Source: The Sisters Cafe
Ingredients:
4 teaspoons active dry yeast, or approximately 2 envelopes
1/4 cup milk
about 5 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (I didn't have any so I left it out)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 large eggs
1/4 cup melted butter
1 3/4 cup pumpkin puree, or a 15 oz can of pure pumpkin
egg wash (1 egg lightly beaten with 1 Tablespoon of water)
Directions:
Heat milk to between 110 and 115 degrees (feels slightly warm on the back of your hand) on the stove or in the microwave and pour into the bowl of your stand mixer (I don't have a stand mixer, so I just used a large mixing bowl); stir in the active dry yeast, and let stand for at least 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, spices, sugar, and salt - I only added about 3 cups flour to this mix, then added the rest bit by bit as I stirred and kneaded, so it wouldn't become too dry), and mix well. In a separate large bowl, lightly beat the two eggs, then stir in the melted butter and the pumpkin puree. After the yeast has been activated, add the wet ingredients directly into the bowl of your stand mixer, and stir to combine. Then add 1/2 of the dry ingredients from the other large bowl, and stir to mix the dry and wet ingredients together. After it is well mixed, add the remaining 1/2 of the dry ingredients and mix again. Using the dough hook, allow your machine to knead the dough for you until it is smooth and still somewhat sticky (3-5 minutes) (or just do it by hand - it's relaxing!).
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, and cover to let rise for approximately 1 hour (it will double in size). Then, remove the dough from the bowl, place it on a lightly floured surface. Lightly grease a bar pan cookie sheet. Cut or pinch off 18-24 evenly sized portions (depending on how big you want them) and roll them into balls that can fit into your palm (they don’t need to be perfectly round). Space them in the pan so they are just barely touching the sides of one another; they will expand during the second rising time and during baking to completely fill the pan.
After your dough is shaped, cover it loosely with a towel, and let it rise for another 1-1 1/2 hours. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 F. Once your bread is ready to bake, brush the top lightly with the egg wash, and sprinkle dinner rolls with chopped nuts or pepitas if desired. Bake bread for approximately 30-35 minutes (mine took less - more like 25 minutes), until browned, or until an instant read thermometer inserted in center reads 190 degrees. Remove the bread from the oven and allow to cool on a rack.
Makes 18-24 rolls.
Notes:
I had seen this recipe on The Sisters Cafe blog around Thanksgiving time and thought it looked intriguing. When we decided to have book group at my house this month, and one of the girls offered to bring soup, I knew I had to try them out. As they were cooking the house smelled amazing - like pumpkin pie and gingersnaps. I admit I was a little worried that these rolls would turn out more like dessert than a dinner roll, but when we ate them, the spice and pumpkin flavors were very subtle, even though the scent was strong. They were very fluffy and soft and delicious, and everyone loved them.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Source: epicurious.com
Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
12-oz bag fresh or frozen cranberries (3 cups)
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest (I didn't have any oranges, but I did have some Cutie mandarins - one little Cutie gave a little more than 1/2 teaspoon of zest - perfect!)
Directions:
Bring water and sugar to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add cranberries and simmer, stirring occasionally, until berries just pop, 10 to 12 minutes. (I kind of mashed some of mine with the back of the spoon, to make it a little more mushy.) Stir in zest, then cool. Can be made three days ahead and chilled, covered.
Notes:
I was also in charge of cranberry sauce for the Blanchards this year. I was feeling ambitious, and rather than copping out with the canned stuff (which I'm not necessarily opposed to, just fyi), I remembered my mom making some homemade kind years ago and decided to give it a whirl. There are no can lines, and it's definitely runnier than the gelled stuff, but I think it tastes pretty good. Again, hope the fam agrees. (Or maybe I won't be assigned Thanksgiving foods in the future!) :)
Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
12-oz bag fresh or frozen cranberries (3 cups)
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest (I didn't have any oranges, but I did have some Cutie mandarins - one little Cutie gave a little more than 1/2 teaspoon of zest - perfect!)
Directions:
Bring water and sugar to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add cranberries and simmer, stirring occasionally, until berries just pop, 10 to 12 minutes. (I kind of mashed some of mine with the back of the spoon, to make it a little more mushy.) Stir in zest, then cool. Can be made three days ahead and chilled, covered.
Notes:
I was also in charge of cranberry sauce for the Blanchards this year. I was feeling ambitious, and rather than copping out with the canned stuff (which I'm not necessarily opposed to, just fyi), I remembered my mom making some homemade kind years ago and decided to give it a whirl. There are no can lines, and it's definitely runnier than the gelled stuff, but I think it tastes pretty good. Again, hope the fam agrees. (Or maybe I won't be assigned Thanksgiving foods in the future!) :)
Green Bean Casserole (from scratch and make-ahead-able)
Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe
Ingredients:
for the topping:
2 slices hearty sandwich bread, white or wheat, torn into pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (mine was salted so I just left out the salt)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups canned fried onions
for the casserole:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter (mine was salted so I just reduced the salt)
10 ounces white mushrooms, sliced thin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (I used two 12 oz packages, so it was only 1.5 lbs - I think this gave it a little bit saucier consistency than if there were more beans, and we like sauce, so it was perfect.)
1/4 cup cornstarch
Directions:
For the topping: Pulse bread, butter, and salt in food processor until coarsely ground. (I don't have a food processor, so I tried my blender - which I was kinda scared to do, because it's not exactly the best blender in the whole world - I toasted the bread first, then ripped it into pieces and poured the butter over it. Worked like a charm.) Combine bread mixture and canned fried onions in a bowl, transfer to a zipper-lock freezer bag, and freeze.
For the casserole: Melt the butter in a large 12-inch skillet (I used a large sauce pan) over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, salt, and pepper and cook until the mushrooms release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook until all the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the flour and cook until golden, stirring, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in broth and cream and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, toss the green beans with the cornstarch until the beans are evenly coated. Transfer the beans to a 9x13-inch baking dish. Pour the warm mushroom mixture evenly over the beans. Let the casserole cool completely on the counter. Once cooled, cover with a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. (I didn't need to freeze it for 2 months, though that is a handy thing to know - mine was frozen for just a couple of days, then it made the journey to Utah in the cooler.)
When ready to bake, adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the layer of plastic wrap from the baking dish and replace the foil. Bake, covered, until the sauce is bubbling and the beans are tender, about 80 minutes, stirring the beans thoroughly after 50 minutes. Remove the foil and spread the frozen topping mixture over the beans. Bake until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Serve.
Notes:
I got assigned the "vegetable" for the Blanchard Family Thanksgiving Dinner this year. I have only been in the family for a couple of Thanksgivings, so I didn't know if there was some sort of traditional vegetable dish that I should make. I was informed that there wasn't - that I had free reign to find something fabulous - so of course, I turned to Mel's blog, which is my favorite. Haven't tasted it yet (well, I did taste the sauce and it was pretty dang good), but it looked delicious when I put it in the freezer last night. Hope the rest of the fam agrees. :)
Ingredients:
for the topping:
2 slices hearty sandwich bread, white or wheat, torn into pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (mine was salted so I just left out the salt)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups canned fried onions
for the casserole:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter (mine was salted so I just reduced the salt)
10 ounces white mushrooms, sliced thin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (I used two 12 oz packages, so it was only 1.5 lbs - I think this gave it a little bit saucier consistency than if there were more beans, and we like sauce, so it was perfect.)
1/4 cup cornstarch
Directions:
For the topping: Pulse bread, butter, and salt in food processor until coarsely ground. (I don't have a food processor, so I tried my blender - which I was kinda scared to do, because it's not exactly the best blender in the whole world - I toasted the bread first, then ripped it into pieces and poured the butter over it. Worked like a charm.) Combine bread mixture and canned fried onions in a bowl, transfer to a zipper-lock freezer bag, and freeze.
For the casserole: Melt the butter in a large 12-inch skillet (I used a large sauce pan) over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, salt, and pepper and cook until the mushrooms release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook until all the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the flour and cook until golden, stirring, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in broth and cream and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, toss the green beans with the cornstarch until the beans are evenly coated. Transfer the beans to a 9x13-inch baking dish. Pour the warm mushroom mixture evenly over the beans. Let the casserole cool completely on the counter. Once cooled, cover with a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. (I didn't need to freeze it for 2 months, though that is a handy thing to know - mine was frozen for just a couple of days, then it made the journey to Utah in the cooler.)
When ready to bake, adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the layer of plastic wrap from the baking dish and replace the foil. Bake, covered, until the sauce is bubbling and the beans are tender, about 80 minutes, stirring the beans thoroughly after 50 minutes. Remove the foil and spread the frozen topping mixture over the beans. Bake until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Serve.
Notes:
I got assigned the "vegetable" for the Blanchard Family Thanksgiving Dinner this year. I have only been in the family for a couple of Thanksgivings, so I didn't know if there was some sort of traditional vegetable dish that I should make. I was informed that there wasn't - that I had free reign to find something fabulous - so of course, I turned to Mel's blog, which is my favorite. Haven't tasted it yet (well, I did taste the sauce and it was pretty dang good), but it looked delicious when I put it in the freezer last night. Hope the rest of the fam agrees. :)
Monday, November 19, 2012
Drop Sugar Cookies
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar plus additional sugar for topping
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl, and mix well
Whisk eggs in large bowl until blended. Add sugar, oil, vanilla and zest and mix well.
Stir the dry ingredients into egg mixture until blended.
Chill, covered for 30 minutes or longer
Drop cookie dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets (I rolled them into balls before pressing)
Oil the bottom of a flat bottom glass and dip glass into additional sugar
Press the top of each cookie lightly with the glass to flatten slightly
Dip in sugar before pressing each cookie
Bake cookies until lightly browned about 8 minutes
(I baked them for @ 11 minutes at 375)
cool on wire racks
makes about 16 cookies.
When I was growing up my mom used to make these sugar cookies that had oil instead of butter or shortening, and over the years we lost the recipe. Well I found it and made it last week. I took some to mom and reminded her of the times thata she would make a whole tupperward full before we left for a trip. We didn't have many desserts in those days, so a whole container of cookies and a trip was so exciting! They turned out yummy and everyone loved them! The top photo is from the recipe card and the bottom ones were mine.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Crockpot Ranch Potatoes
Source: adapted from this blog, via Pinterest
Ingredients:
2 lbs red potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces (no need to peel 'em unless you really hate peels)
1 (10.5 oz) can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 ranch packet (I didn't have one, so I used this: 1 Tablespoon dried parsley, 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon dried basil and 1/4 (a little less, actually) teaspoon black pepper, which I found here)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice (I added this because of another ranch dressing recipe that I found and I just thought it might be good)
~1 cup cubed ham (you could certainly add more or none at all, but I had this much left over from some other meals, and I decided to toss it in)
Directions:
Put potatoes and ham into a crockpot. In a separate bowl mix together the soup, sour cream, lemon juice and seasonings. Pour the goop over the potatoes and give everything a good stir to coat. Put the lid on your pot and cook on low for about 4-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours (you'll really just have to go by how your slow cooker cooks - mine always seems to take about half the time that recipes say it should to cook things). When your potatoes are soft, they're done. Eat up!
Notes:
My friend Marcy pinned this today and it sparked a memory of a forgotten bag of potatoes that I had in my cupboard. Luckily they weren't too old or wrinkly, so I decided to use them for dinner. I added the ham to make it more of a one-pot-sort-of-meal, but if you have some other main dish you'd like to eat, I'm sure these would make a great side, too. We loved them! Really creamy and just a lovely comfort food. Next time I'm going to add carrots and big chunks of onion - I think it would be great!
Ingredients:
2 lbs red potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces (no need to peel 'em unless you really hate peels)
1 (10.5 oz) can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 ranch packet (I didn't have one, so I used this: 1 Tablespoon dried parsley, 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon dried basil and 1/4 (a little less, actually) teaspoon black pepper, which I found here)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice (I added this because of another ranch dressing recipe that I found and I just thought it might be good)
~1 cup cubed ham (you could certainly add more or none at all, but I had this much left over from some other meals, and I decided to toss it in)
Directions:
Put potatoes and ham into a crockpot. In a separate bowl mix together the soup, sour cream, lemon juice and seasonings. Pour the goop over the potatoes and give everything a good stir to coat. Put the lid on your pot and cook on low for about 4-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours (you'll really just have to go by how your slow cooker cooks - mine always seems to take about half the time that recipes say it should to cook things). When your potatoes are soft, they're done. Eat up!
Notes:
My friend Marcy pinned this today and it sparked a memory of a forgotten bag of potatoes that I had in my cupboard. Luckily they weren't too old or wrinkly, so I decided to use them for dinner. I added the ham to make it more of a one-pot-sort-of-meal, but if you have some other main dish you'd like to eat, I'm sure these would make a great side, too. We loved them! Really creamy and just a lovely comfort food. Next time I'm going to add carrots and big chunks of onion - I think it would be great!
Friday, November 9, 2012
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Source: adapted from myrecipes.com
Ingredients:
for the crust:
20 oreos (I actually used 1 sleeve of chocolate grahams - made about 1 1/2 cups of crumbs)
2 1/2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (whoops - my had salt - no biggie!)
for the filling:
2 8-oz packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 large eggs, at room temperature (whoops - forgot to take those out when I took out the cream cheese - no biggie!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (I didn't have any so I used a concoction of what I did have: 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon + 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger + 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg + 1/8 teaspoon cloves. Adapted from this recipe with what I had.)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line an 8-inch-square pan with foil so that foil overhangs sides. Mist with cooking spray. (I did the lining an 8x8 pan and misting with cooking spray step - and then when I had the crust baked and done and ready for the filling to be poured in I realized there was NO WAY all that filling was going to fit in my pan. So I dumped the crumbs into a 9x13 (un-lined and un-sprayed), patted them down gently, and poured away. Worked fine. And fit like a glove.)
2. Make crust: Process cookies in food processor until ground. Pulse in butter. Press evenly into pan. Bake until firm, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool slightly.
3. Make filling: With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in pumpkin, then eggs, 1 at a time. Beat in vanilla, flour, spice and salt until just combined.
4. Pour mixture into pan. Put pan on a large rimmed baking sheet; place in oven. Pour hot water into baking sheet until it's nearly filled. Bake until cheesecake is set around edges but jiggles slightly in center, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove pan from sheet; cool completely on rack. Cover with plastic wrap. Chill until firm, at least 3 hours.
Notes:
Gregg has been (not so) subtly hinting at how much he has been wishing for cheesecake lately, so when we were at the store this week, we grabbed some cream cheese (not usually on our list) with the intention of making these. We also needed to grab nutella in order to make that recipe, but after suffering from the sticker shock for said ingredient, we put it back on the shelf and decided to try something else. (We're really cheap.) I got looking at my pinterest cookbook board and discovered a plethora of cheesecake recipes, many involving pumpkin, which is something I had on hand as well as something that fits in with the lovely season we're in right now. So it was settled. And I got busy baking. Gregg was out of town yesterday for a conference, so he didn't get home till much later than usual, but luckily it was just enough time for the 3 hour cooling of these bars to be complete. Perfect timing for a perfect surprise.
And so delicious! They taste just like pumpkin pie in a light and fluffy cheesecake form. I liked the chocolate from the grahams in the crust, but I think they'd be equally delicious with a gingersnap crust - I'll try that next time. Now our only problem is finishing off a huge pan of cheesecake by ourselves - anyone want to visit? :)
Ingredients:
for the crust:
20 oreos (I actually used 1 sleeve of chocolate grahams - made about 1 1/2 cups of crumbs)
2 1/2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (whoops - my had salt - no biggie!)
for the filling:
2 8-oz packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 large eggs, at room temperature (whoops - forgot to take those out when I took out the cream cheese - no biggie!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (I didn't have any so I used a concoction of what I did have: 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon + 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger + 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg + 1/8 teaspoon cloves. Adapted from this recipe with what I had.)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line an 8-inch-square pan with foil so that foil overhangs sides. Mist with cooking spray. (I did the lining an 8x8 pan and misting with cooking spray step - and then when I had the crust baked and done and ready for the filling to be poured in I realized there was NO WAY all that filling was going to fit in my pan. So I dumped the crumbs into a 9x13 (un-lined and un-sprayed), patted them down gently, and poured away. Worked fine. And fit like a glove.)
2. Make crust: Process cookies in food processor until ground. Pulse in butter. Press evenly into pan. Bake until firm, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool slightly.
3. Make filling: With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in pumpkin, then eggs, 1 at a time. Beat in vanilla, flour, spice and salt until just combined.
4. Pour mixture into pan. Put pan on a large rimmed baking sheet; place in oven. Pour hot water into baking sheet until it's nearly filled. Bake until cheesecake is set around edges but jiggles slightly in center, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove pan from sheet; cool completely on rack. Cover with plastic wrap. Chill until firm, at least 3 hours.
Notes:
Gregg has been (not so) subtly hinting at how much he has been wishing for cheesecake lately, so when we were at the store this week, we grabbed some cream cheese (not usually on our list) with the intention of making these. We also needed to grab nutella in order to make that recipe, but after suffering from the sticker shock for said ingredient, we put it back on the shelf and decided to try something else. (We're really cheap.) I got looking at my pinterest cookbook board and discovered a plethora of cheesecake recipes, many involving pumpkin, which is something I had on hand as well as something that fits in with the lovely season we're in right now. So it was settled. And I got busy baking. Gregg was out of town yesterday for a conference, so he didn't get home till much later than usual, but luckily it was just enough time for the 3 hour cooling of these bars to be complete. Perfect timing for a perfect surprise.
And so delicious! They taste just like pumpkin pie in a light and fluffy cheesecake form. I liked the chocolate from the grahams in the crust, but I think they'd be equally delicious with a gingersnap crust - I'll try that next time. Now our only problem is finishing off a huge pan of cheesecake by ourselves - anyone want to visit? :)
Monday, November 5, 2012
No-Bake Energy Bites
Source
Makes 18-20 bites
Ingredients:
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1 cup coconut flakes (I'm not the biggest fan of coconut, but it isn't the same without it, so I reduce the amount and chop mine VERY finely)
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 mini chocolate chips (I like to use craisins and chopped nuts)
1 tsp vanilla
Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl until thoroughly incorporated. Let chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Once chilled, roll into balls and enjoy. Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.
Notes:
I love breakfast food, but I hate eating breakfast. I can't eat most convenience foods, and I hate interrupting my morning (my most productive time) by wasting my energy on cooking. Dilemma. I recently discovered this recipe and now, instead of skipping the meal, do my metabolism by a favor by popping one or two of these in my mouth. Problem solved! Not only for the morning, but any time I feel the need for "a little something" to boost my energy or curb my appetite. Melia and Bret love them too! I hope to find a similar recipe that has a little less fat and sugar, but in the meantime, this is great!
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