Pizza Bagels

A delicious recipe we got from our Aunt Miki!

Pizza Bagels
Ingredients:

2 cups warm water

2 packets active dry yeast

2 Tbs honey

3 cups all purpose flour

2 ½ cups bread flour

1 tspn salt

1 Tbs brown sugar (for the water bath)

Cornmeal

Pizza Sauce

Mozzarella Cheese & Italian Seasoning

In the bowl of your electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine water, yeast and honey, stir to combine, then let sit until foamy, about 10-15 minutes. Once foamy, gradually add in salt, 2 cups of all-purpose flour and 2 cups bread flour with the mixer on low speed. After 5 minutes or so, if the dough is still sticky, add the remaining bread flour and ½ cup all-purpose flour and mix until combined. Remove the dough from the bowl (it should be thick and stiffer than most yeast breads) and knead a few times with your hands, forming it into a ball. Add the remaining all purpose flour if the dough is still sticky.

Brush a large bowl with oil and place the dough inside, turning to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm place until is double in size-about an hour.

Once doubled, punch down the dough and place it on your counter, using a little more flour if needed to prevent it from sticking. Divide the dough into 12-15 pieces that are 2.5-3 ounces each. Roll the dough into balls, then place on an oiled baking sheet, cover and let rise for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, fill a large pot with water and add brown sugar, letting it come to a boil. While the water is heating up, take each round of dough and poke a hole straight through the middle, twirling it gently on your finger to create the bagel “look.” Place back down on the baking sheet and let rest for 10-15 minutes, while the water comes to a rolling boil.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease another baking sheet and place some cornmeal on a plate.

Once boiling, add 3-4 bagels at a time. Let cook for 2 minutes on one side, then using the end of a wooden spoon, flip the bagel and cook for another 30 seconds.  Remove bagels one at a time and dip bottoms in cornmeal. Transfer to the greased baking sheet. Brush bagels with pizza sauce and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top. Sprinkle Italian season. Once all the bagels are finished, place in the oven and bake for 28-35 minutes.

Let bagels cool completely before serving, then toast or eat as desired.

Korean Spicy Chicken Wings!

Korean Spicy Chicken Wings!!! Enjoy!!!

Ingredients:
2 lbs chicken wings
1 cup cornstarch
1 cup milk
2 tspn salt and pepper
Oil for deep frying

Stir fry sauce
4 tbsp ground red chili pepper
4 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp corn syrup (substitute honey or sugar)
2 tbsp rice vinegar
6 tspn garlic and 1 inch of ginger (you will need to puree together with about a tspn of water)
4-6 heaping tbsp of gochujang (red pepper paste (found at an asian market)
*I also add crushed peppers you put on top of pizza

Topping:
Green onion, chopped and toasted sesame seeds

Prepare your chicken by adding salt and pepper, let sit for about 15 minutes. Put the chicken in a large bowl with milk until the milk covers the wings. Put in the fridge for about an hour. Drain the chicken and let sit.

Mix the fry sauce ingredients, ensuring you take the garlic and ginger and puree them.

Roll the wings in the cornstarch to lightly coat and deep fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Transfer wings and fry sauce into a wok and fry on high heat, stirring constantly to coat every piece of chicken. Once all sauce is gone off the wok, place on serving dish. Sprinkle green onion and sesame seeds on top! There you have it!!! Enjoy! Tastes great with a good beer! :D

Donut Holes!!!

Donuts

3 packages yeast 
1/2 cup warm water
2 1/4 cups milk, scalded, then cooled
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 eggs
1/2 cup shortening
7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
canola oil for frying

Glaze
1/2 cup butter
3 cups powdered sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
6 -9 tablespoons milk

Proof your yeast by adding it to the warm water.  Mix it up and let it rest.

Scald the milk in your microwave or on top of your stove, and let cool.

Combine yeast, milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening and 3 cups (375g) flour.

Beat on low for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly.

Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.

Carefully (not like me), stir in remaining flour until smooth.

Cover and let rise until double,

Shaping the Donuts

After the dough has risen, turn dough onto floured surface; roll around lightly to coat with flour.

Gently roll dough 1/2-inch thick with floured rolling pin.

Cut with floured doughnut cutter. I used a kids medicine measure cup for my holes! Separate donuts and holes, as they take different frying times.

Cover and let rise until double, 30-40 minutes. Once risen, pour oil into a pot and heat. I sprinkle flour in the oil to check if its hot enough (if the flour sizzles quick, its ready, turn the heat to medium) Place donuts in oil and flip using chopsticks until lightly golden brown. Drain on paper towels or paper bag.

**If you want to make these donuts for breakfast, let the donuts rise in the refrigerator overnight!***

Icing

Melt butter. Add rest of ingredients and whisk until smooth. Add more milk to get to the consistency you desire. Place donuts on a rack, on top of a pan and pour icing all over. Let sit. Enjoy!

CHICKEN MARSALA! ....WITH MASHED POTATOES!

Super delicious meal and great for leftovers! This recipe is what I used to ensure we have extra for leftover Sundays!

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs chicken breast, pounded thin

1 cup flour (mix in 1 TBS of each: Garlic powder, Italian Season, Onion Powder, Thyme, and Cayenne Pepper. 2 TBS paprika, 2 tspn salt, 1 tspn pepper)

1/4 cup olive oil

4 TBS butter

4 cups cremini mushroom sliced

2 bottles of Marsala Cooking Wine (I use Holland House)

4 cups chicken broth (because we love sauce)
Salt N Pepper
Chopped Chives for garnish

Lightly flour each chicken, after you have pounded it thin. Shake off excess flour. Heat Olive Oil in pan and place a couple chicken in the pan. Fry on each side about 3 minutes. Place on a paper towel until all chicken is cooked. Once all chicken is cooked, add the butter to the pan and once melted add the mushrooms. Cook mushrooms until their juices start to come out. Add Marsala and cook until it has reduced to half. Once it is reduced, add the chicken broth. If the sauce is not thick enough to your liking, ladle 1/2 cup of the sauce out and whisk in a little less than 1/4 cup of flour. Mix until there are no clumps and then add it to your pan. This will help thicken it up. Bring sauce to a boil and cook for a few minutes then add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with mashed potatoes or butter noodles. I personally love it with the mashed potatoes! Enjoy!!!!

Chocolate Eclairs

Chocolate Éclairs:

Basic Choux Recipe for the Éclairs

ingredients:

1 cup water
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 good pinch of salt

1 Tbs honey

3 Tbs sugar
1 cup eggs (4 large eggs)
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of whipped cream (homemade or bought)

directions:

Preheat oven 425F.

1. In a medium pot, bring the water, honey, sugar and butter to a simmer on medium heat. Add salt. Add the flour and with a wooden spoon or spatula, stir very quickly in one direction. Carefully watch and you'll see that the flour starts absorbing the liquid -- and a dough will form. Keep stirring to continue cooking the flour and cook off some of the water, another minute or two.

2. Transfer the paste to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or to a bowl if you're using a hand mixer. Let cool 4-5 minutes.

3. Add the eggs one at a time mixing rapidly until each is combined into the paste. The paste will go from shiny to slippery to sticky as the egg is incorporated. The pâté a choux can be cooked immediately at this point or refrigerated for up to a day until ready to use.

4. Spoon the dough into a large gallon-sized plastic bag (or piping bag.) Use your hands to squeeze dough towards the bottom corner. With kitchen shears, snip off just the tippy tip of the bag, about 1 ½ " of the tip. Pipe onto a baking sheet into 5 inch lines, keeping them 2-inches apart. Bake at 425F until brown, slightly darker than golden brown. If they are not cooked all the way, they will deflate when they come out of the oven.

Vanilla Pastry Cream Recipe:

1 ¼ cups whole milk

3 large egg yolks

¼ cup sugar

2 Tbs flour

2 Tbs cornstarch

1 tspn vanilla extract

In a heat proof bowl, blend sugar and egg yolks together. Whisk the flour with the cornstarch and then add to the egg mixture, blend until you get a smooth paste. Meanwhile, in a saucepan bring milk just to a boil (just until the milk starts to foam up). Remove from heat and add slowly to the egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling. Then pour the mixture into the saucepan and cook over medium heat until boiling, whisking constantly. When it boils, keep whisking for another 30-60 seconds until the cream becomes thick. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Pour the cream into a clean bowl and immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a crust from forming. Cool to room temperature then refrigerate until firm. Whisk before using to get rid of any lumps that formed. I added 1/4 cup of homemade whipped cream to thin it out a little and make it lighter.

Chocolate Glaze:

Ingredients:

½ cup heavy cream

4 oz semi sweet chocolate chopped

Place the chopped chocolate in a heat safe bowl. Heat the heavy cream just to boiling over low-medium heat and removed from the heat immediately. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and stir until it forms a thin, smooth consistency. Set the chocolate glaze aside at room temperature for a few minutes to allow it to thicken.

Now you are ready!

Take a pastry bag fitted with a medium sized plain tip and fill it with the vanilla cream. Insert the tip into the end of an éclair and pipe about 2 ½ Tbs of cream into it. Gently dip the top half of your éclair in the melted chocolate. Then set your éclairs on a pan and put in the refrigerator to allow the chocolate to harden. Now you are ready to eat!!

Cinnamon Rolls

Love Cinnabon but can't seem to make it yourself??? I've tried and tried and finally came up with this recipe! Try it out...Its not exactly Cinnabon, but my family and others that have tasted said it was better!

Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:                                                                                       Filling:

1 pkg dry yeast                                                                                  1 cup brown sugar

1 cup warm milk                                                                               3 TBS cinnamon

½ cup sugar                                                                                        8 TBS butter, softened

1/3 cup margarine, softened                                                     Icing:

(or 1/3 butter with 2 TBS Oil)

1 tsp salt                                                                                              8 TBS margarine (cold, cut into cubes)

2 eggs                                                                                                   1 ½ cup powder sugar

4 cup bread flour                                                                             1, 8 oz cream cheese, or less if you desire

                                                                                                                ½ tsp vanilla

                                                                                                                1/8 tsp salt

Rolls:

Dissolve yeast in warm milk in a large bowl. Add sugar, margarine, salt, eggs and flour. Mix well. Knead dough, for a few minutes and knead into a large ball and cover. Place in a warm area for 1 hour until dough doubles in size. Roll dough on a lightly floured surface until about 21 inches long, 16 inches wide (1/4 inch thick). Preheat oven 400F.

Filling:

Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Spread margarine over surface of dough. Sprinkle cinnamon mixture on top of rolled out dough. Cut dough into 1 ¾ inch slices and place in a greased pan. Let rise again, about 45 minutes. Bake for 20-25 mins or until golden brown on top.

Icing:

Beat all ingredients with mixer until fluffy. Spread on rolls when done.

The infamous Creme Puff! One of my dad's favorite dessert, simply because...well it's simple!!! Try it out! Follow the instructions to the T!

Ingredients:

1 cup water
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 good pinch of salt

1 tspn vanilla or almond

2 TBS honey
1 cup eggs (4 large eggs)

Directions:

Preheat oven 425F.

1. In a medium pot, bring the water and butter to a simmer on medium heat. Add the flour and with a wooden spoon or spatula, stir very quickly in one direction. Carefully watch and you'll see that the flour starts absorbing the liquid -- and a dough will form. Keep stirring to continue cooking the flour and cook off some of the water, another two minutes (TIME IT).

2. Transfer the paste to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or to a bowl if you're using a hand mixer. Let cool for a few minutes. You don't want the eggs to cook in the batter too fast!

3. Add the salt, honey and vanilla and blend. Add the eggs one at a time mixing rapidly after each egg addition until each is combined into the paste. The paste will go from shiny to slippery to sticky as the egg is incorporated. The pâte a choux can be cooked immediately at this point or refrigerated for up to a day until ready to use.

4. Spoon the dough into a large gallon-sized plastic bag (or piping bag.) Use your hands to squeeze dough towards the bottom corner. With kitchen shears, snip off just the tippy tip of the bag, about 1/4" of the tip. Pipe onto a baking sheet into little puffs, keeping the puffs 2-inches apart. With your finger (wet finger tips with water), press down the peaks (as they can burn.) Bake at 425F for 10 minutes, then 350F for 30 minutes, depending on the size of your puffs (if smaller, bake less). Puffs should be golden brown all over, that is when it is done! If you don't cook it long enough it can be too wet inside when eaten. 

5. Remove from the oven and using a knife, cut in half carefully, creating a top and a bottom. Let it cool completely before adding your creme!

Whipped Cream Center:

1 pint Heavy Cream

1 tsp almond extract or vanilla

4 TBS Powder Sugar, or more if you like yours sweeter

Blend all ingredients until whip topping forms (stiff peaks). Pipe the cream on the bottom puff and simply place the top on the top of the whipped cream.

You can also dip the tops in melted chocolate (rather than cutting the puff in half, just cut a slit on the side to let air go through so your puffs don't deflate).

Super Moist Chocolate Cupcakes w/ Espresso Buttercream Frosting!

Super Moist Chocolate Cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil, ok if it’s a little over the ½ cup line.
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

2 ounces semi sweet chocolate

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 cupcake pans with 24 liners.  Boil water and semi sweet chocolate. Sift together dry ingredients into a large stand mixer bowl.  Add the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla extract.  Beat for two minutes, scraping the sides as needed.  Add the boiling water mixed with chocolate and beat just until blended (careful it may splatter. I use a spoon to combine and then blend). 

Evenly pour the batter into the cupcake liners.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.   

Espresso Buttercream Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2½ cups powdered sugar
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons espresso powder (or instant coffee)

Blend espresso and vanilla. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.