county fair time

Tonight we are going to the county fair. I love seeing the animals, especially the sheep and fancy chickens. Its so cool to see the 4H entries and see how hard the kids work to groom and care for their animals. Its always fun to see the entries of jams and jellies, the vegetables and craft items.

Homemade Herb Bread - recipe

Herb Bread

1 tsp sugar
4 cups warm water
1 tbsp yeast (or 1 pkg)
12 cups bread flour
1 tbsp salt
3 tbsp chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup sun dried tomatoes (if you don't have sun dried, don't despair. Just chop up fresh tomatoes and toss in a little bit of olive oil. Try to not have it be too moist though)
2/3 cup olive oil
extra olive oil and rosemary for the top

In a large bowl, combine sugar, 2/3 cup water and yeast. Allow it to sit for a few minutes, till it begins to get frothy and bubbly. Add the flour, a cup at a time. When it begins to start holding together and getting stiff, add the salt, basil, rosemary, tomatoes and olive oil. Put onto a floured surface and knead with your hands. It might feel a bit sticky, if so add a bit more flour. When it feels smooth and elastic, put into an oiled bowl and cover with a moistened kitchen towel. Allow to raise till double in size usually takes about 40 -60 minutes. Punch down the dough and allow to raise again.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, divide the dough in half. I like to use an oiled cookie sheet instead of a loaf pan, to make a more rustic free form bread. Put a half on each cookie sheet, and brush a bit of oil on top and scatter more rosemary across the top. Bake till golden brown and sounds hollow when you tap the top. Variations, add cornmeal to cookie sheet to make a crunchy bottom crust, or parmesan cheese to the top, thats fantastic!!
This also makes excellent foccacia, (flat bread) when you put it on the cookie sheet, spread it out to form a kind of flat surface. Using your fingertips, dimple the surface to make little indentations. brush olive oil and add rosemary as previously mentioned. Oh my goodness this is good food!!!

cranberry stuffing for chicken - recipe

Cranberry stuffing

3 tbsp butter
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 chopped onion
4 to 6 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp sage
1/3 c slivered almonds
1/3 c dried cranberries
1 1/2 pounds whole grain or multi grain bread, torn into pieces
2 eggs, beaten
2 -3 cups chicken broth. If not homemade, use low sodium
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper, to taste

Melt butter, add celery, onion, mushrooms and cook till soft. Add sage, almonds, cranberries and cook another minute. Remove from heat. Put bread pieces in large bowl, toss with butter mixture. Add eggs, stir to blend. Add 2 cups of chicken broth, salt and pepper, stir well. If you want a moister stuffing, add the other cup of broth. Put in lightly buttered baking dish, bake 30 minutes at 350 F till lightly browned.