Bread Baked in a Pot…Imagine That

Cooking is all about creativity. I love coming up with a new recipe; putting ingredients together to create a one of a kind eating experience. Sometimes creativity comes from the inspiration that an existing recipe creates. Truth be told, most recipes that are created got some kind of inspiration from another recipe. It might be a recipe you saw in a magazine, cookbook or online. It could be a dish you had in a restaurant. Sometimes it might even be a mosh up of several recipes.

This bread recipe has somewhat of a history. I wish I had come up with it, but I didn’t. I found the recipe at the Food.com website. The recipe was by Joy the Baker. She adapted the recipe from The Pioneer Woman Blog site. I took the recipe and tweaked the herbs and garlic to make it my own. I also added directions for kneading by hand because that’s how I knead.  You may make this recipe and add or subtract something to make it your own, too. And so it goes…everyone can create their own recipe for Bread Baked in a Pot.

DIGITAL CAMERAThis is a fantastic bread recipe! The texture is almost creamy. Aroma-wise it immediately makes your mouth water, and once you taste it you are in food ecstasy. I baked it to go with a Lentil and Sausage Soup that I adapted from The Proud Italian Cook Blog. I substitued fennel for celery. And so it goes…

The baking technique intrigued me and I had to try it. Now that I know that it creates a moist and tender bread, I’ll try it with other bread recipes. The next time I make it, I may use different herbs or add cheese. The possibilities are endless and it may never be exactly the same two times in a row. That’s the nature of cooking. It’s a creative and ever changing expression of love.

Back to the bread. I ate this bread with the soup (and by itself, and toasted and with homemade Chive Butter, etc.). I used the last few pieces in a Strata. DIGITAL CAMERAThe bread soaked up the custard overnight and the flavors of the bread enhanced the other ingredients. What a marvelous breakfast! Peppers, onions, and sausage in a Smoked Gouda laced custard were perfect.DIGITAL CAMERAThat gave me even more ideas. How about this bread in Savory French Toast or a Stuffing for Turkey or Chicken? Imagine how wonderful it would be as the base for Grilled Cheese Sandwiches or Panini’s. See what I mean? Every recipe can be many things to many cooks.

So, in the spirit of creativity and sharing, here’s the recipe for Spicy Herb and Garlic Bread Baked in a Pot. Make it your own.

Love, Mama D

Spicy Garlic & Herb Bread Baked in a Pot
Print Recipe
Bread baked in a pot...Imagine that.
Servings Prep Time
1 Loaf 80 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Servings Prep Time
1 Loaf 80 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Spicy Garlic & Herb Bread Baked in a Pot
Print Recipe
Bread baked in a pot...Imagine that.
Servings Prep Time
1 Loaf 80 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Servings Prep Time
1 Loaf 80 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: Loaf
Instructions
  1. Sprinkle yeast over warm water, add the pinch of sugar and stir gently. Allow the mixture to rest and foam for about 5 minutes.
  2. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Remove from heat and add the herbs, pepper flakes and garlic. Set Aside.
  3. Put flour in a large bowl. Add salt, pepper,yeast mixture, and butter mixture. If you have a stand mixer: Fit it with the dough hook and stir at low speed 10 - 12 minutes until dough cleans the sides of the bowl. If you do not have a stand mixer: Mix ingredients in bowl until combined. Turn onto floured surface and knead by hand about 15 minutes. Whichever method you use the dough should be smooth, supple yet firm.
  4. Place the dough in a large oiled bowl, turning to coat dough. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest in a warm place until doubled in bulk, Approximately 1 hour.
  5. When doubled in size, place on a floured surface and knead by hand about 2 minutes. Form into a "Boule" shape (flat bottom rounded ball). Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  6. In a large Dutch Oven or Heavy Soup Pot, add 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil to coat the bottom. Put the dough ball in the pan. Cut a fairly deep cross in the top using a sharp thin bladed knife. Drizzle with 2 -3 more Tablespoons of olive oil on top of dough. Sprinkle generously with Coarse Sea Salt and Red Pepper Flakes.
  7. Cover with a tight fitting lid and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 400 degrees, remove the lid and bake for an additional 15 - 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool until it can be easily removed for the pot. Bread can be served warm or cool and will keep up to 3 days if wrapped tightly. Provided it lasts that long!
Share this Recipe
Powered byWP Ultimate Recipe

 

 

Smothered Chicken – a Lovely Comfort Food

We all love Chicken dinners. This economical and versatile protein appears on tables everywhere. Mama D’s Kitchen turns out a lot of Chicken Dinners as I’ve shared in previous posts, but there’s always room for another dish, especially one as sinfully delicious and full of love as this.

I adapted this from a Crock Pot recipe that used bone in chicken thighs. This skillet dish is far removed from that, but it uses many of the same ingredients from the original recipe which includes:  Kraft Savory Garlic Cooking Cream.

DIGITAL CAMERA

Yes, Mama D will use something pre-packaged if it is good quality and enhances the recipe. Do you ever use cream cheese thinned with a little milk to create a sauce? That’s basically what Cooking Cream is. The mixing is done for you and there’s some serious garlic flavor going on. It comes in various flavors but, the Savory Garlic is the best, in my opinion.

I used chicken tenders in this recipe. These are available in most stores both fresh and frozen. These slender little morsels are pricey, but you can create your own tenders from whole chicken breasts.file5191339581170

Buy whole boneless – skinless chicken breasts when they are on sale (several small local chains sell them this way).  A few simple cuts with a good boning knife will give you tenders, filets and some chicken bits for casseroles, all at a much lower price. Cut the breast in half along its cleavage. Remove the tenderloin that runs along the underside. Cut some meat off the underside to give the filet an even playing field and you don’t need no stinkin’ pre-packaged tenders.

The sauce makes this recipe. Bacon, Onions and the Cooking Cream blend together into a velvety blanket for the Chicken. The Smashed Potatoes are a great base to hold the chicken and soak up the gravy. Add a salad or some sautéed green beans so that you have a balanced meal and can feel a little less guilty about the main dish. It can be on the table in relatively short order for a comforting weeknight dinner, but it would also dazzle company.

The season for “stick to your ribs” food is here. So give this recipe a try.

Love, Mama D

Smothered Chicken
Print Recipe
Decadent and creamy, chicken tenders become a satisfying weeknight dinner that would even impress company. Serve with sauteed green beans or a salad.
Servings Prep Time
4 10 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 10 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Smothered Chicken
Print Recipe
Decadent and creamy, chicken tenders become a satisfying weeknight dinner that would even impress company. Serve with sauteed green beans or a salad.
Servings Prep Time
4 10 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 10 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Place the potatoes and the smashed garlic in a pot. Add water to cover the potatoes by about an inch. Add salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the potatoes while you prepare the chicken and gravy. These can take care of themselves save a stir every now and then.
  2. In a large skillet cook bacon until it is lightly browned and has rendered some fat. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.The bacon will cook more later when it is combined with the onions. Leave 2 Tablespoons of drippings in pan.
  3. In a shallow bowl, mix 1/2 cup flour with the Paprika and Bacon Salt. Dredge chicken tenders in flour and transfer to the hot frying pan. Do not crowd the tenders. Brown in batches if they can't brown without touching. Turn to brown on all sides. This should take 7 -10 minutes or so. Remove from pan when browned and set aside.
  4. Return bacon to hot pan and add the onions. Toss to combine and coat with drippings. If the pan seems a little dry, add 1 - 2 tablespoons butter. Cook until onions are golden brown. Add remaining flour to pan and stir to incorporate the flour. Continue to cook 3 minutes or so stirrring often.
  5. Add the Chicken Broth and stir constantly until mixture begins to thicken and bubble. Reduce heat to low and stir in 3/4 cup of the Savory Garlic Cooking Cream. Return the chicken tenders to the pan along with any juices that have accumulated, stirring and turning the chcken until it is evenly coated with the gravy. Continue to cook over medium/low heat until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
  6. When potatoes are cooked, drain and return to pan. Combine remaining cooking cream and milk and add to potatoes. Smash, leaving more than a few lumps . Keep warm until ready to plate.
  7. Spoon the potatoes onto four plates. Divede the tenders evenly on top of the potatoes. Spoon the rest of the gravy over everything. Garnish with parsely if desired.
Share this Recipe
 
Powered byWP Ultimate Recipe

 

Mama D’s Florida Adventures of Love

I just got back from a long weekend in Florida, specifically Sarasota and Bradenton on the Gulf Coast. We went down for our niece Kelly’s wedding, which by the way was absolutely beautiful. Besides the festivities it was the first time in many years that the clan was together. 053

Grandma and her wonderful Grandchildren

In between visiting, we got to experience several local restaurants and one incredible 022gourmet shop,  Vom Fass. I’ve been to many Olive Oil and Gourmet Shops and I know my way around Wine Shops and Liquor Stores, 021but Vom Fass has a little of all of those displayed in a beautiful environment.

Vom Fass is a franchise that is fairly new to America, but common in Europe. The company is headquartered in Germany and has received awards for their franchises. Debbie and John Kay have had their franchise for a little over 6 months and are rapidly building a loyal following in upscale Downtown Sarasota. They are proud of their products and very knowledgeable about their origins and uses.

019Products come from all over the world and are stylishly displayed. I counted no less than twelve Scotches and an assortment of Whiskeys. Rum, Vodka and Gin were there, too. These came from023 Yahara Bay Distillery in Madison Wisconsin. Fruit LIqueurs, Grappa and the mystical French Absinthe were also available. While all this marvelous liquor isn’t cheap, it is unique and would be 025perfect for a special occasion.

This shop doesn’t live on liquor alone. It offers an amazing array of oils and vinegars. Besides the usual Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars they offer Pine Nut, Pistachio, Pumpkin Seed, and Argan Oil which is used in Moroccan cooking and has recently become a health and beauty darling.

Everything is available for tasting which helps in making the right decision. Oils and vinegars 024are sold in 100ml increments. The bottles which range from whimsical stars and shoes to no-nonsense  litres are sold separately.

Since I was traveling light, I stuck to the 100ml bottles (these are 020within the allowed amount for the plastic bag in a carry on.) I sacrificed shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, and bath gel and brought home a lovely Tuscan Olive Oil and Maletti Balsamico.

Sarasota has literally hundreds of restaurants. It is a very cosmopolitan city. We visited two restaurants that have been mainstays for many years.

Lunch one day were amazing hamburgers cooked perfectly to order at Patrick’s 1481. These were accompanied by well made martinis. Don’t judge me, I was on vacation.  Another evening we opted for an appetizer dinner at Mattison’s City Grill. Even though it was Sunday evening we were able to take advantage of the $4.00 Appetizers and $5.00 Martinis (vacation, remember?). The price was tiny but the flavors were big; Grilled Artichokes, Thai Lettuce Wraps, and Bruschetta all were well prepared and beautifully presented.

My niece’s wedding was in Bradenton and we found ourselves in need of sustenance, so off we went to The YachtSea Grille. When my brother-in-law told us about this place I thought he said the Yahtzee Grill and I was expecting dice and those little pencils. Instead it was a charming outdoor cafe that naturally specialized in seafood. We had Calamari served with a Spicy Remoulade that my have been the best we’ve ever had. It was just the right amount to tide us over.

So that about wraps up my weekend. It was nice to discover new places to eat, to walk along the beach, soak up the sun and play tag with the surf. Most of all, it was nice to be with family and friends to celebrate a joyous occasion.

Congratulations Kelly & Kenny. Have a beautiful life.

 

 

How Slumgullion Came To Mama D’s Kitchen of Love

Scan_Pic0007I’ve written about my mother and how she influenced my cooking. Besides being a wonderful cook she was a very well read woman. What she lacked in formal education, she more than made up for in general knowledge and an interesting and expansive vocabulary. She read the newspaper front to back everyday and always did National Observer Crossword Puzzles in ink. That’s an aspect of my personality that I can thank her for; I love to read and my facts of useless information are legendary among family and friends.

When my sons were growing up, I repurposed a lot of leftovers. I would combine meats and vegetables to get every bit of mileage out of the food I cooked. I’d add rice, pasta, or potatoes to stretch things a little farther. Scan_Pic0006When my mother saw me doing this she would always call it Slumgullion. An odd word that I honestly didn’t know the meaning of at the time, but it sounded sort of exotic and it became the name for any Leftovers of Love. I thought I should find out what the name actually meant. I looked it up a few years ago. According to the dictionary it’s a watery stew; mud and mine sluices; or whale blubber. Not very exotic after all. The name was already established so I set about to elevate it beyond its modest(?) origins. I even went so far is to make it with non-leftovers.

Surprisingly many people have recipes for Slumgullion ranging from a tomato based pasta dish, to a thin stew and even a tamales pie. What has become Slumgullion in our family however, is a skillet meal. DIGITAL CAMERAThere’s always some kind of beef, pork or chicken smoked sausage with Kielbasa and Andouille being my favorites. Peppers of any variety along with onions and garlic create the vegetable component and there must be potatoes. Yukon Gold or Red are my potatoes of choice. Spices and herbs vary and are often kept to a minimum.

DIGITAL CAMERA I even took it to the grill this summer and SlumgullionDIGITAL CAMERA on a Stick was born. The smokey taste that the grill imparted was a nice compliment to my standard ingredients. I’d always thought of Slumgullion as  a winter comfort food, but this grill interpretation was terrific and made this a year round meal. Production Note: I par-cooked the potatoes to even the cooking field. The peppers were Cubanelle. I also marinated everything in a balsamic vinaigrette and used it as a baste as well.

As with many of my recipes, the following is merely a suggestion. I never stick to it completely and I hope you’ll use it as a jumping off point to create your own Slumgullion Love. I’ve experimented with different techniques and cooking the ingredients in stages starting with the potatoes works best for flavor and texture. It’s one of those dishes that gets better after a day or so and you could easily double the recipe and freeze the leftovers. With cooler weather advancing every day, it’s a comforting meal that only needs some warm crusty bread and maybe a salad.

I think my Mom would approve.

Slumgullion
Print Recipe
Slumgullion is a skillet dish that has many interpretations...This is Mama D's version.
Servings Prep Time
6 15 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Servings Prep Time
6 15 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Slumgullion
Print Recipe
Slumgullion is a skillet dish that has many interpretations...This is Mama D's version.
Servings Prep Time
6 15 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Servings Prep Time
6 15 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Heat Olive Oil in a large skillet (with a lid). Add the Potatoes and toss to coat with the oil. Arrange in a single layer, cover and cook at medium heat for 3-5 minutes.Turn the potatoes and rearrange in a single layer. Cover the pan and cook fo another 3-5 minutes. The potatoes should be starting to feel tender. You no longer need the lid.
  2. Add the onions to the potatoes in the pan and cook for another 5 minutes until the onions are beginning to soften and brown. Add all of the peppers and cook, stirring occasionally 5 minutes or so until the peppers begin to soften.
  3. Raise the heat to medium high and add the sausage and garlic. Cook and stir until the sausage is beginning to brown. Keep the garlic moving do it doesn't burn.This should take 6 minutes or so.
  4. Add the Chicken Stock to the pan. Stir to loosen any brown bits and to coat the Slumgullion. Heat another 2 - 3 minutes. Add Salt and Pepper to taste. Remove from heat and serve.
Share this Recipe
Powered byWP Ultimate Recipe

 

 

 

It’s Time For Soup Love

 

DIGITAL CAMERA

 

The weather has taken a decidedly Fall like turn. We even had our first snow sighting. Making soup goes with this weather like frost on pumpkins. I love soup. I’ve written about it several times. Today I want to share two of my favorite creamy soups, Cauliflower and/or Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup.

This is the first post I’ve done that has an actual recipe in it. I have a bright shiny new plugin that is allowing me to do this, and even though I’m still learning all the things it can do, I’m excited that I can now share Mama D’s Recipes Of Love with you.

These two soups share a basic recipe. The main ingredient is all that changes. I bet that you could even choose a main ingredient of your own and this soup would still be fabulous. It’s quick to prepare as soups go; it can be on the table in about an hour.

I’ve added different herbs; thyme or rosemary work well. Spices like Smoked Paprika , Cayenne or Nutmeg can also create more flavor.  Seasonings like Tabasco or Worcestershire Sauce are also great. In fact you could add (or subtract) any ingredient to make it your own.

I just made the Broccoli version using Homemade Vegetable Stock. I make stock using vegetable scraps that I save in the freezer until I have 3 cups or so. Then a little olive oil to sweat a mirepoix, water, the veggie scraps, and a Bay Leaf plus any herbs of your choice and in a couple of hours you have Vegetable Stock. A proper recipe is forthcoming.

In the meantime, give this recipe a try….’tis the season(ing).

Cauliflower Cheddar Cheese Soup
Print Recipe
A creamy and indulgent soup that helps you get your veggies.
Servings Prep Time
4 15 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 15 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Cauliflower Cheddar Cheese Soup
Print Recipe
A creamy and indulgent soup that helps you get your veggies.
Servings Prep Time
4 15 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 15 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the bacon and saute until golden brown. Remove the bacon but leave all the drippings in the pan. Reserve the bacon for later.
  2. Saute the leeks in the oil/drippings in the pan about 3 minutes until soft. Add the potatoes and cauliflower. Toss them around until they are caoted with the oil. Continue to saute until they begin to color a little.
  3. Add about a cup of the chicken stock to the pan stirring to deglaze and get all of the lovely brown bits. Add the remaining chicken stock and bring to a low boil. reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes until all the vegetables are tender.
  4. Remove the pot from the heat and puree with an immersion blender until almost smooth. If you like your soup chunky, remove some of the cauliflower and potatoes before you puree. Put them back in the pot once everything else is smooth.
  5. Return the pot to the heat . Stir in the cream and heat gently . Slowly add the shredded cheese and stir until each addition is melted and blended. Add 3/4 of the reserved bacon. Continue to heat gently until the fragrent steam rising almost makes you swoon.
  6. Serve in soup bowls topped with the last 1/4 of the bacon and some snipped chives
Share this Recipe
 
Powered byWP Ultimate Recipe