Oatmeal Bread

BREAD BAKING

If you've never made yeast bread/dough from scratch, you might want to read up on the subject first. Find a good, basic cookbook (Good Housekeeping, Pillsbury, Better Homes & Gardens) and study the technique until you understand the concept. You may even want to watch a couple YouTube videos. I'll post bread ( & sweet roll) recipes occasionally but will be brief in explaining anything other than the basic recipe, and it may not make sense to you if you've never worked with yeast dough. Baking bread might not be the quickest & easiest thing to make, but it's definitely the most delicious & therapeutic ( !!! ) and well worth your time!!!

This website might be helpful too: http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/11/04/homemade-bread-cheap-delicious-healthy-and-easier-than-you-think/

Italian lemon knots

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, cream together:

1/2 C. (1 stick) soft butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 teasp. lemon extract OR fresh lemon juice

Beat in:

3 eggs

Slowly mix in:

3 teasp. baking powder

3 cups flour

Batter will be soft. Using a Tblsp. of dough for each cookie, quickly roll them into small cigar-shaped logs, approx. 4" long and slip them into a little knot shaped (it's ok if they're not perfect! Lightly flour your hands (if needed) to make it easier to roll them. Place the knots onto cookie sheets that have been greased or sprayed with non-stick spray. If you do NOT want to take the time to make knots, take heaping Tblsp. of dough, gently roll into balls & place on baking sheets. Leave an inch or so between cookies. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until the tops are barely golden. Remove from oven and cool before frosting.

After cookies are cooled, make an icing using:

2 Tblsp. soft butter

3 Cups powdered sugar

fresh lemon juice - enough to make a spreadable icing (without being TOO runny)

I brush the icing on with a pastry brush & scatter with seasonal sprinkles occasionally.

Herbed Parmesan Chicken

4-6 hours before cooking time, in a large bowl, combine:

1 C. light OR heavy cream mixed with 4 Tblsp. lemon juice
salt, ground pepper (liberal amt. of pepper)
few shakes of cayenne powder
few cloves of crushed/minced garlic
1/4 tsp. dried thyme

Add 10-12 pcs. of cut up chicken (skin removed) to the bowl & stir to coat. Refrigerate & stir every hour.

When ready to cook chicken heat oven to 350 degrees.

Get another mixing bowl & add to it:
2 cups coarse dried sourdough breadcrumbs (or Panko)
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teasp. garlic powder
1/2 teasp. dried oregano
1/2 teasp. dried basil
1/4 teasp. dried thyme
salt & freshly ground pepper

Grease a large baking sheet and take pcs. of chicken from the marinade one at a time, dip into crumb mixture & place on baking pan, leaving some space between pcs.
Melt 3 Tblsp. butter and drizzle over the top of the chicken - sprinkle with paprika and bake until chicken is lightly golden-brown, approx. 1 hour for average sized pcs. (like legs), if they're larger sized pcs, leave them in the oven a little longer. Test by pressing down on the chicken to make sure the juices run CLEAR. If it's pinkish, it needs to cook longer.

Top Chefs use these interesting ingredients:

http://www.bonappetit.com/blogsandforums/blogs/badaily/2010/08/chefs-secret-ingredients.html?mbid=synd_yshopping

Mediterranean Cod

I used a package of frozen (& thawed) cod (from Trader Joe's - the quality & taste of their frozen fish is outstanding!) for this quick & easy dish. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a lightly greased aluminum baking pan, place fish so that it's not touching or overlapping.

Smear pulverized garlic over fish (just a clove or 2).

Drizzle with several Tblsp. olive oil & then squeeze a fresh, cut lemon evenly over fish (1/4 cup)

Sprinkle liberally (& evenly) with the following seasonings (to taste):

fresh ground pepper

sea salt OR kosher salt

oregano

marjoram

thyme

dash of cayenne (ground red pepper)

freshly minced parsley

paprika

Bake for 10 minutes @400 degrees, then immediately put the broiler on - remove pan from the oven and put the fish under the broiler for just a minute or 2, just until the top crisps up a bit.

This works really well with most fish, so experiment with your favorite fish & add/subtract your favorite seasonings.

Couscous side dish

In a saucepan (1-2 qt), add 2 Tblsp. olive oil. Heat & add 1/2 cup chopped onion & 4-6 minced cloves of garlic, depending on how garlicky you like things. Stir now & then, making sure it doesn't burn - once it's cooked & translucent, add:

1-1/4 cup chicken stock

1/2 c. (thawed) frozen or fresh peas

1/4 c. minced roasted red pepper

6 minced dried apricots

1/4 tsp. Trader Joe's 21-season salute (a GREAT blend!) you can use a seasoned salt but .....

freshly ground pepper (liberal amount)

several shakes (spiciness to taste) of ground cayenne

Raise heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add 1 cup of couscous to pot, stir & then remove from heat. Cover and let it sit 5-10 minutes. Stir and serve immediately or chill and enjoy it cooled off. It was a tasty side dish last night served with heavily seasoned & oiled grilled sirloin steaks.