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Sweet and Salty No-Bake Popcorn Cookies | The Croods

February 27, 2013 by 13 Comments

Salty and Sweet No Bake Popcorn Cookies from Foodie with Family

I love movies of all kinds: comedy, drama, action, adventure, COLIN FIRTH (because he gets his own category), HUGH JACKMAN (because he does, too), classics, musicals, suspense, animation (both silly and serious)… I love all of them. I can converse entirely in movie quotes and adaptations thereof when in the company of another movie lover. I don’t do this often because it’s just not as much fun when someone looks at you blankly when you say something like, “Wonder Twin powers activate! Form of a play date!” and try to fist bump.

Sigh.

I am especially fond of animated films. I’ve loved them my entire life and being firmly entrenched in adulthood is -in my opinion- not any kind of reason to stop. So when Dreamworks Animation -the studio behind some of my all time favourite animated films (Shrek, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Chicken Run, Kung Fu Panda, and Megamind)- contacted me and asked me to develop a recipe for their upcoming film THE CROODS, I said yes enthusiastically.

From the moment I signed on, I knew what I was going to do… A Sweet and Salty No-Bake Popcorn Cookie. What goes better with movies than popcorn? And without giving too much away, popcorn features prominently in THE CROODS as well. It was a match made in animated film heaven!

Sweet and Salty No-Bake Popcorn Cookies are -like the movie- full of everything whimsical and bright: crunchy popcorn and salty pretzel sticks, sweet and sticky marshmallow, nutty brown butter and bright candy covered chocolate pieces.

Sweet and Salty No Bake Popcorn Cookies from Foodie with Family

They’re like a cross between a popcorn ball, rice crispy treat, candy bar, a bag of pretzels and a rainbow. Every bite is a happy bite; I challenge you to eat these without a smile!

Thankfully, you don’t have to wait long or fire up the oven when you get a hankering for these fabulous treats. All you have to do is pop some popcorn, melt some butter and marshmallows together, stir all the goodies together and scoop-n-squish the cookies. You don’t even have to wait until they firm up. Eat them warm and gooey if you want. I won’t tell!

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Sweet and Salty No-Bake Popcorn Cookies | The Croods

Sweet and Salty No-Bake Popcorn Cookies | The Croods

Sweet and Salty No-Bake Popcorn Cookies like a cross between a popcorn ball, rice crispy treat, bag of pretzels, chocolate candies, and a rainbow with crunchy popcorn and salty pretzel sticks, sweet and sticky marshmallow, nutty brown butter and bright candy covered chocolate pieces. These chewy no-bake cookies are guaranteed to make you smile!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels (if using a pan on the stovetop, you also need enough oil to pop it according to package directions.)
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 10-ounce bag of marshmallows or 4 cups of mini marshmallows
  • 3 cups thin salted pretzel sticks
  • 2 cups candy coated chocolate morsels
  • oil for your hands

Instructions

Pour the pretzels into a large mixing bowl and use your hands to break them roughly. The goal is to have most of them broken into three or more pieces. Set the bowl aside.

Line two sheet pans with silpats, parchment paper or wax paper and set them aside, too.

Pop the popcorn kernels using either an air popper or on the stove top using the directions on the bag of popcorn. Pour the popcorn into a bowl and give the bowl a couple of firm shakes back and forth to loosen unpopped kernels and let the drop to the bottom of the bowl.

Use your hands to scoop and shake the popcorn (again, to get rid of any remaining unpopped kernels) before transferring them to into the mixing bowl that has the broken pretzel sticks in it.

Use your hands to gently crush the popcorn so that about 1/3 of it is broken into smaller pieces.

In a medium sized saucepan, melt the butter over medium low heat and let it bubble around the edges, lowering the heat if necessary to keep it from burning, just until the butter is golden and smells a little nutty. Add the marshmallows and carefully stir to coat them in butter. Drop the heat to low and -stirring constantly- melt the marshmallows in the butter until smooth. Pour over the popcorn and pretzel mixture and stir to coat everything evenly. Stir in the candy coated chocolate morsels just until distributed.

Oil your hands generously and use them to scoop about 1/3-1/2 of a cup of the popcorn mixture and gently press it together to form a ball. Put it on the lined pan and gently press down to flatten it slightly into a thick cookie. Repeat with the remaining popcorn mixture until it is gone.

Eat immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/02/27/sweet-and-salty-no-bake-popcorn-cookies-the-croods/

Would you like to learn more about The Croods?

Visit the official website

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Re-pin great DIY tutorials, printables & more from The Croods on Pinterest!

THE CROODS is a 3D comedy adventure that follows the world’s first modern family as they embark on a journey of a lifetime when the cave that has always been their home is destroyed. Traveling across a spectacular landscape, the Croods are rocked by generational clashes and seismic shifts as they discover an incredible new world filled with fantastic creatures — and their outlook is changed forever.

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Clark Duke and Cloris Leachman.

Croods_Poster

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by The Croods by Dreamworks Animation. All opinions and are -as always- my own.

Filed Under: Cookies, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , ,

Cucumber, Cream Cheese, and Sprout with Grainy Mustard Sandwiches

February 26, 2013 by 11 Comments

Cucumber Cream Cheese Sprout Sandwiches by Foodie with Family

 

This is a sandwich for my sisters.

My sisters and I have a thing for cucumbers. And sprouts. And cream cheese, grainy mustard, onions and seedy bread. It’s true. In fact, were you to put that sandwich in the picture above in front of any one of my sisters, there’s a good chance that the ensuing silence might be the only quiet you’d get around us.

We also have a thing for shopping.

Seesters

…And dancing.

Seeeester

Folks, we cut a mean rug…

27

But mostly, we eat. We are very, very good at it. And we’d like to share a sandwich that screams ‘us’ with you. Want a bite? Better act quickly before we move in on it. Cucumber sandwiches wait for no woman.

 

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Cucumber, Cream Cheese, Sprout and Grainy Mustard Sandwiches

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cucumber, Cream Cheese, Sprout and Grainy Mustard Sandwiches

Simple, light, fresh, and healthy, this sandwich is going to fill you up without weighing you down. Nothing beats crunchy cucumber and sprouts paired with smooth cream cheese and zingy mustard on hearty whole grain bread. I like to add thinly sliced sweet onion to the mix, but it's strictly optional. This is my kind of lunch!

Ingredients

    Per Sandwich:
  • 2 slices whole grain seedy bread
  • 2 tablespoons softened cream cheese
  • 1 tablespoon or more whole grain Dijon mustard, to taste
  • 1/4 of a seedless (a.k.a. English) cucumber
  • 1/2 cup alfalfa, zesty or broccoli sprouts
  • coarse salt to taste
  • Optional:
  • thinly sliced sweet onion, to taste

Instructions

Spread one slice of bread with the softened cream cheese. Spread the mustard over the other slice of bread. Arrange the sliced onions, if using, over the cream cheese, then the cucumbers, sprinkle lightly with coarse salt, then top with the sprouts and the remaining slice of bread, mustard side down. Gently press the sandwich and slice in half.

Serve immediately or wrap tightly and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before serving.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/02/26/cucumber-cream-cheese-and-sprout-with-grainy-mustard-sandwiches/

Filed Under: Happy Healthy and Wise, Rebecca, Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , ,

Grandma’s Snickerdoodles

February 20, 2013 by 20 Comments

Grandmas Snickerdoodles from Foodie with Family

My family lives, talks, dreams, plans, prepares, preaches, and eats food. We don’t breathe it, however, as aspirating food is generally acknowledged to be a bad idea. In short, we are all food maniacs.

There have been a handful of time that I’ve been brought up short when chatting with people and they inform me that their family tradition is to keep their recipes secret. At those moments, my jaw has dropped open like a cod and I’ve been at a loss from words. This is probably because in my family, if you even imply you like something we’ve cooked for you, we hurriedly jot down the recipe and cram it into your hands.

The recipe I’m sharing today is my Grandma’s snickerdoodle recipe. When I posted a picture of it on facebook, one of my aunts said, “I can smell them now!” Thus is the power of Grandma’s snickerdoodles. My Grandma’s version of this classic cookie is a classic itself. And while I’m certain Grandma made them for everyone, I always felt like she made them just for me. And THUS is the power of my Grandma.

I’ve talked before about my prized possessions: my handwritten recipe cards that Grandma gave me in my first years of marriage. (You can read a couple of those posts here and here.) I cannot even find the words to say what my Grandma means to me.  Every single one of those now-laminated recipe cards represents my Grandma thinking of me when I wasn’t there and wanting me to eat well. And honestly, friends, I think that’s what our compulsive recipe sharing boils down to; it’s our desire to be part of feeding you and caring for you even when we’re not there.

Can you imagine anything better than coming in from playing in the snow for hours to the smell of snickerdoodles fresh from the oven? There really is only one thing better than that: sitting down at the table of someone you love, being handed a plate of those cookies and a mug full of warm tea.

There’s something about the scent of those cinnamon and sugar crusted butter cookies that -to this day- puts me back at the table in Grandma’s dining room. I suspect that for the rest of my life, cinnamon is going to smell like hugs to me. I’ll take it.

Fair warning, though: these cookies are absolutely irresistible. And when I say irresistible, I mean that you’ll be unable to walk past the cookie jar without fishing out one… or two… or three…(or five. Oh dear.) You wouldn’t say no to Grandma’s cookies, would you?

 

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Grandma’s Snickerdoodles

Rating: 51

Grandma’s Snickerdoodles

My Grandma's Snickerdoodles are a perfect rendition of the classic: tender butter cookies with a cinnamon sugar crust. Be warned, though, they are completely irresistible.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups and 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar, separated
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 3/4 cup flour
  • 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Instructions

Cream together the butter, 1 1/2 cups of sugar and eggs until smooth. In a separate bowl, use a whisk or fork to combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix until well combined. Cover the dough and chill for at least 30 minutes but up to 24 hours before working with it.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line cookie sheets with silpats or parchment paper.

Use a fork to combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar with the 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon.

Use a small disher (cookie scoop) or teaspoons to scoop about 2 teaspoons of cookie dough, roll it into a ball and then roll them in the cinnamon sugar to coat. Place the cookies 2-inches apart on the cookie sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly browned but still soft. Let them rest on the cookie sheets for one minute before transferring to a cooling rack.

Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/02/20/grandmas-snickerdoodles/

 

Filed Under: Cookies, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , ,

Cinnamon Maple Candied Almonds

February 13, 2013 by 6 Comments

Maple Cinnamon Candied Almonds from Foodie with Family

I often refer to my husband as ‘The Evil Genius’ and realized that maybe to some that sounds like an insult. Let me explain this little term of endearment. When he and I were dating, I posed a question that has probably been asked in one form or another by many geeks the world over: “If Star Wars was real life, would you be part of the Rebel Alliance or the Empire?”

I expected the answer to be a solid “REBEL!” like mine was. Instead, he cocked his head to the side, looked thoughtful for a moment and replied, “The Empire. They have better technology.”

I married into the Dark Side, people, ’cause the Dark Side was cute.

The ‘genius’ part of it is pretty self explanatory. My husband is just plain brilliant. He solves problems other people can’t solve. He programs giant machines to do robotic things. He can rig ANYTHING to work. Seriously. He used to carry a golf club in an old car that used to stall at traffic lights because he figured out that three sharp raps to the upper right quadrant of the hood with that golf club would start the engine back up without him having to get out of the car. I love that man.

My sweet Evil Genius’s favourite snacks are dried fruit and nuts. Specifically, he loves raisins and almonds. He likes to munch them straight from the jar and he looooooooves to put them on salads. He would rather have a salad covered in almonds and raisins than just about anything else in the world.

And I’d rather make him happy than just about anything else in the world, so for Valentine’s Day, I made him a snack that will make his heart go pitter pat (and Hey! Almonds! Heart healthy!! Healthy pitter patting!) with joy. I made him Cinnamon Maple Candied Almonds. This simple to make treat is delicious, lasts for weeks in an airtight container, and is great for straight up snacking or garnishing salads. My darling even chopped a handful of them and tossed them into his morning oatmeal with a fistful of raisins. Happy sounds ensued.

Once the kids discovered the jar of Cinnamon Maple Candied Almonds, it was all over. My thirteen year old stood over the jar and kept dipping his big paws in repeatedly. He kept sighing happily as he ate them. When he finally came up for air, he said, “I can’t help myself! They taste like little cookies!”

He’s right, really. The rich maple syrup and fragrant cinnamon form a sweet, crunchy crust around the roasted almonds that is kind of like a cinnamon raisin cookie, but mapley. And as odd as it might sound, when tossed onto a spinach salad with crumbled bleu cheese and oil and vinegar, the roasted candied nuts stop tasting like cookies and instead provide the perfect little burst of sweetness and crunch.

Let’s talk maple syrup choice for a moment. I prefer to use a dark, strong maple syrup because it takes less syrup to impart a oomphy maple flavour. If you’re not a hard-core maple syrup fan, you can substitute dark Karo syrup or brown sugar in equal parts for the syrup.

Make a batch of Cinnamon Maple Candied Almonds for your sweetie or yourself today. Or if you’re like me and you’re feeding a bunch of snack and salad loving stormtroopers, you might want to consider a double batch. Evil is always hungry.

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Cinnamon Maple Candied Almonds

Rating: 51

Cinnamon Maple Candied Almonds

Rich maple syrup and fragrant cinnamon form a sweet, crunchy crust around roasted almonds that tastes reminiscent of a cinnamon raisin cookie, but mapley. And as odd as it might sound, when tossed onto a spinach salad with crumbled bleu cheese and oil and vinegar, the roasted candied nuts stop tasting like cookies and instead provide the perfect little burst of sweetness and crunch.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups shelled, whole, raw almonds
  • 1 egg white
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup (*See Notes)
  • 1/3 cup raw or granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silpat or parchment (lightly spray the parchment with non-stick cooking spray.)

In a small bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon and salt together with a fork until it is evenly mixed.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until very frothy. Whisk in the maple syrup until it is evenly mixed. Toss in the almonds until they are completely coated with the egg/maple syrup mixture. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the top and toss again to coat evenly. Spread the nuts in a single layer on the silpat or sprayed parchment lined sheet.

Bake the nuts for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes, until the nuts are dry to the touch. Let them cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally to break them up. When they are completely cooled, transfer them to airtight containers -like mason jars- and store at room temperature for up to a month.

Serve as a stand-alone snack, or with dried fruit or as a garnish on salads.

Notes

*If you cannot find maple syrup or aren't a fan, substitute an equal amount of dark karo syrup or brown sugar. If you use the brown sugar, whisk the egg white with a tablespoon of water. Tada!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/02/13/cinnamon-maple-candied-almonds/

 

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Bulk Italian Sausage and Broccoli Sausage Pasta | Make Ahead Mondays

February 11, 2013 by 21 Comments

 

Homemade Bulk Italian Sausage in Sausage and Broccoli Pasta from Foodie with Family 3

Have you ever been so intimidated to try making a certain thing in the kitchen that you put it off forever and a day. Then you finally work up the courage to try making it and are stunned to find it ridiculously easy? Such was the story with me and sausage a few years ago. I had made all sorts of food that makes people pause -cheesecakes, bread, homemade thises and thats- but I had always been just a bit scared of making sausage. I chalk this up to the time I spent in my teen and early adult years as a vegetarian. I had this little inferiority complex about my meat cooking skills.

Then one day, we came into a windfall of pork shoulder and decided I didn’t have much to lose since I had so very much pork lying around. I ground a couple of pounds of pork, added what I figured I liked best in sausage -fennel, garlic, crushed red pepper, salt, and black pepper- mixed it up with my hands, rolled it into little meatballs and fried them in a pan before building a marinara sauce around them. Holy wah.

To say that all my sausage making fears were wiped away with one succulent little pan full of saucy, moist, garlicky, spicy, browned-to-perfection-then-simmered meatballs is putting it mildly. The homemade sausage was superior in every single way from texture to flavour. It was perfect. In fact, I was so bucked up by my success that I made fresh sausage and meals from said sausage five nights in a row.

Then, although I was not nearly tired of the sausage, I was definitely tired of washing the grinder and all its little parts, and thus had an epiphany. They call it bulk sausage for a reason; I will make much and freeze some.

Bulk Italian Sausage with seasonings from Foodie with Family

And the freezing? I had a trick there, too… I weighed two and a half pounds of sausage into gallon freezer bags, squeezed out as much air as I possibly could and gently pressed the sausage so that it filled the bag all the way to the corners while flattening it. Then I pressed the handle of a long wooden spoon down the center of the bag and twice more perpendicular to that first impression.

Bulk Italian Sausage ready for the freezer from Foodie with Family

The reason I did this was two-fold. First, it would freeze faster and neater; flat bags stack up more efficiently in the freezer than wadded up bulky ones. Second, I could easily break off a square or two of the sausage without using the entire two and a half pounds. Two squares would give me between one and one and a half pounds of sausage which was just perfect for browning and scattering over pizzas or adding to pasta sauce. SCORE! (Ahem. Get it?)

Those first sausage experiments led me to many more. (See here and here for examples that I’ve posted before!) but nothing has matched the versatility and sheer usefulness of having a freezer full of bulk Italian sausage. So. Darned. Good.

Whaddya do with a freezer full beyond adding to pasta sauce or putting on pizza? Well, how about one of our favourite fast weeknight meals? Broccoli Sausage Pasta. This is one that pleases my crowd (even though I admit I have to pull some of the browned sausage from the pan before adding the broccoli to keep the No-Green-Things Contingent from revolting and BEING revolting at the table.) and feeds them for a song. You can use either fresh or frozen broccoli crowns in the dish, whichever you can procure most easily and the hearty dish is done in a flash.

Now here’s the thing. Where I live, pork shoulder is far cheaper per pound than purchased Italian sausage and it is marginally cheaper per pound than pre-ground pork. Since I prefer to grind my own, I stick with the pork shoulders. If you don’t have a grinder or food processor, you can definitely still make this using pre-ground pork. You’ll still be blown away by how wonderful it tastes!

I re-upped my Italian sausage stores this weekend while my kids were out enjoying all the snow that fell. I know it has nothing to do with food, but you have to see what my thirteen year old guy did with his time. Methinks he has had cabin fever…

Foodie with Family snowman army

When all the chilled and pink-cheeked boys came barreling in the door, I had a pan full of Broccoli Sausage Pasta ready to go. There were happy faces and full bellies that evening.

What would YOU do with a freezer full of Italian sausage?

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Bulk Italian Sausage and Broccoli Sausage Pasta | Make Ahead Mondays

Rating: 51

Bulk Italian Sausage and Broccoli Sausage Pasta | Make Ahead Mondays

Homemade Bulk Italian Sausage is so simple and so much better than store-bought. Keep a stash of it in the freezer at all times so you can whip up this fast, fabulous weeknight favourite- Broccoli Sausage Pasta. You'll love this hearty, crowd-pleasing dish of garlicky, spicy, crisped Italian sausage, crisp-tender broccoli and rotini with a generous handful of grated Romano or Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients

    To Make the Bulk Italian Sausage:
  • 8 pounds freshly ground pork shoulder {*See Notes} or purchased ground pork.
  • 18-26 peeled garlic cloves (depending on how garlicky you like your sausage.)
  • 8 tablespoons fennel seeds
  • 2-5 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you like your sausage.)
  • 6 tablespoons kosher salt (you can adjust upward, but this is the minimum amount you should use.)
    • To Make the Broccoli Sausage Pasta:
  • 1 pound Bulk Italian Sausage
  • 1 pound rotini or other shaped pasta
  • 12 ounces to 1 pound fresh or frozen broccoli florets (The pictured dish used 12 ounces of frozen baby broccoli florets.)
  • 1/3 cup chicken stock (preferably) or water
  • grated Romano or Parmesan cheese to taste

Instructions

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Bulk-Italian-Sausage-ready-for-the-freezer-from-Foodie-with-Family.jpgAdd the pork to a large mixing bowl. Add the garlic cloves, fennel seeds, crushed red pepper flakes and salt to the bowl of a food processor (or pile it together on a large cutting board.) Process until the garlic is broken down very finely and is almost paste-like. If you are using a cutting board, chop them all together until the garlic is almost paste-like.

Scrape the mixture over the pork and use your hands to blend well. Test the sausage spice mixture by forming a quarter sized patty and frying it in a pan. Taste the test sausage. If you need to, adjust the spices and salt.

Divide the sausage into 4 gallon sized freezer bags. Squeeze out as much air as you can before mostly sealing the bag (leaving just a corner open to allow air to move out.) Gently push the sausage flat and fill the entire bag. Once the bag is filled to the corners, seal the little bit of the bag that you left open. Use the long handle of a wooden spoon to press a line down the middle of the bag from top to bottom, leaving a ridge in the sausage. Turn the spoon handle perpendicular to that line and press down about 1/3 of the way from the bottom of the bag and again at about 1/3 of the way from the top of the bag. This will leave 6 "rectangles" of sausage.

Lay the bag on a flat baking sheet, repeat with the remaining freezer bags of sausage and put the pan in the freezer. This will store well for up to six months before beginning to lose flavour.

You can open the bag and break off as many rectangles of frozen sausage as you need.

To Make the Broccoli Sausage Pasta:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.

In a heavy-bottomed, large skillet, break up and cook the Italian sausage over medium high heat until it is crispy and browned but still moist. If it is excessively oily, feel free to drain some of the fat, but do leave some in to help coat the pasta. The flavour is wonderful!

Add the broccoli florets and the chicken stock or water, scrape up the lovely brown sausagey bits from the pan, cover and steam until the broccoli is crisp tender. While the broccoli is steaming, cook pasta according to package directions.

Strain the pasta and add it to the pan with the broccoli and sausage. Toss to distribute evenly and serve immediately generously doused with grated Romano or Parmesan cheese.

Notes

You can use a food processor or meat grinder to grind your own pork for this project if you wish. I prefer to buy bone-in pork shoulder and remove the bone myself. This cut is perfect just as it is, and aside from taking out that bone, needs no further prep work other than cutting it to fit into the grinder or food processor. It is the perfect sausage-cut because of its natural marbling.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/02/11/bulk-italian-sausage-and-broccoli-sausage-pasta-make-ahead-mondays/

 

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Soft Pretzel Sandwich Rolls

February 6, 2013 by 21 Comments

Soft Pretzel Sandwich Rolls by Foodie with Family

There are few things I like more than a soft pretzel. A soft pretzel ROLL, though? That’s taking soft pretzels to a whole new level of glory. Crusty, chewy, glossy, deep brown covered with coarse pretzel salt, a soft pretzel roll is the ultimate vehicle for any sandwich you fancy. Have you ever had a hamburger on a pretzel roll? Ungh. So good.

For me, though, the apotheosis of sandwich-i-tude is a soft pretzel roll split in half, piled high with shaved smoked ham, blanketed with a thin slice of Swiss cheese, the top half of the roll, then shoved into the oven just until the cheese has melted enough to hug the sides of the roll and run down onto the pan a bit. A hearty squirt of spicy brown mustard and a side of coleslaw makes a lunch worthy of the most beloved diner. But you get bonus points because you can eat it in yoga pants and bunny slippers and a really tatty ponytail.

The truth is, you can skip the sandwich filling and just throw a bunch of mustard on top… I won’t tell. These are big, round, soft pretzels. If you weren’t tempted, I’d wonder a little.

Soft Pretzel Rolls from Foodie with Family

Were you to divide a pretzel roll and smear the inside with Nutella? Well, all I’m saying is that you wouldn’t regret it. Here’s what I’m driving at, friends. Soft Pretzel Rolls are happy food. They make everything just that much better. Boy, do they. You need these in your life, pronto.

Don’t panic when you see the length of the recipe. It is only that long because I’ve included three options for mixing up your dough: by hand, by stand mixer, and by bread machine. Everyone needs soft pretzel rolls regardless of what kitchen gear you own. EVERYONE.

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Soft Pretzel Sandwich Rolls

Rating: 51

Yield: 12 Sandwich sized rolls.

Soft Pretzel Sandwich Rolls

Crusty, chewy, deep brown, salty Soft Pretzel Rolls are the ultimate in sandwich bread.

Ingredients

    Ingredients for dough:
  • 4 cups (1 pound 1 ounce, by weight) bread flour
  • 1 tablespoon non-diastatic malt powder (preferably) or sugar
  • 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • ½ cup hot tap water
  • 2 teaspoons SAF or instant yeast
    • Ingredients for pretzel boil:
  • 2 quarts water
  • 2 tablespoons baking soda
    • Ingredients for toppings:
  • 1 egg white, whisked until frothy
  • Coarse sea salt, kosher salt or pretzel salt

Instructions

To Make the Dough by Hand:

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, malt powder or sugar and yeast. Set the whisk aside and switch to a sturdy wooden spoon. Stir in the milk and tap water until a soft dough forms. Turn onto a generously floured surface and knead, adding small amounts of flour as needed to keep the dough from adhering to the counter. You do not want a firm dough… it should be fairly slack, a little tacky and soft, yet smooth. Place dough in a clean bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and set aside to rise in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in bulk and puffy, about an hour or so.

To Make the Dough by Stand Mixer:

In the work-bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, salt, malt powder or sugar and yeast. Mix on low just to combine dry ingredients. With mixer still on low, carefully pour in the milk and water. Continue mixing on low until you have a smooth, soft, slightly tacky dough. Remove bowl from the mixer, cover with a damp tea towel and set aside to rise in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in bulk and puffy, about an hour or so.

To Make the Dough by Bread Machine:

Add the milk, water, flour, malt powder or sugar, and yeast to the pan of your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select the “Dough” or “Dough Only” cycle and hit start. Allow the cycle to complete.

To Form Soft Pretzel Rolls:

Line a 11×13-inch baking sheet with a silicone or teflon pan liner. Alternatively, use an unglazed stoneware pan. Set next to your work area.

Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface. Use a bench knife to cut the dough into four pieces. Cut each of those quarters into 3 pieces. Working with one piece at a time, form the dough into a ball, then cup your hand around the outside of the ball and roll clockwise until the top of the roll is perfectly smooth and the dough is tensely stretched over the top.

Transfer the dough balls onto the lined baking sheet, three to a row. They will expand both as they rise and again as they boil and bake. When you have dealt with all the dough, cover the pan with a tea towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until puffy looking, about 20 minutes.

To Cook the Pretzels:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a stainless steel or other non-reactive pan (enameled cast-iron, tempered glass, etc…) When water boils, add the baking soda. Gently lift the pretzel rolls one at a time into the boiling water. (You can boil more than one at a time, but be sure not to crowd the the pan as they will expand as they boil. Let simmer for about 45 seconds, flip the pieces and simmer for another 45 seconds-1 minute.

Use a slotted spoon to drain and return each piece to its place on the pan. Continue until all rolls have been boiled and returned to the pan. They will look a little puckery and shriveled. Do not fear! This will all work out!

Brush all of the rolls with the frothy egg white and sprinkle with coarse salt. Use a sharp knife or lame to cut an x 1/8- to 1/4-inch deep.

Place pans in oven and bake at least until golden brown, about 25 minutes, but you can bake until they are deep brown as I prefer them, closer to 35 mintues. It’s up to you!

Remove the pans from the oven and transfer the rolls to a cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing and serving.

Notes

You can cut the dough into 24 equal sized pieces for slider sized rolls, if you prefer.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/02/06/soft-pretzel-sandwich-rolls/

 

 

Filed Under: Bread, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , ,

Pulled Pork Baked Potato Skins {giveaway closed}

February 1, 2013 by 142 Comments

Barbecue Pulled Pork Baked Potato Skins from Foodie with Family

I think it’s only fair I warn you I may not be held responsible for the number of exclamation points I use because I. Am. So. EXCITED! I have a simple, fabulous recipe to share with you AND I have a super, fantastic giveaway, too.

Let’s start with the recipe because it’s almost Super Snack, er Bowl, Sunday. If you have leftover baked potatoes and pulled pork you’re already halfway there. It’s hard to imagine an easier appetizer unless it comes out of a box. The potatoes are halved and halved again, scooped to leave just a bit of potato behind in the skins, brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with salt, then baked ’til golden brown and crispy around the edges. Then they’re piled high with pulled pork, a squirt or spoonful of your favourite barbecue sauce and topped with melty Monterey Jack cheese. Back into the oven for eight minutes to heat the pork and melt the cheese and then HEY PRESTO! You have the hit of the party.

Print
Pulled Pork Baked Potato Skins

Rating: 51

Yield: 24 potato skins

Pulled Pork Baked Potato Skins

This barbecue sauced, pulled pork piled, gooey cheese topped, crispy baked potato skin is sure to keep the hungry crowds cheering at your game day party. Guaranteed to please the meat lovers in your life!

Ingredients

  • 6 leftover baked potatoes
  • olive oil for brushing
  • salt
  • 2 cups leftover pulled pork like this or this, or storebought
  • 3/4 cup -at least- of your favourite barbecue sauce
  • 1 1/2 cups, at least, shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Halve the leftover baked potatoes at the midsection of the potato and then halve those again lengthwise so you have quartered potatoes. Use a spoon to scoop away the insides of the potato to leave just about 1/8- to 1/4-inch thickness of potato in the skins. Brush the scooped surfaces generously with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Lay on a baking sheet, scooped sides up and bake until the top edges are golden brown and the potato has started to crisp up.

Divide the pork evenly between the potato shells, piling the pork into the scooped wells. Drizzle at least 1-2 teaspoons of barbecue sauce over the pork then return the pan to the oven until the pork and barbecue sauce are heated through, about 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and top each potato skin with at least 1 tablespoon of shredded cheese, or more to taste. Return the pan to the oven and bake just until the cheese is melted and hot.

Remove the pan from the oven and carefully transfer the potato skins to a serving plate. Serve hot.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/02/01/pulled-pork-baked-potato-skins-500-gift-card-giveaway/

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The platter and plate holding my potato skins above are from MacKenzie-Childs and they make me smile just to look at them.

Are you familiar with MacKenzie-Childs? If you aren’t, it’s time you were. If you are familiar with it, then you are probably getting pretty excited right now. MacKenzie-Childs sells artisan made ceramics, enamelware, housewares, furniture and accessories, but that doesn’t even begin to cover what they really give you. Everything they have is pure gorgeous whimsy. I like pretty things but looking through their offerings made audibly gasp. Just look!

MainGlamWeb2

Could it be any more gorgeous? Don’t think so! And oh my word. Look at the furniture. It’s like Alice in Wonderland in a very, VERY good way.

MainGlamWebNEWROYALS

Are you ready to find out what the giveaway is? Hmmm? To celebrate their 30th Anniversary, MacKenzie-Childs is offering a $500 Gift Card (FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS!) to purchase whatever your heart desires on MacKenzie-Childs.com or in one of their stores. How much fun is that?

We’re going to try a little something different with this giveaway. Please use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. And if you don’t mind, let me know what you think of it below. Does it make the giveaway easier? Tougher? I’d love your feedback on Rafflecopter, MacKenzie-Childs and, of course, the Barbecue Pulled Pork Potato Skins!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Best Basic Deviled Eggs with Topping Ideas

January 31, 2013 by 8 Comments

Best Basic Deviled Eggs topped three ways from Foodie with Family

There are a lot of people who freak out a little when they draw deviled egg duty. Because it’s something that’s been such a mainstay of the party scene for so long, everyone knows how they’re supposed to taste and look and -let’s be honest- if your grandma, mom, or Aunt Molly didn’t share deviled egg tricks with you, the little beasts can be awfully stressful to make.

Is there anyone out there who has run to the store to buy eggs to make deviled eggs (or gone out to the chicken coop to grab fresh eggs for the project), popped them in the pan, boiled and cooled the eggs and then been utterly frustrated by the shells pulling off great chunks of hard boiled eggs? Yeah. I’ve been there, too. I’m here to tell you it isn’t your fault. Well, at least not in the way you think it is. You do not lack the ability to peel an egg, you just have eggs that are too fresh.

No joke.

If you have eggs fresh from the hen house, they will be difficult to peel at best and brain-explodingly frustrating at worst. If you have the time, you should wait at least seven to ten days before trying to boil and peel those eggs. If you get them from the store, read the expiration or sell-by date. If it is three to five weeks from now, those eggs might be too fresh to peel.

Before you throw up your hands and think all is lost, though, there are a few tricks to getting great hard-boiled eggs without a green ring that work even with fresh-ER eggs. I can’t explain why they work from a scientific stand point, but I can tell you they work for me and my one or two day old fresh-from-the-chicken eggs.

  1. To begin with, grab the oldest eggs in your refrigerator, but we’ve already covered that.

  2. Put your eggs in a single layer in the pan. Don’t double up. Don’t ask me why, just don’t do it.

  3. Cover the eggs by at least an inch but preferably closer to two inches of cool tap water.

  4. Add a hearty splash of vinegar to the water.

  5. Bring the water to a full rolling boil, put a tight fitting lid on the pan and SHUT THE HEAT OFF. I’m not kidding. Leave it alone.

  6. After fifteen minutes, immediately and I do mean RIGHT AWAY, move that pan to the sink. Using the lid to hold back the eggs, pour the hot water out of the pan.

  7. Using the lid to hold the eggs in the pan, give the pan a couple of sharp shakes back and forth, up and down.

  8. Remove the lid and let cold tap water run over them for about three minutes.

  9. Use the back of a regular old eating teaspoon to rap the egg all over under running water then flip the spoon over and ease the tip of the spoon in between the shell and the egg. Use the contour of the spoon against the egg to pull the shell away. The water should help get all the excess pieces of shell off of the egg.

  10. Repeat until done. The longer you wait to peel them, the tougher they are to peel. This accounts for why every jar of my post-Easter Yooper Pickled Eggs looks as though an angry two year old who lacks opposable thumbs peeled them.

Now that you have gotten the hard part out of the way, let’s talk filling. The filling itself is simple, but a few things will ensure that you have the ultimate deviled egg experience. I like to keep the filling simple and a touch retro.

Deviled eggs are not on the cutting edge of food fashion. I acknowledge that. There is something so comforting about seeing them on a party buffet table, though, isn’t there? No matter what else is out there, no matter how exotic the rest of the choices are, you know there’s going to be something you love to eat. Such is the real draw of the deviled egg.

Just because they’re retro doesn’t mean they have to be predictable, though. If you have a great deviled egg base (in my case, mayonnaise and Dijon mustard), you can keep the traditionalists happy AND it can serve as the platform for any number of strong toppings to keep things exciting. I like my deviled egg filling to be flawlessly smooth and I have a trick to share to make that happen, too. I present my magic deviled egg wand.

Best Basic Deviled Eggs from Foodie with Family

Yes. My magic wand is a potato ricer. It makes the silkiest work of squishing egg yolks outside of forcing all the business through a fine mesh sieve. I don’t pull a restaurant paycheck anymore, so I’m NOT going to be the girl working egg yolks through mesh. The ricer does the job beautifully and with far less effort and cleanup.

Best Basic Deviled Eggs method from Foodie with Family

Once you’ve blended the yolks in with the mayonnaise and Dijon mustard, you can opt to spoon the filling or pipe it into the egg white halves. I pipe because I like the look of it.

I leave some of them plain for the old school crowd and then go to town on the others. Green olive tapenade, spicy chili crisp (or chili garlic sauce), candied jalapenos and bacon jam are some of my favourite things to throw on top of deviled eggs. I don’t know about you, but I think it’s fun to look at a platter and have an array of colours and flavours staring back at me.

Best Basic Deviled Eggs with three toppings from Foodie with Family

So talk to me. Have you ever had a panic moment over hard-boiled eggs or are you an expert? If you are an expert, do you have any hard-boiled egg tips to share? What’s your favourite deviled egg topper or recipe?

Print
Best Basic Deviled Eggs with Topping Ideas

Rating: 41

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Best Basic Deviled Eggs with Topping Ideas

The best deviled egg is a perfectly cooked hard-boiled egg filled with a creamy classic filling and then topped with imaginative goodies. This recipe gives you the technique for the perfect boiled egg, how best to peel them, AND a list of great toppers.

Ingredients

Instructions

Place eggs in a single layer in a heavy pot that has a tight fitting lid. Cover the eggs by 1- to 2-inches of cool tap water. Add a splash (a tablespoon or so) of cider vinegar to the pan. Place the pan over high heat and bring the water to a full rolling boil. As soon as it hits the full rolling boil, clamp the lid in place and shut the heat off completely. Let the eggs stand, undisturbed for exactly 15 minutes.

When the 15 minutes have passed, carefully carry the pot to the sink and use the lid to hold the eggs back while pouring off the hot water. Give the pan a couple of sharp shakes back and forth and up and down to break the shells a bit. Let a stream of cold tap water pour over the eggs for about 3 minutes.

Working with one egg at a time, use the back of an eating teaspoon to rap the egg all over and break the shells into tiny pieces. Flip the spoon over, hold the egg under a thin stream of cool water and ease the tip of the spoon between the broken shell and the egg. Use the contour of the spoon to pull the shell away from the egg. The running water should remove any leftover shell fragments. Lay the peeled egg on a clean towel.

Repeat with the remaining eggs.

Slice the eggs in half lengthwise and pop the yolks into a bowl (using a spoon to help if necessary.) Either smash the yolks with a fork or potato masher or force through a potato ricer, like I do. Mix 1/4 cup of mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard into the squashed yolks with a fork or whisk until smooth. If you'd like the filling to be creamier, add the mayonnaise 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking after each addition and adjust with the remaining Dijon mustard. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pipe or scoop the filling into the egg white halves. Serve immediately -topped as desired- or wrap before topping and refrigerate until it is time to serve.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/01/31/best-basic-deviled-eggs-with-topping-ideas/

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
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