Yesterday for the first time, I made bread using the dough cycle, and baking it in a loaf pan. I bought a ceramic/stoneware loaf pan on the weekend. Only when I was trying to upend the loaf, and trying to keep the pan from slipping out of my mitts, I realized, it didn't have handles! So I'm on the search for one with handles.
This is my first attempt at (almost) homemade bread. I cooked it at 400 for 30 minutes. It's looks dark on the top, might lower the temp next time.

Now for tonite's dinner: Chicken Marbella. This is so amazing, for flavour. It's easy to do because the chicken marinates all day in olive oil, prunes, capers, red wine vinegar, Lots of garlic and olives Bake for 1 hour and dinner is served!

I know Cynic doesn't like fruit or veggies cooked with his meat, and I think it's Lars here, who doesn't like fruit either but the prunes are truly wonderful with it.

Jasdip, is that the Silver Palate recipe? I haven't made that in ages - should put it on my grocery list.

FOAS, I like your German food composition!

I made lentil soup, salmon and salad last night. I'm making the lentil soup every week - healthy and comforting. This time I added one cob's worth of corn, garbanzo beans and jalapeno slices. I make it different each time.

Tonight is ping pong so I am eating a late afternoon snack of baked yam and some grapes so I don't run out of gas during my lesson. Afterwards we usually eat leftovers, cereal, a yogurt smoothie, eggs or some other quick meal as we get home too late to cook. Come to think of it, I have some baby spinach I need to use, so maybe I'll make a florentine omelette and some toast.

I have some nice veggies I bought at the farmer's market on the weekend, so tomorrow I will use Chinese eggplant and broccolini in our dinner somehow - maybe a stir-fry.

Yes Gina it is!!
Cereal at nite. Yumm love it!

Tonight was Shaun's Gamberi al Forno (Baked Crunchy Shrimp) which was lovely with lemon risotto and a spinach salad ont he side.

Alexa

Sorry, Jude and Robin, Elery and I were on a "business" trip completely.

We left Friday morning, drove 9 hours to Caryville. Saturday morning we picked up a U-haul and packed it with furniture. We had ham sandwiches for supper, coffee from McDonald's. Sunday we spent going through his folks' papers, cleaning the house, working on a plumbing leak.
We got up at 5 am Monday morning and started the drive home, met his Dad in Ohio and got home Monday night, still had stuff to unload. Tuesday we took the U-haul back and started north.

So, not one darned minute to even meet other family members, including his Aunt Etta, who I haven't even met yet and we've been married 2 1/2 years!

Elery says next time we go, we'll definitely have a Tennessee get-together!

Annie

And it is great to see you Ruthanna! Glad to see you are as good as new and baking up a storm.

FOAS - I can hear the Oompah Band right through my monitor! LOL!

Jasdip - love the SP recipes and that is a fav. Looks great!

Lpink - love a hearty soup in the fall and yours looks delish.

Alexa

jasdip, I never bother with loaf pans, but after seeing your beautifully shaped loaf I think I'll pull my pans out again.

I always make the dough in the bread machine, and when the dough cycle is over, free-form the loaf on a baking sheet, let it go for a second rise, slash the top, and bake. I'm due to make another loaf next week. Maybe I'll use a pan for that one, for a change.

Most of the loaves I do bake at around 350-375 for 30-35 mins.

Don't have enough time to comment on all the good food & photo's, it would take a week.

Just wanted to put in a Photo of the Cornacopia, I made last Thanksgiving.
An Idea that someone might like to do.

I rolled the strips of Dough around Alluminum Foil, shaped like the Cornicopia.
With a few pieces bunched up on the inside to hold the outside shape.
I basted the Dough with Egg and sprinkled it with Garlic Powder.
After it was baked I pullel the bunched up Foil from the inside and collapsed the outside away from the Dough.

Filled it with all kinds of goodies.
Happy Thanksgiving !!!

LOU

Here is another, alittle different.

I totally agree with that Tennessee get-together. If it's not the far west or far east Tennessee I could get with you all too. Love to meet some forum members. Never met any of you before! What a treat that would be.

Beverly

Susytwo, I've never heard of a free-form loaf. That sounds like fun! I'm going to do that next time.

Jasdip, That's funny because I always make free-form and thought I would use a loaf pan next time! I just got a LeCreuset loaf pan.

Mustangs, do you just form it into a loose ball, let it rise and bake?

Another unsophisticated/unphotogenic albeit delicious dinner. Inspired by literature, one of Almanzo Wilder's favorite dishes and meals, (and owing to the fact I have a bunch of cabbage to use up) I made fried cabbage with apples and onions. Almanzo Wilder being the "boy" in the book "Farmer Boy" by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Red cabbage, red onion and a golden delicious and empire apple. Seasoned with Penzeys Bavarian seasoning mix which was the perfect thing for this dish. Almanzo knows from good food.

Side dish of my first attempt at baked potato skins. Stuffed with a lowfat mix--lowfat cottage cheese, lowfat cheddar cheese, some dried chives and a dash of 1% milk, and some salt. I made the potatoes in the microwave so the skins were somewhat leathery. But it was an easy fun dinner so I'll definately try it again, maybe when BF is around to enjoy it. Next time I think I'll add some fake bacon bits and/or serve with turkey kielbasa on the side, fake version for me.

Jasdip that chicken looks fantastic and it is definately going on my menu list. I could make it in the crockpot, BF would like it I think.

Alexa that risotto looks so lovely!

Gina eggplant and broccolini sound delish. Sure wish I could afford broccolini, but I have a rule, no produce over 2 dollars a pound. I eat a lot of cabbage as a result, lol! Maybe its cheaper out where you are.

Lou, you have a real love of cooking and it really shines thru with those cornicopia!

foodonastump , your Stomboli, like the volcano of Stomboli, looks like it will erupt bursts of flavor. How do you get it to cut without one speck of crumbs?

ann_t , I have read in other food blogs how so many people are into the quest of the perfect French fries. They only need to come here to look at what you have done. And your Stretched Noodles is something I will have to attempt to duplicate

doucanoe, your Chili-Maple Glazed Pork Medallions, along with Wild Rice Potato Rosti and steamec green beans, look so wonderful on that beautiful plate. DonâÂÂt try to tell me thatâÂÂs accidental.

lpinkmountain, your ability in taking available simple ingredients and orchestrate them into something homely and good is what cooking is all about. LetâÂÂs face it, following recipes is much easier.

jasdip , Now that bread and Chicken Marbella, never mind Cynic and Lars, donâÂÂt invite them. I will be more them glad to join you and I guarantee you that there will be no leftovers.

Alexa, your Gamberi al Forno with lemon risotto is what should be made, much yummier than that silly honey mustard chicken.

Lou, your Cornucopia looks festive, I have seen others made it and it looked corny. I hope you will have a wonderful thanksgiving this thanksgiving.

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Still enjoying the possibilities of my home-made black garlic.
I had shallots, Swai with butternut squash, black garlic sauce.

dcarch

DCarch, Outstanding presentation as usual, just amazing.

Jasip, I bake it in a Dutch oven so it is a round pane rustica like my mom made. This one isn't real pretty but it sure tasted good.

The homemade pie post inspired me. IâÂÂve never really made a pie completely from scratch. When I make pumpkin pie once a year, I use a frozen crust. Pie making just isnâÂÂt in my genes. My Greek family never ate pies. Lots of pitas like spanakopita & tyropita. Lots of baklava every Christmas. But my mom never made âÂÂAmericanâ style pies. My dad was very traditional in his tastes and insisted that she cook mainly Greek food. Every once in a while sheâÂÂd pick up a frozen pie at the grocers. That was my only exposure to pies.

I was convinced that I could never master making pie crust, so I never really tried. However, this afternoon I determined to at least attempt it. I used the NathanâÂÂs Never Fail Pastry recipe posted many times by both Sharon CB and Annie 1992. I used all Crisco. I wanted a savory pie, so I used Ann TâÂÂs tortiere recipe with a few modification from JasdipâÂÂs recipe.

I was really nervous about the crust. When my husband happened to saunter into the kitchen just as I was getting ready to roll it out, I ordered him to leave. I didnâÂÂt want an audience while I was struggling. He told me that if I could make all kinds of pitas & baklava, I could certainly handle a pie crust. He definitely had more confidence than I did.

But the crust dough was super easy to work with. And the finished product looked like a pie should look. The filling was delicious too. So I think IâÂÂve finally gotten over my fear of pie. As an aside, I lowered the salt content quite a bit because of my husband's dietary restrictions. I cut the amount for the crust in half and didnâÂÂt add any to the filling. Neither suffered. Next time I may use half unsalted butter for the pie crust just to boost flavor. Thanks Sharon, Annie, Ann, & Jasdip!

Lovely pics of your food creations - especially you dcarch

Hooray, Shambo, that is one BEAUTIFUL pie...

Annie

I want to know what's in shambo's pie!! Looks perfectly fabulous....

Beautiful Tourtiere Shambo!!!!! Oh wow, wish I were there.
Do you put ketchup on top?

Linda, it's a Canadian meat pie. Ground pork with mashed potatoes and spices. It's a Quebec tradition. My ex grew up in Quebec City, and we used to host Christmas Eve (in Ontario). My side of the family would come and we'd serve it at nite, after dinner. They could take or leave it, (mostly leave it) but we/I loved it!!!!

Now tarte-de-sucre (sugar pie)......No way could I eat that (another Quebec specialty)

Shambo, Your tourtiere looks perfect. Please, please tell me that you DID NOT put ketchup on yours. LOL!. I'll have gravy on mine please.

Ann

No Ann, you HAVE to have ketchup! LOL

Shambo, what did you put on yours?
Maybe a compromise......slice it in half, gravy on one, ketchup on the other.

Sorry Jasdip, I beg to differ. In fact you won't find a bottle of ketchup in our home.

Tourtiere is a Christmas Eve tradition in our home. Although I like gravy on my tourtiere, Moe loves Sharon's homemade Chili sauce. But that is a far cry from ketchup. It was his French Canadian families tradition to eat Tourtiere after midnight mass on Christmas Eve, but ketchup was never part of that tradition.

Ann

Thank you for all your encouragment. I guess it's time for true confessions. I didn't have any ground pork so I used ground beef. But I used chicken broth so the end result wouldn't be too beefy. The filling reminded me of a Greek pita I make, kreatopita. It's ground beef or lamb flavored with tomato, cinnamon, allspice, & nutmeg. My husband loves it, so he naturally loved the tortiere.

Don't worry, no ketchup. I didn't make gravy either. I was too traumatized by worrying about the crust to have any energy left over for gravy making. Instead I served it with another one of my husband's favorite condiments, fresh orange cranberry sauce. I'm going to make Linda C's Jezebel today and try that with the leftovers tonight.

I'm just so excited that I finally got over my pie crust phobia. Just in time too. I realized this morning that I need to start the marathon baking of all the traditional Greek Christmas goodies: baklava, kourabiedes, melomacarona, and koulouria. Luckily they all keep, so I can make them well in advance of our scheduled Christmas festivities with our new son-in-law's family.

It's me that likes the ketchup on it Ann. Ex-DH who is French-Canadian didn't put it on his either.

Long as it's good, I don't care what anyone puts on top, if anything. It's all choice.

Shambo - Although your pie looks delicious, it was you list of Greek foods that made me hungry. I lived in Greece for a couple of years and loved the food. I wish I knew how to cook all of those things. Do you share recipes?

Ann T wrote: "Sorry Jasdip, I beg to differ. In fact you won't find a bottle of ketchup in our home."

jasdip wrote: "Long as it's good, I don't care what anyone puts on top, if anything. It's all choice."
I agree jasdip - people like different things. I can't imagine putting ketchup on the beautiful tortiere that Ann makes and shares photos of. However, it would also never occur to me to criticize someone's choice of condiments. Gravy does sound good - on everything for that matter. Finnish Pastys are great alone - but I love a little ramekin of gravy to dip some of the crust in!

Teresa
the woman who freely admits to owning a bottle of ketchup!

Sooner, I'm more than happy to share recipes. They're all handed down from my grandmother to my mom, to me and now to my daugher & daughter-in-law. The URL below will take you to our family site. Just click on the Greek recipe section. I put the recipes together several years ago, so I know there are typos. Just ignore them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Greek Recipes

Canadians have the 2nd highest consumption per capita of ketchup in the world, only 2nd to Finland.

Canadians in home consumption consume 1.4 litres per annum. Heinz Leamington, Ontario with 80 % of the Canadian market, produces of 31 million bottles every year using more thatn 250,000 tons of tomatoes grow locally.

dcarch

LOL dcharch.
Leave it to you to find the statistics. We eat more than you guys?

It seems I'm not the only one who likes ketchup on their tourtiere. Just read where a fellow Canadian who moved to Cal. **loves** ketchup and tourtiere. Whew, I was worried there for a minute!

dcarch - and Finns are ketchup eaters too? I may be part Lakota Sioux, but the rest of me is Finnish. Go figure! It was in my genes and I was destined to have ketchup in the kitchen.

Maybe that should be my new tagline! :-)

Teresa

Teresa, speaking of ketchup, anyone remember Teresa Heinz of Heinz ketchup? Wife of John Kerry, presidential candidate?

I love shrimp cocktail, So I buy lots of ketchup.

I think I am going to make myself one now. :-)

dcarch

I remember Teresa Heinz - a fiesty woman - much like myself! :-)
All this talk about ketchup and I feel a country song coming on.......

I may have gone to cooking school in France and Italy,
But I've got ketchup in my kitchen and I'm dang proud of it!

Well, I do like Heinz catsup with French Fries and I do keep a bottle on hand for David, who puts it on everything.

I also remember Teresa Heinz Kerry, I thought she needed a piece of duct tape over her mouth. When I saw her on a talk show and she carried on about how she didn't like to live in America, she'd far prefer to live in France, and how she hated politics and didn't understand why she'd married not one, but TWO politicians, I promptly decided to vote for anyone else who was running, as long as she wasn't First Lady!

And so I kept my tradition of never voting for a winning presidential candidate going, I voted for Ralph Nader, thanks entirely to Teresa Heinz Kerry.

Annie

Shambo - Thanks for the link, but funny thing is that I watched the Baklava videos just the other day, but didn't make the connection. I also made a copy of your Greek Butter Cookie recipe and I'm sure as I have time to watch the other videos, I will be making more Greek food. My DH will be very happy. Thank you so much. Carol

Shambo, the Lemon Chicken and Potatoes sound delicious.
I'm going to be making that soon.

Great looking pie and you're not alone with the ketchup jasdip. I make it several times a year including Christmas Eve. Clive and I prefer it with Chile Sauce but both my kids add ketchup.

How about a WFB pic?
I made popovers for breakfast. Used my silicone 6 mega-cup pan. They still stuck. I was trying to get them out quickly and as carefully as I could, with my knife around the edges; hoping they didn't deflate so I could get a pic.

Teresa mn:
What is the big thing about using ketchup !!!
Should be anyone's personal preference.
*******************

Many years ago, when the kids were smaller, we stopped to get Hot Dogs at a Hot Dog stand.

I always used just Mustard, Onions and Relish, on mine.
When the kids put Mustard and Ketchup on theirs I said,
" Don't let anyone see you do that, we will go to Jail !!!"

Have to laugh at that now ! I do it.

I make a Great, Finger Licking, Barbecue Sauce using Ketchup and Mustard and a lot of other Spices.

Sometimes when I need a Tomatoe taste in a Recipe, I'll put in a couple of tablespoons of Ketchup.

I like to dip fries in Ketchup too !!!
*****************
Dcarch:
Will you do something that don't look good. I'm getting tired of complimenting you. LOL!
By the way, was that a corny joke, about the Cornicopia ???
Think I'll make another and use it for Hor'derves on Thanksgiving.
You can break off pieces.It's like Garlic bread !!!
*******************
Shambo:
Ti Kanis.
Maybe I told you this before ???
I remodeled My BIL's, Kafenio and while working there I picked up on a lot of good things.
( And all the bad words.)
Especially the Greek Coffee.
I don't think it was a Coffee Shop more than it was a Meeting Place for all the Greeks in the vicinity, ( Philly and Upper Darby, Pa.)

I won't say they played cards and Backgammon, all day.

He had the best Rice Pudding. He said I was eating up all the Profits.
I told him to just make a little extra.

One thing I couldn't like " is all the Cinnamon in Pasta Sauce."
Ate my share of Souvlakia, Baklava and other things.
Naturally it was called " Ceaser's Kafenio "

Pinky:
Thanks for your Compliment !!!
I had Kielbasi in Cabbage last week. It was great.
We'll have to covert you back to a Meat Eater.

My Grandmother would have put a few more notches on Her wooden spoon,
if I said I wanted to be a vegetarian.
But if you like it, Salute !!! Cent'Anni
Lou

Lpink, itâÂÂs a challenge to get all the different ingredients in a one-dish meal working in harmony but when they do, itâÂÂs great. YouâÂÂve certainly mastered that skill.

I donâÂÂt know if it was the weather or what but DH was in the mood for soup/stew all last week. Luckily, I had a few kinds in the freezer from the last time I made them and our co-op has plenty from our summer soup making. One that we really liked was a pork soup with apple cider in the broth.

Jasdip, thanks for nudging me to make chicken Marbella today. I remember seeing it in the Silver Palate cookbook but had never tried it. It was really good with many levels of flavor and would be easy to make for a dinner party.

Shambo, I went to your website and see some Greek dinners in my future this winter.

Lou, you could make those cornucopias and sell them at Thanksgiving time. Many churches and fire companies make and sell bread stuffing or potato filling as a fund raiser this week.

Ruthanna:
Thanks! but no thanks on making the Cornacopia's to sell.

I've been retarded for quite a few years. That comes with retired.
I have enough going now, with Volunteer work. I belong to the Fire Co. here, mostly a Social member now.
But I belonged to Glenolden Fire Co. for many years.
Left there a Lieutenant of the Aerial Ladder.

Do a lot with the VFW, baking and bring items to the VA Hospital.
Brought many items from the Ladies VFW to Geisinger Hospital, Pediatrics.
Why am I telling you all this ???

Lou

Ruthanna I'm about to hit the road for the holidays, but when I get back I'm going to have to get that soup recipe from you. I still have another pork loin roast in the freezer that BF bought for us. I know there will be lots of leftovers like last time.

For last night's dinner I pulled out an old saved CF thread on salmon cakes. I made "Elphalba's" recipe - remember her?! Too bad she doesn't post any more. It was a weird dinner. The salmon cakes were good, but I didn't have much else in the fridge due to getting ready to leave on vacation, so I had boiled carrots mixed with frozen peas and spinach. Man, frozen spinach on its own is bitter! And I didn't have tarter sauce for the salmon cakes which is what I like, and not even pickle relish to make any, so I ate them with bread and butter pickles. Probably saved some saturated fat calories that way, lol!

Actually, I've been experimenting with eggs benedict. Jimster's idea of the potato pancake (WFD #315) in lieu of the ever impossible to cut english muffin just hit me right, and gave rise to a hasbrowns idea. So I've been trying it several ways. Here's what I have come up with. I grate a raw, peeled potato. Into that pile, I grate a raw onion. Squeeze out the juice, and toss rounded piles into a pan with enough shortening to fry them up. That's the bottom layer. The next layer is crab meat warmed a bit. Not a crab cake. Which is what I used to do. Then an egg, fried overeasy. It turns out enough like a poached egg, without losing the egg white. That is, because I am inept at making poached eggs, but love the runny yolks, I make it fried. Then the hollaindaise. Or ham, egg, hollandaise. Never will ever have it again on an english muffin. Why does anyone ever have it on that anyhow? Some day, I will have enough patience to learn how to poach an egg. I know the tricks and I sometimes get it right, but it's rare.

Ruthanna's pic of her Chicken Marbella looks delectable.
I didn't put brown sugar on mine, as the recipe called. I didn't want the chicken and sauce to be sweet, as the prunes would add some sweetness.
I wonder if that's what caused the beautiful browning of her breasts? Ohhhhh isn't that a kinky thought! Oh well, I'm leaving it in here anyway. :D

I like the sauce to be savoury and not sweet.

jasdip, I'm going to let that part about the breasts just slide right on past, LOL. Actually, I was thinking that your popovers would be really good with Ruthanna's soup!

So, What's for dinner? Sometime last week Elery made walleye, with a carrot salad and fingerling potatoes. Then we made homemade ravioli for his family Christmas party, they all actually like pasta, I'm the only strange one, LOL. We made some with butternut squash filling, some with a three cheese filling and some with crab meat and cream cheese:

We're going to make italian sausage and cheese for my family, and maybe some more of the butternut squash filled stuff.

For Thanksgiving, I made a cheeseball turkey for David, he loves that cream cheese/sliced beef/green onion cheese ball, and so I had to liven it up a bit:

We had the obligatory turkey,stuffing,mashed potato dinner:

for dessert we had dark chocolate pie, one of my favorites, from scratch. The Princess ate TWO pieces, she loved it:

I made Grandma's blueberry crisp, served warm with homemade vanilla ice cream, although I forgot the ice cream in this picture:

And Elery made his southern sweet potato pie. He had some and I had some, but the rest of it is still waiting, maybe it'll be breakfast!

bud had a good time playing with Kevin's iPhone:

And Bud and the Princess got the better of Aunt Ashley, with some help from Kevin:

And that's what's for dinner. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Annie

Dinner tonight was leftovers from our Thanksgiving meal: turkey, cranberry sauce, green beans, and I added a baked potato.

Shambo, I love your web site! I sat through the entire butter cookie video! Ha! I've got to make those! I love Greek food so very much and I can't wait until I have the time to look at more of your recipes and videos. Thank you so much for sharing! BTW, can I make the gyro patties if I don't have ground lamb? Could I just mix beef and pork?

Teresa

Teresa, She said you could make them with any ground meat. I mixed lean ground beef and ground turkey. The ground meat gives it a different texture, but the taste is very Greek. My DH loved it.

Teresa, thanks for the compliments. We actually had a lot of fun putting all the videos together. My husband was the camerman & editor (and did guest appearances of "the hand") and my son did the opening graphics on many of the episodes.

Sooner is right about the gyros. You can use any combination of meat you like, including ground turkey. She's also right about the texture. They turn out more like a thin Greek hamburger than the traditional gyro meat. But I think the flavoring is pretty traditional.

I just bought a couple of packages of fillo and some honey, so you know what I'll be making this week. But I'll be doing something different this Christmas. My new son-in-law is allergic to walnuts, so I'll be making the baklava with ground pistachios & almonds. Heresy in my family, so don't breathe a word!

Annie, that's one happy Happy Thanksgiving family dinner. Laughter, yummy food, ------------

The Obligatory Turkey is cute and clever. I am sure it was gobbled up quickly.

dcarch

I WANT SOME SWEET POTATO PIE!

Just sayin'

Lisa
p.s. Everything looks so good in this WFD post. Thank you all for the inspiration.