All About The Cuteness

All About the Cuteness

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Bread: Irish Soda Bread

Classic Irish Soda Bread
From Baking Illustrated and America's Test Kitchen
3 cups (15 oz) low-protein unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup (4 oz) plain cake flour (If you don't have cake flour, 7/8 cup flour + 2 TBLS Cornstarch)
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp softened unsalted butter, plus 1 tbps melted butter for crust
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Pre-heat oven to 400F. 35-45 minutes
Whisk flours, sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt in a large bowl.
Work the softened butter into the dry ingredient with a fork or your fingertips. Do this until the texture resembles coarse crumbs.
Add buttermilk and stir with a fork just until the dough begins to come together.
Turn the dough out onto a flour-coated work surface. Knead until the dough becomes cohesive and bumpy (12 - 14 turns, do not overknead, you do not want it to be smooth).
Pat the dough into a round about 6 inches in diameter and 2 inches in height.
Place on a greased or parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
Score the dough by cutting a cross shape on the top of the loaf. (3/4" deep)
Bake until loaf is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove the loaf from the oven and brush the surface with the melted butter.
Ignore this baking pan, I just needed somewhere to set the loaf...Cool to room temperature, 30-40 minutes."

posted by Melanie at 12:55 PM 0 comments

We cooked 10 different soups for our December Wednesday evening dinner.
All were a success! The one that surprised us the most was the "Land of Enchantment Pazole Soup". The soup itself did not have a lot of color, rather bland looking but the taste was great!

The Pampered Chef Loaded Baked Potato Chowder turned out to be more soupy and less chowder. We made a roux to help thicken the soup and then it was a hit!

If you are looking to try some new soups here is a list of some easy to do and great tasting!

We doubled each soup so that each soup could serve 10 people. We had 70-80 people and almost all of the soup was devoured!

posted by Melanie at 12:45 PM 0 comments

Soup: Loaded Baked Potato Chowder

Loaded Baked Potato Chowder, from Pampered Chef
Ingredients:
3 baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 lb/1.1 kg)
3 1/2 cups (875 mL) milk, divided
4 oz (125 g) cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp (30 mL) butter
2-3 green onions with tops (1/4 cup/50 mL sliced)
4 oz (125 g) sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) salt
1/2 tsp (2 mL) coarsely ground black pepper
Optional toppings such as chopped cooked bacon, sour cream or steamed broccoli florets

Directions:
1.Slice potatoes in half lengthwise with Santoku Knife; place in Deep Covered Baker. Pour 1/2 cup (125 mL) of the milk over potatoes. Microwave, covered, on HIGH 11 minutes. Remove baker from microwave. Move center potatoes to ends of baker and outer potatoes to center. Cover; microwave on HIGH 8-11 minutes or until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork. Remove baker from microwave. Coarsely mash potatoes with Mix ‘N Chop.

2.Meanwhile, whisk cream cheese until smooth in Classic Batter Bowl. Slowly add remaining 3 cups (750 mL) milk, whisking until smooth. Add cream cheese mixture and butter to baker. Microwave, covered, on HIGH 3-5 minutes or until mixture is hot. Slice green onions with Chef's Knife.

3.Carefully remove baker from microwave. Grate cheddar cheese over chowder using Rotary Grater; add green onions, salt and black pepper and mix using Small Mix ‘N Scraper®; until cheese is melted. Serve with toppings, if desired.

Yield: 6 servings (8 cups/2 L)"

posted by Melanie at 12:37 PM 0 comments

Soup: Broccoli Cheese Noodle

Broccoli and Cheese Soup with Noodles
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen broccoli
3/4 cup chopped onion chopped
6 cups water
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
6 chicken bouillon cubes
6 cups milk
2 package (8 ounces) noodles
16 ounces Velveeta, cubed
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
Preparation:
Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add onions and saute over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add water and bouillon cubes. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally, until cubes are dissolved. Gradually add noodles and salt and continue to boil. Cook uncovered for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in broccoli and garlic powder. Cook 4 minutes more and add milk and cheese. Cook until cheese melts, stirring contantly. Season with pepper.
Serves 8 to 10."

posted by Melanie at 12:34 PM 0 comments

Soup: Very Veggie Soup Recipe fromTaste of Home Recipes

Ingredients
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1-1/3 cups chopped fresh mushrooms
1 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 carton (32 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes with basil, oregano and garlic, undrained
1 package (16 ounces) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
2 medium carrots, shredded
1 cup meatless spaghetti sauce
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon adobo seasoning
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
Parmesan cheese
Directions
In a Dutch oven, saute the zucchini, mushrooms, onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the broth, tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, spaghetti sauce and seasonings.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in spinach; heat through. Garnish each serving with cheese. Yield: 6 servings (2 quarts).
Nutrition Facts: 2 cups (calculated without cheese) equals 134 calories, 2 g fat (trace saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 1,527 mg sodium, 24 g carbohydrate, 7 g fiber, 10 g protein."

posted by Melanie at 12:28 PM 0 comments

Soup:Cheeseburger Paradise Soup Recipe from Taste of Home Recipes

Ingredients
6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 small carrot, grated
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons chopped seeded jalapeno pepper
3 cups water
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 pounds ground beef
1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter
5 cups milk, divided
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 package (16 ounces) process cheese (Velveeta), cubed
Crumbled cooked bacon
Directions
In a soup kettle, combine the first nine ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and mushrooms in butter over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add to soup. Stir in 4 cups milk; heat through.
In a small bowl, combine flour and remaining milk until smooth; gradually stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; stir in cheese until melted. Garnish with bacon. Yield: 14 servings (about 3-1/2 quarts)."

posted by Melanie at 12:27 PM 0 comments

Soup: Fiesta Chicken Chowder Recipe from Taste of Home Recipes

Ingredients
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 envelope fajita seasoning, divided
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups water
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) Mexican stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 can (11 ounces) Mexicorn, drained
1 cup uncooked instant brown rice
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
1 can (11 ounces) condensed nacho cheese soup, undiluted
3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice
Directions
In a large resealable plastic bag, combine flour and 2 tablespoons fajita seasoning; add chicken. Seal bag and shake to coat. In a large saucepan, saute chicken in oil until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm.
In the same pan, saute onion until onion is tender; add garlic, cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the water, beans, tomatoes, corn, rice, chilies and remaining fajita seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until rice is tender.
Stir in the soup, cilantro, lime juice and chicken; heat through. Yield: 10 servings (2-1/2 quarts).
Nutrition Facts: 1 cup equals 250 calories, 8 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 29 mg cholesterol, 952 mg sodium, 30 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 15 g protein."

posted by Melanie at 12:26 PM 0 comments

 

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Psalms 37:4

"Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."