.bread bowls.

..okay, so i am really sorry i have been neglecting my posting! i really have been cooking every tuesday night, it's just that i have been too busy to find the time to post..so get ready for a bunch of posts! anyways, getting back on track, a few tuesdays ago i wanted to try making bread bowls! and surprisingly they actually turned out really well! i made one of my favorite soups to go in it, Gypsy Soup!

the soup in the bread bowl.

Recipes:

Bread Bowls

Ingredients:

2 (.25 ounces) packages active dry yeast

2-1/2c. warm water

2tsp. salt

2Tbsp. vegetable oil

7c. all-purpose flour

1Tbsp. cornmeal

1 egg white

1Tbsp. water

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

2 Add salt, oil, and 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture; beat well. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well with an electric mixer at medium speed after each addition.

3. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.

4. Punch dough down, and divide into 8 equal portions. Shape each portion into a 4 inch round loaf. Place loaves on lightly greased baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 35 minutes.

5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, beat together egg white and 1 tablespoon water; lightly brush the loaves with half of this egg wash.

6. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Brush with reaming egg mixture, and bake 10 to 15 minutes more or until golden. Cool on wire racks.

7. To make bowls: Cut a 1/2 inch thick slice from the top of each loaf; scoop out centers leaving 3/4-inch-thick shells. Fill bread bowls with hot soup and serve immediately.

Gypsy Soup

Ingredients:

4Tbsp. olive oil

2c. chopped onion

1/2c. chopped celery

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2c. peeled, diced sweet potatoes

2tsp. paprika

1tsp. basil

1tsp.salt

Pinch of cinnamon

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 bay leaf

3c. chicken broth

1T. soy sauce

1tsp. turmeric

1-1/2c. chickpeas

1c. chopped tomato

1/2c. chopped green pepper

Directions:

    Heat olive oil. Saute onion, garlic, celery, and sweet potatoes for 5 minutes. Season with paprika, turmeric, basil, salt, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and bay leaf. Blend, and then add broth and soy sauce. Simmer 15 minutes. Add tomatoes, chickpeas and green peppers to soup. Simmer 10 minutes more. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. 

Cooking for a Jockey

... at the beginning of december my brother Jesse came home for the holidays! this year he moved out to kentucky to go to jockey school. one of the important things that it takes to be a jockey is being the perfect weight. a jockey his age should weigh 115 with the saddle. so he has to be constantly keeping track of how many calories he consumes. he tries to only eat 1,300 calories a day. so when tuesday night came around i tried to make something that was nutritious and did not have a lot of calories. i made Baja Stir-Fry with rice, apples, and a fresh garden salad.

this is his plate. there are 388 calories on it.

this a picture of his calorie counter on his phone. this is how he keeps track of how many calories he has taken in.

Jesse riding his horse Ellie, jockey style

Jesse riding on the race track in Kentucky

...Jesse has his own blog about his experience of trying to become a jockey. he posts about once a week. it's pretty interesting to get an insight into a jockey's lifestyle. this is the site to his blog http://myracetothekentuckyderby.blogspot.com/

Baja Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

1/4 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (1-pound) chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1/2 red onion, cut into wedges
1/2 cup julienne-cut yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup julienne-cut green bell pepper
1/2 cup julienne-cut red bell pepper
1/2 jalapeño pepper, minced
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
Directions: 
1 Combine first 4 ingredients.
2. Sprinkle pork with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; toss. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon canola oil; swirl. Add pork, and cook for 3 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove pork from pan; keep warm.
3. Heat pan over high heat, add remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil, and swirl to coat. Add onion, and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the bell peppers and jalapeño; stir-fry for 1 minute. Return pork to pan, and stir-fry for 1 minute. Stir in broth mixture, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and stir in tomatoes. Sprinkle with cilantro.
Nutrition Information:
Calories 221; Fat 9.8g(sat 1.3g. mono 5.3g, poly 2.5g); Protein 25g; Carb 7.4; Fiber 1.9g; Chol 74,g; Iron 1.6mg; Sodium 536mg; Calc 22mg 



 

a chicken pot pie.

... i was craving a chicken pot pie last tuesday night, so i went to my go to place to find a recipe, all recipes. it is seriously one of my favorite sites to get recipes from. i picked one of the more popular ones that they had and it turned out to be as good as the reviews. Instead of using store-bought pie crust i made my own from scratch. I also made the baked apples that i made earlier with my crispy pork to go with it.

before i baked it.

all done.

and the apples.

THE recipe:

Chicken Potpie

Ingredients:

1c. diced, peeled potatoes

3/4c. and 2Tbsp. sliced carrots

1/3c. chopped onion

1/2c. butter or margarine

1/2c. all-purpose flour

1tsp. salt

1/2tsp. thyme

1/4tsp. pepper

1-1/2c.  chicken broth

3/4c. milk

2c. cubed cooked chicken

1/2c. frozen peas

1/2c. frozen corn

9" double crust pie.

Directions:

1.Place potatoes and carrots in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and set aside. In a large skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. Stir in the flour, salt, thyme and pepper until blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the chicken, peas, corn, potatoes and carrots; remove from the heat. 

2.Line a 9-in. pie plates with bottom pastry; trim even with edge of plate. Fill pastry shell with chicken mixture. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pie. Cut slits or decorative cutouts in pastry. Place over filling; trim, seal and flute edges.

3.Bake  potpie at 425 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting. 

 

pretzel bread and soup!

...last tuesday night it was freezing outside and i thought it would be the perfect night for soup! and it was a great chance to try out this new recipe i found for spinach tortellini soup. i also made some pretzel bread to go with it which is delicious! and it actually tasted like a real pretzel.

Pretzel Rolls
the dough:
7-1/2c. all-purpose flour
1tsp. salt
3 Tbsp.  canola oil
2 tsp. active dry yeast
1-1/2c. milk, slightly warmed
1c. water, slightly warmed
Coarse sea salt for sprinkling
the bath:
7c. water
1 Tbsp. salt
4Tbsp. baking soda

In a small container, mix yeast with warmed milk and let rest for 10 minutes.

Whisk flour and teaspoon of salt in a large bowl.

Add canola oil and warmed water to yeast mixture.

Pour mixture into bowl with flour.

Knead in the bowl until dough is very smooth.

Cover the bowl with a dish towel and let rise for one hour.

Punch down dough and knead in bowl for one minute.

Cut dough into 15 pieces.

Form balls by pulling the dough under.

Place on well-greased surface. Let the dough balls rise for 15 minutes.

While the dough balls are rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and get the pretzel bath ready.

In a large pot, bring water, salt, and baking soda to a rolling boil.

Plunge three dough balls into the water and let them "poach" for 1 minute on each side.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer them to a well-greased baking sheet.

 With a serrated knife, cute 2-3 lines across each roll and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until pretzels are a rich brown*

*these are best eaten the same day they are made.

and of course the soup!

Spinach Tortellini Soup

Ingredients:

3 small red potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 medium carrots, sliced

1 celery rib, chopped

2 Tbsp. plus 1-1/2tsp. chicken bouillon granules

2 qt. water

3 c. cubed and cooked chicken

1 pkg. (10 oz.) spinach, chopped

1tsp. dried parsley flakes

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp.salt

2 pkg. (9oz. each) refrigerated tortellini

1 small onion

Directions: 

1. In a dutch oven combine the potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, bouillon, and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat: cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

2. Stir in the chicken, spinach, parsley, garlic powder, oregano, pepper, and salt: return to a boil. Add tortellini; cook uncovered, for 7-9 minutes or until tortellini is tender.

Mexican:)

... mexican food is one of my favorite types of food right alongside italian. last tuesday night i made enchiladas with spanish rice. and mexican cupcakes! the enchiladas were very easy and a lot of fun to make. for the spanish rice recipe i used my grammy's recipe, which i have never tried making myself; but it was very delicious and i think i will most definitely be making it again soon! and the cupcakes were amazing, too.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes
With: Cinnamon Butter Cream Frosting

Ingredients above, plus 1 c. of boiling water, hence the tea kettle.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 standard cupcake pans with liners, or coat with non-stick cooking spray. 

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to mix together the sugar, eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla, until blended.

2. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

 Gradually add to the sugar mixture, until the mixture begins to come together.

Very slowly add the boiling water, and blend until the mixture is smooth.

Ladle or scoop the batter into the cupcake tins, filling 3/4 full.

Bake the cupcakes for 15-18 min. until a toothpick inserted into the center of each one comes out clean.

Cool the cupcakes in their pans on wire racks until cooled.
And for the frosting!

the ingredients: 

In a bowl with an electric mixer, stir the sugar, to aerate it.

Add the butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon milk, and beat on high speed until the frosting is spreading consistency. If the frosting is stiff, add a few more drops of milk, beating after each addition. Frost the cooled cupcakes.

and voila!

Now for the enchiladas

and the spanish rice!

the recipes:

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast  
2 cups (8 ounces) pre-shredded reduced-fat 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese  
1 2/3 cups plain low-fat yogurt  
1/3 cup butter, melted  
1/4 cup chopped onion  
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper  
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed reduced-fat, reduced-sodium cream of chicken soup (such as Healthy Request), undiluted
1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
8 (8-inch) flour tortillas  
1 tablespoon canola oil  
Cooking spray  
1/2 cup (2 ounces) finely shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese  
1/4 cup chopped green onions 
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Combine first 9 ingredients in a large bowl. Remove 1 cup chicken mixture; set mixture aside.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working with 1 tortilla at a time, brush oil over both sides of tortilla. Add tortilla to pan; cook 5 seconds on each side or until toasted and soft. Remove from pan; arrange 1/2 cup chicken mixture down center of tortilla. Roll jelly-roll style; place filled tortilla, seam side down, in a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with remaining 7 tortillas, remaining oil, and remaining chicken mixture. Spread reserved 1 cup chicken mixture evenly over enchiladas. Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle evenly with cheddar cheese and green onions; bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese melts. 
 Spanish Rice
Ingredients: 
1-1/2c. raw long grain rice
1/2c. olive oil
1-1/2c. tomato juice
1-1/2c. water
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1-1/2tsp/ salt
Directions: 
Saute raw rice in oil until golden brown. place in crock pot with all remaining ingredients. Stir well. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours. (High 2-3 hours)