Almond Paste

I love marzipan, almond extract, almond paste almond, delicious. If you make this filling you can use it for a Galette des Rois, put it in your croissant and heat it, Eat in your crepes, spread it where ever your heart desires its great. I store it in a jar in the fridge and indulge freely

Ingredients
1/2c very finely ground almonds
6tbsp unsalted butter
1/2c sugar
1/2tsp salt
2 large egg yolks
1tsp vanilla extract
1/3c AP flour
1/2c

Method
To make the filling Beat the almonds, flour butter sugar and salt till creamy.

 

 Add the Egg yolks and Vanilla until well blended

  

 

Peach Almond Galette

Galette des Rois is served January 6 to celebrate Epiphany. If you want you may add a Feve. The kids love the game. A feve is a little porcelain figurine that represents the birth of Jesus.  I love the Galette. It is a simple crust to make. You can make it with any fruit. Try it its an easy desert.

For the crust
1 ¼ c all-purpose flour
1tbsp. sugar
¼ tsp. salt
½ c  butter
¼ c  cold water, as needed

For the filling
¼ c  sugar 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 large peaches, pealed, pitted, and sliced
Maple syrup, for brushing
Vanilla sugar, for sprinkling
  
Almond
2/3 c  almond paste 
6 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 c  sugar
½ tsp salt
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract 
1/3 c AP Flour
½ c very finely ground whole almonds

Method
For the crust
In a food processor, add flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse until ingredients are combined.
Add butter and pulse until mixture has a crumbly consistency.
Once you’ve reached the desired consistency, add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse until dough just holds together. Make sure you don’t overprocess! Form the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.Once refrigerated, roll out dough to 1/8″ thick. Using a sharp knife and a 9″ round cake pan as a template, cut the dough into a circle.
 Refrigerate for 10 more minutes.

Almond

To make the filling: Beat the almond paste, butter, sugar, and salt until creamy.

Add the egg yolks and vanilla, and beat until well incorporated.

Mix in the flours. 

Peach filling
In a small bowl, mix together sugar, flour and cinnamon. Add vanilla and peaches and toss until coated.

To assemble:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Lay the dough in the center of your pan spread a layer of almond filling.

Starting in the center, lay the peaches in a concentric circle, each one overlapping the last. Be sure to leave a 1 ½” border  of pie crust so that you can fold it over the peaches.

Brush with maple syrup and sprinkle with vanilla sugar.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until crust is golden brown. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

For just an almond Galette 

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

Eatin Nutella is one of the most wonderful things in the world. I smear it on a croissant and dig in... Who doesn't love it.Its supposed to be a great alternative to peanut butter, it has a ton of protein and your children will devour it. Thing is if you read that label you will see that it has palm oil in it. Palm oil isn't the best for us. I encourage you to do your own research. So since I love to can I decided to try to make my own Nutella or Chocolate Hazelnut Spread.
  
Ingredients
1/3c whole almonds
1 1/3c  hazelnuts
1 3/4c  whole milk
7/8c  powdered whole milk
3tbsp mild-flavored honey
pinch of salt
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
5 ounces  milk chocolate, chopped (use one that's at least 30% cacao solids)

Method
Spread the nuts on a baking sheet, keeping the almond separate, and toast the nuts in a 350ºF (180ºC) oven, stirring a few times, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the hazelnuts are browned.

While they are roasting, warm the whole milk and powdered milk in a small saucepan with the honey and salt just until it starts to boil. Remove from heat.

In a clean, dry bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, or in a microwave oven, melt the chocolates together until smooth.

Once the nuts are well-toasted, remove them from oven and use a spatula to place the warm hazelnuts in a clean tea towel, then fold them inside the towel and rub them vigorously to remove any loose skins. They don’t need to be pristine; just try to get as much off as possible. 

In a food processor, grind the warm hazelnuts and almonds until they’re as fine as possible.

Add the melted chocolate and continue to process the mixture, stopping to scrape down the sides of the work bowl, as necessary.

Once the mixture is smooth, add the warm milk mixture and process until everything is well-combined.

Transfer the mixture into two jars and refrigerate until ready to use.

Fry Bread Tacos

Wanted to try something from our Native Americans
When I made these I just smiled. Simply Delicious.

Ingredients

1 pound ground chuck or sirloin
Taco seasoning
1 cup re-fried beans 

Grated cheese
Chopped tomatoes
Chopped onions
Chopped green chiles
Chopped olives
Sour cream

Onions

Frybread

Method
Brown the beef in saute pan over medium-high heat. Add taco seasoning, to taste. Add refried beans. Mix well and set aside.
Spoon some meat onto hot bread and top of your frybread with your choice of the following: cheese, tomatoes, onions, green chiles, olives, salsa, and sour cream.

Navajo Fry Bread

I love to cook and try new things. Our Native American food is something that we all should be eating. I love Fry Bread. You could eat it with honey or with your meal. I wanted to make it for dinner so I researched what to make it with, I found that you can use it as a shell for Navajo Taco's. The meal was amazing. 

Ingredients
3c All-purpose Flour
1/2tsp Salt
3tsp Baking Powder
3/4c Milk
Water As Needed To Get Dough To Come Together
Vegetable Shortening Or Lard For Frying

Method

Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir with a fork as you pour in the milk; keep stirring for a bit to get it to come together as much as possible. Add just enough water (about 1/4 to 1/2 cup) to get it to come together.

Cover the bowl with a dish towel and let it sit for 35 to 45 minutes to rest.
When you're ready to make the fry bread, heat about 1 to 2 inches shortening/lard in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Grab a plum-sized piece of dough (or larger if you want larger fry bread) and press it into a circle with your fingers: place it on a clean surface and begin pressing in the center and work your way out, stretching it as you go.

When the circle is about 4 to 7 inches (however big you want it) carefully drape it into the skillet. Allow it to fry on one side until golden brown, about 1 minute, then carefully flip it to the other side using tongs. Fry it for another 30 to 45 seconds.

Remove the fry bread to a paper towel-lined plate and allow it to drain while you fry the other pieces.
Serve warm!

BFB Big F Biscuits

The biscuits I have made so many. I really never found a good recipe out there. They all seem dry, flat or maybe it was just me. I don't know but this morning I was really wanting biscuits and gravy. I started prepping and realized I did not have 3 cups of AP flour. Ok but see I really wanted this so being that I would have everything else I scrounged up a cup of the flour and some cake flour and self rising flour and took a bash at it. I altered the shortening as always and I tell you these biscuits are the ones you have been looking for. 

Let me give you a few tips before you start. 

Make sure that your CUBED butter shortening and buttermilk are chilled, COLD. Chilled will make the biscuits fluffier.

Do the least mixing possible 

Try to use a Pastry Cutter if you don't have one use a fork to incorporate butter to dry ingredients. 

Ingredients

1c self rising flour

1c cake flour

1c AP Flour

5tsp baking powder

3tbsp sugar

1 1/2tsp salt

1/2tsp baking soda

1/4c chilled butter cubed

1/4c chilled shortening

1c cold buttermilk or (1c cream or milk plus 1tbsp cider vinegar. let sit to activate.)

Method

Chill butter, shortening and buttermilk. Mix together the dry ingredients.

 Cut in the butter and shortening with a pastry cutter or a fork.

Add in the buttermilk and mix together until it just comes together like peas with your hands. Do not overwork, be gentle, you really want to work it as minimal as possible. The dough should not be wet but slightly sticky. 

  

I just mold it and pat it out or roll out at least 1' thick and cut with 2-3 inch circle cutters or a drinking glass. 

On the stovetop melt a tablespoon of butter, in a cast Iron skillet to arrange your biscuits in.

 

You should have like 8-10 biscuits and they should all be touching this will help them to rise upwards.. 

Brush the tops with butter or cream. Bake at 450 for 12-15 min. Golden brown and Fluffy. 

I love them warm  with honey, jam or sausage gravy. Biscuits and Gravy Recipe link