Terracotta Pot Bread

One of my most favorite stores in the world is the Terrain in Glen Mills, PA. For anyone that has eaten at their Garden Cafe, you know the bread is served in a terracotta pot, quite fitting for the garden center. I decided I wanted to learn and replicate this unique way of serving bread, before I even realized they came out with a kit, sold HERE. It would make for a great gift this holiday. Otherwise, try it out on your own like me. It will be worth it if you are making the bread for more than 4 people. I purchased my pots for around $0.70 each. Either way, using the kit or DIY, this bread will make your dinner guests smile this holiday. xo RCN 

WHAT YOU NEED:

3" diameter terracotta pots (bout mine at A.C Moore)

Bread dough, I used Italian loaf dough from the deli Bakery at ShopRite. If your grocery store does not already sell premade dough cut into individual serving size, ask the Bakery department, they may have loaves of dough behind the counter ready to sell (like the pizza dough)

Sea Salt

Rosemary

Olive Oil

Crisco  

Holiday Ribbon

SEASON THE POTS:

If buying the pots at a craft store or garden center (not a bake shop), like AC Moore or Lowe's, be sure to rinse and season the pots in advance. Cover the exterior of pots with Crisco and the interior of pots with olive oil. Place onto cookie sheets so the pots are easy to handle and move inland out of the oven. Bake the pots on 425F for 20 minutes. Repeat steps 2-3x for a good season. 

BREAD DOUGH:

Follow instruction on the bread dough packaging. If using loaves of dough, be sure to let rise for a few hours in a warm setting, covered with damp towels. Once dough has risen, cut into equal size, approximately 2.5" by 2.5" (or slightly smaller) pieces. One loaf should make about 10 pots.

BAKE:

Butter or spray with baking Pam, the interior of pots one last time and then drop a piece of dough into each pot. Place pots back onto baking sheets and follow baking directions on dough package (should be around 15-20 min at 400-425 or until risen and golden brown). Once removing pots from oven glaze with A LOT of melted butter, sea salt, and fresh cut rosemary before serving. For a final touch trim pot with festive holiday ribbon to add to your table setting ambience. Enjoy!

Individual Chicken Pot Pies

Zach loves chicken pot pie, so I figured since yesterday was my food shopping day, I would get the ingredients to make the latest and greatest pot pie recipe I have seen. That would be Kate Lee's recipe I discovered in the Food Network magazine a couple months ago. I was a little nervous at first to undertake this recipe for dinner last night - as it was only yesterday afternoon I decided to make it. It turned out to not be too difficult and nothing super fancy involved ingredient or direction wise. The recipe notes it takes 2 hours and 10 minutes...took me more like 2 hours and 40 minutes, but I was Insta snapping all along the way, which added some time. After all, I am not an expert, but with following directions I completed this recipe and both Zach and I loved it. Two thumbs up! xo RCN

Ingredients: Recipe yields 4

5 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 sheet puff pastry (I used Pillsbury), thawed as the label directs

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

3 sprigs thyme, plus 1 tablespoon chopped leaves

2 bay leaves

1 large onion, quartered

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup frozen pearl onions, thawed (I used frozen thawed chopped onion)

2 medium carrots, peeled and diced

1 cup sliced white mushrooms

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1 cup milk

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Directions:

FOR CRUST & CHICKEN: Sprinkle a little flour on parchment paper on a baking sheet. Roll out crust on parchment paper to about 12 inches square. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to prep for baking.

Combine the chicken broth, peppercorns, thyme sprigs, bay leaves and quartered onion in a large pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 30 minutes. Then add the chicken breasts to the pot.

Increase the heat and return to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the chicken is just cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool. Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve. You'll need 2 1/2 cups for the filling; reserve the rest for another use. When the chicken is cool to the touch, cut it into bite-size chunks and set aside.

FILLING: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pearl onions and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes then add peas and mushrooms, cook for another five minutes. Stir in 5 tablespoons flour and cook, stirring, 1 more minute. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the chicken and chopped thyme; season with salt and pepper.

FORM PIES: Set out four 2-cup ovenproof bowls or ramekins. Transfer the pastry to a floured surface. Using a paring knife, cut out 4 rounds of dough that are slightly larger than the mouth of the bowls.

Place the bowls on a baking sheet and spoon in the filling. Place 1 dough round on each pot pie, pressing the pastry against the side of the bowl to seal. Brush the dough with the beaten egg. Cut a slit or X across the center of the dough to vent. Bake until the pastry is puffed and dark golden brown, about 35 minutes.

Kale Soup

My Inlaws gave me a recipe book for my birthday called Eat Beautiful. It is written by Wendy Rowe, a world renowned beauty expert, well known as the Artistic Director for Burberry makeup. I love everything about this book. Not only is it informative and have beautifully styled images that make your mouth water, but the chapters are very organized, by season. Each season lays out a glossary of the foods and ingredients used within the season's recipes and specifies the health benefits for your skin, inside and out. It is a clever and simple way of understanding what is good for you and how it is good for, whilst providing great tasty recipes using the foods that are best.

I picked five recipes from this book and bought all the ingredients to make five new recipes this week. I thought I would share with you the Kale soup which we tried out last night. I found it to be absolutely delicious. I have to admit, Zach was not a fan, but he is also not really a veggie fan in general. I did forget the leeks in this recipe, (whoops!) because I forgot them on my grocery list. The soup tasted just fine without them and the apartment still smelled deliciously green. I also added in some additional kale leaves (handful more than recipe notes below), as I tend to like a soup that is a little thicker. Recipe below and link to purchase book HERE, from Anthropologie. Enjoy! xo RCN

Ingredients, serves 2-3 people:

1 Large Fennel bulb, roughly chopped

1 Leek, roughly chopped

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp raw coconut oil

1 Onion, chopped

2 Garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tbsp vegetable bouillon powder or 1 vegetable stock cube

10 Kale leaves, large stems removed, roughly chopped

Handful of spinach

Sea salt and black pepper

1 tsp ground nutmeg to serve

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Chop fennel and leeks and place onto foil lined baking sheet. Evenly drizzle olive oil onto fennel and leeks, mix all together and spread flat on tray. Bake for 15-20 minutes. While baking, chop onion and garlic. Then melt coconut oil in large saucepan on low heat. Add onions and garlic and cover pan with lid. Let sweat for five minutes or until onions are translucent and softened. Pour 5 cups of water into pan, add vegetable bullion, roasted fennel, leeks, and half of the chopped up kale leaves. Season with salt and pepper and stir. Bring to a boil and let bubble for 20 minutes. Add the remaining kale and spinach. Simmer on low/medium heat for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for a little while. Purée until smooth in a blender or using an immersion blender. Reheat before serving and sprinkle nutmeg on top.