Rosemary Focaccia

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Rosemary Focaccia

Rosemary Focaccia

Growing up, my mother made a loaf of homemade bread in our bread maker every Sunday during the cold winter months. Sunday's lunch was often the most looked forward to meal of the week, as it was always prepared from scratch and with lots of love. Homemade soups and stews were the feature, but a loaf of homemade bread was never amiss. My family devoured the loaf of bread in one sitting, arguing over the final pieces.

Everyone, of course, but me.

Rosemary Focaccia Rosemary Focaccia

I was a picky eater. I was an indignant eater. I didn't like sandwiches. I didn't like bread. And I certainly didn't like crust. Occasionally I'd manage to eat half a piece of my mother's homespun bread, but I always opted for the saltines if they made an appearance. As it so happens, over the years my tastes evolved and I found myself wanting to eat more bread and less saltines. However, because I was an indignant eater (and terribly stubborn to boot), I couldn't let my mother know I actually liked her bread.

So, I begrudgingly ate my saltines and lifted my nose at the sight of the beautiful, crusty bread. I did this for years.

Stubbornness was (and still is) one of my many flaws.

Rosemary Focaccia Rosemary Focaccia

It wasn't until I moved out on my own that I began to eat bread with great fervor, savoring each piece as I wish I had in the previous years. When I moved to Montreal, my love for bread flourished. With a dozen bakeries in walking distance wafting the smell of yeast and crusty bread into the streets, a baguette or two found its way to my kitchen more than my waistline would have liked.

Baking my own bread has really allowed me to appreciate each loaf for its own unique taste and texture. This Rosemary Focaccia was my first foray into the realm of focaccia and, long after this bread has disappeared, I still find myself wishing for just another piece.

Oh, what I would give for just another piece...

Rosemary Focaccia

This Rosemary Focaccia is salty and chewy, with an unbelievable crust. The bread is made with fresh rosemary, coarse sea salt, cracked pepper, and olive oil. The bread's thick crust develops from baking in the oil, giving it an almost fried quality. It is perfect served plain, with no additions or spreads. This bread shines on its own. I've made this bread twice in the last couple weeks and, though it is fairly involved, I have a feeling it will make an appearance again very soon.

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Beer Bread

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Beer Bread

Beer Bread

Beer has a time and place. Sporting events and hot summer nights. Wild concerts and Super Bowl parties. A refreshing side to a slice of pizza or a platter of fries. Whether you enjoy it pale or dark, bitter or balanced, light or filling enough to be a meal, there is a beer for everyone and every occasion. Sometimes the trickiest part is finding the right one for you. In my third year since reaching the legal drinking age, I'm not quite sure I've found my one and only just yet.

That said, I've always been more of a wine kind of gal.

Beer Bread Beer Bread

Beer bread, opposed to a mug of frothy ale, is something I can get behind. It's no secret that I love bread in each and every form. Beer bread is no exception. If left to my own devices (with no concept of willpower or prying, concerned eyes), I could very well eat the entire loaf by myself.

After years of baking beer bread from box mixes, it wasn't until I set out on my own that I realized how absolutely easy it is to make without a mix. In fact, it takes only a minute longer to whisk together the base ingredients. A whole minute. Sometimes I'm amazed by the ease bread can come together.

Beer Bread

For those of you are hesitant about making yeast breads, this is for you. Beer bread is technically a "yeast" bread but, since yeast comes only from the beer, you don't have to worry about proofing or anything else that comes with that process. Of course, you don't have to share that minor detail with those you are trying to impress.

The special ingredient in this particular recipe is the butter. Though the butter can be optional (especially if you are watching your waistline), I wholeheartedly recommend you brush it heavily on the bread before baking. It really gives the bread a thick, buttery crust that is absolutely wonderful.

In fact, I'm pretty sure it's my favorite part.

Beer Bread Beer Bread

Beer Bread is buttery, chewy, and tastes like your favorite beer. The yeast in the beer interacts with the sugar to help the bread to rise (and the baking powder gives the bread an additional boost to keep it from becoming dense). Be wise, however, in choosing the beer you use. A beer with fruit tones will lend a sweeter, fruity bread. Likewise, a dark ale will lend a robust flavor to the final product. I recommend you use a beer you know and love (I've also heard rumor that cheap, regular beer often tastes better than anything else, but I haven't given this theory a true test). Beer bread is excellent when sliced and spread with butter, cubed and sprinkled on top a thick, hearty chili, or dipped into a spinach or cheese dip. Give it a try—the recipe couldn't be easier!

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Cheddar Dill Biscuits

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Cheddar Dill Biscuits

Cheddar Dill Biscuits

I'm a bookworm. I've been so all of my life. There are old photographs of me as a toddler sitting underneath the living room end table reading Mother Goose rhymes. Though cramped, my small space was perfect to spend time with my favorite storybooks, whether I could actually read them or not was completely irrelevant. I distinctly remember the day I outgrew my small reading cove; my neck was sore from bending over and my legs jutted out between the table legs. At the ripe age of three and a half, I had outgrown my special reading corner. Above all, I remember feeling sadness about losing this place so special to me.

Evidently the perceived tragedies to a three year old are strong enough to leave an impression well into adulthood. My books and I would simply have to find someplace else to delve into the world of fiction.

Cheddar Dill Biscuits Cheddar Dill Biscuits

Nevertheless, much of my childhood was spent between the worn pages of a good book. Fiction and fantasy, kings and queens, dragons and mythical creatures—I loved them all. Reading of far off places, places that never existed nor will ever exist, made my imagination soar. As soon as my eyes start taking in the words on the page, my mind fades away from the Times New Roman font and a fantastic story begins playing out in my head. The faster my eyes dance across the page, the more vivid and real the details of the book become.

Fantasy, fiction, and food—my personal trinity of good books.

To this day, I struggle to pick up a nonfiction book and read it all the way through. Perhaps my childhood is so rooted into fairy tales and foreign worlds that to stray into the details of reality takes away a little of that magic. Whatever the case may be, my bookshelf is firmly filled with adventures and tragedies (with just a few culinary memoirs to break up the monotony).

Cheddar Dill Biscuits

When I was younger, I always envisioned myself as a fiction writer, spinning predictable, but engrossing tales of teen romance. Yet, when I sat down to write chapters, pages, or simple paragraphs of the ideas floating in my head, the words didn't flow. They stopped, utterly and completely, and I was left staring at a blank page. Yet, when I sat down to journal or to write short essays about silliness or food, the words came in droves. I'd often have to cut them back or stop them all together, fearing I'd write something too long for anyone (or myself) to want to read.

It's ironic, really. Nonfiction books are the one genre of books I can't quite bring myself to read, yet is the only style I can seem to write.

Which genre of books do you prefer?

Cheddar Dill Biscuits Cheddar Dill Biscuits

Cheddar Dill Biscuits are tender, flaky, and full of flavor. I love the sharpness of the cheddar cheese contrasted against the fresh dill. The biscuits rise using baking powder, while the butter gives the biscuit the coveted flaky layers. The biscuits are wonderfully cheesy and perfect whether they are served plain or with a simple butter spread. For tips on achieving mile-high biscuits, check this out!

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