Farmhouse Bread

This is supposed to be called "Farmhouse White Bread" but I used a cup of whole wheat flour, so it was no longer white.  This bread is tasty and easy to make.  I accidentally forgot the oil in this, and it tasted fine, but the top looked all wierd and funky and pockmarked because of it.  I bet it would have been beautiful otherwise.  That's why there is no picture of the whole loaf, lol!  I will have to try it again sometime and include the oil.  The family loved this, of course.

Farmhouse Bread
adapted from Home Cooking with Sonya

1 cup cold buttermilk
2 Tablespoons honey
2-1/4 teaspoon dry yeast
1 egg
2 Tabelspoons canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
3-4 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon cornmeal
2 Tablespoons milk

1.  In a large bowl,combine cold buttermilk,honey,and yeast. Stir to dissolve and let stand until foamy,about 30 minutes.

2.  Add egg,1 cup flour,and salt;stir to combine. Add enough remaining flour to create a frm dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead 8-10 minutes (can use Kitchenaid). Shape dough into a ball and place in a large bowl that has a tiny amount of oil in the bottom. Place the ball on the oil and turn to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm draft free spot until doubled in volume, about 3 hours.

3.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; dust with cornmeal. Turn risen dough onto a floured surface and shape into a smooth,round ball. Place onto prepared pan and cover loosely with plastic wrap that has been lightly sprayed with nonstick spray (you dont want the plastic wrap sticking to your dough!),set aside and let it rest for 30 minutes. Meanwhile preaheat oven to 375 or 190 celcius. Place an oven proof pan on the very bottom of the shelf to use as a steam bath later on.

4.  Take the plastic wrap off of bread and brush milk lightly over the loaf. Using a serrated knife or xacto knife,slash a a design into the top of the dough,about 1 inch deep.  Place bread into the oven and then quickly pour some water into the pan on the bottom..quickly close the door so that you don't lose any of the steam. The stream will create a wonderful artisan crusty top on your bread while keeping the inside moist.

5.  Bake until golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped on the bottom,about 30-40 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cool completely before eating.

Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

I'm not sure if anyone is still getting garden tomatoes, but this is an awesome way to use them up.  They taste like sun-dried tomatoes, but way better.  You can use any size tomato with this recipe, and it uses a lot up at once.  I bought some tomatoes at the organic farm here that were the size of really big cherry tomatoes.  You roast them and they shrivel down to less than half their size.  They are roasted with garlic, herbs, and olive oil.  After roasting, they taste amazing!!  I left mine in the oven a few minutes too long, so some of the edges blackened a bit, but they still taste amazing- not burnt at all.  But be more careful than me if you make these! 

I cut the recipe in half because my oven is so small, and has only one rack- I can only fit one pan in at a time.  But if you have more space, make two pans- you are supposed to be able to freeze these quite well.  These are so good- when they came out of the oven, I ate about 1/3 of the pan just standing there.  I actually made myself sick eating so many!

Before baking.

Thanks to some cooking friends for introducing this recipe to me- I got the idea of eating these with whole grain tortilla chips and goat cheese from this friend.  Such a good combo!  We brought the chips back with us from the States, and the goat cheese in the pic is just a log of plain goat cheese.  Spread the goat cheese on the chip (or you can use a cracker) and top with one of the tomatoes.  So good!

Slow-Roasted Tomatoes
adapted from Fine Cooking and some Cooking Friends :)
half-recipe

1 Tbs. plus 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (use to taste- I never use that much)
2-3 lb. tomatoes, stemmed but not cored (I use cherry tomatoes)
Kosher salt
Granulated sugar
Scant 1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
2 to 3 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
2 tsp. fresh or dried thyme leaves

1.  Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12x17-inch rimmed baking sheet or a 9x12-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  Coat the pan with 1 Tbs. of the olive oil.

2.  Cut the tomatoes in half through the equator (not through the stem). Arrange the halves, cut side up, on the baking sheet, turning to coat their bottoms with some of the oil. Sprinkle a pinch each of salt and sugar over each half, and drizzle each with a few drops of balsamic vinegar. Arrange the garlic over the halves and top with a generous sprinkling of thyme. Pour the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil over and around the tomato halves.

3.  Roast in the center of the oven until the tomatoes are concentrated, dark reddish brown (with deep browning around the edges and in places on the pan) and quite collapsed (at least half their original height; they will collapse more as they cool).  For smaller tomatoes, 1.5 to 2 hours, about 3 hours for bigger, very ripe, fleshy tomatoes, about 4 hours for tomatoes that are less ripe or that have a high ­water content. Let cool for at least 10 to 15 minutes and then serve warm or at room temperature. Be sure to reserve the tomato oil (keep refrigerated for up to a week) to use on its own or in a vinaigrette.
*To store the tomatoes, refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for up to a couple of months. They’ll continue to ­release juice during storage.

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Bite-Sized Greek Salad

 I took these fun appetizers to a party a little bit ago.  I didn't have time to make the "dressing" that was supposed to be added right before serving, and they were good, but not as good as they could have been.  I made a few for myself later, but this time, I used chunks of marinated (in oil) feta and the flavor was so much better!  I loved them.  I can buy jars of marinated feta here; if you cannot get it, you can make your own with olive oil, herbs, and chunks of feta.

While using the plain feta, I had a hard time with the chunks breaking when I tried to skewer them.  The marinated ones didn't break as easily, for some reason.  I could not get tiny baby tomatoes when I made these, so I just halved larger grape tomatoes.  I also halved slices of English cucumber, because again, I could not find mini cukes here.  :)

Bite-Sized Greek Salad
adapted from Cooking with my Kid

small tomatoes
cucumber slices
Kalamata olives, pitted
marinated feta cubes

1.  If tomatoes are too big, cut them in half.  Do the same with cuke slices.  Using toothpicks, skewer the ingredients in order desired.  I chose to to do: tomato, cucumber, olive, marinated cheese.  Serve.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

This was soooooo good!!!  I had been wanting to make it forever, but I thought my ice cream maker was broken.  It turned out it wasn't (maybe just tired?) so I made it as soon as I could after we got back from our vacation.  It is pretty simple to make, too, no cooking eggs or anything, just a simple, straight-forward recipe.  It even calls for half-and-half instead of heavy cream.  You freeze little dollops of peanut butter to mix into the ice cream after it's churned.  This is just so good.  Make it if you love chocolate and peanut butter.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
adapted from David Lebovitz via Home Cooking with Sonya

2 cups (500ml) half-and-half
1/4 cup (25g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
pinch salt
1/2 cup (130g) smooth peanut butter

1.  Whisk together the half-and-half, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in a large saucepan.  Heat mixture, whisking frequently, until it comes to a full, rolling boil.  It will start to foam.  Remove from heat and whisk in the peanut butter, stirring until thoroughly blended.

2.  Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. 

Peanut Butter Patties:
6 Tablespoons Peanut Butter, smooth or crunch
2 Tablespoons powdered sugar

1.  Mix together the peanut butter and sugar in a small bowl.  Line a dinner plate with wax paper.  Pinch off small pieces of the peanut butter mixture, about 1/2 teaspoon each, and drop them onto the dinner plate.  Once you've used all of the mix, place the plate in the freezer to freeze the patties. 

2.  Fold the peanut butter patties into the ice cream as you remove it from the machine.

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Torta de Amêndoa- Portuguese Almond Tart

 A few months ago, on a whim, I stopped by a local bakery after dropping the kids off at school.  I had been here once before, right after moving here a few years ago, but the lady was a little gruff with me, and I never went back because of that.  I know that's kinda weird, but I was in a new country and was offended about it back then.  Well, I gave it another chance, and that lady had been replaced by a jovial, kind man who answered all of my questions about the pastries. Plus, I spotted slices of this delicious-looking almond tart there.  It was funny- I asked "What is that?" about this tart, and he said "That is a peanut tart."  "Oh", I said, "They look like almonds!"  "No," he said, "This is a peanut tart!"  I said Ok and asked for a slice to go.  Sure enough, upon further inspection (meaning, I ate it), I knew this was definitely an almond, not a peanut tart.  :) 

I loved it!!  It was so good.  I was going to save it for later but I ended up eating the whole thing as soon as I got home.  Right away, I started looking for recipe online to duplicate it.  I found a few and then narrowed it down to the one that looked perfect.  I bookmarked it, and last Saturday, made it to take to a friend's street bullfight. I'm so glad I finally made it- it was SO good and just like the one from the bakery.  A cookie-like crust is covered with a sweet, buttery, almond mixture and then baked just until the top starts to brown. 

I used my homemade vanilla sugar for all of the sugar in this recipe.  I also used my food processor for the dough, but you can mix in a mixer.  My dough all melted into one level in the oven, (after the 1st bake) but I just kinda squished the still-hot dough up the sides of the tart pan with a spoon as soon as it came out of the oven. 

Torta de Amêndoa- Portuguese Almond Tart
adapted from Eating Portuguese

DOUGH:
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, cold and diced
1/2 cup super fine sugar or regular sugar
1 egg beaten
1 cup all purpose flour
pinch of baking soda

TOPPING:
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 -4 tbsp milk (I used almond milk)
1 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup sugar (I used vanilla sugar)
1/2 cup almond flour

1.  Crust:  Preheat oven to 375F and pre-butter a tart pan with a removable bottom.  (Or another tart pan.)  Cream the butter with the sugar; then gradually beat in the egg.  (I used my food processor for this.)  Sift flour and baking soda over the mixture and lightly fold the flour by hand into the butter mixture.  Place the dough on the tart pan and spread it out, and up the sides of the pan.  Make sure dough is level.  Put it in the oven and bake it for 8-15 minutes.  When it is springy or spongy to the touch in the center and lightly golden brown, it is done; watch it carefully.  Pull it out if the oven and put it aside.

2.  Topping:  While dough is baking, melt the butter on low flame in a medium sauce pan.  Stir in sugar, almond, almond extract, vanilla, milk and almond flour.  Keep cooking over low heat, stirring constantly.  Once the mixture comes together, stir for 5 - 8 minutes or until it bubbles and thickens slightly.

3.  Spread the topping over the crust and put it back in the oven for another 8 - 12 minutes, until golden brown.  Do not let it brown too much. 

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Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Sage

Happy first day of Fall!!  This soup is a perfect way to bring in Fall.  You roast a butternut squash half (or a whole one, cut in half, if desired!) and then puree it into an easy, flavorful, and savory soup.  I really, really liked this.  A lot more than I thought I would.  So did my husband, and my daughter and baby loved it as well!!  At the local organic farm market last weekend, I bought a half of a butternut squash, and a large bunch of fresh sage.  Both went into this soup, and the flavors were amazing.  The top little garnish is a fresh sage leaf cooked in some butter.

The original recipe called for boiling the squash, but that takes so much longer, because you have to peel and cut the raw squash up.  Cutting and peeling a raw squash is hard and tiresome!  So I roasted the whole thing instead, which brings out more flavor, as well.  It was really a win-win.  :)  Just plan for 30-45 minutes of roasting time, or until the flesh is soft.  You leave the skin on, too, and then just scoop out the cooked flesh afterward.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Sage
adapted from Melissa's

1 small butternut squash or 1 medium or large half of a butternut squash, halved and seeded
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup onion (about 3/4 medium onion) chopped
1 pinch kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 sprigs thyme; leaves only (OR 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
4-6 fresh sage leaves thinly sliced 
1/4-1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt, or to taste
3 1/2 cups Chicken Broth

1 teaspoon full fat Greek yogurt or sour cream 

Garnish:  butter & fresh sage leaves

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Place a sheet of foil on a baking sheet with sides.  Lightly grease the foil.  If you have a whole squash, cut in half long-wise and remove as many seeds as you can easily remove.  Place both halves, cut side down, on baking sheet and cover loosely with another sheet of foil.  If you are just working with one squash half, do the same.  Roast for 30-60 minutes, or until flesh is tender and gives when pierced with a fork.  Remove from oven, and allow to cool.  Scoop out flesh and use in the recipe.  Leave the skin behind; discard the skin.  You can do this a few hours (or a day!) ahead of time; just scoop cooked flesh out and cover; refrigerate.

2.  In a large soup pot, add butter and heat on medium heat until sizzling.  Add onion, kosher salt, black pepper and thyme and sauté onions until tender. Reduce heat to low and add fresh sage. Sauté mixture for 2 minutes.

3.  Fold cooked squash into onion mixture and heat for 1 minute. Stir in chicken broth and heat until warm. Using an immersion blender, puree soup until smooth.  You can use a regular blender, but only fill it about 1/3 full, vent the lid, and place a kitchen towel over the hole. 

4.  Stir in Greek yogurt or sour cream until smooth.  Return squash to pot (or place pot back on the heat) and heat through. Do not boil-the herbs will lose their brilliant green color and turn brown. Remove pot from heat and cover.

5.  For garnish- Add 1 tablespoon butter to an 8-inch sauté pan and heat on medium-low heat until hot. Fry the sprigs of sage until crisp and drain on paper towels.  Pour warm soup into bowls and top each bowl with a sprig of fried sage. Serve immediately.

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Roasted Nectarines with Vanilla & Cardamom

I saw the link to this recipe on the sidebar of a friend's blog, and knew I had to make it very soon!  For two reasons: it looked delicious, and nectarine season is just about over.  So I whipped these up the other night, and they exceeded my expectations!  The juices almost turn caramel-y, and the flavors of fruit, cardamom and vanilla mixed with the sweet ice cream is to die for.

This is so easy, too.  If you love nectarines and cardamom and vanilla, make this!  Today is the last day of summer; this recipe is appropriate because the flavors taste like a blend of summer and fall.

Roasted Nectarines with Vanilla & Cardamom
adapted from Simply Scratch
easily cut in half

4 Ripe Nectarines
1/4 cup Vanilla Sugar* {can be substituted with regular sugar or honey}
1/2 teaspoon Ground Cardamom
1/8 teaspoon Fresh Nutmeg, grated
1/4 cup Orange Juice
3/4 teaspoon Real Vanilla Extract
1 tablespoon Butter
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Cut the nectarines in half like you would an avocado, starting at the stem and circle around. Remove the pits and any remaining stem, discard and then add place the nectarines, cut side up, in an oven-safe dish.

2.  Combine the vanilla sugar, cardamom and nutmeg in a small bowl, set aside.  Add the 3/4 teaspoon of vanilla to the orange juice and stir.  Pour the vanilla orange juice over top of the halved nectarines.  Sprinkle with the cardamom sugar.

3.  Place the nectarines into your preheated oven and roast for 10 minutes.  Remove and dot each nectarine with a little piece of butter. Return the nectarines back to the oven and roast for 10 more minutes.  Remove and let cool for a few minutes and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzle a little (or a lot) of the glaze over top.

*Note- to make vanilla sugar, combine new or used vanilla beans with white sugar; shake, and store in an airtight container.  I've had mine going for a few years.

Vanilla Sugar

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Fruit (Nectarine) Coffee Cake

This summer, I was lucky enough to eat this coffee cake at a friend's home.  She makes some of the best food, and shared some recipes with me.  I loved this one so much- for some reason though, it tasted a lot better when she made it.  ;)  But it was very good when I tried it, too.  She used peaches, and I could only find nectarines here when I made it, so I used those (peeled) and they worked out perfectly. 

I can still get good nectarines here once in a while, but I think their season is coming to an end.  I wanted to put this recipe up before the very end of the peach/nectarine season, but you can use other fruits for this (listed in recipe, below), and even frozen fruit should work!

Fruit (Nectarine) Coffee Cake
from BHG, via C.M.

1 1/2 - 2 cups peeled, pitted and sliced nectarines, apricots or peaches; chopped, peeled apples or pineapple; or blueberries or red raspberries

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup butter

1 beaten egg

1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk*

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons butter

1.  For filling, in a medium saucepan combine fruit and water. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, (do not simmer raspberries) covered, about 5 minutes or until fruit is tender. Combine the 1/4 cup sugar and cornstarch; stir into fruit. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more; set filling aside.

2. In a medium bowl combine the 1-1/2 cups flour, the 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Cut in 1/4 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture; set aside.

 

3. In another bowl combine egg, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Using a wooden spoon, stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Spread half of the batter into an ungreased 8x8x2-inch baking pan. Spread filling over batter. Drop remaining batter in small mounds over filling.

 

4. In a small bowl stir together the 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup sugar. Cut in the 2 tablespoons butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over coffee cake. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden. Serve warm. Makes 9 servings.

 

*To sour milk for a buttermilk baking sub, place 1/2 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice in a 1/2 cup measure; fill the rest of the measuring cup with milk.  Let stand 5-10 minutes before using.

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Nacho Cheese Dip- No Velveeta!

After having the Queso Blanco a while ago, my daughter really wanted me to make cheese dip again, but this time with yellow cheese.  I made basically the same recipe as that one, but changed the cheese around and omitted the cumin.  Instead I used some smoked paprika.  This was delicious!  I love this recipe- it's so easy, just like making a cheese sauce for homemade mac & cheese.  And you don't have to use Velveeta!  (Although, someone brought some Velveeta dip to a recent get-together for my husband's work and I downed that with no problem!)

The fam loved this; there were no leftovers.  I used extra sharp cheddar and pepper jack cheese.

Nacho Cheese Dip
adapted from this recipe
Serves 4-6

2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup white flour
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. chili powder
4 oz. canned chopped green chiles, drained
2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded, deveined, and finely chopped OR similar amount pickled jalapenos
4 oz. monterey jack cheese, shredded
8 oz. sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
salt to taste
fresh ground pepper to taste
Tortilla chips, for dipping

1. In a 2 quart sauce pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about a minute.  Add the flour and stir with a whisk to blend it together. Turn the heat up just a little bit so that you can see the flour/butter mixture slightly bubbling. Stir constantly for 1 minute. Now add a little milk while continuing to stir with the whisk. Add the rest of the milk and turn the heat up to medium. Continue to whisk for about 5 to 10 minutes. You will notice the sauce thickening.

2. Turn the heat down just a little and add the smoked paprika, chili powder, the green chiles, and the jalapenos. Stir until well mixed and hot. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and stir.
 
3. Turn off the heat and add the shredded cheese, one handful at a time. Stir each handful in with the whisk until melted. Keep adding handfuls and stirring until all the cheese is mixed in and creamy. Serve immediately.

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Salted Caramel Browned Butter Cookies

These were delicious!!  The nutty flavor of browned butter combined with the salted caramel flavor is just wonderful.  Don't skip the sea salt on these- I tried one without and the flavor wasn't nearly as good as with the salt.  If you don't have any kind of sea salt (it doesn't have to be fancy!), try kosher salt, but I wouldn't use plain table salt to top these, as that flavor can be too harsh. 

My butter wouldn't brown at first; it was just sizzling away without changing color.  I figured maybe there was too much butter to brown, so I poured some out, and the remaining butter seemed to brown almost instantly.  Then I just mixed all of the butter together and it was perfect. 

For the frosting, I used part Smucker's caramel ice cream topping, part squeezable Dulce de Leche.

Salted Caramel Browned Butter Cookies
adapted from Cooking Classy

1 cup salted butter, diced into cubes
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tablespoons granulated sugar, for rolling cookies

1.  Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook just until butter has browned, swirling occasionally (butter will go through stages- it will melt, then splatter a bit, then foam and golden bubbles will begin to appear in the center on the surface with little brown specs - this is when you want to remove it; don't burn it). Pour butter (and scrape out all of the browned butter with a rubber spatula) into a heat proof bowl. Allow butter to cool until just warm to the touch, about 20 - 25 minutes.

2.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside. Add cooled butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and light-brown sugar to an electric stand mixer and mix until well blended. Add in egg, egg yolk and vanilla and mix until combine. Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix just until combined.

3.  Place 2 Tbs. sugar in a small bowl.  Scoop dough out 1 1/2 Tbsp at a time and form into balls; roll balls in sugar to evenly coat. Place sugar coated dough balls onto a Silpat lined or greased baking sheet. Using the bottom of a flat measuring cup or drinking glass gently flatten each ball to 1/2 inch, then bake in preheated oven 8-11 minutes.

4.  Allow to cool several minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Cool completely then frost each cookie with Salted Caramel Frosting (recipe below) and sprinkle each cookie evenly with a small pinch of sea salt immediately following (so the salt sticks before frosting sets). Store cookies in a single layer in an airtight container.

Salted Caramel Frosting

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp caramel sauce, caramel ice cream topping, or squeezable Dulce de Leche
1/4 cup salted butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
pinch sea salt
about 3/4 tsp coarse sea salt

1.  In a large mixing bowl, using and electric hand mixer on low speed, whip together caramel sauce, butter, vanilla and pinch salt until pale and smooth; about 1 minute.  Add in powdered sugar and mix until well blended and smooth.  Frost cooled cookies.  Use coarse sea salt to sprinkle over frosted cookies.

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Mini Hot Ham & Cheese Sandwiches (Sliders)

I loooooved these.  So did most of the fam.  I think I've made them before, over 5 years ago, but I couldn't find the recipe and I didn't take pics (gasp!) so I couldn't remember for sure.  I bought the ingredients I thought I used, though, and after a quick search, settled on this recipe.  I decided to cut the butter in half (from 1/2 cup to 1/4 cup) and think that was a wise move- they still tasted fantastic with a lot less calories.  I'm so glad I can get King's Hawaiian Rolls over here- they are awesome in this recipe.   The sweet roll, combined with the ham, swiss cheese, and buttery topping are just soooo good!  We had these with homemade tomato soup and fruit, I think.  It's been a week, and my memory has been crap lately.  :)

Mini Hot Ham & Cheese Sandwiches
adapted from Buns in My Oven

1 (12 count) package Kings Hawaiian Rolls

12 slices swiss cheese

12 thin slices ham

1/4 cup butter melted

1 tsp spicy brown mustard

1/2 tsp poppy seeds (optional)

1 tsp onion flakes (or 1/2 tsp onion powder)

1 tbsp worchestire sauce

1.  Slice all of the rolls in half and place the bottom halves in a 9x13 baking dish.

2.  Place ham and cheese on the bottom of the sliced rolls. Cover with the top half of roll.  Mix together the remaining five ingredients in a small bowl (or just the saucepan you used to melt butter) and spoon over the tops of the sandwiches. 

3.  Let sit overnight or a couple of hours.  (I only had 30 minutes to spare for this part- worked great.)

4.  Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until warmed through and the cheese is gooey and melty.

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Chocolate-Raspberry Ice Cream

This ice cream is seriously delicious, creamy, easy, and attainable!! :)  Just four ingredients- cream, sugar, cocoa powder, and frozen raspberries!  You could probably use fresh raspberries, but I wouldn't, because the frozen are just delicious in this.  Save those fresh ones for eating out of hand or topping yogurt and granola!  ;) 

I did not want a dark chocolate flavor, like the original recipe, so I cut the cocoa powder down to 4 tablespoons instead of five.  The result is a less intense chocolaty taste, and the beautiful color you see in the photos- I love it!  You can taste both the chocolate and raspberry equally well in this.  Now I need to try my hand at White Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream!

Chocolate-Raspberry Ice Cream
adapted from David Lebovitz via Pennies on a Platter

1 1/2 cups whipping cream
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 cup sugar
2 cups raspberries, frozen (or fresh)

1.  In a large, heavy saucepan, over medium-high heat, whisk together the whipping cream, cocoa powder, and sugar. Whisk frequently and heat until it comes to a full, rolling boil and starts to foam. Remove from the heat and stir in the raspberries. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes.

2.  Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and purée. Press through a mesh strainer over a mixing bowl to remove the seeds.

3.  Chill overnight in the fridge and then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

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DIY Finger Paint & Crayons

We had fun making these easy projects.  The fingerpaint is best used up the day you make it; a few days after we used some of the paint, mold started growing in the sealed jars!!  Oops.  So we had to toss it after that, but it should be good for a little bit before that happens.  I like the fingerpaint becuase it doesn't have the yucky store-bought fingerpaint smell.  And, if little kids accidentally eat some, it's ok!

The crayons were fun- I took all the broken crayons out of the crayon box and the kids took the wrappers off; then they all helped me fill my mini muffin tin with similar colors.  You have to use a little cooking spray so these can come out easily, and it doesn't make the resulting crayons greasy at all.  Only use good-quality crayons (like Crayola) or they don't really turn out very well. 

DIY Crayons
adapted from Suenos Encantados

old broken Crayola crayons :)

1.  Pre-heat the oven to 250 degrees.  Place pieces of different colors of crayons in a mini cupcake mold (don´t forget to spray the mold with vegetable oil).  Place the mold in the oven and let it melt for about 10 minutes; they melt very fast, so watch them.

2.  Remove from the oven and let them cool completely before giving them to the kids

DIY Fingerpaint
adapted from here

3 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup corn starch
2 cups water

1.  Combine ingredients in saucepan over medium heat until mixture thickens, constantly stirring.  Pour into individual jars (clean baby food jars work well).  Use food coloring to create desired colors; let cool. 

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Pretzel Rolls

Making these pretzel rolls was so fun and easy.  I didn't cut the top criss-cross cut deep enough, so you can't really see that, but have a look at the original recipe for what they should look like, lol!  This is a small-ish recipe and only makes 8 to 10 rolls, so I would definitely double it next time!  The kids were sad they didn't get more. 

You boil these in water and baking soda after rising, which makes me nervous, because that requires moving fully-raised rolls and risking them deflating.  They did deflate a tiny bit around the edges, but as soon as they hit the boiling water, they started expanding again, and then they get a little bigger in the oven, as well.  I greased my parchment paper for extra insurance, lol!  (To prevent them sticking and then deflating).  We had these with smoked salmon chowder.  I want to make them again and make sandwiches using German mustard, Black Forest ham, and Swiss cheese.  So excited about the possibilities!  :)

Pretzel Rolls
adapted from Pennies on a Platter
Makes 8-10 Dinner Rolls

3/4 cup water

1 teaspoon instant yeast
2 1/4 cup flour
2 Tablespoons butter, melted then cooled to room temperature
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup baking soda

1 egg, beaten
Kosher or pretzel salt to top rolls

1.  In a large mixing bowl (or bowl of your stand mixer), combine the water, yeast, flour, butter, sugar and salt.  If using a stand mixer, use the dough hook attachment to mix the ingredients, then knead at medium-high speed for 1 minutes.  (This will help develop some gluten.) If not using a stand mixer, you can also do this by hand or with a hand mixer fitted with the dough hooks.  Shape the dough into a ball and place it back into the mixing bowl (grease the bowl first).  Cover with clean kitchen towel and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

2.  Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface.  Separate into 8 to 10 equal portions to making dinner-sized rolls.  Form into balls by pulling the sides to the center and pinching to seal.  Place the formed rolls, seam side down, onto a parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet.  Cover with the towel and allow to rise again for 30 minutes.

3.  Heat the oven to 425F degrees. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large sauce pan, then add 1/4 cup of baking soda. Boil each roll for 1 minute, flipping over halfway (can do two at a time). Place the boiled rolls back onto the lined baking sheet, seam side down. Brush the tops with beaten egg, then lightly sprinkle with salt. Slice a shallow "X" into the top of each roll, then bake for 15 to 20 minutes. (You will need a super sharp knife to cut the "X".)

4.  Serve warm or at room temperature. You can also freeze for later use in a freezer bag once cooled to room temperature. Microwave for 30 seconds to thaw. (If not consuming the same day they are baked, freeze right away to preserve freshness.)

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Strawberry-Raspberry Freezer Jam

I tried a new-to-me pectin; this Ball Instant Pectin, the other day, to make this jam.  (Pictured below).   I was able to order it online, but I saw it in some stores in the States, too, this summer (um... Walmart....).  I think it was cheaper in the stores, too.  I'm just happy to get it at all!  It uses a lot less sugar than some other kinds.  And you don't have to heat up anything at all to make this; just mix sugar, pectin, and chopped fruit, and you're pretty much done!  I used frozen raspberries for this recipe, and loved how it turned out.  I let them thaw in the fridge first, and used all the juices and everything.  I'm so happy to know I can use frozen raspberries for jam!! 

I doubled the batch, according to the package directions (apparently it's ok to double batches using this pectin, but don't increase it any more than that).  I had wanted to use half raspberries, half strawberries, but to my my dismay, one 12-oz package of frozen raspberries only equalled about exactly one up, after thawing and mashing.  So I guess I should buy more next time! 

Anyway, I'll post the regular batch (NOT double, like I did) recipe below.

Strawberry-Raspberry Freezer Jam
adapted from Ball Pectin

1 cup strawberries, hulled and crushed*
2/3 cup raspberries, crushed**
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons Ball Instant Pectin

1.  Stir sugar and pectin together in a large bowl.  Add prepared fruit; stir 3 minutes.  Ladle jam into clean freezer jars or containers.  Let stand for 30 minutes; enjoy.

2.  Store in fridge for a few weeks.  If not using right away, store in freezer.  This recipe doubles very easily.
*Fruit is measured after being chopped/crushed.  Measure very precisely.
**Frozen raspberries may be used.  Thaw (in fridge) and do not drain before using.  I have not tried frozen strawberries, but those may work as well!

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Lebanese Seven Spice Mix

I've been meaning to post this "recipe" for a while; ever since making this Pasta dish a few months ago.  This is also good on hand to have for other Lebanese recipes.  I cannot buy 7-spice locally.  I could order it online, but I made it with spices I already had on hand.  I did have to buy Fenugreek online to make this, but figured I would be using it (hopefully!) in some other ethnic dishes.  The website I got this from also states that this can be used as an Egyptian spice.

The first photo is beef cubes and red onion grilling on skewers, brushed with fresh lemon juice and sprinkled with 7-spice.  Then we ate the meat & onions in some Trader Joe's Middle-Eastern Flatbreads (brought back in our suitcase) with feta, tomato, Kalamata olives, and lettuce.  I wanted some plain yogurt to add on, but my store was out.  These were sooo good!

Mix this up to have on hand when the fancy strikes to make some Lebanese food.  I love Lebanese food- it's so good!!  I can't decide whether I like Lebanese, Indian, or Greek food more.  :) 

Lebanese Seven Spice Mix
adapted from HowToExpo

1/2 teaspoon ground Allspice

1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground Cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground Fenugreek

1/2 teaspoon powdered Ginger

1.  Mix up all spices together and store in a spice container.  :)  Alternatively, you may use whole spices and grind them in a spice grinder. 

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Stove-Top Croutons

I made this recipe forever ago and found it in an old picture folder, so it's time I put it on here!  This recipe comes from The Turkish Cookbook.  The recipe was actually attached to a corn soup recipe, pictured above, but we really didn't like the soup very much- it was like a thick, salty porridge.  However, the croutons were delicious!!!  I used a few-days-old, rock hard Portuguese bread and they were still amazing.  You just sautee them on the stove in some oil (and some butter, maybe... can't remember!) and use your choice of spices and seasonings.  I used garlic powder and smoked paprika. 

Stove-Top Croutons
adapted from The Turkish Cookbook

1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 tablespoons butter
6 large, thick slices day-old bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (Italian, French, Portuguese, etc)
spices and seasonings, like sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, red pepper, smoked paprika, etc.

1.  Melt oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add bread cubes and cook, stirring frequently, until browned on all sides.  Sprinkle with spices and or seasonings, to taste.  Serve with soup or salad. 

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Toffee Bars (Bar Cookies)

These were delicious and so easy, too.  I actually made them quite a while ago.  I'm trying to get all caught up with blogging everything.  I made these for a friend who was home bound for a while.  I'm glad I tried them; they are from my old Betty Crocker cookbook.  It's my oldest cookbook; purchased in 2000!  ;)

Toffee Bars
adapted from Betty Crocker

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg yolk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional

1.  Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix butter, brown sugar, vanilla and egg yolk. Stir in flour and salt. Press into pan.

2.  Bake 20 to 30 minutes or until very light brown (crust will be soft). Immediately sprinkle chocolate chips on hot crust. Let stand about 5 minutes or until chocolate is soft; spread evenly. Sprinkle with nuts.

3.  Cool 30 minutes in pan on cooling rack. For bars, cut into 8 rows by 4 rows.

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