels.  No one really calls them that, but that’s what they are.  If you ask anyone around these parts about my pretzels they’ll say “Oh!  You mean the crack?!”  So, yes, we call them “Crack Pretzels” and just like those pesky potato chips - no one can eat just one.

This method works a little like the old party mix recipe.  You bake them at a very low temperature and stir every few minutes so that they don’t get stuck together or burn.  I like to make batches of these and my spicy pretzels to give away at Christmas time.  They are great to throw in bowls for parties with peanuts.  Setting a big bowl in the office break room or the teacher’s lounge will make you the number one recipe go-to person.  (Remember to send them to my site, please!!)

Ranch Pretzels (or Crack Pretzels)

1 Packet of ranch dressing mix, or use this recipe if you are sensitive to MSG
20 ounces of mini-twist pretzels
3/4 Cup of vegetable/canola oil
1 tablespoon of dill weed
1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
1/4 teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt

Preheat oven to 250.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper for easy clean up.

Gently pour pretzels into a large bowl and add remaining ingredients.  Stir very gently to mix well, being careful not to break pretzels into little pieces.

Pour pretzels onto the sheet pan and spread into an even layer.

Place pretzels into the oven and stir every five to six minutes, baking for a total of 25 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool.  Store in an air tight container (like they’ll last that long!  HA!)

[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.
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
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, parsley and vegetables.
Add dry 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.