Pretzel Bread Bowls

There are soups that yearn for this kind of thing.

I mean, think about it.  When you lovingly pour your heart and soul into a pot of hearty soup, you don't want to subject that extension of your being to the cold, hard life that awaits them in ceramic bowls.  Bowls like that are essentially a soup prison.  Cold, depressing walls with no give, no texture, and no escape.

Do you want to live in prison?

Well, neither does your soup.

Enter these bad boys.  Essentially, these are pretzels molded into giant rolls that can be scooped open to create a pocket for your handcrafted dinners.  And pretzel bowls?  They are warm.  And soft.  And moist.  And, full of little nooks.  Nothing like prison and everything like a warm, delicious cloud from Heaven.

Have I gotten the point across yet?

These are absolutely fantastic with a cheese-based soup.  But, I'm pretty sure they would work for just about anything else, too.

It's too cold not to make these right now!



Pretzel Bread Bowls
(adapted from Une Bonne Vie)


7 cups flour
1/2 stick butter
2 tsp salt
2 tsp active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups milk, approximately 105F
1 cup lukewarm water


In a large bowl, combine milk and yeast.  Let sit 5 minutes.  Make sure the mixture has bubbles on the surface before continuing.

Add the flour, butter, salt and water to the yeast mixture and form a dough.  Cover with a warm dish towel and let rise one hour.

Punch dough and form a ball with the dough.  Cut into pieces to desired size.  I cut 18 out of mine for small bowls.  Roll each piece into a ball and place on a greased cookie sheet.  Cover with a warm dish towel and let rise for an additional hour.

Preheat oven 400F.

Start a pot of 6 cups boiling water with 4 tablespoons of baking soda.  Using three balls at a time, submerge into boiling water for 1 minute.  Repeat with the rest of the dough balls.  Return to the greased surface.

Cut a slit in the top of each bread ball and sprinkle with coarse salt.  Bake in oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

When ready to use, hollow out the inside of the bread bowl like you would a pumpkin, starting with a large hole in the top.  Pour desired soup into the bowl.  Serve with bread bowl filling on the side.





Listening to:   AC/DC - Back In Black

Chocolate Cream Cheese Brownies

Shut the front door.

Do these really exist?

These, the ooey-est, gooey-est, fudgiest brownies ever witnessed by mankind, do exist.

And they are right in front of you.

Not literally.

They are, however, in front of me.  And while I've never used this computer-trendy phrase before...

Nom nom nom.

That's what these are.  That's what I feel when I eat these.  Even when I look at these.

I have nothing else to say.  No anecdotes.  No witty stories.  Not even a general guideline to baking.

These are too easy.

Too easy not to be made.  Or, eaten.

No more words.  Except...

Make these, then EAT THESE!




Chocolate Cream Cheese Brownies
(adapted from The Recipe Girl)

1 cup butter
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cocoa powder
1/3 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 brick of cream cheese
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt

Ganache:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp vanilla



Preheat oven 350F.

Melt chocolate and butter in microwave at 15 second increments until melted.  Add the rest of the ingredients to the chocolate, starting with wet ingredients and ending with dry.

Pour into a greased 8x8 pan.

Bake 35-40 minutes.

In a double boiler, melt chocolate for ganache.  Once melted, remove from heat and add milk and vanilla.  Pour over warm brownies and let completely cool.




Listening to:   Alicia Keys - New York

Banana Bread Dip

Interesting.

That was the first word that came to my head when I thought about this recipe.

I've been downright obsessed with all things Thanksgiving.  As I've said a million times before, the Hubbs is not a true Holiday fan like me.  He doesn't even like holiday food.  And, while this should have been a dealbreaker all those years ago, I'm still with him and trying desperately to make a Thanksgiving feast that even he can appreciate.

Not easy, but I'm up for the challenge.

The goal, for me, is to take some of those famous Turkey Day side dishes, and remake them with the Hubbalubb's favorite flavors.  No mashed potatoes?  We'll do scalloped.  No green bean casserole?  Alright, how about some roasted green beans with a tangy balsamic glaze?  No stuffing?

...

Ok, I can't help you there.  There will be stuffing.

Everything else is debatable.

But, as you well know, I'm a big fan of throwing a brick of cream cheese into anything and calling it dip.  It's fast.  It's easy.  And, it's almost always delicious.  Plus, what a conversation starter...

"Oh my, I love this dip!  What's in it?  Where did you find it?... Blah blah blah"...

And so on and so forth.

Banana Bread Dip is yet another of these easy-peasy dips that really tastes like the real thing, only creamier.  Almost like banana bread batter.  And, you know how I love all things batter.

This is yet another option for my Thanksgiving day feast.

Oh, so many to choose from!




Banana Bread Dip

1 over-ripe banana, mashed
1/2 brick cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla


Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl.

Serve with Vanilla Wafers or shortbread cookies.




Listening to:   Jake Owens - Alone With You

Caramel Apple Bread

Are you sick of it yet?

The constant nagging on my part?  Where I make you eat apples and pumpkins, like, everday?

No?

Ok, good.

I've got a ton of recipes left with these exquisite fall flavors.  So many, in fact, that I know I'll never get through them all in one fall season.  But, since I've got a crazy obsession with going to the grocery store on the daily for a bag of apples and a can or two of pumpkin puree, you're probably going to have to sit through at least a few more.

I tried apple bread for the first time last year at the Hubba's work party last winter.  Truthfully, I'd never heard of it until then.  But, I'm glad I'm familiar now.  I was waiting for fall to come to try my hand at a loaf or two.

As I do often, I like to start off a round of recipe development by scouring the internet and hardcover cookbooks for inspiration.  I usually try to find a few recipes that seem popular with the general public and compare them.  I also take into consideration the time and difficulty, as well as the price of ingredients.  Mostly, because I know that the chance of me enjoying the experience is dependent on those three factors.  I like quick, easy and affordable, but I don't believe that I should go so extreme as to sacrifice flavor.

After I select a few prototypes, I go to work and experiment with flavors and measurements.  I think I've been able to identify my favorite flavors well enough to estimate the amount of herbs and spices in a recipe to adjust to my tastes.  It may take a few times, but usually I come out with a recipe that suits my palate perfectly.

This apple bread was no different.  I found a recipe I like and tried some variations until I hit the jackpot.  Plus, as a bonus, I found a caramel glaze to take this recipe over the top.

This will be a familiar bread in my home for sure!




Caramel Apple Bread
(adapted from Pass The Sushi)

2 apples
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup milk
4 eggs
3 cups flour
3/4 cup pecans, chopped
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Caramel Drizzle:
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp milk
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar



Preheat oven 350F.

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the bread, starting with wet ingredients and adding the dry in increments.  Pour into 2 greased loaf pans.

Bake 45-50 minutes.

While apple bread bakes, melt butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a boil for 1 minute while stirring to prevent burning.  Add milk and bring to a boil again.  Remove from heat.

Add the powdered sugar to the glaze after it has cooled, preferably right before applying it to the bread.  Drizzle glaze slowly over the top of the bread.

Garnish with additional chopped pecans, if desired.





Listening to:   Seven Mary Three - Cumbersome

Pumpkin Spice No Bake Cookies

Mmmm.

That's all I can say.

This is the first time I've come across this Hershey kisses, and I jumped at the opportunity to use them.  A perfect combination of pumpkin spice and creamy white chocolate, these were easily substituted into my favorite No-Bake recipe.

Then I ate one.

Then I said... Mmmm.

Mmmm.

Ok, I'm done.

Make these please!




Pumpkin Spice No Bake Cookies
(adapted from My Fabulous Recipes)

2 cups sugar
1 stick butter
1/2 cup milk
1 cup chopped pumpkin spice-flavored Hershey Kisses
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups oatmeal

Bring sugar, butter and milk to a boil in a large saucepan.  Continue to boil for 1-2 minutes.  If you're a fan of making fudge, boil this to the soft ball stage. 

Take off heat and stir in the vanilla, pumpkin spice Kisses and oatmeal. 

Use a spoon and drop dollops of the cookie mixture onto a piece of waxed paper.  Let cool and harden.




Listening to:   Blake Shelton - Win You Over

Candy-Infused Vodka

Here's a leftover candy recipe I can definitely get behind.

Infused vodkas is an idea I've been playing around with ever since I made Limoncello.  There are several really excellent ways to utilize liquor in the kitchen, and this is a great one specifically for Halloween.

I don't really enjoy sugary candy.  I'm much more of a chocoholic, and the colorful candies that often come around on Halloween usually forgotten at the bottom of my trick-or-treating bag.  From suckers to gummies, there are plenty of candies to choose from for a recipe like this.  And none of them separate me from my beloved chocolate.

I first heard about this infusion idea when a friend separated a family sized bag of skittles by color into little groups and throwing each into a pint jar full of vodka.  After a couple days, each jar was contained a hazy, brightly colored liquor with a sweet and fruity flavor.

I've added a couple other kinds of candy to try as well.  It's a great way to utilize that leftover Halloween candy and give your cocktails and interesting twist!




Candy-Infused Vodka

2 cups vodka
1 cup candy


Place vodka in a pint jar.  Add candy and let it infuse 2-3 days.  For candy mixes with more than one flavor, you may want to separate the flavors into separate jars.

Remove candy and secure the jar with a lid.



Suggested Candy:

Candy Canes
Skittles
Lemon Heads
Candy Corn
Good & Plenty
Red Hots
Double Bubble
Sour Patch Kids

Halloween Candy Cookies

Ahh, halloween is over.

Rest and relaxation is on the horizon, at least for a couple weeks.

Don't get me wrong.  I love halloween.  I love the spooky decorations, the trick-or-treating, the haunted houses, and all the scary movies that pop up on television for my viewing pleasure.  I love dressing up with friends like a bunch of idiots and prancing around in public with absolutely no shame.

Halloween brings a lot of stress, too.  What to wear?  Costume:  store-bought or homemade?  What parties should we attend?  Food?  Drinks?

So many choices.

But, the biggest caveat, by far, is the candy.

And, the opposite of will power that comes with candy.

I buy candy for the sole purpose of distributing to all of the costume-clad children.  It does not sit in my house before trick-or-treating.  And, I don't keep it around after Halloween either.  I don't have the ability to eat one mini candy bar.  I have this absolutely wretched habit of trying to satisfy my sweet tooth cravings by estimating how many fun-sized candies would equal one standard sized bar.  Which means, I always overcompensate, leading to eat six or seven minis instead of one regular candy bars.

Every day.

So, these cookies have been a true miracle for me.

It's a creative way to bake a tasty batch of cookies for friends and family while depleting your supply of unwanted and needed sweets.

Now, to be fair, this is generally the only time I buy store-bought cookie dough.  It happens only once or twice a year, but I don't really see the need to go all out for the best cookie dough recipe when the candy bar is obviously going to be the shining star of the show.  You can absolutely substitute your go-to cookie recipe from scratch, but I don't mind splurging on store-bought a couple times a year.

Either way, try this out and use up that mountain of candy today!




Halloween Candy Cookies

2 batches store-bought cookie dough.
Assorted fun-sized Halloween candy



Preheat 350F.

On a cookie sheet, lay out one batch of cookie dough.  Flatten each cookie slightly so it's about 2-3" wide.

Take one fun-sized candy and cut into small pieces.  Arrange the candy on top of the cookie dough.  I used Snickers, Milky Ways, M&Ms and Reese's.  You can use one candy bar for each cookie, or mix candy pieces if you prefer.

Take a square of the second batch of cookie dough and flatten it out on top of the candy.  Press the edges of the two cookies together to enclose the candy pieces.  Repeat with the rest of the candy and cookie dough.

Bake for 10-12 minutes.





Listening to:   Guns 'N Roses - November Rain