Making Bread and Food From Gwynnie

Maybe it's just because it's my birthday month ... but I have to say the April Food & Wine seems chock full  of amazing recipes to sample. So, unlike the other months where it's taking me until the last weekend to decide what to cook, I may be inspired to make a recipe every weekend. The issue also happens to have an article about Gwyneth Paltrow and her new cookbook. So, in full disclosure ... yes, I subscribe to GOOP ... and of all the celebrities who were pregnant when I was, I was most tickled that her son Moses shares the same birthday as K (thank goodness, he came a week early, otherwise, he would have shared a birthday with Suri Cruise. Of course, he won't have any care in the world what celeb's kids share his birthday ...)

So, at first, when I read that GP was releasing a cookbook, I have to say I was a little skeptical. I mean, is there any talent this woman is not trying to pursue at the moment? But ... then I started to read the recipes ... and I have to say, they looked like they might be pretty good. She also has a good back story to her book, but I'll let you read that on your own time. I decided to conquer her Fried Zucchini Spaghetti.

I love zucchini, but I know that it is not a mutual feeling with the men in my house. However, I thought that maybe since the yummy little squash were fried, it might convince the guys that this could be an great addition to our menu for the summer when we get fresh squash from the farmer's market (or if we actually get our own garden started).

The verdict - for me was it was a simple dish that provided a nice simple pleasure. The zucchini had just the right crispness. Granted, I did substitute tofu shirataki noodles for regular spaghetti, and while the noodles worked, I think next time I'll stick to a more traditional noodle next time so that the cheese has something to grab onto. Unfortunately, I still think K and D need some convincing about the virtues of this vegetable, but I think I'll get them there in the future.

To go along with the pasta dish, I decided to try my hand at making bread. (Okay, and let's be honest, I really needed to redeem myself after the sweet potato donut flop!) So I made a rosemary bread. The five hours of time to make this bread includes four hours to let it rise and ten glorious minutes of kneading the bread. This was perhaps the best part. I enjoyed using it as a therapeutic treatment. The result was a lovely soft bread with a great hard crust. The pictures don't do it justice as it was more golden than I think the pic depicts. This almost looks like it hadn't baked yet ...

When it's all said, it was a very lovely Sunday supper. It was nice to know I'd put a lot of work into crafting a meal that we could all sit down to enjoy. D made a comment about how he was surprised I didn't enjoy a glass of wine with the meal ... which I have to agree, would have been the perfect finishing touch. Alas, the horrid cold that is now consuming was just starting to make its appearance Sunday evening.