19 making your homemade Recipes

tortilla chips or 1 lb fritos corn chips, low-sodium taco seasoning (or make your own and leave out the salt, there are excellent recipes on this site for taco seasoning)

you will need : makes 2 large baguettes or 4-5 smaller loaves(12 inches), sponge, bread flour, warm water(110 degrees ), instant or rapid rise yeast, dough, bread flour, instant or rapid rise yeast, warm water (110degrees), salt, glaze, egg beaten with 2 tbsp water, directions: this recipe requires 2 days... so plan ahead ., day 1, make the sponge. in a medium bowl, stir all of the ingredients until combined. you will need to cover the bowl with plastic wrap. let it sit at room temp until the sponge has risen and fallen at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours. i made mine in the late afternoon and started on it in the morning., day 2, in a mixer bowl, fitted with the dough hook, combine 3 cups of the flour and yeast. on low speed, add water and mix until the dough comes together. it will be about 2 minutes. stop the mixer and cover the bowl with a plastic wrap. let it sit at room temp for 20 minutes. after the 20 minutes. remove the plastic wrap and add the sponge from the previous day. add the salt and knead the dough on medium-low for about 8 minutes. after about 4 minutes, if the dough is still sticking to the sides if the bowl, add the remaining 1/2 cup flour, 2 tbsp at a time. the dough should not stick to sides only to the bottom of the bowl. complete kneading the dough for the additional 4 minutes. you should have kneaded the dough for a total of 8 minutes., turn the dough on a lightly floured counter top. form into a nice ball ., place the dough into a large , lightly oiled bowl. cover tightly with greased plastic wrap. let rise in a warm place. like with all my breads i let it rise in a cozy oven. (i turn on the oven for about a minute and then turn it off. ...it should feel just cozy, not hot or too warm.)let rise 1 hour., after the initial 1 hour rise time , you will need to turn the dough 2 times slide a bench scraper under 1 side of the dough. gently lift and fold 1/3 of the dough toward the center., repeat with the other side. finally, fold the dough in half perpendicular to the first folds. this should be a rough square. let it rise for 30 minutes . the process of turning and folding. cover the bowl with plastic wrap. let rise for an additional 30 minutes. this process stretches the dough gently and ensures that the sheets of gluten in the bread provide the proper structure and strength. top a large rimless(or inverted) baking sheet with parchment paper. turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter top. divide it into 2 loaves(i divided mine in 4-5 pieces as my baking stone is too small)., shape each piece into a baguette and lay each piece seam side down. space them about 4-5 inches apart., shaping the baguettes, work with 1 piece at a time. gently pat the dough into a rectangle., gently fold the bottom third of the dough up to the center. press to seal. bring the bottom of the dough up to the top and seal., flour your hand and create a large crease down the middle., top and the bottom of the dough together making sure it is secure ., gently roll the baguette back and forth to make a long log. lay each piece seam side down unto a parchment lined baking sheet., remember to space them. mist the baguettes with vegetable oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap.( i didn tsp cover them with plastic wrap). let rise in a warm place till doubled about 1 hr to 1 1/2 hr., after about 40 minutes of rising time prepare your oven. adjust your oven rack to the lower-middle position. place a baking stone on the rack and heat the oven to 500 degrees. let the baking stone heat for 30 minutes but no longer than 1 hour. after the baguettes have doubled in size, score them with 1/2 inch slashes. use a very sharp knife or a sharp blade. brush the breads with egg-water mixture. carefully slide the breads and parchment paper unto the baking stone. immediately reduce the oven to 425 degrees. don tsp forget this step. bake until golden and center of bread registers at 210 or about 25 minutes. rotate loaves halfway to ensure even browning. i don tsp think i bothered with turning them. let cool for about 30 minutes. this bread is amazing for steak sandwiches. delicious, recipe was adapted from america s test kitchen baking cookbook .

water, vinegar, baking soda, drops grapefruit seed extract (you can find this in your healthy food store, natural antibacterial) (optional)

brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, all-purpose flour, rolled oats, ground pecans, sliced apples (about 24 oz), salt, cinnamon, homemade caramel sauce (see my other recipes, if you do not want to make your own caramels, use store-bought caramel sauce)

garlic cloves, unsalted butter, softened, cream cheese, softened, salt, chopped fresh basil, marjoram, fresh or dried, chopped fresh chives, thyme, fresh or dried, fresh ground black pepper, dill weed

prepared lemonade (like country time powdered drink mix or enough to make it the strength you like best), ice cubes, strawberry ice cream topping, chilled lemonade (premade from the store, or 4 1/2 cups of homemade lemonade sweetened with splenda or sugar), sugar free strawberry syrup (or not sugar free, your choice) or ice cream topping (or not sugar free, your choice)

homemade pizza rolls, shredded pizza cheese or mozzarella cheese, sausage, cooked, drained, sliced pepperoni, chopped, green pepper, finely chopped, fresh sliced mushrooms, coarsely chopped, onion, finely chopped, chopped black olives, pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce, egg roll wraps, oil (for frying ), combine above ingredients except wrappers (and oil)., place a 1/4 cup filling in center of each egg roll. fold bottom corner over filling. fold sides toward center over filling. moisten remaining corner w/water and roll up tightly to seal. fry in 1-inch of 375o oil for 1-2 minutes til golden brown., serve with addition pizza sauce for dipping if desired., extra cooked rolls can be frozen ., reheat :., place on cookie sheet and bake in 375o oven for 20-25 minutes til heated through and nice and crispy on the outside., i make some with homemade sausage, some with chopped peperoni, some with a couple of my italian cheese blends, etc., your only limited to what you can imagine

homemade pretzels, great recipe to make your own pretzels ., pk yeast ; active, dry, water, warm 110-120 degrees, salt, sugar, flour; unbleached, egg; large, beaten, salt (coarse ), instructions, dissolve yeast in warm water, add salt and sugar to yeast mixture, blend in flour and knead dough until smooth, about 7 to 8, minutes, cover and let dough rise until double in bulk, punch down, cut dough into small pieces and roll into ropes, ropes into pretzel shapes and place on greased cookie, using a pastry brush , bursh pretzels with egg and sprinkle, coarse salt, allow pretzels to rise until almost double in bulk, bake at 425 degrees f for 10 to 15 minutes or until browned, makes 12 6-inch pretzels .

cornstarch, sugar, unflavored gelatin, water, granulated sugar, light corn syrup, salt, vanilla extract

white flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, ground cinnamon, butter or 3 tbsp margarine, cold and sliced into small pieces, vegetable shortening (i use crisco .), honey, molasses, water, vanilla extract

rhodes bread dough, thawed to room temperature (or use other brand , or make your own homemade dough), spaghetti, cooked (or use angel hair), thick spaghetti sauce, cooked vegetarian italian sausage (or cooked veggie crumbles or hamburger) (optional), mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes, parmesan cheese, butter, melted, minced garlic, dried basil, smoked paprika (optional), fresh parsley

risotto with sausage and cranberry beans, make risotto , you absolutely must use a specific type of rice called arborio rice (carnaroli and vialone nano are also used, some say superior, but are more difficult to find). these types of rice release starch when stirred in a liquid; it is this process which makes risotto, otherwise you just have a starchy mess of mush. these types of rice are identified by their fat round grains and pearly appearance. they can be used to make other sorts of rice dishes, such as pilaf, but other types of rice cannot be used for risotto. arborio is no longer that much of a specialty product; it can be found in most large, well-stocked grocery stores in the italian section. or sometimes, misguidedly, in the asian section., okay , so now we have the rice. you will also need some good, low-salt stock or broth - it should be low-salt not for health reasons, but because a good deal of it will evaporate, leaving its salt behind, and i like to have more control over the salt in a dish. it can be homemade, but i m not going to be a snob about it because, in truth, we go through gallons of store-bought stock in this household and i don tsp see that changing anytime soon. furthermore, risotto is actually a dish which can be whipped up out of thin air when it seems as though you have nothing to eat, as long as you have butter, rice, stock, maybe a few herbs, and some leftover parmesan. i like the kind of stock purchased in tetrapak cartons, because they are resealable and can be put in the fridge and used as needed. if you really want to use homemade but you don tsp have time to make stock or don tsp like the aroma of roasting bones in your house (i don tsp blame you), you can buy really great stock at north market poultry and game - it is expensive, but can be diluted with a 2- or 3-to-1 ratio of water to stock, so it stretches. my general guideline is to plan on 1/4 cup dry rice per person, and about 4 cups of stock to 1 cup of rice. of course, this isn tsp exact and will vary depending on your elevation and the phases of the moon, but it s a good place to start. i usually just use 4 cups of stock and then dilute with water or wine (or sometimes beer, if that s all i have) if i feel i m going to run out., well, we have rice and stock covered, now we just need our setup: place the stock in a saucepan on your rear burner, bring to a simmer, and leave it there with a 6-8 oz ladle in, and place a large, wide saute pan (must be really large, plan that your rice will at least quadruple in size) or dutch oven on the burner in front. get out your favorite wooden spoon and flex your stirring arm., nice thing about using sausage is it s so full of flavor you can leave out the usual onion/garlic/shallot/celery nonsense if you re tired and don tsp feel like chopping. furthermore, sausage goes from the freezer to the pan without suffering too much. okay, let s go, risotto with sausage and cranberry beans - serves 4, links italian sausage , or 1 lb bulk (or hot, or a combination - definitely with some fennel), casings removed, cooked cranberry beans or 1 can white beans, drained, arborio rice, beef , chicken or vegetable stock, butter, freshly, finely grated parmesan cheese , plus more for garnish, an oz) flat-leaf parsley, chopped finely, lemon juice , or juice from 1/2 lemon, salt and black pepper to taste, red pepper flakes to taste, optional, good balsamic vinegar , optional

most of my recipes are open to fit your tastes and i usually add some options to make the recipe more to what you like., risotto is a very nice dish than can be use as a complete meal or a side dish. the preparation for risotto requires more simmering than boiling and 1 must be gentle in the cooking process., rice (use what kind you like)( i have made this with several kinds of ), olive oil (and/or butter), chopped onion, rice per person if it is a main dish or 2 oz per person if it is a side dish., canned or homemade chicken broth, white wine ( a good your favorite), saffron ( pinch), parmesan cheese (use your tastes on this ), chopped spinach, chopped porcine mushrooms, chopped asparagus, other vegetables to your taste, i have also used orzo to make a version of this., when buying rice to make a risotto, choose short-grained round or semi-round rice; among the best rices for making risotto are arborio, vialone nano, and carnaroli. other short-grained rices such as originario will also work. long grained rice such as patna won tsp do, because the grains will stay separate. nor should you use minute rice -- it won tsp absorb the condiments, and again the grains will remain separate.

did you know that if you want to add vegetables to the soup you are making, they will taste so much better if you saute them first in a little butter. even though it s a little bit more work, it s worth the extra effort., what happens when you boil the soup too long the soup ends up losing its color ., i burned my soup once. have you ever done that here s a great tip to fix that. take the liquid part of your soup and pour it into a new, clean pan. then, add these ingredients: mustard, curry powder, chutney, or your 1 other of your favorite flavors. quantities are always to taste and you ll be amazed at how this tip really works, my all time favorite soup tips. every made soup that was too salty tasting all you need to do is place a raw potato into your soup pot and simmer it with the soup for about 15 minutes. not only does the potato slice absorb the extra salt, but as an added snack for the cook, it also absorbs all that flavor and becomes a fantastic taste treat, need your soup to be thicker - just sprinkle a little bit of instant mashed potato and stir in to thicken the soup. carefully continue adding the instant potatoes until you get the consistency that makes you happy., in a hurry and need to use canned broth instead of homemade give it a little extra flavor by taking your leftover chicken or meat bones and simmering it in the broth. simmer for about 15 minutes. then, strain the liquid and use the newly-flavored broth for your soup. this is a fantastic way to spice up the tinny flavor of canned broth and make it taste like its homemade., guess what a great resource a grocery store is for ready -to-use ingredients! simply make a visit to the salad bar (most large grocery chains have them now,) and gather up some of the pre-cut vegetables, cooked shrimp, and chicken or meat. how easy is that, if you have any leftovers of the pasta you cooked the night before , or even meat and vegetables - use them for instant nutritious substance for your soup. if your left over vegetables have already been cooked, simply puree them and use it as a thickener. deeeelish

dried corn husks, lard or vegetable shortening (i used . it adds flavor. it s not that bad once in a while, it s a saturated fat yes, but vegetable shortening is a trans fat, and i think that s worse for you. you can render your own using the cut off fat from pork roast and pork chops. do not use salt pork or bacon - ask your butcher for about 1 1/2 lb of pork fat), baking powder, blue corn meal ( is coarser than yellow, but if you want to make yellow tamales, get masa harina for tamales), water, chicken stock, preferably homemade, salt, poblano chilies, seeded and cut into a small dice, fresh or frozen corn (thawed if frozen ), monterey jack cheese , cut into a small dice