Overnight Yeast Waffles

I am not sure what came over me when I decided to make this recipe. I am usually pretty intimidated by yeast and living at a higher elevation yeast and baking can sometimes not work out as I had planned.  Needless to say, I am so happy I made these.  They have an amazing yeasty sour smell and the taste is incredible.  Not sure I will ever go back to the old version.  There is only two of us who eat waffles in the house so we froze the majority of ours and they still have that amazing yeast texture and smell when you heat them up in the toaster.

Overnight Yeasted Waffles
MAKES
about 8 Belgian-style waffle squares or 16 standard waffle squares; recipe can be doubled (see Recipe Notes)

INGREDIENTS
Night Before:
1/2 cup warm water
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup melted butter
2 cups whole or 2% milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar (optional)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cardamom (optional)

The Next Day:
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

INSTRUCTIONS
Combine the yeast and the water in a large mixing bowl and stir to make sure yeast dissolves into the water. Let stand for a few minute.  Melt the butter in the microwave 30-45 seconds. Combine the butter with the milk, salt, cardamom, and sugar (if using). Test with your finger to make sure the mixture has cooled to lukewarm temperature. Once cooled, stir butter mixture into the dissolved yeast mixture. Add the flour and stir until a thick, shaggy dough is formed and there is no more visible flour.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit on the counter overnight. The batter will double or triple in bulk as it rises.

The next morning, beat the eggs together and add them to the batter along with the baking soda. Using a whisk or hand blender, beat the eggs and baking soda into the batter until completely combined.

Make the waffles according to your waffle maker's instructions, cooking until the waffles are golden brown. Cooking time will vary with your waffle maker, but it is typically 4 to 6 minutes.
Waffles are best if served immediately, but re-heat well in the toaster. Leftovers can be kept refrigerated for up to a week. Leftover waffles can also be frozen for up to 3 months and toasted straight out of the freezer.


Adapted from The Kitchn

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I was craving something with tons of flavor but easy and quick.  I hoovered this food.  It had a spicy kick.  If you do not like spice then just omit the Sriracha and it will still be AMAZING!  We served these up with some potstickers from CostCo. This will become a staple in our house.  It was fresh, zesty, didn't leave you feeling overly full or bloated.  

If you were looking to have something more substantial you could serve this over rice but it would be lacking a sauce. 

You know its a good one when I forget to take a picture.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Adapted from The Cozy Cook

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound ground chicken or turkey

3 cloves garlic minced

1 white onion finely diced

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

½ teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon sugar or honey

1 teaspoon Sriracha

8 oz. whole water chestnuts drained and diced

2 green onions thinly sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

1 head butter lettuce

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, crumbling as you do so. (About 5 minutes.)

Add onions and cook until translucent.  Add remaining ingredients up to the water chestnuts and cook until combined.

Stir in the chestnuts and onions, salt and pepper and heat for an additional minute. Take off heat or if its a bit liquidy cook on medium heat until the sauce cooks down/evaporates.  This will concentrate the flavor and will make a less messy lettuce cup.

Separate the lettuce leaves and rinse. Pat dry.

Spoon 3-4 Tablespoons into the center of each lettuce leaf and enjoy!

Crispy Skillet Hashbrowns

I love potlucks for the sole reason that I usually walk away with a recipe that I love and use at future gatherings. If you are not sure about the power of this recipe then trust that an entire staff of 20 people were drooling over this dish.  One testimonial is, "If I were on death roe, this would be my last meal."  I can't argue with that statement.  I will say that this recipe is NOT for the health conscious.  Although most of my recipes are for my inner fat kid and are laced with butter!  I used Onions and fresh garlic in my first attempt!  Not to mention this was my maiden voyage of my cast iron skillet!   Now go buy your booty a few potatoes and make this dish.

Recipe from Maryellen Parker
Ingredients

3 Russet potatoes, scrubbed and rinsed but not peeled
Pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lots of bacon fat or real butter (if serving vegetarians)
Optional: Onions, Peppers, Fresh Garlic, etc.



Scrub and rinse your potatoes. There’s no need to get rid of the skins if you don’t want to. (Cheat: can substitute Frozen Ore Ida shredded potatoes, if doing this, do NOT thaw, place frozen potatoes directly on the hot skillet, take about the same time to cook as raw potatoes. Raw potatoes keep their crunchy texture better and less likely to get mushy, but when in a pinch, Ore Ida comes to the rescue!).

Shred your potatoes. (hand grater or food processor, not too thin)

 Immediately put the potatoes into a bowl of cold water. Soaking the potatoes in the water removes some of the starch (keeps the potatoes from turning an unappetizing color and sticking to the skillet).

Once the potatoes have soaked for a few minutes, squeeze them out and put them on a clean dish towel. Getting rid of the liquid is key to getting a crispy potato. Wrap them up in a clean dry dish towel and squeeze out any excess water or put them in a cheese cloth, wrap it in a ball, and start twisting the water out.

Now preheat a large cast iron skillet over high heat. You want to make sure the pan is very hot. Add a good (way more than you probably think) amount of real butter (or bacon fat, which I prefer, if not feeding vegetarians). Add the shredded potatoes, turn the heat down to medium-high, and spread them out in an even layer. It’s important to choose a large enough pan so that the potatoes can cook in a thin layer. I only used 2-3 potatoes for a 12-inch skillet. (Can also add onions, peppers, whatever else here if you’d like).

Now you wait. It will be tempting to turn the hash browns as soon as you see some color on the bottom. Resist the urge! When you think the hash browns MUST be ready to flip, wait a bit longer.

When you’re absolutely sure that the potatoes are crispy enough on the bottom, it’s time to turn! Take a butter knife and cut it in half or quarters. Make sure you cut all the way through. Loosen the hash brown all around the edge. Use a metal spatula to carefully get all the way under, beginning at a cut surface, and flip. This is one way to check the done-ness. If it looks good, flip the rest. Add more butter (real butter) along the sides and seams. The second side will take about half as long to cook.

 Season the potatoes generously with salt and freshly ground pepper.

The second side will cook faster than the first, so keep an eye on it! You can also put the whole skillet in the oven and broil at the end to get them extra crispy. I usually do this.


Ps. if using bacon fat, start the bacon in the cold cast iron skillet, laying the strips in the skillet before you turn on a low to medium-low flame. Soon the bacon will begin to release some of its fat. When it starts to buckle and curl, use the tongs to loosen the strips and turn each slice to cook on the other side. Keep flipping and turning the bacon so that it browns evenly and cook to desired crispness. Lay the cooked pieces on a paper towel, brown paper bag to dry. And voila, you have some tasty hot bacon fat in your skillet ready to cook some taters! Depending upon how much bacon you could, you can pour out some of the fat before putting taters in the skillet. You don’t need them swimming, but close to it.

Candied Bacon

Have you ever tried food and wish that you had tried it years earlier. I had that moment this last week.

I love bacon...apparently I really love bacon when it has been smothered with brown sugar. It changes EVERYTHING!!!

Candied Bacon

Ingredients 

Bacon

1/2 cup brown sugar 

1/2 tsp. Black pepper

1/8 tsp. Red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Lay bacon out on a silpat or on  parchment paper.

3. Mix remaining ingredients and spread it over the bacon. 

4. Cook bacon for 30-40 minutes until crispy. 

Seriously....make this! NOW!!!

Tomato Tortellini Soup

http://www.galonamission.com/one-pot-creamy-tomato-tortellini-soup/

We had a few chilly weeks here and I needed something to warm myself up with.  So I ended up deciding to make this delicious soup. It was rich and creamy.  The tortellini added a great depth of flavor.   It was so filling.  Next time I make this I will take the pasta and cook it separately because the left overs were more like a sauce and not a soup.  I would make this again!!!

Ingredients
1 medium onion diced or 1 cup
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 spring of fresh rosemary chopped or ½ teaspoon dried
24 ounce can diced tomatoes
15 ounce can tomato sauce
½ teaspoon dried oregano
4 large fresh basil leaves or ½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
4 cups chicken stock
½ cup heavy cream
20 ounces three-cheese tortellini
½ cup shredded parmesan cheese + extra for garnish
salt and pepper, to taste (optional)
fresh basil, to garnish
shredded parmesan cheese, to garnish

Instructions

1.Place the onion, garlic, and olive oil, and fresh rosemary in a 6-quart soup pot or dutch oven. Sautee over medium heat for 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
2.Add in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, chicken stock, and heavy cream and stir to combine. Simmer for 20 minutes.
3.Place the three-cheese tortellini into the soup and cook for 12-15 minutes or until the tortellini are tender and cooked through.
4.Serve and garnish with fresh basil and shredded parmesan cheese.

Cherry Clafoutis

One of my favorite parts of summer is it being cherry season.  I was looking for a way to have my cake and eat it too.  What better than to make a pie that has a custard pudding filling and put my favorite fruit in it.

This was refreshing and light to eat.  I wouldn't change a thing about this recipe.  I would make this again!  I am so excited to have had this recipe.

http://www.homecookingadventure.com/recipes/cherry-clafoutis

Makes about 6-8 servings
20 oz fresh sweet cherries, stemmed and pitted
2 tbsp butter, melted
4 eggs
1 cup milk
3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp  salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract (or 3 drops of almond essence)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
For Dusting
 powdered sugar

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a round 10 inch (26cm)  baking dish with butter. Dust with about 2 tbsp of sugar.
2. Arrange the cherries in a single layer; set aside until you prepare the batter.
3. Mix eggs with remaining sugar and salt. Stir in flour. Add milk, vanilla extract, almond extract and mix well until well blended. Add melted butter and stir to combine. The result is similar to crepes mixture.
4. Pour the mixture over the cherries.
5. Bake for about 40-45 minutes until puffed and golden brown. Cool on a rack for few minutes while it deflates. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving. Serve warm or chilled.

Key Lime Pie

So decided to go the store to go buy the makings for Greek Lemon Chicken Soup.  I was walking through the produce and saw a bag of key limes.  I know right then and there that I wanted to make this pie.  I again forgot to take pictures of this because I shoved this in my face.  The graham cracker crust was mind blowing.  I used cinnamon graham crackers and it changes things for the better.  I didn't uses key limes and grabbed key lime juice from the drink isle.  This is a great summer dish and you only use the oven for a total of 20 minutes.

http://www.momontimeout.com/2015/03/best-key-lime-pie-recipe/

Ingredients

Graham cracker crust

• 1½ cups ground graham crackers
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 6 tbsp butter, melted

Key Lime Filling

• 2 14 oz cans sweetened condensed milk
• ½ cup light sour cream
• ¾ cup lime juice OR key lime juice
• zest from 2 regular limes or 4 key limes

Whipped Cream Topping

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Graham cracker crust

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a small bowl. Press the crumb mixture into an 8" - 9.5" pie pan. Bake for 7 minutes. Cool for at least 30 minutes.

Key Lime Filling

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Whisk together sweetened condensed milk, sour cream, lime juice, and lime zest in a medium bowl. Pour into prepared graham cracker crust and bake for 10 minutes.
3. Let pie cool slightly before chilling. Chill for at least 3 hours.

Whipped Cream Topping

1. Beat heavy cream and sugar together in a mixer until stiff peaks form. Beat in vanilla. Spread or pipe the whipped cream on top of the cooled pie. Top with additional lime zest if desired.

Notes