Easy Homemade Ciabatta

Perfectly crusty on the outside, chewy on the inside homemade ciabatta bread.

Ingredients:

3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 teaspoons SAF yeast

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon granulated sugar

1-3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp warm water (115F)

2 teaspoons olive oil, plus more for the bowl

Instructions: I did not follow the instructions. Haha.

Follow bread machine instructions. For mine, this means putting wet ingredients in first, then dry with the yeast last. Mix on dough setting. 

Oil a large bowl, then plop dough into bowl. Flip the dough over (effectively oiling the top of the loaf). Cover bowl in oiled plastic wrap & cover with a towel. Place in a warm spot & allow to rise for two hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, then sprinkle with flour. Flour hands & then shape the loaf. The directions said 12 inches long & 4 inches wide. I just plopped mine down in my deep dish stoneware pizza pan & called it good. Bake 35-40 minutes, until the bread is lightly golden. Place on a cooling rack & allow it to cool down for 20-30 minutes. Slice for sandwiches. I copied Panera Bread and sliced the bread into six pizza slices (60 degrees of the circle) and then filled the center with chicken salad. YUM!!

Turkey Meatloaf

I have not been a big fan of meatloaf. However, the stuff we had today was fabulous.

2 cups onions

1 tablespoon olive oil

1+ teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon thyme

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup chicken stock (from a box)

1 teaspoon tomato powder (from food storage - could use 1 tablespoon tomato paste)

1 pound ground turkey

1 pound mild Italian sausage

1 cup plain dry bread crumbs

2 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup each Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce , Trader Joe's Carolina Sauce (mustard-based)

Preheat oven to 325.

In medium saute pan over medium-low heat, cook the onions, olive oil, salt, pepper, & thyme until translucent, but not browned, approximately 15 minutes. Add Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, & tomato powder & mix well. Allow to cool to room temperature. I allowed the mixture to bubble for a few minutes, still on low heat.

Combine ground turkey, ground sausage, bread crumbs, eggs, & onion mixture in bowl. Mix well & shape into a loaf on an ungreased sheet pan, or in 9x13-inch pan. Spread barbecue sauces equally on the top. Bake for 1 hour 45 minutes or until thermometer registers 160* F.

Serve hot, at room temperature, or cold in a sandwich.

Heavily inspired by the Barefoot Contessa's recipe on the food network.

Pretty Good Times Six Coleslaw

Ingredients:

1 head green cabbage, finely shredded 

2 large carrots, finely shredded

3/4 cup best-quality mayonnaise (I used generic Costco)

2 tablespoons sour cream

2 tablespoons finely minced onion

2 tablespoons sugar, adjusted to taste

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1 tablespoon dry mustard

2 teaspoons celery salt

Salt & freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Combine shredded cabbage & carrots in a bowl. (Or open the bag & empty into a bowl.) Whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, onion, sugar, vinegar, mustard, celery salt, salt, & pepper in a medium bowl, and then add to the cabbage mixture. Mix well to combine and taste for seasoning; add more salt, pepper, or sugar if desired. Yummy!

Bobby Flay recipe