Woo hoo!!  Wow -  my week flew by and I am happy to report that I have the next four days off from work :-b  While I dont have any definate plans, I am hoping to spent some quality time with a lover as well as shoot on down to NJ to dance my cares away at Surf Club with my ol' pal Johnny Coins!!

Last night I got crackin on a new bread and when I got to work today I set to work on the bruschetta, both of which were made for weekly "service team" meeting at work.  Rarely do my coworkers and I kick back over a leisurely lunch (yet we are all in dire need of doing such) and as the saying goes: no time like the present!

Post work, I decided to make a batch of homemade cheez it's, only this time I used Daiya Cheddar Shreds (instead of Pepper Jack).  Again they were gobbled up in record time.  And again I found myself wishing I made more. DOH!  Fortunately, I have ample time to make another (and another! and another!) batch during the course of my long weekend.

Anywho, onward to the recipes as after this post I am heading out for the night. 

Enjoy!!

Ciabatta Bread
Recipe by Tish from Food.com

1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Place ingredients into the pan of the bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer.
Select the Dough cycle, and Start.  Dough will be extremely sticky and wet once cycle is completed, RESIST the temptation to add more flour. <--- Don't be discouraged by the dough; it doesn't seem likely its gonna work out yet some how it does.

Place dough on a lightly floured board, cover with a large bowl, and let rest for 15 minutes.  Lightly flour or use parchment lined baking sheets.

Divide into 2 pieces, and form each into an oval. <-- I divided mine into 3; would have kept going (into 6 - 8) but the dough was a bit of a thorn to work with & with this being my first go at it I didn't want to risk screwing it up.

Place loaves on prepared sheets, dimple surface, and lightly flour.  Cover, and let rise in a draft free place for approximately 45 minutes. <-- I stuck mine in the oven (which was not yet pre-heating)

Preheat oven to 425°F.  Dimple dough for a second time, and then place loaves in the oven, positioned on the middle rack.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.  During baking, spritz loaves with water every 5 to 10 minutes for a crispier crust.  <--- I skipped this step out of sheer laziness but will give it a go next time.

Verdict: Worth every milisecond!  This bread is absolutely delicious ;-)

Some of you may recall the Mango Pepper Bruschetta recipe (pictured above) from back in February, when life was stressful and complicated due to relationship woes with you know who.  Well, I haven't made it since that day but baking the bread conjured memories of how delicious it was and I decided to revisit the original recipe.   This time around, I left out the basil but added red onion.  It was equally delicious and went fantastic with the bread!  Unfortunately I did not take any pictures but I forsee myself making it again in that particular manner in the near future.

Toodles!
xo