Best bread on the planet. Truth.

This Thanksgiving my Marko and I were responsible for bringing the bread. He wanted to order it all, but, I, not unlike a superhero, swung into action and offered to bake fresh bread!!
Look, I've said it at least a thousand times, i am terrified of yeast breads. I decided to tackle my fear, and (not unlike a superhero, again), i succeeded!!! My cousin suzy sent me this recipe from a video she watched on the net from the New York Times.
This is truly, unequivocally the best, most delicious and EASIEST bread ever. It is unreal. It is super crusty and crunchy on the inside but super chewy and soft and amazing on the inside. Please please please make this. Thank me later ;)

Recipe: No-Knead Bread Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery


Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting

¼ teaspoon instant yeast

1¼ teaspoons salt

1.5 cups water

Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

Directions:
1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1.5 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.

Let this cool for at least an hour or several hours. Then cut it up (so everyone is watching and can hear the crunchy crust!!!!!!!!!!), sit back and allow them to praise you for being super awesome!!!
Enjoy!!! Smooches!
gigi

Dinner biscuit (rock'n) rolls!

Sometimes I like to show off. Like, sometimes I want to make homemade bread with my homemade dinner meal.  This time I wanted a quick and easy dinner role recipe that i could throw together in no time.  I found this recipe in my Paula Deen cookbook. Awesome. These are a cross between bread and biscuit. They are quick, warm and best served with a slather of butter. More than that, i looked like a rock star because i made homemade bread. bwahahahha!  Do something extra for dinner and make a batch of these!!! I didn't need 12, so i halved the recipe and they were perfect!

http://www.pauladeen.com/index.php/recipes/view/easy_rolls/
Ingredients
Butter, for greasing muffing tins
2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
4 heaping tablespoons mayonnaise

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin with butter.
In a large bowl, combine flour and milk, blending with a rubber spatula. Add the sugar and mayonnaise, and stir until just combined. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Serve this with your fav meal and look like the superstar that you are!
smooches
gigi

Blueberry muffins with streusel topping

What is more wonderful than blueberry muffins? Blueberry muffins with cinnamon streusel on top. Omg. For these chili fall days, there is nothing that makes you feel more loved and warm than a batch of sweet muffins. Make some for your muffin ;)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries (i only had frozen)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon


1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.

2.Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.

3.To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.

4.Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Serve with a big smile and a warm heart
Enjoy!
gigi

Jam filled kisses :)

I just love being fancy shmancy sometimes. I wear high heels pretty much every day. I wear super nifty suits to work on occasion and i love mascara. These cookies are the fake eyelashes of cookies. They are so super fancy, but don't require a lot of ingredients, but do require a lot of time. They are however, worth every single second. Both the eyelashes and these cookies :) Like fake eyelashes, these beautiful dolls are sure to get you some attention! The shapes remind me of puckering lips and kisses! aww! So, i guess we are still on the love theme! yayy!! Make these!!!
Jam filled crescents
(adapted from Food TV Magazine - Melissa D'Arabian)
Ingredients:

2 sticks of butter - softened
8 oz cream cheese
2 cups of flour
apricot jam
raspberry jam
(any flavor you want jam...i used apricot, cherry and sugar free raspberry)

Directions:

1.  Beat the butter and cream cheese together until creamy.
2.  Slowly add the flour - do not over mix!
3. divide the mixture into 2 balls and form them into discs.
4. wrap them in saran wrap and put them in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or until you are ready.

 Preheat your oven to 375

5. Flour a rolling surface very very well - this dough is very sticky and will stick to any surface if you don't use enough flour.

6.  Roll out 1 of the discs to about 1/8 inch thickness (i totally used a ruler...but it was pink!)

7. Cut out rounds with a 3 inch cookie cutter

8. Fill each round with about a 1/2 tsp of jam

9. lightly brush water on the edge of each round and fold each over to form a crescent

10. take a fork and make indention's so they look pretty.
11. Bake for 22 minutes and allow to cool completely (even over night)

12. When you are ready to serve them, roll them in powdered sugar.

 This is going to be a huge huge huge mess. But worth it!!!

  



When you are baking them, you'll hear some of the jam leaking out and sizzling, but don't worry! They will be perfect.

 Yum!!! Enjoy!!!
Smooches,
gigi