Mama's Basic Bread

• 1 TB yeast or 1 package [but a little more if making it mostly whole wheat]


• 1/3 C warm water


• pinch of sugar

Mix together in a warm bowl and let it get frothy. It takes 5-10 minutes.

If it doesn't make a "sponge," then you need to add a little more sugar, or you need to keep it warmer, or you need fresher yeast.

Mix in with the yeast:

• Almost 1/3 C oil (or melted butter)
  


• Almost 1/2 C sugar (between 1/3 and 1/2 cup) [You may substitute other sweeteners like molasses or honey or a combination]
  


• 1 TB salt



• 2 C warm liquid [water makes a coarser texture; scalded and cooled milk makes a smoother texture]


• Optional: Can add 1 or 2 eggs and reduce liquid somewhat [Makes whole grain bread lighter]



• 5-6 C flour (don't add all at once) [Can use unbleached white flour, whole wheat, or a combination. Also substitute up to 1 cup of other flour such as rye. If adding soy flour, don't add more than about 2/3 C]

Mix the ingredients except the flour well. Add the flour 1/2 cup at a time, kneading well after each addition, either by hand or with a machine.



If you are making whole grain bread, it's better to add less flour than more. Leave your dough somewhat sticky. This results in more moisture.

Turn it over in a large greased bowl so both sides of dough are greased. Cover with plastic wrap and a warm moist towel. Leave in a warm place until almost doubled in size.

Punch down and divide into halves. Knead for a bit, then form into 2 loaves. Put in well greased loaf pans. Again, cover with plastic, leaving room for expansion.

When doubled in size, bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes or until browned and sound hollow when rapped. Alternately, if your dough looks like it may fall, preheat oven to 425 degrees, bake for about 10 min. and then lower to 350 degrees.

Before baking, the crust can be brushed with milk (makes it browner) or with beaten egg. If using egg, you can sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds.

Barcelona Burger

The little alley ways in Barcelona are filled with amazing little shops and restaurants. After a visit to the Picasso Museum my roommate Melissa and I set out to find food. Which was difficult because it was 5:30 and no one eats until 8, so not many places serve meals at that time

But then we stumbled upon this cute little restaurant "PimPam Burguers." I love that every restaurant, store, and pub here are a little "mom and pop" places, unless you go to the touristy areas filled with fast food joints. But this little place was exactly what I needed, Burgers!
The Burgers here are all amazing, with really great juicy patties. None of those thin blackened "hockey pucks," as we called them at Red Robin. And this place was no exception to fresh meat, homemade real potato fries, and a nice cheap draft beer! I know I'm gonna go back, because it was amazing!

under the patty was a delicious little surprise of carmelized onions in some cheesy and buttery sauce, I took it apart for a picture, but it just looks kinda gross here...but it was great


And the wall was covered in these cute drawings!! I love a place with good food even more when it's cute! yay




and I swear next post I'll put up pictures of authentic Spanish food... I had good paella, and it was so yummy I forgot to document.

Whole wheat

Made a whole wheat bread last night, contains all whole wheat, some brown rice and sweetened with honey.  Took the directions from Crust and Crumb and it turned out pretty well!

I Really Like to Make and Eat CRISPS!!

Okay, okay here we go... I take some liberty to add a few things here and there, so this recipe is not only delicious, but flexible for those of you who enjoy experimenting with your cooking!

Ingredients:

2 Rome apples (I used pink ladies this time, just as good)
2 pears
1/2 cup dried cranberries (can use raisins or dried cherries)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons honey (I used a little more)
2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup quick cooking oats (I used a little more)
1/4 cup ground walnuts (I use almonds, plus it adds texture if some of
them are just chopped, not ground)
1/2 cup butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Peel apples and pears and cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Combine with dried cranberries, 1 tablespoon flour, honey, and lemon juice. Place mixture in a greased 8x8 inch square baking dish. (I also sprinkled cinnamon over fruit mixture).

2. Blend together 1/2 cup flour, brown sugar, oats, nuts, and butter until crumbly. Do not overmix. Sprinkle flour mixture over fruit.

3.Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until brown and crisp on top. About 6 servings. And about 432 calories.

Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and enjoy!

My name is potato

Gimmie Gummies

Those of you that got Christmas presents from me, probably got one of these babies in the package too:

And then if you visited me shortly after Christmas, you probably got sick on the leftovers with me too. This is my favorite “bad” candy. You have all the staples of a good meal: pizza, hamburgers, fries, hotdog, and two bottles of coke to wash it down.

And they taste dreadful. Like candy flavored Styrofoam. I just get some kind of regressive childhood pleasure out of eating candy shaped like junk food. It makes me happy.

Now imagine my awe when I saw this lovely item in the store:

That’s right, MEXICAN DINNER GUMMI! Complete, all the way down to the cliché Mexican kid in a sombrero! All your favorites are here:

Starting at the top you have Tortilla (I think Spain style, as I have never seen a tortilla like that in my life), frijoles, and huevos rancheros. Then as sides, feast yourselves on: A chile, taco, coke, corn on the cob, some kind of fruit drink, and a drink that looks like lemonade. And look at that adorable Mexican style packaging!

How do they taste you ask? Fucking awful. It is like they forgot to even add the sugar to their Styrofoam mix. They aren’t sweet, and I get the distinct impression I shouldn’t swallow something so obviously unnatural.

The “drink that looks like lemonade” actually turned out to be tamarindo flavored. For those of you that are fans of the citrus-spicy flavor of fake tamarindo, it may satisfy.

Why oh why did I buy a dozen of these. If you want one let me know!