Soft Pretzels

OK, well since, I am originally from Philly, besides pizza, I also love soft pretzels!  Of course, these are both full of carbs and probably should be avoided, however, if I am going to eat either one, I want the real thing!!  There is not a place anywhere near my present home to find any soft pretzels, UNLESS of course, I want to take a 3 hour ride to the mall!  Instead, here is an awesome recipe that tastes great.  My friend Malissa found this recipe in Mary Janes Farm - Sentimental Journeys Magazine, and she passed it onto me (thankfullly).  These pretzels are wonderful.  I have been making them nearly every Sunday afternoon since I've been given the recipe for my hubby & kids to enjoy, and they gobble them up.   To my surprise Mary Janes Farm Magazine is out of Idaho, my current state of residence.

Soft Pretzel Recipe
Makes 8
1 1/2 cups warm water (105-110')
2 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour (plus additional)
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 egg
Course sea salt or kosher salt
Melted butter (optional)

In a bowl, combine the yeast, water and sugar.  Let sit for about 5 minutes until foamy.  In another bowl, combine flour and salt.  Add to yeast mixture with a wooden spoon until dough forms.   With hands, continue to work in flour mixture until a ball forms.

Turn dough onto flour dusted surface and knead to make a smooth sticky dough, about 8 minutes.  Place dough in a greased bowl and cover.  Set in a warm place for about 45 minutes to 1 hour until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 400' F.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add baking soda to it, stir well.  Turn dough onto floured surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a rope about 18 to 20 inches long.  Shape rope into desired pretzel shape and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. 

With a slotted spoon, place 3 pretzels into the boiling water and parboil for 3 minutes, flipping one time.  Drain well and transfer back to baking sheet, repeat for remaining pretzels.  Once finished, add egg with 1 tablespoon water and mix well.  Brush pretzels generously with egg wash and sprinkle with sea or kosher salt, then place in heated oven.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Immediately brush with melted butter (if desired) and serve.  ENJOY!!!

Southern Sweet Tea

This iced tea is a basic southern sweet tea recipe that I've been making for years and it is delicious; especially on a hot summer day! When together with friends, I like to add a shot (or 2...LOL) of golden rum or tequila and lemon slices for a tasty "grown-up" beverage.

Southern Sweet Tea

8 tea bags

8 cups water

Optional: sliced lemon or orange wedges

For simple syrup:

1 cup sugar
1 cup water


First, boil 8 cups of water in a large pot.  When the water comes to a rolling boil, remove pot from stove and add the tea bags.  Cover the pot and set timer for 15 minutes (do not place back on stove).   During this time, make the simple syrup: In a small pot, add 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar and stir well.  Let this mixture come to a boil and then stir again being sure to dissolve all sugar, let it boil for a minute or 2 and remove from heat and set aside.

When the tea bags have set for the full amount of time, carefully remove tea bags and discard.   Add the simple syrup to the tea and stir well to incorporate.  Place in the refrigerator until chilled.  Serve in ice filled glasses.

Cherry Crumb Cake

OMG.....I love crumb cake!  This recipe from Martha Stewart fits the bill for a lovely tender cake made with buttermilk and has the perfect crumb topping.  If your favorite part of crumb cake is the topping, you can double the recipe and make a show stopper, go a step further and dust with powdered sugar.....YUM.  This would make an excellent addition to the menu for your next breakfast or brunch......or if your like me.....cake is good anytime!!  The original recipe calls for sour cherries, however, here I've topped the cake with fresh bing cherry halves, however, you can omit them, or experiment with other fruits of your choice.  Make some coffee and savor this delightful treat.

Cherry Crumb Cake

Crumb Topping:                                                                                                                              2 ounces (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for dish

3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dish

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cake:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup buttermilk

2 1/2 cups (1 pound) fresh sour cherries, pitted, or frozen dark sweet cherries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square baking dish with butter and dust lightly with flour. I used a greased and floured 9 inch springform pan, and it came out beautiful. 

First, make the topping: Stir together butter, flour, sugars, salt, and cinnamon, set aside. To make the cake: Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. With a mixer, cream butter and granulated sugar in another bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Working in alternating batches, add flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat until just combined. Pour into prepared dish, and smooth with an offset spatula. Dot top with cherries (if desired), and sprinkle with crumb topping.  Bake until golden and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour.  Let cool before cutting and if desired dust with powdered sugar.  Enjoy!

Focaccia Bread

With fresh tomatoes really coming into bounty now, let's talk tomatoes!  What better to top a delicious fluffy focaccia bread with than olive oil and tomatoes!  I found this recipe and I must say, it is delish.  It creates a medium thick, chewy focaccia bread, perfect for dipping or even better to make a prosciutto, tomato and mozzarella panini.......YUM!   My 7 year old thought that this was "the bomb".  I hope you like it too!  It does take a bit of work, but it is well worth it.....at least I think so.  I prefer my focaccia with tomatoes and fresh chopped basil leaves, but you can top with almost anything.  Caramelized onions and roasted peppers also make a delicious combination.

Focaccia Bread

1 cup warm water
1 package yeast
1 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons salt ( I use kosher salt)

3 tablespoons olive oil (Additional needed for brushing on before baking)

3 cup bread flour (additional needed for dusting surface to keep from sticking)
Toppings (optional): Fresh herbs such as; basil or chopped fresh rosemary, thinly sliced tomatoes,  caramelized onions, roasted peppers, mozzarella or Parmesan cheese….use your imagination!

Place the water in a large bowl. Add the yeast and sugar, and let sit for 5-8 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the salt and olive oil and 1 cup of flour.  Gradually add the remaining flour.  Place dough on a floured surface and knead until smooth about 6-8 minutes, (dough should be smooth and pliable) adding more flour as necessary to keep from sticking. Place dough in a greased bowl, then cover with oiled saran wrap and let rise in a warm draft free place for 1-1/2 hours.  Remove cover from bowl and punch down dough.

 Knead for a minute, then let the dough rest covered for 10 minutes.

Grease a 13x9x2 pan with additional olive oil.  Pat dough evenly to cover pan, to form a rectangle.  With the tips of your fingers, make dents in the surface of the dough about one inch apart. Brush or drizzle olive oil over the top of the dough and over the indents you've made, then top or sprinkle on your desired toppings. Allow focaccia to rise for an additional 30 minutes (I don't always cover the dough during this last rise, but you can if you'd like). Preheat oven to 400' F.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden.  Remove from oven and cut into squares with a pizza cutter. 

Beef and Bean Chili

I generally make chili in the winter, as I think it is one of the ultimate comfort foods. But I decided while fresh tomatoes are in season, why not take advantage of them now!

I've been making this recipe for years and I substitute kidney beans on occassion, although my family prefers pinto beans. I also prefer dried beans to canned beans, as they are healthier and personally I think they taste better.  See below for some tips on dried beans especially if you have never used them before. This recipe is versatile because you can choose either canned or fresh ingredients, whichever you have available.
Beef and Bean Chili
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 pound of extra lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 can of green chilies, drained
1/2 green pepper, chopped (optional)
3 cups tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes (canned or fresh)
3 cups pinto beans, prepared (see How to Prepare Dried Beans below, or if using canned, rinse and drain well)
4 teaspoons chili seasoning (possibly more depending on your taste)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese freshly shredded (optional)

In a large pot, heat to medium high heat on stove top and add oil to pot, swirl to coat bottom of pot. Add beef, onion and peppers, and stir to break up the ground beef, continue stirring until meat is no longer pink. Add tomato sauce, tomatoes, beans , chili powder, garlic, salt and pepper, and then let it come to a boil. Once chili reaches boil, turn it to simmer, and let it simmer for at least 30 minutes, but can be kept simmering all day for that yummy savory smell throughout the house.

How To Prepare Dried Beans
Dried beans are healthier and more economical than canned beans. If you have never used dried beans before, try them using some of my tips below to make your next bean dish better. Contrary to belief you do not have to soak your beans, and I usually do not; but you will have to soften the beans, so here is the quickest way to do so, and can be done the night before to shorten your time in the kitchen.

F.Y.I. - 1 cup of dry beans yields 3 cups cooked. So keep this measurement in mind when preparing dried beans.

First....Rinse 1 cup of beans well under cold water in a colander.

Second...Place in a pot and fill with 5 cups room temperature water. At this point, I like to add a peeled whole onion and a teaspoon of salt to the pot. (Be sure to discard onion, when finished cooking). This is not necessary, I just like to add it for additional flavor. If I were making a soup base, I would also add a few bouillon cubes to the cooking water also, and you can also add a few sprigs of fresh herbs to the pot too. Use your imagination.

Third....Bring the water to a boil.

Fourth....Cover the pot and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. The beans re-hydrate while cooking so you will have to check them often and add more water as necessary to keep them fully covered at all times while cooking.

Last....Cooking time for unsoaked beans can vary up to 2 hours. Most beans will be tender in 2 to 3 hours. Check by testing a bean after 2 hours, then decide if they need further time to soften. When beans are done, remove onion and discard, then drain beans and discard cooking water and quickly rinse beans again with warm water.  Place beans in a resealable container and refrigerate until use up to 1 week.  At this point you could also freeze up to 3 months, but fully defrost the beans before using and avoid prying them apart, as you will have alot of mashed beans if you do.

Now, that wasn't too hard was it? Now you have prepared beans for use in any recipe.

One Bowl Chocolate Chip Cookies

Who doesn't love a good chocolate chip cookie. I came up with this variation after trying many different recipes. I use one egg white here to keep the cookies lighter tasting, and to mix everything in one bowl, to me is a great time saver. I've been making this recipe since 1994, and these seem to appeal to all.

This cookie recipe produces a medium thickness cookie, with a buttery taste and thinner edges that are crisp, with a thicker chewier center that as far as I am concerned is perfect for a cookie to be. Do I see a glass of milk in the near future?

1 cup butter softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg white (room temperature)
1 egg (room temperature)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/4 cups flour
1 12 oz. package of semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350' F.  In a medium size bowl, add butter, sugar, eggs, salt and baking powder. Mix well with a mixer, until well incorporated and fluffy. Slowly add in flour until well combined and then by hand stir in the chocolate chips.

Using level tablespoons drop onto an ungreased cookie sheet (or you can cover a cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper for easy clean-up, this is what I do, which is also good if your cookie sheets have darkened through usage, as the foil will keep your cookies from burning). Bake in oven for 8-10 minutes or until the center is just set. Remove from oven and let cool on pan for a minute or so, then remove to a rack to complete cooling. When completely cool, store in an airtight container or storage bag.