March 22, 2010. That was the day both Helga and I tried (and I emphasize on tried) to bake Homemade Soft Pretzels. Mine were nice as long as you ate it coming out of the oven. And Helga’s were the same. After they cooled down, no matter how we would warm them up they would still be hard as a rock when you tried to bite into them.
And yes, we have a picture. A combined picture of them both (scroll down all the way to the bottom of the post). The pictures of shame… But well embraced. After comparing notes and recipes, we knew we had to do further research before trying any recipe – and now we knew what to look on the recipes. Besides our experience cooking regularly as we did for our families, we had to look for more feedback from other foodies. After sharing these two pictures on our personal Facebook profiles, we started sharing other recipes we created – some of those made it to our first foodie posts.
Fast forward to March 2012. A few weeks ago we got together to bake and catch up on stuff. So, we decided to give it a try together. Now, we went to Alton Brown. The guy is a genius. Not everyone likes his personality, we know that… But recipe wise he is, well, wise. You can find his recipes on Food Network.
Now, a bit about this recipe. This looks like it will take so much time but it doesn’t. The only bit you have to work a lot is when you blanch them (placing the unbaked pretzels in boiling water for 30 seconds each). The Pretzels are delicious and they freeze well!
Homemade Soft Pretzels
Recipe by Alton Brown
Ingredients:
1½ cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4½ cups
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for pan
10 cups water
⅔ cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt
Directions:
- Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.
- Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.
- In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.
- Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.
And for the old picture that started it all:
© 2012, The Foodies' Kitchen. All rights reserved.
Sometimes it’s the really simply ideas that make you enjoy the meals. When I saw this recipe on Pinterest (Flower Power Eggs by Apron Strings Blog) I knew I had to try it! I went to the Market and got the chubbiest green bell pepper I could find. It was so good, that after I had breakfast, dad came in and he knew he wanted to try the crazy idea I was documenting for foodies!
By the way, you can follow both Helga and myself on Pinterest, and see what is inspiring us lately!
Bell Pepper Eggs
One Serving
Idea from Apron Strings Blog
Ingredients:
Bell Pepper
1 egg
Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions:
- Cut bell peppers into at least 1/2 inch rings.
- Place in a non-stick lightly oiled skillet, and turn over once.
- Crack an egg in the middle of each ring and cover and cook over low heat until done. If you like your yolks runny, just cook over low heat until whites are done. If you like your yolks firm, break the yolks and then cook over low heat until both whites and yolks are firm.
© 2012, The Foodies' Kitchen. All rights reserved.
My husband’s grandmother sometimes sends us fruit, which we love, but sometimes I already have a few varieties in my refrigerator and end up with two watermelons, or in this case with two papayas. With only three of us, including my three year old (as you can guess… she’s no wild about papayas), I had to think of something to make with the extra fruit. All I knew is I didn’t want to make a beverage out of it. Then, it occurred to me: Papaya Bread! Can it be done? I searched and searched for a recipe but none of them “spoke” to me. Finally, I found a great one from Eat the Love. The original Papaya Bread recipe calls for crystallized ginger and white chocolate, which I decided to omit and I added cinnamon, shredded coconut and nutmeg to the mix.
Now I need to figure out what to do with the 15 oranges I have in my basket! We’ll probably eat half of them with salt and pepitoria (powdered squash seed)… yum! Now, what to do with the rest? No juice, no jam… I’m thinking something baked. I’ll let you know what I come up with!
Papaya-Coconut Bread
Adapted from Eat the Love recipe
Makes 1 loaf
Ingredients Cooked Papaya:
1 medium papaya (about 1 lbs)
6 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter
Zest from 1 medium lemon
Juice from 1 medium lemon (~2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ingredients Bread Batter:
2 ½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon fresh papaya seeds, ground
3 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
½ cup + 2 tablespoons or 1 ¼ stick unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar
3 large eggs
½ cup whole milk yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 cup natural flavor shredded coconut
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
Procedure:
- Split the papaya in half and scoop out the seeds. Save the 1 tablespoon of the seeds for the bread batter and reserve the rest for another use. Dice the papaya into 1/2” chunks.
- Place the papaya chunks, brown sugar, butter, lemon zest, and juice in a pan. Cook on medium heat until the papaya chunks start to fall apart, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add vanilla extract. Remove from heat and puree. (Wait until it has cooled to use your blender.)
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F and generously spray and flour a 9 inch x 5 inch loaf pan.
- Place the flours, papaya seeds, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl. Using a balloon whisk, vigorously stir until uniform in color.
- Place the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the butter until light and creamy, about two to three minutes on medium speed. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides with a spatula between additions. Add the yogurt and vanilla extract and beat to incorporate.
- Add half the dry ingredients to the batter and beat until incorporated. Add the papaya puree and beat until incorporated. Add the remaining dry ingredients and beat until incorporated. Finally, fold in the shredded coconut.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a toothpick or skewer placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Be sure to test several areas, as the toothpick may hit a wet papaya chunk area and look not done yet. You don’t want to over bake the loaf.
- Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes on a wire rack, before removing from pan to cool further.
© 2012, The Foodies' Kitchen. All rights reserved.
Mango season is upon us! We have a few mango varieties in Guatemala, which include the Tommy variety that you see in our photos. We’re showing you how to cut them properly so you can make the most out of this flavorful, juicy, vitamin C packed delicious fruit!
As soon as we get our hands on more of these, we’ll be posting new recipes… we still don’t know what they will be, but inspiration always strikes.
1. Cut off the mango “cheeks” – Hold the mango upright on the counter with your fingertips. Position your knife to one side of the center stem and slice straight down, hugging the flat of the seed as closely as possible. If you hit the edge of the seed as soon as you start to cut, remove your knife and rotate the mango 90-degrees.
Turn the mango and slice off the other “cheek.” You will have two big pieces of mango and the flat seed.
2. Dice the mango – Hold one of the mango pieces in the palm of your hand or upright on the cutting board. Using your paring knife, make long cuts down the length of the mango without slicing through the skin. Repeat with perpendicular cuts to form cubes.
3. Turn the mango inside out – Gently press the back of the mango to invert the fruit. Use your paring knife to gently pry or slice the cubes away from the skin and into the bowl. Repeat steps two and three with the other half of the mango.
4. Trim fruit from the seed – With the seed flat on the cutting board, cut around the seed to remove any remaining mango flesh. Cube the fruit without cutting through the skin and then pry or slice the cubes away from the skin.
5. Sliced mango will keep refrigerated for several days or can be frozen for up to three months.
© 2012, The Foodies' Kitchen. All rights reserved.
Don’t you love edamames? I ate a whole pound all by myself the other day.
Edamame, is a green vegetable more commonly known as a soybean, harvested at the peak of ripening right before it reaches the “hardening” time. The word Edamame means “Beans on Branches,” and it grows in clusters on bushy branches. To retain the freshness and its natural flavor, it is parboiled and quick-frozen. In East Asia, the soybean has been used for over two thousand years as a major source of protein. Edamame is consumed as a snack, a vegetable dish, used in soups or processed into sweets. As a snack, the pods are lightly boiled in salted water, and then the seeds are squeezed directly from the pods into the mouth with the fingers.
I always eat mine with ponzu sauce, which is basically soy sauce with lemon. (Our big secret, right Edith? haha)
Edamames with Ponzu Sauce
Yields 2 cups
(you can divide the recipe to yield only 1 cup)
Recipe adapted from NY Times Dining Journal
Ingredients:
1 lb frozen edamames
salt
Ingredients For Sauce:
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice, more to taste
1/3 cup fresh lime juice, more to taste
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 cup good-quality soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin (or 1/4 cup sake and 1 tablespoon sugar)
Pinch cayenne
Procedure:
- In a medium sized pot, bring enough water to a boil. Add a good pinch of salt.
- Introduce the edamames, and as soon as they start to float to the top (about 3-5 minutes), drain them and run cold water over them to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
- For the sauce: In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Let sit for at least 2 hours or overnight. Strain. Just before using, you might add a small squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice. Covered and refrigerated, ponzu will keep for at least several days.
Note:
© 2012, The Foodies' Kitchen. All rights reserved.
Sometimes, you just want something quick to eat. Like a sandwich. This little invention has few ingredients, but a lot of flavor. I found these mini pita breads at the store, but you can use regular ones. The key to this sandwich are the sun-dried tomatoes, those little pruney guys are packed with flavor! I also added some grilled eggplant to give it a little extra bite. (If you have some pesto around, adding some would be a good idea.)
Hey, it’s better than ham and cheese!
Sun-Dried Tomato, Arugula and Fresh Cheese Mini Pitas
(I couldn’t come up with a better name)
A The Foodies’ Kitchen Recipe
Serves 2
Ingredients:
4 mini pitas
1 small eggplant, sliced
olive oil
A few arugula leaves
Farmer’s cheese (Queso Fresco)
8 sun dried tomatoes
Cream cheese
salt and pepper,to taste
Procedure:
- Slice your mini pita breads open.
- Using your electric griller, cook eggplant that has been previously drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper.
- Place a couple of arugula leaves on the bottom, top with farmer’s cheese slices. Just enough to cover the bread. You can add a little or a lot of sun dried tomatoes. I prefer to add a lot, so I slice them and put enough of them to cover the area. Add the grilled eggplant. Season with salt and pepper.
- Spread cream cheese (and/or pesto) on your mini pitas’ stop slices, cover up your sandwiches and enjoy!
© 2012, The Foodies' Kitchen. All rights reserved.
Following up on our collection of fish recipes for lent, we have this amazing recipe we hope you will try. I do recommend you try the variation as described at the bottom of the recipe. This includes cream and wine….you’ll want to taste it!
Pair this with rice and some asparagus on the side. You can find our recipe for asparagus with balsamic vinegar here.
I guarantee this will become one of your favorite fish recipes.
Fish Fillet with Cherry Tomato Sauce
Serves 4
Recipe adapted from Karista’s Kitchen
Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs seasonal fresh white fish
2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cloves garlic, smashed and lightly chopped
2 tablespoons diced shallots
1 lemon, zested and juiced
3 tablespoons chopped mixed fresh thyme
Olive oil
Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper
Procedure:
- Pre-heat the oven to 400F.
- Mix together tomatoes, garlic, shallots, 1 tablespoon thyme, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil until lightly coated and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Pour the tomato mixture into a baking dish or foil lined cookie sheet and roast for about 10 minutes until the tomatoes are wilted and slightly toasty. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Drizzle the fish with a bit of lemon juice and olive oil, and then sprinkle with sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Roast the fish until opaque in the center and flaky. Fish roasting times vary according to thickness. Start with 5-8 minutes and then check for doneness. If it isn’t done, let it continue roasting, checking every couple of minutes.
- Once the fish is done, transfer to a platter. Mix the tomatoes with lemon zest and remaining fresh thyme. Top the fish with the tomatoes and herbs and serve immediately.
As a variation, and what you see in our photograph:
Transfer the tomato mixture into a small pot and add about 1/2 cup of cream and 1/4 cup white wine. Add the lemon zest and the remaining thyme. Season with salt and pepper and let it simmer for a few minutes, just until heated through. Top fish with this sauce.
© 2012, The Foodies' Kitchen. All rights reserved.
We can’t believe it’s been a year since we started to share calendar desktops! Now, with the summer season being around the corner in Guate and St. Patrick’s Day coming up this month, we wanted to put something green on your screens. Cold weather is still lurking around up north, but a little green doesn’t hurt. The recipe featured for the March 2012 Desktop is Green Beans with Lemon & Garlic.
For the Desktop Calendar, you can click here.
© 2012, The Foodies' Kitchen. All rights reserved.
The days are getting warmer and warmer in Guatemala. Our Summer is almost here! Time for cold drinks, outdoor barbeques, ceviches and fun in the sun.
I’ve been into fruit smoothies lately. I’m trying to get my fruit quota of the day, and it seems a good way to get my daughter to eat drink her fruit. I’ve never had a problem with her eating habits, thankfully she eats very well, but I do have trouble getting her to eat fruit sometimes…except bananas.
This smoothie is delicious and very refreshing, the original recipe didn’t call for orange juice but I added it and it does make it taste better. Regarding it’s nutritional value, I can tell you watermelon is a great source of antioxidants and vitamin C!
You might find it strange that there is pepper in this. Put it in there, trust me. It won’t make your smoothie taste like pepper, I promise! It just accentuates the watermelon flavor.
I’ve used pepper in melon for years. You should give it a try, just sprinkle cold melon pieces with a little black pepper.
Watermelon Smoothie
A Foodies’ Kitchen Original Recipe
Serves 2-3, depending on the size of your glass
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups chopped seedless watermelon
1 cup ice
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 tsp black pepper
Directions:
- First, chop watermelon into chunks. Ideally, you should remove the seeds, but I have made this with the seeds.
- Transfer the chopped watermelon, orange juice, pepper and ice into the blender.
- Blend into a thick drink and enjoy!
- You can add a little honey if you would prefer a sweeter drink.
© 2012, The Foodies' Kitchen. All rights reserved.
Lent, are the forty days’ fast preceding Easter, originally meant no more than the spring season. It’s been used from the Anglo-Saxon period to translate the more significant Latin term quadragesima (French carême, Italian quaresima, Spanish cuaresma), meaning the “forty days”, or more literally the “fortieth day”.
Fasting during Lent was more severe in ancient times than today. Socrates Scholasticus reports that in some places, all animal products were strictly forbidden, while others will permit fish, others permit fish and fowl, others prohibit fruit and eggs, and still others eat only bread. In some places, believers abstained from food for an entire day; others took only one meal each day, while others abstained from all food until 3 o’clock. In most places, however, the practice was to abstain from eating until the evening, when a small meal without vegetables or alcohol was eaten. In current times, during lent, you abstain to eat red meat every Friday until Easter.
So, to help you plan your meals during lent, here is a list of our lent-friendly dishes.
With information from Wikipedia and The Catholic Encyclopedia.
© 2012, The Foodies' Kitchen. All rights reserved.
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