Popcorn Bread

A light white bread with a hint of popcorn. Cool

4 cups popped popcorn
1 tsp salt
1 cup boiling water
1 cup cold milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
1  1/2 tbsps yeast
6 cups white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour

Yield: 3 loaves

Take popcorn that has been popped and cooled (you can use leftover popcorn from the night before). Remove the duds.

Put it in the food processor and process until it looks like blown-in styrofoam insulation. Weird but it does.

Add salt to the popcorn and set aside.

Boil 1 cup of water, then add 1 cup of cold milk and sugar. Sprinkle the yeast on top and give it one swirl of the spoon. Let the yeast become active...it should take 10 minutes. I did this all in a measuring cup figuring it'd be ok. It almost wasn't. Next time I'll just start it in a large bowl.

So once the yeast is active (in a large bowl), add the processed popcorn, eggs and melted butter. Gradually incorporate the flours. I started adding flour in my KitchenAid but found the recipe too big for my mixer.

I continued adding flour and kneading on the counter. It doesn't look like it here but it does come together nicely. Place it in a greased bowl, cover with a tea towel and rise in a warm place until doubled, 45-60 minutes. Punch it down and rest 20 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto the counter and cut into 3 equal parts.

Shape into loaves and place into greased 9 X 5" loaf pans.
Cover and let rise until doubled again 30-45 minutes.

Bake in a 350F oven for 35 minutes until golden.

"Pop" them right out of the pans.

 I sliced one warm with dinner and sliced the other 2 and put them in the freezer for a day when there's no time to bake.

Adapted from http://www.food.com/amp/recipe/popcorn-bread-320976

Greek-Style Slow Cooker Chicken and Potato Dinner

The chicken should have been the center of attention here, and it was really good. But Oh these lemony potatoes....I love love loved them!

4 chicken legs, divided thigh and drumstick
4 or 5 potatoes, peeled and cut in wedges
1  1/2 tbsps minced garlic
1 tbsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp lemon zest
2 tbsps olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp cornstarch

A friend told me I should say how many people my recipes serve. It's been kind of hit and miss with me in the past but I will try to be more vigilant about it.

This recipe serves 4-5

Start with a layer of potato wedges on the bottom of a crock pot that has been sprayed with cooking oil.

Next sit the thighs and drumsticks on top, careful not to overlap.

Mix the remaining ingredients together and spoon over the chicken. If there is any remaining pour it into the bottom of the pot.

Cover and slow cook on low 5-6 hours then enjoy, Opa!

Irish Guinness Quick Bread

When March rolls around I am always looking for something to make on St Patrick's Day. I don't know why, I'm not even Irish. But isn't everyone Irish on St Patrick's Day?

So here's a recipe I found at Fox and Briar that is a quick bread with Guinness. Anything with Guinness makes it Irish right?
http://www.foxandbriar.com/irish-guinness-brown-bread/

1 cup oats
2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup white flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 1/4 tsps baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsps salt
1 tbsp chia seeds (optional)

12 oz Guinness 
1 cup buttermilk 
5 tbsps melted butter
1 tsp vanilla

Set the oven temperature to 425F

Combine the 8 dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Mix the Guinness with buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla. If you don't have buttermilk just add 1-2 tsps vinegar to milk. I opened a can of Guinness for this recipe and after measuring out 12 oz had 1 1/2 oz left to wet my whistle.

Anyways, add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix just until combined. Pour into a 9 X 5" loaf pan that has been sprayed with cooking oil. Sprinkle some extra oats on top.

Put the loaf in the oven and immediately TURN DOWN the temperature to 400F. Bake for 45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool on a rack for 5-10 minutes

Then remove from pan and cool completely before slicing.

Have a slice for breakfast or 

as a snack

or enjoy with a nice Beef and Guinness Stew Pie!

Here's the link

http://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.ca/2014/01/beef-guinness-stew-pie.html

Chicken Pho Bowl

"Fuh" not "foe" but the taste is Whoa! (Never said I was a poet)

4 cups Campbell's Pho broth
1/4 cup celery slices
1/2 cup onion slices
1/2 cup finely shredded carrot
1  1/2 cups sliced/shredded rotisserie chicken
5 oz/340 g rice or asian-style egg noodles (3-4 nests)
Garnish: celery leaves and sriracha sauce

I just happened upon this pho broth in the grocery store the other day. Might make pho from scratch one day but this one was pretty tasty!

Pour the broth into a large pot and warm on medium heat. Add celery, onion and carrots and simmer 10-15 minutes.

Cook noodles in salted water as directed on package and set aside.

Add chicken to broth and heat through, about 5-10 minutes.

Place noodles in serving bowls and ladle the chicken and broth over top. Add the celery leaves and sriracha and "whoa"!

Gluten Free Pistachio Avocado Blondies

If you have a tummy sensitive to gluten but still have a sweet tooth...

1 small avocado (1/3 cup mashed)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup butter or marg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/4 cup white rice flour
1/3 cup roughly chopped pistachios

Mash avocado and lemon juice together.
Cream butter and sugar together then add to the avocado/lemon juice. Mix in the egg and vanilla.

Next mix the ground almonds, salt and rice flour together and incorporate into the mix.

Chop the pistachios roughly like this

and fold into the batter.

Line an 8 X 8" baking pan with parchment paper and pour the batter in.

Bake at 350 F for 35-40 minutes.

Cool in pan then lift out with the parchment and cut into squares.

Sautéed Garlic Asparagus

You know spring is around the corner when tender young asparagus spears start popping up in the produce section of your grocery store!

When they are thick woody ones snapping the ends off usually means losing 2 or 3 inches off the stalk. I barely lost an inch off these ones!

1 lb asparagus
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper 

Once you wash and trim the asparagus, cut them in half.
In a large skillet heat olive oil and add minced garlic. Toss until fragrant, probably less than 1 minute then add the asparagus. Sauté 5 minutes and add salt and pepper to taste.

And if you'd like to try the Potato Stacks pictured, here's the link to the recipe
http://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.ca/2017/02/potato-stacks.html

Potato Stacks

These stacks remind me of Hasselback potatoes but without the "hassle" of cutting the potatoes and trying to keep them joined at the bottom. 

Just use a mandolin slicer and slice away!

3 large russet potatoes
3 tbsps olive oil
3 tbsps melted butter
2 tsp dried rosemary
salt and pepper

So like I said, slice the potatoes thinly.  Out of 3 large potatoes I made 7 serving stacks of potatoes.

Toss the slices in a bag with oil and butter.  You may have to get your hands in there to separate the slices and get everything coated nicely. Add rosemary, salt and pepper to taste.

Stack the potatoes on a parchment lined baking sheet and drizzle with the rest of the oil and butter left in the bag.

Bake at 375 F for 45-55 minutes until the edges are golden and a skewer pierces easily through the middle of the stack.

Serve with a little parmesan

And here's the recipe link for those Sautéed Garlic Asparagus
http://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.ca/2017/02/sauteed-garlic-asparagus.html