Soft Pretzels

From Nebraska came a box of holiday cheer. Sent to our family from Goody over at Eat The Blog. The box contained many cool treasures, among them was a neat book called, "Cooking Up U.S. History"
This recipe for soft pretzels comes from that book. A section of the book is called The Mid-Atlantic States. Pennsylvania is being classified as part of the mid-atlantic states. Mister and I just traveled the PA to visit the Flight 93 Memorial so this recipe chimes right along with the theme of this part of the world tonight.
I have made the pretzels twice. The first time we actually formed the dough and twisted the dough into the classic pretzel shape. What a hassle. The pretzels were difficult to manage in the baking soda water and although the flavor and texture was fantastic, the shape was pathetic. This time, we opted for the pretzel nuggets. Shapes are important with respect to many things. Not soft pretzels. Make 'em long, or circular.
I melted a little processed cheese food like product with some skim milk and made a delightful cheesy dipping sauce. Geez, maybe I should hunt around for some gouda or something but, the block of orange cheese has been floating around since Christmas. In the words of the great Emily Litella.... "Nevermind." The pretzels are outstanding.

Homemade Soft Pretzels

1 package of dry yeast
1 and 1/2 teaspoons of white sugar
1 cup of very warm water divided
2 and 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons or more of coarse salt
cornmeal for dusting the pan
baking soda for dipping the pretzels

1. In a small bowl dissolve the yeast with the sugar and 1/4 cup of the warm water.
2. In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt, Then stir in the remaining 3/4 cup of the warm water.
3. The yeast mixture should be foamy by this time and ready to add to the flour mixture and stir thoroughly.
4. Put the mixture on a floured surface and let it rest for 5 minutes.
5. Wash and dry the large bowl and grease it well.
6. Knead the dough for 10 to 15 minutes, adding more flour as you go if the dough is sticky. Most likely you will need to keep sprinkling the dough with small splashes of flour. Kneading dough is fun.
7. Put the dough back into the well greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
8. Let the dough rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
9. Punch down the dough.
10. Cut the dough into 8 pieces.
11. Roll each piece into a 16 inch long rope.
12. Cut the rope into approximately 16 pieces. Bear in mind the longer the rope the more pieces, the smaller the pretzel bites.
13. Let the pretzels rest on a floured surface under a towel for 15 minutes.
14. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
15. Simmer one quart of water with 2 tablespoons of baking soda in a manageable size cook pot.
16. Line your bake sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle with cornmeal.
17. A FEW pretzels at a time tip them in the simmering baking soda water for 20 seconds on each side. Fair warning, work quickly with this because the pretzel dough will quickly become smoosh. Remove quickly with a slotted spoon.
18. Place the pretzel nuggets on the cornmeal lined bake sheet. Sprinkle with the coarse salt.
19. Bake 10-12 minutes or until light brown. In reality my baking time was longer. Just watch for the classic golden brown color.
20. Serve warm with some type of fabulous dipping sauce.

On our way to the Flight 93 Memorial we came upon Auntie Anne's pretzels at one of the rest areas. Cinnamon Sugar nuggets are pretty delicious. Make this recipe your own by rolling the warm pretzels in cinnamon and sugar or another flavored coating of your choice. 

Unbaked pretzel nuggets waiting for the baking soda dip.

Oatmeal Cookies

Well folks, we are freezing here in Ohio! This type of cold weather leads to grabby behavior and slightly rude spontaneous outbursts of opinions. But, then I bake oatmeal cookies and the world is a better place. A perfect oatmeal cookie should be slightly crunchy around the edges and have a chewy cake like center. At least, this is the perfect cookie that I'm looking for. Just my opinion.

Years ago I baked oatmeal cookies from a recipe that I adored. I'm not sure what has changed in my baking of said recipe but they're not the same. I ask myself, "Did I use margarine back then because butter was too expensive?". "Is my gas oven that much different than my electric oven?" So, myself has decided to go in search of a new oatmeal cookie recipe.

This recipe is pretty darned good. Using shiny pans lined with parchment paper is better than dark colored pans lined with parchment paper. The recipe did mention this and so for comparison sake, I tried both types of baking sheets.

Oatmeal Cookies

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cider vinegar
1 large egg
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cups rolled oats

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two baking sheets or line with parchment paper. (I use parchment and rarely bake without using it)
Beat together the butter, shortening, sugars, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and vinegar until nicely mixed together.
Beat in the egg until smooth. Add the flour and soda and beat well. Stir in the oats.
Drop the dough in 1 1/4 inch balls. About 2 tablespoons each. The cookies spread so leave a good space between them.
Bake about 12 minutes or until the edges show a little pale brown. Remove from oven and cool on the pan. This made 20 cookies.

I found the basic version of this recipe on the King Arthur Flour website. The changes I made were...  drastically reduce the spices used, and omit the raisins. I prefer the flavor of the oats. I like a good oatey oatmeal cookie. In fact, next time I might omit the cinnamon all together. I'm not sure how well these cookies keep because at my house 20 cookies only lasted about an hour.

I am still on the search for the Perfect oatmeal cookie.

Sooie

Let's consider for a minute the "all you can eat buffet". Lots, and lots and lots of food. Average at best. All we can expect from most establishments is to find a loaded up trough and the waiter calling "sooie". You are likely to get a plate full of sodium and a cheap meal. Average would actually be a compliment.

Move down the street a few store fronts and you are likely to find a grocery store selling underwear and fresh fish. I cannot be the only human alive on this planet thinking it's unsettling to hear the store manager make an announcement promoting their frozen fish stick special while I'm considering a fruit of the loom purchase.

Gas station hot dogs anyone? I've done it. It's a gross notion and a dark secret but yes I have fell prey to the hot dog, big ass cola, and bag of chips marketing.

Where can we find originality these days. Hamburger joints sell chicken and doughnut joints are selling sandwiches.

Does every store, restaurant, and business with an ATM have to cash in on every single item the crazy consumer might want, need, or ask for?

Mediocre is normal. Taking great photos of food and posting them on a blog is normal. However, great looking photos of food are not usually actual food. If it is actual food, by the time the photographer has found the right photo, the right lighting, the proper drip to the frosting, trust me you will not want to eat most of what is getting dressed up for you these days. I know this because I photograph real food, in a real kitchen, in real time. Very little posing goes into my food photos. Because, hey guess what I'm not a photographer. So yes, mediocre is my guilt as well.
But damn it, at least I'm real!

The all you can eat buffet looks fantastic to the eye.So it goes with the internet. An all you can eat buffet of information. Let's face it, the attention span of the average person whipping around on their devices barely have time to do much more than look at the pretty frosting anyways. They've already headed over to the other part of the buffet to pile on more of that below average substandard products into their memory banks.

I like my internet reading to have some sort of substance to it. I try to provide that here. That's not to say on occasion a big ass cola post isn't going to show up. But, it's going to be served up in a genuine real human sort of way.

What has spurred this rant you asked? Okay, fine you don't give a darn as to why. I spent a good amount of time updating my online reading material. It's all so trendy. Ugh! Every blog is just like the other, none of these things just don't belong. Give me some reading where I don't have to read the recipe for something that links to the original which has linked from the other original which links to yet another original. Chances are all of this linky business is just copycats and lazy people who do not want to take the time to research something worth writing about or at least something unique.

I like specialty meals. Enough of this "sooie" in the foodie writing world.

Deep Thoughts (zip it)

Deep Thoughts (oh blogger please offer a new fancy font)
 We never really know how we'll react or handle situations until that very moment we are experiencing them. I mean we can prepare for tornadoes, fires, chemical spills that leave us without water for days, but how will we really deal with them? 

Take for instance, getting old. My parents are old. They are not getting old, they are there. Somehow I assumed they had some sort of plan. I assumed they were aware of their aging and the two of them made some sort of decisions and made some plans. Turns out, old age played a dirty trick on them and they are not prepared. With failing eyesight and faulty memories, my now aged parents are in need of some guidance. 

This is when I ask myself, have I prepared for the aging "process"? Mister and I have a vague idea of what we want. 

Something that falls somewhere between this poem and video clip. In a funny sentimental sort of way.

Every time I consider a serious thoughtful expression, my mind is taken back to the Jack Handy days. Just click it, you'll chuckle!

Will You Love Me When I'm Old?
 Author unknown

I would ask of you, my darling,
A question, soft and low,
That gives me many a heartache.
As the moments come and go.

Your love, I know, is truthful,
But the truest love grows cold;
It is this that I would ask you:
Will you love me when I'm old?

Life's morn will soon be waning,
And its evening bells shall toll,
But my heart shall know no sadness
If you'll love me when I'm old.

Down the stream of life together
We sail on side by side.
Hoping some bright day to anchor
Safe beyond its surging tide.

Today our sky is cloudless,
But the night may clouds unfold;
And though storms may gather round us,
Will you love me when I'm old?

When my hair shall shade the snowdrift
And mine eyes shall dimmer grow,
I would lean upon some loved one
Through the valley as I go.

I would claim of you a promise
Worth to me a world of gold;
It is only this, my darling,
That you'll love me when I'm old.

Cocoa Powder

Learning new things at my age makes a lasting impression. I'm left with the question as to how I've managed to get through life this far without knowing this information. Take cocoa powder for instance. My pantry has always contained that familiar brown can of cocoa powder and that was enough for me. Certainly the only difference was cost and possibly a slightly higher quality but, no...there is much more complexity to cocoa powder.

 Ignorance is only bliss until you discover the information. Now I'm left with wondering how many recipes could have been better if I had researched my cocoa powder choices further. This is a little thing. The world has major issues. Yet cocoa powder still tops my list of major concerns today.

There's gonna be a new cocoa powder (or two) about to move in on that brown can in the pantry. There's a few recipes I need to remake. Turns out that cocoa powder is acidic and different levels of acid in different types effect the outcome of recipes more than I ever realized. Cocoa powder acts as a leavening agent as well as a flavoring. Who knew??

Yep, I'm not a trained professional just an average person learning as I go. Now, what about that butter?? More research is needed...

English Muffins

"Sumptuous Things For Thee To Eat" are words gracing the cover of my Stan Hywet Hall Cook Book. This printing does not have a copyright or date or general author information. I am guessing it was printed in the 60's-70's range due to the aged look of the book and the sorts of recipes.
The original cook book committee lists Mrs. John R. Kaltenbach as the Chairman.

It's an ungodly -6 degrees outside my kitchen window today. If one factors in the windchill to the equation, it's basically damned cold. Damned cold is cold no matter how you slice it. Perfect day for making English Muffins. I know, you can buy them in the store. Just try pronouncing everything on the ingredient list. Then consider making your own. I'm glad for making the attempt and will consider making our own forever more. Warm homemade muffins bring a little comfort to the cold day.

This English Muffin recipe is indeed a sumptuous thing to eat. I adapted it slightly because I didn't have sweet cream. I'm not sure what this cook book was referring to as sweet cream, evaporated milk maybe? I combined skim milk and heavy cream. I have noted this slight change in the recipe.

Stan Hywet English Muffins

1 cup sweet milk, scalded ( I used 3/4 cup skim milk and 1/4 cup heavy cream)
1/4 cup Crisco
2 tsp. salt
1 Tablespoon light corn syrup
1 pkg. dry yeast
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
cornmeal for dusting
additional shortening for frying*

1. Scald the milk.
2. Soften yeast in a small amount of warm water. ( I used 2 tablespoons)
3. Add Crisco, salt and corn syrup to the warm milk.
4. Add softened yeast to the milk mixture.
5. Add flour, and mix with a spoon until the dough is smooth and well blended.
6. Turn onto lightly floured board and knead for a little bit then roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with a 3.5 inch floured round cookie cutter. Place them on a cookie sheet that has been sprinkled with cornmeal. Dust the tops of the muffins with a small amount of cornmeal. Let rise in a warm place until light, about one hour.
7. Preheat an electric skillet to 340 degrees. I think a frying pan with a lid will work if cooked on medium. Brush the skillet lightly with shortening. *Lightly, got it...
8. Bake covered, 10 minutes on each side.
9. Cool, Split, toast, butter and then thee can eat it!!

It's still frigid cold but the house smells great and we have sumptuous muffins.

This made 7 muffins.

For those who are not Ohioans, Stan Hywet Hall is a magnificent mansion and gardens located in Akron, Ohio. A very nice historical place to visit.

Carlo's Bake Shop

Historical travels are my favorite types of adventures. A recent visit to NYC included a stop in Hoboken, New Jersey. We arrived at Carlos Bake Shop in the wee early hours of the morning and were met with freshly stocked cases filled with every holiday pastry that you can imagine.

Wee early hours.

 Although no founding fathers, revolutionary heroes, or remarkable inventors were on hand during this escapade, there was chocolate and puff pastry. Sweet confections proudly take a seat beside historical visits in my book. I do find it cool that this bakery is family owned and has been for many years. Let's hope someday it will be featured as a historical spot for the youngsters of future generations.

I would have liked to have wandered around this quaint street awhile longer but our visits were brief and my focus remained on the plethora of sugared concoctions which were mass produced by the famous crew of the Cake Boss family.

We purchased several boxes full of cannolis, cream puffs, and various treats. I left Mister in charge of making the selections and standing in line to pay while I wandered around snapping photographs and taking in the atmosphere.

Our purchases didn't include cake. I would have enjoyed sampling them. We can all consider a cake or two online right here. Alas, our pastries were savored when we arrived back home. Some were put in our freezer to hold until we could share them with family.
Our trip into New York city included a stop at Vincent's and we also sampled a cannoli there.
More on that another time.

Are strawberries a good choice for a cake in December? In my neck of the woods strawberries are an anemic flavorless mass this time of year. As I mentioned earlier, I did not taste any of the cakes so perhaps the Cake Boss has a special stash of delicious berries that I am unaware of.

With envy I admired the handiwork of the bakers and their pastry bags. The layer cookies held a special fascination for me. This is meticulous business right there. I'm not even sure that I would ever attempt to make those. This impressed me.
The pastries were good. I preferred the cannoli over the cream puffs. This stop was a great way to start the morning after riding upright in a bus all night long. Our red eye trip into the city was a time we will never forget. Eighteen plus hours on a bus and and 15 hours of speed sight seeing is an exhilarating experience which screams adventure and memories.

Baked Doughnuts

Finished Product

The recipe for the Chocolate Fudge Doughnuts can be found here. This was my first adventure with baked doughnuts in a doughnut pan. I will call it a success judging by flavor and texture. Being as this is my first attempt, it's somewhat tricky to make a call on the method and appearance portion.
My batter over flowed out of the said holes. But with the use a sharp knife I was able to trim off the over flowed edges and center holes to create a proper shape.
As for this particular recipe, I ended up with extra batter which was used up in mini muffins pans. Total yield from the batter was 12 cake doughnuts and 7 mini muffins.
I will use my doughnut pans again. I'm not sure if I will repeat using this particular recipe. It's an experimental adventure in doughnuts.
The trimmings off of the basic shape was pretty delicious too!

Shaping and Trimming

Do you have any baked doughnut experiences to share?

2014

I have a small but, efficient kitchen. There is a curio cabinet and a built-in china cabinet in the dining room which offsets my lack of storage space in my kitchen proper. Plus, I have a butlers pantry to store some supplies. As a result, I tend to own only useful, needed, kitchen gadgets and stay away from things like large food processors. For goodness sakes there are knives and cutting boards. Food processors just annoy me and I would never own one.

The Alton Brown philosophy of not owning single task items has always rang with truth for me. Until, my adoring husband bought me doughnut pans. I'm a Great Lakes girl who loves her some doughnuts. I don't make them at home because of the deep fat frying involved. Sure I have fat frying skills, I just don't use them. I find the whole process disgusting and messy. Baked doughnuts sound like a nice alternative. Thank you Mister for picking up on this grand idea. For this one item I will forsake the Mr. Brown philosophy and squeeze a uni-tasker bake sheet into my cupboard.

King Arthur Flour has an amazing sounding chocolate baked doughnut recipe on their website.
I will battle the negative temperatures with chocolate, yarn, and Netflix.
This is rounding out to be a lazy albeit fat ass weekend.