Pretzel Bread Bowls

Happy 1st of NOVEMBER!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my gosh, this year has flown by!! I cannot believe that the cold snowy weather is just around the corner and that my summer days are gone. Gone!

I LOVE eating warm soup in the winter time, as most people (besides my brothers), like doing! I am one of those people who is ALWAYS cold! No matter how many layers I have on or what I am doing, if it's under 60 degrees outside, I'm freezing. SO, soup helps warm me up!

I do have to say though, there is something better than just eating soup in a plain old bowl... Why not have it in a bread bowl!?!?! Better yet, a Pretzel Bread bowl!! That just seems soooo much better doesn't it!? I have to say, these pretzel bread bowls are absolutely delicious and addicting! I am a carb-girl, I love everything bready and snacky (yes, those are both valid words)! So these were so hard not to eat more than 2! Ha.

Here's the recipe if you want to give these a try! They are not that difficult to make, but they do take about 2 hours total.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons melted butter
2 cups hot water
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 and 1/2 Tablespoons active dry yeast
6 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
8-10 cups water
1/3 cup baking soda
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons coarse grain sea salt

Directions:
1. In a mixer bowl, combine the 3 tablespoons melted butter, 2 cups hot water and 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Stir to combine and also to melt the butter.

2. Sprinkle the yeast over the top of the water and allow to proof (foam/bubble up) for 5-6 minutes.

3. With the dough hook attachment (you can also do this by hand instead of in a mixer) stir in three cups flour and two teaspoons salt. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the remaining three cups flour.

4. Mix until a dough ball forms. Continue kneading until dough becomes somewhat elastic(about 4-5 minutes). 5. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and form into a ball. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and allow to rise for one hour. If your house is a little on the chilly side (as mine is this time of year) let the dough rise in a warmed oven. Just turn the oven on low for a couple of minutes (while you prepare the dough). Then, turn it off, but keep the door closed, trapping the heat. Before you place the dough in the oven, be sure it's not too warm, you don't want to bake the dough. Not yet anyway.

6. After and hour punch the dough down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into eight pieces and roll into small balls. Place on a greased baking sheet, cover and allow to rest for 20 minutes.

7. In a large pot heat 8-10 cups of water until just boiling. Stir in 1/3 cup baking soda. Keep at a low boil and place each dough ball into the water. Cook for 45 seconds, flipping in the middle. Remove and place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

8.Once you've boiled each ball cut a small X on the top of each dough ball with a sharp knife. Brush with the two tablespoons melted butter and top with coarse grain sea salt.

9. Bake at 400°F for 15-18 minutes, until very brown on the outside.

10. Once the bread bowls have come out of the oven, cut a hole in the center and "dig out" the middle. Making the hole as large or as small as you want to.

11. Pour in some soup and enjoy! You can use the cut-out centers for dipping purposes! 

*I found this recipe at the link posted below, but I did change the amount of yeast needed because I did not think that they would raise as well without a bit more.

Sources: http://www.abeautifulmess.com/2013/10/homemade-pretzel-bread-bowls.html

I will post the recipe for the soup pictured here in a later post!! :)

Chili Chili Chili

Heyyyy... So... Is it Summer or Fall?? Because right now it sure feels like fall... I DON'T LIKE IT!! I need my Summer temps to at least stay around till the end of August!! But I guess that gives me an early excuse to make some Chili!! Right!?!? 

Yes, today I was in the mood for some Chili.... And it's been a looonnnggg time since I have found the time to try a new recipe; so today was the perrrrfect day for it!  But, even though I had a recipe I found that I couldn't stick to it... I kinda deviated... Okay, that's a lie... I took a complete U-turn!  So, this is a spin off of a recipe I found on the internet... But really nothing like it! lol Enjoy!

Northern Chili

2 Red Bell Peppers

1 Serrano Pepper

4 teaspoons Olive Oil

1 1/2 cup chopped onion

2 lbs. Lean Ground Beef

3 Cans Great Northern Beans

2 Cans Fire Roasted Tomatoes

20 oz. Tomato Sauce

6 Cloves Garlic (Or 1/8 teaspoon powder per clove)

15oz. Cream of Celery

1/2 cup water

2 teaspoons Cumin Powder

1 1/2 Tablespoons Chili Powder

1 teaspoon Paprika

1 teaspoon Salt

Instructions:

1. Brown the meat in a skillet.  After browning drain excess fat from skillet.  While the meat is browning, saute onions and peppers until softened.  Combine the meat and veggies into one pot.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients to the mixture and cook for about 1 hour.

3. Enjoy!

That was easy right??!? Although, the only bad thing about Chili is that it tastes better on the second day usually, so if you have extra time the day before you wish to serve this meal, try making it the day before and refrigerating overnight.  Then you can just re-heat it the following day when you're ready to serve it! 

FYI, this tastes great with cornbread (recipe coming soon)!! 

South of the Border Chicken Chili

I am so excited to tell you about this next dish because it is in my top 5 favorite recipes to make and eat!
Now, people will debate me on whether this is considered a chili or a soup... I say, look at the title!  It is a little more runny than a typical red chili, but a little more thick than a typical soup.  But since I am the chef, I deem it to be a chili!  So, as I was saying, this chili is one of my favorites because it has so much flavor!! You also have the power when making this chili to make it more or less spicy, whichever you prefer, by adding more or less peppers!

I love all of the fresh peppers that are used in this recipe, sometimes I add different kinds than the recipe calls for just because I like to experiment.
Here's the recipe in case you'd like to try it:

1 cup of white onion, chopped
1/2 cup of green onions, sliced and chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 orange pepper, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced or 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
21 ounces of cream of chicken soup
2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 cup of tomato sauce
2 cups of milk
4 ounces of chopped green chilies (drained)
2 Tablespoons of chili powder
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of salt (optional)
1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper

1.  Saute chopped white onion, green onion, peppers and minced garlic in a large skillet with the oil.  Saute until vegetables become slightly soft (about 5 to 10 minutes).
2.  Add chicken to mixture and cook until browned (5 to 10 minutes).  *I like to sometimes cook the chicken a little before mixing into the vegetable mixture, especially when I make a double batch; just to make sure the chicken is cooked all the way through.
3.  Place vegetable and chicken mixture into a large pot and add the rest of the ingredients.  Heat to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is tender.
5. Serve with topping choices of guacamole, cheese and sour cream.  Enjoy!

Finished chili

Serves about 4
Total time to make: 50 minutes

It's a really simple recipe, the only time consuming thing is chopping up all of the vegetables.  I usually make a double batch of the chili because my family loves this recipe and it is one of the few things I will eat as leftovers (that's a different story)!
The last time I made this recipe I actually used almond milk instead of real milk just to make it a little more on the healthy side.  I did not tell the diners that I had substituted the almond milk for the real thing... They never noticed (and still don't know)! Ha.  I also added an Anaheim pepper into the mixture just for some extra peppery goodness!
If you want to make this recipe a little more healthy you could maybe try substituting turkey for chicken, almond milk for regular milk; and leave off the cheese!  That would cut your calories by at least 50 to 100, depending on the size bowl you have!  I am assuming that after you try one bowl you're going to want another!
I hope you get to try this chili out!  It is a really good recipe for those brisk nights when you want something fresh and filling!
Let me know if you have any questions or comments!  I would love to hear about your experience if you do decide to try it out!

Dinner is served!

Cooking up the chicken with vegetables!