Beignets

Ever since my daughter tried beignets, she keeps asking me to make them. It makes me feel good that my daughter just assumes I can make them especially since I may make fried foods once a year. Just for her, I figured I would do it. If you have never had a beignet, it taste like a combination of fried dough and a doughnut. It is so light and delicious. This recipe makes a lot. We filled four large storage bags and still had some left over. I'm not even including the ones we ate in the amount of beignets I made. My daughter is happy. My neighbors are happy. Ben-Yay!

Beignets
1 1/2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees)
1/2 cup sugar
1 (1/4 oz.) package of active dry yeast
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp salt
1 cup evaporated milk
4 cups bread flour
1/4 cup shortening
3 cups all purpose flour
oil for frying
powdered sugar for dusting the tops

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the water, sugar, and yeast. Set aside for 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, salt, and evaporated milk together.
3. Add the yeast mixture to the egg mixture. Mix well.
4. Add one cup of bread flour at a time. Allow to mix for 1 minute before adding the next cup.
5. Add the shortening and mix for a couple of minutes.
6. Add one cup of all purpose flour at a time until the dough begins to pull away from the side. The dough should not be sticky or more flour is needed.
7. Knead the dough for 8 minutes.
8. Spray a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray.
9. Place the dough into the bowl and cover with a greased plastic wrap.
10. Allow the dough to rise for at least 2 hours.
11. Preheat oil to 350 degrees F. in a deep fryer or large pan. 
12. Line a large plate with several sheets of paper towels.
13. Place a cup of powdered sugar in a sifter and set aside.
14. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness.
15. Cut the dough into 1 inch squares.
16. Carefully place the dough into the heated oil.
17. Cook the dough for about 1 minute or until golden brown before flipping it over to allow the other side to cook until a golden brown color.
18. Remove the beignet from the oil and place onto the paper towel lined plate.
19. Lightly dust the beignet with powdered sugar.
20. Serve warm.

Recipe adapted from Paula Deen.

One year ago........................................I made PB Nutella Oatmeal.
Two years ago......................................I made Agent P Sandwich.

Did you already know..............................
-Beignets are very popular in New Orleans especially the French Quarter.
-In 18th century, the French immigrants brought beignets to Louisiana.
-A beignet is a square doughnut with no hole in the middle of it which has been sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Cajun Biscuits

Have you ever been to Louisiana? Maybe you've been to Mardi Gras? Maybe you are heading to Mardi Gras which begins next week? I will admit I've never been to Mardi Gras but it sounds so wild. I have been to New Orleans and walked down Bourbon Street. I enjoy Cajun food so I figured I would make some biscuits with a little heat. I did forget to tell my husband so he was pleasantly surprised.

Cajun Biscuits
2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and garlic powder.
4. Cut in the butter until it resembles course meal.
5. Mix in the sour cream and milk until just incorporated.
6. Roll out the dough about 1 inch thickness onto a lightly floured surface.
7. Cut out the biscuits into 2 inch circles.
8. Space the biscuits about 2 inches apart onto the baking sheet.
9. Bake the biscuits for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
10. Serve immediately.

Recipe by Jen of Sweet Morris.

One year ago...........................I made Macaroni and Cheese.
Two years ago.........................I made Butterscotch Fondue.

Did you already know..............
-The capital of Louisiana is Baton Rouge.
-In Louisiana, the largest city is New Orleans. 
-Louisiana is divided into parishes and not counties.

Soup Bread Bowls

When I think of bread bowls, I always have images of Boston and San Francisco. I think of a hearty chowder in Boston or the wonderful sourdough bread in San Francisco. My husband told me that he thinks of Maine since he notices it at the local restaurants. When my oldest daughter came home to visit, her boyfriend asked for some lobster chowder. I figured I would make it in bread bowls. My youngest son thought this was the most awesomest thing ever. He could eat his soup and then the bowl. He loved it. 

Bread Bowls
5 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup dry milk
1 (1/4 oz.) package of instant yeast
2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup warm water

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine 3 cups all purpose flour with the white whole wheat flour, dry milk, yeast, salt, vegetable oil, and the warm water.
2. Add 1/2 cup of all purpose flour until the dough is no longer too sticky.
3. Knead the dough for 8 minutes until the dough is smooth.
4. Allow the dough to rise for 45 minutes.
5. Divide the dough into 5 balls.
6. Place the dough onto a parchment lines baking sheet.
7. Cover the dough with greased plastic wrap.
8. Place in the refrigerator overnight.
9. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 2 hours.
10. Uncover and allow to sit for 30 minutes.
11. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
12. Gently make several slashes on top of the bread.
13. Bake the bread for 22 minutes or until the bread sounds hollow on the bottom if tapped.
14. Allow the bread to cool before hollowing out the center for the soup. 

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour. 

One year ago....................................I made NY Style Cheesecake.
Two years ago..................................I made Stove Top Mac-n-Cheese.

Did you already know........................
-In 1630, Boston was founded by the English Puritans. 
-In 1636, Harvard University was founded.
-In 1716, the first lighthouse was built in Boston.

Brazilian Banana Cake

My husband decided he was going to eat healthier this year. This means we have tons and tons of bananas. Yes, he should be eating them. So when I was looking for another recipe to celebrate the Olympics, I decided to go with Brazil. Brazil will be hosting the summer Olympics in two years. It was a great way to use some of these bananas up. This dessert taste a lot like banana bread. My children even ask me for a piece of the banana bread instead of cake. It is top with bananas and cinnamon sugar. When I removed this cake from the oven, the top was puffed up which went back down once cooled. I made two individual serving cakes to test the recipe before cooking the larger one. I didn't have to change anything. It was a big hit in this house. Now, what to do with the rest of the bananas I have?

Brazilian Banana Cake
3 Tbsp butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 egg yolks
3 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 cup milk
4 very ripe bananas, smashed
3 egg whites

Topping:
2 bananas, sliced
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Grease a 9x13 baking pan.
3. In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugar.
4. Mix in the egg yolks.
5. Add the flour with the baking powder.
6. Add the milk and mix until incorporated.
7. Add the smashed ripe bananas to the batter.
8. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until a soft peak form. 
9. Fold in the egg whites into the batter.
10. Evenly spread the batter in the greased baking pan.
11. On top of the batter, spread the sliced bananas in a single layer.
12. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and the ground cinnamon.
13. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the sliced bananas.
14. Bake the cake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes. 

One year ago......................I made No Knead Bread.
Two years ago....................I made Blackened Chicken.

Did you already know........
-The 2016 Summer Olympics will be held at Rio de Janeiro.
-Rio de Janeiro is the second largest city of Brazil.
-Rio de Janeiro means River of January in Portuguese.

Vatrushka

I have seen this cheese bread shown often during the Olympics. I figured I would have to make it since I love cheese. I actually thought it would be similar to our cheese bread. No, it is not like our gooey Italian cheese bread. My husband was very surprised and said it's sweet. It is actually sweet like a danish but not as sweet as the danishes found in the store. I've seen recipes that call for yeast but I decided to go with this version. Some recipes have raisins in them. Others have the bread topped with sprinkles and powdered sugar. It would be an easy addition to serve at a meal.

Vatrushka Russian Cheese Bread
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vinegar

1 egg yolk whisked for the top

Cheese filling:
1/3 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp sour cream
1 egg
pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2.  In a large bowl, combine the milk, vegetable oil, sugar, and egg.
3. Add the flour and salt. Mix to combine.
4. In a small cup, combine the baking soda and vinegar.
5. Immediately add the baking soda mixture to the flour mixture. Mix until a form of dough forms.
6. Divide the dough into 8 balls.
7. Place the balls of dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
8. With the bottom of a floured cup, press the cup into the ball of dough to form a well. 
9. Lightly brush the edges of the dough with the egg yolk.
10. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, sugar, sour cream, egg, and salt. Mix to incorporate. 
11. Add the cheese mixture into the center of the dough. Do not overfill.
12. Bake the dough for about 18 minutes or until golden brown.

Recipe adapted from hep-i-book'a.

One year ago................................I made Macerated Strawberries.
Two years ago..............................I made Mexican Chocolate Cake.

Did you already know.................
-Vatrushka often have raisins and other dried fruit in them.
-Vatrushka is popular in Eastern Europe.
-Vatrushka derives it's name from 'vatra' which means fire.