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Monday 24 December 2012

Chelsea Buns




Recipe & image taken from www.bbcgoodfood.com

Buns

450g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
2 x 7g packs easy-blend yeast
50g caster sugar
150ml warm milk
1 egg beaten
50g unsalted butter , melted, plus extra for greasing
oil , for greasing


Topping

25g softened butter , plus extra for greasing
85g dried apricots , finely chopped
85g toasted flaked almonds , plus a few extra to decorate
25g caster sugar
2 tbsp apricot jam



Put the flour, yeast, caster sugar and 1 tsp salt into a large mixing bowl and mix well. Make a well in the centre and pour in the warm milk, 50ml warm water, the beaten egg and the melted butter. Mix everything together to form a dough - start with a wooden spoon and finish with your hands. If the dough is too dry, add a little more warm water; if it's too wet, add more flour.

Knead in the bowl or on a floured surface until the dough becomes smooth and springy. Transfer to a clean, lightly greased bowl and cover loosely with a clean, damp tea towel. Leave in a warm place to rise until roughly doubled in size - this will take about 1 hr depending on how warm the room is.

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and grease a deep 21 or 23cm cake tin. Tip the risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a few secs. Roll out the dough to a rough 20 x 30cm rectangle. Spread the butter evenly over the dough, then sprinkle with the chopped apricots, almonds and sugar. Roll up firmly like a Swiss roll from one of the long sides - dampening the open edge to help it stick if you need to. Cut into 8 even slices with a sharp knife, shape into 8 round pinwheels, then arrange in the tin, cut-side up. Cover with a clean, damp tea towel and prove in a warm place for about 20 mins until roughly doubled in size.

Bake the buns for 10 mins, then lower oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Cook for 10 mins more until golden brown. Melt the jam with 1 tbsp water, brush all over the buns, then sprinkle with a few more flaked almonds.

Friday 7 December 2012

Maple & Bourbon Glazed Pork Chops



Recipe & Image taken from  http://www.howsweeteats.com

4 boneless center cut pork chops
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon smoked papika
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken stock
3/4 cup bourbon (I used a cherry bourbon – yum!)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small saucepan, combine bourbon, sugar, maple syrup, garlic, worcestershire, vinegar and mustard. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then reduce to a simmer and let cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring every now and then. Remove from heat and let sit to thicken.

Pound pork chops with a meat tenderizer, then season on both sides with salt, pepper and paprika. Heat a cast iron (or oven-safe) skillet over medium-high heat. Brush with canola oil and once hot (I let my skillet heat for almost 5 full minutes), add pork chops. 

Sear on one side for 2-3 minutes, or until golden Flip and cook for 2-3 minutes more. Turn off heat, add chicken stock to skillet, then place in oven and bake for 15 minutes. My pork chops were about 1 inch thick, so if yours are a bit thicken they may need to bake a little longer.

Once finished, pour glaze over top and serve immediately.

Baked Mozzarella Sticks



Recipe & image taken from www.olivetheingredients.blogspot.co.uk

12 wonton wrappers, at room temperature
12 light mozarella string cheeses

Preheat over to 400 degrees 

Take out your room temperature wraps and wrap each one around a cheese string.

Bake in the over for 10-12 minutes, turning once until golden brown.

Tuesday 13 November 2012

Slimming World Pulled Pork

Image & recipe taken from http://group.slimmingworld.com

In a small bowl, mix passata, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, mustard powder, garlic, sweetener and seasoning. Transfer to a small pan and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.

Meanwhile, trim and remove all visible fat from the pork and sear all sides in a hot frying pan sprayed with low calorie cooking spray. Transfer to a roasting tin lined with aluminium foil and pour the sauce over the pork making sure all the meat is covered. Cover with the foil and bake on 160°C for 4-5 hours.

Remove the pork from the oven and place on a cutting board. Allow the meat to cool for approximately 15 minutes, then shred into bite-sized pieces using two forks.


Thursday 8 November 2012

Cinder Toffee

200g caster sugar
4 tbsp golden syrup
1 tbsp bicarbonate of soda

Line a 20cm square tin with baking parchment.

Place the sugar & syrup in a large pan and mix together.  Place on a medium heat and slowly bring up to the boil, simmer the caramel until it darkens slightly.  Never stir the caramel once its on the heat.

When the caramel is the desired colour, remove it from the heat and quickly stir in the bicarb.  The mixture with froth up a lot.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and allow to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes before cutting into squares.

Monday 5 November 2012

Plum & Almond Crumble

For the fruit layer:

800g ripe plums, stoned & quartered
50g demerera Sugar
1 tbsp plain flour

For the crumble layer

150g ground almonds
150g salted butter (room temperature)
150g demerera sugar

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C (fan oven)

Place the plums in a pudding dish and cover with the sugar & flour.

Mix together the crumble mix by hand or in an electric mixer being sure not to over mix.  Place mixture on top of the fruit layer and sprinkle a bit of extra sugar on top.

Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.

** I actually made this with light muscovado sugar and the crumble wasn't as 'crumbly' as it should have been! Still absolutely delicious though!

Thursday 1 November 2012

Slow Cooker Bacon Wrapped BBQ & Apple Chicken


Recipe & image taken from http://www.closetcooking.com

2 small boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 slices bacon
1/2 cup BBQ sauce (homemade or store bought)
2 large apples, peeled and cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons lemon juice


Wrap each chicken breast in 2 slices of bacon and place in a slow cooker.
Mix the BBQ sauce, apples and lemon juice and pour it over the chicken.

Cook on low for 8 hours.

Monday 15 October 2012

Flapjacks

250g porridge oats
125g butter
125g brown sugar
3 tbs golden syrup

Pre heat oven to 170 degrees C.  Slowly melt together the sugar, butter & syrup until smooth

Stir in the oats and place into a greased 7" square tin, pressing down into the corners

Bake for approximately 20 minutes

Fresh Tomato Pasta



chicken Breast
1 Egg
35g Cornflakes
1 tsp paprika
15-18 Ripe Cherry Tomatoes
1 clove garlic
2 tbso fresh lemon juice
6/7 leaves basil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
spaghetti
salt & pepper

In advance, cut the cherry tomatoes into quarters, crush the garlic and add to the tomatoes along with the lemon juice, balsamic vinegar & basil.  leave in the fridge for a couple of hours if possible.

Whe your ready to prepare the rest, pre heat oven to 180 degrees.  Crush the cornflakes with paprika and season.  Beat the egg and dip in the chicken before coating with the cornflake mix.  Place on a baking tray and cook for approximately 25 minutes.

When the chicken had about 15 minutes remaining, start to cook the spaghetti and heat up a pan for the tomato mixture.  Cook the tomato mixture down for about 10 minutes and serve on top of the spaghetti along with the chicken.

Friday 7 September 2012

Peanut Butter Brittle Ice Creams



Recipe & Image taken from http://www.ohnuts.com


12 chocolate peanut butter cups, unwrapped
6 ounces (about 3/4 cup) hot fudge sauce
6 ounces (about 3/4 cup) smooth peanut butter
1 quart vanilla ice cream
8 five-ounce paper cups
8 popsicle sticks

To make these ice cream pops, you want the vanilla ice cream to be slightly softened but not melting. Leave it out at room temperature for a few minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Chop the salted peanuts into coarse pieces. Don't make them too small--you want their crunchy texture in the pops!

Chop the peanut butter cups roughly into eighths. They should be small enough to eat in one bite, but large enough to give an identifiable flavor and texture to the final product.

Warm up the hot fudge sauce and the peanut butter in separate bowls in the microwave. You don't actually want them to be hot, you just want to warm them enough so that they're fluid and easy to spread. About 15 or 20 seconds each should do the trick.

Now it's time to start layering! Place a spoonful of chopped peanuts in the bottom of each of the eight paper cups. Take a small scoop of slightly softened vanilla ice cream, about 2 inches across, and place one in each cup.

Smooth the ice cream with the back of a spoon until it's in an even layer. Nothing fancy, just flat enough to let you build the rest of the layers on top.

Pour a spoonful of the hot fudge sauce on top of the ice cream. If it doesn't spread out on its own, use the spoon to nudge it toward the sides so it's an even layer.

Top the hot fudge sauce with a generous spoonful of chopped peanuts, so that the sauce is mostly covered with nuts.


It's time for another round of ice cream, so add a softened scoop of vanilla on top of the peanuts and spread it around.

Salted Caramel Sauce



Recipe & Image taken from http://www.tarteletteblog.com

240 gr. sugar
80 ml water
115 gr salted butter
150 ml heavy whipping cream

In a heavy saucepan set over low heat, combine the sugar and water and heat just until the sugar is dissolved. 

Add the butter.

Let it come to a boil and cook until it reaches a golden caramel color.

Remove from the heat and add the cream ( it will splatter and get crazy, but do not fear and trust the recipe). 

Whisk to combine and put back on the stove. Let it come to a boil again over low heat and cook 10-15 minutes until you reach a nice creamy consistency.


Pour into a jar and try to refrain yourself from drinking it!

Pecan Pie Cheesecake


Recipe & Image taken from http://jujugoodnews.com

FOR THE CRUST:
3 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
½ cups Butter, Melted
½ cups Granulated Sugar

FOR THE FILLING:
3 packages (8 Oz. Package) Cream Cheese, Softened
¾ cups Granulated Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 whole Large Eggs
½ cups All-purpose Flour
¾ teaspoons Cinnamon
¼ teaspoons Nutmeg

FOR THE TOPPING:
1-½ cup Pecan, Halves, Lightly Toasted*
2 cups Good Quality Caramel Syrup (homemade Is Best)


Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients for the crust until moist. Press into a 10-inch springform pan and set aside.

For the filling, in a stand mixer, whip cream cheese and sugar together until smooth.

With the mixer on low, stir in vanilla and eggs, one at a time. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and stir again. Whip in flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Scrape sides and stir again if necessary. Pour filling into prepared crust and smooth the top. Bake for 40-45 minutes until cheesecake is set and hardly jiggles, if at all, when moved. Remove from the oven and cool completely to room temperature.

Arrange pecan halves on top of the entire cheesecake in concentric circles. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Once ready to serve, run a knife around the edges of the cheesecake and remove the sides of the springform pan.

To serve you can either drizzle 1 cup of caramel syrup over the entire cheesecake and cut (with extra syrup to serve along with) or cut first and drizzle individual pieces.


Side note: I prefer to warm my caramel syrup to have a delicious contrast of hot and cold for this dessert. Totally optional!

Peanut Butter Sheet Cake

Recipe & Image taken from http://jujugoodnews.com

2 cups Sugar
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
2 sticks Butter
1 cup Water
1 cup Peanut Butter
½ cups Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 whole Eggs
1 stick Butter
½ cups Peanut Butter
6 teaspoons Milk
1 pound Powdered Sugar

In a large bowl, mix together sugar, baking soda, flour and salt.

Combine butter, water and peanut butter in a saucepan and bring to boil. Pour over flour mixture.

Add milk, vanilla and eggs to your other mixture, and mix.

Pour batter onto a large cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes.


Bring butter, peanut butter and milk to boil in saucepan. Add one pound of powdered sugar and mix (can add 1 tsp vanilla here if you’d like). Pour warmed frosting over cooled cake. YUM!

Thursday 6 September 2012

Copy Snickers Bars


Recipe & Image taken from http://www.howsweeteats.com

bottom chocolate layer
1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter
Thoroughly grease you baking pan. Melt ingredients together in a saucepan or microwave, then pour into the baking dish and spread until even. Let cool and harden completely.

nougat layer
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups marshmallow fluff
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cup salted peanuts chopped, roughly chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add in sugar and milk, stirring until dissolved and bring to a boil. Let cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in fluff, peanut butter and vanilla, stirring until smooth. Turn off heat and fold in peanuts, then pour over bottom chocolate layer. Let cool completely.

caramel layer
1 14-ounce bag of caramels
1/4 cup whipping cream
Combine ingredients in a saucepan over low heat. Let melt, stirring occasionally, until smooth – this took about 10 minutes for me. Pour over nougat layer and let cool completely.

Top chocolate layer
1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter
Melt ingredients together in a saucepan or microwave, then pour over caramel and spread until even. Let cool and harden completely.
Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving, then cut as desired. These can stay at room temperature, but they do get gooey. I like them refrigerated best!

Note: for best results, buy one of the half-sheet aluminum cake pans at the grocery store. That way, you can pop the entire square out and cut from there!

Oreo Brownies


Recipe & Image taken from http://bakeat350.blogspot.ca

1 cup dutch-process cocoa (such as Hershey's Dark)
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cups unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup, plain flour
20 oreo cookies
1 teaspoon corn syrup
1 teaspoon water
sprinkles



Preheat oven to 325. Grase a 9x13 baking pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder.  Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low until melted.  Add the sugar and stir to combine.  Continue heating for about 1-2 minutes until hot.

Remove the pan from the heat and add to the cocoa mixture, stirring until combined.  Add the eggs and vanilla, stir until totally combined.
Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan.  Top with 20 Oreos.  Cover with the remaining batter; spread gently with an offset spatula.

Bake for about 30 minutes until the brownies are done, but the center still looks soft.


Det the pan on a wire cooling rack and let cool for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, stir together the corn syrup and water.
After 10 minutes, lightly brush the corn syrup mixture onto the cooled brownies.  Scatter on the sprinkles.  

Let the brownies cool and completely before cutting.

7 Layer Cookies


Recipe & Image taken from http://bakeat350.blogspot.ca

1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter, melted
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup sweetened coconut
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly grease an 11 x 7" pan & line with foil/parchment.

Combine the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs and press into the bottom of the pan.

Layer the coconut, chocolate chips, and butterscotch chips on top of the graham cracker crust.

Pour sweetened condensed milk over the top.


Sprinkle on the pecans.

Bake for 25 minutes.  Remove to a wire rack to cool completely, then refrigerate.

Tuesday 4 September 2012

Turtle Brownies



Recipe & Image taken from http://www.mydailymorsel.com

1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup water
3 1/2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt

To make the caramel sauce, heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, just until small bubbles form around the edges.

Meanwhile, combine the water, 2 cups of sugar, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan over high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until a candy thermometer registers 350°F and the mixture is a deep amber color. Remove from the heat and let cool for 1 minute. Add the cream and stir until combined. Whisk in the sour cream. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.

To make the brownies, preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 9-inch square baking dish with parchment paper.

Melt the butter and chocolate in the top of a double boiler placed over simmering water, stirring until smooth and completely melted.

Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, remaining 1 1/2 cups of sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk together the flour and salt in another bowl. Add the melted chocolate to the egg mixture and whisk to combine. Gently fold in the flour.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack. Pour the cooled caramel sauce over the brownies and spread to cover. Chill the brownies in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before cutting.

Friday 31 August 2012

Wholemeal Pittas


Recipe & image taken from http://annies-eats.com
2¼ tsp. instant yeast
1 tbsp. honey
1¼ cups warm water (105˚-115˚ F), divided
1½ cups bread flour, divided
1½ cups whole wheat flour, divided
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. salt
Cornmeal, for sprinkling

In the bowl of a stand mixer*, combine the yeast, honey and ½ cup of the water.  Stir gently to blend.  Whisk ¼ cup of the bread flour and ¼ cup of the whole wheat flour into the yeast mixture until smooth.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside until doubled in bulk and bubbly, about 45 minutes.

Remove the plastic wrap and return the bowl to the mixer stand, fitted with the dough hook.  Add in the remaining ¾ cup of warm water, 1¼ cups bread flour, 1¼ cups whole wheat flour, olive oil and salt.  Knead on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.  Transfer the ball of dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat, and let rise in a warm draft-free place, about 1 hour, until doubled in bulk.

Place an oven rack in the middle position.  Place a baking stone in the oven (if using) and preheat to 500˚ F.

Once the dough has risen, transfer to a lightly floured work surface, punch down the dough and divide into 8 equal pieces.  Form each piece into a ball.  

Flatten one ball at a time into a disk, then stretch out into a 6½-7 inch circle. 
Transfer the rounds to a baking sheet or other work surface lightly sprinkled with cornmeal.  Once all the rounds have been shaped, loosely cover with clean kitchen towels.  Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, until slightly puffy.

Transfer 4 pitas, 1 at a time, onto the baking surface.  (Note: These can be baked on a baking stone or directly on the oven racks.  I use a pizza stone, but either method is fine.) Bake 2 minutes, until puffed and pale golden.  


Gently flip the pitas over using tongs and bake 1 minute more.  Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.  Repeat with the remaining pitas.  

Chicken & Tzatziki Pittas


Recipe & image taken from http://annies-eats.com

For the tzatziki:
16 oz. plain yogurt (not nonfat, if possible)
1/2 hothouse cucumber or 1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press (or finely minced)
1 tsp. white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil

For the chicken:
4 cloves garlic, smashed
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping tbsp. plain yogurt
1 tbsp. dried oregano
Salt and pepper
1¼ lbs. chicken pieces (I use boneless, skinless chicken breast halves)

Recipe & image taken from http://annies-eats.com
For the tzatziki:
16 oz. plain yogurt (not nonfat, if possible)
1/2 hothouse cucumber or 1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press (or finely minced)
1 tsp. white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil

For the chicken:
4 cloves garlic, smashed
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping tbsp. plain yogurt
1 tbsp. dried oregano
Salt and pepper
1¼ lbs. chicken pieces (I use boneless, skinless chicken breast halves)

Pita bread
Fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
Red onion, sliced thin

To make the tzatziki sauce, strain the yogurt using cheesecloth over a bowl. Let strain for several hours or overnight, if possible, to remove as much moisture as possible.

Shred the cucumber. Wrap in a towel a squeeze to remove as much water as possible. Mix together the strained yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.

To prepare the chicken, combine the garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Whisk together until mixed well. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Cook the chicken as desired, either in the skillet or with the broiler. (I butterflied the chicken breasts and then cooked them under the broiler.) Once the chicken is completely cooked through, transfer to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut into strips.


Heat pitas (I sprayed with some spray oil and then popped them in the toaster oven for a few minutes). Top with chicken, tzatziki sauce, diced tomatoes and sliced onions. Serve immediately.

Cookie Dough Cheesecake


Recipe & image taken from http://evalawrie.wordpress.com

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 cup prepared or refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough, divided
1 Honey Maid Graham Pie Crust (6 oz.) <- (or make your own; so easy and so much better!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.  Add eggs; mix just until blended. 

Remove 1/2 cup of the dough; drop by teaspoonfuls into batter.  Stir gently.

Pour into crust.  Top with level teaspoonfuls of the remaining 1/4 cup cookie dough.

Bake 40 minutes or until center is almost set.  Cool.  Refrigerate 3 hours or over night. 


Makes 12 servings.

Pretzel Bites


Recipe & Image taken from http://www.sunnysideupsd.com/

4 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp white sugar
1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
5 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup baking soda
4 cups hot water
2 egg whites
2 Tbsp butter, melted that has been cooled
Kosher salt, for topping
Parchment paper and cooking spray

In a measuring cup dissolve the yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Set aside. (Mixture should become foamy)

In the bowl of a standing mixture fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, sugars, and salt on low speed. Turn off the mixer and pour the water/yeast mixture and melted butter into the bowl. Turn the mixer on and knead for 6-8 minutes until the dough is smooth.

If the dough is too dry you can add extra water, a tablespoon at a time.
Lightly oil a large bowl. Remove the dough from the mixer and shape into a ball. Place the dough ball in the bowl, cover with a clean towel, and allow to rise for one hour (*or until double in size).

Towards the end of rising, preheat oven to 450 degrees and prepare baking sheets with parchment paper and cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine the hot water and baking soda. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg whites and melted butter.

After the dough has risen, punch down the dough and then knead with hands for one minute. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and divide dough into 12 even portions. Now you can pick your shape. For pretzel bites roll each portion into a snake then cut the snake into bite size pieces, about 1 1/2 inches in width.

Dip the pieces in the baking soda water and place on the baking sheet (sometimes I dab the pretzels with a paper towel if they seem too wet). Brush each pretzel bite with egg whites/melted butter then sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake for 7-8 minutes, until browned.


Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cornbread




Recipe & image taken from http://www.pauladeen.com

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus butter for baking dish
1 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8-inch baking dish.

In a large bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, buttermilk, and butter. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the cornmeal mixture and fold together until there are no dry spots (the batter will still be lumpy).

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.

Bake until the top is golden brown and tester inserted into the middle of the corn bread comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the cornbread from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Rolo Sundaes



Recipe & Image taken from http://www.bakingdom.com

Brownies
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 rolls of Rolos Candies (about 18 candies), quartered, plus 2 1/2 more rolls, chopped (leaving one whole Rolo per trifle for garnish.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour and 8 x 8 inch glass baking dish; set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder; set aside.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Once melted, remove from heat and whisk in the sugar until combined.

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.
Whisk in the dry ingredients until combined and pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Evenly distribute the Rolos over the top of the batter.

Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few crumbs clinging to it. Allow brownies to cool completely before serving or cutting into bite sized pieces.

Caramel
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon corn syrup (or agave syrup)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, crushed (optional, but I do recommend at least 1/2 teaspoon for more depth)

Place the sugar, water, and corn syrup in a small saucepan, stirring to combine. Without stirring, bring to a boil over high heat, swirling the ingredients in the pan occasionally.
Continue boiling until the mixture reaches an amber color, about 10 minutes (although this varies, depending on your stove).

Remove from heat and very carefully (the mixture will quickly expand and sputter) add the cream in a slow steady stream, being sure to stir constantly. Once combined, add the salt and butter and continue stirring until both are completely melted and combined. Cool to room temperature before using.

Cream
2 cups heavy cream
3 to 4 tablespoons (25 to 50 grams) sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, whip the heavy cream and cocoa powder on medium high speed until it starts to thicken.

Reduce speed to low and sprinkle the sugar into the cream. Turn mixer to high and continue whipping until firm peaks form. Stir in vanilla.

Refrigerate until ready to use.

Assemble trifles – Makes 6. Layer the bottom of your trifle dish with whipped cream, cover with a layer of bite sized brownie pieces and some chopped Rolos, drizzle with caramel, and repeat until the bowl is filled and you’ve used all of your ingredients.


Garnish with chopped Rolos, more caramel, and whole Rolos on top.