CLASSIC STUFFED POTATOES

I think almost everyone has their own version of stuffed baked potatoes, but for those who don't, I hope you will try this recipe. It is such a versatile dish that you can add just about any ingredient to this recipe to suite your tastes. My favorite version has crisp bacon, sauteed onions, broccoli, cheese, sour cream and butter. It is an excellent side dish for dinner guests because you can make these early in the day and then just heat them up while you are grilling the main course. Stuffed potatoes and a small salad also make a wonderful meal all by themselves.

3 large baking potatoes (1 pound each)
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup of butter (divided)
1/2 cup light cream (or less)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
3 slices bacon fried crisp and drained
1 cup broccoli chopped small

Wash and dry baking potatoes. Bake them (unwrapped) in a 375 degree oven for about one hour and 20 minutes or until easily pierced with a knife. Let the potatoes cool until you can handle them or use a oven glove to protect your hands. Cut potatoes in half, lengthwise; carefully scoop out pulp and put it into a mixing bowl (try not to tear the potato skins). Saute onions until they are tender and sweet in 1/4 cup butter then add them to the potato pulp. Saute the broccoli until tender and set aside.

Removed a few of the "prettier" broccoli florets to decorate the potato tops and set those aside. Mix the potato pulp, onions, remaining 1/4 cup butter, sour cream, cheese and seasonings until very well mixed. Whip in enough of the light cream to make a consistency like mashed potatoes(you may not need all of the cream). Stir in the crisp bacon and small broccoli pieces with a wooden spoon.
Fill potato skins with this mixture (mounding slightly) and top with a little extra cheddar, decorate with broccoli florets and drizzle with a little butter. Bake at 350 for 20 to 30 minutes or until heated through. Makes six half potatoes.

NOTE: If you make these earlier in the day, cover and refrigerate them. At dinner time, bake them at 350 for about 40 minutes.
NOTE: These potatoes are also excellent topped with beef stroganoff or Swedish meatballs.

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FUDGY BROWNIES FOR TWO

I whipped these up in just a few minutes today and I must tell you they are delicious!! Moist, fudgy and just right for two huge 4" x 4" brownies (or six small ones). I can also see many other possibilities for these beauties. Do you have last minute company coming? Cut these into 6 small brownies and top each one with a scoop of vanilla ice cream & chocolate syrup for a wonderful dessert or cut these brownies into small pieces and layer them with chocolate pudding for a wonderful last minute parfait. Then, of course, there is always the "I need something rich and chocolate-y late night attack" --these would be PERFECT!!

Preheat your oven to 350 and spray an 8" x 4" x 2" loaf pan (recipe will give you a brownie 8" long 4" wide and 1" thick).

1/4 cup butter flavored Crisco
3 tablespoons baking cocoa
1 large egg
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Cream shortening, sugar, cocoa, vanilla and egg together until smooth. Add dry ingredients and beat until well combined. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips. Spread mixture in lightly greased loaf pan and bake 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.
NOTE: To help in removing the baked brownies, I cut a piece of parchment paper (wax paper works too) the same size as the bottom of the loaf pan, except I made it twice as long. After the brownies were baked (and cooled for about 15 minutes) I used the "tails" of the paper to hang on to and lifted the brownies out of the pan.
NOTE: I decorated the top of my brownies with some whole pecans and a couple swirls of a simple chocolate glaze, but it isn't necessary. These brownies are super rich and moist, they really don't need any frosting at all.
NOTE: Recipe calls for a baking time of 15 to 20 minutes. My oven took 20 minutes.

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PINEAPPLE WHIPPED CREAM DRESSING

When I was a kid, my mother, bless her heart, made (what she called) fruit salad on special occasions. Her idea of fruit salad was a can of drained fruit cocktail with a little Dream Whip stirred in; if it was a very special occasion, she added a banana. When I started cooking, a good fruit salad was one of the things I wanted to learn how to make.

The other day, Judy from Mennonite Girls Can Cook posted a simple little recipe for a fruit salad dressing that is exactly what I've been searching for (they have the greatest recipes over there). A cooked pineapple flavored whipped cream dressing that I just had to try.

1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup whipping cream (+1/4 cup sugar - my tweak)

Beat the eggs until smooth, then stir in sugar and juices. Cook over medium heat until thickened (stirring constantly). Chill

Just before serving, whip the whipping cream until stiff peaks form and fold it into the chilled pineapple mixture. Fold the dressing into the salad or serve on the side.

NOTE: The recipe, as written, is ALMOST on the verge of tart (for our tastes), so I added 1/4 cup of sugar to the whipping cream before I whipped it. The additional sugar produces a dressing that is ALMOST verging on sweet (definitely not too sweet). Here is my suggestion: When the cooked part of the dressing has chilled, taste it...if you like it, don't add any extra sugar and just fold it directly into the whipped cream.

If you would like the final dressing to be a little sweeter, add the extra sugar to the whipping cream before you whip it, then fold the two together. Does that make sense?

NOTE: This pineapple whipped cream is super light, fluffy and creamy, it would be great on just about anything (I plan on using it on pound cake). I also have plans for substituting orange juice for the pineapple juice and making an orange flavored whipped cream. TONS of possibilities here!

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HEARTY BREAKFAST SANDWICH

What is that old saying..."necessity is the mother of invention"? Well, necessity was the origin of this simple breakfast sandwich over the weekend. Hubby and I had a leisurely late morning breakfast planned when he received an unexpected phone call and had to meet a client right away. As luck would have it, I already had some potatoes and bacon fried up, so I mixed them into a couple of scrambled eggs, along with some cheese and morphed it all into a grilled sandwich that he could take with him.

1 small potato chopped fairly small (skins on)
3 slices of bacon diced
2 eggs
salt and pepper
2 slices of favorite cheese
2 slices of bread

Fry the bacon first, until it is crispy & drain it on paper towels. Pour the bacon fat out of the pan, but leave just a very thin skim of fat in the pan to fry the potatoes in. Fry the potatoes (make sure they are chopped very small) and drain on paper towels. Wipe the pan out & return the potatoes, crumbled bacon and two large eggs to the pan. Stir everything together, add salt and pepper & cook until soft set (leave the egg-bacon-potato mixture as flat and thin as possible).

Put the egg mixture and cheese slices in between two slices of bread. Butter the outside of the bead and grill like you would any other grilled sandwich.

To make the story short...breakfast interruption was avoided and Hubby was able to take his breakfast with him. He said it tasted great and stayed hot for a long time.
NOTE: Makes two hearty sandwiches.

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GLAZED SPUDNUT (style) DONUTS

For those people who are old enough to know what a Spudnut is...this recipe will be a treat. For those of you too young to remember Spudnuts...let's just say that they were the best donut in the universe. I heard that there are still a few Spudnut shops around, but it appears that they are few and far between.

This recipe (from the Idaho Potato Commission) makes a LOT of Spudnut-style donuts (about 4 dozen) so you might want to half the recipe if you decide to make them. If you are not experienced with yeast doughs, I don't recommend trying this recipe, however, if you have had even moderate success with yeast doughs, I hope you give the recipe a try (it is not a hard recipe at all).

The donuts are very moist, sweet and have just a HINT of lemon. My hubby is a donut (and Spudnut) connoisseur from way back, and he gave these donuts two thumbs up!!

 

 2 pkgs. dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup shortening (do not use butter)
1 & 1/2 cups cold instant mashed potatoes
3 eggs well beaten
2 cups scalded milk (cooled to luke warm)
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon extract
6 to 8 cups all purpose flour

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and set aside. Cream the sugar and shortening and beat in the cold potatoes, eggs, cooled milk, yeast water, salt and lemon extract. Gradually add the flour to make a soft dough, knead well. The dough will be quite sticky, but holds together well. It should be a softer dough than bread dough.


 Cover dough with plastic and let it raise in a warm place until doubled in size (this takes a huge bowl and about an hour). After an hour, pull dough out of bowl and onto the counter. Sprinkle with flour and knead it a little to get most of the air out of it. If dough seems really sticky, just flour your board. Roll the dough out to a half inch thickness. Cut with well-floured cutter.


Spray a piece of parchment paper (or waxed paper) with a little vegetable spray and then wipe it down with a paper towel. Cut the paper into squares and put a cut out donut on each square. This will help you when it is time to transfer the raised donuts from the counter to the hot oil (see notes).

 Let the doughnuts raise until they get nice and puffy, then

deep fry the donuts in 375 degree vegetable oil until they are deep golden (mine took about 2 minutes a side). Only fry two or three donuts at a time.
Drain on paper towels. Glaze while still warm

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GLAZE

1 pound of sifted powdered sugar

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

Whisk in enough boiling water to make a thin glaze, drizzle over donuts.

And don't forget the donut holes!!!

NOTE: Recipe calls for shortening, I used butter flavored Crisco.

NOTE: Recipe calls for prepared instant potatoes. I prepared my potatoes per the box instructions including water, milk, butter and salt.

NOTE: Recipe calls for a tablespoon of lemon extract. That sounds like a lot, but it leaves just a tiny HINT of lemon flavor in the final product.

NOTE: Recipe calls for 6-8 cups of flour. I used all 8 cups and it was no where near as "solid" as bread dough, so expect a sticky dough.

NOTE: I let my donuts raise on squares of sprayed parchment paper. If you do that, then you can pick up the donut without deforming or deflating it and gently turn it over in your hand and gently peel off the paper before you ease the donut into the hot oil.

NOTE: I have a 2" donut cutter, but it just seemed to make a very tiny donut, so I cut the bottom and top out of a pineapple can and used that as my cutter. I cut out the center of the donut with a tiny cookie cutter.
NOTE: I used my smallest electric frying pan with 3" of vegetable oil to fry these donuts. The electric fry pan allows you to easily adjust the oil to 375 degrees and since you should only fry two or three donuts at a time, the smaller electric fry pan makes sense.

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BASIC HONEY-WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

I know a lot of you are still in the throes of summer heat, however, here in Alaska, mid-August is the beginning of our fall, with night time temperatures in the 40's and day time temperatures between 55 and 65 (we will probably have night time frost in a couple of weeks). Therefore, my thoughts are turning to heartier recipes. If YOUR part of the world is still too hot for baking, I hope that you will bookmark this recipe for YOUR fall season.

I searched long and hard for this whole wheat bread recipe. It makes great dinner rolls, hamburger buns and (best of all) excellent sandwich bread. It is just a basic whole wheat recipe, nothing fancy, but the bread is moist, flavorful and remains fresh longer than most homemade breads. I hope you will try it.

3 CUPS WARM WATER
2 ENVELOPES OF YEAST (or 2 tablespoons)
2/3 CUP HONEY
5 CUPS BREAD FLOUR
3 TABLESPOONS CANOLA OIL
1 TABLESPOON SALT (do not leave out)
3 & 1 /2 CUPS WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR

In your stand mixer bowl, mix the warm water, honey, oil, salt, yeast and 5 cups of bread flour. Mix well and let this stand for 30 minutes (it will get full of air bubbles).

After 30 minutes, mix in 2 cups of whole wheat flour (you'll need your dough hook for this). Work in an additional 1 & 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour (1/2 cup at a time) until your dough comes cleanly away from the inside walls of your bowl. This last measurement of flour is flexible. You may only need one more cup or you may need 2 cups, it depends on the humidity in your house (and the moisture level in your flour).

You will know your dough is ready when the inside walls of your mixing bowl are free of anything sticky. When it gets to that stage, let the machine knead the dough for about five more minutes.

After it has kneaded for five minutes, remove the dough from the bowl and spray just a little vegetable spray inside the bowl and put the dough back in. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for about an hour or until the dough has doubled.

After it has doubled, push your fist into the dough and deflate it. Turn it out onto the counter and knead it about half a dozen times to get the air out. If you are making sandwich bread, divide the dough into three sections (recipe makes three loaves).

Roll each section out into a rectangle then roll each rectangle up into a log, pinching the seams and ends shut. Place each "log" into a greased 9"x5" loaf pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let the dough raise for an hour or until doubled.

Bake loaves in preheated 400 degree oven for 25 minutes. Immediately remove from pan and cool on bakers rack. Brush loaf tops with butter. Don't cut the loaves until they are cooled completely.

If you want to make hamburger buns, pinch off a ball of dough about the size of a lime (maybe just a little bigger). Round it into a ball and then put it on your counter and flatten it to a 5" circle with your hand. Place on greased cooking sheet and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let it raise for about 30 minutes or until doubled. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes or till golden.

If you are making bread rolls, pinch off a piece of dough about the size of a golf ball. Round it and place it in a greased baking dish about 2" apart. The dough will expand and touch each other as they raise. Cover with plastic and let raise for an hour or until doubled. Bake at 400 for about 18 minutes or till golden.

NOTE: Just before you cover your dough (at any stage) with plastic wrap, use a minimal amount of cooking spray on the surface of your dough. This will keep the plastic from sticking (and deforming) your dough when you try to remove it.
NOTE: As soon as the bread comes out of the oven, make sure you brush the tops with a little melted butter. This will keep the crust soft.
NOTE: Make hamburger buns a lot thinner than you think they need to be. Don't forget, they will raise even more in the oven and you don't want a bun that looks like a football.
NOTE: Let bread loafs cool completely before you slice them. If you try to slice hot bread, it often misshapes the slices.

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NO BAKE LEMON CHEESECAKE WITH BLUEBERRY SAUCE

A light and sweet ending to a summer barbecue. This no bake "cheese cake" recipe can be whipped up in a hurry. You can double the recipe and put it into a large sheet pan (for a big crowd). My husband likes to eat this frozen.


CRUST
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup white sugar
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
Mix crust ingredients and press onto the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan. Bake at 325 for about 8 minutes. Cool before filling.

FILLING
Large size Cool Whip
1 small box of lemon jello
1 cup of boiling water
1 cup white sugar
8 ounce cream cheese (room temperature)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract

Dissolve the lemon jello in the boiling water and let it cool to room temperature (don't let it set up).

Beat the cream cheese, white sugar and both extracts together until creamy and smooth. Beat the cooled jello and the cream cheese mixture into the Cool Whip until it is very well mixed. Pour onto the cooled crust and chill at least 2 hours.

BLUEBERRY SAUCE
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix the sugar and cornstarch in a medium size sauce pan and gradually add the water (whisking to mix). Stir in blueberries and bring to a simmer. Simmer until it thickens then simmer one minute longer. Stir in the vanilla. Serve warm or cold.

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HOME MADE TATER TOTS

This recipe is one the kids will get a kick out of...home made tater tots!! Super quick and simple to make, they are a mixture of chopped potatoes, shredded cheddar, egg, flour, seasonings and fried crisp in a little oil. They are excellent dipped in your favorite barbecue or ranch dressing...inexpensive too!!

2 medium Russet potatoes (see note)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (don't pack)
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 beaten egg

Peel and cube potatoes into your food processor bowl. Pulse them a few times but don't chop them so fine that they become mush. (First picture is the cube size, second picture is the desired chopped size)

In a bowl, mix the chopped potatoes & 1 cup of loosely packed shredded cheddar cheese. Thoroughly mix in the flour (make sure everything is coated). Then add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Let this mixture sit for about 5 minutes before you fry them. Heat 1/2" vegetable oil to 375.

Scoop spoonfuls of the potato mixture and compress it a little with your fingers while it is on the spoon. Push the "tater tot" off of the spoon (gently) into the shallow (hot) vegetable oil. Fry until golden brown (about 2 minutes per side). Season with salt while still hot.

NOTE: For those of you who live in Alaska, I don't think our Alaska potatoes would work very well in this recipe (the hold too much water and won't crisp up). Recipe calls for Russet (or baking potatoes).

NOTE: For a variation, I am going to try pepper Jack cheese in this recipe instead of the cheddar. I'll let you know how it goes.
 

 

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THE ULTIMATE (FILLED) PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE

These (crispy on the outside - creamy on the inside) cookies are a hit every time I make them. They are quick to make and delicious to eat, with a sweet peanut butter cookie exterior and a Reese's cup interior...need I say more? These cookies are also a great bake sale item.

1 BAG OF MINIATURE REESE CUPS FROZEN

1 & 1/4 CUPS ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
3/4 TEASPOON BAKING SODA
1/4 TEASPOON SALT
1/2 CUP BUTTER FLAVORED CRISCO (don't substitute)
1/2 CUP PEANUT BUTTER
1/2 CUP WHITE SUGAR
1/2 CUP BROWN SUGAR
1 EGG
1 TEASPOON VANILLA EXTRACT


In a large mixing bowl, cream together the Crisco, peanut butter, sugars, egg and vanilla until it is smooth and creamy. Next add the dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Roll this dough into 1" balls and place them in an UNgreased mini-muffin pan:

Bake them at 375 for 10 minutes and they will look like this:

Immediately press a FROZEN miniature Reese's cups into the center of each cookie (pressing down until the top of the candy is at the same level as the top of the cookie).

Let these cool IN THE PAN for about 2 minutes before you try to remove them. To remove the cookies, insert just the tip of a thin knife between the cookie and the pan (the knife will help you lift the cookie out). The chocolate will melt from the heat of the cookie, so it will be messy until the chocolate re-sets. You can speed set them in the fridge.

BE CAREFUL, THEY ARE ADDICTING!!

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SPEEDY WEEK NIGHT CHICKEN DINNER

This quick fix chicken dinner is one of my "go to" week night recipes. I always keep boneless, skinless chicken in the freezer, so I can whip this up in a hurry. It is one of those easy recipes that you can cook with your eyes closed and yet its sweet and (mildly) spicy flavor will please just about everyone. We don't care for super-spicy food, so the ingredients below were designed for us. If you like more spice, just increase the amount of crushed red pepper flakes. Leftovers reheat very well in the microwave and make a great hot sandwich the next day.

 Cut 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs into nugget size pieces. Roll them in flour, then in beaten eggs, then back in flour. Sprinkle them with black pepper and brown them in about 1/4 cup of canola oil.

 When they are nice and brown, remove them from the pan and drain on paper towels. Wipe the grease out of the pan and add the following:

1 cup of favorite barbecue sauce

1/4 cup of water
1 tablespoon honeyscant 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Return to heat and mix sauce thoroughly. When it is bubbly, put the chicken in the sauce and stir to coat all of the pieces (I use a wide flat spatula to turn the pieces in the sauce).

 Lower the heat and let the sauce sink into the chicken and caramelize a little in the pan. The chicken will be ready to serve when the sauce darkens (about five minutes).

 NOTE: I have used chicken breast in this recipe, but it is not as moist and tasty as chicken thighs.

NOTE: Once you have put the sauce on the chicken, keep the heat down and watch it because it can scorch easily.

NOTE: I don't add salt to the sauce because there is plenty of salt in the barbecue sauce.

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MAPLE TWISTS

I highly recommend that you visit Mennonite Girls Can Cook. They posted a sweet roll recipe that looked delicious; it was called Charlotte Rose's Maple Twists. Three hours later, this beauty was cooling on my kitchen counter. It may sound complicated, but it really isn't and the final product is a show stopper.

CLICK ON THIS PHOTO TO GET A BETTER LOOK.

DOUGH
2 and 3/4 to 3 CUPS ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
3/4 CUP MILK
1/4 CUP BUTTER
3 TABLESPOONS SUGAR
1/2 TEASPOON SALT
1 TABLESPOON DRY ACTIVE YEAST
1 TEASPOON MAPLE EXTRACT
1 EGG

Heat the milk and butter until very warm. Blend it (in stand mixer) with 1 cup of flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, yeast, egg and maple extract. Beat this on low for 2 minutes. Add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time (you may not need all 3 cups). Knead into a soft dough. It will become smooth an elastic in about five minutes. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise for 45 minutes (or till at least double in size).

While the dough is rising, make the streusel:
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon maple extract
Mix everything together and set aside.

ASSEMBLY
After the dough rises, divide it into three pieces. Roll each piece into a 12" circle. Place the first circle on a buttered 14" pizza pan (I used parchment paper and sprayed it a little). Top the first circle with 1/3 of the streusel mixture and spread it around as thin as you can get it (repeat with 2nd and 3rd circles).

Find something that is 2" across (like a dixie cup) and center it on the circles (press down a little to make a mark). Using scissors, cut from the outer edge into the cup mark, making 16 wedges. Sounds confusing, but a picture is worth a thousand words, so here is what it will look like:

Gently life and twist each section 5 times. Tuck the end in just a little so that it stays twisted. It will look like this:

Lightly cover this with plastic wrap and let it rise for about 45 minutes to an hour. Bake in a 375° oven for 18-22 minutes (mine took the full 22 minutes). Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before you top with glaze.

GLAZE

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 to 2 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon maple extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (my tweak)

Whisk until smooth and drizzle over warm rolls.

NOTE: I didn't have any maple extract, so I used a Crescent flavoring called Mapeline (worked great).
 

NOTE: Sorry about the photo quality, the maple twists were too big to fit into my light box, so I had to take the photo on the kitchen counter...like the old days, lol.

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BLUEBERRY SOUR CREAM BUNDT CAKE

My daughter recommended this cake recipe and she was right, it is delicious (she found the recipe on allrecipes.com). Not only is it super moist (made with a cup of butter + a cup of sour cream + a cup of blueberries) but it has a brown sugar and pecan layer that swirls through the batter as well!! Thank you for sharing the recipe BreeAnn!!!

1 CUP BUTTER AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
2 CUPS WHITE SUGAR
1 CUP SOUR CREAM
2 EGGS
1 TEASPOON VANILLA EXTRACT
1 TEASPOON LEMON ZEST (my recipe tweak)
1 & 5/8 CUPS ALL PURPOSE FLOUR (see note )
1 TEASPOON BAKING POWDER
1/4 TEASPOON SALT
1 CUP FRESH OR FROZEN BLUEBERRIES
1/2 CUP BROWN SUGAR
1 TEASPOON CINNAMON
1/2 CUP CHOPPED PECANS

Preheat your oven to 350 and grease and flour a 9" bundt pan.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in eggs one at a time; stir in sour cream, vanilla and lemon zest. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt and stir it into the butter mixture until well blended; fold in blueberries.

Spoon half of the batter into the prepared bundt pan. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans. Sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture over the batter in the pan & top with the second half of the batter. Sprinkle the rest of the brown sugar mixture over the top of everything. Gently swirl a butter knife through the batter a couple of times to irregularly distribute the brown sugar pecan layer.

Bake the cake for 55 to 60 minutes in preheated oven. Cool cake (in the pan) on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before turning out onto a cake plate.


A couple of people have written to ask me about the glaze on this cake. I start with two or three tablespoons of melted butter, two cups of powdered sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla. I then whisk in just enough whipping cream to make a good consistency. Sorry I can't be more specific than that (I don't measure glaze ingredients).

As for the question I received about the intensity of lemon...I used one teaspoon of finely grated lemon zest in this recipe and you can taste it, but it is very subtle. I think next time I will go for two teaspoons of zest.

NOTE: The recipe called for 1 + 5/8 cups all purpose flour. I'm assuming this must be a metric conversion? I measured 1 + 3/4 cups then removed a tablespoon of flour.

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HOT SOFT PRETZELS

I love hot pretzels, especially nice big puffy ones. This recipe is not hard at all, but it does have a few pesky steps. The pretzels are deliciously chewy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside and you can top them with just about any seed or seasoning you prefer. I made these with toasted sesame seeds and a light sprinkle of coarse ground salt. This recipe makes 8 large pretzels.

1  and 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 generous tablespoon of dry yeast
4 cups all purpose flour (divided)
2 tablespoons canola oil


In your stand mixer, mix two cups of the flour, sugar, yeast and kosher salt. Pour the warm water and oil over the top and mix with wooden spoon until all ingredients are wet. Let this stand for about 10 minutes.

Attach the dough hook to your mixer and gradually beat in the additional 2 cups of flour (1/2 cup at a time). If dough is still sticky after you get the 4 cups of flour mixed in, had a little more flour (tablespoon at a time) until the dough pulls cleanly away from the inside walls of your mixing bowl. Once it does that, knead on low for about five minutes (see note).

Remove the dough from your mixing bowl and spray the inside of the bowl with vegetable spray; return the dough to the bowl and spritz the top of the dough with vegetable spray; cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let dough sit for an hour or until it doubles in size.

Preheat your oven to 450. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and spritz the paper with vegetable spray then rub a paper towel over the parchment paper to remove excess spray. Set aside.

Punch down the dough and cut it into 8 pieces. Roll out each piece into a 24" rope and twist it into a pretzel shape (pinching ends together tightly). Place pretzels on the prepared parchment paper.

In a large (wide bottomed sauce pan), bring 10 cups of water + 2/3 cup baking soda to a rolling boil (it will really bubble). Gently place one of your pretzels onto a slotted FLAT spatula and gently lower the spatula (with pretzel) into the boiling water. Shake the spatula very gently and the pretzel will float off into the water. COOK ONLY ONE PRETZEL AT A TIME.

Boil each pretzel for 30 seconds then gently lift it back out of the water and (before you put it BACK on the parchment paper) rest the slotted spatula/pretzel gently on a kitchen towel (for a couple of seconds) so that it will absorb any water drips......THEN put it back on the parchment paper. Repeat this process for each pretzel.

When all pretzels have been through the water bath, gently brush the tops of them with egg wash (1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water) and sprinkle with salt and/or seeds.

Bake in 450 oven for 12 minutes or until they are dark golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for five minutes before serving.

 Not the best for you, I'm sure, but the cheese dip recipe that is on the back of the Velveeta box is still my favorite: 1 pound of Velveeta (cubed) + 8 ounce jar of your favorite salsa. Mix and microwave on high until cheese is really melted (about 4 or 5 minutes...stir once in a while). When it's completely melted, add 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro. Yum!

This evening, hubby had sweet chicken wings for dinner (not my favorite) so I sliced one of the big pretzels and made an egg salad sandwich with it. Oh man, what a sandwich!

 NOTE: I have not tried it, but I do not see why the initial dough mixing and kneading couldn't be done with a bread machine.

NOTE: Be very gentle with the pretzels when you transfer them from the boiling water back to the parchment paper lined baking sheet.

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BAKE SALE BUTTERSCOTCH COOKIES

I call this recipe "Bake Sale Butterscotch Cookies" because they are quick and inexpensive to make, they are something a little different and the recipe makes a whopping six dozen cookies! A great recipe for a bake sale, pot luck or family gathering.

5 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3 cups of brown sugar (packed)
3 eggs
2 cups butterscotch chips
1 and 1/2 cups butter flavored Crisco
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

In a large mixing bowl (stand mixer works best because its such a big batch), cream the Crisco and brown sugar together. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each egg. Beat in the vanilla.

Combine the dry ingredients and butterscotch chips and add gradually to the Crisco mixture and beat well. Roll this dough into balls (about the size of a small walnut) and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet, at 350, for 12 to 13 minutes. Cool on parchment paper.

NOTE: This recipe can be made with butter instead of the Crisco, but it will act very different while it is baking. With the Crisco, the cookie will retain its nice shape that you see in these photos. If you use butter, you will get a much flatter cookie.

NOTE: Personally, I prefer the butter flavored Crisco because it gives you a much more professional looking cookie. My hubby is the cookie connoisseur in hour house and he prefers cookies made with butter flavored Crisco.

 This recipe makes a lot of cookies!

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TACO BURGERS

It has been hot for at least two weeks, so we have done a lot of grilling, crock potting and microwaving (anything that keeps the kitchen cooler). We cooked this taco burger on the "GF Grilling Machine " but it would be even better on an outdoor grill.

2 pounds of extra lean ground beef (I use 93%)
1/2 cup of crushed corn chips
1/4 cup favorite taco sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
sliced pepper Jack cheese
lettuce, tomato, avocado & onion
Mix the ground beef with the crushed corn chips, taco sauce and salt and pepper.
Shape into patties and grill over medium heat. Just before it is finished, top each burger with a slice of pepper Jack cheese and let it melt. Serve burgers on bun with fresh veggies.

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STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES

I made these strawberry cupcakes yesterday and they were a big hit. The recipe is a great "cheater recipe" that I've used for years. Basically it is a dry cake mix + a 20 ounce can of fruit filling + 3 eggs. That's it! It produces an extremely moist and flavorful cake! You can use ANY dry cake mix and ANY canned fruit pie filling so the combinations are endless. Our favorite is chocolate with cherry pie filling but we've also thoroughly enjoyed chocolate cake with raspberry pie filling, spice cake with peach pie filling, spice cake with apple pie filling and yellow cake mix with lemon pie filling.

For the cupcakes posted today, I combined a box of Betty Crocker strawberry cake mix (ignore any directions on the box) with a 20 ounce can of Wilderness strawberry pie filling and three eggs. Beat on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes (batter will be a little thicker than you expect). Fill paper lined cupcake pans about 2/3 full and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Oh so yummy!

NOTE: Don't worry about the "chunks" of fruit in the pie filling. When you mix it into the cake mix with your electric mixer, the fruit will break up (which is what you want).

NOTE: This recipe is not suited for white cake mixes for some reason. They taste good, but have a strange color after they are baked.
NOTE: The weight on most cans of pre-prepared pie filling is different...some cans are 18 ounces some are 20 ounces. This measurement doesn't seem to be crucial. Just get the size can closest to 20 ounces that you can find.

NOTE: This recipe works very well for sheet cakes as well as layer cakes. Just use the toothpick test for doneness instead of the baking times on the cake mix box. After you remove the cake from the pan, cover it tightly with plastic wrap and let it cool. Keep covered until you frost the cake.

 

Buttercream Frosting

1 cup of UNSALTED butter (room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
food coloring (optional)

Cream the butter with an electric mixer until it gets fluffy. Add everything else and beat on medium speed until everything is well mixed, then beat on high speed until it is smooth and fluffy.

NOTE: These cupcakes are topped with Wilton's sparkle sprinkles (clear).

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