Homemade Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

Here continues the saga of my bread making adventures.  I have mastered the basic recipe, and have moved on to whole grains.  Let’s just say that I wasn’t as successful with the whole grains.  But I’m not giving up… I just think I’ll stay away from pure whole wheat flour for a while.  The basic recipe on the other hand, is absolutely delicious, and like all the recipes require little preparation and few ingredients.  What takes the time is the rising, but if you plan ahead, and take the 5 minutes to shape the loaf and set it on the counter when you get home from work, you will have warm, delicious bread ready for dinner. It goes perfectly with a bowl of soup, or toasted for garlic bread.  And as the dough ages in the refrigerator, it sours slightly, and makes the most delicious sourdough bread.  It is wonderful as toast, a sandwich or a Panini.  Try it, and while you work on the basic recipe, I will work on the whole grain recipes.

Tortellini Soup

Tonight was Sunday soup for supper.  And Tortellini Soup was on the menu.  This is a great soup for a cozy winter meal.  It's so quick to throw together, and I'm sure you have most of the ingredients on hand, you'll have a weeknight dinner on the table in no time.  Topped with grated Parmesan cheese and a side of crusty bread, this soup is hard to beat.  Speaking of bread, my resolution to learn to make bread is going very well.  I will be working on the post this week, so stay tuned.  Learn how to make bread this way, and you'll never have to buy it at the store again. It has changed my life (dramatic, but true, at least in the bread department).

Roasted Carrots with Honey and Thyme

Have I mentioned that I'm addicted to roasted vegetables?  Well, I am.  And roasted carrots are at the top of my list right now.  Yummy! The roasting brings out their natural sweetness, and the addition of honey and thyme makes this the perfect side dish to any meal.  We had them Saturday night with brisket (click here to view recipe) and PW's roasted garlic mashed potatoes (click here to view recipe).

Maple Pretzel Chicken and Roasted Potato Salad

The sweet of the chicken and the tang of the salad makes a quick and delicious week night meal.  It takes a few minutes to roast the potatoes for the salad, but it can always be done the night before and then mixed with the greens when you're ready to serve.  For the chicken, make sure the pretzel pieces are finely crushed.  The smaller the pieces the easier it will be to coat the chicken.

Potato Bread

Happy new year everyone!  At least those of you who still visit this blog occasionally.  I have two resolutions this year.   The first is to blog more often, at least once a week.  The hustle and bustle of the holidays kept me away, but I am back and have lots of good recipes to share.  The second resolution is to learn how to make bread.  I've tried and been less than successful in the past.  But this is a new year, and I'm going to give it another try.  I might even try some gluten free recipes, we'll see.  First up is potato bread, courtesy of my sister, Ruth.