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Following a recipe posted by harmonyfb, I made bread today.

No kneading.

Really.

3 cups warm (100-110F) water.
1.5 (rounded to 2) packets of active dry yeast.
1.5 (more or less) tablespoons of salt.

Mix, allow yeast to start blooming.

Add directly to the water

6 cups unbleached bread flour

Mix (by hand, preferably) until you get a wet dough. Do not knead. If the dough is dry, add more warm water 1/4c at a time until it seems to be shiny. Leave in the bowl, and cover to rise. If your home is cool, leave on the counter. Wait 30-60 mins until the dough is doubled in size.

Turn out on to a floured board, cut into quarters, and tuck the edges in to make round boules. Cover again, allow to sit for 30 mins, then dust the tops in flour, and slash in an X.

Preheat oven to 450 deg, and put one or more loaves in (rotate as required for even heating in your oven) for 30 mins total. For proofing, put a metal container in the bottom of the stove with 1-2 cups of water.

Remove, cut, eat, enjoy.

No kneading. Really!

Dinner:
Seasoned Lamb Tips with a reduced apple-cider gravy
Jasmine rice
Roasted Corn Niblets

Family:
full

What's a guy gotta do to get a full irish breakfast around here?

Obviously I'm craving something, but what? Black pudding? Rashers?

Wish I knew.

I don't remember who posted it, but a few days or so ago one of my friends (anonymous_sibyl) posted a crockpot recipe that was chosen to be our Christmas Breakfast. Nummy, and well received!

Get out a crockpot. Put on one of the new crockpot liners (you'll thank yourself later, really). Set it up, and then...

Get a bag of hash brown potatoes. I don't know the brand, but it weighs about a pound or so, and it's raw potato slivers. Alternatively, get potatoes and run them through a grater and get about a pound. Or, more accurately, put them in the pot up to about 2 inches depth.

Next, toss some grated cheese (a good melting blend) in a bowl with a teaspoon of salt (kosher, or pickling, is best here). You can also add white pepper (1 teaspoon). Add to that your favorite cooked breakfast meat. We got a family pack of precooked bacon and cut it into small bits. Toss well, then pour over the potatoes.

Take one dozen (yes, 12!) eggs, and put them into a bowl or blender. Add a teaspoon (more, yes) of salt, a teaspoon of pepper (if not done before), and a teaspoon of ground mustard (Coleman's, if you like english mustard). Add other seasonings if that's the way you do your eggs. As well, add water, milk, or cream, as you would for scrambled eggs you like, and blend. Pour this over the top of the assembled food. It'll run through, but that's okay. You'll see it later after it cooks.

Turn on crock, high for 3-4 hours, low for 5-7 hours.

You've basically made a fritatta, without the oven. And, it's incredibly nummy! Watch the cooking times, as you can dry it out easily. If it's starting to brown on the edges, get out a skewer and test the center for doneness. Better safe than sorry! Or, equally, check the middle to be sure it's at least 138F (140F and 2 hours, or 180F and 5 minutes, means nasties are dead. But, 180F for eggs means tangled dry proteins, which suck. Lower temp is better, by far).

So, thanks again to the friend that posted this (it was a finals week breakfast recipe then), as it will go in our regular repertoire for holidays and "screw it, I don't wanna cook" days.

Tonight, since I'm not cooking tomorrow, we had a nice dinner consisting of corn nibblets in a butter sauce and mashed potatoes as companion dishes to lamb chops brined for two days in cranberry juice, served with fresh cranberry sauce (note to self, a smidge less pickling salt in the brine).

Seemed to go over well.

I'm taking the extra cranberry sauce to the family dinner tomorrow, along with my signature candy, and chicken flavored orzo with gorgonzola butter.

I have a big bowl of irish oat porridge with a dollop of devon cream on it. Da elf is good to me!

Not exactly low carb, but I'm going to exercise after I'm done eating. I think.

Remember, Google maps or mapquest can find our house at 2596 Alpine Trail, 30062. We start at 3pm, but you can show up at many times after that until about 10:00 or so, after which time we'll probably be starting to wrap up so people can make it to work on Monday.

Additional foods?

HONEY! Lots of it! Blueberry, Orange Blossom, Hawaiian White, Clover, Tupelo, Wildflower, and others depending on time and potential....

So..... let's see who reads this and wants to show up.....
[Poll #1013091]

Cheese Party particulars....

Starting Sunday, 01 July, at 3:00pm.

Ending... well, eventually, I suppose.

Menu:
Cheese.
Crackers.
Bread.
Honey.
Drinks of some sort.

Please come and enjoy! You can even take some cheese home with you!

Bob Evans, sausage king, dead at 89.

In the immortal words of Homer Simpson... "MMmmmm.... hog fat...."

His legacy will live on. Even if his customers might not....

So.... root canal, followed by core prep, followed by rebuild and bridge prep, followed by a raping of my wallet.

$4500.

And, no "firm" food for two weeks.

So, da elf and I went out for sushi tonight! Our old place, Sapporo, has hired a chef on par with our last one, and FINALLY we start to see good food and style. He's a fan of nigiri and sashimi, and won't buy any frozen fish, nor serve anything that isn't on the bleeding edge of fresh. And, it shows..... wow.

We'll be resuming sushi nights there shortly. We've normally done Thursday, but he does his big fish run on Friday, and will pick up Uni and other nice things if there is an interest. Will you start joining us?