Homemade Bagels

I've always wanted to make homemade bagels.  I found this recipe at thehappyhousewife.com.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cup warm water
• 2 Tbs Honey
• 2 1/4 tsp salt
• 5 cups flower (you can use all white, half white/half wheat, or all whole wheat)
• 1 Tbs gluten
• 2 tsp. instant yeast

 Combine water, honey, and salt. Add part of the flour, yeast and gluten, mix well. Continue to add flour until you have a slightly sticky dough, kneed for about 10 minutes.  After the dough has risen, divide into 11-13 balls. I can usually get 13 bagels out of this recipe, but today I only got 12. This is also the time to add any extras. After the first rise but before you divide your dough, you can mix in onions (for onion bagels), assorted seeds or nuts, cinnamon and sugar, it is up to you.

After you have divided your dough, take the balls and put your thumbs through the middle of the ball. You will make the bagel shape by doing this. You need to work the hole to a pretty large diameter (almost 2 inches) because the hole will shrink when they rise.

Allow the bagels to rest (covered) for 20 minutes. It is best if you watch the time on this. You won’t ruin your bagels if they rest for 25 or 30 minutes, but 20 minutes is ideal. While the bagels are resting, start boiling a pot of water on the stove. Add honey or sugar (about 1/3 cup) to the water.

After the bagels have rested and your water is boiling drop the bagels (one or two at a time depending on how big your pot is) into the boiling water. Boil for one minute. Let me repeat this, boil for one minute. Do not over boil. Your bagels will fall apart. You can under boil them, but do not over boil. After a minute remove from the water with a slotted spoon and place on greased cookie sheet.

After the bagels are boiled you can brush them with an egg wash ( one egg white and about 3 Tbs of water) but it isn’t required. The egg wash gives the bagels that shiny look.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes. You can flip them if you think they are getting too brown on the bottom, but they won’t be as pretty.

Pasta with Pancetta & Leeks

I love food blogs!  I don't think I'll ever have to buy another recipe book again!  I found this recipe on Pioneerwoman.com.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces, weight Pasta, Cooked Al Dente
• Reserved Pasta Water, If Needed
• 3 ounces, weight Chopped Pancetta
• 3 whole Leeks, Sliced Thin
• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• ½ cups Dry White Wine (I will use chicken stock)
• ½ cups Heavy Cream
• Salt And Freshly Ground Pepper, To Taste
• Parmesan Cheese, Shaved

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta and set aside. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water.
Saute chopped pancetta until fat is rendered and it starts to brown. Add sliced leeks and cook for 8 minutes. When you add the leeks, you can also throw in a pat or two of butter if you want to. This’ll give the dish some scrumptious flavor. I add it after the bacon is browned because I don’t want the butter to brown. After 8 to 10 minutes, pour in wine, then cook an additional 1-2 minutes, until reduced. Reduce heat to low, then pour in cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in Parmesan shavings. Toss in pasta, adding a little pasta water to thin as needed. Serve with Parmesan shavings over the top—delicious!

*Some people suggested substituting portabello mushrooms for the Pancetta/bacon (if you want it vegetarian).  I might try turkey bacon instead. Others suggested add nutmeg, tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes or zucchini. Others said half & half or Greek yogurt could be substituted for the heavy cream. In some of the comments, they suggested saving the leek ends and bottoms in the freezer with all their other leftover veggie bits (ends of carrots, leaves from celery, onion ends, Parmesan rind and/or chicken carcasses) to make stock when you have enough.  What a good idea!  I guess people left out the butter (b/c it wasn't in the original directions) and it was yummy without it.

Overnight Monkey Bread

Another recipe I found bloghopping.  I've wanted to make monkeybread for a while but they always use those can biscuits and I wanted a recipe that made the dough part from scratch.  I finally found one!

Overnight Monkey Bread
adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

Dough
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/3 cup milk, warm (about 120 degrees)
1/3 cup water, warm (about 120 degrees)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons table salt
1 package rapid-rise yeast (or instant)
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour , plus extra for work surface



Brown Sugar Coating
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), melted

Glaze
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons milk

Butter a 12-cup Bundt pan generously with softened butter. Set aside.

In large measuring cup, mix together melted butter, milk, water, sugar, and salt. Stir to dissolve.

Mix 2 1/2 cups flour and yeast in stand mixer fitted with a beater blade. Turn machine to low and slowly add the milk mixture. After the liquids are incorporated, switch to the dough hook, increase the speed to medium and gradually add the remaining flour (add more or less as necessary) until dough clings to the hook and almost cleans the sides. Knead until the dough is shiny and smooth, 6 to 7 minutes.

Turn dough onto lightly floured counter and knead briefly to form smooth, round ball. Coat large bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Place dough in bowl and coat surface of dough with cooking spray. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm, draft free place until dough doubles in size, 50 to 60 minutes.

While dough is rising, mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in bowl. Place melted butter in second bowl. Set aside for the sugar coating.

Remove dough from bowl, and pat into rough 8-inch square. Using bench scraper or knife, cut dough into 64 pieces.

Roll each dough piece into a ball. Working one at a time, dip balls in melted butter, allowing excess butter to drip back into bowl. Roll in brown sugar mixture, then layer balls in Bundt pan, staggering seams where dough balls meet as you build layers.

Cover Bundt pan tightly with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight.

Approximately one hour before you want to bake your Monkey Bread, remove it from the refrigerator and let the dough come to room temperature and the dough will begin to rise. (It should have risen some in the refrigerator overnight.)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap pan and bake until top is deep brown and caramel begins to bubble around edges, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out on platter and allow to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

For the glaze: While bread cools, whisk confectioners’ sugar and milk in small bowl until lumps are gone. Using whisk, drizzle glaze over warm monkey bread, letting it run over top and sides of bread. Serve warm.

Apple Bread Pudding

I've never had bread pudding but its something I would like to try.  I blog hopping and I found this recipe on EdwardsEdibles.blogspot.com.  Looks and sounds yummy.

Cream together:
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs


Mix the following to the creamed mixture:
2 cups flour
2 t soda
2 t cinnamon

Blend in 4 cups of peeled and grated apples. Bake in lightly greased 9x13 pan about 45 minutes at 350 degrees.


Carmel Sauce:
1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup cream

Cook butter and sugar together until sugar is dissolved. (I cooked it until it registered 220 on a candy thermometer. I didn't want it to reach the hard or soft ball stage, but I wanted to make sure the sugar would dissolve. The sugar wasn't dissolved, even at 220, but once I added the cream, it dissolved completely. If you don't want to mess with the candy thermometer, just cook it over low heat for about 5-6 minutes.) Stir in the cream. Heat through and serve warm over apple pudding.

Cory loved it with ice cream on top, I preferred mine without.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta

Another recipe from my friend's facebook page!

16 oz box Penne pasta noodles
1 jar alfredo sauce + 1/2 jar water
12 oz shredded swiss cheese (or more! I use 16 oz)
2 chicken breasts, chopped
1 package Canadian bacon
1 package fresh bacon bits
1 green onion, diced
1/2 package fresh mushrooms, sliced

Cook and drain pasta. In a large bowl, combine ingredients and put in 9x13, bake at 350 for 30 min, covered with foil.  (If frozen, thaw in microwave.)

Slow Cooker Chicken Nachos

A friend posted this on her facebook page.

3 frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can drained corn(or 1.5 cups of frozen corn)
1 can black beans, rinsed (or 1.5-2 cups of black beans, if you cook them from scratch, like I did this time)
2 - 10oz. can of Rotel (tomatoes with chilies)
8 oz cream cheese (lowfat worked just fine!)
Tortilla chips
Cheddar cheese, shredded

Place chicken, corn, black beans and salsa in crockpot on high for 4-6 hours. When it is 30 minutes before serving, put in cream cheese and shred the chicken. Serve on a bed of tortilla chips and cover in shredded cheese.

REVIEW:  I have changed the recipe to how I fixed it yesterday.  It definitely smelled soo yummy when we came in the door after church.  I tasted pretty good.  But I think it needed more than just sitting on top of some of tortilla chips.  Maybe it would of been better with all the fixing for nachos, like lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, avocados, rice?  Hmmm.  I'll try that next we eat it.  Which will be soon b/c it made a lot!  I'm going to try freezing some of it, to see if it freezes well.

Sweetheart Custard Dessert and Barefoot Contessa Pie Crust

Doesn't this one The Sister's Cafe look sooo yummy! I wish I had seen it before Valentine's Day.  Oh well, there's always next year or maybe for Sweetest's Day.

 

Ingredients:

Pastry for double-crust pie (9 inches)Confectioners' sugar

CUSTARD:
2/3 cup sugar
3 Tbs cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
11/3 cup milk
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup lemon juice

1 Tbs butter or margarine
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup confectioners sugar

TOPPING:
2 to 3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
2 Tbs semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp shortening

Roll out each pastry between waxed paper (I just use my silicone mat) into a 12 inch circle; using an 11 inch wide heart shaped pattern, cut each pastry into a heart shape. Place on greased and floured baking sheets; prick with a fork. Bake at 450 degrees for 7-9 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt; gradually stir in milk until smooth. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. combine the egg yolks and lemon juice. Stir a small amount of hot filling into egg yolk mixture; return all to pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in butter. Cover; refrigerate until cool. In a mixing bowl, beat the cream and confectioners' sugar until stiff peaks form. Gently whisk the lemon custard, then fold in whipped cream.

Place one pastry on a serving plate; spread with half of custard. Arrange half berries over filling. Repeat with second pastry and remaining custard and berries. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and shortening. Drizzle over the top.

Barefoot Contessa Pie Crust

Submitted by Erin ~http://sisterscafe.blogspot.com/

Makes for two 10-inch pie crusts

12 Tbs (1 1/2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs sugar
1/3 cup very cold shortening
6-8 Tbs (about 1/2 cup) ice water
Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8-12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out onto a floured board and roll into a ball. (At this point, I like to divide it into two parts and make two discs.) Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board (I use a silicone mat) into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn't stick to the board. Fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan. Repeat with the top crust.

Microwave Mug Brownies

Oh....this could be bad.....real bad.  But it would be nice to be able to just make one brownie and not a whole pan!  Got this recipe from thepioneerwoman.com actually I was on this site first and she directed me there.  I love finding new recipe sites!

4 Tbsp Flour
4 Tbsp Sugar
2 Tbsp Cocoa
2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil or melted butter
3 Tbsp Water

In a small bowl, whisk together dry ingredients until the cocoa clumps are gone; you can use your hands! Stir in the oil and water. Scrape into a mug with a spatula. Microwave for 1-2 minutes, but check on it once in a while. VOILA! A brownie in a mug. Feel free to double if you want.

Homemade Spaghetti Meat Sauce

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce from melskitchencafe.com.

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups onion, chopped and divided
1 red pepper, coarsely chopped
2 pounds hamburger (at least 90% lean)
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 12 oz. can tomato paste
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 teaspoons dried oregano
3 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 14-oz. can Italian-style diced tomatoes
2 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 carton fresh mushrooms (optional)
1 1/2 cups beef stock or beef broth
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add 1/2 of the onions and saute until translucent and slightly browned. Add garlic and stir constantly for 1 minute. Add beef and cook until no red is showing. Drain beef slightly. Blend up the remaining onions and red pepper in a blender or food processor until mostly smooth. Add mixture to the garlic, onions and beef and stir to combine, cooking for another minute. Add tomato paste and spices and cook for 1 minute, stirring until combined. Add tomatoes, beef broth and sugar (and mushrooms, if using). Stir until combined and add the bay leaves. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Fifteen minutes before serving, stir in the balsamic vinegar.

NOTE: The sauce will seem watery at first but will reduce to perfection after simmering for an hour. I've let it simmer on the stove for up to three hours before with no problems.

Classic Marinara Sauce

Maybe when I feel ambitious, I'll try this out from melskitchencafe.com

*Makes about 7 cups of sauce

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 (28-ounce each) cans crushed tomatoes

1/2 tablespoon dried basil

1/2 tablespoon dried oregano

2 dried bay leaves

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter (optional but delicious)

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat until hot and rippling. Add the onion and garlic and saute, stirring very frequently, until the onion is soft and translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until all the vegetables are slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano and bay leaves and simmer, covered, on low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally to make sure the sauce isn't sticking to the bottom of the pot, until slightly thickened and the vegetables are completely tender. Stir in the brown sugar. Taste the sauce. Add salt and pepper as needed. Add the butter and stir to combine if you want to round out the flavors and add a dimension of silkiness.

Remove the bay leaves. In a blender or food processor, blend the sauce (in several batches, if necessary) until it is smooth. The sauce can be frozen once it is cooled completely in freezer-safe ziploc bags for up to 6 months.

Baked Brown Rice

This sounds interesting.  I'll definitely have to try this method of cooking brown rice!

Baked Brown Rice

1 1/2 cups brown rice
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the above ingredients in a 3-quart baking pan or casserole dish and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for five minutes before removing the aluminum foil and fluffing with a fork.

Variations:
Before baking, slice one small yellow onion into dices or half moons and caramelize and brown in 1 teaspoon of olive oil until golden and soft (about 10 minutes in a nonstick skillet). Stir onion into rice and broth mixture and bake according to recipe.

After removing riced from the oven and letting it sit for five minutes, remove aluminum foil and stir in the zest and juice from 1 lemon, 1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 apple, finely diced.

Chewy Pretzel Bites

I've tried making pretzels before and it was a horrible flop.  I hope this recipe from melskitchencafe.com helps me make YUMMY pretzels.  Then we won't crave those ones from the mall!

Just as a side note, Mel has included pictures for each step of the way.  Very handy when making bread or anything new!

*Makes about 2 dozen pretzel bites

Dough:

2 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast

1 cup (8 ounces) very warm water

Topping:

1/2 cup (4 ounces) warm water

2 tablespoons baking soda

Coarse salt (optional)

3 tablespoons butter, melted

In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, place the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Mix to just combine. Add the water and mix well, adding more flour, as needed, a bit at a time to form a soft, smooth dough that clears the sides and bottom of the bowl. Knead the dough, by hand or machine, for about 5 minutes, until it is soft, smooth and quite slack. The goal is to get a really soft dough that isn't overly sticky. Lightly flour the dough and place it in a plastic bag; close the bag, leaving room for the dough to expand, and let it rest for 30 minutes or up to 60 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 500°F. Don’t be afraid of the high heat! This is what will help those pretzels to brown up perfectly and stay soft on the inside. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or lightly greasing them.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into about four strips of equal length. Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes. While the dough is resting, combine the 1/2 cup warm water and the baking soda in a liquid measuring cup (deep enough to dip the pretzel bites into). Make sure the baking soda is thoroughly dissolved. Sometimes I have a hard time getting the baking soda completely dissolved, so I just lightly stir up the mixture right before adding each pretzel.

Cut each strip of dough into about 6-8 pieces, about 1 to 1 ½ inches in width. You don’t have to be completely exact, just eyeball it. Dip each pretzel bite in the baking soda solution (this will give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color), and place them on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them lightly with coarse, kosher, or pretzel salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Bake the pretzels for 7-8  minutes or until they're golden brown. Bake one sheet at a time - it won't hurt the other pretzels to chill out for a little longer.

Remove the pretzels from the oven, and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter. Keep brushing the butter on until you've used it all up; it may seem like a lot, but that's what gives these pretzels their ethereal taste. Eat the pretzels warm, or reheat them in an oven or microwave on low heat.

UPDATE:  YUM! YUM! YUM!  Sorry I forgot to take a baked/done picture.  I guess I was distracted with all the yumminess!  I let my dough rise in the bowl with a damp towel on top.  I don't think it made a difference.  Now I need to find a yummy chessy dip to dunk them in!  I also coated some of them with cinnamon/sugar and it was yummy too!

Re-Invented Hawaiian Haystacks

This is from Melskitchencafe.com.  This recipe looks like it could go either way, good or yuck.  I hope its yummy!


*Makes about 4 cups chicken sauce (enough to serve 4-6 for Hawaiian Haystacks)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks (or leftover cooked chicken, cubed)
3 tablespoons butter
½ onion (about ½ cup), finely chopped
3 cloves garlic; finely minced
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup flour
2 cups milk
1 cup chicken broth

In a large skillet melt the butter over medium heat and add the onion and raw chicken (if using leftover cooked chicken, don’t add it to the skillet now, you’ll add it later). Saute the onion and chicken, if using, until the onions are soft and translucent and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about one minute, stirring, until fragrant.

Sprinkle the flour over the onions and chicken and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat for one minute – this helps get rid of the starchy, flour taste. Slowly whisk in the milk and chicken broth. Cook, stirring constantly with a whisk, and bring the sauce to a simmer over medium to medium-high heat. Add the salt and pepper. If you are using leftover cooked chicken, add it now. Continue simmering, stirring the sauce frequently, until the sauce has thickened, about 5-8 minutes.

Serve the chicken sauce over rice with your toppings of choice, such as olives, tomatoes, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, green onions, mandarin oranges and chow mein noodles.