Rosemary Asiago-Laced Bread

I love baking artisan-type breads.  They can add such a fancy flair to a meal, and the possibilities are really endless when coming up with good combinations to bake together.  The only downside is that breads can be kinda tricky to do.  The whole proofing process sometimes flops, then the whole recipes goes down the drain. But I love it when a loaf really comes out perfect!

I found this bread recipe in a Food and Wine magazine, and decided to give it a try. I had some Asiago cheese left from another recipe, so decided it was time to give it a try. Now, word of warning, that is a strong cheese...some people in my house were slightly nauseated while the bread was baking from the intensity of the smell, but they approved of the finished product ;)

Here's what you'll need:

1 Tbsp. active dry yeast

1 1/4c. warm water

2 tsp. sugar

4-4 1/2c. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary

2 tsp. dried minced onions

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2c. shredded Asiago cheese

1/2c. shredded Parmesan cheese

1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp. water

Sprinkle yeast over 1/4c. water. Stir in 1 tsp. of sugar. Let stand for 10 minutes until the mixture is foamy.
Stir together 3 1/2c. of flour, salt, rosemary, minced onions, cayenne pepper, and remaining teaspoon of sugar.
Pour yeast mixture into flour mixture. Add remaining 1 cup warm water and the olive oil. Stir to form a ball. Mix together the cheeses and add 3/4c to the mixture.
Turn onto a well-floured surface and knead until dough is elastic and smooth. Place the ball of dough in a greased bowl.

Cover and let rise, till it looks like this...

Punch down the dough, and roll into a loaf shape, making sure to tuck the ends under.

Cover and let rise till it's doubled in size. Once it does that, brush the loaf with the egg wash mixture, and top with remaining cheese mixture.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from the pan and cool.

I served this with Mediterranean Chicken (recipe soon to follow), and it paired splendiferously!

Happy Cooking!

-G 



Rocky Road Candy

I noticed that I haven't posted on sweets since I first started this blog, so I decided to remedy that with this post.

This recipe is one that my family has been doing for ages...it's super simple and so delicious! I never tire of rocky road candy ;P

You'll Need:
1 (12 oz.) pkg. semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 (14oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
2 T. butter
2c. dry roasted peanuts
1 (10 1/2 oz.) package mini marshmallows

In a saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate morsels with butter and condensed milk. Remove from heat. In a large bowl, combine peanuts and marshamallows; stir in chocolate mixture.
Spread in a wax-paper lined 13x9 pan and chill for 2 hours or until firm. Remove from pan, peel off wax paper, and cut into squares.

Happy Cooking!
-G

Ribs n' Fixings

Growing up in the south, I have come to appreciate good Southern cooking. I'll admit, why people enjoy collard greens so much still eludes me, but for the most part, I'm a fan.  So when I was presented with a rack of ribs, and was told to make dinner, I decided to go for the gusto and make a nice Southern-style meal.

From my extensive culinary training by The Neeleys and the Food Network Channel, I knew that good ribs started with a good rub. So, I set off to make a rub that would make you slap yo' mama.

This one had a little bit of everything in it: chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, paprika, cumin, salt, brown sugar, and cayenne pepper (I had to control myself with that one....some members of my family don't appreciate as much 'kick' as I do )





I then proceeded to rub the rack of ribs with this mix until I had pretty much all of it covered. And my friends, don't be shy with this, rub a dub the meat like there's no tomorrow. It makes a difference ;)

Now comes the part where I deviated a little bit. Usually, you're supposed to grill these babies, but, seeing that it's like 100 degrees outside, I decided to do myself a favor and cook them another way. I placed the ribs on a large baking sheet, and cooked it in the oven at 250 degrees for 2-4 hours (depending on how big your rib rack is). I actually like this technique better..the ribs almost fall off the bone, and the rub really soaks into the meat. Not to mention, once it's in the oven, you can really forget about it and do other things.

 

I served these with some delicious sides, one of my favorites being the grilled corn. I'd never done that before, but I mixed some leftover rub with some butter, slathered the corn with it, and grilled it until it looked done. Ahh...the corn came so sweet and savory...too good.

All in all, this dinner came out pretty good. I wouldn't call it a total success, as I didn't actually slap my mama, but it came close nonetheless ;)

Happy Cooking!

-G