Bagels

Courtesy of Nelean Meadows (Olympus 5th Ward)

Dissolve 1 T. yeast  in 1/4 cup warm water and let sit for 10 minutes.  Put in large mixing bowl:

3 T. sugar
1 T. salt
3 T. oil

Add 1 1/2 cups warm milk to sugar mixture, then add yeast.  Beat 2 eggs and add enough water to make 1 cup; add this mixture to the one above.  Add about 6 1/2 cups of flour, one cup at a time, stirring well after each addition.


When dough is stiff turn out on lightly floured surface. Knead well until smooth.  Shape into ball and place in greased bowl and grease top of ball.  Cover tightly, set in a warm place and let rise until double in bulk; about one hour. Punch down and let rise again.

To form bagel, take a piece of dough and form into a ball and press a hole in center, like a doughnut.  Bring 2 quarts of water and 2 T. sugar to a boil.  Drop bagels into boiling water one at a time.  Let cook one minute or until the bagel floats to the top.  Turn.  Boil a little more. Remove from water and drain on a paper towel.

Place on a greased cookie sheet.  Beat one egg and 1 t. water together; brush bagels.  Sprinkle with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, kosher salt, onion flakes or whatever you like.  Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes until crust is brown and crisp.

Strawberry Shortstop Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy of Erik Larsen, Heaven Cupcake, Cupcake Wars 2011
Grant Stake Women's Conference January 2013

Cupcakes:
2.5 cups all purpose flour (scoop only don't level off with a knife/may get too much flour)
1 teasp. baking soda
1 teasp. salt
1.5 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups vegatable oil
2 eggs
1 egg white
1/2 teasp. vanilla extract
1 cup milk
1/2 cup diced frozen strawberries (love this added ingredient to the batter!)
1 teasp. vinegar

Strawberry cream cheese frosting

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting:
10 ounces cream cheese
4 ounces butter
1 teasp. vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
6 fresh strawberries chopped (I typically put 3 fresh in my frosting - gives it more a pinkish tint) and use the other pieces for garnish...


Preheat oven to 340 degrees F. (yes it says 340)

Line a cupcake or muffin pan with 24 cupcake liners.  Whisk the flour, baking soda, sugar and salt into a large-size bowl.  Set the bowl aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, with a paddle attachment, mix vegetable oil, eggs, milk, vinegar and vanilla on low for about 30 seconds.  Leave mixer on low speed and gradually add in the large-size bowl of dry mixture.  Fold in diced strawberries with mixture and remove bowl from the mixer.

Fill 24 cupcake liners 2/3 full with batter and bake for 20 min. or until golden and baked through.  (large cookie scoop worked good).  Cool the cupcakes completely.

Frosting:
In a food processor combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, strawberries and powdered sugar and mix until creamy.  Put the frosting into a pastry bag and cut 1/2 inch off the tip.

To Assemble:
Generously frost the top of each cupcake with the strawberry cream cheese frosting mixture.  Then, place a fresh strawberry slice on top for garnish.  Lastly, with a small pastry bag pipe the team's logo on strawberry slice. (I didn't do last step..)

these were hearty tasting yet really good - love how it was more bread/muffin batter consistency from scratch vs. super sweet....  Also the cream cheese frosting a hit!

Something Beautiful

Just wanted to show you pictures of something  beautiful.  Leslie Lorimer brought us this tart yesterday from Normandie's to thank us for helping them with their trip to South Africa.  I enjoyed looking at it all day.  It was so inspiring!  Stephen, Dad and I ate three quarters of it last night.  Well...it WAS delicious.  It doesn't look very difficult to recreate. Sweet tart crust, chocolate ganache, pastry cream, fresh fruit and a glaze.  I am going to give it a try.  (Actually, I think I could improve on the crust which was a bit heavy)  Think beautiful thoughts!

Sweet and Sour Chicken Strips

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves cut in strips
¼ cup flour
½ t. season salt
1 cup finely crushed cornflake crumbs
¼ cup butter, melted

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine flour and season salt.  Dip chicken strips in flour mixture, then in butter then roll in cornflake crumbs.  Place on baking sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.  Serves 6-8.

Serve with sweet and sour sauce and ham fried rice.  I like buying the corn flake crumbs because I don't eat regular corn flakes unless I live outside the U.S. so these are lots easier!

Sweet and Sour Sauce

2/3 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup apple juice

2 T. vinegar

1 t. catsup

1 t. soy sauce

1 ¼ cup water

¼ cup cornstarch 

In a saucepan, mix all ingredients.  Cook and stir over medium heat until sauce begins to thicken and becomes clear.  Serves 8.

Ham Fried Rice

3 T. oil

Salt and Pepper

2 eggs, whipped

1 cup cooked ham, diced

4 cups cold cooked rice – 1 ½ cup raw, cooked

2 – 4 T. soy sauce

½ t. sugar

2 T. sliced green onion

Preheat large saucepan.  Put in oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Add eggs and spread out.  Cook, without stirring, turning once.  Remove from pan.  Add ham and sauté for a few minutes.  Add rice, add additional oil if needed.  Sprinkle sugar over rice and add the soy sauce.  Actually, I just keep adding soy sauce until it is the right color.   Dice egg and add to rice.  Cook until hot.  Place in serving bowl and sprinkle with fresh green onion.  Serves 6-8.

I like to bake the rice at 325 degrees for 1 hour.  It always turns out perfect.  The rice can be cooked the day before and put in the refrigerator.  It actually works better when it is cold.

Orange Vanilla Freeze

Simple and refreshing!

½ gallon vanilla ice cream

½ gallon orange sherbet

Take ice cream and sherbet out of the freezer and let sit until soft.  Mix together thoroughly.  Return to the freezer.  Serve with almond cake or shortbread.  Serves 12.

Almond Torte

Tastes like almond shortbread.  Probably the easiest cookie you can make.

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup butter, melted

1 t. almond extract

1 cup sugar

1 cup flour

Slivered almonds 

Preheat oven to 350°.   With a fork, mix eggs, melted butter and almond extract.  Add sugar and flour and hand mix with a fork as little as possible.  Place in pie tin or 8-inch springform or round cake pan.  Cover generously with slivered almonds.  Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes.  Cool and cut into wedges.  Makes about 16. 

I found that this needs to be watched so that it is completely cooked through.  The first one I made was very uncooked in the middle.

Mini Almond Bundt Cakes

6 tablespoons sliced almonds (toasted)
1/3 cup coarsely chopped almonds
5 tablespoons packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup sour cream, or plain yogurt


Spray mini Bundt pans with Pam with Flour, or use Crisco and flour the pans; set aside. Spread sliced almonds out on a baking pan, and toast until golden brown. Transfer nuts to a bowl to cool.
  
Combine chopped almonds, light-brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl and  set aside. In another medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. 

Mix together butter and granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla until smooth. Add 1/3 of reserved flour mixture and half of sour cream; beat to combine. Repeat. Add final third of flour mixture, and beat to combine. 

Fill each Bundt pan with 3 tablespoons batter, and spread evenly with a small offset spatula or spoon. Sprinkle each with 2 tablespoons of reserved almond-spice mixture. Top with additional 3 tablespoons batter; the batter should come to about halfway up the pan. 

Bake  at 350 for about 20 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Transfer cakes to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Frosting

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 to 4 tablespoons milk

Melt butter over medium-high heat about 5 minutes, until color turns nut brown. Pour butter into a medium bowl, leaving behind any dark sediment. Stir in confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and milk until smooth and pourable. Drizzle glaze over cakes, and sprinkle with toasted almonds.

From Martha Stewart