Pat's Walnut Bread Recipe

Thank you everyone for your kind comments regarding Master Finley and Miss Fiona.  Like many of you, it has been busy around here.  I feel like I'm drowning in paperwork but I will share that scenario with you at another time...

It's been awhile since I posted any recipes.  When I lived in Gig Harbor, Washington, my husband and I used to love to cross over the Narrows Bridge and go to lunch at Metropolitan Market. It is such a unique grocery store with a wonderful deli, wine shop, fresh meats and a very unique bakery.  Every Wednesday they used to get in a fresh supply of Poilane bread flown in from Paris.  And, they also sold such a wonderful walnut bread.  This week I thought about that walnut bread and decided to try and make some myself.  Here's what I came up with...

Pat's Walnut Bread
1 package dry yeast (2 teaspoons)
2 cups lukewarm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup honey
2 1/2 teaspoons natural sea salt
1 cup walnuts (small pieces and roasted in oven for a few minutes)
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/2 + cups all purpose flour
(cornmeal for baking sheet)

In a large bowl (or mixer bowl) add water and sprinkle yeast on top.  Add the sugar and let sit a couple of minutes for the yeast to dissolve.  Add in oil, honey, salt and whole wheat flour.  Mix together with a spoon.  If you are using your mixer, use the kneading hook and start mixing.  Add in walnuts and gradually start adding the all purpose flour.  Knead (either by hand or with mixer) until mixture starts to hold together and the flour is incorporated.  I used about 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour; you may need to add a little more.  But, don't add too much as you want the dough to be soft.

Shape dough into a ball and put in large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a towel and let sit in a warm are for about 1 1/2 hours until doubled in size.

Punch down dough and shape into one large loaf or two small loaves.  Place on a parchment covered baking sheet.  Sprinkler some cornmeal on the parchment paper before placing  dough on tray. Cover lightly with a tea towel or plastic wrap and let rise about 1 hour. 

 Just before the hour is up, preheat oven to 450 degrees and put a small loaf pan on the bottom shelf of the oven.   Slash the loaf with a sharp knife across the top a few times.  Drop ice cubes in the loaf pan to make steam in the oven.  Place bread on oven rack and bake in a 450 degree oven for about 20 minutes and then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake an additional 25 minutes or until loaf (loaves) sound hollow when tapped.  Watch the bread during the baking process and if it becomes too brown, place a piece of foil paper over the loaf.  

Here's my bread just after it has risen and the top has been slashed... 

And, here it is hot out of the oven...

I let it cool a little while before slicing into it as I was excited to see how the texture turned out ...

 

I was really quite pleased with the texture of this bread.  I didn't add a whole cup of walnuts and next time I will be sure to do so (hence, you don't see that many walnuts).  It's great toasted  the next day, too.  I served it with with some Ukranian butter that was a gift from my son.  Delicious! 

I'll sign off with this photo of Lilly.  She was so cute last night - I think she was dreaming and was sleeping with her tongue sticking out.  Too bad I wasn't fast enough to take a picture of her.

There are so many things I want to share with you but I'm totally occupied with my "paperwork for my dreaded tax return"...it's that time of year again.  Soon, I will be freed of this burden.  Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.  And, as always, I love to hear from you my dear friends.

My best to you,

Pat

Linking to the following:

Amy's Five on Friday ... 

  

The Pin Junkie Pin Party ...

Rocking Your World Friday ... 

A Stitch in Time ... 

Glimpse of Budapest via Five on Friday

Lilly thanks everyone for your kind comments in regard to her blog post last week.  It's been a busy week here with my little grandson staying with us since his parents have the flu.  But, unfortunately, he came down with the flu yesterday after school so now he's back home.  I feel so bad for all of them being ill but hopefully they will recover soon.  It's scary for my little grandson and little baby granddaughter :(

I thought I'd go down memory lane a bit and share some photos from my trip to Budapest, Hungary from 2014.  It's not been quite two years since I visited this amazing country.  Hungary always brought to mind the Gabor sisters; Zsa Zsa and Eva who were quite popular when I was young.   We had the pleasure to stay at an Airbnb apartment which was still furnished in it's mid century style.  The owner's father was a graphic artist who designed the Hungarian coat of arms.  Below is a photo of that design which was in the apartment. 
 

The graphic artist who designed this modern coat of arms was Piros Tibor. And, here's another pencil drawing of the design.  He originally lived in the apartment we rented and is now owned by his daughter.   

 

Here's another view of the interior of the apartment.  I found this ceramic tile stove quite fascinating as it is the original one that was used to heat the apartment. 

 

The apartment had a long, narrow balcony with quite a nice view of the city.  You can see the unique architecture and the beautiful church to the left of this photo. 

 

This was my first trip to Hungary.  The closest I had gotten to this area was Czech Republic and Slovakia back in 2004.  This photo shows a courtyard with the building on the left housing a public market.  It was quite fascinating going inside and seeing all the fresh fruits, vegetables, baked goods, meats and dairy.  Almost all the attendants wore white outfits with matching hats.  It reminded me of a picture I had seen of soviet Russia from years ago.  The selection of food items was really quite good. 

 

I might add that Hungarian beer and their world famous goulash made with Hungarian paprika are delicious!

Budapest is quite a large city and encompasses a large area.  My husband found someone to chat with at opera square one afternoon.

The architecture was fascinating although some parts of the city look a bit weary and worn out.  I got a different feel from Budapest; not a happy, lively feeling.  I don't know why. To me it was a bit of a ghost feeling.  The economics of the country is another subject.

But, it is a city filled with lots of history.  Almost at every corner as seen by this special marker.

Budapest like Vienna has a rich history of coffee houses.  And, they are still alive and operating today.  I love this feeling of going back in time.

Here's a better view of the chuch across the street from where we stayed.  Do you see the hill in the background?  That is the Buda side.  We stayed on the Pest side. 

I love trains and wish we had a train culture here in America like they do in Europe.  Here's the interior of the Budapest train station.  Again, the design was amazing!

And, look at these windows from the train station!  If you recall a few months ago, Syrian refugees were stranded at this train station in Budapest trying to get across the border to go to western Europe.

I love looking at old buildings and trying to peek inside and imagine who lived there and what their life was like.  Here's another photo of the street scene across from where we stayed looking down the street from the other side. 

 

Budapest is a lovely city with a long history.  We left Budapest via train and went to Vienna which to me was totally different in feeling.  Although, at one time they were the Austro-Hungarian Empire.  

Here's some interesting facts:

1.  Buda is built on the hills above the Danube River and Pest is built on the flat plains.  Hence, the name Budapest.

2.  It is a city known for it's Gothic architecture.

3.  There are over 1,750,000 inhabitants in Budapest, as it is the largest city in Hungary

4.  The Hungarian language is not related to any other languages.  It is a Uralic language and is somewhat similar to Finnish and Estonian.  

5.  Hungary is home to the luxury brand Herend Porcelain factory which produced many fine objects for the aristocracy of Europe.  You can buy modern day pieces of Herend Porcelain in Budapest today.    

It's Friday again so you can find me at Amy's Five on Friday.   I always look forward to this link party as I've made so many friends.

Wherever you are, I hope you are well and safe.  Be careful out there as the flu season has started to take hold.  Until next time,

my best to you,

Pat

Five on Friday with a Recipe

Hello my dear friends.  Thank you for all your kind comments from my previous blog postings.  I know they were a little different than my usual posts.  However, it always warms my heart to hear from you.  And, sometimes I feel I need to mix it up a bit and write whatever I think about.  The holidays are over and things are getting back to normal.  We've had the first of the el nino storms this week and we really got a soaking!  But, I'm not going to complain as we really need the water here in our state.   I'm excited to be back this week and linking to Amy's fabulous  Five on Friday.

Awhile back I saw a recipe for broccoli gorgonzola cheese pie on a blog that I was reading (sorry folks, I can't remember which blog.  If it's your blog, please let me know).  But, the recipe's origin can be found here.

Note: There's two parts to the recipe; the crust and the filling.  For the bottom crust I made a single pie crust using 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup all purpose flour with a little salt and 1/3 + cup shortening.  I prebaked the pie shell until it was lightly browned.

I bought a large broccoli head and cut it into smaller florets.  I put them in a dish and microwaved for about two to three minutes or until tender...

I sauteed some sliced mushrooms and leeks.  (I used frozen leeks and it was not a good idea). Use fresh leeks if you can or leave them out and substitute with something else if you wish...

I made a cream sauce to bind the filling together.  Since I stay away from dairy (cow's milk dairy), I used almond milk...oops, I forgot to add a teaspoon of dijon mustard after the sauce is done...

Before putting the filling into the prebaked pie shell I made, I scattered some goat cheese (I substituted goat cheese for the gorgonzola) in the bottom of the pie shell and then added in the broccoli mixture and sprinkled the remaining goat cheese on top...

I topped the pie with a ready made puff pastry sheet cut out to fit the pie shell.  Be careful and don't press the edges together or else the pie won't puff (this happened to me so that's why I'm letting you know :)

I baked the pie in a 365 degree oven until puff pastry was browned and puffed...

It made a nice, vegetarian dinner entree with salad served on the side...

 

There is a couple of things I would change next time.  I would use less goat cheese (I think I used 5 ounces) and maybe add a bit more flavoring to the mixture like soy sauce and/or dijon mustard.  This pie also tasted good the next day warmed in the microwave.

Now in order for this post to "qualify" for Five on Friday I will share these five ideas about puff pastry:

1.  Pepperidge Farm is a well known brand of puff pastry.  But, if you live next to a Persian or international grocer, you will find puff pastry in squares or sheets at a much cheaper price. Buy some and keep them in the freezer for a fast appetizer or dinner entree.

2.  For a quick appetizer, cut puff pastry into 1 1/2" squares, place how many you want on a baking sheet, put a dab of onion jam* in the middle and top with a teeny tiny piece of cheese. Bake and enjoy!

3.  Take a square of puff pastry, cut on the diagonal and fill one edge with cheese filling**.  Fold over and crimp together and sprinkle a bit of sesame on top.  Bake in a hot oven until puffed and browned.  These look beautiful piled high on a platter and served at a party.

4.  Don't throw away leftover puff pastry after cutting out the top for the pie.  Cut the odd shaped leftover pieces into smaller pieces and sprinkle a little cheese on them and bake as normal.  They make wonderful little additions to serve with the salad.

5. Ah, I forgot what I was going to write for #5 but I will say that Lilly loves to nibble the little pieces of puff pastry!  (She's a funny little kitty)...

Again, I want to thank you for all your comments and for taking time to visit my blog.  I read each and every comment.   Enjoy your weekend and if you have time, I always enjoy hearing from you wherever you may be.

with my best wishes,

Pat

* Beekman Blaak Onion Jam would work great or Fortnum and Mason's Highgrove Onion Marmalade. 

**To make an easy cheese filling, take one small potato and bake it until tender.  Remove the peel and mash in a bowl with a potato masher.  Add in about 3 ounces of feta cheese (or cheese of your choice).  Add about 1 tablespoon fresh chopped herbs like thyme and parsley and season with a bit of black pepper.  Add in one beaten egg.  Mix mixture well and take a heaping teaspoon and place on pastry to make cheese puffs.  

Five on Friday - Christmas Cookies

The cookies are baked (almost), the house is decorated and the presents are wrapped. The birth of our Lord will soon arrive and for me the Christmas season is a time for reflection and blessings.   I grew up in an area where we often had a white Christmas.  I remember one year receiving a silver charm bracelet from my parents for Christmas.  I loved that bracelet but one day, not long after receiving it, I lost it.  When I set out to search for it, it was a cold, late afternoon and the beautiful white snow had covered the tree lined street.  I found my bracelet on the sidewalk in a snow bank.  I still have that bracelet today.   It's Friday so I'm linking up with Amy at Five on Friday.  Fast forward to this past week's happenings at Lilly My Cat...

We traveled down south to San Diego county for an overnight trip to the Barona Resort.  We arrived in the evening and the Christmas decorations were amazing. We awoke to glorious rain the next morning ..

Lots of Christmas parties this past week; we had a fun time at the Newport Harbor Yacht Club on Saturday.  I loved their display of this gingerbread village...

On Saturday night my local lodge* of  Daughters of Norway held their annual Christmas party.  We were at the Marbella Country Club and the setting was so beautiful ...

In the lobby there was a beautiful, tall Christmas tree which was flocked.  It was a perfect evening.  And, when we left, we were greeted by some much needed rain ...

For me, Christmas time means Christmas cookies and I have started my baking this week.  I'm not making so many as in years past but here's what I have on my list:

1.  Egyptian Petit Fours
2.  Green Christmas tree spritz (my dear Grandma always made these every year)
3.  Pebernodder (Danish peppernuts)
4.  Spiced Shortbread
5.  Chocolate Blossoms

I started off making the petit fours   Here they are before being put together with white chocolate.  I made one batch of dough and divided it into thirds; one plain, one chocolate and one colored green for my Christmas trees...

Next on my list was the Danish pebernodder (peppernuts).  MyDanish Grandma used to make these for us each and every Christmas; it wouldn't be Christmas without them.  Since my brother is coming to celebrate with us this year, I had to add them to the list ...

Here is my shortbread. I thought I would change the recipe a bit this year so I added some vanilla and some cardamon along with rose water.  I think I added too much cardamom ...

Last on my list is the Hershey kisses cookies.  The recipe calls for dark chocolate but since I make these for my dear son-in-law, I use milk chocolate kisses.  I plan on making them Friday when my little grandson will be here.  He loves to help in the kitchen and he can easily unwrap (and eat a few, too)  these candies ...

I want to formally thank my dear daughter for the beautiful header photo she added to my blog.  She's an excellent photographer; she snapped this photo of the Eiffel Tower when we were there two years ago.  *Also, in regard to the Daughters of Norway, if you may be interested in attending a lodge near you, please check out their website.  They will take members of all Scandinavian descent; remember I'm Danish and I love my local lodge.

The countdown to the holidays is on.  I wish everyone a wonderful, festive filled weekend.  It's always a joy hearing from each and every one of you if you have the time to comment.  My best holiday wishes to you!

Hugs,

Pat

It's Friday - Christmas Past*

It's Friday and time again to join in with Willy Nilly Friday and Amy at Five on Friday.   All is well here at Lilly My Cat.  The Christmas holiday will soon be here and I do think that I'm ready.  Next week I hope to bake my Christmas cookies.  There's so many things I would like to share with you but it's the holiday season and I feel my post should reflect this special time of year. 

The other night I called my dear friend in Washington (state).  We were neighbors for over 20 years and we've known each other for 39 years!  I sat in the living room and turned on the Christmas tree.  No one sits in this room except when we have company or celebrate an event; like Christmas eve and Christmas day.  It was fun to reminisce about the old days when we used to bake Christmas cookies together.  The years have been good to us but I feel I'm still the same person I used to be.  It makes me sad when people forget where they came from.  I always tell me children to never forget who they are and to have compassion on others. I'm happy to be who I am...

We went to the annual Christmas tree lighting in our little community for the first time this year.  It was really a lovely evening sitting on a bench and listening to a music group sing Christmas carols.  Santa and Mrs. Claus arrived by boat and turned on the tree.  Hot chocolate and donuts were given out to all and it was such a festive evening ...

Here's my husband and I enjoying the evening.  We were with our grandchildren and my little grandson so enjoyed this special time . It reminds me of years ago when my parents used to take my children to the tree lighting.  The roles are reversed now.  It's an odd feeling really but I'm so thankful that we're here to see our grandchildren grow up...

Lilly is really liking this time of year.  She usually likes to sit under the tree.  I placed some metal bell decorations on the bottom limbs and she likes to make then sing.  This is my little tree which we bought at Home Depot for $24.99.  I don't think you can find cheaper that this now days. I remember one year we bought from the  local Boy Scouts for  under $10.00 and they DELIVERED the tree, too!  Am I showing my age? 

This is my daughter's beautiful tree.  The day we bought our trees, she got hers' home and decided that it didn't look right.  So, her dear husband loaded it again on the car and they came back with this one.  Remembering back many years ago, I recall going Christmas tree shopping with my dear dad.  We (I) found the perfect tree at a little community market and it was a $1.70!  Yup, really expensive..haha.  That would have been like 1969 to 1972.  We brought it home and Dad and I "flocked" it with white snow.  We had a special contraption that attached to my Mom's vacuum cleaner and it sprayed the white snow on the tree.  I remember it being cold since we lived in an area that had real, cold winters but it didn't bother me.   But, the tree was so pretty.  My dad was such a kind, patient man.

I love the Christmas season.  Growing up we used to go to my Uncle's home and celebrate with the whole family.  Sadly, those family members are long gone.  It's just me and my brother now and my dear brother will be joining my family this year for the holidays.  My Mom used to buy (or make) me a Christmas outfit each year along with a new pair of Christmas shoes.  Oh, how I longed to wear those new shoes but they were always put away until Christmas eve.  My Grandma would share with us all her buttery, homemade Danish cookies along with her red cabbage and Danish meatballs which we always had on Christmas Eve.  I've tried to keep these traditions for my family.    I don't have lot of Christmas memories with my Grandfather since he died tragically when I was 12 years old.  But my dear Grandmother lived to 97 years of age; and she was very active up until age 95!

Wherever you are, I wish you peace and joy at this time of year. Although there is sadness in our world, there is always hope.  I've love to hear from you if you have the time.

My best to you,

Pat

*I like the phrase "Christmas Past".  I've been reading Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol with Ebenezer Scrooge to my little grandson and it reminds me of the "ghost of Christmas past"...

Five on Friday Christmas Happenings

 Hello dear friends and new readers.  I had this post all written up and saved to publish today but I feel I need to add a footnote.  As you may have heard, a terrible tragedy took place in San Bernadino, CA yesterday.  My heart and prayers goes out to the families who have lost loved ones and those who are injured.  This has hit really close to home.  Our world needs fixing...

It's Friday and time again to join in with Amy for  Five on Friday.   I'm going to share five photos with you this week along with a recipe...

I always try and put up the Christmas decorations the weekend following Thanksgiving.  Each year it gets harder and harder. I think my OCD kicks in and I anticipate about having to take all this stuff down at the end of the holidays.  But, nevertheless, I finished decorating and all is ready for the family to celebrate.  Here's the fake tree in the living room...

It's the family's tradition each year to buy our fresh Christmas trees the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  This year our new little baby granddaughter joined in for the festivities.  And, afterwards, we always go to Starbucks for holiday drinks.  Here's my fresh little tree that I decorated this year for the family room.  Please excuse the messy tree skirt as Lilly loves to sleep under the tree...

In the first picture you can see my fireplace mantel all decked out in gold and white.  This is the mantel in the family room.  I found these poinsetta lights at the bottom of my Christmas box.  I think they're at least 20 years old.  I experimented and this is what I came up with.  The snowmen were made by my daughter, Heidi, when she was in 6th grade.  I shared this photo with my daughter and she told me it was "unique".  When I told her I was going to post it on my blog, she replied "that will definitely attract new readership"....(haha, she was being sarcastic, of course)

I have so  enjoyed reading various blogs about making Christmas cakes.  It's really not a popular item here but I was so intrigued with the recipes that I decided to make one myself.  I read through Amy's  post which was most helpful.  I also read Sue's post and took down some notes.  Here is my first Christmas cake.  I was most pleased the way it turned out.

It's now all bundled up (after having a bath in brandy) and in a couple of weeks I will feed it a little more brandy.  I'm excited to see how the flavors will ripen when I serve it on Christmas day.

 

Besides reading online about baking Christmas cakes, I watched my favorite program, At Home with Venetia in Kyoto.  Venetia is a British woman who has lived in Japan for over 40 years.  This past week she shared her version of Christmas cake along with her recipe which makes two loaf cakes.  I halved the recipe in half to make one loaf cake.  Here is what I did:

Venetia's Christmas Cake (with some tweaks)

 At least 12 hours before mix the ingredients below in a bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit on the counter until the next day.

1/2 cup almonds

1 1/2 cups raisins (I used small raisins)

1 cup walnuts

1 four ounce container of red glace cherries, cut in half*

1/3 cup brandy

 In a large mixing bowl combine these dry ingredients:

225 grams flour

125 grams brown sugar

1 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

In a medium bowl, mix the ingredients listed below:

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup (scant) orange juice

2 tablespoons molasses

3/4 cup oil

zest from one orange 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Take a 9" x 5" loaf pan and grease and line it with parchment paper or wax paper.  (I used a long and narrow loaf pan and it worked fine).

Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and then mix in the fruit and nut mixture.  Spoon batter in the prepared loaf pan.  Level the top of the cake and decorate with walnuts or almonds.  Place in the preheated oven in the middle rack.  Bake for 1 hour and test with a toothpick to see if cake is done. If it doesn't test done then continue to bake it for longer.   I baked mine for 1 hours 15 minutes.  Remove cake from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes or so before removing the cake from the pan.  Let cake cool completely and then brush the cake on all sides with 1/4 cup+ of brandy (or alcohol of your choice; whiskey, rum, cognac, etc.)

I put my cake into a tight fitted tin which I lined with plastic wrap.  I wrapped the cake in wax paper and a tea towel.  I placed a layer on plastic wrap on top of the tin before I placed the lid on it.  Place in a cool place and in two weeks time, feed again with alcohol.  

I hope you have enjoyed this post.  I would love to hear about your Christmas cake baking and/or decorating.  (I was confused as to whether I should soak the nuts along with the fruits but I think it turned out ok). 

Until next time my best to each of you,

Pat

*Note:  Venetia's recipe called for only 10 cherries and a 1/2 cup dates.  I omitted the dates and added more cherries instead.  She did not add orange zest to her cake.  Neither does she frost her cake with marzipan and fondant.  I was so confused as her recipe was listed in grams, cups and mils.  A total mind teaser for me as a US baker only using cups!  (I do have a scale now in my kitchen but it puzzles me each time I try and use it :(

Autumn Watercolor Gift Tags

Hello my dear friends. Thank you to everyone who read my last  post and for your comments.  I didn't link to any parties last week since I didn't think it would be appropriate.  But, I'm back this week to share with you a fun little project I've been working on.

I don't know what gave me the idea, but I painted some little gift tags.  There were some little bits of watercolor paper at my art table and I started drawing and this is what I came up with...

I also had some longer pieces of paper that I thought would make good bookmarks ...

I tried to keep to a autumn theme but got carried away thinking about winter ...

This is a fun and easy project you could do with your children or grandchildren.  Any thick type paper will work and although I used watercolor pencils, you could use colored pencils or markers.  I bought some twine from my local TJ Maxx to make the tags look a bit posh...

They are great to add to a wine bottle, baked goods or a special gift ...

 To recap, here's what you will need:

1.  Thick paper (watercolor or art type paper)

2.  Watercolor pencils (or colored pencils or markers)

3.  Scissors to cut out shapes

4.  Colored twine for hanging*

5.  Artist brush and water (if using watercolor pencils)

 *I didn't have a small paper hole punch so instead I made a hole in the top of each tag with a large darning needle and used a small crochet hook to thread the string through the hole...

My little grandson loves to draw and create things.  Last year at this time we made some colored ornaments to give to his teachers.  A handmade gift tag could add to the charm.

I'm linking up this week with Amy over at  Five on Friday. I am so fond of this wonderful group of friends I have met via this party.  If you have a chance, pop over and meet some wonderful bloggers.

Have a great weekend,

Pat

And, as always, Lilly thanks you for all the hugs you send her.  She's trying to give you a wink in this picture ...

 

 Also linking to the following parties:

1.  Oh My Heartsie Girl ...

2.  Momma Told Me ...

3.  What to do Weekends ...