Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Chocolate Covered Pretzels have always been a Christmas tradition in my husband's family. This was something he made with his mother every Christmas when he was growing up. When we were first married, Liz would send us chocolate covered pretzels with our Christmas presents. She died in 2005 and I never thought to ask her for her recipe. This is the first year since she died that Roger showed interest in making chocolate covered pretzels with our girls. So I started looking for a recipe.

You'll need:

about 12 oz of chocolate
1Tbsp shortening
pretzels
Parchment Paper

You can use chocolate chips or baking chocolate. Either works just fine. Liz always used the small pretzel twists, but we didn't buy the ingredients until Christmas Eve so they only had pretzel sticks left. We used white chocolate because they are Roger's favorite, but brown chocolate is just a good, in my opinion.

Roll out the parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Put the chocolate chips and shortening in a microwaveable bowl. Heat the chips/shortening in the microwaves until chocolate is mostly melted. Stir every 20-30 seconds. If you overheat the chocolate, it becomes thick and unworkable so watch your chocolate carefully. Take it out of the microwave while there are still unmelted chips. Stir until these chips melt.

If dipping pretzel rods, hold a rod by one end and dip it in the chocolate, leaving an inch or two uncovered. If you are dipping pretzel twists, drop the whole pretzel in the chocolate and submerge it slightly. Use a fork to pull the pretzel out of the chocolate. Shake the chocolate-dipped pretzels several times to remove excess chocolate. Place it on the parchment paper. If you are using sprinkles, sprinkle them on while the chocolate is still wet.

Put the cookie sheets of pretzels in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set the chocolate. Store in a plastic bag or plastic tub on the counter for easy snacking.

This is a really fun recipe to make with kids. I try to remember that I'm making memories as well as pretzels. (This is hard for me sometimes.) It's not too important if the pretzels aren't as pretty as what you buy at the store. As long as the kids are having fun (and sneaking licks of chocolate here and there.)

The Lost Art of Popping Corn

I learned how to pop popcorn on the stovetop as much out of necessity as for fun. Our microwave is acting wonky. It's one of those built in models. We told the property manager that it wasn't working properly, but I've learned this property management agency is slow to fix things. Bummer for us. Whenever we pop popcorn it pops maybe half the bag half of the time. The other half of the time nothing pops. So today, I learned how to pop popcorn using only a 5-quart pan and a lid. It's so easy that I can't believe I've never done it before. Plus, my lids are glass so I have the fun of watching the corn pop. I'm easily amused, I know.

You'll need

2 Tbsp oil, olive oil works just fine
1/4c of popcorn kernels
salt

Turn the burner on to a med-high heat. Add the oil to the pan with one or two kernels of popping corn. Hold the pan on the heat with the lid in place, shaking the pan back and forth a few times a minute. When these tester kernels pop, your oil is hot enough. Add the remainder of the popcorn kernels to the pan and replace the lid. Continue to shake the pan back and forth a few times a minute until the corn finishes popping. Pour into a bowl and add salt. The whole process takes less than five minutes.

How to Proof Yeast

If you are a seasoned baker, you know that yeast is a "living" ingredient. As it digests sugar, it releasing alcohol and carbon dioxide that causes your bread to rise. If your yeast is dead, your bread will not rise. "Proofing" the yeast is how you determine whether your yeast is alive or dead.

To proof yeast, combine 1/2 cup of hot water (about 100 degrees), and 1 Tablespoon of sugar. Stir your sugar and water until the sugar is completely disolved. Add a package of yeast. After five or ten mintues, the yeast should begin to form a creamy foam on the surface of the water. If the yeast is dead, there will be no foam in the bowl and you should start over with a new packet of yeast.

California Sushi Rolls

I had a sushi craving last night...so after our appointment at Edward Jones, we stopped by Safeway and bought some terrible, stale sushi. It was awful, but it was also motivation to pull out the old recipes and make some sushi at home.

I'll be honest, making sushi rolls isn't a piece of cake. It takes time...and practice...but even when they look a little lopsided, they taste pretty wonderful. I'll try to keep this entry pretty simple (and I took lots of pictures).

You have a lot of options when it comes to what goes in your sushi. Here is a short list, but my recommendation is to pick only three otherwise your sushi becomes difficult to roll.

avacado
cucumber, seeded
red or yellow pepper
carrot
imitation crab

Before you get started assembling the sushi, slice the vegetables and crab into long slices.

You'll also need:

a bamboo rolling mat(called a makisu)
sushi rice (see earlier blog entry)
seaweed wraps (also called nori)
roasted sesame seeds
pickled ginger* (also called Gari)
wasbabi sauce*
soy sauce*

*these ingredients are optional



When making sushi, it is a good idea to wrap the bamboo rolling mat in plastic wrap. This makes clean up so much easier because you won't have to pick the rice out from between the pieces of bamboo.




Cut the Nori in half and spread the rice on one side of the Nori.




Flip your Nori over (rice side down) and lay your vegetables down the center of your Nori. I used red pepper, avacado, and cucumber.




Roll your sushi. See that little bit? I am going to add a little rice to cover up the seam.




Roll your sushi again. Now sprinkle with sesame seeds.




Transfer the sushi roll to a cutting board and cover with a piece of plastic wrap.




Cut the sushi roll carefully with a sharp knife. Cut the roll in half first, then quarter, then eights. This helps the sushi maintain it's shape.




Transfer to a plate and serve with Gari, Wasabi and Soy Sauce. Here's what the they look like. I found these ingredients in the Asian aisle at our commissary.

Sushi Rice

The first time I introduced my husband and children to Sushi we were in Paris, France. There was a sushi shop next to our hotel so I picked some up and brought it back to the hotel for dinner. Kaitlyn LOVED it. She gobbled it right up. Roger liked it more after he'd had a piece or two. Maura was a little suspicious at first, but I think she's coming around. I love eating Sushi, but I have to admit it's pretty expensive to buy...so I scoured the internet and various cookbooks for a good Sushi recipe...this is what I found.

First you have to start with a good sushi rice....meaning short grain or medium grain. Some packages of rice are marketed as "Sushi" rice, but really any short or medium grain rice will do. You want to rinse the rice until the water runs totally clear (about five or six times). Cook the rice in a rice cooker. The general rule of thumb is a cup of water in the rice cooker for every cup of rice. If you put a little too much in, no worries, the extra water will boil off.

Next you make your Sushi "Su" to mix with the rice. You'll mix 1 part of Su for every 4 parts of cooked rice. The recipe below is enough for about 3 1/2 cups of rice.

1/2 cup rice vinegar*
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 cup mirin

*I think this recipe is a tad too sweet so I splash a bit more vinegar into the su.

1. Heat vinegar, sugar, and sake or mirin in a saucepan just to dissolve and combine. Allow to cool to room temperature.
2. Cook rice according to rice cooker directions. Transfer to large mixing bowl.
3. Pour su (vinegar mixture) over the rice, gently folding to incorporate.
4. Let rice stand for 10 minutes, then fold again.

Found These on My Camera

I found these when I was downloading pictures from my camera. Kaitlyn (age 3) has covertly been borrowing the camera and taking pictures of her meals...just like mommy.

Newest Gadget for the Kitchen

I found the coolest gadget at Bass Pro Shop a few weeks back. It's a muffin pan that makes Edible Bowls. You can use it to make shortbread bowls for Strawberry Shortcake, bread bowls for soups...even an ice bowl for Shrimp Cocktail. How cool is this? So I'm using it today to make my mother's corn bread for chili....

Middle of a Move

I won't be able to post anything for awhile. My kitchen in packed up and we are in the middle of a move. I probably won't be able to cook anything other than top ramen (gag) until the end of September when our household goods arrive.

Garlic Press

I bought my first garlic press a few years ago. It was a cheap thing that only cost a few bucks. I had no idea what I was doing. I tried to press a clove of garlic with it and the darn press wouldn't work. It turns out that I got what I paid for: a cheap piece of trash. I tossed it away and used minced garlic in a jar for a few more years. Secretly, I wondered what was wrong with me that I couldn't figure out how to press garlic. A few months ago, not to be defeated by a kitchen utensil, I decided to try again. Only this time I spent a little more (twelve bucks). I love my garlic press! I just peel the garlic and press it through. No mincing, no guessing how many teaspoons of garlic from the jar equals a clove of garlic, but more importantly, no bite of pasta that contains a bit of garlic that wasn't quite minced small enough. (Willard, it's safe to eat at my house again!)

There is a bit of a difference in the taste of pressed garlic and minced garlic. Pressed garlic is a little stronger. When you press the garlic you break up more of the garlic cells so there is a burst of flavor. Minced garlic is a little more subtle. If you don't really care for the taste of garlic the garlic press is probably not for you. But if you are looking for a more even flavor of garlic throughout your recipe, the garlic press is the way to go.

Green Eggs and Ham

In honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday (born March 2, 1904), it has become a tradition at our house to have Green Eggs and Ham for dinner.

Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks and add three or four drops of green food coloring. Whisk the egg whites and add them to the hot frying pan. I spray the pan with Pam first so the eggs don't stick. Cook for about 20 seconds. Add the yolks to the pan and cover with the egg whites (now green). Cook until the yolks are firm. In a second pan, fry up some thick slices of ham. I usually just buy four thick slices of ham from the deli counter since we don't usually eat ham. Serve with toast.



Variations:
Green scrambled eggs
Crack the shell of a hard-boiled egg (do not remove shell). Place the egg in water with green food coloring for about ten minutes. When you remove the shell, you will have a green marbled egg.