Orange Knots

Can you tell I have been cooking breads and rolls a lot lately??  Another great classic recipe.

2 tsp. yeast
1 tsp. salt

1 1/3 cup milk, scalded

2 T. orange peel

2 beaten eggs

1/4 cup orange juice

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup sugar

Mix yeast, sugar, salt, in bowl.  Add milk and let proof for a few minutes.  Mix in orange peel, orange juice, and softened butter.  Mix in 2 cups flour and beat well.  Add eggs and mix well.  Add remaining ingredients until you get a soft dough.  Let sit for 10 minutes.  Knead dough for 10 minutes until smooth.  Let the dough raise until it is doubled (1 hour).  Punch down and let rest for a few minutes. Roll dough into rectangle and cut into long stripes.  Roll each strip lightly under fingers and loosely tie into a knot.

Arrange on greased baking sheets and tuck ends under.  Cover and let rise until almost double, about one hour.  Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on rack and cover with glaze.

Glaze:

1 tsp. grated orange peel

2 T. orange juice

1 cup powdered sugar ( I added a little more because I like a thicker glaze)

Winter Fruit Salad

This is a really great salad.  The dressing is yummy and sweet and it's loaded with fruit.  It does go soggy pretty fast, so don't make it too far in advance.

Dressing:
1/2 C sugar
1/3 C lemon juice
1 tsp. dijon mustard
2 tsp. chopped onion
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 C oil
1 T. poppy seeds


Salad:
I head iceburg lettuce, chopped
4 oz. shredded swiss cheese
1 cup cashews
1 cup craisins
2 apples, chopped
2 pear, chopped

Mix salad ingredients together and pour in dressing.  Mix well and serve.

Rosemary-Lemon No-Knead Bread

This recipe is from a Williams Sonoma cataloge and it is soooo good.  It takes a while to rise (18 hours), but very little effort and NO kneeding.  Baking the dough in the cast iron pot makes the crust so crispy and good.  I love my Le Cruset cast iron pot and use it for everything (roasts, soup, chicken, braising, bread, veggies, etc.).  They are expensive, but well worth it!


3 cups flour
1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
1 3/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
2 tsp. lemon zest
cornmeal as needed.


n a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, salt, rosemary and zest. Add 1 5/8 cups water and stir until blended; the dough will be shaggy and very sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at warm room temperature (about 70°F) until the surface is dotted with bubbles, 12 to 18 hours.

Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle the dough with a little flour and fold the dough over onto itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.

Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface or your fingers, gently and quickly shape the dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel, preferably a flour sack towel (not terry cloth), with cornmeal. Put the dough, seam side down, on the towel and dust with more flour or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise until the dough is more than double in size and does not readily spring back when poked with a finger, about 2 hours.

At least 30 minutes before the dough is ready, put a 2 3/4-quart cast-iron pot in the oven and preheat the oven to 450°F.

Carefully remove the pot from the oven. Slide your hand under the towel and turn the dough over, seam side up, into the pot; it may look like a mess, but that is OK. Shake the pan once or twice if the dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with the lid and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until the loaf is browned, 15 to 30 minutes more.

Transfer the pot to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Using oven mitts, turn the pot on its side and gently turn the bread; it will release easily. Makes one 1 1/2-lb. loaf.

Homemade Italian Bread

This dough makes a large batch of Italian Bread (three loaves).  It is a pretty classic dough that can be shaped anyway you want.  The key to making a nice crispy crust and chewy inside it the misting you do while it's baking.  (another Allrecipes recipe)

3 cups warm water
1 tsp. white sugar
1 T. active yeast
1 T. salt
7 cups flour

Add sugar and yeast to the warm water and let proof.

Stir in 4 cups of flour and beat until smooth.  Cover and let rest for 15 minutes.

Beat in the salt and then add enough remaining flour to make a stiff dough.  Knead until it is smooth and soft.  Turn in a greased bowl, cover, and let double in size.

Once doubled, punch down and divide into three.  Place back in bowl, cover, and let rise.  Once doubled again, punch down and form into three fat footballs (or circles or ovals or rectangles or whatever you want).  Grease heavy cookie sheets (I like to use my baking stone, it gets really nice and hot when I pre-heat it) and sprinkle with corn meal.  Place the bread on the sheets, cover with a towel, and let rise.

Once rise, mist with water and place in a preheated 450 degree oven.  Mist loaves with water (about every 4-5 minutes) and turn occasionally while they bake.  Bread is done when golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Favorite Breadsticks

We had the missionaries over for dinner the other night.  They seriously asked for my breadstick recipe (what 19 year old boys ask for a recipe).  This is a tried and true breadstick recipe that I've used for a long time.  I got it from HERE, I love their recipes!!

1 1/2 cup warm water
1 T. sugar
1 T. yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
3-4 1/2 cups flour

Combine yeast, sugar, salt, and water.  Let proof for a few minutes.  Next mix in flour until dough starts to pull away from sides, you might not need all the flour.  Let dough rise until double (about 45 minutes), then roll into big rectangle and spread melted butter and garlic salt over dough.  Use pizza cutter to cut long strips (usually about 12) and drape over your finger and twist.  Place on greased pan and spread with another coat of melted butter and I like to sprinkle on oregano, basil, parsley, parmesan cheese, and anything else that sounds good.  Cover and let rise for another 30 minutes and then cook at 425 for 10-12 minutes.  I also like to make these with cinnamon and sugar for a fun treat.

Honey Of An Oatmeal Bread

Another one of my favorite bread recipes.  This recipe is for a bread machine, but since I don't have one I just make it the normal way I make yeast breads and bake it.  It's really good!

1 cup water
1 T. veg. oil
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 1/3 cups bread flour
1 tsp active dry yeast.

Mix ingredients together in bread machine (or I just mix them together like I mix any yeast dough).  Let rise once, punch down, put in greased pan and let rise again.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Simple Carne Asada

Wow, it's been a while since a post. Here is a fun fresh mexican dinner. Shawn and I actually saw a recipe similar to this on Dinner, Drive-Ins, and Dives, or as Shawn says, "the Triple D". We always watch this like at 11:00 at night and then we fall asleep hungry. I like this recipe because it is really fresh and simple. It is not your standard taco and has a unique flavor with all the onion and cilantro.

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 onion

2 T. lime juice ( or one fresh lime)

Cook beef and onion until cooked through and then turn off heat and add lime juice.

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1-2 T. lime juice (about one fresh, but I really didn't measure I just squeezed until it tasted right)

Mix these 3 ingredients together for the cilantro/onion relish.

Warm tortillas and layer with beef, cilantro/onion relish, favorite salsa, and a little cheese. You can serve with a lime slice for a little extra kick.

ENJOY!

Beach Street Lemon Chicken Pasta

This pasta tasted pretty delicious to us and we didn't even add the cheese!  It is light and a little citrusy, but not to much.  Good, good pasta.

1 lb. of whatever pasta you like
2. T olive oil
Zest from one lemon
Juice from one lemon
1/2 c. chopped green onion
1/4 chopped fresh parsley
Salt and Freshly ground pepper
Parmesan Cheese

Marinade:

1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbl. Cajun seasoning
2 Tbl. Lemon Juice
2 Tbl. minced parsley
1 Tbl. brown sugar (more if yo like it sweeter)
2 Tbls. Soy Sauce
2 Chicken breasts sliced (you could also make this with shrimp)

-Combine marinade and let do its thing for 1-12 hours.
-Cook marinated chicken with marinade sauce
-Cook Pasta in separate pot
-Combine juice of one lemon, zest, olive oil, green onions, and fresh parsley together
-Add hot pasta to parsley mix along with chicken.
-Add cheese, salt and pepper to your liking and serve warm

Baked Yam and Potato Casserole

This is a great vegetable side dish. A little prep with all the slicing, but worth it.

• 2 large sweet potatoes, thinly sliced
• 3 large potatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. In the prepared dish, make a single layer of sweet potato slices. Place a few onion slices on top, dot with butter, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Repeat, alternating layers of white and sweet potatoes.
3. In a small bowl, or measuring cup, combine flour and broth. Pour over potatoes.
4. Sprinkle cheese, bread crumbs and parsley over the potatoes. Dot with remaining butter. Cover.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until potatoes and onions are soft.

Much to the dismay of my husband I don't usually follow directions exactly, specifically when it comes to measuring ingredients. I made a few small changes here also. First I didn't actually measure the potatoes and yams, I just cut a bunch and layered them in the dish and I didn't measure the butter either. I just dotted each layer with a few pieces of butter. I used Italian flavored bread crumbs so I didn't use any parsley. Other than that, I followed the recipe and it turned out great :)

Sweet Potato Enchilada

My husband and I have become accidental vegetarians here in Jerusalem.  Meat is expensive and we are poor.  Thus, I've been unearthing all kinds of meatless dishes that don't have anything to do with Tofu.   I have been surprised at the filling and delicious meatless main dishes that abound.  Here is one of our recent favorites.

(can you tell I stole this right from allrecipes.com?)

Ingredients

• 5 sweet potatoes
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 4 green onions, chopped (I used carmelized white/yellow and it was fine)
  
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying
• 12 (7 inch) corn tortillas (I used flour and it turned out great)
  
• 1 (19 ounce) can enchilada sauce
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium heat, and boil the sweet potatoes until tender, about 30 minutes. Cool and peel the sweet potatoes.
2. Place the sweet potatoes in a bowl, and mash them with the cream cheese, green onions, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper until well mixed.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and grease a 13x9 inch baking dish.
4. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-low heat, and fry the tortillas, one at a time, for about 30 seconds per side. Remove the tortillas with tongs, and drain on paper towels. (unless you use flour tortillas)
   
5. Place about 1/3 cup of sweet potato filling down the center of each tortilla, roll it up, and place filled tortillas seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Pour enchilada sauce over the tortillas, and sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until the enchiladas are bubbling and the cheese is beginning to brown.
   

Mom's Homemade Granola

Growing up I LOVED the granola my mom used to make, and it still is one of my favorites. This makes a soft, chewy granola.

10 cups oats

1 cup wheat germ

1/2 lb. shredded coconut

1 cups sunflower seeds

1 cups sesame seeds

3 cups almonds, pecans, or whatever nut you like

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cup water

1 1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup molasses

1 1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

3 tsp. vanilla

Mix last 8 ingredients together and pour over all the dry ingredients mixed together in a large bowl. Bake at 300 degrees for 20-30 minutes (a little more if you like it more crunchy). Store in air tight container.

French Bread

This is a recipe that my family makes all the time and is really simple. I usually use my mixer to make this dough, less messy, and it always turns out fine.

2 1/2 cups warm water

2 T. sugar

1 T salt

2 T. cooking oil

6 cups flour

2 T. yeast

Pour warm water into a large mixing bowl. Stir in sugar, salt, oil, half the flour and yeast. Beat vigorously for 2-3 minutes. Stir in remaining flour until all ingredients are well mixed, leaving wooden spoon right in the batter. Allow dough to rest for 10 minutes then stir down. Rest dough for another 10 minutes and then stir down again. Repeat this process until dough has been stirred down 5 times.

Turn dough out onto floured surface; knead only until it can be handled. Divide into 2 pieces. Roll each portion into a 9x12 rectangle. Roll up like a jellyroll starting on a long side. Pinch edge to seal. Arrange both loaves lengthwise on a large cookie sheet that has een greased and sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.

With a sharp knife, cut 3 diagonal gashes on the top of each loaf, then brush with slightly beaten whole egg. Bake immediately at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until browned. Remove from baking sheet and cool on a rack.

Chicken a la Chardon (breaded chicken with mushrooms and butter sauce)

I made this for dinner last night and it was a hit. The chicken is really moist and has lots of flavor. You can make most of this meal ahead of time and there is very minimal prep.

6 boneless chicken breasts

1-2 eggs

salt and pepper

2 tsp. garlic powdere (divided into 1 tsp, 1/2 tsp, & 1/2 tsp.)

I cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese

Butter Sauce:

1 cube (1/2 cup) butter

1 tsp. chopped parsley

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced

In a bowl, beat egg and add salt and pepper. Add 1 tsp. garlic powder

In second bowl mix breadcrumbs, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, and Parmesan cheese.

Dip each piece of chicken in egg mixture and roll into crumbs. Arrange in single layer in 9x13 pan. Can be done ahead to this point and refrigerated.

Melt butter and stir in remaining 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, parsley, and lemon juice. Pour 1/2 of butter sauce over chicken.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with sliced mushrooms and the rest of the butter sauce. Put back in over for 5-10 minutes.

I served this with steamed broccoli and regular white rice. I use my rice cooker and add 1 chicken bouillon cube for every 1 cup of rice. This tastes kind of like a chicken piccatta. Also, when I bake chicken breasts or fry them I almost always filet them. That makes them cook more even and a little faster.

Homemade Pretzels

My kids love these. This is a knock off of Auntie Anne's pretzels you find in the mall.

1 1 /2 cup warm water

1 1/4 tsp. yeast

2 T. brown sugar

1 1/4 tsp. salt

4 cups flour

baking soda bath: 2 cups warm water and 2 T. baking soda

Toppings: melted butter, coarse salt, cinnamon and sugar, and anything else you like.

Mix yeast, warm water, sugar, and salt. Let sit for a few minutes to make sure the yeast is active and working. Add in flour and mix until smooth. Let dough rise until doubled 30-45 minutes and then break off little balls and roll into long ropes (about 1/2 thick, the thinner the better). Shape rope into pretzel shape and dip in baking soda bath. Place on greased baking sheet and allow pretzel's to rise again. Bake in oven at 450 for 10 minutes or until golden.

Remove from oven and dip in melted butter then top as desired. We like dipping in cinnamon and sugar or just sprinkling with coarse salt. These are best to eat warm, straight from the oven.

***For baking soda bath mix hot water with baking soda. Stir this mixture often. I really don't know exactly what this does, but I know that it is considered a critical step for real pretzel making :)

Tangy Grilled Pork Tenderloin

My husband loves pork so I am always looking for new ways to cook it. This is a very simple recipe I found on Allrecipes. Just marinate and grill.

1 pounds pork tenderloin

2/3 cup honey

1/2 cup dijon mustard

1/4 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. salt

Mix last found ingredients together for marinade. Put meat in with marinade and let sit for at least 4 hours. Let meat come to room temperature before grilling (about 20-30 minutes) and pre-heat grill. If using outside grill prepare for indirect heat. I just used my grill pan and cooked over medium-low heat. Lightly oil pan and grill for about 7-10 minutes per side, or until done.

This meat has a nice sweet flavor and a little kick. It was nice for a summer bbq dinner.