Sunday, August 31, 2014

Wild Orange, Rosemary, and Thyme Bread

Today, I'm so excited to return to blogging!  It's been a long time, friends.  If you're feeling adventurous, scroll down and take a look at the last time I posted. Yup-- November of 2013.

Lots has happened in my life since I've posted!  I've been totally engrossed in being a newlywed, and my family and I have been burrowing in our new house.  To top it off, I've been entirely focused on my day job.  Life has been hectic, and I stepped away from the blog to soak in the joy that is my new life.

....but lately I've been missing cooking and sharing.  So what changed that is luring me back into the blogiverse?  Well, for starters, I got all new kitchen appliances! Nothing says, "it's time to create" like a new cooktop, a new dishwasher, and *drumroll....* a beautiful french door refrigerator!  Sometimes it's the little things in life that bring you back to what you've missed.  For me, that's family, food, and creating!  The kitchen is getting a lot of use lately!

This year, I also became a doTERRA user.  (don't close this window!  Hang on- I'm not going to try to sell you anything.  Stay with me here.)   DoTERRA is a company founded by a group of professionals that wanted to share their life enhancing experience with essential oils.  I got involved because a good friend of mine started changing.  She was happier, seemed much healthier, and she also smelled good all of the time.  I'm not kidding-- I could just walk being her sniffing all day long, and I would have been a happy camper!  When I asked her what she was doing differently that caused her to glow, she told me about doTERRA and shared some samples with me.  Well, since then, I've been hooked.  I love what they've done for me, my family, and our health.  I also discovered that I can cook with essential oils!

So, today I'm sharing a recipe that I made today using Wild Orange Essential Oil.  If you don't have this product, you can substitute an extract, however I really recommend trying to locate a Wellness Advocate that can hook you up with some samples.  If you like them, then you can either buy or become a Wellness Advocate yourself.  No pressure.  Remember- I'm not here to sell anything.  There are lots of essential oil users that are clamoring for recipes, so this goes out to those folks as well as those with a new-found curiosity for oils.

To make things even easier I used my other love, my bread machine, to make this delicious loaf.  The flavors of the fresh herbs, along with the subtle hint of orange, make for a special hint of unexpected (and delightful!) flavor.  Making ordinary bread machine bread into something extraordinary is always fun!

Wild Orange Essential Oil, along with fresh Rosemary and Thyme, make for a delightful flavor!


Ingredients:

  • 3 cups of flour
  • 2 1/2 Tablespoons of sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoon of olive oil
  • 2/3 cups of milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon of fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon of parsley, chopped
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast
  • 3 drops of wild orange essential oil 

Directions

Lightly spray bread machine pan with a non-stick coating.  Add ingredients according to your bread machine instructions.  For me, I just dump everything in together and add the yeast in last.  This time, since I was using essential oil, I combined that with the liquids first and then added everything else on top.  Use the Basic/White setting with a medium colored crust.  Start the machine.  Sit back. Wait.  When the machine is done, allow to cool and then enjoy!


DoTERRA Wild Orange essential oil is what adds the delightful flavor to this easy bread machine recipe!



                                    
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Sunday, November 3, 2013

Israeli BBQ Chicken #SundaySupper

It's so great to be back contributing to #SundaySupper, and a what better way to jump right in than a Middle Eastern Cuisine theme!  Amanda from MarocMama is hosting, and I couldn't be prouder!  Not only was she my first "mentee" in Sunday Supper, but she's a fellow Wisconsinite! (that is, until she moved to Morocco)  She is a fabulous blogger, a wonderful mother and wife, and an inspiration to me.  You definitely need to check her blog out- such great stories and mouth-watering recipes!  You won't be disappointed!

Okay-- now let's get to the food!  Being Jewish myself, I love Middle Eastern foods.  The spices get me all excited, so when I heard about the theme, I thought I would plotz! (hey- if I can't use a little Yiddish during this week, when can I use it?)  I immediately thought of Israeli BBQ Chicken.  It's so simple to make, but it's a hit whenever I bring it to a potluck or make it for a gathering at my synagogue.  If you can roast chicken pieces, you can make this.  The wonderful thing about this recipe is that you probably own most of the ingredients right now.  And here's a little warning- if you haven't cooked Middle Eastern food before, don't let the quantity of spices scare you. I promise that you'll love this.  I even find myself using heaping spoonfuls for my measurements because I want mine extra tasty!

The chicken tastes best when its cooked on the barbeque, but seeing that I'm in Wisconsin, I can't do that when it's 20 degrees below zero. When it's crazy cold out, I'll make this in my oven.  It still tastes great, but you don't quite get the crispy skin that you would when you grill it.  For the pictures today, I used my oven.  I probably could have grilled, but hey-- I was feeling a bit lazy.  It happens.  My family didn't seem to mind that it wasn't grilled.  Even the dog loved it-- she doesn't often "photo bomb" pictures, but she couldn't help but stick her nose in this one. 


 
 
 
Ingredients
  • Juice of two lemons (use fresh lemons- not bottled juice!)
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 Tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 and 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 3 pounds of chicken pieces, skin on

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the lemon juice, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, paprika, olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Mix until well combined.  Add the chicken and turn until the chicken is completely coated.  Cover, and place in refrigerator for at least an hour.  Can be left overnight.

When cooking, can either use a barbeque or can roast in the oven.  Make sure internal temperature gets to 165 degrees, and be careful not to overcook the chicken.  When done, serve with lemon wedges.







Won’t you join me and the other #SundaySupper bloggers today for some amazing dishes? We’d love to share our Middle Eastern hospitality with you! Here's what the team prepared:


Mezze {Appetizers}
Salata {Salads and Sides}
Main
Halwa {Desserts}

If you like what you see, make sure to join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter each Sunday. We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 6:00 pm CT and you do not want to miss out on the fun. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can find more information and sign up by clicking here → Sunday Supper Movement




                                             
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