Do you need a quick yet delicious idea for a winter warming soup? Do you need a new way of preparing frozen white fish from your freezer?
You must try this 20-minute Manhattan Fish Chowder recipe.
20-Minute Manhattan Fish Chowder
Ingredients:
24-ounces of white fish such as Cod
4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
4 fluid ounces white wine
4 tablespoons tomato paste
4 teaspoons vegetable base
2 shallots, diced - could use 1 small white or yellow onion
Parsley to taste, chopped (optional)
Directions:
Cook fish in pan with 4 teaspoons of olive oil until 145 degrees, approximately 3-5 minutes per side. Remove fish from pan and break into bite-sized chunks.
Add diced shallot (or onion) to pan (no need to clean it out) and cook to soften 3-5 minutes. Add two cups water, tomato paste, Old Bay, chopped tomatoes, vegetable base, and wine. Boil and then cook for 5 minutes.
Add cod and chopped parsley, 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Warm through by cooking 1-2 minutes.
We loved how fast this meal came together and appreciated being able to use fish from the freezer caught from a recent ocean-fishing trip.
Reviews of Home Chef, Hello Fresh, and Blue Apron Meal Delivery Services
Buddy can't wait to see what is inside the Blue Apron box delivery!
In anticipation of a busy season with work and school commitments for our family, we decided to try the Meal Delivery Services of three companies - Blue Apron, Home Chef, and Hello Fresh. For those not familiar with this type of service, companies assemble all the fresh and healthy ingredients needed to make a pre-determined number of meals. They provide all the ingredients needed (minus olive oil, salt, and pepper) to create meals complete with recipes selected to showcase seasonal produce. An insulated box with ice packs arrives at your door, ready for assembly.
Always ready to provide feedback, our family of four (to include two teens who like to scrutinize meal selections) prepared to review the three companies' boxes of ingredients. After 10 months of subscribing to these companies (and staggering orders based on the weekly menus or based upon our family's schedule), I feel that we can provide an honest weigh-in of our opinion of the services.
I will admit that I love this concept. I dislike grocery shopping. We have limited specialty items and an even more limited specialty produce selection, locally. This service has saved me more than once as I have had all the ingredients ready to pull together for a healthy delicious meal in under 30 minutes (for the most part). We have ventured far beyond our quick-meal dinner repertoire and we have saved from eating out as often as we had in years past during busy seasons. I also loved that I had professional chefs designing seasonal recipes that eliminated my need to stress about meal planning and budgeting grocery expenditures. The flexible service allows users to pick and choose meals that appeal to your tastes, diet preferences, and often times your schedule. I appreciated the ability to skip a week when the menu did not work for my family or if our schedule had us out of town.
Blue Apron
Blue Apron was the first company we tried and we fell in love immediately. We were sent fresh produce and organic meats and seafood that we would normally not be able to find, locally. The portions were perfect for the four of us, leaving no waste (and no leftovers for my husband's lunch). Recipes were creative, unique, and allowed us to explore new cuisines that we had not tried prior. The teens were willing to venture into new flavor experiences. We found ourselves eating out at restaurants much less as we had all the ingredients we needed. Todd and I made the meal delivery nights into "date nights" and cooked together using the gorgeous photographed recipe cards. These meals also taught us new cooking skills. One night we roasted carrots in olive oil, garlic, and kosher salt to top the salad greens as the meal accompaniment. I can't even describe how good these carrots turned out. Another meal challenged us to slice summer squash, brush with garlic-infused olive oil, followed by grated parmesan cheese and chopped fresh chives. Talk about incredible! I ended up making this for a dinner party appetizer last month - it's THAT good! I was embarrassed that we had been missing out on these roasting methods for preparing winter vegetables for years.
We rationalized the higher price as a substitute for eating out at a restaurant. We recognized we were eating more healthy and organic selections and exposing ourselves to a wider variety of cuisine options.
Some of our favorite dishes included:
Thai Chicken Noodle Soup with Yellow Curry and Mushrooms - Blue Apron's version of Tom Kha Gai with lemongrass, galangal, makrut lime leaves, bok choy, and a coconut-based broth.
Chicken Souvlaki Pitas with Heirloom Tomato and Garlic-Oregano Potatoes was one of our first meals with Blue Apron and this met every family members' approval.
Spicy Pork and Korean Rice Cakes with Baby Bok Choy - cooked in a savory black bean sauce and the "beloved Korean street food (tteok) rice cakes made for such an interesting flavor combination
We found the meals to average $8.75/person but we were limited to only being able to order two meals/week.
Hello Fresh Do-It-Yourself Pork Dumplings
Hello Fresh
This company originally delivered each of the three weekly meals in smaller boxes assembled with all the necessary ingredients per recipe packaged together. Although I loved the idea of everything being packaged as one meal, the boxes didn't fit in our refrigerator. Since then, they have transitioned to smaller bags labeled with the recipe. I love that everything is ready to go. We had a few hiccups with this company missing ingredients or experiencing produce that was past it's prime, upon delivery. They were great to work with to remedy the problem and since then, they seem to have improved. The meals with this company are less adventurous than Blue Apron, and less popular with my crew.
Some of our favorite dishes included:
Chicken Pineapple Party Tacos with Bell Pepper and Fresh Radishes to include the most amazing pineapple salsa and a total prep time of only 20 minutes!
No-Fuss Pesto Chicken with Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes and Spring Salad - I went crazy when I found out that there is such as thing as "nut-free" pesto! With Bella's nut allergies, we've steered away from pesto all these years, yet these meal ingredients featured the most delicious nut-free pesto.
The Pat LaFrieda Burger with Balsamic Onions on Brioche Buns and Crispy Cauliflower Oven Fries - this Black Angus beef custom made for Hello Fresh coupled with the seasonings made for an incredible summer meal. I have always steered away from cauliflower, but after roasting the florets with panko, olive oil and seasonings, I became a fan!
Thai Beef Rice Noodle Bowls with Beef Stir Fry and Peanut Sauce - the cinnamon, cilantro, coriander, and garlic blend of seasonings made this light meal a summer weather hit.
Do-It-Yourself Pork Dumplings with Quick-Pickled Slaw and Soy Dipping Sauce - Not going to lie, this meal took a full hour to prep and cook (and that was with both Todd and I cooking via assembly-line style) but we ended up ordering these more than once. We served these to guests on two occasions as they made a bunch and everyone loves homemade pot-sticker/dumplings.
The average price per meal came to $8.75/person for a family of four to include shipping.
A Home Chef Delivery
Home Chef
As soon as I stumbled onto the Home Chef menu page, I knew that we were going to have countless recipe options that would be crowd-pleasers in our home. Sure enough, the family-friendly meal options became instant hits. We loved how these menus were also quick to get on the table. Most often, garlic was already peeled, ginger was already peeled and chopped, and portions were divided into recyclable containers for ease of preparation to cut down on the amount of time spent prepping. Although this was a benefit for our family's situation during this busy season, I also missed the idea that I was cooking entirely from scratch with the Blue Apron meals as they would send an entire head of garlic with their recipe boxes. The teens raved about the meals, and I appreciated the speed at which I could pull all the components together. Home Chef has many more weekly options to choose from and even include smoothie "kits" you can order to supplement your meal selections, seasonal specialty items, breakfast menu items, and an option to add in fresh fruit to your box. I appreciated that you can create a diet "profile" with this service and identify diet preferences to include Omnivore, Meat, Seafood, Pescatarian, Vegetarian, and Vegan and identify preferences such as gluten-free, dairy-free, low-calorie, or low-carb. With 10 weekly options, it is easy to find something for everyone. You can also select the delivery day that works best for your schedule which I appreciated, as well. You also can skip weeks as needed due to schedule or interest in the menu items.
Some of our favorite dishes included:
Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps came together in 25 minutes and tasted so fresh and healthy with the perfect amount of crunch with water chestnuts, slaw and green onions.
Mexican Street Corn Shrimp and Grits - Okay, prior to this meal, Todd and I had NEVER tasted grits! We live in the Pacific Northwest. This was hands-down our best-delivered recipe ever! With chili shrimp, roasted corn and red onions, queso fresco, and homemade lime crema - this is amazing!
Mongolian Beef with Ribeye Steak and Roasted Chinese Broccoli
Bo Ssam Steak Burrito with Pickled Onions, Persian Cucumber and Slaw
Korean Pork Noodle Bowl with Green Beans and Fresno Chili
Pork Egg Roll in a Bowl with Wontons - picture a deconstructed Egg Roll as a healthier stir-fry concoction. This was a family favorite and even met the needs of the Paleo member (minus the wontons).
Spinach and Feta-Stuffed Tart with Greek Cucumber Salad - these were one of my personal favorites as the puff pastry, baby spinach, feta and ricotta cheeses made for a meal with a huge "wow-factor" in under an hour.
All Home Chef meals are priced at $9.95 and include free shipping on orders over $45.
AND THE WINNER IS:
Home Chef
Family favorites, consistently great quality produce and proteins, and a wide variety of weekly options for menu items to choose from lead us to picking Home Chef as our favorite.
If you would like a code to try any of these delivery services for "free" for your first time, shoot me a message, and I can e-mail you a link.
31 Days of December: Ideas to Make Each Day Special
Just a few ideas of special ways to make December special and memorable...
Early in the month:
1. Create an iTunes Playlist of your favorite Christmas Carols and Holiday Music and then share a CD of the favorites with family or friends.
2. Attend the local Christmas Tree Lighting or Christmas parade.
3. Participate in an Angel Tree by giving gifts for a child in need. We not only love this tradition but also really enjoyed helping wrap presents for the local Angel Tree as a family last year.
4. Go Christmas shopping for the family with the grandparents at the Dollar Store. Our kids treasured this special shopping trip with Gram and Poppy that also includes a lunch date. The kids are given a dollar for each family recipient and then set about shopping for the perfect dollar store gift for each person. This has turned into a great tradition and as the kids get older, the gifts bring on great creativity and often times, fits of laughter.
5. Head to the hills to a favorite tree farm and hunt for then cut down your own tree. We pack up our hot cocoa and some special holiday goodies, snow picnic-style. One year we decked out the kids in all their winter coats, hats, gloves, snow boots and when we arrived up the mountain, the sun was shining and the kids melted from the heat.
31 Days: December To Do List - Our Annual Christmas Tree Hunt circa 2007
6. Conduct good deedsto accumulate straw for the manger. My favorite tradition is one my mom started when we were little. We use a Nativity set and we leave baby Jesus put away until Christmas morning. All month, we encourage good deeds by all the family members. For each good deed, another piece of straw is added to the manger. The whole family is working together to make the manger cozy with added straw for each good deed. On Christmas morning, Jesus is put into the manger overflowing with straw.
For each good deed, a new piece of straw is added to the manger for Jesus' arrival Christmas morning.
7. Light Up Your Community with 50 Ideas to Light Up Your Community with Kindness to include sidewalk chalk greetings to treats and posters of gratitude to paying for someone’s Starbucks. Have a playdate to work on working on ways that you can spread cheer.
8. Read The 13 Day of Christmas or Christmas Jarsby Jason F. Wright as a family. We are currently reading the Christmas Jars and are feeling inspired to start our own jars for next year.
10. Make a Christmas Ornament Journal to tell the history behind each ornament. Take a photo of the ornament as it is added to the collection each year and fill out a litle index card on why it was purchased, who purchased it or was gifted the ornament and the significance.
Miss Bella loves decorating for the holidays!
11. Make or find an ornament each year that represents their activity of the year (soccer, basketball, ballet) or a favorite memory of that year (getting braces, a family trip) and write the date on the ornament. One year I hung Miss B's ballet slippers from her first year of ballet on the tree with the date and her name as an ornament.
12. Wrap Christmas books in butcher paper and put in a tote to unwrap and then read every day.
13. Trace the kid’s hands on the Christmas tree skirt and date it to watch the growth over the years. I started out putting their hands in gold fabric paint when they were little. It makes me cry when I pull it out. One family has traced the kids' hands on the back of their tree skirt with a Sharpie pen on the bottom of their tree skirt to keep track of the changes.
14. Draw names to make an "Angel Gift" for the person you drew. The rules are that the supplies cannot cost more than $10 and the gift has to be handmade.
15. Display a photo in a frame for every single Christmas to be on display all month.
The first year as a newly blended family, I loved the idea of color-coordinated outfits!
16. Put a nail with a ribbon on the tree. Poem: "This is the Christmas Nail. It is to be hung on a sturdy branch, a branch near the trunk, a branch that will hold such a spike without being noticed by well-wishers dropping by to admire one's tinseled tree. The nail is know only to the home that hangs it. Understood only by the heart that knows its significance. It is hung with the thought: The Christmas tree but foreshadows the Christ tree which only He could decorate for us, with nails such as this."
18. Host an Ornament Gift Exchange! For many years my mom hosted an Annual Ornament Gift Exchange similar to the goofy White Elephant gift exchange swap. Each participant brought a wrapped ornament and after drawing numbers, the ornament would be unveiled or stolen.
19. Get a family photo taken of all the grandkids for the grandparents.
20. Hide the Christmas Pickle in the tree. As teenagers, my kids still love to hunt for the Christmas Pickle hiding amongst the tree branches.
21. Buy a new Christmas Movie and hide it via a Scavenger Hunt.
22. Have a “favorite things” party with sister-in-laws/friends. Everyone brings a few of their "favorite things" and you have a gift exchange to swap everything from household cleaning supplies and make-up can't-live-withouts to favorite holiday sweets or favorite accessories.
23. Write a love note and put it under the pillow of someone in the family.
24. Do a random act of kindness for someone at school or work.
27. Spend an evening by the light of the tree. There is something really special about having the house aglow in holiday lights during December. Turn off all the other lights, lighting candles as necessary, and spend an evening doing activities via candlelight and the glow of the tree.
28. Draw a candlelight bubble bath for your kids or yourself.
2. Treat a special family or friends to a 12 Days of Christmas surprise. The Dating Divas http://www.thedatingdivas.com/lisa-m/the-12-days-of-christmas/ has a cute 12 Days of Christmas activity that costs less than $30 for gifts to go with all 12 days for a lucky family of your choosing.
3. Host our own SUV Express! After reading Polar Express or watching the movie, have the kids get ready for bed and in their jammies. While making the tuck-in rounds, present a golden ticket and whisk them off to the sounds of Christmas music for an evening adventure. First stop is at a Dariy Queen to get a Blizzard for everyone to enjoy as you make the trek to see holiday lights throughout the town! Our kids love to vote on the "best" display of the year. It would be fun to have some type of award drawn up to share with the owner of what our family has voted the "best display" for the year.
4. For the girls – have sparkling cider and give each other pedicures for a home Spa Night while watching a sappy Hallmark Christmas love story.
For the guys – have a video games, wings and soda night.
7. Write what you plan to do in the coming year as a thank you and birthday present for baby Jesus. We store these in a golden star box and open them to read them each year.
8. Attend a candlelight Christmas service.
9. Open an early present on Christmas Eve. Our kids always get to open their new jammies on Christmas Eve. It makes for cute photos on Christmas morning too!
10. Read the Christmas story from Luke on Christmas Eve.
11. Sing a song outside at night to a shining star and remember loved ones who are no longer here to celebrate with us.
12. Prepare an elaborate plate of holiday goodies and savory snacks for Santa to include a special beverage to quench his thirst. Veggies for the reindeer are always a good snack that we often find bits outside the next day as evidence of the reindeer visit.
On Christmas Day:
Serve the traditional Christmas Breakfast: Sausage Rolls, Sausage Egg Casserole, Cinnamon Rolls, Fruit Cocktail, Fuzzy Navels and Sparkling Cider.
Sing Christmas carols around the piano in memory of our Granny.
Give a new Family Game each year to play on Christmas night and a new puzzle the kids can work for the rest of the break from school.
Take turns swinging at a Pinata stuffed with special lottery tickets and holiday candies. My parents started this tradition years ago and we all fight over the See's candy, lottery tickets and the cash!
After Christmas:
Host a Post-Christmas Potluck party the week after Christmas when families are winding down and have more free-time to fellowship.
Write thank you notes on the back of photos of the kids with their gifts, either playing with them or posing in the clothes they received. Or Use the Postagram service to send thank you notes with your child wearing or playing with the gift given to them.
Don't forget to have the kids write thank you notes!
Take a photo of everyone in their Santa hats, the goofier, the better.
After Christmas, reuse the leftover wrapping paper to wrap your holiday books for next year's daily unveiling of a holiday book.
Have a picnic by the Christmas Tree with only the Christmas tree lights on in the house.
Hold a Christmas Photo Scavenger Hunt in which the kids and friends have to pose in photos next to traditional Christmas or holiday items.
I grew up adoring the tradition of putting a daily embroidered ornament on a felt tree. My brother and I took turns each day, each vying for the opportunity to put the last ornament, a star, on Dec. 25th, on the top of the tree.
I wanted my kids to have that same love of counting down the days until Christmas but wanted to have my own twist. I loved the idea of doing a little activity each day in preparation for the holiday. I was inspired by an advent calendar created by the great scrapbooker, Ali Edwards, who used scrapbook supplies to create her activity advent calendar.
Using jewelry boxes, I set about to create my own. I enlisted the help of the hubs to prepare a piece of wood for the backing (as this was something I wanted to use year after year) and the boys helped paint the prepared board. The girls helped me paint the box tops, covering any lids or boxes that had print or any type of decoration previously on them. Then the fun part began as I decorated 25 individual, uniquely shaped and unequally proportioned boxes. These boxes were then tacked down using furniture tacks and a glue gun was used for extra reinforcements.
Homemade Advent Calendar
I made lists of activities and fun little items that I could put into the crafted boxes. We determined that the kids would rotate opening the boxes but the activities would be such that would include the whole family. Using a mix of family fun and service-type projects sprinkled in with little gifts to make the countdown special - our Advent Countdown Calendar was created. The following ideas are all based around a Christmas song and/or book.
Our 25 Unique Advent Countdown Calendar Ideas
Dec. 1 - It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year! Welcome Elf on the Shelf. Get out the decorations and listen to Christmas music while we deck the halls! Download a new holiday song on iTunes.
Dec. 2 –The Heart of Christmas Think about the real meaning of Christmas. Talk about hope and how Christmas is the season of “giving” not receiving. Talk about ways we can help others in our community this month.
I’ll Be Home for Christmas Make a Christmas Card and/or care package for a soldier.
Dec. 3 – Do You Hear What I Hear? Unwrap a Christmas book to read together. One of our favorites that is still appropriate for older kids/teens and adults is the Tale of Three Trees: A Traditional Folktale by Angela Elwell Hunt about the three trees who dream of what they will become someday – a holder of treasure, a fine ship and a mountaintop beacon. The trees forget their dreams over the years yet each eventually gets its wish in a powerful way, unlike what they imagined. The message is that we may not get what we want because something better is in store for us.
My dear uncle Harlan gave this great Christmas chapter book to the kids. It's a holiday special!
Dec. 4 – We Three Kings – (Bearing gifts we traverse afar.) Find a toy, game, book or movie that you have outgrown to pass on to someone else. Clean out our closets of unwanted clothes and coats. Donate those in good condition to a shelter or charity.
Watch a Christmas Special with hot Caramel Apple Cider and popcorn.
Dec. 5 – Joy to the World! Put shoes out for Sinterklaas. Create a holiday playlist on iTunes and burn a CD for a family member or friend.
Dec. 6 Old-FashionedDeck the Halls! Make orange and clove decorations and string popcorn and cranberries like the days of old.
I treasure each child's homemade ornaments!
I find the kid-crafted ornaments the absolute best!
Dec. 7 - Have a Grinch Night. Complete with the Grinch movie, Grinch Punch and green goodies. Make a Who-feast with Who-Hash, Who-Pudding and Who-Roast Beast. Don't forget the Grinch Green Smoothies or the Spinach Sorbet for dessert.
Dec. 8 –Silent NightCelebration of light Candle light dinner. Talk about the real meaning of Christmas and the star that shined the way for the wise men to find baby Jesus. How are you being a light in your world? Reach out and love your friends and family. Come up with ways to let your friends and family see His light shine in you.
Dec. 9 – Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree - Ornament Making Madness! Make ornaments out of applesauce and cinnamon or salt dough ornaments while having a dance session to Christmas carols.
Photo Credit: Silver Falls State Park
Dec. 10 – We Wish You a Merry Christmas! Random Acts of Kindness – Do a random act of kindness at school today. Make these adorable Rice Krispie Christmas Cottages
or decorate Gingerbread Houses or Gingerbread men and women.
Decorating Christmas Gingerbread Houses
Dec. 11 – Walking in a Winter Wonderland – Read the book The Mittenby Jan Brett while making treats for the animals. Go for a winter hike and leave the animals their gifts.
Come home to a hot cocoa bar with homemade marshmallows cut into hearts.
Take a winter hike!
Sing a song outside at night to a shining star and remember loved ones who are no longer here to celebrate with us. (Let Heaven and Nature Sing!)
Dec. 12 – What a Wonderful World! Research and try a holiday tradition from another country. Consider making tacos or Lime Chili Steak with Homemade Tortillas in honor of the feast of our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12.
Try an International Holiday Tradition
Dec. 13 – Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Make Snowman Pizza on Christmas Movie Night (use white Alfredo sauce, white cheeses, olive eyes, mouth and buttons with a carrot nose and maybe a red pepper scarf). If you can’t have a snow picnic, consider a picnic under the Christmas tree!
Go for a Winter Picnic!
Dec. 14- Frosty the Snowman Day – Serve Melted Snowman Soup (Potato Soup with Bacon eyes, carrot nose and olive mouth), Snow Balls (doughnut holes decorated with candy corn nose and chocolate chip eyes). Have a snowball fight with white fluff balls/pom-poms. Make snow globes.
Donate winter coats to a local Coat Drive.
Dec. 15- Baby It’s Cold Outside! Find our old coats and deliver them to the local coat drive for the homeless.
Assemble pairs of socks with granola bars and toiletries for the homeless and the next time you see one at a stop sign, you will have something to share.
Go Ice-Skating!
Go Ice Skating!
Dec. 16 – Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas!Make teacher gifts and gifts for those who help us! Homemade Caramels and Candy Canes with melted chocolate shaped as a heart. After making the goodies, go out for a Christmas treat or special Starbucks drink.
Dec. 17 – All I Want for Christmas Is You! Give a “Secret” Gift to someone. Knock and leave it on their doorstep. Write a love note or message and hide it under someone’s pillow.
Have a fondue night and invite a friend for dinner.
Dec.18- Rudolph’ the Red Nosed Reindeer Night Have a special "red dinner" We made Spaghetti and salad with strawberries, fruit punch and a Red Velvet Cake as our red meal items in honor of Rudolph’s nose. This year I want to try pancakes with bacon antlers and a cherry nose.
Have a special "red dinner"!
Dec. 19 - Little Drummer Boy – his gift to baby Jesus was very simple but came from his heart and had great value. Gifts from the heart are the best you can give. Give the gift of yourself to others by helping someone else today.
Dec. 20- Our Polar Express! All Aboard! Tonight’s the night to see the lights! Here’s your golden ticket. Get in your jammies and we will get our Blizzards at DQ and drive around admiring and voting on our favorite Christmas light displays.
Dress in your pajamas and drive around to see Christmas lights!
Dec. 21 – White ChristmasNorth Pole Breakfast – play a Christmas classic movie such as White Christmas, make funnel cakes and a special frozen fruit smoothie. Don't forget the whipped cream!
A North Pole Breakfast calls for whipped cream.
Dec. 22 – Santa Claus is Coming To Town!It’s Santa’s Workshop Day to make crafts and gifts!
Dec. 23 –Dream a Dream Have the Annual Camp Out under the Christmas Tree
Have a sleepover under the Christmas tree.
Dec. 24 – It Came Upon A Midnight Clear Open early present (Jammies) and read the Christmas Story. Leave out cookies and a special beverage for Santa and the reindeers.
We love to prepare special "Santa" goodies.
Dec. 25 – O Come All Ye Faithful!Happy Birthday Jesus! Put baby Jesus into the manger and celebrate Christmas.
Dec. 26 – Angels We Have Heard on High - In honor of St. Stephen, light a candle for all the men and women in armed services.
I am coming clean that I have a brand-new favorite Focaccia.
It's just so much faster than my original recipe.
AND it's freezer friendly!
I can barely keep a stash in the freezer as the teens devour this bread, round after round.
Just between you and I, I make three rounds at a time and put two out for immediate consumption and freeze/hide a back-up for those helter-skelter nights that we seem to keep having now that soccer season is in full gear every night.
This bread, hot out of the oven, just melts in your mouth. It's great plain or with a little grapeseed or olive oil dipping oil mixed with herbs and spices (and a little balsamic vinegar too if you like that kind of combo).
If you have a bread machine, this will come together even faster although I can't imagine that it will take that long as it is a low-maintenance style bread in terms of kneading, etc.
Weeknight Focaccia
Recipe adapted slightly from Not Your Mother's Make-Ahead & Freeze Cookbook by Jessica Fisher
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (or you can substitute 1 cup whole wheat flour for 1 cup of the white flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon oregano
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
Coarse salt
Instructions:
Combine water, 2 tablespoons olive oil, flour, the 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, garlic powder, oregano and yeast in a bread machine and program it for the dough setting. If making without a bread machine, mix the ingredients and then knead dough on a lightly floured surface, allowing the dough to rise in a warm place for an hour to an hour and a half, with plastic wrap covering the dough.
Grease three 8-inch round cake pans, generously, with olive oil.
When the dough is done, remove dough to greased surface and divide into three portions. Press each third into a prepared cake pan.
Ensure that both sides are covered in olive oil by flipping the dough rounds over. Spread and press dough to the edges of the pan.
Cover the pans with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for at least 30 minutes, or longer, until doubled in bulk.
About 30 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Remove the plastic wrap and drizzle the remaining olive oil over the bread rounds. Sprinkle the tops with coarse salt and bake for 15 minutes.
The key next is to cool the rounds completely (without anyone helping themselves). Remove from the pans, wrap securely in plastic wrap and place each round into a freezer bag. Thaw the bread at room temperature in their wrappings and to warm the bread, heat in a 350 degree F. oven for about 5 minutes prior to serving.
P.S. If you enjoy preparing meals ahead, cooking in bulk or freezer meal preparation, then Jessica Fischer's cookbook, Not Your Mother's Make-Ahead & Freeze Cookbook is a gem and a lifesaver. She not only provides over 200 freezer-friendly recipes but also gives you cooking plans for power meal preparation days. I am working my way through the cookbook and finding her hints, tips, and anecdotes extremely helpful and her recipes have all been family favorites. I highly encourage you to check this book out in some capacity as it can revolutionalize the way you prepare healthy, yet delicious meals.
A girl in love with the seasons who wants to cram as much as she can into the 365 days of the year to live a life of bliss. Welcome to What Matters Most Now! I hope you will find inspiration and recipes you love.
