Home Made Bread

Today was such a horrible day for the people in southwest Florida it is 45 degrees and rainy, there is nothing to do but stay indoors and cook and clean or at least thats what I'm doing. When it's cold out it's always nice to have some comfort/ hearty food. In college when we wanted to stay in all day and eat we would call it "having a fat day". This is sure to make you and stomach happy!


3 cps of bread flour
1 tbsp of fast acting yeast
1 cup warm milk ( 100 degrees)
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp salt Olive oil

In a bowl combine flour and yeast together (the yeast can not come in direct contact with liquid. Dissolve salt and sugar into milk and pour into flour. Mix for a minute then add butter, the dough should be coming together. Place mixture onto a floured surface and start forming a ball. Once this is done you can start kneading the dough, which is to push down on one end of the dough with the heel of your hand and push out at the same time and then quarter turn the dough each time, continue this process for about ten minutes. Find a bowl that is triple the size of the ball of dough and drizzle a little oil into the bottom and roll the dough in it so it's lightly covered so it will not stick to the sides, cover with plastic wrap and a towel and set in a warm draft free place for about 1 hour-2 hours or until doubled in size. After doubled in size punch down the dough with your fist and start to knead the dough for a couple of minutes and place in loaf pan. cover again and wait till it's doubled again. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Before you put dough into oven brush with water or egg white and cook for 25-30 minutes. When it's done it should sound hollow when you tap the top of the crust.

New Orleans Po' Boy

This is a mouth watering sandwich. You can make your own bread which I would assume similar to Cuban bread, french was to hard of crust,or just buy it at your normal supermarket. I know this is a long process, but believe you me it's worth it.
MEAT
1 small roast
1 cup of red wine
1 tbsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
Loaf of Cuban bread
sliced tomatoes
mayo
shredded lettuce


GRAVY
3 TBSP MELTED BUTTER
3 TBSP FLOUR
1/4 TSP SALT



When you go to purchase roast ask butcher or meat counter person to take roast and thinly slice it for you, or if you have a slicer at home just get the roast whole. For this exercise we will focus on you buying sliced meat.
Place meat in a pot and cover with water and other spices and cook for about 25-30 minutes. (don't throw water away) once this done pull out and let cool for 15 minutes. In a medium size bowl place gravy ingredients into bowl an mix until it's nice and pasty. once this done scoop into hot reserved water and turn onto medium heat and cook for 10 minutes or until semi thick gravy is formed.
Once gravy is formed and meat is cooled place meat into baking pan or casserole dish and pour gravy over and place into 300 degree oven for about an hour. You will be able to see that the meat is tender, if you wish you could take a spoon and stir meat so that it breaks into tinier pieces but that's up to you.
Keep oven on, cut loaf into sections that you want for sandwiches and then cut a top and bottom. Now spread mayo on both sides and place tomatoes,and lettuce on bread and place in oven for 2 minutes.Once out of oven place meat onto bread and enjoy. Beware it gets messy!

The Columbian Snapper Alacante(as Frank said ) I did it my way Tilapia

Ingredients

• ½ large Vandalia onion, sliced into rings
• 2 Tilapia fillets
• 1 green pepper, sliced into rings
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 ½ tbsp beef base
• 1 cup white wine
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
•

Preparation

Place onion rings in bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2-inch casserole; place fish on top of peppers. Place onions on top of fish. In a bowl mix together remaining ingredients; pour over casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 25 minutes. Serves 2.

The Columbian's 1905 Salad My Way

My Version of the Columbian 1905 salad.
Heidi and I ate at The Columbian Restaurant in St. Armands Circle for our Anniversary and this salad is strong, but it is also so good. The next post is a fish recipe from the restaurant which also really good check out their website www.columbiarestaurant.com



Salad Ingredients

1 head Romaine lettuce
1 ripe tomatoes, cut in eighths
½ slice Swiss cheese, cut in julienne strips
½ slice ham, cut in julienne strips
¼ cup capers
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese

Salad Dressing Ingredients

1/8 cup white wine vinegar
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Preparation

Toss together all salad ingredients in a bowl, except Romano Cheese.

Mix garlic, oregano, and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl. Beat until smooth with a wire whisk. Add olive oil, gradually beating to form an emulsion. Stir in vinegar and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

Add dressing to salad and toss well. Add Romano Cheese and toss one more time. Serves 2

The Original recipe
Salad Ingredients

½ head iceberg lettuce
2 ripe tomatoes, cut in eighths
½ cup Swiss cheese, cut in julienne strips
½ cup ham, cut in julienne strips (or turkey or shrimp)
¼ cup green Spanish olives, pitted
2 teaspoons grated Romano cheese

Salad Dressing Ingredients

1/8 cup white wine vinegar
½ cup extra-virgin Spanish olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Preparation

Toss together all salad ingredients in a bowl, except Romano Cheese.

Mix garlic, oregano, and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl. Beat until smooth with a wire whisk. Add olive oil, gradually beating to form an emulsion. Stir in vinegar and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

Add dressing to salad and toss well. Add Romano Cheese and toss one more time. Serves 4.

Moist Cake

Moist Cake
(pudding)

Flesh of orange (pureed)
1 1/2cps all purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp ginger
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cps sugar
1 stick (soft) butter
2 large eggs
1/4 cp apricot preserves
Pudding mold


In mixing bowl place butter, salt, pureed orange and sugar and beat till creamy. Sift flour, nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger into bowl. Pour dry mixture into butter mixture and now add one egg at a time and mix thoroughly. Spray nonstick material into mold and now pour batter into mold. Place mold into bigger stockpot and place boiling water up half way up the mold and bring water to boil, once boiling place lid on pot and reduce to simmer and cook for two hours. Check about every 30 min to see if you need to replace water. At the end to test, place toothpick into middle and if it comes out clean it is done. Once done pull out of water and turn out onto plate. In meantime take apricot preserves and place in microwave and heat for a minute or until smooth, now spoon preserves over the pudding and let it run over.

Pumpkin Cake

Batter

3 cps all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp Chinese five spice
½ tsp salt
2 sticks (soft) unsalted butter
2 cps brown sugar
3 eggs
15 oz pure pumpkin (canned)
Two 7in spring form pans

In a mixing bowl place pumpkin, butter, sugar, 1 egg at a time and salt together and mix until creamy. Sift flour, baking soda, Chinese five spice and baking powder together and pour into butter mixture and mix thoroughly. Once combined treat pans with nonstick spray, pour batter evenly into both pans. Bake In oven at 350 degrees for 45 min. When time is up put toothpick into middle and if it’s comes out clean cakes are done. Take cakes out of pans and let cool. (I like to cut them in half at this time because it helps faster cooling.


Frosting

Two 8 oz packages of cream cheese (soft)
Minced skin of one orange (no rind /white part)
2 sticks (soft) unsalted butter
2 cps powdered sugar
2 cps chopped walnuts


Place butter in mixing bowl and beat till it’s creamy now add cream cheese and minced orange and mix well. Now that it’s well combined add powdered sugar, once it’s done it should look whipped and creamy.

You should have four slices of cake, place one on the bottom and place frosting on top and spread evenly, repeat until top of cake is covered evenly. Now you are going to start spreading frosting on the outside of cake, as you spread keep turning cake to help evenly spread frosting around cake. Once you get the cake covered take a small handful of walnuts each time and just place onto the side of cake, until sides of cake are covered.

Save orange flesh for next post Moist Cake

Apricot Chicken

4 chicken breasts
4 tbsp. Apricot preserves
1 package onion soup mix (not prepared)

Place chicken breasts in casserole dish. Add 1 tbsp. of preserves to each chicken breast. Sprinkle onion soup mix over entire dish. Bake on 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve with rice or vegetable. This one is so easy you will make it again! Thanks to sister-in-law, Cindy.