"Cooking"

Makin' some cookies

Pretzel Time

I have always loved looking at cookbooks since I was a little girl. This probably explains the weight problem I have had most of my life (or it could be the fact that I eat too much and exercise too little...) Anyway, this Betty Crocker cookbook I vividly remember growing up. My mom has let me have the cookbook and yesterday we made the pretzel recipe. These probably really aren't "pretzels" as they are more like rolls shaped like pretzels, but they were fun to make and pretty good to eat as well. Jackson and Mia liked rolling out the dough, brushing it with egg wash, and sprinkling them with salt. Mia has already requested to make these again and I think I will do some experimenting with the dough in the future. We made two batches and the second batch I added 1 tsp ground mustard, 1 tsp garlic powder, and sprinkled them with salt and parmesan cheese for more flavor. Here is the recipe as it's written from the 1984 Betty Crocker cookbook.

Cheesy Pretzels

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2/3 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used a jack cheese blend)

2 tbsp softened butter

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 egg

Coarse salt

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease cookie sheet. Mix above ingredients minus the egg in a bowl with a fork until dough is mixed. Shape dough into a ball and knead 10 times on floured surface. Divide dough in half. Roll one half of the dough into a rectangle, 12 inches long and 8 inches wide. Cut dough lengthwise into 8 one-inch strips. Fold each strip in half and pinch the edges to seal. Twist each strip into a pretzel shape and place on cookie sheet. Beat egg in dish and brush pretzels gently with the egg wash. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake in oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Repeat with other half of dough. Makes 16 pretzels.

Salsa

We have a plethora of tomatoes coming from our garden right now. Any one need any?? Seriously?? Matt has made salsa the last two weekends trying to use the tomatoes. I don't know the ratios or quantities of anything he puts in it, but it is delicious! He has shared with me that he puts in tomatoes (obviously), onion, cilantro, jalepeno peppers, vinegar, salt, lime juice, and cumin. It has a little more kick this round, but even the kids are enjoying it. Now I'm off to find more tomato recipes...

Southwest Chicken Soup

Now that we have some veggies in our garden, I have been trying to make things for dinner that include these fresh treats. One of our favorites right now is this delicious Southwest Chicken Soup. I got the recipe from a Quick Cooking magazine, but I added a few ingredients to jazz it up a little. Here is the recipe:

1 1/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into strips or chunks

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 cans (14.5 oz) chicken broth

1 package (16 oz) frozen corn

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatos, undrained

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies

1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt (like Lawrys)

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (optional) or a few dashes of hot sauce

1-2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

Saute chicken in oil until lightly browned (I season my chicken while browning with either Emeril's essence or poultry seasoning). Transfer chicken to slow cooker. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours.

This makes a colorful, flavorful soup. Serves 10 at 1 cup per serving. (if on Weight Watchers--only 3 points per cup!) Enjoy!