Category: Food

Pretzel Perfect

Sadie2 Comments

So I mentioned on my Thanksgiving recap that I would post the soft pretzel recipe I made for an appetizer.  I pinned the recipe for the pretzels when I saw them on Food Gawker a couple months ago, and I knew they would be great for the Thanksgiving crowd at my house.  Let me tell you something.  Re-prioritize your life today and make these now.  Your family and friends will thank you.

I’m still trying to get the hang of dealing with yeast, but this time it worked out for me.  The recipe has a few different steps but each step is pretty easy.  Just remember to budget an hour to let the dough rise.  It was the toughest hour of my day, I was chomping at the bit to get those pretzels in the oven!

Soft Pretzel Bites

Yields about 100 bites depending how big you cute them, recipe from Snixy Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups warm water
  • 2 Tbs light brown sugar
  • 1 packet of active dry yeast
  • 3 oz melted unsalted butter (3/4 of 1 stick)
  • 2 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • Vegetable oil
  • 12 cups water
  • 3/4 cup baking soda
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • Salt for the top of the pretzels (I just used kosher because I couldn’t find pretzel salt in the store)

Method

  1. Put your dough hook on your stand mixer or hand held electric mixer.  Mix together warm water, brown sugar, yeast, and melted butter.  Let stand for 5 minutes.
  2. Add salt and flour and mix until dough starts pulling away from the bowl. About 3-4 minutes.  Turn out on a floured surface and knead with your hands into a ball.
  3. Coat a bowl with Vegetable oil, place dough in bowl, and turn over to make sure it is coated with oil.  Cover the bowl with a clean dish towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rise for about an hour.  It should double in size.
  4. Preheat oven to 425.
  5. Bring a the 12 cups of water to a boil and add the baking soda.  Divide dough into 8 portions.  Roll the portions into long skinny strips and slice into small nuggets.  They will puff when you boil them so you can be conservative when you cut them.
  6. Drop the nuggets about 15 at a time in the boiling water for about 30 seconds.  Push them a little to make sure they get wet on all sides.  After 30 seconds pull them out with a slotted spoon or strainer.
  7. Put the boiled nuggets on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Brush them with egg wash and sprinkle them with salt.  Pop them in the oven for 10-15 minutes until they are a medium brown.  Careful they don’t burn on the bottom!
  8. Grab some mustard and enjoy!

Thanksgiving Recap

Sadie3 Comments

Well, another Thanksgiving has come and gone, and this one was pretty successful.  The menu looked something like this:

Appetizers:

  • Veggies and dip
  • Crackers with Blue Cheese Spread*
  • Soft Pretzel Bites and mustard (recipe to come)*

Dinner:

  • Turkey
  • Gravy
  • Mashed Potatoes
  • Stuffing
  • Spicy Sweet Potatoes Au Gratin
  • Green Beans with Caramelized Onions and Almonds*
  • Steamed Broccoli*
  • Roasted Brussel Sprouts
  • Mixed Greens Salad
  • Cranberry Sauce*
  • Sweet Potato Biscuits
  • Squash rolls
  • Crescent Rolls (as in Pillsbury)

Dessert (all home made):

  • Pecan Pie
  • Pumpkin Pie
  • Apple Pie
  • Maple Walnut Ice Cream
  • Miso Ice Cream

* This means I made it by myself.  My mom made the rest with assistance from me, and my brothers.

My Favorite Part:

 

What was your favorite dish at the Thanksgiving feast?

Mine were the squash rolls (doughy and fabulous), and the pecan pie which was a new addition for us this year!

Pumpkin + Protein = Perfect

Sadie1 Comment

Are you tired of pumpkin yet?  I’m not.  I found a great pumpkin granola bar recipe, and I needed to try it.  It was one of those recipes that I searched for on a couple sites, and they pretty much all brought me back to same recipe.  I took that as a sign that this recipe is a good one.  I like the recipe because it doesn’t have flour, eggs, or butter.  Instead, just applesauce.  The only thing I thought could make the recipe better would be protein powder.  So I added some.

I added a “scoop” which is about 25g, so it only really added a few grams of protein to each bar.  I was surprised, however, that the protein powder had a negligible affect on the taste and texture of the final product.  Score!

Pumpkin Protein Granola Bars

Yields about 9 bars (one 8 x 8 square pan) adapted from Sweet Pea’s Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 3 cups old fashioned oats
  • 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/4 cup applesauce
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 350. Cover an 8 x 8 square pan with parchment and/or nonstick spray.
  2. Combine oats, spices, protein powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside while you combine the brown sugar, applesauce, honey, pumpkin, and vanilla in different bowl.
  3. Pour the wet mixture over the dry and stir well to combine.  Add the cranberries, chocolate chips, and pecans.  Make sure the ingredients are well distributed.
  4. Pour batter into the prepared pan.  Bake 30-35 minutes.  Allow to cool and enjoy!
    Packed up and ready for an adventure!