Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites

Another fabulous Superbowl party in the books! Really for me, it’s all about the people and the food. Oh, and the impromptu half time dance party to the Black Eyed Peas.The cooking crew pulled together to make quite a feast – BBQ chicken, cole slaw, cornbread, macaroni and cheese, two different kinds of chili, nachos, and of course, the football cookies.

I made these Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites, and really liked how they turned out. I admit, I was intimidated at first because of all the steps. First, you make the dough, let it rise, and shape it into 1″ pieces. Then, you boil 15 pieces at a time for 30 seconds. Finally, you brush the bites with an egg wash and a sprinkle of salt, and bake them for 15 minutes. But you are rewarded well when these come out of the oven and cool for just a minute. They are salty and addictive! And although the game of the evening was football, the taste reminds me of the soft pretzel that you might get at a baseball game. Or maybe I was just wishing that baseball season would get here a little faster. Either way, these pretzels are the perfect project for a weekend afternoon, and make a great snack!

Guess where I’m going?

I am short on recipe posts this week, mostly because the Baked Ziti with Spinach and Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie made enough food to last forever. I did have a plan to make a new portable snack food, but this snowpocalypse has really cut into my evenings. To make up for it though, I have really good news.

I am going to Fitbloggin’! What’s that you ask? Well, it’s a “conference for bloggers interested in fitness, wellness, good food, and a healthy lifestyle.” So this May, I’ll be heading to Baltimore, to learn a whole lot about blogging and meet some wonderful new people. And there are two special people who are coming with me, to take in the sights and have some fun. (I had to promise them there would be no mandatory fitness sessions.)

Right now, between 5 classes, an internship, and a part time job, I don’t have much time to dedicate to blogging. But this summer I plan to take my blog up a notch, and this conference sounds like the perfect fit. I’ll share a lot more as the time draws near, but this put a bright spot in my week so I had to mention it.

Gettin’ ready for the Superbowl

You may remember that last year, I joined a few other people to cook the food for a Superbowl party. It was a lot of fun, and we’re getting ready to do it again. These football cookies made by my friend Susan are going to make a repeat appearance – they were a big hit!

There are a lot of other ideas being tossed around this week (pun intended) like mac & cheese, pulled chicken, cole slaw, and nachos. I might try to make these Homemade Soft Pretzel bites. No matter what happens, I am sure we’ll have a good time!

Are you cooking anything special for the big game?

Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie

It seems this week is all about comfort food. I remember my Mom’s Shepherd’s Pie well, with the crispy edges of mashed potato in the ceramic dish with the blue flowers. Two years ago, I made a version of that recipe with sweet potato in the topping. This time, I made the dish completely vegetarian, inspired by this recipe from Meatless Monday. And I promise, you won’t miss the meat one bit!

The base is comprised of leeks, carrots, mushrooms, lentils, and barley, and the topping is fairly traditional mashed potato. Be warned – this recipe makes a lot, and it was more than I could even fit in my round casserole dish. I had to assemble a second casserole dish for the freezer, to bake another day. But when it came out of the oven, all was forgiven because this dish is fantastic, crispy edges of mashed potato and all. The texture of the base is great too, and just needed a bit more salt and pepper. I am not sure if shepherd’s pie is the right name for this dish, but it’s a pie you should make very soon!

4 c. water
1/2 c. barley
1 c. lentil
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 T butter or margarine
Milk
1 T olive oil
2 leeks, washed and sliced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 (10 oz.) packages mushrooms, sliced
1 t garlic powder
2 T soy sauce

Place water, lentils, and barley in a covered pot, and simmer for 45-60 minutes, adding more water if needed.

In the meantime, cook potatoes until tender. Drain, mash, and add butter or margarine and milk.

At the same time, heat oil in a large frying pan. Add leeks and carrot, and saute for 10 minutes until softened. Add mushrooms, and cook for 10 additional minutes. Add garlic powder and soy sauce. When lentils are done, add lentil mixture to frying pan. Pour base in a casserole dish (or two!) coated with cooking spray. Top with mashed potato. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes.

Baked Ziti with Spinach

There is nothing like a plate of lasagna, piping hot from oven and smothered in sauce. This dish recreates that experience, but in a much simpler way, and with an extra helping of vegetables. My sister raved about this Low Fat Baked Ziti with Spinach, so I made it myself and changed a few things along the way. I used less pasta to ensure that there was plenty of extra sauce, added some Garlic Gold, and consolidated the use of three pans to two. This was an amazing dinner, and it makes quite a bit so I am all set for lunches this week too!

1 13.25 oz. package whole wheat ziti
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
10 oz. package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 t Garlic Gold toasted garlic
1 t. Italian seasoning
1 c. fat free ricotta
1/4 c. Parmesan
2 c. reduced fat mozzarella

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, and return to the same pot. Add tomatoes, spinach, garlic, seasoning, ricotta, Parmesan, and 1 c. of mozzarella. Stir well. Pour into a 13″x9″ dish coated with cooking spray, and then top with remaining 1 c. mozzarella. Bake at 375F for 20-25 minutes.

Hungarian Potato and Egg Casserole

What are the chances that I’d have potatoes and sour cream in my house at the same time, and then saw this recipe in the NY Times? Oh, I wasn’t actually reading the NY Times, but my nifty Iphone app lets me skip past the more serious news and go right to the Food section. Anyway, I decided to give it a try.

With potatoes, sauteed onions, sliced eggs, and sour cream, this is meant to be a simple dinner. And that’s exactly what it is – not fancy, just satisfying. Most nights, that’s really all I need. This recipe might not jump out at you unless you have the ingredients on hand, but keep it in the back of your mind for that night when you’re looking to go back to the basics.

Sage Rubbed Pork Chops with Warm Apple Slaw

On my visit to the Somerville Winter Market a couple of weeks ago, I also purchased pork chops from Stillman’s, a local farm which raises sustainable meat. All of the meat is sold frozen, so I placed the pork in my freezer and decided to keep my eye out for recipes. Finally, I decided to make these Sage Rubbed Pork Chops with Apple Slaw from Ellie Krieger. All of the vegetables in this dish are also seasonal: onions, carrots, cabbage, and apples.

The meat itself was fabulous. I actually can’t remember the last time I cooked pork, and going back to my blog archives was no help! But the pork chop was moist and tender, and I liked the fresh sage seasoning. The slaw was a great complement. The vegetables were nicely softened and the apple gave it a slightly sweet flavor. This was a great meal, and I will definitely purchase meat from Stillman’s again.

Challah Bread

One of the things that I love about Twitter is that I get new recipe ideas from those that I follow. It might be hard for you to believe, but even I have trouble thinking of new things to cook sometimes! On Friday, a fellow tweeter sent a link to various recipes for challah bread. Something clicked, and despite the fact that I am not Jewish, I decided that I had to try to make some challah.

I used this traditional challah recipe, and since I still have bread in the freezer from my last experiment, I cut the recipe in half. Some eggs and a little sugar in the dough make this bread very light and just a touch sweet. I was proud of my braiding skills, and the egg wash made the crust golden brown. While eating a warm hunk of this bread straight from the oven, I was reminded of the hot cross buns that my grandmother used to make. And now I know what my next baking project is going to be, with a due date of Ash Wednesday.