Thursday, June 30, 2011

Snowballs

Snowballs or Mexican wedding cookies, not sure they are the same, I haven't made Mexican wedding cookies because this recipe is sooo good it would be a sin to try another one. I think this recipe is a Mexican wedding cookie variation. My grandmother is from a Spanish decent so it must be the same. Grandma's is the best though, these melt in your mouth. Literally

Ingredients
1c butter
2c sifted cake flour
2c pecans finely chopped
6tbsp powdered sugar
2tsp vanilla

Method
Cream butter add sugar and blend. Add flour slowly blending well, add vanilla and nuts. Roll into small balls 1/2tsp of dough each. Bake on greased cookie sheet.
300° for 20min
DO NOT BROWN
Roll in confectioners sugar while hot.
Be careful cookies are very fragile.

NY Pizza dough













New York pizza, dough that is thin foldable and oversized. Everyone loves a good crust this recipe. This on makes 3 good sized pizzas, what a fun family dinner. Making your own pizzas ensure that your ingredients are top of the line, fresh and natural. Making yeast can be tricky, if you can use the dough setting on a bread machine, if not good luck.

Ingredients
1/2tsp yeast
2tsp sugar
4c flour
1tsp salt
1/4c olive oil
1 1/2c olive oil

Disolve yeast in warm water 100-110° with sugar. Let sit 5 min. Mix flour salt and olive oilthen add in yeast mix until all absorbed with a fork. Add flour if dough is sticky, knead dough on floured surface for 8-10 min.

Place dough in clean bowl to rise in a warm place. Cover with a clean towel. Let dough rise 1 hr punch dough down and wait 45 min. Seperate dough into 3 equal portions. Roll out into desired circle. Place on a pizza stone or pizza pan, sprinkle with corn meal. Add desired sauce and toppings. Bake 475° for 8-10 min

Grandma C's Coffee Cake





This coffee cake is really easy and really good. No its not made with coffee its great with that morning cup of coffee. My grandmother used to have her friends over to visit in the morning and they would enjoy tea and coffee, with homemade baked goods like this coffee cake. You could use any great preserve. I love raspberry, but I have recently discovered the most wonderful Organic Strawberry Spread by Costco's Kirkland Signature.

Ingredients
1/4c shortening
1/3c sugar
1tsp vanilla
1 egg
1c flour
1/2tsp baking powder
1/4tsp salt
1/3c milk
1/3c Jam

Crumble
4tbsp sugar
1/2c flour
1tsp cinnamon
4tbsp butter softened

Mix first three ingredients beat in egg and then mix dry mixture together and add to butter mixture. Pour into 8x8 greased Pyrex pan. spread Jam over batter. Toss together crumble until it forms little balls. Cover Jam. Bake at 375° for 30 min.

Piroshky not Pierogi



For all those who love a yummy soft baked Russian Piroshky treat, here is the real recipe, I think it might be coveted because I couldn't find it anywhere on the web. I learned it from hard work in the kitchen with a Romanian friend of mine. She had no recipe, she just knew it. I formulated the recipe by measuring her ingredients. This is a yeast recipe so if you are amazing at breads, just do it, but if not, this dough is very finicky so I would use a bread maker and use the dough setting it works great! There are many options for fillings. I love potato, onion and cheese. You could add ground meat, cabbage, spinach. Whatever sounds great to you. I am including the potato cheese and onion recipe. Enjoy this treat its really amazing!


Dough Ingredients
1 1/2c milk
1/2c water
5c flour
2 eggs
7g or 1/4 oz yeast
1tsp salt
1/2tbsp sugar

Method
Warm milk on stove, add water to make 2c of liquid. Mix dry ingredients, yeast far from salt. Add liquid till the dough is soft, Knead until lumps are gone and dough is not sticky. Check for holes in the dough when you cut it. Form a ball place in bowl to rise, cover and set in a warm place, Like on top of oven while preheating. Let rise for 45 min or until it doubles in size. Set oven to 350.

Filling
8 Large potatoes
2tbsp butter
1 onion diced
1 1/2c to 2c sharp cheddar
1tbsp brown sugar
Garlic salt to taste
Milk

Method
Peel and quarter potato's, boil until soft. While potatoes cook saute onions in butter until golden. When potatoes are ready mash, and add onion and butter from pan. Add in garlic salt and brown sugar. Add milk until you go mashed potatoes generally around 1/2c. When at desired consistency add cheese.

Making Piroshki's
Flour surface. Take a small portion of the dough, a little smaller then a golf ball roll into a ball then roll out on surface, thin as a pancake. put a scoop full of filling in to the center of the dough. Fold opposite sides together pinching, then the opposite sides together then pull in the diagonals making sure the whole top is sealed.

Fill a greased (pam) pan with piroshi's close together. Let sit on oven to rest for 15 min with a clean towel on top. Bake at 350 until slightly golden brown, approx 30 min, but check on it.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Sugar Cookies


Ingredients
2c butter
2c sugar
2 eggs
2tsp almond extract or vanilla
6c all purpose flour
2tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Method
Mix butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in eggs then vanilla. Mix dry ingredients and then add to the butter mixture a cup at a time until completely blended. Divide dough into 2 balls, wrap in parchment paper. Chill in refrigerator until firm, at least 2 hours. Roll dough on floured surface. Cut shapes. Line cookie sheet. You could use Pam, but its not necessary to grease sheet.
Bake at 350°
10-12 min
Makes 2 dozen


For this  Eiffel Tower cookie cutter you can buy it from my Amazon Store through this link!