German Bread and Birthday Cake

Baking  German Bread

I didn't mean for my blog to turn into a cooking and baking blog, but I spend so much of my time as a mom cooking for my family that it has just seemed natural to keep track of my favorite recipes and new experiments.  Today is my husband's birthday and I really wanted to take him out for dinner with the family to get some Sonoran Hot Dogs- a specialty of the Tucson, AZ where we live.  However, after checking the bank account last night and realizing that we had exactly $2.78 left in our checking account, we realized we couldn't afford to go out.  So instead, we are going to grill up some German Bratwurst that S bought at Wegman's while on a business trip in PA.   I've pulled out my German Baking Today book to make some rolls for the Brats.  Here is  how I made them (I doubled the book's recipe and made some "American" adjustments) :

First I took 1 cup of butter and put it into a saucepan and started it on low.  When it started to melt, I added 14 oz of fat-free milk (you can probably use any kind) and continued to keep the stove on low until the butter completely melted, stirring occasionally. 

Then I poured the butter mixture into my Bosch mixer. 

M helps me do the baking.

While it was cooling a bit, I mixed 5 cups flour (mine was about 1/4 whole wheat, 3/4 white), 4 1/2 TBS of fast action yeast (2 pkg.), 4 TBS sugar, 2 tsp salt, 2 whole eggs and the whites of 2 eggs, reserving the yolks in a small bowl for later.  Then I mixed 1/2 tsp vanilla extract with 2 TBS of sugar until the sugar was well coated. Add the vanilla sugar to the flour mixture.  Slowly add the flour mixture with the butter mixture in the Bosch, then stir until combined and a dough forms.   



Kneading the dough

Sprinkle dough lightly with flour and take it out of the bowl.  Knead it again briefly on  floured work surface. Then I divided the dough and shaped it into rolls. Since we are going to be using this for Bratwurst, I shaped half of the rolls in a long shape to fit the sausages.  At this point, you should mix the egg yolk with 4 tsp milk and brush it over the rolls.  I forgot this step and did it after it has risen, but it still worked out ok.  Let the dough rise until doubled in a warm place in your kitchen.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and bake the rolls for 15-20 minutes.  Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.  Don't they look delicious!

The finished product.

Raspberry-Laced Vanilla Cake

For my husband's birthday, I decided to make this cake whose recipe came from Gold Medal Flour.

 

First, I greased and floured 3- 9" cake pans. 

Then, in a small bowl, I mixed:

 2 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

I mixed the following in my stand mixer:

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

2/3 cup milk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

4 eggs

At this point, I turned on my oven to preheat it to 350 degrees F.

Then, I slowly mixed the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. When it was well combined, I divided the batter into the 3 cake pans and smoothed them out. 

I baked them for 30 minutes, then cooled them on racks for 10 minutes before turning them out and letting them completely cool (this will take at least an hour)

Once the cakes are cool, make the frosting by

Mixing 1 cup softened butter with 3 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/2 cup of corn syrup.  You may also use raspberry syrup for pancakes instead of the corn syrup, but I didn't want a pink cake for my husband. 

Then, cut each cake in half horizontally.  Place 1 layer, cut side up, on the serving plate and spread about 1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam over the top.  Then place the next cake layer, cut side down, on the jam and spread with the frosting.  Continue to layer your cake, alternating jam with frosting between each layer.  On the top layer, spread with frosting and frost the entire cake.  Pipe frosting on top of the cake in a lace design if desired. Garnish with raspberries or chocolate leaves. 

This cake looks stunning and tasted wonderful.

Celebrating Dad's Birthday!





Thanksgiving 2012

Thanksgiving 2012

Our Menu and Recipes

 We are so grateful this Thanksgiving to have my sister, G.S. and her husband S and their 3 sons, joined us for Thanksgiving.  Our table is set for 14 people and we are so excited to enjoy our meal together.  Here is the menu for this year and I'll follow it up with the recipes so I can use this blog to find them again next year!
Turkey

Dressing

Potato Casserole

Mashed Potatoes

Corn Casserole

Yam and Apple Casserole

Not your Mother's Green Bean Casserole

Cranberry Jell-O Salad

Homemade Rolls

Cinnamon Honey butter

Cranberry sauce

Gravy (from a jar)

Sparkling Grape Juice

Pies
(See post below for Pie recipes!)

Turkey

Stuart took our 20lb turkey and soaked in a brine of salt, pepper, and chopped onion as it defrosted. This took 3 days.  After dumping the brine down the sink he removed the giblets and I took over.  I preheated the oven to 475 degrees F.  I first separated the skin from the breast, then I poured 3 Tbs of melted butter mixed with 1tsp each of dried rosemary and dried thyme, then I gently rubbed this into the breast meat.  I then generously salted and peppered the whole bird.  I stuffed the cavities with chopped onion, carrot and celery. After putting in one of those pop-up thermometers, I covered the whole thing with foil, the shiny side toward the bird.  I placed it in the oven and cooked it for 20 minutes, then reduced the heat to 250 degrees F for 20 minutes per pound (about 6 hours for this one).  After removing it from the oven, we let it sit for 30 minutes to let the juices redistribute themselves and make it even juicier.  Then we carved it up to serve.

Stuffing

G.S. made the stuffing using 2 small loaves of sourdough bread from the reduced bakery shelf.  She sliced it very thin. Then she added sliced mushrooms, sliced celery, chopped artichokes, chicken broth, shredded parmesan cheese, rosemary, salt, and pepper.  You could also add chopped onion, but the S's don't like onions.  Mix it all up and bake at 350 degrees F for 30-45 minutes.

Potato Casserole

This classic recipe that we have every Thanksgiving and Christmas comes from S's mom.  Here is her recipe that we doubled:

6 med. potatoes

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup chopped green onions

1 cup grated cheese

1 pint sour cream

1 can cream of mushroom soup

2 cups corn flakes, crushed

1 Tbs butter, melted

Boil potatoes in jackets until medium soft.  Cool and peel.  Grate potatoes while still warm.  Add 1/2 cup melted butter, green onions, cheese, sour cream, and soup.  Mix lightly in serving casserole.  Cover with crushed corn flakes mixed with melted butter.  Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Mashed Potatoes

Everyone has their own favorite way to make these.  We just peeled and quartered our potatoes and boiled them until they were soft.  Then we mashed them in our KitchenAid mixer with a stick of butter and pint of sour cream and some milk.  We sometimes add ranch dressing mix, but we omitted it for Thanksgiving since the S's are not big ranch dressing fans. 

Corn Casserole

This is Scott Skelly's traditional family recipe.  It is the most delicious way to eat corn ever. 

Yam and Apple Casserole

Yam and Apple Casserole

From: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/yam-and-apple-casserole/

4 large yams

3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/2 cups apple juice

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

3 large apples - peeled, cored and sliced, cubed or cut in rounds

1. Place yams in a large saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook 30 minutes, or until tender but firm. Drain, peel, and cut into 1/3 inch thick slices.

2.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the cornstarch and brown sugar. Mix in the apple juice, lemon juice, cinnamon, and allspice.

4.Alternate layers of yams and apples in the prepared baking dish. Pour the apple juice mixture over the layers.

5. Cover, and bake 1 hour in the preheated oven. Remove cover, and continue baking 30 minutes. Baste frequently with the juices from the pan to prevent drying.

Serves 4-6 people.

Not Your Mamma's Green Bean Casserole  

Green Bean Casserole with Swiss cheese

 http://www.pinchingyourpennies.com/2011/11/recipe-not-your-mamas-green-bean-casserole/




Cranberry Jell-O Salad



5 cans Fancy cut/ French cut beans 8oz cream cheese
8oz sour cream
1 Pkg Ranch mix
1 lb shredded Swiss cheese
corn flakes
Mix 5 cans green beans (drained) with ranch mix, sour cream, cream cheese, and half of the shredded cheese until smooth. Spread in glass 9X13 baking pan, top with rest of shredded cheese, and then top with crushed corn flakes.
I put all the cheeses, creams and ranch mix in the blender first- A lot easier! Then mixed in the beans.
Bake 350 until bubbly and corn flakes start to brown. (Approximately 30-40 min.)




Cranberry Delight.  We used our Tupperware ring that I found at a Thrift shop!

From:http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Cranberry-Delight
•1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple, juice drained and reserved
•1 cup of water
•1 package (6 ounces) strawberry gelatin
•1 can (14 ounces) whole-berry cranberry sauce
•3 tablespoons lemon juice
•1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
•1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
•2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
•1/2 cup chopped pecans
•Fresh strawberries, optional
Directions
•Combine pineapple juice and water in a 2-qt. saucepan; heat to boiling. Remove from heat; add gelatin and stir until it dissolves. Stir in cranberry sauce, lemon juice, peel, and nutmeg. Chill until the mixture thickens slightly. Add sour cream; stir until thoroughly combined. Fold in pineapple and pecans. Pour into an 8-cup mold; chill until firm. Unmold onto a serving plate. Garnish with fresh strawberries if desired. Yield: 12 servings.



Homemade Rolls

We made some in crescent shape in and some in squares for sandwiches with leftovers.

From: eatcakefordinner.blogspot.com/2011/04/texas-roadhouse-rolls-copycat-recipe.html

4 tsp. active dry yeast

1/2 c. warm water
2 c. milk, scalded and cooled to lukewarm
3 Tbl. of melted butter, slightly cooled
1/2 c. sugar
2 quarts all-purpose flour (7-8 cups)
2 whole eggs
2 tsp. salt
Dissolve yeast in warm water with a teaspoon of sugar; let stand until frothy. Combine yeast mixture, milk, 1/2 cup sugar, and enough flour to make a medium batter (about the consistency of pancake batter). Beat thoroughly. Add melted butter, eggs and salt. Beat well. Add enough flour to form a soft dough. Sprinkle a small amount of flour onto counter and let the dough rest. Meanwhile, grease a large bowl. Knead dough until smooth and satiny and put in greased bowl; turn over to grease top. (I used the dough hook on my Kitchen-Aid to knead this for about 4-5 minutes). Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk. Punch down. Turn out onto a floured board. Divide into portions for shaping; let rest 10 minutes. Shape dough into desired forms. Place on greased baking sheets. Let rise until doubled. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Baste immediately with butter.

Cinnamon Honey Butter
From: http://eatcakefordinner.blogspot.com/2011/11/cinnamon-honey-butter.html
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. honey
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Whip the room temperature butter with the whisk attachment for 30 seconds. Add powdered sugar, honey, and cinnamon and beat until completely combined and very smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and turn up speed and whip for a minute or two or until really light and fluffy. Yield: about 3/4 cup.


We gathered together!

G.S. and I enjoyed spending time together

Counting our Blessings

Happy Thanksgiving 2012