Orange Ricotta Cookies with Milk Chocolate

Wow, what a week it's been, school is definitely rolling again and it has been a busy busy week!  Today is so beautiful and I decided to take a little break from the crazy pace this week, and before it gets crazy again this weekend to bake some cookies.  I found this recipe this morning on my favorite cooking blog, Two Peas and Their Pod.  She has some great recipes and ideas and she is vegetarian so I find a lot of recipes I like on her blog.  Our new pastor is arriving this weekend and we are having cookies tomorrow night at church for a little get-together.  I think these will be a hit!

These cookies have a cake-like texture, are very moist, and the orange glaze and chocolate drizzle just take them to the next level.  One thing to note, don't melt the butter but just soften it.  I meant to just soften it, but time got away from me and the butter softened a bit more than I would have liked.  I think this will give the cookies better height and keep them from spreading out (I had some that did that...)    I would definitely make them again and hope you will try them out too!  Let me know how they go!

Orange Ricotta Cookies with Milk Chocolate

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 orange, zested

2 cups powdered sugar
3 T. orange juice

1/2 cup chocolate chips (melted)
 
Combine dry ingredients and set aside.  In another bowl (or mixer, I have been enjoying mine!) beat together butter and sugar, then add eggs, ricotta, orange juice, and the zest of one orange.  Add the dry ingredients and combine together.

Spoon the dough (about 1 tablespoon) onto a lightly greased baking sheet.  Bake about 10-12 minutes.  Remove onto cooling racks and allow cookies to cool completely. 

Once cookies have cooled, combine the powdered sugar and orange juice to form a glaze.  Spread the glaze over the cooled cookies and allow it to set up, about 5 minutes.  Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave for 1-1 1/2 minutes stopping every  20 - 30 seconds to stir.  Don't let the chocolate get too hot.  Let it sit for about a minute then pour the melted chocolate into a ziploc bag.  Cut a very small hole (did I mention very small?) in the corner of the bag and drizzle the chocolate onto the cookies.  Allow the cookies to set up.

ENJOY!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

My first week of school is complete, not that it was too stressful having 2 days off, but it's always a challenge to get going again.  Stephen has been wanting me to make these oatmeal raisin cookies that were in the last issue of Taste of Home.  I'm not a big fan of oatmeal raisin cookies, but I enjoy baking things that other people want too, especially my wonderful husband!  I felt especially inclined to bake these cookies today after Stephen surprised me with a KitchenAid mixer!  It is so beautiful and I just love using it!  I have wanted one of these for quite some time with all the bread I bake, I know it will be wonderful for kneading and mixing bread! 

I have to say, these cookies are really good!  It's a good recipe, the cookies don't spread out too much and they are very soft and chewy (who doesn't love that?)  So give them a try even if they aren't your favorite cookie, or you can make them for a friend!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

2 cups raisins
2 cups boiling water
3/4 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
3 eggs
2-1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. oats
1-1/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 c. chopped pecans (toasted)
Zest of 1 lemon (the lemon zest adds great contrast and an unexpected flavor)

Directions: Chop raisins and place in a bowl.  Pour boiling water over and cover. Let the raisins stand for 5 minutes, then drain and set aside.  Chop the pecans and place on a baking sheet, toast the pecans in the oven at 350 for about 5 minutes, be careful to not let them burn! In a large bowl, cream together shortening and sugar.  Beat in eggs.  Combine the flour, oats, baking soda and salt.  Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix well.  Stir in pecans, raisins, and the zest of one lemon.

Use a small ice cream scoop (the kind with the release) to drop dough onto greased cookie sheets.  Flatten with a glass or with your fingers.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 7 minutes until the bottom of the cookies are just brown.  Remove and let cool on wire racks. 

Hope you enjoy these, I know Stephen will when he gets home!

Spicy Corn Chowder

Note: This picture does not do the soup justice. It was really delicious!

I love making soup in the winter, especially on cold, snowy days!  Today was one of those days for us, Stephen and I stayed home all day in our pajamas.  I studied and Stephen worked on church stuff and relaxed since it's his day off! So it was a wonderful day that was perfect for soup!  All day I thought of making soup and this is what I came up with with what I had.  It was wonderful and very easy so hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Spicy Corn Chowder

1 onion
1 jalepeno
1 t. garlic
3 T. butter
1 can green chilis
2 - 2 1/2 c. water
2 c. chopped potatoes
1 c. chopped carrots
1 can of corn
1/4 c. evaporated milk (you can use any other kind of cream or none at all, this is what I had.)
salt
pepper

Directions: Saute the onion, jalapeno, and garlic in butter until tender.  Add the green chilis, potatoes, and carrots and saute about 5 more minutes.  Add water (or chicken broth), corn, salt, and pepper to taste.  Simmer for about 20 minutes until the vegetables are cooked.  Use an immersion blender or any other method to partially blend some of the soup (this will make it more creamy, but don't blend all the soup), I did about 8-10 pulses with the blender.  If you want the soup a little thicker add some corn startch, about 1 teaspoon.  Turn the soup on low and add the milk making sure not to boil at this point.
We added homemade croutons I made with some leftover bread and you could add some cheddar cheese too!

Enjoy and hope you stay warm!

Sourdough Bread

Sourdough Bread 

4 c. bread flour
2 t. yeast
2 t. salt
3 T. sugar
1 c. warm milk
1 1/2 c. starter
2 T. butter, softened

1. Combine 1 cup flour, yeast, salt, and sugar in a bowl.  
2. Add the milk and butter (using a wooden spoon).  Stir in the starter.  
3. Mix in up to 3 more cups of bread flour and start kneading the dough on a floured surface. (May need to add more flour depending on the humidity.)
4. Knead for about 5 - 8 minutes.   
5. Place in a greased bowl, turn once, and let rise for an hour or until the dough has doubled in size. 
6. Punch down and knead dough again for 1-2 minutes.  (This allows the yeast to redistribute and improves the texture when baked)  
7. Form dough into loaves.  (Sometimes I use a bread pan if wanting sandwiches, braid the loaf or other times I divide the dough into two loaves and bake it on a cookie sheet - this way you can keep one loaf and give one to a friend)
8. Allow the loaf to rise again until doubled, about an hour.
9. Brush loaf with egg whites for a nice finish. 
10. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes (maybe more depending on if you make one loaf or two). 
11. While bread is baking, spray water into the oven a couple times or place some water on the shelf below to create steam in the oven, this will make a better crust. 

Enjoy!

Sourdough Starter

Over the last few months, I have really enjoyed making sourdough bread.  It has always been one of my favorite breads, I just love the flavor of the bread and the crusty loaf.  It is especially a great bread for panini sandwiches which Stephen and I love to make.

I started with a psuedo sourdough bread using vinegar and sour cream to achieve the sour flavor.  I was a little scared about making a sourdough starter and wasn't sure if I had the time to commit to keeping the starter alive.  But, I did a little research and with a little effort, I got my starter going.

I know you are thinking, "I don't have time to have a starter!" especially if you have ever received a starter for friendship bread which requires daily attention, let me assure you this is different!  A sourdough starter is simple to make and only requires attention when you want to make bread.  I keep mine in the refrigerator in a mayonaise jar and make bread once every 1-2 weeks.  I believe it will stay alive as long as it has a good living arrangement, at least mine has so far. 

So, if you are up to the task of making sourdough bread, you will need a starter.  A starter only requires equal parts of water and flour.  Here is a great link that explains the steps of making a starter, but here are the basics and what I did.

Find a home for your starter.  Any glass jar will work as long as it doesn't have any metal (lids, etc.)  Somehow, the metal will ruin the starter.  Punch a hole in the lid or keep the lid loose to allow for a little breathing space.  Also don't use metal utensils when stirring or mixing, use a wooden or plastic spoon.

Sourdough Starter Recipe
                 2 c. water
                 2 c. flour (all purpose or bread flour will work)
                 2 t. yeast (you do not have to use yeast but it will help the process)

Leave the starter in a warm place (70-80 degrees) to ferment.  This may take 4-8 days depending on the temperature and humidity.  Once it smells sour and the mixture is bubbly, it is ready to use.  At this point, you can refrigerate it until you are ready to bake some bread. 

So let's say you have your starter in the fridge and decide it's time to make some sourdough bread.  Take the starter out of the refrigerator the night before and just let it come to room temperature.  You may notice liquid has separated out on top and may be a brownish color, that is ok, just stir it back in.  When the starter is cold it is also kinda lumpy, that is ok too.  The next day you will need to "proof" the starter.  Pour the contents into a glass bowl and add 1 c. flour and 1 c. warm water.  Stir and let the mixture sit until it becomes bubbly and smells sour (this may take anywhere from 2-6 hours)

Once you have used part of the starter in a recipe, add equal parts of flour and water back to the starter (1/2 c. of each), stir and put it back into the refrigerator.  And that's all there is to it!

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

Pizza is one of Stephen and my favorite things to make.  I especially like to make my own dough and I take any chance I can get to add whole wheat to something.  This dough is very good and easy to make.  Make sure you have a couple hours to make the dough before you are wanting to eat.  This recipe is for a medium pizza, about 1 1/2 pounds.

Pizza Dough

1 c. warm water (80-90 degrees)
1 t. honey
1 t. salt
1 T. olive oil
2 c. bread flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
2 t. yeast

Place ingredients into a bread machine in the order listed.  Select Dough cycle.  About 20 minutes later or when you hear the tone to add ingredients, I like to add minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and a little grated Parmesan cheese to the dough.    When the dough is done rising, just punch it down and you are ready to roll it out and make your favorite pizza.

Note: I forgot to add this earlier, but I think this part is very important.  Many times homemade pizza dough is gooey in the center when baked (at least this has happened to me many times). We have found that baking the pizza on a upsidedown cookie sheet or pizza pan somehow fixes this or if you have a stone you can use that too. (not the flat cookie sheet, the ones with sides).  The crust is good even in the center, and after all, the crust is my favorite part!

Visit Stephen's blog for the finishing touches.  carliletablefor2.blogspot.com

Cranberry Swirl Bread

This is one of my new favorite recipes!  It really is awesome and I'm not exaggerating.  The bread is so moist and the cranberry swirl is pretty and delicious.  It is the perfect mix of sweet and tart in a bread.  I made this bread at Christmas as gifts for a few friends and they all loved it.  I am making it now for a good friend's birthday!  I know she will love it and so will you when you try it! (Sorry I can't show you a picture of the inside of the bread with the cranberry swirl, but it is a gift and who would want a loaf of bread that is cut in half... just trust me and bake it!)

Cranberry Swirl Bread

For the dough:

1 c. warm water
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. oil
1 t. salt
3 c. bread flour
2 t. yeast (you may use quick rise yeast to save time)

I use my bread machine to make the dough, adding the ingredients to the machine in the order listed above.  If you don't have a bread machine, you can also make the dough by hand.  If you are mixing the dough by hand begin by combining the warm water and yeast, allowing the mixture to sit for 10 minutes to activate the yeast, then add the remaining ingredients.  Knead for 5-10 minutes then place the dough in a greased bowl to rise until doubled.  You may need to add a little flour if the dough is too wet, but if the dough is too dry the bread my be dry and dense.  Once the dough is finished rising punch it down (this is Stephen's favorite part) and roll it out into a rectangle. 

For the cranberry filling:

1 c. chopped cranberries (fresh or frozen)
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. water
1 T. butter
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1 T. lemon juice

To make the filling, in a small saucepan combine cranberries, brown sugar, and water.  Cook over medium heat until berries are softened and the water is almost all absorbed, about 10-15 minutes.  Remove from heat and add butter, nuts, and lemon juice.  Allow the mixture to cool a bit before spreading over the dough.  (I make the filling about 15 minutes before the dough is done rising)

Once the dough is rolled out into a rectangle on a floured surface, spread the filling over the dough to within 1/2 inch of the edges.  Roll the dough up jelly-style (like cinnamon rolls) starting with the long side.  Place in greased 9 in x 5 in loaf pan in a zigzag pattern. Allow the dough to rise until it just reaches the top of the loaf pan (Note: Do not let the dough rise too much prior to baking, it will rise more while baking, I have found 20-30 minutes is enough time.)

For the topping:

1 T. all-purpose flour
1 T. sugar
Oil to brush on top of the dough














Combine flour and sugar together.  After the dough rises the second time, brush with oil using a pastry brush and dust the dough with the mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, check to see if the bread is done by tapping and listening for a hollow sound.  (I am still learning what this hollow sound is supposed to be)

Enjoy!

Snickerdoodle Cookies

I have really enjoyed spending time with my sister over the Christmas break! I don't get to see her often so it's been a real treat!  We decided to make snickerdoodle cookies since they are her favorite.

Snickerdoodle Cookies

1/2 c. butter (softened)
1/2 c. shortening
1 1/2 c. white sugar
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla
2 3/4 c. all purpose flour
2 t. cream of tartar
1 t. baking soda

2 T. sugar
2 T. cinnamon

Cream together butter, shortening, sugar, eggs, vanilla.  Combine the remaining ingredients and form dough into 1 inch balls.  Roll dough in sugar and cinnamon mixture, place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet.  Bake 8-10 minutes at 375 degrees until cookies are just set.  Remove from baking sheets immediately after they are done baking.  (Recipe from www.allrecipes.com)

Hope you enjoy these as much as my sister did!

Whole Wheat Bread

A few months ago, I decided to start making homemade bread instead of buying bread at the store.  I like knowing what I eat, it saves money, and it makes the house smell so good!  I have been working for months now to find the perfect whole wheat homemade bread recipe that is light and great for sandwiches.  This is the best I've made so far so hope you enjoy it too!


Whole Wheat Bread

1 c. warm water
2 T. sugar
1/4 c. oil
1 t. salt
3 c. flour (I use half wheat and half white flour)
2 t. yeast

Add the ingredients into a bread machine in the order listed.  Set for "dough" cycle.   When the dough is finished rising, punch down and form into a loaf.  Place in bread pan and allow the bread to rise until doubled in size, about an hour.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Enjoy!