Kraut Burgers

Rick's mom made these often for him when he was growing up. I keep forgetting to get her actual recipe (I'm sure I've gotten it numerous times and have lost it), and since we were craving them today, and she was at BYU all day, I had to just go off of memory. They turned out great and the boys devoured them!

Don't let the dough scare you off, as it's so simple to make and only rests for an hour, which is plenty of time to cut everything up and get the mixture cooked thoroughly. This recipe makes 24 large rolls and would be easy to cut in half. I ate two, the boys each ate two, and Rick had four + one later tonight! Hopefully that gives you a good idea of how many to plan on. If you end up with extras, you can easily freeze them, either after they're cooked or uncooked.

Whenever Jane makes these, she will also make extra dough and make "pigs-in-a-blanket" for the kids. They bake the same amount of time, so it's a fun addition when you have younger kids or are feeding a crowd.

Dough

1/2 c. warm water
4 t. active dry yeast
4 T. sugar
1 3/4 c. warm milk
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c. butter softened
2 t. salt
7-8 c. flour

Dissolve yeast and sugar in the warm water (make sure it isn't hot or it will kill the yeast). Once it starts to activate, add all the other ingredients and knead for 8 minutes (either with a mixer or by hand). Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with a damp cloth; let it rise until double (about an hour). Punch down and divide in half. Roll dough out on a floured surface, into a rectangle. Using a pizza cutter, cut dough into 12 squares. Fill each square generously with the hamburger filling. Fold in two opposite corners, then the other two corners and pinch into a little "purse" so all the ends are secure (making sure to not stretch the top of the bun too thin). Spray cooking spray onto a cookie sheet and place the rolls seam side down. Continue with the second batch of dough, so you end up with 24 rolls total. Let the rolls sit for about 20 minutes to rise (this step isn't completely necessary if you're in a hurry). Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until nice and golden brown. Once they are out of the oven, rub tops with a little butter. Serve with mustard and ketchup.

Filling

1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 head of green cabbage, chopped
1 lg. onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. sauerkraut (optional)
olive oil

Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauté pan, and cook onion until translucent. Add garlic and stir a few times. Add hamburger meat and stir, breaking up the chunks into small pieces. Add cabbage and sauerkraut and cook for at least 15 minutes, until all cabbage is soft and looses it's color. Drain any excess liquid off and it's ready to be used.

Mom's Artisan Bread

My mom has made this artisan bread for years and I've always loved it. This last trip to Moab, I wrote down my mom's recipe and directions and we decided to make it today, on conference weekend. I showed Harrison how to make it, so he can whip up a batch for our family now and then. It takes no time or preparation at all and is delicious!

Artisan Bread

3 C. flour

1 1/2 t. salt

1 t. yeast

1 7/8 c. lukewarm water

In a large bowl, stir all ingredients together with a spatula, until all the flour is gone. Cover with plastic wrap and leave it overnight.

In the morning, put about 1/2 cup more flour in the dough (which is now full of bubbles) and stir with a spatula, until it’s not so sticky. Use a little more flour, as needed and you can use your hands to knead it a bit until most of the flour is combined. It will still be a little lumpy. Form into a ball.

Dump a little flour on a flour sack cloth and put  the ball of dough in the middle and fold the cloth over the dough. Leave for 2 hours.

After the dough has sat for 2 hours, heat oven to 430 degrees, putting a dutch oven or other pan (that has a lid) in the oven while it preheats. (I just use my biggest stock-pot that is oven safe and has a lid.) Once preheated, remove the pan form oven, spray with cooking spray, place the dough in it, and put the lid on top. Bake for 30 minutes and then take lid off and bake 5-10 minutes longer until the top is brown.

Harrison's first loaf of artisan bread!

Créme Brûléed Chocolate Bundt Cake

Harrison wanted me to make créme brûlée for his birthday, instead of cake. However, we ended up having about 40 people over for dinner, so I was trying to convince him to choose something that would be a better dessert to feed a crowd. We looked in my new cookbook that Rick got me for my birthday, "Baking with Julia," and found this dreamy recipe and we just couldn't resist trying it!

I doubled the creme brûlée part of the recipe, but I think next time I will actually triple it so that each piece has a little more (I've tripled it here in this recipe). The recipe says to top the cake with the créme brûlée, and then torch it, but next time I make it, I will wait until the cake is sliced and on individual plates before topping with the créme brûlée and torch each individual serving. After slicing the cake, a lot of the pieces didn't have any of the caramelized sugar on their serving. I would also serve the raspberries on the side of each individual serving--the original recipe calls for them to be added to the middle of the cake.

If you choose to just make the chocolate bundt cake, and not worry about the créme brûlée topping, it is still a fantastic recipe. It's a type of chiffon cake and was one of the best chocolate cakes I've ever tasted!

Créme Brûlée Topping (tripled from original recipe)

1 1/2 c. heavy cream
3 vanilla beans
15 egg yolks, at room temperature
9 T. sugar

Pour the cream into a medium saucepan. Split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the pan, toss in the pod, and stir to mix. Bring just to a boil over low heat.

Meanwhile, in a medium heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together just to blend. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk, continuously and energetically, until the mixture is very pale and hot to the touch. Remove the yolks form the heat. Gradually, but steadily, whisk the cream into the yolks, pod and all.

Put the bowl back over the hot water and let it sit there, with the heat turned off, whisking occasionally, from 5-10 minutes, until the cream thickens. Set the bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice cubes and cold water and allow the mixture to cool, whisking now and then. When the custard is cool to the torch, retrieve and discard the vanilla bean and push the mixture through a strainer into a clean bowl. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (can be made a day ahead).

The Cake

1 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. flour
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
4 eggs, separated
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. water
1 t. vanilla extract
2 egg whites

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-cup bundt pan and dust the inside, including the center tube, with cocoa powder; tap out the excess.

Sift together 1 cup of the sugar, the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and baking soda into a small bowl and then add the salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together the yolks, oil, water, and vanilla until blended. Whisk the dry ingredients gradually into the yolk mixture; set aside.

Beat the 6 egg whites in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or work with a hand-held mixer. At low speed, beat the whites until they're foamy and form very soft peaks. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and gradually add the remaining 1/2 c. sugar, beating until the whites are thick and shiny and hold peaks. Fold about one third of the whipped egg whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it, then turn the yolk mixture into the whites and fold it in gently but thoroughly.

Pour and scrape the batter into the pan. Place the pan on a jelly-roll pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the cake is springy to the touch and starts to pull away from the sides of the pan. (My cake was done in 30 minutes, so watch oven closely.) The top of the cake may show some cracks and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake should come out clean. Remove the cake to a cooling rack and let it cool for at least 25 minutes before unmolding it onto a rack and allowing it to cool completely.

Finishing the Cake

2 pints raspberries
1/4 c. + 1/2 c. sugar

Toss the raspberries in some sugar and let sit while prepping the cake. Right before serving, cut cake into pieces and put on serving plates. Put a dollop of créme brûlée topping on each piece of cake and put a few raspberries on the side. Sprinkle each dollop of créme brûlée with a little sugar and work with a blowtorch to caramelize the sugar.

Lemon Bars

This recipe is from my sister Jennifer, who is one of the best bakers I've ever known! She's perfected this recipe and it is amazing. It makes a huge batch, which makes it easy to share.

Lemon Bars

Crust:
1 1/4 c. butter, cold
1/2 c. + 2 T. powdered sugar
2 1/4 c. flour
1/8 + a pinch of salt

Mix sugar, flour and salt together and then cut the cold butter into the mixture until you have very fine crumbs. Spread crumbs evenly onto a jelly roll pan (17.5" X 12" cookie sheet with sides) and press the crust down, working your way all around the pan so that it is evenly distributed. Bake the crust in a 350 degree oven for 10-14 minutes, watching very closely so it doesn't burn or get brown. Cool.

Filling:
4 c. sugar
2/3 c. flour
8 eggs
3/4 c. lemon juice (fresh or bottled)

Mix sugar and flour together. Mix eggs and lemon juice just until combined; don't beat or there will be a foamy surface. Stir dry and liquid ingredients together until combined and very smooth.

Pour filling over cooled crust and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, without browning the top. Sides will get brown, but the entire center should stay yellow.

Remove from oven and immediately take a metal spatula, dip it in powdered sugar and pry the edges away from the sides of the pan. Continue dipping the spatula in the powdered sugar as it gets sticky. Dust a very generous amount of powdered sugar over the top of the lemon bars. Let the pan cool completely in the fridge, overnight works well. When it's cool, carefully cut all four sides off and then cut the lemon bars into equal pieces.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

I don't have much time at all for Pinterest, but I sometimes have the urge to browse the various boards of my friends' and see what I might want to try. I've tried quite a few things that I've found, but not many have worked out well enough to want to try again. However, when I saw a picture of Cinnamon Roll Pancakes posted, I thought it would be a fun recipe to try for Sunday morning breakfast. And, wow, were they AMAZING!

Although my finished product didn't look as pretty as the posted pictures, they tasted way better than I had expected. They were so sweet that I think they should be considered more of a dessert than breakfast. As a matter of fact, we had enough batter and toppings left over, that we made them for the missionaries for a dessert after our Sunday dinner and they loved them!

The original recipe that I pinned was this one from www.recipegirl.com. 

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Cinnamon Filling:

4 T. butter, melted but not boiling

1/4 + 2 T.  brown sugar

1/2 T. cinnamon

Cream Cheese Icing:

4 T. butter, softened

2-oz. cream cheese, softened

3/4 c. powdered sugar

1/2 t. vanilla

Pancakes:

1 c. flour

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1 c. milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 T. oil

Prepare the cinnamon filling: In a quart sized zip-lock bag, put all three ingredients and mix until smooth. Set aside.

Prepare the icing: In a quart sized zip-lock bag, put all the ingredients and mix (by squeezing ingredients) until smooth. Set aside.

Prepare the pancake batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in the milk, egg and oil, just until batter is moistened.

Heat a large, nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat and spray with nonstick spray. Use a 1/3 c. measuring cup to put batter on the hot pan. Use the bottom of the cup to spread the batter into a circle about 4-inches in diameter. Reduce the heat to medium low. Once you see bubbles start to form, snip the corner of your zip-lock bag of cinnamon filling and squeeze the filling on top of the pancake batter in a swirl, like shown in the top picture (making sure not to get close to the edge). Cook the pancake a couple of minutes longer, or until the bubbles start to pop and then use a metal spatula to flip the pancake (gently). Cook an additional couple of minutes, until the bottom is light brown and then take off the heat and flip onto a plate, with the swirl showing. Snip the tip of the icing bag and pipe some icing onto the pancake.

*You will want to wipe off your griddle/pan and spatula before starting another batch, as they get sticky and start to burn.

Asian Noodle Salad

I have made this for a couple of years and it is hands-down my all-time favorite salad. I got the recipe from the Pioneer Woman. I really love all of the recipes I've tried of hers, but this is one is my favorite. I believe she was inspired by a recipe from the Naked Chef.

I always forgot how much time it takes to cut all the vegetables up and what an incredible mess it makes. It also makes enough salad to feed an huge army, so if you are not feeding an army, be careful! I usually make it and only dress what I need, putting the leftover veggies and noodles in ziplock bags with a little dressing in a side bag, and then toss a small version for lunches the next few days.

I've used Asian rice noodles instead of linguini before, but I didn't like it nearly as much.

Asian Noodle Salad

1 pkg. linguine noodles, cooked, rinsed & cooled

1/2 head sliced napa cabbage

1/2 head sliced purple cabbage

1/2 bag baby spinach

1 of each red, yellow & orange bell peppers, thinly sliced

1 bag mung bean sprouts

1 bunch chopped cilantro

3 whole scallions, sliced

3 whole cucumbers, peeled & sliced

1 10-oz. can cashews

Mix the noodles and vegetables in a very large bowl, toss with the dressing and top with cashews. 

For the dressing:

1 whole lime, juiced

8 T. olive oil

8 T. soy sauce

2 T. sesame oil

1/2 c. brown sugar

3 T. fresh ginger, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeño, seeded & chopped

I like to put the dressing in my Blendtec blender to insure that everything is chopped super fine, but you can also do it all by hand. 

Key Lime Pie Pops

My dessert club has been a really fun excuse to try new recipes that I would normally never try. I tend to stick with my favorite recipes for desserts and don't usually branch out at all. June's theme was "FROZEN" and I knew I wanted to do some kind of popsicle. I thought it would be fun to do a key lime pie pop and as luck would have it, there was a lot of information on the internet. I found a couple of recipes, played with them, and this is what I came up with.

When cutting the key limes, I was dying at how cute they were. The picture below really doesn't do them justice, as you can't tell how tiny and miniature they are. I wanted to incorporate the lime slice somehow, so I cut a thin slice to put at the top. Not only was it cute, but it also gave the straw something to hold it up. However, when eating the popsicle, once you got to the lime at the bottom, it was really sour. I don't think I would add it when I make them again. 

I used small, clear "shot glasses" from a party store, and cut party straws. For our dessert club, we have to taste so many desserts, that we serve such small portions. These would be fabulous in a normal size popsicle mold.

Key Lime Pie Pops

1 14-oz. can of sweetened condensed milk

1 c. half and half

3/4 c. fresh key lime juice (about 2 lbs. of limes)

2 t. key lime zest

1/8 t. salt

2 c. graham cracker crumbs

Combine all ingredients, except for graham cracker crumbs. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze for about 5 hours. If you are not using conventional popsicle molds, you can add your sticks after about 2 hours. Right before serving the popsicles, take them out of the molds (run hot water over the mold, if needed) and roll the popsicle in cookie crumbs.