Bread of Life

Growing up Catholic I was surrounded by many metaphors about bread.  I would hear sayings such as, "bread of life," "breaking bread," and "bread from heaven".  That's the tip of the iceberg.  Do an online search for bread in the Bible and you will get hundreds of results.  And it is not just Judeo-Christian faiths that make reference to bread, but Islamic religions as well.  And it makes sense.  Bread has been eaten by humans for thousands of years.  

All you need for unleavened bread is really just water and wheat.  It probably wasn't long for ancient civilizations to figure out that if you leave flour and water by the window, it gets airy and bubbly, and now your bread is rising.  The art of baking bread as been passed from generation to generation for thousands of years to this very day.

I probably love home-baked bread because of my Mother.  She always told me she enjoyed baking.  It was something special that she shared with her mother.  And to this day, my Mom still uses the same vintage yellow Kitchen-Aid blender my Grandmother bought in the 1960's.  As a child, I used to turn up my nose at the color of that Kitchen-Aid.  Now about 50 years later it is back in style!  One of my best memories from my childhood is my mother baking a cinnamon-braid twist.  Oh, it was so delicious, I could barely wait for it to cool so I could start eating it!  

Now as an adult, I want to continue baking my own bread. There is nothing better than that sweet yeasty smell wafting through my house.  Not to mention, the smile on my husband's face when he realizes I am baking some bread.  Also, there is something about doing the exact same motions that my grandmother did that makes me feel a spiritual connection to the earth.

I usually bake Oatmeal-Molasses Bread from William Sonoma's The Essentials of Baking.  I use this recipe because it is sweet, light, and fool-proof.  I have never failed to make it rise and I am sure you all will have a lot of success with it.  It even worked when a goat walked into my kitchen, which can be highly distracting!

Oreo, what are you doing in my kitchen??

Is that fresh bread I smell?

Goats in the kitchen... that would never happen to Martha Stewart!

This post is dedicated to my Mom.  I love you!

Pop! Pop! Popcorn!

So recently I have been really into popcorn.  What a delicious, light, and healthy snack!  Well ... it has the possibility of being healthy.

I couldn't help myself and bought a box of "natural" microwave popcorn at the market.  When I brought it home I was disgusted with myself.  There is just SO much packaging and waste in a box of 3 popcorn bags. There is the card board box, the plastic around each bag, and then the bag itself.  And to top it off, who knows what chemicals are in the "natural" popcorn.  Just stuff you would have to be in a chemistry class to understand.  So when I finished the box  I made a resolve with myself to learn how to make popcorn over the stove.

Who would of thought it would be so easy?  Why is anyone making popcorn in the microwave?  Here is how I do it and now I can pronounce all the ingredients in my popcorn... corn, butter, salt.

1. 1/3 cup of popcorn kernels
2. 3 tablespoons of canola oil
3. Butter and salt (you decide how much)

Add the oil to your large saucepan and about 3 kernels and turn the stove on high.  
Wait for them to pop.  
Once they pop add the rest of the popcorn kernels and then remove the pan from the heat for 30 seconds.  Count out loud and insert the word, "Mississippi" in between your numbers.. makes it feel like you are 10 again.
Return the pan to the flame and wait for the rest of the kernels to pop.  They should start popping all at the same time.  Once it really gets going, give the pan a gentle shake and skew the lid a little.  It allows the steam to vent, so your popcorn is nice and crisp.  Once the popping stops, immediately pour into a bowl.  
Add butter and salt.

That's it!  Really!  Super easy and probably cheaper than the microwave stuff.  If you really want to go wild add some Parmesan cheese or Truffle oil.  Yum!

I can't get a picture of a bowl full of popcorn because someone insists on eating all of it right away

I wonder who that someone could be?

Wild Black Berries

Can you think of anything more quintessential "American Summer" than sun-ripened black berries?  You just get that image of a blond 7-year old with purple juice smeared all over their mouth while smacking their lips.  If you can take that image of a blond 7-year and add 21 years you have my husband Kevin.  Every chance he gets, he is out there picking ripe black berries right off the vine and popping them in his mouth.  Pop! Pop! Pop!  (Which happens to be a very similar habit I have with cherry tomatoes.  Shush!  Don't tell anyone!)

Not only is he enjoying the blackberries, but so are the goats.  Very much like a honey badger eating a rattlesnake, the goats don't give a shit about the thorns.  They walk right through them and eat them, thorns and all!  They LOVE those leaves.  So on a nice sunny afternoon you will see both Kevin, Butters, and Oreo out there eating the blackberries.

So, to take advantage of all those black berries I went out there and picked about two cups and made some black berry sauce for a pork tenderloin. Here is a modified version of Martha Stewart recipe for Black Berry Chutney over Pork Medallions.

The black berries below are all washed and clean in my salad spinner.  If you have fresh berries, do not wash them until right before you are about to eat them.  

Cut up a couple shallots and cook them for about 8 minutes in butter until soft and golden.  Add your blackberries, cider vinegar, and small palm full of brown sugar.  

Let it cook down so it is nice, thick, and syrupy and the berries have started to collapse.

While your berries are cooking down, take your pork tenderloin and slice it into medallions.  Salt and pepper each medallion and pan fry each side so it is light pink on the inside.

When it is all cooked, pour that beautiful purple sauce over your pork and serve with a yummy salad.

Delicious!