Bikaneri Paratha | Dal Stuffed Bikaneri Paratha

We are starting the third week of BM#54. I will be cooking lentils in three different ways. Lentils provide all the protein to a vegetarian and one has to include all different dals in a meal, if one has to get the required protein intake.

Though I have been a vegetarian for the best part of my life, I have never really given much importance to it. A year back I went on a severe exercise regime and ignored my diet. Result was ending up with bad cramps, that none of the doctors could even understand. I finally realized myself and when I told that to my ortho, he was shocked that I am a vegetarian. He then went on to say how one must include at least three different lentil in a meal to compensate or even to get just enough for us to be alright.

Imagine my shock. I hardly ever include more than one and talk about three or more! Anyway the moral of the story was, I should stock up my lentil recipes and make them more. This weeks theme is no where near me making them all the time. Still it was worth the efforts.

The day one recipe is something I made long time back from Sapana's space. The parathas were very good, I wonder why i never posted it, lucky me, it was all there for me to just post it now! The picture setup was inspired by Nalini, who had done a similar setup during the time I had made this. Mine were no where close to how wonderfully Nalini plates her dishes, still it was worth the try.

These dal stuffed parathas are a great source of energy for breakfast. You could make the stuffing ahead and freeze if required. Even just refrigerating will do, you can just make parathas for morning breakfast.

Bikaneri Paratha

Ingredients Needed

For the outer layer:

Wheat flour - 1 cup
All purpose flour/ Maida - 1/4 cup
A pinch salt
Water as required
Oil for cooking the parathas

For filling:

Split Yellow Moong dal - 1/4 cup
Handful of channa dal
Green Chilli - 2 medium
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Ginger, grated - 1"
Red Chilli powder 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Amchoor powder - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp

How to make the Paratha:

Knead the flours together with salt and ensure the dough is soft, yet stiff. Keep it covered till you make the filling.

Wash and soak Moong dal in water for 1 hour. Drain and grind to make a smooth paste.

Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, once it splutters, add the grated ginger and chopped green chillies.

Add the salt, spice powders and let it get cooked well. This takes about couple of mins.

Now add dal paste and mix well. Let it get cooked well and the mixture dries up.

Set it aside to cool. Divide into small balls.

To make the Bikaneri Paratha

Pinch out equal balls from the dough. Dust well and flatten on the sides. Place the dall balls and enclose on all sides completely.

Dust again and gently roll it out.

Heat a tawa and cook the Paratha on both sides using oil.

Serve with curds and pickle.

Croque Provençal | How to make French Grilled Cheese & Tomato Sandwich

We are starting the second week of BM#55 with a tour around French Cuisine. I didn't have enough time to read through all the courses, so I was looking out for specific course of meal and decided it was best to start with a sandwich.

I have quite an affinity towards French, it was my second language for four years, starting with school and continued in college. However the only words I seem to remember right now is Bonjour and Mademoiselle. Of Dame, from le dame sans merci, which seem to have struck in memory forever!  Would you believe if I say I rather wanted to write pages and pages on my memories associated with French and finally as it seem to happen offlate with me, I ended up working on this post the night before?

Well you got to believe! Life has suddenly become very hectic. Athamma has left for her daughter's place and everything has been even more tightly wraped to manage! Anyway with all things apart, I didn't want to delay writing this post and with a moment's free, which has become quite rare, I sat down to cook myself this sandwich and write about it right away!

Trust me, the steps are so simple that I felt it was not worth bothering to do a step by step.

The sandwich for the day is based on Croque-Monsieur. Its a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, topped with bechamel. It was popular in French cafes and bars as a quick snack. The cheese typically used is Gruyère, however I used processed cheese slices. As with any recipe, there are many variations to this.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croque-monsieur

I decided to make croque provençal or with tomato. This sandwich is made with toasted bread, cheese, sour cream and tomato slices. Its grilled till crispy. Additionally one can add eggs as well.

I kept to sour cream/mayo, tomatoes and cheese.

Croque Provençal

Ingredients Needed

Wheat Bread Slices - 2
Tomato Slices - 4 nos
Cheese Slices - 2
Pepper powder to taste
Sour cream / Mayo - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Butter - 1 tsp

How to make French Grilled Cheese & Tomato Sandwich

Spread the bread mayo/ sour cream. Put slice of cheese on one piece of bread.

Add tomato slices. Sprinkle with salt, pepper.

Cover tomato slices with other slice of cheese, then cover with other piece of bread.

Heat pan with butter, spread butter on top of each side of bread.

Grill until sandwich is brown on both sides and cheese is melted.

Savory Layered Bread Baskets in Muffin Tray

I was so delayed for the second day post and it wasn't because of wanting from my side! Things do end up hectic during weekday when it becomes next to impossible to even plan to cook something different from the regular dishes, especially when I have to click pictures. so I have been trying to make something since Monday and I finally ended up making it this morning.

In between when I was telling Hubby dear on how I am not allowed to cook, he said I am welcome to make something right then. It was 10 at night and I showed face and said who will eat a breakfast at this time! He typically said you can't bake a cake and eat it right then too. I know its twisted but suited my state so well.

I ended up making this dish this morning and though original dish was supposed to be Bread Chat, I ended up making this differently. I almost used the same filling as the Capsicum Paneer stuffing. I made it again for Hubby dear's breakfast and I thought I could make these double layered Baskets.

I have already made a different stuffing of baked bread basket, however today's basket is layered and turns out more crispy and layered.

For Step by step pictures, check out

After I made those Bread Baskets with Fruits n Jam, we needed savory treat. I made two versions, one for the elders and another for kids with less spice. I liked these savory ones much better as it had a
semblance to the filling I remember making it many years ago. I don't remember the recipe now, which is very strange as it was something I used to prepare so often for myself.

Seeing how much Athamma and Amma enjoyed these savory baskets while we were taking pictures, I realized that we have got a perfect breakfast dish ready, which doesn't really take much time.

Baked Bread Baskets with Savory filling

Ingredients Needed

Whole Wheat Bread Slices - 8 nos
Butter

For the filling:

Onion - 1 medium
Potato - 1 medium
Green Chili - 1 long (reduce or replace with 1/2 tsp of chili powder for kids)
Salt to taste
Butter - 1/2 tsp
Roasted Cumin powder

Grated Cheese for topping

Method to prepare:

Pre -heat the oven at 185 degrees

Grease the muffin pan with butter.

Trim the bread slices and press them down into the muffin holes. Ensure they cover the sides so as to form cups.

Bake the bread at 185 degree for 5 mins Check if they have turned crisp. Bake for couple of more minutes if the baskets are not crisp.

Allow to cool for a minute.

To make the filling, heat a non stick pan with butter, sauté finely chopped onions along with green chilies till onions turn light brown.

Peel the potato and chop into small pieces. Microwave for 5 minutes to get them soft. Mash them well and add to the pan.

Mix the onions and potatoes well. Add the salt, cumin powder. Simmer for couple of minutes. Remove and allow it to cool.

Grate the cheese and keep it aside.

When the baskets are ready, scoop a spoonful of this filling into the baskets. Top with grated cheese. Bake again for 1 2 minutes at 185 degree C.

Sprinkle tomato ketchup on top before serving.

These were really very delicious and tempting to think that only kids will enjoy.

OVEN POACHED EGGS !!

A dear friend of mine, posted a video (from Foodstyle.com)about
poaching eggs in the oven and I was quite intrigued. Not only can poaching eggs, in the traditional method, be a disaster be challenging but you can only make 2-3 at a time!!

Here is what I found:

The video said to put about a tablespoon of water in each cup of a regular muffin pan, then crack an egg over the water and bake at 350° for 8 to 10 minutes.........well, that ALMOST worked.

I DID use the scant tablespoon of water, and I DID preheat my electric oven to 350°, but when I tried it using a standard cupcake (muffin) pan, the egg + water filled it to overflowing and took a full 20 minutes to cook, not 8 to 10.

On my second attempt, I had excellent luck using a jumbo size muffin pan (I think they call them Texas size?) and I gave it a light mist of vegetable spray, then put in the scant tablespoon of water and a large egg. I baked them at 350° for exactly 12 minutes (not 8 to 10)
and they lifted right out of the pan with a spoon.....YUM!!!

  A PERFECTLY POACHED EGG !!

Whether you are making one or 30, this method (with my tweaks) really does work and it couldn't be easier!!

The difference in cooking time (between my oven and the Foodstyle video) COULD be that their oven simply runs hotter than mine or maybe they were using smaller eggs (?)With so many variables, I suggest you do a "test egg" to see how long it takes in your oven before you make a whole pan of these.

One other note: When your eggs are done to your liking, take them OUT OF THE PAN right away or they will continue to cook.

Don't you just want to

dunk your toast in this one?

ENJOY !!!



MAPLE CANDIED BACON !!

Now I know that bacon isn't on a lot of our low calorie diets, but once in a while, you just have to live a little!!

I've seen candied bacon recipes all over the Internet and often wondered what all the fuss was about, after all, what can be better than fried bacon? Well, I'm here to tell you that CANDIED BACON is the answer. Holy cow, this stuff is good!!

Some people are dicing it and putting it on top of maple frosted cupcakes, some people are dicing it and putting it into deviled eggs, and some people like me who shall remain nameless, just devour it right out of the warm pan!!  It's just THAT good!!

 

There's not much of a recipe, but there ARE several tips I can give you that will help a bit.

 

First of all, use a large cookie sheet that has a lip on it. Line it with foil (this will make clean up a breeze) and put an oven safe wire rack on the foil (make sure to spray both sides of the baking rack with cooking spray too...that will also help).

 

 

Now a word about which bacon to use. Quality thick sliced smoked bacon works best, but it takes a lot longer to cook. Regular thickness smoked bacon works well but you REALLY have to watch it like crazy so it doesn't burn.......it's your choice.  I think I like the thicker bacon better; I have had great success using apple wood smoked bacon.

 

Preheat your oven to 400° if you are using thick bacon and 375° if you are using regular thickness.

 

Mix 1/2 cup of REAL maple syrup and 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard. Place the raw bacon slices on the baking rack, making sure that the slices don't overlap. Baste the raw bacon liberally (on one side) with the syrup-mustard mixture. 

 

Bake thick bacon for 20 minutes and regular sliced bacon for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, flip the bacon over and baste the other side with the syrup-mustard mixture. Put back in oven and bake the thick slices for another 20 minutes and the regular slices for another 10 minutes.

 

CAUTION: If you use the regular sliced bacon, watch it very carefully the last few minutes, because it can burn quickly if you leave it in too long.

 

 

When you take it out of the oven (the last time), sprinkle it very lightly with black pepper and TAKE IT OFF OF THE BAKING RACK.

 

I cool mine on parchment paper for about 15 minutes; unless I'm eating it right away I turn it over to make sure it cools/dries evenly.

 

NOTE: When I am out of REAL maple syrup, I've tried this recipe using pancake syrup. It works ok too, but it burns easier and the real maple syrup tastes a LOT better.

 

ENJOY !!

FRUIT FILLED COOKIE BARS

I had a hard time coming up with a name for this delicious treat. It is not exactly a cake, but it's a little soft to be a cookie. It does remind me a little of one of those big soft cake-y sugar cookies, but don't forget it has a juicy fruit filling too, so what category does it really fall into?  Answer: Yummy Category!!

Usually, we just eat these out of hand, but they are also nice enough for company if you serve them with a scoop of ice cream!! Either way they are hard to beat with a tall glass of milk or a hot cup of tea.

1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
14 ounce can fruit pie filling (see note)

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla together until very well mixed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well in between each egg.

Add flour and beat until well mixed, then let the dough sit for about 5 minutes.

Press 3/4 of the dough into a lightly greased 9" x 9" pan (I use a (9" springform pan).  Make the outside edge just a little deeper than the rest of the crust (this will help keep the fruit away from the edge of the pan).

Top with fruit filling (see note) and then drop little bits of the rest of the reserved dough on top of the fruit filling.

Bake in a pre-heated 375 oven for 35-40 minutes depending on how hot your oven runs. My electric oven takes 37 minutes.

Let cool for a while then drizzle with a vanilla frosting glaze.

Cool and store covered.

NOTES:

Any home made or commercial fruit filling will work well in the recipe, but I suggest that if you use a commercial pie filling, that you jazz it up a little. Example: if you are using cherry pie filling, add 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract, if you are using apple pie filling, chop them up a little and add a little more cinnamon and nutmeg or maybe a few raisin? Use your imagination.

You can double the ingredients and bake it in a 9" x 13" pan for 40-45 minutes.  Either way, use the toothpick test to make sure its done in the middle.

THE ULTIMATE POPOVER

I have been playing around with popover recipes for a while now, so I thought I would "get serious" and buy a popover pan. The pan makes a huge difference, not so much in the taste, but in appearance and how big the air bubbles are inside of the popover. These popovers could not be easier or cheaper to make, and they are such a treat, hot out of the oven with honey butter or strawberry jam!! If you do not have a popover pan, see note at the end of this post.

This recipe is fool proof as long as you follow it closely. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. I put my popover pan in the oven while it preheats (do not grease before you preheat).

While your oven/pan is preheating, whisk together:
3 eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup of milk (see note)1 tablespoon melted butter

NOTE: If I have whipping cream, I put about ¼ cup of whipping cream in a measuring cup and then fill the rest of the way with 2% milk...if I have no cream on hand, I just use 1 cup of 2% milk).
After the above ingredients are whisked together well, add one cup of all purpose flour (spoon flour into measuring measuring cup and level off with straight edge). Whisk everything together for about 30 seconds or until it looks very smooth & creamy.
Take the popover pan out of the hot oven and spray each cup with vegetable spray. Put a small chunk of chilled butter (roughly ½ teaspoon but the exact size is not crucial) into the bottom of each hot cup. Fill each cup half way full (makes six big popovers).

Bake popovers at 425 for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the oven down to 325 and bake for another 15 minutes. Remove popovers from pan and poke a tiny hole (I use a toothpick) in the bottom of each popover to relieve a little steam (not totally necessary if you are going to eat them right away).

 NOTE: If you do not have a popover pan, you can use 6 ounce (oven safe) custard cups (I used the clear Pyrex ones, for a long time, with great success). I placed them all on a cookie sheet for easier handling. The popovers will not get quite as tall (as they do with a popover pan) but they taste every bit as good.

Someone from outside the USA wrote and asked me what a popover pan was, so here is a photo. As you can see, it is almost like a cupcake pan, but the cups are a lot deeper and spaced far apart so the hot air can circulate around each cup.

NO YEAST CINNAMON ROLLS

These cinnamon buns have NO yeast in them, but they sure taste like they do. I have to admit that when I first saw this was a baking powder dough, my first thought was, "uh oh, a heavy biscuit texture", but I was wrong; these are FAR from the standard biscuit taste. The dough has cottage cheese and buttermilk in it and it is super flaky, light, sweet and tender. I have tried a lot of cinnamon roll recipes over the years and I can honestly tell you that this recipe was a total surprise. It is SO tasty, SO easy and SO fast.

Don't freak out about the cottage cheese in the batter. You won't taste it, but it is totally essential do NOT leave it out. If you don't want to SEE the cottage cheese, pulse it in the blender a time or two.

MAKE THE FILLING FIRST1½ tablespoons melted butter
2/3 cup brown sugar (packed)
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon allspice (I left out)
¼ teaspoon ground cloves (I left out)
1 cup chopped pecans
Mix well and set asideDOUGH¾ cup cottage cheese(4% milk fat)do not leave out1/3 cup buttermilk (do not leave out)
¼ cup white sugar
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 TABLESPOON baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
Preheat the oven to 400 and grease the sides and bottom of a 9" or 10" spring form pan with cooking spray. In a food processor, combine the cottage cheese, buttermilk, sugar, melted butter and vanilla; process until smooth (10 seconds). Add the flour, baking powder & baking soda and pulse in short bursts just until the dough clumps together in a ball (don't over-process). The dough will be soft and moist. Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead it four or five times with floured hands (this is a beautiful dough, very easy to work with). Roll dough out to a 12" x 15" rectangle.

Brush the rectangle with a very light coating of melted butter (be skimpy & leave a half inch border unbuttered around the edges. Sprinkle the filling over the buttered area and pat lightly.

Starting with the long side, roll up the dough into a jelly roll shape and pinch the long seam to seal (leave the ends open). Cut into twelve equal pieces with a sharp knife (a sharp serrated knife works well). Set the rolls in the prepared pan, cut side up. The rolls should touch slightly, but its OK if there are small gaps. Bake at 400 for 20 to 28 minutes (mine took the full 28 minutes) or until golden brown. Set the pan on a cooling rack for five minutes. Remove the spring form ring and drizzle the glaze over the rolls. Yum!!!

GLAZE2/3 cup powdered sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons of cold milk (I used whipping cream)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon of maple extract (not necessary but YUMMY)
Whisk all ingredients together. If it seems too thick to pour, add a little bit more milk (or cream).

Breakfast Brûlée For This Weekend

Pre-Recipe Editorial: I have noticed that many Food Network cooking shows revel in the French language. For example, Alton Brown continually calls the common green bean by its French name haricot vert. Come on now, does that make them taste better? I don’t think so. Recipe titles like Crème Brûlée literally translates to burnt cream; that sounds more like a kitchen accident to me. I guess I have issues, ha! ha!

The reason I bring this up today, is that I found today’s recipe in the latest issue of Pillsbury Bake-Off magazine. It is called Breakfast Brûlée (yes, you guessed it = burnt breakfast)…go figure. This little recipe deserves a much better title; it is a quick and delicious weekend breakfast treat.
2 eggs
¼ cup whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
(2) 6 ounce 99% fat free vanilla yogurt
(1) 16 oz. tube Pillsbury Grand biscuits (Flaky style)
Heat oven to 375F and spray eight 6 ounce ramekins or custard cups with cooking spray; place them on a cookie sheet that has edges.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, nutmeg and yogurt until smooth; set aside.

Separate each refrigerator biscuit (horizontally) into two even layers with your fingers (making 16 rounds). Brush both sides of each round with melted butter and roll them in white sugar (on all sides). Place one dough round in the bottom of each ramekin. Top with ¼ cup of the egg-yogurt mixture. Top with remaining dough rounds.Bake at 375F for 20 to 26 minutes or until tops are deep golden color (my oven took 20 minutes). Cool 15 minutes before serving.

These are 350 calories, which isn't too bad for such a treat.
NOTE: When I ran spell check, it highlighted all of the French words as errors... hahaha, my case is closed.

BEST EVER (NO KNEAD) CINNAMON ROLLS

I thought I had the best cinnamon roll recipe, but oh my goodness..."Katy bar the door" --- drop everything and try this recipe. Here's why:
.
1. The dough is light and fluffy, not "bready"
2. There is no kneading, but it sure tastes like there is
3. The flavor is outstanding!!
4. They have the texture of a good donut
5. Covered, they stay fresh and delicious for 2-3 days
6. They freeze beautifully

Do I have your attention yet? Click on this photo so you can see the light and airy texture of the baked rolls.

2 cups buttermilk
1/2  cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 packet dry active yeast (I use 1 tablespoon)
4  1/2 cup all purpose flour (DIVIDED)
1/2  teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

FILLING
3/4  brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
pinch of salt

1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons butter (soft)
Mix the buttermilk, vegetable oil and sugar in a saucepan and warm this mixture to just before the boiling point… (see note) then remove from heat let it cool down then stir in dry yeast. Let this mixture sit for a few minutes to let the yeast bloom.

Add 4 (of the 4½ cups) of flour to the buttermilk mixture and stir well (no need to knead, just mix well). Dough at this stage will be extremely sticky and more like a thick batter. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place for an hour.
In a small, separate bowl, mix the final ½ cup of flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. After the sticky dough has rested/raised for an hour, stir it down and add this final half cup flour mixture. Mix until well incorporated (by hand or electric mixer)...just takes a minute.
 
Turn batter (which will still be quite soft and sticky) out onto WELL-floured counter and roll the dough around a few times, coating the surface with flour so it is not so sticky. Roll (or pat) dough out into a rectangle that is about ½” thick. Spread dough surface with 2 tablespoons butter then evenly spread on the filling ingredients and top with nuts (pat the nuts into the sugar a little). Roll up, jellyroll style, keeping it as tight as you can. Pinch the seam shut tightly. Cut 1½” slices and lay them, cut side down, in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes. Bake in pre-heated 375F oven for about 20 minutes or until golden and they sound hollow when you tap on them. Drizzle with glaze while the rolls are still hot.

MAPLE GLAZE

1 + 1/3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon maple extract
2 OR 3 tablespoons milk

 NOTE: For the first step, I warm the buttermilk-vegetable oil mixture up in the microwave. I don't find it necessary to bring the buttermilk to "near boiling" like the instructions tell you to. I just microwave it until it feels good and warm (not hot) when I put my finger in it.

DOUGHNUT MUFFINS

Last week, I was watching the cooking channel, and someone was raving about a bakery that sold donut muffins (a new one for me). A few days later, I bought a baking magazine and sure enough, there was a recipe for...doughnut muffins!! I don't need to be hit over the head THREE times in order to get the message...I needed to make doughnut muffins!! I'm very glad I did, they are delicious.

Light and tender, buttery and sweet, these muffins are more like a delicious cake doughnut than a heavy dense muffin. Another delightful thing about this recipe is that it makes four dozen muffins, AND you can keep this uncooked batter in the fridge for up to three days, which gives you plenty of time to bake them all off!!

1½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
1¾ cups white sugar
4 large eggs
6 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon +2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1¾ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 + 2/3 cups milk
¼ cup buttermilk

Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl (stand mixer works best because it's a lot of batter). Beat in eggs, one at a time until well mixed.
.
Sift the dry ingredients together and set aside. Mix the milk and buttermilk together and set aside.
.
Mix the dry ingredients, into the butter-sugar mixture, alternatively with the milk mixture (add in thirds), mixing only until it is well mixed after each addition. Don't over mix.
.
Grease and flour standard size cupcake pans and fill them 2/3 full. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until they feel firm to the touch.
.
Remove the baked doughnut muffins from the pan and dip them (on all sides) in melted butter, then roll them in cinnamon sugar.

To make cinnamon sugar, just mix 2 cups of white granulated sugar with a tablespoon of ground cinnamon. If you are a BIG cinnamon fan, use two tablespoons. These muffins are extremely light and tender and taste like a very good cake doughnut.

Baked Eggs - A Sunday Morning Treat

This is such an easy method for making eggs, that you can not even call it a recipe. It would be great for any breakfast buffet...even for a crowd. It is delicious and requires only a couple ingredients. I hope you try it.

Put an un-greased cupcake or muffin pan into a pre-heated 400F oven (to let it get good and hot). When the pan is very hot, increase your oven temperature to 450F and remove the pan. Working quickly, spray the pan with a little vegetable spray and line each muffin cup with a slice of thin sliced deli ham (see note). Crack an egg into each ham lined cup and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Bake in the 450F oven for about 10 minutes or until the eggs are set.

Remove from oven and use a spoon to help you lift the eggs and ham out of the pan (they come out easy). I left my eggs in the oven for 10 minutes, then shut off the oven and let them sit in there for another two minutes; it gave me a soft set egg like this:

My kids used to call eggs cooked to this degree "dipping eggs" because they were just right for dipping toast. If you like your eggs cooked more, just leave them in the oven for another minute. The eggs pick up the flavor of the ham and they are delicious and kind of "cute", don't you think?

NOTE: If you have ham sliced at the deli, the slices should be big enough for this recipe. If you use pre-packaged sandwich ham, the slices might be a little small, so just use two of them to make sure the ham is taller than the muffin cup edge.

CHOCOLATE WAFFLES THIS WEEKEND!!

There is no earthly justification for chocolate waffles, except to have fun!! You won't find these on any weight watchers menu, nor are they as easy as "instant" waffle mix. However, they are delicious and a fun weekend treat for the "kids". Hot chocolate waffles with a scoop of vanilla ice cream...or hot chocolate waffles with whipped cream & sprinkles...better yet, hot chocolate waffles with peanut butter? I figure if you are going to "go for it" you might as well do it right with chocolate waffles.

1½ cups all purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs, beaten
¼ cup melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups buttermilk (see note)
¾ cup miniature chocolate chips
.
Whisk first 6 ingredients together in large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, melted (and cooled) butter, vanilla and buttermilk. Add this wet mixture to the dry mixture, then stir in chocolate chips. Let this batter rest for about 5 minutes while you heat up your waffle iron. (Batter needs to rest a little before use).
.
Spray your waffle iron with a little vegetable spray (you only need to spray it that first time). Cook waffles as you would any other waffle. Serve hot.
.
NOTE: For those occasions when I want to bake something, at the last minute, and I'm out of buttermilk, I use a product called SACO Cultured Buttermilk powder; you can find it in the baking section of any grocery store. Its strictly for baking, but it works wonderfully and I can't really tell the difference in baked goods. It worked great in these chocolate waffles, just make sure you follow the directions on the SACO can and add the right amount of water. It is a good thing to have on hand (make sure you keep it in the fridge).

WHIPPING CREAM BISCUITS

I am fairly successful when it comes to baking with yeast, however, biscuits have been one of my big failures for many years. Every so often, I try various biscuit recipes in hopes of finding a good one. After each attempt, Hubby tells me "I like whomp biscuits" better (it is humiliating!!)

Are you familiar with "whomp biscuits"? They go "whomp" when you hit them on the edge of the counter to pop the tube open. Personally, they aren't my favorite, but Hubby likes them (Pillsbury Grands).

Last week, I made Paula Deen's cream biscuits for breakfast. Because the recipe has only THREE ingredients (self rising flour, sugar and whipping cream), I didn't have very high expectations, but they turned out GREAT!! The biscuits were light, moist, tasty and oh so quick. I used them to make some ham and egg sandwiches and Hubby actually liked them!!

2 cups self rising flour (see note)
1 tablespoon sugar
1½ cups heavy whipping cream


Mix all 3 ingredients together until dough forms a ball. Turn out onto lightly floured counter and knead 5 to 7 times. Pat dough out to ½ inch thickness and cut biscuits with a 3 inch cutter. Place on greased baking sheet (with 1" between biscuits) and bake at 500F for 10 minutes

NOTE: I never have self rising flour, so for EACH CUP of self rising flour, I substitute 1 cup of all purpose flour + 1¼ teaspoon baking powder + 1/8 teaspoon salt.

NOTE: I brushed my biscuits with butter when them came out of the oven.

CREAM CHEESE WAFFLES

More often than not, we have sourdough waffles or sourdough pancakes on the weekends. However, recently I've been searching for a quick-fix waffle recipe and I have found a great one in our electric co-op newsletter, submitted by a lady named Sarah Wolcoff. Her deliciously moist and fluffy cream cheese waffles are oh so good!!!

1¾ cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
(1) 3 ounce cream cheese (room temperature)
2 eggs (separated)
1½ cups milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (my tweak)

Mix the cream cheese and 2 egg yolks together until smooth; stir in milk, vanillaextract and vegetable oil. Add dry ingredients and stir just until combined, it will be a little lumpy. Beat 2 egg whites until stiff peaks form and then fold them gently into the batter, leaving lots of fluffs of egg white (don't over mix). Cook in waffle iron. Recipe makes about 6 good size waffles

GUILTLESS BANANA MILK SHAKE

This banana milk shake is my latest addiction, and for once, it is guiltless!! Toss some frozen bananas, fat free banana yogurt and some 2% milk in the food processor (or blender) and in 10 seconds you will have the thickest, creamiest milk shake ever!! It is absolutely delicous and totally satisfies that "whats to snack on?" moment in the middle of the day. I hope you try it.

In advance, slice some bananas into ½" slices and freeze them, in a single layer, on some waxed paper. When they are frozen, put them all in a Zip Loc freezer bag and keep frozen. When it comes time to make your milk shake, place 16 slices of frozen banana into the food processor (I don't have a blender). Sixteen slices equals the same amount as a medium size (8") banana.

Add a 6 ounce container of fat free banana yogurt and one cup of 2% milk. Run the food processor about 10 seconds. You will end up with about 2½ cups of thick milk shake. This next photo is not a very good one, but I wanted to show you that the final product is thick enough to support a spoon!!

NOTE: I keep a bag of frozen banana slices just so I can make this treat in a hurry. It is also a great use for those bananas that have a few too many brown spots on them.

FOOL-PROOF BUTTERHORNS - A BAKING CHALLENGE!!

Katy, over at Food for A Hungry Soul has offered to help Ingrid from Baseball Baking and Books get over her fear of yeast dough. Enjoying a challenge, I have offered to put in my two cents worth. Katy and I will be posting a few "how to" yeast recipes with hopes of convincing you ALL to give yeast a try.

Ingrid is not alone in this yeast-phobia. A number of you have expressed the same fears, so I am challenging you to try this no-knead Butterhorn recipe. It is the perfect yeast dough starter recipe since it is pretty much goof-proof!! The look on your families faces, when you serve these delicious Butterhorns, will convince you that yeast dough is worth every effort!!!

I found this recipe on Mennonite Girls Can Cook It produces a dozen sweet and "light as air" pastries that your family will love.

OK, BLOGGERS, YOU HAVE BEEN CHALLENGED (that means you too Ingrid!!) I hope everyone will post their end result photos!!

ANSWERING QUESTIONS:

1. What kind of yeast do I use? ANY dry active yeast will work!! You will find it in the baking isle in a two or three little envelope strip (or you can buy a 4 ounce jar of it). You can also buy it by the pound vacuum bag at Costco, but stick with the little envelope strips until you start to bake a LOT. I keep my yeast in the fridge. Check the expiration date before you use it. I like the Red Star brand of yeast, but I've accidentally bought bread machine yeast before and it worked great. ANY yeast that is called dry active yeast will do the trick!! Yes, "fast acting" yeast is perfectly fine...anything but "wet cake yeast from the refrigerated section".

2. Will these Butterhorns freeze well? Yes they do. I frost mine, then let them "set" until the frosting has dried to the touch, then wrap them individually in plastic wrap and put a bunch of them in a large freezer bag.

3. My unbaked butterhorns look flat, what did I do wrong? In this particular case, the dough needed a little more flour. If a dough does not have enough flour, it can not "support" itself as it rises.

4. Do I use the dough hook? For tranditional yeast doughs yes, but this is not a traditional yeast dough, so I would use a regular beater or a paddle beater and not the dough hook for the butterhorns.

Please do not hesitate to ask questions, I'll post your answers right here, so check back.

1 tablespoon yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup milk
1 egg (room temperature)
2 cups all purpose flour
1½ tablespoons white sugar
½ teaspoon salt (do not leave out)
½ cup of butter (no substitutions)

Measure 2 cups flour (spoon into cup and level off), 1½ tablespoons of sugar and the salt into a bowl. Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry blender until you have very small pieces of butter when you are done, it should look like oatmeal. (I did this step in the food processor and just pulsed it a few times, it looked like this)



In a small dish, mix the yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar; stir in ¼ cup of warm water and let it sit for 10 minutes so that the yeast can start to bubble or activate. OK, this is where most novice bakers get freaked out (the temperature of the water). Too hot and it will kill the yeast, too cold and it will slow the yeast down (but it won't hurt it). I always think of the correct temperature as "baby bottle warm". For those of you who have children, you'll know what temperature this is. You are aiming for a temperature that you could safely feed a bottle fed baby.

After the yeast mixture has been sitting for 10 minutes, it should look like the next photo. If it doesn't, don't despair, just throw it out and try this step again. This is called proofing the yeast (I always think of it as "proving the yeast is good"). It's done this way so you don't have to throw a whole batch of dough away if the yeast isn't any good. Tip: make sure your yeast is fresh, check the expiration date. I keep mine (I buy it by the jar) in the fridge.

Click on this photo so you can see it better, those little dots in the bowl are bubbles

This is what you want your yeast to look like after 10 minutes, nice and foamy.

Warm the milk until the chill is off (I used my microwave) and then add the slightly beaten egg. In a large bowl, add the (milk-egg mixture) and the (yeast-water mixture) to the dry ingredients. Stir well until it is all blended together. It will be a very soft dough (not a kneadable dough). I used my heavy duty electric mixer to mix everything together. It will look like this:


Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight (I chilled it overnight). The next day, sprinkle your counter with some flour and turn the dough out onto the counter. Sprinkle the top of the dough with more flour and roll the dough around until all sides are coated with a little flour so its not so sticky anymore. Roll (or pat) the dough out to ½" thick rectangle. The dough will be sticky during this stage, but don't give up, just keep lightly flouring your counter and rolling pin.

Cut the rectangle in to ¾" strips. Pick up a strip and dust the excess flour off of it. Twist the strips a bunch of times and then place one end on the counter and wind the twisted strip (in a single layer) around and around (tuck a tiny piece of the "tail" under the pastry) Sorry I forgot to photograph this step.
Place the rolls on a lightly greased baking sheet. Very lightly, spritz the tops of the rolls with vegetable spray so the plastic doesn't stick to them. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let them raise for an hour (or until they are doubled in size SEE NOTE BELOW). Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes (my oven took 15 minutes).
Frost the Butterhorns with a simple glaze made out of 2 cups of powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and ¼ teaspoon of almond extract and enough milk to make the glaze the right consistency.
NOTE: I put a tablespoon of raspberry pie filling in the center of my butterhorns before I baked them, but it isn't necessary. You can just frost them or frost them and sprinkle with toasted nuts.

NOTE: Dry active yeast requires water, sugar and warmth to "do its thing" in a bread recipe. When a recipe tells you to "let the dough raise for an hour" keep the warmth of you kitchen in mind. If your kitchen is on the cool side, it will take longer than the recommended time for your dough to raise. If your kitchen is hot, it will raise quicker than the recommended time. When dealing with a dough that is chilled (like the Butterhorns) the recommended raising time is an hour, however, I found that my dough took just short of TWO hours to double in size. If you bake the recipe before the dough has completely raised, it will turn out dense and heavy.