Pretzels (Mel's Kitchen Cafe)

I doubled this recipe because my family inhaled these and was asking for more. 
View original recipe here.

Dough

5 cups (20.1 oz) all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
4½ tsp instant yeast
2 cups (16 oz) very warm water

Topping

½ c (4 oz) warm water (try boiling)
2 Tbsp baking soda
Coarse salt
6 Tbsp butter, melted

In the bowl of an electric mixer, place the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Mix to just combine. Add the water and mix well, adding more flour, as needed, a bit at a time to form a soft, smooth dough that clears the sides and bottom of the bowl. Knead the dough, by hand or machine, for about 5 minutes, until it is soft, smooth and quite slack. The goal is to get a really soft dough that isn’t overly sticky. Lightly flour the dough and place it in a plastic bag; close the bag, leaving room for the dough to expand, and let it rest for 30-60 min.

Preheat your oven to 400°. (Originally 500°). Line 4 baking sheets with parchment paper. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into 16 equal pieces (about 2.5 ounces each). Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 min. While the dough is resting combine the ½ c warm water and the baking soda, and place it in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Make sure the baking soda is thoroughly dissolved; if it isn’t, it will make your pretzels splotchy. Sometimes I have a hard time getting the baking soda completely dissolved, so I just lightly stir up the mixture right before adding each pretzel.

Roll each piece of dough into a long, thin rope (anywhere from 14-22” long) and twist each rope into a pretzel. Dip each pretzel in the baking soda wash (this will give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color), and place them on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them lightly with coarse, kosher, or pretzel salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 min.

Bake the pretzels for 7-9 min (I baked mine at 500 for only 6 min) or until golden brown. Bake one sheet at a time – it won’t hurt the other pretzels to chill out for a little longer.

Remove the pretzels from the oven, and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter. Keep brushing the butter on until you’ve used it all up; it may seem like a lot, but that’s what gives these pretzels their ethereal taste. Eat the pretzels warm, or reheat them in an oven or microwave.

Mini Corn Dogs

Corn bread batter

Hot dogs

Mini muffin tins

Corn bread batter:

½ c cornmeal

1½ c flour


2/3 c sugar


1 Tbsp baking powder


½ tsp salt


1/3 c oil


3 Tbsp butter, melted


2 eggs, beaten


1¼ c milk

Add dry ingredients, make a well and add oil, butter, eggs, and milk into the center. Stir until just mixed (batter will be runny). 

Cut hot dogs into 3/4" slices. Lightly spray mini muffin pan. Pour prepared cornbread batter into muffin tins most of the way full. Press hot dog slices into batter. If desired, cover hot dogs with a little more batter. Bake at 350° for 15-16 minutes or until baked through. Bake extra batter in regular muffin tins. (If doubling the cornbread batter recipe, bake the extra in an 8x8" pan for 35 min.)

Caramel Toffee Fruit Dip & Chips (Our Best Bites)

I halved this recipe from Our Best Bites' version.

Fruit (tart Granny Smith apples)

4 oz cream cheese (you can use light)

3/8 c brown sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

A pinch of nutmeg

¾ tsp vanilla (you can add more to taste)

Toffee bits (look by the chocolate chips)

Combine cream cheese, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla with an electric mixer. When ready to serve, stir in about ¼ a bag of toffee bits with more sprinkled on top. Serve in a hollow pumpkin with the spooky cinnamon chips and fresh fruit.

Cinnamon Chips

Flour tortillas

Butter, melted

Butter flavored cooking spray

Cinnamon sugar

Metal Halloween cookie cutters

Flour tortillas

Butter, melted

Butter flavored cooking spray

Cinnamon sugar

Metal Halloween cookie cutters

Preheat oven to 350°. Brush one side of each tortilla with melted butter. Cut into Halloween shapes and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle shapes with cinnamon sugar. Optional: spray over cinnamon with cooking spray. Bake 8-10 min. Repeat with any remaining tortilla shapes. Allow to cool ~10 min.

Grapesicles

What do you do with your grapes when you have too many?
"Grapesicles" is one of my favorite treats! It brings me back to my growing up years, and for some reason I think of my sister Nancy. Maybe we froze grapes together?

I don't know that I can really call this a "recipe" since there's no mixing of anything involved. Simply wash your grapes, lay them out on a small cookie sheet or dish (big enough to fit in your freezer) and freeze. Serve these for an after school snack or any time. I keep my extras in a Pyrex bowl with a lid in the freezer. They keep for a really long time this way.

I love, love, love grapesicles!

You might be able to spot the few Concord grapes on the left. I think those tasted even better than the generic green grapes I love so much. I was happily surprised by that.

Texas Caviar (365daysofcrockpot.com)

This recipe is very similar to my Fresh Bean Salsa. I really liked starting from dry beans and adding the wheat berries. It was tasty, but I felt it lacked a tiny bit of pizzazz that the Fresh Bean Salsa had, so I indicated below which things I'd like to add to give it that extra punch. Still, this made a great salsa! It's more like a lunchtime meal for me with how filling it is.

½ c dried black beans

½ c dried white beans

½ c wheat (to make into wheat berries)

½ yellow onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 bunch green onions, diced (I used 2; try 3+)

1 jalapeno pepper, diced

3 fresh tomatoes on the vine, diced

1 Tbsp minced garlic (3 cloves)

1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro (I used ½)

1 lime, zested and juiced (I'm adding next time)

½ tsp ground coriander

½ tsp salt (I'm adding next time)

¼ tsp black pepper (I'm adding next time)

1 pckg zesty Italian dressing mix (shake with next 3 ingredients before adding)

2 Tbsp white vinegar

1 Tbsp water

2 Tbsp olive oil

Tortilla chips

Rinse and drain the black and white beans separately. Place in separate slow cookers so that the white beans won’t turn gray. Rinse wheat and place in another crock pot (or add to the white beans). Add 4 cups water to each slow cooker (add 8 if you combine wheat and beans). Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours, or until tender and cooked through (check at 3). You can prepare these all ahead of time. When the wheat and beans are cooked, drain off all the water. In a large bowl combine the beans, wheat berries, and all the remaining ingredients. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours before serving. Serve with tortilla chips.

Fresh Bean Salsa (Debra Garry)

1 can black beans (drain)

1 can black eye peas (drain)

1 can corn (drain) or 1½ c frozen corn

2 large tomatoes, diced (Roma)

1 avocado, diced (optional)

½ large Anaheim pepper, diced (freeze the rest)

½ red bell pepper, diced (freeze the rest)

3 green onions, diced

½ bunch cilantro, chopped (about 1 c; no stems)

1 lime, zested and juiced

½ tsp salt

½ tsp coarse black pepper

1/8 c white vinegar

1 Tbsp water

½ pckg (½ Tbsp + 1 tsp) Italian zesty dressing mix

2 Tbsp olive oil

Combine first ingredients in a large bowl. In a flask or small bowl mix together vinegar and water. Add dressing mix and shake. Stir in olive oil. Pour over salsa. Wait a while for the flavors to set in. Fills about 4 wide-mouth pint jars. Serve with Tostitos Hint of Lime chips!

The salsa is best if eaten within a week or two.

Granola Bars (sisterscafe.blogspot)

Updated 3/24/11.

2½ c quick cooking oats

½ c crispy rice cereal

1/8 c wheat germ

½ c mini chocolate chips*

¼ c brown sugar

1/8 tsp salt

7 Tbsp butter, softened (microwave 10 sec)

½ c honey

½ tsp vanilla

Add all ingredients to a mixer and mix together until combined. Press firmly into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350° for 15 min. Cool for 30 min and score into bars. Let it set completely (another 30 min) and then cut into bars. Enjoy!

*I bought regular semi-sweet chocolate chips and briefly blended them. This is cheaper than buying minis.

same recipe; smaller pan

Dried strawberries makes a great substitution for chocolate chips!

Peanut Butter Granola Bars (Sharon Danneman)

Updated 5/4/11. Makes ~40 thick granola bars

7.5 c rolled oats

¼ c wheat germ or wheat bran

(optional)

1 c oil

1 c honey

4 c crispy rice cereal

1½ c corn syrup (try 1 c sugar + 3/8 c water instead)

1 c brown sugar

1½ c creamy peanut butter

Mix oats and oil together in a large bowl. Pour honey over the mixture and stir well. Dump onto a greased cookie sheet and spread flat. Bake at 300° for 30 min. Combine the granola with the crispy rice cereal in a very large bowl. Combine corn syrup and brown sugar in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, just until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter until blended. Pour over granola and crispy mixture. Stir. Press into two 9x13 pans. Let stand for 1 hour (just until cool). Cut into bars. Store granola bars in airtight container. Freeze if not eaten within a few days.

Try melting chocolate chips on top of bars for a treat.

*Do these same first steps to make granola as well. (See recipe for "granola" under "Breakfast.") Double the first 4 ingredients if making both granola and granola bars. Bake on two cookie sheets. Use one cookie sheet for granola; the other for granola bars.

To make pressing easier, cover granola bars with wax paper and press down with a potato masher.

After cutting cooled bars, I add all of them to one of the 9x13 pans and cover with the plastic lid.

These bars are hearty! Thick and full of energy. The kids love them!

Wheat Sprout Snacks (Karen Gilmore)

1 c sprouted wheat

½ c cherry or orange flavored Craisins

½ c sunflower seeds

½ c blanched peanuts

Toss together and pour into an open dish. Place on the counter top in view of children and watch them snack! You too.

Eat within a day or two since sprouts will wilt without moisture.