herb focaccia bread

My In-laws recently came home from a trip to Tuscany. They brought us home some amazing Olio Extra Vergine di Olivia, a.k.a. Olive Oil. Since I am only going to use it for dipping bread, I knew I need to make some special bread to go with it.
I introduce you to the yummiest focaccia bread ever!!

And if I could make it, you can make it! I have a lot of trouble over here with bread and, well, baking in general. But I figured out the problem!! My oven is retarded. I bought an oven thermometer so now I can adjust the temperature to the temperature I really need. Its been off by a good 25-50 degrees for who knows how long. Hallelujah!

Herb Focaccia Bread

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 large clove garlic, finely minced
3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary or 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or 1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup warm water

In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), mix the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast. Mix in the garlic and herbs. Pour in the water and olive oil and mix until the dough comes together, by hand or with a dough hook attachment, if using a stand mixer. Knead the dough until it has pulled away from the sides of the bowl, about 4-6 minutes. The dough should be soft and pliable but not overly stiff.

Cover the bowl with lightly greased plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 30 minutes, until it is puffy. Deflate dough and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease a large, rimmed baking sheet and with your hands, spread the dough out roughly an 8″x10″ rectangle. Use your knuckles or fingertips to make indentations over the dough, about every 1/2 inch. Lightly brush dough’s surface with olive oil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Immediately after removing from the oven, stir together 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt and brush over the surface of the hot bread.

Recipe from here

recipe: stuffed green peppers

Kevin really loved these! And BONUS...they were easy!

4 green bell peppers
1-2 lbs lean ground beef
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
EVOO
1/2 cup uncooked jasmine* rice
1 can tomato soup
2 TB Worcestershire sauce
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t onion powder
salt and pepper (of course)
1 t Italian seasoning
Shredded cheese
Corn (optional, I added it for fun. FUN)

Cook the rice.
Preheat oven to 350.
In the EVOO, sauté the onions 3 minutes. Add ground beef and cook until browned. Add Italian seasoning to beef.
Cut tops off peppers. And bottom if they don't stand up on own.
Combine worcestershire, garlic & onion powder, salt & pepper with tomato soup.
Fill half full with beef, cover with sauce, corn, then cheese. Repeat.
Easy-peasy.

Bake for 35 min-60 minutes. My oven is retarded and makes its own rules. Really just bake until warm throughout and cheese on top is a nice golden brown.

*Ok am I the only one to recently discover jasmine rice? IT. IS. SO. GOOD. Geeze, I have been using regular rice for so long and have been constantly disappointed whenever I cook it. Well look no further Malorie! Jasmine rice is here. Always good. Always fluffy. Always flavorful. I am forever hooked.

The Best Fudge Brownies Ever

This recipe is from the back of the King Arthur brand Flour box. I made it for Sunday night and Will says it's the best brownies ever! Make them and you decide!

Ingredients:
1 cup (8 ounces) butter
2 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt (increase the salt to 1 teaspoon if you use unsalted butter)
1 teaspoon baking power
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups King Arthur unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups (12-ounce bag) chocolate chips


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch pan

In a medium-sized microwave -safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Return the mixture to the heat (or microwave) briefly, just till it's hot, but not bubbling; it'll become shiny looking as you stir it. Heating the butter and sugar a second time will dissolve more of the sugar,which will yield a shiny top on crust on your brownies. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl.

Stir in the cocoa, salt, baking powder, and vanilla. Add the eggs, beating till smooth; then add the flour and chocolate chips, beating till well combined. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake  for 28 to 30 minutes

Oatmeal Chocolate Caramel Brownies

I am usually a cookie kind of girl but lately I have been on a brownie and bar rampage. Rampage I tell you. I just barely came upon these things called brownies. I had forgotten about this easy, yummy dessert until someone said the word "Brownie" at work and all the glorious, delicious memories came flooding back. How did I ever forget about these things?

I usually don't have someone to share my treats with since husband isn't the biggest fan of treats (why!? why!? WHY!?), but since we are Patrick-sitting, treat making is fun again! He loves my late night treat making. Hooray!

I came upon this recipe because my sister-in-law accidentally left her batch of these bars with us for a night. And boy did we enjoy them for the small amount of time they were with us. The next morning when she took them away, I had to make my own. They were too good.

Oatmeal Chocolate Caramel Bars

*Makes 9X13-inch pan of bars

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup melted butter

14 ounce bag of caramels
1/2 cup whipping cream or milk
1 12-ounce package semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degree. Mix the first six ingredients together and sprinkle half on the bottom of a 9X13-inch baking pan. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned.

Meanwhile, melt the caramels and whipping cream or milk in a saucepan over low heat or in the microwave at 50% power, stirring often, until the mixture is smooth. When the bars have been removed from the oven, sprinkle the chocolate chips over the crust and pour the melted caramel over the top. Sprinkle the rest of the crust over the top and bake in the oven for an additional 10-12 minutes, until the caramel is bubbling and edges are lightly browned. Cool the bars completely before serving so they can set up properly.

Butternut Squash Soup

This is a easy and healthy recipe that Malorie got from her mother in-law. You will need a blender to make this! The hardest part of this recipe is cutting up the butternut squash! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 TBS olive oil

1 medium onion

1 medium butternut squash (cubed)

2 cups chicken broth

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ginger

dash of pepper

1-2 cups milk

Directions:

Saute olive oil and onion

Add cubed butternut squash and cook for 1 minute

Add all ingredients but milk and cook for 15 minutes

Blend and pour back in pot and add milk until warm

* This is great reheated, you can also freeze and reheat

Slow Cooker Taco Soup Recipe

I got this from http://blog.superhealthykids.com/ , I LOVE this website! Trying to eat healthy easy meals that my little one will eat! I have been making this for years but, here is the websites version! You can also cook this just on the stove top! I always add cheese and sour cream too :)

Ingredients:
1 lb. cooked and chopped meat of choice (chicken breasts, lean ground beef, or ground turkey)

28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes (or three cups of finely chopped fresh tomatoes)

2 cups frozen corn (or 1 can, 15 ounce corn)

2 cups black beans (or 1 can 15 ounce black beans)

2 cups red kidney beans (or 1, 15 ounce can)

1 envelope Ranch seasoning mix (Or use recipe below)

2 TBS Taco seasoning

1 small onion, chopped



Place all ingredients in a slow cooker, and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

To avoid the packaged Ranch seasoning mix, make your own . . .

1 teaspoon dried chives

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried dill weed

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

parmesan cheese knots

Easy and delicious! And I love rhodes dough because it rises so well. Me and rising have a love, no, hate relationship.

Parmesan Cheese Knots

12 Rhodes Texas™ Rolls, thawed but still cold
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 cup butter, melted

Roll each roll into a 9-inch rope. Tie in a knot. In a bowl, combine cheese, parsley and garlic salt. Dip each knot in melted butter and then in cheese mixture. Place in a sprayed 12 cup muffin tin. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and let rise until double in size. Remove wrap and bake at 350°F 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

open-face sandwiches

My mom recently gave me some fresh tomatoes out of Farmer Mel's garden and some fresh basil out of hers. She then told me to make some open-face sandwiches. She even offered to give us cheese. My mom always spoils us.

These delights were my dad's signature dish when we were little. If my mom was gone one night and he was on dinner duty, he would make these.
Another dish of his: buttered noodles with parmesan sprinkled on top and canned stewed tomatoes.
These always went together. These were common dinners in the Moser household growing up.
And now they have resurfaced. We just might be having buttered noodles for dinner tonight Kevin.
Yumdeliyumptious.



Open-faced Sandwiches

bread
cheese
sliced tomatoes
salt & pepper
basil (optional)

Put the oven to Broil. Place the cheese on the bread and place on a slotted cookie sheet.
Watch carefully, it only takes a minute or so. Then place the sliced tomatoes on top, sprinkle with salt & pepper and enjoy!