Cold Brewed Iced Coffee {Recipe}
Yesterday was the first day of summer, so we should celebrate by making a brew, yes?
What if you could make better iced coffee than most coffee shops? Today I am posting a recipe that makes a concentrate that will keep in your fridge for up to a month with no change in flavor or quality. I have to sneak coffee from The Husband's stash for this recipe, but it is well worth any groans or moans, when I use up the last bit of his coffee and forget to tell him. Cold brewed coffee made at home rivals, if not exceedes store bought iced coffees- for pennies of the cost of those silly drinks.
Cold Brewed Iced Coffee Concentrate
1 Cup Ground Coffee (medium-coarse grind works best)
32 oz. Glass Jar
1. Add the coffee to the jar, fill with water to capacity and stir. Cover and let rest at room temperature for 12 to 15 hours.
2. Strain twice through a coffee filter, a fine-mesh sieve or a sieve lined with cheesecloth.
Regular coffee: place equal parts coffee concentrate and water in cup and heat.
Iced coffee: Place equal parts concentrate and milk in glass. Add ice, sweetened as desired.
Notes: I make several jars at a time, for more brew. Store in the fridge and like I said above, this will keep much longer than you'll need it to- for about a month.
The amazing thing about this coffee is that it tastes the way coffee smells and cuts back on the acidity by 65% while not slacking on any of the boldness or rich flavour.
Bring it on, and have your ice ready!!
Janine’s Honey Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread {Recipe}
Without good friends, I would be a completely different person. I know they are a blessing, and it is possible that I would not have them- but I fear even think of it. We console, cherish, and admire eachother. And they share amazing recipes with me that become stapes in my own home. I love my friends.
This following recipe is one I make twice a week now. I can't describe how much I love it, or how it makes my house smell like a home- you just need to give it a try for yourself. Each recipe makes two loaves.
Finally, a sandwich bread recipe that is here to stay, and that makes trying to make my all my own bread so much yummier!
Janine's Honey Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread
1 TBS Yeast
2 1/2 Cup Water (At room temperature or about 80 degrees)
1/3 Cup Honey
1 TBS Salt
1/2 Cup Oil (Janine uses Canola, I prefer Olive Oil)
6 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
Optional: 1/4 Cup Vital Wheat Gluten Flour
Mix together the yeast and 1/2 Cup of the water and then let mixture sit for 1-2 minutes. Add remaining 2 Cups of water, honey, salt, and oil and combine. Slowly add in approximately 6 cups (check tip #1 below) of whole wheat flour. I say approximately 6 cups because you want to add flour gradually until the dough gets elastic (check tip #2), mix in Kitchen Aide for at least 6 minutes, by hand for around 15-20 minutes. Now put it in a bowl and let the dough rise for about 45 minutes to an hour (check tip #3).
Once the dough has risen, pound it down and take it out of the bowl. You may need a little extra flour if the dough is too sticky. Cut the dough in half. Roll out each piece with a rolling pin and roll each piece up (like you would if you were making cinnamon rolls) and stick each loaf in a buttered loaf pan. Cover and let rise until almost doubled.
Preheat the oven to 350 and bake for 32-35 minutes. Once the bread is done, remove it from the loaf pans and place it on a rack to let cool. Enjoy!
Delicious with some honey....
Janine's Tips
#1: I put 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten flour in with the other flour. VWGF gives the bread a fabulous texture, keeps it from being really crumbly and helps it to rise nicely. Note from Dreadlock Girl: I only add 1/4 of the VWGF and that seems to work fine, I am cheap okay!?!
#2: What you're looking for is dough that is somewhat "sticky", but not so sticky that it leaves globs of dough stuck to your hands. If it's still too sticky, just add more flour a little at a time. Be careful not to add too much flour as that will make the loaf heavy and dense. If it's still too sticky, just add more flour a little at a time.
#3: Boil water in a kettle and stick both the heated water and the dough in the oven...the moist warmth makes the dough rise beautifully even if the rest of your house is cool...which it often is here in Oregon in the winter.
#4: Variations: Consider playing around with the ingredients after you have learned the recipe adding: ground flax, sunflower seeds, millet, etc. Or adding raisins and cinnamon to the dough when you add the flour for a cinnamon swirl bread.
For the cinnamon swirl bread: Once you roll out the dough, spread on a thin layer of butter, top with brown
sugar and sprinkle generously with cinnamon. Roll up like you usually would. Bake as directed.
Light Brioche Bun {Recipe}
I never thought to make my own hamburger buns, but I have been trying to make all of our bread products because it causes me to plan better-plus they are cheaper and taste so much better. I looked up a recipe and I had no idea that it would taste THIS GOOD. The original recipe is from the NY Times Dinning & Wine section, but I found it on a cooking blog I love called Smitten Kitchen. There are very few sites where every single recipe I have tried off of them is actually outstanding, so I am very smitten with Smitten Kitchen.
These buns are not just for hamburger loving meat-eaters though. They could be used to host a grilled Portabella mushroom and other veggies, or other meats and/or treats- so it is not just a burger bun. This is the bun that you won't want to stop making (or eating). We had an extra bun so I just slathered it with honey and ate it as a treat! The recipe does take a *little* planning ahead, but the end result will just blow your mind, so it is extremely worthwhile.
Light Brioche Buns (for Hamburgers and Much More)
Time: 1 hour, plus 2 to 4 hours’ rising
3 tablespoons warm milk
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups bread flour
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened.
1. In a glass measuring cup, combine 1 cup warm water, the milk, yeast and sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, beat 1 egg.
2. In a large bowl, whisk flours with salt. Add butter and rub into flour between your fingers, making crumbs. Using a dough scraper, stir in yeast mixture and beaten egg until a dough forms. Scrape dough onto clean, unfloured counter and knead, scooping dough up, slapping it on counter and turning it, until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Shape dough into a ball and return it to bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using dough scraper, divide dough into 8 equal parts. Gently roll each into a ball and arrange 2 to 3 inches apart on baking sheet. Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let buns rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours.
5. Set a large shallow pan of water on oven floor. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in center. Beat remaining egg with 1 tablespoon water and brush some on top of buns. Bake, turning sheet halfway through baking, until tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Yield: 8 buns.
Notes: For a very quick one-hour rise put the rising dough in your oven (make sure it is off) and pour the boiling water from the last step of the recipe into a shallow pan on a lower rack (if you have two racks in your oven). Then close the oven quickly and let the dough rise in this sort of greenhouse and you will not need to wait very long for it to double. Then your water is already in there for the last step. I do this for all my bread now since one of my favoirite friends told me this oven greenhouse trick.
The Most Fantabulous Homemade Playdough Recipe Ever.
Playdough Recipe (Thanks to one very special friend- Love you P!)
2 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Salt
2 Tbs. Cream of Tartar
2 Cups Water
4 tsp. Oil
1.) Combine the above ingredients in a saucepan adding the dry first and then including the wet.
2.) Turn on heat to medium. This will look in the beginning like it will never become playdough- it will just keep stiring.
3.) Stir until one dough ball is formed, careful to not burn! Takes about 5 minutes, maybe a little more.
4.) Add in desired food coloring and knead.
We LOVE this recipe. I made ours about 2 months ago and it is still soooo smooth each time I get it out for the boys that I don't want to hand it over. It is especially fun to knead the warm dough!! Dream.
Chicken in Milk Recipe
This is the best chicken I have made. EVER. It is consistently delicious each time I have made it, and the gravy that is to be had from the drippings, for that I have no words. I was skeptical of the combination at first, but when I smelled it roasting in the oven I knew I had done good.
Chicken in Milk
(from Jaimie Oliver's "Happy Days with the Naked Chef" cookbook)
1 4.5 lb. organic chicken
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 stick of butter
olive oil
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 good handful of fresh sage, leaves picked
zest of 2 lemons
10 cloves of garlic, skin left on
2 cups of milk
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, and find a snug-fitting pot for the chicken. Season it generously all over, and fry it in the butter and a little olive oil, turning the chicken to get an even color all over, until golden. Remove from the heat, put the chicken on a plate, and throw away the oil and butter left in the pot (NOTE: I save it, and use it to yummify some roasted + mashed potatoes, it is fab). this will leave you with tasty sticky goodness at the bottom of the pan, which will give you a lovely caramelly flavor later on.
Put your chicken back in the pot with the rest of the ingredients, and cook in the preheated oven of 1.5 hours. Basted with the cooking juice when you remember. The lemon zest will sort of split the milk, making a sauce that is absolutely fantastic.
To serve, pull the meat off the bones and divide onto your plates. Spoon over plenty of juice and the little curds. Serve with wilted spinach or greens and some mashed potato.
Serves 4
Other yummy recipes:
Chicken Tamales
Basic Homemade Pasta
Homemade Oven Baked Mac and Cheese
Tomato Bread Pudding
Chicken Tamales from Scratch Recipe
A couple of months ago a sweet Mexican woman shared her time and skills with some friends and I and prepared these with us so we could learn the *real* way of making tamales. I felt so honoured as these are one of my favourite foods and I see this tradition being passed down to the kids as they continue to grow. I love traditional heirloom recipes!
Tamal Filling:
Chile California (15 approx. dried)
Chile Mulato (3 dried- optional, for heat)
Whole Cumin seeds 2 tsp.
2 Tbs. Sesame Seeds
10 Peeled Almonds
4 Cloves of Garlic
8 Peppercorn
4 Whole Allspice
6 Bay Leaves
8 Cloves
2 tomatoes blanched
1/2 of Small Onion
4 Cooked Chicken Breasts (or that same amount of chicken mixed)
Salt to taste
Masa (or dough):
4 Cups of Maseca brand Masa for Tamales
4Cups of Lukewarm Water or broth
2 teaspoons backing powder
2 teaspoons of salt
1+1/2 Cups of Lard or vegetable shortening
(Note: I prefer olive oil as a substitute, or bacon grease if I have it- use same quantity as listed)
To wrap tamales you will need Corn Husks too, which you should be able to purchase at your local market.
Directions:
Heat all chilies over a burner in a pan, just until warm. Remove from heat and split open with a sharp knife, cut out veins and seeds. Like so:
Place back in pan with water in order to soften, stand by and rotate peppers so as to immerse them all as much as possible. Do this for around 30 minutes or until soft.
Place soft peppers, and the rest of the ingredients except for the chicken, in a food processor and run until very smooth and even paste is formed. IF you don't have a food processor you can use a blender and then you'll need to strain it as follows so that the pulp stays behind in the strainer. I would argue that this is VERY OPTIONAL, however that is how the lady showed us because she said that the pulp will give you a stomach ache ;)
Shred your cooked chicken and add it to the pan with the pepper pure, mix and heat thoroughly.
While this simmers,soak your corn husks in warm water and prepare your masa. Mix all masa ingredients together (I use my KitchenAid) until combined and spongy in texture.
When you are done with the masa prep and the filling it is time to wrap your tamales! I use my hands and spread the masa on the upper center and spread out to about 1 inch to sides and 2 inches to the bottom (some corn husks are smaller than others- try to buy the biggest ones) then put one heaping tablespoon of the pepper/chicken filling in the center. Wrap buy first folding in the sides to the center and then folding the bottom up and to the center as well.
You don't have to tie them unless you are an over achiever!! If you want to do that just grab one of the castaway smallish husks and rip it with the grain into little strips, then tie.
Place your little bundles in a steamer and cover with a wet cloth. Steam for about an hour- you will need to add water on a regular basis as without its lid it evaporates quickly and smoked tamales are no good at all. I know.
Any questions??
After all that, I have to admit the last several times I have cheated and bought some pulled BBQ chicken from our local market and added some salt and seasoning to buy myself some time. Don't be intimidated, find a solution that works for you!
These are typically made for Noche Buena, or as you may recognize it Christmas Eve served with Spanish Rice.We have done this as a tradition in our home for the last 3 years now- and LOVE it.
Do you have a traditional family recipe that you look forward to for a specific holiday? Do share.
Spain’s Quesada Recipe
This is what I would call Spanish "cheesecake", but it is so very different that I hesitate to even mention that to you. It is more dense, browned top, not as sugary-sweet, with an amazing texture and I think about two thousand times better than what you probably know as cheesecake. For me it is one of those comfort foods that if you know is in the fridge you will want to go back to it and take little slivers off here and there hoping no one will notice so that you won't have to share! I usually double the recipe and jut put it in a larger skillet to back and add about 10 minutes. If I don't double it I end up being way too protective of it. Not good.
I baked mine in a cast iron skillet, but you don't have to, I've made it in a baking dish and it turned out just as good. If you do have cast iron though, I think you'll enjoy the convenience of using it for this recipe.
Quesada Recipe
(from The Taste of Spain by Camillia Jessel)
500 ml or 18 fl. oz Cups Milk (2+1/4 cups)
1 Cinnamon Stick
Peel of 1 Lemon
Butter
300 g (11 oz) Sugar (1+1/3 cups approx.)
150 g (5 oz) Flour, sieved with a pinch of salt (1+1/4 cups approx)
150 g (5 oz) Natural Plain Yogurt (1+1/4 cups)
2 Eggs
Powdered Cinnamon
Heat the milk with the cinnamon stick and lemon peel. When it boils remove from heat and keep.
Heat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Grease an appropriately sized tin, ceramic or cast iron mould generously with butter and put it in the oven. The sides should be about 2 inches (5 cm.) height as the quesada rises slightly.
Beat the sugar and flour with the yogurt and eggs in a bowl. Beat in the strained milk little by little. Pour the mixture into the hot mould, sprinkle with powdered cinnamon and bake for 45 minutes.
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