recipe – Page 3 – a hippie with a minivan

garlic and cheese flatbread…

I saw a video on the epicurious podcast recently that featured this amazing looking flatbread topped with things that just didn’t appeal to me…

but the dough… omg… the dough looked amazing…

It looked silky and light and the way that it crisped up when baked just made me drool… I knew that I had to make it my way 🙂

So for the dough…

1 cup warm water
1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

I used my mixer since the dough is really sticky and it is important not to use more flour… actually.. I even added a a few more tbsp of water because the dough was a bit too dry…

So in the bowl, add the water, the yeast and the sugar and let foam…

Mix the flour and salt together and then add to the water/yeast mixture….

Mix and then knead for 10 min…

as I said… the dough should be really sticky…

After kneading, transfer to an oiled bowl and let rise until doubled (about 1 1/2 hours)

When doubled….form into a ball and transfer to a well oiled baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap…

Let is rise for another 30 min…

Shape the dough by patting and stretching it out onto the pan…

Look at the little bubbles that have already formed!

Cover again with plastic wrap and let is rise for a 3rd time for another 1 1/2 hours….

all of those grooves are there naturally…

perfect for adding the toppings…

So for the topping I mixed about 1/3 cup of olive oil with a few minced cloves of garlic … and poured that over the dough…

then, I finely grated a bit of mozzarella all over it…

then sprinkled with some kosher salt and a bit of dried parsley…

time to cook!!
Place in a 475 degree preheated oven and bake until golden brown (about 20 min)…

It will be amazingly crispy on the outside but light and airy on the inside…

This is going to be a recipe that I will keep coming back too… I know it!!

It is so simple but the texture and flavour is just amazing…

Creme Brule style Baked Oatmeal…

I found a basic recipe on Recipezaar a while back and it has become a staple in our mornings…

Of course, I have changed it to our liking… so I will share my recipe….

Dry mix

2 1/4 cups of oats
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1/4 tsp of salt
1/2 cup of raisins… or chocolate chips… or both 🙂

Wet mix

1 2/3 cup of water
1 2/3 cup of milk
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Topping

1/3 cup of brown sugar

preheat oven to 350…

In a bowl… combine the dry ingredients…

In a 9 X 13 baking dish combine the wet ingredients… then add the dry and mix well… place in the oven and bake for about 40-45 min… (the center will be slightly jiggly)

spread the brown sugar over the top and place back into the oven… the sugar will start to melt…

Then broil for about a min or two until the sugar starts to bubble and brown…

Enjoy!!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns…

I have been craving cinnamon buns and I knew that Simon would enjoy them too if I made them…

I got a recipe out and then realized that I just didn’t have enough butter for the whole recipe… so i sat down and tried to find something else that I could make… then I found this…

I just knew that I had to make them especially since I had some pumpkin in the fridge that I had to use up…

So for the dough…

2 1/4 tsp of yeast

1/2 cup of warm water
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
3 cups all purpose flour

Knead it together for about 5-7 min… the dough look and smells amazing…

The recipe said to let the dough rise for 15 min, but I let it rise until double… for about 45 min…

meanwhile make the filling… I added vanilla to mine…
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp honey
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla

Roll out the dough in a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick and spread the filling on top…

roll into a log… and cut into slices (I made 10)… and place in a buttered pan… (I used a 9X9)

Let rise until double (about 45 min- and hour) and preheat oven to 400…

bake for about 20 min… (mine were done after 17 min with the convection oven)

Add the frosting while they are still in the pan and slightly warm…

For the frosting:
1/4 cup butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened (half of a package)
1 tsp vanilla
1 or 2 dashes cinnamon
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

These are truly amazing!!!

Vanilla… day 4…

just wanted to give an update on the vanilla…

the day after I made it it was already changing colour and everyday it has been getting darker… now… just 4 days after, it looks like this and the vanilla smell is starting to take over the alcohol smell…

I just know that it is going to be a treat…

and Katey, I had read that you can just replenish it with more alcohol if you leave the vanilla beans in it…

I am definitaly going to be trying brandy for that… or maybe more rum…

mmmm… vanilla…

If you bake a lot (like me)… and love vanilla (like me)…

Then you go through a lot of vanilla…

I know that I do…

So while I was Stumbling around last week I saw a recipe on how to make your own Vanilla extract… It was so easy that I just memorized how and today I bought the ingredients…

I can’t wait to see the results!

Vodka, vanilla beans and a bit of rum… (I used 6 beans for 2 cups)

pour the vodka into a mason jar…

add a bit of dark rum (if you have some) it adds a bit of sweet…

admire the vanilla beans…

split the vanilla beans…

look at the vanilla goodness….

halve them…

add the beans to the vodka…

and place in a dark cupboard and shake for about 30 seconds everyday for about 8 weeks… until ready….

Update: Here is what it looks like after a few weeks… and after 6-7 weeks I was able to start using it and haven’t looked back!

Also… I used Vanilla beans bought from my local grocery store which are highly over priced. I have found that there are better and much cheaper ways to buy Vanilla in bulk (I have bought through “organic-vanilla.com” based in the USA and “vanillafoodcompany.ca” based in Canada) so that this vanilla extract comes to not much more than the price of the alcohol used.