Pie Crust Tutorial

This is tutorial from realsimple.com on how to make pie crust.  Here is the direct link.

Follow These Seven Easy Steps

Add 2 tablespoons of the water. Pulse until the mixture holds together when squeezed but is still crumbly (add more water, a little at a time, as necessary). Avoid overprocessing, which will make the dough tough.

Place the still crumbly mixture on a sheet of plastic wrap. Shape it into a 1-inch-thick disk, using the plastic wrap to help. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 3 days. (The dough can be frozen at this point for up to 2 months.)

Place the disk of dough on a floured piece of parchment or wax paper. Using your knuckles, make indentations around the perimeter of the dough (this will help prevent cracking when you roll the dough out).

With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into an 11-inch circle (work from the center outward, and use the parchment to rotate the dough). Flour the rolling pin, parchment, and dough as necessary to prevent sticking.

Loosen the dough from the parchment and carefully transfer to a 9-inch pie plate. Fit the dough into the plate (avoid stretching). Trim the dough to a 1-inch overhang and tuck it under itself to create a thick rim.

With the index finger of one hand, press the dough against the thumb and forefinger of the opposite hand; continue around the perimeter of the crust. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days before using.

Apple Crisp

I made this tonight for our ward's elders' quorum social.  It was a hit!  I got this recipe from allrecipes.com, however I did change it a bit.  I will post it how I prepared it.  If you want to the original recipe go here

10 cups apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup water

1 1/2 cups oats, quick cook
1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.   Mix the white sugar, 1 tablespoon flour and ground cinnamon together, and then combine with apples.  Pour water evenly over all and mix again.  Place the apple mixture in a 9x13 inch pan.  Combine the oats, 1 cup flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda.  Cut the softened butter into the oat mixture. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes.

*Okay, truthful I forgot to add the baking powder and baking soda and it didn't seem to effect it.  But I'm sure they are in there for a reason!

Crispy Shoestring Onions

Yet another recipe from ourbestbites.com.  I love these onions when I get them at a restaurant, now I can make them at home.  That might be bad!  Here a link to the  recipe Crispy Shoestring Onions.

First here is the tutorial they provide to make the perfect crispy shoestring onions.

You'll need three bowls. One with an egg and a little milk, one with some white flour and seasonings, and one with your sliced onions. You can slice your onions however you like. I slice them about 1/8-1/4" wide and then quarter the slice of whole onion so the pieces are only an inch or two long. (ya, ya...forgot the picture of that one...)

Take a small handful of onions at a time and dunk them in the egg. Lift them up and let any excess egg drip off. We don't want to deep fry clumps of egg here. Actually, that would probably taste good. Pretty much anything deep fried tastes good, but that's beside the point.

After they've had a dunk in the egg, then just toss them around in the flour mixture until everything is coated. This is where you can personalize these little bits of yumminess. The recipe here is the most basic one, add seasonings to your heart's delight. 

The next step is to pop them in a pot of hot oil, for just a couple of minutes.  Take them out when they're golden brown and let them drain on some paper towels.  Now eat one warm. And if no one's looking, bust out the ranch dressing and give it a dip. Just to be naughty.

Let them cool to room temp and then you can use them on salads (they'd be seriously awesome on this salad), to top casseroles, on burgers or sandwiches, or just to snack on!

Now here is the actual recipe!

6 oz onion slices (1 large onion)
1 egg
1 Tbs milk
3/4 C flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
vegetable oil for frying


Heat 2 inches of oil to 350 degrees. Make sure to use a pot with sides (as opposed to a skillet style pan) so the oil doesn't boil over when you add the onions). Working with a handful of onions at a time, dip in egg mixture and let excess drip off. Then dredge in flour and lightly toss to coat. Place onions in hot oil and cook until golden brown. Remove and place on folded paper towels to absorb oil. Repeat process until all onions are fried.

Yield: About 4 C of shoestring onions. Note that this is a lot! If you're not going to use extra for snacking, you may want to half the recipe.

Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream Sandwiches

Doesn't that sounds yummy, especially with Fall upon us?! I got this recipe from ourbestbites.com I really like their website, lots and lots of yummy treats! Here's a direct link to this recipe: Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream Sandwiches.

Cake Mix Cookies (for Ice Cream Sandwiches)

1 cake mix
1/2 c. shortening
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350. Combine cake mix, shortening and eggs. The dough will be VERY stiff.  Drop by tablespoonful onto cookie sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes.  You want them slightly underdone because if you're making ice cream sandwiches, you're going to freeze them and you want them to still be soft when they're frozen. Also, I let mine cool completely on the cookie sheet instead of transferring them to a wire rack because they're so soft that they break and fall through the wire.


Cookies

Follow instructions for Cake Mix cookies, using a "Spice Cake" flavored mix. Use a cookie scoop so you make sure to get uniform cookies. Before cooking, use the bottom of a glass sprayed with cooking spray to flatten the cookies (they'll be better frozen if you flatten them). Under cook them. This is important! You want them very soft, otherwise they'll get rock hard in the freezer. Cold crunchy cookies are not good. Frozen, soft, doughy cookies? Good. 

Easy Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream (no-cook!)

2 C Heavy Cream
1 C Whole Milk (vit D milk)
1 C canned pumpkin
2 t vanilla extract
3/4 C Brown Sugar
1 t cinnamon
1/8 t ground ginger
1/8 t nutmeg

Make sure all liquid ingredients are very cold.

Place brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a mixing bowl. Stir with a whisk to combine. (Doing this helps the spices to distribute better in the mixture). Add cream, milk, pumpkin, and vanilla. Stir with a whisk until the brown sugar is dissolved. How do you know if the brown sugar is dissolved? Stick your finger in there and then taste it! You shouldn't be able to feel any of the granules on your tongue.

If you have time, chill the mixture for a few hours in the fridge before putting in your ice cream maker. If you don't have time, or you're just dying to eat it, take the plunge and just make it right now. It's okay. I do it all the time. Process according to the manufacturers instructions. When finished, transfer to an airtight container and place in freezer to firm up.

Making the Sandwiches

Okay, making ice cream sandwiches is a fine art. I know you're thinking I'm nuts because how hard is it to put some ice cream between 2 cookies?? Hard enough that people mess it up all the time. Ya, I'm talking to you- the one who had crunchy cookies that when frozen almost broke my front tooth. Or maybe I'm talking to you- the one who had super soft ice cream so when I bit down on the cookies it all smooshed out. Or perhaps you- the one with a too high cookie-to-ice cream-ratio, which made the ice cream liquid before the cookies were thawed enough to bite through.

The perfect ice cream sandwich needs to have the perfect balance of the perfect consistency of both the cookie and the ice cream.

Making these ahead takes a little more effort, but the extra steps help with a great finished product.

1. Make your cookies. The most important step is to under cook the cookies. More undercooked than you think you want them. Even if they're "doughy" they'll be a great consistency when frozen. Cook them so they're just done around the edges.

2. Let them cool completely and then pop them in the freezer for a bit to help them firm up. This way, they won't fall apart when you're smashing your sandwiches together.

3. Make your ice cream and place it in the freezer to harden. Don't let it freeze all the way, just a couple of hours or until it's a good scooping consistency, but still soft enough to smash. And if you do end up freezing your ice cream all the way, that's really okay too. Just let it sit at room temp until it's soft enough to scoop.

4. Take your cookies and place a spoonful of jarred caramel sauce on each cookie. Don't spread it around. It will spread on its own when you smash the cookie together.

5. Use a cookie scooper to get nice, even sized ice cream scoops. Place another cookie on top (you can caramel both sides, or just one- up to you.)

6. Place on a plate/cookie sheet/whatever in a single layer and place in the freezer immediately. If you're making a bunch of sandwiches, put them in the freezer as you go so they don't melt on your counter! Wait until they harden completely (overnight) before putting them in an air tight container or ziplock bag.

When you want to eat them, just let them sit at room temp for about 5 minutes to let them soften a bit and they'll be perfect!

Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Glaze

from melskitchencafe.com

Makes 12 rolls
Rolls:
¾ cup buttermilk, warm (I pour the buttermilk in a glass liquid measuring cup and microwave for 1 minute on 50% power)
6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
3 large eggs
4 ¼ cups (21 ¼ ounces) flour
¼ cup (1 ¾ ounces) sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
Filling:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Glaze (or use the delicious cream cheese frosting from this recipe):
1 ½ cups (6 ounces) confectioners sugar
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons buttermilk or milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

For the dough, whisk the warmed buttermilk and butter together in a large liquid measuring cup. Combine 4 cups of flour, sugar, yeast and salt together in a standing mixer fitted with dough hook (or you can use a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon or electric handheld mixer). With the mixer on low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and eggs and mix until the dough comes together, about 2 minutes. Increase the mixer to medium speed and knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes (knead for 15-18 minutes by hand). If after 5 minutes of kneading, the dough is still overly sticky, add 1/4 cup flour 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough clears the sides of the bowl but has a slight tacky feel when pressed between your fingertips. (See this tutorial for a visual.)
Place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover the top tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled, around 2 to 2 ½ hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.

Meanwhile, lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish (if doubling the recipe, I’ve found using a large rimmed baking sheet, 11X17-inches, works great). In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together. Set aside.

When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a lightly floured counter (I use my trusty roul’pat for this step) and press it into a 16 by 12-inch rectangle (if you have doubled the recipe, split the dough in half and roll out one half at a time). Gently brush the softened butter over the rectangle, using an offset spatula or rubber spatula. Sprinkle on the brown sugar mixture, leaving a 1/2-inch border along the top and bottom edges. Lightly use the palms of your hands to press the brown sugar mixture into the butter, adhering it to the dough.
Lift the longest edge closest to you and begin rolling the dough into a tight log. Pinch the seam closed and roll the log so it is seam side down. Gently stretch the log to be 18 inches in length with an even diameter all the way throughout and pat the ends to even them up.
Using a serrated knife, slice the log into 12 evenly sized rolls (or more if you like your rolls thinner). Arrange the rolls cut side down on the prepared baking pan and cover with lightly greased plastic wrap. Let the rolls rise in a warm place until doubled, 1 to 1 ½ hours.
Bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes, until the rolls are lightly golden on top and cooked through but not overly browned.

While the rolls are baking, mix the softened cream cheese and buttermilk together until smooth. Add the vanilla and mix. Whisk in the confectioner’s sugar. Add additional milk or buttermilk one teaspoon at a time until desired glaze consistency is reached. It should be thick yet pourable. Drizzle the warm rolls with the glaze.

*Note: to make these rolls ahead of time, once the rolls are formed and placed on the baking sheet, immediately cover them with lightly greased plastic wrap and refrigerate them; do not let them rise. Refrigerate overnight, up to 16 hours. Let the rolls sit at room temperature, covered, until they have doubled in size about 3-4 hours and then uncover and bake as directed. The rolls can also be frozen at the same point as mentioned above (cover with a layer of greased plastic wrap and a top layer of tin foil). They will need to sit at room temperature for 9-11 hours to defrost and rise before baking.

Other cream cheese frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese
½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
2-3 tablespoons milk

Combine butter and cream cheese and mix well, then add vanilla and sugar and mix again, then add milk for desired consistency.

Kansas City Sue’s Chicken {Slow Cooker}

I found this recipe at melskitchencafe.com I have a lot of her recipes bookmarked. They all look so yummy!

Kansas City Sue's Chicken {Slow Cooker}

*Serves 6-ish
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 onion, diced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 cup low-sodium beef broth
In a large skillet, heat the butter/olive oil. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, and cook them for 1-2 minutes on each side, until nicely browned, but not cooked all the way through. Remove the chicken to the slow cooker. In a large bowl, combine all the other ingredients. Whisk well. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours. Serve with rice or noodles.

Mel's Notes:
* The chicken cooks up with quite a lot of juicy sauce. I prefer lightly draining the sauce and serving it on the side so that it isn’t so “soupy” as we are dishing it up over our rice. Serve it as you please!

*I served it over brown rice with a green salad and steamed peas on the side. Simplicity and deliciousness at it’s best.

Updated Review - It was sweet. I liked it but not loved it. However, I'm not always one to like sweet meat. The next day I had in a quesadilla and that was good also. We will have this again, I'm sure.

Chili's Monterey Chicken

I have tried this recipe and we love it! I left the recipe as is, but we use Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce and use only bacon bits and no chives.

1 boneless skinless Chicken Breast
2 tsp. Barbeque Sauce (she recommends Bull’s Eye)
2 slices of well crisped Bacon
1/4 C. mixture of Monterey Jack and Sharp Cheddar Cheese
chopped tomatoes
chives

Pound chicken breast until it is somewhat flattened, and season with salt and pepper. Cook chicken breast in a skillet on the stove until it is done. Transfer to a serving plate. Top chicken breast with Barbeque sauce, bacon, and cheese. Broil chicken breast in the oven, or melt the cheese in a microwave. Sprinkle with a small amount of cold chopped tomatoes and chives.

BYU Famous Mint Brownies

Another recipe from Good Things Utah
by: Jenny Stanger- Brigham Young University Cougars Cookbook

• 1 (20 oz) box brownie mix
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 12 oz chocolate frosting
• mint frosting
  

Mint Frosting

• 5 tbsp butter, softened
• dash of salt
• 1 tbsp light corn syrup
• 2 1/3 cups powdered sugar
• ½ tsp mint extract
• blue food coloring
• 3 tbsp milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, prepare the brownie mix according to package directions, once the mix is combined thoroughly, add the walnuts and then spread batter in a 9 x 13 pan. Bake according to package directions.

To make the mint frosting combine the butter, salt, corn syrup and powdered sugar. beat until smooth and creamy. Add the mint extract and food coloring. mix in and then add the milk gradually until the frosting is a little more runny than cake frosting.

Spread the mint frosting over the cooled brownies and then place in the freezer for a short time to stiffen. Take brownies out of the freezer and carefully add a layer of chocolate frosting over top.

Creole Seasoned Roast Chicken

I saw this on Good Things Utah and they showed the creole seasoning mixture on the segment, so I don't know what its not in the recipe. However, you can watch the segment on here.

• Whole Chicken (split in half)
• 1 Stick Butter (softened)
• 4 T Creole Seasoning
• 1 T Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix butter and 2 T creole seasoning and Mix well. Stuff the chicken under the skin with the butter/creole mixture. Rub Chicken with oil on both sides and season with remaining creole seasoning on both sides. Roast in the oven until done at 160 degrees.

Fresh Market Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Orange-Sage Sauce

Saw this on Good Things Utah

Fresh Market Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Orange-Sage Sauce

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• slices of melting cheese (Muenster, Havarti, smoked Gouda or Provolone)
• 1-2 small Gala apples thinly sliced
• Salt & Pepper
• ¼ cup flour
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil and butter
• 15 Fresh sage leaves, roughly chopped

Cut pocket into side of chicken breasts being careful not to cut through. Flatten breasts between 2 sheets of plastic wrap with a meat mallet or a handy rolling pin until even thickness.

Stuff each chicken breast with 1 slice of cheese and several slices of apple. Close with toothpicks. Season with salt and pepper, then lightly coat with flour. Warm olive oil & butter in non-stick skillet then add chicken and chopped sage; sauté 5-6 minutes turning once. Continue cooking until juices run clear & breasts are nicely browned. Serve with a drizzle of

Orange-Sage Sauce

• 2½ Tbsp. orange juice
• 3 Tbsp. chicken broth
• 1½ Tbsp. butter

Using same non-stick skillet from sautéed chicken, add orange juice & chicken broth over low heat. Scrape any browned pieces right into your sauce. Increase heat and add butter, swirl around until sauce comes to a boil. Reduce until slightly thick; spoon sauce over chicken when serving.