Add the following in a crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours
1 1/2 cups of dry beans (I used 1 cup kidney and 1/2 cup black because that is what I had)
3 cups of water (I also added 1/2 cup pork stock cause I had it-- completely optional)
1/2 onion grated
1/2 green pepper chopped
2 cloves garlic grated
The Flavorings: I searched a lot of recipes and sort of made my own up, feel free to adjust to suite your tastes. After you add these ingredients let them meld together for about another hour and then enjoy.
1/4 cup brown sugar (some recipes used white sugar, molasses, or honey)
1/4 cup ketchup
1/3 cup BBQ sauce
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (some recipes used 2 tbsp, but I cut it to just one to keep it sweeter)
dash of salt
2 tbsp mustard (I used Dijon)
5 pieces of bacon cooked and crumbled (again, just added cause we had it)
Splash of Honey Jack Daniels... yummmm
I'd take a picture, but honestly they just look like baked beans. Getting to play around with the flavorings was the fun part of this recipe :)
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Homemade Bagels
Only 5 ingredients! And pretty easy, just allow enough time for the dough to rise! These are the ingredients for 8 bagels, each bagel turns out to be about the size of the palm of your hand (not huge like the Dunkin Donuts ones).
2 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 1/4 cup warm water
3 1/2 cups flour (I used bread flour, the recipe said high-protein, wheat, or white would work fine)
1 12/ tsp salt
Put 1/2 cup of water in a bowl and add the sugar and yeast. Let this sit for about 5 minutes, it should get frothy, then you know the yeast is activated! Stir to dissolve sugar and then add in the remaining water, flour, and salt). Knead ingredients together for about 5 minutes, you'll want the dough to be moist yet stiff. If it's too sticky add some more flour, too dry add some more water. After kneading let rise for an hour.
1 hour later: Dough should have doubled in size, gently punch down and let it sit for another 10 minutes. After this divide your dough into 8 pieces and roll each into a really tight ball of dough (this took awhile to get a really good ball). Use a finger to make a hole in the center of each ball and stretch out the center a little (not too much, the dough will about double in size during boiling). Let the bagels rest for 10 more minutes. While this is happening bring a big pot of water to a boil.
Using a slotted spoon (of whatever you have) drop each bagel into the water for 1-2 minutes. They should float, the more time in the water the chewier the bagel. I boiled mine for a minute each side. Take them out of the water and put them on a oiled baking sheet.
Now is the time to add toppings! I didn't (because we were planning to eat them with cinnamon raisin peanut butter) but if you wanted to: beat an egg and brush the top of each bagel with egg. Add any toppings you want (poppy seeds, onion, garlic, salt, etc) and that's it. (the egg helps the toppings stick)
Bake the bagels for 20-25 minutes at 425 degrees or until they are browned and crispy on the outside. Enjoy!
2 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 1/4 cup warm water
3 1/2 cups flour (I used bread flour, the recipe said high-protein, wheat, or white would work fine)
1 12/ tsp salt
Put 1/2 cup of water in a bowl and add the sugar and yeast. Let this sit for about 5 minutes, it should get frothy, then you know the yeast is activated! Stir to dissolve sugar and then add in the remaining water, flour, and salt). Knead ingredients together for about 5 minutes, you'll want the dough to be moist yet stiff. If it's too sticky add some more flour, too dry add some more water. After kneading let rise for an hour.
1 hour later: Dough should have doubled in size, gently punch down and let it sit for another 10 minutes. After this divide your dough into 8 pieces and roll each into a really tight ball of dough (this took awhile to get a really good ball). Use a finger to make a hole in the center of each ball and stretch out the center a little (not too much, the dough will about double in size during boiling). Let the bagels rest for 10 more minutes. While this is happening bring a big pot of water to a boil.
Using a slotted spoon (of whatever you have) drop each bagel into the water for 1-2 minutes. They should float, the more time in the water the chewier the bagel. I boiled mine for a minute each side. Take them out of the water and put them on a oiled baking sheet.
Now is the time to add toppings! I didn't (because we were planning to eat them with cinnamon raisin peanut butter) but if you wanted to: beat an egg and brush the top of each bagel with egg. Add any toppings you want (poppy seeds, onion, garlic, salt, etc) and that's it. (the egg helps the toppings stick)
Bake the bagels for 20-25 minutes at 425 degrees or until they are browned and crispy on the outside. Enjoy!
Labels:
bread,
breakfast,
scratch,
vegetarian
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Really really really easy homemade pizza
This pizza dough is easy to make, very versatile, and delicious. Don't be scared if you don't know too much about yeast and dough rising, I promise it's not that tough.
1 1/2 teaspoons of yeast
3/4 cup WARM water
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 1/4 cup white flour
1 cup wheat flour
Dissolve the yeast into the warm water (not boiling water, you want to wake the yeast up from it's dried state not kill it!) Add oil and salt to the mixture, next add the flours, and mix together/knead till combined (maybe 5 minutes). Put dough into a safe place so it can rise for 30-40 minutes, I've let mine rise for much longer and that's fine. I usually put it in the microwave to rise just so it's off the counter.
After the dough has risen roll it out with a rolling pin or just use your hands till it's the size/crust thickness that you want. Put the crust on a baking sheet/pizza pan/baking stone/whatever you have on hand that is oven safe and add your toppings. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is crisp. I usually make thin crust so it's done in about 15 minutes. Call me if you have any problems (like eating the leftovers, hehe).
Pizza Topping Combo Ideas:
- red sauce, mozz. cheese, sun dried tomatoes, sauteed onions and peppers, pepperoni, parm. cheese
- red sauce, mozz/Cheddar cheese, ham, onions, pineapple
- barbecue sauce, Cheddar cheese, bacon, red onion, garlic
- ranch dressing, mozz cheese, shredded baked chicken, red onions, diced tomatoes, peppers
1 1/2 teaspoons of yeast
3/4 cup WARM water
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 1/4 cup white flour
1 cup wheat flour
Dissolve the yeast into the warm water (not boiling water, you want to wake the yeast up from it's dried state not kill it!) Add oil and salt to the mixture, next add the flours, and mix together/knead till combined (maybe 5 minutes). Put dough into a safe place so it can rise for 30-40 minutes, I've let mine rise for much longer and that's fine. I usually put it in the microwave to rise just so it's off the counter.
After the dough has risen roll it out with a rolling pin or just use your hands till it's the size/crust thickness that you want. Put the crust on a baking sheet/pizza pan/baking stone/whatever you have on hand that is oven safe and add your toppings. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is crisp. I usually make thin crust so it's done in about 15 minutes. Call me if you have any problems (like eating the leftovers, hehe).
Pizza Topping Combo Ideas:
- red sauce, mozz. cheese, sun dried tomatoes, sauteed onions and peppers, pepperoni, parm. cheese
- red sauce, mozz/Cheddar cheese, ham, onions, pineapple
- barbecue sauce, Cheddar cheese, bacon, red onion, garlic
- ranch dressing, mozz cheese, shredded baked chicken, red onions, diced tomatoes, peppers
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Bloglovin
Follow my blog with Bloglovin
Have you discovered bloglovin.com yet? Amber recommended it as a great way to follow and find new blogs, so check it out and be sure to follow our blog on it so you know when new posts are added! Thanks, Amber :)
Have you discovered bloglovin.com yet? Amber recommended it as a great way to follow and find new blogs, so check it out and be sure to follow our blog on it so you know when new posts are added! Thanks, Amber :)
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Flounder, Vodka Spaghetti & Steamed Broccoli
Most amazing last-minute get-together ever :) Jenn and Jason came over for dinner last Friday and she had just stopped by Zern's (an indoor farmers/flea market in Boyertown) and picked up flounder and broccoli, among other things. I had just grabbed some vodka sauce and had some spaghetti in the kitchen (wish I'd had penne or something a little fancier, but it was fine) and applesauce, and-- voila-- instant delish dish :) Add some raspberry lemonade with a kick and we had a very nice dinner on the deck! Happy Summer to us! So here's what we had:
Flounder-
We cooked 5-6 pieces of flounder in a Corningware dish that was being neglected in a kitchen cabinet. We laid them out, drizzled them with a little vegetable oil and a little lime juice, then sprinkled on garlic powder and spread on a little minced garlic as well. Covered it up and put it into the oven at 350 for about 25-30 minutes. It came out AMAZING!
Pasta-
Easy enough, boiled water with some salt and a little veg. oil (to keep the pasta from sticking), added in spaghetti, stirred, boiled, threw a piece at the wall to test readiness (yes, I really do this once in awhile- it's too much fun to resist!) and warmed up a little vodka sauce, then mixed it all together. Yum.
Broccoli-
Boiled about an inch of water in a saucepan, washed, cut, and added broccoli, then covered and steamed for about 15 mins. Added salt to taste.
Applesauce-
While I have made my own applesauce once before, this particular applesauce recipe (with cinnamon, bc it's Kyle's favorite) can be credited to Mott's and was served right in the little plastic cups of perfection.
Raspberry Lemonade-
Ingredients:
- Raspberry Ginger Ale
- Sweet Carolina's Lemonade Vodka (or just lemonade, for the youngsters)
- Ice
A fabulous meal, thought up in about a minute and made in about a half hour. Oh, and then I went and made a batch of those incredible Ghirardelli double chocolate brownies (with extra chocolate chips and Diane Miller's peanut butter icing)- best brownies ever.
***Note: Another amazing treat to try this Summer- Turkey Hill's chocolate peanut butter ice cream. By far the best cool combo. of pb & chocolate- and I have tried many, as it's my favorite pairing of tastes. Try it, you won't be disappointed.
Flounder-
We cooked 5-6 pieces of flounder in a Corningware dish that was being neglected in a kitchen cabinet. We laid them out, drizzled them with a little vegetable oil and a little lime juice, then sprinkled on garlic powder and spread on a little minced garlic as well. Covered it up and put it into the oven at 350 for about 25-30 minutes. It came out AMAZING!
Pasta-
Easy enough, boiled water with some salt and a little veg. oil (to keep the pasta from sticking), added in spaghetti, stirred, boiled, threw a piece at the wall to test readiness (yes, I really do this once in awhile- it's too much fun to resist!) and warmed up a little vodka sauce, then mixed it all together. Yum.
Broccoli-
Boiled about an inch of water in a saucepan, washed, cut, and added broccoli, then covered and steamed for about 15 mins. Added salt to taste.
Applesauce-
While I have made my own applesauce once before, this particular applesauce recipe (with cinnamon, bc it's Kyle's favorite) can be credited to Mott's and was served right in the little plastic cups of perfection.
Raspberry Lemonade-
Ingredients:
- Raspberry Ginger Ale
- Sweet Carolina's Lemonade Vodka (or just lemonade, for the youngsters)
- Ice
A fabulous meal, thought up in about a minute and made in about a half hour. Oh, and then I went and made a batch of those incredible Ghirardelli double chocolate brownies (with extra chocolate chips and Diane Miller's peanut butter icing)- best brownies ever.
***Note: Another amazing treat to try this Summer- Turkey Hill's chocolate peanut butter ice cream. By far the best cool combo. of pb & chocolate- and I have tried many, as it's my favorite pairing of tastes. Try it, you won't be disappointed.
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