whole wheat sourdough bread

From here. I keep using this recipe because it's reliably good and works with my schedule.

Ingredients

Levain

• 8 ounces whole-wheat sourdough starter (½ cup)
• ½ cup water
• 2 ounces all-purpose flour (⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon )
• 2 ounces whole-wheat flour (⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon )

Dough

• Total of 31 ounces of flour (1 lb, 15 oz) which I sometimes do as below:
• 19 ounces = 1#, 3 oz.all-purpose flour (3⅓ cups plus 1 tablespoon ), plus more for dusting
• 12 ounces whole-wheat flour (2¼ cups)
• 2¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons warm water (85-90°F) (2 7/8 cup)
• 1 tablespoon salt

 Directions (added for weekend baking)

1. At 1 pm on Friday - To prepare levain: Combine starter, ½ cup water, ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour and ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon whole-wheat flour in a medium bowl. Cover loosely and let stand in a warm spot until bubbly and doubled in size, 4 to 6 hours.
2. At the same time or a few hours later - To prepare dough: Combine flours. Mix and slowly add 2¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons warm water. Mix just until the flour is moist, being careful not to overmix. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes (or longer) to allow the water to completely hydrate the flour before mixing the final dough.
3. At 6 pm on Friday - Remove the bowl cover. Add salt, then spoon in the levain (from Step 1) and mix until combined, about 2 minutes. (I use crab claw hands.)
4.  Transfer the dough to a 10- to-12-quart plastic food-storage container. Reach under one end of the dough, pull up a handful until there is resistance, then stretch it back over the top of the dough mass and drop. Turn the container a quarter turn and repeat the fold. Repeat two more times for a total of 4 folds. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes. Repeat the folding procedure 4 more times, every 20 minutes, to build the gluten and strengthen the dough. Cover and let stand until doubled in size, 6 to 12 hours.  (Fold at around 6:30 pm, 6:50, 7:10, 7:30)
5. 8 am Saturday - Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, sprinkle flour on top and split it in half. With floured hands, roll each half into a ball. Place the dough balls into the prepared bowls or baskets (floured or with parchment paper). Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise until the dough is puffy, 2 to 4 hours. To test, press gently with a floured finger. If the depression springs back to the original shape in a few seconds, allow the dough to proof longer. If it doesn't spring back, it is ready to bake.
6. About 11 am Saturday - Place a large cast-iron pot with lid in the oven and preheat to 475°F. After reaching 475°F, wait at least 20 minutes for the pot to heat up before baking.
7. Carefully remove the pot from the oven and remove the lid. With floured hands, pick up the dough and carefully place the loaf inside the pot. (It is OK to gently drop it in from a height of 3 to 4 inches to avoid burning yourself.) Replace the lid and transfer to the oven. (Can refrigerate second loaf while the first one bakes.) Bake for 30 minutes, remove the lid and continue baking until browned, about 15 minutes.
8. Remove the loaf from the oven and carefully transfer the bread to a wire rack. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting.
9. Repeat Steps 7-9 for the second loaf. (I've started cooking in a stainless steel pot also, so can do them at the same time.)

salmon loaf

This is a pretty tasty salmon loaf that goes well with potatoes and vegetables.  I get a pound package of frozen salmon pieces which I use, but in the future when I have access to salmon that I can, I'll use that.  I didn't make the sauce though the reviews say it's great.  From here with some changes.

Ingredients

• 1 can (14-3/4 ounces) salmon, drained, bones and skin removed (or 1# frozen package)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dry dill
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

 OLIVE CREAM SAUCE:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/4 cup chopped pimiento-stuffed olives

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the salmon, onion, bread crumbs, and butter. Stir in the egg yolks, lemon juice, dill, salt, and pepper.
• In a small bowl, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold into salmon mixture.
• Transfer to a greased 8x4-in. loaf pan. Place in a larger baking pan. Add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan. Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in olives. Serve with salmon loaf.

good pot roast

I'm not a fan of cooking with wine in general, but this pot roast is good. From here.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 (3-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed
• salt and pepper
• 1 large coarsely chopped onion
• 1 cup dry red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon worked well)
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 bay leaf
• thyme & rosemary 
• 4 large carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
• 5-6 potatoes

How to Make It

Preheat oven to 350º.

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle roast with salt and pepper. Add roast to pan; cook 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove roast from pan. Add onion to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender.

Return browned roast to pan. Add the red wine,  chopped garlic, beef broth, bay leaf, thyme, rosemary to pan; bring to a simmer. Cover pan and bake at 350° for 1 1/2 hours or until the roast is almost tender.

Add carrots and potatoes to pan. Cover and bake an additional 1 hour or until vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf from pan; discard. Serve roast with vegetable mixture and cooking liquid. Garnish with thyme leaves, if desired.