Friday, February 29, 2008

Dutch Double Dill Bread


1pkg. yeast
2. warm water 110 degrees
2T. oil
3T. honey
1c. yogurt or sour cream
2t. salt
1T. dill weed
1T. dill seed
5c. whole wheat flour
3c. rye flour
IN a bowl, mix together 1/2c. water and yeast. Let sit 5-10min. Combine remaining ingredients except flours in mixer, add yeast mixture, then add flour's 1c. at a time till it forms a soft yet easy to handle dough. Knead. I let the mixer knead it, but you could hand knead it if you wanted.
Place dough in a greased bowl and let rise for 1hr. (omit this step if using the mixer to knead the dough) Punch dough down, and shape into 2 round loaves (you may put the dough into 2 greased loaf pans) Place round loaves on a greased cookies sheet, you may have to use two sheets, remember that your loaf will double in size! Let rise about 45min. (more or less) or till doubled in size. Bake at 425 for 15min. then reduce temp. to 350 and bake another 20-25min. till loaf is brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Cool, then slice and enjoy!
Yields: 2 loaves 16 slices per loaf
Nutritional Values
Calories 117
Protein 4g.
Carbohydrates 23g.
Fat 2g.
Cholesterol 1mg.
Sodium 138mg.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Rodeo Roundup Wrap's


2 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. dijon mustard
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 cup plus 1 tsp. oilve oil
1 lb. yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
Kosher salt ( if using table salt, decrease the amount by half
1/4 c. milk
2 T. butter, shoftened
2 T. sour cream
2 T. chopped freah chives
Pepper
1 c. corn kernels
1 1/4 pounds London broil or any other type of beef chunk , cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips
1/3 c. barbecue sauce
Four 10- or 11-inch flour tortillas
Preheat grill or broiler. Combine the vinegar, mustard, garlic and 1/4 cup oilve oil in a large bowl. Add meat, stir to coat, and marinate 15 minutes. Place te potatoes and 1 T. kosher salt in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are tender when pirced with a fork. Add milk, butter, sour cream, and chives and mix well. Season with 1/2 tsp. kosher saltand 1/4 tsp. pepper. Heat the remaining 1 T. oil in a large skillet over medium heat Add the corn, 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Cook until the corn is tender, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Cook on the grillor under broiler until browned but still rare inside, about 5 minutes, turning once Transfer to skillet with corn. Add BBQ sauce and stir to combine. Divide the potatoes among the tortillas and spread evenly over each tortilla, leaving at least a 1-inch border around the edge. Divide the meat mixture among the tortillas and wrap.

Monday, February 25, 2008

Hand Dipped Chocolate Strawberries

Whether looking for a delicate appetizer, or a light dessert, these strawberries are sure to please!
18-20 strawberries or 1pint of fresh strawberries
1/2c. dark or milk chocolate chips
1/4 c. white chocolate chips
1 1/2 t. oil divided
Melt dark chocolate and 1t. oil in a saucepan over low heat, till melted and smooth, stirring occasionally. Dip strawberries in melted chocolate, let dry.
Melt white chocolate and 1/2t. oil in saucepan over low heat stir occasionally till melted and smooth.
Drizzle with knife or spoon over the dried strawberries. Cool completely, and enjoy!

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Coffee Cake


Cake
1/2c. softened butter
1c. sugar
2 eggs1c. sour cream
1t. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
Topping
1/2 c. sugar
1/4c. walnuts
2t. cinnamon
Butter for greasing pan.
Additional cinnamon sugar for pan.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Mixing well add sour cream and vanilla. Add dry ingredients, mix well.
Combine topping ingredients in separate bowl, set aside.
Butter a square or round 9in. cake pan then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Put in 1/2 the batter, then sprinkle with 1/2 of the topping. Repeat, and swirl the topping on the top of the cake.
Bake at 350 for 40min. or until knife comes out clean.
Yields: 9 servings

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Spinach Ricotta Calzone


Calzone Crust:

1 Tablespoon Dry Active Yeast
1 Cup Warm Water
1 Teaspon Honey or Suagar
1Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 1/2 Cups flour(white or wheat, I used wheat)
Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix. Dump on to a floured surface. Knead into a smooth ball( about 5 minutes). Roll into a 30x 15 inch rectangle. Pour the filling on one half of the dough and fold over and crimp edges. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 15-18 minutes. Cut into slices. Yield: 6 servings
CALZONE FILLING:
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion, finely chopped
2(10 ounce) Packages frozn chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 Large Garlic Cloves, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Cup Ricotta Cheese
1 Cup Grated Monzzarella Cheese
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
Your Favorite Marinara-style Pasta Sauce For Dipping
Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, saute until tender and golden,2 to 3 minutes. Add spinach,and garlic; saute, breaking up large clumps with wooden spoon, until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Transfer to a medium bowl; stir in ricotta. Let cool; stir in remaining cheeses. Put inside your dough and bake as directed above. Enjoy!
I (Esther) made this the other day, everyone liked it and would like to try making some other flavors some time soon. I also made a Broccoli Cheddar one as well which I will post later.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Two-Ton Chocolate Cake


This Cake is very dense and VERY moist. It is NOT a light fluffy cake. It's fabously rich, heavy and decadent.


Cake:
2 cups (4sticks or 1 pound) butter
10 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 cups all-purpose flour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a sauce pan over low heat, melt the butter and chocolate, mixing well. Let it boil on low heat for 2 minutes.
Remove the chocolate mixture from the stove and pour it into a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, sugar, and maple syrup. Mix together very well.
Add the flour and mix well.
Generously butter three 9-inch cake pans and dust with flour.
Divide the batter evenly among the cake pans. Use a mesuring cup for accuracy.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, checking often
Cool and frost with Bittersweet Chocolate Frosting
Yield: One 3-layer cake
Bittersweet Chococlate Frosting
3 cups good-quality unsweetned cocoa powder
3cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups (3sticks) butter, softened(not melted)
1 1/2 cups mayple syrup (more for consisitnecy if needed)
Mix the cocoa, powdered sugar, butter, and mayple syrup with an electic mixer until the frosting is firm. Spread on cake. Enjoy!
We made this for Valentines Day, it was delicious and extremely dense as they said. We will definitely make this again!

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Clone of a Cinnabon


2pkg. Yeast
1c. warm water 105-115
2/3 c. sugar and 1t. of sugar
1c. warm milk
2/3 c. melted butter
2t. salt
2eggs lightly beaten
7c. flour

Filling:
1c. melted butter
1 3/4 c. sugar
3 T. cinnamon
1 1/2 cups walnuts chopped

Creamy Glaze
2/3 cup melted butter
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
6 T. hot water




Place warm water, yeast and 1t. sugar in a bowl. Let sit so it will get foamy.
In a mixer, mix milk, 2/3 c. sugar, melted butter, salt. And eggs; stir well. Add yeast mixture. Then add ½ of the flour and mix till smooth. Stir in enough flour to create smooth but slightly sticky dough. Knead. Put dough onto a lightly floured counter and roll dough into a large rectangle. Pour ½ c. of melted butter onto dough and sprinkle with 1 ½ c. cinnamon sugar sprinkle with nuts. Roll jelly roll style, cut in to 15 pieces.
In 2 13x9in. pans, pour remaining ½ c. butter, sprinkle with ¼ c. sugar. Place rolls in pan. Let rise 45min. Bake for 25min. more or less. Until golden brown. Cool slightly, spread with glaze.

This is the best cinnamon roll recipe we have found, we have tried others but this one is our favorite! Enjoy
Chef Hannah

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Knock Your Socks off Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake!


Cake
1 3/4 c. flour
2/3 c. baking cocoa
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1t. salt
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. shortening
2 eggs
1t. vanilla
1c. buttermilk
1/2 c. coffee liqueur/cold strong coffee/ or water
1c. peanut butter chips
1 pkg. of mini rees peanut butter cups cut into 1/4's
1c. finely chopped peanuts

Heat oven to 350. Grease 2 -9in. round cake pans, and lightly flour.

Mix flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, set aside. Beat sugar, eggs, shortening, and vanilla in mixer, beat on low speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until blended. Beat in buttermilk and coffee. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Beating until smooth after each addition. Stir in peanut butter chips. Pour into pans.

Bake 30-33min. or till tooth pick comes out clean. Cool 10min; remove from pans to wire rack. Cool completely. Cut each layer horizzantally to make 2 layers. Drizzle with 2 T. coffee liqueur over each cut layer.

Place cut side up on serving plate. Slpread with 1/4 c. Peanit Butter Frosting to within a 1/4 in. of the edge. In between layers put choppes rees cups. Repeat with remaining layers. Placing the second nor cut side down. Frost cake with the Mocha Cream Cheese Frosting. Decorate with peanut butter cups, if wished. Store covered in the refridgerator.


Peanut Buttter Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1/4 c. heavy whipping cream
1t. vanilla
8oz. cream cheese
4c. powdered sugar

Beat peanut butter, whipping cream, vanilla, and cream cheese on med. speed till light and fluffy. Add sugar on low speed till smooth




Mocha Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 c. softened peanut butter
1/4 c. heavy whipping cream
1T. coffee liqueur
8oz. cream cheese
1/2 c. baking cocoa
1T. dry instant coffee(opt.)
3 1/2 c. powdered sugar

Beat whipping cream. liqueur. amd cream cheese in mixer at med. speed till fluffy. Gradually beat in cocoa powder, coffee, and powdered sugar on low speed till smooth.

Warning: this is extremely addicting!
Cooks note: We have found that this make way more frosting then you need for the cake. Not to worry though, it will keep in the fridge. Use it on cupcakes, brownies, or another cake!

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Sweet Potato Rolls



1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
4 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 cups canned sweet potato puree
1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 tablespoons butter,softened
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
DIRECTIONS
Dissolve yeast, warm water, and 1 tablespoon sugar in a mixing bowl. Let stand 5 minutes.
Add remaining sugar, sweet potato, butter or margarine, salt, and slightly beaten eggs. Stir to mix well. Stir in 3 cups of flour. Turn out on a lightly floured surface. Knead 2 to 3 minutes, adding just enough of remaining flour to prevent sticking. Do not knead too heavily; when smooth, shape into a ball. Place in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover, and let raise about 1 hour or longer.
Punch down, and allow dough to rest for 2 minutes. Divide into 16 to 20 balls, and place on a greased cookie sheet or in a 9x13 inch pan. Allow to rise until doubled.
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 12 to 20 minutes. Serve warm.
Hannah made this the other day to go with our soup, they were absolutely scrumptious!

Monday, February 18, 2008

Peanut Butter Munchies

1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 c. softened butter
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4c. peanut butter
1egg
1T. milk
1t. vanilla

3/4c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. peanut butter
2T. sugar

In bowl, mix together flour, cocoa, and baking soda; set aside.
In another bowl, mix together the butter, sugars, and 1/4c. peanut butter. Add egg, and vanilla and milk. Stir in dry ingredients.
In another bowl, mix last 3 ingredients. Blending throughly. Set aside.
Shape chocolate dough into 32 balls, about 1 1/2in. Shape peanut butter mixture into balls also making 32. They will be about 3/4 in.
Take one of the chocolate balls, flatten slightly and put one of the peanut butter balls into the middle. Fold dough around peanut butter ball. Making a ball. Repeat with remaining balls.
Place balls on cookie sheet about 2in. apart. Bake at 350 for 8min. Just until set. Cool 1min. before removing from cookie sheet.
Makes 32 cookies


Everyone in our family loves theses unique cookies!
Hannah

Thursday, February 14, 2008

BitterSweet Cheese Cake Torte

This indulgence starts and ends with gnache, a velvety mixture of dark chocolate and cream far more luxurious and delicouis than sugar icings.
2/3 cup whipping cream
8 ounces milk chocolate or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Nonstick spray for baking
1 19.5-ounce package brownie mix
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 ounces milk chocolate or bitter sweet chocolate, melted
3 ounces white baking chocolate, melted


1. For ganache: In a small saucepan, heat whipping cream over medium-high heat just until boiling. Remove from heat. Add the 8 ounces milk chocolate(do not stir). Let standfor 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. Cover and chill for 2 hours or until thick.
2. Preheat the oven to 350. Coat two 9x1 1/2-inch round cake pans with onon-stick spray for baking; set aside. Prepare brownie batter. according to package dirctions. Bake about 25 minutes or until edges are set. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove uncut brownies from pans. Transfer to wire rack. Cool completely.
3. Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla; beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Beat in eggs just until combined. Transfer half of the mixture ( about 1 1/2 cups) to a medium bowl. To the large bowl, add 3 ounces of melted milk chocolate; stir until smooth. To the medium bowl, add the melted white chocolate; stir until smooth.
4. Wrap heavy-duty foil around the bottom of an 8-inch spring form pan, making sure foil comes at least 1 inch up the sides. Using a sharp knife, trim edges of brownie rounds, making two 8 inch rounds. Place one of the brownie rounds in the pan. Pourthe milk chocolate mixture on top. Place the remaining brownie round onthe milk chocolate mixture and pour the white chocolate mixture on top.
5. Place foil-wrapped springform pan in a large roasting pan; pour enough hot water around the springform pan to come halfway up the sides. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until cheesecake appears set when gentlyy shaken. Carefully remove pan from water.
6. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Using a sharp knife, loosen edge from th sides of pan; cool 30 minutes more. Remove the pan sides; cool completley on wire rack. Cover and chil overnight.
7. Remove ganache from refrigerator. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until light, fluffy, and spreading consistency. Spoon whipped ganache into pastry bag fitted with a medium star or round tip. Pipe stars or mounds to cover the entire top of chilled cheesecake. Makes 12 to 16 servings.

*Test Kitchen Tip:
Before wrapping the spring form pan in foil, place the bottom of the pan on each brownie round and use the tip of a sharp knife to trace around the pan bottom. This will ensure the brownie rounds fit tightly in the pan after trimming the edges.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Granola Stuffed French Toast with Cinnamon Syrup

Here is a creation of mine that we had yesterday. It was extremely good!
Enjoy!
Hannah
8- 2in. slices of french bread

Cream Cheese Filling
cream together
8oz. cream cheese
1t. vanilla extract
1/2 c. chopped nuts (I used pecans)


Egg Dipping Mixture
Mix together;
4 eggs
1c. half and half

Granola Crust
Put 3c. of granola in blender and blend till coarse crumbs ( carefull not to blend to much)


Cut slits in bread and stuff with cream cheese mixture. Then dip bread in egg mixture, dip in granola crust mixture and press into sides. Toast in a frying pan with 2T. of butter till brown on both sides. Approx. 1min. on each side. Repeat with remaining slices. Drizzle with cinnamon syrup. And if you wish put a little whipped cream on top!



Cinnamon Syrup
5T. of butter (salted)
3/4 c. brown sugar
1T. cinnamon
1/8 t. cloves
1/8t. salt
1T. flour
3T. half and half

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add sugar, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and 1T. half and half. Put back on stove and bring to a simmer. remove and stir in flour and 1T. half and half. Pour over french toast!





















Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Red Pepper Cornmeal Souffle

1 large onion, chopped
1 cup chopped sweet red pepper
1/4 cup butter or margarine
3 cups milk
2/3 cup cornmeal
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fiesta cheese blend
1 T. dry parsely
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
2 egg yolks, beaten
7 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tater

In a large saucepan, saute the onion and red pepper in butter until tender. Add the milk. Bring to a boil. Gradually whisk in cornmeal ( make sure you add the cornmeal slowly not all at once or else it will get clumppy); whisk constantly until thickened , about 5 minutes. Add the cheese, parsely, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Add 1 cup of the cornmeal mixture to the egg yolks; mix well. Return all to the saucepan. In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tater and remaining salt until stiff peaks form. Fold into cornmeal mixture. Transfer to a greased 2-qt. souffle dish. Bake at 375 F. for 35-40minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 8-10 servings.


STIRRING UP SUCCESSFUL SOUFFLE BATTERS
Properly preparing the batter is one of the keys to creating a stndout souffle. Follow these tips for a distinctive dish guests are sure to fall for!
  • When separating eggs, make sure no yoks get into the egg whites, or they won't beat properly.
  • Let egg whites stand at room temerature for 30 minutes before beating. They will expand more than cold egg whites and will give better volume.
  • Be sure that the beaters and bowl are clean and dry before they touch the whites.
  • When beaten, the whites should be just firm enough to form and hold a stiff peak when the beaters are lifted
  • When adding the egg whites to the yolk base, fist fold in a third of the egg whites until blended. Then fold in the remaining whites just until combined.

Hope you enjoy this recipe, you can serve at dinner or breakfast it is amazingly good!

Esther

Monday, February 11, 2008

Challah Bread


2pkg. Yeast

1c. lukewarm water

1T. sugar

6-7 1/2 c. flour

1 1/2 c. lukewarm water

3/4 c. olive oil or canola

3 eggs lightly beaten
1/2 c. sugar
1t. salt
1t. cinnamon
1T. vanilla or almond extract
1 egg beaten for glaze
Combine yeast and 1c. lukewarm water and 1T. sugar in a medium bowl; stir to mix. Let stand 5 to 10 min. or until foamy. Stir in 2c. of the flour, let stand 30min. so the yeast can develop.
Combine 1 1/2 c. of the lukewarm water, oil, and 3 eggs in a large bowl mix well. Stir in 1/2 c. sugar, salt. cinnamon. and extract. Add the yeast mixture. Mix well. Add remaining flour 1c. at a time until dough is slightly firm. It will be softer then your ordinary dough though. Knead 5min. ( I do all of this in our K-Tech bread mixer).
Shape dough into 3 24in. long strands, and braid. Tuck ends under. Place on a very large lightly greased cookie sheet. ( I find it easier to braid the dough on the cookie sheet, that way you don't have to transfer it afterwards.) Cover with a clean cloth and let rise until nearly doubled in bulk.
About 15min. before loaf is done rising, brush with beaten egg. And pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Bake for about 25min. or until loaf is gloden brown and sounds hollow when you tap the bottom.
Enjoy!

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