Garlic Breadsticks

I don't have a bread maker, so I never really tried making bread at home. While browsing randomly through allrecipes one day, I came across this recipe of garlic bread sticks. It looked pretty easy, and one of the reviewers said that even though she didn't use a bread maker, the breadsticks turned out pretty good. So I gave it a shot, and surprisingly, they turned out really tasty. The only problem I had was the crumbly surface texture. But even though they looked all dehydrated, they were surprisingly soft. Well, I think I have the recipe all right, now I have to work on beautifying it a little. Maybe next time.

Like most new recipes I try, I used the exact proportion of ingredients listed, and made no changes except tweaking it to make it by hand. So I am just going to post the recipe link, and a step by step picture tutorial for the way I made it, by hand, rather than the bread maker.




1) Mix the water, sugar and yeast and let it stand for about 10 mins, until it has bubbles on it's surface.




2) Slowly sieve the flour in, I did it one cup at a time. Add all the remaining ingredients, except the butter(I didn't use it even in the end), and mix to make a smooth dough. Grease another bowl and transfer the dough. Cover with a moist cloth and keep it for about an hour.




3) After an hour, the dough has doubled.




4) Divide the dough into 20 portions, shape it into breadsticks, and keep in a bake safe tray. The breadsticks will look anorexically thin, but don't worry, they will fluff up. Leave for an hour, covered with a moist cloth.




5) The breadsticks have doubled in size. They're ready for baking. Bake the breadsticks in a preheated oven at 350F for 15-20 mins.




6) The breadsticks are ready to be eaten with soup, salad, dips, or just hot out of the oven with a smattering of butter.





Have fun baking... you just need the enthusiasm, not a really expensive bread maker!!!

Muhammara and Tabbouleh

As usual I have been taking very random pictures of whatever I cook, and not posting the recipes. So when the deadline for Nupur's BB6 came up, I decided to bring two dips to the pot luck. I got the recipes from a blog called Desert Candy, written by Mercedes. I found her blog one day while randomly looking for a Mediterranean food blog, and so far her recipes have turned out pretty good!!!

I have made the Muhammara about 3 times after finding her recipe, and it has always turned out finger-licking good (at least that's what my guests say!!!!). I never change the proportion of the ingredients, or the way she makes it, so I'm posting a link to her recipe along with pictures of the finished product.






Tabbouleh is another refreshing, light, salad-like dip?? that goes well with pita (or any other kind of bread). The mixture of greens, the tangy flavor of tomatoes, and the sourness of the lime makes it a very refreshing summer salad. It is really easy to make, except for the patience required to chop the different kinds of leaves. We had these dips with fresh homemade garlic breadsticks, and we loved every bit of our meal. Here's the link for the tabbouleh recipe along with the pictures!! Enjoy!!