Homemade Pretzels

I was skeptical when I saw this recipe on Tasty.  Only 2 ingredients?!?  Sounded easy enough so I gave it a try.  So glad I did!  These are doughy soft pretzels and would be great with a cheese sauce.  This same recipe can be used for pizza crust, garlic knots or bagels (I know, not a real bagel because bagels are boiled, but a cheater's version).  And only 100 calories per pretzel!

I've also seen a version saying to mix 1/2 c. boiling water and dissolve 1 T. baking soda in it.  Then dip each pretzel in that before backing. This is supposed to give it a nice crust.

Homemade Pretzels

1 3/4 c. self rising flour (Do NOT use regular flour!)
1 c. plain greek yogurt (I used Chobani)

Mix the 2 ingredients until formed in a ball.  Pat the dough down a bit and cut in 8 wedges. 

On a lightly floured surface, roll each wedge into a 14" long rope.  Twist into a pretzel shape and put on a parchment lined baking sheet. 

Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with pretzel salt.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, until golden brown.






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Garlic knot version:  Take each wedge and roll into a smaller length, thicker 8" rope.  Twist into a knot and brush with a mix of 1/4 c. olive oil,  4 cloves minced garlic, a pinch of salt and 1 1/2 t. dried parsley (or 2 T fresh parsley).

Pizza Dough version: Press dough in a 12" pizza round, top with pizza sauce and toppings of your choice.

Bagels: Divide into 4 wedges, roll them in 8" ropes and form in a round  brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with Everything seasoning.

Bread Machine Hamburger Buns

On the way home from the grocery store, I realized I forgot to buy hamburger buns.  Lines were horrible, and I was not going back there!  So, I did a quick google search for bread machine hamburger buns and found this one on geniuskitchen.com.  Everyone raved about them, so I gave them a try.    Definitely worth it!


Bread Machine Hamburger Buns

18 oz. bread flour (I prefer to weigh mine, regular recipe called for 3 3/4 c.)
1/4 c. sugar
3/4 t. salt
1 1/4 c. warm milk
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 1/4 t. active dry yeast (I used bread machine yeast)
2 T. butter melted for tops of buns before baking

Put the flour, sugar, salt, milk and egg in the bread machine  on the dough setting.  Once it is finished (my dough setting takes 2 hours 20 minutes), place the dough on a floured surface and divide in 2 even sections.  I use a food scale to get it about equal.

Roll each out to about 3/4" to 1" thick.   Cut into 6 or 7 circles, depending on thickness of dough, of 3 1/2" diameter. I used a british pint glass which worked perfectly.

Place the rounds fairly far apart on a greased sheet pan and brush them with the melted butter.  Cover with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray and let rise for about an hour, until doubled in size.

Bake them at 350 degrees for about 9-13 minutes, depending on size and oven.  I got 14 buns out of my batch and they took about 11-12 minutes.

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oz = ounces
t = teaspoon
T = tablespoon

c = cup

Antipasto Squares

Need a game day appetizer?  This one is a good one.

Antipasto Squares


2 tubes of crescent rolls
1/2 lb. sliced ham
1/4 lb. sliced pepperoni
1/4 lb. sliced mozzarella
1/4 lb. sliced provolone
1 c. sliced pepperoncini
2 T. olive oil
1/4 c. shredded parm
oregano

Roll out one crescent roll and pinch seams.

Layer ham, mozzarella, pepperoni, provolone and pepperoncini.  Top with the second tube of crescent roll and pinch the top and the bottom crust seams together.

Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with parm cheese and oregano.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.  Cover with tin foil if top is getting too brown.

Let it cool 15 minutes before cutting.

Spring Rolls

This light meal is so healthy!  Give it a try.  There are no rules, just include those ingredients that sound good to you. Here are some ideas, but don't overstuff!

Spring Rolls

Teriyaki chicken breast, thinly sliced or in matchstick size
various veggies cut in matchsticks, ideas:
zucchini
carrot
cucumber
green pepper
red pepper
green onion
avocado
rice noodles seasoned with szechuan sauce
micro greens
sprouts

rice paper wrappers

peanut sauce
chili garlic sauce (careful, it's hot!)




Put the chosen ingredients on the prepared rice paper wrapper, season with sauce and roll up.  Enjoy!

Grandma's Peanut Butter Cookies (Blossoms)

This recipe is WAY better than the Peanut Butter Blossoms recipe on the bag of Hershey Kisses.  Good cookies come from Grandmas, this time from the other side of the family.

Cream together:
1 c. shortening ( I used 1/2 c. lard and 1/2 c. butter or 1 c. butter)
1 c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. creamy peanut butter

Add 2 eggs

Sift together (only if your flour seems lumpy):
3 c. flour
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. salt

Add the flour mix to the mixture.

Add 1 t. vanilla

Roll into balls (about the size of a quarter) and roll the balls in white sugar.

Bakes on parchment covered cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes.  When just out of the oven, press a Hershey kiss candy in the middle.

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c = cup
t = teaspoon

Grandmother's Ginger Creams

Baking isn't usually my thing but I was feeling nostalgic for some Christmas cookies this year.  My Grandma seemed to have these every time we went to the farm and are one of my dad's favorites.  The recipe itself is well over 100 year old and deserves to be seen as my Grandma gave it to me.  She was a teacher back in the day when it was important to have perfect handwriting!

There was no time for baking on it, so I added the 9-10 minutes note.  For icing I used just under 2 c. of powdered sugar and 3 T. of milk.  Adjust for your preferred consistency.

Oven Roasted Turkey and Gravy

I have never done a turkey in the oven.  It's always scared me because it is such a centerpiece of Thanksgiving.  What happens if I mess up?!?   With family circumstances, this was my year to step up and do it.   Thankfully, it turned out just as I would have hoped for. 

Oven Roasted Turkey and Gravy

20 lb. turkey or so, thawed in the fridge several days ahead of time (about 5 days)
4-5 stalks celery, cut in large chunks
6 carrots, cut in large chunks
1 large onion, cut in wedges
1/2 stick or so of butter
Emeril's Cajun Seasoning (see recipe from March. 12, 2017)

2021:  I used Italian Seasoning instead of Cajun seasoning and a handful of fresh sage, thyme and parsley in the cavity.  I also a few pats of butter under the skin.  My 16 1/2 pound turkey took about 3 1/2 hours total.  

Once thawed, remove all the packets from the inside of the turkey.  Rinse and dry the turkey if it looks like it needs it.  Tie down the drumsticks if you need to.  My Jennie-O was already to go with plastic ties, so no need for me to do it.

When the turkey is empty, stuff the cavity (not pack it) with the veggies. 

Place the turkey on a wire rack breast side DOWN in a roasting pan and scatter the remaining veggies around in the pan.  Sprinkle the Emeril's seasoning generously all over the rubbed butter.

Bake at 425 degrees for 45 minutes, then cover with foil and reduce heat to 350 degrees.  Bake for about 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours until the thigh is at 180 degrees and the breast is at 160 degrees.    Timing is just an estimate.  You are going to have to check it.

Once finished, let it rest for 30 minutes or so, covered in foil.  Then carve it.

Gravy
Take 1/2 c. of the drippings from the roasting pan and put it in a large sauce pan.  Heat the drippings and add 1/2 c. Wondra flour (it's very fine and dissolves well) and whisk until it forms a paste and gets to a golden brown color.   Slowly whisk in 4-6 c. turkey or chicken stock (I used store bought) and cook until gravy thickens to desired consistency.  You can always add more stock if you need to thin it.  I added a few shakes of sage and thyme as seasoning. Add salt and pepper to taste.

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Note: if making gravy in general, drippings and flour should be in equal portions.  If you don't have drippings, you can use another fat.  Butter.