brunch at the happy hippie house

Welcome to brunch at the Happy Hippie House–artwork courtesy of Tracy Dove, vittles courtesy of moi!  I whipped up a quiche with caramelized red onion, bacon, fresh spinach, zucchini, basil,  and feta; homefries with onions and garlic, o,j. in our fabulous vintage Tang pitcher–thanks mom! and fresh fruit with yogurt and granola–thanks Bountiful Baskets and The Bread Basket.  This is the best granola I’ve ever eaten!  Tomorrow, it is on to the grand adventure of making marmalade for the first time.  Come on back and read all about it! Til then, have a happy hippie Sunday!

You would have thought Arizona had received it’s first rainstorm in the history of the state these past few days.  All out panic seemed to be setting in as the newschannels were all broadcasting the ‘tornado watch’.  I personally LOVE the rainy weather–as it is most definitely the exception around these parts.  It makes for perfect soup and fresh baked bread days!  Here is one of my favorite recipe finds this wet season.  They go great with a big bowl of your favorite soup, or with turkey and all the trimmins’ or as the wrapping for the perfect sandwich filling.

If you haven’t done a lot of homemade bread, it is so  much less intimidating than people like to make you think.  It is well worth the waiting as it rises a couple of times, and you will be rewarded with the outrageous smells of fresh bread baking in your home!  Oh, and your friends will be so impressed with your gorgeous buns!  Happy Baking!

seems as if a mouse may have snuck a roll when I wasn't looking!

Rosemary Lemon Rolls (makes about 24 rolls)

• 1 (.25 oz. package) active dry yeast
• 1 T. sugar
• 1 c. water
• 1 c. milk at room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 2 t. salt
• 2 T. butter, softened
• 1/4 c. fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1/2 t. garlic powder
• 1 T. lemon zest
• 6 C. bread flour, divided
• 1 egg white

1. Dissolve yeast, sugar and water (heated to 110 degrees) in a smalll bowl; let stand for 5 minutes or until creamy
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer at low speed, slowly beat together the yeast mixture with milk, eggs, salt, butter, rosemary, garlic powder, lemon zest, and 4 cups of bread flour.  Add remaining bread flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until dough has pulled together.
3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead for 5 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic.  Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning to grease top.  Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees), free from drafts, for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
4. Grease two 9×13 inch baking pan; set aside.
5. Punch dough, and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.  Divide dough into 24 pieces; shape each piece into a round ball, and place in  prepared pans.  Cover and let rise in a warm, draft free place for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
7. Gently brush each roll with egg white.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.  Let cool in pans for 10 minutes; serve warm.

Recently, I took 7 lucky members of my cooking meetup group to the Downtown Phoenix Public Market.

We met at my place early on a Saturday morning to peruse the market for the fixins of a grand meal that we would prepare together post-shopping.  It was a glorious day as we made the short trip to 1st St. and McKinley.  We made a plan to rendezvous at a designated time and then I set them loose to adventure on their own.   For many of the gals, this was their first trip to the market and it was a real joy to watch them take in the sights and sounds together.

I was armed with many market bags and the quick list of ingredients and menu ideas I had jotted down with the thought of what I might actually find based on season.    It was a fun sort of game to see which vendors had the items I needed and it was my goal to spend money with as many vendors as possible, to ’spread the love’, so to speak.

This was my kind of scavenger hunt, and it was not only fun, but as always, I am so inspired by the varied and gorgeous bounty that is available to us here in the Valley of the Sun.  Many people probably don’t even realize that we have access to locally produced beef, bison, gorgeous organically and sustainably grown flowers, fruits as well as wonderful artisanal breads, jams, tamales, etc.  My list was smallish, but diverse, and I was able to procure everything in one quick (less than an hour) walk around the market stalls.

Here is a run down of the menu that we enjoyed–all of which were made completely from items from The Downtown Phoenix Public Market! (with the exception of the champagne and a little raw sugar for the aqua fresca)

zucchini "noodles" to go with Bison meatballs

Appetizers:

• Fresh baked baquette Bruschetta with baby heirloom tomatoes, garlic, feta stuffed olives, fresh basil, olive oil
• Baby quesadillas with grilled corn and southwest spiced goat cheese

Salad:

• Mixed greens , roasted bell peppers, sauteed pears, and spiced pecans tossed with citrus/shallot/thyme vinaigrette

Pasta:

• Saffron fettucine with whole cloves of roasted garlic, butternut squash, bacon, walnuts, crispy sage leaves, French herb goat cheese
• Organic beef meatballs with fresh garlic, basil, oregano, thyme, in a quick homemade marinara served over ‘noodles’ of barely sauteed julienne cut zucchini

Dessert:

• Fresh Peach gallette with blackberry jam glaze served with Toasted almond and Sea Salt Ice Cream

Beverage:

• Watermelon and Lime aqua fresca with Prosecco

The weather was perfect for preparing and eating out in the front yard.  What a spectacular way to spend a gorgeous Arizona autumn day!