Archive | August 2013

Honey Wheat Crescent Rolls

Plated roll

Bread baking is of my many passions. There’s something magical about combining just a few simple ingredients, applying a little love, and transforming it into a loaf of crusty bread. I must have been a baker in another life cause I really could spend all day baking bread.
For family holidays and special gatherings, I usually make my homemade crescent rolls. They pair perfectly with ham and turkey or just a slathering of good jam. Instead of my traditional white, I’ve played with a wheat version which is actually lighter and more flavorful. I tend to shy away from most wheat breads, which I think often taste like cardboard, so if you don’t typically like wheat then I will bet this recipe will win you over!

**Directions for using either a bread machine or making by hand are included below.**

Honey Wheat Crescent Rolls
Makes approximately 24 rolls

1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup warm milk
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups whole wheat flour (I highly recommend King Arthur)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup butter, melted (for basting rolls when they come out of the oven)

1. Combine ingredients in the pan of a bread machine according to your machine’s instructions.

2. Set to dough and complete cycle, allowing it to rise once.

3. Continue below “By Hand Directions” for next steps.

By Hand Directions for Dough:

1. In a small bowl, combine warm water, yeast, and one teaspoon of sugar. Mix together and let stand for 10 minutes. Yeast will activate and get frothy.

2. In a separate large bowl, combine remaining sugar and rest of dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and pour the yeast mixture and remaining ingredients in. Mix to form dough and knead until smooth, approximately 10 minutes.

3. Spray a bowl with cooking spray or lightly oil, place the dough in the bowl, making sure to coat the whole ball with oil. Allow to rise in a warm place until doubled, approximately an hour.

Directions continued for either making “By Hand” or “Bread Machine”:

4. Pour dough onto a floured surface and roll out into a large rectangle, approximately 1/4″ thick.

Using a pizza cutter, slice the dough into 3-4″ strips.

Cut the strips into small rectangles and then cut at the diagonal to form a triangle.

5. Starting with the base of the triangle, roll the dough up to the point.

Use a little bit of water to seal the top and then lay on a greased baking sheet. Water to seal edges

6. Allow the crescent rolls to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes to an hour.

7. Preheat oven to 375°. Bake the rolls one sheet at a time for 9-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Helpful Tip: Since all ovens vary slightly, I strongly recommend baking one roll all by itself to determine your oven’s exact baking time. Better to throw out one burned roll than an entire pan!

8. Baste the warm rolls with the melted butter and enjoy!

Tom’s Famous Meatballs

Aug23

My boyfriend doesn’t do a lot of cooking but one thing he makes that he has has completely mastered are his famous meatballs. They’re actually adapted from his Italian Grandfather’s recipe and they are killer good! He’ll make a big batch of them and then we have plenty to make spaghetti and meatballs, and meatball subs, etc. Nothing beats one of these meatballs! So I was very happy when he offered to whip up a batch of his famous meatballs and even happier when he offered to jot down the recipe to be featured on my blog. I hope you’ll give these a whirl and let us know what you think!

Tom’s Famous Meatballs
Makes approximately 60 meatballs

3 ½ pounds of ground beef
6 slices of white bread
3 eggs
¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ cup Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup Italian seasoning (marjoram, thyme, rosemary, savory, sage, oregano and basil)
1 tsp. garlic powder

1. Place the Parmesan cheese, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, Italian seasoning and garlic powder in a blender. Tear the bread into small pieces.

Add them to the rest of the ingredients in the blender and combine them until uniformly crumbled. You may have to use a spatula to push the bread towards the bottom as you go.

2. Place the ground beef inside a large bowl. Make sure the bowl is large enough to allow mixing the rest of ingredients into the beef, otherwise you’ll risk making a mess. 😛 Add the eggs and the crumbled mixture with the ground beef.

3. Now comes the fun part. Knead everything together with your hands until it reaches a pasty consistency (I use vinyl gloves to make cleanup easier).

If it seems the mixture is a little dry and you’re having trouble kneading the ingredients together, add a teensy bit of water (less than a teaspoon). I can’t stress enough how a little bit of water will go a very long way. The last thing you need is a runny mess and end up with beef pancakes. 🙁

4. Using your hands, take the beef and begin forming it into golf-ball-sized meatballs.

It is very important to ensure they are all about the same size, so that they cook evenly. I will usually make one and use it as the model for the rest, adding or removing beef as necessary. If your meatballs are falling apart as you go, you may need to add 1 more egg to the mix.

5. Add oil to a large pan and heat on medium-high until the oil begins to shimmer. Place the meatballs in the pan, making sure to leave about 1 or 2 inches of room around them.

Let them brown halfway through and then flip them.

Remove from the pan and place them in your favorite sauce! 😀

NOMNOMNOMNOMNOM,
Tom

4 Ingredient Crock Pot Balsamic Pot Roast

Aug16

I’ve made many a pot roast and this is the easiest and tastiest recipe. I came across this winning recipe in a magazine and after making it a few times thought I’d mix it up a bit by adding in balsamic vinegar. The result was even better than the already awesome pot roast recipe! The balsamic both tenderizes and flavors the meat while giving it a nice tangy zip. The best part is that I can throw everything in the crock pot before work, without having to sear the meat like most recipes require, and dash out the door. No joke, it takes less than 5 minutes to prep or a few minutes more if you decide to add veggies to the pot. Can a recipe be any simpler or any more rewarding?

Crock Pot Balsamic Pot Roast
~Serves 4. If you’re cooking for more then you’ll definitely want to double the recipe.

2 pound boneless chuck roast
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 package dry onion soup mix
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup water
Your favorite pot roast veggies (optional)

1. Place chuck roast in the bottom of your crock pot.

If you like, add optional veggies such as carrots, potatoes, parsnips, etc. Any softer veggies like celery, peas, etc. should be added two hours or so before serving so they don’t turn to mush on you.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the mushroom soup, onion soup mix, water and vinegar.

Pour over the pot roast.

Cook on Low for 8-9 hours or on High for 3-4 hours. If you go the shorter method and decide to add veggies, be sure to check the veggies to make sure they’re cooked through.

Remove roast to a cutting board and allow to cool a bit before slicing. Be sure to slice against the grain! If you slice with the grain it’s almost guaranteed it’ll be chewy.

Helpful Tip: This recipe makes a wonderful gravy which I often pour over egg noodles or mashed potatoes. The men in my family love that combination!

Cranberry Gobbler Sandwich

Aug11

I was in the mood for a really gourmet sandwich to make at home and this was the result. It’s pretty much the ultimate turkey sandwich and a great recipe to hold onto for after Thanksgiving. It features turkey, caramelized onions, melted brie, and cranberry mayo all squeezed between a buttery croissant. It’s a ridiculously tasty sandwich!

Cranberry Gobbler Sandwich
Number of Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, sliced into thin rings
Salt and pepper
¼ cup jellied cranberry
¼ cup mayonnaise
4 large bakery croissants, sliced in half lengthwise
12 ounces Wisconsin brie, sliced
8 ounces romaine lettuce
8 ounces honey baked turkey, thick-sliced

Directions:

1. Heat a skillet over medium high heat and add 2 tablespoons of butter. Add sliced onions to the melted butter, add salt and pepper, and sauté for several minutes until caramelized. Remove onions and set aside.

2. In a bowl, stir together jellied cranberry and mayonnaise. Smear each croissant half with 1 tablespoon of cranberry mayonnaise. Place 2 ounces of turkey on bottom of each croissant. Add 3 ounces of Wisconsin brie on top of the turkey and add a spoonful of caramelized onions on top.

3. Place croissant top halves onto each sandwich. Grill each sandwich in a lightly buttered pan for 2-3 minutes per side, until croissant is golden brown and brie is melted.

4. Remove sandwiches from the skillet and carefully remove tops of each sandwich. Add 2 ounces of lettuce and then replace the top and serve.

Easy Oven-Baked BBQ Chicken

Aug6

BBQ Chicken

There’s nothing quite like some finger-lickin’ BBQ chicken for dinner. The only problem is when you don’t want to worry about firing up the grill. No worries! This recipe packs all the flavor punches of a traditional grilled BBQ chicken into a simple baked version. We’re talking 40 minutes from start to finish! The secret is cranking up the heat at the beginning to get that crispy skin, then smothering in your favorite sauce and dropping the heat. I love how quick and easy it is—perfect for a weekday meal. It’s also one super economical family meal since you can use inexpensive leg quarters, drumsticks, or a whole chicken cut into pieces.

Easy Oven-Baked BBQ Chicken
Servings are for one whole chicken, cut into pieces but you can easily adjust portions.

4 pounds chicken pieces, with skin on
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon pepper
1 bottle of good BBQ sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a baking dish with aluminum foil and place a baking rack over it. Make sure the dish has a lip on it to catch the chicken drippings! Spray rack with cooking spray.

2. Clean chicken pieces and pat dry with paper towels. Arrange chicken pieces on the rack. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and paprika.

3. Bake chicken for 35 minutes or until skin is crispy and internal temperature is 165°F. Remove chicken from oven and reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

4. Baste chicken with barbecue sauce and bake for 5 additional minutes.

5. Remove from oven and baste with more sauce. Allow chicken to cool sufficiently and dig in!

Soft Baked Pretzels

Aug1

One of the few ways anyone can get me to step foot inside a mall is with the promise of a pretzel. I love fresh-baked pretzels cause they’re soft, salty, and buttery and reminiscent of my childhood growing up in Germany. A few years back, I bought a pack of the frozen pretzels that you bake at home and was so sorely disappointed that I scoured the internet for recipes to make them myself and discovered that hey, they’re not tricky at all! I just always assumed making your own pretzels was some ridiculous undertaking so never thought to try it. After trying a few recipes and tweaking here and there, this recipe is now my go-to.These are great for picnics, sporting events, or to pull apart and dip into soup or cheese sauce. You can even form them into rolls instead of pretzels for making pulled pork sandwiches.

**Directions for using either a bread machine or making by hand are included below.**

Soft Baked Pretzels
Makes 12 pretzels

Ingredients:

Dough:

2 packets of active dry yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/4 cups warm water
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

Brine Bath

1/2 cup baking soda
4 cups hot water

Topping

1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping
2 tablespoons melted butter

Bread Machine Directions for Dough:

1. Combine ingredients in the pan of a bread machine according to your machine’s instructions.

2. Set to dough and complete cycle, allowing it to rise once.

3. Continue below “By Hand Directions” for next steps.

By Hand Directions for Dough:

1. In a small bowl, combine warm water, yeast, and one teaspoon of sugar. Mix together and let stand for 10 minutes. Yeast will activate and get frothy.

2. In a separate large bowl, combine remaining sugar and rest of dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and pour the yeast mixture and oil in. Mix to form dough and knead until smooth, approximately 10 minutes.

3. Spray a bowl with cooking spray or lightly oil, place the dough in the bowl, making sure to coat the whole ball with oil. Allow to rise in a warm place until doubled, approximately an hour.

Directions continued for either making “By Hand” or “Bread Machine”:

4. Pour dough onto a floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Using your hands, roll each piece into a long rope and form into a pretzel shape. Use a little bit of water to seal the seams together.

5. Preheat oven to 425°F. Combine baking soda and water in a large pan and place on high. When mixture is boiling, turn off the heat and, using a slotted spatula, submerge each pretzel completely and place on a greased baking sheet.

6. Sprinkle pretzels with kosher salt and bake in preheated oven for 6-8 minutes or until you dark golden brown.

Brush each pretzel with melted butter and transfer pretzels to a cooling rack. Serve warm.

missbutterbean

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