No-Knead Bread | Recipe | Baltimore Foodie

         Since we have moved into our new house, I have been wanting to cook so much more than before. I have always loved cooking, but it has become an every day mission to cook as much as possible! I have made pie crusts, croissant dough for my braid (I will be sharing that soon!!), and lots of bread!!

         My favorite bread to make is this no-knead bread. While browsing the magazines at Barnes & Noble one night., I came across this Bread magazine. I was excited to try and make bread a regular part of our lives! I love bread. I love the smell of fresh baked bread even more! I paid the $10.99! (I've never paid that much for a magazine!) for the magazine, and it has been so worth it over the last three years!

There it is...the headline that hooked me...

And as promised...right there in the back of the magazine..the no-knead recipe! (Can you feel the excitement?!)

First off, you should know that this is a two day affair. The first day is super simple, though! I promise! The ingredients you will need are:

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour (I have used both and had equally delicious results!)
1/4 teaspoon active-dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 Cups warm water
5 qt. heavy-bottomed enamel, cast-iron, or ceramic Dutch oven with lid ( I use my Pampered Chef Stainless Steel 12" Covered Skillet and it works great!)


Okay..ready??
On day one:
Combine flour, yeast, sale and water in a large bowl and mix well. I have found it is easiest to do this by hand. The dough will look rough and ragged (direct quote from the magazine!! :D) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm spot for at least 14-20 hours. That's it!! You're done for the day!! Now go relax!

The next day:
The dough will have grown, and will look wet and smell yeasty. You will need to ease it out of the bowl onto a floured surface. It should look something like this .

With your hands, fold the dough onto itself a couple times until it somewhat resembles a ball. Let it rest for 15 minutes.
Be sure to remove any rings/jewelry you have on because your hands will end up looking like this!

       After 15 minutes have passed, you will dust a lint-free towel with cornmeal, flour, or wheat bran, and place the ball of dough, seam-side down, onto the towel. Place another lint-free towel over it.
*I have a big tea towel that I only use for bread. It is large enough that I am able to fold it over the dough instead of using two towels!*
Let the dough sit again for two hours in a warm spot. When there is about 30 minutes left, place your heavy pot/pan in the oven and preheat to 450.
After the dough has doubled, carefully remove the pot from the oven and sprinkle a pinch of cornmeal, flour or wheat bran into the pan. Then, pick up the towel, and dump the dough into the pot. It will look like a mess going in, but that's okay!
Cover and bake for 30 minutes. (Don't forget to cover at this point!! Trust me!)
After 30 minutes, remove the lid, and bake another 15-30 minutes until the bread looks golden brown and crispy on the outside. Remove from the pan and let cool 15 minutes. This is seriously the hardest part for me! I just want to cut into the nice hot bread and eat a piece!!

It should come out looking something like this!

 I try to make this bread whenever we have spaghetti planned for dinner. It is the perfect companion to the sauce! ;)

 This guy loves the bread with spaghetti, too!! Can you tell??

That's it! Easy-peasy, right?? I can't wait to hear how much you love it!!

Here is a peek at our next super delicious bread adventure! I will be sharing this one soon!

Refashion | Pants to Shorts | DIY

Hi again!!

So I have his pair of pants a friend gave me. They fit great at the waist and I lived the pinstripe. The only problem was that they were long. Like, really long. I think theyight have been labeled as "tall". I'm not tall. So the pants sat around longer than thy should have. I was cleaning out my part one day, and I was just about to put them in the giveaway bag, when I had an idea! I thought I would try to make hem iti shorts. What's the worst that could happen right? 

I grabbed a pair of shorts that I already had that I liked the length of, and have the pants a good chop a few inches    below where I wanted them to be. I decides to make these a little longer than the pair I already had. 

Once I was done chopping, I folded the nottom for a nice wide hem. Then I pinned it all together and have it a quick sew at the seams. After trying them on, I will probably go back and see the entire cuff down. Maybe. If I get around to it.  Just because I'm a little picky

Here they are in use! (Please disregard my hotel bathroom selfie!!)

This was such an easy project. I will most likely be going through all of my pants I see I I have any more that are too long to wear comfortably! 

Do you have a refashion that you are working on? If love to see it! You can alo share on the Facebook page! 

Www.facebook.com/lifecoastiestyle 

21 Day Fix | Dinner | Chicken, Black beans, & Rice

            I have this recipe from a Pillsbury recipe book. You know the kind at the checkout, just begging for you to buy it...that one! I think it was the Skillet Meals version. I am all about some good chicken recipes. This one does not disappoint. Lots of flavor and super filling. Also, super easy to adapt to the 21 Day Fix meal plan!

I used one red for the chicken, one yellow for the rice and beans, and a green for the salad! I was so full by the end of this meal!

I did make a few adjustments to the recipe. Here are the ingredients for the original recipe. My adjustments are listed below! :)

2 teaspoons oil
1 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 cups frozen bell pepper/onion stir-fry, coarsely chopped
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained
1 (14 oz) can chicken broth
2 Tablespoons water
2 oz. (1/2 cup) shredded cheddar cheese

What I did different:
* I left the chicken whole when I cooked it so that I could properly measure it.
* Brown rice instead of white
* For the chicken broth, I cooked the chicken in 1 1/2 cups of water, seasoned with salt &   pepper. I used this "broth" for the recipe, instead of the can. I added extra water to replace anything that evaporated during cooking.
* I didn't chop the pepper/onion mixture. (Maybe because I'm a little lazy, and it just seemed like something that would take extra time!)
* I did not add the cheese at the end like the recipe states. There was plenty leftover for lunch the next day, and I did decide to add cheese then. I used my blue container and sprinkled that amount onto the rice. Delicious!!

Now for the directions...

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add rice, cumin and chili powder; cook and stir 1 minute.

2. Stir in all remaining ingredients except cheese. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 15 to 18 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, stirring occasionally.

3. Remove skillet from heat. Uncover; fluff mixture with fork. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover; let stand 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is melted before serving.


Here is the end result! Doesn't it look so good??

This is definitely a must try! Let me know if you do, and if you make any other changes!