Orange Julius Cookies

My husband claims this is his new favorite cookie. It's a yummy blend of orange and white chocolate. I guess you could also call it an orange creamsicle cookie, but I've been quite addicted to homemade Orange Julius's lately... so we are going with that....

Speaking of which... I should post that recipe next...

These are fairly simple to make, and packed full of orange flavor-y goodness. 

I made these, then decided I didn't feel like taking pictures of the step by step process... You can use your imagination :) You're welcome. 

Here are the directions:

Orange Julius Cookies

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks margarine, softened

1/4 cup shortening

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 firmly packed brown sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

The zest of 2 oranges

2 oranges, juiced

2 cups white chocolate chips (I like Ghirardelli the best)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

In a small sauce pot, simmer orange juice until reduced by at least half, and semi-thick, about 15 minutes. Let cool.  

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt with whisk; set aside. 

In a large bowl, cream butter, shortening, and sugars until light and creamy. 

Beat in egg, vanilla, and juice until smooth. 

Gradually add flour mixture until combined. 

Stir in orange zest and chips. 

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Do not flatten cookies; it will make them dry. 

Bake 8 - 10 minutes or until golden brown around edges. Do not overcook! Cookies will be plump. 

Cool for several minutes on cookie sheets before transferring to rack to cool completely. 

Store in airtight container... or devour on the spot. Go ahead. Try and just eat one.

Hmmm.... maybe try and add some coconut?  Maybe some macadamia nuts? But then they wouldn't be very Orange Julius... More Hawaiian... But sooo delicious....

Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Cheese Soup

I adapted this from a copycat Panera recipe-- Broccoli Cheddar Soup. I didn't have much broccoli, but I had some cauliflower, so I used that instead. Here is what I came up with!

First, you will need:

2 Tbsp. melted butter

1 medium onion

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Take these are sauté them in a skillet...

...until golden brown

In a large pot, melt 1 stick of margarine and 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour together, whisking constantly for about 3-5 minutes. 

Add in 4 cups of milk, or for a creamier soup, half and half. Possibly even whipping cream if you really don't care about calories. Keep whisking constantly to keep milk from burning on the bottom of the pan. Add in 4 cups of chicken stock or broth. My favorite is Swanson's. 

I also added a few cubes of chicken bullion for even more flavor. Simmer all of this for about 20 minutes. This will thicken it up a bit. Add 1/2 lb broccoli, 1/2 lb cauliflower, 2 cups of julienned carrots, and sauteed onions and garlic to the liquid and cook on low for another 20 minutes. Make sure to keep the soup constantly moving of the milk will burn on the bottom. 

Once cooked, blend in blender in batches and pour back into the pot. 

Add a 1/4 tsp of nutmeg, a pinch of cayenne, and salt and pepper to taste. Once everything is all beautifully blended together and returned to the pot and the stove, add 16oz (1 lb) of cheddar cheese (I used extra sharp). Cook until melted. Add more salt and pepper if needed.

Serve in a bowl with crusty bread or in a bread bowl. So perfect for this season! And SO YUMMY!!!

Bread Bowls

This recipe comes from my "On Baking: A Textbook of Baking and Pastry Fundamentals, 2nd Edition" textbook from school. B LOVES this recipe, swears it's the best bread I make. My mom has also said that I'm not allowed to bring anything else to family get-togethers. My sister-in-law also devours them. My youngest brother says nothing, but next thing you know, the loaf is gone, and there are (...is?) butter and crumbs all over his face. I took these all as good signs, and that's why I picked this recipe to share with you.

As you can see, this is actually a recipe for a LARGE amount of dinner rolls, but it just depends on how big you make them. For our final in Intro to Baking, we made a few big loaves out of this recipe, so I assume bread bowls would not be any different. Just like making very LARGE dinner rolls! And I'm feeding about 6 people tonight, so I think I will use the full recipe.

 Also as you can see, the measurements are done in ounces and pounds. I highly recommend a scale. (It means less dishes!) But for those of you who do not own a scale and do not wish to purchase one, I will attempt to convert the measurements. Because I love you that much.

All right, let's get this party started!

Whisk together:

2 oz (5Tbsp+2tsp.) active dry yeast

24 oz lukewarm water, about 90-110 degrees F. *Remember, when dealing with water- "A pint's a pound the world 'round"*

Add:

2lbs 12oz (8 1/4 cups) Bread Flour

1oz (1Tbsp+1tsp+1/2tsp) Salt

4oz (1/2cup) Granulated Sugar

2oz (3/4cup) Nonfat Dry Milk Powder

2oz (1/4cup+1Tbsp) Shortening

2oz (4Tbsp or 1/4 cup) Unsalted Butter, softened

3.2oz eggs (2 whole eggs)

With all above ingredients in a mixing bowl fitted with a dough hook attachment (I have a fairly large KitchenAid, you may have to adjust the recipe if all the ingredients don't fit into yours.), mix/knead on medium speed (mine is usually set to 2) for 10 minutes

While your dough is mixing, lightly grease a large bowl to dump the dough in and let it rise

Dump the dough in, cover, and let it rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about an hour. I cover mine with foil and write on the top what time it should be done, otherwise I usually forget about it!

Get a picture in your head of someone or something that has bothered you during the week. Got it? Good. Place that mental picture on your dough, and punch it down a few times. Feel better? Good! Let the dough rest for a few minutes (and let your anger go!) allowing the gluten relax. Baking can be therapeutic, no?

Prepare parchment paper lined sheet pans--no need to grease the paper. You can, however,  sprinkle cornmeal on it if you choose. I like the crunch on the bottom the cornmeal creates!

Grease your hands with pan spray rather than dusting them with flour (Pam or an off brand). Flour is going to dry out your dough a bit. Divide the dough however you choose-- in this case, 6 round bread bowls. Try to make them as evenly portioned as possible so that they will cook evenly. (This is why I recommend a scale.)

Arrange on parchment paper. I had some leftover dough so I just rolled out some rolls.

Proof until doubled in size--I give it a half hour to an hour. The easiest way to proof something without an actual proof box is to boil a small to medium sized pan of water on your stove, stick it on the lowest rack of your oven (OVEN OFF!!!) and put the sheet pan with dough on the rack above it (or beside it, if you have more than one pan and not enough room). The boiled water will let off steam as it cools, creating a warm and moist environment for your dough.

Remove both the pan of water and the pans of dough from the oven. Brush tops of dough with an egg wash. Here is a guide of washes from my book. 

My favorite is to whisk a whole egg with just a TINY bit of water. This makes a shiny top for the bread! Simply gooooorgeous, dahling. 

Set your oven to 350F and bake dough until medium brown (or if you have a thermometer, until the internal temp of the bread reaches 200F), about 25-30minutes, but keep an eye one it.

The ones on the left look better... I tried to rotate the pans to keep them evenly cooking but the ones on the bottom still flattened out a bit... :( sad face.

With a serrated knife, cut the tops off the bread and scoop out the bread innards to form a bowl. Heat up you favorite soup and pour into the bowl. Grab a spoon and enjoy!

Whole Wheat Penne Rigate Bake with Tomato Sauce, Garlic, and Fresh Parsley

As a warning, I decided to create this blog halfway through making this dish, so I only have a picture for the finished product. Also, this is my first time blogging, or writing down recipes, so bear with me!

I got this idea from another blog called "Pearls, Handcuffs, and Happy Hour." She calls hers "Two Timin' Pasta"(http://pearls-handcuffs-happyhour.blogspot.com/2011/04/two-timin-pasta.html) and uses alfredo sauce, but I didn't have any of that in my cupboard... and it's snowing today... I really don't feel like grocery shopping... So, I searched what I had and put my own flare on it.

You will need:

14.5 oz. can stewed tomatoes, pureed

15 oz. can tomato sauce

Half 4.25 oz. can chopped olives

1 clove of garlic, peeled, minced

Fresh parsley, minced

Spoonful of sour cream

Mozzarella cheese

1/2 box whole wheat penne rigate pasta-- cooked, drained.

Parmesan cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook your penne according to the instructions on the box. (Mine called for boiling 9-10 minutes, then draining.)

Open your can of stewed tomatoes and either dump it in a blender or food processor. 

Pulse it a few times. (I like mine chunkier, but my husband, B, doesn't like chunks so if he is going to eat it, I pulse it for a while longer... It's up to you!) 

Pour that into a 9x13 baking dish. 

Add the can of tomato sauce, half can olives, chopped/minced parsley, garlic, penne, and mozzarella cheese. (I used cheddar cheese this time since we were out of mozzarella) I think sauteed onions would be great in this as well, but again, none in my cupboard. Also, when chopping the parsley, watch your fingers. I didn't. I now have a nice cut on my index finger in which I can feel my heartbeat. :)

With a rubber spatula, mix pasta and sauce together in 9x13 dish until pasta is well coated.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, remove from oven, add Parmesan...

...and cook for another 5-ish minutes. Let cool slightly, and serve!

As with any good italian dish, serve it with garlic bread! YUM! My favorite way to make garlic bread is to just butter one side of as many slices of your favorite bread as you like, arrange them on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with garlic salt and italian seasoning. Stick them under a broiler for only a few minutes (they cook really quickly under a broiler so keep an eye on them!!) and enjoy!