Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Chili Bowls

I got the stuff to make the bowls but decided we had too many biscuits lately.  So I just make the chili and served it with Fritos and cornbread.  I used 1 8oz can of tomato sauce in place of the ketchup and also used Bush's chili beans instead of the kidney beans.  I also added some green pepper.  It had good flavor.

Biscuit Bowl Chili Bowls

  • 1 tube (16.3 ounces) large refrigerated flaky biscuits
  • 2 teaspoons cornmeal
  • 1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 can (11-1/2 ounces) V8 juice
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350°. Place two muffin tins upside down; spray bottoms and sides of eight alternating muffin cups. On a work surface, roll or press biscuits into 4-in. circles. Sprinkle both sides with cornmeal, pressing lightly to adhere. Place biscuits over greased muffin cups, shaping biscuits around cups.
  • Bake 11-13 minutes or until lightly browned. Carefully remove biscuit bowls from pans; cool on a wire rack.
  • Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat 6-8 minutes or until beef is no longer pink; drain. Stir in beans, V8 juice, ketchup and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Serve in biscuit bowls; top with cheese. Yield: 8 servings.

Monday, August 12, 2013

Kaiser Rolls

I bought the stamp and tried the King Arthur Bread Kaiser Rolls.  They were good, I'm not sure they are my favorite roll recipe, but definetely good.  I liked that they used all purpose flour because bread flour can get expensive.  The Kaiser stamp didn't do much good.  The first three I did as the instructions stated but it stuck slightly and deflated the rolls and made them "lose their rise".  So, the other ones I just left down as is.  Neither had a good Kaiser swirl on them.  But the dough did come out beautifully.  I made 8 rolls from this recipe.

3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 large egg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup water
Manual Method:In a large bowl, or the bowl of your electric mixer, combine all of the ingredients, stirring till the dough forms a cohesive mass and begins to clear the sides of the bowl. Knead the dough for 5 minutes, then allow it to rest for 10 minutes (which gives the dough a chance to absorb the liquid, and the gluten in the flour a chance to relax.) Knead the dough for an additional 5 minutes, or until it's smooth and supple. The dough should be quite stiff, but not at all "gnarly;" adjust its consistency with additional flour or water, as necessary. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl or dough-rising bucket, cover the bowl or bucket, and allow the dough to rise till it's noticeably puffy, about 1 hour.

Bread Machine Method:Place all of the ingredients into the pan of your machine, program the machine for manual or dough, and press start. About 10 minutes before the end of the final kneading cycle, examine the dough's consistency; it should be quite stiff, but not at all "gnarly;" adjust it consistency with additional flour or water, as necessary. Allow the machine to complete its cycle.

Shaping:Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into six equal pieces. Shape the pieces into round balls, and place them on a lightly greased or parchment lined baking sheet. Working with one ball of dough at a time, center your kaiser stamp over the dough. Press down frimly, cutting to the bottom but not all the way through the dough. This is important; if you don't cut deeply enough, the shape disappears as the roll bakes; if you cut too deeply (all the way through), the roll will form "petals" as it rises and look like a daisy, not a kaiser roll. Practice makes perfect! Repeat with the remaining rolls.

Place the rolls cut-side down (yes-cut-side down--this helps them retain their shape) onto a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover the rolls, and allow them to rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until they've almost doubled in volume. Turn the rolls cut-side up. Dip tops in milk and coat with poppy or sesame seeds, if desired.

Bake the rolls in a preheated 425°F oven vor 15 to 17 minutes, or until they're golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a wire rack.Yield: six large kaiser rolls.

Philly Chicken Sandwiches

This was good.  I didn't have the seasoning they called for so I used generic A1 sauce.  The chicken was a little bland but I served it with roasted banana peppers and pepperjack cheese so this added the necessary flavor boost the chicken needed.  The onions and peppers/butter were good too.  The butter added some nice flavoring to it. 

from:  http://foodfamilyfinds.com/slow-cooker-chicken-philly-sandwiches-recipe/

Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 large sweet onion, sliced
  • 2 green bell peppers, sliced
  • 3 boneless,skinless chicken breasts, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons Dale’s Steak Seasoning
  • sliced Mozzarella cheese
  • hoagie rolls

Instructions
  1. Spray a 3 – 4 quart slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray and turn to LOW heat.
  2. Add butter, onions and green peppers.
  3. Toss chicken with steak seasoning, salt and pepper, then add to slow cooker.
  4. Cover and cook for 5 hours.
  5. Serve on hoagies with a slice of cheese melted on top.

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Brick Oven Pizza Crust

I have my pizza crust that I usually used but decided to try a new one. When I made this I didn't have any but my sons devoured it and said it tasted just like we got it from a pizza place. My only complaint is that it didn't brown well. It was a very "white" crust. I think I may try it again and add a little sugar to see what happens. I mixed in my bread machine and then just took it out after 10 minutes or so. I made it into 2 pizzas. (I didn't make the sauce.

Brick Oven Pizza (from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

Original recipe makes 2 pizzas
1 teaspoonactive dry yeast
1/4 cupwarm water
1 cupcold water
1 teaspoonsalt
3 cupsbread flour
6 ounceslow moisture mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
1/2 cupno salt added canned crushed tomatoes
1/4 teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoondried oregano
3 tablespoonsextra-virgin olive oil
6 leavesfresh basil, torn

Directions
  1. Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a large bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes to proof. Stir in salt and cold water, then stir in the flour about 1 cup at a time. When the dough is together enough to remove from the bowl, knead on a floured surface until smooth, about 10 minutes. Divide into two pieces, and form each one into a tight ball. Coat the dough balls with olive oil, and refrigerate in a sealed container for at least 16 hours. Be sure to use a big enough container to allow the dough to rise. Remove the dough from the refrigerator one hour prior to using.
  2. Preheat the oven, with a pizza stone on the lowest rack, to 550 degrees F. Lightly dust a pizza peel with flour.
  3. Using one ball of dough at a time, lightly dust the dough with flour, and stretch gradually until it is about 14 inches in diameter, or about as big around as the pizza stone. Place on the floured peel. Place thin slices of mozzarella over the crust, then grind a liberal amount of black pepper over it. Sprinkle with dried oregano. Randomly arrange crushed tomatoes, leaving some empty areas. Drizzle olive oil over the top.
  4. With a quick back and forth jerk, make sure the dough will release from the peel easily. Place the tip of the peel at the back of the preheated pizza stone, and remove peel so that the pizza is left on the stone.
  5. Bake for 4 to 6 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the crust begins to brown. Remove from the oven by sliding the peel beneath the pizza. Sprinkle a few basil leaves randomly over the pizza. Cut into wedges and serve.