Twisted Dough

Hard or soft, salted or seeded, butter dipped or not, seasoned with herbs and/or spices, anyway it is made, is always a treat.  Can you guess what this baked goody is?  The Pretzel. 

The origins of the pretzel are dependent on which country is telling the story.  600s Italy, a monk created the “pretiolas” (little rewards) to give to good children who had memorized their prayers.  The shape represented the arms of the children, crossed while saying their prayers.  The French have a similar story referencing a monk, while Germany tells of bakers held hostage and forced to bake for royalty and high officials of the church.   However, the earliest documented (key word for historical evidence) is from 1185 Germany.  An illustration of pretzels appeared in the Hortus Delicarum, a manuscript compiled by Herrad of Landsberg, at an abbey in Alsace, which was, then, a region of Germany.  Bakers’ guilds displayed the pretzel within their crest.

By the 1400s, the pretzel had become a sign of the Holy Trinity, given out for the Christmas holiday, and even hung on trees.  In the 1700s, German immigrants followed William Penn to America, and his state of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Dutch aka Amish).  In 1861, Julius Sturgis opened his pretzel bakery in Lititz, PA which offered up soft and hard pretzels to consumers.  Story is that his factory was the first to develop hard pretzels, and no, it was not due to a baker falling asleep while pretzels overbaked.  The crunchy, salty snacks lasted longer in an air tight container, than soft pretzels did.  This allowed them to be sold in stores far away from Lititz, and kept on shelves much longer.  Roy and I have visited this historic place several times, and highly recommend, if visiting Lancaster County, PA, to put this on your touring to-do list.  Besides getting to feast on delicious pretzels, hands on experience in pretzel twisting is part of the factory’s tour.  (https://juliussturgis.com/)

Personally, I feel so lucky that I was able to experience, during childhood, getting a huge (as big as my head!) soft pretzel from a street vendor.  A pushcart full of soft baked pretzels, kept warm from the heat of glowing charcoal.  The saltiness mixed with a smoky aroma, the soft consistency giving comfort physically and mentally.  Talk about complete satisfaction!

Soft pretzels can be found in your grocer’s freezer; who has not heard of “Super Pretzel”?  However, I recently found a company called “Eastern Standard Provisions Co.” (https://esprovisions.com/), located in Maine, and the photographs on their website made my mouth crave soft pretzels.  The website describes their soft pretzels as, “a pretzel with the airy qualities of a brioche on the inside and a traditional Bavarian-style crust on the outside.”  Sold!

I purchased the “Love at First Bite” gift box which included five Wheelhouse pretzels and 3 types of salt.  Paying attention (see, I can!) to the instruction guide, the oven baked the pretzels to perfection.  Soft and blissfully chewy, the salt was a crisp bite which tickled the tongue, and the butter smeared on, before baking, had permeated the interior.

Spread butter onto pretzels

Press salt onto butter

After baking.

Inside, pretzel is hot, soft and buttery delcious!

Now whether you decide to try this product, or purchase the one from the market, here’s a huge hint; always bake them!  Microwaving ruins the entire experience.

Want to try your hand at making your own?  There are so many recipes located online, video demonstrations, and in baking books.  You will not know which recipe is right for your tastes, unless you try.  The San Juan Record Bookstore offers a variety of genre, including cooking and baking.  Stop in and see if one of their books has the right recipe for you.

Mary Cokenour

Fish Without the Deep Fry.

I have to admit, with all the hoarding, due to Covid-19, I was able to score supplies that the hoarders ignored.  One such supply was bread crumbs - plain, Italian seasoned, and Japanese Panko.  Not only had the prices not gone up, but there was no limit, so purchasing six of each was easy.  Now some of you are thinking, "Wow, that's way too much to have in stock.".  Maybe for you, but not in my household, as we use them with many, many recipes.

However, the price of cooking oils has gone up dramatically, so the next best cooking technique is oven frying.  The coating still comes out crunchy when the bread crumbs used is the Panko.  The oil used is non-stick cooking spray; no oil absorbed by the fish, and it doesn't stick to the baking pan.

The fish recommended for this is a firm, white flesh fish such as pollack, haddock or cod.  Basically the same type of fish that could be battered, then deep fried.  I have done it with catfish, but the cooking time is longer with the fillets being very thick.  Or it could be cut in half lengthwise, but it's catfish, and who does that!?! 

I have to give kudos to the hoarders.  Being a bunch of selfish low lives, has definitely forced home cooks to become creative.

Oven Fried Fish

Ingredients:

2 lbs. firm white fish (haddock, cod, Pollack), about 6-8 pieces

2 cups milk

2 eggs

4 cups flour

1 Tbsp. salt

1 tsp. cracked black pepper

1 Tbsp. crushed dried dill

1 Tbsp. crushed dried parsley

4 cups Panko

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400F; spray jelly roll pan with nonstick cooking spray.

3 wide shallow bowls

#1 – whisk milk with eggs

#2 – mix flour with salt, pepper, dill and parsley

#3 – Panko

Coating sequence

Immerse fish into #1.

Coat both sides of fish with #2.

Immerse into #1 again.

Coat both sides of fish with #3.

Place on sprayed baking pan.

Repeat sequence with each piece of fish.

Bake in oven for 20-30 minutes, dependent on thickness of fish.  After 20 minutes, insert fork into center to test for doneness (flakes up easily).

Makes 6-8 servings of approximately 4 – 4.5 ounces each.

Add a simple side salad for a complete meal.

 Mary Cokenour

Good Day Sunshine

“Good day sunshine.

I need to laugh, and when the sun is out.

I've got something I can laugh about.

I feel good, in a special way.

I'm in love and it's a sunny day.”

(Good Day Sunshine – The Beatles)

June, sun is shining and a cool breeze drifts down from the mountains.  Soon the summer solstice will arrive, the longest day of the year, and the official start of the season.  Prediction for June is, “Welcome to the 6^th level of Jumanji”.  Father Time is certainly giving everyone an interesting 2020 year, and personally, I am wondering if Godzilla will be making an appearance in July.

Happily, Roy and I have been, once again, adventuring.  Our latest was following trails off of Lisbon Valley Road, close to the town of La Sal, and discovering long abandoned mining facilities.  Packing a picnic lunch of tuna salad sandwiches, Amish macaroni salad and a sun-shiny dessert, we found a lovely spot, on a ridge, overlooking the valley.  It is the absolute quiet, with the occasional call of a bird, or the whooshing sound of its flapping wings.  Yes, that is how quiet it can be, and it is a wonderful lack of sound.

Taking over 200 photographs, I, of course, have a new goal to research the mining industry of La Sal.  From what I have already read, there were over 19,000 mining claims!  The remains, of the mining facilities, we found have stories to tell, and I intend on sharing them on my travel blog.  Well, depending on how I do on this new level of Jumanji.

Now to that sun-shiny dessert I mentioned, Creamy Lemon Squares.  It is a takeoff on traditional lemon bars, but with a crispy crust and thicker filling.  Besides using lemon juice, I played (did you expect I would not!?!), and used a combination of orange and vanilla to create Creamsicle bars.  Sugar was played with as well as the crust has added sugar, and it was just too sweet for our tastes.  Using graham crackers which are already sweet, the additional sugar, in our opinion, was unnecessary.  However, try this recipe yourself, and see what your taste buds think about it.  The squares cut easily and can be packed up nicely to take on a picnic, or just as a snack when riding out through the countryside.

 Creamy Lemon Squares

(Easy Recipes Blog: http://easyrecipes105.com/creamy-lemon-squares/)

Ingredients:

 

For the Crust

4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled, plus more for pan

1-1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

For the Filling

2 large egg yolks

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (3 lemons)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F / 180C degrees.

Brush a square baking dish with melted butter.

Crush graham crackers

Then add in sugar and butter and blend to mix.

Press mixture into bottom of prepared pan.

Bake until lightly browned, 8 to 12 minutes.

Cool crust, 30 minutes.

To Make the Filling

*In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and condensed milk.

*Add lemon juice; whisk until smooth.

*Pour filling into cooled crust; carefully spread to edges.

*Bake until set, about 15 minutes.

*Cool in pan on rack.

PreBaked

After Baking and Cooled

*Chill at least 1 hour before serving.

Serve with whipped cream.

Makes 16 squares.

Creamy Creamsicle Squares (Orange Juice plus Pure Vanilla Extract)

Juice Options: Substitute orange, lime or pineapple; also use fresh juice or concentrated.  Combinations like lemon-lime, use ¼ cup of each juice to create ½ cup combo.  For orange, add 1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract to create old fashioned Creamsicle flavor.  Never use premixed juice from a carton or bottle, it contains water and will ruin the filling.

Garnishes: Powdered sugar and/or add fresh fruit.

Mary Cokenour

Kabobing with the Greeks

According to the calendar, the season of spring began on March 19^th this year, a day earlier than usual, and in a leap year as well.  Overall, the year 2020 has been a challenge for its first four months, and we’re all wondering where the reset button is.  Weather wise, many states, including Utah, were still seeing cold temperatures, snow and hail.

Then May 1^st came, Beltane, the midpoint between the beginning of spring and summer.  The ancient Celtic meaning is “bright fire”, so what better way to celebrate then to barbecue!  With the pandemic continuing, rules of engagement constantly changing, and challenging; it can be difficult to cope in a positive way.

Go outside!  Yes, you can still be safe, at home, but outside in your own backyard, or on the front lawn, on the balcony or patio.  But, go outside!  Look up, see the clouds, what forms can you imagine?  Look at the plant life, flowering buds on the trees, small leaves unfolding to capture dew drops and shafts of sunlight.

This is personal mental and emotional nourishment; food for the mind and soul.  With the body itself, time to fire up the grill and imagine the culinary possibilities.  Of cooking food…not your body!  Come on now, no one can possibly be at the point of cannibalism yet!?!

Let’s take it to the Greeks, and grill up kabobs, or what they refer to as Souvlaki.

Souvlaki (plural is Souvlakia) is a diminutive of the Greek souvla (spit), and there is evidence that cooking with skewers originated in Greece.  One excavation of the archaeological site Akrotiri, on the Greek island of Santorini,  revealed stone sets of barbecues for skewers (Greek: krateutai) used before the 17th century BCE.  Alright kiddies, quiz time, Akrotiri was a Minoan Bronze Age settlement on the volcanic Greek island of Santorini (Thera).  What mythological creature lived in a maze, underneath the king’s palace?  (Insert Jeopardy theme music)  Time is up!  The Minotaur.

Back to Souvlaki, small pieces of meat or poultry, sometimes vegetables are included, which are grilled on a skewer.  The grilled food can be eaten right off the skewer or pulled off onto a warm pita bread to make a sandwich.  If you are looking more for a dinner entree, place the souvlaki over rice or orzo (pasta shaped like rice).  The warm pita bread, broken into pieces, can act as a utensil.

This is a simple and easy meal that can be prepared for sports oriented children (once it begins again).  Get them home after their event and while they are cleaning up, you can be getting together this healthy meal for them.  Chicken, firm cuts of seafood, and pork can be used instead of beef.  Vegetarians can indulge by substituting tofu, or chunks of beefy tasting, Portobella (also spelled Portabella or Portobello) mushrooms, for the protein, plus adding a larger variety of vegetables.

The marinade for the Souvlakia is simply lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, parsley and garlic. The lemon juice helps to break down the connective tissue in the proteins; tenderness is assured after grilling or oven roasting.  For my recipe, I added capers for a little twang on the tongue.

Beef and Vegetable Souvlaki

Ingredients:

1 lb. beef cubes, trimmed of fat

1 lb. mini sweet peppers, cut in half and seeded

1 large onion, chopped

½ lb. small button mushrooms

¼ cup lemon juice

½ cup olive oil

2 Tbsp. minced garlic

½ tsp. each of fine sea salt and ground black pepper

2 Tbsp. minced parsley

1 tsp. capers

Preparation:

In a large plastic container, combine all ingredients thoroughly; seal and refrigerate overnight.

If grilling, alternate beef cubes and vegetables on skewers. Soak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes first to avoid burning.  Place on medium-high preheated grill; cook for 6 minutes before turning skewers; cook another 6 minutes before serving.

If roasting, preheat oven to 450F. Place beef, vegetables and remaining marinade into a large roasting pan, or onto a large jelly roll pan, in a single layer.  Cook for 3 minutes, turn beef; repeat; on 3rd turn of beef, also turn vegetables (this will allow for beef and vegetables to caramelize); turn beef a 4th time, cook for 3 minutes.

Makes 4 – 6 servings.

Mary Cokenour

By the way, we had this on May 12, 2020, and here are a few photos of that delicious meal.

Kabobs ready for the grill, Greek marinade for basting.

After Grilling

Kabobs, Squash cooked with salt, cracked black pepper and butter, Naan Bread, Feta Cheese

Roy's dinner plate is full.

Ways to Murder a Chicken.

Why did the chicken cross the road?  While many will answer with, “To get to the other side.” it might be to save its own life.  Think about it, someone is usually trying to put a rotisserie spit up that poor chicken’s butt.  Or there is the crazy guy attempting to choke it behind the barn.  The poor chicken knows to stay away from the same crazy guy’s wife though; she wants to smother it!  That poor chicken, what could it possibly have done to have so many trying to murder it?

Blue Collar Comedy comedian, Bill Engvall, gives us an answer, “Many moons ago, millions of chickens roamed this land.  Then along comes Colonel, wiped them out.”  (Bill Engvall – Free Range Chicken - www.youtube.com)  Chickens are not native to North America.  They did roam freely across Southeast Asia before becoming domesticated about 5400 years ago.  Eventually, as European countries developed, traders brought chickens back; along with silk, precious gems and other culinary oddities.  Chicken meat and eggs were considered a delicacy for the rich and the royal.  By the 16^th – 17^th centuries, chickens, which are prolific breeders, became common place; food for the rich and poor alike.  Dutch and Portuguese slave traders brought them across the Atlantic, stored in cages, as were their human cargo.   The only freedom the domesticated chicken now knew, was the barnyard; and the slaves were their caretakers.

Also, along with the chickens, came recipes and cooking techniques from various countries and cultures.  In French, the word "étouffée" means "smothered", a popular cooking technique in Louisiana’s Cajun and Creole cuisines.  A protein (meat, poultry or seafood), plus a minimal amount of liquid, is slow cooked over low heat, in a covered pan; similar to braising.  The protein, and the ensuing “gravy”, were ladled over rice, with vegetables as a side dish.  Eventually, it became easier to put all the ingredients into a stock pot, cooking together until the protein simply became “smothered” in rice, vegetables and gravy.

The Campbell’s Soup Company took advantage of this type of cooking and created casserole dishes, with recipes on the backs of soup cans.  Popular is the use of cream of mushroom soup, poured over chicken and rice, baked in the oven, and 20 minutes later…dinner!  I have made this recipe myself, but over the years, experimentation has given me many delicious versions.

My newest version is called “Creamy Smothered Chicken”, with the chicken baked alone and smothered in a rich, creamy sauce; rice is served as a side dish.  Very similar to the original technique developed by Louisiana residents.  While I put diced and chopped vegetables into my sauce, another vegetable, steamed broccoli for example, can be another side dish.  The chicken will bake longer than the Campbell’s recipe, as I do not precook the chicken in a skillet.

When I mention, for the chicken, “cut in half laterally”, place the chicken breast on the cutting board and place your palm on top.  Carefully run a sharp knife, sideways, along the length of the breast, creating two “cutlets” of equal length and thickness.

With the sauce, do not work it down between the chicken breasts.  The underside of the chicken, exposed to the nonstick spray, will develop a crispy crust.

Creamy Smothered Chicken

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, cut in half laterally

2 large eggs

2 cups 2% milk

2 cups Italian flavored bread crumbs

1 (10.5 oz.) cream of mushroom soup

1 cup 2% milk

1 (4 oz.) can sliced mushrooms

1 cup diced bell peppers (green, red and yellow in equal proportions)

½ cup diced red onion

1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese

Preparation:

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and 2 cups milk; immerse chicken breasts and let soak for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350F; spray a 4-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Coat sides and edges of the chicken with the bread crumbs, place inside baking dish.

In a large bowl, mix thoroughly mushroom soup, 1 cup milk, mushrooms, bell peppers, onion and cheddar cheese.  Pour over chicken and spread out evenly.

Cover with aluminum foil, bake for 30 minutes; remove foil and bake additional 30 minutes.

Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.  Suggested accompanying side dishes: steamed broccoli, rice pilaf, buttered egg noodles or garlic toast.

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Comfort During Isolation.

Day 10, or is it 11…12, I have lost count, of quarantine.  Once again I have been asked to share a homemade meal, I posted about on Facebook.  I am sorry, but with my husband being an “essential” employee, we worry daily if he will become infected.  As much as I want to say yes to sharing, I do not know how I would handle the guilt, if someone became ill, due to being kind.

This is what life has come down to during the Covid-19 crisis.  Will the virus infiltrate our bodies; when will it be safe to go to a store or restaurant without worrying? Will the situation worsen to the point of having the military closing off highways, and nightly curfews?

My husband and myself post funny videos on Facebook, make up funny memes.  Laughter will lighten the mood, chase the tendrils of fear from lodging into the brain…we hope.  I encourage folks to watch my food vlogs on Youtube, few as they are.  I am a character, you will laugh while learning to cook and/or bake.

There are many articles being written about the virus; some with updated and factual information.  Some seem to be taken from a science fiction novel, and we wonder when the zombie apocalypse will be announced.  Health, state and other governmental agencies seem to have the best information.  Your cousin, coworker, neighbor down the street?  Not so much; do not take too much heed to rumors, especially when they seem to wallow in fear.  I am sure you have heard this many times, so off the soap box I descend.

So now to some comfort cooking that can easily be made at home; a savory soup for lunch or dinner.  This recipe almost became a product of the Progresso company, but it contained two, too many ingredients, so did not make the cut.  Cannot win them all, but you never know if you do not try, right?  The meatballs are a mixture of beef and turkey; the turkey actually gives a more tender texture to them.  An all-beef meatball has been tried, but seemed to be a bit too firm, when matched with the tender vegetables.  We have found that no other side is actually needed with this soup, no crusty bread or simple side salad; it is an all-in-one meal.

Once again, bored children at home; bored to insanity yourselves…be creative.  Write poetry or short stories; paint, draw or sketch pictures; stick figures count!  When it comes to meals though, become a master chef or baker, even if it is only in your own mind.  Children can be your sous chef, and who knows, one day they may even graduate from a culinary institute like the C.I.A.!  Never say never; chin up; especially when stirring the soup.  Yes, do not put your face into the pot, especially when the liquid is bubbling.

Meatball Soup

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. olive oil

3 medium onions, diced

6 cups beef broth

1 and ½ cups cold water

4 medium potatoes, cut into ½ inch pieces

1 (8 oz.) bag of baby carrots, cut in halves

2 lbs. lean ground beef

1 lb. ground turkey

1 tsp. each dried savory (or sage if you cannot find savory), garlic powder, onion powder

1 and ½ cups plain bread crumbs (dried, fine ground variety)

3 eggs, beaten

Grated cheese

Preparation:

Heat oil, on high, in a 6 quart stock pot; sauté onions till tender, about 3 minutes.  Add beef broth and water; bring to a boil.  Lower heat to medium; add in potatoes and carrots.

Preheat oven to 350F.  In a large bowl, combine beef, turkey, seasoning, bread crumbs and eggs.  Mix together thoroughly; form meatballs of about a 1 inch diameter; makes about 60 meatballs.

Place meatballs on baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes; just to brown the meat, not cook all the way through.  Dab each meatball on a paper towel to remove excess grease before putting into the stock pot.  Cook for 30-40 minutes, or until vegetables are very tender.

When serving, sprinkle grated cheese on top of soup.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Hoarders and Ramen Noodles.

Still trying to figure out why hoarders need, cases of paper towels and toilet paper, to ward off the Coronavirus aka Covid-19.  Then there are the food hoarders who obviously need Ramen noodles to survive the "Stay Home!" order.  I have to thank these hoarders, as they seem to have a craving for the chicken and beef flavored noodles.  The shrimp flavored?  Plenty of those on the shelf, and I can make some tasty meals with these.

That’s exactly what I did for lunch today; pulled together some things out of the seasoning cabinet, freezer and pantry.  As I added them to my Wok, I mentally figured out the amounts and what the combination would taste like.  After all my years of cooking and experimentation, I’ve gotten rather good at this method.

Technically, the recipe I made should give six to eight servings.  In my home, make that four to six; yeah, it’s that good, and very easy to create.

Stovetop Shrimp Ramen

Ingredients:

5 cups water

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 Tbsp. sweet chili sauce

3 packages Ramen noodles, shrimp flavor

1 lb. peeled & deveined shrimp (medium size)

1 (10 oz.) package sugar snap peas, thawed

Preparation:

In Wok, or large skillet, high heat, bring water, soy sauce, chili sauce and contains of Ramen seasoning packets to soft boil.  Add in Ramen noodles, shrimp and snap peas; stir together and bring back to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Mary Cokenour