Dutch Oven No-Knead Crusty Bread

I've been really enjoying trying out different types of bread making.  And I LOVE this recipe!  So easy that you'll want to make bread ALL the time.  Not to mention so unbelievably delicious (and beautiful, right?). 

You'll want to read through this entire post for extra little tips as far as handling and baking the dough.  I've included some step-by-step pics as well.  

I mean just gorgeous.  Look at that crusty top.  In the middle the dough is chewy and absolute perfection.  You'll notice little black dots in this finished loaf - they are poppy seeds.  I made an Everything loaf!   You can add whatever you like to this dough - cheese, herbs, nuts, etc.  I've added the amounts I used to make the Everything loaf at the bottom of the recipe. 

I used 2 different sizes of Dutch Ovens.  This orange one is a 3 quart and the loaf fit perfectly.  I also used a 7 quart and is was fine, but the bread spread out a little and wasn't so round.  Still delicious!   

All the ingredients get mixed by hand and what results is an incredibly sticky dough that requires no kneading.  At this point, you can add other ingredients to flavor the bread. 

It will look at bit smoother, but still rather messy once everything comes together.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 12-18 hours.  I did mine close to bedtime, let it sit overnight and baked it the next morning. 

It will double in size and look like this.  If you're ready to bake, preheat your oven to 450 degrees.  Once it reaches 450, place your Dutch Oven in the oven with lid on.  Let heat for 30 minutes.     

Meanwhile, prepare a work surface heavily (and I mean heavily!) covered with flour.  Flour your hands and dump the dough onto the floured surface.  This makes 2 loaves so you'll need to cut it in half (keep flouring hands because it's still incredibly sticky).  Cover the loaves with plastic wrap and let sit until pot is heated.

Carefully remove the pot from the oven - remember it's crazy hot!  Pick up one of the dough balls and drop it into the pot.  You do NOT need to oil your Dutch oven or cast iron pot.  Doesn't matter if it's enamel coated or not, you shouldn't have any trouble with the dough sticking after it's finished baking.    

Pictured here are the 3 loaves I made - the 2 on the right are plain loaves and I followed the recipe below.  The one on the left is the Everything loaf and I actually halved the recipe just to make the one.  I obviously used a bit more flour on my hands for that one, but I love the way it looks.  So rustic!  

The back right one is the loaf that was in the 7 quart - notice it is more oval shaped because it's spread out a bit.  

Wouldn't these make the nicest gifts?  For a new neighbor or just to do something nice for someone.  The loaves are so gorgeous they may not believe you made it!  

Makes 2 loaves

Dutch Oven No-Knead Crusty Bread

6 cups all purpose flour

3 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon instant yeast

3 cups water

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast.  Add water and mix until everything comes together (it will be very sticky and wet).  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12-18 hours.  

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 450 degrees.  When it reaches 450 degrees, place a dutch oven or cast iron pot with lid in the oven for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface and shape into a ball (you'll need floured hands as well!).  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit while pot is heating.  Carefully remove HOT pot from oven and drop in dough.  

Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes.  Remove bread from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

To make Everything bread:  add 2 teaspoons poppy seeds, 2 teaspoons dried chopped onion, 2 teaspoons sesame seeds.  

(Source:  Recipe from Simply So Good)

Chicken and Egg Noodle Casserole

Comfort food at it's best!  Warm and inviting and perfect for feeding a crowd.  Veggies, egg noodles and cheese - what's not to love?  

Packed with flavor from chicken broth, white wine, carrots, onions and celery, then combined with half & half makes this dish so creamy and delicious.  You can make it easier on yourself by purchasing a rotisserie chicken, rather than cooking and shredding the meat yourself.  I used a very simple pan steam method to cook my chicken - about an inch of water in a deep skillet, bring to a boil, add 2 chicken breasts and cover for about 20 minutes (depending on how thick the chicken is).  Shred and add to recipe.   

As if the noodle, veggie and white wine mixture wasn't enough, the casserole then gets topped with shredded mozzarella.  Baked until bubbly and the edges get a crispy cheesy crust - remember what I was saying about comfort food?!  This is sure to be a hit with your whole family.

Serves 8

Chicken and Egg Noodle Casserole

4 tablespoons butter
12 ounces egg noodles
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup diced onion
1 medium carrot, diced
1 large stalk of celery, diced
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 cup half & half
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 cup shredded mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a 3-quart casserole dish (or a 9 x 13-inch baking pan) with non-stick cooking spray.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the egg noodles until al dente, about 4 minutes.  Strain.

While the noodles are cooking, heat the butter in a heavy bottom pot over medium heat.  Whisk in the flour to form a paste.  Stir in the onions, carrots and celery and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Cook 5 minutes to soften, then add the wine.  Whisk for 30 seconds, then add the chicken broth and heavy cream.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Fold in the noodles and chicken and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer to the greased casserole dish and top with the shredded mozzarella.  Bake until bubbly and brown on top, 40-45 minutes.

(Source:  Adapted from Food Network)

Broccoli Pasta Salad

Broccoli salad is one of my favorite side dishes.  I have a fantastic recipe for another type of Broccoli Salad, but when I saw this one from Damn Delicious, I had to give it a try!  

And it looks pretty, too!  Would be a great dish to take to a potluck or picnic.  I guarantee everyone will be clamoring for this recipe.  Everything just pairs so well together.  Broccoli, sweet grapes, crisp bacon, pecans and pasta all tossed together in an amazing tangy dressing.  

The dressing is light but so flavorful.  The combination of Greek yogurt, mayo and red wine vinegar give it that tanginess that I just love.  It just works so well with the broccoli and rest of the ingredients.  Can't forget to mention that it's overall a pretty healthy side dish! 

If not serving the entire recipe immediately, I recommend saving some of the dressing to toss in again after it's been sitting in the fridge.  I actually only made 1/2 of the recipe the way it's written because I knew I would be the only one eating it, and had plenty of dressing left over (even after halving that too).  The dressing dried out a bit after sitting in the fridge.  Still good!  Still ate it for 3 days at lunch!  But save some if you can.  

Serves 6

Broccoli Pasta Salad

8 oz farfalle pasta 

1 head of broccoli, cut into florets and chopped

6 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped

2 cups red grapes, halved

1/4 cup red onion, finely diced

1/4 cup chopped pecans

For the dressing

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Make dressing by combining all of the ingredients and whisking.  Set aside. 

Cook pasta according to package directions and drain well.  In a large bowl, combine pasta, broccoli, bacon, grapes, red onion and pecans.  Add about 1/2 of the dressing and stir to coat well.  Add more as desired.  Serve immediately and store leftovers in the fridge.  Save extra dressing for tossing into the leftovers out of the fridge.    

(Source:  Adapted from Damn Delicious)

Vegetable Lasagna

Confession - I cannot write this without laughing out loud thinking of the Seinfeld episode where Elaine and Putty break up (and get back together...and break up) on a plane and they nickname the guy next to them Vegetable Lasagna.  Elaine: "Oh please, I took you back! You know it, I know it, vegetable lasagna here knows it!"

Sorry, we're Seinfeld obsessed - my entire family and I can find a Seinfeld reference in practically any given situation.  Laughing aside, you're going to love this lasagna!  No red sauce, but it's plenty creamy and flavorful from a broccoli sauce and ricotta mixture.  

My favorite pieces to eat are the corners, which get all crispy from the melted cheese on top.  If you like, you can also add 3/4 pound of sliced mushrooms.  Just cook separate until slightly browned, then add them to carrot/onion mixture for that layer. 

  

I did 3 layers of lasagna noodles and used at least 4 noodles per layer (4 long ways, slightly overlapping, then 1/2 a noodle to go across the bottom because the noodles didn't reach all the way end to end in the pan.)  At the bottom of this recipe, I added 2 ways to assemble the lasagna.  Depends on if you want yours a little thicker (use the first option).

Serves 12

Vegetable Lasagna

1 lb box of dried lasagna noodles
2 (10 3/4 oz) cans cream of broccoli soup
1 (10 oz) package of frozen chopped broccoli
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 carrots, thinly sliced
1/2 onion, diced
2 (8 oz) packages of shredded mozzarella, keep 1 cup separate
1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese
2 eggs

Cook lasagna noodles in a large pot with boiling water - follow instructions on box for cooking time.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium saucepan on medium, combine and heat the broccoli soup and package of frozen broccoli until everything is warmed through.  Add olive oil to a skillet over medium high heat.  Stir in the carrots and onions and saute until veggies are very tender (about 10 minutes).  Remove from heat and set aside.

Mix the mozzarella (minus 1 cup), ricotta and eggs in a bowl.  Assemble the lasagna in this order:

1 cup broccoli sauce, lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the cheese mixture, all of the carrots/onions, 1/2 remaining broccoli sauce, lasagna noodles, 1/3 cheese mixture, lasagna noodles, remaining cheese mixture, remaining broccoli sauce, 1 cup shredded mozzarella.

OR

1 cup broccoli sauce, lasagna noodles, 1/2 cheese mixture , all carrots/onions, 1/2 remaining broccoli sauce, noodles, remaining cheese mixture, remaining broccoli sauce, 1 cup shredded mozzarella.

Cook for 45 minutes until cheese is melted and the top starts to turn golden.  Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Crock Pot Baked Potato Soup

If you love loaded baked potatoes, then this is a must try.  It's rich and creamy and reheats really well for the next day's lunch.  I used red potatoes (no peeling!) and diced frozen onion (a huge time saver for meals like this), but you can use large baking potatoes and peel them if you like (you'll only need about 6).  Depending on the size of your red potatoes, you'll need about 8-10.  I think I used 9 because in my bag, some were much larger than others.    

Start cooking your bacon just before your soup is done.  We love this soup topped with bacon, more cheese and sour cream.  Green onions or chives would be great, too! 

Serves 6-8

Crock Pot Baked Potato Soup

8 -10 red potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup frozen diced onion
4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup butter, cut into cubes
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 cup half & half
1 cup cheddar cheese, plus more for topping
8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
sour cream, optional

 Combine the potatoes through the pepper in the Crock Pot and cook on high for 4 hours (or low for 7).  Potatoes should be tender.  Using a potato masher or fork, mash the potatoes until they are coarsely chopped and the soup has thickened.  Stir in half & half and cheese.

Serve topped with crumbled bacon, more cheese and sour cream.

(Source:  Adapted from Food.com)

 

Summertime Salsa

I know it's not the official start of summer yet, but it was just Memorial Day weekend, and that pretty much makes it feel like summer.  This salsa is the epitome of summer - fresh ingredients and the freshest of flavors.  

I'm trying to pay a lot more attention to my garden this year - as opposed to other years where I didn't really bother to prune, just kind of picked off what I needed.  It paid off!  I just picked my first (huge!) batch of cilantro.

This salsa is so easy - everything rough chopped, into the food processor, pulse and done. 

Puree it as smooth or chunky as you like it.  My husband and I have to compromise a little so I puree mine so everything is in teeny tiny dices.  You'll actually end up with more of a liquidy salsa the longer it's in the food processor. 

The colors are gorgeous and looks even prettier topped with a little more fresh cilantro as a garnish.  And by the way, I typically double this recipe, even if I'm making it just for our family.  If I don't, it's gone in one sitting.  We are addicted!

Makes about 2 cups

Summertime Salsa

5 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons diced jalapenos (from the jar)
2-3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, leaves removed from stems
2 teaspoons minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste

In the bowl of a food processor, combine all of the ingredients and pulse until it's the consistency you prefer.  Serve with tortilla chips for a snack or as a garnish with tacos, nachos, etc.

Japanese Ginger Dressing

Once when I had this random craving for Japanese restaurant-style ginger dressing, I just knew that I could find a copycat recipe somewhere.  And, yes, there certainly are a TON of recipes out there!  I tried a couple, found one that I liked, adapted it to suit my tastes and came up with an AMAZING dressing.  I make this often and love that you can really just eyeball your ingredients and it will turn out great every time.

  

This dressing is tangy and full of so much flavor.  I did a very simple salad of Romaine lettuce (you can use iceberg or whatever you prefer) and some carrot pieces and tomatoes and it was fresh and delicious.  Fantastic paired with my Ten Minute Stir Fry.  

Garlic, ginger, ketchup, soy sauce, sugar and lemon juice are just a few of the players in this dressing.  You literally throw everything into the food processor or blender and mix it all up.  This will take you minutes!!  Feel free to use fresh ginger root, but I used the minced ginger in the jar, just to save time.  I've used fresh ginger root before and I can't really tell a difference in taste.

Makes about 2 cups

Japanese Ginger Dressing

1/4 cup minced onion
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons minced ginger root
2 tablespoons ketchup
4 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

In a food processor or blender, combine all of the ingredients.  Blend on high speed for about 30 seconds or until all of the ingredients are well-pureed.  Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.

(Source:  Adapted from allrecipes.com)

Mexican Chicken Soup with Limes

This is a very light, although very spicy, quick and easy soup!  It could easily be thrown in the Crock Pot but I started it too late in the day so I used my stove top.  The ingredients came together in minutes and I even threw in my chicken breast still frozen.  It will simmer for about a hour to cook the chicken, but I didn't even look at until the hour was up and it was time to shred the chicken.

I found this recipe on the blog, Budget Bytes, which I love because she breaks down the cost of each ingredient and the total recipe cost.  So, this soup is tasty and super cost friendly!  

I love the sourness from the lime juice that gets squeezed in at the end.  And the creamy, coolness of the avocado takes the bite out the spiciness.  And it is spicy!  That tickle the back of your throat spicy...my husband I were clearing our throats and coughing a bit while eating this.  You can absolutely omit the jalapeno if you want to cut down on the heat.  

 Serves 4

Mexican Chicken Soup with Limes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 medium onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 tablespoon minced jalapeno (I used from a jar, but you can use 1 medium fresh)

4 cloves garlic, minced (I used minced from a jar which would be 2 tsp)

1 large chicken breast

6 cups chicken broth

1 can diced tomatoes with chiles, 14.5 oz

1/2 tablespoon cumin

1 or 2 limes

1 avocado

In a large saucepan or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Cook the onion, celery, jalapenos and garlic in the olive oil for about 5 minutes or until tender.  Add the chicken breast, chicken broth, tomatoes and cumin to the pot.  Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium-low, place a lid on top and let simmer for one hour.  

After simmering for an hour, remove the chicken breast from the pot and shred with two forks.  Return the meat to the pot.  Squeeze the juice of 1 or 2 limes into the soup.  Serve and top with a few chunks of avocado and tortilla chips.  

(Source:  Adapted from Budget Bytes)

Creamy Tortellini Soup with Spinach

This rich and creamy soup is in a word, heavenly.  Decadent but not to heavy; creamy, flavorful and just perfect for a cool fall evening.  And it only gets better as leftovers!  I should know...I ate it for the next 2 days for lunch!  And now I wish I had more. 

So you start by chopping some pretty standard veggies for a soup.  Carrots, celery and onions.  Also you'll chop your garlic cloves if using fresh (I used the minced kind from the jar for time saving purposes).  

Saute your veggies in a mixture of olive oil and butter, add flour and make a roux.  Follow that by a lot of half and half (really, a whole quart!), tortellini, chicken broth and some fresh spinach.  The result is a creamy, luxurious, wonderfully cold weather soup.  Yes, lots of cream (I didn't say it was healthy!), but also lots of veggies - including spinach which is so good for you.  Your family will ask for this again and again...

 Creamy Tortellini and Spinach Soup

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 medium onion, diced

1 cup carrots, diced

1/2 cup celery diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup flour

1 quart of half and half

1 can of reduced sodium chicken broth (14 oz)

pinch of nutmeg

1 package of frozen tortellini 

1 1/2 cups of fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat.  Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic and saute until the veggies are tender about 8-10 minutes.  Add the flour and stir, forming a roux for another minute.  Slowly add the half and half and chicken broth and stir until everything is incorporated.  Add the nutmeg and allow to simmer, stirring often until the soup becomes thicker, about 5-8 minutes.  

Add the tortellini and allow it to come back up to a simmer; the tortellini will start to float when they are done (about 3-4 minutes).  Add the spinach, let wilt, and add salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve with good bread for dipping.   

(Souce:  Adapted from Pass the Sushi)

Cornmeal-Fried Onion Rings

I love onion rings.  Love, love, love.  But, I don't really care for onions all that much, so I don't know what it is about them that I go crazy for?  This is another super delicious Ina Garten recipe that I make over and over again.  Unfortunately, my husband shares my dislike for onions and will actually not even eat these, so I've been know to make just one onion at a time for myself.  A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do...

These are the BEST onion rings I have ever had (or made).  They are light, crisp and so flavorful.  Basically, there's no heavy batter, but instead a light dusting of flour and cornmeal.  I try to cut these as thin as possible and even use a sweet onion to cut that really strong onion flavor.  You can use a Spanish onion or yellow onions, but you will need 2 large or 3 small if following the below recipe.  Try these on your next Burger night and your family will flip!!  

Serves 4-6 

2 large onions

2 cups buttermilk

kosher salt and black pepper

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup yellow cornmeal

1 quart vegetable oil

Peel the onions, slice them 1/2 inch thick, and separate them into rings.  Combine the buttermilk, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl.  Add the onion rings, toss well and allow to marinate for at least 15 minutes (they can sit in the buttermilk for a few hours).  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.  Set aside.  

When you're ready to fry the onion rings, preheat the oven to 200 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with paper towels.  

Heat the oil to 350 degrees in a large pot or dutch oven.  Working in batches, lift some onions out of the buttermilk and dredge them in the flour mixture.  Drop into the hot oil and fry for 2 minutes, until golden brown, turning once with tongs.  Don't crowd them!  Place the finished onion rings on the baking sheet, sprinkle liberally with salt and keep them warm in the oven while you fry the next batches.  Continue frying the onion rings and placing them in the warm oven until all the onions are fried.  They will remain crisp in the oven for up to 30 minutes.  Serve hot.  

(Source:  from the Barefoot Contessa at Home - Cornmeal-Fried Onion Rings)