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Browsing Tag: cheese
Check out the Beer Brats with Onions (next recipe) that go so well with these pretzels!!
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First, make the pretzels…
Step One.
Prep Step! Measure out all of your ingredients, for both recipes. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Set your water and baking soda to boil over high heat. Line a baking sheet with silicone or parchment paper.
Step Two.
Make the pretzels. In a large bowl, mix the yeast into the warm water, and let it set for about 15 minutes. Whisk in the butter, sugar, and salt. Next, slowly add the flour as your stir the mixture.
Step Three.
On a surface dusted with flour, knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until it is not sticky and is super stretchy. This means that the gluten bonds are forming appropriately. This is my favorite step – I definitely recommend whipping up a batch if you’re ever stressed out!
Step Four.
Put the kneaded dough back into the bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let set for another ten minutes.
Step Five.
Now, pinch off a handful of dough. Roll and stretch it until it is a long tube, about 20 inches. Fold it into a “U” shape, then twist the end. Fold over the ends until it makes a recognizable pretzel shape.
Step Six.
Make sure that the water is at a rolling boil. Have your baking sheet ready. Place the pretzels, one at a time, on a slotted spoon, and dip into the water for 30 seconds. Place the pretzels on the baking sheet, sprinkle with coarse sea salt, and bake for about15 minutes, until they are golden brown.
Next, make the cheese dip…
Step One.
Prep Step! Measure out your ingredients.
Step Two.
First, we make a roux! Melt the butter in a pot. Slowly whisk in the flour. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until the roux is a little brown; this means that the flour has cooked well. Whisk in the beer and cook until the mixture has become thicker. Add and stir in the cream cheese. When it is fully incorporated, mix in the cheese and stir until it is all melted.
Step Three.
Add the half and half until the cheese is the consistency you want for dipping. Now, this is usually where the recipe stops. But please add salt, pepper, mustard, paprika… whatever you want until the taste is just perfect for you! Serve warm with the hot pretzels!
Ingredients
- SOFT PRETZELS
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 1 packet yeast
- 1 Tbsp melted butter
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 cups flour
- BEER CHEESE
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 1/8 cup flour
- 1 cup flavorful beer, such as an Oktoberfest brew
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 8 oz white cheddar cheese, shredded
- salt, pepper, mustard, paprika to taste
Instructions
- First, make the pretzels...
- Prep Step! Measure out all of your ingredients, for both recipes. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Set your water and baking soda to boil over high heat. Line a baking sheet with silicone or parchment paper.
- Make the pretzels. In a large bowl, mix the yeast into the warm water, and let it set for about 15 minutes. Whisk in the butter, sugar, and salt. Next, slowly add the flour as your stir the mixture.
- On a surface dusted with flour, knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until it is not sticky and is super stretchy. This means that the gluten bonds are forming appropriately. This is my favorite step - I definitely recommend whipping up a batch if you're ever stressed out!
- Put the kneaded dough back into the bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let set for another ten minutes.
- Now, pinch off a handful of dough. Roll and stretch it until it is a long tube, about 20 inches. Fold it into a "U" shape, then twist the end. Fold over the ends until it makes a recognizable pretzel shape.
- Make sure that the water is at a rolling boil. Have your baking sheet ready. Place the pretzels, one at a time, on a slotted spoon, and dip into the water for 30 seconds. Place the pretzels on the baking sheet, sprinkle with coarse sea salt, and bake for about15 minutes, until they are golden brown.
- Next, make the cheese dip...
- Prep Step! Measure out your ingredients.
- First, we make a roux! Melt the butter in a pot. Slowly whisk in the flour. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until the roux is a little brown; this means that the flour has cooked well. Whisk in the beer and cook until the mixture has become thicker. Add and stir in the cream cheese. When it is fully incorporated, mix in the cheese and stir until it is all melted.
- Add the half and half until the cheese is the consistency you want for dipping. Now, this is usually where the recipe stops. But please add salt, pepper, mustard, paprika... whatever you want until the taste is just perfect for you! Serve warm with the hot pretzels!
Don’t get me wrong – I LOVE Southern food. It’s comfort food; what’s not to like?!? But I also laugh a little bit when a nice Southern feast is served – brown, brown, tan, and brown.
It’s easy to feel unhealthy while you feel oh-so-satisfied and full of gravy, grits, and biscuits. Adding this light and yummy salad will trick your stomach into thinking that you are being healthy, and your taste buds will appreciate it too!
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Step One.
Prep all of your ingredients – cut the melon, crumble the cheese, yada yada.
Step Two.
Make your vinaigrette. Make sure that you add the oil SLOWLY!
Is that really necessary? How come these ingredients are having family feuds?!
Oil and vinegar are not meant to mix. When you get all chemistry about it, vinegar is polar and and oil is non-polar. They are not friends. They are not soluble. So you have to confuse them into mingling. This is why dressings (like Italian) settle in the fridge and you have to shake them up before using. Not a sign of something bad, just a chemistry war going on.
Step Three.
Put all those salad ingredients together on a plate and drizzle with your homemade vinaigrette! Voila!
Simple. Tasty. Healthy.
This is a lovely green addition to your Southern Brunch!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar (2 oz) (59 mL)
- 1/4 cup hot pepper jelly (2.9 oz) (80 g)
- 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 cup olive oil (2 oz) (59 mL)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tub Organic Girl pea shoot mix (has spinach too)
- watermelon - about 2 cups
- 4 oz gorgonzola cheese
- walnuts - about 1/4 cup
Instructions
- Prep Step! Measure your your ingredients. Cut a lemon in half.
- Whisk together hot pepper jelly, vinegar, and juice of the half lemon.
- While whisking, slowly add the olive oil. It is necessary to do this slowly! Vinegar and oil are not buddies; you need to be slow to create an emulsion.
- Add greens as desired to the plates. Top with cut watermelon, crumbled gorgonzola cheese, and crushed walnuts. Stir up vinaigrette if it has settled, and serve!
Notes
adapted from Southern Living: Watermelon, Mâche, and Pecan Salad
