Busy, busy, busy

Hey everyone!! Hope you all are having a great summer! We sure are! If you haven't already heard Andrea is going to be Dew Drop and Brooke is going to be Clara in the Nutcracker of Parker this year!! We are so excited!! We apologize for not posting anything recently, mostly its because we have been so busy with Nutcracker rehearsals and classes, but hopefully we will get a couple new recipes and some pictures up pretty soon.

~Bon appetite

Homemade Soft Pretzels

Here is an totally awesome recipe for soft pretzals. Just like at the mall! Great for sleepovers or parties!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for pan
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt

Directions:
Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

S'more Brownies

Hey everyone! We have an awesome new recipe for you today!! Here it is!

Ingredients

Crust:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs

2 tablespoons sugar

Pinch fine salt

Brownie:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 cup packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

4 large cold eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour

Topping:

1 bag of Marshmallows

Crush the Graham Crackers

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8 by-8-inch square baking pan with foil so it hangs over the edges by about 1 inch.

For the crust: Lightly butter the foil with some of the melted butter. Stir the rest of the butter together with the crumbs, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl.


Press the crumb mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the brownie. Put the butter and chocolate in a medium microwave safe bowl. Melt in the microwave on 75 percent power for 2 minutes. Stir, and microwave again until completely melted, about 2 minutes more. Alternatively, put the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1 inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl on the pan without touching the water. Stir occasionally until melted. Stir the light brown and white sugars, vanilla and salt into the melted chocolate. Add the eggs and beat vigorously to make a thick and glossy batter. Add the flour and stir until just incorporated.

Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the top is crispy and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean, with a few crumbs, about 40 to 45 minutes

Remove from the oven and carefully position a rack about 6 inches from the broiler and preheat on low. Layer marshmallows across the top and toast under the broiler until golden

keep an eye on it, it can go quick, about 2 minutes

Cool on a rack, gently removing the brownies from the pan using the aluminum flaps. Carefully separate any marshmallow from the foil and fold away. Cut into 12 (2-inch) squares.

yum, yum!

WARNING: THIS DOES GET MESSY! AND IS VERY SWEET! NOT FOR THE WEAK OF HEART!

~Bon Appetite!

Baked Sandwiches

Hello! Today we just stumbled across a really good recipe that Andrea's family knows and loves! It's perfect for taking to a get together or for having a quick and easy lunch! (We didn't take the picture below but this is how it should look.)

Ingredients

• 2 Tbl. melted butter
• 1/4 tsp. garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp Basil
• 1/4 tsp. Oregano
• 1/4 tsp. pizza seasoning
• frozen bread loaves
• Ham, Roast Beef & Provolone or Ham, Turkey, & Cheddar (1/4 pound of each lunchmeat, depending on which one you are doing)

Instructions

Roll out dough half as wide as the jelly roll pan. Let rest for 5-10 min. Then finish rolling out. In a small bowl add butter and seasonings. Brush the loaves with half of the butter and seasonings mixture. Put meat over half of the dough leaving room at edges. Pinch edges together and brush with the remaining butter mixture. Bake at 400*F for 10-12 min.

~Bon Appetite!