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Homemade Pretzels
These look more like lazy mans pretzels
if you are feeling not so lazy ties these sticks in a knot before baking
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Homemade Pretzels :)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
3 ounces unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil
3 quarts water
3/4 cup baking soda
1 whole egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water
Coarse sea salt
Directions:
Combine the water, sugar, yeast, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with the dough hook until combined. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Add the salt and flour and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes. If the dough appears too wet, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a flat surface and knead into a ball with your hands.
Oil a bowl with vegetable oil, add the dough and turn to coat with the oil.
Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Bring the water to a boil in a small roasting pan over high heat and add the baking soda.
Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface.
Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, about 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 ounces each.
Roll each piece into a long rope and shape into the lengths or shapes that you want (sticks are easy and tasty).
Boil the pretzels in the water solution in batches. Boil for about 30 seconds. Remove with a large slotted spoon.
Place pretzels on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Make sure they are not touching.
Brush the tops with the egg wash and season liberally with the salt.
Place into the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown.
Add additional toppings immediately after they come out of the oven.
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Parmesan Scalloped Potato Stacks mmmm :D
makes 12
50 minutes cooking time
2 garlic cloves
1 shallot
2 cups half and half *
1 cup + 1/2 cup Parmesan, freshly grated
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 Tbs fresh thyme leaves
3 to 4 small to medium baking potatoes
*Also: It has been brought to my attention that “half and half” is only an American grocery store item. To clear up any confusion, “half and half” is simply a mixture of half heavy cream and half milk. For the purpose of this recipe please use 1 cup heavy cream and 1 cup milk.
**Note: These are a bit on the messy side. Meaning, prepare to do some serious washing of that muffin tin. It will help if a non-stick
muffin tin is used and generously greased before hand.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter a 12 cup muffin tin. Peel and finely dice the garlic and shallot.
Place the diced garlic and shallot in a large bowl along with the half and half, 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and thyme. Stir to combine and set aside.
Peel the potatoes and slice into 1/8″ thick rounds with a knife or mandolin. Stack about 7 to 8 potato slices into each muffin tin. The number of slices will vary depending on the thickness of the cut.
Stack them tightly but not any higher than the muffin tin itself.
Next, spoon the half and half mixture into each muffin tin over the potato slices, being careful not to overflow. Loosely cover the muffin pan with foil and place in the oven. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and carefully top each muffin tin with the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Place back in the oven without foil and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese is golden brown, the potatoes are tender, and the liquid has absorbed.
Allow to cool in the pan for an additional 5 minutes, then carefully slide a knife around the edges to loosen, then remove and serve. Add additional thyme sprigs as garnish if desired.
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Cheesy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole :)
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 stalks celery, finely diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 Tablespoons fresh minced garlic
2 Cups shredded, cooked chicken breast
2 Cups steamed white rice
16 oz prepared wild rice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
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Cheese Sauce
4 Tablespoons butter
1/4 Cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 Cups chicken broth
2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese
Top with 1 1/2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat oil into a medium dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Saute onion, celery and carrots until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in chicken, both rices, salt, pepper and garlic salt. Reduce heat to low.
2. To prepare cheese sauce melt butter into a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Whisk in flour, salt and pepper then slowly pour in chicken broth whisking continuously. Whisk until thick and nearly boiling then stir in cheese until melted. Pour cheese sauce into rice mixture then transfer to a 9×13 inch baking dish. Top with additional cheddar cheese and bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted through. Serve.
8-10 servings
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Good Old Fashioned Pancakes From Scratch :)
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this makes 8 :)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.
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Baked Chicken Taquitos :)
Who doesn't love Mexican food?! These chicken taquitos are can be filled with anything you want and easily customized to the palates of your family. They would be great fried, I'm sure we all agree on that.... but by baking them, it really cuts down on the fat! You could make these ahead of time and pop them into the oven (or fryer if you wish) when you are ready for afternoon snacks, tailgating, or even putting together an appetizer platter.
Ingredients:
It's hard to put amounts on ingredients that should be added "to taste" or "to consistency" that you like, but here's a rough guide.
rotisserie chicken -fully cooked and seasoned.
2/3 - 1 cup of jarred or fresh salsa
1 cup shredded "Mexican blend" cheese
1/3 cup sweet white and yellow corn niblets
1/3 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed well
1 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper
large pinch of chopped fresh cilantro
1 pack of egg roll wrappers
How to--
Remove the chicken from the rotisserie chicken, and chop into small bite-sized pieces.
Mix the next seven ingredients into the chicken and mix well
Add a few spoonfuls of the chicken mixture to an eggroll wrapper. Fold in the sides first, then roll. Wet the far end with water so it will stick to itself.
Egg roll wrappers are so easy to work with! (but you could probably use corn tortillas if you prefer.)
Spray a cookie sheet with butter flavored nonstick spray and arrange the taquitos. Spray the tops of them with the butter flavored spray and sprinkle with black pepper and extra cumin.
Bake at 375 degrees F for about 25 minutes or until golden brown. It would be nice to turn them onto their sides if you can remember (I had a house full of kids and forgot). Serve with condiments of choice. I had light sour cream, salsa, and a spicy ranch for dipping.
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Easy Cheesey Meatball Stuffed Buns :)
Ingredients:
1 can Pillsbury golden layers biscuits - each pulled into 2 layers
10 frozen fully cooked italian style meatballs - thawed and cut in half
2 sticks string cheese - cut each into 10 pieces
grated Parmesan cheese
dried basil
dried oregano
garlic powder
cracked black pepper
marinara sauce
Method:
Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
For this recipe... make it easy on yourself!
Thaw meatballs or put in microwave for a few seconds just until they are thawed enough you can cut them in half.
I'm using the flaky "layer" biscuits. They separate well.
Cut the string cheese "sticks" into four pieces each. You need 20 small "pieces."
Separate the biscuits into two layers each
Cut each meatball in half..
Add one meatball "half" and one string cheese "piece" to each biscuit. Wrap the dough around it and seat the edges. Place the seam side down into a round cake pan (or actually, I used the largest of my spring form pans). , I find that it works best to but the meatball first with the cut side UP, then the cheese. This will put the rounded part of the meatball on the top when it's all said and done.
Season the "buns" with pepper, basil, oregano, garlic powder, and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
Bake uncovered at 375 degrees F until golden brown.
You can also make this with of coarse homemade meatballs and dough also these are good when you need something quick and these are awesome dipped in marinara or spaghetti sauce
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put bacon strips in muffin tin and then add beaten eggs with a little cheese about 3/4 full. Bake @ 350 degrees for 30-35 min.
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8 Ways to Make Organic DIY Food Coloring
(Click "See More")
Pink and Red
You can use any number of options, but for a ton of color with almost no flavor, beets are your best bet. Use the juice from the canned kind, or make your own by either boiling or juicing the raw vegetable. Learn exactly how to make frosting colored by beets from Joy the Baker.
Alternately, you can also use any red fruit, like raspberries or pomegranate. Just know that these may change the flavor - which can be a great thing! Lemon cupcakes with real raspberry-infused frosting just so happen to be a favorite around these parts. To procure your dye, pulverize the berries in a food processor or blender, then strain out the colored liquid using a mesh sieve or cheesecloth.
Orange
Carrots are your best bet for achieving a perfectly peachy tint. Citrus may seem promising, but it doesn't lend much color. Stick to carrots and you're sure to be pleased. Just juice them (or buy fresh carrot juice), and don't worry about the flavor. Carrots are naturally sweet! Itsy Bitsy Foodies offered a super tutorial on how to make food coloring from carrots.
Yellow
For yellow you'll need to hit the spice rack. Both saffron flowers and turmeric powder will create that sunny, summery hue. These are each intensely-colored spices, so a little goes a long way. Still, be careful, start with very small amounts, and taste as you add. I recommend these two recipes for yellow food coloring: Quick and Easy Cheap and Healthy published an awesome recipe for making icing colored with saffron. Nouveau Raw published a delicious recipe for raw vegan frosting colored with turmeric. Check them out and then tell me how yellow and delicious they were.
Green
Are you forever trying to find ways of getting greens into your kids? (Or into yourself?!) Well, how about . . . spinach in the frosting! That's right, a little spinach will work like a charm, and doesn't impart any flavor at all (PROMISE!).
You can use juice, or you can even use the whole leaves. I recommend that you try The Edible Perspective's recipe for Green Monster Wipped Green Frosting, which includes two cups of spinach leaves.
Another option for that emerald tone involves a "health food" supplement called chlorophyll. Liquid chlorophyll is available in most alternative markets (co-ops, Whole Foods) and is quite inexpensive. Besides it's purported health benefits, it's a great option for natural food coloring.
Blue and Purple
And finally, the tricky twosome. Blues and purples can be a bit harder, but they certainly are possible. Blueberries and blackberries can be used in the same process as described above (for other berries, under "Pink and Red"). But your real best bet is a totally unexpected vegetable: cabbage!
That's right! Red cabbage can be used to make both purple and blue food coloring. For the former, cut and boil the cabbage until the water is very dark and concentrated. This will give you a pretty purple dye.
For the latter, slowly stir in baking soda, a bit at a time. It will react with the cabbage juice and produce a perfectly pretty blue hue.
And as an alternative, you can use natural food dye in a savory recipe. Remember, food dye isn't reserved just for sweets and treats!
Remember that working with natural coloring will be different than the artificially amplified colors you're probably used to. In general you can expect a paler, more pastel-type of result. It is best if you experiment, play around with quantities and combinations, add a little at a time, and always taste as you go. Most importantly, let your creative juices flow, and have fun with it!
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source: http://shine.yahoo.com/spring-celebr...220600943.html
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HEALTHY DESSERT: STRAWBERRY BANANA CREAMS less than 150 cal per serving :)
These are topped with sliced almonds, but you can get creative and use blueberries, dried cherries, chopped cashews, crystallized ginger, a sprinkle of granola, or a few chocolate chips
Ingredients This equals 1 serving ;)
8 strawberries
2 oz. vanilla Greek yogurt
1/2 small banana
1 tablespoon sliced almonds
Directions
Mash the banana in a bowl with a fork. Mix in the yogurt.
Using a knife, carve out the middle of each strawberry.
Fill the center of each strawberry with the banana-yogurt mixture and top with sliced almonds.
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Save your money and make your own taco salad bowls using an upside down muffin tin instead of the as seen on tv ones that rust :D
Just place you flour tortilla in the upside down muffin tin bake at 350 for 5-10 minutes depending on your oven and done :)
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http://syrupandbiscuits.com/comeback-sauce/
1 cup Duke’s mayonnaise (one of my Favorites)
1/4 cup Heinz ketchup
1/4 cup chili sauce ( I prefer Heinz or DelMonte. DO NOT substitute Thai Chili Sauce)
1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/4 cup light olive oil
juice of one lemon
Mix all ingredients well and store in refrigerator overnight.
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Simple! String cheese chopped into bite size pieces, dipped in milk and bread crumbs, baked at 425 for 8-10 minutes- serve with marinara sauce. It's baked not fried!