Category: DESSERTS

Honey Wheat Sunflower Dinner Rolls

Hi everyone!

This is Alexis from NibbleMeThis. I’m posting for Fire Day Friday this week because Chris is tied up moving one of his out of town offices this week.

Ya’ll probably know I got my own Big Green Egg a while back and this is one of my favorite rolls I have made on it. I used this recipe for Honey Wheat Sunflower Bread but only made one loaf and it is a wonderful bread recipe.


But I used the other half of the dough to make dinner rolls. I knew I was going to love it but was surprised how much Chris and the boys liked it because they are “white bread” kind of dudes. The rolls had a bit of sweet to them and the sunflower seed kernels added a nice texture.

Oh yeah, this was funny. One of our older son’s friends was eating one when I mentioned they had sunflower seeds and he about choked, asking, “Am I supposed to be spitting the shells out?” because he thought the sunflower seeds were in the shells.


Honey Wheat Sunflower Dinner Rolls
adapted from Lillian Wittler’s Honey-Wheat Sunflower Bread

2 cups warm water (120-130f)
2 3/4 cups bread flour
2 packages active dry yeast (quarter oz each)
1 Tbsp white sugar
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup quick oats
1/3 cup instant dry buttermilk powder
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup creamed honey (you can use regular but I like creamed better)
2 tsp salt
1 cup sunflower kernels (unsalted)
2 Tbsp agave nectar
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

I use a Thermapen instant read thermometer to make sure my water is the right temp.

Mix the warm water, 2 cups of the bread flour (not the whole 2 3/4 cups), yeast and sugar in your mixer bowl. Beat for 3 minutes on low (Speed 2 on my Kitchenaide).

Cover with a tea towel and let it rise until it has doubled. The recipe said 30 minutes but mine took more like an hour.

Fold in the wheat flour, oats, dry milk, butter, creamed honey, and salt.

Stir in the sunflower kernels and as much of the remaining bread flour to get a good consistency. I ended up only using maybe 1/2 cup.

Put on the dough hook and kneaded it until it all held together and pulled cleanly from the sides of the bowl, about 6-8 minutes.

Take out of the mixing bowl and put it into another greased bowl then turn once. Cover and let rise until doubled, about another 30-45 minutes.

Punch down and divide into two.

I shaped one half for the bread loaf plan. The other half I made into equal golf ball sized balls. I put them in a greased, stone ware pie pan and let it rise until doubled again (about 30 minutes).

When that is happening, I started my Big Green Egg and set it up for baking at 375f but you could do it in your oven.

Place in your oven or Egg and cook for 20 minutes uncovered. Then cover it with foil and go another 15 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

Brush with a 50/50 mix of Agave nectar and melted butter.

Remove from the grill/oven and cool on a rack.

This one is tasty and would be a great way to serve something different than the same old dinner roll this Thanksgiving.

PARMESAN CHEESE BREAD/ROLLS

PARMESAN CHEESE BREAD
3 1/4 cups unbleached flour
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 1/3 cup warm water
1/2 cup freshly grated Asiago Parmesan Cheese
extra-extra virgin olive oil

  • Sift together the four, yeast and salt.
  • Stir in the water until dough forms.
  • Sprinkle with 1/2 the cheese.
  • Transfer to a well floured surface.
  • Knead until soft, elastic and no longer sticky (about 10 minutes). Add flour as necessary to reduce stickiness.
  • Knead the dough until it remains rounded and doesn’t flatten out when left to sit for a few minutes.
  • Arrange into a round.
  • Brush the surface with olive oil.
  • Cover loosely with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place until double in size (about 2 hours).
  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  • Brush a 9 inch round pan with olive oil.
  • Put remaining cheese on a plate.
  • Punch down the dough and knead a few more times with fresh flour.
  • For rolls – divide dough into12 pieces.
  • Roll each piece into a ball.
  • Roll each ball in the cheese and then place in pan with the edges touching. 9 balls around the outside, 3 balls in the center.
  • Cover with a flour sack towel and allow to rise again.
  • Cut a small slash in the top of each ball.
  • Sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese.
  • Bake for 10 minutes and the reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue to bake until golden and crispy, about 20-30 minutes more.
  • Serve hot or transfer to a wire rack and cool and then slice.

APPLE BLACKBERRY TURNOVERS

We used to go to this little seaside town when we needed to get away and there was this really awesome seafood restaurant that was an old converted Victorian cottage/house, accepted only cash and always had a long line waiting for them to open their doors at dinner time.  They served awesome seafood of course, but also THE BEST apple blackberry cobbler,  I fell in love with the blackberry apple combination and use it whenever I can.  I normally make my own dough, but opted today for some Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry I had in the freezer.  They leaked just a little bit, they cleaned up pretty easy!
APPLE BLACKBERRY TURNOVERS
yields 8 turnovers
1 1/4 cups blackberry pieces
1 large Gala or Pink Lady apple, peeled, cored and diced
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice
1 large egg yolk, whipped
1 teaspoon water
1 tablespoon sugar
  • Thaw puff pastry according to package directions.
  • Lightly flour puff pastry and roll to flatten.
  • Toss apple pieces, blackberry pieces, sea salt, cinnamon, apple pie spice and brown sugar until well blended.
  • Cut each pastry sheet into 4 pieces.
  • Whisk together the egg yolk and water.
  • Brush 2 sides of each pastry piece with the egg wash.
  • Divide the apple mixture amongst the pastry pieces.
  • Bring the points together to form triangles and press firmly together.
  • Brush the tops with the remaining egg wash and then sprinkle with the granulated sugar.
  • With a sharp knife put 2 small slits in the top as steam vents.
  • Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

BUTTERFINGER COOKIES

BUTTERFINGER COOKIES
Ritz Crackers
Creamy Peanut Butter
Almond Bark
Sprinkles

  • Spread a thick layer of Peanut Butter on a Ritz Cracker
  • Top with another Ritz Cracker
  • Continue until you have the desired amount of cookie sandwiches
  • Melt Almond Bark in stages as necessary (it will cool fairly quickly)
  • Dip each cookie with a small pair of tongs into almond bark and coat well
  • Gently lay each ‘cookie’ on a wax paper sheet
  • While chocolate is still ‘wet’, top with sprinkles
  • Allow to harden
  • Store in an airtight container
  • Enjoy – they taste just like Butterfinger candy bars

3rd ANNUAL NEED TO KNEAD BREAD ROUND-UP HONEY BANANA WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

Honey Banana Whole Wheat Bread
1 1/2 pound loaf

1/2 cup 1% milk, room temperature
1 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks
3 tablespoons honey
1 egg, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup bread flour
1 medium banana sliced
1 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast

The beauty of bread machines is that they always want the same layering.
Liquids
Butter chunks, vanilla, egg &honey
Flour & Sugar
Yeast
The key to any good bread is using quality fresh ingredients.
Just remember, garbage in is garbage out.
Let your bread maker do the rest!

Don’t forget to link up with your recipe!
Try these too:

CARAMEL PRETZEL CRISPS ~ MOCK TURTLES

These are sooooooooooooooooooo simple and sooooooooooooooooooo good too!
CARAMEL PRETZEL CRISPS ~ MOCK TURTLES
1 bag pretzel crackers (regular pretzels work too)
3 rolls ROLOS
1 bag pecan halfs

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Line a cookie sheet with pretzel crackers.
  • Set 2 ROLOs side by side on the crackers.
  • Bake 2-3 minutes, just long enough to soften ROLOs.
  • Press down pecan halves into each ROLO.
  • Cool.
  • Enjoy.




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OREO CHEESECAKE BALLS

OREO CHEESECAKE BALLS – YUM YUM GOOD!
1 regular package Oreos
12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
Almond Bark
Candy Decorations

  • Crush Oreos in food processors
  • With hand mixer, mix together the Oreo crumbs and cream cheese
  • Roll into small balls.
  • Put balls into freezer for 5 minutes.
  • Melt Almond bark in small batches.
  • Coat each ball in almond bark.
  • Immediately decorate.
  • Let harden.

The plates I made for the neighbors wouldn’t have been complete without them.

READY, SET, START YOUR OVENS!

The (3rd Annual) NEED TO KNEAD has moved to OUR KRAZY KITCHEN.
We all have some favorite family bread recipes tucked away.
I know that at certain times I have the NEED TO KNEAD, primarily during the holidays or from October through April, those long cold months of winter. The rest of the time my Bread Machine Rules.
I thought we could all come together and share our daily bread recipes.
And I mean all breads! White, wheat, banana, braided, etc…  whatever you’re in the mood to share.
Ironically National bread month is November at the beginning of our holiday baking crunch.

Just post your recipes anytime until November 15, 2010, go over and link up at OUR KRAZY KITCHEN so that we can all visit you. You can even link to recipes you have previously posted. Add this button to your participating posts and link to this blog. Your blog can be in any language, but a translator on your site will help any who don’t speak the same language.

Bread History According to National Bread Month:

..”It was only after the Pilgrims came to America that baking bread in private homes became the norm. Our ancient forbearers baked bread in communal ovens. These ovens were built on the out skirts of villages, near water due to the extreme fire hazards of the early brick ovens. Later in Europe, after the Romans taught the indigenous peoples about bread making, bread was still baked in large ovens. Except these ovens were not communal ovens they were owned, as was the mill, by the local lord. This made families dependant on the lord for their daily bread. By the Middle Ages baking guilds controlled who and how bread were baked and sold. These organizations limited the number of bakers and bakeries in each village and that meant even impoverished peasants had to purchase bread.
When the first colonists came to North America they demanded the right to be in control of their daily bread. Households at last could bake bread at home. Even commoners were in control of their daily bread….”

Resource LinkCelebrate National Bread Month with crusty water rolls: recipe

Bread is one of the oldest prepared foods, dating back to the Neolithic era. The first breads produced were probably cooked versions of a grain-paste, made from ground cereal grains and water, and may have been developed by accidental cooking or deliberate experimentation with water and grain flour. Descendants of these early breads are still commonly made from various grains worldwide, including the Mexican tortilla, Indian chapatis, rotis and naans, Scottish oatcake, North American johnnycake, Middle Eastern Pita bread (Kmaj in Arabic and Pitot in Hebrew) and Ethiopian injera. The basic flat breads of this type also formed a staple in the diet of many early civilizations with the Sumerians eating a type of barley flat cake, and the 12th century BC Egyptians being able to purchase a flat bread called ta from stalls in the village streets. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bread

Have you heard about the Need to Knead Bread Roundup?  The need to knead bread round-up is almost here. I thought maybe it was time to share with you some food for thought (Pun intended) with a few great resource sites for baking.
 General Tips to remember:
  • Baking in a high place, a dry place or in a place that can have sudden changes in barometric pressure. All these factors can alter how yeast breads knead, rise and bake.
  • To determine if your yeast is still active, dissolve 1 tsp. sugar in 1/2 cup lukewarm water in a see-through measuring cup. Sprinkle 1 tbsp. yeast slowly over the water. Stir and let stand for 10 minutes. At the end of this time, the yeast should have foamed up to reach the 1 cup mark. Yeast that does not reach this mark in 10 minutes will not produce a good loaf and should be discarded.
  • Water can replace milk. The texture will change a little, but the bread will still be very tasty and good to eat.
  • White sugar, brown sugar, honey and molasses can be interchanged equally in bread dough. The sugar in bread dough supplies the tiny yeast plants with instant food and gets them off to a fast start. Artificial sweeteners are not recommended for yeast breads because they cannot be used by the yeast as natural sweeteners can.
  • Fats can be replaced with applesauce or prune puree. The texture of the bread will be more dense. A general rule of thumb is to substitute 1 1/2 tablespoons of applesauce/prune puree for every 3 tablespoons of fat.
  • Salt is added to yeast breads not only for flavor but also to keep the yeast fermentation in the bread dough under control. Too little salt will allow the yeast to push the dough so high that it may even collapse. Too much salt will keep the dough from rising enough.
In preparation for the upcoming National Bread Month in November and for our driving desires and “NEED TO KNEAD” as well as the upcoming Holidays let’s all join in together on October 31st, 2010 to November 15, 2010 and round-up all of our delicious bread recipes to look back on when we need to bake fantastic bread. I know many of mine were handed down by my grandma.
~ We are looking for all sorts of breads: quick breads, savory breads, sweet ones, yeast breads, no-knead breads, 5-minute breads, vintage or gluten-free breads, etc, etc, etc!

~ Help us promote this bread roundup by putting the above banner in your sidebars and posting about the 3rd Annual Need to Kneed Roundup on your own blogs.

~ We would love it if you would join us, and we would love it if you would help us spread the word by putting this button in your sidebars or even writing a short post about the roundup. Post your links from October 31, 2010 to November 15, 2010 for all your bread recipes.

~ Have fun blog hopping through the bread recipes, make new friends, find new family-favorite recipes, comment, enjoy the process of community-building.

12 WEEKS OF CHRISTMAS COOKIE CLUB – WEEK #3 ~ PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE DROPS

PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE DROPS

2/3 cup Hot water
10 ounces Land of Lakes cocoa mix
2 cups JIF creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3 cups C&H powdered sugar, divided 2cups + 1 cup
2 cups crushed vanilla wafers
2 cups crushed ginger snaps
72 Hershey Kisses (I like the cherry cordials)

  • Whisk together the hot water and cocoa mix until smooth.
  • Add peanut butter and corn syrup. Blend until smooth.
  • Add 2 cups powdered sugar and stir until well blended.
  • Stir in cookie crumbs until well blended.
  • Spray wax paper with PURE (these will be sticky so don’t forget this step).
  • Drop heaping teaspoonfuls of dough onto the wax paper.
  • Place the remaining 1 cup of powdered sugar in a shallow bowl.
  • Roll each piece of dough into a ball and dredge in powdered sugar.
  • Press your thumb into the center and fill with a Hershey’s kiss.

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CARING for the CARETAKER

Many of you know that Martha (MM) and myself have both been embroiled in care taking situations for loved ones for quite some time now.  We do it out of love and a bit of obligation, but we do it well with compassion, patience and tolerance.  To say that it is stressful is the WORLD’S GREATEST UNDERSTATEMENT. 
Most evenings we spend a few minutes emailing back and forth commiserating over the days troubles and surprises.  Often it makes us chuckle and laugh which by my standards is soooooooooooooo necessary to help US with the stress.  For me, just knowing that my friend knows what I’m going through relieves a lot of stress and reminds me that there is always tomorrow.  We’re both Virgos and about the same age so there are enough similarities that I honestly believe we think alike.  I know I sometimes receive an email just after I have hit send on one to her which is a relief as I know we were in the same “place” at the same time.  Many times we could have even written each other’s emails because our days were so similar.
These days the difference comes because I am now helping to care for an aunt who has been placed in a care home while I’m also caring for her husband in their home who had triple bypass surgery and Martha is caring for her mother in her mother’s home while taking care of her family in her own home.  We are both basically caring for 2 homes, but I can walk away from my aunt at the end of the day and know that there are at least 2 caregivers on staff for the night in the event my aunt needs help.  This should bring relief. Instead it brings grief.  Many times MUCH grief.  
We have all heard about the horror stories in the news of abuse by caregivers to the elderly and infirm.  For every story we have heard I guarantee you there are a hundred times more stories we haven’t heard.  My aunt has been complaining for some time about the manager of the house she lives in as well as one of the nighttime aides.  Many times we were inclined to believe much of it to be exaggeration. There are so many examples to choose from, but right now many of those cannot be spoken of while resolutions are pending. 

Most of the residents of the home are there through guardianship and don’t have many visitors and while I have no actual proof, I believe that the “manager” (and boy do I use that term loosely) does not like family around because she can’t do things her way and in her time.  She’s loud, rude and downright mean.  She treats family members like they work for her and demands “respect” in “her facility”.  Yep, you heard me right!  This though is yet another story.

The man that owns the house is going through financial difficulties and has cut back on many things, one of which is the cook.  The manager of the house is now doing all the cooking (well supposedly, but that’s another story). She cooks by her terms “Louisiana style”.  From what I can tell, “Louisiana” style is a euphemism for lazy. The food is now being served with all the bones and gristle.  My aunt is sight impaired and has severe dyskinesia, involuntary muscle movements, that makes her dexterity difficult.  She cannot cut meat from a bone or detect it in a bowl of soup or stew. There is a serious choking hazard here. Personally I see not removing the bones before serving it to patients as pure laziness and neglect.
Martha and I  of all people do understand how difficult this type of work can be physically and emotionally.  But, I personally believe that anyone entering a paid position caring for patients should have a patience and tolerance that is reflected by their words and actions as well as the necessary knowledge of the disease(s) to understand the nature of the symptoms and side affects.  If they cannot offer any one of those criteria then perhaps they should be looking for different work.  If they cannot or will not follow the prescribed protocol for caring for patients as I suspect is the case in certain instances with my aunt (i.e. removing her night time meds without consulting the Dr.) then they should not be in this position either.   

I know my horror stories have left Martha feeling a little queasy about getting her mother into an assisted living situation.  But the moral, yes there is a moral! is that the family needs to stay involved, ask questions and not be afraid to follow through with governing agencies as we are doing now concerning my aunt and her care.

The biggest moral is that the caretaker MUST take care of themselves or they are of no good to anyone! The caretaker being stressed only creates stress in the patient that becomes a vicious cycle.
Now for something fun.  The holidays are coming much faster than many of us would like so I offer you this easy and fun recipe that will thrill the kids for Christmas.

Now for something fun.  The holidays are coming much faster than many of us would like so I offer you this easy and fun recipe that will thrill the kids for Christmas.

My great aunt who I only got to see a couple times a year used to make these every year special for me and I would wait out on the front steps for her to arrive just to see them and know they were there. Oh and her too! She always made them soooooooooo pretty and perfect!

HOLIDAY WREATHS

(these are better when they are made a few days ahead)
30 large marshmallows (or 1 jar marshmallow cream)
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoon green food color
3 1/2 cups cornflakes
Red Hots
  • Combine marshmallows, butter, vanilla and food color in top of double boiler. Heat and stir frequently until well blended.
  • Gradually stir in cornflakes until well blended.
  • Drop onto wax paper and arrange into wreath shapes. I plop them onto the wax paper and then push out from the center to form the wreaths.
  • Decorate with red hots.
  • Let cool.
  • If your house is warm – chill in refrigerator until set.

PUMPKIN WALNUT BREAD

Hi there! I am Emily Z. from EZ’s Recipes, where I blog about my adventures in the kitchen, as well as the occasional restaurant review. I have been blogging for almost a year now and have enjoyed every minute of it. I am flattered and thrilled to be able to be a contributor to OuR KrAzy kItChEn. I will be posting here the 4th Sunday of every month.
Fall is my favorite season. If you read my blog, you will see that clearly as I talk about it often. I feel that Fall offers so much… the pretty weather, the change in colors, the activities (football! Halloween!), and the foods. One of my favorite fall foods is pumpkin.
This time of year also brings out my desire to use my bread maker and my crock pot. I got this recipe out of the little cookbook that came with my bread maker. I love using my bread maker! It fills the house with such lovely smells and so far I have not been disappointed with a single loaf of bread that I have made! This one included; the addition of the walnuts and the cranberries in the pumpkin bread is fantastic.
Please also join me over at EZ’s Recipes for lots of fun and delicious recipes in between my posts here! I have some fun stuff up my sleeve for Halloween coming up, so please stay tuned!
Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries

1. Place ingredients, in order listed, in bread pan fitted with kneading paddle. Place in bread maker and select Quick Bread/Cake. Press Crust and select Medium (or to taste). Press Loaf and select dough size (I generally go with 2 pound loafs myself).
2. After batter has mixed for about 4 minutes, stir sides and bottom of bread pan with rubber spatula to ensure complete mixing. Allow to continue mixing.
3. When cycle is completed, remove bread from machine and transfer to wire rack to cool. Bread slices best when allowed to cool. If not serving after cooling, wrap in foil to maintain freshness when completely cooled.

OATMEAL NUT MUFFINS

OATMEAL NUT MUFFINS
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup buttermilk
1 stick butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 Jumbo eggs
1 cup flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped pecans

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • In a large bowl layer the oats.
  • Pour the buttermilk over the oats and let them soak for an hour.
  • Cream the butter.
  • Add the sugar and cream until smooth.
  • Add the eggs one at a time beating after each addition.
  • Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  • Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet until well blended.
  • Fill muffin tins 2/3 full.
  • Sprinkle nuts on top.
  • Bake for 18-20 minutes.

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