German Dinner

German food is more than sauerkraut! A German heritage may explain our fondness for some German foods. Recently we had a German dinner with German bratwurst purchased from a deli in Herman, Missouri on Pretzel Buns and German Potato Salad.








Pretzel Hoagie Rolls (adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Fall Baking)
¾ cup milk (not fat-free) *
¼  cup water
1 ½ Tablespoons sugar
1 package dry active yeast
2 ⅓ - 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 ¼ teaspoons salt

* To use skim milk, melt 2 teaspoons butter and add enough milk to make ¾ cup.
1. In a small saucepan, heat and stir milk and water and sugar over low heat until warm (110 - 115 degrees). Pour into large mixer bowl and sprinkle the yeast on top. Let stand about 5 minutes until foamy. Add 2 ⅓ cups flour, salt and butter. With the dough hook mixer attachment, beat on low speed for 2 - 3  minutes or until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat on medium-low speed for 8 - 10 minutes or until a soft dough forms. The dough should still be slightly sticky, if it is too sticky, beat in the additional flour.
2. Turn dough out onto a clean, dry work surface. Knead a few times, them shape dough into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface of dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size (about 1 hour).
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
4. Punch dough down. Turn out onto a clean, dry work surface. Divide dough into six portions. Roll and stretch each  portion into an 11-to 12 - inch rope. Place ropes on prepared baking sheet. Cover and let rest 30 minutes.
5. To shape each bun, fold a rope in half. Hold one end of folded rope in each hand and gently twist twice in opposite directions (like wringing out a towel). Return twists to the prepared baking sheet.
6. This is the step where you usually dip the rolls into a pan of hot water and baking soda. I did not have success with this, the dough lost it shape. My method is to brush the rolls with a mixture made of 1 cup of very hot water in which 1 heaping Tablespoon of baking soda has been dissolved.
7. In a small bowl, combine 1 egg yolk and 1 Tablespoon of water. Brush dough twists with this mixture, and if descried, sprinkle with coarse salt.
8. Bake for 12 -15 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Slice and serve with bratwursts.

The dough is shaped, and brushed with water/soda
and egg yolk/water. Ready to bake.

Baked and browned, ready to slice and serve.

German Potato Salad (6 - 8 servings)
5 bacon strips
¾ cup chopped onion
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
1 ⅓ cup water
⅔ cup cider vinegar
¼ cup sugar
6 cups sliced cooked peeled potatoes

1. In a large skillet, fry bacon until crisp; remove and set aside. Drain all but 2 - 3 tablespoons of drippings; cook onion until tender. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper until blended. Add water and vinegar; cook and stir for 1 minutes or until slightly thickened.
2. Stir in sugar until dissolved. Crumble bacon; gently stir in bacon and potatoes. Heat through, stirring lightly to coat potatoes. Serve warm.

This German meal was easy and tasty!

Sunny Spinach Pie on a not-so-Sunny Day

Our church circle met this week on a glorious rainy day. The rain was welcome even though it made arriving at the meeting a wet experience and the thunder was startling. We were all glad for the rain after several weeks of dry weather and we were joyful to be meeting again after a summer break. The hostess for the morning's meeting had chosen a special recipe (found on-line), Sunny Spinach Pie. The pictured steps and 5 printed pages of pictures and instructions could seem daunting, but she assured us it was easier than you might think. As I read through the steps, it does seem that the hardest part is understanding the forming of the 'pie' into a sunburst looking creation. So, I'll try to explain the process without pictures, but if you need visuals, I've seen similar recipes on line at Pinterest and food websites.

Sunny Spinach Pie                                      

Dough: 17 oz. flour (1 pound of all-purpose flour equals about 4 cups, so about 4 ¼ cup flour)
      ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
     ¾ dry white wine (rice wine vinegar makes a good substitute)
     1 teaspoon salt
Place all dough ingredients in stand mixer and mix with dough hook until the dough is smooth and combined. (or mix and knead as you would other dough) Wrap in plastic wrap while you make the filling.

Filling:
    12 oz. boiled spinach (if using frozen be sure to drain well)
    12 oz. ricotta cheese
     1 egg
    3 oz. grated Parmesan cheese
    salt and pepper
    bread crumbs
Mix the spinach and ricotta. Add egg, Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper (sprinkling of each). Mix well and set aside.

Unwrap dough and divide into two equal portions.
Using a rolling pin, roll out each dough ball to create a circle that is about 11 ¾ inches in diameter. (two circles of dough - the top and bottom crusts)
On the dough circle that will be the bottom, sprinkle bread crumbs to help absorb the moisture from the filling and to keep the dough dry. In the center of this dough circle, place a large dollop of filling. Spread the rest of the filling in a larger ring around the outside edge (about 1 inch from the edge) of the dough, leaving a space between the center mound of filling and the outer ring of filling.
Sprinkle the filling with grated Parmesan cheese.
Cover with the second dough circle. Seal the dough edges with your fingers, then a fork. Place a small bowl in the middle of the dough over the center dollop of filling and press lightly to make an indentation.
Leaving the bowl in place, cut the outside dough ring with filling into pieces approximately 1 inch wide at the outer edge, forming wedge shapes into the pie, keeping it attached at the center. Twist each slice and continue until all slices are cut and twisted. The filling will be exposed on the top and bottom sides of the slices.
Remove the bowl and sprinkle the center with poppy seeds.
Bake the spinach pie at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden.

Our hostess served the Sunny Spinach Pie with
Alfredo sauce and fruit. 

   

Soup to Share

It only takes a few days of mid-50's temperatures to make me think of soup for supper. This week seemed to be the start of Fall, regardless of what the calendar said. So a new Hamburger Soup recipe that isn't too heavy was a good start to the cooler season. The best part - my favorite ingredients: beef, tomatoes, and peppers. And it is quick to fix. Originally the recipe is from the Pioneer Woman's website, but I made a few changes.

Hamburger Soup                                                               

Ingredients: 

2 pounds ground beef

1 medium onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (14.5 oz) canned diced tomatoes

2 cups beef broth

2 green and/or yellow peppers, seeded and diced

4 whole carrots, peeled and sliced

5 whole potatoes

1 can (12-oz) tomato juice

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes

½ teaspoon ground oregano

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more to taste)

Preparation: 

In a large pot over medium-high heat, brown ground beef with onion, celery, and gargle. Remove the pot from heat and drain as much fat as possible. Return pot to range and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir to combine, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover pot and let simmer for 15-20 minutes until potatoes and carrots are tender. 

As with most soup recipes, it 'grows' to a larger amount than a small family can eat in a couple of days. So a few servings went to a friend who has been in the hospital, and a couple to the freezer to share with college-professor-son. "Soup to Share". 

Ole - Mexican Cookies

It was Fiesta time at our church a few weeks ago - the annual Mexican Dinner. Colorful decorations, Salsa music, tacos and enchiladas, all put together for the evening of visiting and eating. I was asked to make a recipe of Mexican cookies to serve with the ice cream for dessert.
The supplied recipe was called "Polvorones", according to Wikipedia this is a heavy, soft and very crumbly shortbread cookie often made with nuts. It is sometimes called "Mexican Wedding Cookie". The version we made was not heavy or overly crumbly, nor did they have nuts. It is an easy to roll and bake dough. So easy I will substitute this recipe for my traditional cut-out sugar cookies at Christmas. The subtitle of the recipe I was given is "melt in your mouth Spanish cookies", they do that and are very tasty.

Polvorones (Mexican Cookies)

The dough was easy to handle and
even to roll the scraps again and recut.

½ pound butter
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. brandy (I used ½ teaspoon brandy extract)
For sprinkling: ½ cup sugar and 2 Tbsp.  cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter with 2 kinds of sugar until very creamy and light. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
Add baking powder and salt to flour. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture in thirds. Add brandy (or extract).
Roll out on a floured board to about ¼-inch thickness. Cut with a 2-inch round cookie cutter. Place on greased cookie sheet or parchment paper and bake for approximately 12 minutes or until light golden color. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon while still hot.
Yields about 5 dozen.

 Sweet and soft, Yummy!

Honey-Zucchini Bread

Lock your car doors! Its zucchini season and if you haven't grown zucchini in your garden spot, your friends who did will be glad to fill that void. We use about 6 zucchini a year, so instead of planting, I wait for the generosity of others who are anxious to share their abundance.
This year I tried a new recipe for Zucchini Bread that I was pleased with. It is quick to make and quick to be eaten! The recipe (from Better Homes and Gardens Fall Baking) calls for honey. When I started the recipe I realized the honey jar was very low, but there's always a substitution. This substitution was one I'd been wanting to try - Agave (pronounced ah-GAH-vay).

 
Agave, also called agave nectar or agave syrup, is produced from a plant that grows in Mexico and southwestern U.S.  The plant looks similar to the yucca plant with spiky leaves; tequila is also made from this plant. It is sweeter than sugar and honey and has about 60 calories per tablespoon, compared to sugar's 40 calories per tablespoon. Some sources suggest substituting same amounts, some suggest using a little less agave than the honey called for.
I made the recipe once with agave and later with honey. I used the same measurement of the sweetener for each preparation. The loaves made with agave do taste a little sweeter.

Honey-Zucchini Bread                       

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 ½ cups coarsely shredded, unpeeled zucchini
1 ½ cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
½ cup honey (or agave)
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
½ cup granola

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease the bottom and ½ inch up on the sides of two 8x4x2-inch loaf pans, set aside. In a large bowl stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Make a well in the center of this flour mixture and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl combine eggs, shredded zucchini, sugar, oil, honey (or agave), and vanilla. Add this mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Stir until moistened, batter should be lumpy. Add nuts if desired. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pans, spreading evenly. Sprinkle with granola.
3. Bake for 60-70 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. If necessary to prevent overgrowing, cover loosely with foil for the last 15 minutes of baking.
4. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely. Wrap and store overnight before slicing, or freeze for serving later.

Quilt Retreat Salad

Recipe for Quilt Retreat Salad: Mix 20 - 25 women and sewing machines gathered from across 3 states, a few hundred yards of colorful fabric cut into fat quarters or smaller, and tubs of patterns, notions and other door prizes. Sprinkle in walks in the countryside, bountiful covered dish meals and shared sewing tips. Bubble with laughter and creative ideas in a southeast Kansas hunting lodge for 3 days.

The recent Quilt Retreat weekend I attended was full of all that and great fun. The meals proved that quilters are also good cooks. I took a Spaghetti Squash Salad that many were interested in. Remember the joke about locking your car doors in the summer in a small community? Zucchini and other squash will appear from your friends' bountiful gardens. I've been enjoying some of that bounty by trying new recipes.

Spaghetti Squash Salad                    

1 spaghetti squash (about 2 ½ pounds)

1 small bunch green onions, finely chopped

1 cup sugar

1 cup diced celery

½ cup chopped sweet red pepper

½ cup chopped green pepper

¼ cup chopped black olives

½ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup vinegar

½ teaspoon salt

Directions:

Cut squash in half lengthwise; scoop out seeds. Place squash, cut side down, in a 13-inch x 9-inch baking pan. Fill pan with hot water to a depth of ½ inch. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until tender. When cool enough to handle, scoop out the squash, separating strands with a fork. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl; add the squash and stir well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve with a slotted spoon as a salad or as a relish with burgers and hot dogs. Store in the refrigerator.

This was a large spaghetti squash

lots of seeds inside to scoop out

after baking 30 minutes, the pulp comes out
in spaghetti-like strands when scraped with a fork 

this is all that was left after
removing the 'spaghetti'

Ransom Paid

Usually when our adult kids come to visit we find what they've accidently left after they leave. After the last visit we discovered what they'd accidently taken. With all the electronic devices in the house that weekend (at least 4 smart phones, 3 computers, 4 IPads), someone forgot that Dad actually had one also. A few days later he noticed his IPad charger cord was missing. The search was a few quick texts  with the responses - "will send for cookies", and from the other direction "will send 2 cords for cookies".
So, cookie packages were in order. This called for the most favorite recipes. Most of these have been featured in my blogs before but they are favorites I make often.

CHOCOLATE CHIP BROWNIES                                             

from August 6, 2011 blog

1 cup butter, softened

3 cups sugar

6 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 ¼ cups all purpose flour

½ cup baking cocoa

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

½ cup vanilla or white chips

½ cup chopped pecans

In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla, mix well. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; stir into creamed mixture just until blended.

Pour into 2 greased 9-inch square baking pans (or large baking sheet pan). Sprinkle with chips and nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool.

CHOCOLATE CHIP OATMEAL COOKIES                   

1 cup butter, softened  (I use 1 stick butter, 1 stick margarine)          

from December 18, 2011 blog

¾ cup white sugar

¾ cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups quick-cooking oats

1 ¾ cups flour

1 package (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (1/2 bag) chocolate chips

Combine the oats, flour, pudding mix, baking soda and salt. In a large mixing bowl, cream fats and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool.

 SPECIAL BANANA NUT BREAD

                                          

from August 4, 2013 blog

¾ cup butter, softened

1 package (8 0z) cream cheese, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 ½ cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4 medium)

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups chopped pecans, divided

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time beating well after each addition. Add bananas and vanilla; mix well. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, add to creamed mixture. Fold in 1 cup pecans.

Transfer to two greased 8 inch x 4 inch x 2 inch loaf pans. Sprinkle with remaining pecans. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 to 1 ¼ hours or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

In a small bowl, whisk the glaze ingredients, drizzle over loaves.

SNICKERDOODLES

(from July 17, 2011 blog)                                             

1 ½ cups sugar

½ cup margarine or butter, softened

½ cup shortening

2 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix sugar, margarine, shortening, and eggs in large bowl. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.

Shape dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into balls. Mix 3 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon; roll balls in mixture. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 9 - 11 minutes or until set. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Cool completely on rack.

Yield about 4 dozen.

When I make Snickerdoodles, I portion all the dough
with a cookie scoop, roll into balls by hand,
and set all aside. Then each ball is rolled in
cinnamon & sugar as it is placed on the
cookie sheet. This makes the prep easier! 

Ransom packages of cookies sent. That was 10 days ago. As of yet, no hostage-held cords have been returned. Other negotiations?