Garlic Knots

Sometimes, you just have to have garlic knots for dinner.  Not with dinner, but for dinner.  Why bother making an entire dinner to serve alongside garlic knots when what you really want to eat are the garlic knots.

If you aren't familiar with garlic knots you obviously haven't spent enough time in pizza parlors.  To those deprived souls, a garlic knot is soft dough wrapped in a knot and then topped with melted butter and plenty of garlic.  They are addictive, so it's a good thing this recipe makes just a little over a dozen.

While they seem impressive, these were actually much simpler to make than I imagined because the dough was the easiest dough I've ever handled.  I can't explain why, but the dough is not the least bit sticky to hands or surfaces, so you don't need to flour or oil surfaces in order to roll it out or tie to dough in knots.  The texture is probably due to the potato flour and milk powder, two ingredients that are not optional.  I read recently that milk powder is used in baking instead of going through the milk scalding process you have in other recipes.  Works for me!

If you want tips for how to tie the knots, see the King Arthur Flour blog where I got the recipe.  If you have coordination issues, don't fret, these taste just as good when they aren't pretty as when they are.

Garlic Knots
From King Arthur Flour

Dough:
3 cups (12 3/4 oz.) unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 cup (1 oz.) dry milk
3 tablespoons (1 1/4 oz.) potato flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt, plus more for topping
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup lukewarm water

Glaze:
4 tablespoons melted butter
2-6 cloves minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon pizza or Italian seasoning

In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients (to keep the potato flour from clumping) - flour, dry milk, potato flour, sugar, yeast, and salt.  Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix in 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 cup lukewarm water.  When fully incorporated change to the dough hook and knead until smooth and elastic.  Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or 4 cup measuring cup and wait an hour until the dough has doubled in size.

On a clean surface, roll out your dough until it is a rectangle that is 8 inches by 16 inches.  Using a pizza cutter, places notches about one inch a part and then cut the dough into 8-inch strips (mine only yielded 13, but it should yield 15).  Using your hands lightly roll the strips (one at a time) into 11-inch "snakes."  Tie into a loose knot and then press the two ends into the center as seen here.  Place the knots on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.  Allow the knots to rise (under a towel) for 45 minutes to one hour, until very puffy.

Bake the knots at 350 degrees until lightly browned, about 15-18 minutes.  Meanwhile, melt 4 tablespoons butter and mix in 2-6 cloves minced garlic and 1/2 teaspoon pizza or Italian seasoning.  When the knots are done cooking, use a brush to apply the glaze, being sure to scoop out plenty of the garlic pieces for each knot.  Top with a sprinkle of kosher or sea salt.  Eat warm.

How We Almost Lost Maddie

John and I almost had our worst weekend of all time - we almost lost our girl Maddie on Friday night.  Everything was going normally and Maddie was scarfing up her dinner like she does when we hide a treat in there, then she started acting weird.  

She kept (unsuccessfully) trying to throw up and wouldn't sit still.  I took her for a walk and she didn't get any better.  We kept saying "oh, we'll give her 15 more minutes and see if she's better."  My first thought was that she was sick from licking some cleaning fluid off the floor or something.  It dawned on me she might have bloat, but John thought I was crazy.  As soon as he left to take her to the vet I Googled "bloat" and knew that's what she had.

Ten minutes later I got a text from John - she had bloat and was in emergency surgery.  If you've seen Marley & Me, bloat is what happened to poor Marley.  Bloat usually happens to broad-chested dogs (not those like Maddie) and is when a dog's stomach flips over inside them.  Symptoms usually include restlessness, retching, and a bloated tummy from the build-up of gas inside the tied-off stomach.  We were really lucky Maddie's flipped stomach didn't get too bad and she managed to survive the two hours until we got her to the vet (apparently some dogs die within an hour).

The surgeon flipped her stomach back and tacked it to the inside of her with 5 stitches so it would never happen again.  The vet thinks it happened after Maddie fell over with a full stomach so that everything just sloshed around and flipped.  Her recovery is going well and she even got to leave the animal hospital on Saturday evening.  She's on a strict bland diet of boiled chicken, white rice, and cottage cheese.  At least it makes me feel like there is something I can do for my poor girl by making her home cooked food.  Hopefully she'll be good as new soon.  And if you have any kind of larger dog - whether they have a big chest or not - be on the lookout for bloat (the second leading killer of dogs).

Five Things

I can't believe another Friday is here.  I had another busy week that was going by without a hitch until I tripped down a couple of stairs and wrenched my forearm on the banister earlier tonight.  But the good news is that I'm finally owning up to the fact that I'm a big time klutz.  It only took 28 years, but at least I have admitted it.

I eat oatmeal with agave nectar every morning for breakfast.  I'm not one for "alternative" sugars and flour, but agave tastes great and dissolves better than brown sugar.  I buy it in bulk at Costco, like all things I love (butter, flour, sugar, and Fiber One bars).

I finally got around to ordering some personalized stationary, and if you're lucky you might get a letter from me on it one day.  I always love nice stationary.

John and I bought this book at an amazing dog store called Hollistic Hound in Berkeley.   We knew we had to buy it as soon as we saw it.  I've read all the important parts so far - and I can't wait to go on some of the great dog-friendly hikes nearby. 

Did you know nutmeg looks like a brain on the inside?  I had never used freshly grated nutmeg before, and was astounded by the insides.  Um, gross.  At least I've finally gotten on board with fresh spices.

A certain someone complained that they haven't been featured in my five favorite things list.  We can all imagine that that someone was not Harper.  Good thing I love both someones in this picture.  

Dog Park Debut

Harper made her dog park debut two weekends ago and had a glorious time romping off leash.

We were joined by Trevor, Andrea, and their Golden, Tucker.  Tucker tolerated Harper marvelously and showed her what retrieving is all about.

Harper showed her affection by giving Tucker a kiss or two.  She's getting feisty in her teenage weeks.

Harper has the wherewithal to play when she wants and to rest when she wants.  It's hard to say which is the cutest.
 

Off leash - wheeeeeeeeeeeee!

Nothing like running around the dog park to work up some thirst.  Luckily they have water at the park for all the dogs to slurp.

A great Sunday afternoon if you ask anyone in my family.

Some people geniuses think it's a good idea to bring treats to the dog park.  Even when zipped up in a bag, the dogs are not fooled.  Despite this treat-teasing man, Harper had a great time!

Tomatillo Salsa

After only discovering the joys of tomatillos two weeks ago, I made use of another pound on Saturday by making tomatillo salsa.  I'm single-handedly supporting the tomatillo farmers of California.  And yes, my obsession with Tex-Mex continues.  So long as the recipes keep impressing us, I will pretend I know what Tex-Mex is supposed to taste like.  So what if I've never been to Texas and I spent my childhood eating at Taco Bell?  What I do know is that this tomatillo salsa is one of the best I've ever had and it's incredibly simple to make.

I spend all week discussing with my friends over email the types of things I have cooked and will be cooking soon.  When I told people I was making tomatillo salsa, two people independently asked if I was roasting the tomatillos.  Luckily for me this recipe requires no roasting or anything fancy and tastes better than any tomatillo salsa I've tried before.  The freshness and simpleness is addictive and paired with some good chips or chicken tacos you can go through a huge amount in an evening.

I've had no problem finding tomatillos at Whole Foods, though I can't vouch for other stores.  Finding tomatillos is probably the most difficult part of this recipe, but an extra trip to the store is well worth it for this delicious treat.

Don't worry, Harper hasn't taken ill by eating tomatillo salsa, she is just damp and exhausted.  We had a fun doodle play date at the dog park today and were met with lots of mud puddles and rain.  Harper had a blast, but went through every last ounce of energy she had for the next few hours.  After a well-deserved bath she rested under the table in a towel big enough for three Harpers.

Tomatillo Salsa
Adapted from Homesick Texan

1 pound tomatillos (about 12-16), husked and cut in half [buy a few extra in case you buy some rotten ones]
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 serrano chilis, stems and seeds removed (1 for mild, 2 for medium)
1/4 medium onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon canola oil, for cooking salsa
Kosher salt, to taste (I used about half a tablespoon)

In a blender, puree the tomatillos, garlic, serrano chilis, onion, cumin, and lime juice until smooth.  Heat a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.  When warm, add 1 tablespoon canola oil and heat until warmed.  Pour in salsa and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  The salsa will change from bright green to a more olive color as it cooks.  Taste and add salt to your liking.  Serve warm or cold with lots of chips.