Skillet Blueberry Cornbread

I was not planning to bake anything more this week, given that we still have Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti and Dinner Rolls (and let's face it, there are only 2 of us), but it was rainy yesterday and a perfect day for baking... and I convinced myself that I deserved it after my 8.25 mile run :) and I did right?

I had these beautiful plump blueberries from a local farm and I have been wanting to make cornbread and I just LOVE blueberries in baked goods so I thought, why not?  (By the way, I thought this was an original idea... ... but then I did a google search and found a billion recipes....  but I guess nothing is original in the world of cooking).

and OH my GOD is this good.  Yummmm.  I mean really yum.  This recipe is definitely a keeper.  I took what I liked from a bunch of different recipes and added a few things of my own and I don't think I can imagine it being better.  And it is SOOOO easy and so fast.  So here is what you need:

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup stone ground cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup unsweetened butter, melted, plus more for greasing the skillet
1 to 2 teaspoons honey (optional - I added this at the last minute and that is why it isn't in the picture... sorry)

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  In a small bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt).

2.  In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the wet ingredients (buttermilk, lightly beaten eggs, melted butter, vanilla, and honey if you want it).

3.  Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, a little at a time, mixing just until all the ingredients are incorporated and there are no more lumps.  It will look like this:

(yes, you can dip your finger in and taste it... i love the taste of any uncooked baked good... it is my weakness...)

4.  Add the blueberries.

5.  Melt a little butter in a cast iron skillet to coat the pan.

6.  Pour batter into skillet.

7.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (mine took 22 minutes).  It will be a light gold inside.

Let it cool at least 5 minutes before cutting.  Cut into pieces and eat some while it is still warm!  I took some warm pieces out to Brandon in the barn (who was building an awesome bird house!)

He approved! :) lucky guy.

Oh, and check out the birdhouse:

Awesome.

Simple Baby Potato Salad

I found these beautiful baby potatoes at a farm stand the other day and thought I could use them for a potato salad.  I love potato salad and I have tried many potato salad recipes.  Potato salad is one of those things that can be made with almost anything.  I have made potato salads that have hard boiled eggs,  dill pickles, sweet pickles, carrots, green peas, onions, you name it.  I wanted to free myself of recipes, and also to make something light to balance off our dinner of brown sugar baked beans and dogs and those yummy dinner roles I posted the other day.

Here's what I did.  You could do this with any potatoes.

First, I boiled some water, added salt, and then cooked the potatoes, just until easily pierced with a fork.  You do not want to overcook them.  For these tiny potatoes, this only took about 10 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and then let them cool.  Cut them into bite size pieces.

Then add your ingredients.  I added some chopped cilantro, dill, and chives (all from the garden!).  I also diced some red bell pepper and red onions.  I only used a tablespoon or so of mayonnaise.  If you wanted to, you could add some mustard as well, or a hit of vinegar.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and any other spices you want (curry powder, garlic powder, paprika, you name it).

It was delicious! Very light, very fresh, a nice edition to any summer meal.  Enjoy!

-- Anya

Lupa plays, makes friends... and gets beat up

I know that all of you are constantly wondering how our animals are getting along.  Well I won't keep you waiting any longer.  Dogs are easier.  In the last couple days, Lupa and Betsi have come along way.  Here's what has gone down.

First, Lupa is curious about Betsi's butt:

(note: click the box in the lower right hand corner of the video to make it play full screen)

Lupa decides Betsi is OK.  She goes to sleep next to her.  

Lupa gets more comfortable and sleeps on Betsi's head:

So recap: Lupa loves Betsi.  Betsi is OK with being loved.  Betsi is old.  

Sasha.. well Sasha is another story... for those of you who are older siblings, you know how hard it can be to have a new baby enter the family.  Feelings of competition, adoration, curiosity, rivalry, battle inside of you. You want to love it, but you also hate it.  You grow to love it.  No question that Lupa is eager to be loved!  Sasha has stopped hissing every time the little one enters the room and she wants to play but she has no idea how to do it... or how much force to use.  It's like she is the kid who was home schooled and not quite sure how to act around other kids.  In the last 2 days she has started to try to play with Lupa but, as Brandon says, she plays like Mike Tyson.  Check this out.  It's hilarious.

But don't worry, Lupa is working on her hook, jab and cross for next time...

hehehe.

She keeps us entertained all day.  It is play, sleep, play, eat, play, sleep, play, eat, play.  Watch her attack the rocking chair in this video clip (and if you turn up your volume you can hear her chirp!):

OK that is probably enough Lupa for you for one day... more to come later.

By the way, I have started posting recipes.  This is fun for me and I hope you try some of them!  I am cooking and baking a lot during this time between jobs so I will try to post often.  You will see there is a "Recipes" tab at the top of my blog where links to all the recipes can be found.

-- Anya

Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti

Do you have one of those foods that symbolizes home?  That reminds you of cuddling up by a fire in winter with a cup of tea and a movie?  This is my mother's recipe and it is one of the most comforting foods to me, and the most satisfying.  The combination of toasted hazelnuts and dark chocolate is one of the best of all time.  Just trust me.  I have been baking these on a regular basis since I was in college in Austin, Texas.  Actually, one of my favorite poems that I wrote during college, "Sunday Biscotti," is named after these cookies.  And they are REALLY DARN GOOD.  Ok so you need:

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 t. baking powder
pinch of salt
3 eggs at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
1 c. bittersweet chopped chocolate (I use the Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate pieces but you can use any good chocolate)
2 cups hazelnuts, toasted, skin removed

So first, you have to toast the hazelnuts.  I do this in a 350 degree oven on a large baking sheet.

Keep an eye on them.  They are done when they are fragrant and the skins are brown and loosened.  Just taste them and see if they taste toasted and awesome.  Put them in a kitchen towel and rub them together to remove the skins. (Oh, and you can leave the oven on at this point and turn it to 375 for the cookies...)

Some you will need to rub with your fingers.  Not all the skin will come off all of them.  That is OK - no worries.  They are delicious either way.

OK.  Meanwhile, combine flour, salt, baking powder.  Whisk it together...

In a mixer, or a bowl, combine 2 of the eggs and ONE EGG YOKE* (see note below), vanilla, and sugar.

* Note: you want to save the egg white for painting, so to do this, you have to use the egg yoke trick. Do you know that one? Just crack the egg shell in the middle, over a bowl, and transfer the yoke back and forth between the two egg shell halves, letting the egg white fall into the bowl.  Put the remaining yoke in with the sugar and vanilla.

OK. Mix those together on low speed.

Then add the flour mixture and mix to combine.

Add the chocolate and toasted hazelnuts.

Stir them in, or fold them in by hand.  Don't use the mixer to do this step (I tried it, it doesn't work!)

OK now it gets a little messy. Your hands will get kinda gross and sticky... OK very sticky.  If this bothers you, let's face it, you are not cut out to be a baker! :)

So you need to flour a work surface and knead this baby for three minutes.  With the hazelnuts and chocolate in it... yes it is a pain... but it's worth it...  and if we are being honest, I never really do it for 3 whole minutes.   I think I sometimes knead it first and then fold in the hazelnuts and chocolate gradually.  You will find a way.  Have faith.  You will need to add flour as you knead because otherwise the dough will coat your hands and stick to the work surface and yeah... just keep flour on hand.  OK?

Then you will want to split the dough in thirds and roll it into logs:

Put the logs on a greased baking sheet.

Remember that egg white we rescued?  Lightly beat it and then brush the tops of the logs with it and slide it into your 375 degree oven for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, pull the logs out and cut them at a 45 degree angle.

YUM MELTY CHOCOLATE.

Turn the oven down to 275 degrees.  Put them back in for 35 minutes.  Sometime during that time (maybe after 15 or 20 minutes) pull them out again and lay the cookies flat on the baking sheet and finish cooking.

Cool on racks.  Eat your way to heaven! Great with coffee.  Great in winter.  Great in June.  Just great.

Every time my mom makes these she says they are the best she has ever made :)  Somehow, this is the truth.  Enjoy!

Oh and here is that poem:

Sunday Biscotti

I bake cookies

roll up my sleeves

rotate the handle as I sift

flour, salt, baking soda

I whisk the eggs

add sugar, and vanilla, craving

as always to stir myself into

the sweet liquid

I knead dough

hair slipping into my eyes

feet bare against cold

Mexican tiles

I listen to the rain on the patio

watch the way one drop collects

others as it slips

along the glass

I chop semisweet chocolate

and toast sheets of hazelnuts

bearing down as I stir, I watch

the flour dissipate into a sticky paste

I roll the dough into logs

paint them generously with

lightly beaten egg

and slide them into the oven

I watch a couple running

hand in hand through the rain

I lick the bowl, the whisk,

the wooden spoon,

I wash the measuring cups

and wipe down the surfaces

Putting my hands against

the warmth of the oven,

I cry for all that I love

and have left behind.

- Anya 

Dinner Rolls

YUM! I made these delicious dinner rolls today and served them warm from the oven. They break apart in your hands and are buttery and wonderful.  Here's what you need to make them:

3 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
Pinch of sugar
1/3 cup warm water
1 cup tepid buttermilk
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 - 5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Vegetable or canola oil for greasing

OK.  First, sprinkle the yeast and pinch of sugar over the warm water (make sure the water is quite warm so that the yeast is activated).  Let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.  It will look like this:

Melt the butter... mmm butter

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine buttermilk, sugar, melted butter, lightly beaten eggs, salt, and 1 cup of flour.  Beat 2 minutes until creamy.

Add another cup of flour and the yeast mixture.  Beat for 1 minute.

Add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time until dough pulls away from sides.  Then switch to a dough hook, knead on low speed for about a minute.  Add flour a bit at a time if the dough sticks.

The dough will be soft and springy.  Coat a large bowl with oil and turn dough once in oil to coat.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until dough doubles in size, about an hour and a half.   Make sure dough is in a draft free spot, not near a window.  If it sits longer than an hour and a half that is OK too.

Sprinkle a little flour on a work surface, split the dough in half, and roll between palms 2 - 18inch long logs.

Cut each log into 18 one-inch pieces.  Grease 2 8 inch cake pans.  Roll the pieces into balls and place in greased pans so balls are just touching.

Cover the pans with plastic wrap and let those babies rise for another 30-45 minutes, until they are nice and puffy.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and bake rolls until light golden brown, about 20 minutes.  Let cool slightly in pans.

Serve warm with pasta or meat or whatever you eat! Enjoy!

If I were a carpenter and you were a lady...

... would you marry me anyway? Would you have have my baby... If I worked my hands in wood,
Would you still love me? Answer me babe, "Yes I would, I'll put you above me."

Yes, I have discovered another reason that I am glad I married my husband... he can apparently build beautiful things! We have been needing a good coffee table for the living room but have not wanted to buy one.  About a month ago, he found some wood in the barn (yes we have a huge barn)

and since then he has been sneaking out there on rainy days, using a small hand saw and a box of nails.  I finally was allowed to see the completed table yesterday and I was totally impressed. Check it out!

He used an old crate for the base and sanded down these beautiful green planks to form a bottom shelf.  Isn't he handy?  The whole project cost less than $5!

... and it looks great inside.  Stay posted for his next project.

Garden update! I added the following to my garden this week: tomatoes (heirloom, cherry red, and a basic sandwich hybrid variety), cucumbers, watermelon, cantaloupe, red and orange bell peppers, basil, rosemary, romaine lettuce, mint and nasturtiums.  So excited to see how they all come out! 

And of course, no post would be complete without a Lupa update...

Sleeping... on my purse

playing

playing

sleeping

looking adoringly at Brandon

look at her legs!

TOO CUTE FOR WORDS

and one of the whole crew... a sleepy bunch!

Well it is nearly 4 p.m. and this post has taken me an hour.  I am a slow blogger and am off to the yard.  Brandon has gone off fishing and I am hoping he comes back with dinner!

If you were a fisher... and i were a blogger... :)

Anya