Soft Pretzel Nuggets with Spicy Cheese Dipping Sauce

App. App. Friends coming over for NYE. I was on the hunt for a challenge. I decided to try making pretzels since I had time on my hands and they looked surprisingly easy.

I think they turned out swell!

 

The yeasted dough needed to rise for about an hour.

 

Some quick sections, rolling, slicing and then they were ready for a quick baking soda/water bath.

 

 

They really didn't look too appetizing as they went into the oven...

 

But I was so glad to see them golden and pretty!

 

The pretzels right out of the oven were the best but I knew they'd still be delicious for later in the day. They were! They were chewy and flavorful. Our guests were happy too.

A cheese dip was included in BEB's blog entry so of course I made that. It was spicy, smoky, and delicious.

 

 

We just feasted on the leftovers during the Gophers football game. Yay for a good snack! (P.S. I didn't really watch football...)

 

Click here for the stolen recipe for Soft Pretzel Nuggets with Spicy Cheese Dipping Sauce.

 

 

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Gobble until you Wobble!

My Thanksgiving plate: Herb Roasted Turkey with Sage Gravy, Double Bread Stuffing with Brown Butter, Bacon and Sage, Squash, Green Bean Casserole, PW Mashed Potatoes, and Cranberry Sauce.

The Tauer family came over for Thanksgiving. To prep we made these cute Oreo turkeys the night before. James enjoyed putting the parts together :)

We put a turkey at each place setting. James helped! It was also a good way to prepare James for guests. He knew who was coming over and he was excited for them to see his turkeys.

We needed to break out a card table. I was determined that this wouldn't be a "kid's table" Kara (college student) isn't a kid! I knew I would be insulted to be called a kid at that age :)

Oh there's Kara, relaxing on the massage chair. I went downstairs to give the 10 minute warning for food and found lots of fun in the basement. Massage chair...

Video games...

Wild claw!

Pool.

I am SO THANKFUL for this little boy.

This ended up being the "Cool Table".

The turkey before (with lots of herbed butter)-

And after!

I tackled yeast again. Buttery Cloverleaf rolls.

THE BEST Green Bean Casserole. The mushroom sauce was killer. We think we might need to make some and just eat it as SOUP.

Double Bread Stuffing with Brown Butter, Bacon and Sage. You just can't go wrong with my favorite breads- cornbread and sourdough... Mmmmmmmm. And hello? BACON!

I didn't get a picture of Laura's squash. It's pictured on my plate above!

Simple cranberry sauce.

Roger and Linda brought Wild Rice Soup.

They also brought dessert- apple pie and pumpkin trifle (layered with gingerbread, pumpkin pudding, cool whip).

Again, I didn't get many pictures with family but here is James saying goodbye to Grandma Laura. He was pretty cranky towards the end so I'm glad she got a hug :)

We are thankful for so much! Thank you Familia :)

Click here for the stolen recipe for Thanksgiving Pioneer-Style Herb Roasted Turkey with Sage Gravy.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Pioneer Woman's Creamy Mashed Potatoes. I didn't end up baking the potatoes but while they were still hot I put them in the crockpot to keep warm.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Buttery Cloverleaf Rolls.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Double Bread Stuffing with Brown Butter, Bacon, and Sage.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Cook's Illustrated Green Bean Casserole.

We also served Ginger Tea Lemonade. Yum. Click here for the stolen recipe for Ginger Tea Lemonade. Jim is becoming the Master of GTL!

Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread

This recipe has been all the rage on the various food blogs that I read every day. It has looked so pretty and I knew I had to try it. It has staple ingredients so I could make it whenever I had time. That's the hardest thing about this recipe- the time waiting for the dough to rise, two different times.

I thought it would be a good treat to make for future overnight guests. But maybe not. It would take a good long time to shape, let rise, bake, and then cool. I guess it depends on how much time you're working with.

The pieces really do pull apart easily. The bread isn't too sweet, but the sugar that I sprinkled on top of the bread became crusty and sweet. It is delicious.

I hope it freezes well!

Click here for the stolen recipe for Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread.

Cinnamon Roll Bread

Seriously. One of the easiest recipes ever. This "bread" was a few ingredients mixed together, pour it in a pan, let it rest for 15 minutes, and then press in a brown sugar mixture on top. Bake for 30 minutes. Drizzle with icing.

I think this is the lazy (wo)man's cinnamon roll recipe. This would a great recipe for breakfast guests- something you can whip together and serve with coffee.



I took this picture to show you the brown sugar crusty goodness when it came out of the oven. It was bubbling and the house smelled AMAZING.

I'm going to keep this recipe handy. I can also see myself whipping this up for work peeps and their coffee.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Cinnamon Roll Bread.

Bread!!

I keep telling myself that I'm afraid of yeast. I thought I conquered it but I still steer clear of some recipes because they contain yeast. I put aside my hesitations, dug out my baking stone, and bought a pizza peel. These are all the necessary tools, says my book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

The idea is to make a large batch of bread dough, refrigerate it, and tear off what you need for up to 2 weeks. I made a loaf and it was easy enough! It looks a little rough but it was good!! It was still warm when I buttered it up. YUM.

I can't wait to make another loaf for a dinner. I want Jim to try it right out of the oven!

Oh, and about my fear of yeast? I made THREE recipes with yeast in one day!! This bread, pizza dough, and then Cinnamon Roll Bread. Wow.

Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls

My friend Ann told me that she made this recipe with great success. I had Cinnamon Rolls on my summer list and with Father's Day I wanted to make these for my sweet. He has a love for Cinnabon and he has been denying himself after reading how many calories each roll has! I don't think these are calorie free but maybe a bit better for you since they're homemade. They did get a "Very Good" rating from him, so I think we'll make these again :)

I have a slight fear of yeast so I was pretty nervous about making the dough. The dough part was still pretty tricky, especially rolling up it up "tightly" but I did the best that I could. I figured even if they were a loose roll, the taste would be unaffected.

Cream cheese is layered into the dough, adding a little something something to the flaky roll. Mmmmmm. My guy loves his cream cheese so I'm glad this recipe included that too!

Before the rolls were refrigerated and they were allowed to "rise"-


I refrigerated the rolls overnight and pulled them out about 45 minutes before I expected my husband to get up from his slumber. He had great timing- they were cooling slightly as he came downstairs and I had the SW pancakes almost ready too!

The rolls before baking-


Done!



I took it easy on the icing and I'm glad. I love when rolls are bread-like but also a little gooey.

I hope my husband doesn't object if I make these again! These would be great for overnight guests.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls.

Pan Dulce (Mexican Sweet Bread)

My family is from Calfornia and I remember growing up with Mexican sweet bread from the local Mexican bakeries. What a treat! I loved the sugar topping, always in neat square shapes on the top. They were always so perfect and delicious.

This is what I remember, image from online:



I saw this recipe in my Google Reader (blog reader) and I knew I'd have to try. I knew I would try to recreate my childhood treats :) I mean, you can find Pan Dulce in Minnesota and it's probably just as good but it's not readily available to me out here in the Northern suburbs.

I made these during my Christmas break. I appreciated this recipe a lot. I mean, it was good. I ate tons of them. I didn't think they tasted quite the same as the Pan Dulce of my youth but it was a good attempt. I guess they tasted more homemade? And I didn't even attempt to make the fancy squares on top, I wouldn't know where to begin with that!

I also don't work with yeast much. I think this might have been my second attempt ever. I was happy that they worked out!

Click here for the stolen recipe.



Yeah, I need to make these again. They would be lovely with coffee!!