Thanksgiving 2011

We hosted our very first Thanksgiving dinner this year and had Mark, Becky and my Grandpa Fox over for dinner.  We actually had a lot of fun getting everything ready and making lots of fun new recipes.  It wasn't nearly as stressful as I thought it would be, but we were only cooking for six people and I can't imagine doing a whole house full!  I have gained a new respect for our parents and all they do for the big day.  All in all I think it turned out great, but it will probably be a LONG time before we do it again.

{garlic anyone?}

Bread

I recently ventured into the world of homemade bread.  I grew up eating my moms delicious bread, and decided it was about time that I tried to make it on my own.  My moms recipe is seriously the best, and you can't really mess it up.  The bread turned out great and we had delicious french toast, sandwiches, cinnamon toast and lots of other treats with this delicious bread.  If you are ever in need of a good whole wheat recipe let me know... I'll hook ya up.



Soft Pretzel Recipe

Here is the much requested pretzel recipe that we made a couple weeks back.

1 package active dry yeast (I think about 2 Tablespoons)
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 1/2 cups flour
Baking Soda
Salt

Combine yeast, warm water and sugar together. Let stand 5 minutes. Add flour and beat with dough hook or knead on floured surface (I used a dough hook and it worked great!) for 6-7 minutes or until smooth. let rest 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, fill a saucepan 3/4 full with water. For every cup of water, add 2 teaspoons baking soda to the pan. Bring water and soda to a oil. divide dough into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist it into a pretzel shape. Drop each pretzel in boiling water for about 10 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon. Place pretzels on greased baking sheet and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake at 450 for 8-9 minutes or until golden brown.

We also brushed them with melted butter after they were cooked and sprinkled cinnamon sugar or parmesan cheese on them. Mmmmm mmmm good.

Try it out for the weekend and let me know how it goes!

Twist 'Em Like a Pretzel

We made some homemade pretzels last night. Boy oh boy were they delicious! We made salted, cinnamon -sugar and Parmesan. I am never going to that pretzel shop in the mall again! Mmmmm. They were delish and SUPER easy to make!

In a Jam

I attempted to make my very own apricot jam a while back. I think it turned out really well! I am not a big jam fan, but I have to say when you put your own blood, sweat and tears into it... it always tastes a little better! It was a lot of work, and I am not sure if I will try it again... but it was fun and delicious!