Posted on 12/31/2011 9:09:18 AM PST by libertarian27
Welcome to the 4th installment of the FReeper Weekly Recipe Thread 2012.
Looking for something new to make or made something new that came out great? Please share a 'tried-and-true' recipe or three- for fellow FReepers to add to their 'go-to' Recipe Stack of Family Favorites!
Here's the place to share and explore your latest and greatest favorite recipe.
My chocolate chip cookies always come out like really flat. Anybody have any ideas on how to make them thick and yummy.
~~~Weekly Recipe Thread Ping List~~~
Last Week’s Recipes: (Dec 24th)
Appetizer __ Post # 55 __ Bacon wrapped cocktail wieners
Breakfast __ Post # 21 __ Christmas French Toast
Cookies __ Post # 12 __ Pecan Cookies
Cookies __ Post # 16 __ Neiman-Martcus Cookies
Cookies __ Post # 25 __ Tea Cakes
Cookies __ Post # 39 __ Turtle Shortbread Cookies
Cookies __ Post # 59 __ Danish Oatmeal Cookies
Dessert __ Post # 08 __ Carmel Bacon Peanut Bark
Dessert __ Post # 09 __ Southern Corn Pudding
Dessert __ Post # 34 __ Peanut Butter & Pretzel Truffles
Dessert __ Post # 44 __ Peanut Butter & Pretzel Balls
Dessert __ Post # 48 __ Pink Stuff
Fish __ Post # 27 __ Cwedar Planked Salmon
Ham __ Post # 19 __ Anytime Ham
Ham __ Post # 27 __ Orange Glazed Ham
Icing __ Post # 23 __ Easy No-Cook Divinity Frosting
Muffins __ Post # 22 __ Cranberry Orange Scones
Pizza __ Post # 39 __ Turkey Club Pizza
Salad __ Post # 04 __ Killer Salad
Sauce __ Post # 26 __ Cranberry Sauce
Vegetable __ Post # 41 __ Crash Hot Potatoes
Dec 24th Link
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2824635/posts?page=67#67
Made a bacon/ham/egg/pretzel cheese balls for a Christmas party that turned out quite well, if you've any interest.
Is your baking powder fresh? Do you overgrease or overheat your pans so that they either spread too much or melt?
Well, as they say, you can't get to where you're going if you don't know where you are. So, how about you post the recipe you're using now...and maybe we all can help you tweak it?
I don’t generally like cake mixes but I recently bought Trader Joe’s gingerbread mix. It came on a recommendation, although the person said it was not overly spicy.
Liking my gingerbread a little bit spicy and damp and rich, I used melted butter instead of “oil,” added two more teaspoons of powdered ginger, 1/4 cup of molasses instead of water and then grated some fresh ginger into it as well. (I’ve found out that most of the flavor of fresh ginger is in the skin.)
It came out very well and despite everything was still not too hot - just spicy and delicious.
Happy New Year SAJ!
Cheese Ball sounds interesting - Please post!
I was going to make a bunch of Stuffed Shells today for parties around town tonight (Amateur Night) but all my large shell pasta boxes I got out of the pantry this morning (Barilla - well within code) has white spots on it and pasta dust pouring out of the boxes - ewww, bugs or something)I don’t feel like shopping today.... So I’m making Pies - Custard and Pumpkin - Maybe a cake :>)
Just btw, "fresh" seems to be relative. By keeping b.p. tightly sealed (after opening) in the fridge, I've had good results with it for up to 18 months.
SAJ official gingerbread tip: substitute half of the molasses called for in your recipe with **honey**. Tastes great and makes the dough MUCH easier to work.
Some professionals complain that baking powder has a “chemical” taste - I know that was one of Edna Lewis's pet peeves (she used cream of tartar and something else). I don't get it myself and happily shovel in the bp!
Hope everyone picked the meat off their Christmas ham bone and froze it for later use in a soup, casserole, etc. And that they saved the bone for a pot of beans.
I made the best stuffed potato skins with the leftover Christmas mashed potatoes. I don't skin potatoes anymore but cook them (bake or microwave), scoop out the insides and stuff the skins. No waste and makes for an extra meal or two. The unstuffed skins can be frozen on trays (so they don't stick together) and then stored in baggies in the freezer for later use.
Stuffed Potato Skins
Pre-cooked potato skins
cooked and crumbled bacon flavored sausage (raw links found in the breakfast sausage section)
chopped onion sauted in the sausage grease
picante sauce
shredded monterrey cheese
Place ingredients on the skins in order. Bake 400 for 10 minutes or until cheese has melted.
Ingredients amounts are whatever you have on hand or leftovers you need to use up. Try a variety of ingredients like ham and swiss, or broccoli with cheddar, or asparagus with bacon and hollandaise sauce.
Unfortunately, my husband is allergic to honey so I always have to use substitutes. Sometimes I use Lyle’s Golden Syrup as a sub. I kinda like that dark, slightly bitter taste of molasses, though.
I assume you’re talking about gingerbread cookies? I find them almost impossible to deal with, lol. I stick with the cake.
I eat appetizers in place of dinner. Would you please post cheese ball recipe?
I heard good things about TJ’s brownie mix, too.
Happy New Year to y’all!
Maybe the overheating. Thanks.
cod, 1 lb (better fresh than frozen)
1/4 medium onion
1/2 stalk celery
2 tbsp olive oil
large can tomatoes
2 medium potatoes
Sicilian green olives (the great, nasty kind)
capers
pepper
pinch sugar
Slice the celery and onion, and place in a heavy skillet or Dutch oven with oil. Saute for 10 minutes.
Peel, quarter and par-boil the potatoes separately.
A note from my late mother: Run the tomatoes through a blender for a few seconds to break them up. No more than that.
Add the potatoes and tomatoes, and sprinkle with the spices. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Add the cod, olives and capers, and cover the fish with the mixture. Cook until the potatoes are soft. (The potatoes are the timer, not the clock.) (Note that as the cod falls apart in the stew, it will take on a color that is less red than orange,)
Don’t forget the black-eyed peas for good luck in the coming year.
Also, herring for prosperity and noodles for good luck!
Thanks for the thread and Happy New Year everybody!
Over the last week, I have made 3 of these Orange Nut Breads. They are really good! As soon as they had cooled, I wrapped them in plastic wrap and I think they were even better a day or two later. When visiting family & friends, especially during the holidays, this bread makes a nice hostess gift.
ORANGE NUT BREAD
2-1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
3/4 cup dried cranberries (optional - my addition to recipe)
1 beaten egg
3/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt & baking soda.
Stir in walnuts & orange peel (and dried cranberries, if using).
In a separate bowl, mix the orange juice, egg, and vegetable oil until blended, then add the flour mixture, stirring until just moistened.
Pour into a greased 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-1/2 inch loaf pan (if you don’t have 8x4 size, 9x5 works fine - that is what I used)
Bake for 55 minutes or until done.
Remove from pan, cool on a rack.
Wrap and store overnight.
Happy New Year! I’ll be stocking up on gingerbread and brownie mix from TJ’s. I love to gussy them up.
Thank You for that link on last weeks thread to the Crash Hot Potatoes. I plan on trying them with a pot roast next week.
This is one of my favorite party recipes (great for Super Bowl) & it is so easy. Although the original recipe was ‘stovetop’ rather than crockpot, the longer these cook (minimum 6 hours, I would say), the better they get. A lot of the juice (probably fat) cooks out of the sausages and they shrink a little and become more dense .... and more delicious. Also, the bourbon needs time to cook & blend, otherwise the alcohol is a bit harsh.
Wicked Wienies - (Large Batch in Crockpot):
2 packages Little Smokies (50 per pack, total 100)
1 bottle (32 or 36 oz) catsup
1 bottle (10-16 oz.) BBQ sauce
1/2 cup bourbon
1/2 cup brown sugar
2-3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Mix all, add sausages, put in crock pot on high for several hours, then switch to low for a couple of hours. Sausages become more dense (& delicious) the longer they cook (6-8 hours or so).
Not really FOR breakfast, so-called because of the main ingredients.
3 large eggs, hard-boiled and peeled
4 oz. swiss cheese, finely grated
4 oz. cooked ham, grated or finely chopped
6 oz. bacon, fat trimmed, cut into small pieces (see note 1)
4 oz. cream cheese, WELL softened
(optional -- see note 2) 2 TBSP canned devilled ham
ground cayenne pepper, to taste
ground black pepper, to taste
approx. 6 oz. small pretzel curlies or sticks
Quarter the eggs, place in food processor, and pulse until fairly finely chopped. Do NOT make a paste.
Cook the cut-up bacon over medium heat until done but not crispy. Drain the bacon oil (ok, ok, grease...G!) and let the bacon cool.
Cut the softened cream cheese into very small pieces. In a large bowl, combine ham, bacon, chopped eggs, grated swiss, cream cheese, cayenne, black pepper, and devilled ham if used. Mix well with your hands and form into a ball.
In food processor, pulse pretzels until broken into small bits, but do NOT turn them into pretzel dust. Roll cheese ball in broken pretzels until the ball is more or less covered. Place some of the remaining pretzel bits onto the ball by hand, to fix any gaps in the pretzel covering.
Put covered ball on a plate, cover entire plate w/plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Unwrap and serve with Triscuits or wheat thins.
Note 1: if your bacon is very fatty, the six oz. called for in the recipe will likely become 9 or even 12 oz. Plan accordingly.
Note 2: I recommend using the devilled ham, not for the taste but to help form a coherent ball. If you fancy devilled ham, use even more to your taste.
This ball was a pretty big hit at a party last week with several of my chef-wannabee friends. On an experimental basis, I used 1/8 tsp of cayenne and 1/4 tsp of black pepper. Your mileage may vary.
Bon appetit and Happy New Year!
Here’ the scoop on cookie making from Alton Brown’s food scientist friend, Shirley O. Corriher. Here’s the info she gives on page 131 in her Cookwise book (a must have cookbook!).
Change the flour and fat in a recipe to give the texture you wish:
Thin cookie = butter rather than margarine or shortening
Crispy = a little corn syrup for the sugar
Puffy = use shortening and cake flour to prevent spreading, also use another egg in your liquid amount
Moister = brown sugar
Color = increase baking soda
More spreading of the dough = more liquid and use all purpose flour instead of cake flour
Limit spreading = use baking powder instead of baking soda, or decrease fat and sugar by 2T
In between cookie = use equal parts butter and butter-flavored shortening
Sure, gypsy — see post #24.
I’ve had some good results with chilling the dough for an hour or two before baking.
Yes, I was talking about gingerbread cookies. A molasses-only dough drives me crazy too. Is there ANYONE whom it doesn't drive crazy...sheesh!
VERY useful short summary, bgill. Thanks!
That’s on the menu for dinner in my house tomorrow.
I had a dish that sounds similar at a baby shower and then lost track of the lady who brought it so never got the recipe. Thank you!
Before I knew how to bake anything, I made gingerbread men for my parents (oh, I was only about 30 years old!) I didn’t roll them out thin enough and my father broke a tooth. So much for gingerbread men!
That's because many of today's all purpose flours contain baking powder. Using different brands of all purpose flour will give you different baking results because of the protein amounts and other additives.
That’s some useful info. I’ve gotta get that cookbook. Thanks for the recommendation.
There’s no such thing as too much ginger!
Thanks! I’m already smashing my pretzels mentally. (Well, I plan to use a rolling pin, but you get my drift. It’d be a good trick though.) :)
I couldn’t agree more. People are waaaaaaaaaay to ginger about ginger.
:)
FYI, while CookWise has lots of recipes, she concentrates mainly on the hows and whys ingredients do what they do. Like she devotes an entire chapter to eggs, another chapter to fats, and another to flours. But she writes like she talks so it’s an interesting read.
I just put her other book, BakeWise, on my wish list!
Want to try something a little different? It is claimed Queen Elizabeth II, like her mother before her, has one of these before lunch every day.
30% gin, 70% Dubonnet with a lemon slice under the ice.
Short of changing your recipe, there are two things you can do ... thoroughly chill the dough prior to baking AND roll the dough into a ball between your palms instead of simply dropping from a spoon.
I always like books about the science of baking. Once you learn one fact it can make a whole lot of difference in the baking result. Most cookbooks never explain anything like this. I’ll bet Amazon has a cheap copy.
I wish I could get into Alton more. I know he’s the smartest guy on FN but his shows are so gimmicky it drives me nuts.
This is an excellent chocolate chip cookie recipe. The cookies are large, and the trick is to use a 1/4 C. measuring cup to measure the dough, and just barely press the cookies down on the baking tray. Do not flatten them but just a bit, and don’t overbake. Cookies will look “raw” in the middle and golden brown on the edges, but they are done!
Happy New Year!
Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 ½ cups butter, softened
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
1 ¼ cups packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 bag (24 oz) semisweet chocolate chips (I use milk chocolate chips instead of semisweet, and you might have to buy two 11—12 oz bags, if no big ones are available)
I also add about 2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
Heat oven to 375 degrees. In large bowl, mix butter, sugars, vanilla and eggs with spoon until well-blended. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt (dough will be stiff). Stir in chocolate chips and pecans.
On ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by level ¼ cupfuls about 2 inches apart. Flatten just slightly with fork.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft). The trick is to not over-bake them. The edges will be light golden, and the centers quite soft-looking, and you will think they need more baking, but they don’t. I generally bake them about 13 to 13 ½ minutes. 15 minutes would make them too crunchy (but that depends on your oven, of course).
Is there any way (ideally, of course, reading the label) to tell if packaged flour does contain baking powder, and, if so, how much?
I'd think that by not knowing, one could screw up quite a number of recipes.
Not really on a practical level.
I thought that “self-rising” flour was the only kind that has baking powder and salt. Is this wrong?
Sorry, gypsy, don’t know the answer to that one. To hear that “all-purpose” flour has b.p. is news to me...but I don’t doubt it. Have to do some research.
Happy New year......
Several months ago I began baking artisan bread.
I got some good help from FReepers on these threads and make a pretty good loaf. The product has a good tough crust and tastes very good.
3 cups flour, 1 1/2 tsp of bread machine red star yeast, 2 tsp of sugar,2 tsp of salt 1 1/4 cups of water mixed with a spatula in a plastic bowl and then mixed thoroughly by hand. It is allowed to rise for 2 1/2 hours on the stove top. It is baked on ceramic floor tile baking stones in an oven with a water tray for 28- 30 minutes at 450.
I place the yeast into warm water in which the sugar is dissolved. I let the yeast grow and foam up for 15 minutes or so before adding the flour.
The problem is that it does not rise enough. It seems heavy.
I would like the crumb air cells to be a little bigger and the loaf a little lighter.
Is there a ratio of water to flour ratio that controls? I think the water is at a minimum to permit through mixing.
The same mix made in a bread machine has a better texture but not the crusty shell i favor
Critique?, Suggestions?
Happy New Years to all
Lady Bender is doing her Christmas Dinner this evening. It will be Roast Garlic with a Prime Rib Roast attached, Mashed Garlic with a hint of potatoes plus all the usual accouterments including Sour Cream Apple and home grown Punkin Pies.
May you all have a Healthy New Year so you can survive the current diaster in D.C and state Capitols across the fruit filled plaine...
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