Friday, May 1, 2009

Almost famous soft pretzels

1 cup cold milk
1 TB dry yeast
3 TB packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 cup flour
10 TBs butter
1 tsp salt

1/3 cup baking soda
2 TBS coarse salt


Warm the milk in a sauce pan until it's about 110 degrees.  Pour into medium bowl and sprinkle in the yeast.  Let the yeast soften, about 2 minutes, stir in th brown sugar and 1 cup of flour.  Dice 2 TBs butter and soften; stir into the mix.  Add the remaining 1 1/4 cup flour and the fine salt to make a sticky dough.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour in needed, until smooth but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes.  Shape into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about an hour.  

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and grease a large baking sheet.  
Punch the dough to deflate it, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface.  (If the dough seems tight, cover and let rest until it relaxes.)   Divide the dough into 6 pieces.  Roll and stretch each piece with the palms of your hands into a 30 in rope, holding the ends and slapping the middle of the rope on the counter as you stretch.  Form each rope into a pretzel shape.  

Dissolve the baking soda in 3 cups of warm water in a shallow baking dish.  Gently dip each pretzel in the soda solution, then arrange on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with the coarse salt.  Bake until golden, 10-12 minutes.  

Melt the remaining 8 TBs butter  and brush on warm pretzels.    

Serve with peanut butter and honey, cream cheese (the whipped kind is best), nacho sauce, pizza sauce, whatever you want.  

We love the whipped brown sugar cream cheese and nacho sauce.  

From-Food Network Magazine

Butterfinger, milky way, chocolate chunk cookies

2 sticks butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
6 funsize or 1 1/2 full size butterfinger candy bars, Crushed
6 funsize or 1 full size milky way, quartered
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Beat butter and sugar until well combined, add eggs and vanilla.  Slowly add dry ingredients.    Add your chocolate bars and chips.    Bake for 9-11 minutes.  I take mine out at 9 minutes for softer cookie.  Let them cool in pan for 5-7 minutes to set up then move to a cooling rack to finish. 

From Picky Palate

Chicken Spaghetti

2 cups cooked chicken
2 cans cream of mushroom soup or cream of chicken
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup finely diced green pepper
1/2 cup finely diced onion

1-4 oz jar diced pimentos, drained
3 cups dry spaghetti broken into 2 in pieces
2 cups reserved chicken broth if you boiled your cooked chicken if not just use canned chicken broth
1 tsp Lawry's seasoned salt
1/8 to 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (if you like spice)
salt and pepper to taste
1 additional cup of cheddar cheese

Cook 1 cup up fryer and pick out the meat to make two cups.  Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente.  Do not over cook.  When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except  additional 1 cup cheese.  

Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining cheese.   Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately:  350 degrees  for 45 minutes.    If the cheese on top gets too cooked cover with tin foil.  

From Pioneer woman