Join us this Tuesday at 5:30 PM (8:30 EST) for the start

of  our new (& first) tele-series! Kristina Brown of Eating

Skinny will be my guest as we discuss what it takes to Age

Well. She’s sharing delicious recipes & wonderful cooking

tips to make food incredible. Did you know that as we get

older, our nutritional needs change? Kristina makes it so

easy to make these changes and still keep our food tasting

great.

Our first call is free on Tuesday & you’ll receive a free

recipe just for signing up. Click here to sign up and learn

about the rest of the series!

http://bit.ly/5M7NLC

Related posts:

1. My first video!
2. Our new blog & video – Aging in Place Options!
3. Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

I decided to try something new this year. I’ve had this cookbook for awhile now and have wanted to make my own bread. I made bread for my family when my girls were little and even made several loaves at a time for several months. Letting it rise, kneading the dough and all the baking was something I didn’t want to do again!

So when I saw this cookbook, I was intrigued.  It sounded so easy but I was dubious. Could it really take 5 minutes to make the delicious-looking loaf on the cover?  For more details on the book – click on the picture below.

I tried it over the holiday and it worked so beautifully! Today I’m mixing my second batch as I just can’t wait to have some more bread with a chewy crust and soft inner texture.

It really only takes 5 minutes to mix it together and then you have enough dough to make 4 to 5 loaves. It lasts in the fridge for 2 weeks so when you’re ready for some delectable smells to come from your oven and put fresh, homemade bread on your table, you just take some out. Absolutely no kneading and minimal handling. Let it rise for 40 minutes, bake it for 30 and it’s done!

The dough is really simple to mix up and only takes flour, water, yeast & salt. It’s the technique that makes the magic and is so easy to do. If you read carefully the instructions for the first time you can’t go wrong.  I’ve included my own pictures so you can see how yummy the bread looks.

Here’s my two loaves just before I put them in the oven to bake.

Now take a look at the bread loaves out of the oven.

Don’t you think that this round loaf looks just like the picture on the book!

If you’d like to order the book from my store, click here or on the picture above.

Here’s a reader’s review that I thought really said it best:

Excellent!
I have many bread baking books and was skeptical that this one would be any better or different. I expected either a catch in the “5 minutes”, poor quality bread, or both. I made my first batch last week and was very impressed with both the ease and taste. You can really make the dough in just a few minutes and keep it in your fridge for use over the next 2 weeks. It was wonderful to be able to pull a chunk of the dough out of the container and have delicious bread (the last was more like a big roll) in just over an hour. I could make a loaf when I got home from work and serve it for dinner. There are many recipes included, but it also gave me a much more relaxed attitude toward the bread and I found myself making up my own additions by the time I was forming my second batch. I showed the book to a friend and rather than copy a few of the recipes, she decided to order the book herself because she said that everything looked good and it looked like stuff she would really make. Not many cookbooks earn that comment.
The book frequently calls for a pizza peel and baking stone. A set of the peel (or a suitable cutting board), stone (or an unglazed ceramic tile from Home Depot) and this book would make a great gift. In fact, I thought that I could cross several people off of my shopping list by buying the set or just the books for all. Unfortunately, it is already out of stock. (Joyce – Not anymore!) Looks like I am not the only one who is impressed by it. I can’t even give my book away and wait for a new copy because I spilled olive oil on it while making the sun dried tomato and Parmesan bread. By the way, it was delicious!
This is a great book for all cooking experience levels. The recipes are easy and the results impressive.

If you have tried this book’s recipes – leave a comment below to tell us how you liked them!

No related posts.

I must be low on calcium but I’ve been craving this combo lately and it fits well as a snack or a light lunch. Cottage cheese and pears are my new favorite thing to eat!

In this bowl I added a handful of blueberries so now I have a yummy thing to eat that has calcium & antioxidants. Try it for yourself and let me know if you like it as much as I do!

No related posts.

I recently joined the Taste and Tweet group and was accepted to be a taster at their latest event. We met at the Icon Grill in downtown Seattle where they had prepared an Oktoberfest feast!

(from TheClubZone.com)

Chef Nick Musser personally invited us tasters into the Icon Grill’s private dining room and introduced each dish. He gave us the details of the inspiration and preparation of each dish along with a choice of a beer flight and/or wine. As I’m not a fan of beer, I opted for the red wine.

Here’s some pictures I took with my Blackberry:

Inside the private dining room at the Icon Grill

Sauerbraten, potato cake, horseradish sauce

My sample plate of the sauerbraten, sauerkraut & potato cake

Apple strudel with vanilla bean ice cream & caramel sauce

Also on the menu for Oktoberfest is Beef Stroganoff and Black Forest Cheesecake.

Here’s a slideshow of the event from Whrrl by Jeanna Barrett:

If you live in the Seattle/Bellevue WA area, sign up as a taster or restaurant host at www.tasteandtweet.com.

No related posts.

There are truly many gorgeous cookbooks out there that feature incredible tastes, pictures and great directions but not any that I know of are handmade by an artist except for one. Susan Branch has lovingly drawn and water colored all the pictures in her books. As well, all the script in her books (even the copyright page!) have been hand written in her lovely script. I wish that I could write that beautifully and consistently!

I’ve collected her cookbooks and gift books for years now and I think I have them all. They are just a treat to sit down with and look through, especially with a cup of tea and a pen and paper handy. You won’t get too far without realizing that you really need to prepare her Pumpkin Cheesecake (see below) and other treats as soon as possible.

She also features favorite quotes that will warm your heart and stories of her family and growing up in a large loving family. You’ll also learn of traveling from California to Martha’s Vineyard where she began a new life for herself and started writing her cookbooks. Here’s a link to an interview that reveals more of her story.

Her gift books are small, sweet and have the best recipes in them which give you a little taste of her genius in the kitchen. Her cookbooks have titles like Heart of the Home, Vineyard Seasons, Christmas From the Heart of the Home (my favorite), The Summer Book and Autumn From the Heart of the Home.

Right now is a perfect time to buy her Autumn book

which has such mouthwatering recipes as Corn Pudding (which I make for every potluck I’m invited to), a wonderful easy Thanksgiving feast (with a brilliant idea for always having enough gravy), Cinnamon Ice Cream, Homemade Marshmallows, and
Toasted Snowballs in Chocolate Sauce. She also has some great cozy decorating & entertaining tips. Buy the Autumn book here.

Here’s a copy of her Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe that she graciously let me use.

Make sure you go to her website: http://www.susanbranch.com.

Related posts:

1. Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day