Italian Bread Bowls

First off- this will be my last post for a week or so.  We will be adding one more little princess to our family this coming monday.  As soon as I am up and around, I've got some fun pumpkin recipes for you to try. We had a pumpkin party last week and found some super yummy recipes to use pumpkin.  Things you would never think of!!! So I'll be posting those in a week or so. Everyone have a great Haloween weekend and be safe out there! 

I've been searching for a great bread bowl recipe lately.  I found one! I'm so glad it turned out.  It seemed that everytime I made them, they would rise out instead of up.  I found out that the key to that is adding more flour.  I add flour according to touch and look.  There are so many things to factor in when making bread, like humidityetc that would effect how much flour you should put in.  So every time I made my bread bowls, I would make them like I would a regular roll, just bigger.  The problem is, they needed to be more dense so that they would rise into a nice round loaf. 

I liked the information given in this recipe, because it helped explain a few things that I didn't catch onto before.  Good thing I found this one, because I was asked to make about 100 of these for a family reunion coming up in a couple of months. 

Italian Bread Bowls

Makes 6-8 bread bowls

1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast (use 1 tablespoon instant yeast)
2 1/2 cups warm water
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
7 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornmeal
In a large bowl (or bowl of an electric mixer), dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. (You can omit this step if using instant yeast.)

Add salt, oil and 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture; beat well. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well with an electric mixer at medium speed after each addition until a soft but not sticky dough is formed (you may not need to use all 7 cups). This bread bowl dough needs to be a bit firmer than a roll/bread dough so that the bread bowls rise up instead of out.

When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes (or let knead in an electric mixer). Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Punch dough down, and divide into 6-8 equal portions. Shape each portion into a round ball. Place loaves on lightly greased baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal (or use silpat liners or parchment paper). If desired, slash the top surface of the bread bowl several times with a sharp knife or razor. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 35 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake in preheated oven for 15-18 minutes until golden brown and baked through.

Recipe taken from Mels Kitchen Cafe

Italian Potatoes

I love red potatoes.  There are so many fun things that you can do with them. Last night I made them Italian style and served them with the Chicken Parmesan.  My kids loved them!

Italian Potatoes

12 red potatoes

4-6 tbsp butter

2-3 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)

1/4 tsp pepper

2 tsp Italian seasoning

1-2 tbsp olive oil

Coat a cookie sheet with olive oil. 

Cube potatoes and arrange in a single layer on the cookie sheet.

Cut up butter into chunks and arrange over the potatoes.

Sprinkle salt, pepper and Italian seasoning over the top of the potatoes.

Bake at 425 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown.  Stirring every 10-15 minutes.

Chicken Parmigiana

I was very delighted with this dish! A friend of mine made a similar recipe for me when I had my last baby and I really enjoyed it.  I hadn't eaten it since.  Then I found this recipe on another friends blog and decided to give it a try.  The only thing I think I changed was using Italian seasoning instead of oregano for the sauce.  Yummy yummy yummy!!!

Chicken Parmigiana

4  boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 egg
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Flatten chicken to 1/4-in. thickness. In a shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and basil. In another bowl, beat the egg. Dip chicken into egg, then coat with crumb mixture. In a large skillet, brown chicken in butter and oil over medium heat for 3-5 minutes on each side or until juices run clear.

Chunky Marinara Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook 2 to 4 minutes until crisp-tender, stirring frequently.

Mix in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar, oregano and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until flavors are blended, stirring frequently.

Lion House Banana Bread

I had some bananas that were starting to get too ripe, so I thought... hmmm banana bread it is.  This recipe comes from the Lion House cook book.  I have a go to recipe that I love but didn't have all of the ingredients for it and had already been to walmart about 3 times that week.  So I found this recipe and was impressed.

We are headed into baking season. What a better way to share how much you love someone than with home baked bread.  I'll be sharing a few bread recipes in the next few weeks. You could make up a goodie plate with all of the different flavors of bread for your friends and neighbors.  It would be a nice alternative to the major sweets that we get/give this time of year.

Lion House Banana Bread

½ cup butter or margarine

1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup bananas, mashed

1/4 cup milk
1 tsp lemon juice
2 cups flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ cup chopped nuts, optional (I didn't add this time)

Cream sugar and butter. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add bananas, milk, and lemon juice. Sift dry ingredients and add to wet mixture. Add nuts. Grease 1 loaf pan. Pour mix into pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Bagel Bites

As you can tell I have been in freezer meal mode lately.  Especially with my nesting kicking in... I want to be ready!

I've been getting a lot of ideas as I walk through the grocery store.  If it's frozen there, then I can freeze it at home. My kids really like the bagel bites from costco. But I never buy them because they are so expensive! We go through them way too fast to justify the money I spend on them.  Plus, its so basic, I don't even need a recipe to create myself. 

So, I came up with my own version. These are a little bigger than "bites" but they are still mini bagels.  the kids really enjoyed making them with me too.  I'll have to admit, this is my first time making them, so I am guessing on the oven times, from frozen. This is a great meal to pull out when you are standing in the pantry staring or in the fridge/freezer at 5 pm wondering... hmmm what should I make for dinner. 

1 bag mini bagels (I used Thomas brand
8 oz mozzarella cheese
1 jar pasta sauce or pizza sauce
Favorite toppings such as pepperoni, ham and pineapple etc.

Split bagels in half and spread with pasta sauce.  Top with cheese and favorite toppings.  Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.  From Frozen add about 10 minutes.   Or microwave for 30 seconds. From frozen 1-2 minutes.

To freeze- lay prepared bagels in a single layer in a freezer bag.  To freeze multiple bagels in the same bag... lay them flat on a cookie sheet and toss in the freezer until frozen. Pull out and stack in freezer bags.

Delicious Apple Crisp

If there is one treat that surpasses all for my husband, it's spiced apples.  Any way they come!  If it's got spiced apples in it, he is sold.   I've posted a few of our favorites so far. Cinnamon Apples Like Boston Market, Apple Dumplings, Cinnamon Apple Upside Down Cake but I must say, the Apple Crisp takes it all!  I found a recipe for apple crisp online but ended up changing a lot of it and creating my own.  I've made a few versions in the past and just couldn't get things right... This time.. I am happy to say, I have a DELICIOUS recipe for apple crisp! 

(Sorry for the pict) I scarfed it so quickly I forgot to take a nice picture of it portioned out on a plate!)

Delicious Apple Crisp

Apples

4 tart Apples (I used granny smith apples)
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 C. Sugar
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tbsp flour

Crumble topping
3/4 C. packed brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup oats
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened (not melted)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt

Peel apples and slice thin. Sprinkle lemon juice over the apples, to keep them from browning. stir in remaining ingredients (just ingredients for the apples). Coat the apples well and pour them into the bottom of a 9x9 pan.

To make the Crumble topping, combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Stir well using a fork to create crumbs.  Sprinkle over the top of the apple mixture. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes, or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender.  Serve warm.

TIP: I'm going to make a few of these and freeze them ahead of time. Put apple mixture in the bottom of a foil pan.  Put crumble in a small freezer bag and place on top of apples.  Cover with aluminum foil and plastic wrap.  To cook:  Remove from freezer and uncover. Set crumble aside.  Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes to thaw.  Then top with the crumble and cook for 30 minutes

Zuppa Toscana

This is my favorite soup at Olive Garden.  It's seriously delicious!  One thing I found in making it, if you like really spicy soup, use the hot Italian sausage.  I was a little too much for me right now.  My kids really enjoyed the flavor but not the spice. They even ate the kale! Next time I think I will make it with the mild stuff. Just a heads up for ya. 

Also, I didn't have cream or chicken broth on hand.  I made the broth out of chicken bullion and substituted cream for 1/2 and 1/2. I also added a little extra half and half to make up for the lack of heavy cream. 

I read the instructions wrong and just left the meat in the pot from the beginning.  It broke the meat down into very small pieces but I don't mind that.  It actually married the flavors really well by doing that. You can also just add it back at the end if you like.

Zuppa Toscana



Yields 8-10 servings

1 lb ground Italian sausage
1 large white onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, pureed
10 cups chicken broth
1 pound (about 3 large) Russet potatoes, sliced into disks
1 cup heavy cream (I used 1 1/2 cups of 1/2 and 1/2)
1/4 of a bunch (about 3-4 cups) kale, torn into bite sized pieces
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large soup pot, sauté together the ground sausage until the meat is browned. (drain fat if desired. I sauteed the onions and garlic with it. )When meat is almost cooked through, sauté the onions and garlic until softened, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the chicken broth and heat until boiling. Add the sliced potatoes, cover, and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Add the cream and kale and cook until heated thoroughly.

recipe adapted from The Pastry Affair