Pompanoosuc Porridge Bread

Pompanoosuc Porridge

5 parts steel cut oats
2 parts bulgur wheat
1 part whole flax seed

Porridge:

Bring 2 cups water to a boil. Sprinkle in 1 cup porridge and stir. Turn heat down, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool a bit before eating. Add your favorite topping.

Bread

2 TB sugar

2 tsp. instant yeast

1 ½ cups lukewarm water

1 cup cooked Pompanoosuc Porridge

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups bread flour (1 Tablespoon gluten to a cup of all-purpose flour)

2 ½ tsp. salt

4 TBSP butter, softened

Mix together all of the above ingredients till you’ve made a soft smooth dough. Turn onto floured work surface and knead for 3 to 4 minutes. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes, then knead for 3 to 4 minutes more. Place in oiled bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, 1 ½ to 2 hours. Punch it down, turn it onto floured surface and knead briefly. Shape into round or oval loaf and place on greased baking sheet. (*I usually just divide it into two loaf pans) Cover and let rise for 1 hour, or until slightly less than doubled in bulk. Dough will spring back when gently pressed. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until interior temp is 190 degrees.

A Menu to Get Me Out of a Cooking Rut--I Hope

Produce in my fridge: onions, red potatoes, lettuce, green peppers, cucumbers, artichokes, mangos, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, spaghetti squash, and way too much cabbage.

Drew's birthday dinner:
Spaghetti with Uncle Mike's sauce
French bread and bread dip
Whatever veggie we have lying around
Strawberry shortcake on cream cheese pound cake

Pretzel Bites with cheesy dip, spaghetti squash

Black bean sweet corn quinoa

Jessica's skinny soup

stroganoff, artichokes
Broccoli cheese calzones and roasted red potatoes

Homemade pizza and salad/smoothies

Red beans and rice with leftover chorizo

tomato soup, italian grilled cheese on foccacia

April Menu

What to use: chayote, spinach, celery, onions, green cabbage, swiss chard

Shrimp ettouffee with steamed rice and mirliton strips

French Onion soup

BLT and corn chowder

Give butternut squash lasagna another try

Thai peanut noodle saute

Swiss chard and beans

fajitas--maybe with chicken

Zuppa Toscana

My friend Becky pointed me to this recipe to help utilize the kale that came in my bountiful basket. My mom makes a similar soup with ham and spinach instead of sausage and kale. I reduced the meat in the original recipe. I ended up picking out almost every piece, but it gave the broth great flavor. I also increased the green ratio.

Original Recipe Yield 6 servings

Ingredients

• 8 oz Italian sausage ( original recipe calls for 16 oz package smoked sausage)
  
• 2 potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 or 2 strips bacon (original called for 6--way way way too much)
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2-3 cups kale - washed, dried, and shredded
  
• 2 tablespoons chicken soup base
• 1 quart water
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

1. Cooks sausage in heavy sauce pan until browned. Remove to paper towel to drain.
2. Place onions and bacon slices in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat until onions are almost clear. Remove bacon and crumble. Set aside.
3. Add garlic to the onions and cook an additional 1 minute. Add chicken soup base, water, and potatoes, simmer 15 minutes.
4. Add crumbled bacon, sausage, kale, and cream. Simmer 4 minutes and serve.

Mango Pina Colada

1 mango
about a quarter of a large pineapple
1/2 can cream of coconut

Puree until smooth in a blender.

Add 2 c. ice

Pulse until desired consistency is reached.

Add milk if more liquid is needed.

Menu March

Produce to use: spinach, mangoes, broccoli, scallions, carrots, winter squash, orange, cauliflower, chard, bananas, celery, kiwi, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, asparagus.

• Cheese/squash enchiladas with red sauce, mango smoothie, crudites, (mangoes, squash, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower)

Stir fry (broccoli, scallions, cauliflower, carrots)

Onion bacon soup and spinach artichoke panini (onions, spinach, tomatoes)

• Potato gratin w/ chard (potatoes, chard)
• Fettucine with blue cheese sauce, asparagus
• Eli's birthday dinner, MKC mac and cheese, popcorn broccoli

Becky's Kale soup

stuffed cabbage

Italian Bread Crumbs

This is to make plain bread crumbs into Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs

1 T. Italian Seasoning
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 C plain bread crumbs