Challah

 

Challah

 

 

Enjoyed this recipe this morning with breakfast. I am not patient. 15 min of making dough in Cuisinart and waiting for it to bake 45 min was enough. I am sure this would have been even better if I had let it rise the entire hour. Oh well, still delicious!

 

 

 

  

Challah Recipe from  www.cuisinart.com

 

 

one package of active dry yeast
3 cups unbleached, all-purpose bread flour
2 eggs
4 heaping tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup warm (105-110°F) water
1 egg mixed with water for egg wash
handful of sesame or poppy seeds
cooking spray

INSTRUCTIONS

Sprinkle yeast over water in a small bowl or cup, add sugar and watch it bubble, about five minutes. 
Pour the above mixture into a food processor; add flour and then the rest of the ingredients. Mix and let it rise (It's okay to cover and leave it in the food processor or remove it to a greased bowl and cover) for about an hour.
Punch down the dough (press pulse a few times) and let it rise again (about an hour).
THEN: 
Separate the dough into four pieces. Use three to make the main bread, and use the fourth piece to make a smaller braid that you’ll pinch into place on top of the main braid. Place the braided dough into a greased bread pan and cover with greased plastic wrap (PAM is easy to use.). Let it rise another hour.
Paint with egg wash (egg and water whisked together). Sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds. 
Bake for 45 minutes in a 350° oven.



Kolache Cookies

 

Kolache Cookies

~celebrating my Czech heritage~

 

 

 

In continuing the "sharing our cultures through food" theme on my unit, I decided to share a little of my Czech background. I may only be 1/8 Czech but I love the food and culture.

My great grandmother was Czech. She and my grandfather lived in the Czech neighborhood of Cicero in Chicago. While the neighborhood is no longer Czech, I remember visiting the area when there was still a Czech bakery there. All types of pastries with prune, poppy, apricot and blackberry fillings. My most fond memory was of the Kolache cookie.

Cicero Chicago

 

 

 

While some make the version of this cookie made out of a yeast dough, I prefer the delicate nature of this cream cheese based recipe.

 

Try and enjoy! I used a very small jelly or honey jar upside down to make my cookies and they were petite and lovely! Less guilt for those enjoying a small cookie, I say.

I also refrigerated for 20 min before rolling out on lightly floured cutting board.

Kolache Cookies

6 oz cream cheese softened
1 cup butter
3 T white sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
apricot and/or blackberry preserves/jam
1/4 cup confectioners sugar and sifter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Use food processor to blend first three ingredients
3. Slowly add next 3 ingredients
4. Chill for 20 min in fridge
5. Roll out on lightly floured cutting board
6. Use 2 in diameter upside down empty jelly jar to cut out circles and put on lightly greased cookie sheet. Indent each with thumb. Put 1/8 tsp of jam in middle of each circle.
7. Bake for 10 min
8. Cool. Dust with powdered sugar. Store in airtight container.

 

Kolache Cookies

 

Young girl in traditional Czech folk outfit

 

 

 

 

Dobru chut! (bon appetite)

 

Sbohem! (goodbye)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Jarrett House Pie

Jarrett House Pie. I never heard of it before. I  was asking my residents, at the skilled care unit where I work, what recipes they would like me to bake/cook during our baking/cooking club? One gentleman requested Vinegar Pie, Jarrett House Vinegar Pie to be exact and he gave me the recipe.

After researching the story behind the pie, I found out it is another Depression era recipe. I had done a boiled raisin spice cake a while ago based on another resident's recommendation. Now I have another gem of a recipe.

Of course, the fact that this recipe's origins are from the South only makes it more charming and appealing to my Southern sensibilities. It comes from Jarrett House, an inn in North Carolina and was made as an alternative to lemon pie when lemons were not in season. Don't let the name vinegar pie turn you off. Try it!

This is a slight change from my resident's recipe. When I tried to bake it at 300 degree instead of 375 it was not baking properly. And I substituted butter for the margarine he had in his recipe.

Jarrett House Vinegar Pie

1 stick butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 T flour
1 T vanilla
2 T apple cider vinegar
3 eggs
1  9in unbaked pie shell

Combine the six ingredients. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake at 375 for 45-50 min.

Pie before putting in oven.

Pie after baking.

Serve at room temperature. And with a smile.

PS Don't tell them there is vinegar in it until they decide whether they like it or not. Just call it Jarrett House Pie. The vinegar can be your little secret!



My hens are laying eggs again!

 

 

After a 2 month break from producing eggs, my hens are back at it! So nice. I no longer have to buy them from the store like I've had to since Christmas. Maybe they were protesting the chilly winter weather or perhaps their less than 5 star accommodations (I thought it was a decent hen house...maybe we need to weatherproof it a bit more...) , regardless, I am glad they are supplying us with delicious eggs again.

 

 

The hens enjoying breakfast on a snowy blizzard day.

 

 



 

 

Our Wyandotte retreating into the hen house during blizzard.

 

 

The hens back when it was warm out and they were still producing happily.

 

 

One of my Easter Egger's blue eggs from back in the fall.

 

 

 

Grateful for fresh eggs again!

 

 

 

 

 

 





Pizzelle

 

 

 

 

Pizzelle. Delicious Italian Cookies. Vanilla, Anise or Chocolate...They are so good.

I just got a pizzelle maker and I think this will be my go to cookie to bring to special occasions now.

 

This is the CucinaPro Pizzelle Maker I bought.

 

And here is the recipe I used that came with the maker:

 

Pizzelles

 

3 large eggs left at room temperature 1 hour

3/4 cup of sugar

2 tsp of vanilla extract

1 stick of butter melted and cooled

1/2 tsp anise oil or seed (optional, I did not use)

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

 

1.Beat eggs and sugar 2-3 minutes

2. Add cooled melted butter and vanilla

3.Add flour and baking powder and salt mixture til incorporated.

4. Add 1 T of batter to preheated and pam sprayed pizzele maker.

5. take off with fork and shake with powdered sugar when cooled.

6.Keep in tin or other storage to keep crisp.

 

Enjoy with coffee!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Soup Joumou - Vegetarian Style. More Good Luck Food for the New Year!

I believe food, and stories about food, can start a dialogue. Maybe it doesn't lead to world peace but it does lend itself to some kind of world understanding. Telling people who you are, who your relatives were through the foods you make, and discovering  those food stories from those you work with and know... their food, their culture... is infinitely interesting.

I do an activities food unit once a week at the skilled care unit I work on. I was doing primarily baked goods that I enjoy and were seasonal. It was good, it did encourage a dialogue of what everyone baked or currently enjoys, etc. But it was missing something. One of my residents said that her mother and grandmother made a boiled raisin spice cake. The concept intrigued me and the group. I did some research and found that it was a depression era cake with origins going back to the American Civil War. Possibly it's even English in origin. Regardless, we loved trying it the next week.

So, soon after, the New Year was about to come up and I shared my parent's Southern heritage and the Hoppin John tradition and we tried that. Some of the aides I work with told me of their Haitian traditions around the New Year, good luck food specifically, and I learned about Soup Joumou.

It is eaten for good luck on January 1st, Haitian Independence Day, and it is very good.

(This photo has 2 acorn squash in it. Please use at least one butternut squash. It is a lot richer in color and flavor. Sometimes you just use what's in the house, you know! :) )

Here is a vegetarian version of the traditional recipe. If you want to make it more traditionally, substitute 1 lb of meat and 1 lb of soup bones for the 7-8 oz of coconut milk.

Soup Joumou - Vegetarian Style

1 butternut squash and 1 acorn squash (or 1 Caribbean pumpkin) peeled cubed boiled and pureed in Cuisinart or blender)

8 cups of water

2 vegetable bouillon cubes

salt to taste

black pepper

3-4 cloves of garlic

1 tsp dried thyme

2 whole cloves (put in a mesh in soup so you can take out later)

2 T olive oil

1-2 celery stalks, chooped

1 large onion, chopped

2 potatoes peeled and cubed

1 shallot diced

1/4 head of cabbage, chopped

1 turnip diced

2 carrots, sliced

2 leeks, chopped (optional, I did not use this)

1 T of parsley, chopped

1 whole scotch bonnet or other hot pepper (I used jalapeno) not chopped

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 a lb of small pasta (use less if you want more broth)

1/2 a can of coconut milk, 7 oz, I freeze the rest of mine for another recipe

1 T of fresh lime

1. Saute onions and celery and garlic in olive oil in large pot. Add a little water if you are prone to burning garlic. 

2. Add your water, pureed squash, bouillon, spices, and chopped vegetables. Bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes and turnip are tender.

3. Add your pasta. Cook another 10 min.

4.Add coconut milk and lime. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
5. Remove pepper and cloves

Enjoy! Happy New Year!



Good Luck Food for the New Year

 

 

I am making some southern influenced good luck food today. It's a tradition in our house on New Year's Day.
 

Hoppin John, Steamed Kale and Cornbread Muffins.

 

In case you are not familiar with the tradition, Hoppin John is a black eyed peas and rice dish served in The South. The black eyed peas are symbolic of coins (prosperity), the kale or other greens represent wealth or prosperity as they are the color of US currency and the cornbread is golden in color representing gold, which is also a symbol of wealth or prosperity. All three together should bring good luck and fortune in the New Year.

 

 

 

 

I have tried a few Vegan Hoppin John recipes over the years, and this is the most recent one I have been using. Try it and tell me what you think!

 

Hoppin Johns Vegan Style

 

1 T olive oil

1 medium yellow onion diced

1 medium green pepper diced

1 large stalk of celery diced

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 cup vegetable broth

15 oz can diced tomatoes

15 oz can Black Eyed Peas

1 cup jasmine rice and 1 cup water prepared in rice cooker separately

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

ground pepper to taste

dash or two of Tabasco sauce

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Saute onion pepper and celery in olive oil over medium heat for 6-8 minutes.

 

2. Add spices, salt vegetable broth, tomatoes and black eyed peas. Lower temperature and simmer 35 minutes.

3. Make jasmine rice in rice cooker or on stovetop.

4. Combine tomato/black eyed pea/broth mixture with rice.

5. Add cayenne pepper, black pepper and Tabasco sauce.

6. Enjoy with greens and cornbread!