Sunday, February 28, 2016

Easy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork


Today I just wanted to take it easy. This was the perfect dinner for a day when you do not want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. The meat was in the slow cooker for 8 hours. After 8 hours the pork was so tender. This was my first attempt at a BBQ sauce, recipe for the sauce and the Pulled Pork were from Chowhound. Tasty! The sauce was nice and spicy. We are having the leftovers Tuesday night and I can't wait!




Easy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork from Chowhound
 
Ingredients-
2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
4 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 cup chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (4-1/2- to 5-pound) boneless or bone-in pork shoulder (also known as pork butt), twine or netting removed
2 cups barbecue sauce (recipe is at bottom of this post)

Method-
Place the onions and garlic in an even layer in the slow cooker and pour in the stock or broth. Combine the sugar, chili powder, measured salt, cumin, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Pat the pork dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork and place the meat on top of the onions and garlic. Cover and cook until the pork is fork tender, about 6 to 8 hours on high or 8 to 10 hours on low.

Turn off the slow cooker and remove the pork to a cutting board. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a medium heatproof bowl. Pour the onion mixture from the slow cooker through the strainer and return the solids to the slow cooker. Set the strained liquid aside.
If the pork has a bone, remove and discard it. Using 2 forks, shred the meat into bite-sized pieces, discarding any large pieces of fat. Return the shredded meat to the slow cooker, add the barbecue sauce, if using, and mix to combine. If you’re not using barbecue sauce, use a spoon to skim and discard the fat from the surface of the strained cooking liquid, and then add 1/4 cup of the liquid at a time to the slow cooker until the pork is just moistened. Taste and season with salt as needed.

Basic Barbecue Sauce from Chowhound
Ingredients-
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 cup water

Method-
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring until ingredients are completely incorporated. Reduce heat to low and gently simmer until flavors have melded and sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. If not using right away, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Beef Short Ribs Italiano

Let me just say it. This was a delicious dinner. The recipe is from Great Chicago Italian Recipes. We had this with Roasted Cauliflower, yes something I like, and polenta. A perfect dinner!

Ingredients-
3 pounds of beef short ribs
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of fresh ground black pepper
1 cup of flour for dredging
2 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp of butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/4 cup of fresh flat leaf parsley
1 tsp of oregano
1 tsp of basil
1 tsp of thyme
1/2 tsp of allspice
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of fresh ground black pepper
1 8oz can of tomato paste
1 15oz can of diced tomatoes
2 cups of red wine
2 15oz cans of beef broth
2 bay leaves

Method-
Season the flour with salt and pepper
Dredge the ribs in the flour shake off the excess.
In a large heavy pot, brown the ribs over medium heat in the olive oil and butter for around 2 minutes.
Remove from pot and set aside.
Add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic and cook stirring for 2 to 3 minutes.
Stir in the parsley, oregano, basil, thyme, allspice, salt and pepper.
Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes.
Place the ribs back into the pot.
Add the tomatoes, wine, beef broth and bay leaves.
Bring the mixture to a boil.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook covered for 2 to 3 hours.
Skim off any excess grease and remove the bay leaves before serving.

Friday, February 26, 2016

My New Favorite Winter Dessert

When Blood Oranges are in season if I need to make a dessert for any occasion, book club or work celebration (3/16?), this is what I will make. A Flaky Blood Orange Tart.

I found this recipe in Food and Wine. It has been on my Just Desserts Pinterest board for a very long time.
I even broke my Lent fast of sweets to try this tonight. Perfect. The crust was flaky. The filling was sweet and tart. I loved it. I brought this for book club and I think everyone enjoyed it. I did not make the recommended Salted Caramel Sauce. I found Salted Caramel Gelato at Bishops!

I doubled the crust and used more Blood Oranges than the recipe calls for because I was not sure how many people would be at book club and God forbid I should have to serve small pieces!

I am pretty dedicated to my usual Pate Brise recipe for any pie and tart crusts. But I will use this crust recipe again. The dough was beautiful to work with. You do have to let the tart freeze over night so if you make this give yourself enough time. And another note - wear gloves when segmenting the Blood Oranges. My nails and cuticles are now blood orange!
Flaky Blood Orange Tart from Food and Wine (serves 6) -

Ingredients-
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, the stick cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
3 tablespoons ice water
8 to 10 blood oranges (about 5 ounces each)
Salted Caramel Sauce, for serving

Method -
In a food processor, pulse the 1 cup of flour with 2 tablespoons of the sugar and the baking powder and salt. Add the stick of cold butter and pulse several times, just until it is the size of peas. Sprinkle the dough with the ice water and pulse just until moistened crumbs form. Turn the crumbs out onto a work surface, knead once or twice and pat the pastry into a disk. Wrap the pastry in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

On a floured work surface, roll out the pastry to an 11-inch round, about 1/4 inch thick. Transfer the pastry to a parchment paper–lined flat cookie sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes, or until chilled.

Meanwhile, peel the blood oranges, removing all of the bitter white pith. Thinly slice 2 of the oranges crosswise; remove the pits. Transfer the orange slices to a plate. Working over a sieve set over a bowl, cut in between the membranes of the remaining oranges, releasing the sections into the sieve. Remove the pits and gently shake out as much juice as possible without mashing the sections; you will need 1 cup of sections. Reserve the orange juice for another use.

Arrange the orange sections on the pastry, leaving a 2-inch border all around. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the sugar over the oranges. Using a paring knife, thinly slice the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter over the oranges. Fold up the pastry over the oranges, leaving most of the oranges uncovered. Brush the pastry with the egg wash and sprinkle lightly with 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Arrange the orange slices on top, leaving a 1-inch border of pastry all around. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar on top. Freeze the tart until solid, at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375° and position a rack in the center. Place a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any drips. Bake the tart directly from the freezer for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling and the pastry is deeply browned. Transfer the cookie sheet to a rack and let the tart cool for 30 minutes. Carefully slide the parchment paper onto the rack and let the tart cool completely. Serve with the Salted Caramel Sauce.

You can make this ahead of time. The unbaked tart can be tightly wrapped in plastic and frozen for up to 2 weeks.

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Meatball Soup with Greens

I made this soup on Sunday. Perfect for a midweek dinner. Make homemade meatballs by mixing ground beef, Italian bread, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, oregano, parsley & basil. Shape into mini meatballs. Set aside. In a soup pot, sauté chopped onion, carrot and celery until tender. Add the chicken broth. Heat the broth to boil. Add the meatballs and cook for about 10 minutes, remember the meatballs are small. Wash and chop Swiss Chard and Tuscan Kale. Add the greens to the pan and simmer until tender. Add frozen mixed vegetables and adjust seasonings. Serve with grated Parmesan Cheese.

Monday, February 22, 2016

The Stuffed Artichoke

I want to start off by apologizing to Chris because I thought he burnt the artichokes. I had been thinking about these all day and they were as good as I hoped they might be. The recipe is from Food Blogga. I made them yesterday so they just needed to be reheated tonight. This time I did make a small change. I did not use the Kalamata olives. I used regular canned olives that my Mom used. But I like the flavor of the Kalamata olives so next time I will use them. And yes there will be a next time. These are not easy to make but damn they are soooo good!

Sunday, February 21, 2016

Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore and Mom Goes Nationwide!

Tonight we had Chicken Cacciatore made in the crock pot. Not bad. I like the flavors of the La Cucina recipe better but this dinner was well received. Chris and Archie were very pleased.

Chicken Cacciatore -

Ingredients-
2 onions, thinly sliced
2-4 pounds chicken, skinned
1 28-ounce can plum tomatoes, chopped
Kosher salt and pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine or broth
2 tbsp caper, rinsed
20 pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
1 bunch chopped parsley or basil
Cooked pasta

Method-
Place slice onion in crock pot and cover with chicken
In a bowl, stir tomatoes, salt, pepper and white wine together. Pour over chicken.
Cover and cook on Low for 5-6 hours or on High for 3-4 hours, or until the chicken is tender.
Stir in capers, olives and herbs just before serving.
Serve over cooked pasta.
 
I used Borgatti's Spaghetti all Chitarra. I liked the pasta better than the chicken!

And My Mom's Meat Sauce Goes National!
One of my nephew's had to take a course for work and for one of the classes they had to bring something from their homes that had a family tradition tied to it. My nephew brought a picture that I had framed for his wife's bridal shower gift. It was a photo of my Mom along with her recipe for Meat Sauce. After he gave his presentation people in the class asked to see the picture and it was passed around. Then they asked if they could copy the recipe or take a photo of it!!! There were people from all over the country taking the class. And now they all have my Mom's Meat Sauce recipe! I can't stop smiling about this. She would be so happy. Rock on Mom!


Saturday, February 20, 2016

The Best English Muffins Ever!

No we did not have English Muffins for dinner. We had them for breakfast. Dinner was Steak Pizzioli and it was okay. I liked the sauce and the roasted potatoes the best. I just should have taken the meat out a couple of minutes sooner. Hey they can't all be winners. Enough about the overcooked meat. It is breakfast I want to focus on tonight.

This recipe is from A Beautiful Mess. I made the muffins yesterday and baked them last night. They were so crisp and the nooks and crannies were perfectly defined. I did not use a muffin ring, really not a necessary piece of equipment. Instead of using the mixer to knead the dough, I did it by hand. The texture was beautiful. It reminded me of the first time I made bread. Kneading the dough is so relaxing.

From A Beautiful Mess, English Muffins-

Ingredients-
2 1/4 cups bread flour
1/2 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon shortening (or butter at room temperature)
1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup milk

Method-
Combine the yeast with the warm water. I like to add just a pinch of sugar to the water before pouring in the yeast, just really get things going.
In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Stir in the shortening, this will be a little clumpy and that's OK. Now pour in the yeast water and milk. Stir until a dough ball forms. If you are using a stand mixer and dough hook to knead the dough, this will take about 6 minutes until the dough becomes elastic like. If you knead by hand it will probably take 8-10 minutes (and a lot more muscles). Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and allow to rise until doubled in size (about 60-90 minutes).

Plop the dough out on a floured work surface. Yes, you must plop. Divide the dough into six equal parts. *The original recipes encourages this, although I think this could easily make eight muffins as it yields pretty big English muffins if you stick with six.  Anyway, roll each muffin into a ball. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and a little bit of cornmeal (or flour). Cover, and allow to rise for an additional hour.

Heat a cast iron skillet (or other oven safe pan) over medium heat. Add a teaspoon of oil. You don't want too much as our goal isn't to fry the dough, but we don't want it to stick to the pan either. Cook for 5-6 minutes on each side. You want each side to get very brown, but not burnt.

Once you've cooked each side pop the skillet in the oven at 400°F for 10-12 minutes until the english muffins are cooked through.
 
If you do not have an oven safe pan, or you don't have one large enough for all the muffins, you can remove the muffins after cooking on each side to the baking sheet (still lined with parchment paper and cornmeal) and bake on there. Either way.

These are wonderful just out of the oven the day they are made. If you have leftovers, just place the cooled muffins in a Ziplock bag and seal it up. These will easily last a few days on the counter, or up to a week in the refrigerator. 
Today I took part in a focus group at Bishop's Orchard. You know the place I buy my produce. It was interesting hearing other shopper's stories. Looking forward to seeing what changes will come about. We received a gift basket for our time. A gift card (always appreciated!), the amazing apple cider donuts, apple sauce and an apple paper weight (I think that's what it is!). It all came in a shopping basket. Guess who liked that -

Friday, February 19, 2016

Mom's Baked Macaroni

I was in New York a couple of weeks ago to see the Smithereens. Chris and I were sitting at a bar having cocktails before the show. I get a text from a co-worker requesting my Mom's Baked Macaroni recipe. She looked on this blog and could not find the recipe. I looked and could not find the recipe! I ended up texting her the recipe.

So here is my Mom's recipe for Baked Macaroni -

Grease Pyrex glass loaf dish.
Cook 1/2 box of pasta elbows.
In the baking dish put a layer of cooked pasta. Top with some American Cheese and then add more pasta. Continue layering until you end with a pasta layer. You should have 4 layers of pasta. Beat 2 eggs and pour over the pasta. Fill the baking dish with milk. Fill until the milk almost reaches the top of the dish. Sprinkle the top with breadcrumbs, parsley and Parmesan cheese. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes at 350 degrees. Cover the top with foil if it starts to burn.

The cheese can be whatever you have in the house. Tonight I used American, Cheddar and Gouda cheeses. It was creamier than usual. Delicious comfort food perfect for Lent.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Vegetable Tart

Tonight we had Chili which was in the freezer from the batch made on January 23rd. Afraid there might not be enough food on the table, I have a serious problem with this, I made a Vegetable Tart. I had leftover Asparagus and I sauteed some zucchini and yellow squash and an onion. A little Cheddar cheese and that Pate Brisee recipe resulted in a nice side dish and lunch for me tomorrow!

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Heart-Shaped Food

Happy Valentines Day! We started the day with Fresh Apple and Cinnamon Scones with Pecans. Here is the recipe to which I added 1/2 cup of chopped Pecans. And yes they are heart-shaped.

I love pizza on Sunday nights. Childhood memories and all that. I do need to work on my pizza dough heart shaping technique but the flavors were oh so good. For Chris I made onion and bacon. For myself, I had some roasted broccoli and some cooked broccoli rabe in the freezer. Both of these pizzas were delicious!

Saturday, February 13, 2016

Breaded Pork Chops

Spend the day shopping with Lenore. The search was on for a new winter coat. Dinner was a personal favorite. Breaded Pork Chops, browned in a saute pan and finished in the oven. Roasted sweet and white potatoes and roasted asparagus. And yes I did get a new coat!

Friday, February 12, 2016

Sogliola alla Mugnaia

And now we begin our Recipes for Lent. We actually began on Wednesday with the Escarole and Beans. Tonight I made a recipe for the Mario Batali cookbook that Chris gave me for Christmas, Molto Italiano, 327 Simple Italian Recipe to Cook At Home.

I have to tell you, cooking the recipe was easy and fast. But my favorite part of preparing dinner was when I was at the stove and turned around and saw 2 cats sitting on the table glaring at me. Not staring, glaring. I do not do a lot of cooking with fish. They did notice tonight's dinner.

From Molto Italiano, 327 Simple Italian Recipe to Cook At Home, Sogliola all Mugnaia (Sautéed Sole Miller's Style)

Ingredients-
flour for dredging

salt and pepper
2 pounds Sole Fillets
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
juice of one lemon
2 tablespoon minced parsley

A lemon, cut into thin wedges, for garnishing

Method-
Season the flour with salt and pepper and spread on a plate. Dredge the fish in the flour and shake off the excess.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tbsp butter with olive over medium heat until the butter foams and subsides. Add the fish and cook, turning once, until nicely golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer the fish to a serving platter and cover  loosely to keep warm.
Discard the cooking fat and wipe the skillet clean. Return the skillet to medium heat and melt the remaining 2 tbsp butter. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley, and pour over the fish. Arrange lemon wedges around the fish and serve immediately.


Thursday, February 11, 2016

Petti di Pollo alla Campagnola

Petti di Pollo alla Campagnola (Chicken Breast Fillets with Red and Yellow Peppers). Sounds fancy for a Thursday night. It was pretty easy to put together. The recipe is from Every Night Italian by Giuliano Hazan.

This recipe serves 6 people, I just made enough for Chris and I. Then I found a recipe from Cooking Light that was similar but instead of the 4 tablespoons of olive oil they used one. And instead of Vegetable oil to cook the chicken in they used Cooking Spray. Here is the recipe from Cooking Light.

Ingredients-
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups onion sliced crosswise
1 large yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch strips
2 1/3 cups coarsely chopped tomato
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
20 kalamata olives 
Cooking spray
6 (4-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut in half horizontally 

Method-
Put oil and onion in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce heat; cook 10 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to medium-high. Add bell peppers; cook 10 minutes or until bell peppers are tender. Add tomato, salt, and black pepper; cook 7 minutes or until liquid has evaporated. Add parsley, oregano, and olives; cook 1 minute. Pour tomato mixture into a large bowl; keep warm.
Wipe pan clean with a paper towel; heat pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add 4 chicken breast pieces; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan; repeat procedure with remaining chicken.
Return the chicken to pan; add the tomato mixture, and cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated.

Chris enjoyed this dinner. I was iffy on it. I thought I over cooked the chicken and the sauce was bland. I did enjoy the zucchini and noodles!

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Scarola e Fagioli

Scarola e Fagioli (Escarole and Beans) was what I wanted for my birthday dinner.

 
Yes, today is my birthday. And today is Ash Wednesday which meant we could not eat meat. Not a problem, for me anyway! I saw the recipe for Chicory and Beans on Memorie di Angelina site the other day. I knew that it was what I wanted to have for dinner on my birthday. We also had some of the Foccaccia bread that I made on Sunday and a very nice bottle of Montepulciano D'Abruzzo. This dinner reminded me of something my mom would have made. It was simple and delicious. I could not find Chicory so I used Escarole. The escarole was a good substitute. 

Happy Birthday to me!



Tuesday, February 9, 2016

“Anthony! Anthony!”

Mary Fiumara of Boston’s North End, famous for her “Anthony! Anthony!” part in the original Prince Pasta commercial, passed away at age 88 on Tuesday, February 2nd.

Tonight we had our meat sauce with Ziti, but they were not Prince brand. Sorry. But I will not have to say I am sorry for the sauce I made. Not a lot of different kinds of meat this time. Just Ground Beef and Italian Sausage. Then there were the meatballs. Delicious!

Sunday, February 7, 2016

Best Beef Stew Ever

Best Beef Stew Ever
 "Best Beef Stew Ever."
That is a direct quote from Chris. The recipe was in the little booklet that came with the Crock Pot. A simple recipe that resulted in the "Best Beef Stew Ever."

Tonight was the Super Bowl. Neither of our teams was in it this year but we still watched. Well, I watched until Downton Abbey came on. To start off, or pre-game, I made a hummus from Cannellini Beans, Kalamata Olives, and Capers. Winner! The recipe comes from Jeanette's Healthy Living site.

Ingredients-
1 1/2 cups cooked Cannellini Beans, or 1 can Cannellini Beans, rinsed and drained well
1/4 cup Kalamata Olives, pitted
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
salt and pepper, to taste

Method-
Place beans, olives, capers, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Process until almost smooth.
Gradually pour olive oil through the feed tube.
Add lemon juice.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Now about that stew. So easy!

Ingredients-
2-4 pounds beef chuck stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup four
Kosher salt and pepper
3 cups beef broth
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
6 small potatoes, quartered
2-3 onions, chopped
3 celery stalks, sliced

Method-
Sprinkle flour, salt, and pepper over meat. Place meat in Crock-Pot slow cooker.
Add remaining ingredients and stir well.
Cover and cook on Low for 8-10 hours or on High for 5-6 hours, or until the meat is tender. Stir thoroughly before serving. 

The only thing I would change about the recipe is to add carrots. It could have used a little color. 

focaccia
focaccia
And I had to make something to go with the stew. I was at the grocery store waiting in the Deli line, one of the circles of hell and was reading an email from Food52. It was a recipe for Slap Grilled Cheese. A focaccia bread sliced in half and filled with cheese and then reheated to melt the cheese. That's what I went with. I made the Jim Lahey Focaccia recipe, starting it last night. Nice. The bread was, of course, delicious and the for the cheese inside I used Sharp Cheddar and Gouda. Yeah, this recipe is a keeper.

Ingredients-
Foccaccia
Cheddar or comparable cheese grated


Method-
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Slice the focaccia so that you have two equal slabs.
Sprinkle your preferred grated cheese for as little or as much coverage as you'd like between the slices of focaccia.
Weigh the whole thing down with a heavy-bottomed pan—that's right, put a pan right on top of the focaccia—and bake at 375°F for about 8 minutes.
Slice as small as you'd like to serve. 






Saturday, February 6, 2016

English Muffin Bread

A snowy day means what? That's right, I make bread. I would have done something like a Brioche or Babka but I was working from home yesterday so I did not have a lot of free time. Well until we lost power. Yeah no power. This bread was suppose to raise about an hour. We lost power at 10:30AM and it came back on at 3:00AM this morning. I baked it after 24 hours of rising. So I suppose these should be called the 24 Hour English Muffin Bread. Anyway it is a delicious way to start the day. I baked the bread in a pan that was my Mom's and it is still one of my favorite bread pans.

 
English Muffin Bread from My Baking Addiction -

Ingredients-
3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1 cup milk
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
cornmeal, to sprinkle in pan

Method-
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and instant yeast; stir to combine.

2. In a microwave safe bowl, combine the milk, water, and oil and heat to between 120°F and 130°F. Make sure to stir the liquid before measuring its temperature. If you don't have a thermometer, don't worry, King Arthur states that the liquid should feel quite hot (hotter than lukewarm), but not so hot that it would be uncomfortable as bath water.

3. Pour the hot liquid over the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl. Beat at high speed for 1 minute, the dough will be quite soft and sticky.

4. Lightly grease an 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan, and sprinkle the bottom and sides with cornmeal. I just tossed in about a 1/4 of cornmeal and tilted the pan until the inside was thoroughly coated.

5. Scoop the dough into the prepared pan. I used a rubber spatula sprayed with nonstick cooking spray to level the top of the dough out a bit.

6. Cover the pan (I used plastic wrap), and let the dough rise until it's just barely crowned over the rim of the pan. King Arthur Flour notes that when you look at the rim of the pan from eye level, you should see the dough, but it shouldn't be more than about 1/4" over the rim. This will take about 45 minutes to 1 hour, if you heated the liquid to the correct temperature and your kitchen isn't very cold. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 400°F.

7. Remove the cover, and bake the bread for 22 to 27 minutes, until it's golden brown and its interior temperature is 190°F. Mine baked for 26 minutes and it was perfect.

8. Remove the bread from the oven, and after 5 minutes turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool. Let the bread cool completely before slicing.

Dinner? Lenore and Ralph took us to Dalton's for my birthday (my birthday is Wednesday). Dinner was delicious!!! But it was too dark in the restaurant to take photos but trust me it was a memorable meal. Fried Calamari that melted in your mouth. I had Cavatelli with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe. Loved it! The other dinners were Osso Buco, Short Ribs and Mushroom Ravioli. Everyone was raving about their meals. Yes we will be back!