Homemade Pretzels

NOTE: I made the pretzel dough in my bread machine (dough cycle). You can use your Kitchen Aid (I will have me one of these one day, I tell you!) or other stand mixer if you prefer.
ALSO NOTE: The decimals in this font are rather obscure (you can't see 'em) so pay attention that you don't get all crazy with the amounts. I mean, who would think you're supposed to use 15 cups of water and 45 cups of flour in a batch of dough? Are you feeding a farm? Anyhow. Don't do it.

All this goes into the bread maker:
1.5 cups room-temp water
1/2 stick melted butter
1.5 tsp. salt
1 TB sugar
4.5 cups all purpose flour
1 TB yeast

Save this for after that:
6 cups water
1/3 cup baking soda
Coarse salt
1 stick melted butter (optional, but not really. but seriously.)
Cinnamon/sugar (also optional, with the same caveat).

• After the dough cycle completes, dump the dough out onto a buttered surface (cutting board, pastry sheet, unsuspecting counter top, etc.). 
• Press out dough and cut however your little heart desires. You can cut 10-12 equally-sized pieces and roll each one into a rope to form traditionally-shaped (large) pretzels, or you can cut into strips and then bite-sized pieces with a pizza cutter (this is what I did).
• Leave those to rise a bit on the buttered surface while you...
• Stir baking soda into water in a soup pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to continue a steady simmer.
• Preheat oven to 450. I had to reduce mine to 385, but that's 'cause the dadgum repairman did some kind of voodoo on it last month when it wouldn't heat right and now it's a guessing game on what temp to actually use. Anyhow.
• Carefully and without 'deflating' pretzels entirely (don't fret over this too much--basically just don't squish them to bits and you should be fine), submerge each one in the boiling baking soda water for about 30 seconds, then flip over for another 20-30 seconds, then remove with a large slotted spoon or spatula to a wire rack or broiler rack to drain. {You can also brush a beaten egg/water mixture over your pretzels if you feel froggy, but I didn't, at least this time. Suit yourself if you want a more yellowish, glossy finished look.)
• Sprinkle with coarse salt.
• Leave some unsalted if you're feeling a little wild and want to sprinkle some with cinnamon/sugar after they are baked and buttered.
• Line a baking/cookie sheet with parchment. Gently brush it with melted or softened butter.
• Gently place pretzels onto baking sheet (it should hold 6-8 at a time), place into preheated oven, and bake for 12-15 min. or until they reach desired golden brown.
• I ran mine through a melted butter bath before tossing them all into a wooden bowl for serving, 'cause that's how I roll.
• ENJOY!

Easterhouse Italian Spaghetti Sauce

I've been making red sauce my whole life, and I'm pretty sure I've never written (typed) out the recipe. Well, I was asked for my recipe today, and since that is usually the way I wind up even thinking in terms of "recipe", here we go.

I wish I had thought ahead and taken photos of each step. For this one, we'll have to settle for a shot during cooking and once during serving. I'll try to get better about that. Thanks for bearing with me and this learn-as-I-go thing.

This recipe fills my largest sauce pot about 3/4 full, so make sure you've got a hefty-sized one before you start. And make sure it has an insulated bottom; you do NOT want to scorch this to the bottom of the pot.

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 pods of fresh garlic, peeled.
1 TB Italian seasonings
2 TB Italian spaghetti seasonings (if available)
1 tsp. basil
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
3-5 TB olive oil
3 lbs. lean ground beef
2-3 lbs. sweet Italian sausage
1 can (105oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (105oz.) tomato puree
1 can (105oz.) crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup sugar

First, I get Steve to crush (because I like being able to use my hands for the rest of the day)  about a pod and a half of garlic (yes, that much--trust me and go with it). Put the crushed garlic into a small non-stick saucepan with the olive oil and seasonings and heat on low to blend flavors. Make sure it doesn't cook too fast--just simmer.

While the garlic stuff is simmering and smelling your house up like mad, brown the ground beef and sausage (add in a tad more olive oil if needed to keep it from sticking). I cut my Italian sausage out of the casing and smash it up with the ground beef, but you can cut it up with the casings if you prefer.

After the meat is completely done, add the garlic stuff and prepare to have your smeller assailed again. You'll be good and ravenous by the time this concoction is done. Stir it in, cover, and let it simmer on low for 10-15 minutes. If your windows are open, this will be about the time neighbors, joggers, and the feller on the other side of the river stop by to ask what smells so good. Don't be too alarmed. It's your fault for harboring a taste of Heaven on your stove top.

At this point you remove the lid, nearly pass out from the aroma, and pour in the contents of the three gargantuan cans (I get them at Sam's Club at great prices). Add the sugar (this smooths out the flavor by toning down the acidity in the tomatoes) and stir the whole lovely mess until well blended.

Simmer on low heat, stirring often to keep it from sticking, for as much of the day as you need until dinner. You could serve it after about an hour, but a few hours only blends the flavors more. Leftovers are better still.

Serve over your favorite pasta, with garlic knots or bread sticks, topped with Parmesan cheese if you like. Just make sure nobody loosened the top on the cheese like one of our sons did to the other once. To this day the boy has to put a mountain of cheese on top to duplicate the great taste that happened that day.

Share with your neighbors (I wasn't joking about that--it's a neat thing to do) and tell God how grateful you are for such a good gift.

Southwest Soup

It happens nearly every day, and I grin every time. Well, I grin as I'm scrambling to come up with a recipe like I had one all along ready to produce at a moment's notice.

Here's what happens: I post a photo of whatever I just concocted on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (because I can't help myself) and within minutes someone is asking me for "the recipe". Thing is, true to my backward form, I make up recipes from dishes I make, not the other way around.

Today's chuckle courtesy of Southwest Soup.

See, what had happened was...

Over the weekend I made Chicken Tortilla Soup.

CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP
1. Cut a big gob (I don't know, maybe 3 pounds or so?) of your favorite chicken (I used boneless, skinless chicken breast because I get it at a great price at Sam's Club and I had some on hand) into tiny chunks and boil in a giant soup pot about half full of water with a bunch of your favorite seasonings thrown in. I use cumin (a must for any southwest-style soup), sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, crushed fresh garlic (3-4 cloves, if you have it), Adobo, and about 1/2 cup (that's a HALF, not one-to-two) of powdered chicken bouillon. Oh, and a stick or two of real butter. It'll enrich the soup, so hush.

2. Add a can of seasoned black beans.

3. Stir a lot while it cooks, maybe a couple of hours of simmering on low after it comes to a good boil.

4. Serve with the following on the side for adding to individual bowls:
-egg noodles or pasta (both undercooked a little so the soup doesn't mush them)
-rice (white or yellow)
-whole kernel corn
-shredded Mexican cheeses
-tortilla chips for crushing

A couple of days later when this soup was starting to dwindle and I was hearing complaints that there wasn't much chicken left in the bottom and I wasn't about to toss it and make a whole new dinner just yet, I got the bright idea to use it as a starter for new soup. My mama would be so proud of me. Anyway.

So I browned a big bunch (I don't know, maybe 4 pounds or so?) of ground beef with sea salt, black pepper, garlic & onion powder, Adobo, you know...the stuff I put in just about everything...and 1/4 cup or so of taco seasoning mix (I get that at Sam's Club, too, in a big box) until it was good and done and had smelled up the house like Mexican Heaven.

I spooned about 3 cups or so of the ground beef into the remaining chicken tortilla soup and stirred, put the remaining taco meat away for another meal, and stood back quite happy with myself.

I found a leftover baked potato in the fridge, so I peeled it and cubed it and tossed that into the pot, too.

I'm trying to remember now...was that all? I think so.

When Jeff came home he had some, and by his behavior it appears that my stretch-this-longer soup was quite a hit. Score. Fed 8 people with it and still had enough left over for my lunch today. FOR. THE. WIN.