Peanut Butter Banana Oat Muffins

1 1/2 c. white flour
1/2 c. wheat flour
1 c. creamy peanut butter (1/2 natural, 1/2 regular)
1 c. ripe mashed banana
1/2 banana, diced (could use a little more)
2 t. baking powder
1 t. cinnamon
3/4 c. oats
2 T. vegetable oil
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
3/4 c. milk
1 egg
1/2 t. salt
1-2 T. vanilla

In a bowl, mix both flours, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and oats. In a separate bowl, mix the bananas, pb, oil sugar, and egg. Add milk, vanilla. Stir the flour mixture into the wet mixture until just blended. Don't overmix. Fold in the diced bananas. Fill muffin cups with 1 good scoop (pretty much to the top). Spray muffin tins. Yields 16 muffins. Bake 17-20 minutes at 375. Cool completely.

Pizza Sauce

*Note - I quadrupled the recipe in order to make several 16 oz. portions to be put in the freezer for later use, which yielded about 6 (16 oz) portions. I used an immersion blender to break up the tomato chunks once the sauce was cooling, as I found the chunks to be a bit too big. Excellent sauce - your home will smell wonderful while this is on the stove.*

28 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
3 T. olive oil
1 T. dried basil
1 T. dried oregano
½ t. dried marjoram
1 t. crushed red pepper flakes
¼ t. salt
3-4 cloves of garlic, finely minced

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Allow to cook for at least 15 minutes. Once finished cooking, remove from the heat. If you prefer a smoother sauce, use a potato masher or immersion blender to break up the chunks of tomato. Alternatively, simply leave it as is if you prefer a chunkier sauce. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

Source: Annie's Eats

Olive and Rosemary Bread

*Note - this recipe makes a very LARGE bread. Next time, I might cut the recipe in half to make 1 smaller bread.*

Sponge
1/2 t. instant yeast (I just used regular yeast)
1 c. water, at room temperature
1 c. (5 1/2 oz) bread flour
1 c. (5 1/2 oz) whole-wheat flour

Dough
4 c. (22 oz) bread flour, plus more for dusting the work surface, hands, and dough
1 1/3 c. water, at room temperature, or more as needed
2 T. honey
1/4 c. chopped fresh rosemary leaves
2 t. salt
12 oz. oil-cured black olives (I used Kalamata), pitted and cut in half midthwise if larger than 1 inch (*Leave the olives whole - olives will leak juice into dough if cut*)
1 T. coarse sea salt for sprinkling into dough (optional)

1. For the sponge: Stir the yeast into the water in a medium bowl until dissolved. Mix in the flours with a rubber spatula to create a stiff, wet dough. Cover with plastic wrap; let sit at room temperature for at least 5 hours, preferable overnight. (The sponge can be refrigerated up to 24 hours; return to room temperature before continuing with the recipe.)

2. For the dough: Mix the flour, water, honey, rosemary, and the sponge in a bowl of a standing mixer with a rubber spatula. Attach the dough hook and knead the dough at the lowest speed until smooth, about 15 minutes, adding the salt during the final 3 minutes. If the dough looks dry after the salt is added, add water in 1-tablespoon increments every 30 seconds until a smooth consistency is reached. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Lightly flour your hands and, working quickly but gently, knead in the olives in 3 batches, making sure to handle the dough as little as possible. Transfer the dough to a very lightly oiled large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise until tripled in size, at least 2 hours.

3. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Dust the top of the dough and your hands with flour. Lightly press the dough into a round by folding the edges of the dough into the middle from the top, right, bottom, and left, sequentially, then gathering it loosely together. Transfer the dough, smooth-side down, to a colander or basket lined with heavily floured muslin or linen (or a dish towel). Cover loosely with a large sheet of aluminum foil; let the dough rise until almost doubled in size, at least 45 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to the lowest-middle position and place a large baking stone on the rack (I just use a large cookie sheet, preheated). Adjust the other rack to the lowest position and place a small empty baking pan on it. Heat the oven to 450 degrees (I did 425).

5. Cover a peel or the back of a large baking sheet with a large piece of parchment. Invert the dough onto the peel and remove the muslin. Use a single-edge razor blade or very sharp knife to cut a large X about 1/2 inch deep into the top of the dough. Sprinkle with the coarse salt, if using, into the X. With scissors, trim the excess parchment around the dough.

6. Slide the dough, still on the parchment, from the peel onto the stone; remove the peel with a quick backward jerk. Pour 2 cups hot tap water into the heated pan on the bottom rack, being careful to avoid the steam. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the bottom of the bread reads 210 degrees and the crust is very dark brown, 35-40 minutes, turning the bread around after 25 minutes if it is not browning evenly. Turn the oven off, open the door, and let the bread remain in the oven 10 minutes longer. Remove, then let cool to room temperature before slicing, about 2 hours. To crisp the crust, place the cooled bread in a 450-degree oven for 10 minutes.

Source: Baking Illustrated

Sheldon's Blueberry Pie

*"This recipe was developed using fresh blueberries, but unthawed frozen blueberries will work as well. In step 4, cook half the frozen berries over medium-high heat, without mashing, until reduced to 1 1/4 cups, 12 to 15 minutes. Grind the tapioca to a powder in a spice grinder or mini food processor. If using pearl tapioca, reduce the amount to 5 teaspoons. Vodka is essential to the texture of the crust and imparts no flavor; do not substitute." - Cooks Illustrated

Foolproof Pie Dough
2 1/2 c. (12 1/2 oz.) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1 t. table salt
2 T. sugar
12 T. (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/2 c. cold shortening, cut into 4 pieces
1/4 c. cold vodka
1/4 c. cold water

Blueberry Filling
6 c. (about 30 oz.) fresh blueberries
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and grated on large holes of a box grater
2 t. grated zest and 2 t. juice from 1 lemon
3/4 c. (5 1/4 oz.) sugar
2 T. instant tapioca, ground
Pinch table salt
2 T. unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

1 lg. egg, lightly beaten with 1 t. water

1. For the pie dough: Process 1 1/2 c. flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor until combined, about two 1-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogenous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds; dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour. Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.

2. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into 2 even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

3. Remove 1 disk of dough from refrigerator and roll out on generously floured (up to 1/4 c.) work surface to 12-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll into pie plate, leaving at least 1-inch overhang on each side. Working around circumference, ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with one hand while pressing into plate bottom with other hand. Leave dough that overhangs plate in place; refrigerate while preparing filling until dough is firm, about 30 minutes.

4. For the filling: Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on oven rack, and heat oven to 400 degrees. Place 3 cups berries in medium saucepan and set over medium heat. Using potato masher, mash berries several times to release juices. Continue to cook, stirring frequently and mashing occasionally, until about half of berries have broken down and mixture is thickened and reduced to 1 1/2 c., about 8 minutes. Let cool slightly.

5. Place grated apple in clean kitchen towel and wring dry. Transfer apple to large bowl. Add cooked berries, remaining 3 cups uncooked berries, lemon zest, juice, sugar, tapioca, and salt; toss to combine. Transfer mixture to dough-lined pie plate and scatter butter pieces over filling.

6. Roll out second disk of dough on generously floured (up to 1/4 c.) work surace to 11-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Using 1 1/4 inch round biscuit cutter, cut round from center of dough. Cut another 6 rounds from dough, 1 1/2 inches from edge of center hole and equally spaced around center hole. Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll over pie, leaving at least 1/2-inch overhang on each side.

7. Using kitchen shears, trim bottom layer of overhang dough, leaving 1/2-inch overhang. Fold dough under itself so that edge of fold is flush with outer rim of pie plate. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with tines of fork to seal. Brush top and edges of pie with egg mixture. If dough is very soft, chill in freezer for 10 minutes.

8. Place pie on heated baking sheet and bake 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake until juices bubble and crust is deep, golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes longer. Transfer pie to wire rack; cool to room temperature, at least 4 hours. Cut into wedges and serve.

Source: Cook's Illustrated July/August 2008

Szechuan Noodles

For the dressing:

6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1/4 c. fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1/2 c. tahini

1/2 c. creamy peanut butter

1/2 c. soy sauce

1/4 c. dry sherry

1/4 c. sherry vinegar

1/4 c. honey

1/2 t. hot chili oil

1 T. dark sesame oil

1/2 t. black pepper

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

For the salad:

1 lb. thin spaghetti

2 bell peppers (red, orange or yellow), julienned

4 scallions, sliced diagonally

Place the garlic and ginger in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until finely minced. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in the remaining dressing ingredients and puree until smooth. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator while preparing the pasta.
Cook the spaghetti until al dente according to the package directions. Drain the pasta in a colander, transfer to a serving bowl, and while still warm toss with about half of the dressing. Add the bell peppers and scallions; toss. Add remaining dressing to taste and serve warm or at room temperature.

Source: The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten

Ciabatta

"The sponge for ciabatta must be made a day ahead, so plan accordingly. As you make this bread, keep in mind that the dough is unique; it is wet and very, very sticky. The key to manipulating it is working quickly and gently; rough handling will result in flat, tough bread. Use a large rubber spatula and a dough scraper rather than your hands to move the dough. Make sure to keep the uncooked loaf well covered as the other loaf bakes. Ciabattas are best eaten within a day or two." --Baking Illustrated

Makes 2 loaves

Sponge
2 1/2 c. (12 1/2 oz.) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 t. instant yeast
1 1/2 c. water, at room temperature

Dough
4 c. (20 oz.) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface, hands, and dough
1 t. instant yeast
2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. water, at room temperature

1. For the sponge: Place the flour, yeast, and water in the bowl of a standingmixer fitted with the paddle. Mix at the lowest speed until the ingredients form a uniform, sticky mass, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and turn the mixer to the second-lowest speed. Mix until the sponge becomes a glutinous mass, about 4 minutes. Remove the bowl from the mixer, cover it tightly with plastic wrap, and allow it to sit at cool room temperature (60-70 degrees) overnight.

2. For the dough: Add all of the ingredients to the bowl with the sponge. Place the bowl in a standing mixer fitted with the paddle. Mix at the lowest speed until a roughly combined, shaggy dough forms, about 1 minute; scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Continue mixing at low speed until the dough becomes shiny and uniform (unlike most bread dough, this dough will never clear the sides of the bowl), about 5 minutes. Turn the dough into a large lightly oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and keep at room temperature.

3. After 1 hour, uncover the dough, liberally dust the top with flour, and slide a rubber spatula between the bowl and the dough, about 3 inches straight down the side of th bowl, and gently lift and fold the edge of the dough toward the middle. Repeat the process around the dough's circumference until all of it has been turned. Tightly re-cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Repeat the process in 1 hour.

4. Within 2 1/2 to 3 hours, the dough should have roughly tripled in volume. Heavily dust a work surface with flour and, using a rubber spatula, gently turn the dough out onto the work surface. Liberally dust the top of the dough with flour. Using a bench scraper dipped in water, cut the dough into 2 roughly equal pieces. With one fluid motion, grasp the end of one piece of dough with the bench scraper and the other end with your free hand (well dusted with flour) and lift the dough over a large sheet of parchment paper. Allow the mdidle of the dough to drop onto the parchment paper and fold the ends of the dough over like a business letter. With well-floured hands, gently stretch the dough to approximately 10 by 5 inches. Repeat with the remaining dough and a second sheet of parchment. Cover each loaf loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rest until roughly doubled in bulk and the dough feels relatively firm to the touch, about 1 hour.

5. Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and place a large baking stone on the rack (I do not have a baking stone - I just used a large, rimless baking sheet, and made sure to preheat). Adjust the other rack to the lowest position, and place a small empty baking pan on it. Heat the oven to 500. (My first loaf that was baked at 500 degrees came out a bit too dark, slightly burnt on the outside. I baked my 2nd loaf at 450 degrees, and it came out much better).

6. Gently transfer one shaped loaf (still on the parchment) to a peel or the baking of a baking sheet. (I just took the preheated baking sheet out of the oven and slid the parchment with dough directly onto it - no real need for the peel here). Remove the plastic wrap and slide the dough into the center of the baking stone. Pour 2 cups of hot tap water into the heated pan on the bottom, being careful of the steam. Bake for 15-20 minutes, then remove the bread from the oven and remove the parchment paper from the bottom of the loaf. Return the bread to the oven, bottom-side up. Bake until the crust is golden brown, 10-15 more minutes. Remove the bread from the oven, set it right-side up on a wire rack, and cool for at least 1 hour. Repeat the process with the remaining loaf and 2 more cups of hot tap water. Before serving, brush any excess flour off the loaf with a pastry brush.

Source: Baking Illustrated

Roasted Fennel and Peppers

2 fennel bulbs, halved and sliced
2 med. sweet red peppers, cut into chunks
1 med. onion, cut into chunks
Olive oil
Salt, pepper, dried sage, garlic powder

Toss fennel, peppers, onion in a large bowl with oil and seasonings. On a foil lined baking pan, spread out the vegetables in a thin layer. Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes, making sure to toss veggies halfway through.

Source: Adapted from Healthy Cooking Aug/Sept '08