Appetizers and Snacks Archives - Page 7 of 9

Cilantro Lime Pesto Shrimp

May 4, 2012 by amy 2 Comments

You just know it’s summer when you can begin smelling people in your neighborhood grilling out. It’s such a awesome smoky smell. My husband is convinced that once the weather turns warm that it’s time to bust out the grill several times during the week. And I am completely fine with that. As long as we’re not eating gigantic steaks every night. Not only is that difficult on the wallet, but I do like a little variety now and then.

So needless to say, we’ve been getting a bit creative with what we grill. I think that it’s funny because unless it’s a steak or a huge tray full of hamburgers, hubby thinks it may not be worth turning on his grill for. Can you imagine what he thought when I suggested that we grill a few shrimp skewers?

Not to mention that these so called shrimp would be covered and marinated in a word that I have yet to introduce to my clan….pesto. Ah yes pesto. The shiny, slimy, green concoction that people eat over pasta or as part of some fancy meal. I had my work cut out for me when I decided to go the pesto route. But I was determined and excited to give it a try.

Exchanging the regular greens in pesto with cilantro and instead of using those ridiculously expensive pine nuts, I used slivered almonds. Giving this sauce the once over, hubby literally just looked at it once. He was not too excited about it. However, little did he know that his very shrimp that night would be slathered, soaked, and bathed in that slimy green mixture.

~~Not very~~ long story short, he loved it! Can you believe it? I think one key factor in pesto that makes it appealing is the amount of parmesan cheese that you put in it. And the lime in this recipe really did wonders for the shrimp.

I even caught him dipping his marinated and grilled shrimp in the leftover pesto sauce! I can’t say as much for my daughter. I purposely left the pesto off of hers and she was content with her’s being plain. These were such fantastic and light shrimp that would be absolutely amazing on a shrimp taco.

Cilantro Lime Pesto Shrimp

Celebrate summer with this light and zesty cilantro lime shrimp!

Ingredients

40-60 Medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 Bunches cilantro
Zest of 1 Lime
Juice of 1 Lime
2 Tbsp Slivered Almonds, toasted- optional
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan cheese
1- 1 and 1/2 C. Olive oil
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Method

Soak skewers in water for at least 15 minutes prior to grilling shrimp.
Place all ingredients except olive oil in food processor until chopped.
Slowly drizzle in desired amount of olive oil.
Place peeled shrimp into a bowl with HALF of the pesto. Set the rest aside.
Marinate for at least 1 hour.
Place the shrimp on skewers and grill for around 2 minutes on each side.
Serve with remaining pesto.

Notes

Toasting the almonds is completely optional. I didn't actually toast mine and it still tasted great.

http://www.pennywisecook.com/cilantro-lime-pesto-shrimp/

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Filed Under: Appetizers and Snacks, Main Dishes, Sauces and Dips

BLT Bruschetta

May 2, 2012 by amy 5 Comments

Tomatoes, bah. I’m really a self-proclaimed tomato hater. I’ll eat them in sauces, soups and chilis, even diced on a taco, but you will never catch me biting into one for fun. I know several folks who just love fresh tomatoes from the vine sliced and drizzled with ranch.

Not me.

Let’s just say they have to be accompanied by some other flavor to be in my presence.

I was at a baby shower for a dear friend recently and there were these incredible appetizers there that were similar to bruschetta. Just french bread with mozzarella cheese and a slice of tomato on top and seasoned well. Who knew that something so simple could be so yummy? They were gone in a flash and everyone kept talking about them.

And of course my mind was just racing with possibilities to make this even yummier than it was.

I decided that they needed bacon. Come on, everything is better with bacon. And what comes to mind when I think about bacon? BLTs. Oh yeah.

Checking out the “about to go bad” section at Kroger, I snagged a loaf of french bread for $.99 to make my creation. I had some lettuce already in the fridge and grabbed a $1.29 package of turkey bacon (you know me!) and a block of mozzarella cheese ($1.67) and I was set.

So light and crisp, a BLT just reminds me of summer. These little beauties would make the perfect appetizer for a summer get together or party. And even your self-proclaimed tomato hater kiddos might like them! My Addie AND my husband both spend oodles of time working around tomatoes in most dishes and BOTH of them enjoyed these.

BLT Bruschetta

A twist on everyday bruschetta, bacon gives new life to this tasty appetizer.

Ingredients

1 Loaf French Bread, cut into pieces
2 Ripe Tomatoes, Diced
1 Tbsp Fresh Basil, Chopped
10 Pieces Bacon, Chopped cooked and crispy
8 oz Block Mozzarella Cheese, Sliced into Small Pieces
1/2 Cup Lettuce, Shredded or Chopped
1 Tbsp Olive oil
1/2 Tsp Salt
Pinch Pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Mix tomatoes with olive oil, basil, salt, pepper, and 2/3 of the bacon pieces.
Place a slice of cheese on each slice of bread.
Top with equal amounts of the tomato mixture.
Bake for about 5 minutes until cheese is melted and bread begins to toast.
Top each slice with a bit of lettuce and a few extra pieces of bacon.
Drizzle with more olive oil if desired.

http://www.pennywisecook.com/blt-bruschetta/

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Filed Under: Appetizers and Snacks, Sides and Vegetables

Easy Microwave Potato Chips

April 30, 2012 by amy 2 Comments

You are just going to have to excuse me and my love for potatoes these last couple of days. I’ve always had a thing for them. When I was pregnant with both my girls, I craved them. Give them to me in any shape form or fashion and I’m in heaven. I take that back…

I’ve never like Potatoes Au Gratin. Weird huh? I remember my mom making me eat them when I was little. To this day I can’t make myself eat them.

One of the ways that potatoes can be enjoyed is also possibly one of the worst health-wise. Potato chips. Once you pop, you can’t stop! Isn’t that the saying? It’s so true. The only way that I could eat just one chip is if it was the very last one in the bag. And if that was the case, I would have to yell at somebody for eating all the chips.

I recently discovered that you can use up potatoes by microwaving them into potato chips. How cool and incredibly simple is that?

You know how sometimes you buy potatoes to make mashed potatoes or something else and you have one or two random potatoes left. What do you do with those? Now that you’re hearing about these microwavable potato chips, this may just be your new way to use them up. It’s definitely mine.

In a matter of minutes and without frying and making them super unhealthy, you can create crispy potato chips in your own microwave. It’s a miracle I tell you.

Just the other day we were going on a picnic and I made a bunch of these up to throw in our lunches. They were so good!

Recipe adapted from Food Gal.

Easy Microwave Potato Chips

Create crispy, healthier potato chips in your microwave!

Ingredients

2 Large Russet Potatoes (peeled if preferred)
Extra Virgin Olive OIl- Around 2 tbsp
Pinch Salt

Method

Slice potatoes to about 1/8" thickness.
Toss potato slices with extra virgin olive oil and salt.
Spray a microwavable plate with cooking spray and place a single layer of potatoes on plate. (you may have to do more than one batch depending on the size of your plate)
Microwave around 2 minutes until potatoes just start to brown. Remove, flip over and microwave another 2 minutes. (This time will really vary depending on your microwave and how thick your potatoes are)
Remove slices and place on another plate to cool.
Repeat with more batches if necessary.

Notes

You can use any type of potato that you prefer. Most will work just fine. Red and Yukon Gold might take a lot less time to cook however, because they are more tender. Keep that in mind.

You can also peel the potatoes if you don't like having the skin on your chips.

Once you do a batch or so, you'll get the hang of the timing for your microwave. Be sure to watch them for scorching, especially if your slices are very thin.

You can use a food processor with slicing attachment if you don't have a mandolin slicer.

http://www.pennywisecook.com/easy-microwave-potato-chips-2/

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Filed Under: Appetizers and Snacks, Kid-Friendly, Sides and Vegetables

2-Ingredient Ice Cream Bread

April 25, 2012 by amy 6 Comments

One of my fondest memories as a kid was sitting on the couch with my dad eating ice cream.

Right from the container.

With a fork.

Don’t ask me why, but he always ate his ice cream with a fork. To this day when I open the silverware drawer to remove a utensil for eating ice cream, I cannot help but look at a fork and remember those times with my dad.

The other fond ice cream memory would be when our family would stop at Sonic for dipped cones. I can remember hearing the blinker click on when the Sonic sign came into sight and getting extremely excited about those cones. It wasn’t until recently that my dad found out I had a complex as a kid because he used to bite the very tip off of my cone before he handed it back to me. I can’t blame him though. Those cute little chocolate peaks are very enticing. Even my husband has done this to me a few times.

Brace yourself. Today’s recipe might just be life-changing. I absolutely cannot take the credit for this simple, yet incredible recipe that I’m sharing with you today. I found this over at The Hungry Housewife who originally found it in 1001 Ways to Cook Southern which looks like an amazing cookbook.

I’d hardly call this a recipe though. It’s 2 ingredients and even a child could make this. Get you one of those 16 oz tubs of ice cream at Kroger when they are on sale for $1 and you’re set. That’s what I did. I got a few different flavors to try out. I’m going to share two of them with you today. Let your ice cream sit out and soften real good. It can still be thick, just not with big lumps.

Mix the softened ice cream with 1 and 1/2 cups of (very key here) self-rising flour. Pop into a greased loaf pan and it might look a scraggily mess like mine did.

It doesn’t matter though. Because that scraggily mess makes the most delicious bread. Strawberry was my favorite so far. The ice cream had pieces of strawberry that flecked themselves all throughout the bread. It’s a very subtle strawberry taste. Don’t expect it to taste like a mouthful of ice cream or anything. This was absolutely fantastic when warm with butter slathered on it.

Well, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter anyways. 😉

I also made this chocolate version. Oh my goodness was it good. I embellished a little with chocolate chips on top. I think this was hubby’s favorite.

Once again when it’s warm, you might try a little butter on it. It’s soooo good.

If you try any other flavors do let me know how it turns out!

Ice Cream Bread

Your favorite flavors of ice cream can easily be turned into bread!

Ingredients

2 Cups Ice Cream of Choice
1 and 1/2 Cups Self-Rising Flour

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Allow ice cream to soften with no big lumps.
Mix ice cream with flour and place into greased loaf pan.
Bake for 35- 45 minutes or until you get a clean toothpick.
Remove from pan and let cool. Or slap some butter on it and eat it right away!

Notes

My bread did not take the full 45 minutes to cook. I was using a dark coated pan so that could be why. But I suggest checking yours at around 35 minutes.

My bread batter was a bit lumpy which made for a nice crusty top. If you want smoother texture, you might let your ice cream come completely to room temperature before mixing. The flour tends to ball up when mixed with the colder ice cream.

Be sure to use full-fat ice cream.

http://www.pennywisecook.com/2-ingredient-ice-cream-bread/

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Filed Under: Appetizers and Snacks, Desserts, Kid-Friendly

Corn Dog Waffles

April 24, 2012 by amy 10 Comments

When it comes to food, pleasing my husband is as simple as a bun with a plain hamburger slapped on it. No, there’s no need for anything fancy or green on it. Maybe a slice of cheese.

All American is the best way to describe his palate. Or child-like. Whichever you prefer call it. I do like to pick on him, but he has come a long way. When I met him, he didn’t like mexican food! I know, right? Who in their right mind doesn’t think they like mexican food. My point exactly. Turns out it’s because he thought it didn’t taste good, yet he had never tried it! Now he craves it and it’s one of his favorites.

When I’m not getting hubby to try new flavors and cuisines, I do let him have a shot at “creating” our meals. One of his latest….homemade baked corn dogs. What else would I have expected?

We spent a few tries working with difficult batters and trying to keep the batter on the dogs. A few different approaches yielded nothing but hot dogs falling out of batter and shattered corn dog dreams.

That is until, I was preparing breakfast one morning. I thought why not make corn dog waffles instead? Use the same batter as cornbread but lay the hot dogs inside the batter. A light bulb went off in our heads! After such determination with trial and error (mostly error), we had finally figured out a way to have baked homemade corn dogs instead of fried. After all, that was the whole point.

I have a bit of honesty for you. I didn’t make the batter from scratch. I used a store brand cornbread mix which really made my life easier. I’m not ashamed. You don’t have to be either. You are free to use whatever means of cornbread that you choose.

Addie tried to put syrup on these and was unpleasantly surprised at how it tasted with the waffle part. I then directed her to the ketchup and mustard which make a much better complement to the hot dogs.

My whole family (including myself) really loved these. They made a great meal for a busy weeknight.

Corn Dog Waffles

Forget about corn dogs, try Corn Dog Waffles instead!

Ingredients

1 Package Cornbread Mix (or homemade)
1 Package Hotdogs, cut into 4ths

Method

Mix cornbread according to package directions. Preheat waffle iron.
Lay pieces of hot dogs directly on waffle maker to brown a little.
Then pour cornbread batter over the hot dogs making sure not to let it run off the sides.
Let cook until brown and remove.

Notes

The key is to make sure you don't overfill the waffle iron wells. I learned this the hard way when 2 of my first ones ran over the side.

You don't have to heat the hot dogs alone on the grill. I just found it necessary since the hot dogs are cold when you start.

http://www.pennywisecook.com/corn-dog-waffles/

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Filed Under: Appetizers and Snacks, Kid-Friendly

3-Ingredient White Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

April 23, 2012 by amy 6 Comments

It was an extremely lazy weekend around here. We did manage to get out of the house a bit, but for the most part we were like slowly moving sloths. The house was still in shambles from creating a baby shower cake last week. (Which I will be posting soon!) While I was at the shower my incredible husband actually cleaned up after me. Don’t you just love little surprises like that? These nights are extremely rare so I take what I can get.

I absolutely hate cleaning up after I cook. I don’t really think about it when I’m making the mess. It’s once I’m done that I look around and realize how many dishes I’ve used or how much flour is all over the counter and floor. I’m not the type of person who cleans as I go. Funny, because we teach Addie to play with one toy at a time and clean up as she goes.

This is where the “do as I say, not as I do” quotation comes in handy.

You may have noticed that I have a slight fixation with recipes having few ingredients. Not only is a recipe with only a few ingredients frugal, but it’s so much easier too. Easier usually means less time consuming as well which means a happy me! And you know what they say….A happy momma means a happy family.

I ran across this recipe recently at Cookies & Cups and I have no idea how. I wasn’t on Pinterest *gasp* when I found it.

This White Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge only contain 3 simple ingredients! Ritz Bits, White Chocolate Chips, and Vanilla Frosting! Does it get any simpler than that? I even used Sugar Free frosting. Hey I gotta make it as healthy as I can!

Melt the chocolate chips over a double boiler (or your rigged up pot in a pot). Once completely melted pour it into your frosting and stir until it’s all smooth.

Pour half of the mixture into a square baking dish and then place the Ritz Bits all over the top. Pour the rest over the top.

Lookie there! It will look something like this. Refrigerate it until it sets well. Then cut into pieces.

The salty. The sweet. They work together in some yummy frosting and chocolate harmony. I also LOVE the crunch that you get from the Ritz Bits.

And technically this isn’t “peanut butter” fudge because you don’t add peanut butter to it. But you do have that peanut butter flavor because of the crackers.

See? ridiculously easy. So easy that you could even make it tonight. Although, I’ve made a new rule at our house. We only make this when company comes, otherwise I’ll eat it all myself when no one is looking!

3-Ingredient White Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

3 simple ingredients come together to make one tasty and amazing fudge!

Ingredients

1 Tub Vanilla Frosting
1 Bag White Chocolate Chips 12 oz
2 Cups Peanut Butter Ritz

Method

Melt the chocolate chips over a double boiler until smooth.
Place the frosting in a bowl and pour the melted chocolate chips over it. Stir until smooth.
Pour half the mixture into a greased square baking dish.
Lay the Ritz Crackers flat on the mixture.
Pour the rest over the top of the crackers.
Chill until firm.

Notes

I prefer to keep this fudge in the refrigerator as it can soften up a bit when at room temperature.

http://www.pennywisecook.com/3-ingredient-white-chocolate-peanut-butter-fudge/

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Filed Under: Appetizers and Snacks, Desserts

Bang Bang Cauliflower

April 20, 2012 by amy 3 Comments

I’m the kinda girl who knows what she likes. I take forever to make a decision simply because I want to make the best possible choice. But when I see it, I know it right away.

I get “gut” feelings. You know, the ones that make lean a certain way when there are more than one options available. And most always my gut leads me in the right direction. Thank you guts! That’s something that I never thought I’d be thankful for. Guts. And I never thought I’d be typing how I’m thankful for my guts.

But I totally digress…

So I came across this recipe on Pinterest. I have a major addiction problem with that place. I won’t go into rambling about that, but just know that I am hugely infatuated with being on that site. 🙂

Back to the recipe…Bang Bang Cauliflower thanks to That’s So Michelle. Apparently it’s supposed to taste like Bonefish Grill’s Bang Bang Shrimp. I’ve never eaten that before, but it sounds like it would be tasty. And at the look of this cauliflower, I knew that I had to make some of this up. Not to mention that Aldi had their cauliflower on sale for just $.39 last week! Yes I know! My jaw was on the floor and my booty was a shakin’ walking out with my buggy full of cauliflower. This recipe is the first thing I thought of making when I got home.

Michelle said that every bite that she took made her say “Oh wow, this is sooo good”. I did the exact same thing. Oh yeah, it was that good.

We’re talking BREADED cauliflower tossed in sweet chili sauce and some other incredible ingredients. I just couldn’t get over how good breaded cauliflower was. I mean, whodathunkit? I’m calling Webster’s with that word!

You have to make this. You just have to. If you are a cauliflower fan, it is your duty. Your cauliflower duty.

Bang Bang Cauliflower

Cauliflower has never been so tasty!

Ingredients

For the Cauliflower

1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup egg whites
1 head cauliflower
Salt & pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
Green onion
1/4 cup coconut oil (I used olive oil)

For the Sauce

1/4 cup lite mayo
1/4 cup Franks Red Hot Sweet Chili Sauce or Siracha (add more or less depends on how hot you can handle it)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar

Method

Cut up your cauliflower florets. Mix salt, pepper and garlic powder into your Panko breadcrumbs in a shallow dish.
Set separate bowls aside with egg whites and cornstarch. Dip your florets one by one into the cornstarch, and shake off excess. Then dip into egg whites, and then coat with Panko mixture.
Warm up your coconut oil in a large frying pan and place all florets in hot oil. Turn with tongs making sure all sides are browned. Set on top of paper towels to remove excess oil. Top with more salt.
In a small bowl mix all of your sauce ingredients. Coat your breaded and pan fried florets with sauce, top with sprinkles of green onion and serve right away.

Notes

Because I didn't have coconut oil, I just used extra virgin olive oil and it turned out just fine. So don't fret if you don't have that.

Also, the breading ingredients were JUST enough for my cauliflower so beware if you have a large head like I did.

The Sweet Chili Sauce was the perfect spiciness and sweetness.

We had this as a side, but I could totally eat a bowl just for dinner!

http://www.pennywisecook.com/bang-bang-cauliflower/

And I don’t want to beg you, but will you PLEASE leave a comment if you make this (or even if you don’t) and let me know what you think!

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Filed Under: Appetizers and Snacks, Meatless, Sides and Vegetables

1-Minute Emergency Cake

April 17, 2012 by amy 6 Comments

I feel I should say Happy Tax Day or something, but for some reason it doesn’t feel right. There is most definitely no happy when it comes to taxes for me. We always owe because I’m “self-employed”. But I hope that many of you got a large refund and do have a Happy Tax Day.

I have done you a grave disservice, I have to admit. I have not yet shared with you one of my most favorite nighttime snacks. I’ve told a handful of my friends and every single one wondered where this unknown marvel was all of their life. As was I the first time I learned of this simple yet incredible treat that I have now named “Emergency Cake”.

We all have our emergencies don’t we? Tax Day maybe? The idiot who cut us off in traffic this morning. The rude cashier who didn’t accept our coupon at the store. Or perhaps your emergency is that it’s Tuesday. Whatever it is, I have the cure.

It’s called Emergency Cake. And it will come to your rescue.

You see, you only need two ingredients to make up weeks worth of this Emergency Cake. A box of Angel Food Cake and a box of your desired flavor cake. Mix them together and keep them in a container. I bought this storage container at Dollar Tree to keep my cake mix in. I actually have two of these, one for confetti cake and one for devil’s food cake.

As if only needing two ingredients wasn’t enough, it gets better. I’m a little impatient sometimes, especially during my cake emergencies. It only takes 1 minute to have a piece of cake ready for your face.

You might have heard of this being called 3-2-1 cake. That’s another way that you can remember how to make it. Although every single time we make it (which is a lot!), my husband proceeds to ask me how.

3 tablespoons of your cake mix
2 tablespoons of water
1 minute in the microwave

You can make this in a mug or a little dessert cup like I have here.

You have cake in a pinch and yet you won’t have to worry about a cake staring you in the face the next day. These aren’t the largest pieces of cake that you’ve ever had. But with a little whipped cream on top with sprinkles or chocolate chips, they are plenty. Although my husband would argue otherwise. He doubles the recipe most days.

Unfortunately, I’ve come to the conclusion that I have emergencies every night and therefore have to eat emergency cake. 🙂 You might just have the same issue!

You will be happy to know that it’s not bad in calories. One piece has around 50 calories depending on your cake mixes. And of course whatever you add to the top.

Let me know if you have an emergency tonight and how your cake turned out!

The Hidden Pantry shared this awesome recipe and I did some research to find out it was originally a Weight Watchers recipe which means it definitely can’t be all that bad on your diet!

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Filed Under: Appetizers and Snacks, Desserts

Blissful Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

April 12, 2012 by amy Leave a Comment

Back at the end of February I attended my 3rd Blissdom Conference. It’s a conference for us blogging geeks. Not only is it a bunch of fun, but I always learn a thing or two as well. And I especially love hanging out with my blogger friends and meeting the sponsors. They are always so fantastic to us.

I made my way around to all of the booths and spoke with many of them. I told you about meeting Cynthia Sass. She is such a sweetheart and inspiration. And then I could hardly contain myself, I got to meet a real California Raisin.

It was all smiles and very friendly, but it didn’t say a whole lot. I was thankful to have gotten a hug from such a huge celebrity. It took time out of it’s very busy raisin schedule to pose for a picture with me. I also really appreciated how natural and genuine it was. Because you know, those raisins are simply grapes dried in the run, right?

The California Raisins were a sponsor there at Blissdom this year. They had the most amazing booth with the coolest kitchen. And they also had these incredible oatmeal raisin cookies. When I think of oatmeal raisin cookies, I expect to see 5 maybe 6 raisins in the cookie. But these cookies had a TON of them. Come to find out, they also had NO added sugar. They were all natural, soft, delicious, and I completely fell in love.

Of course you know I had to make them….

I had to make them really soon.

So I did. And I call them Blissful Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. One other little secret about these cookies…..they also contain an apple. It’s just another unique and natural way to add a little sweetness without having to add sugar. It also keeps them extremely moist which makes these nice and soft. They also don’t take long to cook which makes it all the easier to enjoy them quickly.

These are really yummy when they are just out of the oven and warm.

Since they are natural, they have a very nice flavor. Not overly sweet like some cookies can be. If you were naughty, you might add a handful of chocolate chips into this batter. But I’m not gonna force you. 😉

This recipe comes from the California Raisins Let’s Keep It Real Campaign. You can learn more there about how raisins are a good choice for eating healthy and nutrients.

Blissful Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Try these amazing oatmeal raisin cookies and feel good about it because they contain no added sugar!

Ingredients

2 cups California raisins
½ cup peeled, cored and chopped apples (we used granny smith)
1 cup water
½ cup butter
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup cooking oats
2 eggs (beaten)
5 tablespoons honey

Method

In a medium saucepan, combine the raisins, apples and water. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and baking soda. Stir in the vanilla, eggs, and the apple mixture until well blended. Fold in the oats and honey.
Scoop the dough into a greased cookie sheet. Press the cookies down and bake at 325 degrees for approx. 8-10 minutes.

Notes

This recipe makes 3 dozen cookies!

http://www.pennywisecook.com/blissful-oatmeal-raisin-cookies/

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Filed Under: Appetizers and Snacks, Desserts, Kid-Friendly

Crusty Overnight Bread

April 11, 2012 by amy 3 Comments

We always have bread in the house. It doesn’t matter what kind, my family eats it up. Max always squishes his bread into these little balls. Ever since I’ve known him he has done this. And ever since Addie was born she doesn’t eat a piece of bread without having daddy make it into a bread ball. To each their own I guess.

You may have noticed that I’ve started some bread-making adventures. The first was this 4-Ingredient Artisan Bread. We really enjoyed that bread. And I especially liked that the recipe makes 2 loaves instead of just one. Then later I came across this Crusty Bread recipe over at Simply So Good. You make up the dough at night and let it sit until morning and then bake. I’ve dubbed it Overnight Bread here at our house.

Some things of note before you get excited- you do actually have to do a few things in the morning. There’s about an hour worth of cooking involved. And you will need to have a heavy duty dutch oven pot with a lid to make this bread. Don’t ask me why. I’m sure that it has something to do with the heating process inside the pot, but I’m not a scientist. Don’t expect me to explain the world! 🙂

This is a picture of one. You may be able to find a good deal on a Dutch Oven at Amazon HERE. I’ve had one for years and have no idea how much I paid for it.

That’s not the moon! It’s a fresh loaf of Overnight Bread. The very first time I made this, it was gone by the next day. It’s nice and crusty and goes well with soups and pasta. Come to think of it, it goes well with just about anything. I love warm bread right out of the oven with butter.

I’m sure that many of you have made bread before and these are pretty general ingredients. But if you’re not a big bread maker you’ll be glad to know that using only 4 ingredients, one of which is water, it’s really simple (any CHEAP) to whip up. All you need is flour, yeast, salt and water. How much simpler does it get? And the flavor additions are endless! I’ve only tried one variation and it turned out AMAZING!

I made up this loaf with sun-dried tomatoes, garlic salt with parsley flakes, and parmesan cheese. To my surprise, even my non-tomato-eating family absolutely loved it. And I’m talking to the point that it was gone before the day was even over! Of course topping it cheese, who wouldn’t dig in?

Are you ready to make bread yet?

Recipe from Simply So Good.

Crusty Overnight Bread

Prepare this easy bread before you go to bead and bake in the morning!

Ingredients

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon yeast
1 1/2 cups water

Method

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast. Add water and mix until a shaggy mixture forms.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12 - 18 hours. Overnight is easiest!
In the morning, heat oven to 450 degrees. When the oven has reached 450 degrees place a cast iron pot with a lid in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface and shape into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let set while the pot is heating.
Remove hot pot from the oven and drop in the dough. Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.

Notes

Don't worry about having the perfect bread dough ball. It may look a mess, but magic happens overnight and it will look much better in the morning.

Just be sure there are no big cracks or folds in your dough. I found these aren't mixed well sometimes and once baked you'll end up with a mouth full of flour.

http://www.pennywisecook.com/crusty-overnight-bread/