Paula Dean’s Yummy Pretzels

Ingredients:

• 1 cup warm water (about 98 degrees F)
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 4 cups water
• 5 teaspoons baking soda
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• Kosher salt

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, combine warm water and yeast. When the yeast dissolves, add half of the flour, the butter, salt, and sugar and mix for about 3 minutes. Stir in the remaining flour. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is no longer sticky. Let the dough rise in a greased, covered bowl until it doubles in size, about 45 to 50 minutes. Punch down the dough and divide into 12 pieces. Roll each piece of dough into 18-inch long ropes. On a greased cookie sheet, shape each rope into a pretzel shape. Let rise again until almost doubled, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

In a large non-aluminum Dutch oven over high heat, bring 4 cups of water and baking soda to a boil. Using a large spoon, gently lower pretzels into water a few at a time and boil for about 1 minute, or until they float. Return the pretzels to the cookie sheet and brush with melted butter then sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake until browned, about 12 minutes. 

Paula's recipe

Kate original gave me this recipe, but I tweaked it a little to reflect Paula Dean's original recipe.  I've only baked pretzels one other time and this one takes the prize!  We loved them!  I rolled the dough out to about 12-inch long ropes and you can see the pretzels turned out puffy--for a more spread out pretzel, roll to 18-inch long ropes.  I baked them exactly 12 minutes, may I suggest checking them at 9 or 10 minutes.  These are so good!


I made a little cheese sauce by partially melting neufchatel cheese, cheddar cheese, and a little milk for 15 second bursts in the microwave, stirring in between.  Yummy.  I'll definitely be making these again.

Super great Apple Crisp

Filling:
Apples and blueberries (I used 7 apples, red and green, and about 2 cups frozen blueberries)
¼ t. salt
½ cup sugar
1 t. lemon juice
2 T flour

Topping:
2 ¼ cups flour
2 sticks butter
½ t. cinnamon
¾ brown sugar
¼ t. nutmeg
1/3 cup sugar
¼ t. salt
½ cup oats

~Enough for a 9x18 pan. Half the recipe for a pie pan. Mix topping and place on top of the filling. Place in 375 degree oven for 50 minutes.

Blueberries are a great idea in apple crisp!  We loved this, though I have to be honest that I didn't really measure any of the ingredients and added the topping to some crumb mixture I had used earlier in the week.  I baked it in a 9x11 pan--it was plenty of topping.  Thanks, Kate!

Sweet Cinnamon Biscuits

I had made these all wrong.  Here is a link to do it the right way from Grandma's Kitchen:

2 cups flour
1 T baking powder
1 t. salt
¾ cup sugar
¼ t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon
8 T butter
¾ cup buttermilk
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk, optional

Combine all dry ingredients, then oil and buttermilk. Knead dough on floured surface. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll dough out and prepare just like cinnamon rolls. Bake 15 to 20 minutes. Pour milk over top if your heart so desires.

*"Mmmmm...," Jacob likes these.  Much easier than regular sweet rolls, though not a replacement.  I mixed the dry ingredients, cut in the cold butter, then added the wet ingredients (in place of buttermilk, I used 3/4 cup regular milk with 3/4 T of white vinegar mixed in, let set for 5 min).  The dough was very wet and I probably mixed in another 1 cup plus of flour while kneading.  I did roll the dough out (as if making cinnamon rolls), spread some melted margarine on it and sprinkled brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisins on top (though less than I normally do with regular cinnamon rolls).  The biscuits were moist and flakey and very good with cold milk.

Garla’s Fluffy Toast (twist on French toast)

1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1 ½ t. baking powder
2 eggs
½ t. salt

Mix and make like French toast. Add cinnamon to liking.

*We added about 2 t cinnamon.  Jacob loved these and I thought they weren't bad.  I good substitution for French Toast if you are running low on eggs.  Blending all the flour in takes a fine touch.  This recipe made 11 French toast, so if you are like my family, you will probably need to double it.  We made it with Cinnamon Suryp.

Orange Julius

6 oz. orange juice concentrate

1 cup milk
1 cup water
2 T vanilla
¼ cup sugar
Dozen ice cubes or more to liking

Garla’s Corn Bread

Cream:

½ cup butter
1/3 cup sugar

Then add:
1 cup flour
1 egg
2 t. baking powder
1 ¼ cup milk
½ t. salt
Mix in 1 cup cornmeal by hand until blended. Pour into 9x9 pan. Bake at 425 for 20 min.

Them Good Potatoes

6 med-large potatoes boil, let cool and shred
Add:
½ c melted margarine
1 c shredded cheese/more
1 c sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
Green onions
Sprinkle with 1 c crushed corn flakes.
Bake for 30 min at 350.

Funeral Potatoes
By Kate Rupp
1 (24 oz) pkg hashbrowns – frozen
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 8 oz carton sour cream
1 cup or more grated cheese
1 tsp salt
½ onion chopped
2 cups crushed corn flakes for topping

Ice Cream in a bag

2 T Sugar
6 T Salt
1 cup milk
1 Gallon size Ziploc bag
1 t vanilla
1 pint size Ziploc bag
ICE

-fill the gallon size bag with ice about half way and add the salt and seal it


-mix the sugar, milk and vanilla in the small pint sized bag and seal it.

-open up the large bag and put the small bag inside and seal the large bag again.

-Shake the bag and you’ll see your mixture in the small bag turn into ice cream!!! About 5 min.

Kate’s take on Mom’s yummy Christmas potato soup

3 medium red potatoes
3 cups milk
2 cups water
½ t sugar
1 small onion
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 T butter
1 cup cubed cooked ham
3 T flour
ground black pepper

~ Sauté onion in butter until translucent. Add flour and season with pepper and pepper flakes. Cook 3 to 4 minutes. Add cooked potatoes with 1 cup reserved cooking liquid, milk, and sugar to onion mixture. And heat for 30 minutes. Great with homemade biscuits made by Carl!!!

My take:
5 yukon potatoes, cubed and slightly boiled, reserve 2 cups cooking water
1 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
3 T butter
3 T flour
fresh ground pepper
3 cups milk
1/2 t sugar
2 cups cooked ham, cubed
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Saute onion in butter until translucent.  Add flour and season with pepper to make a fragrant rue.  Add potatoes and 2 cups reserved water.  Add milk, sugar, ham, and cheese.  Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.