Another Day in the Life...: Cooking 101

My sister inspired me. But don't tell her... She can't know.
I cooked dinner tonight. But let's back up.... THIS MORNING, I got my stitches out. All of them and it took Forever. I had a really unpleasant nurse who didn't pay any heed to the "OUCH!" or "WHAT ARE YOU DOING??!" that I said. So instead, I talked to her in the same voice she talked to me.

Her: "does that hurt?"
Me: "yep."
Her: "Is that better?"
Me: "Nope."

She looked at me very disrespectfully. So I continued.

Her: "How does that feel?"
Me: "Pretty much unpleasant."
Her: "This one is going to pull............ Did that hurt?"
Me: "yep."
Her: "this one has a bridge"
Me: "I don't know what that means..."
Her: "It's a good thing."
Me: "I was hoping I would get one of those..."

This continued until the doctor came in. He looked at the nurse, back at me, and back at the nurse. She departed wordlessly and he whispered to me "She's not my favorite.". We were on the same page. I GOT MY STITCHES OUT! The doctor said I can wear my own shoes in 2.5 weeks... WHOO!! That's a lot less time than anticipated. Approximately 6 weeks less...

So I was inspired to cook. I went and bought a LOT of things. For two recipes... Enchilada's and Buffalo Chicken Bread. I went with the latter tonight. It was pretty much amazing. I could have eaten the stuffing without the bread, ALL night long. It was fantastic. So (Melissa, I am not copying you, I'm learning from your expertise...) here is the recipe. (Bob, this one's for you!)

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Buffalo Chicken Bites

1 cup finely diced cooked chicken breast (I used 2...)
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese (I used 5...)
1/4 cup hot sauce (I used 1/5... just to be rebellious... and to spare my taste buds)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 1/4 teaspoons rapid rise dry yeast

2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup warm milk

2 1/2 cups of flour

To make the buffalo chicken mixture, in a small bowl, combine the chicken, blue cheese, cheddar cheese, softened butter and hot sauce; set aside.

For the dough... In a 1 cup measuring cup, heat the milk and then add the 2 tablespoons brown sugar; stir into warm milk until dissolved; place in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. (I don't have a stand mixer, you see... instead I used a regular mixer on low for about 2 minutes, then kneaded by hand for about 5 minutes)

Add 2 1/2 cups flour and yeast to the stand mixer and mix on low speed until a soft dough forms, adding up to 1/2 cup additional flour, a little at a time, if necessary. Allow the dough to knead in the stand mixer for 5-7 minutes (again, I don't have a stand mixer... I'm cheap). Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead a few times to form a smooth ball. Place dough into a clean bowl that's been lightly oiled. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled and bubbles appear on surface, about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in the middle of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and cut into 4 equal pieces. Lightly dust your hands with flour, then gently roll and stretch 1 piece of dough to form a 12-inch-long rope. Flatten dough and arrange so a long side is nearest you, then roll out to a roughly 12- by 4-inch rectangle with a lightly floured rolling pin. Gently press one fourth of buffalo chicken mixture into lower third of rectangle, leaving a 1/2-inch border along bottom edge. Stretch bottom edge of dough up over filling and press tightly to seal, then roll up as tightly as possible to form a rope. Cut rope into 12 pieces and transfer to a sheet pan. Make 3 more ropes with remaining dough, filling and cut into pieces, transferring to sheet pans. Let rest at room temperature, uncovered, 30 minutes (dough will rise slightly).

Bake buffalo chicken bites in the preheated oven for 5-7 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned. Remove from oven (some cheese may have melted out.) and brush tops with melted butter before serving (optional).

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I cook very well when I don't use a recipe. That's because I don't follow directions well enough to use a recipe. I can follow directions, but I'm a little more "free" with the portion sizes. And I sometimes forget the flour. (ask Melissa about the time I baked homemade cookies)

I decided to make the Buffalo Chicken Bread with my own little twist. That way I didn't necessarily have to follow directions... It was supposed to be Buffalo Chicken Bites, but I didn't want to put in the labor for bite sized portions when we were going to eat more than one anyhow. So I made it bread. It was fantastic

If you want to see MORE good recipes, you won't find them here... Melissa's blog (the twin seester) is HERE. Pop in and pay her a visit! Don't judge my creativity based on how beautiful her blog is compared to my blernal. I'm forecasting a remodel.

Just another day in the life.. of a person who is ONE DAY closer to having two fully functioning tootsies.

Here's a picture!