Pecan Pie Bars

I have somewhat eclectic tastes in food.  Let's face it, I just really love it.  But I tend to like Southern Recipes in particular.  I have a couple I would like to try. This is from piarecipes.com.

Pecan Pie Bars

Crust 

Combine the following in a bowl until well mixed and then spread on the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

2 cups of flour
1/2 cup of icing sugar
1 cup of butter

Filling

Cream together:

1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs

Add:

1 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 stick of butter (melted)
a pinch of salt
2 cups of pecans

When well mixed, pour over the baked crust and put back in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Heather's Artisan Bread

My friend Heather Clark has made this bread several times and I decided I needed to recipe.  It is amazing!

Artisan free-form loaves - Becky Vincent

Makes four 1 pound loaves (recipe is easily doubled or halved)

3 Cups lukewarm water (about 100 degrees)

1 ½ Tbsp granulated yeast

1 Tbsp kosher salt

6 ½ cups un-sifted, unbleached all-purpose flour

Cornmeal or parchment for pizza peel.

Preparing the dough:

In a 5 quart bowl or re-sealable, lidded food container, add yeast & salt to lukewarm water. Don’t worry about getting it all to dissolve.

Add in all the flour at once. Mix with a wooden spoon (you can use very wet hands to help if needed) or a heavy duty stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.

Don’t knead the dough; just mix until it is uniformly moist without dry patches.

Cover with a lid that fits well, but not airtight. Allow to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse, about 2 hours (you can let it go for up to 5 hours) The dough is ready to use at this point, but will be easier to shape if it is refrigerated at least 3 hours first.

On Baking Day:

Prepare a flat surface (pan, cutting board, etc.) by sprinkling liberally with cornmeal (or lining with parchment)

Sprinkle the surface of your refrigerated dough with flour.

Pull up and cut off a pound (grapefruit-sized) piece of dough, using a serrated knife.

Hold the mass of dough in your hands and add a little more flour as needed so it won’t stick to your hands.

Gently stretch the surface of the dough around the bottom on all fours sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go. (Most of the dusting flour will fall off) the bottom of the loaf may appear to be a collection of bunched ends, but it will flatten and adhere during resting and baking.

Handle the dough as little as possible.

Place the shaped ball on the cornmeal-covered surface.

Allow the loaf to rest there for about 40 minutes, uncovered.

Depending on the age of the dough, you may not see much rise (more will occur during baking)

20 minutes before baking preheat the oven to 450 degrees, with the baking stone or pan placed on the middle rack.

Place an empty broiler tray for holding water on any other shelf that won’t interfere with the rising bread.

Dust the top of the loaf liberally with flour.

Slash a ¼ inch deep cross, scallop or tic-tac-toe pattern into the top, using a serrated bread knife.

With a quick forward jerking motion of the wrist, slide the loaf off the cornmealed surface and onto the preheated baking stone.

Quickly but carefully pour about 1 C of hot water from the tap into the broiler tray and close the oven door to trap the steam.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until the crust is nicely browned and firm to the touch.

Allow to cool completely, preferably on wire rack.

Store the remaining dough in refrigerator in your lidded ( not air-tight) container.

Cut off and shape more loaves as you need them anytime over the next 14 days.

The flavor and texture will improve after even one day’s storage.

*Tester’s note: If you don‘t have a baking stone, you can bake the loaf on a cookie sheet, but we found the crust was not as pleasantly crisp this way   

Homemade Chicken n Dumplings

I love going to Cracker Barrel for their Chicken n Dumplings.  I have always wanted to make something similar at home, but every recipe wasn't quite right.  The dumplings, a lot of times ended up tasting like biscuits, not at all what I want.

I just found this blog called, Comfy in the Kitchen, and she has just the kind of food I love to eat every day.  Easy, simple and delicious.

Chicken n Dumplins made EASY!

1 Pre-Roasted Chicken (near your grocer’s deli area)

6 Cups Low Sodium canned chickenbroth

1 Cup water

Dumplins

2 cups all purpose flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 ¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp milk

Directions:

Pour your broth and water in a large heavy saucepan/pot and boil on high heat. Peel back and discard chicken skin and flake off medium sized chunks of your chicken and set aside.

To make the dumplins: Combine the flour, baking powder, 1 ¼ tsp of salt and milk in medium bowl. Stir well until smooth, then let the dough rest for 5 mins. Roll the dough out onto a floured surface to ½ inch thickness. Cut ½ inch squares with a knife or pizza cutter.

Drop each square into the simmering broth. The dumplins will swell then shrink as they partially dissolve to thicken the broth into gravy. Simmer 20-30 mins until thick. Stir often. Add chicken and cook another 5 mins. Season with pepper (no salt needed because the broth is salty enough).

Lunchroom Lady Brownies

This was floating around facebook.  Sounds delishous.  

1 c butter 
1/2 c cocoa
2 c flour
2 c sugar
4 eggs
4 tsp vanilla,
1 c chopped nuts

Pour in 9x13 pan, bake 20-25 mins on 350. Check at 20 mins.

Icing
1/4 c softened butter 
1/4 c can milk (regular milk is fine)
1/4 c cocoa
3 c powdered sugar
dash salt
Mix all together & frost as desired.

Zupas Chicken Pesto Panini

So Zupas got rid of my favorite Panini.  Just to be a stinker, I ask for it every time I go in. (The Milano.)  This is why I stopped going to Cafe Paison.  I do not like falling in love with something and having the stinking restaurant change their menu.  Bah!

So I have been looking for a new favorite sandwich there.  And I tried the Pesto Chicken Panini.  It was yummy.  I found a copycat recipe.  I am also going on a retreat this week where we are making Panini's.  I have felt some resistance about making some of the recipes I would like to make, so I am going to just bring my own ingredients and make my own.  I am very excited.  :)

Recipe from: bakingwithblondie.blogspot.com

4 ciabatta rolls, sliced in half 
1 large tomato, stem removed, sliced 
about a cup of alfalfa sprouts 
4 slices muenster cheese 

1 chicken breast, cooked, cubed 
1 roasted red pepper (I used the ones from the jar = easiest), sliced into small cubes 
1/2 C slivered almonds, toasted 

1 batch of my homemade basil pesto (basil, garlic, pine nuts, EVOO, parmesan, lemon juice) 
1 cup real mayonnaise (I love miracle whip, but don't use it with this recipe. I beg you) 

In a bowl, mix together chicken breast, roasted red pepper, slivered almonds, basil pesto, and mayo until just combined. Slightly broil your ciabatta rolls in the oven so they're warm and a teeny bit crispy (or use a panini-maker). On the bottom half of the ciabatta roll, layer on your muenster cheese, chicken mixture, tomato (seasoned with salt and pepper), and alfalfa sprouts. Top with the other half of the roll, and use a toothpick to hold in place. 

Dunk in soup, or devour as is. Both will rock your world.

Cafe Rio Pinto Beans

Pinto Beans
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 c. tomato juice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro.

Perfect Fingerling Potatoes

This is seriously my favorite potato right now.  It is so good, but is so bad for you.  So we don't do it very much.  I just made this with grilled Telapia, with fresh tomatoes and corn.  The kids, or rather the older two kids, LOVED it.  And so did I.  Please make these at least once.

The recipe is one of Alton Brown's excellent recipes.  One of the reasons I wish I had food network!

Ingredients
1 1/4 pounds kosher or rock salt
2 quarts water
2 pounds small fingerling potatoes, cleaned
4 tablespoons butter, optional
Freshly ground black pepper, optional
1 tablespoon freshly chopped chives, optional
Directions
In a large pot, combine the salt, water, and potatoes and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are fork-tender, approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the pot to a cooling rack and let stand for 5 to 7 minutes. Serve as is or with butter, pepper, or chives.