Jude's Mom

Grilled cheese. A no brainer, right? (And a serious time saver when you just don’t feel like cooking. Just pop 10-12 on a baking sheet, bake at 375-400 degrees for about 8 minutes, flipping once.) This is what I made this past week and it was a hit! Why? I used my homemade french bread, cut nice think slices, and added pesto! PESTO! I was inspired by my Better Home and Gardens magazine this month which had several different takes on plain ol’ grilled cheese. My favorite way? Adding fresh basil leaves and tomato slices. Unfortunately, basil is pretty spendy this time of year so I settled for a $5 container of pesto instead, and I only ended up using barely a quarter of it. A little goes a long way. I served tomato soup and a “Casa Mia” salad (lettuce, sliced olives, and lotsa mozzerella cheese) with the sandwiches.

Happy cooking!

I make this french bread nearly every week. It’s soooooo yummy. This last Thursday, I added fresh rosemary and minced garlic to the flour before adding the liquid. I think you could even use this bread as a sweet bread, if you wanted. Maybe throw in some cranberries and orange zest, then brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar before baking.

French Bread (Makes 3 Loaves)

7 c. bread flour (all-purpose flour works too)

5 t. yeast

1/2 t. sugar

1/2 c. warm water (I turn my hot water on as hot as it will go and use that…seems to work just fine)

2 T. sugar

2 T. softened butter

2 t. salt

2 c. water

Directions: (The fool-proof part of this recipe is the kitchen aid. You can’t go wrong with that wonderous bread hook.)

Add flour to mixing bowl. In a pyrex or medium mixing bowl, combine 1/2 t. sugar, 5 t. yeast, and 1/2 c. warm water. Dissolve. Add 2 T. sugar, 2 t. salt, 2 T. butter and 2 c. warm water. Whisk/combine well. Using dough hook, turn kitchen aid onto stir and pour entire contents of liquid mixture into flour. Add extra warm water if needed so that the sides of the bowl come clean and the dough doesn’t stick to the bottom. Turn kitchen aid to setting 4 and mix for about two minutes. You want the dough to be pretty smooth. Place dough in greased bowl, then turn once. Cover and allow to rise for about 45 minutes, or double. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Punch down dough and divide into three. Roll each ball into a 12×15 inch rectangle. Roll up on the longest side as tightly as you can. Pinch seams. Place seam side down (all three loaves) on a cookie sheet. Cut 3-4 slits on the top of each and dust with flour, if you like. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Immediately pull loaves off of cookie sheet and cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

ingredients (serves 24)

• 14 cups water
• 6 14-oz. cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3-4 lb. smoked ham hocks
• 9 cups dry split peas, rinsed and drained
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 tsp. dried marjoram, crushed
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 3 cups chopped carrots (3 medium)
• 3 cups chopped celery (3 medium)
• 3 cups chopped onion (3 medium)
• Salt and ground black pepper

directions

1. In a 7- to 8-quart Dutch oven combine water, broth, ham hocks, split peas, bay leaves, marjoram, and pepper. Bring mixture to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Uncover; remove ham hocks and chop. Return meat to pot. Stir in carrots, celery, and onions. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Remove bay leaves; discard. Stir to combine (mixture may appear separated). Serve immediately or cool for 30 minutes.

Notes: Go easy on the water. My soup ended up being just a little too watery. Also, you can make this with bacon too. What I did last night was divide the recipe in half and used two pots, instead of one. I made three loaves of french bread and a friend brought the salad.

Happy cooking!

Recipe courtesy of Better Home & Garden cookbook (a staple cookbook for me!).