7 Ingredient Crispy Goodness

Crackers, right?  Delicious little crispy things that help make peanut butter that much more civilized to eat at 12:30 am, or that hold hummus so well and give it a bit of snap or add the perfect little pusher to your summer beef salad.  Something so complicated and magical to make that the elves unionized, cornered the market on boxes and boxes of them, and charged outrageous prices.   And then to read the ingredients! 

So here’s the plan:  find a recipe, made with ingredients that don’t have to come out of a chemist’s magic box, make them at home, make them in the summer time when it is a billion degrees and you don’t even want to turn on the oven, and then share any resulting successes with Bella fans.

I found a cool 7 ingredient (actually it was a 6 ingredient, and true to form; had to add something) recipe that took just a couple of tries to get sorted out. 

1.5 cups Semolina flour

1.5 cups whole wheat flour

1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (lucky #7)

2 teaspoons course sea salt

A whole bunch of grinds on the pepper mill -

1/3 cup olive oil

1 cup water

 Pasta machine for fun-

Mix the two flours, the seeds, the salt, the pepper together.  Add oil, and mix until it reaches that evenly distributed and nicely sandy feeling.  Add water and knead for 5 minutes until you get a nice elastic ball of dough.  I then cut it up by halves until I had a plate full of golf ball sized dough balls.  Let them rest to finish hydrating the flours for 30 minutes. 

Next step was all about the pasta machine.  Roll it out to number 5/6 (7 was too thin).  And for fun and because it is summer and super warm – I tried cooking them on the bbq.  Fabulously successful!  This is also a great way to find the hot spots on your grill.  At medium high it took me about 2 ½ minutes on one side and about 1 ½ minutes after I turned them over to finish.  If they still felt a little soft, I parked them over on the side of the grill to finish (off the open flame).  It was definitely a production of cranking out crackers, flipping crackers, pulling cooked crackers, cranking out crackers, flipping…you get the idea.  May I suggest using a timer?   After they cooled a bit, I just snapped them up to the size I wanted and bang done, Bob’s your Uncle and you are free of the tyranny of cracker-head elves. 

My Fav Gadget This Week

This little guy is fun!  Includes 4 attachments to beat/whip, mix, blend/stir and froth.  No kidding!  Takes 2 AA batteries.  This just might be the gift of the year!  $6.75! Really!

Customer Service Super Genius

Hard Work!  Low Pay!  Sign up here!  Actually, we think Bella is a great place to work and we have had just the best luck finding fabulous people in the past.  So, here's the scoop.  Job duties include stocking inventory (most days), cleaning, merchandising, cash registering, quickbooks-ing, and taking great care of our customers.  Retail experience is nice but not essential to the tasks.  Preference will be given to those candidates who know their way around a kitchen.  The position requires the skills and abilities to work independently.  A professional appearance is required.  (well, semi-professional.  No high heels here at 5000 elevation)

This job is also very physical, requiring long hours standing, walking up and down stairs, lifting up to 30 pounds.  Knowledge and some proficiency of Word, Quickbooks, Excel, Email applications and social media is desired. 

We can offer about 23 hours per week for the summer months, June, July, August and most of September.  Starting pay is $9.50 to $10.50 an hour depending on experience.  

If this sounds like the job for you, please submit an application or resume to lisa@bellakitchen.com. 

Dannar Country Furniture

 

These beautiful furniture pieces are constructed in Grangeville and available for sale right here in Bella Kitchen.  Dannar Country Furniture is widely known in the Northwest for their finely crafted furniture.  Visit the website, dannarcountryfurniture.com,  for a view of the entire line available through Bella Kitchen.   Come in!  Open the drawers, see the construction up close and marvel at the quality.  So nice to see real wood again. 

 



KALE!

Recipe Contest!  Thanks everyone for your favorite recipes!  We are busy in the Bella Kitchen Test Kitchen trying these wonderful submissions.  Our secret judges will select one outstanding recipe and the winner will receive a $25 Gift Certificate.  To Your Health!

Kale is being called “the new beef”, “the queen of greens” and “a nutritional powerhouse.”  Move over Popeye!  Gaining in popularity, kale is an amazing vegetable being recognized for its exceptional nutrient richness, health benefits, and delicious flavor.

Eating a variety of natural, unprocessed vegetables can do wonders for your health, but choosing super-nutritious kale on a regular basis may provide significant health benefits, including cancer protection and lowered cholesterol.

From Adele Gref:

take one bunch of kale and slice thin
mix with 2 T olive oil, 1 T minced dried onion, 1/4 t dried garlic, 1/4 t seasoning salt and 1 t crushed red chili pepper or to taste
put in oven @450 for 15-20 minutes. turn kale over with spatula halfway thru
kale should be crispy and can be eaten warm or cooled

From Puddy:

My favorite way to fix kale is to make baked chips for appetizers. I cut the good leaves off and put them in a bowl. Then I mix olive oil, sea salt and/or any seasoning you like and then pop them in the oven. I then take them out and put fresh parmesan cheese on top and put back into the oven until the cheese melts and kale is crispy. Put in a basket with napkin and serve. Yummy!!!!I also love kale sauteed with olive oil, garlic, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, onions and served over any pasta you like. Very good!!!

From Anna Crough:

I cut up kale in small pieces and pour a dressing I make over it. 1/2 cup rasberry or strawberry yogurt and the juice from one orange and one lime. Mix it together with a tablespoon of honey and 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar. You can add garlic powder if you want.

From E.A. Reisch:

Italian Sausage Soup

1/2 lb Italian turkey sausage ( 1/2 in slices)
1 15 oz can white cannellini beans
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
2 14 oz cans chicken broth
2 tsp minced garlic
2 cups chopped kale

Brown the sausage slices with garlic in dutch oven. Add the remaining ingredients except the kale and bring to a simmer. Add the kale and serve with baguete bread and a nice glass of wine.

From Nerida Jones:

1 bunch of kale

1-2 carrots shredded

1 hand full of chopped cashews

3/4 cup of vegenaise or mayo

1 Tbs rice wine vinegar

1 squeeze of fresh lemon

1 Tbs fresh grated ginger

1 grated garlic clove

salt and pepper to taste

Chop kale in bite size pieces and toss with shredded carrots in a large bowl. Mix cashews, vegenaise (mayo), rice wine vinegar, lemon, ginger, garlic in a separate medium bowl. Pour mixture over kale and carrots and toss. Let sit at least and hour in the fridge. Even better the next day.

Disclaimer: I read over this and of course I don't have a written recipe for this (just in my head) so I hope it doesn't end up like in elementary school when you had to write on how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Very entertaining but not one to follow to closely.

From Teri Hunt:

Kale Slaw with Peanut Dressing


serves 6 to 8

2 large bunches curly or lacinato kale, about 2 pounds


2 red bell peppers, cleaned and cut into fine strips


1 large carrot, peeled
3/4 cup roasted, salted peanuts, divided


1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons cider vinegar


1 tablespoon packed light-brown sugar


1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)

Fold each leaf of kale in half lengthwise and slice out the center rib. Discard ribs. Roll a stack of the leaves up and slice in half lengthwise, then crosswise into very fine ribbons. You will have 10 to 12 cups of finely chopped kale in the end. Wash and rinse thoroughly in a salad spinner.

Toss the kale with the sliced bell peppers. Slice the carrot very thin, either by creating curls with a peeler, or by running the halved carrot lengthwise down a mandoline. Toss with the kale, red pepper, and 1/2 cup of the peanuts.

In a chopper or small food processor, briefly puree the remaining 1/4 cup peanuts, oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper flakes. Pulse it just a few times; the peanuts should be partially pureed, but with some nibs and nubs still left in the dressing. (The texture difference between the whole peanuts, ground peanuts, and pureed peanuts in the sauce is one of the things that makes this slaw so wonderful.)Toss the dressing with the slaw and let it sit for at least a few minutes before serving.

My Note: I like to double the dressing amount for this much Kale. Bon Appetit!

 

Constant Contact : Emails : Details

Constant Contact : Emails : Details

Chocolate Molds of Love!

January has almost 1/2 gone by - which means that all those recent resolutions have been tested, tossed, or re-tooled for success. One of which, just may be your relationship with chocolate. If you have considered a Quality over Quantity approach, Bella Kitchen and Gamme Gourmet are here to help!

100% Silicone and easy to use!
Pour tempered chocolate into cups
shake it up and around the edges
then pour out excess - pop the
chocolate filled mold into the
fridge until set.  Fill the cups with
your favorite (home-made
caramel is delicious!) and cap
with a little more chocolate.
Back to the fridge and let set.  Pop them out and enjoy!  Can be used to bribe neighbors and family members... 

espresso truffles in the Wood kitchen

 

 

Customer Service Super Genius

Hard Work!  Low Pay!  Sign up here!  Actually, we think Bella is a great place to work and we have had just the best luck finding fabulous people in the past.  So, here's the scoop.  Job duties include stocking inventory (most days), cleaning, merchandising, cash registering, quickbooks-ing, and taking great care of our customers.  Retail experience is nice but not essential to the tasks.  Preference will be given to those candidates who know their way around a kitchen.  The position requires the skills and abilities to work independently.  A professional appearance is required.  (well, semi-professional.  No high heels here at 5000 elevation) 

This job is also very physical, requiring long hours standing, walking up and down stairs, lifting up to 30 pounds.  Knowledge and some proficiency of Word, Quickbooks, Excel, Email applications and social media is desired. 

We can offer 22 to 30 hours per week in the Winter and Spring - otherwise known as slack.  In the summer, July, August & September we can offer 40 hours per week.  December is also a busy month.  Starting pay is $9.50 to $10.50 an hour depending on experience.  There is a lot to learn and training is extensive and expensive so we are hoping to find a person willing to commit to long-term employment. 

If this sounds like the job for you, please submit an application or resume to lisa@bellakitchen.com.