Cold Feet

Yup, I have them, cold feet. No not the flighty, nervous type. Literally, I just cold feet. I have always loved being in the cold. I grew up with snow in Colorado. I just got used to it. I wore lots of socks, especially to bed. So on this Valentines Day week, I send an ode to my Hubby. Thanks for having warm feet. I know when I get into bed each night, they will warm my toes up. For the last 5.5 years I have not had to worry about having cold feet or wearing socks to bed. I have had my phases where the socks had to stay on, but your feet were always there for an extra burst of warmness. So yes blog readers, you may think I am odd, but don't you hate having cold feet?

Oh, I also have cold hands too, so the come on always could have worked for me.

"Are your hands cold? I can warm them up for you."

Although most the time, my pockets came in quite handy. That, or the fact that my long sleeve shirts had a hole for my thumb in the ribbing. That was before they made them into the shirts like they do now. Best style idea as of lately. But hey, like they say "Cold hands, Warm Heart," Or Cold feet, Warm..." Oh, you finish it.

Rise to the Occasion

I have always loved to bake - cookies, cakes, pies, quick breads, muffins - you name it. But until about 10 years ago, if I ever saw a recipe that called for yeast, I avoided it. If you haven't worked much, or at all, with yeast, it can be intimidating...all the kneading, rising, punching, waiting. But, these days I have a healthy collection of recipes with yeast. Since I got my super duper wheat grinder a couple of years ago, I'm making a dent in our wheat food storage, and I make two loaves of bread about every other week.

The key with working with yeast is temperature and the ratio of yeast, flour and liquid. Here are some tips to consider:

1. If a recipe calls for an actual measurement of yeast but you only have packets, one packet is equal to a scant tablespoon.
2. "Proof" your yeast. Combine yeast and water in a ratio of 1 tablespoon yeast to 1/2 cup of warm water. "Warm" is relative, so it should be around 110 to 120 degrees. If you don't have a thermometer, it's similar to the temperature you'd make a baby bottle. Any warmer than 140 degrees and you risk "killing" the yeast and it won't rise. You can add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar to the yeast and water to help speed up the bubbling action. You might think it makes sense to add the salt now too. Yeast doesn't like salt and will be happier if you add it after you stir in the first cup of flour. Also, if you mix the yeast, water and salt as directed and nothing happens, you probably have old yeast and will need to get some new and start again.
3. Whether you're making a stiffer dough for bread or a softer dough for pizza dough or rolls, it should always be kneaded until it's smooth, elastic-like, and free of lumps. Of course, this is easy to do with a mixer fitted with a dough hook, but think of those awesome arms you'll get doing it by hand!
4. Let it rise. There are usually two stages of rising. The first is after the dough is kneaded. Put it in an oiled bowl (I just use the same bowl I mixed it in) and put it in a warm place. There's that word "warm" again. What does that mean? Basically anywhere away from cool drafts. I put my bowl in a sink of hot water and cover the top loosely with a kitchen towel. The warmth accelerates the release of carbon dioxide and causes the dough to grow, usually until it's double in size. The second rising is after you've shaped it into bread, rolls, etc. and it's usually a shorter time, just before you put it in the oven to bake.
5. You’ll find that on rainy or stormy days (great days for baking anyway), when the barometric pressure is low, your dough will rise more quickly than it does ordinarily. This is because it doesn’t have as much air to “push” against. The air is not as dense or heavy as it is on clear days. This is the same reason you don’t need as much yeast or baking powder at high altitudes where the air is thinner and lighter.

So there you have it. A few tips on baking with yeast. Rather than post my bread recipe, I'll leave you with this one, which I made for dinner last night. If you've never made your own pizza dough, do it! Sure it takes a little longer, but with a little bit of advanced planning, you'll be rewarded with the most deliciously light and puffy pillow to sink your teeth into - something you don't find in the grocery store's frozen section or the neighborhood take-out joint. Enjoy!

Chicken Pesto Pizza

Dough:
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 3/4 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in water. Beat in the flour, oil and salt. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in bowl coated with a little oil, turning once to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Topping:
1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/2 each small green, sweet red and yellow peppers, julienned
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
3 tablespoons prepared pesto
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the chicken, onion, peppers and mushrooms in a little olive oil until chicken is no longer pink and vegetables are tender. Remove from heat; set aside. Punch dough down; roll into a 15-inch circle. Transfer to a pizza pan and build edges up slightly. Prick all over with a fork to avoid bubbles during baking. Spread with pesto. Top with cheese and chicken mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until crust and cheese are lightly browned.

Some Like It Hot

Ever since sometime in college, I have hung an empty picture frame somewhere in my house. Usually, as now, it's in the dining room. How it started is a long story, but I'm not entirely sure why I keep doing it. The original empty frame is long gone, and I haven't yet found one as fabulous. Still, I like to think of it metaphorically. It reminds me of possibility. We can put anything we want to in it ... and we often do. At Christmas it's our advent calendar, on birthdays it's a paper birthday cake with the appropriate number of candles, and this week it's this:



Remember those paper hearts hung all over the kids' wreaths? I had extra. We also did this with their friends' names for valentines. It was a nice family project, and it was educational, too: we incorporated letter recognition, spelling, and math (how many letters are in so-and-so's name?).

By the way, are you cold? I am. I've been cold for the last few months. Don't get me wrong, I love the cold. I love it because there are so many glorious ways to get warm again when one is cold. Here's one of my favorites:


Black Bean Soup

1 can chopped tomatoes (or 1 lb. chopped plum tomatoes)
2 1/4 cups (or 2 cans) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 oz) vegetable broth (or 2 cups if you make your own)
1/2 cup cilantro
3 Tbsp lime juice
1 canned chipotle chile
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 cup corn (fresh or frozen)
1/4 cup diced red onion
diced avocado
sour cream

In blender, puree tomatoes, half the beans, broth, cilantro, lime juice, chipotle, and cumin. Transfer to a cooking pot and add the rest of the beans, corn, and onion. Heat through. Serve with avocado and sour cream for garnish.

This recipe originally came to me as a cold soup, which you can totally do. Just make sure the corn is either fresh or thawed, and don't do the heating part. I've never done it that way, though, because some, as they say, like it hot!



Which brings me to my recommendation for a great Valentine's Day movie for people - like us - who like to stay in. Two musicians in an all-girl band (so they have to dress in drag, because they're Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon) witness the 1929 St. Valentine's Day Massacre and try to skip town before the Mob catches up with them. And because they're Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, hilarity ensues. Oh yeah, and Marilyn Monroe is in it, too. There's history! Romance! Comedy! Adventure! Grab this movie, your sweetie, a big cozy quilt, a big bowl of popcorn (which is just for me, because *he* doesn't like popcorn! :) and you've got yourself one hot date!

How to Make Your Home Feel Warm and Cozy Without Cranking Up that Darn Thermostat

Anybody out there have an energy efficient husband who likes to keep things brisky just to save a buck?  Well I do and I am learning to love him for it.  Our house is set to be no warmer then 65 chilly degrees.  I know that's not awful and I should be happy to have a home that keeps me out of the rain and out of the wind but when mommy's little toes are cold then mommy doesn't want to anything but sit on the couch, light a fire and eat popcorn.  My first instinct was to crank up the heat but when I did I found myself getting sweaty and yucky feeling just from scrubbing the floors or running up and down the stairs to get things for my Sadie.  I had to think of some other ways to make my home seem warmer so that I could function the way I was designed to function.  After trying out a few of my methods I came to see that not only had I created the illusion of warm, cozy and inviting home but the thermostat was registering a higher degree of yummy warmness without having the heat kick on at all.  So we are going to use every sense we have to create our perfect winter refuge.  No more trips to the mall just to get out of the cold house or excuses to be lazy.  It can be done just by living well...

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Sound:  Crank up the tunes!  Having music on makes me dance, helps me enjoy my work and creates a more inviting enviroment.  When I dance and sing and act silly my kids want me to hold them and go crazy and they are always warm.  Essentially you are raising your body temperature just by having fun.  Turn it on first thing in the morning and watch what happens.  Life becomes snappy and silly and kid like.  If you need to relax and are not into the dancing then put on some awsome classical stuff or some smooth jazz (jk about the jazz...unless, of course, that's your thing!)  Bonus:  you'll also burn some extra calories.  Music just makes everything more fun...even cold yucky toilets seem less daunting when there's music echoing in the bathroom.

My favorite muffin recipe

Smell:  Bake something first thing in the morning.  If you have bread to make that day then do it right away.  Make some of your families favorite muffins even on a Thursday and then freeze the leftovers for another morning.  Make something yummy for dinner or, heaven forbid, dessert for later. The smell will be warm.  Your tummy will be warm and yup...your hot oven will cozy up your rooms.  You will want people to come over and be there just to smell what you are smelling.  Cooking is one of my favorite easy ways to warm things up. 

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Sight: This one is easy!  Vacume your carpet and turn on a few lamps or light some candles.  The lines that the vacume makes in your carpet will make you feel warm I promise.  Plus doing a dance with your vacume will get you up and moving, will make you happy to see a clean floor and the vacume produces heat.  Also turning on a few lamps creates a warm type of light.  Open up your blinds, even if it's gray out there and think about how much cozier your house is then that dark wet sidewalk.  You could also always paint your walls a yummy warm color but for now I am sticking with the easy solutions.

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Taste:  Eat or drink something warm!  It could be as labor intensive as homemade soup or pasta or it could be a simple piece of toast or warm popcorn with some hot chocolate.  Just standing by the oven or stove and warming your hands can make a huge difference too.  I sometimes even drink herbal tea.  This one's my favorite.  It's calming and well...warmer then water or milk.  A comfy tummy is a happy tummy.

 

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Touch:  This one is my very favorite!  Slippers with furry centers, baby cheeks and hands right after they wake up, layers and layers of homemade quilts, fireplace heat, a husbands hand, cozy socks, cuddling with your 4 year old in the morning while you watch cartoons and oh how I wish I had flannel sheets right now. 

So you see...easy solutions and they are all really pretty fun.  The key is to do it before you find yourself trapped in your bed wishing you didn't have any resposibilities or any place to go and still shivering because all you can think about is how cold it will be to pull off the covers.  Start the day out right and you'll be amazed at how much living can go on in a home that's full of warm comforts.