I've been making this one for a few years and it's always a huge hit. It takes a little bit of work but is really easy. I love this recipe because of the mustard and vinegar combination. It tastes better the next day so I try to make it the day ahead of time if at all possible...
This is a recipe that I have modified from one that I got from Bobby Flay - gotta give credit where it is due!
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 heaping tablespoon whole-grain mustard (any course, rustic mustard will work)
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (use the good stuff!)
1 5lb bag of mixed fingerling potatoes (Costco sells a great medley for this)
Directions
Whisk together the mustards, honey, vinegar and salt and pepper in a large bowl (big enough to hold all the potatoes). Slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Let sit at room temperature until ready to use.
Wash and brush the potatoes. Then cut them s they are roughly 1" pieces. No need to be scientific with this, but the closer in size they are too each other the more evenly they will cook.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a couple of tablespoon salt to the water. Cook the potatoes at a low boil until they are not quit cooked through - you are looking for "al dente". As the potatoes are cooking get your grill heating - you want at least 350 degrees outta it and I shoot for 500. Once the potatoes are done, drain them and then get them on the grill (a lite spray of Pam will help keep them from sticking). Cook them about 2 minutes on the grill and then turn them over and cook another 2 minutes or so - you are looking to add some grill marks to them to bump up the flavor.
Once they are done on the grill, just take them off and toss them in the bowl with the dressing. Cover with plastic wrap, let cool and then refrigerate overnight.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Lemoncello
For those that don't know what it is - its an Italian liquor. Basically its vodka infused with lemons. It is also made with grain alcohol by some, but not by me!
Anyway, I just finished another batch of this and thought I'd put it up here for my friends to enjoy!
Ingredients
10 lemons
1 (750-ml) bottle vodka (I use Grey Goose)
3 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups sugar
Directions
Wash the lemons first and then remove the zest from the lemons being careful not to remove the white pith as that's where all the bitter compounds are. There are a lot of ways to do this, but I use a wood working tool that I bought just for seating and shaving veggies. I use a Stanley 6" Surform Pocket Plane which I picked up from Lowes for under $10. Here is a pic of it: Stanley Pocket Plane
Once you have zested all the lemons, put the zest only in a 2 quart glass jar of some sort and pour in the vodka and cover with plastic wrap. I would only use glass for this. Metal can add funky flavored and may react with the lemon and plastic will pick up flavors. Let this sit at room temp for at least a week (up to two is good as well).
Once the vodka and lemon zest has sat you need to add the simple syrup. Stir the water and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool this completely and pour the sugar syrup over the vodka mixture. Cover and let it sit at room temperature overnight.
To get the lemon zest out of the vodka you need to strain it. To do this I use a wire mesh strainer lined with cheese cloth and pour it into another glass container. Once it is strained you need to pour it back into the vodka bottle - but you will need 2 or more bottles as you have doubled the amount of liquid you started with. Just use a small funnel and pour it careful. Refrigerate this for at least 4 hours to get it nice and cold.
This will keep at least 4 months but most likely won't last that long, it's just too yummy! You can try to freeze it but I don't recommend that as the alcohol content has dropped enough that it will most likely freeze and not stay a liquid as straight vodka does. If you started with 100 proof vodka (or grain alcohol) then it shout handle the freezer without actually freezing...
One other thing, after you zest the lemons, don't throw them out, juice them and make Lemonade or freeze the juice to make lemonade in the future. To make outstanding Lemonade follow this recipe I "borrowed" from Paula Dean of Food Network:
Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1 cup hot water
2 cups fresh lemon juice
1 gallon cold water
1 lemon, sliced
Mint sprigs, for garnish
Directions
In a 1 gallon container, place sugar and hot water, and stir until sugar dissolves. Add lemon juice and cold water to render 1 gallon. Stir until well mixed. Pour lemonade over glasses of ice, squeeze slice of lemon on top of each, and garnish with a sprig of mint.
Anyway, I just finished another batch of this and thought I'd put it up here for my friends to enjoy!
Ingredients
10 lemons
1 (750-ml) bottle vodka (I use Grey Goose)
3 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups sugar
Directions
Wash the lemons first and then remove the zest from the lemons being careful not to remove the white pith as that's where all the bitter compounds are. There are a lot of ways to do this, but I use a wood working tool that I bought just for seating and shaving veggies. I use a Stanley 6" Surform Pocket Plane which I picked up from Lowes for under $10. Here is a pic of it: Stanley Pocket Plane
Once you have zested all the lemons, put the zest only in a 2 quart glass jar of some sort and pour in the vodka and cover with plastic wrap. I would only use glass for this. Metal can add funky flavored and may react with the lemon and plastic will pick up flavors. Let this sit at room temp for at least a week (up to two is good as well).
Once the vodka and lemon zest has sat you need to add the simple syrup. Stir the water and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool this completely and pour the sugar syrup over the vodka mixture. Cover and let it sit at room temperature overnight.
To get the lemon zest out of the vodka you need to strain it. To do this I use a wire mesh strainer lined with cheese cloth and pour it into another glass container. Once it is strained you need to pour it back into the vodka bottle - but you will need 2 or more bottles as you have doubled the amount of liquid you started with. Just use a small funnel and pour it careful. Refrigerate this for at least 4 hours to get it nice and cold.
This will keep at least 4 months but most likely won't last that long, it's just too yummy! You can try to freeze it but I don't recommend that as the alcohol content has dropped enough that it will most likely freeze and not stay a liquid as straight vodka does. If you started with 100 proof vodka (or grain alcohol) then it shout handle the freezer without actually freezing...
One other thing, after you zest the lemons, don't throw them out, juice them and make Lemonade or freeze the juice to make lemonade in the future. To make outstanding Lemonade follow this recipe I "borrowed" from Paula Dean of Food Network:
Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1 cup hot water
2 cups fresh lemon juice
1 gallon cold water
1 lemon, sliced
Mint sprigs, for garnish
Directions
In a 1 gallon container, place sugar and hot water, and stir until sugar dissolves. Add lemon juice and cold water to render 1 gallon. Stir until well mixed. Pour lemonade over glasses of ice, squeeze slice of lemon on top of each, and garnish with a sprig of mint.
Friday, June 8, 2012
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Grand Marnier Orange Slush...
Or in aliner speak: OGMS. Here are the Liner created (thanks to the @nmeres for coming up with these) recipes for the two drinks at the cart in France. The key to both of them, is serious blending. You gotta let your blender go for at least 30 seconds if not a minute. Trust me, the drinks come out so smooth when you do that. The only down side to them, is that they are so good and you will drink them so fast you will give yourself serious brain freeze! Each pool party we go through at least a 750ml of vodka!
OGMS
Even parts, orange vodka, grand marnier, tgih Fridays orange dream mix, simple syrup, and half part sweet & sour mix. Lots of ice, blend and enjoy!
Thats the original recipe from the Nmere's. I use Grey Goose orange vodka in mine. I know this is blasphemy but I also switched to Triple Sec instead of Grand Marnier... Grand Marnier is just too darn expensive. There is a difference it the drink is cold enough that the difference isn't that noticeable. I noticed a much bigger difference switching from Three Olives vodka to Grey Goose (but I'm a vodka lover).
For the simple syrup just heat 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar in a sauce pan over high heat until it boils and all the sugar has melted. Let it cool and put in a plastic squeeze bottle for easy dispensing (I use the restraunt style clear plastic bottles very cheap and since the entre top unscrews very easy to fill and clean).
Sweet and Sour mix is also known as Sour Mix and that's how it is labeled by me.
Lemon Grey Goose Slush:
2 part grey goose citron, 2 parts s&s, 1 part simple syrup, lots of ice and blend!
I actually haven't made this one so I cannot attest to it... Sorry.
OGMS
Even parts, orange vodka, grand marnier, tgih Fridays orange dream mix, simple syrup, and half part sweet & sour mix. Lots of ice, blend and enjoy!
Thats the original recipe from the Nmere's. I use Grey Goose orange vodka in mine. I know this is blasphemy but I also switched to Triple Sec instead of Grand Marnier... Grand Marnier is just too darn expensive. There is a difference it the drink is cold enough that the difference isn't that noticeable. I noticed a much bigger difference switching from Three Olives vodka to Grey Goose (but I'm a vodka lover).
For the simple syrup just heat 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar in a sauce pan over high heat until it boils and all the sugar has melted. Let it cool and put in a plastic squeeze bottle for easy dispensing (I use the restraunt style clear plastic bottles very cheap and since the entre top unscrews very easy to fill and clean).
Sweet and Sour mix is also known as Sour Mix and that's how it is labeled by me.
Lemon Grey Goose Slush:
2 part grey goose citron, 2 parts s&s, 1 part simple syrup, lots of ice and blend!
I actually haven't made this one so I cannot attest to it... Sorry.
O'hana Bread Pudding and Vanilla Sauce
You asked for it and here it is! I love bread pudding, it's rapidly becoming one of my favorite desserts and I order it everywhere. This is the first time I have made this recipe and it is one of the best bread puddings I have ever had! It's the perfect consistancy - soft and creamy with a nice "chew" to it, if that makes sense. The flavor is perfect. I love challah bread (which is a very flavorful egg bread) and it just worked perfectly in this recipe. Besides that change, I also used cinnamon instead of nutmeg as I really don't like nutneg all that much.
So, onto the recipes!
O'hana Bread Pudding
5 eggs
3 cups whole milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg (or 1/2 tsp cinnamon which is what I used)
1 1/2 cup sugar
8 cups french or 'Ohana breakfast bread (I used Challah bread and it was perfect!)
1. In a Large bowl (big enough for mixture and bread) mix eggs, milk , salt, sugar and nutmeg. Set aside.
2. Cut bread in medium pieces (about 1.5" cubes), place on cookie sheet pan put in 350 degree oven.
3. Bake bread until lightly toasted, about 15 minutes. Remove bread and place in egg and milk mixture. Mix the bread into the mixture with a large spoon to let the bread soak up as much as it can, just do it gently so as to not break up the bread too much.
4. Place mixture in a lightly greased (I used Pam)10-inch cake pan (I used an 8-inch square Pyrex glass dish as that's what I had and it worked just fine) and bake at 325 degree for 1 hour. Test with a toothpick till it comes out almost completely clean. You want the pudding (wich is really a custard) to be set but not dried out. I set my oven for 50 minutes and checked every 5 minutes after that. Mine took 65 minutes to finish.
5. Let stand 5 minutes, serve hot with ice cream or the Vanilla Sauce recipe.
Vanilla Sauce
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 pinch salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For vanilla sauce, whisk 1/2 cup of light brown sugar, the flour, a pinch of cinnamon, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons of melted butter, 1 1/4 cups of whole milk,and salt together in a heavy saucepan until smooth. It will most likely start out with little lumps in it but whisk fairly vigorously for a minute or so and they will disappear. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and the sauce coats the back of a spoon, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract. Pour sauce over warm bread pudding, or serve on the side in a bowl.
Breakfast!!
Yup, it makes an awesome breakfast as well! Just cut into 1" thick slices and grill in a pan (or electric griddle if you have one) till it gets a little toasty and warm. Then drizzle with maple syrup and enjoy! Best "French Toast" you've ever had!!
For those that asked, here is the Banana Foster Sauce recipe from Allears.net:
BANANA FOSTER SAUCE
4 oz sugar
4 oz brown sugar
4 oz corn syrup
4 oz unsalted butter
1cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1cup spiced rum
1cup banana slices
1. Combine sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and half of heavy cream in a large pan. Bring to a boil and slowly add remaining heavy cream keeping mixture at a steady boil.
2. Add spiced rum and flambe.
3. Candy will brown slightly; cook 3 minutes until candy forms into a firm ball in cold water. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Add sliced bananas. Serve warm.
If you have any questions or comments either post them up here or better yet, drop me an email at banishwrx@gmail.com
I hope of enjoy this as much as my family did! Don't forget to check out my Sweet Cream Cheese Stuffed Pretzel recipe also found on this blog.
-Banish (aka - Jeff)
So, onto the recipes!
O'hana Bread Pudding
5 eggs
3 cups whole milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg (or 1/2 tsp cinnamon which is what I used)
1 1/2 cup sugar
8 cups french or 'Ohana breakfast bread (I used Challah bread and it was perfect!)
1. In a Large bowl (big enough for mixture and bread) mix eggs, milk , salt, sugar and nutmeg. Set aside.
2. Cut bread in medium pieces (about 1.5" cubes), place on cookie sheet pan put in 350 degree oven.
3. Bake bread until lightly toasted, about 15 minutes. Remove bread and place in egg and milk mixture. Mix the bread into the mixture with a large spoon to let the bread soak up as much as it can, just do it gently so as to not break up the bread too much.
4. Place mixture in a lightly greased (I used Pam)10-inch cake pan (I used an 8-inch square Pyrex glass dish as that's what I had and it worked just fine) and bake at 325 degree for 1 hour. Test with a toothpick till it comes out almost completely clean. You want the pudding (wich is really a custard) to be set but not dried out. I set my oven for 50 minutes and checked every 5 minutes after that. Mine took 65 minutes to finish.
5. Let stand 5 minutes, serve hot with ice cream or the Vanilla Sauce recipe.
Vanilla Sauce
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 pinch salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For vanilla sauce, whisk 1/2 cup of light brown sugar, the flour, a pinch of cinnamon, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons of melted butter, 1 1/4 cups of whole milk,and salt together in a heavy saucepan until smooth. It will most likely start out with little lumps in it but whisk fairly vigorously for a minute or so and they will disappear. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and the sauce coats the back of a spoon, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract. Pour sauce over warm bread pudding, or serve on the side in a bowl.
Breakfast!!
Yup, it makes an awesome breakfast as well! Just cut into 1" thick slices and grill in a pan (or electric griddle if you have one) till it gets a little toasty and warm. Then drizzle with maple syrup and enjoy! Best "French Toast" you've ever had!!
For those that asked, here is the Banana Foster Sauce recipe from Allears.net:
BANANA FOSTER SAUCE
4 oz sugar
4 oz brown sugar
4 oz corn syrup
4 oz unsalted butter
1cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1cup spiced rum
1cup banana slices
1. Combine sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and half of heavy cream in a large pan. Bring to a boil and slowly add remaining heavy cream keeping mixture at a steady boil.
2. Add spiced rum and flambe.
3. Candy will brown slightly; cook 3 minutes until candy forms into a firm ball in cold water. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Add sliced bananas. Serve warm.
If you have any questions or comments either post them up here or better yet, drop me an email at banishwrx@gmail.com
I hope of enjoy this as much as my family did! Don't forget to check out my Sweet Cream Cheese Stuffed Pretzel recipe also found on this blog.
-Banish (aka - Jeff)
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Shipping to WDW via FedEx...
Since I have a lot on info saved on this I figured this would be easier then posting it all on Lines...
Don't ship it through the Post Office... Here is why... The US Post Office does NOT recognize Disney streets, any and all mail being sent to Disney through the US Post Office will go to the PO Box (regardless of how you address it) as the post office does not deliver to Disney directly. From the PO Box it is sorted into sections and then specific locations before it is delivered out to property. This can take quite a bit of time.
UPs, Fed Ex, DHL, any kind of courier service will deliver directly to the hotel. My suggestion would be to get the package ready and send it out about 7 days prior to your arrival (you can send it further out if you like they will hold it). If you give yourself enough time you can ship it ground service which is the cheapest.
As for who to address it to you would want to address it like this:
The name of the person who is the LEAD name on the reservation (may not be you, but it is easier to find that way)
C/O the hotel you are staying at/ Front Desk
The address of the hotel
And put HOLD for guest check in and the reservation number if you're the dilgent type, it's not required tho.
So it would look something like this
John Smith
C/O Disney's Wilderness Lodge Front Desk
Reservation # xxxxxxewqwwtyyhkl
901 Timberline Drive
Lake Buena Vista, Fl 32830
Here is a list of the resort address' (again this can ONLY be used for courier services, US Post office will not deliver to the property directly)
Disney’s All Star Movies Resort 1991 West Buena Vista Drive
Phone: 407-939-7000
Disney’s All Star Music Resort 1801 West Buena Vista Drive
Phone: 407-939-6000
Disney’s All Star Sports Resort 1701 West Buena Vista Drive
Phone: 407-939-5000
Disney's Art of Animation Resort 1850 Animation Way
Phone: 407-938-7000
Disney's Pop Century Resort 1050 Century Drive
Phone: 407-938-4000
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort 900 Cayman Way
Phone: 407-934-3400
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort 1000 West Buena Vista Drive (*)
Phone: 407-939-1000
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter 2201 Orleans Drive
Phone: 407-934-5000
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside 1251 Riverside Drive
Phone: 407-934-6000
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge 2901 Osceola Pkwy.
Phone: 407-938-3000
Disney’s Contemporary Resort 4600 North World Drive (*)
Phone: 407-824-1000
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa 4401 Floridian Way (*)
Phone: 407-824-3000
Disney’s Wilderness Lodge 901 Timberline Dr.
Phone: 407-824-3200
Disney’s Polynesian Resort 1600 Seven Seas Drive
Phone: 407-824-2000
Disney’s Beach Club Resort 1800 West Epcot Resort Blvd. (*)
Phone: 407-934-8000
Disney’s Yacht Club Resort 1700 Epcot Resort Blvd. (*)
Phone: 407-934-7000
Disney’s Boardwalk Inn 2101 North W Epcot Resort Blvd. (*)
Phone: 407-939-5100
Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort/Campground 4510 N Ft. Wilderness Trail
Phone: 407-824-2900
Disney’s Old Key West Resort 1510 North Cove Rd.
Phone: 407-827-7700
Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort 1960 Broadway
Phone: 407-827-1100
Walt Disney World Dolphin 1500 Epcot Resort Blvd.
Phone: 407-934-4000
Walt Disney World Swan 1200 Epcot Resort Blvd.
Phone: 407-934-3000
Shades of Green 1950 W. Magnolia Palm Dr.
Phone: 407-824-3400
All hotels are in Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
(Except Animal Kingdom Lodge which is Bay Lake, FL 32830).
3812 Springs.
Don't ship it through the Post Office... Here is why... The US Post Office does NOT recognize Disney streets, any and all mail being sent to Disney through the US Post Office will go to the PO Box (regardless of how you address it) as the post office does not deliver to Disney directly. From the PO Box it is sorted into sections and then specific locations before it is delivered out to property. This can take quite a bit of time.
UPs, Fed Ex, DHL, any kind of courier service will deliver directly to the hotel. My suggestion would be to get the package ready and send it out about 7 days prior to your arrival (you can send it further out if you like they will hold it). If you give yourself enough time you can ship it ground service which is the cheapest.
As for who to address it to you would want to address it like this:
The name of the person who is the LEAD name on the reservation (may not be you, but it is easier to find that way)
C/O the hotel you are staying at/ Front Desk
The address of the hotel
And put HOLD for guest check in and the reservation number if you're the dilgent type, it's not required tho.
So it would look something like this
John Smith
C/O Disney's Wilderness Lodge Front Desk
Reservation # xxxxxxewqwwtyyhkl
901 Timberline Drive
Lake Buena Vista, Fl 32830
Here is a list of the resort address' (again this can ONLY be used for courier services, US Post office will not deliver to the property directly)
Disney’s All Star Movies Resort 1991 West Buena Vista Drive
Phone: 407-939-7000
Disney’s All Star Music Resort 1801 West Buena Vista Drive
Phone: 407-939-6000
Disney’s All Star Sports Resort 1701 West Buena Vista Drive
Phone: 407-939-5000
Disney's Art of Animation Resort 1850 Animation Way
Phone: 407-938-7000
Disney's Pop Century Resort 1050 Century Drive
Phone: 407-938-4000
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort 900 Cayman Way
Phone: 407-934-3400
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort 1000 West Buena Vista Drive (*)
Phone: 407-939-1000
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter 2201 Orleans Drive
Phone: 407-934-5000
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside 1251 Riverside Drive
Phone: 407-934-6000
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge 2901 Osceola Pkwy.
Phone: 407-938-3000
Disney’s Contemporary Resort 4600 North World Drive (*)
Phone: 407-824-1000
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa 4401 Floridian Way (*)
Phone: 407-824-3000
Disney’s Wilderness Lodge 901 Timberline Dr.
Phone: 407-824-3200
Disney’s Polynesian Resort 1600 Seven Seas Drive
Phone: 407-824-2000
Disney’s Beach Club Resort 1800 West Epcot Resort Blvd. (*)
Phone: 407-934-8000
Disney’s Yacht Club Resort 1700 Epcot Resort Blvd. (*)
Phone: 407-934-7000
Disney’s Boardwalk Inn 2101 North W Epcot Resort Blvd. (*)
Phone: 407-939-5100
Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort/Campground 4510 N Ft. Wilderness Trail
Phone: 407-824-2900
Disney’s Old Key West Resort 1510 North Cove Rd.
Phone: 407-827-7700
Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort 1960 Broadway
Phone: 407-827-1100
Walt Disney World Dolphin 1500 Epcot Resort Blvd.
Phone: 407-934-4000
Walt Disney World Swan 1200 Epcot Resort Blvd.
Phone: 407-934-3000
Shades of Green 1950 W. Magnolia Palm Dr.
Phone: 407-824-3400
All hotels are in Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
(Except Animal Kingdom Lodge which is Bay Lake, FL 32830).
3812 Springs.
Friday, March 23, 2012
The rest of the ship...
Ok folks here are he pics I took yesterday while finishing the ship. It was a lot of fun to build and very detailed. Not really a toy though, I can see the masts breaking pretty easily. This is a shown piece. DD and I had fun and plan on building the Queen Anne's Revenge next. 
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Black Pearl - 2
So, this is half way done. This model has 804 pieces! Working with DD6, we have about 1.5 hours into it. Book 1 of 2 is done at this point. We are going to hopefully finish it tonight. 
Monday, March 12, 2012
Sweet Cream Cheese Stuffed Pretzels!
This is my take on the Magic Kingdom Sweet Cream Cheese Stuffed Pretzel that you can get at The Lunching Pad in Tomorrowland. Sorry it took me so long everyone, it's been a little busy around here and I had to make these a few times before I felt it was close enough to the real thing to post up. It's a fairly easy recipe to make as long as you have some basic baking skills.
Before we get started there are a few things that you don't have to have but will definitely make your life a lot easier and make the recipe turn out better.
First is some sort of Stand Mixer. I have a KitchenAid Pro 600, but any mixer will do as long as it has a Dough Hook attachment and enough torque to knead dough. You don't have to have a mixer but I really wouldn't want to have to hand knead this dough!
The second thing that is Really handy to have if you bake a lot (like I do) is a digital kitchen scale. Any type will do. I picked mine up at Walmart for like $20 a couple of years ago. The reason for this is a lot of recipes these days are using weight and not volume as a measurement as it is more precise - especially with flour which can vary greatly depending on the milling process and the humidity level.
The third item which really helps (and is almost essential to stuff the pretzels) is a Marinade Injection Syringe or a Piping Bag with a long thin tip. I have both and even though it is more difficult to fill, I find the Syringe does a better job of filling the pretzels with the Cream Cheese. Here is the one I got at Walmart for under $5.
That's pretty much it for any "special" hardware. Now, on to the good part - the recipes!!
First, we have the soft pretzel recipe itself. I can't take credit for this. I got this recipe from one of my culinary idols - Alton Brown from the Food Networks Good Eats. I love this show and watch it all the time. This recipe is word for word what he has on Food Networks website. I've been using it for a few years and its always a big hit (even more so now)!
Pretzel Ingredients
1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for pan
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt (optional)
Sweet Cream Cheese Filling Ingredients
2 8oz packages Cream Cheese (at room temperature)
1 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Directions
Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 5 minutes. Don't under-mix! I did this once and the dough wasn't elastic enough to roll out properly. Give it a good 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
While the Pretzel Dough is resting, it's time to make the Cream Cheese Filling. In a medium bowl whisk together the cream cheese and sugar until they are well incorporated. Then beat in the egg yolk and vanilla whisking until the mixer is smooth and uniform in color.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.
Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.
In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 18-inch rope and cut into 3 equal pieces of about 6-inches each. Place each piece onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.
Place the pretzels into the boiling water, about 5 at a time, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula (or a large slotted spoon - just something that will let the water drain off). Return them to the half sheet pan.
Once all the pretzels have been boiled, it's time to stuff. Fill your syringe (or Piping Bag) with the cream cheese mixture. If using a syringe I find it easiest to load this by putting the cream cheese into a ziptop bag and then cutting the corner off the bag and piping the mixture into the syringe. If you are using a piping bag to fill the pretzels then just fill that as you normally would and use your longest, thinnest tip - something that you would use to fill eclairs with. After your delivery device of choice is ready to go, just push the syringe or piping bag tip into one end of the pretzel as far as it will go and squeeze in the cream cheese as you slowly withdraw the tip. If using the syringe I put about 10cc's of the cream cheese into each pretzel. You may have to fill the pretzels from both sides to get cream cheese all the way through it. You should have about 1/4 of the cream cheese mixture left over which is great for dipping the pretzels into after they are cooked!!
After all the pretzels are stuffed, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture. At this point your could sprinkle them with the pretzel salt but I don't. I'm not a huge fan of adding salt and while it does add a little to the taste, to me it can be a little overpowering on the salt - total judgment call on your part (BTW - Kosher Salt will work just fine).
Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.
That's it. These are really yummy and disappear REALLY fast - especially at parties. Not too difficult to make, just need a little time and patience. If you have any questions with them please don't hesitate to email me at banishwrx@gmail.com. I hope you all enjoy them as much as my family, friends and I have!!
Before we get started there are a few things that you don't have to have but will definitely make your life a lot easier and make the recipe turn out better.
First is some sort of Stand Mixer. I have a KitchenAid Pro 600, but any mixer will do as long as it has a Dough Hook attachment and enough torque to knead dough. You don't have to have a mixer but I really wouldn't want to have to hand knead this dough!
The second thing that is Really handy to have if you bake a lot (like I do) is a digital kitchen scale. Any type will do. I picked mine up at Walmart for like $20 a couple of years ago. The reason for this is a lot of recipes these days are using weight and not volume as a measurement as it is more precise - especially with flour which can vary greatly depending on the milling process and the humidity level.
The third item which really helps (and is almost essential to stuff the pretzels) is a Marinade Injection Syringe or a Piping Bag with a long thin tip. I have both and even though it is more difficult to fill, I find the Syringe does a better job of filling the pretzels with the Cream Cheese. Here is the one I got at Walmart for under $5.
That's pretty much it for any "special" hardware. Now, on to the good part - the recipes!!
First, we have the soft pretzel recipe itself. I can't take credit for this. I got this recipe from one of my culinary idols - Alton Brown from the Food Networks Good Eats. I love this show and watch it all the time. This recipe is word for word what he has on Food Networks website. I've been using it for a few years and its always a big hit (even more so now)!
Pretzel Ingredients
1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for pan
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt (optional)
Sweet Cream Cheese Filling Ingredients
2 8oz packages Cream Cheese (at room temperature)
1 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Directions
Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 5 minutes. Don't under-mix! I did this once and the dough wasn't elastic enough to roll out properly. Give it a good 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
While the Pretzel Dough is resting, it's time to make the Cream Cheese Filling. In a medium bowl whisk together the cream cheese and sugar until they are well incorporated. Then beat in the egg yolk and vanilla whisking until the mixer is smooth and uniform in color.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.
Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.
In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 18-inch rope and cut into 3 equal pieces of about 6-inches each. Place each piece onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.
Place the pretzels into the boiling water, about 5 at a time, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula (or a large slotted spoon - just something that will let the water drain off). Return them to the half sheet pan.
Once all the pretzels have been boiled, it's time to stuff. Fill your syringe (or Piping Bag) with the cream cheese mixture. If using a syringe I find it easiest to load this by putting the cream cheese into a ziptop bag and then cutting the corner off the bag and piping the mixture into the syringe. If you are using a piping bag to fill the pretzels then just fill that as you normally would and use your longest, thinnest tip - something that you would use to fill eclairs with. After your delivery device of choice is ready to go, just push the syringe or piping bag tip into one end of the pretzel as far as it will go and squeeze in the cream cheese as you slowly withdraw the tip. If using the syringe I put about 10cc's of the cream cheese into each pretzel. You may have to fill the pretzels from both sides to get cream cheese all the way through it. You should have about 1/4 of the cream cheese mixture left over which is great for dipping the pretzels into after they are cooked!!
After all the pretzels are stuffed, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture. At this point your could sprinkle them with the pretzel salt but I don't. I'm not a huge fan of adding salt and while it does add a little to the taste, to me it can be a little overpowering on the salt - total judgment call on your part (BTW - Kosher Salt will work just fine).
Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.
That's it. These are really yummy and disappear REALLY fast - especially at parties. Not too difficult to make, just need a little time and patience. If you have any questions with them please don't hesitate to email me at banishwrx@gmail.com. I hope you all enjoy them as much as my family, friends and I have!!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Awesome pic.
My BIL just found this pic that I had taken last week. Believe it or not, this was shot from an iPhone 4s!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Here's out plane.
Don't know if u can see it in the picture but it is painted with the NY Jets logo, and it's going to Boston! That plane may not make it out of Patriot Land!
The worst site in WDW
Or the best. Buy for us, right now, the worst. Good bye for now Disney. See you in October. 
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Of mice and men...
Well, all good things must come to an end and now this muppet of a man must leave the house of mouse behind.
It's our lat nigh here and we just finished packing. Had a great day at DHS today and got a ton done.
I am going to be editing and adding more photos and thought to my blog over the next few days do stay tuned! I will post in Lines as updates are done.
For now though, good night all!
It's our lat nigh here and we just finished packing. Had a great day at DHS today and got a ton done.
I am going to be editing and adding more photos and thought to my blog over the next few days do stay tuned! I will post in Lines as updates are done.
For now though, good night all!
A good end.
I'd call a Pina Coolada type drink by the pool a good end to the week. Wish it was longer but we'll be back in October at least (if not for Star Wars Weekends - don't tell DW, she doesn't know that I am conniving for that!). Heading to the Turf Club at SSR for dinner tonight. Something low key as DD6 caught a slightly cold last night.
Had a great day at DHS and I will post more about that later. Now it's time to sip my cocktail and read a book for a bit.
Had a great day at DHS and I will post more about that later. Now it's time to sip my cocktail and read a book for a bit.
Front row!
Kids and DW are at Disney Jr. I got a reprieve from that by DW to ride GMR as I didn't get to do it the other day! Woohoo!
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