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Showing posts from 2020

Mel's version of orange rolls

There is no picture because I'm only blogging this updated recipe because we apparently have issues following updated directions in the comments, haha.   Orange Rolls--1 batch   2 Tbs. yeast ¼ cup water with 1 T. sugar 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup butter, melted ¼ cup canola oil 1 cup warm buttermilk 4 1/2 cup flour 3 beaten eggs 2 tsp. salt   Filling:   1 1/2 cube butter 2/3 cup powdered sugar orange rind from 5 oranges     Proof the yeast in the water and 1 Tbs. of sugar. I put flour in the bottom of the Bosch, and then add the sugar and salt. I then add the wet ingredients. This dough is sticky, but not insanely so. I run the Bosch for about 5 minutes, maybe a bit less. As soon as the dough is done, I put this in the fridge overnight to rise. To assemble, you roll out in a rectangle (I use a bench cutter to even out the rectangle) and spread filling over dough. Roll up and cut with dental floss or string. Let them rise for ab...

Best Chocolate Cake--Ugly, but super good

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So, this is the chocolate cake recipe I have been making for 20 years. And yesterday, I made this ugly cake for my birthday and 2 separate people said it was the best chocolate cake they have ever had (these are 2 people who have both had this cake many times before, so this might be a “absence makes the heart grow fonder” issue). I have also blogged both this cake about 25 times and the frosting at least once. However, I figured I would put this version with this particular buttercream all in one place for people.    Best Chocolate Cake 1 cup cocoa  I use dutch process and it's a generous cup 2 cups boiling water 2 3/4 cup sifted flour  I sift this first, then measure to 350 grams 2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup olive oil 1 1/4 cups of sugar  4 eggs 2 tsp. vanilla 1 spoonful of mayo (I realize this is not at all a good measurement because I just use a generous cereal-type spoon to scoop it, b...

Turkey Stew

 I'm too tired to find the picture. This looks like a chunky-type of soup. This recipe is also pretty stupid without measurements, but it's mostly for my future reference anyway. This is a great soup for leftovers. Turkey Stew   Saute onions (1 big one) in evoo and poultry seasoning. Add carrots and celery, 2 cans chicken broth, gravy, water ¾ cup pearled barley (needs to be cooked for 30 minutes), turkey, corn, peas, green beans, and egg noodles. 

Potato Chowder

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This is the shit. Try it. I promise. I had doubts but my neighbor made it for me and I had to refrain from licking the bowl. A solid 9.5. It has a kind of fresh, nutty, peppery taste but it's still smooth. It's also potato soup without any dairy - you can thank the cashews for that. Like Mom did when we grew up, I used olives, cheese and pickles as a side dish. But instead of dill, or bread and butter, I pulled out the ole' clovey Gerkin pickles. Tasty.  1 can Cannellini beans (white kidney beans) 1 carrot bacon (for topping) 1/c cups cashews 1 stick celery 2 cans chicken broth 1.2 small package of fresh thyme 1/2 cup frozen corn (I cut fresh corn off the cob and used that instead. I also doubled this).  1/2 cup frozen peas 2 cloves garlic (I used more). 2 medium red potatoes 1/2 medium yellow onion black pepper and salt olive oil Italian seasoning And because I'm lazy, here are screenshots of the instructions. My friend sent them to me but I don't know where they c...

Fettuccine Alfredo

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I got this recipe years ago from Jenny Beykirch, and I have tweaked it slightly to come to this version, that we love.   Fettuccine Alfredo   1/4 cup butter                          1/4 cup olive oil 1 Tbs. flour 1 tsp. salt                                    3 small cloves garlic, pressed 1/8 tsp. pepper 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley    I use 2 T. dry 3/4 cup cream 3/4 cup milk 1cup parmesan cheese                                                              Melt butter over medium heat, add cream and spices until almost at boiling point.  SLOWLY stir in cheese. Pour this over 1 lb. c...

Chocolate covered almonds

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 So these are great, and they are only as good as your like of the chocolate you choose to put on them. You essentially melt the chocolate, stir in the almonds, and then add salt. Once they dry, I put mine in the fridge. 6 oz. dark chocolate 4 1/4 cups almond maldon salt, to taste

Best Peanut Butter Cookies

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So, I say this is the best because this is my personal favorite and I'm done looking. These are lower sugar, but still sweet, and it's a recipe I've been working with for years (see,  Chocolate dipped peanut butter cookies from March 2017).     Peanut Butter Cookies 2 1/2 cups flour  I sift this first before I measure 1 tsp. salt 1 1/2 tsp. soda 1 tsp. baking powder 1 cup butter 2/3 cup brown sugar, packed  1/3 cup white sugar  1 cup peanut butter  I was very generous with this and used Skippy 2 large eggs 1 tsp. vanilla   Bake at 375 for 8-12 minutes. I use a large cookies scoop and barley press it down with a fork and they stay thick and soft in the middle. If you want them thinner, use a full 1/4 cup, roll them, and mash them with a large fork and kind of push them down more. For the thick version, I did 10 minutes. They don't really look that done. I get 10 per pan of the large but not super large kind. For bakery style size, like the chocol...

Green Bean Casserole

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 So, I used this recipe and it was fantastic. It came from melskitchencafe.com  I love green bean casserole. I did make some changes, but I would be happy with this again. Green Bean Casserole 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs ·    1 tablespoon butter, melted ·    2 1/2 cups canned fried onions I only did the onions CASSEROLE: ·    2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces I did 4 cans of canned green beans because I like them ·    3 tablespoons butter ·    1 pound cremini or baby bella mushrooms, chopped I only had half this much ·    1/4 teaspoon dried thyme I used ground ·    2 garlic cloves, finely minced I used garlic powder ·    1 teaspoon salt ·    1/4 teaspoon black pepper ·    1/4 cup all-purpose flour I did 3 1/2 Tbs., and it definitely needs a full 4 Tbs. ·    1 1/2 cups chicken broth (I use low-sodium) ·    ...

Turkey Dressing or Stuffing

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I forgot to snap a close up, but here is a very useless, far way shot.  This is a combination of a recipe from my childhood and a recipe I got from a lady in my neighborhood who is a good cook (Cyndee Ludlow). Turkey Stuffing 1 1/2 lbs. bread, left out for 2 days to get stale. then, cut into cubes and let sit for another day To this cubed bread, you add 2 tsp. salt, 2 1/2 T. poultry seasoning, ground pepper. Stir Then, you melt 3/4 cup butter and saute 3 onions and a bunch of celery in it (I did half the salt in here). Then, you dump this over the bread and pour 1 can of hot chicken broth over the bread while stirring. It shouldn't be too wet. I did a 9x13 pan and a tiny rectangular pan, but I think this could probably all fit in a single 9x 13 pan. Spray the pan with cooking spray first. Then, you bake this uncovered at 350 for about 1 hr. 15 minutes. I covered mine a bit towards the end because it was getting too brown.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

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So,. these were great. I got the recipe from myself because I made it up--go me. I made them in a 9x13 pan  (line it with parchment so it can lift out easily) and then used a circle cutter (you can get 15 tops). I don't know the exact size, but 2.5" is what I settled on after trying 3" (estimates). When I count outward from my 12 count biscuit cutter set they were numbers 3, 4, an 5 with 5 being the winner. Anyway, we topped these with cream, ground coffee, homemade caramel, and pecans. Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars   Crust: 9 oz. gingersnaps, crushed 6 Tbs. butter Filling: 3 packages of 8 oz. cream cheese 1 cup brown sugar 3 eggs Scant 1cup pumpkin 1/3 cup evaporated milk 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon Scant 1/2 tsp. ginger Scant 1/2 tsp. nutmeg Scant 1/2 tsp. cloves Scant 1/4 tsp. allspice 1/3 cup sour cream 2 ¼ tsp vanilla 3 Tbs. flour   You make the crust and bake it at 350 for about 10 minutes. You combine everything for the batter (except the ...

Instant Pot Coq au Vin

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  This was surprisingly awesome. I added rosemary and orange zest to it, and the orange is what made this dish, so don't leave it out. This get an 8 and is a halfbakedharvest.com recipe. 2-3   slices   thick cut bacon, chopped I left this out 1   yellow onion, chopped 4   cloves   garlic, minced or grated 2   tablespoons   tomato paste 4   carrots, chopped 1 1/2   pounds   boneless chicken breasts 2   cups   cremini mushrooms, sliced I left these out 1 1/2   cups   dry red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon 1   cup   low sodium chicken broth 2   bay leaves 4   thyme sprigs  kosher salt and black pepper 1/2   cup   fresh parsley, chopped mashed potatoes, for serving Zest of one orange 1/2 tsp of  rosemary , but it needs more https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/healthier-instant-pot-coq-au-vin/#bo-recipe

Scones

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 This recipe originally came from John's grandmother, Marie Campbell. These are the best scones I personally have tried, and they puff up beautifully. They are served with cinnamon honey butter or whatever you like. Scones   2 cups warm buttermilk                                               1 tsp. salt 2 Tbs. yeast dissolved in ¼ cup water                         ½ tsp. baking soda 3 tsp. baking powder                                        ...

Vietnamese Garlic Shrimp (Prawn) Noodle Salad

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 So, this was good, but I would never crave this and want to make it on a regular basis. Vietnamese Garlic Shrimp (Prawn) Noodle Salad Ingredients Garlic Shrimp (Prawns) 12 - 15 medium shrimp (prawns), shelled and deveined (about 5 - 7 oz / 150 - 200g, excluding shells) 1 tbsp olive oil 2 garlic cloves , minced Pinch of salt and pepper Dressing 1/4 cup lime juice 1/4 cup fish sauce I did 50% canola oil 2 tbsp rice vinegar 1 tbsp caster sugar I did 2 Tbs. of sweet red chili sauce 1 large garlic clove , very finely chopped 1 tsp very finely chopped red chili , adjust to taste (I use birds eye which is spicy) I left this out Salad 2.5 oz / 75g dried rice vermicelli noodles (Note 1) 3 cups iceberg lettuce , shredded 1 cup carrot , cut into fine mat...

Thai Peanut Chicken with Spicy Lime Mango

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  This had great flavor, and I will definitely be making it again. It gets a 7.5, and the recipe came from halfbakedharvest.com. 1 1/2   pounds   boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts 3-4   tablespoons   Thai red curry paste   using more or less to your taste I used 2 TBS 2   teaspoons   ground ginger 3   tablespoons   sesame oil or extra virgin olive oil 1/4   cup   fresh Thai basil or regular basil chopped I used 1 tsp dried basil 1/4   cup   fresh cilantro, chopped, plus more for serving 1   (14 ounce) can   full fat coconut milk 1/4   cup   low sodium soy sauce 2   tablespoons   fish sauce   (optional, but recommended ) I left this out 1/2   cup   creamy peanut butter juice of 1 lime steamed rice, for serving roasted peanuts and Persian cucumbers, for serving SPICY LIME MANGO  1   mango, diced 1   jalapeño, seeded and chopped I left this out ...