This is my perfected recipe for breadsticks. I was inspired from some random cookbook back when I was a freshman in college, but I have no idea what it was called, so now--it's mine!
BREADSTICKS
3 C hot water
1/4 C sugar
2 Tbsp (1 packet) yeast
Combine together. Let dissolve. Add:
6 C flour
1 tsp salt
Mix for 3 minutes until well combined. Let dough rest for 10 minutes.
Roll out dough on floured surface (it's easier to work with 1/2 at a time). Cut in 1" strips; dough should be about 1/2" thick. Dip each piece in melted butter or margarine and place on a baking sheet. I like to twist them so they look good. Sprinkle liberally with garlic (I prefer Garlic Bread Sprinkle), oregano and parmesan. Also sprinkle lightly with paprika, if desired.
Let rise uncovered 15-20 minutes.
Bake @ 375 F (180 C) for 20-25 minutes or until golden.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Banana Bread
I had a whole post written on this, but (stupidly), I cut it out of the previous post (intending to post it into it's own entry), and I forgot to paste it. Stupid, stupid, stupid! I'll have to write it up again later. Gah!
Okay. It has been a couple of months since I lost this post, so it's time to finish it. Here's the recipe:
Banana Moist Bread
3 large bananas, extra ripe
1/2 c oil
2 eggs, beaten
2 c flour
1 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 c nuts (optional)
Mash bananas with a fork. Add oil and eggs. Add sifted dry ingredients. Stir in vanilla & nuts. Pour into greased pan. Bake at 350 F for 60 minutes.
So here's what I do. I will almost always double this recipe; it just depends on how many bananas you have. The key is having very ripe bananas. I think of bananas on a scale of ripeness, where (0) is perfectly ripe: yellow, firm, with no brown spots. A (-2) is two days before it's ripe, still somewhat green and hard, and a (+2) is ripe: soft with brown spots. For Banana Bread, your bananas need to be very soft, at a +2 or later. The softer and sweeter the better, but be careful once they start turning black--you don't want mold!
I mash up the bananas with the paddle attachment of the KitchenAid. If I need to, I'll add the oil to make it mush a bit better. I like corn oil, but really--any oil will do. Oil is the key to the moistness; if you replace it with applesauce or something else, it will change the texture and make it chewy and dry. I put all of the wet ingredients in the KitchenAid bowl, then all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Now, here's one of the BEST baking tips I can give you:
Use a whisk to "sift" dry ingredients together.
You don't have to futz with a sifter, when you can easily combine and incorporate air with a whisk: put it all in a bowl and stir it. I got that tip from the Gabby Gourmet on Channel 2 years and years ago, and it has made my life easier ever since. You're welcome.
I'll add the dry ingredients about a cup at a time to the wet, then let it mix for a few seconds. I'll do this until it is all combined. Then I'll pour the batter into prepared pans (around this time, I'll pre-heat the oven, too). This is another awesome tip:
Use butter (or shortening) and granulated sugar to grease your pans.
Many baking recipes call for "greased and floured" pans. Often times, a quick spray with Pam (or other generic non-stick spray) will be fine. If I'm making muffins, I'll use liners or spray--I never grease them. But with Banana Bread, butter and sugar make such an awesome crust. So I'll grease the pans, then add 1/2 cup of sugar (or so) and tilt and tap the pan until it's all coated. It takes a couple extra minutes, but it's totally worth it. Trust me. I got that tip from one of my mission companions Eva Pollock (Jorgenson), and I use it all the time.
Pour the batter into the prepared pans; they should be halfway to two-thirds full. Then I sprinkle more granulated sugar on top to make it delightfully crusty. I have used raw, golden cane sugar on top, and it was fabulous (it kind-of caramelizes), but regular granulated sugar works fine too. The sugar sinks in, but don't worry--it will work.
I bake them in the center of the oven (make sure the pans aren't touching!), and I start checking them about 40 minutes. You want a toothpick to come out clean, but you don't want the crusty top to burn. If it's not quite ready, but the top is already browned, you can turn off the oven but leave the bread inside for around 10 minutes. It works like a charm, and your house smells like a dream.
And there you have it! The best Banana Bread recipe around. Thank you, Soeur Brittany Burgon, from whom/whence this recipe came. Enjoy!
Okay. It has been a couple of months since I lost this post, so it's time to finish it. Here's the recipe:
Banana Moist Bread
3 large bananas, extra ripe
1/2 c oil
2 eggs, beaten
2 c flour
1 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 c nuts (optional)
Mash bananas with a fork. Add oil and eggs. Add sifted dry ingredients. Stir in vanilla & nuts. Pour into greased pan. Bake at 350 F for 60 minutes.
So here's what I do. I will almost always double this recipe; it just depends on how many bananas you have. The key is having very ripe bananas. I think of bananas on a scale of ripeness, where (0) is perfectly ripe: yellow, firm, with no brown spots. A (-2) is two days before it's ripe, still somewhat green and hard, and a (+2) is ripe: soft with brown spots. For Banana Bread, your bananas need to be very soft, at a +2 or later. The softer and sweeter the better, but be careful once they start turning black--you don't want mold!
I mash up the bananas with the paddle attachment of the KitchenAid. If I need to, I'll add the oil to make it mush a bit better. I like corn oil, but really--any oil will do. Oil is the key to the moistness; if you replace it with applesauce or something else, it will change the texture and make it chewy and dry. I put all of the wet ingredients in the KitchenAid bowl, then all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Now, here's one of the BEST baking tips I can give you:
Use a whisk to "sift" dry ingredients together.
You don't have to futz with a sifter, when you can easily combine and incorporate air with a whisk: put it all in a bowl and stir it. I got that tip from the Gabby Gourmet on Channel 2 years and years ago, and it has made my life easier ever since. You're welcome.
I'll add the dry ingredients about a cup at a time to the wet, then let it mix for a few seconds. I'll do this until it is all combined. Then I'll pour the batter into prepared pans (around this time, I'll pre-heat the oven, too). This is another awesome tip:
Use butter (or shortening) and granulated sugar to grease your pans.
Many baking recipes call for "greased and floured" pans. Often times, a quick spray with Pam (or other generic non-stick spray) will be fine. If I'm making muffins, I'll use liners or spray--I never grease them. But with Banana Bread, butter and sugar make such an awesome crust. So I'll grease the pans, then add 1/2 cup of sugar (or so) and tilt and tap the pan until it's all coated. It takes a couple extra minutes, but it's totally worth it. Trust me. I got that tip from one of my mission companions Eva Pollock (Jorgenson), and I use it all the time.
Pour the batter into the prepared pans; they should be halfway to two-thirds full. Then I sprinkle more granulated sugar on top to make it delightfully crusty. I have used raw, golden cane sugar on top, and it was fabulous (it kind-of caramelizes), but regular granulated sugar works fine too. The sugar sinks in, but don't worry--it will work.
I bake them in the center of the oven (make sure the pans aren't touching!), and I start checking them about 40 minutes. You want a toothpick to come out clean, but you don't want the crusty top to burn. If it's not quite ready, but the top is already browned, you can turn off the oven but leave the bread inside for around 10 minutes. It works like a charm, and your house smells like a dream.
And there you have it! The best Banana Bread recipe around. Thank you, Soeur Brittany Burgon, from whom/whence this recipe came. Enjoy!
Oatmeal Fudgies (or, "Can You Handle This?")
Oatmeal Fudgies . . . one of the best dessert recipes I have, from my dear friend Peggy Stevenson via her friend Micaela Moulton.
OATMEAL FUDGIES
PART ONE: THE OATMEAL
1 C shortening
2 C brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
4 C oatmeal
Mix ingredients, set 1C aside. Press remainder into greased 9x13 pan
PART TWO: THE FUDGY
1 pkg chocolate chips
1 C sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla
Carefully melt all ingredients except vanilla in microwave. Add vanilla. Pour over oatmeal mixture. Crumble "set aside" over fudge. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, let it sit overnight (if you can).
GORP
GORP actually stands for "Good Old Raisins & Peanuts." This version contains neither raisins nor peanuts, but it is insanely addictive.
GORP (courtesy of Vivian Piaget)
Mix together in a large bowl:
Mix together in a small saucepan and boil for 3-4 minutes:
GORP (courtesy of Vivian Piaget)
Mix together in a large bowl:
- 1 Box Golden Grahams
- 1 Box Chex
- 8 oz Slivered Almonds
- 1 C Coconut
Mix together in a small saucepan and boil for 3-4 minutes:
- 1 1/2 C Butter
- 2 C Corn Syrup
- 1 C Sugar
Fabulous Brownies
Fabulous Brownies (courtesy of Elder Josh Williams)
2 C Sugar
1 C Oil
4 Eggs
6-7 Tbsp Cocoa
1 tsp Salt
1 1/2 C Flour
1 tsp Vanilla
nuts, if desired
Mix for a long time until creamy smooth. Bake at 175 degrees C (350 F) "until the knife stick thing."
2 C Sugar
1 C Oil
4 Eggs
6-7 Tbsp Cocoa
1 tsp Salt
1 1/2 C Flour
1 tsp Vanilla
nuts, if desired
Mix for a long time until creamy smooth. Bake at 175 degrees C (350 F) "until the knife stick thing."
Monday, June 25, 2012
Brewin' in the Night Kitchen
Welcome! This is my first post on my kitchen and/or crafty blog . . . I'm not entirely sure what this will turn into. For now, it is a place for me to keep my recipes and such, since I tend to lose my cookbooks. No, I didn't say marbles, though that may be applicable at times, as well.
In particular, I will be putting up recipes from my Livre des Recettes (Book of Recipes). Yes, I know that is incorrect--it should be Le Livre de Recettes--but I was still quite new to speaking French, and the title has remained what it is. Oh well. This is a book I started as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I purchased it in Brussels in 2001, and I started collecting recipes from my companions, fellow missionaries, locals, etc. I will try to give credit where credit is due, though I tend to tweak my recipes, and I'm not one to measure exactly. To me, that's one of the beauties of kitchen chemistry--the ratios can be off a little, and you can still get great results. Maybe that's why I hated Organic Chemistry Lab so much . . . you can't just add a dash of isopropanol and expect your mass spectrometer to give you a perfect reading. But in cooking, I'm only slightly opposed to ethanol (I feel a little guilty!). And an oven is much more forgiving than gas chromatography. I'm just sayin'.
To this day, my Livre des Recettes is the book I use most for my cooking. I haven't made everything in it yet, but it contains some great stuff--time tested and Mary-approved.
And now, my disclaimer: this is not a blog for healthy eating, gluten-free living, weight loss, etc. It's just me, a night owl, science nerd and halfway-decent cook, passing on some knowledge and some good eats. Thanks for reading, and bon appétit !
In particular, I will be putting up recipes from my Livre des Recettes (Book of Recipes). Yes, I know that is incorrect--it should be Le Livre de Recettes--but I was still quite new to speaking French, and the title has remained what it is. Oh well. This is a book I started as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I purchased it in Brussels in 2001, and I started collecting recipes from my companions, fellow missionaries, locals, etc. I will try to give credit where credit is due, though I tend to tweak my recipes, and I'm not one to measure exactly. To me, that's one of the beauties of kitchen chemistry--the ratios can be off a little, and you can still get great results. Maybe that's why I hated Organic Chemistry Lab so much . . . you can't just add a dash of isopropanol and expect your mass spectrometer to give you a perfect reading. But in cooking, I'm only slightly opposed to ethanol (I feel a little guilty!). And an oven is much more forgiving than gas chromatography. I'm just sayin'.
To this day, my Livre des Recettes is the book I use most for my cooking. I haven't made everything in it yet, but it contains some great stuff--time tested and Mary-approved.
And now, my disclaimer: this is not a blog for healthy eating, gluten-free living, weight loss, etc. It's just me, a night owl, science nerd and halfway-decent cook, passing on some knowledge and some good eats. Thanks for reading, and bon appétit !
Chicken Enchiladas
I wish I could come up with more creative titles for these posts, but since this is a cooking blog, and the goal of it is functionality (i.e., to find a recipe via internet when I need it!), I'll try to keep it simple.
Chicken enchiladas are one of my specialties: they are SO EASY, creamy and delicious. I have based it on a recipe from Michelle Porter Nylander, a respiratory therapist who contributed this recipe to a book put together when I worked in the RTU at Primary Children's (circa 2004). There are several recipes for enchiladas in that cookbook, but this one was the best, and I think my tweaks have made it even better. The recipe:
Chicken Enchiladas
1 lb chicken breast cooked and shredded/cubed
1 cup sour cream
1 small can diced green chiles
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can green enchilada sauce
1 cup mozzarella cheese
8-10 flour tortillas
Mix soup, sour cream, green chiles, and 3/4 cup of cheese in a medium bowl. Add chicken and mix well. Spoon the chicken mixture into tortillas and roll. Place close together in a glass baking dish coated with nonstick spray. Pour enchilada sauce on top, then sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
That's the basic recipe. Once again, I usually double this because it's just easier to do with a whole rotisserie chicken. Once you shred the meat on the chicken, you have a perfect amount for a double recipe. I really like the savory chicken from Smith's (Kroger), but really--any chicken will do, but stay away from funky flavorings (like lemon or barbecue). Costco's is great and cheap, but make sure you use it the same day you purchase it. Trying to shred cooked chicken that has been in the fridge is not ideal. Ask me how I know.
So I will usually use one whole rotisserie chicken, 2 cups of sour cream, 1 large can of chiles (I like the mild, but if you prefer more heat--get the hot ones, or even jalapeños), 2 cans of soup, one large can (around 30 oz) of enchilada sauce, 2 cups of cheese and 20-25 tortillas. The large can of enchilada sauce goes a long way; you don't have to use it all. I definitely prefer a green sauce over a red sauce; I think it has better flavor. I don't always use mozzarella; you could use a jack (I bet a pepper jack would be great!), colby, cheddar, whatever. I can be a cheese snob, but since the cheese is not the star of the show here, I'll just use whatever I have on hand. I also prefer to bake these in glass casserole dishes (9"x13" or so), and giving them a quick spray with nonstick Pam (or the like) will make clean-up a lot easier. I have tried covering the pans, baking for 15 minutes, then removing the foil and baking for another 5 minutes or so (until the cheese browns), but I didn't see much difference between the taste or consistency of the enchiladas, and the covered ones took significantly longer to brown. So just don't bother with it. If you feel like adding spices, some pepper and/or cumin would be awesome. Skip the salt--there's plenty of it in the soup and the chicken.
If you wanted to stretch the filling even further, you could add cooked rice or beans to the chicken mixture and get around 40 enchiladas out of it. Also, you can use reduced-fat sour cream and/or soup to make it a bit more diet-friendly. I do NOT recommend low-fat cheese--it doesn't melt nicely, and it always leaves me feeling jipped.
I hope you try this! Let me know if you like it!
Chicken enchiladas are one of my specialties: they are SO EASY, creamy and delicious. I have based it on a recipe from Michelle Porter Nylander, a respiratory therapist who contributed this recipe to a book put together when I worked in the RTU at Primary Children's (circa 2004). There are several recipes for enchiladas in that cookbook, but this one was the best, and I think my tweaks have made it even better. The recipe:
Chicken Enchiladas
1 lb chicken breast cooked and shredded/cubed
1 cup sour cream
1 small can diced green chiles
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can green enchilada sauce
1 cup mozzarella cheese
8-10 flour tortillas
Mix soup, sour cream, green chiles, and 3/4 cup of cheese in a medium bowl. Add chicken and mix well. Spoon the chicken mixture into tortillas and roll. Place close together in a glass baking dish coated with nonstick spray. Pour enchilada sauce on top, then sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
That's the basic recipe. Once again, I usually double this because it's just easier to do with a whole rotisserie chicken. Once you shred the meat on the chicken, you have a perfect amount for a double recipe. I really like the savory chicken from Smith's (Kroger), but really--any chicken will do, but stay away from funky flavorings (like lemon or barbecue). Costco's is great and cheap, but make sure you use it the same day you purchase it. Trying to shred cooked chicken that has been in the fridge is not ideal. Ask me how I know.
So I will usually use one whole rotisserie chicken, 2 cups of sour cream, 1 large can of chiles (I like the mild, but if you prefer more heat--get the hot ones, or even jalapeños), 2 cans of soup, one large can (around 30 oz) of enchilada sauce, 2 cups of cheese and 20-25 tortillas. The large can of enchilada sauce goes a long way; you don't have to use it all. I definitely prefer a green sauce over a red sauce; I think it has better flavor. I don't always use mozzarella; you could use a jack (I bet a pepper jack would be great!), colby, cheddar, whatever. I can be a cheese snob, but since the cheese is not the star of the show here, I'll just use whatever I have on hand. I also prefer to bake these in glass casserole dishes (9"x13" or so), and giving them a quick spray with nonstick Pam (or the like) will make clean-up a lot easier. I have tried covering the pans, baking for 15 minutes, then removing the foil and baking for another 5 minutes or so (until the cheese browns), but I didn't see much difference between the taste or consistency of the enchiladas, and the covered ones took significantly longer to brown. So just don't bother with it. If you feel like adding spices, some pepper and/or cumin would be awesome. Skip the salt--there's plenty of it in the soup and the chicken.
If you wanted to stretch the filling even further, you could add cooked rice or beans to the chicken mixture and get around 40 enchiladas out of it. Also, you can use reduced-fat sour cream and/or soup to make it a bit more diet-friendly. I do NOT recommend low-fat cheese--it doesn't melt nicely, and it always leaves me feeling jipped.
I hope you try this! Let me know if you like it!
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