Cheddar Jalapeno Pretzels

One of my activities to continue to be involved in education and food, is to work with the Kansas Wheat Commission as a Wheat Spokesperson. Spokespersons represent the Wheat Commission (www. kswheat.com) across Kansas by doing demonstrations, programs, and recipe testing.  A couple of weeks ago I worked at their booth at the State Fair, sharing information and recipes about wheat. Wheat is one of the main crops in Kansas, with Kansas producing more wheat than any other state on an average year. Usually Kansas produces 1/5 of the wheat grown in the U.S. Being a Kansan, wheat is part of our heritage. I grew up on a farm, and wheat harvest was a special time of year. Now, we have some wheat fields, and harvest always brings back memories.

 In alternating years, the KWC sponsors the National Festival of Breads (www.americasbreadbasket.com) and selects several top winning recipes for awards. Besides those receiving awards, there are many other very good recipes submitted, so this year’s KWC Recipe Book features some of those recipes.

This recipe for pretzels seemed easier than ones I’d remembered trying before – this one doesn’t require boiling the dough in a pan of water. You do need to dip the shaped pretzels in a hot baking soda-water bath. This helps create a browner, crisper crust. The results were good, however not too pretty. I need to work on my pretzel shaping! 

Cheddar Jalapeno Pretzels

3 ¾ - 4 cups bread flour, divided

1 package (1/4 oz) fast-rising yeast

1 ½ cups very warm water (120-130 degrees)

1 tablespoon honey

4 – 6 tablespoons finely chopped pickled jalapenos

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

¼ cup baking soda

2 cups boiling water

1 tablespoon melted butter, optional

1.     In mixer bowl, combine 2 cups flour and yeast. Stir in water until thoroughly combined. Add honey, jalapenos, salt and cheese. Gradually add enough of the remaining flour until a soft dough forms. Knead dough by hand or with dough hook 8 to 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic.

2.     Place dough in oiled bowl turning to coat. Cover with damp towel; let rise until double, about 1 hour. Punch down dough; divide into 12 equal portions; cover with damp towel.

3.     In a shallow glass bowl, measure baking soda. Boil 2 cups water. Pour boiling water over baking soda; stir until soda is completely dissolved. Set aside.

4.     Grease or line with parchment paper two 13 x 18-inch baking sheets. Roll dough portions into 2 to 2 ½ foot lengths about ¼ to ½ inch in diameter (about the size of a pencil). Twist into pretzels by making a circle, bringing ends together, twisting twice and pressing ends onto bottom curve of circle.

5.     Dip pretzels into baking soda water; place 6 pretzels per baking sheet. Let rise 15 to 20 minutes.

6.     Bake in preheated 450 degree oven 8 – 9 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer to wire rack. If desired, lightly brush pretzel with melted butter.

Variation: Omit step 3 (soda and water mixture); shape the dough in pretzels, let rise 15-20 minutes and bake.

Makes 12 pretzels (208 calories each)

I was a little concerned about using the chopped pickled jalapenos, as we usually don’t like ‘hot’ spicy peppers, so I only used 4 tablespoons peppers. But the flavor was very mild. In fact, if I make these for my Texas son-in-law, I’ll have to increase those to a half-cup or so! 

Broccoli Salad

Although it’s Fall, the weather feels like summer yet. And it is hard to think of cooking soups, casseroles, and other fall-hearty dishes that the magazines show. For tonight’s supper it’s grilled hamburgers, potatoes and Broccoli Salad.

A friend at a recent church circle shared this Broccoli Salad and I took it to a meeting last week as well. It makes a good covered dish to take, or to stay home.

Broccoli Salad

In a small bowl, mix the dressing and set aside:

1 cup Miracle Whip type salad dressing

3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon sugar

In a large bowl, toss together:

4 cups broccoli crowns cut into bite size

¼ cup diced red onion

½ cup crumbled bacon

½ cup shredded cheese

½ cup sunflower seeds

½ cup dried cranberries

Stir dressing into broccoli mixture. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

The red wine vinegar and sugar give a sweet-sour tangy taste to the salad. 

An Apple a Day

The old saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away", still has meaning. Apples are a healthy and tasty food which are rich in nutrients including vitamins, antioxidants and fiber. The medieval English saying "Eat an apple before going to bed - make the doctor beg for his bread" recognized apples as preventative medicine. This month is a good time to remember that as we celebrate National Apple Month - actually 3 months - September, October, and November.
The magazines are full of apple ideas and recipes, and I found several I wanted to try. This cookie recipe has been a hit at church board meeting, a friends visit, and the home cookie jar. I adapted the recipe from Taste of the South magazine. The original was very crumbly. My version is a bit less fragile, but because of the amount of brown sugar it does draw moisture in this humid weather (rain at last!), and crumble. I tried keeping them in the freezer to reduce this, it must have worked, because all the cookies disappeared from the freezer container leaving no crumbs!

Apple Butterscotch Oat Cookies
2/3 cup all-vegetable shortening
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (or half AP, half whole wheat)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon apple pie spice
1 1/2 cups chopped cooking apple, such as Braeburn
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine shortening, butter, and brown sugar; beat at medium speed with a heavy-duty mixer until fluffy. Add egg, beating until combined. Add vinegar and baking soda. Gradually add flour, salt, and apple pie spice, beating until blended. Add oats, chopped apple, butterscotch chips and walnuts, mixing until blended. (dough will be stiff)
Using a cookie scoop, scoop about 3 tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, placing cookies 2 inches apart so dough can spread.
Bake cookies about 12-13 minutes until edges are golden brown and centers are set. Remove from oven and let cook on baking sheet about 5 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack.

More Snickerdoodle - muffins

Snicker doodle Muffins

It seems clear that muffins are a favorite choice of mine to bake (and of my family's to eat). And Snickerdoodle is a favorite taste. We've long had a favorite Snickerdoodle cookie recipe (June 17, 2011 blog) and recently tried a Snickerdoodle bread (August 29 blog). When I saw the recipe for Snickerdoodle Muffins, it seemed like something I should try. It is good, just a little messy - rolling stiff cookie dough in cinnamon-sugar mixture is a little sticky, but rolling softer muffin batter in the mixture can get very messy! But if did work well, and the results were worth it. 

I did these for church coffee time earlier in the summer and everyone liked them. We set name cards out by the choices so people would know which choice they wanted to try. Our church coffee time has been a popular addition to after-service time and ranges from simple cheese and crackers to a full breakfast buffet with sausage and biscuits with gravy. And, of course, coffee and good conversation. Often there's several committee meetings, community events in the planning, and friends catching up at 

the tables. The feeling of good will combines with our refreshed spirits for a good start to the week! 

Snickerdoodle Muffins

 ●2 ¼ cups flour

●3/4 teaspoon baking powder

●3/4 teaspoon baking soda

●3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

●1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

●1/2 teaspoon salt

●2 sticks  unsalted butter, softened

●1 cup sugar

●2 large eggs

●2 teaspoons vanilla

●1 cup sour cream

●1/4 cup buttermilk

For the Topping:

●2/3 cup sugar

●2 tablespoons cinnamon

Directions:

1.Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line muffin cups with muffin liners. (Do not use cooking spray.)

2.In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cream of tarter, nutmeg, and salt; set aside.

3.In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a

time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract. Beat in half of

the dry ingredients. Beat in the sour cream and buttermilk. Beat in

remaining dry ingredients until just incorporated (batter will be soft).

4.To make the topping, in a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon.

5.Using an ice cream or large cookie scooper, drop the scoop of batter into

the bowl with the sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the dough with the

mixture and roll it around until it is covered completely in cinnamon sugar.

Place the ball into the muffin liner. Repeat with remaining batter. Sprinkle

the leftover cinnamon sugar onto the tops the muffins.

6.Bake until muffin tops are golden brown, 18 to 22 minutes, or until

toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out with a few moist

crumbs attached. Set on wire rack to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

Remove muffins from tin and serve warm.

Rolling the muffin ball in
cinnamon-sugar mixture

Yields: 16 muffins

Prep Time: 20 minutes     Bake Time: 22 minutes

Snickerdoodle Quick Bread

Snickerdoodles are a favorite cookie with our family, the light and soft sugar and cinnamon treat brings to mind summer treats and lemonade. One of the fun things about baking is finding new recipes for favorite tastes, so when I found a couple of new recipes for Snickerdoodle bread and Snickerdoodle muffins (next post to come), I knew they too would be favorites.
Last summer (June 17, 2011) I blogged about my favorite Snickerdoodle cookie recipe, and how it has been a favorite of my son's from 4-H days. When I made this Snickerdoodle quick bread for him, he thought is was just as good. The cinnamon chips add a sharp sweet taste. Besides, just saying the word "Snickerdoodle" is fun!

Snickerdoodle Bread

Serves: 4 loafs

• 2 1/2 c. all purpose flour

• 1 tsp. baking powder

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 2 tsp. cinnamon

• 1 cup butter, softened

• 2 cups sugar

• 3 eggs

• 1 tsp. vanilla

• 3/4 c. sour cream

• 1 pkg. Hershey’s cinnamon chips

• TOPPING:

• 3 T. sugar

• 3 t. cinnamon

Instructions

1.Cream butter, sugar, salt and cinnamon until fluffy. Add eggs and mix well.

2.Add vanilla and sour cream and mix well.

3.Mix flour and baking powder in a separate bowl. Add to wet ingredients and mix until all combined.

4.Add cinnamon chips and stir into batter. Set aside.

5.Spoon batter into 4 mini loaf pans until about 2/3 full.

6.Mix 3 T. sugar and 3 t. cinnamon in a bowl and sprinkle over the batter in each loaf pan.

7.Bake at 350 for 35-38 minutes. Let cool before removing from pan.

Fast and Cool - Fruit Pizza

The temps of this summer have been over the top! We all want cooler weather, and cooler things to eat. When we got a half-box of fresh Colorado peaches I wanted to do something cool with them - baking a pie seemed like too much hot effort! Fruit Pizza was perfect. Eating these peaches like an apple-in-hand is heavenly tasty, but the Fruit Pizza dessert seemed just a little more fancy!
Peaches come from China and have been cultivated at least since 1000 B.C.E. The peach is special in Chinese culture - the tree is considered to be the tree of live and peaches are symbols of immortality and unity. Peach blossoms are carried by Chinese brides. Peaches are a good source of vitamins A, B, and C. A medium peach contains only 37 calories. Most peaches in the U.S. are grown in California or Georgia (the Peach State), but here in the midwest we anxiously await the arrival of Colorado peaches.
I did half of this recipe - easy to divide since it uses refrigerated sugar cookie dough. Using ready made dough also makes it that much quicker to put together. Use Fruit Fresh or lemon juice to keep the peaches from turning brown.

Fresh Fruit Pizza (makes 10-12 servings)
1 16-oz package refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1 8-oz package cream cheese (use fat-free to cut calories)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Assorted fresh seasoned fruit such as strawberries, blueberries and peaches
Powdered sugar

I used 1/2 package of cookie dough
& 1/2 recipe

Raspberries were a good taste
and color contract for the
peaches

Preheat oven to temperature recommended on cookie dough package. Cut cookie dough into 1/4-inch slices (or break pieces apart) and place close together in a well-buttered 12-inch pizza pan. Press cookie dough together to close all open spaces and to cover pan completely.
Bake in preheated oven 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. While still warm loosen cookie edges with a thin metal spatula to make serving easier. Cool.
Beat cream cheese until soft and fluffy. Add sugar and vanilla. Spread mixture evenly over cookie crust. Arrange fruit in an attractive pattern over top. Dust with powered sugar or drizzle with glaze of melted jam or jelly. Chill, cut into wedges to serve.

National S'more Day

Yesterday, August 10 was National S'more Day. I intended to write this blog earlier - but we should be able to enjoy S'mores any day, not just on August 10, right? The crispy graham cracker + gooey marshmallows + melty chocolate is a favorite everyone loves. S'mores have been enjoyed since around the turn of the 20th century, when commercial marshmallows were becoming more available. It is assumed that s'mores were invented by campers, and have long time been a campfire favorite. The traditional method is to toast a marshmallow over a campfire, then sandwich it between two graham crackers with a piece of chocolate.
That's still a popular way, but you don't have to camp to enjoy s'mores (thank goodness!). Before we had kids, we ate like kids, and hot dogs and s'mores were Sunday evening supper. The microwave makes it easy to combine and heat the marshmallow-chocolate-graham combination without charring it. Those with gas ranges sometimes use the flame of the burner to toast the marshmallow. I've even seen 's'more kits' in stores with a small heat source for tabletop prep. We had an enjoyable evening with the Texas niece toasting marshmallows over their backyard fire-pit and making s'mores with gourmet chocolate bars. Today one of our treats is a type of s'more made with graham crackers, marshmallow fluff spread and Nutella spread.

If I do go camping, here is a version I want to try, called Campfire Cones.
Campfire Cones (need sugar ice cream type cones, peanut butter, chocolate chips, mini-marshmallows, bananas, foil)
Chop bananas (kids can do this with a plastic knife). Spread peanut butter inside the cone, put in bananas, chocolate chips and marshmallows. Wrap in foil and put over the hot coals for 5 - 10 minutes, turning a couple of times. Unwrap and enjoy.

Here's another recipe that I'm saving for the holidays... (from cookingclassy.blogspot.com)
S'more Bites - with a Kiss  (makes 12)
6 graham cracker sheets (let them sit out opened for a few days to make them softer)
or 12 Ritz crackers
6 large marshmallows
12 Hershey's Kisses or Rolos, unwrapped
Break the graham cracker sheets in half, and cut into a circle about 2 1/2-inches with a metal cookie cutter (easier if they are softer and less likely to break). Cut each marshmallow into 2 halves. Heat oven to low broil and place oven rack two levels below broiler. Place graham circles in center of cookie sheet and top each with a marshmallow with the cut side down. Place under the broiler for a very short time - watch closely! Once the marshmallows are golden, remove from the oven and top with a Kiss or Rolo in the center of each toasted marshmallow and gently press down. Serve warm.