Pita Bread I love foods that puff when you cook them. Give me a great souffle, a perfectly risen cake, or one of these extremely yummy little pitas, and I am a happy girl. I haven’t done a bread recipe on here in a while, and pitas have been on my to-cook list for months. So when I found myself with some leftover yeast after making a batch of soft pretzels, I figured it was as good a time as any to give these a try. What totally cracked me up about this recipe is that it demonstrated how completely uneven my oven’s temperature is. The pitas on the left side of the oven were flat, white, and barely cooked through. That oven is going to be my failsafe excuse for any and all baking disasters from now on. Ok, I’m done. Pita Bread INGREDIENTS 2 1/4 cups flour, plus more for kneading 1 cup warm water 2 tsp active dry yeast Pinch of sugar 1 tsp salt 2 tbsp canola oil DIRECTIONS: In a small bowl, mix yeast, warm water and sugar, set aside for ten minutes. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Makes six large pitas.
27 Ways To Make Your Groceries Last As Long As Possible Baked Wonton Tacos When I was a little kid, around every New Year’s, my mom and grandma would sit down and make Mandu {Korean version of potstickers or wontons} all day to make Teokguk {Korean version of wonton soup} and I’d just sit with them trying to help out. I remember trying to help out making my own Mandu, though not really successfully. Then my mom and grandma made their own mandu skins from scratch… And now… how grateful I am that I can get premade mandu skins so easily… although I think I should try and make my own skins sometime… It’s definitely on my to-do list. But until then, these premade wonton skins would do. When I saw that you can use wonton skins to make little tacos, I immediately experimented with the idea. I added ingredients that I love, like cilantro and avocado slices… So refreshing and delicious. Boil one chicken breast (boneless and skinless) until fully cooked. Shred the chicken using two forks. Add chopped cilantro leaves (1 TBS). Add cheese (2 TBS) to the chicken mixture.
Beer-Battered Fried Pickles I’m fairly certain there is nothing more satisfying to eat than a fried pickle. The sad part is that it took me 29 years to discover this. Last year I tasted my first fried pickle in an Irish pub in California and I was forever transformed. I crossed the threshold into a new phase of life—pre-fried pickle to post-fried pickle. And I’m never looking back. The best part? Get out your trusty skillet and pour in a thick layer of oil. Next, combine the eggs and the beer in a bowl. Whisk them up well and get them nice and frothy. Sprinkle in the salt… And then little by little add the flour to the liquid ingredients. Get your pickle slices close to you while the oil heats up. Use a pair of tongs or a fork and dip them in the batter one by one. They should be nicely coated. The pickles will bubble and pop and after about 2 minutes … Flip them over so that they brown on the other side. You also might want to take the temperature of the oil along the way to make sure it doesn’t drop too much.
Cinnamon Toast Rolls The USDA released its new food pyramid the other day (which is actually a plate now instead of a pyramid), and I am sorely disappointed to report that cinnamon rolls did not appear anywhere on that plate. I think by now most of us know what should be on our dinner plate in terms of healthy, well-rounded nutrient-laden meals, but it is my considered opinion that our breakfast plate should include cinnamon rolls now and then. And not just any cinnamon roll, mind you, but how ‘bout a homemade cinnamon roll hybrid that is a cross between a cinnamon roll and cinnamon toast, is super easy to make and gosh darn delicious. In honor of their ancestry, I call these little gems cinnamon toast rolls, and here’s all you need to make them… Yep. Trim the crusts off of the bread Roll the bread really flat Brush both sides of the bread with butter Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar Roll in any fashion you like (I’ve also folded them into little triangles) Cinnamon Toast Rolls Click here for a printable recipe
recipe: sweet & sour chicken I was ridiculously excited when I came across this recipe for homemade sweet and sour chicken. You guys, it is SO GOOD. It’s a little involved with several steps (coating chicken, frying a little bit, then baking) but it is all worth it. Trust me. Start with a plate of chicken breast, cut into chunks. Sprinkle on some salt and pepper. Mix up your sauce: ketchup, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic powder. Dip the chicken into cornstarch and then in beaten egg. Transfer the chicken to a baking dish and coat all the pieces with the sauce. Bake that for about an hour, turning the pieces once or twice. Serve it all together and enjoy! Sweet and Sour ChickenIngredients 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts Salt and pepper 1 cup cornstarch 2 eggs, beaten 1/4 cup canola oilFor the sauce (1 batch) 2/3 cup sugar 1/2 cup ketchup 1 cup vinegar 2 tablespoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon garlic powderPreparation Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks, season with salt and pepper.
A brownie by any other name… Love brownies. Love their shiny, flaky top that shatters into micro-thin shards that shower onto your fingers as you eat. Love their dark, gooey center. Their “chocolate nirvana” flavor. Sometimes can’t deal with the bake, wait to cool, cutting into squares messiness and fuss of brownies. Every time I make these cookies (which, truth be told, is quite often), I think of a former colleague, Ana, who left King Arthur last year in order to be a full-time mom to her 2-year-old twins. The test kitchen bakers loved Ana. Ana still visits occasionally, 2-year-olds in tow. And when she does, she’ll invariably nose out any chocolate, and treat us to her classic reaction: “Perfect! These cookies are basically brownies: flat, round, 2 ½” brownies. First task: Combine the chocolate and butter. Melt in the microwave till softened… …then stir till smooth. Stir the chocolate into eggs and sugar, which you’ve beaten together. Refrigerate the batter for an hour; it’ll stiffen up nicely. Buy vs.
Caramel Apple Cream Cheese Cookie Bars! Good Thursday! Phew what a week, school started Tuesday for the boys and we are all still trying to get used to the new schedules. The earlier bedtime has been the trickiest. I have to admit, it’s been 7 years since I’ve had 4 hours to myself in the mornings. I hardly know what to do with myself, ok that was a joke. It’s great and I’m finding plenty to do. Once September hits, I seem to go into “Fall” mode. Caramel Apple Cream Cheese Cookie Bars 3 Tablespoons melted butter 3 Cups Golden Graham Cereal, ground in food processor 1 Roll Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Dough or 2 pkgs Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Dough Mix prepared and divided into 2 equal parts 8 oz softened cream cheese 1/4 Cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 21 oz can apple pie filling 1.5 oz package Nature Valley Oats N’ Honey Crunchy Granola Bars (2 count), crushed (I use a rolling pin to crush them right in the bag before opening) 9.5 oz Kraft Caramels 1/2 Cup half and half 1. 2. 9 squares Have a wonderful rest of the week!!
Cake Batter Pancakes I’m fairly convinced that the world would be a better place if more sprinkles were involved. I know. I just made pancakes. It seems I have an unnatural obsession with cake batter. Well I do. When I develop recipes, I try to make all of them for a purpose. Case in point: it isn’t anyone’s birthday. But I don’t need an excuse to eat cake and sprinkles. And because pancakes always need some sort of topping, I went with a sprinkled glaze. Because nothing goes better with cake than more sugar! These are just plain fun. Sure, they would be best for a special occasion like a birthday, but they also work on a random Saturday in January when it’s -2 degrees outside and all you want to see is some sunshine. That wasn’t me. And yes, this means you will have an open box of cake mix, just like you did with the cake batter bark. Cake Batter Pancakes makes about 12 pancakes 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 2/3 cup yellow cake mix 1 tablespoon sugar 3/4 teaspoon baking powder pinch of salt 2 eggs assorted sprinkles