Faux Auntie Anne's Pretzels

Quick And Easy Buttery Hot Pretzels!

Ingredients:

1 can Pillsbury Simply Crusty French bread dough
2 cups warm water
2 teaspoons sugar
2 Tablespoons baking soda
Sea salt or Kosher salt to taste
Pinch of sugar
4 Tablespoons melted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut dough into 6 to 8 pieces.  Roll each piece into a long rope.  Twist each rope into a classic pretzel shape.

Mix 2 cups water, 2 t sugar, and 2 T baking soda together in a shallow dish.  Dip each pretzel in the baking soda solution.  Sprinkle each pretzel with sea salt.

Place pretzels on parchment lined baking sheets.  Bake in 400 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown.  Mix pinch of sugar into melted butter and brush each baked pretzel liberally with melted butter.  Serve warm.

Rice Porridge for Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner

Comfort food

Rice Porridge (aka Congee or Jook)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rice
6 cups water
salt

Directions:

1.  Place rice and water in a deep pot (It boils over easily).
2.  Bring to boil and simmer covered until it thickens, approximately 2 hours.
3.  Season with salt and add toppings as desired

Alternately, add water to cooked rice in a pot and simmer until the rice breaks down into porridge.  Watch pot and add more water to maintain desired consistency and prevent sticking/burning.

Toppings

• Honey or some sugar with milk

• Cooked chicken, grated ginger, soy sauce

• Cooked beef, scallion, soy sauce, sugar

• Add a beaten egg to hot congee

• Soft boiled or poached egg.

• Cooked mushrooms

This link is to a savory recipe from Mark Bittman.  Jook - Rice Porridge

Giada De Lorentiis' Spicy Tomato Soup

Quick and Easy!

Ingredients:

• 
  
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (26 oz) jar marinara sauce  
•   (recommended: San Marzano)
• 2 (14 oz) cans chicken broth
• 1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans,
•   drained and rinsed
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup pastina pasta (or any small pasta)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Warm the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onion, and garlic and saute until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the jar of marinara sauce, chicken broth, cannellini beans, red pepper flakes, pasta, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve.

SERVINGS: 4 - 6

Guacamole

Simple and Good!

Ingredients:

2 to 3 Haas avocados
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 bunch cilantro, chopped or 
  2 Tablespoons prepared cilantro
1 to 2 minced jalapenos (to taste)
1 diced tomato
splash lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Cut avocados in half.  Remove pit and scoop out flesh.  Mash avocados with chopped onion, cilantro, and jalapenos.  Stir in tomato, lime juice and salt.  Serve with tortilla chips. 

Candied Bacon

Decadent!!

Ingredients:

1 lb. good quality bacon, sliced

¼ c. brown sugar

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

½ tsp. Kosher salt

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.In a large bowl, add the brown sugar, Dijon mustard, Kosher salt, and cayenne pepper. Mix well.  Add uncooked bacon to and toss gently with your hands. Make sure that all of the slices are evenly coated.
Bake in the center of the oven for about 20 minutes. The bacon will be a bit brown, but will most likely need to bake for another 10-15 minutes. It should look slightly dark (not burnt) and crispy. If you take it out too soon, the texture will be chewy. Be patient!
Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes on the rack. Don’t let them sit too long or else they will stick.  Once cool enough to handle, you can break the bacon into pieces or leave them whole.  Serve at room temperature.


Wrap a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and top with a wire rack.

Place the bacon in a single layer onto the wire rack.