(Super) Quickie Friday: Whole Wheat Flax Bread

On the date this post goes live, I will be safely returned from my honeymoon and adjusting to married life.  And probably eating copious amounts of the bread I deprived myself pre-wedding.

Whole Wheat Flax Bread

• 1 cup milk
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 Tablespoons light agave nectar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3-3/4 Cups whole wheat flour
• 3/4 Cups flax seeds
• 2-1/4 teaspoon yeast

Throw it all in your bread machine in the order recommended by your manufacturer.  Set the bread machine for a 1 1/2 pound loaf, with the crust color of your choosing, on the whole wheat setting.  Then enjoy!

No shoes today, but we'll be back in action next week!

Jalapeno Corn Bread

A little story about yours truly:  I am a Girl Scout.  Have been since kindergarten, with the exception of a month or so when it "wasn't cool" and then discovered that I could get scholarships and got my head straight.  I am a lifetime member.  Girl Scouting is cool.

And when I was in junior high, I had to shadow somebody who had my dream career in order to earn a leadership badge.  Easy, I thought, I'll write to Martha Stewart.  And write to Martha I did.

Martha's letter writer was very kind in her let down, informing me that Martha's show taped very early in the morning, much too early for a young teen.  I was a happy camper nonetheless, because the letter included an autographed photo of Martha that read "To Ashley, you're a good thing."  I've never been so happy.

Until this happened, of course.  But we're not here to talk about Martha and Snoop.  We're here to talk about jalapeno corn bread.

And Martha's jalapeno corn muffins make a bitchin' corn bread.  Seriously.  So moist, so spicy.  Wonderful.

And while I am normally the person who uses cornbread solely as a vehicle to get as much butter as humanly possible into my mouth - this cornbread didn't require any such shenanigans.  It is a good thing, just like Martha and, according to her, ME!

Oh, ok, these are a good thing, too.

Christian Louboutin via Bergdorf Goodman

And they just scream "Martha Stewart Jalapeno Corn Bread!"  Don't they?!

Health(ier) Pizza

I love pizza, and if I had the time I would consider making pizza a much more regular part of my diet, particularly when it tastes like this.

For the crust:

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar 

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.  In the mean time, combine the flour, olive oil, salt, and sugar.  When the yeast and water are good and frothy, add them to the flour mixture and stir well, until you have a nice stiff dough.  Let it rise in a lightly oiled bowl for about half an hour, until it's doubled in size.

I am a firm believer in par-baking pizza crusts (nobody likes a soggy crust).  So I preheat my oven to 350, then roll my dough out onto my baking stone and prick it a bunch of times with a fork.  Then I bake it for 12 minutes.

And it starts to get all puffy (but not TOO puffy!  That's what the pricking is for!) and golden brown.  Then I top it with lots of good stuff.

On this particular occasion, I went with store-bought pizza sauce, lots of spinach, mushrooms, and onions, followed by a little pepperoni and sausage and the mandatory mozzarella (I used a low-fat version).

Put the whole thing back in your 350 degree oven and bake it until it the cheese starts to bubble and the crust turns golden brown on the edges (cooking time will vary depending on toppings.  Since this pizza had many, many toppings it took about 20 minutes).  When I consider the expense of ordering pizza or making it myself, I really wonder why I ever call in an order.  This is just so easy!!!

Also easy is a great summer sandal, and I just received these last week.

Vince Camuto via Nordstrom

It is possible that I am, single-handedly, keeping my local Nordstrom in business.  But with shoes like this, how can I say no? 

Quickie Friday: Apple Oatmeal Raisin Bread

For the first time in our three years in Florida, we were paid a visit by the F's parental units.  More popular than our beloved Arnie was this bread.  God love a bread machine and simple ingredients.

Who doesn't love bread by the pool?  Amiright?

One thing to note - I had to take the bread out of the machine, when it beeped to add the raisins, and knead the raisins in by hand.  This bread is DENSE.  Worth the effort, but dense.

Bread + Les Mis mug containing cinnamon coffee with vanilla soy milk =  Breakfast perfection.

I love my bread machine.  It gets used no less than once a week, which is quite significant for a bulky, extraneous countertop kitchen appliance.  I love it so much.

We are attending the one and only holiday party on our social calendar, this evening, and I wish I had shoes like these to rock for the event:

via

They scream holiday AND "no, I'm not the kind of dork who gets immense joy from bread-making and musical mugs."  Right?

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

My ability (and desire) to bake varies from day to day, but I had pumpkin leftover from Thanksgiving and a recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread in front of me, so it seemed appropriate to bake over the weekend.

To say I was thrilled with the vibrancy of this orange would be an understatement.

• 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 2/3 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup + 1/4 cup chocolate chips, divided

As the blogger suggested, I lined my loaf pan with parchment paper and preheated my oven to 350 degrees.  I mixed my wet and dry ingredients separately, the combined them and folded in the first cup of chocolate chips, before dumping the whole thing into my loaf pan, topping it with another 1/4 cup of chocolate chips, and baking for approximately 70 minutes.  

I also watched my bread, which looks beautiful and delicious in this photo, sink before my very eyes when I removed it from my loaf pan to cool on my wire rack.  I still have no idea what I did wrong, but I know that it didn't matter because this bread tasted AWESOME.  It is dessert, to be sure, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

 These are, of course, great.

Giuseppe Zanotti via Barneys

I've always been comfortable in heels, but my legs are becoming stronger due to a new workout regime and I believe I'd be better in these heels than ever before.  And just think, if I stopped eating sweet, chocolate-chip laden breads I'd REALLY be in heel-walkin' shape.

But I would never do anything so drastic.

Quickie Friday: Grilled Flatbread

Four ingredients and a grill is all you need today, peeps, and you won't regret it. 

But do me a favor and grease oil your flatbread well before you throw it on the grill, or it may get hole-y (as evidenced above).  I brushed mine with garlic oil before I threw it on the grill . . . but not enough.

We had this flatbread with steaks and grilled veggies one night, and I suspect they would be superb as bread for a sandwich or wrap.  Just enough flavor, and the grill made it all toasty-tasting. 

These don't quite fall in line with my lust for grunge, nor do they fit the usual super-cheap quickie Friday shoe profile, but I love them nonetheless.

via

They would certainly be a suitable replacement for the uber expensive pair I showcased on Wednesday, and they look perfectly comfortable and maybe even (gasp!) work appropriate.  Then again, my wardrobe isn't what most would consider librarian-like, so maybe my perspective is off . . .

Spinach and Feta rolls

I am a big fan of canned tomato soup.  What does that have to do with spinach and feta rolls, you may be wondering?  Well, sometimes I need something to go with my tomato soup that doesn't involve salt and slightly-leavened bread.  Enter spinach and feta rolls.

In a bowl, combine 1 package of frozen, chopped spinach (thawed and thoroughly drained) with 10 ounces of fat free ricotta and a package of crumbled, fat-free feta (I used garlic feta).  I added salt, pepper, more garlic (3 cloves) and a touch of red pepper.

Cut up two sheets of frozen puff pastry to make 12 small rectangles, and place a big blob (that's a technical term) of the spinach mixture on one end.  (Trust me when I say you want to put a lot on there - the puff pastry expands so much you want a good ratio). 

Brush the rolled pastry with egg wash, then bake them at 350 for 15-20 minutes, or until they're golden brown.  I don't have a picture of the after because I was cooking up a storm the day I made these, and couldn't remember what I needed to take pictures of!  Trust me when I say they're tasty AND great with cheap, canned tomato soup.

Trust me when I say, too, that I need these pumps:

Brian Atwood via Bergdorf Goodman

Purple!  Calf hair!  111th Anniversary!  PURPLE!

Quickie Friday: Baked Flatbread

There is no easier side dish than this baked flatbread.  I'm not kidding.

Spread store-bought pizza dough into a 9x13 baking dish, then top it with salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and garlic before baking it according to the package directions.  That's it!  I served this with my tortellini soup and it was a huge hit. 

I'm on a huge neon kick lately, but since I predict the trend will be around for about as long as it took me to make the flatbread, I'm going cheap.

via

Combining the yellow with my favorite shade of gray (pun intended, for those of you inclined to read those God-awful books [I haven't read more than a few  paragraphs, but the writing was so awful I couldn't stand to continue]) makes these an ideal addition to the "on-trend" portion of my wardrobe!

Let's Talk About the Oscars . . .

Yea, yea, yea.  I realize they happened over a month ago.  I also realize that I remember NOTHING from the actual show (other than this guy), but that seems inconsequential because I made some GREAT food.  Like, really great.  And an amazing cocktail, too. 

But back to the food.

I am of the belief  that crescent rolls can, and should, be used at every opportunity.  Side dishes, main dishes, appetizers, desserts . . . you name it, I can probably crescent it.  This particular appetizer involves rolling out a can of crescent roll dough, spreading it with a mixture of (fat free) cream cheese, bacon bits (I use the "real" bacon bits), and finely chopped onion, then baking.  But not before slicing it real pretty first.

Baked in the oven at 350 degrees for about 11 minutes, these puff up and become golden brown, and they are guaranteed to make your kitchen smell fabulous.

These are also great served as a starch-alternative at your next brunch of breakfast party.  They are DELICIOUS alongside eggs (and if you can make a fabulously fluffy scrambled egg, without adding anything to it, all the better with these treats).

Much like the delightful aroma of these pinwheels invigorates my nose, these invigorate my feet.

Christian Louboutin via Saks

Or they would, if I could afford them.  Truth be told, I spent about half an hour staring at these shoes before I decided that I like them.  But, in the end, I think they're the perfect mix of natural and outrageous.  And the high wedge heel doesn't hurt.

Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread

One of the (many) great things about pinterest is that I've been discovering all kinds of new recipes that I wouldn't have come across otherwise.  This pin for Cinnamon Pull Apart bread caught my attention right away, and despite my inadequacies in the baking department, I thought I'd give it a whirl.

This bread was, by no means, easy to make.  I had trouble stacking the dough and ended up kind of shoving it into my loaf pan.

A lot of the cinnamon and sugar mixture fell off in the process, so I just scooped it up and threw it on top.  You can never have too much cinnamon and sugar, right?

Right.  This bread was gooey and delicious, but didn't feel as heavy as a typical monkey bread type breakfast.  Served with my favorite cup of coffee it was a great breakfast treat.

I decided to post these shoes because I (1) love that Gucci is bringing back the t-strap for spring and (2) think the color is reminiscent of the bread (bear with me, peeps, sometimes a good segue from food to shoes is hard to come by)!

Gucci via Saks

Now if only I could wear the shoes while eating the bread, we'd be set.

English Muffin Bread

WARNING!  This bread is like crack (if one can make the comparison between carbs and drugs, that is, which I feel confident doing, despite never having used crack, myself).  Once this bread is present in the Cookin' in Heels household, there is no going back.  It is usually gone in a day, if not in hours.

This is a pic of the important first step, greasing (I use cooking spray) a loaf pan, then coating it with a thin layer of yellow cornmeal.  Don't skip it!  You'll regret it. 

Here's the recipe, peeps:

5 1/2 - 6 cups flour
2 pkg. rapid rise yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 c. milk
1/2 c. water
yellow cornmeal

Combine 3 cups of flour with the yeast, sugar, salt and soda.  Heat the liquids until very warm (120-130 degrees) (i put mine in the microwave for about 2 minutes and it was perfect).  Add the warm, wet mixture to the dry mixture and beat well (I do this in my stand mixer, with a dough hook).  Stir in enough flour to make a stiff batter, then spoon into two loaf pans that have been greased and sprinkled with cornmeal.  Sprinkle the tops of both loaves with cornmeal.  Cover the loaves and let them rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.  Bake at 400 for 25 minutes and, when they're done, remove from the pans and immediately cool.

Then eat.  And eat.  And eat some more.  I am a huge fan of eating this bread toasted, with butter, all by itself, but it makes a great egg sandwich (or any other kind of sandwich). 

After you eat a loaf of this, I recommend a pair of these:

Nike via Nordstrom

You'll need 'em.  Especially if you eat one loaf by yourself, in less than an hour.

Not that I've done that, or anything.

Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip & Coconut Muffins

I love muffins.  They are definitely one of my favorite breakfast "treats," and I've never met one I didn't like.  I adapted this recipe to suit my tastes (meaning I swapped in toasted coconut for the pecans) and they were absolutely perfect.

I topped the muffins with some remaining toasted coconut and brown sugar, as the recipe suggested to do with the pecans, but I shouldn't have . . . the coconut got a little burnt in the process.

Otherwise the muffins were perfect:  super moist and very sweet.  They definitely don't fit into the "diet," but a little treat never hurt anybody, right?!

These never hurt anybody, either.

Dior via Bergdorf Goodman

I am loving the details on all of the shoes I'm seeing right now.  Things that wouldn't catch your eye unless you were up close and personal.

Mediterranean Strata

Never has a dish (recipe found here) elicited so many questions from the BF.  What is it?  How do I eat it?  What's in it?  There's eggs in here?  There's no meat?  WHAT did you say it's called?!

Strata.  You cut it and chew it.  There's all kinds of stuff in here.  Yes, eggs.  No, there's no meat.  IT'S CALLED A STRATA!

And it is delicious.  There's really not much more to say about it.  I have decided that because of its tastiness AND how fancy it looks, this dish is going to be filed away in my "things to bake to impress company" recipe stash.

The top layer of bread was so nice and crispy, the vegetables underneath were tender, and it only has 297 calories per serving!  AMAZING!  And it would taste great with scrambled eggs and a mimosa.  But, then again, what doesn't go well with a mimosa?

Jimmy Choo via Bergdorf Goodman

These would also, definitely, go well with a mimosa.

Quickie Friday: Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Today, I bring you the quickiest Friday recipe ever:  cinnamon raisin bread.  For the bread machine.  Which means, of course, less than 5 minutes of preparation for (if you're me and can easily sit down and eat an entire loaf of bread in one sitting) 15 minutes of pure, bread and butter-induced bliss.

I added a little more cinnamon than the recipe called for, and I tossed the raisins in sugar before I added them to the dough.  Otherwise, this recipe (and this bread) is total perfection.

In honor of the long weekend, I present the ideal Memorial Day barbeque sandal:

via

Canvas stripes are going to be perfect for a backyard soiree or a day at the beach.  And for less than 14 bucks, I you can't really say no!