Summer Time is Here ~ Happy Memorial Day

Memorial Day is the first celebration of the summer holiday. Many spend their time at the poolside, beach, or picnicking. Food, family, and fun are key to this holiday. 

This holiday is celebrated to honor those who have served and lost their lives protecting America. This holiday started shortly after the Civil War. We deeply appreciate the sacrifice by many and their families. This traditionally was known as decoration day. As a child I remember going to Almo, Idaho (a small town near the City of Rocks & Burly Idaho) to clean up the family cemetery and decorating the graves for Memorial Day. 

Enjoying family traditions and recipes during Memorial Day weekend creates a connection to ourselves and those who went on before us.  We all have those tried and true recipes that come with no recipe card. It is fun to create your own traditions and recipes for the holidays. 

This Memorial Day our menu will include Ciabatta and Cherry Almond Bundt Cake. It is one last time before the summer heat to get a few great bakes created. Ciabatta is a great, simple bread to start learning to create your own loaves of bread. The bread was created by Arnaldo Cavallari, a miller, in Verona, Veneto, Italy in 1982 as a response to the popular french baguettes. This is a perfect bread for transportation.  

 

Ciabatta

3 3/4 cups of White whole wheat flour 

2 1/4 Tsp. Dry Active Yeast (1 package)

2 1/4 Tsp. Salt

1 1/2 cups cold water

1/2 cups cold water 

Olive oil for pans and raising bowl

Bosch Mixer (I used the hand mixer) with dough hook(s)

Place flour, yeast (on the right side of the flour), and salt (on left side of flour) 1 1/2 cup water in mixer bowl. Begin mixing on low. When the dough begins to form drizzle remaining 1/2 cup into bowl and raise mixer to the next level up. Mix the dough for 5-8 minutes. You will know it is ready when it is stretchy and smooth.

Place dough in a square plastic container (enough room for bread to rise) with side oiled with olive oil. The square container assists with keeping the bread the proper shape for baking. Place lid on top. The lid keeps the dry skin from forming while bread rises. Raise dough until double in size about 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 hours at room temperature. 

Dust a work space well with flour (the dough will be sticky). Allow for it to naturally fall out of the container onto floured surface. Coat the top of the dough with more flour. Handle the dough very carefully, don't pat back down. You want to keep as much air as possible in the dough. Cut the dough lengthways into 4 equal sized loaves. Slightly stretch each piece lengthways and place on oiled baking trays. Let rest 30-45 min on baking sheet. 

Pre-heat oven 425 degrees. Baked bread 25 min. until golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Cool completely on wire racks. 

 
 

Cherry Almond Bundt Cake 

3/4 cup quartered Natural Bordeaux Maraschino Cherries

Cherry Almond Bundt Cake3/4 cup quartered Natural Bordeaux Maraschino Cherries

• rinse cherries 
• dry well with paper towels
• toss with 2 tablespoons flour 
• set aside

You can make you own maraschino cherries (make two days in advance)

• 1 pint of sour cherries 
• 1 cup maraschino liqueur (possible substitutes are Amaretto, Grand Marnier, or contact your local store for assistance)
• Bring liqueur to a simmer. Turn off the heat, and add the cherries, stir, let cool, and pour into jars. Refrigerate. Make these a day or two before using. Cherries last for months.

1 Cup all purpose white flour 

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 cup unsalted soften butter (do not microwave)

3/4 white sugar (pulse slightly in food processor before measuring)

Zest of 1 lemon

1/8 cup plus 2 tsp. finely ground almonds

3 large eggs

Pre-heat oven 350 degrees. Fluff flour and baking powder until well mixed in a bowl. Add all ingredients except the cherries to mixer bowl,  mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Lightly fold cherries in to batter. Place in a well butter bundt pan. Bake 25-45 min. When cooled and cake starts to pull from sides of pan remove from pan to cooling rack. Finish with Ganache and toasted almonds (place sliced almonds in a warmed pan and toss lightly until golden brown) on top. 

Ganache 

1 1/2 cups of heavy cream

1 lb. semi-chocolate or bittersweet chocolate chopped (we recommend 61% cacao)

In a heavy saucepan, bring heavy cream to boil. Turn off the heat. Add chopped chocolate pieces and let it rest until melted (this is key). Use a rubber spatula to stir the mixture until all the pieces are melted. Pour it into a room-temperature bowl, cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate ganache until it is firm. 

The weekend meal included trout almondine, roasted garlic green beans, ciabatta bread, and cherry almond cake. A nice pinot noir is served with the meal. 

May your holiday be filled with great memories and remember your lifestyle is worth the best.

@4ChionLifestyle 

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Shopping List

1 lb. Land O' Lakes butter

Natural Bordeaux Maraschino Cherries

1 lb. natural almonds

1/2 lb. sliced almonds

All purpose white flour

1 quart Heavy Cream

1 lb. 61% cacao semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate

1 dozen eggs

C&H Sugar

C&H White Sugar

1 small can Baking Powder 

5 lbs. White whole wheat flour 

Dry Active Yeast

Silicone Kitchen Set

Bundt Pan 

Bosch Mixer

Party Time ~ Popcorn Popping

Popcorn

Popcorn a treat enjoyed after school, in the evening, or at the movies. This marvelous treat is honored today in America. Popcorn expands into a great food adventure. 

Popcorn is created from pressure inside the kernel that explodes out. This is not the only food that can explode out of the kernel amaranth grain, sorghum, quinoa, and millet. This experience can create a great addition to any meal, dessert, party, and movie.  

There are many theories on how to create the best popcorn. You can buy it in a tin with various flavors, pop it in the microwave, use a popcorn popper, or on the stove. As a child my great grandma loved the Jiffy popcorn in tin you shook over a burner on the stove. Our favorite way is a paper bag in the microwave.

Jiffy Pop on the Stove Top

The oil ratio used to cook is key many feel to create the best texture. Many love butter and a little salt to complete this evening snack. There are so many way to use the popped treat in your dinner, parties, and sweet treats.  

Dinner time this treat can be made savory and elevate your meal with truffles, grits, and served with ceviche. The will bring a great conversation at your dinner table as well as elevate popcorn to a new class. 

Caramel Popcorn

Popcorn is a great sweet treat. Creating a great dessert, caramel popcorn, with brown sugar, corn syrup, and butter. You can create a gooey or a more solid caramel popcorn with baking soda. Popcorn balls  a great childhood memory. The use of Jello makes a colorful sweet popcorn ball. Popcorn can be elevated with additions like salt or an adult treat.

A wonderful game night, birthday party, or just because treat is a popcorn bar. This is a great way to try new popcorn adventures or meet your guests needs for sweet or savory. This can include:

• Sweet
  • Candy
    • Nerds
    • M&Ms
    • Skittles
  • Chocolate
    • Chips
    • Candy Bars
    • Reese Peanut Butter Cups
  • Fruit and Nuts
    • Coconut
    • Dried Fruit
    • Peanuts
    • Walnuts
    • Cashews
  • Other choices
    • Vanilla
    • Toffee
    • Carmel
• Savory
  • Cheese
    • White Cheddar
    • Cheddar
    • Nacho Cheese
  • Seasonings
    • Garlic
    • Ranch
    • Dill Pickle
    • Jalapeno 

Popcorn is a treat that is savored and enjoyed. This treat has been around for 9000 years and enjoyed as Pearls or Nonparei in the early 1900s. Today we have taken popcorn from a simple butter & salt treat or to elevated dinner. Enjoy popping up a bowl full tonight. Share you photos #4ChionStyle 

Holiday Cookie Baking

Holiday time is baking time. All the cookie exchanges, pot lucks, family parties, Santa Claus, or treats for neighbors. Cookies bring a lot of great memories and warmth during the winter. There is nothing quiet like a nice scoop or ice cream or glass of milk with a warm cookie. 

The holidays bring out the old recipes and many varieties. Baking cookies is an art from conception to decorations. The basics to cookie baking will make your cookies the talk of any holiday party. 

Butter handling and use is the key to a successful cookie. Most recipes call for softened butter. This is best achieved by setting on the counter for about 60 min before starting. You will know it is the right temperature when it leaves a slight indentation when touched lightly, but maintain it's shape. Microwaving will rush the process, but not achieve the proper results.

The butter must be handled with care. When purchasing butter for baking it is best to purchase unsalted butter. This allows for you to control the amount of salt in your recipe. Softened butter should be softer, but still cool. It is best to avoid using margarine when baking. This has a high content of water and more chemicals than food basis. 

When using white and brown sugar you want to make sure that they are recently purchased. Measuring brown sugar must be placed in a measuring while pressing it into the measuring cup. When this is placed in the mixing bowl should hold its shape. White sugar should be spooned into the measuring cup for accuracy. 

Whipping the sugar(s) and butter is key to your cookie success. It is best to use a beater for this process. It should take about 3-5 minutes of beating to achieve the proper mixing. If the butter is to soft or to hard it will not mix well in the batter. 

Eggs in your cookie batter emulsifies the fat in the butter. Make sure your eggs are fresh. You can check your eggs for freshness by placing cold water in bowl and an egg. If the egg sinks to the bottom and lays flat on the sides the eggs are fresh. If they are a few weeks old (still good)they will stand on one end at the bottom of the bowl. If they float to the surface they are no longer eatable. This is a good test if you get eggs from a farm. The 3 digit number on the side of egg packages represents the day in year in numbers. 001 means eggs are packaged on January 1 of the year. 

Mixing eggs into the butter and sugar mixture requires adding them one at a time. This allows for the emulsification to be completed. The egg brings the structure, richness, tenderness, and flavor to your cookie. You can substitute eggs with 1/4 cup of applesauce per egg if necessary in your cookie batter.

Flour , raising agent, spices, and salt should be mixed in a separate bowl.  Measuring the flour is extremely important. Measuring the floor by spooning into the measuring cup until it is over the top. Use a straight edged utensil to level the flour across the top of the cup. Flour can be sifted to add air if you do not have a sifter toss lightly with a fork will work. All purpose flour is the best type of flour for your cookies. Whole wheat flour will absorb more liquids and most recipes are calling for all purpose. 

Raising agents for cookies is baking powder or soda. Making sure that your agents are still fresh can be tested. Use 2 tablespoons of white vinegar and 1 teaspoon of raising agent. The agent is fresh if it bubbles when added to the vinegar.   

Toss the dry ingredients till well mixed. If you use salted butter you may want to reduce the salt in the recipe. Slowing mix the dry to the wet ingredients by adding slowly. Mixing all the dry at the same time will create more gluten and a denser cookie. 

When making cookies with additions like walnuts, chocolate chips, and fruits make sure to fold them. This will prevent over mixing of the cookie dough. 

The best key to your oven is to ensure that it is up to temperature is turned on before starting the mixing process. Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicon cookie sheet lingers.   Measure with a small ice cream scoop and leave plenty of room on the tray for the cookies to bake without touching. Remember some cookies will spread out on the sheet as they bake. 

The cookies may be complete once cooled, but other may need a glaze, icing, painting, or decorating. There are many ways to complete the cookies. A favorite at our home is sprinkles. There are so many varieties that you can use to make it a fun unique cookie. 

Bake the cookies according to the instructions provided. Rotate the cookie sheet during baking to ensure proper baking. When you take them out of the oven they need to cool on a cooling rack. We recommend Variations Bakery, in Phoenix Arizona, for your cookie needs if time does not permit. Enjoy one with your favorite glass of milk or ice cream before getting them together for your holiday event.  

@4ChionLifestyle