How to Make Roasted Garlic
15 Feb 2012 2 Comments
in bread/muffins, Pasta, side dishes
OK, so during our lots o’ time at home together with my boys being sick, we’ve been watching a LOT of the Food Network. Yesterday afternoon, after the boys all said “hey y’all” several times with Paula Deen, they left the room to play something and I half-watched while making headbands.
It was an old episode where Paula makes Zesty Roasted Garlic Bread and lasagne. And she makes a lasagne sandwich out of a half-loaf of bread…I literally watched this with my mouth hanging open, aghast at what I was watching…you won’t believe the last 15 seconds of this video:
Right.
Ok. Moving on.
I decided after watching, though, that I did want to roast my own garlic, and remembered that I’d pinned a how-to to Pinterest via For the Love of Cooking a few weeks ago. I checked both recipes, and decided on this combination for my first try:
1 head of garlic
1 tsp olive oil
sea salt
Preheat oven to 400. Cut the tops off all the heads of the cloves of garlic (but leave it all together – no need to separate the cloves)…doesn’t have to be perfect, and you can leave the papery skin on it, too.
Set the head of garlic on a small square of foil that’s big enough to close around the head. Drizzle olive oil over the top, sprinkle lightly with sea salt, and close up the packet.
Put the foil-wrapped garlic on a cookie sheet, and bake for 30 minutes.
Let it cool slightly, and you should just be able to squeeze the roasted garlic from the head and into a bowl.
this was just one clove that i pulled away, but you really don't need to do that...just squeeze the whole head of garlic and all of the delicious, roasted goodness comes right out!
Smash it up.
I mixed mine with half a stick of softened butter (not two sticks, as Paula suggests), about a tablespoon or a little more of parsley flakes (I didn’t have fresh), a little bit of fresh ground pepper, and a little shake of dried basil. I didn’t add salt because I used salted butter, so I think that’s enough.
I just stuck this in the fridge to use in the future. It’ll be great on french bread (just broil it for a minute or two to get it melty and the edges crispy), and I’m even thinking that when I make eggs tonight for dinner, I’ll use just a bit of it either to season the pan or butter toast for egg and cheese sandwiches.
I’ll post more uses for roasted garlic as I try out new recipes!
7Up Biscuits
14 Feb 2012 2 Comments
in at least one kid ate it, bread/muffins, freezes well
By now, most of you have probably seen/tried these because they’ve been all over Pinterest forever. I’ve made them numerous times, and I know Sonya has, too. They’re simply the best, easiest biscuit can you make at home. Big thanks to Plain Chicken for posting the recipe!
And I feel like I’ve let you down for not sharing these on here earlier…my apologies, dear readers, if you haven’t seen these until now and I’ve been keeping them from you!
You’ll notice in the picture on the original post linked above that she actually makes hers look like biscuits. I don’t bother…they’re gone so fast it doesn’t matter what shape they are. If we had company, maybe I’d try a little harder…
2 cups Bisquick (I use the Heart-Healthy kind, like it’s really any better)
1/2 cup sour cream (I’ve used both full-fat and light, and haven’t noticed a difference)
1/2 cup 7-up, Sprite or Sierra Mist (DO NOT use diet…in fact, you’re not supposed to bake with diet soda ever)
1/4 cup melted butter
Preheat oven to 450.
Cut sour cream into Bisquick and add 7-Up. Makes a very soft dough. You can add a bit more Bisquick if needed to make them less sticky, but be careful not to overdo it, or they’ll get tough.
Sprinkle additional Bisquick on board or table and pat dough out. If you want, cut dough into circles. If you don’t care, just use a knife to cut the dough into large pieces.
Melt 1/4 cup butter in a 9 inch square pan. Place cut biscuits in pan and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. These also freeze well!
Here’s what they look like going in the oven:
yes, i know it looks like one big mound of dough, but they actually are separate pieces all shoved in there together.
And coming out:
perfectly browned and they bake evenly all the way through with no problem, even though the pan is really full.
even though they look in the pan like they aren't separate biscuits, they come apart easily after they're baked.
I DARE YOU to eat just one of these.
Monkey Bread
31 Jan 2012 1 Comment
in bread/muffins, breakfast, company's coming!
This is Matt’s mom’s recipe, and it is the best! Perfect to take to a coffee with friends or when you have company at breakfast time.
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbl cinnamon
3 cans regular Pillsbury biscuits (not Grands)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
DO NOT PREHEAT YOUR OVEN.
Take a bundt pan and coat it with spray or butter.
Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl or ziploc bag.
Next, cut each biscuit into quarters, and then roll in the sugar/cinnamon mixture so all sides are coated, and then put them in the pan. If you want to add chopped pecans, throw some in while you’re putting in the biscuit pieces.
Melt the butter, and add the brown sugar. It doesn’t need to be a syrup consistency, but most of the brown sugar does need to be melted.
Pour that mixture over the biscuits in the pan.
Put the pan in the cold oven and turn it on to 350 and bake for 35 minutes. Let cool 5-10 minutes, and then flip onto a large plate, and devour.
New Orleans Beignets
26 Jun 2011 Leave a Comment
in at least one kid ate it, bread/muffins, breakfast, company's coming!
Kirk traveled to New Orleans last Mardi Gras and had beignets there….he claimed they were amazing. Ironically, I found this recipe in my cooking light magazine shortly after he returned. It took me this long to try them. They were a huge hit! Obviously not nutritious at all, but a special treat none the less. A parenting plus for me?….when I told Kayla what we were making and told her they were sort of like donuts, her reply was “What’s a donut?” That’s how little they get donuts around here. So, this was definitely a treat for them.
This recipe makes a TON (like 4-5 dozen). But, it does say you can refrigerate the dough for up to a week in an airtight container. So, I did that with half the dough and will make the rest next weekend. So, the kids get another treat next week! :-) I’ll revise this if that doesn’t work.
1 envelope active dry yeast (1/4 oz)
1 1/2 cups warm water (105-115 degrees), divided
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup shortening
6 1/2 to 7 cups bread flour (I used closer to 7)
vegetable oil
sifted powdered sugar
1. Make the yeast mixture. Combine yeast, 1/2 cup warm water, and 1 tsp granulated sugar in bowl of a heavy duty stand mixer; let stand 5 minutes. Add milk, eggs, salt, and remaining granulated sugar.
2. Form a dough: Microwave remaining 1 cup water until hot (they say to 115, I had to get it to about 125); stir in shortening until melted. Add to yeast mixture. Beat at low speed, gradually adding 4 cups flour, until smooth. Gradually add remaining 2 1/2 to 3 cups four, beating until a sticky dough forms. Transfer to a lightly greased bowl; turn to grease top. Cover and chill 4 to 24 hours.
3. Rolll and cut: Turn dough out onto a floured surface; roll to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into squares.
4. Fry until golden: Pour oil to depth of 2 to 3 inches into a dutch oven; heat to 360 degrees. Fry dough, in batches, 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. (Mine did not take this long on each side) Drain on a wire rack. Dust immediately with powdered sugar.*
This is something I would consider making when all of my family is together. I think they would be an added treat to a big family breakfast!
* Kirk said I did not put enough powdered sugar on compared to the restaurant where he had them so he put powdered sugar on each plate for dipping. Super nutritious. But, I will say we all used a bit of it. It was needed. :-)
Cheddar-Chive Turnovers
09 Jun 2011 Leave a Comment
in appetizers, at least one kid ate it, bread/muffins, side dishes
I saw this in my Food Network magazine and had to give it a try with chives from my garden on my deck! (I’m growing garlic chives and they are delicious!)
Here it is, with a couple of slight changes:
1 package of refrigerated biscuits (the simplest, cheapest kind…Pillsbury sells them in 4-packs, but you can get the Schnucks brand 1 can at a time, so that’s what I did)
2 Tbl butter
pinch of cayenne pepper (not more…I used a bit too much)
~1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
chopped chives (which you can buy at the store in the produce dept, I think, if you don’t have any, or you could use dried chives) – I probably cut about 6 and then just cut them with a scissors into tiny pieces
Mix melted butter with cayenne. Lay out rounds of refrigerated biscuit dough on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet (this saves you a lot of mess), and press them to spread them out a bit. Brush with the butter; top with shredded cheddar and chopped chives. Fold into half-moons and crimp with a fork to seal, then brush with more butter. Bake as the label directs (for me, it was 400 degrees for about 11 minutes).
i crimped the edges with a fork, but it wasn't completely sealed, and that's ok.
finished product!
Easy Peasy Breadsticks
02 Feb 2011 1 Comment
in at least one kid ate it, bread/muffins, snacks
With the first of potentially many snow days today, we needed a project. And this was perfect, though very messy, as the pictures will show.
I only made a couple of minor tweaks (brushing on the butter saves you from using more than you need) to the original over on Tasty Kitchen:
1-½ cup warm water
1 Tbl sugar
1 tsp salt
1 Tbl dry active yeast
3-½ cups flour
½ cup melted butter (I used less than this)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese (I also used much less than this)
Garlic salt or powder
Mix together warm water, sugar, salt and yeast. Allow yeast to activate (about 10 minutes). Add flour and stir in with a fork until dough holds together. Turn out onto floured board.
Knead lightly into a ball. Divide into 32-40 equal portions. On floured board, roll out into bread sticks. Brush with melted butter and then sprinkle Parmesan cheese and garlic over the top. Place onto greased cookie sheet (I used 3 cookie sheets to make all of these!) We made one into a ball (well, Jack Henry did) and it cooked up fine, too! We also rolled a few out really thin and then twisted them together.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. This gives the bread sticks about 10 minutes to begin to rise. Cook at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
I haven’t tried this, but the author says: May be made in the morning and kept in the refrigerator unbaked. Remove from the refrigerator about 30 – 45 minutes (depending on how warm your house is) before baking.
They were good yesterday, and pretty tough today, though warmed up they still have potential (and I’m sure that the kids will still eat them today). What are you doing to pass the time while you’re snowed in??
this is only a small part of the aftermath. i made them leave their clothes in the kitchen.
i realize this is a horrible picture, but i forgot until last night to take one of the finished product!
Caramelized Onion Flatbread
15 Jul 2010 2 Comments
in appetizers, bread/muffins, side dishes
Ok, I’ve been so anxious to try this for a while now because of my obsession with caramelized onions, but didn’t know where to get fresh pizza dough. Then, lo and behold, I was shopping at Trader Joe’s yesterday, and there it was: for 99 cents!!
I had a major issue with the dough sticking to the pan. I greased it even though the recipe didn’t say to, and it still stuck like crazy. However, the part we could eat was really, really good! I was muy impressed with the dough, too…great flavor. I’ll be getting more to make pizzas with the boys.
So next time, I’m going to try this on the pizza stone and see if it does better.
1 large sweet onion, sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided (I used closer to 2)
1 pound bakery pizza dough
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary (we didn’t have any b/c I forgot to get it at the store, but I’m sure that this would really be good!)
Preheat oven to 425°. Sauté onion in 1/2-1 Tbsp hot oil over medium-high heat 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Press dough into a 15- x 10-inch jelly-roll pan (heavily grease it!), pressing to about 1/4-inch thickness. Press handle of a wooden spoon into dough to make indentations at 1-inch intervals; drizzle with remaining 2 Tbsp. oil (1 if you’re like me), and sprinkle with salt, rosemary, and caramelized onions.
Bake at 425° on lowest oven rack 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
Blueberry Muffins, with some updates
15 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
in at least one kid ate it, bread/muffins, breakfast, freezes well, fruit, snacks
Sonya first posted this blueberry muffin recipe a long time ago, and it has become a staple in our house. I’ve made a few changes and calculated out some of the nutrition information, so I will include that, too.
1 1/4 cup all-purpose white flour
3/4 cup wheat flour
1/3 cup flaxseed meal (flaxseed is so good for you, and it’s better for you to eat it ground into meal)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
8 oz Dannon vanilla yogurt (obviously, use what you want, but this is our favorite)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 Tbl butter, melted (this last time I used just slightly less; probably 3 1/2 T)
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (you can use frozen, but fresh are much better)
Preheat oven to 350. Grease 15 muffin cups or line with paper liners. DO NOT make mini-muffins; they don’t turn out well.
Stir together flours, flaxseed, sugar, baking soda and baking powder. In a separate bowl, combine yogurt, egg, vanilla, butter and blueberries. Stir mixtures together just until combined; batter will be be very thick. Scoop into muffin cups.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Per muffin: 118 calories, 4.5 g fat, 3.5 g protein, 2 g fiber
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
17 Sep 2009 Leave a Comment
in at least one kid ate it, bread/muffins, freezes well, pumpkin, there's chocolate in this!
Sara posted her recipe a couple of days ago (which I will be trying soon!) and it got me thinking about a recipe I used last year and tweaked a little to save on calories and fat. I made a batch today (my first of the fall…I love pumpkin so much that I’m giving it it’s own category over there on the right!) and messed with the recipe a bit more, and while these are no where near healthy, I’ll take reduced fat/calories and full flavor any day! For the record, I’ve cut the sugar from 2 cups, the chocolate chips from 2 cups, and the oil from 1 1/2 cups. I added in the applesauce as an oil substitute and changed the flour to include some whole wheat…you might be able to go half and half with the flour and not notice the difference. I’ll try that next time.
4 eggs
1 3/4 cups white sugar
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup applesauce
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (or 1 1/2) cup semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Prepare cupcake pans with spray or paper liners. This makes a lot: 24 regular-sized muffins and 12 mini muffins.
Beat the eggs in a large bowl, and mix in the sugar, pumpkin, oil and applesauce.
In a medium bowl, mix the 2 flours, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Blend into the egg and pumpkin mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips. Transfer to the muffin pans.
Bake in the preheated oven 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove muffins from pans, and cool on a wire rack (or the counter if you’re like me and too lazy to get out your wire racks).
do you like i how class things up with the lightning mcqueen papers?
Pumpkin Bread
02 Apr 2009 Leave a Comment
in at least one kid ate it, bread/muffins, breakfast, freezes well, pumpkin
This recipe came from a local bakery’s mailing one time several years ago, and I’m not sure why, but I’d never made it until fairly recently. And oh my goodness, is it good. I also happen to believe that pumpkin bread is good any time of the year, not just in the fall, which is why I made it yesterday morning when we had friends over to play.
2/3 cup canola oil
2 2/3 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 15-oz can pumpkin
2/3 cup water
3 1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground nutmeg (I use 1/2 tsp)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (I use 1 tsp)
1 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease and flour two 9×5″ loaf pans.
In large bowl of an electric mixer, beat together oil and sugar. Beat in eggs, pumpkin and water. Add all dry ingredients; mix well. Beat in vanilla.
Spoon half the batter into each pan. Bake 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool before removing from pans. Makes about 20-24 slices.
**I added a few chocolate chips, and I don’t recommend it…they taste great, of course, but because this is a relatively thin batter, they just sink to the bottom of the pan when baking. Also, the top of this bread gets pretty brown. Don’t worry!
The recipe also gives this variation, which I’m sure would be delicious: for Pumpkin Praline Bread, stir together 1 cup chopped pecans, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, and 4 tsp melted butter. Sprinkle over loaves before baking.
