Chicken & Dumplings

This is one of my go to meals. Colorado's weather in March bounces back and forth, one day 70 degrees out and the next day, snowing with the high of 20. Very hard to plan meals with this going on and I swear my teenager has a tape worm because he's always hungry and lately have not been making enough to fill his tummy. This is one of those meals that will leave the hungriest guy completely full.

Soup:

3 lbs of chicken thighs ( seems much but remember, you have bones)

4 cloves of garlic, just smashed enough to smell them

1 medium yellow or sweet onion

3 ribs of celery

4 carrots

1 tbsp of onion powder

1 tbsp. Garlic powder

1 tbsp. Salt

1 tsp. Dried basil

5 tbsp. Chicken bouillon, if using the cubes, only 3 of them, but I use better than bouillon's brand.

Dumplings:

1 ½ cup cake flour/ can us all purpose, but the cake flour makes the dumplings more "airy"

1 ½ tsp. Baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 tbsp of fresh herbs of your choice ( I like chives)

5 tbsp unsalted butter

¾ tsp sugar

2/3 cup milk

Instructions:

In a dutch oven boil water and place chicken in the boiling water for an hour to 2 hours, depending the thickness of the chicken. Trust me, boiling the chicken will give you the starter broth , and the most moist chicken you will ever taste.

While that is boiling, smash your garlic, dice the onion, slice the carrots and celery into bite size pieces.

Once the chicken is fully cooked, set aside until cool enough to handle and strain the “chicken water” with a fine mesh strainer and save the water, and put back into the pot. Bring back to a boil. You can use 2 forks to tear the chicken apart but I use my hands. Throw away chicken bones and skin. While destroying your chicken, place remaining ingredients for the soup into the dutch oven, return chicken meat into the same pot and cover. Boil until veggies are firm to add the dumplings.

Dumplings:

Sift all dry ingredients, finely chop your choice of herb/s, add the flour mixture. Melt butter and add to milk and mix with the dry. Mixture will thick like paste. I use a cookie scoop to add the dumplings to the soup, or a soup spoon will work fine. Don't make them too big or they will not steam correctly.

Bring the soup to a rolling boil, quickly add the wet dumplings to the soup and cover with lid. Takes 10-15 minutes for the dumplings to steam in the soup. DO NOT lift the lid while cooking, we want the dumplings to steam not boil, boiling them will make them dense and mushy instead airy.

The flour from dumplings should thicken the soup but for some reason it doesn't or you want it thicker, follow the directions for making gravy with corn starch and add until desired thickness.

Enjoy, and if any is left... wait for the soup to cool and refrigerate. Seems even better the second day but we never have leftovers. 

photo:modernskillet.com

Blueberry Cream Cheese Bread

I make these for the boys all the time. I prefer to use fresh blueberries but as winter comes along, finding tasty fresh berries are hard to find here in Colorado so I make due with frozen. I rinse them and sprinkle just enough sugar to give them a boost and let them thaw at room temperature. If the loaf actually lasts through the night, pop in the microwave for 10 seconds and it makes a tasty breakfast with coffee. Enjoy!






       For the yummy bread:
          ½ cup Salted Butter

       ½ cup Sugar

       1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

       2 whole Egg Yolks

       1 ¾ cup All-purpose Flour ( I like using King Arthur)

       ½ teaspoon Baking Powder 

           ⅓ cups Milk

       1½ cup Blueberries (If using frozen, make sure that you strained every       ounce of water otherwise it will take longer and meaning a burnt top.)

2 Tablespoon All-purpose Flour
2 whole Egg Whites
¼ cup White Sugar
FOR THE FILLING:
8 ounces (1 package) room temperature Cream Cheese
½ cup Sugar
1 ½ Tablespoon Flour
1 Egg
1 Tablespoon lemon zest (optional)
FOR THE GLAZE:
2 Tablespoons Sugar
½ teaspoons Vanilla
1 teaspoon Water

For the bread:
Cream butter and sugar (1/2 cup) until fluffy. Add salt and vanilla. Add egg yolks (save the egg whites as you’ll need them later) to the sugar mixture; beat until creamy. Set aside.
In another bowl, combine flour (1 1/2 cups) and baking powder. Add this mixture, alternately with milk to egg yolk mixture.
Coat berries with 1 tablespoon flour and add them to the batter.
In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Add sugar small amounts at a time (1/4 cup), and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into batter.
Pour 1/2 of the batter (or a little less) into a floured and greased bread pan. Layer the filling over the batter and then finish with remainder of batter. This will create a layer of “cheesecake” between the blueberry batter.


For the filling:


In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, egg and lemon zest; beat until smooth. Set aside.


Glaze: 
 
Stir together the glaze ingredients and set aside.
Pour glaze over top of unbaked loaf and bake at 350F for 55-60 minutes.

Photo credit: thekeenancookbook.com

Maple Bacon Donuts

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup bacon grease, in solid form

2 1/4 teaspoons dry active yeast (1 packet)

1/4 cup warm water

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

12 ounces of all-purpose flour, plus a little extra if needed

vegetable oil for frying

8 slices of bacon, fried and crumbled

Add milk to a saucepan over medium-low heat and heat until just warm enough to melt the bacon fat. Place the bacon fat in a small bowl, the pour the warm milk over top and stir constantly until it’s melted. Set side to let cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (fitted with a paddle attachment or beaters), add water and yeast. Let sit for about 5 minutes until foamy, then add in milk + bacon fat combo (it must be cooled) and turn the mixer on low speed. Add in the eggs, sugar, salt, nutmeg and half of the flour mixture, mixing on low speed until combined. Add the remaining flour, mixing on medium speed until combined. Remove the paddle attachment and replace it with the dough hook, then mix on medium speed for 3-4 minutes until dough pulls away from the bowl. Mine was a bit sticky, so I added in 3-4 tablespoons of extra flour until it became smooth. Remove from the mixer, add to bowl rubbed with vegetable oil, cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

Once risen, place dough on a floured workspace and roll until about 3/8 inches thick. I also kneaded in another tablespoons of flour or so here, just so the dough was smooth. Using a biscuit cutter (or something else round that works for you), cut out circles of dough, then using a small lid (I used a washed Tabasco lid, ha!) or knife, cut out the center. Place donuts on a baking sheet, cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 more minutes.

Heat oil a large pot, making sure it is 365 degrees. Add donuts 2-3 at a time, frying on each side for about 1 minute, and flipping with a spider or slotted spoon. Remove and let drain on wire rack placed above a paper towel. When finished, dip in maple glaze then roll in bacon. Serve immediately!

Maple Bacon Icing

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon bacon fat, melted

1 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients together in a bowl and whisk well until a glaze forms.

Photo: jocooks.com

Ravioli Dough and fillings

Ravioli Dough (Plain)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup boiling water

Put the flour and salt in a food processor.
Add the butter and pulse until the flour has the texture of rough cornmeal.
With the machine running, slowly add the water.
Gather the dough into a ball and place on a floured surface.
Knead lightly, just until the dough is smooth.
Divide in half and keep one-half covered while you work with the other.

Cheese Ravioli Filling

1 (8 ounce.) container ricotta cheese
4 ounce mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 egg
1/2 tablespoon parsley, chopped
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt and pepper

Combine ingredients in a bowl.  Fill rounds of ravioli dough.
Serve with your favorite sauce.

Spinach Ravioli Filling
Use the recipe for cheese ravioli.
Omit the parsley and add 1 cup chopped fresh spinach or frozen spinach that has
been thawed and squeezed dry.

Meat Ravioli Filling

For the diced meat you may combine any 2 types of meat to equal 1/2 pound (pork and
chicken, beef and ham, pork and veal, chicken and prosciutto)
1/2 pound meat diced
1 tablespoon butter
1-1/2 tablespoons onion, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg yolk
Pinch of nutmeg


Sauté onion in butter over medium heat 1-2 minutes.
Add meat and cook until meat loses its raw red or pink color.
Transfer to a food processor and pulse a few times to chop.  Don't  allow it to puree.
Put mixture in a bowl and add remaining ingredients.  Combine well and fill ravioli

Crabmeat Ravioli Filling

1/2 shallot, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 (6 ounce) can lump crabmeat
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
2-3 tablespoons goat cheese
Salt and pepper


Sauté shallot and garlic in butter and olive oil. 1-2 minutes.
Add crabmeat and basil.  Stir to combine.
Remove from heat.
Stir in goat cheese and salt and pepper to taste.  Fill ravioli.

Chicken Ravioli Filling

2 tablespoons butter
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
8 ounces boneless chicken breast, cubed
2 tablespoons marsala wine
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper


Sauté celery, carrot, and onion in butter about 3 minutes.
Add chicken and sauté 3-4 minutes, until chicken starts to brown.
Add Marsala wine and cook additional 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.
Put chicken mixture in a food processor and pulse to chop.
Add egg yolk, cheese, salt and pepper.  Fill ravioli.

Mushroom Ravioli Filling

3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups mushrooms, chopped
1/4 cup prosciutto, chopped
4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
2 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 egg
Salt and pepper


Saute onion and garlic in butter 2-3 minutes.
Add mushrooms and sauté until brown and most of the liquid has evaporated.
Add prosciutto and cook 1 more minute just to heat through.
Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients.  Fill ravioli.  

Potato, Leek, and Bacon Ravioli

12 ounces Yukon Gold potatoes (about 3 small potatoes)
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 ounces bacon, coarsely chopped
2 medium leeks, finely chopped (about 1-1/2 cups)
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Peel and cube the potatoes.
Cook in boiling water until cooked through.
Drain and mash the potatoes with a fork.
Set aside.

Heat the oil and bacon in a skillet over medium heat.
Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the bacon has rendered its fat but is not crisp.
Add the leeks and cook another 3 minutes until the leeks are wilted.
Add the bacon and leek mixture to the potatoes.
Season with salt and pepper
Add the grated Parmesan cheese and stir to combine all the ingredients.

PHOTO:cookingweekends.blogspot.com

Roasted Garlic

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. Using a knife, cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic.

Place the garlic heads in a baking pan; muffin pans work well for this purpose. Drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil over each head, using your fingers to make sure the garlic head is well coated. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed. 
 
Allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself. Use a small small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. Use a cocktail fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins.

Other ideas: Can be spread over warm French bread, mixed with sour cream for a topping for baked potatoes, or mixed in with Parmesan and pasta.

Photo: noshtopia.com

Bacon-Cheddar Breakfast Muffins

1 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. quick cooking oats
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. pepper
6 eggs
1/4 c. applesauce
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese (2 oz.)

1/4 c. finely-chopped crisp-bacon

1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley

Heat oven to 375°F. Mix flour, oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and pepper in large bowl.

Beat eggs and applesauce in medium bowl until blended. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Stir in cheese, bacon and parsley. Spoon evenly into 12 greased 3-in. muffin cups.

Bake in 375°F oven until tops are lightly browned and spring back when tapped with finger, 15 to 20 min. Cool in pan on wire rack 5 min.; remove from pan. Serve warm or cool completely

Courtesy of The incredible edible egg™

Black Kettle Pasta with Garlic Butter

 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1/8 cup white wine
1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
1/16 teaspoon white pepper
1/16 teaspoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon freshly chopped chives
1 1/2 pounds fresh angel hair pasta, cooked
fresh Parmesan cheese (to garnish )

Melt butter in medium saucepan. Add all remaining ingredients except cheese and pasta and heat through. Ladle over warm fresh pasta. Garnish with cheese and parsley.

Makes 8 servings.

Source: Black Kettle Restaurant - Milwaukee, Wisconsin photo:copykat.com

McDonald's® Biscuits

makes 8 biscuits

2 tablespoons of salted butter, melted and divided

2 cups bisquick baking mix

2/3 cups buttermilk

1 teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

preheat oven to 450 degrees

combine all ingredients excepts 1 tablespoon of butter. Mix until well blended.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 30 seconds or until dough becomes elastic.

Roll dough out ¾ inch thick and punch out biscuits using a 3 inch cutter. Arrange biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet, bake for 10-12 minutes or until the biscuits are golden on top and have doubled in height.

Removed biscuits from oven and immediately brush each one with remanding butter, serve warm and enjoy. 

 

Photo:McDonald's® Original recipe: scribd.com

Valentine Pizza

I love heart shaped pizzas, aren't they cute? Valentines Day is the only time of the year where you can make such a cute and girly dinner without wondering, is this weird? a full-bodied Chardonnay will pair well with the bread, cheese and tomato sauce.

This is my version of Papa John's heart shaped pizza. Enjoy!!!

For pizza dough:

1 1/3 cups warm water (105 degrees F)

1/4 cup nonfat dry milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 cups flour

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 package dry yeast

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (for dough)

9 ounces vegetable oil (3 ounces per pan)

Butter flavored Pam

Put yeast, sugar, salt, and dry milk in a large (2 quart.) bowl. Add water and stir to mix well. Allow to sit for two minutes. Add oil and stir again. Add flour and stir until dough forms and flour is absorbed. Turn out on to a flat surface and knead for about 10 minutes.

Divide dough into three balls. In three 9-inch cake pans, put 3 ounces of oil in each making sure it is spread evenly. Using a rolling pin, roll out each dough ball to about a 9-inch circle. Place in cake pans.

Spray the outer edge of dough with Pam. Cover with a plate. Place in warm area and allow to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

For pizza sauce:

1 (8 Ounce) Can Tomato Sauce
1 teaspoon Dry Oregano
1/2 teaspoon Marjoram
1/2 teaspoon Dry Basil
1/2 teaspoon Garlic salt

Combine ingredients and let sit for 1 hour.

For Toppings:

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

green pepper

button mushrooms

pepperoni

sliced black olives

I didn't give specific measurements on the toppings because well, everyone likes theirs a little different. Just remember the more toppings, longer cook times.

Divide the dough into three portions. Shape each piece into a heart shape about 1/2 inch thick. Brush with olive oil, and spread a thin layer of pizza sauce on each pizza. Sprinkle cheese over pizza sauce, and arrange the toppings on top.

Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until cheese has melted and crust is browned.

Picture: sweetcharity.dmagazine.com

Eggs Benedict

FOR THE HOLLANDAISE:

12 Tbsp. unsalted butter

3 egg yolks

2-3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

FOR THE EGGS:

Salt

4 eggs (made over easy, see video below)

2 English muffins, split

3 Tbsp. butter

4 slices Canadian bacon

For the hollandaise: Melt butter in a small pan over low heat. Whisk egg yolks, lemon juice, 1 tbsp. water, and salt and pepper to taste in a heavy, nonreactive saucepan until pale yellow; then cook, whisking constantly over medium-low heat, until whisk leaves a trail in eggs, about 8 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Add butter 1 tbsp. at a time, whisking constantly, until sauce thickens; gradually pour in remaining butter, whisking constantly, leaving milky solids behind.

Toast English muffins either in oven at 200 degrees /F or in a toaster. Toast to how you prefer, and yes, it has to be English muffins, nothing else seems to absorb the yolk and sauce. Melt remaining butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Fry bacon until browned, about 5 minutes. Place bacon on muffins.

With leftover grease in bacon skillet fry eggs over easy. 

 

Assemble each sandwich like so, muffin,bacon,egg,and then hollandaise sauce. Sprinkle smoked paprika if desired. I always make more muffins to clean my plate with the leftover sauce.

Picture:Saveur magazine, #114

Orange Pecan French Toast

      1 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/3 cup chopped pecans
12 (3/4 inch thick) slices French bread or Texas Toast Bread
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 egg whites
6 eggs

In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, melted butter, and corn syrup. Pour into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish, and spread evenly. Sprinkle pecans over the sugar mixture. Arrange the bread slices in the bottom of the dish so they are in a snug single layer.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the orange zest, orange juice, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, egg whites, and eggs. Pour this mixture over the bread, pressing on the bread slices to help absorb the liquid. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour, or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C ). Remove the cover from the baking dish, and let stand for 20 minutes at room temperature.
Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown.

Originally created by allrecipes.com

photo: foodnetwork.co.uk

Crescent Rolls

2 packages active dry yeast

3/4 cup warm water (105 degrees F)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1/2 cup shortening

4 cups unbleached flour

Butter or regular margarine, softened

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir sugar, salt, eggs, shortening and half of the flour into the yeast mixture. Add the remaining flour blending until smooth. Scrape the dough from the sides of the bowl and cover with a cloth dampened in warm water. (The cloth should feel wet but not be so wet that water drips onto the dough.) Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Divide the dough in half and roll each half in a 12 inch circle, 1/4 inch thick. Spread with the soft butter and cut circle into 16 wedges. Roll up each wedge beginning at the largest end. Place point side down, on a greased baking sheet. Curve to form crescents. Cover and let rise until double about 1 hour.

Heat oven to 400 degrees F and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until they are a rich golden brown. Brush with soft butter.

Photo: www.sodahead.com Courtesy: FootsieBear at recipegoldmine.com

Olive Garden Breadstick seasoning

Liquid butter

1 tbsp. Garlic

1 tsp. Salt

2 tbsp.Dry butter

1/4 tsp.  sugar

1 tbsp. Parmesan cheese

Heat or bake favorite bread sticks as directed. As soon as they are baked, brush on liquid butter. Combine remaining ingredients and sprinkle onto the bread sticks.

Photo:shine.yahoo.com by The_Stir

Bruschetta

12 slices, baguette or crostini ,toasted
4 to 5 vine ripe tomatoes chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

3 tablespoons chopped garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine oil, basil, garlic,vinegar and salt in a processor, don't puree! Mix with tomatoes and let marinate at least 2 hours (Do not refrigerate; tomatoes will lose their flavor).

Use a slotted spoon to layer on to bread. Serve immediately.

Photo:healthycheapfood.com

Pizza dough

1 1/3 cups warm water (105 degrees F)

1/4 cup nonfat dry milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 cups flour

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 package dry yeast

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (for dough)

9 ounces vegetable oil (3 ounces per pan)

Butter flavored Pam

Put yeast, sugar, salt, and dry milk in a large (2 quart.) bowl. Add water and stir to mix well. Allow to sit for two minutes. Add oil and stir again. Add flour and stir until dough forms and flour is absorbed. Turn out on to a flat surface and knead for about 10 minutes.

Divide dough into three balls. In three 9-inch cake pans, put 3 ounces of oil in each making sure it is spread evenly. Using a rolling pin, roll out each dough ball to about a 9-inch circle. Place in cake pans.

Spray the outer edge of dough with Pam. Cover with a plate. Place in warm area and allow to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Photo:kitchensimplicity.com

Cinnamon Rolls

Dough:

1 cup warm water

3 (1/4 ounce) packages active dry yeast or 3 cakes

fresh yeast (5/8 ounce each)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 cup milk, scalded and cooled

3 large eggs

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, unsifted

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

3 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, unsifted

Combine water, yeast and sugar in large mixing bowl and let stand 5 minutes.

Add butter to cooling milk to soften. When cool, add milk mixture to yeast mixture and stir well. Add eggs and salt and stir well with wire whisk.

Begin adding all-purpose flour, mixing well with wooden spoon until mixture resembles thick cake batter. Add raisins. Add 2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour. Mix well again until dough is quite sticky and begins to leave sides of bowl.

Place 1/2 cup remaining whole wheat pastry flour onto board. Turn dough out and knead about 10 minutes until smooth and shiny, slowly adding more flour if needed. (Dough should be somewhat soft and resilient, almost sticky.)

Shape dough into ball and place in large greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover with damp towel. Let rise in warm place about 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Turn dough onto large floured board. Roll out to 24 x 20-inch rectangle. (Dough will be quite thin.)

Filling:

2 cups butter, melted

3 cups dark brown sugar, packed

6 tablespoons ground cinnamon

3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Mix together melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread entire rectangle of dough with mixture (it should be very glossy in order to produce syrup). Sprinkle with walnuts. Roll rectangle tightly from long side (filling will be slightly runny and dough will be soft). Make sure seam side is on bottom. Shape with hands to make roll uniform in size from end to end.

With very sharp knife, cut roll into 16 equal portions. Place side by side, cut sides up, in 2 well-greased 13 x 9 x 3-inch metal baking pans. (Glass pans will tend to caramelize syrup too quickly.) Cover with warm, damp towel and let rise in warm place 30 to 40 minutes or until almost doubled in size.

Bake at 350 degrees F until nicely browned and filling is bubbly, about 35 minutes. Immediately invert onto serving platter or baking sheet, allowing syrup to drip from pan onto rolls (this is the secret).

Makes 16 large cinnamon rolls.

Source: Kitchen-Dr Photo: Chef Tess

Bennigan's Turkey O'Toole®

photo:Kir Kanos

Pretzel Rolls

2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water
3 1/4 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup butter - softened
3 tablespoons baking soda
2 quarts water
1 large egg yolk

In a small bowl, whisk the yeast and 1/4 cup of the water until smooth.
In the bowl of a heavy duty electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the remaining 1 cup water, the bread flower, yeast mixture, salt, and butter. Mix at slow speed for three minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl and the hook as necessary the mixture blends evenly. When the ingredients are well combined, increase the mixture speed to high and continue mixing and occasionally scraping until the dough is firm and elastic (about 8 minutes). If the mixture is too firm for the mixer to handle, finish kneading it by hand.

Turn the ball of dough out onto a lightly flowered work surface and let rest for five minutes, loosely covered with a kitchen towel. Line a baking sheet that will fit in your freezer with parchment paper and set aside.Cut the dough into eight equal pieces, approximately 4 ounces in size. Roll each into a five inch long cylinder about one inch in diameter. With the palms of your hands, roll each cylinder into a rope about 12 inches long, of even thickness throughout the entire length. Tie the rope into a loose knot in the center, then tuck the ends under the middle and mold gently into an attractive shape. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.

When the pretzel dough is shaped, let it sit in a very warm, moist place to rise until almost doubled in size, about 30 to 50 minutes. Freeze the shaped, risen pretzel dough uncovered on the baking sheet for at least 2 hrs. and up to 24 hrs; the dough should be frozen solid.

Before removing the pretzels from the freezer, combine the baking soda and water in a large sauce pan and bring it to a simmer. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove the pan from the freezer and, using a large flat skimmer, dip each frozen roll in the simmering water for about 3 seconds, letting the excess water drain before returning it to the baking sheet. Brush the pretzels with the egg and water mixture, then sprinkle coarse salt over them. Immediately place the baking sheet in the hot oven. Bake for 10 minutes, then lower oven temperature to 375 degrees F and bake for 8-12 minutes more.


Source: Bennigan's

Chocolate Chip Zucchini bread

3 cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp. Baking powder

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1 tsp. Baking soda

1 tsp. Nutmeg, ( powder is fine, but fresh taste better)

3 eggs

2 cups white sugar

1 cup canola oil

3 tbsp. Vanilla extract

2 cups grated zucchini (skin on)

1 cup chopped pecans

1 tbsp. Orange zest

Sift flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking soda together.

In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar and beat until well blended. Stir in oil vanilla, zucchini, pecans, chocolate chips, and orange zest. Stir in sifted ingredients.

Pour into 2 greased 9 by 5 loaf pans.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Remove loaves from pans and cool. Chill loaves before slicing. Serve with whipped cream and ribbons of zucchini for extra flair.

Cheddar Biscuits

These are very quick and easy to make, will never hear a complaint about them.

2 ½ Bisquick baking mix

5 tbsp. Cold butter

1 cup of heaping cheddar cheese

¾ cup of cold milk (2% works best)

¼ tsp. Garlic powder

Topping:

3 tbsp. Melted butter

1 tbsp. Garlic powder

¼ tsp. Dried parsley flakes

¼ tsp. Sea salt or coarse salt

Heat oven to 400 degrees F

Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter or a large fork. DON'T mix thoroughly. The butter should be small chucks about the size of peas. Add cheddar cheese, milk, and ¼ tsp. Garlic.

Mix by hand until combined, but don't over mix.

Drop roughly ¼ cup portions of dough onto an non greased cookie sheet. I use an ice cream scoop. Bake for 15 – 17 minutes or until the tops are slightly brown.

Mix topping ingredients together and brush over the biscuits, use all the butter.

Serve immediately

Makes 12 biscuits