With My Hands

Gingerbread Oatmeal Stout Coffeecake

2012-01-24T14:34:00.000-06:00

I made this for work at the request of my mananger who found the recipe in the Beer Advocate Magazine. I hate baking anything besides bread but this recipe was worth it- YUM!

INGREDIENTS for Gingerbread

12 ounces oatmeal stout beer

1 cup molasses, not blackstrap

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup butter, unsalted, room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar, packed firmly

1 teaspoon ginger, fresh, peeled and grated fine

3 large eggs

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ginger, ground

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt, kosher

1/2 teaspoon cloves, ground

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground

INGREDIENTS for toasted Oatmeal Streusel

1 1/2 cups oats, old fashioned variety

1 cup light brown sugar, packed firmly

3/4 cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons lemon peel, candied, minced

1/2 teaspoon cardamom, ground

1/2 teaspoon salt, kosher

3/4 cups butter, unsalted, chilled, cut into small pieces ( 1 1/2 sticks)

INSTRUCTIONS

Pour the stout into a medium-size pot over high heat and bring to just short of a boil. Add the molases and whisk to combine, then add the baking soda. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Next, coat a 9x13 inch baking pan with butter or nonstick spray, or butter and flour a bundt pan.

Add the butter to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, and cream it on medium speed until soft and fluffy. Add the sugar and ginger, and beat for 2-3 minutes on high speed. Add one egg at a time, until combined. Turn off mixer and remove the bowl and paddle.

In a sifter or fine colander, add the flour, baking powder, ginger cinnamon, salt, cloves, and nutmeg, and sift into the mixing bowl. Pour the cooled Stout molasses mixture over the top of the flour and fold with a spatula until combined, making sure there are no flour spots and the batter is mixed evenly (but don't over mix).

Streusel Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Place the oatmeal evenly onto a sheet tray and into the hot oven. Toast the oatmeal for about 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, to brown evenly. Remove from the oven and pour into a a large bowl. Add the sugar, flour, lemon peel, cardamom and salt, and mix well. Once the oats have cooled, add the butter and toss/stir until pea-shaped balls of streusel form.

Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Distribute half of the stresuel over the top of the gingerbread batter. Pour the remaining batter over the top of the streusel, spreading with a spatula to achieve an even thickness. Arrange the remaining streusel over the cake, place into the center of the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a thin knife removed from the center comes out clean. Let the coffee cake cool, then cut and serve.

Yield: About 15 servings depending on what size you cut the pieces.

Greek Styled Nachos

2012-01-06T18:33:00.009-06:00

I got this recipe from a friend's blog and modified it a bit. My husband and I scarfed it up. Quick, easy, tasty, and fun to eat!

INGREDIENTS
4 big pita pockets, cut into wedges

About 1/2 cup olive oil

salt & cracked black pepper

4 ounces feta cheese

1/2 cup plain, whole milk yogurt

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 lemon

Freshly ground black pepper

1 small red onion, chopped

1/2 pound ground lamb, turkey or beef (you pick)

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 or 3 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup calamata olives, pitted and halved (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Brown meat in a skillet over medium-high heat with the cumin, salt, and pepper until done. Keep warm.

In a blender or food processor, combine feta, yogurt, 1/4 cup olive oil, garlic, and juice of lemon; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Blend or process until smooth. (You can also mash mixture by hand, with a fork). Make sure all veggies are chopped and ready to go.

Turn on the broiler. Arrange pita wedges in one layer on large baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt . Place on top rack and broil until they begin to color. Turn and do the same on the other side. The pita chips color quickly so keep an eye on them!

Slide pita chips onto a large serving platter and top with meat, yogurt sauce, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, green bell peppers, and olives if you’re using them.

Yield: 1 large platter of nachos which will feed one wife and one ferociously hungry husband.

Evolution of a Cellar

2011-12-28T18:22:00.001-06:00

My husband has MAD SKILLZ!

My Daily Bread: Whole Wheat with Flax and Wheat Germ

2011-12-11T21:11:00.003-06:00

I love bread. Of all kinds. But in an effort to take care of myself the majority of the breads I eat are healthy, whole wheat, whole grain breads. This is a fantastic and flavorful healthy bread I have been making a lot lately.

Whole Wheat Bread with Flax and Wheat Germ

INGREDIENTS

1-1/2 cups water

3 tablespoons canola oil

1/4 cup honey

1 cup bread flour

2-1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup toasted wheat germ

1/3 cup nonfat dry milk

3 tablespoons flax seed

2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

To complete by bread machine: Place all ingredients into the bread machine in order listed. Select the whole grain cycle if you have it otherwise use the white bread cycle. Let the machine do all the work. The machine will make one 2 pound loaf.

You can bake this bread in two free form round loaves or in two loaf pans. To make two free form loaves: shape each dough half into a ball and place onto a greased sheet pan. Allow to raise until doubled in size in a warm place. Bake in a preheated oven of 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and move to cooling racks. To bake in loaf pans: Spray two 9-inch loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray. Shape each dough half to fit in each loaf pan. Allow to raise until doubled in size in a warm place. Bake in a preheated oven of 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Turn out of pans and allow to cool on cooling racks.

Belgian Ale Joes

2011-11-18T20:36:00.003-06:00

I got this recipe off a friend's blog and tweaked it just a bit by using a Peated Scotch Ale for the beer instead of a Belgian ale. This beer was really rich and creamy and perfected this recipe. I served it up with some seasoned fries, a simple arugula salad with a balsamic vinaigrette and a glass of Robert Mondavi's Meritage. YUM!

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 bay leaf

1 bottle dark Belgian beer (or Peated Scotch Ale)

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons vinegar

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 cup beef stock

4 rolls, split and toasted

INSTRUCTIONS

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of extra virgin olive oil, about 2 tablespoons. Add the beef to the skillet and cook until golden brown, 5-6 minutes.

Add the onion, allspice and bay leaf to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the veggies are tender, 5-6 minutes. Add the beer to the pan and cook a few minutes to reduce the liquid a little and concentrate the flavor.

In the meantime, combine the brown sugar, vinegar, Dijon and beef stock in a small bowl and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add this mixture to the pot and cook until reduced and thickened, 15-20 minutes.

Yield: 4 Generous Joes

Cheesy Meatball Soup

2011-11-15T08:27:00.009-06:00

This soup may not sound that exciting but it is one of my favorites and everyone I make it for loves it. As a crockpot soup it requires little effort and if you want to make it even easier just use frozen meatballs instead of making your own. Serve it with a nice crusty bread for dipping.

INGREDIENTS
2 cups water

2 cups chicken or beef stock

1 cup corn

1 cup potato, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

½ cup carrot, peeled and sliced

½ cup onion- chopped

1 (8 ounce) jar Cheez Whiz (you can also use Velveeta)

1 lb ground beef

¼ cup bread crumbs

1 large egg

½ tsp salt

GARNISH
cracked black pepper
parsley
Tabasco sauce

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix first 7 ingredients together in crockpot. Combine ground beef, bread crumbs, egg and salt together in bowl and form small meatballs; place in crockpot. Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours, giving it a gently stir occasionally if you are able. About 15 minutes before serving add the Cheez Whiz (or Velveeta) and stir gently. Check soup for salt and pepper. Garnish soup with cracked black pepper, parsley, or Tabasco sauce if you like.

Yield: 4 big bowls of soup or 6 smaller bowls.

Siebenfelder Bread

2011-11-03T13:59:00.007-05:00

I was turned onto this bread by my mom who loves it. This is the recipe she uses to make it except that she makes it into two free-form rounds and bakes it on 325 but since I am obsessed with artisan style I modified the method a bit to get a crustier version.

1 cup warm water
1 1/2 tablespoon oil
1 large egg
1/2 tablespoon white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 cup rye flour
2 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons gluten
2 tablespoons caraway seeds
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon active dried yeast

Dough Cycle Use: Place all ingredients into the bread machine in order listed. Select the dough cycle. When dough cycle completes (about 90 minutes) remove dough and shape into a ball. Divide ball in half. Shape each ball into a fat baguette. Place on parchment paper and let bread raise in warm place until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with pizza stone letting the stone heat for about 20 minutes to get nice and hot. Brush the top of the loaf with water and give it several slashes with a serrated bread knife. Slide onto hot pizza stone. Bake for about 25 minutes or until bread is golden brown. Remove bread and let cool on cooling rack.

Yield: 2 medium sized loaves.

Cinnamon-Butter Glazed Gnocchi & Sweet Potatoes

2011-11-02T14:12:00.003-05:00

I love gnocchi and I'm always looking for new ways to eat it. I found this recipe in the Hy-Vee grocer magazine which has some really delicious recipes. I wasn't sure what to expect with the ingredients in this sauce but thought it was worth a try. Adding the Parmesan cheese upon serving it is a perfect compliment to the sweetness of the sauce.

INGREDIENTS

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided

1/2 cup unsalted butter

3 tablespoons maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon dried sage

1 (16 oz.) package gnocchi

Parmesan cheese fro sprinkling

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 F. In a medium bowl, combine sweet potatoes, brown sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Stir to coat potatoes. Spread evenly on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake 25-30 minutes or until browned.

In a large saucepan, melt butter. Add maple syrup, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, black pepper and sage; simmer. Prepare gnocchi according to package directions. When gnocchi is done strain and place into butter sauce. Continue to simmer in butter sauce until sauce has thickened. Add baked sweet potato cubes and toss lightly to coat. Garnish each serving with Parmesan cheese liberally.

Yield: Serves 4.

Homemade Yogurt & Granola

2011-10-21T08:08:00.002-05:00

I started eating yogurt and museli while living in Ireland. Once I returned to the U.S. I found American yogurt disgusting. Way too sweet and not rich and creamy like European yogurt. I was very saddened by this as yogurt had become a favorite breakfast for both Matt and I. Recently I found out you could make your own yogurt at home! My friend Amy, who is like the Proverbs 31 woman, showed me how this past week. We had a morning of cooking and yogurt and granola was first on the list. It turned out incredible and was not hard to do. I will post the directions soon.

Granola

6 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup ground flax seed
1/2 cup wheat germ
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients. Combine both mixtures together and pour onto 2 sheet pans. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color. Remove from oven and let cool. Makes about 8 cups.

Homemade Corn Tortillas

2011-10-21T08:00:00.001-05:00

My Mom gave me a tortilla press for my birthday this year. I like flour tortillas the best and hope to get good at making them but since corn tortillas seemed easier I thought I would start with those. My friend Amy mills her own flours and gave me some fresh milled corn to use. I mixed the corn with water until a dough formed and then divided the dough up into balls which I pressed between parchment paper on my new tortilla press. It worked like a charm. I fried them up and here is my first batch. Not the prettiest but- served up with chorizo, beans, cheese and fresh salsa- delicious!

Dresser Gone Rock N Roll!

2011-10-16T21:18:00.006-05:00

Before

After

I bought this solid wood dresser at the thrift store. It was well made with dovetail drawers but in desperate need of a makeover. I decided I would paint it for my nephew Jace who needed a bigger dresser. At first I tried painting it with his favorite colors which are currently orange and gray but it turned out hideous. So Matt and I put our heads together and came up with this theme for him since he loves music and playing guitar. The guitar tabliture you see on it is a Dire Straits guitar riff. The best part was sticking it in his room over the weekend while he was away!

DIY Deep Conditioner

2011-10-07T14:28:00.001-05:00

I found this recipe for making your own deep conditioner for hair a few weeks ago here and just tried it out today.

1 ripe avacado

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

Peel and mash up avocado. Add olive oil and honey and mix thoroughly. Apply to hair, concentrating mostly on the ends. Secure hair up with a hair binder. Leave on for 20 minutes and then rinse out, shampooing and conditioning as usual.

My hair already feels softer so I hope to use this treatment once a week. It is a bit messy so I suggest applying the mixture to your hair while standing over the bathroom sink.

Chicken Mandarin Salad

2011-10-05T22:28:00.006-05:00

My husband and I both like salads a lot but unfortunately we seem to eat them rarely. We recently decided- in an effort to shed some pounds and eat healthier- that we would start eating salads regularly. Here is one of our favorites.

DRESSING
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

SALAD
1 large bag baby spring mix or other greens of your choice
1 small bunch scallions, chopped
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup pecans, roughly chopped
1 handful cilantro, chopped
3 grilled chicken breasts, sliced

INSTRUCTIONS:

For dressing; combine all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake.

For salad; in a large bowl, combine greens, scallions, celery, mandarin oranges, pecans cilantro and chicken. Pour desired amount of dressing over and toss to combine. Store the leftover dressing in the fridge for up to a week.

Yield: 2 large main course sized salads or 4 smaller appetizer sized salads.

Suggested Wine Pairing: Cavit Pinot Grigio

Living Room Before & After

2011-10-04T08:29:00.004-05:00

Here is the living room of our house before we bought it.

Here is what we did to it. Matt sanded down the mantel and re-stained with Kona stain. I then used the Valspar Virtual Painter program to help me decide my color scheme. I used Behr's "ultra pure white" on the fireplace wall and Valspar's "delta sandbar" on the surrounding walls.

Night Stand

2011-10-03T14:02:00.001-05:00

This was one of my first projects. I got this night stand at the thrift store for $5. It was a dirty, dingey, old white. I gave it a sand and painted it my favorite color, which is called sapphire but I think of it as periwinkle. It's hard for me not to paint all my furniture this color! I finished the edges and new knobs with gold acrylic paint. Fun!

Ristras

2011-09-30T12:32:00.006-05:00

When I am homesick for Arizona I do things like cook Mexican food or decorate our house with Mexican looking things. After painting our kitchen periwinkle I wished I had some strings of chile peppers (ristras in Spanish) to hang in it. I saw some fake ones at Hobby Lobby and then thought to myself maybe we can make some. So I googled it. There are plenty of directions online on how to dry chile peppers for ristras and the specific way to tie them but in an effort to be quick we bought some already dried bulk chiles at the grocery store and some twine and tied em together. The walls I wanted to hang them on are pretty narrow so we didn't want a big bunch but rather a thinner string of them. Here they are- I love them!

Hutch Gone Mexican TV Stand!

2011-09-30T11:12:00.003-05:00

I bought this bottom half of a hutch at Savers for $14. I had been looking for a TV stand for a long time and recognized this as the piece to be transformed.

I started by prying off the cabinet inserts. Then I gave her a good sanding. Matt and I turned the top drawer into a shelf to hold the DVD and DVR box by removing the front plate and attaching a frame to the bare edges. Next came primer, royal blue paint, and the copper inserts Matt punched out with suns. We attached the inserts and finished it off with some hand painted talavera-looking knobs from Hobby Lobby.

Headboard Gone Mexican!

2011-09-30T10:48:00.012-05:00

I bought this headboard at a thrift store for $10. I wanted it because it had inset inserts so I immediately imagined it with punched tin.

I sanded it down. Matt stained it with our favorite stain color, kona. We decided to paint the carved strip at the top with 2 blues and then Matt punched out the inserts giving them southwest themes. We detailed it with some burnt umber acrylic paint and here is the final product...

Mustard Rye Bread

2011-09-30T08:52:00.005-05:00

1 1/4 cups warm water
1/4 cup stone-ground mustard
1 tablespoon oil
2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups rye flour
2 tablespoons gluten flour
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon caraway seed
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon active dry yeast

Dough Cycle Use: Place all ingredients into the bread machine in order listed. Select the dough cycle. When dough cycle completes (about 90 minutes) remove dough and shape into an oval. Place on parchment paper and let bread raise in warm place until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with pizza stone letting the stone heat for about 20 minutes to get nice and hot. Brush the top of the loaf with water and give it several slashes with a serrated bread knife. Sprinkle with additional seeds and slide onto hot pizza stone (with parchment paper which you can remove about 20 minutes into baking). Bake for about 40-45 minutes until bread is golden brown. Remove bread and let cool on cooling rack.

Yield: 1 1/5 pound loaf.

Thrift Store Dresser Gone Mexican

2011-09-30T08:37:00.008-05:00

I bought this dresser at Savers for $6. I forgot to take a picture of it before the transformation but it was a medium brown color. It is real wood and has the dovetail drawers and was in descent shape save a few cracks and loose pieces in the drawers that some wood glue was able to fix. I tried some different techniques and colors on it but did not like my work. I sanded it down and gave it to Matt. He ended up staining it with our favorite stain color, Kona. Then he painted over that with turquoise paint and distressed it by hand so the stain would show through. We added some beautiful handles from Hobby Lobby with crosses on them and finished it off with protective furniture wax.

Parmesan Pine Nut Bread

2011-09-30T08:23:00.004-05:00

I made this bread for the first time the other night for a spaghetti dinner. It was fantastic and really tasted of pine nuts.

Ingedients:
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups bread flour
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (can substitute Asiago)
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/3 cup pine nuts

To complete by bread machine: Place all ingredients except the pine nuts into the bread machine in order listed. Select the white bread cycle. About 15 minutes in to the cycle add pine nuts and allow machine to do the rest of the work.

Dough Cycle Use: Place all ingredients except the pine nuts into the bread machine in order listed. Select the dough cycle. About 15 minutes in to the cycle add pine nuts. When dough cycle completes (about 90 minutes) remove dough and shape into an oval. Place on parchment paper and let bread raise in warm place until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with pizza stone letting the stone heat for about 20 minutes to get nice and hot. Slash top of dough and slide onto pizza stone (with parchment paper which you can remove about 20 minutes into baking). Bake for about 40-45 minutes until bread is golden brown. Remove bread and let cool on cooling rack.

Yield: 1 1/2 pound loaf.

Goat Cheese and Cracked Pepper Bread

2011-09-22T18:46:00.011-05:00

This bread has a bit of a bite and is delicious dipped in olive oil.

Ingredients
1 cup warm water
4 tablespoons goat cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
3 cups bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

To complete by bread machine: Place all ingredients into the bread machine in order listed. Select the white bread cycle. Let the machine do all the work. The machine will make one 1 1/2 pound loaf.

Dough Cycle Use: Place all ingredients into the bread machine in order listed. Select the dough cycle. When dough cycle completes (about 90 minutes) remove dough, divide in half. Form each into a ball and then elongate each ball into a baguette shape. Place on parchment paper and let bread raise in warm place until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with pizza stone, letting the stone heat for about 20 minutes to get it nice and hot. Brush the top of the loaf with water and give it several slashes with a serrated bread knife. Slide onto hot pizza stone (with parchment paper which you can remove about 15 minutes into baking). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until bread is golden brown. Remove bread and let cool on cooling rack.

Yield: 2 loaves

A Headboard Beautified

2011-09-22T18:06:00.003-05:00

I found this headboard at a building materials resale store and bought it for $20. I took it home having little idea of what I might do with it. After a bit of experimentation this is how it turned out. It was the first piece of furniture I redid myself and I quite love it.

Materials: Dark brown latex paint (thinned out with water), cherry red latex paint and copper acrylic paint.

2011-09-22T17:49:00.001-05:00

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