Crescent Rolls- Annaliese

-2 doz.-

• dissolve in 1 c. warm water: 1 tsp salt, 1 T. yeast, 1/3 c. sugar
• Add 3 beaten eggs and 1/2 cup melted butter, slightly cooled
• Add 4 1/2 cups flour, a little at a time, making a soft dough
• Cover with cloth and let rise
• Divide in half; roll into circle on well-floured surface, to 1/8" thickness
• Brush with softened butter; cut into 12 wedges with pizza wheel
• Roll into cresent--wide end to narrow end
• Place on greased cooking sheet, curving ends of each roll into a semi-circle
• Cover with cloth and let rise
• --do not refrigerate--
• Bake @350 12-15 min. until golden brown on top

Dumplings for Stew- Annaliese

DUMPLINGS FOR STEW-Annaliese
*For 6 med. dumplings

• 1 c. flour
• 1 1/4 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 T. butter, softened
• 1/2 c. (or so) milk; should be sticky, but not runny
• Drop spoonfulls into simmering stew. Simmer 10 min. uncovered, then 10 min. longer, covered. Tip: don't try to add more dumplings than there is surface area on your stew. If you want more dumplings, use two pots, or have a very wide soup pot. Dumplings will be fluffy on the inside.

Skillet Corn Bread- Annaliese

SKILLET CORN BREAD-Annaliese

• Heat a 10" cast iron skillet in a 425 oven
• Mix 4 egg yolks, 2 1/2 c. buttermilk, 1/2 c. butter (melted), 1/4 c. veg. oil, 1/2 c. honey, and 1/2 c. diced onion
• Mix together 2 c. corn meal, 1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour, 1 T. baking powder, 1 t. soda, 2 t salt--add to above; mix well
• Fold in 4 stiffly beaten egg whites
• Pour 1 T veg. oil into hot skillet, and swirl to coat
• Pour batter in; it will sizzle
• Bake 20-25 min, till toothpick comes out clean

Buttermilk Drop Biscuits- Annaliese

 (easy and so fluffy!) makes 1 doz

• combine:
• 4 c. whole wheat flour
• 2 T.baking powder
• 1 T. sugar
• 1/2 t. salt
• Cut in 1 c. shortening
• Gently mix in 2 1/2 c. buttermilk (will be quite lumpy) tip: buscuits, like pasty, are best when handled least
• Drop onto greased baking tray
• Bake in HOT oven (400 or so), for about 10 min. till golden

Mom's Whole Wheat Bread

MOM'S WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

• in mixer bowl
• 6 c. warm water
• sprinkle on 2 T. yeast
• wait until yeast pops
• add 2 T. salt, 1/2 c. honey, 1c. oil
• turn on mixer
• add whole wheat flour (hard white wheat, and hard red) slowly, 1 cup at a time until dough begins to clean bottom of bowl. Mix 1-2 more minutes.
• cover; let rise at least until double (the longer, the better)
• shape into 4 loaves after kneading moderately
• set in greased bread pans-- (Mom puts the dough loaves upside down in the pans, punches them down to fill the pan, then rolls them sideways, till they're right side up. Now there is oil all over the loaf, and it is smoothly shaped)
• let rise until doubled
• bake @ 350 for 45 min.
• remove promptly from pans, and lay on sides on cooling rack

Beef Tenderloin with Whipped Horseradish Sauce

This is the Beef Tenderloin I made for Brigham's coworker/Christmas party.  Well.....kinda!  I actually didn't use the pancetta at all- since Brigham only likes bacon for breakfast.  So I followed the recipe with the exception of that.  This was a big hit.  Many said it was better than any steak house- it was really good.

Total: 1 hour, 25 minutes

Yield: Makes 8 servings
Ingredients

1 (5- to 6-lb.) beef tenderloin, trimmed
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
14 very thin pancetta slices
Wax paper
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
Kitchen string
Whipped Horseradish Cream

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Sprinkle tenderloin with salt and pepper. Cook tenderloin in 2 Tbsp. hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 5 minutes on each side or until browned. Let cool 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, arrange pancetta slices in 2 rows on a large piece of wax paper, overlapping to form a rectangle the same length and width of tenderloin.
3. Sprinkle garlic and rosemary over tenderloin. Place tenderloin on edge of 1 long side of pancetta. Tightly roll up tenderloin with pancetta, using wax paper as a guide. Discard wax paper. Tie tenderloin with kitchen string, securing at 1-inch intervals. Transfer to an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet, and brush with remaining 1 Tbsp. oil.
4. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes or until pancetta is crispy and a meat thermometer inserted into center of tenderloin registers 120° (rare). Let stand 10 minutes. Discard kitchen string before slicing. Serve with Whipped Horseradish Cream.
Note: For medium-rare, cook tenderloin to 135°, or to 150° for medium.


Whipped Horseradish Sauce
This was yummy but next time I would only make 1/4 of it as it made a lot and you only need a little for each serving.
Prep Time: 10 minutes

Yield: Makes 2 1/4 cups
Ingredients

1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup horseradish
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation
1. Beat whipping cream at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer 1 minute or until soft peaks form.
2. Fold in remaining ingredients. Serve immediately, or cover and chill up to 8 hours.

Rosemary Potato Gratin

I made this for a party we hosted for Brigham's office staff in December  It was really good and so pretty sitting on a pedestal.  I served it with beef tenderloin....sooooo good.  I think if I were to make it again for people I don't know very well- I would just use the yukon potatoes.  Sweet potatoes can be scary for some people.  We all thought it was delicious.

Total: 2 hours, 20 minutes
Yield: Makes 10 servings

Ingredients

1 (14.1-oz.) package refrigerated piecrust
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded Gruyère cheese, divided
1 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 garlic clove, minced
Garnish: fresh rosemary sprigs

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°. Unroll piecrusts on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle rosemary, pepper, and 1/2 cup cheese over 1 piecrust; top with remaining piecrust. Roll into a 13-inch circle. Press on bottom and up sides of a 9-inch springform pan; fold edges under. Chill.
2. Meanwhile, peel and thinly slice Yukon gold and sweet potatoes.
3. Layer one-third each of Yukon gold potatoes, sweet potatoes, and salt in prepared crust. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese. Repeat layers twice, pressing layers down slightly to fit.
4. Microwave cream and garlic in a 1-cup microwave-safe measuring cup at HIGH 45 seconds; pour over potato layers in pan. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Cover pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place on a baking sheet.
5. Bake at 450° for 1 hour. Uncover and bake 25 minutes or until potatoes are done and crust is richly browned. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes. Carefully transfer to a serving plate, and remove sides of pan. If desired, carefully slide gratin off bottom of pan using a long knife or narrow spatula. Garnish, if desired.
Southern Living, DECEMBER 2010

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup
2 (14oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice

1 cup finely diced celery

1 cup finely diced carrots

4 cups chicken broth

1 cup finely diced onions

1/2 bay leaf

1 tsp dried oregano or 1 Tbsp fresh oregano

1 Tbsp dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil

1 cup Parmesan cheese

2 cups half and half, warmed

salt & pepper to taste



In a large slow cooker, combine tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, bay leaf, oregano, and basil.  Cover and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.

Stir and add Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for another hour until ready to serve. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

HEARTY CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

You can't go wrong with this soup.  Everyone loves it!

HEARTY CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

1  cup cooked chicken

2 cups chopped carrots

2 cups chopped celery

2 cups corn

2 cups frozen peas

3/4 cup chopped onion

3 cups chicken broth

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup sour cream

2 1/2 oz cooked noodles

Salt and pepper Add vegetables to chicken broth and simmer until tender. Add cream of chicken soup. Then add chicken.  I like to cook my noodles separate and add them before serving. If they simmer with the soup too long they seem to get mushy or soak up the juice in the soup. Add sour cream and noodles. Salt and pepper to taste (I like lots of pepper!).

Pizza Dough

Basic Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

½ cup warm water (about 110°)

1 envelope (2 ¼ tsp.) instant yeast

1 ¼ cups water, at room temperature

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

4 cups (22 oz.) bread flour, plus more for dusting

1 ½ tsp. salt

olive oil or non-stick cooking spray for greasing the bowl

Directions:

Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup.  Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand until the yeast dissolves and swells, about 5 minutes.  Add the room temperature water and oil and stir to combine.  

Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Briefly combine the dry ingredients at low speed.  Slowly add the liquid ingredients and continue to mix at low speed until a cohesive mass forms.  Stop the mixer and replace the paddle with the dough hook.  Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, put it in a deep oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap.  Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 ½ to 2 hours.  Press the dough to deflate it.

To bake, place a pizza stone in the lower third of the oven.  Heat the oven to 500° for at least 30 minutes.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.  Divide the dough into two equal pieces.  Form both pieces of dough into smooth, round balls and cover with a damp cloth.  Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no more than 30 minutes.

Working with one piece of dough and keeping the other covered, shape the dough and transfer to a pizza peel or round of parchment dusted with semolina or cornmeal.  Top as desired.  Slide the dough onto the pizza stone.  Bake until the crust edges brown and cheese is golden brown in spots, about 8 to 12 minutes.  Repeat with remaining ball of dough or freeze for later use.

Source: adapted from Brown Eyed Baker, originally from Baking Illustrated by the Editors of Cook’s Illustrated Magazine