Minneapolis Taste Buds

Our first loaf of bread was a definite success, made evident by the fact that we devoured the whole loaf in one meal. (Must get to the Y) It’s just as easy as the book says. Pull a chunk of the refrigerated dough out, fold it under, let it rise, and bake. We had it with Amy’s organic bean & pasta soup, which I added a cooked chicken breast to. I’ll make our second loaf tonight along with a meal we created at Let’s Dish in Highland Park . We made 8 meals last Saturday and this will be the third we've tried. Our favorite so far is the gyros. Put a pork roast in the crock-pot, shred it, put it on pitas and add the yogurt sauce. That was a huge meal and fed us one night plus made several lunches for Mark. Tonight we’re having lemon parmesan chicken with green beans - and homemade bread, of course - before heading to the Highland Theater to see Gran Torino.

This week I finally began the process of making our own bread using “ Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day ” – My sister gave me the book a good 6+ months ago . . . The wretched economy is definitely causing me to change how I spend my $. I utilize every coupon I can find. I saved $10.30 today at Super Target. Doing this every week does add up, especially with the rising cost of food. I’m not sure whether this is what prompted me to start baking bread, if it’s the wonderful breads my sister has made from the book, or if I’m just trying to stay warm this sub-zero winter by turning on the oven. It’s probably a combination of all of the above. Whatever the reason, my house smells amazing! I mixed up the recipe on Monday. You can keep it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and it makes 4 one-pound loaves. My only tip so far is to measure your flour into a separate bowl before adding it to the other ingredients in the KitchenAid. I may have lost count on the flour so I’m praying the bread will turn...

Okay, I know you're thinking, "who does she think she is?" She's not a trained chef and every Christmas cookie baker makes Peanut Blossoms – who doesn’t love a cookie with a Hershey’s Kiss on top? But mine always seem to turn out just right, always soft, never overly browned on the bottom. My sister the chef says I instinctively know the exact moment when they need to come out of the oven. Below I’ve outlined my recipe, handed down for generations (okay, really only 2 generations) that I’ve accidentally perfected. Have a different recipe you think would blow my recipe away? Send it my way. Peanut Blossoms ½ tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking soda ½ c. sugar + extra for rolling before baking ½ c. packed brown sugar ½ c. vegetable shortening ½ c. natural creamy peanut butter (ingredient list should only contain peanuts & salt) 2 T. milk 1 Egg 1 tsp. vanilla (the real stuff) – I add an “overflowing” teaspoon of vanilla 1 ¾ c. flour – lightly spooned into measuring cup and lev...