Parker House Rolls

When I was in Junior High, I took a Home Economics class. I really liked the cooking section. The parenting section was alright but the sewing section was my least favorite part. Maybe this is why my blog is about cooking and not sewing. 

 I am very lucky since my Mom and 2 of my sisters can sew very well. I can sew a button and other minor items. I could probably make an outfit like I had to in class. The only thing I will not sew is a zipper. For extra credit, my Home Economics teacher said we needed to sew a zipper. I asked my Mom to help me. She showed me how to do it but wasn't going to complete my work for me. I tried and tried but I couldn't do it. Finally, my Mom came over and looked. She had accidentally showed it to me upside down. My Mom did feel really bad but I guess being awesome at sewing was not in my future.

In my class, my teacher showed us how to make bread from scratch. How to make sure your water was warm but not too hot before adding the yeast. How to add a little sugar to the water to help the yeast along. The nice thing about making bread is if your dough doesn't rise then something went wrong. The dough needs to be in a warm room or area because it will not rise. If the room is warm or the bowl is in the sun and it still doesn't rise, I would just throw it out and serve biscuits.

Parker House Rolls 1 1/2 cups milk
1 stick unsalted butter plus additional for the top of the rolls
1/2 cup of sugar plus a pinch for the yeast
1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup water, between 110 to 120 degrees
3 large eggs
1 tsp salt
6 cups all purpose flour

1. Place milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer.
2. Remove pan from burner and add the butter and sugar. Stir and let cool
3. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast with the warm water and a pinch of sugar.
4. Set aside for about five minutes.
5. In a large bowl, grease the sides and bottom. Set aside.
6. In another large bowl, add the eggs and lightly beat.
7. Add the milk mixture, salt, and 1/2 cup of flour. Mix well.
8. Add the yeast and mix.
9. To the milk mixture, continue to add 1/2 cup of flour at a time. Mix well after each time. 
10. Mix until the dough comes together into a ball.***
11. Generously flour a working surface.
12. Remove dough from bowl and place on the floured surface.
13. Knead the dough about 5 minutes. 
14. Add more flour if the dough is really sticky but a little at a time because you do not want your dough dry.
15. Place the dough in the greased bowl and cover.
16. Place the bowl in a warm place so it can double in bulk. 
17. After at least 60 minutes to about 2 hours, punch down the dough.
18. Roll the dough in the desired shape and place in a pie pan.
19. Leave about 1 inch between each ball of dough.
20. Cover the dough and let rise about 30-40 minutes.
21. 
    
22. Preheat the oven 350 degrees.
23. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. 
24. Remove the rolls from the oven and brush with melted butter if desired.

Recipe adapted from Bobby Flay.
***I added a little bit of chopped rosemary to some of the rolls for additional flavor and they came out great!

Did you already know..............
-The Boston hotel Omni Parker House created the Parker House rolls and the Boston Cream Pie.
- In the early 1940s, Malcolm X worked as a busboy at the Hotel.
-President Kennedy had his bachelor party at the hotel. 

Noah's Kickin' Chicken Bake

When I was pregnant with my younger children, I didn't cook a lot. I felt tired but it didn't stop me from watching a lot of food network. My husband would watch it with me without a complaint. Isn't that sweet? I guess he figured he would be making me watch football real soon.

One of the shows I would watch was Emeril. One day Emeril had a cook with your kids contest. We decided to make one of the dishes. It was really good. I have made this dish many times and the kids like it a lot. If you are going to make this, I would recommend planning ahead. This is a great recipe to use left over chicken. I plan ahead and roast my vegetables at the same time so the ingredients are ready.

Triangle style

Noah's Kickin' Chicken Bake

2 cups chicken, cooked and diced
1/2 cup red bell pepper, roasted and chopped
1 1/2 cup broccoli, cooked and chopped
2 stalks of green onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese
1 cup light sour cream
2 tsp Emeril's Southwest Spice**
1 sheet of frozen packaged puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten with 1 Tbsp milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a bowl, mix all of the ingredients except the puff pastry.

3. Cut the puff pastry into desired shape either triangles or cirles.

For the triangles: eight triangles and arrange the triangles in a circle with the pointed end facing out. ***

4.  Spoon the chicken mixture onto the triangles leaving the points exposed. Fold the points over the chicken mixture and press points down to seal.

5. Brush tops with the egg wash mixture.

6. Bake for 25 minutes or until puff pastry is golden brown.

***For the circles: just cut eight circles a little larger than 3 oz. small ramekins that the chicken will be cooked. Spoon the chicken into the dishes and top with the puff pastry circle. Brush with the egg wash. Bake for 25 minutes or until puff pastry is golden brown. This is the easier method.

Recipe adapted from Emeril. **Recipe can be found at this website for Emeril's Southwest Spice.

Did you already know...........
-Emeril was born in Massachusetts.
-Emeril's father is French-Canadian and his mother is Portuguese.
-As a teenager, he worked at a local Portuguese bakery.
-Emeril was offered a full scholarship to the New England conservatory of Music because he was a talented percussionist. BAM!

Roasted Chicken

I like to make Thanksgiving dinner. I plan it out and I normally have the same dishes each year. I even make a schedule of when the dishes need to be cooked so they are ready about the same time. Sometimes, I will change one dish but for the most part the dishes have not changed since I was a kid. 

The thing I like about Thanksgiving the most is it is one of my son's favorite holidays. He becomes very excited about the large meal. My husband is always amazed by how much food we have. Growing up, we always had a lot of food at Thanksgiving. I will admit a lot of the dishes are vegetables.

 My favorite part of Thanksgiving is having my family and friends over. If you have never made the Thanksgiving turkey before, this recipe is the perfect practice run.

Roasted Chicken

4 to 4 1/2 lb. roasting chicken
1 onion, sliced in four pieces
1 lemon
4 carrots, roughly chopped
3 clove of garlic
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
3 Tbsp of thyme
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Prick the lemon on all sides with a fork.
3. Place 3 carrots and 1/2 onion on the bottom of a roasting pan. 
4. Remove the giblets and excess fat from the cavity.
5. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables in the roasting pan.
6. Place the remaining carrots, onion, garlic,and the lemon in the cavity of the chicken.
7. Slather butter over and under the skin of the chicken.
8. Season the outside to the chicken with the thyme, salt, and pepper.
9. Roast the chicken about an hour.
10. Check chicken with a thermometer inserted in thickest part of a thigh (avoiding bone) registers 190 or the breast temperature registers 180 degrees. The skin should be golden brown and crisp. The chicken juices should look clear. If not, continue cooking chicken and check every 20 minutes until the thermometer reads the correct temperature.
11. Remove the chicken from the oven and let rest about 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Living 2002 Annual Recipes Cookbook page 299.

If you think "oh this is too hard to make", it really isn't. I taught my husband to make it. He can even prepare this dish with no recipe.

I will be posting another chicken recipe tomorrow which is a great way to use up the leftover chicken.

Did you already know.....................

-Thyme was used to treat depression in the Romans time. 

-There are over 100 varieties of thyme.

-Thyme is a member of the mint family.

-Thyme is native to southern Europe and Mediterranean regions.

-1 tsp of thyme has 1 calorie.

Apple and Cheddar Scones

When we go apple picking, we pick an abundance of apples. My oldest daughter loves apples and she eats at least an apple a day. Maybe the saying is true, an apple a day keeps the doctor away. She is hardly ever sick. Well, I still have plenty of apples left. I knew it was time to get some baking done.

There are so many apple recipes out there. What should I make? Then my favorite friend gave me sharp cheddar for my birthday. I love cheddar. I remembered making a scone with apples and cheddar cheese last year. It is the only recipe I have ever made that combines cheddar with apples. Normally, I like my apple recipes sweet. These are so good. I can't tell you how well they are the second day since there are never any left. 

Apple and Cheddar Scones.

2 tart apples
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar plus a little additional for the top

1/2 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup heavy cream plus 1 Tbsp for the top
2 large eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Peel and chop the apples into chunks. 
4. Place in a single layer on the baking sheet.
5. Bake the apples about 20 minutes.
6. Let the apples cool completely.
7. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to a food processor.
8. Add the butter and pulse about 10 times or until resembles course crumbs.
9. Add 1 egg and heavy cream. Pulse about 3 times. 
10. Add the cheese and the cooled apples. Pulse about 3 more times.
11. Generously, flour the working surface to roll your dough.
12. Pat the dough into a circle.
13. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
14. Use a 2 inch biscuit cutter.
15. Scoop the dough into the biscuit cutter to make 1 inch circle onto the baking sheet. 
16. Repeat but leaving about 3 inches apart between each scone. ***
17. In a small bowl, beat the 2nd egg with heavy cream.
18. Brush each scone with the egg wash and sprinkle sugar on top.
19. Bake about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. 
20. After a minute, transfer scones to a cooling rack.
21. Let cool about 10 minutes. Enjoy!

***If you desire, you can freeze the scones at this point. Place the
cookie sheet in the freezer for about 30-60 minutes. After the scones are frozen, transfer the scones to a freezer storage bag. When ready to use, complete step 17 and bake for additional 5 minutes. I have done this and they still taste great!cookie sheet in the freezer for about 30-60 minutes. After the scones are frozen, transfer the scones to a freezer storage bag. When ready to use, complete step 17 and bake for additional 5 minutes. I have done this and they still taste great!
Recipe adapted from Smitten kitchen and originally from the cookbook The Perfect Finish.

Did you already know................

-The British tend to pronounce scone as rhyming with John.

-The United States tend to pronounce scone as rhyming with cone.

I pronounce scone as rhyming with cone but my children call it muffin top. However you pronounce it, you will call these delicious!

Sausage, Bean, and Vegetable Soup

The first time I made soup it lacked a lot of flavor. It tasted like water with vegetables. I tried again and still the same results. I didn't know if I should attempt it again or just forget it. 

One day I was talking to a good friend who was a vegetarian. She made soup all the time. I told her my problem and she said that it was probably the stock I was using. What? Stock? I just was adding water.

A good soup needs to start with a stock. My friend even taught me how to make stock. It came out very good and I had a lot of it. So much, I didn't know what to do with it since I only had a small freezer. Nowadays, I just buy low sodium no MSG stock. If you are going to make soup, please learn from my mistake. Stock makes the difference.

Sausage, Bean, and Vegetable Soup

1 lb. Italian sweet sausage
1/2 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
 2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
 1 (15.5 oz) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 oz.) can no salt added diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz) can fire roasted tomatoes
1 (32 oz) container of Chicken Stock

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add the sausage and cook for about 5 minutes or until browned.
3. Remove sausage and set aside on a plate.
4. Add the red pepper, garlic, and onion. Cook for about 3 minutes.
5. Add the zucchini and stir. Cook for about 3 minutes. 
6. Stir in the beans and cook 1 minute.
7. Add the cans of tomatoes and the sausage to the saucepan. Stir well.
8. Add the stock and stir. Bring the soup to a boil.
9. After the soup starts to boil, reduce heat and cover.
10. Let soup simmer for about 15 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Fast and Healthy Magazine Jan/Feb 1997.

(Yes, I have kept it that long.)

Even better in a Princess bowl!

Did you already know.................
-Chicken stock is made with vegetables, herbs, and meaty chicken bones.
-Chicken broth is made more from the meat of the chicken than the bones.
-Broth can be served on its own while stock is a component of a dish.
-By the stock vs. broth definition, there should be no vegetable stock since it would have been made with bones in it only vegetable broth.
-Vegetable stock is available for sale.