Menu and Two Successful Bread Experiments

Monday - pasta with rosa sauce and chicken

Wednesday - spicy peanut soup

Thursday - buttery leek and sausage pasta

Friday - homemade spaghetti and bread (which will be another batch of this no knead-artisan bread {in the dutch oven} seen below)

Sunday - cassoulet 

Dinner vegetables for the week: brussel sprouts and kale are the two I know of. Others will be picked based on what looks good at the market.....Oh how I enjoy the market : )

Yay for a new bread recipe!

I was introduced to this bread by two people that I love over Christmas. Since I love-love-love making bread, and Marshall loves-loves-loves eating bread, this was a must-try recipe! (I wonder if I could have just won an award for most amount of hyphens used in one sentence! : )

Anyway, to all very experienced bread makers out there.....this is a bizarre way to make bread! I mean, no knead isn't a new concept to me, but the only thing that felt normal about making this bread was that there is flour and water in it. Just follow the directions (and use plenty of flour when transferring your dough from it's original rising bowl to whatever surface/bowl you are using for the second rising), and it should come out great! It came together SO easily and tasted so.........well.......tasty!  

To all not as experienced bread makers.....this is SO easy and SO tasty that you need not be afraid, need not make excuses, and you need try! Have fun!

This loaf of bread represents my first time using my sourdough only (no yeast) to rise dough! I have tried this two other times and, though the bread was fine, it didn't rise nearly as much as it should have so the bread was very dense. I have also made versions of sourdough that also use yeast. I was so happy that the bread came out well. So proud of my healthy, hard-working sourdough starter : )