Cat Food

Basic Kneads has morphed into Basik Needz yo!

Because even though I've started a new chapter in my life and am now teaching for Apple, Inc. I just can't stay away from the food biz. I spent the last few months in my new job (and loving it) but also trying to figure out what I could do to keep my "food biz cravings" at bay.

After dropping all the weight I put on while recipe testing in anticipation of opening my bakery I came up with a recipe for an energy bar that I really like. And - more importantly - all the folks who I've shared these bars with seem to REALLY like them too.

I'm getting ready to send them out for nutritional analysis but I can't help but think they'll come back with all the good healthy nutrition info. that mirrors what goes into them. Hop on over to my little splash page to check out the ingredients HERE. And - if you live in or around Essex or Bergen counties NJ drop me a line and I'll let you know where you'll be able to pick some up!

My New Website Design ...

Just give a click HERE and then tell me what you think?

In just a moment ...

Markus Hartel is a street photographer. A chronicler of our unnoticed moments in life. I found his site through MUG (Manhattan User's Guide) and was immediately drawn to his intimate portraits of time in motion. This isn't about food, but a much more fleeting relationship between people and the world around them.

Please click HERE to have a fuller experience.

A Very Good Link

I've been getting the weekly email from the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market for a few years now and find that it's the best way to stay informed about the state of food across the US. Thought I post their link so you all can check them out. Just click HERE.

As the Farm Bill moves from '07 to '08 there's lots more to think about when it comes to feeding our families. Hope you find their info. and links as helpful as I do.

Happy (and healthy) Eating!

Ahhhh Craig Claiborne!

From the New York Times ...

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Fantastic New Year!

Happy Halloween!!

Thought this was a great idea ... Check out 101 Cookbooks - it's a fantastic site! Just give a click HERE.

There's A New Bakery In Town!

After spending the past 9 months searching for local space (and not being successful I'm sorry to say), former pastry chef and current local cooking instructor Cat Morris (yep - it's me!) is on the verge of opening her first "virtually" local bakery - Basic Kneads.

The bakery will focus on local ingredients baked up like gran'ma used to do it. Everything from low fat muffins like apricot ginger and cranberry orange to all sorts of cookies, double fudge chunk brownies, cakes, pies, tarts and much more. All using wholesome and locally available ingredients. There'll also be freshly baked crackers, breads and even granola packaged to go! And let's not forget about those birthday - wedding and any ole' custom cakes you can think of!

Check Basic Kneads over the next couple of weeks as we roll out our new menu and local delivery schedule.

Baking on Sundays

Spending that week in Tuscany last month really made an impression on me in so many ways. We were there mainly to experience the way these folks approach food and the thing that I really took away is that it seems they eat much less "processed food" and much more variety including lots of vegetables. I decided to try and cut all processed food out of my diet and have been making my weekly bread and pasta on Sundays. At first it took a bunch of hours to do this but now after having it down to a bit of a science it only really takes an hour, maybe an hour and a half on sunday mornings.

This past Sunday I made an olive bread. I haven't made this bread since I lived and worked as a pastry chef on Nantucket 10 years ago. Wow! I can't even believe it was that long ago - feels like yesterday. Anyway I thought I'd share the recipe here because it's a really easy bread and it packs so much flavor.

Ingredients:
yeast 1 pack (dry)
water 1 ¼ cups
flour 4 cups **
salt ¾ tsp.
olive oil 2 Tbs.
olives 1 cup

Yield: 1 loaf
**amount of flour depends on moisture
in olives

Method:
preheat oven to 400 degrees**

1. Pit & chop olives till medium chunky. Or buy pitted olives and coursely chop.
2. Combine all ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer.
3. Mix for @ 10 min. with the dough hook until satiny texture and no longer sticky. You may have to scrape
down the bowl once or twice.
4. Place in oiled bowl and cover with a cloth and let double in size at room temp. Approximately 30 minutes
5. Shape dough into a boule or baguette shape and let rise on baking sheet till almost doubled.
6. At this point you can brush the loaf with a little egg wash (egg mixed with a bit of water) or just brush
lightly with water. Make a couple of slashes across the top of the loaf and place in oven.
7. Pour a couple cups of water in the preheated pan on the bottom of the oven and shut the door. Don’t
open the door until the bread has good color. The steam created by the water will help create a nice
crispy crust.
6. Bake till golden brown and has a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom – about 30 minutes depending
on your oven.

**place shallow pan on bottom of oven. When putting bread in oven add water to pan to create steam for baking.

Print Recipe

Our First "Poster" Girl!

I'm so excited! Folks from the MSU trip to Tuscany are starting to send me more photos of beautiful Toscana.
Just give a click on Myra's Tuscany photo page to check them out.

Ciao-
Cat

Cooking Lunch in Castle Fiorentino

What a day we had! The staff, faculty and students of the wonderful trade school we visited in Castle Fiorentino not only showed us their fantastic culinary skills ... they let us help as well.

This is the last batch of my photos from the MSU Tuscany trip. I must admit that I've taken my time putting these together because I really didn't want this to be my last Tuscany post. If anyone from class would like to post photos or notes from the trip please shoot me an email and I'll set you up!

Cooking at Castle Fiorentino


Ciao!
Cat