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3/31/2025

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​Lately, my days have been so busy, that I am only able to catch up on my blogging once a week. I prefer my posts to be brief (about a 3–5-minute read), give a short overview of the recipe and its process and finally my review.  For now, it’s time to catch up on last week’s culinary adventures.
 
I first made fresh pasta last May using a recipe by Lidia Bastianich. Her recipe used flour, eggs, extra virgin olive oil and ice water. The dough was made in a food processor which made prep easy. The pasta was easy to handle and worked beautifully in my manual pasta machine. This time, I wanted to try Marcella Hazan’s recipe from her book, “Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking.” Ms. Hazan’s recipe is simply flour and eggs and you can use either Italian 00 “doppio zero,” which is a soft white flour or American unbleached all-purpose flour. If you’re tempted to use semolina, Ms. Hazan says it’s only suitable for industrially produced pasta as it is difficult to work with. She also dislikes machines that make extruded pasta and, in her opinion, makes an awful product with a machine that is a pain to clean.
As per Ms. Hazan’s instructions which came together fine. What I had a problem with was rolling the dough through my machine. I would start on the widest setting for the first roll and then reduce the thickness. At this point my dough would get stuck under the roller cover. After a quick “Google Search,” I floured the rollers and both sides of the dough for better performance. I also came to realize that I didn’t need to go to the lowest setting for my fettuccine; finally, success. To dry the pasta, I purchased from King Arthur Baking a Collapsible Pasta Drying Rack. For the price, $24.95 (plus shipping), you couldn’t beat it and my husband didn’t have to try to make me one.

In her book, Ms. Hazan's details how to combine the eggs and flour, kneading, thinning and drying of the dough. I highly recommend that you visit your local library and borrow the book to read her instructions. It's so detailed that my overview may not provide you with sufficient information to be successful.

 
As for the finished product, my husband and I are getting spoiled with the light taste of homemade pasta and how it doesn’t make one feel “stuffed” afterwards.
 
I also found while perusing King Arthur Baking website, a recipe for English Muffin Toasting Bread. For the recipe you’ll need all-purpose flour, instant yeast, granulated sugar, table salt, baking soda, milk, water, vegetable or olive oil and cornmeal which will lightly coat a greased loaf pan. At the same time I ordered the rack I also ordered a one pound package of SAF Instant Yeast. Professional bakers use it and it makes baked goods rise wonderfully.
 
While you can you use the “scoop and sweep” method to measure your ingredients, I opted to weigh mine. The dough can be made in either a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. The dry ingredients are the first in the bowl and whisked to combine. Next the milk, water and oil are combined. I used a two-cup glass measuring cup to heat the liquid in my microwave to between 120°F and 130°F. This was done in short increments and tested the liquid with my instant read thermometer. Once heated, it’s poured over the  dry ingredients and mixed thoroughly.
 
When the dough was done, it was turned out into a greased loaf pan that was coated with the cornmeal. Make sure your loaf pan is 8-1/2”x4-1/2”. I thought my pan fit those requirements, however, the bread rose up and almost over the sides. In fact, mine rose in less than 45 minutes. The bread bakes in a 400°F oven for approximately 22 to 27 minutes.
 
Yum, what a delicious bread. It had the nooks and crannies of English muffins, but so much quicker to do as a loaf. It was so tempting that I couldn’t wait for the bread to cool completely before slicing a piece. It has a tender and soft crumb and toasts up beautifully. Depending on your toaster and how you prefer your toast to look, it may need to be in the toaster at a higher setting in order to achieve the color you desire. I prefer my toast slightly browned so the butter just melts while my husband prefers his to be a medium brown (so it looks toasted). I’ve already made two loaves and I promised my daughter a loaf this week.
 
My late father-in-law’s birthday was last week. To commemorate the day, my husband requested his father’s favorite meal, meatloaf. While I have an assortment of meatloaf recipes in my files, what’s one more! I found on The New York Times app NYTCooking, a recipe from chef David Burke, adapted by Glenn Collins, for Millionaire’s Meatloaf. Why is it called this, because Chef Burke tops the meatloaf with chili shrimp. However, my late father-in-law loved his meatloaf with mashed potatoes and Green Giant Le Sueur Peas.
 
For the meatloaf you’ll need olive oil, onions, fresh garlic, lean ground beef, eggs, milk, fresh bread crumbs, Dijon mustard, barbecue sauce, well-drained horseradish, flat leaf parsley, salt, freshly ground black pepper, fresh thyme and croutons.
 
The recipe begins by sautéing chopped onion and minced garlic until translucent. In a mixing bowl, the meat, eggs and milk are combined followed by the bread crumbs, mustard, barbecue sauce, horseradish, followed by the cooked onions and garlic. Lastly the chopped parsley, salt, pepper and minced thyme are mixed in.
 
In an 8-inch square baking pan, the croutons are spread in the bottom and the meatloaf mix spread on top and leveled. It’s baked for one hour or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165°.
 
My husband said to put an asterisk alongside this recipe, it was that good. The level of flavors in this meatloaf added a nice complexity. You had a subtle hint of the horseradish, the hint of thyme and the zest from the barbecue sauce. The croutons add texture and perhaps a little crunch. It’s not your mother’s meatloaf for sure, but certainly a delicious and flavorsome one to try. ​

If you have a question about a recipe, click on "Contact" to reach me. Be sure to include your email address so I can directly reply to you. 

English Muffin Toasting Bread
Recipe by PJ Hamel
From the website “King Arthur Baking”
 
Prep: 8 minutes
Bake: 22 to 27 minutes
Total: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: 1 loaf
 
Ingredients
3 cups (360g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon (14g) granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons (9g) table salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1 cup (227g) milk
1/4 cup (57g) water
2 tablespoons (25g) vegetable oil or olive oil
yellow cornmeal, to sprinkle in pan
 
Instructions
  1. Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and instant yeast in a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer.
  2. Combine the milk, water and oil in a separate, microwave-safe bowl (or in a saucepan on the stovetop), and heat to between 120°F and 130°F. Be sure to stir the liquid well before measuring its temperature; you want an accurate reading. If you don't have a thermometer, the liquid will feel uncomfortably hot if you quickly dip your finger into it. Be sure it doesn't reach 140°F, as temperatures in that range can harm the yeast.
  3. Pour the hot liquid over the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl and mix until thoroughly combined. 
  4. Using an electric beater, or stand mixer with the flat beater attachment, beat at high speed for 1 minute; the dough will be smooth and very soft. If you don't have an electric mixer, beat by hand for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and starting to become elastic.
english_muffin_toasting_bread.pdf
File Size: 45 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


Millionaire’s Meatloaf
“Sports Bar Menus Change, But Not Too Much,”
By Glenn Collins, The New York Times
February 8, 2011
Recipe by  David Bure
Adapted by Glenn Collins
 
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
 
For the Meatloaf
1½ tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds lean ground beef
2 large eggs
½ cup milk
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
¼ cup Dijon mustard
¼ cup barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon well-drained horseradish
¼ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
2 to 3 cups croutons, bought or homemade (see note)
 
For the Chili Shrimp
1½ teaspoons mild or hot chili powder
1½ teaspoons cayenne pepper
1½ teaspoons paprika
1½  tablespoons Wondra flour
4 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon chili oil
Mashed potatoes, for serving
 
Preparation
For the Meatloaf
  1. For the meatloaf: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place a large skillet over medium heat, and add the olive oil, onions and garlic. Sauté until translucent and tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, eggs and milk. Mix well by hand, and add bread crumbs, mustard, barbecue sauce, horseradish, and cooked onions and garlic. Mix again, and add the parsley, salt, pepper and thyme. Mix well until thoroughly combined. 
  3. Spread the croutons across a shallow 8-inch-square baking dish. Top with the meatloaf mix, patting the surface so it is level. Bake until the internal temperature reads 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer and the top is nicely browned, about 1 hour. Toward the end of baking, prepare the chili shrimp.
  4. For the chili shrimp: In a small mixing bowl, combine the chili powder, cayenne pepper, paprika and flour. Dredge the shrimp in the mixture until well coated. Place a small skillet over medium heat, and add the chili oil. When it is hot, add the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes a side. 
  5. To finish, cut the meatloaf into 4 slices. Place a slice on each of 4 plates, and top with a chili shrimp. If desired, serve with mashed potatoes.
 
Tip - To make croutons, toss cubes of white bread with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast on a baking sheet at 400 degrees, stirring once or twice, until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
millionaires_meatloaf.pdf
File Size: 67 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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    ​meet donna

    A former teacher, shop-a-holic, empty-nester redefining quick, family approved dinners.

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