Not Another Recipe - Bread Making: HartStyle

We purchased a book on clearance a few years ago from one of our fa-vo-rite kinds of stores: Used Bookstore.

For real, used bookstores are like a pirate’s treasure trove to me. I love the smell, the lighting, the owners and the workers. I love the vast array of someone else’s stories all over the shelves. Used books are cool, for one reason, because they tell two stories: One, what the original author had intended. Two, the story of previous owners with underlines, dog-eared pages, tear stains, and sometimes food stains if you can get your hands on a well-loved cookbook.

Speaking of the well-loved cookbook. My Love and I could spend hours and hours perusing the shelves of just about any used bookstore. Generally, we find ourselves right back, smack in the cookbook section for a significant portion of time. Mosty, we converse like this: “oooh, ahhh, oh check this one out…” but we don't purchase unless it’s a “must have”. And, by “must have,” I mean, we usually “must have” at least one book upon each trip to a used bookstore. Hence, many, many a bookshelf in our home looks like this:

and this: 

Time to Rein It In and get to my point:

We purchased the book 100 Great Breads by Paul Hollywood a few years ago. And, just a few weeks ago I opened it up to see what I could do – I made  a wonderful Brie Brioche. It was gooo-oood!  I have some things to learn, but I’m quite proud of my first try! So, this week, my love decided to try his hand at breadmaking. He began with the first recipe: White Bread. Oh. My. Goodness. I could eat that bread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner … second breakfast, elevenses, tea time, snack time, whatever: It. Was. Good.

Then, he made the second recipe in the book: Crusty Cob. It’s early, I’m waiting for the coffee to finish brewing and my honey to wake up before I bust into it … today (we’ll talk about yesterday in another post). This bread: less olive oil, more butter. So Good.

These recipes will become basics to us. We’re gonna learn ‘em. You know, like really learn ‘em. Like, we won’t need to carry around a book forever because these recipes will be so, um, learned. ...Can you tell I’m really looking forward to bread number three?:: Batch Bread, which is described as “A very old British recipe, mainly baked during the eighteenth century, when white flour was prevalent. This sweet white loaf was favored by the ‘upper crust’ of the country!”

Please sir, may I have some more?!!!?!!!

-GH

NO MORE CANS!!! - Refried Beans via Crock Pot

In an endeavor to cut out processed foods, we had to find a recipe for Refried Beans from scratch. I’ve tried a few times before, but not so delighted with their turnout. This, however, is a recipe worth recording.

Thanks to Stephanie and her one-year resolution to use a slow-cooker every day in 2008 (she’s so successful, she’s now on her 4^th year!). My recipe is based on hers. 

Let me share with you our experience…

Here's the original (seriously, check it out):

*We will ABSOLUTELY continue to use this recipe. We *may* even quit the cans altogether if we can keep leftovers in the freezer for easy access.

*It cost us less than $1.50/lb of pinto beans and around $2/lb of lard (yes, lard)

*All the other ingredients called for in the recipe are regular attendants of our kitchen. Therefore, it’s a very economical way to go.

*We cooked the whole pound of beans (NOT the whole pound of lard) we have 4 servings left over, now sitting pretty in the freezer, awaiting future consumption.

What we learned: 

*absolutely, Crock Pot is the way to go when making refried beans.

*definitely soak the beans overnight...

*10 hours in a crock pot on Low was great.

*I used 2 plain yellow onions because we didn't have red ones in the kitchen yesterday. Could use just 1 onion (though the addition of a red one would be good)

*keep the onions in instead of fishing it out as the original recipe suggests.

*keep the garlic in there too.

*we ended up adding more than 2 tbsp of salt.

*could use olive oil, not necessarily lard (we used maybe 2 tbsp of lard & will use lard again because we have a lot left over). 

anyway, if you get the inspiration, I highly recommend you try it! otherwise, just be proud of me in following the pursuit of domestic goddess. :)

-GH


UPDATE 04/09/11: We had some friends over for dinner this weekend and decided to make burritos. We needed refried beans and didn't have enough for us all in the freezer (they were SO good the first time!!). So, we made them again...
*We had to run out and purchase a pound of dry pinto beans THAT MORNING. Came home, rinsed the beans, boiled for 2+ hours, then to crock pot on high. whew.
*We had pork the night before and saved some of the bits from the pan. So, I sauteed the onions in the pork "juice" and bits. GOOD CALL. I WILL be sauteing the onions and garlic from now on (in olive oil). This added a depth of flavor I didn't know was lacking in my first attempt. 
*I kept EVERYTHING (except the water) in the crock pot and transferred it ALL to the frying pan. There will be no more "taking onions out". 
*Not recommended... but you CAN make it the day of - I'll probably get reprimanded for even thinking such a thing, but it's good to know - for real, though, not recommended.
**Honestly, both me and my love enjoyed this batch better than the first. The dinner guests enjoyed them, but didn't have the first batch to compare :).