Spaghetti Squash Seeds

Today I learned that you can roast spaghetti squash seeds. Did you know that? I wasn't very optimistic about it, but I did it anyway, and yum! Mine were a lot more tender than pumpkin seeds (which I really liked), and they have a bit of a popcorn taste to them. I won't be throwing away the seeds next time I roast any kind of winter squash! Give it a try. Here is one recipe to try, though I didn't use any oil on mine. Enjoy!

What's for Dinner?

At my house we are having Beef Stew and freshly baked Artisan Bread. Yum!

Mini Caramel Apples & a Feature

Warning: The following post may make you smack your head in a why-didn't-I-think-of-that moment, then run to the store against your will to copy this idea. Please use caution while proceeding.

I have a confession. I'm in love. I'm in love with this idea, and with Christy's blog From Glitter To Gumdrops. Mini caramel apples? Of course! I like caramel apples, but I won't eat them because they're too difficult/messy to eat on top of being too much sugar for a whole apple. Enter these single-serve caramel apples, and I'm in heaven! If you love apples, guess what? She has a whole WEEK of apple recipes! The recipe for Kristen's Toffee Apple Dip looks awesome.

In case apples aren't your thing, she also has a ton of great handmade gift ideas. I'm seeing a set of these face plates in my future!

Edit: I'm having trouble with mushy/broken off pretzel rods within minutes after inserting them, so traditional sticks might be necessary. : (

What's for dinner?

Last night was homemade Chicken Pot Pie. Mmmm it was good!

I like to remind my husband that I love him.

I started with this recipe from allrecipes.com then I made adjustments. We are a meat and potatoes family, so I added a few small potatoes, and extra chicken. I tried the chix breasts, but they turned out kind of dry and chewy, so I use thigh meat now instead. Much better. I also omit the bottom crust and just use one crust on top. It saves some calories, and though my husband was skeptical at first, you really don't miss it.

Ingredients

1 and 1/2 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves thighs- cubed
1 cup peeled & sliced carrots
1 cup frozen green peas
1 cup frozen corn
4 small potatoes quartered
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup 1 medium chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery seed (this really does add good flavor, don't skip it!)
1 3/4 2 cups chicken broth plus broth to cover chicken and veggies in step 1.
2/3 cup milk
2 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

Directions

1.In a saucepan, put a metal strainer, then put combine chicken, carrots, corn, potatos, peas, and celery. Add water  broth to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove strainer (containing chicken and veggies) from broth heat, drain and set broth aside. Put chicken and veggie mix in deep baking dish.

2.Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)

3.In a saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in 2 cups of reserved chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.

4.Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over chicken and veggies. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.

5.Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Yum! You could use store bought crust, but you shouldn't. It's so easy to make from scratch. Just try making it once, if you don't like it, you can always buy it next time. Here's how I made it.

Pie crust
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. vegetable shortening
1/2 t. salt
1/4 - 1/2c. ice water
In a mixing bowl add flour and salt together. Add shortening, and using a fork, mash the shortening into the dry ingredients until the shortening is broken up. Add about 1/4 c. ice cold water, and stir with the fork until it comes together into a rough ball.  Add a little more water if it's dry and crumbly. Flour your counter and rolling pin, then roll out and use right away. If you are making this in advance, keep it in the fridge since it rolls better when chilled. That's it!
 
What are you having for dinner?

Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes

I stumbled upon the website Man Made DIY which led me to this recipe here.  It sounded doable, even though I've never made bread from scratch before. I like that you make a big batch and can keep it in the fridge for a week, baking fresh bread as you need it. It turned out great.

Mmmm hot and fresh!

Artisan Bread     Adapted from ”Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day,” by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François

•1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
•1 1/2 tablespoons salt

•3 cups water

•6 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, more for dusting dough (*you can replace about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of white flour with any whole grain flour with great results).

•Cornmeal

1. In a large bowl, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups warm water. Add flour, and stir to combine completely. Let dough rise in a warm place for at least two hours, until it rises and collapses (up to 5 hours - or even overnight won’t hurt it). The dough may be baked at this point, or refrigerated for later use.

I mixed it in a gallon ice cream tub with a hole poked in the lid.

After 2 hours of rising, covered on the counter. I refrigerated it over night and baked the next day.

2. Cover dough, but make sure it is not airtight - gases need to escape - and place in fridge. When you are ready to use it, throw a small fistful of flour on the surface and use a serrated knife to cut off a piece of the size you desire. (The authors recommend a 1 pound loaf - which means cutting off grapefruit-sized piece of dough). Turning the dough in your hands, stretch the surface of the dough and tuck in under. The surface will be smooth, and the bottom with be bunched.

16 oz. of dough. Silly me, I forgot to dust the parchment paper with flour, so it stuck. Woops!

3. Dust a pizza peel (or any flat surface - I use a rimless cookie sheet) with cornmeal. (This prevents sticking, and adds a nice, rustic crunch. You can use flour instead, but you’ll need to use a very generous dusting). Allow dough to rest in a warm place for 40 minutes - longer (up to an hour and a half) if you use some whole wheat flour in place of the white, or if you make a larger loaf.

4. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450 degrees with baking stone (or overturned baking sheet) inside on the middle rack, plus a shallow pan on the top rack. Throw a small fistful of flour over the dough, slash it 2-4 times with a serrated knife (in a cross, a tic-tac-toe, or a fan), and slide it into the oven, onto the baking stone. Throw 1-2 cups of tap water into the shallow pan, and quickly shut the oven door to trap steam inside. Bake for 30 minutes, or until crust is well browned and bread sounds hollow when you knock on the bottom.

Yum! I only let mine rest for 40 minutes, so it was very dense. The next batch I will let rest for an hour or more so it's more airy. It was a great, crusty addition to the chicken parm. my husband made for dinner. Mmm! Even the Wee One liked gnawing on it. :)

The Man Made DIY instructions recommended taking it off of the parchment paper after baking for 20 mins. so the bottom would crust up, then bake the remaining 10 mins. I did it, and it worked well. Also, it recommended, letting it cool completely before cutting into it, or the inside will get gummy.

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