Bread Head

You might say i've been a little... obsessed with making my own bread lately.

My Mom In Law, the Yoda of Yard Sales bought me a lightly used bread machine... I love it. and while it -is- a unitasker its one i can say im using and not stashed away in the cabinet *looks at the icecream maker*

and I usually have all the ingredients on hand for either basic bread or Egg-honey bread. which i'm going to share with you all because it is yummy.

In a large measuring cup/bowl

3/4 C of warm water
1 tablespoon of sugar
3 tablespoons of honey
1 teaspoon of active dry yeast
3 tablespoons of unsalted sweet cream butter
3 medium or large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt

in the bread machine chamber:

3 cups of bread flour

mix the wet with the dry with a spoon in the chamber of the machine, i didn't get it premixed once in my machine and ended up with a brick of flour with spongy mush on top, not good. just a quirk of my own machine, yours may be different. I did it in the chamber instead of a bowl because... i could and didn't want to make more dishes.

a lightly sweet, dense bread. I find the yeasties are very very happy in this recipe and have lifted the lid on my machine every time i make it! so you've been warned.. IT'S ALIVE!!! *cackles like a mad scientist* 

i found once it was cut open it dries out fast but I live in a dry climate. but that was a rare occassion where the loaf wasn't devoured in a day. 

Cold weather is starting to make its way in, so I have an excuse to make indoor food now so will update breads, dinners and whatever I feel like sharing from my crazed kitchen

Fish Heads, Fish Heads, Rolly-polly Fish heads

Yes fish heads. go ahead and run away if you need to. I understand.

this one is a little... soapboxy. just letting you know.


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we in general are weird about food that looks at us.


as with a lot of what I get for my family, Price is a major consideration, the recession isn't moving along at any pace near 'gone' BUT I also try and stay away from a lot of processed food... aside from sausages and hot dogs and mac and cheese. even I have 'those nights' and need the comfort of junk.

So yesterday I sauntered up to my Winco fish counter and started up a conversation with the worker... doesn't everyone do this? I have a relationship with my check out lady, the pizza department and the meat counter. I believe everyone needs some niceness in their every day job. especially one as thankless as food retail.

and there staring back at me where some HUGE fish heads. salmon... I like salmon. Hubby LOVES to get salmon collar when we get sushi. ooh a dollar a pound... lets see the filets... $9/lb damn.

pretty obvious who wins there. the heads. three heads total weighing in at 7 pounds.


so the plan is to broil or grill these bad boys, cut in half and basted in teriaki sauce with some jasmine rice and a side of miso soup. mmmm .


will update with pictures when I cook it up.
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 the subject. I was very happy to find the heads had the collars. yay

 Lets take a look. gills are bright red and the fish smells like a day at the beach, this is good fish.

 first head. the moon shaped pieces are the collars and the head in the upper left. just a note, i discovered the gills had little teeth at the front, be careful.because of the slippery nature of the head I would probably hold it down with a small washcloth or towel as you saw through the cartilage. a cleaver would have been good too but I don't have one.

 one head split in half, salted liberally and the 6  collars

 the remaining two heads would take up a sheet pan of their own so they were stashed in a bowl for another night. a nice soup probably.

the pan after salting both sides of the fish was then parked in the fridge to let the salt  pull up some extra moisture and proteins which will make a great crispy skin.
I just find myself now in want of Miso to go with this. but we work with what we have.

 All done, about eight minutes per side. drizzled with teriaki sauce. good, fatty though but its those Omega-3s they kept squackin' about so might as well enjoy it!