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Overnight Dutch Oven Bread Recipe

February 4, 2013 by

It’s all rage, this “No Knead Bread” recipe floating around the internet. I wouldn’t say that it’s completely No Knead because there is a time when there is about 5 minutes of pulling the bread together a couple hours before baking. I will admit that it is very very simple to make even though the directions look long and tedious. The wait time is the biggest struggle to deal with. This is an overnight process so plan ahead with a cheesy, soupy, saucy meal to go along with it…or not.

bread dough recipe

Eaten sliced, still warm with butter is the best way.

 

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Easy Overnight Bread

Ingredients

  • 3 Cups of Flour
  • 1/2 tsp active or rapid rise yeast
  • 1 tbls Kosher Salt or Sea Salt
  • 1 1/2 cups plus 2tbls warm water

Instructions

  1. Dump all ingredients (not cornmeal) in a large glass bowl, stir, stir, stir until combined. This will look messy and wet and not like bread dough at all. That is exactly what want. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 10-18 hours.
  2. 2 hours before you want to bake your bread dump the batter on a floured surface. With wet hands lightly turn edges into the middle of your bread dough. "Knead" for a couple minutes still smooth and place onto a floured clean, lint-free kitchen towel in a bowl. Cover again with plastic wrap and let rest for 2 hours.
  3. About an hour into the dough's rest time, crank up the heat in your oven to 450°. Place your large, heavy covered pot in the oven to get hot. Leave it there for at least 30 minutes while your dough finishes rising.
  4. Carefully pull your HOT pot out of the oven and using the towel drop the dough into the pot. There is no right side or wrong side of the dough. Replace the cover on your your pot, push back into the oven and let cook for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid and continue to cook for an additional 12-15 minutes.
  5. Remove the pot from the oven and immediately remove the bread from the pot. Remember everything is HOT so be careful.
  6. Let cool for several minutes then it's ready to enjoy.
https://lookwhatmomfound.com/2013/02/overnight-dutch-oven-bread-recipe.html

bread ingredients

bread dough after mixing bread dough before kneading

bread doug baked




Wet Walnuts Ice Cream Topping #Recipe

January 23, 2013 by

For as long as I can remember I’ve loved Smuckers Walnuts in Syrup on ice cream.  Those teeny jars were like heaven to me and often I would pass on ice cream for dessert if we didn’t have any.

Recently I’ve been splurging and buying it but I could literally eat the whole jar in one sitting.  The cost close to $4 per jar so it hurt my wallet with every delicious spoonful.  This weekend I decided I was going to figure out how to make it myself. I researched a ton of recipes but most were so fancy adding ginger, cinnamon and other spices. What I wanted was simple and straightforward so I came up with this recipe.

wet walnuts, recipe, ice cream toppings

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Wet Walnuts Ice Cream Topping #Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

A sticky, sweet concoction for ice cream, pancakes, cinnamon rolls and more.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted and cooled
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla

Instructions

  1. Add the water, sugar and corn syrup to a small saucepan over medium low heat.
  2. Dissolve the sugar.
  3. Turn up heat to medium and bring mixture to boil for 2 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and add vanilla.
  5. Set aside to cool for several minutes before adding nuts.
  6. Let cool to room temperature before adding to ice cream.
https://lookwhatmomfound.com/2013/01/wet-walnuts-ice-cream-topping-recipe.html

toasted walnuts

wet walnuts in syrup

This would be soooo good on pancakes, cinnamon roll casserole, sliced bananas or apple pie. Double the recipe to have on hand for get togethers or a dessert bar.

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Homemade Squirrel Nut Zipper Candy Recipe

January 2, 2013 by

This is a both a Pinterest recipe FAIL and success. I found a 6 minute microwave caramel recipe that got great reviews so I attempted it as my first foray into candy making. It was simple, easy and hopeful. About 1 hour after it was “setting” I knew it wasn’t going to be exactly what I wanted so i tried again. Thank goodness I did because I’m addicted to what I did create.

Remember those old school penny candies, Squirrel Nut Zippers. Sticky, chewy, nutty, pull your molars out kinda yum. I made them, and made them better.

Homemade Squirrel Nut Zippers

Recipe Type: Candy
Author: Melinda@LookWhatMomFound
Just like the Old School penny candy
Ingredients
  • Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup softened butter
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup light Karo syrup
  • 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped nuts of choice (I used walnuts)
  • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt(optional but recommended)
Instructions
  1. Prep a 8″X8″ casserole dish with cooking spray and parchment paper. DO NOT skip the parchment paper.
  2. Sprinkle nuts on bottom of dish and set aside.
  3. In a large microwave safe glass bowl mix together butter, sugars, Karo syrup and condensed milk.
  4. Cook on High for 7 minutes, stirring at the 2, 4 and 6 minute marks.
  5. Remove the cooked mixture, add the vanilla and stir. The caramel will bubble up so be sure your bowl is large enough.
  6. Pour the hot caramel into your prepared casserole dish.
  7. Sprinkle sea salt evenly over the caramel and set aside to cool on counter for 20 minutes, then in fridge for 2 hours.
  8. Remove caramels from pan by lifting the parchment paper.
  9. Using a bench scraper or large knife and ruler mark on 1″ squares or rectangles.
  10. Wrap in wax paper and enjoy.
3.1.09

making caramel in the microwave

If you won’t be wrapping them store them between sheets of waxed paper as temperature changes will affect the texture and stickiness.

The salt isn’t traditional for a Squirrel Nut Zippers but it adds a great contrast of flavor that goes well with the nuts and sweetness of caramel.
The recipe #FAIL was the first batch then didn’t hold their shape and ended up getting put into a jar and used as a ice cream and brownie topping. Cutting back on your cook time by just 1 minute will greatly affect the end result.

I Disclose




Russian Tea Cakes #Recipe #ChristmasCookies

December 17, 2012 by

Also known as Mexican Wedding Cookies, butterballs, snow cookies, jumbles and many other monikers, these little sugary buttery cookies are delicious no matter what you call them.

russian tea cakes, mexican wedding cookies, christmas cookies

I’ve seen many variations of this recipe and I love this one the best. These are Rob’s favorite cookies, one of the few good childhood memories he has. Last year he was given a tin of these and the moment I saw him eat them I knew I had to make them . I mentioned to his grandmother that I needed the recipe and she did one better, she gave me the cookbook that the recipe originally came from. She gave it to me so nonchalantly but I was touched. First I was amazed that she had kept this shredded, discolored cookbook for so long but I felt honored that it was now mine.
cookie cookbook, vintage cookbook

Now on to the recipe. I most recently doubled this recipe. Rob eats them very quickly because they are just bite size and it’s too easy not to simple pop them one after another. Secondly, the process of making them a bit tedious so I wanted to get some of the work over with so I doubled the batch. This is a single batch recipe.

Russian Tea Cakes

Recipe Type: Dessert
Author: Melinda@LookWhatMomFound
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4 dozen
just a handful of simple ingredients and you’ll have the tastiest little morsels ever.
Ingredients
  • 1 cup slightly softened butter
  • 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts or other nut
  • more confectioner’s sugar for coating, approx 1 cup
Instructions
  1. Blend softened butter, 1/2 cup of sugar and vanilla till sugar disappears.
  2. Mix in flour and nuts till well blended and dough is sticking together.
  3. Form dough into a brick shape and chill for 1-2 hours to firm up butter.
  4. Once dough is chilled, use a knife or bench scraper cut dough into more manageable pieces and then cut into 1″ chunks.
  5. Roll each piece into a ball and place on ungreased cookie sheet.
  6. These cookies DO NOT spread so feel free pack them onto your cookie sheet.
  7. Bake at 400 ® for 10 minutes till they should look slightly toasted and dry.
  8. Remove them from the cookie sheet right away; they will be a bit fragile.
  9. Let them cool for 15 minutes then toss in remaining powdered sugar.
  10. Then toss them again.
  11. EAT!

Russian Tea Cakes, recipe, christmas cookies

russian tea cakes

 

powered sugar, russian tea cakesTo double the amount of dough I doubled the amounts of  all of the ingredients except the flour.  Instead of 4 1/2 cups of flour I used 4 1/4. I figured I could add a little extra if needed but my dough didn’t need it.  It all depends on the humidity and temperature of your kitchen and of course the butter. Also keep in mind that simple variations can be done like adding anise or peppermint flavors or coating in chocolate or chopped nuts. Different shapes or using cookie cutters are also great ways to personalize for your family.




Breakfast Cinnamon Roll Casserole Bake #Recipe

November 29, 2012 by

Every Christmas Morning I bake up Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls while the kids are opening gifts and usually serve them along with juice, milk and sausage. I like to keel breakfast light since we have a big family dinner in the early afternoon. Thanksgiving we don’t usually have any traditions since we tend to head out to visit family for the turkey feast.

cinnamon roll casserole bake

 

This year I wanted to make something special for the kids for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning. I had just visited BJs wholesale the night before and picked up a 4-pack of cinnamon rolls so it just seemed perfect that I made something different with them. I’ve seen recipes for cinnamon roll waffles but we have a Belgian waffle iron so that wasn’t going to work. I love french toast casserole so this felt like the next best thing. It turned out the be THE best thing. This is something I’ll be making again.

cinnamon roll casserole

Cinnamon Roll Casserole Bake

Recipe Type: Breakfast
Author: Melinda@LookWhatMomFound
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8
a blend of sweet and cinnamony rolls baked into a warm, sticky and delicious casserole.
Ingredients
  • Cooking Spray
  • 2 packages of Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup whole milk or heavy cream or half and half
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375® and spray a 9 X 13 casserole dish with cooking spray.
  2. Open the cinnamon rolls, set aside icing and cut each roll into 8 pieces.
  3. Place all cut rolls evenly into your pan.
  4. In a bowl, beat together eggs, milk, cinnamon, vanilla and maple syrup.
  5. Pour evenly over cinnamon roll pieces.
  6. Sprinkle with chopped nuts and bake for 15-18 minutes until golden brown.
  7. While rolls are still hot drizzle with included icing.
  8. Serve Warm.

Make it even simpler on Christmas mornings by prepping the rolls the night before and storing in the fridge in your  casserole dish.  In the morning just whip up your eggs and milk mixture, pour and bake.

cinnamon roll casserole




Pizza Pasta with Pepperoni #NinjaCooking Recipe

November 21, 2012 by

A few weeks ago we got a Ninja Cooking System so I decided I was going to tackle dinner and see if even I could use it.  So I looked through the cookbook that came with the Ninja and I decided on the Pizza Pasta with Pepperoni.  Our family loves pasta, pizza and pepperoni so I figured I couldn’t go wrong with this choice.

Pepperoni Pizza Pasta #NinjaCooking

Pizza Pasta with Pepperoni

Author: Rob
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 pound ground beef or turkey
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 box Ziti (12-16 oz)
  • 1 24 oz jar of pasta sauce
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/8 of a 6 oz package sliced pepperoni
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Set pot to STOVETOP HIGH. Add beef/turkey and onion to pot. Cook uncovered 10 minutes or until meat is browned. Be sure to stir often.
  2. Stir in pasta, sauce, and water. Set to STOVETOP MED. Cook uncovered 15-20 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally.
  3. Stir in pepperoni and 1 cup cheese. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Turn off pot. Cover and let stand 3 minutes.

When I first read this recipe I thought there was no way that the pasta was going to cook in 15-20 minutes while in the sauce and water but to my surprise it was and also tasted really good.  Since the pasta cooked in the sauce, meat and spices it totally soaked up all of the flavors making it a really tasty dish.
Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Steps #NinjaCooking

Going forward this will be my go to dish when Melinda isn’t home to make dinner because it was simple to make, was done in under 30 minutes and the kids totally loved it and didn’t complain once during dinner.  If you are a parent you know when a kid is silent during dinner the meal must be good and like I said the dinner table was silent the night this meal was served.

This meal could also be made using a dutch oven if you didn’t own the Ninja Cooking System.

I Disclose




Roasted Pesto Chicken and Rice #ninjacooking plus Giveaway

November 6, 2012 by

A couple weeks ago Rob and I were invited to see the reveal of the Ninja Cooking System. Since I like to cook and love to try out fun appliances I knew we had to attend. The event was held at Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market at La Cucina, a demonstration kitchen.

The night started with fun food and drinks and introductions of the PR Team, Euro-Pro team and Stephanie O’Dea, slow cooker queen.
We got to try our hands at using the Ninja. Each team had a different recipe and each one used a different function or two. The Ninja Cooking System goes from a stovetop to oven to slow cooker in the flick of a switch.

We’ve been using it off and on for the last couple of weeks and have been pleasantly surprised. The cooking demos were done under some pressure, distraction and unfamiliarity so the end results weren’t as spectacular as I had hoped. I had confidence that the Ninja would work well in our home though. I knew with some focus and in our own environment we could create some delicious meals. I wasn’t expecting how simple everything would be though.

#ninjacooking #360pr pesto chicken

Roasted Pesto Chicken and Rice

Recipe Type: #ninjacooking Entree
Cuisine: Italian
Author: Melinda@LookWhatMomFound
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4-6
This is a delicious and simple one pot meal using the Ninja Cooking System but can be made in conventional Pots and Pans.
Ingredients
  • 1 tsp Olive Oil
  • 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts cut in half
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1cup of rice
  • 2 cups of frozen green beans
  • 1/4 cup prepared basil pesto
  • 1/2 cup Shredded Mozzarella
Instructions
  1. Set the Ninja Cooking System stovetop to high and brown the seasoned chicken on both sides in a tsp of olive oil.
  2. Once chicken is brown remove from pan and set aside.
  3. Do Not remove bits from pan! Add the rice and 1 cup of water and the green beans on top.
  4. Place the chicken on the roasting rack and top with pesto.
  5. Add any juices that collected from the chicken to the rice mixture and insert the rack into the Ninja on top of the green beans.
  6. Set the Ninja to Oven, 350⁰ and top with the lid.
  7. Bake for 15-18 minutes.
  8. Remove lid, top the chicken with shredded mozzarella replace the lid for additional 2-3 minutes until cheese melts.
  9. Serve and enjoy.

browning chicken stovetop ninja cooking system #ninjacooking

The chicken ended up very moist, the rice was flavorful but the green beans were a bit overcooked. I wanted to add them the last several minutes of cooking but couldn’t figure out how to remove the roasting rack without spilling the chicken all over the place. This whole meal could’ve been done in 3 separate pans but why make that mess. This is one pot cooking without it having to be a casserole or stew.

green beans and rice in ninja cooking system #ninjacooking

pesto chicken ninja cooking system #ninjacooking

A couple differences I would’ve liked to see is the additional trivet and mitts come standard with the set. It’s such a unique product that everything should be included to get the full pleasure of using it instead of fumbling around looking for something to just work. There also needs to be a simple way to remove the hot roasting rack or baking pan from the Ninja. I tried 2 forks, tongs and oven mitts but nothing was just right. The chicken finally came out but it wasn’t simple to balance on the larger handles.

Overall I’m happy with the way the Ninja performed and cleaned up. We will have other recipes to share in the near future.

I’m opening up a Linky for the rest of the bunch that attended the Ninja Cooking System demo in Philadelphia or anywhere else across the country.  I’d love to see ho everyone else is using it and try out other recipes to get the most use possible and keep my kitchen clean.

Link up your posts with your recipes or reviews of the Ninja Cooking System #ninjacooking

 

As a special treat for LookWhatMomFound..and Dad too! readers, we are giving away a Ninja Cooking System, valued at $199. Let me know feature you love best, what would you love to try out for yourself.
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Your entries must follow the rules or they won’t be eligible for prizes. This contest ends 11:59 pm, Tuesday, November27, 2012. The winners will be emailed and will have 24 hours to claim their prize. This contest is open to Continental US residents only. For complete rules please read our blog contest rules page.

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Chewy Coconut Macaroons Recipe

October 24, 2012 by

Coconut is one of those ingredients that people either love or hate.  I personally LOVE it. I love coconut cream pie, coconut custard pie, coconut candies and even coconut sorbet.  My family on the other hand is divided.  Sabreena hates it, Rob is “eh” about it, Shaun will eat anything disguised as dessert and Shae was just introduced to an Almond Joy the other day and loved it.  My father in law loves coconut so each year I make him these Coconut Macaroons.  They are very simple, require only 5 ingredients and travel well.

simple chewy coconut macaroons

Prep:

Preheat oven to 350°. Line 2 cookie sheets with foil or parchment. Lightly spray with cooking spray to avoid sticking.

Ingredients:

  • 2-3 cup of all purpose flour
  • 5 cups of shredded coconut
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

ingredients for coconut macaroons recipe

Directions:

In large bowl gently mix together flour, coconut and salt.  Make a well in the middle of the coconut mixture and add sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Using a rubber spatula fold all ingredients together until you no longer see dry flour.

Using a cookie dough scoop or tablespoon (sprayed with cooking spray) drop golf ball size balls of dough onto your cookie sheets.  Do not pack the coconut mixture too tight.

golf ball size coconut macaroons recipe

cookie sheets of coconut macaroons

Bake for 12-15 minutes until, edges are toasted and crisp.  Let cool on tray for 10 minutes so they set. Enjoy
coconut macaroons cooked




Pasta with Bacon, Corn and Tomato Recipe

August 24, 2012 by

The kids and I were watching someone on the Food Network make this and we all looked at each other with drool hanging out of our mouths. I knew instantly that this would be a perfect kid friendly recipe to try. The ingredients looked simple enough, there weren’t any difficult steps or tools I needed. I didn’t follow a specific recipe but it had bacon, it had to be good.
recipes with bacon pasta corn tomato

Ingredients

ingredients simple pasta dish
1/4-1/2 lb Slab Bacon (couldn’t find it but found this steak cut bacon instead)
1 cup corn (there was no fresh corn at store so I used frozen roasted corn)
1 cup tomatoes, halved
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
3 tsps chopped garlic
fresh basil (15 leaves)
fresh parley (handful)
pasta shape of choice

Directions

  • Cook pasta according to package directions while cooking everything else. Drain and set aside.
  • Heat large sauté pan on medium heat. Chop bacon to 1/4″ pieces and add to hot pan. Cook till fat is mostly rendered and bacon gets crisp.
  • Do not drain fat, add corn till warmed through.
  • Add garlic and tomatoes and cook until garlic is slightly browned and tomatoes start to soften.
  • Add chopped basil and parsley, salt and pepper to taste then pour everything into pasta pot and stir. Turn on heat to pasta pot if needed to heat pasta through again.
  • Add broth if you desire a saucier dish. 1/4 cup at a time.
steak cut bacon
bacon corn tomato
corn tomato bacon basil

pasta with bacon corn tomato
There was very little of this left over, in fact Rob was hungry the next day because leftovers were barely enough to give him an entire lunch. We think Shae and Sabreena had seconds.

Pancetta would be a good subtitute as well as fresh corn, canned chopped tomatoes and oregano instead of basil.

Let me know what you think of this simple but delicious meal.




Nutty Vanilla Granola Recipe

March 23, 2012 by

Granola is a staple in my house; it’s eaten for breakfast, snacks and on yogurt. But have you seen the price tag of store bought granola lately? I refuse to spend $5 for a 8oz bag, when this recipe is just as good and quite easy to make. I’m sharing my updated recipe for a simple granola that can easily be adapted for your own own tastes or diet restrictions. You can half this recipe very easily too, we are a family of 5 and this will last about 2 weeks.
homemade granola, big batch of granola, easy homemade granola

  • 1 extra large microwave safe glass bowl,1 large rubber spatula, 2 rimmed baking sheets,parchment paper
  • 2 cups of brown sugar
  • 3/4  cup water
  • 3 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 8 cups of rolled oats
  • 2 cups of chopped nuts of your choice (we used walnuts)
  • 2 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
  • 2 cups of dried fruit of choice (we used raisins and cranberries)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees, line baking sheets with parchment.

In your LARGE glass bowl add water and brown sugar, microwave for 4-6 minutes until sugar has dissolved, stir every 2 minutes

Carefully remove bowl and add vanilla, honey and salt, STIR. Add oats, cinnamon, nuts and coconut, fold evenly until all the oats are coated. Split mixture between 2 baking sheets (do not grease parchment) and bake for 50 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately mix in dried fruit and place back in oven for 5-7 minutes.  Remove from oven again, let cool for 5 minutes and transfer to tight fitting containers or storage bags.

large batch of granola, homemade granola, granola recipe
Easily add ground flaxseed, wheatgerm, millet or pure maple syrup instead of honey to up the nutritional content. For a more clustered effect, increase the the sugar/water mixture and DON’T blend in the dried fruit; add it after the granola has fully baked and cooled.  Break up the cooled granola and just sprinkle in the fruits of choice.

How do you like your granola? What ingredients would you add?

Enjoy!




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