Mustard/Pig in a Blanket

Whole Grain Roasted Garlic Mustard -

**Recipe found at: http://www.cooking.com/recipes-and-more/recipes/Whole-Grain-Roasted-Garlic-Mustard-recipe-12579.aspx

1/4 cups whole yellow mustard seeds (see Tip)

3/4 cup whole brown mustard seeds (see Tip)

2 1/2 cups cider vinegar

1 1/2 cups water, plus more as needed

1 head garlic

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

2 tablespoons salt

1/4 cups whole yellow mustard seeds (see Tip)

3/4 cup whole brown mustard seeds (see Tip)

2 1/2 cups cider vinegar

1 1/2 cups water, plus more as needed

1 head garlic

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

2 tablespoons salt

Pigs in Blankets -

**Recipe found at: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pigs-in-Blankets-10176

Yield: Makes 20

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons toasted wheat germ
1/4 cup chilled vegetable shortening
1/3 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt
1 large egg yolk
10 frankfurters, ends trimmed and frankfurters halved crosswise

Preheat oven to 375°F. and grease a large baking sheet.
In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and wheat germ. Blend in shortening with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. In a small bowl whisk together buttermilk or yogurt and yolk and stir into flour mixture, stirring until mixture just forms a moist dough.
Knead dough 4 times on a floured surface and with a floured rolling pin roll out into a 12-inch square. Cut dough into 1 1/2-inch-wide strips and roll a strip around middle of a frankfurter until dough just overlaps. Cut pig-in-blanket free from strip and make 19 more pigs-in-blankets in same manner, arranging them, seam sides down, as they are made on prepared baking sheet. Pigs-in-blankets may be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
Bake pigs-in-blankets in upper third of oven until pale golden, about 15 minutes. Makes 20 pigs-in-blankets.

RESPONSE:

For this week we spent the whole week preparing to make pigs in a blanket. We learned about meat and the dangers of raw meat and the importance of refridgerating food. We then moved on to making mustard. Unfortunately, I was not there for the first day when we roasted the garlic and mixed the dry ingredients. Since that was all we had time for that day we finished the mustard the next day and I was able to participate. We used a hand blender to mix the mustard and when it was finally made we put the result in the frigde for the next day. Pigs in a Blanket were next. First we made the dough which went really well and turned out just the way we hoped it would. For the next step we cut the hotdogs in half and wrapped the dough around them. Finally we left them in the oven to cook. They tasted delicious and although I did not have any of the mustard with it the people that did said it was so tasty!

Meals I Make At Home

Crispy Ranch Chicken

Crispy Ranch Chicken is made with buttermilk ranch dressing mix that adds a rich yet mild flavor to boneless skinless chicken breasts.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 22 minutes

Total Time: 32 minutes

Ingredients:

·         2/3 cup purchased dried bread crumbs

·         1 (0.4 ounce) package buttermilk ranch salad dressing

·         1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

·         1/4 teaspoon pepper

·         1/3 cup sour cream

·         4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Preparation:

Combine bread crumbs and salad dressing mix in shallow dish. Place sour cream in another dish. Dip boneless, skinless chicken breasts in sour cream to coat well. Roll coated chicken in bread crumbs, pressing to coat. Place on cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees F for 18-24 minutes until chicken registers 160 degrees F on a meat thermometer. Serves 4

Garlic Bread Recipe

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·         Prep time: 5 minutes

·         Cook time: 13 minutes

Ingredients

·         1 16-ounce loaf of Italian bread or French bread

·         1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

·         2 large cloves of garlic, smashed and minced

·         1 heaping tablespoon of freshly chopped parsley

·         1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Method

Method 1 - Toasted

1 Preheat oven to 350°F.

2 Cut the bread in half, horizontally. Mix the butter, garlic, and parsley together in a small bowl. Spread butter mixture over the the two bread halves. Place on a sturdy baking pan (one that can handle high temperatures, not a cookie sheet) and heat in the oven for 10 minutes.

3 Remove pan from oven. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over bread if you want. Return to oven on the highest rack. Broil on high heat for 2-3 minutes until the edges of the bread begin to toast and the cheese (if you are using cheese) bubbles. Watch very carefully while broiling. The bread can easily go from un-toasted to burnt.

4 Remove from oven, let cool a minute. Remove from pan and make 1-inch thick slices. Serve immediately.

Corn on the Cob Recipe

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 15 minutes

Here's How:

1.    Fill a large stockpot halfway with unsalted water and bring to a rolling boil.

2.    Add corn on the cob (husk and cornsilk removed) to the boiling water.

3.    Let water return to a full boil.

4.    Cover pot and immediately turn off heat.

5.    Let covered pot sit undisturbed on the burner for 10 to 15 minutes.

6.    Remove corn and serve hot with your choice of butter, margarine, salt, and/or other seasoning.

What You Need:

·         Large stockpot with lid

·         Fresh corn on the cob, shucked (4)

·         Butter, margarine, or condiments of choice

Easter Cupcakes!

 

Vanilla Cupcake:

• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cups cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line one 12-cup cupcake tin with paper liners. (To avoid cupcakes sticking if they overflow slightly, lightly spray the tops of the pans.) Put tins on a baking sheet. Set aside.
Process sugar and butter in a mixer until very creamy, scraping sides as needed, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the egg and yolk, one at a time, pulsing after each addition. Add the milk, water, and vanilla and process to blend.
Whisk both flours, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the dry ingredients, in 3 batches to the wet, pulsing, and then scraping batter off the sides of the processor as needed after each addition. Process until the batter is very smooth and pourable like pancake batter, about 2 minutes.
Evenly pour the batter into the prepared cups, filling them 3/4 of the way full. Bake until the cakes are just firm and spring back when gently pressed, and the tops are golden, 18 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly in tin, and turn out of tin when cool enough to handle. Cool cupcakes completely on a rack before frosting.
Yield: 12 cupcakes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 30 minutes

**Recipe found at http://leboldusfoods.blogspot.com/2011_04_01_archive.htmlhttp://leboldusfoods.blogspot.com/2011_04_01_archive.htmlhttp://leboldusfoods.blogspot.com/2011_04_01_archive.html

Comments: This is a perfect frosting recipe when making pretty little cupcakes. If desired, just add 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder to the frosting mixture to make chocolate buttercream frosting or for cute and fun cupcakes, tint the frosting with food coloring (I recommend the paste type of food coloring) and sprinkle tops with colored sugar or jimmies.

Ingredients: 8 tablespoons (1 stick/4 oz./113g) butter, at room temperature 3 cups confectioners' (icing) sugar, sifted 3 to 5 tablespoons milk 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Food coloring, if tinting frosting Additions: 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (if making Chocolate Buttercream Frosting)

Instructions: 1. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and add the confectioners' sugar, 3 tablespoons of the milk, and the vanilla. 2. Blend with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 1 minute more. Add up to 1 tablespoon more milk if the frosting seems too stiff. Makes 2 1/2 cups, enough to frost 24 cupcakes. **Recipe found at: http://www.dianasdesserts.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/recipes.recipeListing/filter/dianas/recipeID/3315/Recipe.cfm

If you have been following my recent blogs you would know that we have had our troubles in the past. Fortunately, making cupcakes gave us no troubles and we were able to make some tasty baking. The thing that I would change is not how we made the cupcakes but the icing. I would have added s bit more milk because this icing was pretty dense and hard to spread. When measuring in baking it is really important that you always have to correct amount of flour and oil. Too much flour and they will be dry and fall apart but to little they won't cook or just won't rise. We did measure correctly though and they turned out delicious!