"And We Broke The Bread"

My sister and I thought that the phrase "breaking bread" was the funniest thing growing up. It wasn't that we didn't know what the meaning was behind "breaking" or that the idea of breaking bread to share with loved ones was beyond our comprehension. It was honestly just the phrase. Whenever we were at the dinner table and we had a dinner roll (or any other type of bread or that matter) in our hand, one of us had to make a grand gesture and say in a very grandiose voice "And she broke the bread". Laughs, giggles, eye-rolls always followed. Every time the pastor would break bread in front of the congregation for communion, my sister and I would look at each other and make sure the other was making that grand voice and gesture in their head. Communion always brought laughs. Appropriate? Probably not.

I should have seen my future in bread baking at that point in my life. I always smiled at the idea of breaking bread and sharing that moment with my sister. Breaking bread brought us together, though probably not in the way Sunday School was trying to teach us. But it did. Years later I would love baking bread for loved ones and "breaking" it with them.

 I have made some yummy breads lately. A week or so ago I made a Slightly-Buckwheat Pugliese that was deliciously velvety and a wonderful way to eat cheese. I got to use my couche cloth :)

 A recipe that is still in the works is my Maple Oatmeal bread. I have made it as a loaf to make one of the best ham and dijon sandwiches ever, and I have made it into dinner rolls, which I brought to Thanksgiving with Kyle's family. I made a Rosemary and Red Onion Focaccia, which I regret not taking pictures of. I made that for my family's Thanksgiving celebration on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Homemade Italian food was a great follow-up and conclusion to three days of celebrating Thanksgiving. I then made a Lightly-Wheat Cinnamon Roll with a Buttermilk Frosting for breakfast.

All of these recipes will be recreated in the coming week or two. I need to finalize my recipes and get them to where I want them before I share, I mean break bread with you. Enjoy the pictures and the recipes to come. And most of all, enjoy the company of friends and family with or without a loaf of bread involved. 

Cheers!

Served Best With Friends

I enjoy showing my appreciation, support and love through cooking for people. I truly enjoy cooking dinner for my loved ones, and I would much rather send a gift basket of homemade goods to someone than a card. That is just how I do. 

Last week I was itching to bake (what else is new...), so I reached for some of my bread books. The first one I opened was Flatbreads and Flavors. Already being early afternoon, I was looking for something that didn't need 7 hours to rise, so focaccia caught my eye. But then I came across a Canadian recipe for Berry Bannock. Similar to a Scottish bannock, it is a soda bread, but this one did not have oats and added oil or butter, and used berries. Intrigued (and stocked with frozen blueberries from this season's harvest at the co-op), I went for it. Kyle was in the shower when I walked into the kitchen and by the time he got out, the bannock was in the oven. Scattered with blueberries, it looked beautiful baking in my cast-iron skillet.

It came out of the oven, I let it cool for a bit, and then I cut a slice. I made it with the intention of delivering it along with some Italian Lentil and Barley soup in a care package for my friend before she had surgery. She is a woman who knows good food, eats it, cooks it, promotes it, so I HAD to try it first...Served warm on its own, it was a delicious treat. Definitely acceptable to pack up and deliver to a friend, which is highly recommended. 

Berry Bannock

Adapted from Flatbreads & Flavors

3c All-Purpose Flour (I would like to try this with cake or pastry flour for a lighter crumb)

1tsp Salt

1TB Baking Powder

1c Blueberries or Cranberries (fresh or frozen)

1/2c Sugar

1 1/2 c Water

Preheat oven to 425F and lightly grease or butter a 9- or 10-inch cast-iron skillet. In a mixing bowl, whisk to combine flour, salt, powder, sugar. Add berries and toss through. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour in the water, and stir quickly and briefly to mix (do not over mix). Transfer the batter to the skillet, spreading with wet fingers to fill the skillet. Place in the center of the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until it is firm to the touch in the center and lightly golden. Carefully transfer the bannock from the skillet to a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I liked it so much, I made another batch a few days later for an open house I hosted. Instead of blueberries, I used chopped apple and added 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp ginger to the flour mixture. It was delicious. This is a great breakfast, brunch, snack, or dessert recipe! Serve with yogurt for breakfast/brunch, honey or maple syrup for a snack, or ice cream for dessert. Any way you eat it will be delicious. But remember, best served with friends :) 

So, There Is This Thing Called Food...

As you may have figured out by now, I love food. I love the concept of food and how it lends to what we are and will become. It feeds us. We put it in our mouths and every bit of that morsel of food has a function, down to the molecular level. How cool is that?! I had a geek moment the other night when I was telling Kyle that one of my favorite sections in my college Anat/Phys class was the renal section. Kidneys are flipping awesome. They are a perfect example of what our greater body does on such a small level to separate what our body needs to function and what is extra or unnecessary. I have been having a lot of these geek moments lately. Talking about household chemicals, food, nutrition, the importance of what we eat and why, GMOs...I have been geeking out on a gut level; passionate about what I know and wanting to not only express it, but live it and take it further. 

Kyle and I watched a documentary called 'Happy' last night and the premiss was really cool. What makes people truly happy. Food was mentioned and the type of diet that lends itself to mentally clear and happy people. Geek, reinforced.

I finally sat down and watched the documentary 'Forks Over Knives" today. It has been on my list of things to watch for a long time, so I was excited to sit down and spend part of my Saturday watching it.  It followed the studies of two doctors who have done global research and have found that a whole-food, plant-based diet is the best medicine for anybody. There were other doctors and patients featured who showed that it can reduce and even reverse disease progression, including cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, among others. This is something we hear on the news, read about in the paper, and see on tv, but the scientific evidence was awesome to see, allowing the comprehension of the information, not just evoking the "smile, nod, 'I know'" reaction. Geek, reinforced.

This is something I want to do. Nutrition therapy. In some ways I have already started (oh, Kyle, being the only one I can force it upon...), but I want to know more. I want to do the research, know the science of it. Our bodies are self-healing, and using proper nutrition to feed our bodies what they need in order to heal and function ideally is inspiring to me. 

Geek, motivated.

I have Italian Lentil and Barley Stew on the stove right now. Legume, barley, herbs, and veggies. Nutrition AND taste. Geek, reinforced.

Baking For The Masses For Me: MY Kind Of Therapy

I have been dealing with a strange thing lately. I have been immersed in food during my work day for so long that I don't know what it is like to NOT think about food, brainstorm ideas for what to make with what is in stock in the pantry, be on the constant search for good recipes, or think of new and different flavor combinations every waking moment of the day. That is because not only has it been part of my job for years, but also because it truly is something I love doing. I love food. I love making it, eating it, planning it, experimenting with it, serving it. I have more time to do all of this with my new job, and I have been loving it. I am the head chef in my own kitchen and I can do what I want. My ideas don't always pan out, but I am allowing myself to produce something simply for the joy of creation and sharing. Something tangible comes out of my love of food, and I feel like I am producing more out of my love for food than I have ever done. Cooking and baking is a healing tool for me, and I have been healing myself. I hadn't realized how much I needed to prove to myself.

I don't often make desserts at home. Not because I don't like to, but because a huge batch of cookies isn't as nourishing and sustainable as a big pot of split pea soup and sourdough baguette. I have been having a lot of fun stocking my 'sweets' recipes recently however. Kyle made pumpkin truffles with just a hint of spice to them and they are FABULOUS. This put me in a pumpkin kick and like anyone, I wanted cookies. What better time for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies than the present? October and November just ask for these cookies to be made and shared.

I found this recipe on the Food Network website, and they are delish. The pumpkin keeps the cookies soft and give them an almost cake-like crumb. I brought a big plate of them to work with me and they were gone by lunch time. I will be making them again.

The beauty of cookie basics; butter and sugar.
Unfortunately this is the only picture I got of the cookies before my camera battery died.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted from foodnetwork.com)

1c unsalted butter, room temperature

1c white sugar

1c brown sugar

2 eggs

1tsp vanilla extract

1c canned pumpkin puree

3c all-purpose flour

2tsp baking soda

1/2tsp salt

1tsp ground cinnamon

1/2tsp ground ginger

1/4tsp ground nutmeg

1/4tsp ground cloves

2c chocolate chips (milk chocolate or dark preferred, but semi-sweet is fine)

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in thirds while mixing on low. Stir in the chocolate chips. Scoop by heaping tablespoons onto parchment-lined baking sheets, lightly pressing down so the dough makes small pucks rather than balls. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until just starting to lightly brown. Allow to rest on the pan for 2 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. 

Here's to making what we love, for those we love, because we love it.

Cheers.