I made these for Saul on Sunday. Yes, I baked cookies for my dog. I didn’t feel like driving to Petco and he was out of treats so..

Ingredients:

2 cups whole-wheat flour 
1 tablespoon baking powder 
1 cup natural peanut butter 
1 cup skim milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, combine flour and baking powder. In another bowl, mix peanut butter and milk. Add wet mixture to dry, and mix well. Turn out dough on a lightly floured surface and knead.

Roll out to 1/4-inch thick and cut out shapes with a cookie cutter or just cut them into small squares with a pizza cutter. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake 20 minutes or until lightly brown.

Cool on a rack then store in an airtight container.

Makes 30 large bones

I just realized that I never did post the instructions/ recipe for olive curing on here.. So here’s the way I did it.

You’ll need a crock or jar or plastic bucket big enough to hold the olives and water.

Before you start you need to crack the olives. You can do it either by placing a board over them and gently smashing them, or by cutting a slit in each one. I cut a slit in each one. It took a long time for 10 pounds of olives but I was afraid smashing would ruin the texture. Just my personal preference. If you do cut them make sure you have a container of water to put them in immediately. Once the fruit is exposed to air it will start turning brown.

For the first 7-10 days you just soak the olives in plain old water. You need to change the water daily to keep it from developing mold and bacteria. I used distilled water for the whole process. Some of the olives will float so you’ll need something to keep them all submerged.

You want to keep doing the water cure until the bitterness is mostly gone. Taste them to check the progress.

When they’re ready you can start brining. The brine is roughly 1 part salt to 10 parts water. You can test the brine by placing an egg in the water. If the egg floats the brine is perfect. If it doesn’t float add more salt. Put the olives in the brine and make sure all of them are submerged. You should stir the olives daily and change the solution every 4 days.

It took about a month from this point. We tasted the olives every week to check the progress. This is all personal taste. When they taste good to you they’re done.

Then it’s on to the final step, pickling and canning.

You’ll need enough clean and sanitized jars for your olives. I got the standard jam jars with the lid and separate ring. These are pretty easy to work with even if you’ve never done this before. You should be able to find them at the grocery store, I found mine at Ace Hardware. To sanitize them you can run them through the rinse cycle on your dishwasher or dip them in a pot of boiling water.

For the pickling solution you use equal parts vinegar (white, apple cider or red wine) add 1/2 cup salt per gallon. Mix the solution together in a stock pot and heat it to a boil.

In a separate small sauce pan simmer a small amount of water and put the lids and rings in there.

Fill the jars with olives and seasonings. I did a couple different varieties. One that I tried out was a citrus fennel (thin slices of lemon and orange with fennel seeds) the other was a spicy one with crushed red pepper flakes and garlic.

One note on garlic.. Don’t use fresh garlic cloves. Use jarred garlic. It works better.

When you fill the jars you want to pack them tightly but leave a little room at the top. If the olives touch the lid it might not seal properly. Pour the hot pickling solution over the olives and wipe the top edge of the jar with a clean dry towel. Get one of the lids and rings and seal the jar. Be careful with handling the jars since they will be hot. Let the sealed jars sit on a table or counter to cool. Space them out so air can circulate around the jars. They will make a popping noise when they’re sealed.

If you have a jar that doesn’t seal just pour out the liquid and heat it to boiling again, put it back in the jar, wipe the top and seal it. It’ll usually seals on the second try.

You can eat them once they cool but I’d recommend letting them hang out in the pickling solution for at least a couple days for the best flavor.

You can store them in the fridge if you want but you don’t have to. They will keep about 6 months.

I know it seems like a lot of work but it’s really more waiting than anything. And it’s all worth it.

We had this on Tuesday night. It was so good!

needles from 1-2 rosemary sprigs
2 1/4 pound loin of pork
2 Tbsp butter
6 Tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove crushed
1/2 onion chopped
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
salt and pepper

Push half of the rosemary needles into the meat and tie neatly with kitchen string. Heat the butter and olive oil in a pan, add the pork and cook, turning frequently, until golden brown on all sides. Add the garlic, onion and remaining rosemary, then pour in the wine and cook until evaporated. Season with salt and pepper, cover and simmer at a low heat for about 1 1/2 hours.

Take the pork out of the pan and let it rest for 10 minutes, then untie and cut into thick slices.

While the pork is resting, stir the vinegar, remaining oil, mustard and pinch of pepper into the cooking juices. Serve as a sauce for the meat.

*If you use a smaller roast (or 2 like we did) you don’t have to let it go the whole 1 1/2 hours. Just be sure the internal temperature is at 170 degrees. Of course the longer you let it simmer the better it gets so have a glass of wine, relax and let the pork do it’s thing. Also if you’re kind of challenged at trussing meat you can buy roasts that are already tied. That’s what we did, much easier.

5 large ripe tomatoes diced
1-2 cloves of garlic peeled and finely chopped
5 or 6 fresh basil leaves coarsely chopped
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4-6 ounces of fresh mozzarella cut into small pieces
1 pound of spaghetti
Salt & Pepper

In a medium bowl combine tomatoes, garlic, basil, salt & pepper. Add enough olive oil to cover the mixture. Marinate at room temperature for at about an hour (sometimes I’m patient and just let it sit for 30 minutes and it turns out fine. But if you can wait do it). Put the mozzarella into a large serving bowl that’ll be large enough for the pasta and tomatoes too. Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain and immediately put the hot pasta in the bowl with the mozzarella. Toss to melt the cheese a little. Then add the tomato mixture and toss again.

So we get home and are trying to figure out what to do with these things. I was thinking there has to be something else you can do with radishes besides just throwing them in a salad or a slaw. I found this recipe and it was awesome! Really easy to make and nice summer dish.

This version makes enough for 2

2 skinless boneless chicken breasts
Juice of one small to medium sized lime (about 2 tbsp-ish I don’t really measure)
2 chipotle peppers (I used the canned ones in adobo sauce if you don’t really like spicy only use one)

5 tsp olive oil (enough to lightly cover the bottom of your skillet)
3 green onions – thinly sliced
1/2 cup chicken broth

5 or 6 radishes – trimmed halved and thinly sliced
1 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped

6 flour or corn tortillas

Combine chicken, half the lime juice and chipotles in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, toss to blend and let stand for 10 minutes. Heat 4 tsp of olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Add chicken mixture and sauté for 3 minutes. Stir in green onions and broth cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Uncover and stir. Continue cooking until chicken is cooked through and most of the liquid evaporates (2-5 minutes). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and shred the chicken breasts. Cover the bowl to keep warm.

Heat remaining 1 tsp of olive oil in the same skillet over high heat and sauté the radishes for 1 minute. Stir in the remaining lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. Add radishes and cilantro to bowl with chicken and toss to blend.

Divide the mixture between the 6 tortillas and serve with or without standard taco fixin’ (lettuce, tomato, cheese, hot sauce, salsa, beans whatever you want)

1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes

1/2 a 5 oz container of Arugola (if you can find bulk get a couple good sized handfuls , I could only find it pre-packaged)

Pinch of ground cayenne

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt to taste

1 pound rotini

Parmesan Cheese

Empty can of tomatoes into a large bowl. Finely chop the arugola and add it to the tomatoes. Add cayenne, salt and olive oil. Stir it all together. Let the sauce sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes to let the flavors mix. Cook pasta according to the package. Drain pasta. Heat the sauce until bubbling, add pasta. Toss and serve. Top with parmesan cheese.

1 gallon pasteurized whole or skim milk (if you use skim the cheese will be a little drier)

1 packet direct-set fromage blanc starter

Butter Muslin – to drain the curd

Heat the milk to 86° F. Add the starter and mix thoroughly

Cover and let the curd set at room temperature for 12 hours or until it’s the consistency of yogurt.

Line a colander with butter muslin and gently ladle the curd into the colander. Tie the corners of the muslin into a knot and hang it to drain. I used a narrow board propped up on a mixing bowl and a stock pot on either side of the sink. Then I tied the bag to it with twine. Just make sure you have it over a sink or a bowl to catch the liquid.

Let the curd drain at room temperature for 6-12 hours or until it reached a desired consistency. The longer you drain it the firmer the cheese will be.

Put the cheese in a covered container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

I added chopped carrots and green onion, herbs de provence, small amount of dill and some kosher salt to give it a little flavor.

This recipe makes a fairly large amount of cheese but the two of us have made our way through most of it over the past week. We’ve been eating it regularly but not at every meal.

A little bit revived, a little less bored. Still annoyed with the weather but that will change.

The first attempt at cheese making was a success. As was the first homemade bagel attempt. Both projects took 2 days from start to finish but were completely worth the trouble.

I have to say I was a bit skeptical about the cheese. Actually a little more than a bit. The whole process goes against all of my food safety training from working in restaurants. Adding bacteria to warm milk and letting it sit at room temperature for 12 hours, then putting it in muslin to drain at room temperature for another 12..

I had to kind of talk myself into trying the first little bite. I was pleasantly surprised. It’s awesome. I added a chopped green onion, chopped carrot, salt and herbs to it once it was ready.

And the bagels, well I’ve been meaning to make them for a few months but just couldn’t find the time. I was intimidated by the fact the recipe says it take 2 days. They weren’t very labor intensive though. Not really any more than bread. They just have to hang out in the fridge overnight before you cook them.

The only glitch I hit was some of them stuck to the pan after baking. The book said to use parchment paper lined pans. I didn’t have any so I just used cornmeal and hoped for the best. Next time I’ll use the paper or get some Silpats.

Here are the photos of the process…

Day One: After the dough is ready, kneaded and shaped these puppies get ready to hang out in the fridge for 12 hours. I need to work on my bagel shaping skills but not too bad for the first time out.

Day Two: Boil a big pot of water and put the bagels in a few at a time. One minute each side.

Then you transfer then to a sheet pan and top them with seeds, salt, onion flakes etc. I used poppy seeds, caraway and kosher salt.

Bake them in a 500 degree oven for 10 minutes and voila, bagels.

For the cheese:

Heat a gallon of milk to 86 degrees. Add the starter and let it hang out at room temperature for 12 hours.

Then you ladle the curd into a butter muslin lined colander and hang it to drain for 12 hours.

This is how much liquid drained out overnight.

Once it’s the desired consistency transfer the cheese to a container add seasonings if you want and refrigerate.

The cheese I made was Fromage Blanc. I got the starter from New England Cheesemaking Supply . This was one of the recommended cheeses for beginners and it was really easy to make. The actual time spent doing things like heating milk and putting the curd into the muslin was maybe 15-20 minutes tops. (It took us a while to fashion a way to hang the cheese to drain.) The cheese stays good for 2 weeks in the fridge and the book I have said it can be used like a cream cheese or in place of ricotta for lasagna or stuffed pastas.

So that’s what I did the past few days. The hubby is worried I’m going to turn Amish on him. I’m a little worried about that myself…

9 oz package of baby spinach
12 oz shredded mozzarella
15 oz container of ricotta
1 tbsp minced garlic (jar or fresh)
1 small yellow onion chopped
1/2 container of fresh white mushrooms
1 tbsp butter
1 lb ground turkey
12 lasagna noodles or enough for 2 layers in a 10×13 pan
26 oz of tomato pasta sauce
1/4 cup white wine
grated parmesan cheese
salt, pepper
oregano, herbs de provence

Boil water for pasta. Once boiling add pasta, cook for half the time on the package. Drain rinse and set aside.

While water is heating up brown turkey in a large skillet season with salt, pepper and oregano. Once browned drain and put in a bowl off to the side. In the same pan add a bit of olive oil (enough to lightly coat the bottom of the pan) sauté garlic & onions until onions are transparent.

Add sliced mushroom, wine, butter & half the spinach. Continue sauteing on a med heat for a couple minutes. Once the spinach has cooked down a bit add the remaining spinach to the pan. Season with salt, pepper, oregano and dried herbs de provence. When spinach is wilted add the browned turkey back to the pan, stir together and remove from heat.

In a lightly greased lasagna pan place a layer of noodles, half the meat and veggie mixture, ricotta cheese (about 5 or 6 tsp) and cover with about 1/2 cup of tomato sauce. Top with a light layer of mozzarella cheese, just enough to cover the ingredients.

Repeat for the second layer and top that with a thin layer of grated parmesan cheese.

Bake uncovered in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes, until top is brown and sauce is bubbling.

Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

I couldn’t find malt powder for the recipe so I substituted barley malt syrup and reduced the sugar to 1/2 tablespoon. It seemed to work out just fine.

Kaiser Rolls
Makes 8-12 rolls, depending on how large you like them
3 1/2-4 cups (1 lb.) bread or unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon malt powder
1 tablespoon shortening, butter, or oil
1 egg
1 egg white
1 1/4 cups (10 oz.) water Combine 3 cups of the flour and the other dry ingredients in a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix in the water, eggs, and shortening. Knead by hand for approximately 10 minutes or 5-7 minutes in a mixer, adding more flour by the handful as necessary. The dough should still be tacky but not terribly wet. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and allow to rise until doubled in size, approximately 1 hour. Allow it to rise a second time for an hour before shaping. To shape the rolls, divide the dough into smaller pieces (if you are particular, use a scale to get them the same size). Roll the pieces of dough into balls and cover them with a damp kitchen towel so they can relax for 5 minutes.

To shape them, first I press them out into flat disks on a well floured surface (Clayton suggests using rye flour, though any type of flour will do). I let them rest, covered, another 5 minutes. Then I stretch the dough a bit thinner again and fold pieces up into the center.

Finally I press down in the center to seal it up tight.

I place them face down on a sheet pan covered with poppy seeds while they are rising for the final hour.

One could just as well let them rise face up and then spritz them with water and sprinkle the poppy seeds on, but doing it this way prevents the seals from splitting while they rise.

Preheat the oven to 450 during the final rise. Just before placing them in the oven, flip the rolls upright. You want to have steam in the oven when you bake them, so use whatever technique you prefer: squirting them with water, squirting the oven sides with water, pouring boiling water in a preheated cast-iron pan or a cookie sheet. These rolls take around 20 to 25 minutes to bake. I suggest rotating the pan once 10 minutes into it so they’ll brown evenly.