Soft and Chewy Pretzels

After hearing from my friend Andrea and then my son who ate them at Andrea's house how great these pretzels were I finally made them. They were really simple to make and would be something fun to make with kids. They turned out soft and chewy and were absolutely delicious. I took Andrea's advice and made half with coarse salt and the other half sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. Queso dip and a vanilla glaze dip went along perfectly. They are best served warm from the oven but you can microwave them as well. Perfect for an after school snack or when the carb monster strikes.

Soft and Chewy Pretzels
All Recipes.com

Ingredients
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/8 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup bread flour
2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 tablespoons baking soda
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt

Optional but totally delicious :Tostitos queso dip for the salty pretzels

Vanilla Glaze Dip for cinnamon Sugar. I used this recipe and just thinned it out with a little milk until it reached the consistency I liked.

Directions
In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast, brown sugar and salt in 1 1/2 cups warm water. Stir in flour, and knead dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover, and let rise for one hour.
Combine 2 cups warm water and baking soda in an 8 inch square pan.
After dough has risen, cut into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a 3 foot rope, pencil thin or thinner. Twist into a pretzel shape (I've included a link here in case like myself you have never rolled a pretzel. Don't worry, it's easy and quite fun actually), and dip into the baking soda solution. Place on parchment covered cookie sheets, and let rise 15 to 20 minutes.
Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter, and sprinkle with coarse salt, garlic salt or cinnamon sugar.

*Note *
When forming the ropes, roll each one to about half the length you want, then set it aside while you roll the rest. By the time you get back to the first rope, it will have rested enough to roll further.

Posted by: Sallie

Orange Mini Muffins with Brown Sugar Glaze

Muffins are another favorite for after school snacks. Since some of my kids aren't big fruit eaters I have to get creative. I love practically anything with orange zest and what puts these muffins over the top is the brown sugar glaze. Yummy! Not only delicious for snacks, they go perfect with any kind of egg dish for breakfast or brunch. They are best served warm.

Orange Mini Muffins w/ Brown Sugar Glaze

Pioneer Woman

Ingredients
2 sticks Salted Butter, Softened
1 cup White Sugar
2 cups Flour
2 whole Eggs
1 cup Buttermilk
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 whole Oranges, Juiced And Zested
1 cup Brown Sugar (lightly Packed)

Preparation Instructions
Cream together butter and white sugar in a mixing bowl. Add eggs, beat well, and mix in flour. Dissolve baking soda into buttermilk, then add to the rest of the batter along with the zest from both oranges. Mix well.
Grease and flour mini muffin pans (or spray with nonstick spray with flour). Fill cups 2/3 full. (This recipe yields 36 mini-muffins, or 3 tins.)
Bake at 375ºF for 12 to 17 minutes (or 20 to 25 minutes for regular-sized muffins), or until lightly browned.
In a separate bowl, combine brown sugar and juice from the freshly zested oranges. You should have about ½ cup. Mix well. Drizzle this glaze over the warm muffins. Remove muffins from the pan while still warm.

Note: If you don’t have buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon white vinegar to just under 1 cup of milk.

Posted by: Sallie

Homemade Granola Bars

If your kids are like mine 90% of the food they eat seems to be in snack form. And who can blame them. Snack food is just yummy and fun. I have no problem with cookies and chips but I like to see them eat healthy things too. One of our family favorites is these homemade granola bars. In fact, they were the first treat requested by my husband for his 24 hr. bike a thon. The first time I made them, I couldn't wait and had to sample them right out of the pan! They bake up pretty quickly and are full of good for you oatmeal, almonds and honey. They also use everyday ingredients you are likely to have in your kitchen already. You can vary the nuts and swap the chocolate chips for different types of dried fruit. Craisins and white chocolate chips, peanut butter and chocolate chips, the possibilities are endless. I like mine a little on the chewy side and prefer them within a day or two (if they even last that long). After that they are still good, but won't be as chewy.

Homemade Granola Bars

For the Love of Cooking adapted from Alton Brown's Recipe

2 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup of honey
1/4 cup of brown sugar
2 tbsp unsalted butter, plus extra for pan
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup of shredded coconut
1/4 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips

Butter a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spread the oats and almonds onto a baking sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.
Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Immediately add the oat mixture to the brown sugar mixture, next add the coconut and chocolate chips then stir to combine. Spread mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely. Cut into squares or bars, wrap individually in saran wrap then store in an airtight container for up to a week. Makes about 8 bars.

Posted by:Sallie

Sweet Coconut Chex Mix (also known as addiction)

Warning: do not make this if you are trying to practice portion control! My sister made this while we were visiting for Christmas and it truly is addicting! I could tell you scientifically why it's addicting but that would ruin all the fun! Thanks to Anne from Good Eats for sharing this recipe. You just can't get enough of this sweet and crunchy cereal mix. We loved it so much, I made it again at home for New Year's.

*Anne wasn't kidding when she said Ginormous bowl. I tried a huge soup pot, roasting pan, and my biggest bowl and none were big enough. Maybe 1/2 the recipe or make it in two batches.*

Sweet Chex Coconut Mix

Good Eats

2 boxes of Chex (one rice and one corn, or can use 2 corn or 2 rice)

1 lb sliced almonds

4 cups wide coconut (NOT flaked coconut, I buy wide coconut at a local health food store)

1 1/2 cups butter

2 cups sugar

2 cups light Karo syrup

In a ginormous bowl, (or brown paper sack works well too) combine cereal, almonds and coconut.In a saucepan over medium heat, start melting the butter and then add the sugar and corn syrup. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil. Once bubbly, let it boil for 3 minutes, then remove from heat. Pour over the dry goods and stir to make sure all the sticky goodness spreads over all the cereal. Keep in a resealable container and enjoy!!

Posted by: Sallie & Julia