Thursday, August 22, 2013

My daughters had their two babies a week and a half from each other and this is them playing.
We call this photo Tarzan and Jane. Such cuteness in the wild.

Fun in the Sun with a day at the Beach.

Day at the Beach !!!

Had a wonderful day with the family at the beach. Some of the grandchild had never been to the beach so it was fun seeing them run from the waves and catch crabs, and just play.
this is what makes life sooooo good!!!!

Monday, August 19, 2013

 ( Focaccia Bread ) YUMMY!!! 


Made this for my family the other night and boy did they like it.
 I do have to say, I have a house full of boys and they like there Italy food.
Here is the recipe, let me know how your family likes it.

( Focaccia Bread )

Yields a 13 x 18-inch loaf;
5 cups unbleached bread flour
21/2 cups cold water
2 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. granulated sugar
2 tsp. table salt
1 packet instant yeast
10 Tabs. extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt or Kosher salt, for sprinkling.

I also pressed into the dough some feta cheese,
Sun dried tomatoes cut up,
caramelized onions chopped,
salami, Italian sausage,
fresh basil from my herb garden,
pitted olives, your chose what you like,

The day before baking: Combine the flour, water, sugar, salt, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Slowly mix until the ingredients form a ball around the paddle. Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium low for about 3 minutes.
Stop the machine to scrap the dough off the hook; let the dough rest about 5 minutes and then mix on medium low for another 3 minutes, until smooth. it will look like mozzarella and very sticky.Coat a bowl large enough to hold the dough when it doubles in size with olive oil.
Transfer the dough to the bowl and rotate the dough to coat it with oil.
Hold the bowl steady with one hand. Wet the other hand in water, grasp the dough and stretch it to nearly twice its size.Lay the stretched section back over the dough. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat this stretch-and-fold technique. Do this 2 more times so that you rotated the bowl a full 360 degrees and stretched and folded the dough four times. Drizzle 1 Tbs. of olive oil over the dough and flip it over. Wrap the bowl well with plastic and refrigerate it overnight.
Next day three hours before baking: Remove the dough from the bowl and place in your baking dish that has been sprayed with Pam.
stretch the dough to fit your baking dish, they the fun begins, dimple the entire dough surface, working from the center out. working your fingertips straight down to create hallows in the dough while gently pushing the dough down and out towards the edges of the pan. If you can not push the dough all the way to the edges set it aside and let it rest for about 20 minutes. After you have finished add another 2 Tbs. olive oil over the dough's surface and dimple again adding all the yummy tidbits. Cover the dough with oiled plastic wrap, and let rise till it is about 1 1/2   times is size.
Heat oven at 475. Just before baking sprinkle a few pinches of sea salt or kosher salt over the dough.
Put the ban in the oven and reduce the heat to 450. Check after 15 minutes and rotate. Check again in another 7 minutes the top should be golden brown.
Make your favorite marinara  for dipping or on  top.
Add a green salad and your family will all be around the table with smiles. Mine husband said this was the best dinner and so did my boys. One of them liked it so much he tried to hide left overs. (Funny).
 
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