Chicken noodle soup and Crusty Soup Bread

You know those days when the rain is falling and you can't seem to warm up? We all experienced them with this last flood. It's all too easy to sit back, complain about the weather and dream of summer days. It just so happens that on those summer days, you are burning hot and praying for some rain. I'm working on that part of myself. The part of myself that is always looking for greener grass and future happiness. I think it's a poor habit. It leads to pretty permanent discontentment. So, as a declaration of my new outlook, during this last rainstorm, I dressed Lila and me up in our rain boots and set out to make Soup Day happen. We went to the store, used a giant umbrella, and made the most of the monsoon. We made an entire afternoon revolve around yeast, dough, veggies, broth, and plenty of "noonals". Which is her way of begging for noodles.

I want to share these recipes with you. The chicken noodle soup is just a staple. Totally make your own, or change mine anyway you'd like. But, this bread is amazing. Make this bread. I'm so serious. You can't stop. Chewy on the inside, crunchy on the outside. Baking bread is such a joy for me. I don't know why I love it so much. It is a lot of work, but it's so rewarding. It is always pleasing to watch the yeast at work and pull steamy bread from the oven. Try it! And try to make the most of your day. Embrace your weather, work, home, and circumstance. And while you're at it, make something fresh.

Crusty Soup Bread

2 cups warm whey or water (90-110 degrees)
1 tbs yeast
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs sugar
2 tsp salt
5 to 5 1/2 cups flour

Now, the recipe mentioned that you could throw this all in a bread machine on the dough setting and pick up after the first rise. I didn't this time but I'll try it in the future. If you'd like, go for it.

Otherwise, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the bowl of your kitchen aid or just a regular bowl and let it "sponge" for ten minutes.
Add salt (2 tsp), oil (1tbs) and 3 cups flour. Beat for 2 minutes using the dough hook
Then add 2 cups of flour to make a stuff dough and beat it (or knead) for 10 minutes.
Place in an oiled covered bowl for an hour

Bread machine users, pick up here!

Punch down and divide in half


Make two long slender rolls and slice diagonal lines in the loaves. Place them on a pizza peak with corn meal or just a prepared pan with parchment paper and cornmeal if you have it.
Cover with a cloth and Let it rise for another hour.

Heat your pizza stone/ oven to 375 and place a pan full of water on the bottom rack.

When the rise is over, slide the bread onto the stone and bake for about 30 min

Then eat it all.





Chicken Noodle Soup

3 cartons of organic broth. I do 2 veggie broths and 1 chicken
1-2 cartons filled back up with water
1/2 of a celery package sliced
6 carrots peeled and sliced
2 cooked chicken breasts (I jut used leftovers)
1 bunch of parsley chopped
1 bag of small or medium egg noodles
S&P to taste.

In a medium to large soup pot, sauté carrots and celery with a bit of olive oil.

Then add your broth and water S&P and bring to a nice boil and cook for 25 min on medium heat. Add shredded chicken and parsley. Cool for another 25 min. Or pretty much whatever you want.

Soup is great if you're under the weather. The salt in the broth heals your throat and the pepper clears your sinuses. We like ours a little on the spicy side. I got that from Lisa. It adds a unique flavor. So don't be shy with your S&P!
In a SEPARATE pot, bring your water to a boil and add your egg noodles. Cook for 6 minutes and then drain.
Serve in a bowl with noodles and pour soup over. At the end of the night it's ok to add the noodles to the soup to store in the fridge once the soup is cooled. Otherwise they will just get too soggy.

Enjoy soup day!

Throwback Thursday: Cranberry Pecan Biscotti

Food speaks to me. It inspires me. It's not just the eating. It's the experience. The feel and smell. The color and textures. The challenge. The empowering feeling when it turns out well. The opportunity to share your creation with others and the opportunity to share the creating with someone.

Today I got to experience all of the things I love about food. Heika came over and we put a new twist on a recipe. There was the sweet smell of almond extract, the warm scent of pecans. The smooth feeling of the dough. There was shaping and egg washing. We baked on crackley brown parchment paper and sliced to bake again.
There was the photography, conversation, laughter and peace. There was French press and floral fabric. There were birds and sun beams, there were babies and make believe. It was air and life. I don't know about you, Heik, but it was just what I needed.
Our Friend Press FrenchShip. Thank you.

This recipe is for Cranberry Pecan Biscotti. We had made a cranberry almond biscotti a long time ago but this isn't it. This recipe is completely new. It's adapted (barely) from my Aunt Linda's friend. I don't know her name, but I'm thankful for her. My Aunt brought her scones to Easter and they were a hit! Her recipe calls for white chocolate instead of pecans and they were great. We made this small change just to try something new. It's what we do. Feel free to use the chocolate instead or try changing something else. There's some leeway for it. Just at least try. Or try something else. Try a recipe that speaks to you. One that makes you excited. You can. You do have enough time and you'll love it. It's not all about the outcome. It's about the process and what you learn along the way...

Cranberry Pecan Biscotti


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
2 eggs
1/2 tsp almond extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
3/4 cup chopped pecans

1 egg white

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat sugar, butter, eggs, and almond extract. Blend well.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

Combine two mixtures and add in cranberries and pecans.
Divide dough in half and form two 2 1/2 by 9 in logs with 1 in thickness.

Transfer logs onto baking sheet, spacing evenly.
Whisk egg white until frothy, and brush egg white glaze on the top and sides of each log.

Bake for 35 minutes.
Cool completely on baking sheet and set on top cooling rack. Transfer to a work surface. Using a serrated knife, cut logs on a diagonal into 1/2 in wide slices. Arrange slices, cut side down on same sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Turn biscotti over and bake until they begin to brown, about 5 mins.
Transfer to a cooling rack.

Enjoy!

Love Heika and Darla

Vegan Vermont Maple Scones

Hey friends! Last week, Darla sent me a message asking when we were hanging out next so we could bake scones. That's right, scones!! We found some good recipes, but we wanted them to be weird. No plain jane stuff. The first thing we did... made them vegan. Instant weird.

Scones can also be a bit intimidating. I tried them months ago and they were just bad. The trick is with the butter. We froze it, grated it, then put it back in the freezer. After prepping everything, then you add the cold butter. In the end this is what makes the scones so flaky and delicious.

Vegan Vermont Maple Scones with Maple Glaze
Yields 8 scones
Adapted from Sweet Happy Life

Ingredients:
3 cups all purpose flour
4 tablespoons (packed) light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled Earth Balance butter, use a cheese grater
1/2 cup (or more) plus about 4-6 tablespoons non-dairy milk
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons pure VT maple syrup
2/3 cup (about) powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F.

Whisk flour, 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl to blend. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Stir 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup maple syrup in small bowl to blend. Gradually add milk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until dough comes together and adding more milk by tablespoonfuls if dough is dry.

Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Knead dough gently until smooth, about 5 turns. Using floured hands, pat out dough to 8-inch round; cut dough into 8 wedges. Transfer wedges to baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.

Bake scones until golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to rack.

Meanwhile, whisk remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 2 tablespoons maple syrup in medium bowl to blend. Add 2/3 cup confectioners sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk. Mix well. If needed, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking, until you have a thick glaze.

Drizzle or spread glaze over warm scones. Let stand until glaze sets.

Enjoy them while they are warm and toasty with a hot cup of French pressed coffee. Yum!

Throwback Thursday: Homemade Almond Butter

Homemade Almond Butter

Yummm.

Let me just say that this recipe is easy...delicious...and necessary for all those who are obsessed with almond butter, like me. I mean, why would you go to the store and buy a jar of organic almond butter for like 15 bucks when you could just buy almonds in bulk and make your own.

Think about it. It is a win-win-win situation. How? You save yourself from eating the Skippy's and the Jiff...which is gross. You save money, and who doesn't love that. And if you have self control (unlike me), you can just make small batches, so you never have to worry about binge eating or having it expire.

What you need:

Almonds (both raw and roasted)

Food processor (or blender)

Spatula

Directions:

Add 1 cup raw almonds and about 1/3 cup roasted almonds to food processor.

Turn on food processor to chop nuts.

After a few minutes, it should look like this:

Keep the food processor going and periodically scrape the the sides.

When the almonds start forming a ball (the part where the almond oil is being released) keep hanging on because you are in the home stretch. This happens anywhere between 10-15 mins after starting.

Finally, you will see it becoming creaming and looking so delicious.

Now, turn it off and grab your spatula. The almond butter is warm and gooey, making it really easy to put in a jar. Everything should easily fit into a 1/2 pint jar.

Enjoy on a sandwich with bananas, honey, and cinnamon. Or with some apple slices. Or by the spoonful.

Love, Heika