dragonfliesinmykitchen

dragonflies in my kitchen

Created by: Cathy Goff

Happy Spring!

Spring and summer are my favorite seasons. So with the sunshine and warmer weather, I am moved to create more light in the areas of my home that have always seemed a little on the darker side, including my kitchen and living room.

This involved removing darker window treatments to let the light in, and taking a hard look at the brick that is around my range in my kitchen and fireplace in my living room. The existing brick was great, but with my quest to lighten things up, I went searching for ways to change it. I decided that I didn’t want to just white wash or paint the brick, because I really wanted the varied colors to come thru, only muted. During one of my binge watching HGTV phases, I saw a process called German Schmear where they applied white mortar to the brick and the mortar in-between, and then wiped it off to create a lighter look, all while allowing some of the color to come thru. I immediately googled it and decided that I was going to tackle it.

The result was amazing. It refreshed the dingy brick and lightened up both my kitchen and living room, all for less than $100.00 for all the materials.

Kitchen Before

Kitchen After

Fireplace Before

Fireplace After

Items you will need:

Rubber Gloves / Heavy Duty Sponges / Trowel / Buckets (2) one for mortar and one for water / White thin set mortar (which I found in the tile section of the hardware store) this comes in 50 lb. bags / painters tape / plastic sheeting/mortar piping bag /stiff brush to clean area before starting.

Once your area is prepped, clean and dirt and dust free, add desired amount of mortar to the bucket and mix with water. You will need to eyeball this. You don’t want the bucket to be to heavy to carry or mix more mortar than you will need ( see photos). You want the mortar to be the consistency of frosting, not too wet or too dry.

Mortar Step 1

Mortar Step 2

Once you have your mortar mixture, use either your piping bag, or trowel to spread mortar to your area, making sure to work sections at a time. Once it is spread, then using your wet sponge, wipe the area, working the mortar between the bricks and wiping the brick to remove excess mortar and expose the amount of brick color that you desire. The mortar will be fully dry within 24 hours.

Even though the process was simple, it was labor intensive, but so worth it.

In the end, I took a risk, refreshed my home, and let the light in….

Change is good…

Cathy

dragonflies in my kitchen

Created by: Cathy Goff

dragonfliesinmykitchen.com

Happy Holidays!

The holiday season can be one of great times with family and friends. It can also be a time of overwhelming stress. Buying just the right gift, making sure the holiday cards get mailed, planning for parties and dinners and baking holiday treats.

In years past, I found myself dreading this season because I knew what was ahead of me. I was that crazed person trying to fit everything into the week before Xmas during my vacation time from work. But, just like the Dragonfly I refer to in my blog title, I went thru changes this year…RETIREMENT! Finally, this year I could enjoy the holidays without becoming the person that nobody wanted to be around.

I always make lots of baked goodies for the holidays. Fudge, decorated cookies, along with an assortment of other candies and cookies. I assemble treat trays for many of our friends and family. This year, I was able to prepare quite a few items including my fudge in advance and freeze. A total dream come true. It has changed my life forever.

One of my go to standards that always ends up on the cookie platter is Shortbread. It is a melt in your mouth, tender cookie that is a family favorite. Over the years I have developed this recipe into one of the easiest cookies that is made solely in the food processor. Once the dough is formed, I press it into a Nordic Ware shortbread pan, bake, and then cut into wedges. If you don’t have a specialty pan, you can use an 8X8 square pan and then cut into bars after baking. I have even rolled the cookie dough into balls and flattened them with a cookie stamp and before baking. Any way that you choose, you get a delicious buttery cookie.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do…

Shortbread

Makes about 2 dozen cookies or bars (if using a Nordic Ware Shortbread Pan this makes one batch which is 8 wedges)

Preheat oven to 325

1 Cup cold unsalted butter cut into cubes (I use Kerigold)

2 Cups all purpose flour

1/2 Cup sifted confectioners sugar

1/4 Teaspoon salt (I use kosher)

In food processor with knife blade attachment, blend the dry ingredients. Add butter cubes and pulse until a dough forms. Pat the dough into a lightly greased pan pressing evenly. Prick entire surface with a fork. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and slice while shortbread is still warm.

dragonflies in my kitchen

Created by: Cathy Goff

dragonfliesinmykitchen.com

Fall has definitely arrived. Along with the falling leaves and cooler weather, my thoughts always go to the warm scents of something wonderful baking in the oven. The aroma of cinnamon signals that fall is here and Pumpkin Bread is in the oven.

Quick breads are a favorite of mine. They are simple to make, freeze well and are a great gifts to give during the holidays. I have a collection of specialty pans which I often bake the breads in, that adds a special seasonal touch.

My Pumpkin Quick Bread recipe is family favorite because of the addition of Peanut Butter Chips. Over the years I have used it to make muffins, loaves or most recently baked donuts, which I glazed with a simple Cream Cheese glaze. I hope you enjoy this bread as much as my family does, and I look forward to hearing back from you.

Happy Fall!

Cathy

Pumpkin Quick Bread (makes 3 loaves)

3 1/2 Cups Flour

3 Cups granulated sugar

2 Teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 Teaspoons salt

1 Teaspoon cinnamon

2 Cups canned solid pack pumpkin (do not use pumpkin pie filling)

1 Cup vegetable oil

2/3 Cup water

4 large eggs

2 Cups peanut butter chips

1 Cup chopped nuts (optional)

In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, blend together, pumpkin, oil, water and eggs.

Gradually add dry ingredients until well blended.

Stir in peanut butter chips and nuts.

Turn batter into greased and floured loaf pans (can use baking spray).

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted into comes out clean.

Cool loaves in pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto baking rack to cool.

Enjoy!!

dragonflies in my kitchen

Created by: Cathy Goff

dragonfliesinmykitchen.com

Welcome.

Recently, while on one of my many trips to the grocery store, I saw fresh figs. I thought back to a recent trip with my sister to Santa Barbara where we enjoyed a great small plate that had different melons, fresh quartered figs, fig jam, crumbled goat cheese, chopped pistachios and a balsamic drizzle. It was amazing.

I realized that figs are really making a “come back.” They are being used in all kinds of ways, from appetizers to desserts. We see them on Charcuterie boards, pizzas and bruschetta. Dessert pastries or bar cookies are gaining popularity. Remember the Fig Newton? Is it a cookie or a fruited cake?

I decided to start with something that I use most often and was almost out of, Fig Jam. Yes, you can buy it in the store. There are some awesome varieties in the gourmet section. But, I decided to try making my own, and picked up a pound of Black Mission Figs.

I changed it up a bit and used the juice and zest of an orange instead of lemon. The result was a thick rich jam that rivals that of the store bought. This recipe resulted in 1-8 oz. jar, which I refrigerated, however, if you have lots of figs, and you want to make several jars, you can use a canning method to be able to store in the cupboard for future use, or give as gifts…

Fig Jam : Yield 8 oz.

1 Lemon or Orange (rind and 1 1/2 Tablespoons of fresh juice)

3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar

2 Tablespoons Honey

2 Sprigs fresh Thyme

1 Pound Black Mission figs ( remove stems and quarter)

Peel strips of rind from lemon or orange with a vegetable peeler, being careful to avoid the white pith.

Combine all ingredients in a heavy duty sauce pan or stock pot.

Over a medium-high heat, bring to boil stirring often. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until mixture thickens approx. 40 minutes for a looser jam, or 50 minutes for a thick jam. Stirring frequently to avoid the mixture sticking to the bottom.

Discard the Thyme stems and lemon or orange peel.

Using an immersion blender chop until desired consistency. If you do not have an immersion blender, you could transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor, and pulse until desired consistency.

Pour mixture in clean and sterilized 8 0z. jar. Refrigerate for up to one month.

Homemade jam makes great gifts. Try canning the jam using the water bath method. Once cooled, add a label and ribbon. Place in a basket with homemade breads or a savory basket with crackers, cheeses such as goat cheese or blue cheese and sliced prosciutto, and salami.

Hope you enjoy….Cathy

dragonflies in my kitchen

Created by: Cathy Goff

dragonfliesinmykitchen.com

Welcome to my blog. Thank you for joining me.

I chose the name for this site because dragonflies signify change, transformation and adaptability. This reflects the changes in my life personally, as well as the never ending changes that occur in my kitchen. From trying a new recipe, to adapting to a whole new style of cooking or baking .

One of my new favorite things is a Pizza oven that we added to our outdoor kitchen. I love it because it runs on propane not wood, so the time to get up to the desired temperature is much shorter. That being said, I decided to experiment with different types of pizza doughs, sauces and toppings.

I started the dough process using bread flour. However, after watching some videos on pizza making, I switched to “00” Flour. Who knew there were so many types of flour? But in my experimenting, I discovered the “00” Flour makes a much lighter, crispier crust, due to a high gluten content. Then while speaking to a fellow foodie, I was made aware of an even higher gluten content flour, which results in a light but chewier crust. It was a hit. But wait, I didn’t stop there….let’s talk sauce…

My same foodie friend provided me with some San Marzano tomatoes from his garden. He shared with me his ideas when making homemade pizza sauce using these tomatoes. This opened up a whole new world for me. Needless to say I had to try it. The result was a light fresh tasting sauce that had a slight kick to it by adding Calabrian Chili Paste. I used this sauce for a pepperoni pizza, but the possibilities are endless.

I am sharing my recipes for my dough and sauce and also posting pictures of my favorite pizzas which are the pepperoni and also a prosciutto and fig jam pizza with a balsamic glaze.

I hope this inspires you to be adventurous with your cooking and baking. Take some chances. Change things up. But above all, have fun!

I look forward to hearing about your successes when trying something new in the kitchen.

Cathy

Pepperoni Pizza

Prosciutto and Fig Jam Pizza

Pizza Dough (makes two 14″ pies)

3 1/2 -4 Cups High Gluten Flour (or “00” based on the type of crust you like) plus more for kneading

1 Package Dry Instant Yeast

1 1/4 Cups warm water (110 degrees)

1 Teaspoon Sugar

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil plus 2 teaspoons

2 Teaspoons Salt (Kosher)

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl of mixer fitted with a bread hook. While mixer is running on low speed, add the water and oil. Increase speed and mix until dough forms into a ball. (If too sticky, add a a little additional flour. If to dry, add a little additional water). Place dough on floured surface and knead until smooth and loses its gloss. Place dough into an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap for approximately two hours or until doubled in size. Remove dough from bowl and cut in half. Knead each piece of dough until smooth and roll into a balls. Place each ball of dough on a parchment lined sheet pan and brush lightly with olive oil. Cover each ball with a clean towel or plastic wrap and let them rest for 10 min. or cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to rise overnight. Once ready to use, form into two 14″ rounds. You can then transfer your crust to a pizza paddle sprinkled with cornmeal. Add your toppings and bake in preheated 450 degree oven (on heated pizza stone or steel) for 11-12 min.

San Marzano Pizza Sauce (makes for 4 pizzas)

24 fresh San Marzano tomatoes skins removed (to remove skins, cut an x at the bottom of tomatoes and place in pot of boiling water for 7-9 minutes. Skins will slip off easily)

or: 4 Large cans of San Marzano whole tomatoes (skins removed)

4 Tablespoons olive oil

10 cloves of fresh garlic either minced or grated with a microplane

2 Teaspoons finely chopped fresh oregano (if using dried use half the amount)

2 Teaspoons finely chopped fresh basil (if using dried use half the amount)

2 Teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme (if using dried use half the amount)

2 Teaspoons sugar

1 Teaspoon Calabrian Chili Paste (or to taste)

Salt and pepper to taste

After skins are removed from tomatoes (either fresh or canned), process in a food mill over a bowl to remove seeds. The end result will be a pure tomato (watery) mixture. If you prefer a chunkier sauce you can crush the tomatoes by hand.

In a large pot over medium heat add olive oil. Toss the garlic in the olive oil being careful not to burn the garlic.

Add the tomato mixture, sugar, herbs and chili paste. Salt and pepper to taste.

Cook the sauce over medium heat until reduced and slightly thicken.

Once the sauce is cooled, it can be used right away for your favorite pizza, refrigerated for 1 week, or portioned into containers to freeze.