Going Retro...

 Hi!  Yes, I'm still here.  I know I have been absent from the blog-o-sphere for quite some time.  Let's just put it down to the soul sucking process of looking for (and being denied) work and leave it at that.  But if any of you hear of anything remote send it my way please - because at this point I'm actually considering an Only Fans page for something innocuous and random. *sigh*

But back to the post at hand...

A few days ago, I read something somewhere (no, I have no idea where or in what context) that mentioned Upside Down Pineapple cake.  And I thought to myself, I haven't had, heard of, or seen one since I was a mere child.

Do certain foods come in and out of fashion?  I'm guessing they must if I haven't thought about this treat in a million years.  It's weird what stands the test of time (pound cake, anyone) and what doesn't.  So, I decided to make one.

I pulled out my trusty Better Homes & Garden New Cookbook (that my mother misguidedly gave me when I got married; thinking I'd actually use it to make meals.  Hahahaha - we all know how THAT turned out) thinking surely it would have this old fashioned recipe.  And, of course, it does.

So, I set out to make this cake.  And, if I do say so myself, it turned out pretty well.

I will also state, unequivocally, maraschino cherries are disgusting.  And now I have a practically full jar waiting to expire in thee years in my refrigerator. *sigh*

I had a bite (minus the cherry) before I sent it to it's new home (one of my neighbors) and it's actually pretty tasty and moist.  Will it become part of my usual rotation of cakes?  No, probably not.  While good, I didn't consider it be amazing.

But in the interest of sharing, I figured I'd give you the recipe in the event that you want to relieve your childhood too.

1 8oz can of pineapple slices (good luck with that, I could only find a 24 oz can).

2 tablespoons butter (I prefer unsalted)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

Maraschino cherries, halved (If I do make this again, I'd probably just leave them out as they are only good for color)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/3 cup shortening

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Drain pineapple, reserve liquid.  Halve slices (oops. I skipped that part and used whole).  Melt butter in a 9 in round cake pan.  Stir in brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of the reserved pineapple juice.  Add water to remaining liquid to make 2/3 cups.  Arrange pineapple and cherries in the pan.  Combine flour, baking power and 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Beat shortening about 30 seconds.  Add granulated sugar, beat till well combined.  Add egg and vanilla, beat 1 minute.  Add dry ingredients and the 2/3 cup liquid alternately to beaten mixture, beating after each addition.  Spread in pan.  Bake for about 40 minutes.  Cool for 5 minutes; invert onto a plate.

So, tell me, what random food/dessert was part of your childhood that you never see or hear about anymore?  

Not a real post but THE Best Chocolate Cake Ever

The kids were coming over today to celebrate S's birthday...his 30th birthday - how did that child get so old??

So I decided to make a chocolate cake with a chocolate ganache.

Friends, that ganache had me worried.  There's something about heating cream (or milk) on the stove that makes me nervous.  I'd never made ganache before and I was seeing all these warnings about how finicky it can be.  Those people are liars.  It was super easy.

The cake itself I wasn't worried about because I've made it before and it has always turned out perfectly and today was no exception.

When I tell you this is the best chocolate cake ever; I am not even kidding.  It is the most moist and delicious cake that I have ever had the pleasure to eat.  In fact, I've seriously given consideration to giving up any other future cake endeavors in favor of this one (not really). 

So today, I figured I'd share the recipe.

Without further ado -

Chocolate Layer Cake

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salet
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs - room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup hot freshly brewed coffee

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray two round cakes pans with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla.  Slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients just until incorporated.  The slowly beat in the hot fee until incorporated.

Pour the batter into the cake pans and bake for 35 minutes.

Original recipe found here.

I have made this cake with a peanut butter frosting (SO good), a raspberry cream cheese frosting and now with the ganache - and it hasn't failed me yet.  In fact, I'm already planning to use this recipe to make cupcakes for the cul-de-sac Fall block party later this month.  My only conundrum - what type of frosting.

This cake is so darn good - I even posted a
picture to Instagram (who am I?!)

Any suggestions for future frosting?  Do you have a fail safe cake recipe that has never let you down?  If not, you can have this one.

Left to my own devices

 The Husband left yesterday around 10 am for a long weekend visit with his daughter.  And I could not be more delighted.  The only "voices" or noise that I have heard since then is the one podcast I listen to daily and the two work calls that I had this morning.

It has been heavenly.

I'm sure his feelings were a little hurt after I responded with a no when asked if I would miss him.  I'm sorry - but since 2019 I'm very used to sitting in a quiet house and getting things done without having someone underfoot 24/7.  I will be more than ready to have him home after a couple of days but for now?  I'm reveling in the peace and quiet.  

Yes, I now have my home office and I appreciate that I can go in there when I have meetings/Teams calls or need to concentrate on a particular issue/task but...I don't like being stuck in their for the majority of the day.

So yesterday and today found me back at the dining room table for most of the day.

Which was nice since I had a hankering for an oatmeal raisin cookie (original recipe here) and it was a slow morning so I set about baking.  And God only knows what I did wrong but these were the flattest and most sad looking cookies I have ever made - maybe those two unexpected calls in the middle of the process led me to forget baking powder?  

BUT they are still, hands down, the BEST oatmeal raisin cookie,
even if they aren't pretty this time around.

I also happened to notice that my "baby" peony (I don't think I ever mentioned it; but sometime around the beginning of the pandemic I planted a new peony) finally had one bloom with two other buds getting ready to blossom.  Don't tell my other peony - which I do love - but this one might be my favorite.  I had to bring at least one bloom in to enjoy while I can.

A photographer I am not. 
Ignore the broom hanging out in the corner. *sigh*

It's a shame these blooms are so short lived.  It would be heavenly if these blooms just kept coming all spring/summer long.  But I guess I wouldn't appreciate them as much then.

As the forecast for the weekend looks to be a rainy one, I expect that I shall spend tomorrow and Sunday on indoor tasks - of which there are many - and will get the most necessary ones done and, hopefully, a few extras that have been hanging out on my To Do list for far too long.

Other than that, I am expecting it to be a slow and quiet weekend.  What does the weekend have in store for you?  Are you like me and need a little solitude now and then?

Notes from the bunker...

 As you might imagine, life around here has been very quiet - which is welcome after our last brush of excitement, after all that I figure I need to embrace the boring existence.

We have had the tree service out for an estimate and are still reeling from the sticker shock.  I mean, we KNEW it was going to be high...but not quite that high.  But, seeing as this particular company has the equipment to pick up all the trees, feed them into a chipper and drive all the remnants away in one day - well, when you look at it from that angle the estimate seems accurate.

We are hopeful that they can get us on the books for later this week.  Because between you and me?  I'm tired of being flabbergasted all over again when I open the blinds each morning.

My friend's husband was scheduled for shoulder surgery last Friday.  I used this as an opportunity to finally break down and try The Lazy Genius' Absolute Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies.  I have shied away from this recipe for several reasons.  One, because I'm pretty happy with my own recipe.  Two, the dough needs to chill for at least 48 hours.  And three, and this is the big one, the recipe calls for browned butter.  I have never even HEARD of browned butter prior to this recipe.  And it sounds intimidating since, apparently, it can go from browned to burnt fairly quickly.

Now, with all these reasons to NOT make these cookies, why did I choose to go for it?  Mainly, because I kept hearing how amazing these cookies are and I'm trying to move beyond my comfort zone in the baking arena.

So I started the dough last Wednesday afternoon.  And I cannot tell you how much I stressed while browning the butter.  I certainly did not burn it (YAY!) but I have a sneaking suspicion that I didn't brown it enough.  But I powered through and put the cookies in the extra fridge to rest for 48 hours.  

Friday afternoon, I pulled the dough out and started baking.  I cooled the first batch and did a taste test.  Well, that really isn't a fair taste test because ANY chocolate chip cookie warm from the oven is ALWAYS good.  

The true taste test came on Saturday when I had a cookie with my coffee as a treat.  The taste of the cookie IS awesome and I cannot dispute that it is a good cookie.  But...I prefer my chocolate chip cookies to be a little crispier - she prefers a chewier cookie...to each their own.  I think next time, I may make my usual recipe and add the browned butter and see what happens.

At any rate, I sent a big batch down the street to the convalescent and his family and left the remainder at the office for the few people who still go in on a daily basis.

The Husband spent this morning making some food to send down, as my friend is in the trenches, keeping her husband (who has to keep his arm immobile for the next six weeks before he can even think about rehab) comfortable and keeping three children alive.

When I called to let her know we had some food for them, she informed me that all the cookies are already gone.

Once the older two boys showed up at the doorstep to retrieve said food I was told, "Mom ate all the cookies*.  She** wonders if there might be more?"

Unfortunately, there is not.  But I may have promised some treats soon as, obviously, these were a hit two doors down.

I had mentioned my stress over the browned butter on Twitter and friend responded with the news that browned butter in peanut butter cookies is amazing.  After this experience, I can see how that would be outstanding and will be trying that soon.

*I know for a fact she did not.

**I think the "she" in this instance may, in fact, be the boys.

It all started with a craving...

 Sometime last weekend, a particular craving struck.

I say "particular" because this treat isn't one that I would normally crave - oatmeal raisin cookies.

I mean I LIKE oatmeal raisin cookies - but it's rare that I crave them.  Generally, as far as cookies go I prefer chocolate chip or peanut butter.

But there we have it - the craving was for oatmeal raisin for whatever reason.

Sometime back - was it pre-pandemic? Or maybe late last summer/early fall? - who knows, I had this random craving for oatmeal raisin cookies; which I had never made before.  But somewhere, I sourced a recipe that my family gave RAVE reviews (even The Husband, who doesn't "care" for raisins) - although they, much like me, like oatmeal cookies but, given our druthers, would crave a different cookie (chocolate of any kind for The Husband/for Man-Child it's a toss up between spitz or chocolate chip) and I was informed for, future reference, that THIS was the only acceptable oatmeal raisin cookie.

ANYWAY...back to last week's craving.  I went looking for the recipe.  I don't remember much about the making of that original batch but I clearly remember that there was NOT a step that required chilling the dough or them being refrigerator cookies - both of which were the only recipes I had on hand; which I immediately dismissed.

Obviously, way back then, I sourced the recipe from the internet AND I had neglected to print/save the recipe anywhere. *sigh*  Classic me...find something amazing and then completely forget to preserve it.

Off to the internet, to a site where I *thought* I had found the recipe.  Nope.  I continued by searching my archives thinking "Surely, I posted the recipe here!?"  Nope.

On Tuesday, with that itch remaining un-scratched, I had the brilliant idea to search my internet history - without much hope as I was sure I had recently cleared the history/cookies/etc.  Much to my surprise, I found TWO possible recipes - which just goes to show how faulty my memory is as, clearly I haven't actually "recently" cleared my history.  

I opened the one and noticed it required chilled dough and was sure that wasn't it.  I opened the other, not expecting much, read through it and it sounded familiar.  I checked to be sure I had all the ingredients and was pleasantly surprised to discover I did.

So I whipped up a batch - the original recipe can be found here and it was perfect!  I will note that the 1 cup of raisins left me with more raisins than cookie dough - also she must make GIGANTIC cookies as her recipe claims to make 18 but mine yielded about 36.

At any rate - I was able to tamp down that craving.  

In the meantime, I have texted my friend two doors down to come and relieve me of the majority of these cookies for her kids...the ones with a metabolism that will allow them to eat cookies with abandon.

If you have a hankering for oatmeal raisin cookies - or are an oatmeal raisin cookie nut - I highly recommend this recipe...just be sure to "gift" most of them or your bathroom scale will scold you...much like mine has this week.

Anxious baking...it IS a thing.

Let's back up...

About a week ago, The Husband ran into the middle child of my dear friend who tragically died in 2018 - and promptly invited him to dinner.

WHY has it taken two years (seriously? TWO years already?! To me it still feels like yesterday - so I can only imagine it only feels like two seconds to him.) for this to happen?

Mainly, because we didn't have a direct way to reach out.  But still...this kid was a huge part of our lives for so very long.  And, he's missed us -- desperately - especially since his mother's death.  His younger brother went to California to live with his father and other brother.  Leaving this young man here with his grandmother.

So, why the anxiety, you ask?  Because I wasn't sure how he would receive us.  I wasn't sure if this evening would be a total disaster and awkward.

I was on pins and needles all day yesterday in anticipation of this dinner.  This, coupled with the fact that I was not exactly sure how many people would be here - we had also invited the friends two doors down, as we knew they would be delighted to see him again.  I asked Man-Child to come as well, but he had other plans unfortunately.  I was also not sure if he planned to bring his grandmother

At any rate, this meant that dessert needed to be planned.  And, with the uncertainty of exactly how many people would be here and when - I went on a baking frenzy.  After two batches of brownies were made - having Suzanne's bundt pan dilemma in the back of my mind, I decided that the lemon pound cake would be perfect.

So Suzanne, here is a cake that will work beautifully in your bundt pan.  But really any type of cake recipe will work - put preferably one that doesn't need icing - as that would probably be a pain.

Cake Ingredients

• A yellow cake recipe or if you want to make your life easier - and who doesn't? - a yellow butter cake mix (my personal favorite?  Duncan Hines Buttery Golden mix)
• 1 cup of plain flour
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup of milk
• 3 eggs (room temperature)
• 8 oz sour cream
• 1 stick butter (softened)
• 1 teaspoon of pure lemon extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix it all together well.  Generously (and I do mean GENEROUSLY) spray the pan with Pam with flour.  Pour the mix into the pan and bake for one hour.  Put a plate upside down on top of the pan and flip it over.  If you greased the pan well it should just slid right off the cake.

Glaze Ingredients

• 1/2 stick of butter
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup of sugar (it really doesn't matter, I promise either portion will work)
• juice of a lemon
• lemon rind grated
• confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)

Put the first four ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a boil; stir in powdered sugar (just eyeball it) stirring until the powdered sugar melts completely.  Pour over hot cake.

Yum!

After this cake was done, I moved on to the cornbread which was to accompany The Husband's dinner of fried chicken.

So, as you can see, anxious baking IS a thing.

But the anxiety was for naught.  The dinner and the company was perfect.  It wasn't terribly awkward after the first few minutes.  He and his grandmother were delighted to see us and the friends two doors down.  I may have sobbed after they all left due to all the emotion that was brought to the forefront of my mind - but all in all, I would say the dinner was a success.

They did tell us that his father wants him to move out to Oregon, where he and the other two boys moved to recently.  His grandmother seems to think he would have better opportunities out there.  I'm not so sure; but then it's not my call to make.  We shall see if his father comes through.  His track record isn't the best regarding follow through though.  

Luckily, he is completely aware of his dad's flakiness and won't be devastated if the plan falls apart.  We also told him, we would help him figure it out if it came to that - as his grandmother hopes to move to Arizona to be near her sister and niece.

So, K - if you are listening; your boy is doing very well.  You would be so very proud of the man he has become.  I know I am.  And we will continue to keep an eye on him and the others.  Love you.

Bake and learn...

We are having some of my favorite people over for dinner tonight.  So, of course, yesterday morning found me mulling over what dessert to make - because we all know that's why they are coming...not for whatever scraps The Husband will manage to pull together.... ;-)

Eventually, I had it narrowed down to either a coconut cake (one of the children consistently asks if I have made this every time they come over, so it's safe to say it's his favorite) or a peach cobbler.

The coconut cake I have made before, obviously.  The peach cobbler?  Never.  I have not attempted a cobbler in any shape or form before at all.

Then, me being me, I decided that both desserts would not be too over the top because I can send some of each home with our friends and some home with Man-Child, should he decide to grace us with his presence today.  And whatever is left over The Husband and I can take to work to be devoured.  Plus, I've been trying to break out of my comfort zones when it comes to baking, thus the cobbler.

This time around, I decided to make the coconut cake as a sheet cake rather than a layered one.  I prefer the layered type but it can get messy.  I figured the sheet cake would contain the mess.

Here's the modified recipe I use for the coconut cake (original recipe found here).

Ingredients (Printable recipe here)

White cake (either homemade or boxed is fine)
1 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk*
1 14 oz can of cream of coconut*
1 16 oz package whipped topping, thawed*
1 8 oz package of flaked coconut

Prepare and bake white cake according to recipe/boxed mix directions.  Remove cake from the oven.  While still hot, use a long fork to poke holes all over the top.

Mix cream of coconut and sweetened condensed milk; pour over the still hot cake.  Let cake cool completely, frost with whipped topping and garnish with the flaked coconut.

*If you decide to go with a sheet cake instead of layers, you can probably half all of these ingredients.  Of course, this did not occur to me until I had used a majority of the cream of coconut and sweetened condensed milk mixture.  So I fully expect this cake to be tooth-achingly sweet.  Something, I am sure, that won't bother the children!

For the peach cobbler, I went with a recipe that I'd found in the paper years and years ago - based on how yellowed the page was...it was simple and straightforward.  So, of course, I completely botched the first batch up!  This is also why I should really focus on one recipe at a time, particularly when making something new; oh well, live and learn.  Or in this case, bake and learn.

Fruit Cobbler (Printable Recipe)

Ingredients

1 stick of butter
1 cup of sugar
3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons of baking soda
3/4 cup of milk
2 cups of fruit - fresh, canned or frozen (sweetened to taste)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Melt the butter in a medium or large Pyrex baking dish.

Stir sugar and flour together in a bowl.  Stir in milk.  Pour over melted butter.  Do not stir.  Pour the fruit on top.  Bake for one hour.

Seems almost too easy, doesn't it?  First tip - when given the option of a medium or large Pyrex dish; opt for the medium.  Trust me.  Second tip - wear your reading glasses and pay actual attention to the fact that it says pour over melted butter.  How do I have the knowledge to offer this second tip?  Because in hindsight, I only put a 1/4 cup of milk into the flour and sugar mixture as I ended up spooning the mixture over the butter.  But I pressed on.  And utterly failed.

The baking dish was too large so the result was an ultra thin, semi-burned mixture.  So while it tasted okay, it was completely unacceptable.  The entire dish was tossed into the trash and the baking dish is still soaking in hopes that I can salvage it.

Of course, I was undeterred and tried again.  I have a feeling that this time I've nailed it.

The plan is to warm it and serve it with vanilla ice cream - yum!

This morning found me up extra early and what happens when I have too much time on my hands?  Well, I created this post and currently there are two loaves of no-knead bread rising, if that tells you anything...

If you don't have 16 hours to spare...but maybe 5-ish hours?

When we last left off, I had just finished binge reading book while mindlessly dropping pistachio shells into my drink...

I also forgot to mention that I took today and tomorrow off just because.  Occasionally, one just needs a four day weekend for no real reason at all; so I did.

Yesterday found me ready to wander out into the big bed in the back yard for just an hour.  Yeah, right.  That easily morphed into two and a half hours, thanks to (say it with me now!) "that damn blackberry bush" and a new-to-me weed that seems to be immune to Preen.  And I'm still not done.  But the rest will have to wait until next weekend, I'm afraid.

At any rate, today - the last day before I head back to work - I decided to make it a more relaxing kind of day...so I decided to tackle making bread...again.  Although, in retrospect, today the weather would have been kinder for outdoor work.

Oh well...too late now!

Long time readers may recall that many, many, many years ago I somehow was able to successfully create a perfect bread on my very first attempt.  Any and all subsequent attempts have been utter failures.

Today I searched out a quick and easy no-knead bread (because I didn't have or want to spend 16 hours or more on it) and came across an adaptation of the original recipe, which that link takes you back to my original blog post; as the original is now behind a paywall, I believe.

The recipe I used today can be found here...for how long, who knows?

Now to be fair, I did not watch the video, so I didn't use any of the "tricks" that were mentioned in the Cooking Notes/Comments section.  But I did do a couple of things that weren't mentioned in the recipe, I'll share them below. These couple of things were key I think to this bread turning out perfectly!

So perfectly that The Bread Snob (aka The Husband) has been raving about this bread...which came out of the oven right before he walked in after work.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

3 cups bread flour (I used regular because that's what I had in the pantry)
1 packet (1/4 ounce) instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoon of salt (I thought that was too much so I used maybe half a teaspoon?)
1 1/2 cup of water
Oil as needed

Before anything I started the oven just to get it warm; this isn't mentioned in the original recipe, but based on other sites I read, I thought it might be helpful.  In my opinion, it was very helpful!  Particularly, since it's summertime in the South and the air conditioning means the house is cool.

Combine flour, yeast in a large bowl.  Add the (warm!) water and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap.  Here's where I turned the oven off - and let the dough rest for about four hours in the warm oven.

Lightly oil a work surface and place dough on it; fold it over on itself once or twice.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap (I oiled the wrap that would touch the dough, this was key, as it kept the wrap from sticking to the dough) and let rest for thirty minutes.  (Notice, this recipe does not require you to add flour to the working surface...that was the downfall on my last couple of attempts - it made the bread too flour-y.  Using a canola oil spray was genius!)

As soon as the dough was resting for the second time,  I put my dutch oven into the oven and let it heat to 450 degrees while the dough rested.

When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven.  Slide your hand under the dough and put it into the dutch oven; seam side up (I didn't have a seam for some reason?  Also, that oiled surface?  Made picking the sticky dough up so easy!).  Shake pan once or twice to distribute uneven dough.

Cover with the lid and bake for thirty minutes, remove lid and bake another 15-30 minutes; until the loaf is browned.  Cool on a wire rack.

SOOOOO good!

Enjoy!

If you try it, let me know what you think.  Also?  This success completely absolves me of the abject failure of the cake I made (and didn't blog about) on Saturday...

Dead Car and Key Lime Pie - it all ties together, I promise.

Before we begin, fair warning.  It's a long one.  Go to the bathroom, grab a drink and a snack, take a nap, etc.

So yesterday was the day my car decided to leave me stranded in the grocery store parking lot.

It had been fine.  Haven't had any issues.  It drove from work to the store without a hiccup - until I got back into the car and it wouldn't start.  I figured my key fob battery had died.  Since I live in fear of that fob dying and me being stranded, I always keep extras with me so I was able to change the battery fairly quickly.  It didn't work.

Then I began a barrage of phone calls to The Husband.  I called both cell phones multiple times all while cursing a blue streak.  Just last week, he had testily informed me that *I* never answer the phone when he calls; so you can imagine the thoughts I was having as the phone just rang and rang and rang; always going to voicemail.  They weren't pretty.

Then I tried another new battery in the fob - while still dialing one number and another and cursing.  That didn't work.  But, hallelujah, I was somehow able to get the windows down in the car which gave me some relief on the 90 degree day, but not much.

Eventually, he finally heard one of his phones ringing and answered.  I'd like to say that I greeted him warmly and was full of grace.

Sadly, I did not.

At any rate, he got the message loud and clear that I was stranded and that he needed to come help me immediately.  As I was sitting there trying vainly to talk the car into fixing itself, The Husband called to tell me that he had to stop to get jumper cables.  This bit of info did NOT need to be relayed to me at that very moment.  Especially since I was pretty sure he had stashed some cables somewhere in my car already.  Turns out, I was right about that.

He finally arrived and tried to jump the car; to no avail.  One guy drifted over to help.  And then another.  And then another, who walked up and said, "Are any of you guys mechanics?"  To which, they all replied no.  He, however, was a mechanic who works on airplanes.  I thought he would be my savior in this whole mess.  Actually, they all were; including The Husband, despite the fact that I called him fifteen million times before he answered.  It's nice to realize that there are still kind people in this world that are willing to help.

Eventually, the mechanic somehow got the car to start.  He warned us not to turn the car off for at least thirty minutes and all the men began to wander away as we called out our heartfelt thanks to those angels.  The Husband gave me the keys to his car to drive home and said he would follow in mine, just in case.

Not even ten minutes down the road my phone began to ring.  That darn car had died before he could even get it out of the parking lot.  *sigh*  So I turned around to pick him up.  My car guy was put on notice and said he'd check it out this morning.

So this became a "work from home" day for me today.  And, let me tell you, I am extremely grateful for the flexibility my boss gives me for occasions like this one.  Luckily, I knew it would be fairly slow as he, and several others, are out of the office this week.  As predicted, it was.  So I was able to get a few things done around the house and then I had a thought... more on that in a minute...

***

A week or so ago, my friend's husband (the ones that live two doors down) had helped The Husband with tuning up our lawn mower and then putting in a microwave.  To thank him for his help and her for loaning him to us for several hours, we had them over for dinner.  I knew from past conversations that he really likes key lime pie so I went in search of a recipe and found the world's easiest and best key lime pie recipe ever.  Well, to be fair, prior to that key lime pie I had only made one other before and it was okay.  But this recipe?  To die for.  And super easy.

***

So, back to that thought I had - I realized I had the majority of the ingredients on hand and asked The Husband to pick up one item for me and I decided to re-create the recipe (while keeping an eye on work email) WITH pictures (look at me thinking ahead like all the "real" bloggers do!) for you!

Well, I mean, unless you come knocking on my door you won't get to taste it, but you too will have this fabulous, easy recipe in your back pocket next time you need a dessert.

I found the recipe here.  If you are a foodie, a baker, or just someone who needs an idea of what to make for dinner, check out her site - it's chock full of recipes, desserts, etc.

I think one of the things that makes this pie so ridiculously good is the crust.  As she notes in her post, a homemade graham cracker crust is MUCH better than a store bought one.  I can not master a pie crust to save my life, so I was a little apprehensive.  Had I known just how easy a homemade graham cracker crust was, I would have been making them all the darn time.

Without further ado, here you go.

Graham cracker crust:

1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs (I eyeballed it and figured a sleeve of crackers would do it. It did)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons of butter melted

Filling:

28 oz of sweetened condensed milk (basically, two 14 oz cans)
1/2 cup light sour cream (I used regular and it was fine, I'll try it with light next time.  And there will be a next time!)
3/4 cup key lime juice (Found in the alcohol aisle with all the other mixers.  If it matters, I used Nellie & Joe's Key West Lime Juice)
Zest from 2 regular limes or 4 key limes

You will notice here that I did not include the recipe for the Whipped Cream topping.  That's because I was obsessing over the crust the first time I made it.  And I didn't bother this time either.  Mainly, because I can live without whipped cream and, honestly - this pie can stand on its own and doesn't need it, in my humble opinion.

Before anything, preheat the oven to 375.  Then we turn to the graham cracker crust.  First you need to create some crumbs.  You can use a food processor or just do what I did - drop the crackers into a ziplock bag and beat the hell out them with a meat tenderizer; or as I like to call it, a meat hammer.  You can really create some fine crumbs when you are taking your car frustrations out on those crackers.

Of course, I neglected to take a picture of the crumbs in the bag,
so you get a shot of the meat hammer instead.

Next, mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter together

Right before I added the melted butter

After thoroughly mixing up the crumbs, sugar and butter press the mixture into a pie pan and bake for 7 minutes.  Let it cool for 30 minutes.

On to the delicious filling...now we need to lower the oven temperature to 350.  Whisk the sweetened condensed milk, sour cream, lime juice, and lime zest in a medium bowl.

Yum!

Pour over prepared crust

And bake for 10 minutes.  Let it cool and then refrigerate for at least three hours. And you end up with this deliciousness.

Can't wait to cut into this!

And guess who decided to stay for dinner?  Once he realized what was hanging out in the refrigerator?

Yes, the elusive Man-Child

The Husband was also pretty pleased - especially since he had SO anticipated that last sliver from the previous pie; only to be foiled by me.  It's actually kind of funny - he isn't a dessert eater and I am not one to partake often...but we both wanted that last piece of pie; I just beat him to it then.  Now, he has a chance to redeem himself.

As for the stupid car?  We think it may be the alternator.  *sigh*  I think we will have it towed to my car guy's place tomorrow.  It's a good thing we have some pie to ease the sting of this unexpected blow to our budget.

A treat to celebrate getting those pesky taxes done...

Before I left for Texas (yes, by now, I've gone and returned) The Husband declared that the weekend after I returned we would do our taxes, and that weekend?  It was today.

As I've mentioned before, several times, I HATE doing our taxes.  Usually, I am the one at the keyboard asking The Husband for the necessary data while he scrambles through the assorted paperwork to find the information, usually throwing out an "I DON'T know!  I can't find it!  Oh!  Here it is!"  In addition to doing our taxes, I had to show Man-Child how to do his taxes.  Fun, fun.  Especially, since the sun was shining and the day was glorious...here's hoping tomorrow's forecast is more of the same, so maybe I can get out and play in the dirt.

But to be fair, this time - for both our taxes and Man-Child's - was fairly uncomplicated and dealt with without all the hand-wringing and "I DON'T knows!"

And as a reward for getting those pesky taxes over and done with, I decided that I would make a chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting...

It is currently sitting in the fridge for the requisite hour - I can't wait to try it.  I found the recipe here. 

As for the trip home?

I had a great time - as I always do when spending time with one of my oldest friends.  She is getting married in May and I was happy to help her get some wedding planning squared away (Dress? Check.  Cake?  Check.  Centerpieces? Check.  Minister?  Check.  Venue?  Check.  What the groom will wear?  Check.  Yes, we WERE busy!) all while playing "catch up."

Were their hiccups along the way?  Of course.  We are talking about me after all.  But my suitcase finally caught up with me, I didn't run out of gas and I eventually made it home.  And the taxes are done for another year.  And I have cake waiting for me...so I have no reason to complain, no reason at all.

(FYI, I just had a very small slice and,...if I do say so myself, it IS delicious!)

A brownie is a brownie is a brownie...or is it?

Last weekend, I asked The Husband to pick up two boxes of brownie mix.  I had planned on making brownies for our car guy as he was going to work on my car, on his day off no less, and that's just one of the many reasons he is our car guy.  The other mix was just to have on hand for when the next "brownie emergency" cropped up. What, you don't have "brownie emergencies?"

Now, knowing that I make all of my cookies and most of my cakes from scratch - you are probably wondering why I don't make brownies from scratch.  And there is a reason.  It's quite possibly the STUPIDEST reason in the world. . .

It's because I don't keep cocoa powder on hand.  Why?  Probably because most of the cookies or cakes in general rotation around here don't call for it.  Generally, I keep plenty of those ingredients on hand...but not cocoa powder.

At any rate, I sent The Husband off with no further instruction as to what buy other than "brownie mix."  To be honest, I figured he would come home with the cheapest brownie mix he could find.  Which was fine by me because a brownie mix is a brownie mix, right?

At least, I used to think that.

He came home with two boxes of Ghirardelli Double Chocolate brownie mix with chocolate chips.  And I am just here to tell you that, hands down, this mix kills the myth that a brownie is a brownie.  Of course, I would never turn down a brownie that was whipped up from another mix, because brownies are delicious.  But these brownies?  Oh, so heavenly.  And I can confirm our car guy thoroughly enjoyed his batch.

As usual - blurry picture

Man-Child dropped by after I had already passed the brownies on to the car guy and as he was walking in he noticed the empty box in the recycling container and, literally, the first words out his mouth was "Where are the brownies?"  So I promised to make him some this weekend.  See?  I knew a "brownie emergency" was imminent.

But now that I see, in writing, how stupid my reason is for not making homemade brownies, I will promptly buy a can of cocoa powder and await the next "brownie emergency" so I can try my hand at homemade brownies.  In the meantime, take my word for it, if you need a brownie mix this one is fabulous.

Now about that pie crust that I also don't make from scratch - well, that will never happen because no matter how hard I try, I just cannot master that.



Not sponsored in any way, shape or form.  Promise.

The cake that didn't want to be made...twice!

Yesterday was The Husband's birthday and we had planned to have our friends two doors down over for dinner and dessert.  The idea was to celebrate The Husband's birthday and Man-Child's birthday (which was a MONTH ago!).

The reason we hadn't celebrated MC's birthday yet was because getting him here to actually do so has been impossible with his schedule of late.

At any rate, I planned to make a praline cake - yes, not a traditional birthday cake, but a cake that Man-Child loves.  The Husband, who typically doesn't eat many of the sweet treats I make, scoffed at that cake.  I offered to make something else but he said no.

Then, as I pulled out my recipe binder, I remembered I had his mother's recipe for his all time favorite dessert; the one he always requested for his birthday when he was younger - and just like that I was making two desserts.

With relatively no issues, I whipped up the base for the "pudding pie" for The Husband and set about to making the praline cake while it cooled before finishing it up.

Truly, I can't even call this recipe "baking" as you use a boxed cake mix but it is - usually - incredibly easy.  I am sharing it here both because I think some of you might like it and because it will help to explain what happened in both instances.

Praline Cake

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1/2 cup packed brown sugar (as always, I prefer dark brown sugar)
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons dark corn syrup
1 pkg SuperMoist Butter Pecan cake mix

Heat oven to 350.  Mix pecans, brown sugar, butter and corn syrup in small bowl, with a spoon.  Spread on bottom of un-greased rectangular pan.  Prepare cake mix as directed on package.  Pour batter carefully over the pecan mixture.  Bake as directed on package (35-40 minutes).  When done, run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen; immediately turn pan upside down onto heatproof serving tray or wire rack.  Leave pan over cake for about 5 minutes; remove pan.  Serve warm or cool.

When the praline cake was finished baking, I pulled it from the oven, ran the knife around the edges, and prepared to turn the cake upside down...

 ...and promptly lost my grip and the entire cake exploded onto the stove top.  Ruined.  The entire cake was a total loss and the incredible, sticky mess was, luckily, contained to the stove top.  Thank goodness I was home alone as I may have let a few unladylike words fly.

I threw the ruined cake in the trash, cleaned up the sticky, gooey mess and headed to the grocery for supplies - this cake was going to be made come hell or high water.

Upon returning home, I started the whole process again.  While the cake was in the oven, I finished off the pudding pie.  And, in the event that anyone wants that recipe, I'll share it here.  Also, not really baking.

Pudding Pie

1/2 lb butter (2 sticks of butter)
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans is my preferred nut for this recipe)
1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup powdered sugar
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup Cool Whip
2 4 oz packages instant chocolate pudding
3 cups of milk
1 chocolate bar

Mix flour, butter and nuts with a fork or pastry blender.  Spread in 9 x 13 pan and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.  Set aside to cool completely.

Beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar and Cool Whip.  Spread over the cooled crust.  Mix up instant chocolate pudding and milk.  Spread this mixture over the cream cheese layer.  Spread the remaining Cool Whip over the last layer.  Grate the chocolate bar over the top.  Refrigerate for four hours or overnight.

As I was finishing up the pudding pie (which The Husband was delighted to see), The Husband was hovering around the kitchen waiting for me to finish so we could go to lunch.  And, as he told me repeatedly, he was starving.

As I pulled the cake from the oven, I thought it seemed a little jiggly but the toothpick I had used to check for done-ness came out clean.  The Husband flipped the cake for me, as I had told him about the first cake.  In my rush to wrap up this process, I neglected to leave the pan over the cake for the required five minutes.  Turns out, this step is pretty crucial to the recipe.  It doesn't ruin the cake, but it helps to firm up the topping (which was in the bottom of the pan).

We left for lunch, only to come home to discover that a lot of the praline "juice" had run off the sides of cake - once again leaving a sticky mess on the stove top. *sigh*  And, even worse...the center of the cake had collapsed!  Despite the toothpick being clean, the cake clearly could have done with another ten minutes in the oven.  Luckily, it was only that one, small part - the rest of the cake was fine.

You know what is next to impossible to photograph?  The collapsed part of the cake.  The topping serves as a fine camouflage...

This angle kinda shows the collapse...but also shows what happens when you neglect to leave the pan on for the required five minutes.

At this point, there wasn't time to make it again, so I called it "good enough."  I also neglected to take a picture of the pudding pie...I am clearly failing as a "food" blogger. ;-)

Despite, the collapse, this cake was a clearly a hit.  Man-Child took the rest home and will, hopefully, share with his roommate...but I have a feeling he may hide it.

The pudding pie was also well received, I did notice that The Husband didn't offer to send any of it home with MC though...

New York City and Bread

So, in the event you aren't on Twitter...

Man-Child is headed off on an adventure - by himself!! - send prayers for both him and his mother; who will be a nervous wreck until he's home safe. #lettingthemfly #easytosay #hardertodo

— Gigi (@gigirambles) April 2, 2018

Man-Child headed out last night about 9:00 pm - destination NYC.  By himself.  I did not approve of this solo venture...but what could I say, because The Husband so astutely pointed out - he IS an adult (technically).  He also reminded me that when he was Man-Child's age he moved to Houston alone.  And that I was married when I was at that age.  Funny how when you are on this side - the parent side - your child/adult child doesn't seem to be old enough for things that you did at that age.

As a side note, Man-Child just called me in a panic - it seems he has lost his glasses.  You know, the things he needs to see (and drive) with...*sigh*  We are hoping he finds them - otherwise huge hassle.  Which he very well may - he "lost" his wallet right before he left only to find it under a pile of clothes. *sigh*

Why he continues to insist that he doesn't need them all the time, I'll never know.  But I do know this - based on how often he is squinting to see something far away he will have a major case of crow's feet before he hits thirty.

And then we segue to bread...

Remember WAY back to the time when I actually made homemade bread successfully?  Yeah, I can't believe it's been seven years either...so much for that recipe being a "keeper."  During this time off, I thought it would be a good idea to try that recipe again...seven years later.

Way back then I bookmarked the site but that bookmark will not let me see the recipe anymore.  It took me awhile but eventually it occurred to me that I may have blogged about it...and viola a quick search proved that I did AND I not only included the link, the full recipe and how I did it.  And that folks is why you should blog about EVERY LITTLE THING - eventually it will come in handy.

So I set about bread making.  The result - NOTHING like the original.  In fact, it was SO awful that it went straight into the trash.  Then it became a mission - that was postponed because of Easter.

Our Easter was spent with great friends and wonderful food.  The Husband thought I was crazy when I set up the bread fifteen minutes before they were to arrive - but he doesn't seem to understand - there is a time formula here.  The bread must set up for a long time...so I needed to start it then in order to be held hostage at home this morning until it was time to bake...as I noted in the link above...if you have about 16 hours to kill...

Here's today's version...

I was pleased with the result.  The crust was crisp and the bread tasty.  The Husband?  He thought it ok but hadn't risen as much as the original.

So I searched out the photo from before...

Hmmm...maybe he's right.  *sigh* Back to the drawing board for me.  Although, it will have on a weekend...see 16 hours/being held hostage.

Cream Cheese Pie

Since it was requested from my last post (okay, it wasn't actually requested, but Suburban Correspondent was curious...) today I will tell you how to make a cream cheese pie.

This pie (or more specifically three of these pies) has been a staple for Thanksgiving since I was a child.  And you should realize this does not technically fall under the term "Baking."  Instead it falls under the term "Mixing Up a Few Things and it Works."

You should also realize, my mom was not a baker - so it's no wonder this was a Thanksgiving and Christmas staple.  Generally, we had chocolate, cherry and blueberry.  Occasionally, a lemon one would sneak in.

I have found this recipe which claims to make one pie.  The directions I have make enough for three and I figured I would spare you the drama of trying to make only one from that - of which I have consistently failed.  I'll probably use that recipe this year instead.

Without further ado - you will need:

1 9-in graham cracker crust
1 8 oz package of cream cheese
1 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp of vanilla
1/3 cup of lemon juice
filling of choice (as stated earlier, usually chocolate pudding, cherry or blueberry pie filling)

Beat cream cheese until fluffy.  Gradually beat in condensed milk until smooth.  Stir in lemon juice and vanilla.  Pour into piecrust; top with filling.  Chill until set (I usually make these a day ahead and that seems to be okay).

As I said, "baking" it's not - but it IS easy, quick and delicious.  And obviously, a favorite of Man-Child's.

Nothing says Thanksgiving like Lemon Pound Cake

Three posts in three days?  I know, I'm as perplexed as you are...

Well, actually, I'm off work this week and am trying to get back into the whole blogging groove.

All my Thanksgiving chores, with the exception of ironing that pesky tablecloth (which will be done tomorrow).  Including the last dessert, the Lemon Pound Cake.  Speaking of which, I just found a glob of cake batter in my hair - how did that happen?! *sigh*

But, the cake did turn out lovely...

Isn't it pretty?

But I expected nothing less with this particular recipe.  So here is my Thanksgiving gift to you - this recipe never fails to turn out the most amazing cake.  And, bonus?  It's EASY.  So if you are ever in need of no-fail, crowd pleasing dessert, here you go.

Lemon Pound Cake

1 box yellow butter cake mix (Duncan Hines Butter Golden)
1 cup plain flour
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
3 eggs
8 oz sour cream
1 stick butter (softened)
1 teaspoon lemon flavoring

Mix together well and bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Lemon Glaze

1/2 stick butter
1/2-3/4 cup sugar
juice of a lemon
lemon grind (grated)
confectioner's sugar

Boil the butter, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest for a few minutes, stir in powdered sugar; pour over hot cake.

If you are using a fancy bundt pan with lots of ridges, etc it is important to spray the pan generously with Pam, the kind that has flour in it.  And by generously, I mean GENEROUSLY.  This will help the cake slide right out of the pan without to much damage.

Now, I realize that Lemon Pound Cake isn't a traditional Thanksgiving dessert but Man-Child requested Lemon Bars.  Now Lemon Bars, in my opinion, are a very casual, summer-y dessert, so I went with this recipe instead - and he will be over the moon when he gets home and realizes he's getting this cake, in addition to the pumpkin and apple pies.

Have a very happy and safe Thanksgiving and know that I will be counting you among my blessings tomorrow.

A recipe post from a woman who doesn't cook

A couple of weekends ago we went to the local Greek festival and because I'm me, I didn't get ANY pictures, but we had a great time.  We enjoyed the dancing (the littles were SO cute and the others were AMAZING!) and we had to check out the food.

Man-Child was all about the desserts, I can't even remember all of the goodies that we brought home.  But the one thing that was intriguing to me was the Spanakopita (spinach pie).  That was the one item I couldn't wait to try.

Now, before we go further there is something you need to know about me.  Spinach and I have a love/hate relationship.

As in I simply CANNOT stand spinach if it is steamed (or whatever) and slopped on a plate.  Oh sure, I'll eat it but I won't enjoy it.  BUT, if that very same vegetable is chopped and placed into something else, well then?  Then it becomes AMAZING.

In fact, the Spinach Artichoke souffle that Panera's offers is something I could eat every single day, no lie.

And, as per usual, once I got my hands on the Spanakopita I was in heaven.  So much so that I had to source a recipe and figure out how to make this heavenly delight.  Many long time readers know, I don't cook.  Yeah, I'll bake on occasion but cook?  Food?  For people to consume?  SOOOO not my thing.  In fact, I've actually been asked NOT to cook for my family, true story (Although, now that I think about it, technically this could be considered baking but since it involves chopping, sauteeing AND a vegetable, I'm calling it cooking).

I followed this recipe - minus the parsley because we didn't have any on hand.  Although, I almost added cilantro by mistake (which proves my point about why I don't cook); which almost certainly would have ruined the recipe.

Now, as a non-cook I can say this is a pretty easy dish...IF you think it through enough to thaw the frozen spinach beforehand (which pretty much tells you I did not).  Yes, I found myself spending an inordinate amount of time running cold water over the spinach.  But, in the end, it was all worth it because it was DELICIOUS!

And how do I know (other than my own tastebuds singing after trying it)?  Because The Husband aka The Chef raved about it when he tried it.  AND?  He ate it cold and still enjoyed it.

I'm going to have to watch myself.  God knows, I don't want to become known as a cook.

Yeah, I know...not the best picture.  But believe me, it was delicious!

BH&G may give you the recipe but *I* give you just a bit more

After yesterday's post I received a tweet...

@gigirambles umm if u really wanted to pay it forward you would post the recipe. LOL
— Jpm2375 (@needsatimeout) August 22, 2013

(Random note - I totally need to update all my social media avatars.  Somebody remind me to do that soon.)

And, I must admit - she has a point.  So without further ado, here is my super-secret, super-yummy recipe for awesome chocolate chip cookies (which, in all honesty, comes directly from the Better Homes & Garden cookbook that my mother misguidedly gave me after I got married some 22 years ago.  Apparently, even my own mother didn't realize just how disinterested I was in cooking.  Seriously, Mom?!  But, I will admit - the baking section has gotten a workout over the years - which explains the spattered pages that are falling out of the book; while the rest of the book remains pristine and untouched).

Gigi's Awesome Chocolate Chip Cookies:

(better known as, Better Homes & Garden chocolate chip cookies - but they won't tell you the things that I've learned through the years - so there!)

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt (eh, I use more of "pinch", if I use it all)
1/2 cup of butter or margarine (forget the margarine - if you are baking, it needs to be butter)
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup packed brown sugar (use the dark brown sugar - not the light brown sugar, trust me.  And when they say "packed" they mean PACKED)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (forget that - use the whole bag - otherwise you will wind up with a 1/4 cup of chips left and what can you do with that?  Nothing!)
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (I totally skip this.  I'm a purist when it comes to chocolate chip cookies.  Besides, these days you have to worry about random nut allergies)

Stir together flour, soda and salt.  In a mixer bowl, beat butter and shortening on medium speed for about 30 seconds - or however long it takes you to gather the next ingredients.  Add the sugars and beat till fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla and beat well.  Add the dry ingredients (flour, soda, salt mixture - being sure to cover the mixer with a towel so it doesn't fly all over the kitchen - can you guess how many years it took me to figure this out?) and beat till well combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips (OK, AND the nuts, if you insist. But, I'm telling you, that just ruins them).  Drop from a teaspoon about two inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheets (the oldest, most beat up cookie sheets you own.  Trust me.  For some reason the new, fancy cookie sheets just don't make the best cookies - this is why I refuse to get new ones).  Immediately remember you forgot to preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Impatiently drum your fingers while you wait for the oven to *ding* when it's preheated and finally, toss the cookies in for about 8 to 10 minutes (depending on your oven).

I have found that the larger you make the cookies the softer they are.  I prefer crispy cookies, so I make mine relatively small (much to Hubby's chagrin - but then he isn't a purist either.  He'd be giddy if I threw walnuts in there - but that's not gonna happen).  If you go with the smaller cookies, this recipe should make about 72 or so cookies.

Now, go forth and bake!  Just be sure to share them.

If you have about 16 hours to kill....

Reading blogs earlier in the week found me over at Mariliz's Musings and she had me salivating over some fresh bread she had just made.  She was kind enough to share the link to the recipe, which you can see here or just continue reading and I'll share how I did it and the results.

Now, as we all know I am not a cook.  But I do love to bake on occasion however, I've never made bread and as this particular recipe only has 4 steps to it and does not require kneading I figured I'd give it a go.  The only problem is that even though there are only 4 steps it takes forever!  It's not like you can whip it up and stick it in the oven - ah well, good things come to those that wait (I hope).

Ingredients:
3 cups all purpose flour or bread flour; more will be needed for dusting
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast (here's where I ran into the first problem.  Hubby brought home "RapidRise" yeast - but it turns out that is the same thing as instant yeast.  Whew! Crisis averted)
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed (turns out I didn't need this)

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water (??? my math skills are awful and none of my cups had that measurement so I used 1 and almost 2/3 cup-I'm sure it's fine), and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy (???) and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

Does that look shaggy to you? Also let me apologize for the poor quality - using the cell phone again.  

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

Looks ready for the next step....I left it for about 16 hours

Ready to be wrapped for the next rest

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

Final resting - it claims it will double in size.  I have my doubts.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Getting the dough from the towel and into the pan is a messy process....

Ready for the oven....and would you look at that - it DID double in size.

And now, we wait...

Finally!!!

Yum!  Looks good enough to eat!

The verdict?  It's delicious!  The family voted this recipe to be a keeper.

Thanks, Mariliz for getting me to try something new!