Soft Baked Pretzels

Who doesn't love one of those big soft pretzels that you get at sporting events or just walking around the city? With this recipe you will be able to make your own delicious soft pretzels at home!


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/8 tsp active dry yeast (1 1/2 pkg.)
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/8 tsp salt
1 cup bread flour
3 cup regular flour
2 cup warm water
2 tbsp baking soda
Coarse salt
1 stick butter (melted)

Dissolve yeast into 1 1/2 cup lukewarm water then add sugar, salt and dissolve

Add flour and knead dough until smooth and let the dough rise for 1/2 hour

Combine 2 cups warm water and baking soda in bowl (this is the pretzel bath)

Once dough has risen, flatten out the dough to 1/2 inch or less in thickness and cut off strips of dough and shape as pretzels

Dip the pretzels into the baking soda bath and place on a greased baking sheet

Bake at 450 for about 10 minutes and generously brush with melted butter and sprinkle coarse salt over the top.



Other Options (not pictured):

• Make the dough as you normally would but instead of shaping the dough as a pretzel, you can wrap the strips of pretzel around a hotdog for a great treat
• Flatten out the strips of dough and place pieces of cheese and roll the cheese inside the pretzel dough and then shape them into a pretzel or even stick shapes
• You can top your pretzels with cheese or a cinnamon sugar coating rather than salt

Deviled Eggs

These deviled eggs are so quick and easy to make that even the most culinary impaired people can make them and they are usually a big hit at parties. I came across a recipe for deviled eggs years ago and tweaked it a bit to fit my liking and this is what I've got now.

Ingredients:

6 eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. mustard (spicy works best)
1/8 tsp. salt
Paprika (for garnish)

Preparation:

Boil eggs and halve them lengthwise (both halves should be symmetrical).

Remove yolks and set aside whites on a platter with the yolk holes face up.

Mash yolks with a fork and mix in mayo, salt, vinegar, and mustard.

Put filling in a pastry bag or sandwich bag with a corner cut off and stuff the empty egg whites.

Garnish with a dash of paprika and enjoy!

Apple Pie

Where do I even begin. This recipe is the most favorited among my desserts. My husband, father, in-laws and just about anyone who's had a taste of this pie has to battle over who gets some. Everyone wants the entire pie to themselves and doesn't even want to share a forkful of it. While the recipe is simple, it's very time consuming and will give you a workout.

Crust Recipe (Make 2)

Step 1: Mix ingredients in lg. bowl

2 cups flour

¼ cup sugar

½ tsp. salt

Step 2: Add in shortening mix to dry ingredients (Mixture should be evenly mixed and look like small crumbs)

4 tablespoon margarine

¼ cup shortening

2 oz. cream cheese

Step 3: Add 2 tablespoons of ice water and press together w/ fork

Step 4: Add another tablespoon of ice water and press w/ fork

Step 5: Place mixture on a wax paper and roll out (use palms)

Step 6: Transfer to pie pan, and with fork stab holes into bottom crust then add filling and top of pie (press edges of pie together with fork to seal and poke holes with fork in center of pie, see picture)

Step 7: Brush egg wash over top crust and bake at 425 degrees for 30 min.

Filling

Step 8: Cut up apples, remove seeds & core

Step 9: Slice into thin wedges

Step 10: Sauté in ¼ cup butter, (top with 2 tablespoons cinnamon and ¼ cup sugar)

Goes good with:
Scoop of vanilla ice cream
Whipped cream topping

Pizza & Pizza Sauce From Scratch!

This is a great recipe to make on a crappy day with friends or kids. It is a very involved but very simple recipe and it's tons of fun to make. My husband is from New York and he's extremely picky when it comes to finding good pizza but even he approved of this so the pizza must be good lol.


Pizza Recipe:
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, chilled (you can use bread flour or any other high gluten flour)
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1/4 cup olive oil
1 3/4 cups water, ice cold
Semolina flour OR cornmeal for dusting

After chilling the flour for a couple of minutes add the salt and yeast and mix well.

Add in the water and the olive oil and mix well until flour is mixed in

Cover dough and refrigerate the dough overnight


Pizza Sauce Recipe:
1 large can  plum tomatoes
1/2 can of tomato paste
1 medium can tomato sauce
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. white granulated sugar
3 sweet or spicy Italian sausages, uncooked
1 tbsp. Italian seasoning
6 fresh Basil leaves
1 cup water
1 tbsp. olive oil

Crush the plum tomatoes in your hand until they are tiny chunks.

Then in a large saucepan add all of the ingredients and simmer for 2 to 3 hours on low heat. Add salt and/or sugar as needed for a lower or higher acidic taste.



Making the pizza:

Flour countertop light and take out dough.

Knead the dough for roughly 10 minutes or until all air bubbles are gone.

You can either cut up the dough using a pizza cutter to make smaller pizzas at this time. Freeze any unused dough (stores for 3 months).

Flour your hands and gently stretch the dough out over your knuckles until you get the crust to the thickness of your liking.

Take semolina or corn meal and lightly dust the bottom of your pizza crust and place on pizza pan.

Take a ladle and pour desired amount of sauce onto crust moving in a circular motion from the inside out for an even spread.

Then take shredded cheese and sprinkle over the top of the pizza and then add any other desired toppings.

Bake pizza in the oven at 375 for roughly 10 minutes or until fully cooked through.

Stuffed Cabbage with White Sauce

Here's a well known recipe with a little twist to it. In this stuffed cabbage recipe we make a white garlic based gravy to pour over the top to really set off the dish. The white sauce recipe was passed to me from my husband who's grandfather passed it to him. This recipe yields many so be prepared for leftovers!


Ingredients:
1 head of green cabbage
1 can of tomato juice/sauce

Filling Ingredients
1lb ground beef
1 finely chopped or grated onion
3/4 cup of long grain uncooked rice
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon italian seasoning

Gravy In
1 teaspoon salt
1-2 teaspoons pepper
16 oz sour cream
12 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup buttermilk (optional)

Preparation:

Mix together in a bowl ground beef, onion, salt, pepper, italian seasoning, and rice.

In food processor add garlic. When garlic is finely chopped (almost puree) mix in the sour cream, salt, pepper, and buttermilk (optional) and blend until creamy.

Take the head of cabbage and rinse off well and place into water to boil. When the cabbage is translucent in color it is time to rip off the leaves.

Take the meat mixture and make balls of it and place into one end of cabbage leaf and roll it tightly.

Take a large shallow saucepan and layer the bottom of it with the tomato juice/sauce. Place the stuffed cabbage leave into the saucepan and pour the remaining tomato juice/sauce over it. Place on low heat to thoroughly cook without it burning.

When the meat and rice is fully cooked place it on a plate, pour some white gravy on it and enjoy!

Goes good with:
Veggies
Salad
On it's own
Mashed Potatoes

Chicken Noodle Soup

This quick and easy recipe is great for those cold days or when you are feeling under the weather.

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast
3 cups water
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
4 tbs butter
2 tbs chopped onion
1 large carrot cut into round slices
1 chopped celery stalk
Handful of pasta

Preparation:

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan and slowly bring to a boil.

Add noodles of your choice (I like flat noodles like fettuccine) and allow for them to cook

Serve

Coxinhas/Chicken Balls

Coxinhas are one of the Brazilian recipes passed down to me from my grandmother. They make great appetizers or even a whole meal. Coxinhas are made up of shredded chicken inside of a ball of dough that is breaded and fried. This is a time consuming recipe and one that will give your arms quite the workout.

INGREDIENTS:

3 boneless chicken breast
½ chopped onion
2 chopped cloves of garlic
6 tablespoon margarine
2 cubes beef or chicken bouillon
salt ground pepper
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs
Bread crumb

PREPARATION:

Combine chicken breast, chopped onion, garlic, beef bouillon, salt, ground pepper, margarine and 3 cups of water in a decent sized pot and bring to a boil until chicken is fully cooked.

Drain the broth and chicken. Finely chop or shred chicken breast to make the coxinha filling. (You can add green onions, cheese, or parsley to the filling as well.)

Bring 2 to 3 cups of the remaining broth to boil. Add the 3 cups of flour into the boiling water and stir vigorously with a wood spoon for about 1 minute until it becomes dough. Take dough out of pan. When warm, knead dough until it becomes smooth and dissolve the flour lumps (about 10 minutes).

Flatten the dough and cut out circles in the dough. Place the dough in your hand and add filling (roughly 1 tbs).

Bring up the edges of the dough and pinch them together at the top so they resemble a large teardrop. Grease hands if necessary.

Baste the filled dough with egg and roll them over breadcrumb.

Deep-fry at 350 °F for about 8 minutes or until golden brown.

Goes good with:
French Fries
Spanish Fries

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

With Thanksgiving around the corner what better recipe to share than a homemade cranberry sauce. This recipe only needs 4 ingredients and about 15 minutes to make. Impress your dinner guests with a homemade sauce rather than the canned stuff.



Ingredients:

-Water 1/4 c. and 1/2 c.
- 1 cup sugar

- 8 oz fresh cranberries
- 1 tsp lemon juice


Preparation:

Step 1: In small saucepan bring 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water to a boil for about 5 minutes without stirring.
Step 2: In a food processor blend 8 oz of cranberries, 1/4 cup of water and 1 tsp of lemon juice well.
Step 3: Mix blended cranberries into boiling sugar water for another 5 minutes and let cool

Goes good with:
Turkey
Stuffing
Turkey Burgers
Other Thanksgiving sides/foods

Oven Baked Chicken w/ Stuffing

This simple chicken recipe results in a flavorful dish that uses the most common ingredients found in the home. It's great when you don't have much to work with at home.

INGREDIENTS

1 3lb Chicken

Stuffing 

4 potatoes (optional)

2 tsp pepper

2 tsp salt

2 tbs paprika

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp Italian seasoning

1 stick of butter (melted)

1.     Rub Chicken in melted butter

2.     Mix salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning together and sprinkle over chicken and rub inside the chicken

3.      Prepare the stuffing and place inside the chicken

4.      Slice potatoes into 1/4 pieces and place potatoes around the chicken in the pan then sprinkle with the same seasoning as the chicken (skip if not using potatoes)

5.  Bake in the oven until ready

Goes good with:
Mashed potatoes
Baked Potatoes
Macaroni & Cheese
Corn
Various veggies
 

Cheddar & Broccoli Stuffed Chicken Breast

This is a favorite recipe at my house. It's quick and easy to make. This specific recipe uses broccoli and cheddar but you can use just about anything as the filling.


INGREDIENTS:
-1 fresh crown of broccoli
-3 boneless chicken breasts
-3 slices of cheddar cheese
-1 egg
-bread crumbs
-several toothpicks

Step 1:
Chop up the broccoli into small pieces. Then take out the chicken breasts and pound them flat with a rolling pin or a meat tenderizer (if you don't have thinly sliced breasts).

Step 2:
Place a slice of cheddar cheese on one side of the chicken and then place broccoli. Tightly roll the chicken up and place a toothpick in the end to keep it closed.

Step 3:
Crack the egg into a bowl and coat the chicken with the egg and then bread crumbs.

Step 4:
Fry on low/medium heat until chicken is cooked. You can also bake the chicken at 400* for a half hour instead.

Goes good with:
Veggies 
Rice
Salad

Pumpkin Bread

This is a very simple baking recipe that is a huge hit around the fall and winter with my friends and family. One might expect pumpkin bread to be a bland tasting, well...bread but it is the complete opposite. This pumpkin bread is very moist and cake-like with the perfect amount of sweetness much like carrot cake in a sense.


Mix together in bowl:
1 cup Canned Pumpkin (not the pie filling, just pure pumpkin)
1/2 cup oil
1/3 cup water 
2 eggs

Mix together in separate bowl:
1 1/2 cup + 3 Tablespoon Flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp all spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda  

Combine both bowls

Bake for 1 hour in lightly greased bread/loaf pan at 350 & Let cool for 15 min after its done baking   

Goes good with:
Tea
Coffee
Hot Cocoa
Ice Cream
Butter
Honey