yummy

Seems like something happened in my brain over the holidays, and all the domestic goddess-ness that had me knitting and sewing my way up to the holidays was re-routed back to cooking and baking.  Not surprising, perhaps, considering that I was known as the domestic among my friends for a long long time based almost entirely on my penchant for cooking and baking.

Anyway, I have a plan to get back to knitting this weekend (someone actually asked for something I can knit!), so to fortify myself, I'd better have a "last breakfast" of some of the fruits of my labor.

Yummers.  A tender and delicious blueberry muffin (from a Cooks Illustrated recipe from several years ago -- it uses a good amount of sour cream, which gives them a nice tang), and Meyer lemon vanilla bean marmalade, made with Meyer lemons from my own little lemon tree!  I almost hate to corrupt one with the other... so I'll probably just eat the marmalade straight.  If you've got it in you to make marmalade, and have some home-grown lemons (I'd hate to think of all the wax and whatnot they spray on store-bought lemons), I highly recommend the recipe.

And here are a couple other recipes I've been making over and over again -- nothing too complex, just simple, wholesome, home-made goodness.
- Cavolo Nero (Dino Kale) "Pesto"
- King Arthur Flour classic whole wheat bread (I think I'm going to try some multi-grain this weekend, too)

Comments

[Doris]

Oh!! Cooking! Did you read about this no knead bread from the NYT? Suppose to be fabulous and makes crusty, crusty bread. I haven't tried it yet...

No-Knead Bread
Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery
Time: About 1 1/2 hours plus 14 to 20 hours' rising

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1 1/2-pound loaf.