llc45

After loving this at Lupa, that's exactly how I make it whenever I can find it fresh at my local farmer's market. Another way I make it is I saute it with potatoes and onions and add chopped tomatoes to finish the cooking process, then finishing with a drizzle of olive oil and parmiggiano reggiano - yum!!!

Add yet another, including the eating style. I am loving your out of the way adventures. Like Tamian, I also have lots of trouble in the off-season but I think my community will get there over time.

I have just used some extra flour and rolled it out without too much difficulty. When all else fails, just use my fingers to stretch it a bit more.

That is one fine looking suribachi. Have been looking for one that I can leave out on my counter. I am hoping you remember where you purchased it. Thank you all for a most enjoyable blog.

You have to try it for pizza crust. We live in an area devoid of great pizza. The crust has good flavor and is nice and crispy. I have been baking it on a stone.

Your recipe went over really well with my daughter and her friends this morning. My husband even liked them and he always complains about pancakes. Still haven't mastered cooking them - I tend to overcook some and undercook some. I hate having anymore bulky kitchen gadgets than I possibly need and have resisted an electric skillet for years. Think I may have to finally break down and get one.

I bought the book after making the basic dough several times. I used to be a big bread baker. My favorite was a bread that took three days to make which had the most wonderful flavor. Unfortunately, life got too busy and I stopped doing it. I was thrilled when I saw the Bittman no-knead recipe. It didn't compare to my sourdough breads but was well worth the little effort it required. That said, I had some difficulties fitting the timing of the bread into my schedule. Therefore, I was even more happy when I saw the article for the Artisan Bread in 5 min a day. I really like the basic recipe. I too substitute wheat for some of the white. For the basic 4-loaf recipe, you should only substitute about a cup. Too much more and you have a problem with the rise. Because my family goes though if so quickly, I haven't been able to see how much sour dough flavor develops if you let it go towards the full two weeks. I still would like more sour dough flavor but, again, I am not complaining for the level of effort. Not only are we having fresh bread regularly, I like having it available for pizza whenever we feel like it. I also like the versatility of the recipe and the ability to form different shapes. I finally found a container large enough to make 8-loaves at a time. So, hopefully, I can see what the bread tastes like after a longer time period. We haven't made it past the 5-day mark so far. One of the suggestions in the book is to not wash out the container when mixing a new batch. They claim that the old dough will incorporate into the new and will add a little more sourdough flavor from the start. Over the holidays, I made the brioche recipe out of the book. I made four plain loaves and four loaves that I rolled out and filled with chocolate ganache. Everyone loved them and thought I had spent hours making them. Because the recipe has butter in it (obviously), you can only keep that dough for five days. I can't say enough for the veratility and wide range of recipes in the book. I have formed the loaves ito baguettes, rounds, etc. If I remember correctly, I think that the published recipe in the NYT article says to let the bread rise for 40 minutes. I think that the 40 minutes is for the first loaf before you stick it in the fridge. I was doing that originally for the refrigetated dough but then read elsewhere in the book to make it an hour and 40 minutes if the dough was refrigerated. Once I switched, I started getting a much better rise. Tomorrow, I am going to try the honey whole wheat. It uses a lot more wheat flour than the basic recipe allows by adding honey and milk to tenderize the dough.

I have been following along but didn't think there was very much I could contribute to this blog but......... Try this: Find a clean, large mason jar, preferably a wide-mouth one. Sort through the berries gently to make sure there are no nasties in there BUT DO NOT WASH THEM. Carefully transfer them to the mason jar, put on the lid and screw band and put them on a shelf in the 'fridge. When you want some berries take out a serving, wash them and you are set. I am amazed how long berries stay fresh using this method. There is no need to vacuum seal the jar. ← Thank you - I will give it a try as soon as possible. The possibility that I no longer have to hear my husband say "these "insert berry name" are spoiled, why do you keep buying them when you don't ever eat them" has me doing a mental happy dance.

I struggle with this with fruit also. While they're are a number of fruits that I do eat, it is just not something I want to do on a daily basis. Apples are my favorite so I take five to work on Mon morning and make sure I have one every day. I am also addicted to the Fage yogurt and have found I actually don't mind mixing in mandarin oranges or low sugar diced peaches that I now keep in my desk. Two a day down, that was my accomplishment for last year. Since berries mostly spoil before we get around to using them, I guess I have to start considering dried too. I just remember giving my elderly grandmother prunes all of the time and thinking they were gross. But, honestly, I haven't tried them so thanks for the blog - I am going to give them a try.

I found this on Amazon which seems like a total bargain because it would include free shipping. However, some of the reviews indicate some damage in the shipping process. Originally learned about these cookies on Giada's food network show. She incorporates them into a lot of her easy desserts. After reading this thread, I'm dying to try them (after we get through the plethora of cookies everyone has dropped off for the holidays). I'm a big tea drinker and these seem to be a perfect accompaniment.

Thanks for the heads up - I guess I better really stock up before the European prices go up.

Since we like our wine, we are always looking for decent red wines for everyday drinking/cooking purposes at reasonable (OK - cheap) prices. When we find something like this, we generally will buy it by the case to take advantage of additional discounts. Lately, our everyday wine is a Spanish table wine made by Este that sells in the $8 price range. However, my friend made friends with the someone at our local wine store who is always pointing out real bargains. She brought over a bottle of Mattie's Perch Shiraz last weekend. It is Australian. I liked it as good or better than my cheapie wine. I was floored when she told me the price - $2.99 at our local wine store.

Wanted to bump up this thread for the holidays. Planning on taking the beer cheese dip to a party on Sunday and will probably try the stacked enchilada recipe for another party I'm going to just because they both sound excellant and I have been meaning to make them ever since!

Wow - I can't believe I didn't know that they had these - I go way out of my way to stock up on these at a superrmarket that carries them at a reasonable price but this price blows that price out of the water. What is this? Carsanco - Ditto on the increasing bills.

OOOOhhhhh - black truffle butter? Please tell more - how have you used it? The prosciutto is also a regular staple in our house.

Thanks for bringing back a memory - I now remember my grandmother teaching me this when I was little (using a paper bag). With my husband, the human eating machine around, there's never much of anything to refresh.

Forgot to mention that we also tried the organic roasted red pepper and tomato soup. Tried some last night with a sandwich on the way out the door to my daughter's Christmas concert - not half bad for something quick and will be even better with a little doctoring. Also forgot to mention another first time purchase - large jar of cinnamon sticks by McCormick for less that I pay for a small jar at my local supermarket.

Sorry if this is off topic but I just wanted to mention that I was so pleased with the master recipe that I bought the book. They have adapted the concept for many savory breads and sweet breads including bagels, pretzels, peasant breads, brioche, cinnamon rolls, just to name a few. They say you can pretty much have several different types of dough in storage at one time for different purposes. They have a recipe for Neopolitan Pizza for which they say you can use any of the following dough recipes in the book: European Peasant, Olive Oil, Light Whole Wheat, or Italian Semolina. I, unfortunately, had surgery the day after I received the book so I've done a lot of skimming but not much testing. I have made the master recipe about 4 times so far with some variation each time. I have used that recipe to make bread, pizza and stromboli.

After an epic shopping event on Sunday, my newest finds include: Precooked Beef Carving Roast with au jus: I'm not a big convenience food fan but my daughter and husband tried the samples and loved it. It is tender and flavorful. We made hot sandwiches with it so far. I plan on putting slices on toasted bagette slices with horseradish sauce as a quick appetizer for unexpected dropins over the holidays. Dried Goji Berries: When I went to get dried blueberries and mangos, I discovered these. I recently saw on the news that these are the newest Superfood. They're pretty tasty in my morning oatmeal. I plan on substituting for other dried fruits in muffins, pancakes and granola. Thanks to those of you who turned me on to Marcona Almonds - yum! Still have yet to find the capers (which I use a lot of) or the Carnitas. Maybe my Costco does not carry these. I also stocked up on my typical holiday buys - a selection of good cheeses including a triple creme from France, crackers, lump crab meat, dips, etc. Just wish my Costco carried wine!

I loved using the Bittman no-knead bread recipe but thought it was lacking in flavor and not so versatile. So, was very excited when that thread referenced a newer NYT article about a similar concept where you make enough dough for four (or 8) loaves and then store it in your fridge for up to two weeks. It develops a slight sour dough flavor and can be shaped. Bingo - not only can I make bread whenever I want, we now have been having pizza at least once a week. I have been very pleased with the results. I find it is much easier to get a thin crust then when I used to use fresh dough. I have been transferring it to a stone and getting the nice crispy crust that I like. Currently, I have been making in the 4-loaf quantiites because I don't have a large enough container but will changing over to 8 loaves as soon as I can acquire something to put it in.

I was so pleased with how the bread turned out that I ordered the book. Just received it in the mail - I am so excited. It has recipes for all different types of peasant bread, bagels, pizza crust, brioche, many sweet bread recipes (OK - I'll stop). I think I am going to try one of the wheat ones next. The thing I love is that I can make 4 (or 8) at a time. I can make a loaf of bread, then a pizza crust, then a stromboli because I have premade dough ready to go. The first two loaves that I made from the NYT recipe didn't have a lot of sourdough flavor so I am waiting to make the next two to see how much flavor develops. One of the things that the book recommends to get more sourdough flavor is to mix the next batch right in the same bowl without washing. The old dough will then become the "sourdough" started for the new mixture. Unfortunately, I am busy this next week or two but will definitely be trying many of the sweet breads and brioches as soon as I get time. For every day bread, I have been buying an organic wheat sourdough bread from a great local baker. Now I am going to see if I can get somewhat close with one of the peasant bread recipes that has wheat, rye, and white flour. I also see weekly pizza in my future!

How's this turkey recipe for something new and interesting?

I haven't had a lot of success with adding whole wheat and then putting in my LC. How many loaf pans do you use for the regula NYT recipe?

Thanks for the great suggestions. I am thinking about maybe combining a few to make up baskets. I am still having a hard time giving up on the bourban maple syrup though, I've been planning on this being a big part of my gifts since I found the site last year right after the holidays. Maybe next year!

I love this little gadget - as soon as told my husband about it, he ran right out to Wal-mart to purchase it. We buy a lot of larger blocks of cheese from Costco - now I can keep them fresh for a lot longer. Just for this alone, it is worth it.