Chewy Pretzel Bites- (ht)

Note: if using active dry yeast, increase the yeast to 1 tablespoon. Proof the yeast in the warm water and sugar (let it bubble and foam – maybe about 5 minutes) before adding it to the flour and salt. *Makes about 2 dozen pretzel bites Dough: 2 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast 1 cup (8 ounces) very warm water Topping: 1/2 cup (4 ounces) warm water 2 tablespoons baking soda Coarse salt (optional) 3 tablespoons butter, melted In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, place the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Mix to just combine. Add the water and mix well, adding more flour, as needed, a bit at a time to form a soft, smooth dough that clears the sides and bottom of the bowl. Knead the dough, by hand or machine, for about 5 minutes, until it is soft, smooth and quite slack. The goal is to get a really soft dough that isn’t overly sticky. Lightly flour the dough and place it in a plastic bag; close the bag, leaving room for the dough to expand, and let it rest for 30 minutes or up to 60 minutes. Preheat your oven to 500°F. Don’t be afraid of the high heat! This is what will help those pretzels to brown up perfectly and stay soft on the inside. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or lightly greasing them. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into about four strips of equal length. Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes. While the dough is resting, combine the 1/2 cup warm water and the baking soda in a liquid measuring cup (deep enough to dip the pretzel bites into). Make sure the baking soda is thoroughly dissolved. Sometimes I have a hard time getting the baking soda completely dissolved, so I just lightly stir up the mixture right before adding each pretzel. Cut each strip of dough into about 6-8 pieces, about 1 to 1 ½ inches in width. You don’t have to be completely exact, just eyeball it. Dip each pretzel bite in the baking soda solution (this will give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color), and place them on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them lightly with coarse, kosher, or pretzel salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Bake the pretzels for 7-8 minutes or until they’re golden brown. Bake one sheet at a time – it won’t hurt the other pretzels to chill out for a little longer. Remove the pretzels from the oven, and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter. Keep brushing the butter on until you’ve used it all up; it may seem like a lot, but that’s what gives these pretzels their ethereal taste. Eat the pretzels warm, or reheat them in an oven or microwave on low heat. Recipe From mel's kitchen cafe

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars with Streusel Topping-(ht)

Base:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

Cream Cheese Layer:

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Apples:

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Streusel Topping:

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 cup caramel sauce (homemade recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, two tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine all the streusel topping ingredients and mix until crumbly. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two forks until mixture is crumbly but combined. Press evenly into a 9X13-inch baking pan lined with aluminum foil. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. While the crust is baking, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Then add eggs, one at a time and then the vanilla. Mix well. Pour over the warm crust. Spoon the apple mixture evenly over the cheesecake layer. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the apples. Bake for 30 minutes until the filling is set. Cool the bars to room temperature. Drizzle with the caramel topping (or plate individual slices and drizzle with topping one by one).

Caramel Sauce:

4 tablespoons butter

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

½ cups half-and-half or cream

Pinch of salt

1 tablespoon vanilla

Mix butter, brown sugar, half-and-half or cream, and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until thickened slightly. Add the vanilla and cook another minute to thicken further. Turn off the heat and pour the sauce into a jar. Refrigerate until cold. If the caramel sauce has cooled in the fridge long enough to harden, warm slightly before drizzling on bars.

Recipe From mel's kitchen cafe

Delightful Deviled Eggs Recipe- (ht)

6 hard-cooked eggs

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1-1/2 teaspoons grated onion

1-1/2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish

1/2 teaspoon spicy brown mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Slice eggs in half lengthwise. Remove yolks; set whites aside. In a small bowl, mash yolks. Stir in the mayonnaise, onion, relish, mustard, salt, pepper flakes and pepper. Pipe or spoon into egg whites. Refrigerate until serving. Yield: 1 dozen.

Recipe From Taste of Home

Mandarin Orange Cake- (ht)

1 - 18.25 oz butter recipe cake mix

1/2 - cup vegetable oil

1 - can (15 oz ) mandarin oranges, undrained & separated

3 - eggs

Add the cake mix, oil, eggs and mandarin oranges to a large mixing bowl. Put a few of the mandarin oranges aside for garnish. (about 6-8 segments). Mix together the cake ingredients using an electric mixer. Pour into two greased and floured round cake pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until golden brown and the cake springs back. Remove from oven and let cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on a baking rack. Frost when cakes are completely cooled.

Frosting

1 - can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, undrained

1- 3.4 oz box vanilla or french vanilla instant pudding mix

13 - ounces cool whip (thawed) whipped topping

Prepare the frosting by adding the dry pudding mix and un drained pineapple together and mix with a spoon. Fold in cool whip until well blended. Frost both layers and sides of cake. Garnish with remaining mandarin orange segments. Keep refrigerated before serving.

Recipe From Mommy's Kitchen

Honey Wheat Pizza Crust- (ht)

1 t yeast (I use active dry)

1 3/4 C water

2 C white flour

2 C wheat flour

1 t salt

1/3 C olive oil

1 T honey

Pour the yeast over the top of your warm water. Don't stir Pour your wheat flour and your white flour into your stand mixer. Add the salt and stir it around a bit. Pour the oil into the flour. Let your mixer combine it all up, nice and pasty like. Add your honey. Add the water and yeast mixture. Mix it all until it is combined. No need to let it knead for a long period of time. Just get it mixed up well. Cover it with some plastic wrap and let it rise for at least 2 hours. You can also put it in the fridge if you aren't planning on using it until later that day. You can actually leave it in the fridge for several days and it will just get better with age. Divide the dough in half. Pour some olive oil onto a pizza stone, or any other kind of baking sheet. A stone is not required. Let the dough hang out there for about 5 minutes. Then stretch the dough out to the edges of the pan. 7. Cover with sauce and pizza toppings. Bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutest, or until the cheese is bubbly and the underside of the crust is golden brown. (Yes, this hot temperature is correct. Your crust will love it. You will love it. Your kids will love it.)

Recipe From Jamie Cooks It Up

Simple Creamy Chicken Risotto- (ht)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound), cut into 1-inch pieces

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom with Roasted Garlic Soup

1 can (10 1/2 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Chicken Broth

3/4 cup water

1 small carrot, shredded (about 1/4 cup)

2 green onions, sliced (about 1/4 cup)

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice

Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until well browned, stirring often.
Stir the soup, broth, water, carrot, green onions and cheese in the skillet and heat to a boil. Stir in the rice. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender.

Recipe From Campbells Kitchen

Teriyaki Chicken and Noodle Bowl

***Note: Snap peas, broccoli, zucchini, green peppers, would also work well in this dish. Use what you have! It will turn out great.

4 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless

2 T olive oil salt and pepper

3 large carrots

1 red pepper

8 mushrooms

1/2 a red onion

1 16 oz package angel hair pasta or thin spaghetti noodles

Teriyaki Sauce(recipe found below)

With a good pair of kitchen scissors, cut up your chicken thighs into strips. Heat a large skillet up of medium high heat. Add your oil and toss those thighs right in. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let them cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. You want them to get nice and golden brown on each side. While your chicken is cooking, chop up your veggies. You want to be sure they are chopped pretty small (about 3/4 of an inch.) No big chucks here. Unless you really like big fat chunks of carrot. Then I suppose you and Bugs Bunnie were made for each other. PS...start the water boiling for your noodles, cook them according to package directions. When the chicken is cooked through, remove it from the pan and let it hang out on a plate. Add the other Tablespoon of oil to your hot pan. Add the veggies and cook until they are crisp tender. While your veggies are cooking mix all Teriyaki Sauce ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. Once your veggies are cooked, remove them from the pan and let them hang out with the chicken. Pour your Teriyaki Sauce into the hot pan. Whisk it around until it thickens up. This should only take about 3 minutes. Serve it up! Place hot noodles in a bowl or on a plate. Put the chicken and veggies on top, pour the sauce over the whole kit and caboodle and you are ready to eat.

Review: This was a ver yummy meal. I added some broccoli to our dish and we had rice instead of noodles. Everyone ate it up!

Recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up!

Teriyaki Sauce

**Note: The sauce can be kept in the refrigerator for one week.** **Another Note: The sauce is a little bit on the strong side. If you dab your finger in it to take a taste, don't be alarmed. It's perfect when add to rice or vegetables or chicken. ** 1 1/2 C cold water 3/4 C packed brown sugar 1/2 C soy sauce 1 t garlic powder (or granulated garlic) 3 T corn starch 1 t sesame oil Pour your cold water into a medium sized mixing bowl. Add your soy sauce. Add the packed brown sugar. Pour in your tasty garlic powder. Now the corn starch. Whisk it up. Whisk it until all that cornstarch is nice and dissolved. We don't want any clumps now. Add the sesame oil and stir. Your oil will rise to the top, no worries. Once it gets heated through it will incorporate nicely. Pour it into a large skillet. Whisk it continually over medium high heat. The color will change and darken as the sauce begins to thicken. It really will get all bubbly, and dark, and rich flavored, and saucy and wonderful. Once it has thickened, take it off the heat. Review: This is my new favorite teriyaki sauce, its really good. I added a bit more sugar and some salt but I would taste it before adding salt because the soy sauce may be saltier than the one I used. Recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up

Bananas Foster Bread Pudding- (ht)

6 c. stale bread or croissant cubes
4 medium bananas, divided
4 eggs
3 egg yolks
1 1/2 c. milk
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
1 c. brown sugar, divided
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. rum flavoring (optional)
1 tsp. cinnamon, divided
2 Tbsp. butter, divided

Preheat oven to 400. Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty foil. In a small mixing bowl, combine 3 sliced bananas (about 2 c.) with 1 Tbsp. melted butter. Combine 1/4 c. brown sugar and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon and then add them to the bananas and butter. Gently toss to combine and spread on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until the bananas are fragrant and tender and the sugar is starting to bubble and caramelize. Remove from oven and reduce heat to 350.

While the bananas are caramelizing, use an electric hand mixer to combine the milk, whipping cream, egg yolks, eggs, vanilla, salt, remaining brown sugar, rum flavoring (if using), and remaining cinnamon. Spray a 9×13″ dish with non-stick cooking spray and spread 1/2 of the bread cubes over the bottom of the pan. Evenly spread the caramelized bananas and brown sugar mixture and then slice one more banana over the caramelized bananas. Spread the remaining bread cubes over the bananas. Whisk the egg mixture one last time and pour evenly over the bread cubes. Allow to stand for 10-15 minutes (longer if possible), poking the bread down into the mixture so it can soak in the milk and eggs. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until puffed and golden (but not brown) and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve with Crème Anglaise (with 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon added), Buttermilk Syrup, or vanilla ice cream.

Recipe From Our Best Bites

White Chicken Enchiladas- (ht)

serves 4-6

total time: 45-50 minutes

8-10 soft taco size flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese, divided
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 can chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 7-ounce can diced green chiles
Cilantro for garnish, if desired

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a 9x13-inch pan by spraying with cooking spray.

Mix together 1 cup of the cheese and the chicken. Place an equal amount of the mixture into each tortilla. Roll the tortilla up and place seam side down in the prepared pan.

Melt the butter in a skillet. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the chicken broth. Cook over medium heat until thickened. Stir in sour cream and green chiles. Pour the mixture over the enchiladas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Sprinkle with cilantro if desired.

Recipe From Taste and Tell

Banoffee Pie- (ht)

Crust
9 ounces graham crackers
1 stick butter, melted

Toffee sauce
1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

Filling
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
5 small bananas (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
Preparation

To make the crust:
Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
Blend the graham crackers in a food processor until they are finely ground.
Pour the melted butter over the crumbs and process to blend well. The crumbs should stick together when pressed.
Press the crumb mixture over the bottom and 1½ inches up the sides of the springform pan. Refrigerate.

To make the toffee sauce:
Place a medium-heavy saucepan over medium heat.
Combine the sugar and 3 tablespoons of water in a medium-heavy saucepan.
Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and boil without stirring until the color is deep amber, occasionally swirling the pan and brushing down the sides with a pastry brush dipped into water, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the condensed milk and butter. Continue stirring for 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly.
Remove the toffee sauce from the heat and spread 1 cup of the sauce over the prepared crust and refrigerate for about 1 hour or until the caramel is semi-firm.
Keep the remaining caramel sauce at room temperature.

To fill the pie:
Using an electric mixer, beat the cream in a large bowl until thick and very soft billowy peaks form.
Very thinly slice 3 of the bananas into discs. Fold the sliced bananas into the softly whipped cream and spoon into the prepared pie crust.
Slice the remaining bananas and arrange them decoratively over the pie.
Rewarm the remaining toffee sauce gently over low heat.
Drizzle some of the sauce decoratively over the pie. If the sauce has thickened too much to drizzle, stir a few tablespoons of milk into the sauce to create a thinner consistency.
Cut the pie into wedges and transfer to plates.
Drizzle each pie wedge with more sauce and serve.

Recipe from Curtis Stone

Crockpot Curry Chicken- (ht)

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 small onion, chopped
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
1 cup light coconut milk
4 teaspoons curry powder
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon reduced-sodium chicken bouillon granules
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups hot cooked rice
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
Raisins, flaked coconut and chopped unsalted peanuts, optional

Place potatoes and onion in a 3- or 4-qt. slow cooker. In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, brown chicken on both sides.
Transfer to slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the coconut milk, curry, garlic, bouillon, salt and pepper; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours or until a meat thermometer reads &170;.
Serve chicken and sauce with rice; sprinkle with green onions. Garnish with raisins, coconut and peanuts if desired. Yield: 4 servings.

Recipe From Taste of Home

Beefy Chinese Dumplings

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
2 cups shredded Chinese cabbage
1 carrot, shredded
1 onion, minced
1 egg
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 (14 ounce) package wonton wrappers

In a large bowl, mix together beef, cabbage, carrot, and onion. Stir in the egg, sugar, salt, soy sauce, and vegetable oil.
Place a large teaspoonful of filling in the center of a dumpling skin. Moisten the edges of a wonton with a few drops of water. Then fold the dumpling in half, and pinch the edges together to seal. Create a ripple pattern along the pinched edge by pinching and gently pushing together small segments of it. Repeat with remaining dumplings.
Boil the dumplings in water until they float to the top, about 5 minutes.

Review: This recipe was a total bust. The filling was really good and flavorful but when I boiled them the wonton wrappers went really soggy and slimy. The kids still ate them because they are silly like that but Ben and I couldn't get past the slimyness. I may try these again but I would steam them for sure.

Homemade Granola

2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/3 cup dried cranberries


Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, toss the oats with cinnamon and salt.

In a medium bowl, stir together the oil, honey, brown sugar, and vanilla. Whisk until completely combined.

Pour the honey mixture over the oats mixture and use your hands to combine them. Gather up some of the mixture in each hand and make a fist. Repeat until all of the oats are coated with the honey mixture.

Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread it out evenly, but leave a few clumps here and there for texture. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola. Sprinkle the nuts over the granola and return the baking sheet to the oven.

Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola. Return the baking sheet to the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven. Let cool completely.

Sprinkle the dried cranberries over the granola and use your hands to transfer it to an airtight container. The granola will keep for 1 week.

Orange Chicken

Chicken-
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1-1/2” cubes)
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 eggs (beaten)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Oil (for frying)
Orange Sauce-
1 ½ cups water
2 tablespoons orange juice
¼ cup lemon juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon orange zest (grated)
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon ginger root (minced)
½ teaspoon garlic (minced)
2 tablespoons green onion (chopped)
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

Combine flour, salt, and pepper. Dip chicken in egg mixture and shake in flour mixture to coat. Deep fry chicken in batches at 375 degrees in a deep fryer (or use a wok) until completely cooked.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan combine 1 ½ cups water, lemon juice, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Blend well over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, ginger garlic, and onion. Bring to a boil
Combine 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and mix thoroughly. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce until it thickens. Pour sauce over breaded chicken, and if desired add red pepper flakes and garnish with green onions. Enjoy

Recipe From Blog Chef.Net

Review: This recipe was really REALLY good! I made this exactly how the recipe said to and we all loved it. (this doesn't happen very often, I usually end up tweaking it to our liking) The leftovers were excellent and they smelled just like the orange chicken that you get at restaurants.