Multigrain Sourdough

My pal Doreen buys Bob's Red Mill 10 grain hot cereal at job lot and adds it to her bread dough. The blend is wheat, corn, rye, triticale, oats, soy beans, millet, barley, brown rice, oat bran and flaxseed.

Once Upon a Chef

blog here.

Why is Everyone so Terrified?

I walk all over the city and into the suburbs every day, twice a day and I am amazed at the level of fear people speak about. People must be staying inside watching TV. That's the only explanation.

My New Method for Bread

I grease the cast iron and place the cold sour dough boules inside and cover them. They have incubated in the fridge for 3 nights. I shape them and put them in the oven and then turn it on to 450 F. In and hour they will be done but before that I take off the lid and rotate them, at the 40 minute point, baking uncovered for the last 20 minutes.

Carrot Sald with Dressing

Wine vinegar, olive oil, Adobo, kosher salt, pinches of sugar or honey, leftover kale and beans, buzz it all in the blender pour over chopped carrots, sliced red onions, chopped celery, raisins, green pimento olives, and enjoy.

Cleaning up the 'Hood

Picking up stray trash on my walk is my new favorite ritual. People respond!

The Medical Tyranny of my Upbringing

I grew up in an Italian-American Jewish household. Sunday meals were all day affairs at the dining room table and if you didn't eat something my mother took offense and let it be known in front of everyone. When I became a vegetarian at age 13 my mother said "You don't love me!" The family was photographed incessantly and the framed family portraits were on display in the house. The family critiqued us relentlessly. "You look fat in this picture!" My sister would say. "You have jowls" my mother would say, another reason to not love me. If I ate too much or not enough I was damned and she called the doctor (the police!). The gastro battle was fought at the table and in doctors offices. Gastroenterologist visits with GI series were annual at the very least, starting at age 4, and psychiatrists were twice a week. Who paid for all of this? My father who worked in the MADMEN advertising world of big money and glitzy images.

Favorite Breakfast

A banana!

Japanese Proverb

Hara hachibu ni isha irazu, “A stomach eight-tenths full needs no doctor.”

Yogurt and Health

When I was a child I was reading everything I could find on health as I was being told that I was a sickly child. When I was 13 at summer camp I imagined that I would not live to be 16. When I turned 15 I made my own wheat soy sesame bread and cultured my own yogurt. I made apple butter, granola, smoothies, and I grew sprouts and vegetables over the summer. It wasn't until I ran away from home that the real healing began.
Article

April is Garden Month

I told everyone if the chop-shop and drug dealing stopped back here in my back parking lot, I would plant an herb garden (basil, parsley, tomatoes) and have people over for a grilled pizza supper. I may even host a basketball game.

Melted Dark Chocolate on Toast

I melted a bag of price rite semi sweet chocolate chips with a box of BAKER'S semisweet baking chocolate, slowly in a double boiler. Then I spread some on my sourdough toast instead of margarine. It was an excellent breakfast. Store the leftover chocolate in a glass canning jar. It will harden as it cools. Reheat in microwave as needed.

Eating chocolate the Spanish way.
by
Alejandra Garcia

Drinking chocolate, white chocolate truffles, hazelnut-chocolate muffins — the Spanish love it all. Small children, for example, snack on chocolate sandwiches, made with bread in the shape of a hot dog bun filled with chocolate paste.

Spain has taught me to eat chocolate for breakfast. The Spanish go out at night until the wee hours of the morning, and then have a cup of chocolate for breakfast on their way home, before going to sleep.

Small cafeterias stay open throughout the night to serve straggling club-goers and early-rising tourists chocolate con churros, a breakfast or afternoon snack that involves dipping fried dough — churros — into a cup of warm, melted drinking chocolate. The churros are made of flour, water and butter and can be shaped into any form — short strips or circles, for example.

Everywhere from Barcelona to Marbella, I've been to churrerias (shops that only serve churros con chocolate) where paper plates are piled with coils of churros sprinkled with sugar. Because nearly all Spanish homes are equipped with small deep fryers, it's not unusual to have homemade churros for breakfast on a Sunday morning.

Perhaps it's the experimental spirit of the Spanish in the kitchen that fuses chocolate with nearly anything that's edible. One of the country's most celebrated chefs, Ferran Adria, has been called a "molecular gastronomist" for using liquid nitrogen and calcium chloride in his cooking. He created a chocolate beef stock that caused quite a stir, but one of his most adored and simple recipes calls for toasted bread dabbed with bittersweet chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt and olive oil. It sounds odd, but why not?

Valor, one of the longest-running and most popular brands of chocolate in Spain, has integrated into its box of bonbons unusual flavors that reflect the most important ingredients of Spanish cooking: black chocolate with olive oil and tomato; vinegar and milk chocolate; or whiskey and champagne with hazelnut paste and white chocolate.

For me, chocolate is best in its purest and simplest forms. A single bar of chocolate with a high cocoa (or cacao) content makes perfect company while I'm working away at the computer, or when I need a late-night nibble.

Article

Marcia Kiesel's Rye Berry Bread

SERVINGS: MAKES 2 ROUND 9-INCH LOAVES

Thinly sliced, toasted or not, this dense, hearty whole-grain bread is wonderful topped with smoked salmon, sour cream and chopped onions, or with bitter orange marmalade. Allow time for the sponge to sit overnight.

sponge

3 cups whole wheat flour, preferably organic
3 cups water
1 teaspoon active dry yeast (Fleishmann's Instant)

bread

1 cup whole rye berries (about 6 ounces)
3 cups water
Kosher salt
4 cups whole grain rye flour, preferably organic
1 cup whole wheat flour, preferably organic
2 teaspoons caraway seeds

Ingredients

Cornmeal, for dusting

In a large bowl, mix the whole wheat flour with the water and yeast until blended. Cover and let stand overnight at room temperature.
In a medium saucepan, cover the rye berries with the water, add a large pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until the rye berries are tender, about 45 minutes. Drain and let cool to room temperature.
Add the rye berries to the sponge. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the rye flour, whole wheat flour, caraway seeds and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of salt. When the dough becomes too stiff to mix, scrape it out onto a floured work surface. Using a dough scraper, lightly knead the dough, adding any leftover flour, until the dough forms a cohesive but sticky mass. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl. Cover and let stand in a cool place until the dough increases in volume by two-thirds and holds an impression when lightly pressed, about 2 hours.
Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Using floured hands, briefly knead the dough. Cut it in half and shape each half into a 7-inch round. Sprinkle a large peel or rimless baking sheet generously with cornmeal. Transfer the loaves to the peel, leaving about 3 inches between them. Let stand in a cool place until the dough is well risen and holds a slight impression when lightly pressed, about 1 hour.
Set a pizza stone or baking tiles in the bottom shelf of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350° for 30 minutes. Slide the loaves onto the preheated stone or bake on the baking sheet for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325° and continue baking for about 45 minutes, or until the loaves are nicely risen and browned; they should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Transfer the loaves to a rack to cool for at least 4 hours before slicing.

Make Ahead
The bread can be refrigerated for up to 10 days.

Boston Brown Bread

by Jeff Gordinier

Yield 2 coffee-can-size loaves, or 1 standard loaf

Bread that slides out of a can? It might strike many Americans as a dubious culinary eccentricity, but throughout New England it is a staple, often purchased at the supermarket and served at home with a generous pour of baked beans. “I had this growing up,” said Meghan Thompson, the pastry chef at Townsman, in Boston, where the cylindrical brown tower comes to the table as something of a regional wink. Her version, commissioned by the chef Matt Jennings, dials down the cloying sweetness and amps up the flavor with a totally different manifestation of beans: doenjang, the funky Korean paste made from fermented soybeans.

Featured in: Giving Northern Cuisine Its Due.

Blackstrap Molasses, Buttermilk, Doenjang, Rye Flour, New England
Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray
½ cup plus 3 tablespoons/70 grams white rye flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons/140 grams stone-ground whole wheat flour
½ cup plus 3 tablespoons/70 grams dark rye flour
1 cup/142 grams fine-ground cornmeal
1 cup/198 grams lightly packed dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon/3 grams baking powder
2 teaspoons/11 grams baking soda
½ teaspoon/3 grams kosher salt
1 tablespoon/16 grams doenjang (Korean soybean paste)
2 cups/480 milliliters buttermilk
½ cup/120 milliliters egg whites (from 4 to 5 large eggs)
¾ cup (scant)/169 milliliters blackstrap molasses

Preparation

Heat oven to 350 degrees and generously coat the insides of 2 10-ounce coffee cans or a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Place the white rye flour in a large skillet over medium heat and toast, whisking constantly, for 7 minutes. The flour will darken slightly and smell nutty.
Whisk the flours, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the doenjang and buttermilk until combined; set aside. With an electric mixer, whip the egg whites with 1 tablespoon of the molasses until stiff, silky peaks form, about 5 minutes. Whisk the remaining molasses into the buttermilk mixture. Gradually stir the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients until combined. Fold in the whipped egg whites in 2 additions.
Pour batter into the prepared cans or loaf pan. Coat pieces of foil with cooking spray, then cover the tops of the cans or pan securely. Set the cans or pan in a baking dish and add enough hot water to come about 1/4 inch up the side. Transfer to oven and bake until the top springs back when lightly touched, about 1 hour 40 minutes for the cans, or 2 hours for the loaf pan. Let cool 20 minutes on a wire rack, then invert and remove the bread to a cutting board. Let cool completely before slicing.

Jean Nidetch Changed Lives

Obituary

Dried Plums + Raw Almonds

A perfect snack.

Pancakes for Supper

I'm going to make buttermilk sourdough multigrain pancakes for supper!

Spring Ritual: Trash Pickup

I found another gigantic plastic bag today and picked up trash on my walk. It's very satisfying and people love to respond by joining in.

Steel Cut Oats

I make a huge batch in my slow cooker. But the Kitchen blog has great advice:

How To Make a Week of Steel-Cut Oats in 5 Minutes

Makes 5 servings

Ingredients

1 2/3 cups steel-cut oats
4 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt
Optional Mix-Ins

Milk or soy milk
Cinnamon or other spices
Raisins or other dried fruit
Fresh berries
Nuts or seeds
Jam
Honey
Equipment

5 pint-sized Mason jars with lids
Large saucepan
Ladle
Instructions

Collect your jars and other equipment. I like pint-sized jars for this, as they allow a little more room for adding nuts, raisins, and milk later. But you can also use half-pint jars.
Cook the oats for 3 minutes: Bring the oats, water, and salt to a boil. Simmer for about 3 minutes then turn off the heat.
Let the jars stand at room temperature, then refrigerate: Divide the oatmeal among the jars. Let stand, uncovered, at room temperature for about an hour or until cool to the touch, then cap and refrigerate.
Reheat the oatmeal in the microwave: Take the cap off one jar and stir up the oatmeal inside. Microwave for 2 to 3 minutes, or until quite hot. Add milk, raisins, or other mix-ins.

Recipe Notes

You can also add your raisins, cinnamon, or other mix-ins to the rest of the jars before putting them away in the refrigerator. Then all you have to do is grab one and go on your way out the door.

Irish Oat Groats

I love Irish oatmeal, even cold! Lately it's been Irish oatmeal and cold German potato salad, and kale and bean suppers. We live on simple foods. On my next trip to JAR Baker's Supply in Lincoln I will buy oat groats, poppy seeds and wheat berries.

Plein Air Writing

Plein Air Writing:
"Plein Air," French for "open air," was a popular art movement in the early nineteenth century. Between portable easels and the invention of pre-mixed oil paints, artists, for the first time, could easily work outside. So they did, capturing the light, air and beauty of the natural world to create a new way of seeing and a new art movement. Taking a cue from the Plein Air artists of both Europe and the U.S., this creative writing class finds inspiration in Riverside-area parks and gardens. Immersed in the natural world, writers will observe the landscape, focus their senses and capture the experience with deft prose pen strokes that can later be edited. The challenge, just as for the Plein Air painters, is to quickly capture a moment in time in an ever-changing world. Writers will share their work aloud in story circles and are invited to edit their workshop material to share or submit for critique. You will meet for classes at local parks for this outdoors-inspired workshop, which includes moderate hikes or walks (3 miles or less).

Swimming

Swimming - health benefits

Swimming is a healthy, low-cost activity that you can continue throughout your life. Swimming is a low-impact activity that has many physical and mental health benefits. Swimming is a great workout because you need to move your whole body against the resistance of the water.

Swimming is one of the most popular sports in Australia. Our nation is surrounded by water and swimming is one of our great passions. As well as being fun, swimming is a great way to keep fit, stay healthy and make friends. Swimming is a healthy activity that you can continue for a lifetime. It is a low-impact activity that has many physical and mental health benefits.

Swimming is a great recreational activity for people of all ages. Recreational swimming can provide you with a low-impact workout and it’s also a good way to relax and feel good. Common swimming styles in recreational swimming are breaststroke, backstroke, side stroke and freestyle.

Some people who enjoy swimming want to take it to a competitive level. This can provide the health benefits of a vigorous workout as well as the fun and thrill of competition. The main strokes used in competitive swimming are breaststroke, freestyle, backstroke and butterfly. The distances swum in competition swimming can vary from 50 metres in a pool to much further distances in open water.

Swimming is a great workout because you need to move your whole body against the resistance of the water.

Swimming is a good all-round activity because it:

keeps your heart rate up but takes some of the impact stress off your body
builds endurance, muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness
helps maintain a healthy weight, healthy heart and lungs
tones muscles and builds strength
provides an all-over body workout, as nearly all of your muscles are used during swimming.

Swimming has many other benefits including:

being a relaxing and peaceful form of exercise
alleviating stress
improving coordination, balance and posture
improving flexibility
providing good low-impact therapy for some injuries and conditions
providing a pleasant way to cool down on a hot day
being available in many places – you can swim in swimming pools, beaches, lakes, dams and rivers. Make sure that the environment you choose to swim in is safe.

Getting started in swimming is easy. It is a sport for all age groups, skill and fitness levels. Before you get started, you will need to purchase a pair of swimmers and some goggles. Goggles can be purchased for around $15 and upwards.

There are public pools throughout Australia that are open to everyone. Entry to public pools usually costs a few dollars and many aquatic centres offer swimming lessons for people of all ages, as well as training and exercise groups.

Some general tips for swimming

Before you dive in:

Make sure you know how to swim.
Choose a safe environment.
Warm up and stretch your muscles and joints before entering the water.
Have plenty of fluids on hand and drink regularly.
Don’t overdo it if you’re just starting out.
See your doctor if you haven’t exercised for a long time.

Walk it Off

The women of Edgewater Drive love to tease me as they drive buy in their mini vans filled with dogs and children. One day a lady said to me "You are always smiling!" I said I really don't smile all the time but walking makes me smile. The next time I saw her she said I walked and it didn't make me smile. Joyce sits in her car at the bus stop when she lives 3 houses away. I love this lady but how can I explain that a little bit goes a long way? When we were kids our mothers were not terrorized like the suburban mothers of today. Walking wasn't a crime! The women of the suburbs are terrified. If they got out and met their "scary" neighbors perhaps they would be less afraid.

The Benefits of Walking
Walking Toward a Healthier You

There are countless physical activities out there, but walking has the lowest dropout rate of them all! It's the simplest positive change you can make to effectively improve your heart health.

Research has shown that the benefits of walking and moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes a day can help you:

Reduce the risk of coronary heart disease
Improve blood pressure and blood sugar levels
Improve blood lipid profile
Maintain body weight and lower the risk of obesity
Enhance mental well being
Reduce the risk of osteoporosis
Reduce the risk of breast and colon cancer
Reduce the risk of non-insulin dependent (type 2) diabetes

There really are so many benefits for such a simple activity!
Sole-Mate: A Friend By Your Side

The thought of being alone can be enough to keep some people from walking. The best way to solve this is by finding a friend to walk with. You can plan walking paths that are convenient for both of you, or map out routes that take you places you've never been before. It's a great way to exercise and spend time with friends.

Multigrain Celebration Loaf

Medium grind wheat flour, grain blend: barley, corn, millet, soybeans, rye, triticale, oats, rice, flaxseed, sunflower seeds, kosher salt, malt, poppy seeds, and sourdough starter boosted with a dash of Fleishmann's instant yeast.

Spring Cleaning!

The City looks so great I am inspired to tackle the inside of my house.