Applesauce Bread for your soul

Great with your morning coffee!

During the winter event known as Snowzilla, Snowpocalypse or my personal favorite Kaiser Snowze,  my neighbors did a bang-up job of digging a gimpy girl out ( five times to be exact).  I am eternally grateful for their efforts, so I decided to make them all a little treat. This bread is simple to make and can be frozen for 3 months if double-wrapped carefully.

Makes four 8 x 4 inch loaves

2 1/3 c. applesauce

6 eggs

1 1/3 c. vegetable oil

3 c. water

4 2/3 c. all-purpose flour

1 Tbl. baking soda

2 tsp. salt

1 ¼ tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

½ tsp. fresh chopped ginger

1 ½ c. brown sugar

1 ½ c. white sugar

1 c. raisins, soaked and drained

1 ½ c. grated apple

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour four 8 x 4 inch aluminum baking pans.  Mix the flour,  dry spices,  baking powder and salt together in a mixing bowl and set aside. In a larger bowl;  mix together eggs, water, apples and sugar. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together until blended, taking care not to over mix. Fold in raisins and pour into loaf pans. Top each loaf with the chopped walnuts and bake in center of oven. After an hour, check each loaf for to see if cooked thoroughly by inserting a toothpick in the center of each loaf. Bread is done when toothpick comes out clean.

Bon Appetit!

Recall of Health Valley Bars announced

The Georgia Agricultural Board announced a recall of several varieties of Health Valley Organic granola bars for possible salmonella contamination.

According to the Atlantic Journal-Constitution (http://www.ajc.com/news), Health Valley Organic Wildberry Chewy, Peanut Crunch and Dutch Apple bars may have possible salmonella exposure from soy grits used in the bars.

No press release has been issued by the makers of the bars at this time.

For SKU and Lot numbers go here

National Pie Day!!

Hey Guys and Gals,

Did you know that February 23 is National Pie Day?  Like Spongebob says, everybody likes pie.  Pies have been around for ages and originated as a container to hold fillings from meats, fruit and even live animals.  Today, pie is all encompassing; if you can encase it dough and bake it in a pan, it can be called a pie, or not ( shepard’s pie and tamale pie come to mind with a topping that acts as a crust)  Well, I say we chuck our diets and have a pie orgy.

Let’s see; I’ll start with a slab of Quiche Lorraine for breakfast,  Spinach Pie for lunch, and Chicken pot pie for dinner and was it down with a wedge of apple pie for dinner. Mmmm, heaven!  Now who can say no to Pie? I thought so.

The stuff of dreams!

(Thanks to Parrotnation.wordpress.com for this bodacious picture)

CC

Brown Rice for breakfast: Who Knew?

Brown Rice with pears, walnits and skim milk

In the search for a healthy way to start my morning, I have had issues with just about every breakfast option available to me.  I hate funky textures, so I can’t get past the first three bites of  hot oatmeal before the texture of it drives me crazy. I have valiantly tried eating cold cereal, but frankly the idea of it left me, well…you know. As a child I was raised on a hot breakfast, so I’m stuck on the idea.

I once had a personal trainer who extolled the virtues of egg whites and some sort of turkey bacon or sausage. So for the past eight years ( yes), this is what I would eat, along with the bi-monthly splurge of no-cholesterol pancakes.  If it was a hot July or August morning, then a pot of coffee and fruit and toast worked just fine. But, it’s been a real issue for me. So imagine my pleasure when my boss; a holistic doctor, suggested I treat brown rice as a breakfast alternative to oatmeal or a healthy addition to my egg whites.

Eureka! I just imagined all the possibilities. For those who don’t know, brown rice is considered a whole grain because only the husk is removed. It has a delightful nutty flavor and a chewy texture.  A note to those who may be diabetic: I ran across conflicting information on the web concerning  brown rice and glycemic load ( healthy)  and glycemic index (unhealthy), so consult your doctor before adding this to your diet.

Brown Rice Breakfast Bowl

½ cup Cooked brown rice ( cook according to package)
¼  of Raw apples/pears diced
½ cup berries
2 Tbl. Raisins ( optional)
1 tbl. Chopped walnuts or almonds
¼ tsp.  ground cinnamon
¼ c. skim milk/almond milk/rice milk
Honey/Stevia to taste

Just combine these ingredients in a bowl and heat in a microwave. Enjoy

Nectar of the Gods

Coffee.  Black and strong, sweet and creamy, frothed or not, we all enjoy this brew. According to the website Just About Coffee, the drink was used as a medicine in ancient Muslim societies, coffee made its way to the New World by explorers looking to cultivate the popular drink.

Coffee drinkers drink an average of 3.1 cups of coffee a day in the U.S., the website coffeeresearch.org reports.  The beverage is a part of American culture and it is with this absolute adoration of the heady beverage that I write this brief homage to my favorite coffee company: Porto Rico Import Company.

Storefron of the best coffee EVER!

A dear friend sent me the store’s Cafe Blend coffee as a birthday gift seven years ago, and I’ve grown so fond of that I order it several times a year. I’ve given it as housewarming and birthday presents ever since.  You can keep your Starbucks;  I’ll take my coffee from these guys. They get a special ” Thumbs Up” from me because I ordered my coffee from them on a Thursday, and I got it the very next day. Sigh, now that’s customer service!

So, I’ve told you my favorite coffee. What’s yours?

Thanks to the following websites:

Coffee Research ( http://www.coffeeresearch.org)

Porto Rico Coffee Imports ( http://www.portorico.com)

Just About Coffee ( http://www.justaboutcoffee.com)

Coffee poster is courtesy of http://scienceblogs.com/retrospectacle

Bread, can we still be friends?

Dear Bread,

How have you been? I’m hoping you  are well.  I know I’ve been distant lately, and after reading this letter, I hope you understand why.  I hope it won’t upset you, I’ve realized over our break these past two week s that I can no longer see you.

Our relationship over the 15 months or so have frankly been rough for me; you were there, so you already know what I’m talking about.  I’ve tried you whole-grain and no-grain, french and Italian-style, tandoori and tortilla, and even pitas and it’s all come down to the same sad conclusion: I cannot digest you, and you know it.

Is this some post-Atkins craze excuse? No, and you know this. You know I defended you against all these low-carb freaks that insisted I use lettuce instead of you to make wraps, while all the while those fake protests against eating french fries dissipated into the ether as plate after Atkins-friendly plate came back void of all french fries I placed next to those sandwiches.  I just smirked to myself and knew that like all diet crazes, that this too shall pass.

Had I known that my enjoyment of you would turn into a Faustian nightmare, I would’ve made the transition earlier.

Am I allergic to gluten? No, I don’t have Celiac disease. What is or has happened to us is simple. I eat too much of you; and, let’s just say I , oh fuck it: Bread, I can’t poop after eating you!

There, I’ve said it.

I just can’t go to the bathroom after eating you in any form. And frankly, I’d rather poop than have a sandwich. I just want to know if we can still be friends. Well, can we?

I want to know if I can still touch you ( through the plastic wrapper, of course). Do I have permission smell the  heady aroma of a properly baked loaf of rye as it comes out the oven. Can I  vicariously enjoy the sweet, earthy scent of cinnamon when you appear as raisin bread. Or, when you show up as one of those artisinal types, can I still marvel at the visual richness of your crumb or smile when I see you as a chewy, crater filled ciabatta?

Will you let me love you from afar? I hope so, because this is the only way we can continue.  I hope you understand. Can we still be friends? Let me know.

xxoo,

Culinary Chick

Hey, $25 gift card contest extended!!!!

Hey, win a gift card!

Due to the ABSOLUTELY OVERWHELMING RESPONSE ( zero), I’m extending the contest dates to Midnight, May 24th. You have until then to tell me how you make your meals a gourmet experience in thee hard economic times. There will be two winners, each receiving a $25 Shop-Rite gift card.

Contest Rules:

1) No substitutions will be given in lieu of gift cards.

2) Shop-Rite gift cards can only be used at Shop-Rite stores.

3) Contest entries must be in by midnight, May 24.   The winners  will be announced on May 27, 2009.

4) All posts must be limited to 50 words or less.

5) All entries must have a valid e-mail address

6) Only one entry per valid e-mail address

7) Please refrain from using racist, sexist or pornographic comments. Entries which contain theses elements will be disqualified.

Have Fun!

Win a $25 gift card from Shop-Rite

Culinary Chick and the kind folks from Shop-Rite grocery stores are giving away $25  Shop-Rite gift cards to two lucky readers of this blog. All you have to do is post an answer to this question:

In these lean times, how do you maintain a gourmet touch in the meals you prepare for yourself, or your family?

A gourmet touch could be anything from using a simple garnish like a parsley sprig,  to breaking out that extra virgin olive oil, to splurging on seafood or a special cut of meat. I will choose the  best five entries; and you, the readers will choose the best two.  The two winners will receive the $25 gift card, courtesy of Shop-Rite.

Contest entries must be in by midnight, May 10.  Voting will end on midnight, May 17. The winner will be announced on May 19, 2009.

Contest Rules:

1) No substitutions will be given in lieu of gift cards.

2) Shop-Rite gift cards can only be used at Shop-Rite stores.

3) Contest entries must be in by midnight, May 10.  Voting will end on midnight, May 17. The winner will be announced on May 19, 2009.

4) All posts must be limited to 50 words or less.

5) All entries must have a valid e-mail address

6) Only one entry per valid e-mail address

7) Please refrain from using racist, sexist or pornographic comments. Entries which contain theses elements will be disqualified.

Have Fun!

Adventures in Baking 3: My Sister’s bread photos

As you well know, I am making bread now because it has become too expensive for me to buy the multi-grained, healthy kind. I have to pinch pennies where I can, so I’ve set limits for  myself when purchasing groceries. I try to only buy fresh ingredients, only when it is profitable to do so.  As far as the bread is concerned, I’ve always wanted to experiment, so here ya go.

I think I have the Honey-oatmeal bread nailed:

I scraped together some change ( read couch cushions), and ordered tinned-steel loaf pans from Kaiserware.com.  They were a steal, and the best investment I’ve made in awhile. The oven spring for this recipe was magnificent! My sis wanted white bread, and I knew how to make oatmeal bread, but not white bread. I went to allrecipes.com for this recipe, and halved it. This is the result:

Amish White bread

This recipe said this loaf was dense in texture, and it was. It didn’t have much oven spring, but my persnikety sister loved it. It has the texture of Pepperidge Farm bread, and was relatively easy to make (although I cut way back on the required sugar).  My brother-in-law loved his bread, and I think they appreciated the effort.

My goal this year is to continue to experiment with breadmaking, and to acquire additional knowlege about it. Besides, it’s relaxing!

I’m baking bread today

I often write checks my ass can’t cash later. That’s what happens when you talk before thinking.

I’m going to visit my sister and my husband-in-law tomorrow, so I promised them bread. Now, I’m too tired to make it. But I will, ’cause I loves my sis and her lovely husband. Ill take pictures today and post them tomorrow.

Persnickety Alert:   She will only eat white bread (never mind that raisin bread is sort of brown. Only white bread). You know, that’s like liking American cheese, but only eating the yellow kind.

I love you LadyBass, you finicky girl. But tomorrow, your ass is getting Oatmeal bread!

CC ( with all the love my heart can carry)