PITA BREAD

Pita bread made with a bread machine, what could be easier? The only trick is to roll them thin enough (I didn't roll my first batch thin enough and they were lofty little pillows, but bad minimal pockets). The thinner batch made perfect pocket pitas.

This was a quick fun project and the final results were delicious, you will never be happy with grocery store pita's again.

1 and 1/8 cups warm water
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons white sugar
2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Put everything into the bread pan of your bread machine, select dough setting and start. Let dough going through first rise.

Turn dough out onto your floured counter. Knead dough a few times then divide into 8 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball. With a floured rolling pin, roll each ball out into a 6" circle (dough will be very thin). Lay circles on lightly floured surface and cover with a dry light-weight dish towel. Let it rest for 30 minutes or until slightly puffy.

In the meantime, heat your oven to 500 (yep! 500) and place a wire cake rack into your oven (set it right on the oven rack...no pan please). Gently lift a circle of dough and gently place it on the hot cake rack (bake 2 at a time). Bake for five minutes until they are super-puffed and lightly brown. Remove with spatula and place in a brown paper bag (I just used some lunch bags) and make sure you seal up the bag well (I used a chip clip to seal bags) and let the pita's cool in there. I don't know why this step is necessary, but that is what the recipe calls for. They will look like this:

 When they are cooled, you can split them open or cut off one end. We really enjoyed these and I will definitely make these again.


NOTE: I don't have a bread machine, so I just made the dough in my stand mixer and let it rise for about an hour.

PEANUT BUTTER RICE KRISPIE TREATS

A few weeks ago, Heidi at Tried-and-True Cooking with Heidi posted a recipe that she called Old-School Peanut Butter Squares. The recipe caught my eye because it does not call for marshmallows (we like marshmallows, but they aren't always in the pantry). The only tweak I made was to substitute some of the sugar for a little honey (I love the taste of peanut butter with honey). I must say the treats were a big hit around here. With mom's packing school lunches these days, I thought it would be a good time to repeat Heidi's super simple and super tasty recipe.

1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup white sugar (see note)
1 cup peanut butter
5 cups crisp rice cereal

Combine corn syrup and sugar in medium saucepan. Stir until well blended and cook on medium heat until boiling (stirring occasionally). Let boil for 30 seconds and remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter and mix until well blended. Stir in cereal and mix well. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Lightly spray hands with cooking spray and press mixture into pan. Cool and cut into squares.

NOTE: I removed 2 tablespoons of sugar and replaced it with 2 tablespoons of honey.
NOTE: I let my syrup mixture gently boil for a full minute.
NOTE: I found that you don't have to spray your hands with cooking spray when you press down the mixture. If you dampen your hands and just shake them dry for about 5 seconds, it does the same thing without making the treats greasy.

GREEN ENCHILADA SAUCE

I have always cooked with canned Ortega mild fire-roasted chilies (if hubby doesn't know they are in a recipe, he magically does not get heartburn lol). However, I have put off the urge to cook with fresh Anaheim chilies because I think he would seriously panic if he saw them. Well, recently, the opportunity to cook with fresh Anaheim's presented itself (hubby wouldn't he home for dinner) so I went for it. They were delicious!!
 

 GREEN ENCHILADA SAUCE

 

3 fresh Anaheim chilies
1 to 2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of chopped onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 to 3 teaspoons mild chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons flour

Wash and dry the chilies and put them under the broiler for 5-10 minutes (my broiler took about 8 minutes) turning the chilies about once a minute. You want the skins of the chilies to blacken on at least 60% of their surface. Remove them from the broiler and place them in a Tupperware container with a tight lid (this will help steam the chilies) for about 15 minutes. Next step is to peel off their skins, cut open and remove seeds and dice flesh; you should have about one cup of diced chilies (set aside).

In a frying pan, heat the olive oil and saute the onions and garlic until they are tender and mellow, then put them in a food processor along with 1 cup of prepared chilies, and 1/2 cup of the chicken broth and 2 tablespoons of flour; process until smooth. Transfer to a sauce pan and add the chili powder, cumin, salt and the remaining 1&1/2 cups of chicken broth. Cook until thick and bubbling; lower heat and simmer slowly for about 20 minutes. Use immediately.

While this enchilada sauce can be used on beef enchiladas, it does better with chicken or seafood. The enchiladas pictured here were made with surimi (fake crab). I just chopped the surimi into smaller pieces, mixed it with Monterey Jack cheese and a little of the green enchilada sauce and rolled the filling in tortillas, poured the sauce over them and topped with more cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes or until everything is hot and bubbly. They were light and tasty.

NOTE: I only used 1 teaspoon of mild chili powder. If you like more kick, add more.

SWEET AND SOUR MEATBALLS

Hubby has a serious sweet tooth; he even likes SOME savory dishes on the sweet side, like this (quick and easy) sweet and sour sauce. It works equally as well with chicken, pork, country style ribs and shrimp.

SWEET AND SOUR MEATBALLS

 

MEATBALLS
1 pound of very lean ground beef
5 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup of milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Mix all ingredients and shape into walnut size balls. Bake for 20 minutes at 375, then drain on paper towels.

SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE
In large sauce pan, mix:
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon dry red chili flakes (I use only a pinch)
(1) 8 ounce can of pineapple chunks undrained

Bring everything to a boil and thicken with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup of water. Bring back to a boil, stirring constantly. When the sauce has thickened, turn the heat down to a very slow simmer and add the baked meatballs. Continue simmering for about 20 minutes. Serve over rice.

NOTE: We don't care for a lot of "heat" in our food, so I use a scant 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.

NOTE: Bake the meatballs for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how large you make them. I turn on the broiler for the last 2 or 3 minutes to give the meatballs some color.

PEACH PIE and a QUESTION ABOUT CURRY POWDER

Our fall is revving up...the Alaska State Fair is underway and it is the absolute end of our growing season (we will have frost in less than two weeks). What does all that mean? It is finally cool enough to bake to my hearts content, which makes me a happy camper.
Hubby is the pie eater at our house and he likes thinner pies as opposed to deep dish pies, so I started baking his pies in a two piece tart pan. At first I resisted, but soon discovered that the tart pan not only makes a prettier pie, but they are also much easier to serve (no pie plate corners to maneuver around when your cutting that first piece).

CRUST
2 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup ice cold butter
6-8 tablespoons ice water
Place the flour, salt and cold butter (cubed) into a food processor and pulse a few times until you get fine crumbs. Pour this mixture into a bowl and add 6 tablespoons of ice water. If the dough is too dry, add more ice water (1

tablespoon at a time) until the dough hangs together in a ball. Divide your dough in to two pieces (top crust + bottom crust). Wrap one piece in plastic and put it in the fridge. Dust your counter with flour and roll out the other piece of dough to an 1/8" thickness. Place it in the pie plate (or tart pan). Do not stretch the dough. Place this bottom crust in the fridge while you make the fruit filling.

PEACH FILLING
5 cups of fresh peaches (peeled and sliced)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
Mix the sugars, cinnamon, flour, salt and peaches (gently) until everything is moistened. Stir in vanilla extract. Remove bottom crust from the fridge and "paint" the INSIDE surface of it with egg wash (1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water ). This will help keep the bottom crust from getting soggy while baking. Pour the fruit filling into the bottom crust and dot the filling with small pinches of cold butter.

Roll out the top crust...place it on top of the fruit and pinch the edges (if you are using a pie plate) or run your rolling pin across the edges if you are using a tart pan. Cut a vent hole in the top pie crust. Brush egg wash over the surface of the pie and sprinkle with white sugar. Bake in a PREHEATED 450 oven for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 for 30 more minutes. Remove pie from oven and cool at least 3 hours before cutting.

NOTE: When I bake a pie in a standard pie plate (especially glass pie plates) I spray the plate with just a little cooking spray. This helps when it comes time to remove the pie, especially if some of the juices have found their way under the crust. This is not necessary with the two piece tart pan.
NOTE: Mix dough as quickly as possible (when using your hands) so that you don't warm up the butter.
NOTE: When you paint the inside bottom crust with the egg wash, be careful not to get too much of it up by the top edge of the tart pan (or the crust will get glued to the pan).
NOTE: Put a cookie sheet under your pie pan while it is in the oven just in case you have spill overs.

CURRY POWDER QUESTION: I have been looking at some recipes that use curry powder. I have zero experience with curry powder and a quick check on the Internet confused me even more. I guess there are many kinds of curry powders (hot, sweet, etc.). What should I watch for when purchasing curry powder. I want to try a chicken salad recipe that just says " 1/2 tsp. curry powder"...what do I buy? Any suggestions or helpful hints would be appreciated.

CLASSIC STUFFED POTATOES

I think almost everyone has their own version of stuffed baked potatoes, but for those who don't, I hope you will try this recipe. It is such a versatile dish that you can add just about any ingredient to this recipe to suite your tastes. My favorite version has crisp bacon, sauteed onions, broccoli, cheese, sour cream and butter. It is an excellent side dish for dinner guests because you can make these early in the day and then just heat them up while you are grilling the main course. Stuffed potatoes and a small salad also make a wonderful meal all by themselves.

3 large baking potatoes (1 pound each)
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup of butter (divided)
1/2 cup light cream (or less)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
3 slices bacon fried crisp and drained
1 cup broccoli chopped small

Wash and dry baking potatoes. Bake them (unwrapped) in a 375 degree oven for about one hour and 20 minutes or until easily pierced with a knife. Let the potatoes cool until you can handle them or use a oven glove to protect your hands. Cut potatoes in half, lengthwise; carefully scoop out pulp and put it into a mixing bowl (try not to tear the potato skins). Saute onions until they are tender and sweet in 1/4 cup butter then add them to the potato pulp. Saute the broccoli until tender and set aside.

Removed a few of the "prettier" broccoli florets to decorate the potato tops and set those aside. Mix the potato pulp, onions, remaining 1/4 cup butter, sour cream, cheese and seasonings until very well mixed. Whip in enough of the light cream to make a consistency like mashed potatoes(you may not need all of the cream). Stir in the crisp bacon and small broccoli pieces with a wooden spoon.
Fill potato skins with this mixture (mounding slightly) and top with a little extra cheddar, decorate with broccoli florets and drizzle with a little butter. Bake at 350 for 20 to 30 minutes or until heated through. Makes six half potatoes.

NOTE: If you make these earlier in the day, cover and refrigerate them. At dinner time, bake them at 350 for about 40 minutes.
NOTE: These potatoes are also excellent topped with beef stroganoff or Swedish meatballs.

FUDGY BROWNIES FOR TWO

I whipped these up in just a few minutes today and I must tell you they are delicious!! Moist, fudgy and just right for two huge 4" x 4" brownies (or six small ones). I can also see many other possibilities for these beauties. Do you have last minute company coming? Cut these into 6 small brownies and top each one with a scoop of vanilla ice cream & chocolate syrup for a wonderful dessert or cut these brownies into small pieces and layer them with chocolate pudding for a wonderful last minute parfait. Then, of course, there is always the "I need something rich and chocolate-y late night attack" --these would be PERFECT!!

Preheat your oven to 350 and spray an 8" x 4" x 2" loaf pan (recipe will give you a brownie 8" long 4" wide and 1" thick).

1/4 cup butter flavored Crisco
3 tablespoons baking cocoa
1 large egg
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Cream shortening, sugar, cocoa, vanilla and egg together until smooth. Add dry ingredients and beat until well combined. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips. Spread mixture in lightly greased loaf pan and bake 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.
NOTE: To help in removing the baked brownies, I cut a piece of parchment paper (wax paper works too) the same size as the bottom of the loaf pan, except I made it twice as long. After the brownies were baked (and cooled for about 15 minutes) I used the "tails" of the paper to hang on to and lifted the brownies out of the pan.
NOTE: I decorated the top of my brownies with some whole pecans and a couple swirls of a simple chocolate glaze, but it isn't necessary. These brownies are super rich and moist, they really don't need any frosting at all.
NOTE: Recipe calls for a baking time of 15 to 20 minutes. My oven took 20 minutes.