Recipes!

Like I said in the last post, we have been eating like kings while Brittany and my mom have been in town. Brittany introduced me to the BEST cooking blog ever! Actually, it's the second best, since my sister-in-law, Melanie's cooking blog is definitely number one. Anyway, The Picky Palate is a great cooking blog, and we made a bunch of recipes from that website.

Paradise Bakery Black & White Chippers - We made these the first day and they were delish. We used Reeses peanut butter baking chips instead of white chocolate chips. I think I still like my beloved recipe for Reeses Chewy Chocolate Cookies better, though...

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins with a Sweet Lemon Drizzle - These were really yummy. Definitely a keeper.

Chicken Corn Chowder - Absolutely delicious! Hearty and creamy.

Chicken Peanut Thai Noodles - Soooo good. When it calls for a tsp of red pepper flakes, use a scant tsp so it's not too spicy. We also doubled the chicken it called for (and I might add even a bit more next time) and we used white angel hair pasta instead of the whole wheat. I definitely recommend this recipe.

We also made Reeces Peanut Butter Banana Bread and Slow Cooked Carnitas Tacos (the carnitas were very good) from that blog. Other recipes we made included my Lemon Blueberry Biscuits, Brittany's homemade Ceasar Dressing, Coconut Oatmeal Cookies, Peach Strawberry Jamba Smoothies, Ranch French Bread, and Homemade Bagels.

Ranch French Bread

2 pkgs (1/4 oz each) active dry yeast
½ c. warm water (110°-115°)
½ c. sugar, divided
2 c. warm buttermilk (110°-115°)
½ c. butter, softened
3 eggs
1 to 2 envelopes original ranch salad dressing mix 2 tsp salt
8 to 9 cups all-purpose flour
Additional flour, melted

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add 1 tsp sugar; let stand for 5 minutes. Add the buttermilk, butter, eggs, ranch dressing mix, salt, 4 c. flour and remaining sugar; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into fourths. Roll each portion into a 14x12 inch rectangle. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seams to seal and tuck ends under. Place seam side down on two greased baking sheets. With a sharp knife, make five shallow slashes across the top of each loaf. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.
Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Yield: 4 loaves. *Note – heated buttermilk will appear curdled.

Brittany's Caesar Dressing - Fresh lemon juice and garlic makes a big difference! Toss with Romaine & parmesan.

2 Tb fresh lemon juice

½ cup olive oil

½ -1 tsp minced garlic

½ tsp salt

½ tsp dry mustard

½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/8 tsp pepper

Homemade Bagels

I got this recipe from Melanie G, my sister-in-law, a few years ago. She saw it on TV and gave it a try, and then shared it with me. Thank you, Mel!

2 c. warm water (about 110°)
2 (¼ -oz) packets active dry yeast, or 1 T & 1 ½ tsp yeast
3 Tbs granulated sugar, plus 1 Tb
5-6 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 Tb yellow cornmeal (opt – to spread on pan after boiling bagels.)

Combine the water, yeast, and 3 Tb of the sugar in the bowl of an upright mixer fitted with a dough hook. Stir and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Gradually add 4 cups of the flour and the salt, and mix until the mixture comes together.
Add 1 to 1 ½ c. additional flour ½ cup at a time to make a stiff dough, either stirring with a wooden spoon or working with your hands. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and no longer sticky, about 5 minutes, adding just as much flour as needed. (Dough should be stiffer than regular yeast bread dough. This works using a Bosch mixer as well.)

Grease a large bowl with 1 tsp of the oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until almost doubled, about 1 hour.

Remove from the bowl and punch down the dough. Divide into 12 equal pieces, about 2 to 3 ounces each, measuring about 4 inches across. Form each piece of dough into a ball. Roll each ball into a 4-6 inch log. Join the ends and place fingers through the hole and roll the ends together. Repeat with the remaining dough. Place on a lightly greased surface, cover with a clean cloth, and let rest until risen but not doubled in a draft-free spot, 20-30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°.
Grease a baking sheet with the remaining teaspoon of oil, or sprinkle with cornmeal.
In a large, heavy pot, bring about 12 cups of water and the remaining Tb of sugar to a boil. (This takes like 10 minutes, so start boiling it early!) In batches, add the bagels to the water and boil, turning, for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Flip bagels onto the prepared sheet pan. Bake for 5 minutes, turn over and cook for another 30-35 minutes. **(I have found that this is too much time. This works better for me: Cook for 20 minutes (without flipping them over), then remove from oven and liberally sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Return to oven for 1-3 minutes, until cheese is melted and bagel is cooked.)

Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.

Optional Toppings:
½ c. lightly toasted chopped onions (2 tsp on each bagel)
2 Tb poppy seeds (about ½ tsp each)
2 Tb sesame seeds (about ½ tsp each)
1 Tb Kosher salt (about ¼ tsp each)

Parmesan cheese