My Blog: August 2010

Judy's Luncheon August 19th 2010

Hi everyone this is Judy and
she was the cook for August
It was a great luncheon.
We were stuffed.

While on her trip east she brought us
each back a jar of jelly.

Nancy also brought us back
a candy bar. She really went east
Maine

Thanks so much for the all the goodies.

CHICKEN WITH PEPPERS AND BALSAMIC VINEGAR

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

salt and use freshly ground pepper

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 cups thinly sliced mixed red, yellow, orange and or green bell peppers

1 medium onion thinly sliced

4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

3 tablespoons high quality balsamic vinegar

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Sauté the chicken over medium high heat, turning once, until golden on both sides, about 8 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet and reduce the heat to medium. Cook the bell peppers and onion, stirring often, until just softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in about half the basil and all the vinegar. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Stir in the remaining basil and season with salt and pepper

Serve over Orzo

Rustic Bread 1st part

SANDY'S RUSTIC LOAF

Sandy made this bread for Judy's luncheon and it was so good.

For Large (1 ½ to 2-pound) Machine

The Sponge (begin the night before)

1 cup water, chlorine-free

¼ teaspoon instant yeast

1 ¼ cups bread machine flour

2 tablespoons whole wheat or pumpernickel flour

1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal

1 tablespoon semolina flour

Place the ingredients in the pan of your bread machine and program for Manual or Dough. Press start. After several minutes, or once the dough is fully mixed—it’ll look like thick pudding—cancel the machine.

The Next Day (or about 8 hours later) stir down the sponge. Continue to make the dough by adding the following:

1 cup water, chlorine-free

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon sugar

¼ teaspoon instant yeast

3 ½ cups bread machine flour

Rustic Bread Recipe 2nd part

Program the machine for manual or dough, and press start. As the dough begins to mix it should form first a soft mass, then eventually a soft ball that is not too stiff, but not sticky, either. Adjust with additional flour or water as necessary. (If the dough isn’t coming together, stop the machine, and stir the dough with a rubber spatula to help the sponge and added ingredients combine. Re-program the machine for Dough and start it again.

When the cycle is complete, remove the dough from the machine. Cover with a tea towel and let rest for 30 minutes.

After the rest period, deflate the dough gently and form into a round ball. Place the ball seam-side down, on a cornmeal-dusted baking sheet. Cover it lightly with a tea towel. Let it rise a second time until it’s puffy and about 30% to 40% larger, about 1 hour. Don’t let it rise too much, since it rises some more in the oven and if it’s over proofed initially, it’ll collapse as it bakes.

Preheat the oven to 475° F. Make several ¼- to ½-inch slashes or crosshatches in the loaf. If your dough deflates at this point, it means it rose too much. But even if it does topple a bit or deflate, generally the heat of the oven will help spring it back.

Using a clean plant mister, spritz the loaf with water. Spray some water into the oven, and place the bread on the lowest rack.

Spritz the oven walls every few minutes for the first 15 minutes of baking. Lower the heart to 425° F and continue to bake until well-browned, about 35 minutes. The interior temperature of the bread should register 190° F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a wire rack before slicing. Store, “cut side down, on a counter (do not cover).

Rustic Bread

Recipe to follow...I hope.

Good Food

Judy’s Wonderful Green Salad

Mixed greens

Candied walnuts

Dried cranberries
Grape tomato

Dressing of your choice

Judy’s Vinegar Almonds

She won’t give out her secret recipe, she

sthat Alcy gave her the recipe and she

had to swear not to give it out to anybody.

The almonds were so good.

The Girls

Sheila you were missed! Hope you are
having fun in Tahoe.

(left to right)
Clarisse, Nancy, & Pat

Marilyn, & Alcy

Sandy, & Judy

Linda & Joyce

Judy's Green Thumb Plants

Judy loves all her plants and you can sure tell
it by looking at her yard and also all of her
inside plants. Be sure to click on each to make
bigger, they are so pretty.
God is so amazing to make each
flower so special, just like he did each one of
us. Thank You LORD