Archive for November, 2023
Posted by MontanaVike on November 14th, 2023
No knead Dutch oven bread
- 2 C warm water about 105˚-110˚F
- 1 envelope active dry yeast about 2 ¼ teaspoons
- 1 T sugar
- 4 C all-purpose flour or bread flour
- 1 T salt
- Garlic, herbs, etc. to taste (optional)
In a large measuring cup or medium bowl, stir together the warm water, yeast and sugar. Set aside for 5-10 minutes while the yeast softens and becomes foamy.
Using a dough hook in your stand mixer, combine all the dry ingredients
Add wet ingredients to the dry in the mixer and slowly mix to fully combine.
Mix for 2 more minutes
Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, cover, and leave in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size, about 1 ½ – 2 hours.
Take parchment paper, crinkle into a ball then flatten it out. This will allow the paper to more easily form to the dutch oven later
Dust parchment paper with flour.
Dump/scrape the dough from the bowl onto parchment paper.
Form the dough into a loose ball by gently folding in the edges and patting with floured hands
Lift the parchment paper and dough into another smaller bowl. Cover the bowl and let rise for about 30-60 minutes.
While the dough is rising for the second time, place a 4-6 quart cast iron Dutch oven with its lid into the oven.
Preheat the oven to 470°F.
When the oven reaches temperature and the dough has risen for the second time, carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven.
Transfer the dough from the bowl to the Dutch oven using the edges of the parchment paper to lift the dough.
Cover with the lid.
Bake the bread for 30 minutes with the lid on the Dutch oven.
Remove the lid and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until crust is nicely browned (keep a close eye on it).
Remove the bread from the Dutch oven carefully (it’s still very hot) and place on a cooling rack.
Allow to cool for at least one hour before slicing.
Posted by MontanaVike on November 14th, 2023
Johnny's Deviled Eggs
You MUST have deviled eggs for holidays, special events, bar mitzvah's and that occasional random Thursday
- 12 large eggs
- 1/2 C mayonnaise
- 1 T Dijon mustard
- 1/4 t Celery Salt
- Paprika (Sweet for those that don't like spice, hot for those with tastebuds)
Boil and peel the eggs
Bring pan of water to a boil
Gently lower eggs into water
Lower the heat to a simmer
Cook the eggs for 13 minutes
Remove the eggs from the pan and immediately place them into a bowl of heavily iced water for a minimum of 5 minutes
Gently tap the eggs on a solid surface, all around the egg.
Peel the shells off, rinse the eggs in cold water and set aside for next step
Prepare the eggs for deviling
Cut each egg in half
Remove egg yolk and place in separate bowl
Place eggs, cut side up, on a platter
Fill the egg halves
There are a couple ways to fill the egg halves. I like to scoop the egg mixture into a zip lock back and then cut a corner out of the bag. You can then use this similar to a piping bag. If you have a piping bag, use that instead.
Gently squeeze mixture into each half, filling the cavity
If you don't want to do the piping method, you can also use a spoon to fill the eggs
Finally, sprinkle paprika over the eggs. I like to use sweet paprika on half and hot paprika on the other. Spicy deviled eggs are awesome!
Posted by MontanaVike on November 14th, 2023
Roasted garlic and bacon mashed potatoes
Smoky, salty bacon with fresh roasted garlic makes these potatoes a must have side dish for special occasions
- 1 head garlic
- 1 lbs bacon
- 1 T olive oil
- 3 lbs potatoes I like red potatoes for this
- 1 C sour cream
- ⅓ C salted butter
- milk as reqruired
- salt & pepper to taste
Roasting the garlic
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Slice off the top of the garlic head, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt
Wrap the garlic head in foil and roast in the oven for 45-55 minutes.
Take garlic out of oven and let sit for about 15 minutes while you prepare the bacon and potatoes
Prepare and cook bacon
Cut bacon strips into 1/2" wide pieces
Cook in pan on medium heat until bacon is browned
When cooked, pour off most of the bacon grease leaving about 1 tablespoon in pan
Add bacon and remaining bacon grease to potatoes
Cook the potatoes
Peel and cube the potatoes, then place them in a large pot of cold salted water.
Boil the potatoes uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until they are fork-tender. Drain well.
Add bacon, sour cream, butter and roasted garlic
Mash the potatoes and roasted garlic using a potato masher until smooth.
Add milk a little bit at a time while mashing to reach the desired consistency.
Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.
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