No-knead whole wheat ciabatta... and more

You may have noticed I am not partial to food fads.

I do not bake macarons (there is an element of fear, I admit it, but there is also only so much foot talk I can stand - unless you are Dr. Seuss ).

I have never dreamed of making cake pops (yawn again).

I only really bake cupcakes for the kids and not very often at that.

I don't make Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter treats ahead of time to post about because honestly I am just too distracted with life to get my act together on time. But hey, you never know, maybe next year.

I don't cook things involving Gs (green, Guinness) for St. Patrick's day or hearts, pink and red for Valentine's Day.

I will admit I am intrigued by little-house-in-the-prairie-like endeavours such as curing meat, making my own cheese, yogurt or  sourdough bread. But these are just more things that require planning, focus and time. And that is why I finally gave in to another food fad, the mother of all food fads actually: no knead bread.

Ever since my bread machine broke quite a while back, I have been thinking of making my own bread. Then came the never ending blog posts about no-knead bread and then came my beloved Le Creuset. I knew I would make it at some point, but I just couldn't get myself to become the twentieth food blogger that week to write about the same thing. I knew I would bore you and myself to tears. I had to let it sit a while before getting excited about it again.

Well, apparently the time had come because when I was roasting the eggplant for my last recipe on the week end, I knew I wanted to make some fabulously crusty bread to eat it with. I had the time, a whole night ahead of me. Perfect.

I used whole wheat but you can use a mix or white flour of course.

And thus, this lovely loaf was born, with really no effort at all. The next time I will have my kids make it, honestly. It is that easy. You just need time and patience.

 

Peanut-studded peanut butter brownies

Dear daughter,

six years ago, on a Wednesday morning exactly like today, you came into this world, the best Christmas present a girl could ever dream of. A lot of things have changed since then: all that black peach fuzz on your head has turned into little blond wisps of elf-like hair, your eyes have turned from grey into the most beautiful shade of aqua green and from a quiet little baby you have become a real chatterbox, words tumbling from your lips from the moment you awake till the moment you fall asleep.

You have now started reading words everywhere you find them and in your drawings fairies and letters are intertwined. You sing loud and clear as if you were on stage, whether you are playing in your room or walking down the street, peppering each verse with a hop or a twirl. You are one of the most stubborn little creatures I have ever met, yet you are a truly sensitive soul and will drop anything you are doing for a cuddle or a kiss. I hope you keep both these traits as you grow into a woman, because tenacity will get you far but kindness and compassion will take you even farther.

When your brother was born, you constantly asked me which of you I loved more. I told you then and I tell you now that I love you both the same, I couldn’t love one of you more because my love for you is boundless, it cannot be quantified. But you will always be my first: you made me a mother and I have loved you longer, so you will always have that three-and-a-half-year headstart.

Even if you are growing faster than I can keep track of, you will always be my little girl, even when a tooth finally fills that big gap in your smile and you will be old enough to have children of your own.

This year for your birthday you expressly asked for a chocolate princess cake and we secretly went and ordered it on the week end. In the meantime, though, I made you those brownies that you have been asking me to bake you for ages. I know you don’t like walnuts or pecans in your brownies so I used peanuts and peanut butter in them instead. They are just like you, sweet and soft with a touch of saltiness and an unexpected crunch.

Happy birthday my love.

Mommy

Ingredients

For the basic recipe, click here.

4 tbsp unsweetened peanut butter

1 cup chopped unsalted peanuts

Substitute walnuts with the same amount of chopped peanuts and add 4 tablespoons of unsweetened peanut butter into the batter.

Last but definitely not least I wanted to thank Manu (a little late, sorry, but I was travelling) and Paolo for their awards: it is always a real honor to receive any form of acknowledgement from other bloggers, especially the ones you admire.

I pass these on to some of my newer blogging friends and reads:

The Little Loaf
The Nervous Cook
A Full Measure of Happiness
The Twinky Cake

Beer can chicken, Elba, awards and 7 facts

Last night I went to my college roomate's 40th birthday bash (don't even think about counting how old that makes me. I am still in my thirties...for now). It turned out to be one of those perfect evenings, the kind you cannot plan ahead, those parties where the vibe is just right, you know? I'm sure re-embracing old friends that I hadn't seen in way too long, the copious amounts of wine that were flowing and the high heels and party dresses contributed to making it special. And there was a young, handsome magician moving through the tables to entertain us who may or may not have cast a little spell, but in the end I'm pretty sure we make the magic when we are together. We did it back in the party days and we still do it now. Even the morning after is pretty much the same: too little sleep and a boulder where my head should be.

Here is what has changed: I could do it at twenty, I can't at forty thirty-something.

What I can do however is post a few shots from the island of Elba, an idea to roast your chicken differently, a few awards and 7 facts about me that you don't know, as per tradition.

 

 



A tiny seaside wedding we came across



Do you see the starfish decoration?

 

Remember when I made beer chicken a few weeks ago? Remember I mentioned that whilst googling recipes to make it I discovered something called beer can chicken? Well, if you don't, google the words chicken and beer, you will be inundated by directions on how to grill a chicken with a beer can stuck up its patootie. I do not own a BBQ and was thus quite disinterested until I read that you can make it in the oven too. My curiosity was piqued, I have to admit, so here are the results after reading a few of these recipes. The chicken was moist and the skin was out of this world, wonderfully crunchy and tasty, but we still prefer our go-to recipe for fall-of-the-bone tender meat.

Ingredients

1 chicken

1 beer can

rub or spices (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Wash and dry the chicken (and the can of course) and then rub with your favorite combination of spices. Open the beer, pour out up to half the can and punch a few extra holes in it (I didn't...oops!). You can add some of the rub into the beer if you are so inclined. Place the beer can in a baking dish and arrange the chicken over it. Put it on the lowest rack of your oven. I suggest you cover the top of the bird with some tin foil for the first hour of cooking so it doesn't burn. After the first 1/2 hour, lower heat to 350°F and roast for approximately another 1 1/2 hours. When it is ready, take out and let rest for about 10 minutes. Then, using an oven mit and tongs or a fork, separate the chicken from the can. You can use the juices and beer to make gravy.

 

I was honored to receive a shower of awards from my blogging friends Pola, an Italian living in the States, and Moomser, an American at heart living in Italy. Thank you girls, I always look forward to reading your new posts. To honor these awards, you know it is traditional to write 7 facts about yourself that others may not know and to award other bloggers. I always like to try to pass them on to new blogs I have recently discovered and enjoy, but I love all of you (you know who you are). So here goes:

1. I am a freckle face. I tend to forget about it and do not see my freckles when I look into the mirror, but it is something you probably would mention to describe me.

2. I do not nap. Ever.

3. I prefer savory to sweet, I will choose a slice of prosciutto or a runny cheese over a piece of cake any day but I cannot imagine a world without chocolate (and related items such as brownies) and ice cream.

4. I am definitely a chocolate ice cream kinda gal as opposed to a vanilla one.

5. I got my driver's licence when I was 8 months pregnant. I actually got my US licence when I was 16 but growing up in Italy I never got a chance to drive automatic cars so it doesn't really count.

6. I studied law. I surprise myself everytime I remember this.

7. I love shoes and tend to buy sparkly make up that I don't wear.

I would like to pass these awards on to my latest discoveries:

Dinners and Dreams - delicious Maroccan recipes and beautiful photos

Sugar Plum - a girl with a dream: pastry school

Lucky number 13 - about motherhood, in lovely words and photos

Scary Mommy - the truth about being a mom, she says what you are thinking

Diary of a Ladybird - an oldie for me really, but she is back with something special baking in the oven

The Winter Guest - my latest discovery

Miri Leigh - fun, informational videos and lots of ideas