Day 150 - Berry and Nut Granola & YBR

There have been some technical difficulties and I'm not sure if it's the computers I've been using or if it's Blogger.  How could it be that I'm having a problem with this website on two computers?  Maybe it's time to look into a new blog site.

And, have I really lost it that much that I can't remember or figure out how to leave my own comment for my readers on my own blog??!!

I used to be able to do it, now all of a sudden I'm not clicking what I need to click or have the right window open.

Dear, dear readers, you have been leaving WONDERFUL comments and I am so very grateful and extremely touched!!  And I want to respond, but please know until I figure this out, I am unable, but will do so as soon as I can.  It's frustrating, believe me. 

Please, please, please do not let my human error deter you from leaving comments!!  I LOVE to hear from my readers, so please keep posting them.

Maybe it's the computer.  It's GOT to be the computer!

I submitted my best recipe for the month of June to Your Best Recipe:  YBR.  There's also that button up above my post that you can click on, too.  You HAVE to check out all of the wonderful recipes!!!!  They've had the most participants yet for June's roundup and the dishes look and sound phenomenal.  I'm sure there will be a few things that you'd like to try - I know I have my eye on quite a few of them.  The pictures are really outstanding, too.  It's so exciting!!

Today's post is Berry Nut Granola.  I've been eating granola combined with a little bit of honey and Greek yogurt every morning for the past week and a half or so.  And I'm loving it.  However, the really good stuff can get to be expensive if you're continuously buying it.  So I scoured the food blog world for granola recipes and I found one at Pamela Salzman Kitchen Matters and really liked the tips she shared about making it, too.  I thought the dried fruit should be added before it goes into the oven, but she said to add it after otherwise it will harden and could ruin your teeth.  I'm not paying for any trips to your dentist.  So you've been warned. ;-)
Thank you, Pamela for sharing it with us!!
I am in love with it, and will be making it quite often, especially because it is less inexpensive and very simple. I bought the ingredients in bulk which saved money instead of buying the pre-packaged stuff.  The thing that's great about granola is that you can add whatever you want, different kinds of nuts or dried fruits (preferably unsulphured (do not contain the preservative sulfur), but mine weren't), coconut flakes, and seeds (no, not birdseed, silly -  seeds like pumpkin, sunflower, or sesame).

Berry Nut Granola - makes about 6 cups
      adapted from Pamela Salzman

3 cups oats (Not instant or quick-cooking!)

1/3 cup raw pecans

1/3 cup sunflower seeds

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon sea salt  (Pamela recommended fine grain, but I use regular grain and it worked fine.)

¼ cup melted coconut oil  (Pamela recommended unrefined, but I mistakenly purchased refined.  It worked fine, but you can see the difference in the two here.)

1/3 cup 100% pure maple syrup

1/4 cup honey

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup raw almonds or other nuts

1/2 cup dried blueberries

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.

In a large bowl, stir together oats, sunflower seeds, cinnamon and salt.

In a small bowl, whisk together melted coconut oil, maple syrup, honey and vanilla until thoroughly combined.  Make sure that the oil and syrups are completely mixed together.  If not, the syrups may burn during the baking process.

Add the oil/syrup mixture to the oat mixture and blend so that all of the oats are completely covered.
Transfer the oat mixture to the prepared.
Bake for approximately 30 minutes.  Stir occasionally until golden brown.

When you remove the oats from the oven, they will NOT be crunchy.  

Do not fret, they will be crunchy after they are cooled.

Add the chopped nuts and fruit to the pan and stir to combine.  Allow to cool.

Store granola in an airtight container for up to two weeks at room temperature or can be frozen.

*Because oven temperatures vary so much, the baking time of 30 minutes does not need to be strictly adhered to.  Make sure that you are watching the oats carefully for browning.  I only baked mine for 25 minutes.  Around that time it started to smell as if they were going to start burning, so I didn't chance it and removed them.

Pamela added dry unsweetened coconut flakes, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds to hers, but I chose to omit them.   That's the great part about granola, you can add whatever you like to suit your taste. (I feel like I've said that before.)

This granola was truly delicious!  As you can see from the picture, I added the Greek yogurt, and some honey to it.  This stuff is NOT going to last me for two weeks.  I am definitely going to have to make another batch very soon.

I rate everything that I bake on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best.  This Berry Nut Granola earned 4 rolling pins.  I highly recommend it!

Happy Baking!

Experiencing Technical Difficulties

I don't even know if this is going to post.
I've been trying to finish the blog for today, Day 150, but I've been kicked out of blogger numerous times and things won't save.
I will try again in the morning.
Sleep well and please return tomorrow.
We can have breakfast together. 

Day 149 - 4th of July Baked Beans, BBQ and Birthdays!!

Sorry if I misled you in the title.  There is no BBQ, this is a baking blog. 
Well, it is for the next 216 days/posts anyway.

I pulled this old relic out of the cupboard today.  It's ugly, and it's a hideous orange, 
BUT
I'm not parting with it.
Either my mother bought it or received it as a wedding present back in the late 60's.
You know, during the hippie era when kitchens had those ugly color combinations of yellow, orange and green.  Something sort of like this...



or this...

Seriously now, can't you picture that dutch oven in one of those kitchens?

And, if I remember correctly my grandmother had a linoleum tile on her floor very similar to the one above.

BLECH! 

GREAT memories of me sleeping on that floor as a child while my parents and grandparents played Spades at the kitchen table every week though.

Anyway, I digress...Oh yeah,

That pot, as ugly as it is, holds memories of my mother.  Which is extremely important of course, but especially at this time of year.

I'll be discussing that next week.

So, it only seemed logical that I would use my mother's dutch oven to bake the beans in today.  I have really only ever used it for making the meat sauce for my Lasagna, as did my mother.  And for the beans, I've only ever used a slow cooker, and for the life of me I can't find that particular recipe. 

I think it's in a cookbook I threw away.

(GASP! - she threw a cookbook AWAY??!!)

I know, WHAT WAS I THINKING??!! 

I had bought the "new and improved, updated version" and didn't think I needed the old one.  Pshaw! (??) 

(I dont't know what Pshaw is, I just thought I'd insert it there.  Seemed appropriate.)

I have like ADD tonight or something - I'm ALL over the place and my thoughts are not cohesive.  I apologize.  (MUST be the Cheesecake!!)

ANYWAY...

Every year for the 4th of July which was really the 3rd of July where I used to live in Rhode Island, we, along with our wonderful neighbors and bestest buddies, Mary and Eddy would throw a huge 4th of July party at our house and then transfer the party to their house to watch the fireworks over the water.  It was AWESOME!!!!  Every year I would make some baked beans and they were delicious.  This is where the BBQ comes in - can't have a barbeque without baked beans!

And the birthdays...

Well, the good ol' US of A celebrates her birthday on the 4th of July and I was fortunate enough to be born on the 3rd.  Needless to say, 4th of July has ALWAYS been my favorite holiday!

Boston Baked Beans - adapted from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook

2 cups Great Northern Beans
Water for soaking
1 teaspoon salt, approximately
1/4 pound salt pork
2 teaspoons dry mustard
5 tablespoons dark brown sugar
 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons molasses
1 large onion, minced

Wash the beans.
Soak overnight.

(On the left is the pre-soaked beans.  On the right is after approximately 10 hours of soaking.)

Add salt, stir, and drain, reserving liquid.
Preheat the oven to 300ºF.
Cut the salt pork into 1-inch pieces and place about 3 pieces on the bottom of a bean pot or dutch oven.
Add the beans to the pot.
Combine the mustard, brown sugar, and molasses with the reserved bean liquid and pour over the beans.

Add the onion, and remainder of salt pork.  Stir to combine.

Cover and bake for 6 hours, add water as needed (I added 2 cups throughout the cooking process).

I LOVE the transformation of hard beans into baked beans.  It is magnificent!
I rate everything I bake on a scale of 1-4 and these Boston Baked Beans earned 3 rolling pins. 
They weren't the best I've ever made.
They were good, but they needed more molasses.  Next time I think I'd increase the molasses to from 1/4 +2 tablespoons to 1/2 cup and decrease the brown sugar from 5 tablespoons to 3.
Happy Baking!

Day 148 - Cinnamon Crunch Cheesecake

*OH. MY. GOODNESS!!!!  Refrigerated, this cheesecake is THE bomb!!  The rolling pin rating has been increased to a 4!  It is great warm, but OH SO DELICIOUS out of the fridge!!!  I just had to let you all know this.  Also, I renamed it because I wanted Natalie to have claim to the Cinn-a-Bun title.*

It's only June 27, but today I realized that the beginning of the school year is right around the corner.
And I have to say,...
I hate that.
Because it just means so many things.
Our eldest will enter her sophomore year of college with a focus on a new major and a job on campus that she is extremely excited about because it will benefit her future career.
Our middle daughter will be in her final year of high school, a senior, making final decisions on where she would like to go to school and what her studies will be.  Right now, she's thinking neuroscience, but as we all know...that could change.  A senior in high school...
And the baby, our dear, sweet baby boy.  No, he's not actually a baby.  He's all of 14 years old and will be a freshman at the high school his older sister attends, but he's I'm not ready.
This thought process all started at 5:23 this morning when I dropped him off for cross country practice at the high school.
As I pulled away and looked into the rear view mirror, I could see him walking towards the track.
A stranger in a completely new atmosphere.
The sting of tears filled my eyes and my throat became tight.
No longer "on top of it all", he is now the low man on the totem pole.
I had the same feeling with the girls, but this time...
This one is different
He's it.  The last.  The baby.
In four years, Mr. 365 and I will be alone (or should be) to enjoy each other's company without scheduling conflicts, homework assignments or sports activities.
Then what?
I'm not ready.
I'm finding it so difficult to imagine that one day they all won't be a part of our everyday life.
That they won't need to talk to me or at least need something from mom.
But that's what we raise them for: to go out and be on their own, to be responsible, independent, and wise adults who don't need to call mom for the slightest little thing.
But mommy isn't ready...
I thought it was extremely difficult when they were little, fighting and going in fifty different directions, but I'm finding this is harder.  MUCH harder.
As these next four years go by, I'll see my boy turn into a young man, my daughters transform into independent women and gradually, very gradually, I'll be ready.
Or at least, I hope to be.

I know I said yesterday I'd be making cookies or cupcakes today, but my daughter found this Cinn-a-bun Cheesecake on Perry's Plate and begged me to make it.  Thank you, Natalie for this wonderful recipe!

Cinn-a-bun Cheesecake

Crust
1½ cups finely crushed iced oatmeal cookies or any spice cookie
¼ cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

Filling
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
½ cup sour cream
4 eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup finely crushed cookies (same as above)
¼ cup caramel sundae topping
1 teaspoon cinnamon mixed with ¼ cup sugar

Preheat oven to 325ºF and place a pan of water on the bottom rack.

Crust: 
Mix together cookie crumbs, melted butter and brown sugar in a small bowl. 
Press the mixture into the bottom of an 8-inch spring form pan.
Then spray the sides of the pan with cooking spray.
Set aside.

Filling: 
In a large mixing bowl fitted with a whisk attachment, combine cream cheese, sugar and sour cream and beat on medium speed until smooth approximately 4-5 minutes, scraping down the sides and also bottom of the bowl at least twice during the process.
Add the eggs, vanilla and flour and beat on medium speed until thoroughly combined, about 3 minutes.

Assembly:
Spoon 1/3 of the filling into the pan and sprinkle 1/3 of the cookie crumbs.  Drizzle with caramel sauce and sprinkle 1/3 of the cinnamon/sugar mixture on top.
Repeat by adding another 1/3 of the filling, 1/3 of the cookie crumbs, caramel sauce, and cinnamon/sugar.
Pour final layer of filling, following with remaining ingredients.

Bake for 50-55 minutes or until cheesecake pulls away from the sides about 2 inches and is slightly wiggly in the middle.
Turn the oven off, leaving the door slightly open and allow the cheesecake to cool enough so that it can be removed from the oven with the use of oven mitts.
Allow to cool to room temperature and the refrigerate overnight.

The preliminary tasting event of my first ever cheesecake revealed that this gem should earn 3½ rolling pins!
Everything I bake is rated on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the absolute "you haven't lived until you've made this dish!"
The family was too anxious to wait until morning to try it.
Yes, it was still a little warm, but still really yummy anyway.
I don't even like cheesecake.  And I ate it. And it was warm.
And I LIKED it!
Not bad for my first cheesecake attempt, I think.

The top did crack though, but that certainly didn't affect the taste!  It may not be as pretty as those from that factory restaurant with the same name, but it works!
If you'd like some cheesecake baking tips I found this site, Diana's Desserts, which should really help you out, especially with those top cracking issues.  So read before you bake.

I'm signing off as my kids are goofing off, dancing in the living room to a Justin Bieber song and making a video on my daughter's computer.
Memories...
Every night when they were little we would put music on and they would just dance and dance and dance.
It was awesome.
Needless to say, this is the first time they've done it in years, so this is a spontaneous treat.
I don't dare look because I know they'll yell, "MMMOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!", and stop.

Happy baking everyone!
Lynne

Day 147 - Soda Biscuits

I don't know if I should share this, so if I offend anyone I apologize, but it was so funny that I thought I just can't not write about it.
Besides, it's just another day in the home of 365.
My husband opened the fridge this morning to get milk for his cereal and saw the tomatoes I'd made yesterday.
"Ooohh, the tomatoes!!  I'm having those for lunch today!"
Hmmmmm.  He and I only shared the one that I used in the final picture for yesterday's post, so there should be three left unless he stole one in the middle of the night which wouldn't at all surprise me.
"There are THREE of them left!  You're going to have all of them?!   No!  I'd like to have one, too."
Giving me that sly little look and with a half smile he says, "Well, maybe I'd be willing to make a trade for one tomato."
Oh yeah, here we go, you know what he's thinking...
"What, you want sex for a tomato?  Yeah.  Ok. No."
He laughs and then says, "Hey, that should be the name of your blog!  Sex for Tomatoes.  You know how many hits you'd get when someone types in the word in 'sex' in Google?"
Yeah, I like the name, but I can't bring myself to do it.  I'm about one month shy of being halfway through this.  I am not changing it now.  And besides, I don't think people searching the word sex would be interested in a food blog. So, just think of the blog as:

 365 Days of Baking 

aka 

Sex for Tomatoes

I was going to make some cookies today, but went to the cupboard and forgot I had no vanilla.  So, I'll be making a trip to the store tomorrow and decided to do something for dinner instead.

This recipe comes from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook, p. 555; author, Martha Stewart; publisher, Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random house, Inc.; ISBN 978-0-307-39382-1. 

Soda Biscuits

1 3/4 cups flour, sifted

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

3/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix to combine.

Using a pastry cutter, cut butter into dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Add the buttermilk and mix just until dough comes together.

Place dough on prepared baking sheet and pat into a 7-inch circle that is about 1-inch thick.

Is it me, or is there the face of a man in this dough?

Using a sharp knife, cut into the dough about 1/4 inch to mark 8 wedges, but do not separate.

Bake the biscuits until golden brown on top and firm, about 20 minutes.

Break apart into wedges and serve hot.

I rate everything I bake on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and these Soda Biscuits earned 1 1/2 rolling pins.

It was dry, little taste and crumbled when we attempted to put butter on it.

I was very disappointed.

The recipe said to use a food processor for the whole process, but mine is a little one and I knew there wouldn't be enough room for all of the ingredients.  I'm thinking this may have been the difference.  So, go with the food processor.

Seriously, would Martha put a recipe in her cookbook that turns out like this? 

I don't think so.

I'm thinking after this debacle I need a cookie fix or maybe some cupcakes tomorrow.  I'll be off to the store to buy some vanilla and then we'll see what we can do.

Thank you all so much for reading!

Happy baking!

Day 146 - Baked Stuffed Tomatoes

Once again, I've spent practically ALL morning on the computer.  I did do some laundry, washed the dishes and made 2 separate breakfasts for the children though which made for a somewhat productive Saturday.
It's all those food blogs!  And man, with SO many delicious looking things!!  People are so talented with their cooking/baking, photography and writing.  I've added a few more to my "Delicious Blogs To Taste" on the right sidebar, so check them out when you have a chance.
Making different meals is something I said I'd NEVER do, especially when the kids were little!  My belief was, "this is what I made and this is what you're having.  If you don't like it, you're not having anything else".
That sounds so harsh.
I'm such a bad mother.
Those three kids are now teenagers and I'm happy to report that their growths were not stunted.  For a while there we were concerned about our son, but short stature is just in the genes.  Now he's just a smidge taller than mom at 5'3 or so, and hopefully still has a few growing spurts left in him.  So, it's all good.
Besides, even though they may not have liked what I made them for dinner, it really was a rare occurrence and even then they ate it anyway.  Grudgingly, but they ate it.
Believe me, they turned out ok, so there's no need to contact the authorities.
And now I make certain dishes when they're eating at someone else's house, so the rest of the family members can enjoy it and that one child doesn't have to suffer.
And we don't torture Mr. 365 with dishes he doesn't like either.  We have quiche whenever he goes away which is rare..  He doesn't like it, but the kids really do.  Surprisingly though, he really did like the Spinach, Bacon and Gruyere Quiche I made.
Anyway, I did end up making both scrambled eggs and oatmeal this morning, and it was only because the the kids awoke at separate times and their mother's a sucker for "Mom, can you...".  But that's ending here and now. I taught my daughter how to make her scrambled eggs and my son his oatmeal.
Tis better to teach people to fish than fish for them.

This is adapted from Lynne's Kitchen (no, it's not my other blog). I found the recipe when I was searching the web for stuffed tomatoes.  Thank you, Lynne!

Stuffed Tomatoes - serves four

4 tomatoes
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup fine plain bread crumbs
¼ cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced (mine were really small so I used 4)
2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for drizzling
2 teaspoons fresh basil, chopped
2 teaspoons parsley
1 teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon fennel, crushed
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons grated mozzarella

Place an oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 400ºF.
Spray an 8 X 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, onion, garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil, basil, parsley, oregano, fennel, salt, and pepper
Cut the tops off and hollow out the tomato by removing the pulp and seeds with a spoon.  (I have a grapefruit spoon with a jagged edge that worked perfectly for this.)
Dice the pulp and add to the mixture.
Gently mix the ingredients until they are well combined.
Fill each tomato with stuffing and place in prepared baking dish.
Drizzle each tomato with olive oil.

Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
Place in oven and bake for 10-12 minutes. If baked for longer than 12 minutes, the tomatoes will soften.

The only problem I had with these was that they were too bread crumby and cheesy because I originally used a 1/2 cup each of the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.
Yeah, it was too much, so I reduced it in the recipe to 1/3.

Mr. 365 absolutely LOVED them and said it is the best thing I've made so far.

He's a nut!  Crazy.

Yes, they are good, but I don't think they're the best.

He just came back from a shower remarking again how delicious they were and thought that next time I should add some tuna or salmon.  I can do that to his, but this non-fish eating girl ain't havin' no part o' that.  No how!

I rate everything I bake on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the absolute best.  These stuffed tomatoes earned 3 1/2 rolling pins even though Mr. 365 thought they should "get a definite 4".


Happy Baking!

Day 145 - Blackberry Peach Streusel Pie

First of all, I'd like to say a BIG welcome and send out BIG baker hugs to all of my new readers.  There are a lot of you and that makes me excited!  If you like what you see, please leave a comment or tell your friends, OR please feel free to do both!  I'd love that!  You can also like 365 on Facebook.  I'll also take comments good or bad (I'm an adult, I can handle the constructive criticism.).  I LOVE to hear from my readers!!
I also know I have some new followers and I'd like to thank you all for doing so.  It means a lot, and I'm very grateful.
I need to let you all know that I left something important out of yesterday's post on Coca Bread. 
I strongly believe things don't happen accidentally and that God (or whatever you choose to call or not to call that Higher Power) had me witness that "event" for a reason.  He truly opened my eyes. 

I say this because it was just way too coincidental that as the woman sat herself down on the bike the next song to come onto my iPod was this:

Martina McBride - Blessed

It is my all-time favorite song.

I know what I want for my birthday!  Cool looking plates, cups, glasses, napkins, and kitchen stuff.  I know the iPad is not in my foreseeable future, but this other stuff can be gotten for CHEAP at the Goodwill store and is SO cool!  I stopped in there today and picked up two drinking glasses and only paid $.69 cents for both because they were each half off!  And to a food blogger, this stuff is gold!  So anyone reading this, make sure you drop some subtle hints to my kids.

I love shopping there because they have such a wide variety and the inventory is always changing.  I never know what I'll be coming home with. 

I have to share that I heard something EXTREMELY disturbing today.  So much so, that when Mr. 365 told me, I couldn't stop shaking.  The story goes that this morning at 6 a.m., a woman left the same community center I talked about yesterday and was confronted by a man with a gun when she went to get out of her car at her home.  He had followed her from the community center.  He got into the back seat of her car and instructed her to drive to a local bank where she was told to withdraw a large amount of money.  He then had her drive to a meeting place where his accomplice was waiting.  He took her cell phone, and the two men took off.  THANK GOD she was not injured or worse.  People (ok, not all) are STUPID and especially now, there are a lot more desperate people.

PLEASE ladies,

ALWAYS BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS!! 

I know it's easy to become lax and carefree going from store to car, taking a walk, or even texting while walking.  I know there are many, many times I take my security for granted and unfortunately it takes something like this to jolt me into reality.

Times have definitely changed from when I was growing up and there is too much going on in the world to not be precautious and to err on the side of caution.  I told my daughter after hearing this to not EVER, EVER get into a car with someone who has a gun you don't know because the odds are that you aren't coming back.  I told her to run in the other direction, SCREAMING, do anything you can to get away, even crash the car into something to cause an accident. Your life is too precious.

So disturbing. 

I love you all.

Please, please be aware, and pass the word to those you love to be aware.  Life is too short.

Today's recipe was adapted from The New Doubleday Cookbook.

Blackberry Peach Streusel Pie

1 pie crust (I used the Crisco recipe because I like that the best)

Filling

7 firm-ripe peaches, peeled, sliced and pitted

(Note: If you put the peaches into boiling water for two minutes and then immerse them in cold water they should be easier to peel - I found it did help, but not completely.)

12 oz. blackberries

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

½ cup sugar

Topping

½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

½ cup sifted flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup unsalted butter

 

Preheat the oven to 425ºF.

Make pie crust as directed and fit into a 9-inch pie pan, fluting the edge.  Do not bake.

Gently mix peaches, blackberries, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice together; spoon into pie shell.

Mix the brown sugar, flour and salt together in a medium mixing bowl.  Cut butter into small pieces and using a pastry blender, cut into mixture until it resembles coarse meal.

Sprinkle over peaches, pressing down lightly.

Place a piece of tin foil in the oven on the rack below to catch any yummy drippings.

Bake for 40 minutes until lightly browned.

Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Ok, this looks like SOUP!  I have NO idea why it's so watery.  A watermelon pie, yeah, I could see that, but peaches?
REALLY?!

Fortunately, it still tasted pretty darned good.

Ok, so I'm thinking that some little oven elves helped out with the baking process by watering the pie.

Maybe there was too much lemon juice.  Maybe you should only add about 2 tablespoons because looking back that lemon I used may have been about 4-5 tbsp.

Also, somebody ate my fruit. 

No, I'm not talking about after I made the pie.  I mean while it was sitting in the fridge waiting for me to use it today.  Two peaches and the other 6 oz. container of blackberries were gone.

Yeah, I guess I want them to eat their fruit.

So, I gave you what I should have used in the pie (or had planned to), not what I actually did. 

Although with the addition of two more peaches, I wonder how much soupier it would have been.

My advice, (yeah, like I'm a pie-making expert) would be to decrease the lemon juice to 2 tablespoons, and use the directed amount of peaches and blackberries.

I hope it works for you.  Let me know if you're brave enough to conquer it.

A note on the pictures...my eldest daughter took her camera away on vacation for the weekend (sniffle), so I'm using my other daughter's point and shoot.  The pictures are adequate, not great, but at least you'll be able to see what I'm making over the next few days.

The only problem is I hit a button which is making those really cool multiple shots, but I don't know which button I hit and we can't find the manual to figure out how to fix it.

So, I'd love any input if someone has some on how to take just one picture at a time, and not 9.  It's a Nikon CoolPix.

To each and every one of you, thank you again!  I love you and am very glad you're here.

Oh yeah, I completely forgot!  I rate everything I bake on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and this Blackberry Peach Streusel Pie, even though very soupy, earned 3 rolling pins.

I had a piece, but I can't have any more because peaches make my mouth and throat itch.  Nothing anaphylactic, but I don't like the feeling.

Happy baking!

Day 144 - Coca Bread ~ a Spanish sweet bread

I witnessed something truly beautiful today.
I was on the StairMaster at the gym this afternoon.  I looked over to my left and saw an elderly woman with a cane taking great care to place one foot in front of the other.  With her right arm so close to her body, I was thinking she must have suffered a stroke.
It took her about 7-10 minutes to walk 5 feet from me.
Her husband in the meantime had been preparing the stationary bike to my right, adjusting the seat and making the foot straps "just so".  So diligent in the task at hand, he didn't go over to assist her or see if she was doing ok.  He just let her be, probably knowing it was something she needed to do for herself.
She had just steps left to get to the bike when her husband began making motions and cheering her on to take those last few steps.  He was SO excited that she had made it.  He didn't speak, nor did she.  It appeared that one if not both of them were deaf.
As she saw him smile and become excited that she was nearing her goal, the biggest, most beautiful smile lit up her face. 
And it wasn't just any smile.
It was a smile that portrayed years of marriage blessed both with struggle and happiness and yet at the same time, it was the smile of a teenager newly in love.  It was so warm and tender, and truly, truly genuine.  These two were in their late 80's, if not 90's and the love and affection between them was still so apparent.  And their non-verbal communication made it all the more touching.
It made my heart melt.
I don't know, I could be reading into things about her health and their relationship that aren't really there.
But watching them, I was able to see a glimpse of the future - that of mine with my husband.
Mr. 365 and I in our 90's.  Him cheering me on, always being upbeat and goofy, and me looking at him with a love so deeply rooted that it goes beyond words.  And smiling, sweetly, sweetly smiling with a sparkle in my eyes only for him.

I've had the urge to make some breads lately.  I think it's because I haven't done it in a while and am needing that tactile sensation - to really get in there and be "one" with the dough.  This one was perfect because of the kneading involved.  For some reason, I was really hesitant to get my hands all messy today and stood there for a few minutes just looking at the dough, waiting.
But once I was in, there was no turning back!

Coca Bread - make 2 loaves
     (but you might not want to share it, it's just THAT good!)

2  ¼ ounce packages (1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon) active dry yeast
1/3 cup warm water (110ºF)
1¼ cups sugar
5 - 6 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk, room temperature
4 large eggs
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for bowl and pans
¼ cup honey, for drizzling

In a small bowl, combine yeast and warm water;
let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
In a bowl, combine 1 cup of the sugar, 4 cups of flour, and salt.
With a wooden spoon, stir in yeast mixture, milk, 3 eggs, and ½ cup of melted butter until combined.
Using hands, work remaining flour into dough ¼ cup at a time, until the dough is no longer sticky.

On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until it develops a smooth satiny texture and springs back when you poke it with your finger, about 5 minutes.

Form the dough into a ball, and place in a lightly buttered bowl, rotating the dough in the bowl to coat it with butter.

Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for about an hour until it is doubled in size.

So this was after two hours of rising, not one.  I'd gone to the gym and stopped at the market.

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
Generously grease two baking sheets with some of the melted butter.
Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface, and cut in half. 

Honestly, I didn't shape them this way.  When I cut the dough in two it just looked like a heart.
Appropriate with today's post, I think.  Funny how things like this happen.

Place half of the dough on each prepared baking sheet, and press into two 8 X 17-inch rectangles.

Allow the dough to sit and rise (proof) for 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining egg and 1 tablespoon of water.  Brush all over each loaf.

Generously sprinkle the dough with the remaining ¼ cup sugar, and drizzle with the honey.

Bake until golden and crispy, about 18 minutes.

Transfer the breads to wire racks to cool.

OH. MY. GOODNESS!!!!!

This is DEFINITELY being added to my list of keepers!!

I love honey on bread or on rolls, so I knew when I read HONEY in the ingredients that this bread must be something special.

It was so sweet and yummy, and the bread was soft.  After 18 minutes it didn't get crispy, at least not in my oven, and I had to leave the second loaf in because it wasn't finished.

Wouldn't you know it, I left it in a few minutes too long and the edges started to become a wee bit too brown (nearly burnt - grrrrr).  I was really wishing I had taken it out sooner.  It was still good though - the middle part!

The honey soaked into the bread, the sugar melted, and with the two of them combined...oh, it was just HEAVEN, especially when it was warm right out of the oven!!!!

There are these days when I make something and I don't have any idea what it is I'm making, and I become a little nervous about the outcome.  But today was absolutely glorious!

I HIGHLY recommend that you give this a try.  I'm sure you, your family, and friends will absolutely love it!  That is of course, if you choose to share it!

Happy baking!

Day 143 - Individual Corn Puddings

It's that day of the week again - Wednesday and the weekly weigh-in.  It's been updated, in case you're curious.

This side dish is from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook, p. 340; author, Martha Stewart; publisher, Clarkson Potter/Publishers, and imprint of The Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.; ISBN 978-0-307-39382-1.
The original recipe served 8, so with there only being 4 of us, I halved the recipe.

Individual Corn Puddings - serves 4


2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup canned or frozen corn or 2 ears fresh with kernels shaved from the cob
     (I used canned)
1 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup + 6 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
pinch of ground nutmeg
pinch of cayenne pepper


Preheat the oven to 325F.
Use 1/2 tablespoon of the butter to butter (4) 6 ounce ramekins; set aside.
Melt the 2 remaining tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan and whisk in the flour.
Put the corn, egg yolk, milk, salt, black pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper in a bowl.  Whisk until thoroughly combined.  
Add the melted butter/flour and mix well.
In a small bowl, whisk the egg white until soft peaks form, and fold it into the corn mixture.
Bring a full kettle of water to a boil.
Ladle the corn mixture into each of the four ramekins evenly, leaving about 3/4 of an inch from the top to allow for rising.
Place the ramekins in a 9 X 13-inch baking dish.
Place dish in oven and fill pan with boiling water so that it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake about 50-55 minutes until puddings are puffed and golden brown.
Remove and serve immediately.  The dishes will be extremely hot.

I have to admit that I'm not much of a corn fan.
That sounds funny - "corn fan".
And I REALLY don't like canned corn.  I don't think I've used that for the family since our very first year of marriage when I couldn't cook.
I prefer corn on the cob or frozen to canned, but I didn't go to the store, so just used 1/2 of the can we had.
My puddings didn't rise as they were supposed to.  I'm sure it was because I opened the oven mid-bake to retrieve last night's bread which I was warming up.
Everything I make I rate on a scale of 1-4 with a 4 being the best.  This corn pudding earned 2 rolling pins.  They were eh.  I really don't feel the need to make them again.  I DO think that they would be MUCH better with fresh corn from the cob.
I leave you with a BIG baking hug!!  
Happy Baking!

Day 142 - Cheesy Garlic Pull-Apart Bread

Today's recipe was inspired by Jessica at How Sweet It Is.  This is her recipe for Cheesy Puff Pull Apart Bread.  She was inspired by Joy when she made her Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread.  I was awfully inspired by that, too, but haven't made it yet.  I think it was meant to be that I was holding out for this one.  And Joy was inspired by Cindy's Meyer Lemon Pull_Apart Bread at  HungryGirlPorVida.  I also found this recipe on The Pastry Affair for Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart Bread from Kristin.  I originally saw her picture for it on TasteSpotting and it looked divine!

See where I'm going with this?

Someone creates a recipe and people adapt it to make it their own and really cool stuff comes out in the process. 

Or not.

I don't know how it's going to taste, but it smelled pretty darn good before I put it into the oven and the house smell really good now while it's baking!
This whole food blogging thing is so much fun, trying new things and making new friends.  Who knew when I started college as a theater major with a focus in stage management that this is where I'd be.
You just never know what life has in store, do you?
It's awfully exciting!

Cheesy Garlic Pull-Apart Bread

1 3/4 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast (or 1 envelope)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 teaspoons fresh chopped basil
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup water
2 eggs, room temperature
12 ounces finely shredded Mexican Cheese
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Butter and flour a 9 X 5-inch loaf pan; set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of the bread flour and the cup of whole wheat flour.  Add the sugar, salt, yeast, oregano, and basil.  Mix well.
Heat the milk and 1/4 cup of the butter in a small saucepan over low until butter is just melted.  Remove from heat and wait 1 minute before adding the water.

Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and using the paddle attachment of the mixer, stir.

Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each until thoroughly combined.

Add 8 ounces of the shredded cheese and using your hands, mix well into the dough.

Add the remaining flour and knead until combined.  Resist the temptation to add more flour even if the dough is sticky.

Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a towel or plastic wrap and put in a warm place to rise for one hour.

After one hour, punch dough down.  Using a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle 12 X 17-inches.  At this point, I highly recommend rolling the dough into a square 12 X 12-inches.  The reason:  you will have rectangles to put into the pan instead of squares and they won't fit as they are supposed to (see first picture).  But, even if you make a rectangle, it all bakes up together and doesn't really make a difference anyway.  Just giving you options.

Melt remaining 1/4 cup of butter and add minced garlic.  Brush garlic butter over the dough.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese.

Using a pizza cutter, slice the dough from top to bottom into 6 even strips.  Then cut dough lengthwise into 6 even strips.   Using a spatula stack dough squares/rectangles on top of one another and place into prepared loaf pan.

Place the pan on a baking sheet, cover with a towel and let rise again in a warm place for one hour.

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.

I really wish we had had an Italian dinner tonight instead of going out for sushi so we could have eaten this bread with it.

It was still good to eat when we came home though.

I rate everything I bake on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and this loaf of bread earned 3 rolling pins.

It was quite tasty, the only thing I didn't like was the well-browned cheese on the top - no flavor.  I had sprinkled the remnants of cheese that had fallen off when I was stacking.  I think I should have saved it until the last 5 minutes of baking and then put it on.

This would be REALLY good with some awesome marinara.  I only had jarred spaghetti sauce.  Still yummy though.
Now I am dying to try Joy's cinnamon bread and Cindy's lemon bread.  After the year is over maybe I'll add those to the collection.
Happy baking!