No-Knead Crusty Artisan Bread

Did I have you at no-knead? Well, if I didn’t keep reading because I will have even more perks that will totally convince you to whip up this simple bread right away.

This bread dough literally comes together in less than 5 minutes because of the use of instant yeast which doesn’t have to set in warm water to activate. All you do is throw the ingredients in your mixer or in a mix bowl and stir it up. Then you are done. For reals. Well, besides the rising time. But that can be done in the fridge if you have to head to work or bed.

Another amazing perk? This recipe makes enough for 3 or 4 loaves and the dough can be refrigerated for up to a week. That means fresh bread every few days with only a few minutes of work! I whipped this up on Saturday and so far we have had fresh bread Saturday and last night. I’m holding off on the last bit for Saturday to see how tangy the dough gets after refrigerating for 7 days.

If you can’t use up all the dough with the week, it can be frozen too! Just thaw it out and then bake as directed below.

Have I convinced you yet? I sure hope so because this bread is amazing and incredibly easy!

No-Knead Crusty Artisan Bread
recipe from King Arthur Flour via Cogs and Cupcakes
yields 3-4 loaves

3 cups lukewarm water (about 105 degrees F)
6 1/2 to 7 1/2 unbleached all-purpose or bread flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, a large (6-quart), food-safe plastic bucket or a stand mixer.

2. Mix and stir everything together to make a very sticky, rough dough. If you have a stand mixer, beat at medium speed with the beater blade for 30 to 60 seconds. If you don’t have a mixer, just stir with a big spoon or dough whisk till everything is combined.

3. Next, you’re going to let the dough rise. If you’ve made the dough in a plastic ice cream bucket, you’re all set — just let it stay there, covering the bucket with a lid or plastic wrap; a shower cap actually works well here. If you’ve made the dough in a bowl that’s not at least 6-quart capacity, transfer it to a large bowl; it’s going to rise a lot. There’s no need to grease the bowl, though you can if you like; it makes it a bit easier to get the dough out when it’s time to bake bread (I sprayed mine with non-stick spray).

4. Cover the bowl or bucket, and let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 hours. (If you’re pressed for time, skip the room-temperature rise, and stick it right into the fridge). Then refrigerate it for at least 2 hours, or for up to about 7 days. The longer you keep it in the fridge, the tangier it’ll get; if you chill it for 7 days, it will taste like sourdough. Over the course of the first day or so, it’ll rise, then fall. That’s OK; that’s what it’s supposed to do.

5. When you’re ready to make bread, sprinkle the top of the dough with flour; this will make it easier to grab a hunk. Grease your hands, and pull off about 1/4 to 1/3 of the dough — a 14-ounce to 19-ounce piece, if you have a scale. It’ll be about the size of a softball, or a large grapefruit.

6. Plop the sticky dough onto a floured work surface, and round it into a ball, or a longer log. Don’t fuss around trying to make it perfect; just do the best you can.

7. Place the dough on a piece of parchment (if you’re going to use a baking stone); or onto a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Sift a light coating of flour over the top; this will help keep the dough moist as it rests before baking.

8. Let the dough rise for about 45 to 60 minutes. It won’t appear to rise upwards that much; rather, it’ll seem to settle and expand. Preheat your oven (and baking stone, if you’re using one) to 450°F while the dough rests. Place a shallow metal or cast iron pan (not glass, Pyrex, or ceramic) on the lowest oven rack, and have 1 cup of hot water ready to go.

9. When you’re ready to bake, take a sharp knife and slash the bread 2 or 3 times, making a cut about 1/2″ deep. The bread may deflate a bit; that’s OK, it’ll pick right up in the hot oven.

10. Place the bread in the oven, and carefully pour the 1 cup hot water into the shallow pan on the rack beneath. It’ll bubble and steam; close the oven door quickly.

11. Bake the bread for 25 to 35 minutes, until it’s a deep, golden brown.

12. Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a rack. Store leftover bread in a plastic bag at room temperature.

Crock Pot Cafe Rio Chicken

Crock pot meals are totally where it’s at right now in our humble abode. As I said before, picking up Joel from work every day is totally cramping my cooking style so I have to adjust until a darn space in a parking garage opens up.

The ingredients combine to create a zesty, smokey and slightly spicy chicken that is just perfect in tacos and burritos or atop tostados and salads. Trust me, I have had it in all these forms. I think my favorite was definitely the tostado which is pictured below. I’ll be sharing the recipe for some delicous {crock pot, duh} refried beans that was just perfect to go with this yummy chicken.

I have never been to Cafe Rio so I can’t make a comparision but it was so great that it will become a regular around here. But if I ever get the chance, I will totally be there.

Cafe Rio Chicken
recipe from Mandy’s Recipe Box

2 lbs chicken breasts
1 cup Zesty Italian dressing
1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 packet ranch dressing mix (mixed with 1/2 cup of water)
1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 Tbsp. ground cumin

Mix Italian dressing, garlic, ranch dressing mix, chili powder and cumin in the crock pot. Add chicken and cook for 5-6 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Shred with a fork and serve.

3 Cup Chicken

Asian food is one of my favorite types of food to cook and eat. Although Asian recipes often call for a lot of ingredients, once you have them stocked in your pantry/fridge, the possiblities are pretty much endless in what you can whip up. I have a whole section of my refrigerator door dedicated to Asian ingredients, yum!

This 3 Cup Chicken is one of my new favorite Asian dishes. Not only is it delicious but it’s easy to prepare and you can make it from start to finish in about 30 minutes. You all know those are big, important factors in my weeknight meals.

3 Cup Chicken
recipe from Simply Vicky

1/3 cup sesame oil

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup rice wine

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

20 cloves garlic

10 ginger slices

1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces

2 large handfuls of fresh basil, loosely chopped

3 green onion stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces 2 cups rice, cooked

1. Marinate chicken thighs with 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon sesame oil (to tenderize the meat). Set aside for 5-10 minutes.

2. Heat large wok or dutch oven to high heat and add 3 tablespoons sesame oil. Once hot, add in garlic and ginger and stir fry until fragrant, about 1 minute.

3. Add in chicken thighs and brown well, about 4 minutes.

4. Stir in soy sauce, rice wine, and sugar to cover chicken.

5. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to medium low. Let simmer, uncovered, until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, cook rice according to package instructions (I use a rice cooker, but stovetop works too).

7. After the sauce has thickened in consistency, turn heat up to medium heat and add in basil and scallions. Cook until basil and scallions wilt, about 2 minutes.

8. Serve over white rice and enjoy!

Crock Pot Peanut Clusters {Christmas Tray 2012} + An Announcement

I have a very exciting announcement to FINALLY make. After a lot of thought, prayer and consideration we decided to move to Nebraska. Joel accepted a position at a sports software company in Lincoln, Nebraska (where we both graduated from college). We are so unbelievably excited to be moving so close to our families. We will be 1 hour from my parents and brother (vs. 6 hours) and 3 hours from Joel’s parents (vs. 9 hours). We were incredibly lucky to sell our house in about 3 weeks and we found a new house in Lincoln.

Although we are ecstatic about moving, we are really going to miss this place that has become our home. We have made some amazing friends and found a great church family that we are going to be so sad to leave. This is where we started our married lives and it’s the only place we have called home together…it’s the only home Noah has ever known.

It really hasn’t hit me yet. We have started packing things here and there, set up mail forwarding and gotten moving estimates but it still doesn’t seem real. It’s less than a month away! I think the week before is when it will finally set in and when I close that door for the last time. Eeee, when I think of it that way then it gets emotional.

So, I’m sorry if this little piece of the internet that I rule has been lacking. I wrote a bunch of posts and set them to autopost so that you wouldn’t feel abandoned but it still feels lacking to me somewhat. I haven’t been cooking and experimenting as much; I’ve been trying to use up all the crap in my pantry and freezer that we don’t want to move. What that really means is that our meals have been easy and weird and boring and totally not blog-worthy. And I’ve been using a lot of shortcut and store-bought ingredients so that I don’t go and re-stock the pantry by accident. It’s been really hard and I’m really looking forward to getting settled into our new home so I can get back to my cooking routine. Plus my new kitchen is way better, yay! Well, except for the appliances and builders grade cabinets and ugly 90s light fixture. But that is all going to be fixed with stainless steel appliances (I just squealed a little, I’m so excited), painting of the cabinets (thanks mom in advance *wink wink*) and recessed lighting.

The month of December is going to be totally crazy for us, so you might not see as much of me. But please don’t worry, things will be back to normal very soon. I promise!

Now onto the recipe. I’ve had my eye on this recipe for awhile now and knew it would be perfect to try for Christmas this year. I have really been trying to provide a variety of Christmas treats this year so that you all have great options and aren’t bombarded with cookies (not that there is anything wrong with lots of cookies…they are our favorite around here).

These peanut clusters couldn’t have been easier. Noah dumped all the ingredients into the crock pot and turned it on. So, if a two year old can do it so can you! The only problem with the recipe was the waiting. Once he had dumped, he was ready for candy and didn’t understand why he couldn’t have candy NOW. Oh, the joys of toddlers! I finished them up while he napped so they could harden and would be ready when he woke up. What’s better than a little bit of chocolate after waking up? For him, nothing.

While it was great and classic with the peanuts, I personally prefer almonds with chocolate so next time I may do half peanuts, half almonds to mix it up. It would be great with some cashews or pecans thrown in there too.

Crock Pot Peanut Clusters
recipe from Trisha Yearwood via Redbook

2 lbs (36 oz) salted dry-roasted peanuts
4 oz (4 squares) German’s sweet  chocolate
1 12-oz package semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 2  cups)
2½ lbs white almond bark (I cut this along the perforated squares, doesn’t need to be small)

1. Put the peanuts in  the bottom of a 4-quart slow-cooker. Layer the chocolate over the peanuts,  beginning with the sweet chocolate, followed by the chocolate chips, and then  the almond bark. Set the temperature on low and cook for 3 hours. Do not stir  the mixture.

2. After 3 hours, stir the mixture with a wooden  spoon until smooth. Drop the candy into cupcake pan liners, using about 2  tablespoons per liner. Allow the candy to cool completely before removing the  cupcake liners. Makes 30 to 40 pieces.

Crock Pot Applesauce

Remember our apple picking adventure? Well, we came home with LOTS of apples for the sole purpose of homemade applesauce for that boy of mine. It’s one of his favorite snacks and I love making it for him rather than buying it. It’s so simple to throw together (whether in the crock pot or on the stovetop) and it requires very few ingredients which you can control.

I have made strawberry, blueberry, raspberry and pumpkin applesauce with lots of success. I usually don’t add any sugar to homemade applesauce but I made an exception here because it was such a small amount and I just love cinnamon and brown sugar together.

This is wonderful eaten on its own or baked into Applesauce Spice Cake or Caramel Apple Cake Pops.

Crock Pot Applesauce
recipe from Skinny Taste

8 medium apples
1 strips of lemon peel – use a vegetable peeler
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
3 inch cinnamon stick
5 tsp. light brown sugar (unpacked)

1. Peel, slice and core apples. Place them in the slow cooker. Add the cinnamon stick, lemon peel and brown sugar.

2. Set crock pot to low and cook for 6 hours. Stir apples occasionally, apples will slowly become a delicious applesauce.  Remove cinnamon stick and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth or if you prefer a chunky sauce, leave sauce intact.

Crockpot Ravioli Lasagna

Now that school is back in session, I’m sure everyone is looking for quick and easy weeknight meals that the kiddos will love. And I have a new one to share that will be an instant hit.

Growing up, our traditional 1^st day of school meal was always lasagna. Back then, I didn’t realize how much work it takes to put together a lasagna. I know once Noah starts school I will continue the tradition but on busy days when we are really craving lasagna, this is definitely what I will turn too.

I have seen lots of crock pot lasagnas but they still used the traditional lasagna noodles and involve cooking the meat and more ingredients than I wanted to bother with for a crock pot meal. So I thought I would try throwing some ground beef ravioli in the crockpot with sauce, ricotta and mozzarella to see what happened.

It turned out incredibly similar to a real deal lasagna leaving us all pleasantly surprised. Serve with a tossed or caesar salad and bread to complete the meal.

Crockpot Ravioli Lasagna

29 oz. frozen ground beef or sausage ravioli
1 jar spaghetti sauce
8 oz. ricotta cheese
8 oz. mozzarella, shredded

1. Spray crockpot with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the crockpot. Layer half of the frozen ravioli on top then dollop half of the ricotta on top, followed by half of the sauce and half of the mozzarella.

2. Repeat layers. Cook on low for 3-4 hours (mine was perfect after 3 hours).

Grilled Zucchini

I don’t like a whole lot of vegetables but the ones that I do enjoy I totally love. And zucchini is one of those vegetables. I could probably eat it every day.

I love grilled zucchini but I usually had trouble preparing it. I used to slice it into bite size chunks, place it in foil then grill it but I always seemed to overcook it and it just turned to mush. Not so good. One day I decided to just cut thick rings and throw it on the grill and it turned out perfectly. And what makes grilled food even better? A marinade. I just mixed up a simple oil and vinegar dressing then let them marinade in the fridge for as long as I could. Obviously, the longer they can marinade (up to overnight) the better they will taste but I have thrown them on the grill after only 30 minutes and it still turned out great.

This zucchini is a great side to grilled chicken or pork chops for a delicious, healthy and mess free meal!

Grilled Zucchini

1 large zucchini or 2 medium
1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. basil
kosher salt, to taste
fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

Combine olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt and pepper in a sealable container. Seal container and shake until well combined. Wash zucchini thoroughly and slice into thick rounds. Toss in the oil and vinegar mixture and marinate for 30 minutes or up to overnight. Preheat grill to medium high heat. Place zucchini on the grill and cook for about 3 minutes then flip and cook another 3 minutes or until tender.

Cherry Dump Cake

This is the easiest dessert you could ask for, it has 4 ingredients that you literally dump in a 13×9 and bake.  My husband always requests this cake for holidays and I’m always glad to make such a simple dish on busy days. 

I highly recommend topping this fruity, delicious cake with whipped cream.

Cherry Dump Cake

1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple
1 can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted

1. Mix pineapple (with juice) and cherry pie filling in a 13×9 pan.
2. Sprinkle yellow cake mix evenly over the cherry.
3. Pour melted butter evenly over the cake mix.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
5. We like to refrigerate this and serve with a dollop of whipped cream on top.

Recipe linked to Everyday Sisters Sharing Sunday!