Once the skin cracks, remove the tomatoes from the boiling water straight into an ice water bath. Once they are cool enough, peel the skin off.

Stay tuned for some sauce recipes using fresh tomatoes!

Mix the  flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the yeast  water mixture, then, wash out any yeast sticking to the bowl with the remaining 1 cup of water.

Mix until it starts to form a ball by pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Scoop it out of the bowl onto a well-floured surface.

Knead for about 1 minute. Knead by folding the back of the dough over the front and pushing down. Give the whole thing a quarter turn either clockwise or counterclockwise, but always remain consistent. Repeat the folding, pushing, and turning. Then let the dough rest for 1 minute while cleaning the bowl. This is good because it warms the bowl up in preparation for the dough to rise in it, and it also gives the dough time to start forming. Knead for one more minute and return the dough to the clean bowl.

Cover in a plastic bag from the grocery store and let it rise, untouched, for 2 hours.
Remove the dough from the bowl, again, onto a well-floured surface. Notice it should have doubled in size. Knead for 1 more minute.

Then, cut the dough into 2 equal pieces and begin forming into loaves by rolling them out, then pounding down the center lengthwise with the side of your straightened hand. Pinch the sides up to form into a loaf again. Move onto the second loaf while the first rests. Continue until they are formed to about as long as your baking sheet.

Place each loaf on the buttered or sprayed cookie sheet and cut three angled slits in the top of each. Let rise, bagged, for another hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Take about a cup of water and throw it into the oven to create steam just before you put the bread in. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 and bake for 35 minutes.
Enjoy!

Here’s another loaf we made. As it turns out, we put both loaves to rise on the same baking tray and they rose sort of into each other. We couldn’t save this one, so I balled it back up, kneaded it, and formed a new loaf. I let it rise a third time and then baked it according to the same directions. The loaf looked and tasted great! The only noticeable change was fewer air pockets inside. So, if this happens to you, have no fear! A third rise is okay. Well, at least in Phoenix!

Thanks to “netman21″ on youtube for the video that is the basis of this recipe. This video is excellent help, and can be viewed here: French Bread Recipe

Peel the garlic and add it with the jalapenos and lemon juice to your food processor.

Tahini, which is a traditional ingredient, is sometimes hard to find if you do not have a specialty grocery store. Here in Phoenix, where Chris lives, we found it at Sprout’s Farmers Market. If you cannot find it or don’t want to use it, you can sub in cream cheese.

Blend well until the jalapenos finely ground.

Drain the chick peas, put them in a microwave safe bowl, and microwave for 1 minute or until hot. Add the chick peas and salt to the food processor and blend on high until the hummus is a smooth consistent texture.

Put the hummus in a serving bowl and swirl the top to make channels. Uncle Jack uses his finger, you can use a spatula or whatever works for you.

Toast up some pita bread or naan bread and dip away! It’s okay to double dip in this one, it’s that good.

and 2 cups water and put it in a small pot. One cup of rice seems small, but remember, rice bulks up significantly with the water! General rule of thumb- 1 part rice, 2 parts water. Sprinkle in pinch of salt and a pat of butter. I don’t use rice with a shorter cooking time (minute rice, I think it’s called?) so it takes about an hour. Cook to your package cooking instructions.

Next, chop up all the delicious veggies. I really love the flavor added by the celery and mushrooms.

You can cut the chicken before or after you prepare the stuffing, or better yet, have someone else cut it while you are sauteing the vegetables! Take a VERY sharp knife (and be very careful- watch those fingers) and cut the breasts in half lengthwise.

Next, add the vegetables to the skillet with some olive oil and the chopped garlic.

Saute until the celery is softened, but not mushy.

Add the sausage and break it up as it cooks.

Cook until the sausage is no longer pink.

Once the rice is finished (all the water is absorbed), add the rice to the veggies in the skillet and mix together. I like to melt 1/8 cup of butter and mix it in.

Spoon the stuffing onto the open chicken breast.

Fold the chicken half over and pin with toothpicks or skewers. Drizzle some more melted butter on top of the chicken and then sprinkle with breadcrumbs and thyme.

Bake in the oven on 350 until the chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juice runs out clear. (About 15-20 minutes depending on your oven.)

MMMM Enjoy. It’s good. I promise!

Cream together the shortening and 1 1/2 cups white sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing thoroughly.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt (and cream of tartar if you want to use any, about 1-2 tsps is enough).

I like to add a little vanilla…it’s not in most traditional recipes, but who doesn’t love vanilla extract?

Slowly add the flour mixture into the sugar mixture. Pausing to stir 2-3 times.

Once the dough is mixed , you can stick it in the fridge for 10 or so minutes while you clean up. You can butter 2 baking pans, too.

Then, mix the 2 tsp of cinnamon and 2 tbsp of sugar in a small bowl.

Take the dough out of the fridge and scoop it into 1″ balls. Toll between the palms of your hands and then coat in sugar.

Twelve fit nicely on a baking sheet!

Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown and a knife comes out of the center of a cookie clean.

Look at the cinnamony goodness! Enjoy!

After the water is on to boil, turn on your electric grill (we have a good ol’ George Foreman). If you don’t have one of these, you can put the chicken breast in the broiler instead- or buy a grill below…

Trim the chicken breast and rinse it. Season it with Goya seasoning, salt and pepper and a little olive oil on each side. Grill the chicken for 7-10 minutes, or until it is no longer pink in the center.

Chop it up and put it to the side.

While the chicken is cooking and the water is heating up, chop up the bell pepper, onion and mushrooms. Keep them separate.

Cut the broccoli into equal sized spears and peel the stems so they are tender after cooking.

When the water comes to a rolling boil, put the broccoli in for only about 4 minutes. You just want the broccoli to cook slightly, but still remain somewhat crisp.

While that is cooking, heat up some olive oil in the skillet. Once hot, add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper.

***Remember to watch the broccoli. If it is ready before it is time to add it below, just strain it out and put it to the side. Remember to keep the water on the side for the pasta. Once you take out the broccoli, you can bring the water back up to a boil, and once boiling, add the pasta (with plenty of salt) and cook to package directions.

Add the wine to the mushrooms and saute for a few minutes until mushrooms are tender but still firm.

Remove the mushrooms and put them to the side. Add some more olive oil. Once hot again, add the onions and peppers and saute until tender.

Add two cloves of garlic from the garlic press. We add this near the end so it does not burn.

Add the mushrooms, the broccoli (if it’s ready) and the chopped chicken.

Saute for under a minute just to warm everything back up. Season with salt, pepper, more olive oil, and plenty of pecorino romano cheese.

***Remember the pasta! Remove from the water whenever it’s ready…simply pour on a platter and spoon the vegetables and chicken on top.

Serve immediately on a big platter and enjoy!

Chop the onion(s) and potatoes. In a large roasting pan, saute the chopped onions and potatoes in some olive oil with salt and pepper on medium heat. We used the roast pan on the bridge burner of our stove.

Add the carrots, peas and seasoned Sylvia’s Beans. You don’t have to drain the liquid in the cans, add it right in!

Saute this mixture until the onions begin to soften.

While the onions etc are sauteing, season the small roasting chickens with salt, pepper and paprika.

Add the chicken broth and, if you’re using it, the leftover potato leek soup.

Once the oven reaches 350° insert a meat thermometer into the chicken and bake the chicken and goop until the inside of the chicken reaches 150°.

This recipe is great with biscuits or fresh bread! Slice some chicken and dredge it through the delicious stew with biscuits and mmmmm.

The first step is to roast the garlic, and this takes a good hour, so make sure you either do this earlier in the day or at least before you start anything else.

Chop the potatoes, keeping the skin on, into small chunks about 1/2-1″ thick. Put to the side.

To prepare the leeks, chop off the root ends. Then chop off the greener top stalks.

I like to chop the leeks first, and then soak them to get out the sand. Mom on the other hand, she’s a little more anal. She likes to scrub the leeks before AND after they’re chopped. Whatever you have time for or prefer.

Chop the leeks in even rings.

Put them all in a bowl of water and agitate, separating the rings to get all the sand out. Strain out the water, and repeat if you like. Leeks tend to be fairly sandy. Put the leeks to the side.

Roughly chop the parsley and set aside.

Place a tbsp of olive oil in either a skillet, or roasting/soup pan and heat it up. We use dutch oven so we can keep all the ingredients in one pan and not lose ANY flavor.

Once the oil is hot (medium heat), put the ham steak in and brown on each side. You don’t want to burn the ham steak, just brown each side and reserve some of the fat in the pan.

Once the ham steak is cooked, take it out and put it to the side to cool a bit. De-glaze your pan with the white wine and scrape up the ham bits to incorporate into the mixture.

Then add the leaks and coat with a little olive oil.

Chop the ham steak and return it to the pan with the leeks.

Add the potatoes, chicken stock, and water.

Turn the heat up to high and simmer the soup for 20 minutes. Add the roasted garlic paste.

Continue to simmer for another 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.

Take the soup off the heat and mash together with a stick blender. If you don’t have this magical appliance, you can use a potato masher or a slotted spoon…OR you could buy a stick blender below…

Add the chopped parsley as a garnish, and enjoy! MMMM.

Delicious!!

Alright, you need a sharp knife. If your knife is dull, even a little bit, TAKE THE TIME TO SHARPEN IT! Alright, take your garlic head, rotate it on its side, and cut it ALMOST in half. You want to be able to open it all the way, but have a sort of paper hinge.

Baste on some olive oil to cover the exposed garlic. Season with salt and pepper.

Close the bulb back up and wrap it up in foil.

Place it in the heated oven for 1 hour.

Take it out, unwrap the foil (careful, it is hot).

Once it has cooled, you can just squirt out the garlic…it’s that easy!

mmmm Roasted Garlic…

Add salt, pepper and Goya powder to the flour to season. Dredge your pork chops through the flour.

Then pat on some chopped parsley.

Heat up some olive oil in the skillet with chopped garlic.

Simply saute your chops for 4-7 minutes on medium-high.

Flip once, your garlic will get crispy and the chops will be a lovely golden color.

Yum, enjoy! Goes great with a light salad.