Homemade Soft Pretzels

                        Homemade Soft Pretzels

Yield: 8 soft pretzels

Ingredients:

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 standard packet)

1 cup warm water

1 tbs unsalted butter, melted

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

3 cups all-purpose flour + up to 3/4 cup more if needed

2 cups water

6 tbs baking soda

1 tbs coarse salt, for sprinkling on top

6 tbs salted butter, melted

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 475 degrees and line a large baking sheet or two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine yeast with warm water and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with hook attachment. Once mixture becomes "frothy" your yeast is ready. Stir in salt and melted butter. Add flour 1 cup at a time until a dough forms and is no longer sticky. You may need more or less depending on temperature differences. If you press your finger into the dough and it bounces back, it's ready to knead. Knead dough for 5 more minutes until smooth and pliable. Form dough into a ball and place it back into the bowl to rest for 15 minutes. During this time, prepare baking soda bath.

In a medium sized pot, boil 2 cups of water with 6 tbs of baking soda. Once the baking soda is mostly dissolved, take mixture off heat and allow it to come down to a lukewarm temperature. Pour into a 9x9 baking dish once cooled down.

At this time, 15 minutes of dough resting time should be up. Take dough out of the bowl and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand. Cut dough into 8 sections (like a pizza). Roll each triangle into a long rope, about 19-20 inches long. Shape dough into pretzel shape and place in baking soda bath for 2 minutes. If the whole pretzel isn't covered by the water, spoon it on top of the areas is doesn't reach. Once the 2 minutes is up, carefully pick pretzel up either by your hand or with the help of a fork and place on prepared baking sheet. You may have to re-shape slightly. Sprinkle the pretzel with coarse salt while still wet (optional). Repeat these steps until all 8 pretzels are prepared and on the baking sheet(s).

Bake pretzels for 8-9 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately from the oven, brush (heavily) with melted butter.

These homemade soft pretzels are best served hot and fresh out of the oven but will keep for about 2 days stored at room temperature in an airtight container. Pop them in the microwave and they're good as new! 

Recipe from www.sprinklesomesugar.com

Zupa De Tuscana Soup

Zupa De Tuscana Soup
Ingredients:
2 lbs jimmy dean all natural sausage

8 Cups water water

32 oz chicken broth

4 Chicken bullion

2t garlic (minced)

1 med onion (chopped)

8 red potatos(cubed)

2 Cups spinach (or 6-9 oz bag spinach)

1 Cup heavy whipping cream

salt & pepper taste

Italian seasoning to taste

Directions:

brown sausage, drain set aside

In large pot, boil water & broth, add potatoes, garlic, onion, simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender

Add sausage & simmer 10 min

Add spinach & heavy whipping cream, season w/salt & pepper and heat thru.

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1/2 cup frozen green peas
• 1/2 cup grean beans
• 1/2 cup sliced celery
• 1 can diced potatoes
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
• 32 oz. carton chicken stock or broth for boiling(reserve 1 3/4 cups chicken broth)
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 (9 inch) unbaked Pillsbury pie crusts...or if you're really feeling domestic go here and find the perfect pie crust!! I wasn't feeling that domestic last night so I used Mr. Dough Boys, and it was still yummy!

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
2. In a pot, combine chicken, carrots, peas, potatoes and celery. Add the chicken broth and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain (reserving 1 and 3/4 cup chicken broth for filling) and set aside.
3. Place the bottom crust on the pie pan and dab with a fork a few times. Place in over and cook for 5-7 minutes.
4. In a large sauce pan cook onions in butter (over medium heat) until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Next, slowly stir in chicken broth remains and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and combine with the chicken, carrots, peas, and celery mixture.
5. Remove pie crust from oven and bump oven down to 375. Place the chicken filling in bottom crust. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
6. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3.4 oz. package vanilla instant pudding mix
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat and set aside.
2. Using a mixer, beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Add in pudding mix, eggs, and vanilla extract. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
3. Drop cookie dough by rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until slight golden and set. Remove cookies from oven and let cool on baking sheet for two minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Lemon Curd Mousse

2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
Zest and juice of 2 lemons
8 ounces Cream Cheese Softened
2 tsp Vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
2 big spoonfuls of lemon curd

Directions:
Mix cream cheese, vanilla, lemon, sugar, and lemon curd until smooth. Whip up the heavy cream and fold into the lemon mix. Store in an air tight container in the fridge

Schmutz’s Chili

Schmutz’s Chili

3 C pinto beans washed

1 lb ground beef browned

3/4 lb bacon cut up and browned

1 C chopped onion

1 C katchup

1/4 C brown sugar

1 T liquid smoke

3 T white vinegar

1 tsp salt

dash pepper

Cook for 3 hrs in crock pot. Add enough water to cook it all.

I rinse and soak my beans over night. The cook time will depend on how fresh the beans are. I would start them in the morning. Cook them on high and just keep checking them until they are soft.

German Pancakes

German pancakes

6 eggs
3 tbsp butter
1 c flour
1 c milk
1/2 tsp salt
Mix ingredients in blender
Bake in greased casserole dish at 450° for 15-20 minutes