No Knead Bread

3 c all-purpose flour
¼ t. instant yeast
1 ½ t. salt
1 ¼ c warm water

Directions

• Step 1

  In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast, and salt. Add water and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, but preferably up to 20, in a room about 70 degrees in temperature. When surface is dotted with bubbles, dough is ready.

• Step 2

  Lightly flour work surface. Place dough on work surface and sprinkle with more flour. Fold the dough over on itself once or twice. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

• Step 3

  Make a parchment paper bowl. Sprinkle just enough flour over work surface and your fingers to keep dough from sticking; quickly and gently shape dough into a ball. Place dough seam side down in the parchment lined bowl. Cover with a  cotton towel and let rise until it has more than doubled in size and does not readily spring back when poked with a finger, about 2 hours.

• Step 4

  After about 1 1/2 hours, preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place a 6- to 8-quart dutch oven, in oven as it heats. When dough has fully risen, score the surface and carefully remove pot from oven. Lift parchment and dough out of bowl and place in hot dutch oven. Cover, and bake 20 minutes. Remove from pot, and continue baking until browned, about 5 minutes or until internal temp is 190 degrees. Cool on a wire rack.

  
  

Skillet Roast Cicken & Potatoes

Emma prepared dinner the other night, and it was one of the best meals we've had in a long time! She slightly adapted the recipe from the Feb/Mar 2014 Cook's Country magazine.

3 T. olive oil
2 t. minced fresh thyme
1 1/2 t. smoked paprika
1 1/2 t. grated lemon zest
Salt & pepper
1 whole chicken
2 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced 1" thick rounds.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine 2 T. oil, thyme, paprika, zest, 1 t. salt and 1/2 t. pepper. Pat chicken dry and rub oil mixture all over chicken and underneath skin of breast. Truss chicken.

Toss potatoes with remaining oil, 1 1/2 t. salt and 1/2 t.  pepper. Arrange potatoes, flat sides down, in single layer in oven safe nonstick skillet. Place skillet over medium heat and cook potatoes, without moving them, until brown on bottom, 7 to 9 minutes (do not flip).

Place chicken, breast side up, on top of potatoes and transfer skillet to oven. Roast until breast registers 160 degrees and thighs 175 degrees. 60-75 minutes or so. Tent loosely with foil and let rest for 10 minutes.

If you want the complete experience, make this soft & sweet buttermilk honey bread and your favorite veg.

Heaven!

Sweet Potato and Sausage Soup

I've been looking for some recipes for soup that my family will love. I came across this soup recipe at SmittenKitchen.com and wowza, was it good! The chorizo that I had on hand was not "sliceable" and cooked up into a sort of mash. It had such great flavor, but little substance. I sliced up a package of beef brats and threw them in and that did the trick! I made a rustic loaf of no-knead bread that went perfectly with the soup. I've learned by trial and error, that the best way to make the bread is to let it do it's second rising in a large bowl, lined with a piece of parchment paper. Then you just lift it into your heated dutch oven and you don't have to fuss with wheat bran or cornmeal. This was a meal that made us all happy. It deserves a smiley face!