WAINSCOTING

This is the first house we've owned that had wainscoting included in the original build.  It was used around the lower half of the dining room walls, which I found to be a really nice design element. 

Fast forward almost nine years in the house and I decided to "encourage" my husband to continue the wainscoting on the main entryway wall.  

We used the measurements from the dining room as the road map for this wall.  The challenges were determining the actual interior paint color that was used (they left us some touch up paint, but the name of the color was nowhere to be found).  Do you have any idea how many colors of white there are?  Fortunately, the Sherwin Williams up the road was able to help, but only because there was an individual who worked there who knew the original name of the painters who the builder used back then.  

   

The other challenge was finding the actual chair rail moulding.  We never did find the one they used, but what we found was a close enough match.  Both the chair rail and the half inch round were really difficult to find.  The box stores didn't carry it.  We had to have it ordered through a lumber yard.  We never did get an understanding of why you couldn't find these items in stock.  We waited almost six weeks for it to arrive.

My husband was able to finish this in just a couple days, once we had all the supplies in hand.   The dining room has the smooth panels on the lower half with the half inch round on top of it.  We chose to bypass that step and just used the white paint over the existing texture.  Had we wanted to continue with additional wainscoting in the dining room, I definitely would have used the panels, but for the entryway hall, I was perfectly fine with the matching paint.  

I love it!  This has been a really dark area of the house, so the white accents have definitely brightened it up.  The total cost of the project was under $100.....it should have been way under that.  I was shocked what the Sherwin Williams store charged me for a quart of paint (but I felt kind of obligated to purchase the paint there given the help they provided me).  

I moved a painting from the living room and placed it on this wall....not sure, I'm sold on it.  But it works for the time being.  

Deep Dish Pizza

 I've been wanting to try my hand at a deep dish skillet pizza for a long time.  This past weekend I gave it a try and boy was it worth it!  America's Test Kitchen shared a cheese version of this recipe.  I made it with extra toppings, which included: Italian sausage, pepperoni, red/green pepper and onion. 

*The dough comes together very easily and uses a cold rise, so you want to make it a day ahead of the day you plan to eat your pizza.  Also the "day of " you need to add lead time in prior to baking (more details in the directions).  It's not a big deal, it's just important to know that so you're sitting down to eat when you plan on doing so.  

INGREDIENTS: 

DOUGH

2 cups bread flour

1 tsp table salt

1 tsp instant or rapid-rise yeast

1 cup warm water (105-110 degrees)

TOPPINGS

7 oz. whole milk mozzarella, shredded

4 oz. Monterey Jack, shredded

1/2 cup pizza sauce (I used a jar version)

DIRECTIONS:

*Place all the dry ingredients into a large bowl.  Add in the warm water.  Use your hands to bring it all together into a nice dough.  Place it in a pie plate sprayed with cooking spray (you don't even need to spread it out).  Spray the top of the dough with cooking spray and cover with plastic wrap.  Place in the fridge for 12-24 hours.  It will spread during the cold rise to fill the pie plate. 

Remove the dough from the fridge 30 minutes prior to working with it....also keeping in mind you need 90 minutes of room temperature rising time before placing your pizza in the oven to bake. 

Remove the dough from the fridge and let it come to room temperature for 30 minutes.  Add a skim coat of olive oil to your skillet.  Oil your fingertips with olive oil and spread the dough to within 1/8" of the edge, deflating any large bubbles.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 90 minutes.  

Add 1/2 cup sauce to the center of the pizza.  Spread it to within 1/2" of the side of the pan.  Add the shredded jack cheese to the perimeter pressing it into the sides (this creates a nice crisp cheesy outside edge) of the skillet.   Add your mozzarella all over the top.  

Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes placing it on the lowest rack of your oven.  Let sit for 3-4 minutes after removing from the oven.  Use a bread knife to loosen the edges.  Look underneath.  If you'd like the bottom crispier, place the skillet onto a burner (I did this...it took about 4-5 minutes to brown).  Cool 10 minutes prior to slicing. 

I think you'll agree that his pizza has a wonderful flavor.  I would suggest it also is a perfect recipe for a deep dish cheese pizza.  

Here's some thoughts I have for the next time.....

As I mentioned, I also topped mine with 2 meats and some veggies.....I found there really wasn't enough "real estate" on the surface to really make it the way I wanted to.  So, my next attempt will be to use a rimmed baking sheet.  I loved the flavor of the dough, so I will use that again.  I'll probably make 1.5x the dough recipe, since I enjoyed the height of the dough, but by having more room to work with as a rectangular pizza, I can really top it generously the way we like our pizzas.  I think the crust will still crisp with olive oil on the bottom of the baking sheet and baking it on the lower rack of the oven.   Can't wait to try it again!!!

BEEF BOURGUIGNON

 I finally got around to trying my hand at this classic dish.  And, boy is it a winner!  You need to be prepared for plenty of prep time cutting and slicing veggies mostly, but the reward is delicious.  Deep, rich and so full of flavor.  

This makes 6 generous servings, so if you're a small family like us.....you'll be able to freeze some and enjoy at another time without all the work!

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tbsp. good olive oil

8 oz. dry center cut applewood smoke bacon, diced

2 ½ lbs. chuck beef cut in to 1 inch cubes

salt

pepper

1 lb. carrots, sliced diagonally into 1 inch chunks

2 yellow onions, sliced

2 tsp. chopped garlic

1 750 ml bottle dry red wine such as pinot noir

1 can (2 cups) beef broth

1 Tbsp. tomato paste

1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves (½ tsp. dry)

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter at room temp (divided)

3 Tbsp. all purpose flour

1 lb. fresh mushrooms stems discarded, caps thickly sliced

½ cup chopped fresh parsley for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven.  Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned.  Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.

2.  Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and then sprinkle them with salt and pepper.  In batches in single layers, sear the beef in hot oil for 3-5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides.  Remove the cubes to the plate of bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned.  Set aside. 

3.  Toss the carrots and onion, plus 1 Tbsp. of salt and 2 tsp. of pepper into the fat in the pan and cook for 10-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are lightly browned. 

4. Pre-heat the oven to 250 degrees.   Put the meat and bacon back into the pot with the juices.  Add the bottle of wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat.  Add the tomato paste and thyme.  Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and place it in the oven for about 1.25 hours or until the meat and veggies are very tender when pierced with a fork.  

5.  Combine 2 Tbsp. butter and the flour with a fork and stir into the stew.  Saute' the mushroom in 2 Tbsp. of butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned and then add to the stew.  Bring the stew to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.  Season to taste.  

6.  You can serve the stew as is, over egg noodles or a slice of toasted bread.   Garnish with the fresh chopped parsley. 

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten 

PRAGUE AND VIENNA

 This year's Mother/Daughter vacation was a trip to the land of my Dad's ancestors.  Depending on the documentation I've collected during my ancestry searches, his family was from: Czechoslovakia, Moravia, Austria, Russia, Bohemia....you get the picture.  So I decided I would explore parts of what would have been the "Austro-Hungarian" empire in those days and landed on Prague and Vienna. 

I put together a twelve day trip; 2 days traveling, 10 days on the ground exploring.  We started in Prague.  We had 6 nights/5 days in Prague and the same in Vienna.  As always, I had several hours of activity for our first night...we like to push through to do our best to get adjusted to our new time zone. 

We stayed on the east side of the Vlatava river in the "castle district", which as you'd imagine is near the Prague Castle.  I prefer to stay in areas that aren't as popular with the tourists.  It did mean a lot of extra walking for us each day, but to me it was worth it.   We found a cute little cafe' near our hotel and had breakfast there three of the mornings we were there.  

 

We took two "day trips" out of Prague.  One was to the town of Kutna Hora to see the Sedlec ossuary (bone church) and St. Barbara's cathedral.  The other outing was a guided tour to the Terezin concentration camp.   The concentration camp was very educational and sobering and the weather was dismal which seemed fitting for the setting. We saw all the usual sites in old Town, including the famous Charles Bridge on our way there.  As usual, we packed a lot into a short amount of time, and before you know it we were on our way to the train station for our trip to Vienna. 

I had done some pre-planning for our first night in Vienna.  We started by seeing the Imperial Treasury and Crypt (from the Hapsburg dynasty), followed by Weiner Schnitzel dinner and then a classical concert at St. Anne's church.  What an introduction to Vienna!  The concert in the church was a "pinch me" moment, the quartet of three violins and one cello played Mozart, Haydn and Strauss on instruments from the 1700's.                                  

I had two "day trips" planned for Vienna, one to the Schonbrunn Palace and the other was to the Wachau valley to see the Melk abbey which overlooks the Danube.  That left us two full days to take in Vienna.  That was quite a challenge since Vienna is so much bigger than the very quaint Prague that we'd just left.     

       

We took a good four hours at the Schonnbrunn Palace, including seeing the strudel show.  We could have actually spent even more time.  We also took in a stage performance of the Sound of Music (with English subtitles)....that was a totally unique experience!  Nobody holds a candle to Julie Andrews though.

I have hundreds of pictures, but this gives you a sense of what this year's trip was all about.  I can't say there was anything I had researched and planned that I wouldn't/shouldn't have done.  There were some amazing gardens in Prague that I thoroughly enjoyed.  Libraries, monasteries, cemeteries,  the Lipizzaner training tour was fun (would love to have seen a performance, no tickets available)  I'd say each city was worth a couple more days each.    

I guess that's what travel is all about right?  End the trip wanting more.....keep that wanderlust alive!

DEEP DISH QUICHE (WITH SOURDOUGH PIE CRUST)

 I recently got inspired to "step up" my quiche game after breakfast at a cafe' while I was on vacation.  They offered two types of deep dish quiches which were super tasty.  So tasty in fact, that my daughter and I had breakfast there 3 of the 5 mornings we were there.   We each ordered one of the flavors, then split it in half so each of us could enjoy both flavors.   The quiche had great eye appeal because they were so tall and their custard was super creamy.   

I love the flavor combinations of mine, but I wanted to improve the interior consistency, and I definitely wanted to try my hand at a deep dish crust, versus the store bought pie crusts I had been using all these years.  

Since I've been baking with sourdough recently, I tend to have a fair amount of "discard".  With that in mind, I looked for a sourdough pie crust recipe.  The one I chose was wonderful!  Very flaky and it held up really well.  I used my springform pan.

This recipe makes 1 pie crust.   I doubled it since I wasn't sure with the springform pan if I needed additional.  As it turned out, I did end up with quite a bit leftover, plus my shell was thick in a couple spots, and I probably didn't need to go quite as high on the sides.   I froze what I didn't use and plan to see if I have enough to make another. 

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup + 1 tsp flour

8 Tbsp. butter COLD

½ tsp. fine sea salt

½ tsp. granulated sugar

1 tsp. white vinegar

½ cup sourdough discard starter

DIRECTIONS:

Use a cheese grater to grate the cold butter into a large mixing bowl.  Add the flour, salt and sugar and use a fork to toss the ingredients together, making sure the butter is coated and separated.  Use a bench scraper or a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour mixture, until it forms large crumbles.

Add the discard and vinegar to the bowl and then use a fork to incorporate them into the mixture.  Switch to your hands and press the dough together until there are no dry bits left in the bowl.  ( if the dough is too dry, add a tsp of water)

Form the dough into a disk shape and wrap in plastic wrap.  Use a rolling pin to flatten the disk.  Chill for at least 2 hours or up to 4 days.  

Blind bake the crust.  Roll out the dough to approximately 1/8" thick.  For a 9½ springform the dough should be 16" in diameter.  Carefully lift into the pan and press up the sides and into the bottom.  Line the pie with parchment or aluminum foil and add pie weights or at least 3" of  dry beans.   Bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.  The crust will be slightly golden around the edges.   Remove the foil and beans.  The bottom will look uncooked and slightly wet at this point.   Return to the oven for and additional 5-8 minutes.   The bottom will puff slightly, but will deflate when removed from the oven.  Allow the crust to cool.  

NOTE:  It's really important to work quickly to ensure a flaky crust.  You don't want the butter to warm.  You will be able to see bits of butter in the dough, which is exactly what you want.    If it starts to warm while you're working with it, put it in the fridge for 15 minutes and then finish up. 

This dough can be chilled (well wrapped in plastic wrap) in the fridge for up to 4 days, and frozen for up to 3 months. 

Recipe c/o:  Amy Duska

As for the quiche itself.  I modified my "tried and true" sausage and cheese quiche recipe to the following:

INGREDIENTS:

6 eggs

2 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

2 cups spinach, wilted

1 lb. breakfast sausage links cut into small pieces

1 ½ cups shredded medium cheddar cheese

½ cup onion chopped

salt and pepper to taste

½ tsp. powdered garlic

fresh or dry parsley

DIRECTIONS;

Brown sausage links, allow to cool on a paper towel lined plate.  Once cool cut into small pieces.  I toss my cooled links lightly with flour before assembling to keep them from laying on the bottom of the quiche. 

Cook the onions until tender in the remaining sausage fat (if it's not too much, otherwise remove some before adding them to the frying pan).  Add in the spinach to quickly wilt. 

In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, milk and cream.  Stir in the spinach, onion, salt, pepper and garlic.   

In the baked shell, add a handful of shredded cheese and sausage.  Slowly pour in some of the egg mixture.  Add more sausage and cheese and continue.  Save some of the cheese to sprinkle over the top.  Just before placing in the oven, sprinkle parsley over the top.  I place my pan on a foil lined baking sheet just in case.  

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes.  I went with 1 hour and 25 minutes and it needed another 5 for sure.  

Cool for about 5 minutes in the pan.  Release the sides and let sit another 30-40 minutes before slicing. 

NOTE:  The whole milk and heavy cream was exactly what it needed!  The interior was so creamy.....it reminded me of the cafe' in Prague.  (if you're curious, my original recipe called for eggs and evaporated milk).  

Also just to clarify, the picture above was taken the following morning... cold from the fridge, so it doesn't have that gooey look to it....and I'll be honest, the one I took the evening I ate the quiche was too gooey, because I didn't let it cool long enough.  I was too excited to try it.

There are so many possibilities with ingredients, feel free to mix it up.   My other "go to" is ham and swiss.  Just keep the egg, milk and cream so you have that lovely consistency.

Enjoy!