Easy Artisan Bread

A few blogs ago on my not-so-vegetable soup post, I wrote that I would follow up with the crusty bread recipe to go along with the tasty soup! Here goes nothing! (P.S. This is a re-post. The woman who originally posted this bread is a genius and should be given the Nobel Peace Prize for this bread recipe!)

Ingredients:

3c unbleached all purpose flour

1 3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp yeast

1 1/2c water

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast. Add water and mix until a shaggy mixture forms. 

 

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12 - 18 hours (overnight works great). 

 

Heat oven to 450 degrees. When the oven has reached 450 degrees place a cast iron pot with a lid in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface and shape into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let set while the pot is heating. 

 

Remove hot pot from the oven and drop in the dough. Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes.

 

Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.

 

Yields: 1 loaf of bread

 

Adapted by Shannon Georgeson

Original Recipe by Simply So Good

(Check out variations of the original recipe here!)

Mushroom Bisque

Be it a little time and ingredient intensive (just in my opinion), this mushroom bisque is really good. I feel that it is by no means an easy, week night meal, but it was a wonderful addition to our Christmas dinner for a starter course. If you have the time, make it; it's worth it! Plus, you can take any leftovers and make chicken and rice casserole (like the old-school Campbell's kind)! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2tbsp of olive oil

1c medium onion, chopped

1c portobello mushrooms, chopped

1/2c shiitake mushrooms, chopped

3/4c cremini mushroom, chopped

3/4 stick of butter, unsalted, chopped into 1-inch pieces

14oz beef broth

1/4c of flour

1/2c dry sherry

1qt of half and half

1c heavy cream

Salt and pepper, to taste

1c olive oil

3tbsp unsalted butter

4 shallots, sliced into thin rings

In a small bowl take the 1/4c of flour and mix 4tbsp of the beef broth; whisk and set aside.

In a large stockpot, heat up the olive oil and saute the onions until translucent. Add in a few pinches of salt.

Add in all the mushrooms, chopped butter and a few dashes of ground black pepper. Let the mushrooms cook about 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add in the dry sherry; bringing it to a boil. Add in the remaining beef broth, half and half, heavy cream, and the flour mixture.

Turn up heat and stir until thickened.

For the shallots: in a non-stick pan, heat 1c olive oil and 3tbsp unsalted butter over medium-low heat until it begins to shimmer, but not smoke; add sliced shallots. Once browned and crispy remove with a slotted spoon, and drain, then place on paper towels.

Ladle soup into bowls and  top evenly with crispy shallots.

Yields: Around 6 servings

Adapted by Shannon Georgeson

Original Recipe by Vanilla Sugar Blog

Good and Easy Beef Tenderloin

For a first attempt at beef tenderloin, I admit I did pretty darn good! This was our Christmas dinner piece de resistance! Did I mention it was easy? I threw some herbs in with it, but next time I want to stuff the tenderloin with garlic. Yum!

Ingredients:

1/4c butter, softened

2tsp kosher salt

1tsp freshly ground pepper

1 5lb beef tenderloin, trimmed

Pre-heat oven to 500°.

Mix butter, salt, and pepper; rub over tenderloin. Place on rack in roasting pan; fold under narrow end of tenderloin to fit on rack.

Bake for 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion of tenderloin registers 145° (medium-rare). Cover tenderloin with aluminum foil, and let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Serve with prepared whipped horseradish (recipe to follow!).

Yields: 12 servings

Adapted by Shannon Georgeson
Original Recipe from Southern Living

Fried (Goat) Cheese

Happy New Year to all! I hope every one's holidays were wonderful; spent with family and loved ones with good food, drink and even better conversation! The holidays treated all of us in the House of G well! Santa was very good to Mo-Bear, and the Hubs and I even got to sneak away for a little retreat sans baby (thanks to Grammy and Grandpa!). So with the holidays behind us I thought I would spend the next few posts sharing a few recipes that were cooked over the season. First up, some very, very tasty fried goat cheese I made for a Christmas dinner appetizer. They were delish, and vanished quickly (I only got to nosh on one)!

Ingredients:

16oz goat cheese log
1c panko bread crumbs
2tsp dried parsley
1/2tsp granulated garlic
1/2tsp fresh-ground pepper
1/4tsp kosher salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/2c of flour
Vegetable oil, for frying

Place your cheese in the freezer for about 10 minutes to firm up; this will help it slice easier.

In a bowl, mix together panko, parsley, garlic, pepper and salt; stir to combine. Set aside.

Place beaten eggs in a shallow dish. Place flour in a separate shallow dish.

Using a sharp knife, slice your goat cheese into 1/4-inch thick slices.

Place cheese in flour and coat both sides. Place the floured cheese into the egg wash and coat both sides. Last, place into panko mixture and coat.

Place the cheese onto a parchment-lined plate or pan. Repeat with remaining goat cheese slices.

Use enough oil to coat the bottom of a non-stick pan; turn on high. When the oil begins to shimmer, it's time to fry!

Place slices of cheese in your pan (don't crowd); they should begin to bubble around the edge immediately. They cook fast, so keep an eye on them. When the bottom begin to turn golden, flip over. When the second side is golden, remove from pan and transfer to a paper towel lined plate.

Serve immediately.

Yields: About 8 pieces

Adapted by Shannon Georgeson
Original Recipe by The Hungry Mouse

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

I've been such a bad blogger! The days have completely gotten away from me, and I realized today that we're only two weeks away from Christmas! When did that happen? I had this whole plan for these great Christmas blogs, and everything else seemed to happen but that! I had to travel for business, Mo-Bear's 1st birthday party, Thanksgiving, then we all got the flu (which I'm still recovering from); the list keeps going! That being said, I decided to keep it to an oldie, but goodie. This recipe isn't very holiday-tastic, but it's perfect for cold weather (like the 32 degrees Texas is seeing for once!).

Ingredients:

1/2lb smoked sausage
3tbsp vegetable oil
5tbsp all-purpose flour
1c chopped onion
1c chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2c chicken broth
28oz can, diced tomato
2tsp Creole seasoning (we use Tony's)
4c cooked chicken, chopped
1 package frozen okra (optional)
Cooked rice

Cook sausage over high heat in Dutch oven 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove sausage with a slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels.

Add enough oil to drippings in Dutch oven to equal 3 tablespoons, and whisk in flour; cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, 5 minutes. Add onion and next 3 ingredients; cook 5 minutes, stirring often. Stir in broth and next 2 ingredients. Stir in okra, if desired. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add sausage and chicken; simmer, covered, 5 minutes.

Serve over rice.

Yields: About 6 - 8 servings

Adapted by Shannon Georgeson
Original recipe by Southern Living

Mama's Not-So-Vegetable Soup

I have to admit that is the best I’ve felt in a long time; probably the happiest since my little Mo-Bear was born. Things, knock on wood, seem to be settling down in all areas of my very blessed life. And what a great weekend! The weather is FINALLY cooling off in this forsaken swamp in Texas and we took Mo-Bear to get his very first pumpkin this weekend which was so precious I still can’t believe how lucky I am to have such a son! This followed by a nap and some homemade, fresh-baked bread… wow! And to top it all off I had to make my Mama’s not-all-vegetable soup which is one of my FAVES from childhood. It’s easy and oh so tasty. Enjoy!

 

Ingredients:

2lb ground beef
2 12oz bags frozen mixed vegetables
5 medium size red potatoes, cubed
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 can tomato soup
1tbsp beef base (Tones is what I use; it's a paste in a jar)


Brown ground beef in a stock pot; season to taste with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder.

 

Add 6 cups of water; add Tone’s beef paste, tomato soup and celery and bring to a low boil.

 

Add mixed veggies, potatoes and bring back up to a low boil; turn down heat to medium low and let simmer for about 40 minutes or more.

 

Serve with crusty bread (recipe to follow)

 

Yields: About 6 - 8 servings

 

Adapted by Shannon Georgeson

Original recipe by Sherryl Clark

 

 

 

Happy Halloween!!!

 

Chicken Pot Pie

I LOVE chicken pot pie! It is my ultimate comfort food. I love eating these when it's cold outside, or I've been caught in the rain and I get to come home to a warm shower and one of these. Heck, I'll even eat one in the dead heat of summer if it's been a rough day. And since the Hubs and I are looking towards a rough week ahead with our schedules, I went ahead and made a few early on Sunday so we can just pop them in the oven when we get home this week. These are super easy, and super tasty! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 24oz package mixed frozen vegetables, thawed*
2c cooked chicken, shredded**
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1c Bisquick mix
1/2c milk
1 egg
8 ramekins

Pre-heat over to 400 degrees.

Line a large baking sheet with foil; place ramekins on top.

Mix vegetables, chicken and soup in a bowl. Once combined well, spoon into ramekins.

In a bowl, combine Bisquick, milk and egg with a fork until well blended. Spoon on top of each ramekin.

Bake for 30 minutes.

If desired, serve with mashed potatoes on the side (my fave!).


Yields: 8 servings

Adapted by Shannon Georgeson
Original recipe by Betty Crocker

*Quick-Tip: pour the frozen veggies into a strainer and toss them around under warm water a minute or two, then drain for a few more minutes.

** Season your chicken any way you see fit! I generally toss a little bit of salt and pepper into the bowl of chicken, veggies and soup before spooning into ramekins.