Grapefruit Cake Loaf? Yes!

To say I love grapefruit is an understatement. But to say that I would love to eat grapefruit as a loaf cake was questionable. Still, when we were having the neighbors over for dinner the other night, I thought, why not? It’s good to try something new especially something I’m hesitant to do. That attitude has introduced me to many new recipes I do like.

Once again, a recipe absolutely worth trying (my husband and guests would agree). I didn’t have poppy seeds and skipped that step although I don’t think it really mattered. What a I also really liked about this recipe was the fact that it used Greek yogurt which gave the batter a much lighter flavor than if it was all oil. Finally, the glaze was a combination of powdered sugar and Greek yogurt which gave the loaf what I believe is a much better flavor than using vanilla.

Find the recipe here.

French Onion Soup and the Seventies

I love French onion soup.

When I think of it, I think of dark seventies steakhouses with tall booths and heavy wooden furniture. And I think of family weddings and events.

Some years ago, I believe after I had moved to Albuquerque, my dad showed me an easy way to make the soup although I don’t remember one detail: it wasn’t broth but it was a juice you could buy in a can (it looked to be the size of those cans of Hawaiian Punch that used to be available– in the days before plastic took over). I didn’t go back to look for the cans recently, instead I went online and found this recipe from epicurious.

And because it had such good reviews, I went ahead and made it. Greg, who told me he doesn’t really like French onion soup, said he liked it (but I think he really liked it because it meant I would make a loaf of bread for it). Still, the best part is the cheese set under the broiler to melt (I used provolone).

Perfect for a cold night and being that it’s only February, we all have at least a few more of those to endure. 

No Knead Bread That Rocks...in the Dutch Oven No less

I will be the first to admit that I never make bread because I'm not really into kneading it. My pizza dough involves no kneading so it's not something I've ever really done before. But it actually wasn't the no knead that attracted me to this recipe, instead it was the fact that's its made a dutch oven and I'm all about preparing as many food items as I can in my Le Creuset dutch oven. 

The key is that you have to do some planning because the dough takes two days to make. It's not like you can wake up that morning and say, "Hey, we'll have bread tonight." You need to wake up the morning before you want bread and say, "Hey, we'll have bread tomorrow night."

I made the bread with both the wheat germ and the corn meal and I preferred the wheat germ. It also gives the bread more nutritional value since it uses bread flour. The second time I made the bread I added rosemary for flavor

Give it a try. It's some of the best bread you'll ever have.

Find the recipe here.