Pretzel Dogs

I love big soft pretzels.  Hence, my post on making homemade pretzels here.  On an icy day, with no where to go and a package of polish sausage in the fridge, I decided to see if I could make some pretzel dogs.  There are a lot of things that I try that are flops, but I must say that these pretzel dogs are SOoOo good.  It says something if I am able please everyone in my family (which is a near impossible task when it comes to meals in my home).  Therefore, after seeing everyone's empty plates, I am pleased to say that this is an absolute winner in my family.

Pretzel Dgs

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
16 sausage or hot dogs

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 a towel 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. I used a silicon liner which doesn't require 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.

Wrap the dough around the sausage or hot dog.

I used enormous polish sausage links which were nearly double the size of a regular hot dog, but if you use regular hot dogs, the dough would probably cover more of it.  Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

  

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, one by one, for 30 seconds. 

Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. I slightly drained it a bit on a cookie sheet.

 

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.

 This is an incredibly easy recipe and it turned out fantastic!

My husband asked for seconds, right after he asked me where I bought them.  He had no idea they were made from scratch!  I will be definitely making these again. 

Especially since there are no left overs ;)

Red, White, and Blue Jello Squares

Are you ready for the fourth of July? Okay, I know it is a bit early to start baking and bar-b-queing away, but I needed some excuse to make this jello recipe again (just half the condensed milk portion). I decided to stick to the patriotic colors of red, white and blue. The verdict? A success. The flavor combination of strawberry, blue raspberry and the condensed milk center was delish if I do say so myself.

I decided to make slices as well.

I contemplated making a bunch of red and white stripes like the American flag, but decided on this instead. I know it looks more like the flag of France than it does the U.S., but they are still tasty none-the-less. What kinds of foods do you like to eat on the Fourth of July?

Lego Gummy Candy

For E.'s Lego birthday party, I wanted to make gummy candy using my Lego silicone mold I made. There were so many different recipes online. I ended up using a combination of this recipe and this recipe.

Gummy candy

3 pkgs. unflavored gelatin (knox gelatine)

1 pkg of flavored jello (3 oz)

1 tablet of Vitamin C (500mg)

1/2 cup iced water

Candy mold

The vitamin C is optional, but I have read that it makes the gummies a little more sour and flavorful. That it does and after making my first batch, I will continue to use the Vitamin C tablet for the tangy flavor it provides. With that said, should you choose to use it, crush the Vitamin C tablet with a knife until powdered.

In 1/2 cup of icy cold water, slowly add the three packages gelatine. Constantly mix it so that the gelatine doesn't clump up at the top.

Add the package of jello

Mix well. Add the crushed Vitamin C and mix again. Allow to stand until mixture looks slushy.

Microwave on high for 1 minute and 15 seconds (or just until top foams). With a large syringe fill candy molds. Put the syringe at the bottom of the container since it is has the fewest bubbles (giving the clearest gummies).

Fill the candy mold slowly with the syringe.

Put molds in freezer for 10 minutes or in the refrigerator to harden.

Since I wanted the lego gummies to be stackable, I topped my mold with a lego base plate.

Remove from freezer and pop gummies out of the mold. With some twisting, they should come right out.

Store in airtight containers or Ziplock bag.

Don't they look adorable? They are quite yummy too. One flavor down, a few more to go.

Mushroom Tart

I love mushrooms and onions so when I found this recipe, I had to try it. It's been the perfect recipe to make whenever any of my vegetarian friends come over.

Ingredients

• Flour for rolling out puff pastry
• 1 (from a 17.3-ounce package) sheet frozen puff pastry thawed according to package instructions
• 1 medium onion halved and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 packages (10 ounces each) white mushrooms trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1 packages (10 ounces) fresh baby spinach
• 2 ounces soft goat cheese crumbled

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry out to a 16-by-10-inch rectangle. Trim uneven edges. Place the pastry on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife, lightly score dough to form a 1-inch border. Using a fork, prick dough inside the border every 1/2 inch.

Bake until golden, rotating pan once, about 15 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, toss onion with 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt. Cover and cook over medium heat until onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir. Continue cooking with cover on for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Set aside.

In a large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, heat remaining oil. Add mushrooms; cover and cook until tender and all liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Fold in spinach; season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes more. Drain any liquid.

Top dough with mushroom-spinach mixture. Scatter onion and goat cheese on top. Bake until cheese is lightly browned, about 15 minutes.

There were no left-overs for our family.

I had to cut myself an edge piece because I love the puff-pastry crust.

Rainbow Fruit Skewers

I thought this would be a cute idea to display fruit at A.'s rainbow party.

Basically, you just have to gather your fruit and skew together.

Easy peesy and oh so delicious!

Dessert to Die for

I don't usually get dessert because I am generally full from dinner, but when the server described the night's special, I simply couldn't resist.

I am elated to say that it was the yummiest thing ever.

The cake was light and fluffy and the fruit was absolutely sweet and delicious. It was the perfect dessert.

Snow Cones for the Summer

I bought this snow cone machine for only $6.25 at Target's 75% summer sale. If you haven't noticed, Target is one of my favorite stores. It's hard for me to walk out of the store without buying anything.

The cups and syrup were all 74 cents each. Can you believe that? We have been having snow cones all summer long. It's perfect after a swim.

All I have to do is add some ice cubes.

Hold a cup in place.

Push a button for shaved ice.

Add some syrup (here is root beer) and

Voila! A great summer treat!