Category Archives: Everybody Ate It

August 23, 2011 · 10:01 pm

Scrumptious Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels

It has been a very, very, very long time since I have made these, but they are super duper good and someone asked me for the recipe recently, so I thought I would share it with you while I was at it.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
1 (1/4-ounce) packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 1/4 cups unbleached bread flour
1/4 cup hot water
1 teaspoon sugar
Coarse or kosher salt (optional)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Cooking spray
Cinnamon sugar

Instructions:
Pour the lukewarm water into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle on the yeast. Wait 5 minutes, then stir in the brown sugar, the 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and 2 cups of the flour. Stir the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon for about 100 strokes.

Gradually stir in enough of the remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, to make a semifirm dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it for 7 to 8 minutes, dusting the surface with flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and roll it around to coat its entire surface. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place until the dough is nearly doubled in volume, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly grease a large, heavy, shiny (not dark) baking sheet with cooking spray.

Turn the dough out onto a flour-dusted surface and knead for 1 minute. Divide the dough in half, placing half back in the bowl and re-covering it with plastic wrap.

Divide the other half of the dough into 3 equal pieces. Shape each into a ball and let them rest for 5 minutes on a flour-dusted surface. Then roll each ball under your palms and outstretched fingers until it’s about 3 feet long and 1/2 inch thick.

Heat the oven to 450°.

Shape the ropes of dough by making a circle and twisting the ends. Fold the ends back over the circle and pinch the dough. After you finish shaping the pretzels, place them on the baking sheet, leaving as much space between them as possible.

Stir the hot water and sugar together in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the water mixture over the pretzels. Top them with a bit of coarse salt, if desired. (For other topping suggestions, see our tips below.) Set the pretzels aside for 10 minutes.

Bake the pretzels on the center oven rack until golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the sheet 180 degrees halfway through the baking. Start shaping the other half of the dough into 3 more pretzels.

Place a sheet of plastic wrap or aluminum foil under a wire rack and transfer the baked pretzels to the rack. Using a pastry brush, apply melted butter liberally over the pretzels; this makes them soft and flavorful. Sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar mixture. Let the pretzels cool briefly, but enjoy them while they’re warm. Makes 6 pretzels.

What did the family think? I am not sure there were any left by the time my husband got home from work.

Where did this recipe come from? Family Fun Magazine, November 2006

photo from purplefoodie.com

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Everybody Ate It, Not so Easy, Vegetarian

August 16, 2011 · 9:46 am

Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob

Recipes don’t come much easier than this and the result is fantastic.

Ingredients:
4 ears fresh corn

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place corn husks directly on the oven rack and roast for 30 minutes or until corn is soft.

Peel down the husks and use as a handle when eating.

What did the family think? Everyone loved it! I think the boys’ favorite part was using the husks as a handle.

Where did this recipe come from? Food Network

Photo from cookstr.com

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Side Dish, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

August 10, 2011 · 4:34 pm

Super Easy Whole Wheat Biscuits

These biscuits come out buttery and a little crispy. They are so good and so easy and are a good addition to breakfast (think biscuits with butter and honey/jelly) or dinner.

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup cold unsalted butter
1 cup milk (any kind)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a medium sized bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well with whisk or fork.

Cut the 1/2 stick butter into little pea sized pieces and then mix the pieces into the flour mixture. Using a fork, try to mash the butter pieces as you mix it together with the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs. It is okay if the outcome just looks like the same pea sized pieces of butter covered with flour.

Then pour in the milk and mix it all together. Knead the dough with your hands 8 to 10 times and then turn out onto a floured counter or cutting board. Pat it out flat with your hands until the dough is a somewhat even 3/4-inch thickness.

Turn a drinking glass upside down and cut out biscuit rounds. Put them on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 10 – 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

We had this with roasted chicken, salad and watermelon.

What did the family think? What’s not to like about warm, buttery, crispy biscuits fresh out of the oven?

Where did this recipe come from? 100 Days of Real Food

photo from 100 Days of Real Food

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Filed under After School Snacks, Bread, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Side Dish, Six Ingredients or Less, Vegetarian

August 8, 2011 · 7:03 pm

Meatball Sub Casserole

Our oldest is pretty much obsessed with meatball subs and our youngest will eat just about anything with pasta sauce on it, so I knew this dish was probably going to be a hit. It was also a great way to use the rest of the baguette we had leftover from last night’s dinner.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
2 tablespoon seasoned bread crumbs
2 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
2/3 pound lean ground beef, turkey or chicken
10-12 slices French bread baguette (1/2 inch thick)
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Dash pepper
2/3 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
2 cups spaghetti sauce
1/4 cup water
1 garlic clove, minced

Instructions:
In a small bowl, combine the onion, bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Add beef and mix well. Shape into 1-in. balls; place on a rack in a shallow baking pan. Bake at 400° for 8-10 minutes or until no longer pink; drain.

Meanwhile, arrange bread in a single layer in an ungreased shallow baking dish. Combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, Italian seasoning and pepper; spread over bread. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese.

In a bowl, combine the spaghetti sauce, water and garlic; add meatballs. Pour over bread. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until heated through.

Did I change anything? The original recipe was way too small and would not have fed our family of four. I changed the original recipe and the changes are reflected in the above recipe.

What did the family think? This dish was a HUGE hit! HUGE.

Where did this recipe come from? Taste of Home

photo from Taste of Home

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Italian

August 3, 2011 · 5:41 pm

Pesto and Tomato Naan Pizzas

The pictures of this pizza from Simply Scratch were enough to make me want to try it. I am glad I did.

Ingredients:
2 whole pieces of Naan (I bought mine at the store. I didn’t make them.)
4 tablespoons Basil Pesto, more or less to taste
1 Large Tomato, sliced thin
6 oz. Fresh Mozzarella, sliced thin
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper, to taste
Red Pepper Flakes, for garnish {optional}

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place naan on a sheet pan and spread with equal amounts of pesto on each. Top naan with slices of tomato, season with kosher salt and black pepper, and finally with some mozzarella slices.

Place in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes OR until cheese is melted and the crust is a deep golden and crispy. Let cool for a few minutes and serve!

Did I change anything? I also added a little spicy ground Italian sausage.

What did the family think? Hubby was out of town, but the boys and I liked it. I did change one of the pizzas to a tomato sauce for the pickiest eater in our house.

Where did this recipe come from? Simply Scratch

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Lent, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

August 2, 2011 · 3:46 pm

Sour Cream Pancakes

These pancakes aren’t super sweet, so feel free to pour on a little extra syrup. Also, the tanginess of the sour cream is just enough to remind you that it’s there, but not too overpowering. Different and delicious.

Ingredients:
7 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/ 2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Butter
Maple syrup

Instructions:
Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle over medium-low heat; you want it to slowly get nice and hot.

Stir the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt together in the bottom of a medium bowl. Dump the sour cream in on top and stir it together very gently; it’s okay to leave the texture a bit uneven.

Whisk the eggs and vanilla in a separate bowl and stir them into the sour cream mixture, once again, being careful not to over mix. The batter will look kind of slimy and not at all like the pancake batter you are used to. It’s okay. They will turn out perfectly.

Melt about a tablespoon of butter in your skillet or griddle and pour the batter in, a scant 1/4 cup at a time. Cook for about 2 minutes on the first side, or until bubbles appear all over the surface, flipping them carefully and cooking for about a minute on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.

We had this with bacon, eggs and strawberries. Breakfast for dinner!

What did the family think? There were no leftovers and we wish this recipe would have made more. (Made about 7 pancakes.)

Where did this recipe come from? I got it from Smitten Kitchen. She got it from The Pioneer Woman.

photo from Smitten Kitchen

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Filed under After School Snacks, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Lent, Vegetarian

July 26, 2011 · 10:30 am

Raspberry-Topped Lemon Muffins

These just scream summer and they are so incredibly delicious that you should probably just go make them right now. Seriously. Go.

Ingredients:

1 1/8 cups sugar, divided
4 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel (from two large lemons)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 1/2-pint containers (about) fresh raspberries

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375°F.

Line 14 standard muffin cups with paper liners.

Mash 1/8 cup sugar and lemon peel in small bowl until sugar is slightly moist.

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat remaining 1 cup sugar and butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in egg. Beat in buttermilk, then vanilla and lemon sugar. Beat in flour mixture.

Divide batter among muffin cups. Top each large muffin with 3 or 4 raspberries.

Bake muffins until lightly browned on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Did I change anything? I left a few without raspberries just in case someone decided they were opposed to raspberries on their muffins.

What did the family think? Thumbs up from everyone!

Where did the recipe come from? Smitten Kitchen

photo from Nom and Glug

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Filed under After School Snacks, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Everybody Ate It, Vegetarian

July 21, 2011 · 10:27 am

LeeAnn and Alton’s Mac and Cheese

We are always willing to try a new mac and cheese recipe and this one did not disappoint. The best part was that my 9-year old made it almost entirely by himself.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
4 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
6 ounces evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
8 to 10 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded

Instructions:
In a large pot cook the pasta to al dente and drain. Melt the butter in the pot and return pasta to the pot. Toss to coat.

In the meantime whisk together the eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and mustard. Mix into the pasta. Add the cheese and stir over low heat until melted and creamy.

We had this with rotisserie chicken and some cantaloupe.

What did the family think? We’ve never met a mac and cheese we didn’t like.

Where did this recipe come from? I got it from LeeAnn. She got it from Alton.

photo from LeeAnn

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Lent, Side Dish, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

July 20, 2011 · 9:44 am

Blueberry Yogurt Multigrain Pancakes

We had these for dinner last night with some eggs, breakfast sausage and some blueberries. Yum!

Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1 cup plain, full-fat yogurt
2 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons butter, plus extra for buttering skillet
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup barley or rye flour (I bought some rye flour in the bulk food section for ten cents.)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 cup blueberries, rinsed and dried

Instructions:
Melt half of butter. Remove from heat and stir in second tablespoon of butter until melted. This keeps your butter from being too hot when you next want to add it to the wet ingredients.

Whisk egg and yogurt together in the bottom of a medium/large bowl. Whisk in melted butter, zest and vanilla extract.

In a separate, small bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Stir dry ingredients into wet only until dry ingredients are moistened. A few remaining lumps is fine.

Preheat your oven to 200°F and have a baking sheet ready (to keep pancakes warm).

Heat your skillet or saute pan to medium.

Melt a pat of butter in the bottom and ladle a scant 1/4 cup (about 3 tablespoons) batter at a time, leaving at space between each pancake. Press a few berries into the top of each pancake.

When the pancakes are dry around the edges and you can see bubbles forming on the top, about 3 to 4 minutes, flip them and cook for another 3 minutes, until golden underneath. If pancakes begin cooking too quickly, lower the heat. Transfer pancakes to warm oven as they are done cooking, where you can leave them there until you’re ready to serve them.

Did I change anything? Some of us wanted blueberries in our pancakes and some of us didn’t. So I left out the blueberries in some of them. Next time I think I might try blueberry yogurt instead of plain yogurt though to make it even more blueberryish.

What did the family think? There were no leftovers.

Where did this recipe come from? Smitten Kitchen

photo from Smitten Kitchen

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Filed under After School Snacks, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Lent, Vegetarian

July 19, 2011 · 10:01 am

Pepperoni, Roasted Red Pepper and Spinach Pasta Bake

This makes A LOT of pasta. It’s a great dish if you want to have leftovers for lunch and would also be a great dish to make if you are taking dinner to someone.

Ingredients:
1 lb. penne pasta
2 jars pasta sauce
1 cup pepperoni, chopped
1 cup jarred roasted red peppers, chopped
1 cup spinach, chopped and sauteed
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup basil
2-3 cups fresh mozzarella, cubed, divided
1 cup Parmesan, divided
Cooking spray

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Cook pasta until al dente. Heat sauce in a medium saucepan.

Saute spinach in olive oil over medium heat.

In a large mixing bowl combine cooked pasta, pasta sauce, pepperoni, red peppers, spinach, basil, 1/2 of the mozzarella and 1/2 of the Parmesan. Stir well.

Spray a 3-4 quart baking dish with cooking spray. Spread pasta mixture in the baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over pasta.

Bake, uncovered for about 15 minutes. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

We had this with salad and grapes.

What did the family think? Everyone loved it and it’s a good thing because they’ll be eating it for lunch today, too.

Where did this recipe come from? Food Network Magazine, March 2011

Photo by Me

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Pork