We have been making homemade pizza for a few years now and it’s become a staple that I have 2 outdoor pizza ovens at the moment.
I also make our sourdough bread every week and need to switch it up with a few varieties using different flours, inclusions, or liquid to flavor the bread. Marshmallow stout instead of water for a chocolate chip sourdough batard anyone??
Between bread and pizza, there’s also focaccia! And here is a very easy recipe complete with a timeline to guide you!
You can split this bread in half crosswise to use for sandwiches, or just cut into squares, or rectangles to eat as is! Dip in olive oil, Trader Joe’s Garlic dip, hummus, baba ganoush…..It’s crunchy and soft, salty and herby…just delicious specially when still warm from the oven.
I use really good olive oil and salt as I believe it contributes to the overall taste of the focaccia. The olives are dry cured from Trader Joe’s, tomatoes and rosemary are from the backyard.
I doubled the recipe and made 2 13”x9” focaccia to eat and have enough to trade with a dozen home grown eggs. So please don’t be confused by the discrepancy between the instructions and the photos. 😊
I hope you will like this recipe as much as we did!
115 grams starter, I used one straight from the fridge
12 grams good quality olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Toppings of choice, chopped herbs, olives, tomatoes, etc.
Procedure:
1. 10 am to 11 am
In a large bowl, mix flours, water, salt and starter. Mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until the dough comes together.
Set aside for about 15 to 30 minutes to allow the flour to absorb the water.
Then mix the dough thoroughly, drizzling in the olive oil and pulling the dough up until well mixed. Use a plastic bench/dough scraper to help you pull up the dough and mix the oil in.
Cover (I use a clean, unused plastic hair cover!) and set aside for 30 minutes
#1
2. Bulk 11:15-1:15
#2#3
Perform 4 sets of stretch and fold every 30 minutes, for 2 hours.
Photos 1 – 4 are the stretch and fold in the first 30 minutes, #2 at an hour, #3 at an hour and thirty minutes, and #4 was after 2 hours, the last of 4 folds. See how stretchy and smooth the dough looks after?
#4
3. Proof 1:15- 5:15
Pour some olive oil in a 13 x 9 inch pan.
Transfer dough to the pan and cover.
Every 30 minutes on the first hour, uncover the dough and stretch gently to fill the pan.
Cover and let rest for the remainder of the 4 hours.
4. 5:15 Preheat oven to 450F.
5. Drizzle the dough with about 2 -3 tablespoons of good olive oil.
6. Wet your finger tips and dimple the dough all the way to the bottom of the pan, multiple times.
7. Sprinkle with chopped herbs, olives, capers, cherry tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, caramelized onions, etc.
*I used halved cherry tomatoes, chopped rosemary, olives, and Maldon sea salt. The other focaccia had the same toppings except it did not have tomatoes, as I only got a handful from the garden.*
8. Sprinkle with good quality salt.
9. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown.
*After baking, tops should be golden and edges crusty.
*Bottom should be toasted. This looks perfect!
Cut for sandwiches, this is what the crumb look like on my bake. Yummy!
Today I’ll be making a delicious fish sandwich spread. As you might know, I make our bread at least once a week and of course, I want the best sandwich fillings to go with it.
My very favorite will always be butter and orange marmalade, but tuna salad, and BLT are close contenders.
We do have the usual Turkey and/or Ham with cheese and mayo quite often too.
My mom was taking about how she eats some canned mackerel more often now as it is very good fo your health, so imagine how excited I was when I found these at Trader Joe’s.
I was going to mix it up like my tuna salad but figured out I can make a more tasty spread using cream cheese. It makes a thicker spread that you can thin out using some mayonnaise. I hope you’ll like it!
A very easy to make, yummy pickle recipe that only requires 3 ingredients!
I use this in my sandwich, as a side to add flavor to my meals, straight from the jar, and of course, with any Mexican/South American food.
The color is just stunning!
Ingredients:
1 large red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/2 cup lime juice, from about 6 limes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, adjust to taste
Thinly sliced onions
Here’s how to make it:
1. Place the sliced onions in a bowl. Pour boiling water over, enough to cover the onions. After about 10 – 15 seconds, pour into a colander to drain.
Taco bowl
2. Place the onions in a glass jar and add the lime juice and salt. Stir well. Let sit for 30 minutes before serving. Store in a covered glass container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks (doesn’t last that long in my home though!).
Yummy!
3. Serve as a side in any way you like. It is so good that I’m sure you’ll love it as much as I did!
Buttery toasted bread, thinly sliced beef, mushrooms, provolone cheese…… I only had Philly Cheesesteak a few times, but I remember how good it tasted. Today’s recipe came about because my son remembered the sandwich we had in Las Vegas several months ago. With travel not recommended right now, I had to try making it at home. And although this won’t yield little charred edges since it’s made in the electric lunchbox, I think it tastes really good.
I normally would use thinly sliced beef but COVID is currently keeping me from driving an hour to the grocery store that sells it. So I tried with ground beef, that I’m sure everyone has access to. Maybe that is a good thing because it’s more readily available. I encourage you to use the recipe as a guide, adding more of what you like, less of what you don’t, substituting when needed.
Serve over buttered and toasted hoagie rolls or rice, I hope it will put a smile on your face!
*NOTE that this recipe uses regular sized measuring cups, NOT the tiny Itaki cup, unless specified.*
Ingredients: 1/2 cup ground or thinly sliced beef Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste 1/2 Russet potato, chopped 1/4 green pepper, chopped 2 tablespoons chopped white onion 1/4 cup sliced mushrooms 1 thick slice provolone cheese
Mix the ground beef with about 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place the ground beef loosely in the big bottom bowl of your electric lunchbox. DO NOT PACK the meat in the bowl, see photo below.
Place the potatoes, green pepper, onions, and mushrooms on the beef and top with a slice of provolone cheese. I have the thinly sliced ones so I put two slices, you can use as much as you want!
Place the bowl in the electric lunchbox base and cover with foil. Add 3 Itaki cups water to the base, cover and let steam until done, about 55 minutes.
Carefully open the lunchbox and check potatoes and beef for doneness. serve over toasted hoagie rolls, or rice if desired! Enjoy!
Thermomixing again! I had to share this very easy to make yet so tasty Mexican chicken recipe. I have made this many times over, and served it as taco filling, in sandwiches, and what little left over mixed in with scrambled eggs.
The instruction is for making this using the Thermomix. However, I have included a stove top version below. Happy cooking!
Ingredients:
10.5 oz onions, quartered
1 oz vegetable oil
10 oz tomatoes, quartered
2 heaping teaspoons chicken stock paste
36 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, in pieces (1.5 inch)
1 oz piloncillo, in pieces, or dark brown sugar
1-3 oz canned chipotle chillies (in adobo sauce)
2 bay leaves
18 Mexican tostadas
7 oz panela cheese (I used Feta cheese), crumbled
8 oz sour cream, to serve
Preparation:
Place onions an oil into mixing bowl and cover with the measuring cup or splash guard and set to 5 seconds/speed 5. Then saute 5 minutes/250F/speed 1.
Add tomatoes, and chop 5 sec/speed 5. Scrape down the sides.
Add stock paste, chicken, piloncillo, chiopotle chilies, and bay leaves and cook 18 minutes/212F/reverse blade/speed 1. Remove bay leaves and shred 4 sec/reverse blade/speed 4.5.
Spoon shredded chicken onto tostadas, top with cheese, and serve with sour cream.
Quick and easy to make, this Mexican shredded chicken is very versatile. Serve left overs in a taco or stirred into scrambled eggs.
Ingredients
1 oz vegetable oil
10 oz tomatoes, quartered
2 heaping teaspoons chicken stock paste
36 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, in pieces (1.5 inch)
1 oz piloncillo, in pieces, or dark brown sugar
1-3 oz canned chipotle chillies (in adobo sauce)
2 bay leaves
18 Mexican tostadas
7 oz panela cheese (I used Feta cheese), crumbled
8 oz sour cream, to serve
Directions
Place onions an oil into mixing bowl and cover with the measuring cup or splash guard and set to 5 seconds/speed 5. Then saute 5 minutes/250F/speed 1.
Add tomatoes, and chop 5 sec/speed 5. Scrape down the sides.
Add stock paste, chicken, piloncillo, chiopotle chilies, and bay leaves and cook 18 minutes/212F/reverse blade/speed 1. Remove bay leaves and shred 4 sec/reverse blade/speed 4.5.
Spoon shredded chicken onto tostadas, top with cheese, and serve with sour cream.
TO MAKE WITHOUT A THERMOMIX:
Heat a saucepan with the oil over medium high heat. Saute the chopped onions and tomatoes until soft. Add the chicken stock paste, chicken pieces, piloncillo, chilies, and bay leaves and simmer for 25 – 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Shred the meat using 2 forks. Serve as above.
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays! So much fun to see scary beings, goblins, vampires, super heroes, and scary, decorated houses! It’s the one night a year that kids and kids-at-heart alike get to dress up and get candies all night!
One of my physical therapist mentioned two years ago that she prepares a special Halloween dinner for her kids every year. Complete with meatloaf shaped like a foot, eyeball ice in their glasses, wormy pasta, etc. What a tradition, right? Something the kids for sure will remember forever!
I am all for tradition and what better way to do it than with food! However, going all out like that takes a lot of time planning, then cooking and making it. So I started simple with just one recipe.
This will not be a difficult one at all! You’ll just need a few, store bought ingredients and a little time! My son loves to have this for his school lunch around halloween. I’m sure the kids in your life will too!
You can easily double or triple the recipe to make this for a party.
Ingredients
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury™ refrigerated crescent rolls
1 slice American cheese
8 hot dogs
Candy eyes
Mustard or ketchup, if desired
Heat oven to 375°F.
Unroll dough and separate at perforations, creating 4 rectangles. Press perforations to seal.
With knife or kitchen scissors, cut each rectangle lengthwise into 8-10 pieces. Slice cheese into 1/2 inch by 1 inch pieces for the face. You’ll only need 1 piece per hotdog.
Wrap pieces of dough around each hot dog to look like “bandages,” stretching dough slightly to completely cover hot dog. Continue with another dough as needed, pinching the ends to seal. About 1/2 inch from one end of each hot dog, separate “bandages” so hot dog shows through for “face.”
Place wrapped hot dogs on an ungreased cookie sheet, leaving space in between each hotdog mummy.
Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until dough is light golden brown and hot dogs are cooked through. After removing from the oven, immediately place a piece of cheese on the hot mummies face and a pair of candy eyes on the cheese, and press down lightly to attach.
Let cool and decorate with mustard or catsup if desired.
I never knew such a day existed until today. However, I am not surprised as there is a “DAY” for almost everything nowadays. Coffee day, donut day, chocolate chip cookie day…
I was informed by a fellow blogger (ChirpyHome.com – thank you!) that October 11 is World Egg day and he asked if I intended to write about it. He was nice enough to send me a link to a really well written article on eggs. Link of the article: https://www.breakingasia.com/taste/the-ultimate-guide-to-the-eggs-of-asia/ And so here is this post!
I grew up in Asia and I am quite familiar with most of the eggs featured in the article. Some I love (salted duck eggs and ramen eggs!), some I never heard of (adobo eggs – must be new!), some I tried but not really liked (poor baby ducks – balut).
One way I loved eating eggs when I was young was raw, scrambled with soy sauce and poured over hot, just cooked white rice. Now that was before I knew what I know now. But it was good times! Sometimes ignorance can be bliss!
For this article, I thought about featuring a recipe I love from the Philippines that features eggs – EGG PIE! I also thought about writing about different ways scrambled eggs are prepared (my favorite is tamago yaki!). I even played with the idea of featuring different recipes using salted duck eggs…
Egg Pie!
I have exactly 7 days before October 11 (“today” is actually Friday, October 4) so I think I will have enough time to try out a couple of recipes and post that. To be continued…as I go to to the kitchen to think about eggs.
In the meantime, I found these line up of Asian style scrambled eggs for you to try! They all look so delicious!
Japan: Tamagoyaki! Sweet and savory, this rolled egg omelette is my favorite. You’ll find it on top of nigiri, or in a sushi, or in a bento box. It uses a special rectangular pan specifically for this dish. I like to eat it for breakfast with rice or toasted bread.
Philippines: Scrambled egg with “ginisa” ingredients – garlic, onions, and tomatoes. It is usually served with fried rice and banana catsup(banana sauce).
Korea: Gyeranmari is similar to the Tamagoyaki but less sweet and most of the time has extras like veggies, seafood, etc. They also use the special pan to roll up the egg. Sometimes served with catsup.
China: This scrambled eggs flavored with sesame oil, shao xing wine, tomatoes, and ginger is the Chinese version. It is often served with rice and topped with scallions.
Vietnam: Scrambled eggs flavored with fish sauce, ginger, and tomatoes will surely wake up your tastebuds! I like the taste of fish sauce and yes, my Vietnamese co workers always tells me that that is the secret for all the yummy food they have.
I remembered buying this from bakeries in the neighborhood and in rural areas. It almost always tastes the same. I love the custardy filling (I’m biased as another favorite sweet is flan!), and the caramelized brown top. This is an easy to make recipe and I tried to stay true to what ingredients they likely used in the Philippines. However, I used my Thermomix to make it faster and easier.
CRUST:
5.5 oz all purpose flour
2.5 oz unsalted butter, cut into little pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 oz cold water
FILLING:
4 large eggs
1 can (11.5 oz/340ml360g) evaporated milk
1 can (13.76oz/390g)sweeneted condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Make the crust:
1. Place the flour, butter, salt, and water into the Thermomix mixing bowl. Mix 20 sec/speed 4. Remove pastry from bowl and form into a flattened ball.
*To make without the Thermomix: Place flour and salt in a bowl and cut in butter using a fork or rub into the flour using your fingers. Pour in water and mix to form a ball. Continue with the recipe.
2. Roll out the crust on a floured board to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Poke holes with a fork and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400F. Place a parchment sheet over the pie crust and place pie weights on top (or rice, or beans). Bake for about 10 minutes, while preparing filling.
My trusty pie plate is around 25 years old!
Make the filling:
3. Clean out the Thermomix bowl. Separate one egg and set the white aside in a small, clean bowl. Place 3 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk in the Thermomix bowl and add the evaporated milk, condensed milk, and vanilla extract. Set to 30 sec/speed 5, turning the speed up gradually.
*To make without the Thermomix: In a large mixing bowl, place 3 eggs and 1 egg yolk. Add the evaporated milk, condensed milk, and vanilla extract. Beat with a mixer until well blended. Continue with the recipe.
4. Beat the egg white that was set aside until soft peaks form. Fold it into the egg/milk mixture until no large lumps remain. This will give your pie the browned top.
Beat eggwhites to soft peaks.
5. Remove pie crust from the oven and carefully remove the pie weights and parchment. Pour the filling into the crust and carefully return to the oven. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes, then at 325F for 30 more minutes, or until a knife inserted in the filling comes out clean.
The egg/milk filling in the pre baked crust.
6. Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.
Puffy top
NOTE: Top will be puffy in when you take it out of the oven. It will sink back in after a few minutes.
After cooling the top slightly collapses. Enjoy!
VARIATION: To make ube or taro flavored egg pie, add 1 tablespoon McCormick Ube flavoring. Check the link below! #ad “As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases”
Extra recipe: Egg Sandwich
This one is so easy but I got a few moms asking how to make it, so I’ll just add it. This is how my mom makes Egg Sandwiches so it’s how I make mine too.
You’ll need:
6 hard boiled eggs, shelled
1/3 cup mayonnaise (or more to suit your taste)
salt and pepper to taste
Sliced bread
If you make this is the Thermomix, just place all ingredients in the mixing bowl, cover and set to 10 seconds, speed 5. Taste and adjust seasoning.
If you do not have a Thermomix, place eggs in a bowl and break it up into little pieces using a fork. Add the mayonnaise, salt, and pepper, and stir well. Taste and adjust seasoning.
We eat this on sliced bread, alone or topped with cheese, ham, turkey, etc. Whatever you have on hand, really. My son loves this for lunch and I hope you will too!
Filipino Egg pie with custardy filling and caramelized top.
Ingredients
CRUST:
5.5 oz all purpose flour
2.5 oz unsalted butter, cut into little pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 oz cold water
FILLING:
4 large eggs
1 can (11.5 oz/340ml360g) evaporated milk
1 can (13.76oz/390g)sweeneted condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
Make the crust:
Place the flour, butter, salt, and water into the Thermomix mixing bowl. Mix 20 sec/speed 4. Remove pastry from bowl and form into a flattened ball.
*To make without the Thermomix: Place flour and salt in a bowl and cut in butter using a fork or rub into the flour using your fingers. Pour in water and mix to form a ball. Continue with the recipe.
Roll out the crust on a floured board to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Poke holes with a fork and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400F. Place a parchment sheet over the pie crust and place pie weights on top (or rice, or beans). Bake for about 10 minutes, while preparing filling.
Make the filling:
Clean out the Thermomix bowl. Separate one egg and set the white aside in a small, clean bowl. Place 3 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk in the Thermomix bowl and add the evaporated milk, condensed milk, and vanilla extract. Set to 30 sec/speed 5, turning the speed up gradually.
*To make without the Thermomix: In a large mixing bowl, place 3 eggs and 1 egg yolk. Add the evaporated milk, condensed milk, and vanilla extract. Beat with a mixer until well blended. Continue with the recipe.
Beat the egg white that was set aside until soft peaks form. Fold it into the egg/milk mixture until no large lumps remain. This will give your pie the browned top.
Remove pie crust from the oven and carefully remove the pie weights and parchment. Pour the filling into the crust and carefully return to the oven. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes, then at 325F for 30 more minutes, or until a knife inserted in the filling comes out clean.
Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.
VARIATION: To make ube or taro flavored egg pie, add 1 tablespoon McCormick Ube flavoring. #ad “As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases”
An easy to make egg sandwich spread that is sure to be a favorite!
Ingredients
6 hard boiled eggs, shelled
1/3 cup mayonnaise (or more to suit your taste)
salt and pepper to taste
Sliced bread
Directions
If you make this is the Thermomix, just place all ingredients in the mixing bowl, cover and set to 10 seconds, speed 5. Taste and adjust seasoning.
If you do not have a Thermomix, place eggs in a bowl and break it up into little pieces using a fork. Add the mayonnaise, salt, and pepper, and stir well. Taste and adjust seasoning.
