Soft Pretzels

This was so fun to make with my kids!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-soft-pretzels-recipe/index.html

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for pan
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt

Directions

Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Summer Frozen Fruit Cocktail

At the same activity they made this yummy frozen fruit treat. The said it tastes really good in the winter time when summer fruit isn't available.

12 oz. can frozen orange juice reconstituted
1-2 cans pineapple tidbits with juice
2 mangoes, cubed
2 cantaloupe, in small pieces or balled
1 bunch seedless grapes
1 bunch Bing cherries
1 pint fresh or frozen blueberries
Watermelon, cubed or balled
Fresh sliced peaches

Mix thoroughly with orange juice. Ladle into freezer containers making sure to leave 1/2 to 3/4 inch head space to allow freezing expansion. Serve partially frozen in cups as is.

Double Apples Breakfast Sauce

1 cup apple sauce
1 cup apple juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
dash of salt 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. cloves

Combine all ingredients and cook over medium heat 10 minutes or until thick and syrupy. (Stir continually to prevent scorching.)

Appletts (Apple Candy)

They mad these at an activity in Relief Society about preserving food. These were good. Enjoy!

2 Tablespoons unflavored gelatin
1/2 Cup apple sauce (cold)
3/4 Cup apple sauce
1 cup sugar
1 cup broken walnuts
1 Tablespoon vanilla
powdered sugar for coating

Soak gelatin in cold applesauce for 10 minutes. Combine 3/4 cup applesauce with sugar and boil for 10 minutes. Add gelatin and applesauce mixture and boil about five to seven minutes more stirring so as not to burn. Remove from heat and add walnuts and vanilla. Pour into slightly greased 4"x8" pan. Set in refrigerator to cool, cut into squares and roll in powdered sugar. Keeps well in a cool place.

Cheesy Kale Chips

My whole family loved these. I couldn't believe how E loved them too. I finally found a way to get toddlers to eats greens!

http://prideandvegudice.com/2011/06/12/cheesy-kale-chips/

(Makes: It doesn’t matter because you’ll eat them all in one day anyways)

1 bunch curly kale
1 cup cashews (soaked for a couple hours)
1 red bell pepper, deseeded
Juice of half a lemon (2 tablespoons)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)

Remove the toughest parts of the kale stems (save them for a green smoothie, green juice, or add them to a stir-fry!), and tear the leaves into bite-size pieces.

Whenever I’m working with leafy greens – especially for this recipe, where I want the pieces of kale to be as dry as possible so that the coating will stick as well as possible – I find it easier to cut or rip up the leaves first, and wash them afterward by submerging them in a bowl of water. Then I swish them around with my hands a little so any debris can float to the top, drain them, and dry them in a salad spinner!

Place kale pieces in a large bowl (you want enough room so that you can mix the coating in later without having to deal with leaves falling out of the bowl!)

To make the cheesy coating: combine soaked cashews, bell pepper, lemon juice, nutritional yeast (nooch), and sea salt in a blender or food processor (a high-speed blender like the Vitamix is best), and run for a minute or two until smooth.

Add the cheesy coating to your bowl of kale and massage it in with your hands. Don’t worry too much about uneven distribution, as the big globs taste delicious in the final product!

For raw kale chips (my method of choice, as they will retain the nutrients and enzymes of all the healthful ingredients!): place on dehydrator screens and dehydrate at 115 degrees until crispy. The time will vary, but make sure ALL the moisture is gone and they are genuinely crunchy.

Alternatively (if you don’t have a dehydrator), spread kale pieces on parchment paper on baking trays, and bake at 200 degrees until crispy, about 45 minutes (but again, all that matters is that they MUST be crunchy).

Roasted Veggie Pesto Pizza

Mom had another recipe for a pizza while we were there. This is the basic recipe from memory:

Roast your veggies with a little olive oil and rosemary. Veggies used were: red pepper, green pepper, red onion, mushrooms. While roasting these, make your pesto sauce of choice.

Spread the pesto sauce on pizza crust of choice, add mozarella if desired, then top with roasted veggies. Yummm!!!!

Fast Easy Dinner Ideas

Some times I think I spend way too much time in the kitchen cooking. I discovered this fact, this vacation. I'm writing down some easy meal ideas here so I don't forget what they are. If you have any other ideas, edit the post and add them! I'm trying to reduce the time I do the three C's: cooking, cleaning and chauffering.

From my friend Ginger:
cook some quinoa add the mango salsa from Costco to your liking and serve with sides.
enchiladas with cooked veggies (zucchini, tomatoes, corn) with hummus on the inside and salsa on top

From Lisa:
Ramen noodles and tons of veggies.

From Kissy:
Rice with pico de gallo, corn and bean

From Mom:
Baked potato bar
Chinese Sunday

Any more ideas?