Homemade Pop-Tarts

(Thank goodness for my helper who was there to clean up any stray sprinkles!)

I came across this recipe on one of my favorite food blogs, Sea Salt with Food. You can find her post on pop-tarts HERE. But if you like ME then keep reading, and I will tell you all you need to know.

I didn't do the pop-tart thing too often as a kid because there was always way to much yucky tasting pie crust in proportion to the amount of frosting and filling. Now we can take control! You can use a store bought ready made pie crust, or make your own favorite version. I like to make my own, because when I do I can add extra flavor with lemon zest, cinnamon, almond flavoring etc (depending on the filling you have in mind). As far as filling, it's as simple as your favorite jelly or jam (or even nutella). The frosting on top is just powdered sugar and lemon juice. Simple, simple, simple, and an exciting treat for your kids!

Here is what you'll need:

- Store-bought double pie crust, or your favorite double pie crust recipe. I used THIS ONE and added lemon zest.

- Egg Wash: one egg+ one tbsp water or milk lightly beaten

- Lemon Glaze: 1/4 cup Powdered Sugar + 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (or orange, apple, etc. use your imagination!)

- Your favorite Jam or Jelly. I think raspberry tastes the best, personally.

- Sprinkles.

You will also need:

A Cookie Cutter, the larger the better, and a circular shape (i.e. pumpkin, heart, flower) will work best for getting you the most jelly per bite.

Cookie Sheet lined with Parchment Paper, and a Fork.

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 375.

Roll out your pie crust, and cut out as many of your shapes with a cookie cutter that you can making sure that you have an even number (for a top and bottom).

Put a mound of jelly into the center of half of your shapes, making sure that you leave enough of the edge dry to allow the top of your pop tart to seal to the bottom.

Lay the second dough on top of the first, and gently press down the edges with your fingertips. Then seal the edges with a fork. Brush the top of the dough with egg-wash.

Bake for 17 to 18 minutes, or until the tops are a golden brown.


Allow them to cool slightly before topping with the lemon glaze.
To make the lemon glaze: While the pastry is cooling, in a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and enough of the lemon juice to make an easily spreadable, smooth glaze. Spoon the glaze on top of the cooled pastry and top with your favorite sprinkles.

I think this is a great treat around the holidays because we're making pie crusts anyway, right? Please let me know if you make any especially tasty variations!

Homemade Big Mac's, with Class.

I should be writing a German paper right now.

If anyone could class up a Big Mac it's Ina. The basics for a burger Big Mac style: hamburger meat, cheddar cheese, ice burg lettuce, and thousand island (aka "special sauce"). Ina helped me make that special sauce mo' special.

Thousand Island for Big Girls
(big refers to maturity, not girth-- toward size I am indifferent, but mature the hell up.)

Ingredients:

- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 teaspoon minced capers
- 1 teaspoon minced gherkins
- 1 tablespoon sweet pickles
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Pinch kosher salt
- Pinch freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Place the mayonnaise, ketchup, capers, gherkins, sweet pickles, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a bowl, and stir until blended. Great on your homemade Big Mac, also great on shrimp and fish!

I don't add to much to my hamburger meat when I make these burgers, just a little salt and pepper and some garlic powder.

I do toast my hamburger bun, and I like to use my mother-in-laws roll recipe for my buns when I have time to make them, the recipe for her rolls is HERE.

Belgian Waffles

I haven't been posting recipes lately. For those of you who may not know, I started back up at the University of Utah. I had previously gotten my AA from UVU, but have been waiting for Jacob to finish his degree so that I could go back. Well, Jacob did graduate and has been working as an archaeologist for P3 Archaeology in Salt Lake. This last semester has been my first in about 4 years! I love it! I am really busy, which I enjoy. There are only about 15 people in each of my classes and, because I love talking to people, I have made about 45 new friends. Major change from the social circle of a stay-at-home mom, for sure. I study German, so heads up, I will be posting a ton of traditional German/ Eastern European recipes in the next little while. The semester is over for me on the 9th of December, so look out for a bunch of postings this next month or two (hopefully)!

Belgian Waffles:

- 2 eggs (yolk and white separated)

- 5 tablespoons sugar

- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

- 1/2 cup butter, melted

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 2 3/4 cups self-rising flour (for each cup regular flour, add 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt)

- 2 cups warm milk

Directions:

Combine egg yolks and following 4 ingredients (sugar, vanilla, butter, and salt) in a large mixing bowl. Add in flour and milk alternating, but beginning and ending with flour, until combined.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites to stiff peaks:

Fold egg whites gently into batter.

Let mixture stand for 40 minutes before cooking your waffles. Enjoy!!

Big Daddy's Downtown Roasted Chicken

Thank you again foodnetwork.com! I was watching Food Network a while ago and saw my only ever episode of Big Daddy's House. He did chicken three ways; I tried all three, and they were all delicious! Here is the first way (I will post the other two soon):

Downtown Roasted Chicken

Ingredients:
- 5 chipotles
- 2 tablespoons adobo sauce
- 5 cloves garlic
- 2 shallots, diced
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
- 3 (3 to 4 pound) chickens, trussed -(I used a package of chicken thighs.)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Put the chipotles, adobo sauce, garlic, shallots, lime juice, cilantro, olive oil, salt and pepper into a blender. Pulse the marinade until smooth and emulsified. Rub each chicken liberally with the marinade.

Arrange the chickens on a half sheet pan with a rack. Roast until cooked through, about 60 to 75 minutes (or until chicken temp reads 160 degrees on meat thermometer). Remove from the oven and allow them to rest for about 15 minutes. Carve 1 chicken and arrange it on a serving platter. Serve.

Reserve the remaining chickens for recipes that use roast chicken (which I will post and link up soon).

Sweet Corn and Bacon Empanadas

These are great for two reasons: they are yummy, and you can make them up ahead of time and freeze till ready to bake. Love them for brunch, lunch or dinner parties. They also make great midnight treats!


You Will Need:
- 2 anaheim chile peppers
- 3 strips bacon
- 2 cups fresh or frozen sweet corn kernels
- 1 1/2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup diced scallions

-your favorite pie dough, either homemade or store bought

Directions:
Have your pie dough made up and ready to go.
Roast chile peppers over a gas burner or in a hot oven until they're blackened and blistered. Wrap chilies in damp paper-towels for about 10 minutes, until cooled off and skin peals off easily. Peel chilies; discard skin. Slit chilies lengthwise, scrape out and discard seeds, remove stem, and dice chilies. Should yield about 1/2 cup diced chilies.
Fry bacon in a saute pan over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate.
Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pan; add corn; saute over medium-high heat until edges of corn begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Stir in bacon, chilies, cheddar, and scallions. Chill filling thoroughly.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll out pie dough on a work surface, lightly floured if necessary. Using a 3 1/2 " biscuit cutter, cut circles from dough; repeat with remaining dough, rerolling scraps once. Arrange dough rounds on prepared baking sheet.
Place 1 T filling in the center of each round. Fold rounds in half, pinch to seal, then crimp edges with a fork. (Freeze if desired.)
Blend one egg yolk with 1 T water; brush over empanadas. Sprinkle empanadas with smoked paprika; then bake until golden, 15-18 minutes.

BREAKFAST BRUSCHETTA with strawberries and tangy cream

I know my last post was a breakfast recipe, but after all, it's the most important meal of the day. And I don't know about you, but most days a bowl of cereal just isn't gunna cut it for me. I wake up hungry like the wolf (Duran Duran reference).

This recipe is out of my Cuisine at Home magazine, Issue No. 62 from April 2007.

You will need:
- 2 T sugar
- 1/2 t ground cinnamon
- 2 small ciabatta rolls, split, buttered on cut sides, and halved diagonally
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and diced
- 2 T sugar
- 1 T chopped fresh basil leaves
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 T plain or strawberry yogurt
- 2 t honey
- 1/4 t vanilla extract

-optional sprigs of fresh basil to garnish

Directions:
Preheat broiler to high with rack 6" from the heating element.
Combine sugar and cinnamon in a dish. Sprinkle mixture (you wont use it all) on buttered sides of bread, then broil on a baking sheet until toasted, 2-3 minutes.
Toss strawberries with sugar, basil, and lemon juice. Stir sour cream, yogurt, honey, and vanilla together in a separate bowl. To assemble bruschetta, spoon 2 tablespoons berries with juice on each piece of toast; dollop with 1 teaspoon sour cream mixture. Garnish with basil if desired.
Feast.

Hollandaise Sauce

How I lived before hollandaise I do not care to remember. Warm, velvety and (most deliciously) buttery, I love it on toasted sourdough with a soft boiled egg, or as my dipping sauce for artichoke.

Martha Stewart Cooking School is a must have for anyone like me, trying to learn how to cook on their own. She teaches you basics in a clear easy to follow way, pointing out how and where in the recipe variations can be made. I actually came across it at the library, and after giving it a test drive decided I had to own it!

Here is the recipe as well as some notes from Martha found in the book.

Recipe from: Martha Stewart's Cooking School

Here, we used a white wine reduction, but you can skip that step and simply whisk eggs with 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 1/4 cup boiling water. As one of the French "mother sauces," its preparation is a basic culinary technique that can be varied to create other sauces in the same family (often referred to as "warm emulsions"). By changing the acidic liquid to blood orange juice and zest, you get sauce Maltaise, typically served over steamed asparagus; tangerine juice and zest flavor Mikado sauce. Perhaps the best-known variation is Béarnaise, a traditional accompaniment for steak. To make it, prepare the hollandaise as directed, adding tarragon (the defining flavor of Béarnaise) to the reduction mixture. As it is designed to demonstrate, the method is the key to making the sauce, not the specific ingredients used to give it flavor.
When making hollandaise or any of it's variations, using gentle heat is critical to achieving the right consistency.

You will need:

- 1/4 cup dry white wine

- 1 T white wine vinegar

- 1 T minced shallot

- 1/2 t cracked black peppercorns

- 3 T boiling water

- 3 large egg yolks

- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into tablespoons

- pinch cayenne pepper

Directions:

Make reduction

Combine wine, vinegar, shallot, and peppercorns in a small skillet over medium-high heat; cook until reduced to one tablespoon, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the boiling water and strain through a fine sieve into a heatproof nonreactive (stainless-steel or glass) bowl.

Prepare hot-water bath

Fill a medium sauce pan with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat so water is barely simmering.

Heat egg yolks

Add egg yolks to strained reduction and whisk, off the heat, until they become pale. Place bowl over saucepan with simmering water. Whisking constantly, cook until the mixture is thick enough to hold a trail from the whisk and begins to hold it's shape when drizzled from the whisk. Remove from heat. Wipe off any mixture that may have cooked to the side of the pot with a damp paper towel to prevent any lumps from forming.

Incorporate butter

Whisking constantly, add butter 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until each addition is incorporated completely before adding the next. When all the butter has been added, season with lemon juice, salt, and cayenne. The sauce should be thick but still able to drizzle from a spoon (and it should form a pool, not a mound). If it is too thick, thin it with a little water.

Homemade Ricotta and Herbed Ricotta Bruschetta

This is a great and simple recipe by Ina Garten. Make it and you will blow your friends' minds! I mean, who makes cheese from scratch? YOU DO! Use the ricotta in your own lasagna recipe, or in Ina's delicious herbed ricotta bruchetta recipe I included below. I made the bruchetta and loved it. It tastes like Spring, fresh and light. I hope you try it out!

Homemade Ricotta
total cook time (including inactive prep): 35 min, Yields about 2 cups

Ingredients
- 4 cups whole milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons good white wine vinegar



Directions
Set a large sieve over a deep bowl or your sink. Dampen 2 layers of cheesecloth with water and line the sieve with the cheesecloth.
Pour the milk and cream into a stainless-steel or enameled pot. Stir in the salt. Bring to a full boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and stir in the vinegar. Allow the mixture to stand for 1 minute until it curdles. It will separate into thick parts (the curds) and milky parts (the whey).
Pour the mixture into the cheesecloth-lined sieve and allow it to drain into your bowl/sink at room temperature for 20 to 25 minutes, occasionally discarding the liquid that collects in the bowl. The longer you let the mixture drain, the thicker the ricotta.

Transfer the ricotta to a bowl, discarding the cheesecloth and any remaining whey. Use immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. The ricotta will keep refrigerated for 4 to 5 days.

Herbed Ricotta Bruschetta

Ingredients
- 2 cups ricotta, store-bought or homemade (recipe above)
- 3 tablespoons minced scallions, white and green parts (2 scallions)
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 round sourdough bread
- Good olive oil
- 1 whole garlic clove, cut in half

Directions
Prepare a charcoal grill with hot coals or turn a gas grill to medium-high heat (or, preheat your broiler.)
Combine the ricotta, scallions, dill, chives, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and set aside. Cut the bread in half and cut each half into 6 thick slices to make 12 slices total.
When the grill is hot, brush the bread with olive oil and grill on each side for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from the grill and rub each slice of bread with the cut side of the garlic clove. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and spread with the herbed ricotta. Serve 2 warm slices per person.

Baked Eggs

Another thing I discovered on Sea Salt with Food:



Jacob and I make these almost every morning. They are easy, look so pretty, and taste fresh and delicious. I love things that can be customised for each person! I like mine with a side of cinnamon-raisin toast. Sorry for all you anti-eggers out there, this might not look too good to you, but I love you anyway.

Find the details HERE.

Homemade Marshmallows

Ina Garten's (and now MY) fabulous homemade marshmallows. So easy!

Homemade Marshmallows

You will need:- 3 packages unflavored gelatin
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions:
Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup of cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and allow to sit while you make the syrup.




Meanwhile, combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and cook until the syrup reaches 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer. (Note: the temperature will hover around 220 degrees for a while before beginning to rise again, so don't panic!) Remove from the heat.



With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the dissolved gelatin.



Put the mixer on high speed and whip until the mixture is very thick, and just holds it's shape when pulled. Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.



Pour the marshmallow batter into a 9 x 13 that has been dusted liberally with confectioners' sugar:



...and smooth the top of the mixture with damp hands or spatula.



Top with more confectioners' sugar.



Allow to dry uncovered at room temperature overnight.

Remove the marshmallows from the pan and cut into squares using sharp knife (dipping the knife in confectioners' sugar will help keep marshmallows from sticking). Roll the sides of each piece carefully in confectioners' sugar.
Store uncovered at room temperature.

Baked French Toast with Bananas and Chocolate

You all need to check out the blog: SeaSaltWithFood.com
I baked this at my dad's house on our last trip out there. I couldn't believe he had all the ingredients on hand! Lucky me! Find the recipe HERE.

Brisket with the Best Dry Rub Ever, and Sweet, Sticky BBQ Sauce

This one meal contains three separate recipes from three different people: Jacob's Grandma Vance, Good ol' Sandra Lee, and some random chef who posted a deliciously simple way of cooking brisket on foodnetwork.com named Tom Perini.

Jaleen's Dry Rub:

The spice rub is a super simple blend of six spices:
-Salt
- pepper (fresh ground is best)
- paprika
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- taco seasoning

Take any container you have, preferably one that is clear, and necessarily the same size all the way up, and fill 1/3 of the way up with salt. Then add one inch of each of the other ingredients, stir to combine, and there you go.

The dry rub is delicious on most meats, and actually really yummy on fresh tomato!

Sandra Lee's Sweet, Sticky BBQ Sauce:

You will need:
- 1 bottle (12 oz) chili sauce
- 1 cup beer (Budweiser is what Sandra recommends, but you can also use any dark colored soda like: coke, pepsi, root beer, or dr. pepper)
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 heaping tablespoon McCormick Grill Mates Steak Rub (use this, no substitutes please)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- optional 2 tablespoons cornstarch (to add extra thickness to the sauce if it doesn't thicken enough for your liking.)

Directions:
In a large skillet stir together chili sauce, beer, molasses, steak rub, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil;reduce heat. Simmer for ten minutes, stirring frequently. Sauce should have thickened up quite a bit, but if you like a thicker sauce, ladle some into a small bowl and whisk in cornstarch until you see no lumps, then add back to skillet and allow the sauce to thicken up to your heart's content! Smother your cooked and sliced brisket with sauce and eat as is, or make up some brisket sandwiches.

For The Brisket:

You will need:
- 4 pounds beef brisket, trimmed
- 1 1/2 cups beef stock
- Jaleen's Dry Rub

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Season the raw brisket on both sides with Jaleen's dry rub. Place in a roasting pan and roast, uncovered, for 1 hour.
Add beef stock and enough water to yield about 1/2 inch of liquid in the roasting pan. Lower oven to 300 degrees F, cover pan tightly and continue cooking for 3 hours, or until fork-tender.
Trim the fat and slice meat thinly across the grain. Top with juice from the pan. Serve it up!

Creamy Artichoke Soup

Sandra Lee is:
a) Hot blond
b) Hot blond with HUGE (fake?) boobs
c) Hot blond with HUGE (fake?) boobs who has proven herself twice thus far with recipes I will detail below.

C! C is the answer, and I am surprised to have ever liked any of her recipes as much as I do. They are easy to make, with no crazy ingredients. This soup comes together in about 15 minutes! If you love artichoke, you will go crazy for this.

Creamy Artichoke Soup

Cook Time: 15 minutes, including prep
Serves: 4 as side dish, 2 as main

You will need:
- 14 oz (1 can) chicken broth (reduced-sodium is great)
- 1 can condensed cream of celery soup (10.75 oz)
- 1 Jar (12 oz) artichoke hearts (packed in water) drained
- cayenne pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup light or heavy cream
- salt and ground black pepper

Directions:
In a blender, combine chicken broth, celery soup, and artichoke hearts; process until smooth.

Pour mixture into a medium saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. Add cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in cream and season to taste with salt and black pepper.





So, yes, I love this soup. Te other recipe I referred to above is for a BBQ sauce that is delicious on just about any meat, from chicken to brisket. You can find that recipe HERE.

Fried Banana's

People of the Philippines:
I'm informed these fried banana's (Lumpias)are your invention. Teach me your banana magic!! Why they are available at Hawaiian fruit stands, who knows. But thank you for being a part of the best breakfast I've ever had!



Part two of the best breakfast ever:



They taste like grapes, but sexier. They are called rambutan, although you will probably hear them referred to as lychee. An actual lychee looks similar (small, oval, with vibrant red color) but will not have the soft hair-like spikes covering the flesh. They do belong to the same botanical family (Sapindaceae) and both are as common as apples in the region containing Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Borneo. The word "rambut" in the name rambutan actually means hairy in Malay. Aren't they beautiful? They grow on trees like this one:



I didn't actually get to see the trees while in Oahu, I just found this picture on line. But I wish I had! I would love to have one in my backyard. I'm guessing they require a hot, humid area so having one in Utah is a no-go. Just another reason for me to get the heck outta here. That, and the two attempted murders that just took place (within a week of each other) at the Motel 6 down the street...