Sunday, November 22, 2009

Quick and Easy Breadsticks


Description:

Quick and simple buttery bread sticks -- garlic or cinnamon recipe variations included! IT'S VERY IMPORTANT NOT TO KNEAD THESE TOO MUCH!
Yield:

8 servings
Ingredients:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
1 tablespoon oil
3 cups flour (I use part whole wheat, part unbleached)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4-1 cup milk

**See additional notes for ingredients and instructions to make garlic breadsticks or cinnamon breadsticks from this recipe!
Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place butter and oil in 9x13 pan and put in oven so butter melts as the oven heats up. Be careful not to let it burn!

2. Stir dry ingredients together, and gradually add milk, stirring until dough forms and leaves sides of bowl. I don't bother to actually measure out the milk - just add it gradually until there's enough.

3. Knead 5-6 times in bowl; place on floured countertop and roll out into 9x13-inch rectangle.

4. Lay dough in pre-heated 9x13-inch pan, atop the melted butter/oil. Cut into 1/2" strips. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.


Additional Notes:

Variations:

Garlic Breadsticks (shown above)

1 + 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt

Add 1 teaspoon of the garlic powder and 1 tablespoon parsley flakes to the dough. Then, sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the melted butter before placing dough in the pan. Breadsticks may be sprinkled with parmesan cheese before baking.

Cinnamon Breadsticks (shown below)

1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on top of breadsticks before baking. Tastes like cinnamon rolls!


This recipe and photos are by chef Abigail Paul. She credits Maggie's Buttery Bread Sticks as the original recipe inspiration source. http://www.tammysrecipes.com/quick_easy_bread_sticks

Monday, November 16, 2009

Copy Cat Auntie Anne's Pretzels

1 1/2 cup warm water
1 1/8 tsp active dry yeast (1 1/2 pkg)
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/8 tsp salt
1 cup bread flour
3 cups regular flour

2 cups Warm water
2 tbsp baking soda

to taste coarse salt
2 - 4 tbsp butter (melted)

Sprinkle yeast on lukewarm water in mixing bowl; stir to dissolve. Add
sugar, salt and stir to dissolve; add flour and knead dough until smooth
and elastic. Let rise at least 1/2 hour.

While dough is rising, prepare a baking soda water bath with 2 cups warm
water and 2 tbsp baking soda. Be certain to stir often.

After dough has risen, pinch off bits of dough and roll into a long rope*
(about 1/2 inch or less thick) and shape. Dip pretzel in soda solution and
place on greased baking sheet. Allow pretzels to rise again. Bake in 450¡
oven for about 10 minutes or until golden. Brush with melted butter and
enjoy!

Toppings:

after you brush with butter try sprinkling with coarse salt.

or for Auntie Anne's famous Cinnamon Sugar, try melting a stick of butter
in a shallow bowl (big enough to fit the entire pretzel) and in another
shallow bowl make a mixture of cinnamon and suagr. Dip the pretzel into
the butter, coating both sides generously. Then dip again into the
cinnamon mixture. Enjoy!

* The longer and thinner you can make the dough rope, the more like Auntie
Anne's they will be.



I found this recipe online a couple years ago, and of course I forgot to copy and paste the website. So the glory goes out to you unidentified baker! :O)

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Cheesecake Cookie Cups


                    Cheesecake Cookie Cups


   12 pieces Nestle Toll House Refrigerated Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar Dough 
 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
½ cup sweetened condensed milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
 Strawberries, blueberries, or decorative fruit of choice 


 Preheat oven to 325°.  Paper-line 12 muffin cups.  Place one piece of cookie dough in each muffin cup.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until cookie has spread to edge of cup.  Beat cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, egg, and vanilla extract in medium bowl until smooth.  Pour about 3 tablespoons cream cheese mixture over each cookie cup.  Bake for additional 15 to 18 minutes or until set.  Cool completely in pan on wire rack.  Top with fruit of choice.  Refrigerate for 1 hour.Click Here for Nestle website and picture



Piedmont North Carolina Style BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
The above is the recipe on the site, but I looked at a couple others and changed a little to this. I only put a couple dashes of salt, a little less than the amount of crushed red pepper flakes, 1/2 more of brown sugar.....and a big squirt of ketchup.     The recipe as above was just too hot for me. This was SO good one the Cheater Pulled Pork recipe on this blog!  

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, salt, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper flakes and brown sugar. Mix well and allow ingredients to mesh for about 4 to 8 hours before using. Website Here!

Cheater Pulled Pork

Makes 12 to 14 servings
  • One 5- to 6-pound boneless Boston butt pork roast or same weight of boneless country-style pork ribs
  • 1/4 cup Cheater Basic Dry Rub (recipe follows)
  • 1/2 cup bottled smoke
  • Barbecue sauce of your choice
1. Cut the pork butt into medium (2- to 3-inch) chunks (the ribs don't need to be cut up).
2. Put the pieces in a large slow cooker (at least 5 quarts). Sprinkle the meat with the rub, turning the pieces to coat evenly. Add the bottled smoke.
3. Cover and cook on high for 5 to 6 hours or on low for 10 to 12 hours, until the meat is pull-apart tender and reaches an internal temperature of 190 F.
4. Using tongs and a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a rimmed platter or baking sheet. Let rest until cool enough to handle. Pull the meat into strands. It should shred very easily. Serve the barbecue piled on buns with your favorite barbecue sauce.
5. To serve the barbecue later, cover and refrigerate the meat when it has cooled. Pour the meat juice into a separate container and refrigerate. Before reheating the juice, skim and discard the congealed fat layer on the top.
6. To reheat the barbecue, place it in a saucepan moistened with some of the reserved juice. Gently heat the meat on medium-low, stirring occasionally. Or, place it in a covered casserole with some of the reserved juice and heat in a 350 F oven for 20 to 30 minutes.
7. While the meat warms, combine the barbecue sauce and some of the additional reserved meat juice in a saucepan. Heat through and serve with the barbecue.

Dry Rub
Makes about 2/3 cup
  • 1/4 cup paprika
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon dry mustard
1. Combine all the ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake to blend.


 The Website
Recipe given to me by Angela Orme.