Warm food for a cold day

This morning we awoke to several inches of snow on top of several inches of ice. And Dave's work is cancelled, so we are having a bonafide snow day even though it is almost April! Last night as the cold front began blowing in, I had a a hankering for warm food, and several requests have come in for recipes. So, here is last night's dinner. It's a good one for chilly weather!

Pide (Turkish flat bread)
This recipe is courtesy of Elsa, who retrieved it from a web site somewhere and thought it very much like what she ate in Turkey. We loved it.

1 pkg yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 3/4 cup warm milk
4 cups flour
1 TBS salt
1 TBS olive oil

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in 1/4 cup of the warm milk. Stir well to dissolve, and let sit and bubble for 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour and salt. (I might use a little less salt next time...) Add in the bubbly yeast mixture and the rest of the warm milk. Mix, then place on a lightly floured surface and knead about 5-10 minutes, until smooth. Coat the inside of a clean bowl with some of the olive oil, place dough in bowl, and top with the rest of the olive oil. Cover with a damp tea towel and allow to rise about 1.5 hours.

Punch down the dough to remove the air, then cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Knead each piece and shape into a ball shape. Cover with damp tea towel and let rest another 15 minutes, then roll out each one with a rolling pin until flattened and thin. Poke several holes in each pide with a fork. (Next time, I will poke a bit more vigorously.) Place each pide on parchment paper on a cookie sheet, and bake in a 450 degree oven that has a dish of water place in the bottom, for about 10 minutes. Then enjoy!

Lentil-Barley Stew (this is one of my standards from the More-with-Less Cookbook)

Saute 1/4 C. margarine, 3/4 C. chopped celery and 3/4 C. chopped onoin in a large pot. (Alternatively, brown pork sausage or pork shoulder, draining most of the grease, then add the onion and celery and cook until soft.)

Add 6 C. water and 3/4 C. lentils, and cook for 20 minutes.

Add 1 qt diced tomatoes (I use a little more, about 2 14-oz cans), 3/4 Cup barley or brown rice (we LOVE the barley!), 2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper, 1/2 tsp. rosemary, and 1/2 tsp. garlic salt. Simmer for 45-60 minutes.

5 minutes before serving, add 1/2 C. shredded carrots. Enjoy!

Wilted Spinach Salad
This is something new I tried last night, and liked!

Heat a little olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of your frying pan) Add a clove of garlic, crushed or chopped, and heat for a few minutes. (I think you could add a little onion here, too, and it would be good.) Add several handfuls of fresh baby spinach- enough to feed your family. Toss and heat this until the spinach is wilted slightly. Turn off heat, and add a little balsamic vinegar (we used white balsamic last night, and it was yummy!) In a small bowl toss fresh, diced veggies, dried fruit and nuts. (Last night we used cucumbers, cashews, snap peas and craisins). Serve the spinach on a plate or bowl, topped with the veggie/fruit/nut mixture. An added benefit is that the dressing is GREAT to dip the hot pide in!

Now I have to think of another warm, inspiring meal for tonight.