Pizzelles

This recipe requires a pizzelle press. Typically, your pizzelle press will come with recipes, this is adapted from one of those (shhhhh! don't tell grandma!) but leaves out the anise - princess haaaaaaaates licorice.

3 room temperature eggs
3/4 C white sugar
1/2 C butter, unsalted, melted and cooled
1 t vanilla
1-3/4 C flour (254 g)
2 t baking powder

Mushroom Risotto

I make this using an on/off style rice cooker. My rice cooker is one of the most useful, versatile kitchen appliances that I own. The model I have comes with a metal steamer basket - I can cook rice in the pot and make a side dish - or even cook an entree - in the basket. It works perfectly as a steamer and I find its the ideal way to heat leftovers evenly without drying out. Some people can't live without a microwave, but I easily gave mine up years ago ... but if you took my rice cooker, I might very well get hysterical!

This is my recipe - I have adapted it from other risotto recipes found in the Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook - if you have a rice cooker, you should have this cookbook. Fantastic information, delicious recipes and recipes for both on/off rice cookers and fuzzy logic rice cookers. A fuzzy logic rice cooker is on my wish list, but my on/off cooker rocks!

Mushroom Risotto

I package of Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
1 T olive oil
2 T unsalted butter
2 med-lg shallots, minced
1 C + 2 T arborio rice
3 C liquid consisting of 1 can of chicken broth (I used the roasted veg flavor and its great!) and water
Butter/Parmesan/salt/pepper to finish

Heat the olive oil and butter in the rice cooker pot, then add shallots. Keep them moving and cook until softened - a few minutes or so. Add the rice and coat with the oil and then add the mushrooms - stir for a few minutes until the rice grains have white spots in the middle and the mushrooms are starting to brown a bit. Add the liquid and cover, stirring several times - the rice cooker will switch to "keep warm" when it is finished. Before serving, let a few pats of butter melt into the rice, then stir in salt, pepper and parmesan to taste.

Rosemary Bread

I just bought a huuuuuge bag of flour and I want to do some baking. For whatever reason, I thought of the rosemary in my cabinet and wanted to make rosemary bread. This one seems tasty:

Rosemary Bread

Ingredients:

Yield: 2 loaves

2 2

Servings Size

• loaves

• 1 tablespoon yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons rosemary
• 2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

Prep Time: 2 1/4 hrs

Total Time: 2 1/2 hrs

1. Place yeast, sugar and water in large bowl or food processor and allow mixture to become bubbly.
2. Mix in 1 T butter, salt, and 2 cups of flour.
3. Add one tablespoon of the fresh chopped rosemary.
4. Knead for about 10 minutes by hand or in food processor about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
5. Add more flour if necessary.
6. Oil a bowl, put dough in it and cover with a towel.
7. Let dough rise in a warm place for one hour until doubled.
8. Punch down dough and divide in half.
9. Let dough rest about 5 minutes.
10. Spray baking pan or cookie sheet with cooking spray.
11. Shape the dough into 2 small rounded oval loaves.
12. Sprinkle remaining 1 Tablespoon of rosemary over the loaves and press lightly into the surface.
13. Let loaves rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes.
14. Preheat oven to 375°F.
15. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned.
16. Carefully remove from oven, brush with remaining butter (and salt if desired.)

And since I plan to use dried rosemary instead of fresh, I thought these notes would be helpful:

• I made this as directed with the exception of using dried rosemary instead of fresh (less in volume of course). The only thing I didn't like was that when I brushed the butter on after it came out of the oven, it got really soft and hard to cut. Next time I might try the egg white like other reviewers or maybe just try the butter on it before I bake it. I made two small loaves and the second one reheated beautifully a couple nights later! Just put it in the oven after I had taken the dinner out and turned the heat off. Took it out about 8-10 minutes later and it was crispy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside! I'll do this one again, just working on the topping to make it better!

• This bread is not only easy but super tasty! I put one tbsp of dried rosemary that I crushed into the bread and did not put any on the top as I was serving picky eaters and it turned out perfect for everyone's tastes! I made it the second time by adding three cloves of garlic, pressed and it was super tasty too! Thanks for a great recipe!

Some more helpful notes:

• Delicious! I've made this several times now, and I only do one thing differently. In lieu of brushing with butter, I brush it with egg whites for the last 5 minutes or so of baking. Someone suggested that and I've found it helps keep the crust crispy.

• Awesome Bread! I did add a tsp of olive oil, 1 tbsp garlic powder and 1 tsp onion powder to the recipe as well as increasing the salt by 1/2tsp or so. Came out wonderful. I did the egg wash with one loaf. looks a lot like the picture! beautiful. I tried the water bath on the other, didnt make my bread crispy though. As others have said the dough was pretty sticky. I refrained from adding addl flour because I was using all purpose flour and didnt want the bread to become too dense. It was perfect. I used dried rosemary and 1 tbsp was plenty I think. Delicious. Will be using this basic ingredient list for other breads as well.

• Love this quick, easy and awesome flavored bread! I made this by hand and ended up using 3 1/2 cups of flour at the end of kneading, I coated top of loaf with sea salt & rosemary after brushing with butter/olive oil mixture. One loaf has been saved to use in Panzanella mid week. The only different thing I will do next time to achieve a fuller loaf is to bake in a round casserole dish.
  

Bagels!

bagels

Ingredients

• 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I wound up using less than entire amount)
• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast (4.5 t of yeast)
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) (I went slightly higher since it was mixed with the flour)
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt (kosher)
• 1 tablespoon white sugar - to add to boiling water

Directions

1. In large bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups flour and yeast. Mix water, 3 tablespoons sugar and salt together, and add to the dry ingredients. Beat with a mixer for half a minute at a low speed, scraping the sides of the bowl clean. Beat at a higher speed for 3 minutes. Then, by hand, mix in enough flour to make a moderately stiff dough.
2. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes). Cover, let rest for 15 minutes. (I wound up incorporating more flour while kneading, but still not entire amount called for in recipe)
3. Cut into 12 portions, shape into smooth balls. Poke a hole in the center with your finger, and gently enlarge the hole while working the bagel into a uniform shape. Cover, let rise 20 minutes. (I made 8 bagels instead - they were a good size. I let them rise in the oven (unheated) for an hour instead of the 20 minutes)
4. Meanwhile, start a gallon of water boiling. Put 1 tablespoon of sugar in it, mix it around a bit. Reduce to simmering.
5. When the bagels are ready, put 4 or 5 bagels into the water (3 at a time MAX!), and cook 7 minutes, turning once. Drain them. Place on a greased baking sheet (I used parchment paper instead of grease), and bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 30 to 35 minutes (here is where I went wrong - I set the oven for 350 instead. They were okay - on par with a Lenders bagel from the freezer case. Baked them for 35 minutes even though I had gone through the broiling step which was supposed to reduce cook time.) Remove from oven, eat hot or cold.
6. Broiling option: For a glossier surface, place raised bagels on an ungreased baking sheet (I used parchment paper) prior to boiling them. Broil them five inches from heat for 1 to 1-1/2 minutes on each side. Then put them into the hot water to be boiled as above. Note: do not bake broiled bagels as long as non-broiled ones, 25 minutes should be long enough.

Biscotti

I hate licorice - haaaaaaaate it. Traditionally, this recipe would also include 3 Tbs anise seed added to the batter with the vanilla. I just skip it. The original recipe - my father's mother's - calls for toasted slivered almonds - you can sub nearly anything (within reason) ... chocolate chips work great! When my grandmother tried them she was slightly horrified that they didn't have anise or almonds, but when she tasted them she liked them!

1/2 lb (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1.75 C sugar
6 eggs
2 T vanilla
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
6 C Flour
1/2 lb toasted slivered almonds (I am using 6 oz chopped toasted almonds)

Preheat oven to 325. Cream the butter and sugar, then add eggs gradually, then vanilla. Combine the flour, salt and baking powder and add to creamed sugar mixture. Shape the dough into 2 loaves (with oil on your hands.) Bake until light brown - about 20 minutes. Slice loaves while hot with a saw (?) knife at an angle. Toast both sides under broiler until light brown. (I have skipped the broiler toasting before and it's still tasty!)

Toasted Almonds

Preheat oven to 350 - spread chopped/slivered/whatever almonds in single layer on ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden.