Focaccia and another attempt at making a Video Tutorial

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Focaccia The novice Housewife

Before leaving for Canada, I had the chance to stock up on a few recipes for the blog. I did not realize that staying with family and  such a hectic course schedule would leave me with not much time to spend on the blog. And hence my absence. And also why I haven’t been able to reply to your messages and mails. Sorry! I’ll get to it soon!

I also had the chance to shoot another video tutorial. I thought it looked fine when I shot it, but when I came to Canada and tried working on it, it just did not feel right. I would work on it a few hours, not like it, trash the project and then start the next day again. There are actually four versions of this video that I made and none of them turned out to be what I wanted.

But, I am still posting the video because I love this recipe for Focaccia bread. It’s from Peter Reinhart’s book the Bread Bakers’ Apprentice and not that I have tried other Focaccia recipes (one of my friends’ told me the one on Annie’s Eats site is pretty good), with this recipe I never really felt the need to try another one. It does require you to plan a little ahead of time, but if you truly want a crusty outside and a chewy inside, you do need to take that extra step. Kind of like Peter Reinhart’s Pizza dough. Believe me, it’s one of the best pizza dough recipes you will ever try. And so is this recipe for Focaccia bread.

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Oven Baked Chicken Tacos

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Oven baked chicken tacos The Novice Housewife

Its fun staying with family and a different kind of fun when its that side of the family that you haven’t had a chance to spend much time with.

My mom’s parents and her brother and his family stay in Toronto and these days I am staying with them. Since Canada was never much in our holiday destinations, I hardly got to meet my uncle or his family much while growing up. Now, I will be with them for more or less two months, while my course is going on.

My uncle is a fun person. Being the youngest of the three children, and having two elder sisters to pamper him, he is still a kid in many respects and loves pulling everybody’s legs and making everyone laugh. My mom’s sister’s daughter also stays close by and when she comes home, its a laughing riot in the house. Each family member is goofier than the other, messing up normal things and giving others some fodder to laugh about. Well, what would you expect from a family of Sardars, but this.

I do miss home and V and my friends back in Arizona, but I like the change that comes with this place. I especially like that I am with family and have this time to bond with my mom’s side of the family, which I never could growing up.

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Momofuku Milk Bar’s Crack Pie

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Momofuku Milk Bar's Crack Pie The Novice HousewifeMomofuku Milk Bar's Crack Pie The Novice Housewife

After a long time I am posting something for Daring Bakers’ (I was kind of scared I’ll be kicked out of the group since I missed so many of the previous ones but luckily that did not happen).

And am I glad that I did not miss this one. Because these Momofuku Milk Bar’s Crack pies are freakishly good….and addictive! I had the hardest time restricting myself to one piece. But restrict I did ( yup, sometimes my will power amazes me) and took a few pieces for my friends and packed the rest for one of V’s colleague.

Rachael from pizzarossa was our lovely June 2013 Daring Bakers’ host and she
had us whipping up delicious pies in our kitchens! Cream pies, fruit pies, chocolate pies, even crack
pies! There’s nothing like pie! 🙂

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