Chef Michael Smith's Country Bread Recipe

Here it is!

New Habits

All of us approach the process of personal change a little differently. But anyone can take a cue from these key principles as you work to adopt new habits.

4 ways to make new habits stick

Now that you're making positive changes in eating and exercising, learn how to make them stick.

Build confidence. Focus on strategies that play to your strengths and your skills. Consider how you have succeeded in the past, and build your plan from there. Past experiences — good or bad — are learning opportunities and should be seen as a useful tool in tackling new goals with optimism.

Create a routine. An eating or activity schedule can create a better sense of control. Make sure your schedule is one that truly works for your life and not one you can follow only for the short term. That’s why it’s important to set realistic goals — the more successful you are, the easier it will be to stay motivated.

Focus on what you're adding to your life. Try not to fixate on what you’re giving up, whether it’s certain foods, habits or a little extra TV time. Focus on things like the delicious, healthy meals you are eating and how energized you feel after a workout. Celebrate success as you notice even the smallest positive changes in how you look and feel; it will give you the momentum you need to keep going.

Make your program your own. Take a day off from exercise, or enjoy one of your favorite foods once in a while. The more you make your program work for you, the less likely you are to rebel against it. Figure out what it takes — within reason — to make your healthy lifestyle pleasurable and sustainable.

By following these principles, you can enjoy a lifetime of healthier living — and a healthy weight!
-Mayo Clinic

Baked Beans

I adapted this recipe and used what I had on hand...olive oil in place of bacon BBQ sauce in place of sugar, syrup and ketchup. I added a can of tomato paste and more molasses.
They came out great!

BAKED BEANS
1 pound dried great northern beans
1/2 pound thick-sliced bacon strips, chopped
2 large onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups ketchup
1-1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

Corn Oil Pastry Crust

https://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/perfect-oil-pastry-171806
READY IN: 15mins SERVES: 6-8
YIELD: 2 crusts UNITS: US
Ingredients
Nutrition

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 dash salt
1⁄2 cup vegetable oil (corn is the tastiest)
5 tablespoons cold tap water (EXACTLY 5!)

Directions

Measure the flour carefully and put it in a medium-sized bowl. Add the dash of salt and stir it with a fork.
Pour the oil in and stir and "cut" it with a fork until you've got clumps varying between pea-sized and lima bean-sized.
Distribute the cold water over the mixture and stir and mash with the fork just until it all balls together.
Wipe your countertop with a damp cloth and spread a piece of wax paper on it. The paper should not slide -- if it does, dampen the counter a LITTLE more.
Form a little more than half of the dough into a disk and place it on the wax paper. Cover it with another piece of wax paper.
Roll the dough with a rolling pin from the center out in all directions, keeping it as circular as possible.
Periodically do the following:
peel off the top piece of wax paper, then lay it gently back on top of the crust.
using the bottom piece to lift it, turn the crust over, peel off that piece of wax paper, lay it back down again and continue rolling.
Continue the peel-replace-flip-peel-replace technique until your crust is about two inches bigger than your pie pan. IMPORTANT: Peel-replace-flip-peel -- then use the bottom piece of paper to lift the crust and place it over your pie pan. Gently peel off the wax paper.
Use the same technique to roll the top crust.
As you prefer, you can leave the top crust whole, cut it into strips for lattice, or whatever.
OPTIONAL: Brush the top crust with milk and/or sprinkle it with sugar.
Bake according to your pie directions.
BON APPETIT!

review by holly_ann_hodges
5/6/2016

This is a great recipe I've been using for years, but I want to say the 'exactness' of it doesn't matter for me. Maybe in the UK the flour I'm using is a bit different than others, but these proportions are far too wet. I usually leave out some oil and water (reserving maybe a fifth of the oil and a tbsp of water), mix and add more if needed. Alternatively you can just mix it and add more flour as needed, but using this exact recipe is far, far too wet, like paste. If you keep the oil/water proportions about the same but just use less liquid, it still works like a dream. I've even subbed some melted butter if I'm in the mood. Usually I'm a stickler for butter-rich baking recipes but this crust is fabulous in taste, texture and ease of use.

(from another review:)
I also chilled the oil, and chilled the pastry before rolling. Keeping everything cold keeps the gluten in the flour "short" which is necessary for tender pastry. Unlike bread where you want your gluten stretched out.

Sunday Night Apple Pie

A friend gave us a bag of apples that were very ripe so I had no problem deciding to peel them for making an apple pie. When my husband dug out the two plastic dough scrapers I realized why. They were the perfect tool for picking up the piecrust dough off of the wooden board. We followed the Joy of Cooking recipe and followed advice for temperature: 450 for ten minutes and then reducing the temps to 350 for 35 minutes. I used a crust guard on the rim. The pie came out great. We had pie for dinner with cheddar cheese and white wine!

Lyle's Golden Syrup in Tea!

I have admired the British tins of Lyle's Golden Syrup for years. I love it in my tea. Unfortunately I can't find any more at the bargain store!

Here's a blog demonstrating how to make your own.

http://www.internationaldessertsblog.com/make-golden-syrup/

Danish Rye: Rugbrod

https://www.culturesforhealth.com/learn/recipe/sourdough-recipes/rugbrod/
http://nordicfoodliving.com/danish-rye-bread-rugbrod/

Yogurt, Butter and Buttermilk-Making

Stay tuned for this workshop.

Cultured Butter

Add 1 tablespoon of mesophilic yogurt or cultured buttermilk per cup heavy cream. Mix well.
Culture 12-24 hours at 70º-77ºF


Pour butter into a small bowl.
Wash butter with filtered water, pressing out any remaining buttermilk with a spoon.
When the water runs clear, the butter should be free of buttermilk. Leaving buttermilk in the butter will cause the butter to spoil quickly.
Salt the butter and add herbs, if desired.
Wrap butter in wax paper and store in the refrigerator or freezer.

https://www.culturesforhealth.com/learn/cream/how-to-make-cultured-butter/

Waffles in the Garden

With an extension cord I can bake waffles at my picnic table in the backyard jungle. I am planning to churn the butter!

The Pastry Cutter is my Best Friend

Since I am nuts over making a weekly dozen hard boiled eggs in my pressure cooker, I am also nuts over chopping the eggs rapidly and easily using my pastry cutter. I add Italian red wine vinegar, Adobo, Generic Hellman's mayo, and Cholula hot sauce. I eat the eggs with baby spinach or toast or celery or pickles and red onions.

Bread Bread Bread

We just ordered 50 pounds of steel cut oats from JAR Baker's supply, Crow Point Road in Lincoln Rhode island. Check them out if you've never been there. Ask for Val Medeiros.

I have fallen in love with adding steel cut oats and coarse cornmeal to my sourdough bread. I love texture. Also when using a white bread flour (like I do in summer) these added whole grains contribute to the nutrition. The crusts are crunchy! I also added rye flour given to me as a gift. The rye is so smooth is reminds me of talcum powder.

Last week I used Price Rite white flour leftover from my bread workshop and I added 2 cups of Price Rite coarse cornmeal and 2 cups of Price Rite steel cut oats to the white flour along with 3cups of sourdough starter. It was the best bread I've made in a long time.

Toast sandwiches: red onion, thinly sliced pickles, and pepper jack slice of cheese, and fresh basil leaf, green olives.

Home Food in Summer

Home made molasses granola, pressure cooked German potato Salad, egg salad, pressure-cooked chick peas, broccoli. We love these fast cold summer foods.

Whole-wheat Sourdough Waffles

Start this recipe the night before for morning waffles or in the morning if you'll be having them for dinner. Made with white whole-wheat flour, the batter is thick and elastic producing scrumptious and full-flavored waffles.. This method is based on Nancy Silverton's in Breads from La Brea Bakery and adapted by me over the years. For best results, use a sourdough starter that you've fed within the past three days. (The longer in advance the more tang the waffles will have.)
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Prep Time 12 minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 7 waffles
Calories 375 kcal
Author Lynne Curry
Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sourdough starter "fed" within the past 3 days
4 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups milk whole or skim
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 1/3 cups stone-ground white whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup uncooked 8-grain cereal
3 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

Whisk together the starter, butter, oil, milk, maple syrup, white whole-wheat flour and 8-grain cereal in a large mixing bowl until well-blended. Cover securely with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours.

Uncover the batter, which will be thick and have bubbles broken all over the surface. Whisk in the eggs, salt and baking soda.

Heat an electric waffle maker to its highest setting. Ladle enough waffle batter onto the bottom plate to come within 1 inch of the edge. Close the top plate and cook the waffle until it stops steaming and the surface is nut-brown, 3-4 minutes.

Recipe Notes

This recipe makes 1 quart of batter. If there is extra batter, cook the waffles, cool and freeze them in a resealable plastic bag for up to 1 month. Reheat in a toaster or low oven until hot and crisp.

Bed of Baby Spinach

A bed of baby spinach with my homemade cold potato salad and artichoke hearts is to die for.

Eat Like a Horse

We love oats carrots and apples. We eat like horses!

One More

One more cabbage recipe
https://www.africanbites.com/stuffed-cabbage-rolls/

My Own Baked Cabbage Rolls

I froze the cabbage head overnight and today I defrosted it peeling off the leaves. Reading about freezing rather than parboiling the cabbage is what inspired me to finally try making cabbage rolls.

I made a mixture of cooked leftover brown rice and kidney beans and two big chopped white onions. I used about a half of a cup of rice bean onion mixture in each cabbage leaf. After I rolled them I placed them in two greased Pyrex dishes.

Then I made an impromptu tomato sauce from 6 cloves of fresh garlic chopped and sauteed in generous amount of olive oil, crushed red pepper, oregano, basil, parsley, 1 can of Lindsay black olives (chopped), celery (4 ribs) chopped, teaspoon salt, teaspoon sugar, 1 large can of crushed tomatoes, 1 small can of tomato paste. I warmed it up to combine the ingredients (taste tested) and spooned it over the cabbage rolls.

I deliberately made the sauce intensely rich and flavorful since the cabbage, rice and beans were bland.

I placed the cabbage rolls in a preheated 350 degree oven to bake for 30 minutes.

We'll see how they come out. After they are baked I might sprinkle on Romano cheese.

Cabbage Burritos!

source

Cabbage Burritos
By Lena Abraham

Cabbage Burritos Are The Perfect Low-Carb Lunch
by Delish US

Prefer a smaller burrito? Use one leaf instead of two! (You'll get 8 smaller burritos instead of 4 big ones!)
Yields: 4 servings
Prep Time: 0 hours 10 mins
Total Time: 0 hours 35 mins
Ingredients
8 large green cabbage leaves (from 1 head)
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 lb. ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. taco seasoning mix
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 (15-oz.) can black beans
1 1/2 c. chopped cherry tomatoes
1 c. corn, canned and drained or frozen
1 c. shredded Monterey Jack
1/2 c. shredded cheddar
Directions

Preheat oven to 350º and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large pot of boiling water, use tongs to dip cabbage leaves in water for 30 seconds to blanch. Place on a paper towel-lined plate to dry.
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes, then stir in ground beef and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Drain excess fat, then season with taco seasoning mix, salt, and pepper. Stir in black beans, cherry tomatoes, and corn.
Lay 2 cabbage leaves side by side, overlapping slightly. Place a heaping spoon of ground beef mixer, then top with cheese. Fold short sides of cabbage leaves in first, then roll into a cylinder — like a burrito! Repeat with remaining beef mixture.
Place on baking sheet and bake until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.

Ruhbarb Apple Raspberry Compote

A neighbor gave me rhubarb and a bag of her frozen raspberries. I simmered them with some beat up apples I had kicking around. I added a little bit of sugar and it was a fabulous dessert with plain yogurt. It was just like pie but without the crust.

Meatless Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

These meatless cabbage rolls, made in the slow cooker, feature beans and brown rice instead of the typical ground beef filling.
Better Homes and Gardens


Stuffed Cabbage Rolls


Makes: 4 servings
Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 6 hrs Low or High 3 hours

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Ingredients

1/2 cup instant brown rice
1 large head green cabbage (about 2 pounds)
1 15 ounce can black beans or red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
1 26 ounce jar chunky tomato pasta sauce or meatless spaghetti sauce
Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions

In a small saucepan bring 1/2 cup water to boiling. Stir in uncooked rice. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat; set aside.
Meanwhile, remove 8 large outer leaves from the cabbage. In a 4-quart Dutch oven cook cabbage leaves, covered, in boiling water for 4 to 5 minutes or just until leaves are limp. Drain cabbage leaves. Trim the thick rib in the center of each leaf. Set leaves aside. Shred 4 cups of the remaining cabbage; place shredded cabbage in a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker. (Wrap and chill remaining cabbage for another use.)
In a medium bowl combine beans, cooked rice, onion, and 1/2 cup of the pasta sauce. Evenly divide the bean mixture among the 8 cabbage leaves, using about 1/3 cup per leaf. Fold sides of leaf over filling and roll up. Pour about half of the remaining pasta sauce over shredded cabbage in cooker. Stir to mix. Place cabbage rolls on the shredded cabbage. Top with remaining pasta sauce.
Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 7 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 to 3-1/2 hours. Carefully remove the cooked cabbage rolls and serve with the shredded cabbage mixture. If desired, sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Makes 4 servings.


Source

Potato and Cabbage Tips

Save the potato water!
Freeze the cabbage head!

Bikini Brownies

A recipe for fat free Brownies!
Source
Ingredients

1 cup sugar
3⁄4 cup flour
1⁄2 cup cocoa
2 egg whites (this is for cake like brownies and is optional)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
2⁄3 cup non-fat vanilla yogurt (a 6 oz. container, Dannon works best)
nonstick cooking spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Mix all dry ingredients.
Add yogurt and mix well.
Batter will be very thick.
Spray an 8x8 pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Spread batter evenly.
Bake for 30-35 minutes.
Remove and cool.
Dip a knife in warm water and cut into 16 squares.

Iced Fudgicle Beverage

Cocoa Milk Summer Swim Workout Recovery Beverage
Ingredients
1⁄4 cup water
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
3/4 tablespoon of raw sugar
pinch of kosher salt
2 cups of 1% percent milk

Directions
Place 1/4 cup of water, Tbs cocoa and 3/4 tablespoon of sugar and pinch of kosher salt in the microwave to heat up. Then stir well to dissolve. Add iced cubes and lots of 1 percent milk. Stir and enjoy immediately. Vary the amounts of cocoa sugar and milk to your satisfaction.

Impromptu Rice Salad

This morning I noticed we have very little food in the house so I pressure cooked 2 cups of brown rice. When it was cooked (17 minutes) I cooled it in the fridge. Then spontaneously I added my leftover homemade buttermilk dressing from my coleslaw that I was saving for some unknown reason. It was fabulous!

The Coleslaw and Rice Salad Dressing:
Hellman's mayo
lowfat buttermilk
Guiden's mustard
Adobo
red wine vinegar
salt
sugar
pickle juice
Cholula hot sauce