Penutty Brownies

Whole Chicken in a Iron Kettle

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Ma

This is an easy whole Chicken recipe. You are actually only cleaning a chicken and chopping some vegetables. Once that is done add spices broth and leave it! I suppose you could do this in a crock pot also. I find in my humble opinion that Iron Skillets and Kettles just make the food taste better.

Ingredients

1 whole chicken
1 white onion
4 chopped carrots
3 to 4 whole garlic cloves
1 lemon chopped into squares

Seasonings

Salt
Pepper
Old Bay

Paprika
Sumak

Fresh Dill

Clean you whole chicken.

After you clean it let it drain in a colander while you prep your vegetables.

Chop you onion first and place the pieces into the Kettle on medium heat to brown.

Half way through add your garlic. Pound your garlic with the flat end of a knife this will let the garlic flavors release while cooking. Let the onion and garlic simmer for about 5 minutes. Once they have slightly browned add the carrot and continue to brown your vegetables. Once the vegetables are browned remove them from the kettle.

Turn the heat up on the kettle because you now want to brown the outer skin of your chicken whole chicken.Add a bout a teaspoon of olive oil to the pan and brown you chicken all the way around.

Posted in Recipes | Leave a comment

German Chocolate Cake

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Ma

German Chocolate cake what could sound better. Wait it is mid-spring and most of my time has been spent on my knees in the garden. I was thinking of Coconut this morning while planting some more butterfly flowers. The recipe usually make a very nice 3 layer cake. BUT this time I am going to make one layer and some cupcakes. I am having a BBQ and I would like to send some home with the family and not spend all my time with my saran wrap !

Ingredients for Cake

1/2 cup water
4 (1 ounce) squares German sweet chocolate
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350 degrees This recipe makes one 3 layer cake.

Grease and flour 3 – 9 inch round pans.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, heat water and 4 ounces chocolate until melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool

In a large bowl, cream 1 cup butter and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy.

Beat in 4 egg yolks one at a time.
Blend in the melted chocolate mixture and vanilla.
Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, mixing just until incorporated.

In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Fold 1/3 of the whites into the batter, then quickly fold in remaining whites be gentle

Pour into 3 – 9 inch pans Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto wire rack. I think I could have cooked it for about 5 minutes less time. The edges look to cooked to me?

To make the Filling:

Coconut Pecan Frosting

1 cup white sugar
1 12 oz. can of evaporated milk
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 ½ cups chopped pecans

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, milk, butter, egg yolks, and vanilla.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 10 minutes.

Transfer to a bowl add the coconut and pecans stirring occasionally.

Allow to cool to room temperature before frosting the cake

Posted in Baking | Tagged baking, cake, chocolate, german chocolate cake | Leave a comment

Cranberry Scones

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Ma

Scones what a funny cookie, biscuit, roll thing. This is not my first choice when it comes to what ever it is. My Mama living with me has changed my outlook on all thing’s food. She adores Scones and had a recipe tucked away in her collection.

I decided do a bit of internet and book research to see some variations on this. The scone recipe’s is basically the same give or take an egg.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus a bit on the side for kneading
5 tbs sugar
1 tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbs cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 large egg
1/2 cup halved dried or fresh cranberries

* Egg Wash for the top prior to baking

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a bowl, whisk together flour, 5 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Stir in 2/3 cup heavy cream and egg together and add to the mixture until just moistened now fold in cranberries. You should still see little bit’s of butter in the dough

* If your cranberries are fresh please strain the liquid off it makes a difference. You can strain them then roll them in a paper towel

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough gently, 5 to 10 times. Flour your hands to it makes the dough not stick on your palms.
Pat into a 1-inch-thick and then cut into 8 wedges and place on a baking sheet. Minelook a little rough looking but I like the un-uniform look
Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes. Make sure they are just a slight brown color.
Let cool on a wire then like me smoother with a pound of butter

Posted in Baking | Tagged biscuits, breakfast, cranberries, scones | Leave a comment

Egg Wash

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Ma

Well if you go to cooking school the term means a mixture of beaten eggs and some sort of liquid which is then brushed onto foods prior to baking

Uses for baking you can brush the egg wash and it adds a golden color and sheen to the baked goods.
For Baking it is also used as a glue to secure two edes of pastry together like when you make filled pasteries. It can also be used for calazones, won tons, the list goes on.

There are other uses the list is long . Here is a basic recipe and a baking site with a variety of recipes just below
Egg Wash Recipe: The typical egg wash recipe consists of about two tablespoons of liquid for each egg. Using less liquid creates a darker egg wash. Egg wash is usually made with water, although milk can be used, too. Some egg wash recipes call for a pinch or so of salt as well.

Posted in Recipes | Tagged baking, egg, egg wash | Leave a comment

Chicken Thighs with Onions, Bell Pepper and Lemon

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Ma

Well we all know I love chicken and my Mama has given me new love for The Thigh. It has so much flavor and when you add some stuff to it Betta!

I always have some on hand and in my kitchen here is always one thing or another you can add. I am also known for my love of lemon. I am a lemon head. The word even sends chill’s down my spine. Holy Shit I am drooling. Back to the thigh’s.

This is simple as are most of the recipes I post.

Ingredients

5 chicken thigh’s
olive oil
1 sliced red bell pepper
1 sliced red onion
1 lemon – half for squeezing and half to slice
fresh sprigs of parsley
2 cloves of finely chopped garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Line a baking sheet with aluminum or not. I do because it makes my clean up fast. It is a toss up do you want to waste water washing, or reuse your aluminum for another purpose. Your call. Alright line a baking sheet and drizzle just a tad of olive oil on it. The thighs have the skin which makes enough fat not to stick. I like the tiny taste of a little olive oil. Place your thighs on the baking sheet.

Slice and add your red bell peppers and red onions. Place a lemon slice on each thigh place your parsley around the chicken. Now squeeze the other half of lemon juice onto the chicken and season to taste with your salt, pepper and garlic. If you have other seasonings you like adds them. The more the merrier the mouth.

Bake in a 357 degree oven for 45 minutes .

Posted in Recipes | Tagged chicken, chicken thighs | Leave a comment

Mustard

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Ma

Homemade Mustard you say! Well if you make mustard at home like many other condiment you will not buy from the store any more. The reason is simple it just taste like pure mustard. There is no one who does not adore my mustard’s. I make several kinds it depends on what we are eating. The recipe I am giving you below is basic. I will post the options right below. I always have mustard seed on hand for my Pickles.

Dried mustard seed is easy to keep on the shelf so you have it handy to make mustard. One of the things I find is that using fresh makes the mustard have quite a bite but not the bite that stays with you all day. The beauty of this condiment is that it has so many beautiful variations. Sweet, spicy, crunch, smooth. There is even a Roman Mustard that uses Pine nuts and Almonds

I have made a more exotic mustard in the past. I have also made a delicious yellow mustard. But I thought for St. Patty’s day I would make a Dijon type mustard. Well let us get started.

Soak you mustard seeds in the vinegar for at least 24 hours in a pinch over night works just fine.

Ingredients for Standard Mustard

6 tablespoons of mustard seed
3 tablespoons vinegar (Cider, white wine or sherry)
½ cup wine or water
4 teaspoons of sugar
2 teaspoons salt

Place the mustard seeds in a jar and cover with the vinegar
Let stand for 24 hours at room temperature

Place vinegar mixture in blender
Add salt, pepper and sugar and blend until a creamy consistency
* add a bit more vinegar if it is too dry.
Once blended, place in jar and let stand at a cool room temperature for 3 days
Store in the fridge there after.

This will last in the refrigerator for at least 3 months

Posted in Pickled Stuff, Recipes | Tagged condiments, mustard, spicy | Leave a comment

Swedish Rye Bread Supreme

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Ma

Seedless Rye Bread was a must this Irish Holiday. Mama lives here now and she has diverticulitis no seeds. I have a small breads book and one of many that had rye bread recipe’s. The book is called Homemade Bread by Nell Nichols. Part of the Farm Journal .

Ingredients for Swedish Rye Bread Supreme

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons shorting
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 pkg active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 degree to 115)
2 1/2 cups rye flour
3 1/2 cups sifted white flour

* This makes two loaves

Combine brown sugar, molasses, salt and shortening into a large bowl. Pour in the boiling water and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool to lukewarm.

Sprinkle the yeast into the warm water and stir to dissolve it.

Stir the rye flour prior to measuring it. Measure it and add it to the sugar-molasses mixture beating well.

Stir in the yeast and beat until it is smooth. *I did this bread by hand and half way through I wished I had used my Kitchen aid.

Mix enough of the white flour, a little a a time, first with a spoon and then with hands. Make the dough smooth soft dough.

Turn onto lightly floured board. Knead until satiny and elastic, about 10 minutes.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, turn the dough once to grease top. Cover and let it rise in a warm place until dough is doubled . This takes about 2 hours.

Once it has risen punch it down. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and divide in half. Round up the dough to make 2 balls. Cover and let it take a 10 minute nap. Shape the dough and place into loaf pans. Cover and let them sit for another 2 hours again let it double in size. The loaf in the pan is half of the original greased

Set your oven 375 degrees and bake the loafs for about 30 minutes. If they get to brown on the top just cover them with aluminum foil the last 15 minutes of baking. If you want a softer crust brush the loafs with melted butter while they are warm.

Posted in Baking | Tagged bread, rye, rye bread, seedless | Leave a comment

Banana-Pecan-Oatmeal Muffins

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Ma

These Banana Pecan-Oatmeal Muffins came from yet another rainy day. You know they say that the largest suicide rate is in those rainy states. I would think that the biggest people would live there. If it rained as much as it does up North I would weigh so much more. It is bad enough that I need to lose 6 pounds. Back to the Muffins. They are super good and have a bit of a crunch.

I did make a few changes to this recipe I changed the sugar to half white half brown. I added one cup of oatmeal but that is about it and they still turned out great. The oatmeal gave them a super nice crunch

Ingredients

4 ripe bananas
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 and a 1/2 cups of white flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup of oatmeal
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Start by mixing your sugar and oil. It will just moisten the sugar not make it creamy.

Now add the two eggs, vanilla and banana

I always sift my dry ingredients together mostly from habit. But it does insure your stuff is well mixed no surprise lumps after they are cooked.

Alright you can now add your dry ingredients mix to the wet do this by hand meaning do not use your mixer you do not want to over mix this combination. They say it makes them dry. Hum interesting !

Now fill you muffin/cupcake tins with the mix. Fill the cups just to the top. They rise but not Puffy! About 1/4″ from the top. I have to apologize I took pictures but the disk was not in the camera. I got one shot by pure luck on the other camera.

Once your cups are filled put them in the oven and bake until just light brown on the top of the muffins. It should bake for about 25 minutes.

Adapted from this site

Posted in Baking | Tagged baking, bananna, breakfast, muffins, pecans | Leave a comment

Chocolate Pecan Cookies

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Ma

These Chocolate-Pecan Cookies ~~were~~ (we ate them all) are really good. Then again what cookie is not really good. I found the recipe in an insert out of the Martha Steward Magazine my friend Linda drops at the house each month. It was a little Everyday Food insert . I use to subscribe to the magazine but I found I was saving so many and cooking so little out of them. Most of my cooking comes from desire and history .

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks of unsalted butter room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup pecans chopped/crushed

Preheat you oven to 350 degrees

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

In your mixer beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.

Add vanilla and eggs and beat until well combined.

Now sift in your dry ingredients (I sift then sift it into the batter) I’m a sift head! Yesmy sifter is old as the hills it was Mama’s

Mix in your pecans and chocolate ships.

Drop the dough on to your prepared cookie sheet. You can see the only thing my cookie sheet is old and prepared for it’s cooking. Yes it’s old but it remind’s me of my cast iron handed down with love and cleaned to reuse with more love!

I placed 15 on the cookie tray to start BUT

12 will work better and not get all attached. Hey they still taste great.

Cook them for say 12 or so minutes they should be just brown around the edges. When they are done let them cool slightly then off to the rack to cool completely . Into an air tight container and they are good for a week if they last that long.

Here is the Original Post at Martha Stewart

Posted in Baking | Tagged baking, chocolate, chocolate and pecans, desert | Leave a comment

Penutty Brownies

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Ma

These Peanut Brownies are so delicious I make them and POOF they are gone. That is why I do not have a picture of a piece of them modeling on a plate. I went shopping while they cooled and they where gone when I got home. Hum!

Ingredients

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup of boiling water
1 cup of white sugar
1 egg
2/3 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Peanut filling

4 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
3/4 cup peanut butter * I used nutty because I like the crunch but either works
1/2 cup confectioners (powder) sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Prep your baking pan. I will line mine next time because the brownies stuck in a few corners. But your options are to line with parchment or grease the pan

I make the chocolate part of the brownie in my mixer making sure not to over mix. The peanut butter part in a separate bowl by hand.

To start in your mixer or large bowl sift together the cocoa and baking soda. Add the boiling water and 1/3 cup of the vegetable oil. Mix until this is well combined and thickened. Mix in the egg, remaining oil and sugar until well combined. Last add the flour, vanilla, salt mix in until it is all incorporated .

Now for you peanut butter layer:

In a separate bowl mix together your peanut butter , butter, and vanilla until it is thinned and smooth. Add the Powered sugar and salt. Mix this until it is smooth and well combined.

Assembly – when you assemble this think more chocolate on the bottom of the pan, leaving enough chocolate to swirl on the top. Look at the pictures that is why I love taking them. Put your chocolate enough to cover the bottom of the pan.

Spread the peanut butter on the next area across the top you can do like I did or dollop it. Get creative.Now pour the last of the brownie mix on top and swirl.

To swirl the top I took the end of a knife and gently swirled it. The swirl depends on the amount of peanut butter you want throughout out the dish. Swirl a lot to spread it even swirl a little to keep the peanut butter in clumps. Either way it will cook the same.

Bake you deliciousness in the preheated oven for 35 + minutes use a toothpick to check it. You put a toothpick in the center and it is ready when it comes out clean. Let it cool on a rack then serve.

Adapted from this Original recipe link

Posted in Baking | Tagged brownies, chocolate, desert, peanut butter | Leave a comment

Just Maz …Follow the Yellow Cooks Road

Whole Chicken in a Iron Kettle

German Chocolate Cake

Cranberry Scones

Ingredients

Egg Wash

Chicken Thighs with Onions, Bell Pepper and Lemon

Mustard

Ingredients for Standard Mustard

Swedish Rye Bread Supreme

Ingredients for Swedish Rye Bread Supreme

Banana-Pecan-Oatmeal Muffins

Ingredients

Chocolate Pecan Cookies

Ingredients

Penutty Brownies

Ingredients

Photo of the day

It is so Tweet

Ingredients

Ingredients for Standard Mustard

Ingredients for Swedish Rye Bread Supreme

Ingredients

Ingredients

Ingredients

Photo of the day

Tags