Braids....that you can eat!

I like braids...they are pretty and they shake it up a bit from just making pizza.  You can also be more creative on fillings than what you would normally put on a pizza.  We like the Sausage Cheese Braid from none other than the Sassy Chicken. 

The Sausage Cheese Braid

The BBQ Pizza Braid before it is braided.

This past week I made the BBQ Pizza Braid found at For The Love of Cooking and with enough dough for two braids I made a veggie braid.

Dough:

• 1-1/2 c. water
• 1 t. yeast
• 4 c. flour
• 1 t. salt
• 1/4 olive oil

Veggie Filling:

• Marinara
• 2 lg. Zucchini
• 2 lg. Yellow Squash
• 4 Green onions
• Garlic salt and pepper
• Mozzarella cheese

Dough: Combine water and yeast in mixer bowl. Let proof 5 minutes. Add flour, salt and olive oil. Knead with dough hook, adding more flour as needed until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. Knead for 5 minutes. Let rise for 20 minutes or so...no need to have poofy dough for this recipe. This is enough dough for 2 braids.

Filling:  Slice squash and saute in a tad of olive with garlic salt and pepper to taste.  Saute for 10 minutes or so, until squash is soft and water is released.  Place in a strainer for 10 minutes or so to let the water/juices run off so you don't have a soggy braid.

Assemble:  Spread marinara down the middle of the braid.  Top with sauteed squash.  Dice green onions and sprinkle over.  Sprinkle cheese on top of that (we like it kind of cheesy...).  To make the braid cut the sides of the dough just about to the filling in strips that are about 2 inches wide. Starting at one end, cross the strips over one another until you get to the other end.  Crimp ends closed and fold under. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden.  Let stand for 10 minutes or so before slicing.

Baked Potato Salad

I have been craving potato salad and I don't even like mayonnaise!  Stranger things have happened.  We had some yummy potato on Father's Day and since that day I have wanted to make some.  The recipe had to have no eggs and something picky kids might like. 

Plain old boiled potatoes.

Fully loaded potatoes!

Baked Potato Salad

• 3 pounds baby red potatoes, washed and quartered
• 5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1-1/2 t. seasoning salt
• 1 t. fresh ground pepper
• 4 ozs. Cheddar cheese, grated
• 3 whole green onions, washed and finely chopped

Start a large pot of water boiling.  Wash and remove bad spots from potatoes.  Quarter the potatoes.  Not all potatoes are equal.  Your goal is to have all pieces a similar size, so you may have to do more than quarter some. Once the water is boiling, toss in the potatoes.  Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until fork tender, but firm.  If they get too soft you will end up with mashed potato salad.  While potatoes boil, fry bacon, drain and crumble. Chop green onions.  Combine sour cream, mayo, season salt, pepper and green onion in a small bowl. Set in fridge until ready to use.  When potatoes are done, drain and then set the colander in a larger bowl and put in fridge for at least 20 minutes to cool.  (I leave them in the colander for quicker cooling with more air circulation.) Once potatoes have cooled you may wish to cut them in smaller pieces, this depends on how big the mouths are that you are feeding. Toss potatoes with sour cream/mayo mixture.  Sprinkle with cheese and bacon.  Stir gently as to not mash things up too much, but fully coat the potatoes.  Chill for 4 or more hours before serving. Garnish with more green onions, cheese and bacon if you could like to make it purdy!



What Kind of Bread Did You Make Today?

I have been making bread for many years.  It has gotten to the point where I cannot really stomach most store bought bread.  I am not a snob...really.  I buy bread, I buy bagels.  But I like homemade bread so much better and my ingredient list is a lot shorter. 

Today Santa and I made some honey, wheat and oat bread.  It was a tasty loaf.  It was really tasty when it was hot out of the oven and I sliced off the end and smeared it with butter and honey!

Honey, Wheat and Oat Bread

• 1 T. yeast
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1-1/2 cups warm water (not hot!)
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup wheat flour
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 t. salt

Combine yeast, honey, water, oats and wheat flour in the bowl of your stand mixer.  Mix well with a spoon. Cover with a towel and let stand for 1 hour.  It should look puffed up and bubbly.  Add all-purpose flour and salt.  Knead for 5 minutes with dough hook.  Shape into a ball and let rise, covered, for 1/2 an hour.  Punch down and shape into loaf.  (This makes one 10 inch loaf.  I use a 10 inch Norpro loaf pan.)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover and let rise for another 1/2 an hour.  Bake bread for 35 minutes and cool on wire rack.  Fresh bread is easiest to slice once it has cooled...but who can wait?

This post has been linked to Meatless Mondays.

French Coconut Pie

Once you stop blogging it is really hard to get going again.  You get lazy.  Your not a good photographer.  You just want to eat Cheetos.  The kids are arguing.  It's really hot.  I am gonna try.  This recipe is for Anna.  She likes coconut.  So does Rowdy.  This is the best and easiest coconut pie ever! It tastes like a giant macaroon.  Did I mention that I am really hot?

Prepare your favorite pie crust.

Melt butter (I use a glass bowl so I can melt butter in Microwave and only dirty one bowl) and throw in the rest of the ingredients....I put the eggs in last, kinda on top so they don't start cooking in butter that might be a little too hot.

All mixed!

Pour in crust.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Cool to room temperature and enjoy!

French Coconut Pie

Straight from the Tasty Kitchen.  Many good things come from the Tasty Kitchen.

• 
  3 whole Eggs Beaten
• 1-½ cup Sugar
• 1 cup Flaked Coconut
• 1 stick Butter, Melted
• 1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 pinch Salt
• 1 whole 9" Uncooked Pie Shell

Mix filling ingredients well and pour into the pie shell. Bake at 350F for 1 hour.

Strawberry Yumminess!

Here is a recipe you must try from Tasty Kitchen.  This is so buttery good.  I used 1-1/2 times the ingredients because my cookie sheet is quite a bit bigger than the one mentioned in the recipe.  Next time I am going to try peaches and peach jam.  A big scoop of ice cream on top would make this even better.

Yummy.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and cut in chilled butter. 

Reserve 1 cup of the crumbly mixture and pat the rest evenly into your pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. 

Melt jelly in microwave and carefully spread on crust.  If you aren't careful the crust will get a little crumbly.

Sprinkle with chopped strawberries.

Sprinkle with reserved crumbles.

Bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until it becomes a light golden brown.  Cool for 1 hour.

Drizzle with white chocolate.  Maybe you can do it prettier than I can...

Strawberry White Chocolate Streusel Bars

• 2 cups Old Fashioned Oats
• 1-1/2 cup all-purpose Flour
• 3/4 cups white Sugar
• 3/4 cups brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cold Butter, Cut Into Small Pieces
• 4 ounces, fluid Strawberry Jam
• 1 teaspoon Lemon Zest
• 2 cups strawberries, chopped or sliced
• 3 ounces fluid White Chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, both sugars, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add the chopped up cold butter and work it into the dry ingredients with your fingers or a pastry blender until the mixture looks like small crumbles. Reserve 1 cup of this mixture.   Dump the remaining crumb mixture into an ungreased 15” x 10” pan (jellyroll pan) and press it into an even crust.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 12-13 minutes or until it is firm to touch. Do not brown.  Remove pan from oven. Warm the jam in the microwave for 30 seconds and then stir in the lemon zest. Drizzle the warm jam over the warm crust. Spread the chopped strawberries over the crust. Sprinkle on the reserved cup of crumb mixture.  Return pan to 350 degree F oven and bake for another 20-25 minutes or until the crumbs on top are lightly browned. Then remove it from the oven and let the pan cool for 1 hour.  Melt the white chocolate in microwave, following directions on package. Drizzle melted chocolate in thin lines over the streusel top. Cut into bars.

Grape Jelly......and some other stuff about jelly!

I have been experimenting with jam/jelly.  I wanted to try jelly with less sugar.  First I made the lower sugar version of strawberry jam.  It turned out awesome!  I have nothing against sugar, but jelly does have a lot the stuff.  Regular strawberry jam has 5-3/4 cups crushed strawberries, 1/4 cup lemon juice and 8-1/2 cups sugar.  The lower sugar version has 6 cups crushed strawberries and 4 cups sugar.  Regular grape jelly has 3-3/4 cups prepared juice and 5-1/3 cups sugar.  The lower sugar has more juice, less sugar (see below.) All you need to make the lower sugar version is Sure Jell fruit pectin for less or no sugar added recipes. 

Getting stuff together.  Sterilized jars, sterilized rings, lids, funnel, 3-1/2 cups sugar, 1 box low-sugar pectin and lids.

After measuring out the exact amount of sugar, scoop out 1/4 cup and mix in a separate bowl with the pectin.

Pour 5-1/2 cups prepared juice into desired pot.  I use a large aluminum pot.  Add the pectin mixed with the 1/4 cup sugar.  Turn on heat and bring to a boil that cannot be stirred away.

Once it comes to a boil that cannot be stirred away, add the rest of the sugar.  Return to a boil that cannot be stirred away.  Once you have reached the boil that cannot be stirred away set the timer for 1 minute and continue stirring.  Remove from heat after 1 minute.

It continues to boil while you are stirring...a boil that can't be stirred away.

While you are working on all the boiling...boil a pot of water and pour over the lids (please only use new lids...some kind of canning rule.)

Carefully ladle the jelly into prepared jars, filling just to the bottom of the canning funnel. 

Once your jars are filled, carefully wipe the rim with a tea towel (one that produces no lint, unless you want some lint in your jelly.)  Carefully place lids, using tongs, on top of jars.  Screw on rings...once again be careful! Once your lids are secured flip your jars over and set the timer for 5 minutes.  Flip back over and wait for the "ping," the sound of sealing jars.  Joy! I threw the potholders in to show you that you don't need pretty equipment to get the job done.

This particular recipe makes 7 cups of jelly.

Grape Jelly

• 1 pkg. no sugar needed pectin 
• 5-1/2 cups prepared grape juice
• 3-1/2 cups sugar
• Canning jars...you choose what size suits you...smaller for gifts, bigger for home

The directions are pretty simple to follow in the box.  I have pretty much outlined them above.  Just follow exactly what they say to do and you should come out with perfect jam/jelly! 

Sassy Chicken...the Nurse...

 Where has the Sassy Chicken been?  She has been nursing the Rowdy and his Bochdalek Hernia.  Rowdy has been suffering from "fake" heart attacks for a year now.  I say fake because he has had every heart test available and has an excellent heart.  Almost a year to the date of his first "fake" attack they did a CT of the chest and discovered the problem. 

Here is a quote from the above linked article...

"Presentation of a Bochdalek hernia in an adult is exceptionally rare, Kirkland in 1959 published the first view of 34 cases of adult Bochdalek hernia and as of 1992 only 100 cases of symptomatic adult Bochdalek hernia have been reported in world literature."

Leave it to Rowdy to get something so freakish!  Anyway he is now recovering from a 7-1/2 hour surgery, followed by 4 days in ICU.

Maybe I will cook something other than bean burritos in the near future!