hakucho's kitchen

Anyday Cinnamon Rolls

2012-01-07T11:20:00.000-05:00

I think I have found the easiest and quite possibly the healthiest cinnamon rolls that I know of. They are so easy that you could make them everyday if you wanted to. I've even made a bunch and froze them. Twenty seconds in the microwave and you have a warm cinnamon roll for breakfast. My family loves them and me for making them :) The dough is just flour, yeast, salt...that's it. No eggs, no butter or oil. Fat-free! The only fat I used was just enough melted smart-balance margarine in making up the cinnamon and sugar filling.

How is it that they are so easy? Well, I use the master bread recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day book. Here's the link to Zoe and Jeff's blog that shows you how to make the cinnamon rolls. I don't use the brioche dough and I use a simple icing of milk (skim), confectionery sugar and vanilla. I make the peasant bread version substituting 2 cups of whole wheat flour for some of the all purpose flour.You can even make them up the night before and let them rest in the fridge overnight and bake them in the morning.

I also have been making sandwich rolls using the same recipe. I have been freezing the rolls and making up sandwiches with the frozen rolls and then by lunch time it is all thawed out and you have a sandwich on a fresh roll. Delicious. Enjoy :)

Granola

2010-11-25T20:43:00.000-05:00

I recently discovered homemade granola. It's super easy to make and it's a welcomed addition to my cereal bowl or yogurt in the morning. Remembering to eat it in small quantities is sometimes hard to do when you make it the first time....it is that delicious :)

The basic recipe can be found here. Here's how I made mine:

Granola

Preheat oven 300 degrees

In a large bowl, stir together:
3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
3 tbs dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1/4 cup hulled unsalted pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup hulled unsalted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup sliced almonds

In another bowl, stir together:
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla

Dump this mixture over oat mix and mix well. Spread thin layer on cookie sheet lined with a silpat. Use center oven rack, bake 15 minutes stirring after 15 minutes until light golden brown (total time 20-30 minutes).

Cool completely, stirring every once in a while to keep it from sticking together, Add 1 cup of dried fruits. I used 1/3 cup raisins, 1/3 cup dried cranberries and 1/3 cup cut up apricots.

Store in an airtight container. Use within 2 weeks.

Jellied Cranberry Sauce

2010-11-25T20:26:00.000-05:00

A few years ago I started making my own jellied cranberry sauce. This is the recipe I used without the lemon zest.

Pretty simple Jellied Cranberry Sauce - yield 6 cups of cranberry sauce.

Cook (medium heat) 2 bags of cranberries (fresh or frozen) with 1 cup of water until the berries pop (about 10 min.) cover partly with lid to let steam escape.
When berries start to pop, check to make sure they are soft. Put through food mill. Return to stove and add sugar 2 1/4- 2 1/2 cups of sugar. Stir well to dissolve and cook anothe 1-2 minutes. Pour into dish or oiled mold.

Dee's Pumpkin Bread

2010-11-25T20:14:00.001-05:00

When I saw Dee's recipe for pumpkin bread, I knew I had to try it. I was smart this time and copied the recipe, because she is always cleaning house on her blog and deleting posts...so here it is: (I doubled the recipe and made one with raisins and walnuts and the other smaller loaf plain. Both were delicious!)

1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 t baking soda

1/4 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t fresh ground nutmeg
1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup pumpkin
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup pecans

1/4 cup raisins

Combine flour, soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir until well blended.

In another bowl, add sugars, pumpkin, eggs, oil, pecans and raisins. Mix very well.

Make well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in wet ingredients and stir gently with a spatula until not dry portions remain. Do not overmix.

Pour into a well-greased 9 1/2x 5 1/4x 2 3/4 pan.

Bake at 350°F for 50-55 minutes or until tester comes out clean.

Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

2010-09-25T15:06:00.003-05:00

Delicious! Try it you'll like it :)

Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

I made my cake with ( frozen) fresh pumpkin from last year.

How to cook a pumpkin:
Cut in half and place cut side down on a grease cookie sheet (I use PAM spray). Bake 350 degrees until a fork can be inserted easily and well cooked. Let cool, scoop out the pumpkin, then puree in a blender. I use a hand held immersion blender. You can use right away or freeze for later use.

Mama's Fish Chowder

2010-09-16T12:56:00.002-05:00

I can't believe that it has been a whole year since I last posted a recipe. Believe it or not I have still been cooking for my family.

Here is a favorite recipe of mine. My mother used to make it for me. She knew how much I loved it. My family are not big fish eaters, so I don't make it very often. Pollock was on special this week...that is what prompted me to dig the recipe out and make it for myself. This recipe make about three hungry servings. You will need to double it to feed more people. The chowder will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days. In fact it will taste better the next day. Enjoy!

1/2 cup salt pork (4 slices) cut up into bits (this time I left the slices whole and discarded after rendering the fat) edited 4/18/2011: used 3 slices of bacon cut up instead of the salt pork

1 cup chopped onion (1 large)

3 cups cold water

3 large potatoes diced

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 tbs cider vinegar

1 lb white fish (pollock, shrod, haddock)chunks

1 small can evaporated milk

1 cup milk (1%)

In a heavy kettle fry out pork until crisp. Remove for later (or discard). In hot fat , fry onion slowly until soft and golden. Add 3 cups cold water, potatoes, pepper & vinegar. Boil until potatoes are half done. Add fish. Cooking gently until fish is tender. Add milk. Once hot, serve with browned pork. Serves 3 hungry people.

Töltött Káposzta or Stuffed Cabbage

2009-09-16T15:54:00.006-05:00

Töltött Káposzta is the Hungarian name for stuffed cabbage. My father, whose parents were both from Hungary, taught my mother how to make stuffed cabbage. I'm not sure how authenic the recipe is with Campbell's tomato soup as one of the ingredients, but the important thing is that these cabbage rolls are delicious. My father passed away when I was just 5 months old, so when I make his recipe I feel like it is a tribute to the father I never really got to know!

Ingredients:
1 extra large head of cabbage

2 pounds very lean ground beef
3 large cloves of garlic chopped fine
1 large onion chopped
1/2 cup water
rounded 1/2 cup of uncooked rice
salt(optional)

1 package of sauerfraut ( I like the kind packaged in a plastic bag)
1 can of Campbell's Tomato soup

Boil water in a large stainless steel (non reactive) kettle or pot half full. Once the water is boiling add the whole head of cabbage, which has had the core cut out. As the leaves soften remove leaves one at a time and put aside. You may have to return the cabbage to the boiling water repeatedly.

Prepare the stuffing by mixing together the rest of the ingredients except for the sauerkraut and tomato soup.

To stuff a leaf remove the rib on the back side of the leaf and then spoon some of the stuffing on top. The amount of stuffing depends on the size of the leaf. Roll leaf tucking in the sides to make a nice package. Push in on the sides of the roll to secure.

Place rolls inside the same large pot you boiled the cabbage in, with a thin layer of sauerkraut and tomato soup. Layer and repeat leaving the last layer as sauerkraut and tomato soup.

Cook about 1/2 hour until very hot, then simmer 2 -3 hours. Refrigerate once cool. These taste even better the older they are.
Enjoy :)

Plum Kuchen/Apple Kuchen

2009-09-04T14:50:00.003-05:00

It seems like forever since I made a recipe post. Despite that fact, I have been cooking. I've just been lazy in the blogging department :)

Ever since I was a little girl plum and apple kuchen have been high on my list of all time favorites. What can be better than a sweet yeasty dough topped with apples or plums in season? The small Italian plums that are in the grocery stores right now made me make these kuchen for my family.

I make the dough in my bread machine and I used 2- 7"x11" pans. I have enough dough in my refrigerator to make 2 more pans. The dough keeps about 3 days. You can use round cake pans or a larger high sided cookie sheet but it will only be enough dough for 2 in that case.

Here's the recipe for the dough in the bread machine:

1 cup milk (warm -microwave 1 min)
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
2 tsp. or 1 pkg. yeast

When the dough is ready, divide in to 4 pieces. Use what you want and store the rest in an oiled bowl tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Roll out dough to fill pan. This is a very sticky dough. You might have to let it rest a bit in order to get it to fit the pan.

Melt about 2 tbs. (1 tablespoon butter for each pan). Brush top of dough with butter. For the plum kuchen wash and pit, but do not peel about 12 or more small Italian plums. Place on dough cut side up. Mix about a 1/4 of a cup of sugar with a teaspoon of cinnamon(double the amount for two pans). Sprinkle generously and drizzle the remaining melted butter on top. For the apple kuchen peel and cut up about 3 apples, quarter and the cut each quarter in half. Arrange on top of the buttered dough then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture and the remaining melted butter. Optional add a few raisins. Cover with waxed paper and a towel and let rise in a warm place for 30-45 min until doubled. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 25 min. Cool and enjoy :)

Peanut Butter Cowboy Cookies

2009-02-07T16:31:00.001-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I tried a new cookie recipe for Peanut Butter Cowboy Cookies which was a big hit.
Next time I make them I'll double them. I substituted canola oil for the butter and they were fabulous :) Whenever I can I have been substituting canola oil for butter and shortening just because I think it's much more healthy. Cakes, cookies and breads do fine with the substitution. The only recipes that don't work out is pie crusts. Today I used my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe with oil and they taste a little different, but they turned out fine.

Kiwifruit Muffins

2008-07-30T14:14:00.004-05:00

Kiwifruit Muffins Recipe from allrecipes.com

Tried out this recipe for Kiwifruit muffins the other day and they were a big hit. Very tasty muffins that are light and fluffy with a tart green apple taste. Yum :) I doubled the recipe to make 20 nice sized muffins.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
2 dashes salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted (I used Canola oil)
4 kiwifruit, peeled and chopped
1 cup raisins
In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In another bowl, beat the egg, milk and butter. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in kiwi and raisins. Fill paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 425 degrees F for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

Artisan Bread, the easy way!

2008-04-25T14:51:00.001-05:00

I just had to share with you my latest bread making experience. The recipe for this delicious, wonderful, hard, crispy, crunchy, crusted artisan bread is from the book: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking.
This book contains the basics for making the bread plus a large quantity of additional recipes.

This is an incredibly easy method of baking bread with four basic ingredients: flour, water, salt and yeast. You do need a large mixing/storage container, a pizza peel and a baking stone. Although all of these things are not 100% necessary it does ensure a hard artisan crust. This bread is much better than the other No-Knead method I had tried and liked before I knew about this method. Much better...hands down! My first loaf was going well until I heard a big bang from the oven. My approximately 20 year old baking stone cracked into 4 pieces! Have no idea why that happened except for the fact the stone was so old. We ate the bread even though I had to finish baking it on the broken stone. Did this discourage me from wanting to try again?...NO....the bread was incredible!! The loaf was a little small for us, but I knew I would be baking more of this bread so I went right out and bought a replacement stone from our Williams and Sonoma outlet store for eight dollars and some change. Baking on the new stone yielded a wonderful loaf and no breakage this time. I did make a larger loaf though (hard to tell from the picture). If you want to see a video of the book's authors demonstrating the technique click here. Here's the link to their website. Here's a link for you to try the basic recipe before buying the book. I think if you try it you will be impressed. I can't wait to try more of the recipes. Yesterday I baked a loaf in a bread pan for sandwiches. Sorry no photos. My only problem now is slicing the bread. I sure wish I could afford a bakery type bread slicer like this one or even this one. I am terrible at slicing even slices. Does anyone know the secret for slicing perfect slices of homemade bread? Do you think this Rival Folding Food Slicer would do the trick? I would be so happy if I could find something that would make slicing bread easy and affordable :)

Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

2008-04-12T17:16:00.002-05:00

This is not really a "recipe"...but it is the way my mother always made her scalloped potatoes with or without ham. The picture is what's left after we enjoyed it...it was delicious!

Preheat oven 350 degrees
About 4 large potatoes peeled and sliced very thin
1 large onion peeled and sliced very thin in rings
sliced ham (optional)
flour
butter or margarine
salt (I leave this out when I use ham)
pepper
1 12oz can of evaporated milk
lowfat milk

First butter or spray with PAM a casserole dish. Layer first some sliced potatoes, then onions, sprinkle with flour, add salt and pepper, and dab with small pieces of butter. Add a layer of ham.
Repeat until all the potatoes, onions and ham are gone. End with onions, flour and butter. Pour on top the whole can of evaporated milk and add more low fat milk until it just about reaches the level of the potatoes. Put into a preheated 350 degree oven for about 2 hours. Check after about the first 30 minutes and make sure all the potatoes, flour and onions are submerged with the milk. You know it's done when a fork is inserted easily and the potatoes are done. Yes, it takes a long time to bake!
Enjoy! Now this is what I call comfort food :)

Blueberry Muffins

2008-02-16T10:54:00.005-05:00

Here's a recipe for blueberry muffins which I found her e:

I made 6 jumbo muffins instead of the 12 regular sized ones. I also substituted canola oil for the melted butter and I used frozen blueberries. I often do this with recipes for health reasons with no ill effects. We enjoyed them very much. Next time I think I'll sprinkle a little sugar on top.

Enjoy :)

Barbara's Cranberry Bread

2008-01-21T18:47:00.000-05:00

I love this recipe! It make two big loaves....so easy and so good!

4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 pinches of salt
juice of two oranges
4 tbsp. oil
2 eggs well beaten
2 cups of cranberries cut in half

Sift together dry ingredients. Combine juice and oil to make 1 1/2 cup (juice from the carton is ok). Stir in beaten eggs. Pour this mixture into dry ingredients, mixing only to dampen. Fold in cranberries. Bake in 2 greased loaf pans at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Sprinles top with sugar before baking.

Enjoy :)

French Doughnut Muffins

2008-01-12T16:07:00.000-05:00

My boys love doughnuts, so here a muffin recipe (that I've modified) that's is a whole lot healthier than eating a doughnut. The original recipe says to dip the baked muffin in butter, then roll in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. I omit this step and just sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar on top of the muffin before baking. We like them just as well and it cuts out some of the fat.

3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup milk
2 large eggs beaten
2/3 cup canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla

topping:
1 tsp cinnamon
~1/4 cup sugar

Sift flour with sugar, baking powder, salt & nutmeg. Combine eggs and oil & vanilla.
Add liquid ingredients to flour mixture, stirring only until all ingredients are moistened. Fill greased muffin pan half full, top with cinnamon and sugar mixture. Bake at 400 degrees approximately 20 minutes. Make 12 large or 24 small muffins.

Christmas Eve Shortcut Buns

2007-12-25T18:16:00.003-05:00

Christmas Eve Shortcut Buns

I thought I would try this recipe this year. Who wants regular breakfast food for Christmas morning? The night before you prepare the recipe and let it rise overnight. Then when the presents are being opened you bake the rolls. The aroma was incredible! Just a little warning...it is so tempting to put more rolls in the bundt pan than what the recipe calls for...don't. It really looks sparse, but by morning the pan is filled to the brim with the risen dough.More rolls would have made it over flow and you can imagine the mess. This is definitely a keeper and new tradition in my home :)

Edited 1/21/08 Due to bad links, therefore I'll post the recipe here:

Christmas Eve Shortcut Buns
by Leanne Ely

20 unbaked frozen dinner rolls (Rhodes or Bridgeport are brands I have used)
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup instant vanilla pudding mix
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, melted

Lightly grease a 10-inch bundt cake pan. Place frozen rolls into the pan and sprinkle with brown sugar, the pudding mix and cinnamon. Pour melted butter over the top. If you don't have a bundt pan, you can use a muffin tin, but they turn out better in a bundt pan.

Cover with a clean, damp cloth and leave overnight at room temperature to rise.

In the morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake rolls for 25 minutes, until golden brown. Turn rolls out onto a serving plate and dig in!

Aunt Louise's Butterscotch Cookies

2007-12-20T16:19:00.000-05:00

This is an old family recipe. The recipe came from my father's Aunt Louise. Sliced very thin, they are so addictive...like potato chips...you can't have just one!

Here my recipe:
2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 pound butter (2 sticks)
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3 tsp. baking powder
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups finely chopped walnuts

Mix all ingredients thoroughly and portion into 4 logs, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate over night. Next day slice with a sharp knife very thin. Bake 350 degrees, 7 min on a greased cookie sheet. Remove from pans quickly and move to rack to cool.

Enjoy :)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2007-12-20T16:16:00.002-05:00

All time favorite. Recipe found here.

Gingerbread Cookies

2007-12-20T16:06:00.001-05:00

Another family favorite, done my short cut way of not rolling, but pressing out the cookies with a plastic cup (tupperware) with a bulls eye on the bottom.

Here's my recipe:
1 cup oil
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup molasses
2 eggs
6 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
4 tsp.ground cinnamon
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground allspice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease baking sheets. In a large bowl, beat together oil, brown sugar,molasses, and eggs until fluffy. Add flour, baking soda,spices. beating until blended. Portion into two and wrap well in plastic wrap. Refrigerate to be used next day. Roll into 1 " balls and flatted with a cup dipped into sugar. Decorate with nonpareils or colored sugar. Bake 8 -12 minutes, until firm but not dark. Cool on racks.

Enjoy :)

Springerle Cookies

2007-12-20T15:42:00.000-05:00

Springerle is my favorite of all the Christmas cookie I make. Springerle is a German anise flavored cookie. They should be chewy on the inside. With age they do get hard, but I still love them with a cup of tea. I don't do them the traditional way of rolling them out and using the special carved rolling pin. I know it's a poor excuse that I'm so lazy. I do have the special rolling pin that belonged to my great-grandmother. She immigrated here from Germany.
This is what the cookie should look like:
I use a cookie press with a duck impression on it instead of rolling out the dough. I portion the dough into 1 " balls and then use the cookie press to flatten them out.

Here's my recipe:
4 large eggs
1 lb. powdered sugar (confectioner's)
1 1/2 tbsp. milk
2 tbsp. butter softened
1 1/2 tbsp. anise extract
pinch salt
1 tsp. baking powder
flour to make a stiff dough, about 4- 4 1/2 cups

Mix all ingredients together. Roll out on a floured surface. Use an equal amount of flour and confectioner's sugar to keep the dough from sticking. Use molded rolling pin and cut into squares or roll into balls and flatten with a cup or cookie press dipped into the flour/confectioner's sugar mixture. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Allow to dry overnight covered with towel. Bake next day in a 350 degree oven for 8 minutes.

Enjoy!

Ginger Snaps

2007-12-20T15:29:00.001-05:00

This is one of my family's favorite cookies. It's similar to the spiced up ginger cookies I have made before.

Here's my recipe:
1 1/3 cups canola oil
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup molasses
4 1/2 cups flour
4 tsp. baking soda
6 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. ground ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine oil and sugar. Add eggs, beating well. Stir in molasses, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and ginger. Shape into 1" ball. I use a small cookie (ice cream scoop about 1" in diameter) scoop and place on a ungreased cookie sheet. Do not flatten, they will flatten aft they cool. Bake 10 minutes. They will start to crack, but are puffed up. Remove from cookie sheets and cool on a rack.

To make these cookies special for Christmas I usually roll them in sugar before baking.

Enjoy :)

Sugar Cookies

2007-12-20T15:05:00.001-05:00

This recipe is for cookie-cutter sugar cookies. I'm lazy and instead of rolling out the dough and using my cookie cutters, I developed an easy way to make them. I use one of those small (about an inch in diameter) ice cream scoops to portion out the dough and then I use a small plastic (tupperware) cup that has the bulls eye on the bottom to flatten out the cookies. No rolling necessary.

Here's my recipe:

1 cup butter (2 sticks)
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
5 1/2 cups flour
5 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Cream together the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Combine both mixtures and stir thoroughly. Divide into two portions, wrap well with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night. Roll out on floured board. (I used the cookie scoop, tumbler dipped in sugar to flatten...no extra flour) . I decorate the cookies with colored sugar and m&m's before baking. (If desired you can frost the cookies after baking.) Bake on a lightly grease cookie sheet at 350 degrees until slightly golden about 10 minutes.

Enjoy :)

Pizzelles

2007-12-17T17:43:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I made the first of many different types of Christmas cookies for our family's Christmas...a double batch of pizzelles. A little package of pizelles makes wonderful gift. My recipe comes from my Villaware Pizzelle iron instruction book, but I found a website that has the same recipe. The only thing I do differently is that I use 2 tsp. of anise extract. If you don't like anise, you can just use vanilla. We love the anise flavored cookies and I must say it certainly makes my house smell good. Next on the docket is chocolate chip cookies and gingersnaps, which I have written about previously on my blog.

Lasagna Soup

2007-12-16T08:51:00.000-05:00

Last night I tried the Lasagna Soup recipe from Janice's blog. It's definitely a keeper in my house! Everyone enjoyed it and I know I'll be making it again and again. I altered the recipe a tad. In the store I couldn't find the mafalda pasta. I used Pastene's mafaldine 5 instead. I also couldn't find a 10 3/4 can of tomato sauce so I used the same sized can as the stewed tomatoes. Then we used shredded mozzarella. I also added about a can's worth of extra water. The soup is really delicious! This is definitely a soup you can serve to company. Enjoy :)

P.S. Janice always has great recipes on her blog. She also has a blog dedicated to her recipes. Her chicken and gravy recipe has become a staple in my house. We have had it with or without green beans. We like it best served over rice. I have made it so many times now that I can't even tell you. It's great with leftover cooked chicken or even turkey. I make it with leftover store-bought rotisserie chicken, as well as chicken cooked in my crockpot. When I use the crockpot chicken I use the broth that forms in the cooking process. How do I cook my chicken in the crockpot you ask? Well I buy a big roasting chicken (I have a large crockpot). Wash and dry the chicken well and put into a dry crockpot. I season the chicken with salt (Kosher), garlic powder, and onion powder and some butter or margarine. Cook on high for 1 hour then turn to low and cook all day until the chicken falls apart. Refrigerate the broth that forms and remove the fat after it gels. This is the best chicken to use in recipes calling for cooked chicken like chicken pie, chicken in gravy, chicken enchiladas, chicken salad, chicken soup etc.

Grilled Pizza

2007-06-30T12:54:00.000-05:00

Summer time is the best time to make homemade pizza. At least it is in my house when we make grilled pizza. Now mind you these are not the prettiest pizzas you will ever see, but they sure taste good. Nice and crispy!!!

I make pizza dough in my bread machine. The recipe is the one that came with the machine. The only thing I do differently is that I use half all-purpose flour and half white whole wheat flour.

Then for the sauce I use a can of crushed tomatoes, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of oregano and 1 clove of garlic crushed.

For the cheese you can use mozzarella, provolone, cheddar or any other cheese you enjoy. As far as I'm concerned the sky's the limit! Top with your favorite toppings.

This website has the best tutorial for the ins and outs of how to actually go about grilling the pizzas.

Try it, it's easy and delicious :)

Ginger Scones

2007-05-01T15:19:00.000-05:00

A few days ago I tried another one of the recipes from the Martha Show. Ginger Scones with cardamom. Click here for the recipe. They turned out great.
I made them without the aid of a food processor and they came out just fine. I didn't use the parchment paper as was suggested and it was quite difficult scubbing my cookie sheet. The egg wash really cooks on the pan and it is a bear to remove. I used ground cardamom and not the pods. Next time I probably would increase the cardamom to 1 teaspoon since I did not use the pods. I love cardamom. Another thing I would like to try is adding raisins instead of the ginger for something different!

Enjoy :)

Edited 12/17/07 Since the link to the Martha Stewart website is a dead link a new search for the recipe was fruitless I am posting the recipe that was originally published on Martha's website date unknown.

Small World Coffee's Ginger Scones with Cardamom

Ingredients

Serving: Makes 12 scones

3 Cups all-purpose flour
2 Teaspoons baking powder
1/2 Teaspoon baking soda
1/2 Teaspoon salt
3/4 Teaspoon cardamom pods, crushed and inner seeds ground
1/2 Cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 Cup crystallized ginger, chopped in 1/4-inch pieces
3/4 Cup sour cream
1/2 Cup sugar
4 teaspoons sugar
2 large eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Place the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, the bowl of a food processor, or in a large bowl, and mix by hand. Sift ground cardamom seeds into mixture; stir to combine. Add butter and mix until crumbly.
Add ginger, sour cream, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 egg. Mix, blend, or pulse, just until combined; do not overmix.
Form 1/3 cup dough into a ball or use a large ice cream scoop, and place dough on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing scones about 2 inches apart.
In a small bowl, mix together remaining egg with a dash of water. Brush scones with egg mixture and sprinkle evenly with remaining 4 teaspoons sugar. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

1-2-3-4 Cupcakes

2007-04-06T14:19:00.000-05:00

Here are the cupcakes I made for my boys for Easter! I used my mother's recipe for "1-2-3-4 Cake". My boys will always have very fond memories of the cakes my mother would bring them. She was an expert at making this delicious cake with a fudge frosting. She perfected the frosting and it was just fabulous. I have yet to be successful with the fudge frosting. It always sets too fast for me and it becomes one large un-spreadable mess. I really wish I knew her secret.

For today's cupcakes I just used Wilton's buttercream frosting and sprinkled them with rainbow jimmies or sprinkles.

1-2-3-4 Cake

1 cup shortening or butter, margarine (I use canola oil)
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Cream shortening, sugar, add eggs, beat well. Add flour and baking powder mixed well alternately with milk. Add vanilla.

Bake in a 9 x 11" pan 350° for 30 minutes.
Cupcakes: 18-19 large cupcakes 350° for 25 minutes.

Enjoy :)

SWEET CHILI-GLAZED CHICKEN WINGS

2007-03-17T17:46:00.000-05:00

Here's a fabulous recipe for "SWEET CHILI-GLAZED CHICKEN WINGS" . Just made this for dinner today and I highly recommend it.
g-girl posted a link to this recipe recently and it sounded so good I had to try it. I'm not a big chicken wing person, but thought I would try this one as I'm always looking for something new. The recipe can be found here.

I incorporated a few modifications - I didn't use the cilantro, but substituted chopped green onions. Although the recipe called for 2 pounds of chicken wings, I used 3 1/2 pounds instead, adjusting the ingredients more or less to the increase in wings, but I didn't increase the amount of glaze and there was more than enough for the dish. We finished every last wing...they were incredibly delicious. It was noted in the comments in the recipe link that these were restaurant quality wings and I have to agree...finger licking good as they are messy to eat, but boy are they good!! I also want to note that it does take more like an hour to thicken the glaze instead of the 20 minutes, so judge accordingly and allow time for that.This recipe is definitely a keeper in my house!

Enjoy :)

Chocolate Tea Bread

2007-03-16T16:01:00.000-05:00

Chocolate Tea Bread is one of my families favorite snacks. You can enjoy this bread as is, drizzle with glaze or sprinkle with powdered sugar. This easy recipe makes 2 breads.

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

2/3 cup canola oil
4 large eggs
2/3 cup water
2 1/2 cups sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour (or 2 cups all-purpose + 1 cup whole wheat white)
2/3 cup cocoa
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (12 oz. = 1 package)
2/3 cup chopped walnuts ( optional)

Glaze (optional)
1/2 cup confectioner's (powdered) suar
1 - 2 tbsp. milk
1/4 tsp. vanilla
pinch salt

Preheat oven 350°. In a large mixing bowl combine applesauce, oil, eggs water, and sugar. Beat well. Combine dry ingredients and add to applesauce mixture. Beat well. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Pour into 2 greased 9X5X3" loaf pans. Bake 350° for 60-70 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing and then finish cooling on a wire rack. Leave as is or drizzle with glaze or just sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Enjoy :)

Banana Nut Cake

2007-03-14T11:21:00.000-05:00

Do you have ripe bananas that no one wants to eat? Here's a way to use them up and not waste them (bananas can be frozen) The following is a yummy and easy recipe for a delicious banana cake.

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour*
(*or 1 1/2 cup all purpose + 1 cup whole wheat white)
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup canola oil
1 2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
3 large ripe bananas - mashed
2/3 cup of buttermilk*
(*or 2/3 cup milk + 1 tbsp vinegar = instead of buttermilk)
2/3 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°. Sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda and set aside. Cream together the oil, sugar and eggs. Add bananas. Then add flour mixture + buttermilk alternating them, starting with flour mixture, then the buttermilk and finally end with flour. Mix thoroughly. Fold in 2/3 cup chopped walnuts. Pour batter into greased 13 x9 x 2" pan. Bake 350° for 35 minutes. Cool.

Frost with your favorite white frosting. I used Wilton's Buttercream. I used about 1/2 the recipe.

Enjoy :)

Earthquake Cake (from Elaine's kitchen to yours)

2007-02-27T15:52:00.000-05:00

My blogging friend Missy (missysknittingmess.blogspot.com) sent me her friend Elaine's recipe for Earthquake Cake.

I have not tried it yet, but it is on my to-do-list!

This cake recipe sounds like it would make a really delicious cake, but not diet food! According to the recipe" it looks more like a volcano while it's baking then an earthquake after it's done baking." Very cool!

Enjoy :)

Self Frosting Cupcakes

2007-02-14T15:50:00.000-05:00

Today I made these Self Fosting Cupcakes for my boys as a Valentine's Day treat. I have been wanting to try these for a long time now. The recipe is very easy and you use Nutella as the self frosting part. Delicious! Very tasty :)
Click here for the recipe.
Enjoy :)

Nanie's Apple Bread

2007-02-04T18:43:00.001-05:00

This is my mother-in-law's recipe for Apple Bread. I have tried many apple bread recipes in the past but none compare to Nanie's. This easy recipe makes two loaves. The resulting bread is moist, sweet and the crust on the first day is a cross between crunchy and chewy.

3 cups all-purpose flour*
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 cups sugar
2 cups shredded peeled apple (2 large)
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350º. Grease two, 8x4x2 inch loaf pans ( I line mine with wax paper and grease again). In a large bowl combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda and powder, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.

In another mixing bowl combine sugar, apples, oil, and egg. Mix well. Add apple mixture to dry ingredients. Stir just until moistened. Batter should be lumpy. Fold in nuts.

Spoon batter into the two prepared pans. Bake in a 350º oven 55 - 60 minutes until a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan (and remove wax paper). Continue to cool on wire rack. Wrap and store overnight.

* ( I use 1 1/2 c of all purpose + 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat white)

Enjoy :)

No Knead Bread

2007-02-02T15:10:00.000-05:00

I love watching the Martha Stewart Show, but don't get to view it during the day. I tape the show and watch it while I knit at night. Last week I saw this bread being made and I was intrigued and yesterday I decide to give it a try. I had to plan ahead though and mixed up the dough at 7 pm the night before. The picture on the left is what I ended up with. I used corn meal on the outside of the loaf. This is a extremely easy recipe from the Sullivan Street Bakery in NYC. ...not for spontaneous baking though because you need 12 - 18 hours to rise. Once the dough( gets bubbly) is ready you bake it in a dutch oven preheated to 500º, uncovering the last 15 minutes. You can find the recipe for this No Knead Bread on the New York Times website. If you like artisan type bread with hard chewy crust you'll love this one. My family loved it. I hid away a couple of slices for me to toast for my lunch today and it was absolutely wonderful. Reminds me in a way of Thomas's English muffins...only crunchier. Give it a try...I think you'll like it :) and I'll be making more in the future. I wonder how it would come out using whole wheat flour?...I see another experiment in my future!

4/12/07 I had to edit this post because it was brought to my attention that the Martha Stewart Website recipe link no longer worked! I searched the new site but could no longer find the recipe. (Funny, I was able to do a search and I could easily find Courtney's hummus recipe!)A subsequent search on google led me to this New York Times recipe which is the same as the original published on Martha. Thanks Frances for letting me know about this problem. I really appreciate the info, because bad or broken links are one of my pet peeves!

Chicken Pot Pie

2007-01-27T16:53:00.000-05:00

This is a wonderful recipe to use left over chicken meat. I frequently cook a large chicken in my crock pot and then use the left over chicken for a pie. My family loves this recipe!

2 cups cooked chicken
1 package Knorr Leek Soup mix
1 1/2 tbs flour
3 cups water
6 small (or 3 large) new potatoes cut in cubes
2 large carrots sliced
1 cup frozen peas or green beans
1/2 recipe pie crust (I save and freeze scraps leftover from pies previously baked)

In a 5 quart dutch oven add soup mix and flour to 3 cups cold water . Mix well using a whisk. Bring to a boil stirring frequently over medium high heat. Add potatoes, carrots and frozen peas or beans. Reduce heat to low, stirring occasionally. Cook 15 minutes until mixture is thick and vegetables are tender. Remove from heat, add cooked chicken. Pour mixture in a casserole dish and top with pie crust. Bake in a 350º oven for 1 hour or until pie crust is browned.

Enjoy :)

Weathertop Farm's Chewy Almond-Cherry Bar's

2007-01-19T16:04:00.000-05:00

I found this recipe for Chewy Almond-Cherry Bars on Rohanknitter's blog Weathertop Farm. These bars are delicious! If you like almond macaroons...you'll like these even better! Thanks, Rohanknitter, for postng the recipe!

Courtney's Hummus

2007-01-19T16:03:00.001-05:00

This is Courtney Thorne-Smith's recipe for hummus that I saw last year on the Martha Show. Ever since I found the recipe I keep making it. I love it. Very easy to make...you do need a food processor and it tastes so good on toasted syrian or pita bread. This would also make a good dip and it's heathy...a good source of protein! The recipe can be found on the Martha Stewart website. Enjoy :)

(edited 3/30/08 Martha Stewart website keeps moving their pages around causing bad links...therefore I have copied the recipe here for future reference)

Makes about 2 cups

2 cans (15-ounce) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons tahini
2 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, and salt; pulse to combine. With processor running, drizzle in oil until desired consistency.

First published: July 2006

Ang's "Brunswick Stew"

2007-01-17T07:46:00.000-05:00

My knitting blog friend, Ang, ( angelaraeknits) sent me this recipe for her family's recipe for "Brunswick Stew". I have not tried the recipe, but it most certainly is on my to-do-list. Looks yummy and great for a cold winter's night, even though it's a southern recipe! I love soups/stews :) There are certainly lots of fabulous cooks in the south and I feel honored to have Ang share her recipe with me/us. Thanks, Ang!

Delicious Shiny Brownies

2007-01-12T16:22:00.000-05:00

This is a very easy one bowl brownie recipe...no electric mixer needed. Before I could take a picture two brownies disappeared! They really are very good :)

4 squares of unsweetened chocolate

1/2 cup oil
1 lb box ( 4 1/2 cups) confectioner's sugar
4 eggs
1 3/4 cups flour (I used 1 cup all purpose + 3/4 cup white whole wheat)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

In a large bowl melt chocolate in microwave on high 2 1/2 minutes. Add oil and eggs beat well. Add confectioner's sugar mixing well. Add all remaining ingredients, adding nuts lastly. Bake in a greased (Pam) 13 X 9 pan, 350º for 25 - 30 minutes. Cool and cut into squares.

Enjoy :)

Hakucho's Vegetable Beef Soup

2007-01-10T18:22:00.000-05:00

This is my all time my favorite comfort food. Great for a cold winter's night served with homemade rolls :)

1 1/2 pounds beef chuck shoulder steak (Londonbroil) cut up in small pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 chopped onions
1 can crushed tomatoes (Tuttorosso with basil)
1 packet Lipton onion soup mix
5 cups of boiling water
1 can corn including juice
1 bag frozen green beans
4 carrots sliced
5 potatoes cut up
1/2 box elbow macaroni - cooked separately

Brown beef pieces in large soup pot in olive oil over medium heat. Add onions. Cook a few more minutes, then add crushed tomatoes. Add soup mix and boiling water. Add corn, carrots, then green beans. Last add potatoes and simmer until vegetables are tender. Just before serving add the cooked macaroni.

Enjoy :)

Julie's Banana Bread

2007-01-06T15:56:00.000-05:00

This is my favorite recipe for banana bread. A friend gave me this recipe many many years ago. Extremely easy to make...just throw all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. No electric mixer needed. It freezes well, too.

1/2 cup oil
2 eggs beaten
2 cups flour ( I use 1 cup all-purpose and 1 cup whole wheat white)
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 cup sugar
3 ripe bananas mashed
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In one bowl combine all ingredients. Bake in a greased ( I line the greased (PAM) pan with waxpaper and grease again) loaf pan at 350° for 50 - 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cool.

Enjoy :)

Welcome

2007-01-06T15:51:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my kitchen. I love to cook and bake. This is the place I've created to share my favorite recipes and experiments with the new ones I find.

Enjoy!