Ingredients
1 CU plain lowfat yogurt
1 TBL sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
1. Mix all ingredients thoroughly
2. Chill at least 1/2 hour before using
3. Spread on top of strawberries, French toast, apple pie… almost anything
Category: Grandpa’s Use Only
These recipes are for Grandpa and his family. This category includes recipes from magazines, TV shows, newspapers, and other sources where I don’t have permission to republish the recipes, but still feels they are recipes that he may want to cook for himself at a later time.
Green Chili Lasagna
Ingredients
1/4 CU chorizo
1 CU ground beef
12 OZ picante sauce
1 can crushed tomatoes
1/2 CU cheap red wine
1 can green chilis
1/2 CU cheese
1/2 CU French Fried onion rings
3 CU canoli noodles
Instructions
Boil cannoli noodles for about 8 minutes.
1. Brown chorizo and beef in skillet
2. Add picante, tomatoes and wine
3. Cook to reduce
4. Add green chilis and cook 5 more minutes
5. Layer skillet ingredients, noodles and onion rings
6. Top with cheese and cook @ 350 degrees for 10 minutes
Preparing Green Chili
Ingredients
4 whole Green Chilis
Instructions
1. Broil until blackened spots start to appear
2. Put into plastic bag to sweat for 10-15 minutes
3. Carefully peel back skin and discard
Green beans and Onion
Ingredients
1 small onion (sliced very thin)
1-2 CU julienned green beans
Instructions
1. Saute onion in 1 TBL olive oil
2. Cook green beans in salt water from cold to boil, then remove and strain
3. Toss both together
4. Plate and top with EVOO
Greek Salad – NOTES
Ingredients
½ cucumber (peel/deseed & chunk ½ moon)
½ tomato
strips green pepper
strips red onion
salt/pepper
black olive (calamata)
feta cheese
oregano
olive oil
red wine vinegar
Toss in dressing then arrange.
Title Greek Salad
Ingredients
Instructions Handwritten notes to this recipe are scanned in PDF document at
http://www.xml3.com/family/Recipes/Greek_fest.pdf
Title Greek Salad
Ingredients
Romaine lettuce
1 pt cherry tomatoes/halve
8 oz. Feta cheese
½ red onion-slice strips
lg cucumber (remove seeds)
Kalmata olives
Red wine vinegar
3 tbl olive oil
garlic
oregano (dried and crushed)
Instructions
1. Halve lettuce longwise, cut into 1” segments and float in water.
2. Mix tomatoes, red onion, cucumber and kalamata olives.
3. Mix with dressing
Special Steps Dressing; red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, oregano, shake injar to emulsify.,
Grandma’s Fruit Pie
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
1. Roll pie dough flat on floured surface
2. Roll to approx 11″ disk – use cover as template
3. Put into pie tin
4. Parchment paper over crust
5. Be sure to DOCK bottom of crust – not too many
6. Insert metal pie tin
8. Make rim “roll under” for crust – glass
9. Make decorative edge (See Additional Note)
10. Glaze edge
11. Prebake crust 375 degrees 10 minutes
–
12. Carefully pour in filling
13. Bake pie for 45 minutes
14. OPTIONAL: Top with pralines or toasted pecans
15. Cool at least 5 minutes before cutting
Use commercial pie crust or MAKE YOUR OWN
This recipe can be used with any fruit; cherry, rhubarb, strawberry rhubarb, strawberry, blueberry, etc.
PUMPKIN PIE FILLING
For pumpkin pies; instead of buying a can of pumpkin puree, try making your own.
COOK PUMPKIN PUREE
Notes DECORATIVE EDGE
Cut narrow triangles with leftover pie crust trimmings
Roll to create little curls, then chill
Apply to edge with egg wash (egg and water)
Refrigerate shell 1 hour before putting in filling
Cut pumpkin in half – remove seeds – cut into 1-2 inch pieces
Cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour
Mash roughly with potato masher
Drain overnight in cheescloth strainer in refrigerator or pie will be very watery
FILLING
2 CU pumpkin puree
1/4 CU dk brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp clove
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1 CU heavy cream
Graham Cracker Crust
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups graham crackers (20 rolled fine)
- 1/4 C almond meal (or corn meal)
- 1 egg white
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup softened butter (do not melt)
Step by Step
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Thoroughly blend dry ingredient
- Add softened butter or margarine.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients mixing quickly to moisten
- Press firmly into an even layer against bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie plate.
- Bake empty crust at 375° for 8-10 minutes.
- Cool before filling with your favorite pudding which you have prepared according to package directions.
Hot Sour Soup
Ingredients
1 CU chicken stock or broth
1 stalk chopped green onion (chives)
2 cloves garlic – finely chopped
1 egg raw – stir into broth
2 TBL mushrooms
2 TBL shredded meat
2 TBL corn starch (dissolved in 1/4 CU water)
1 TBL grated ginger
1 TBL cayenne pepper (or 1 packet red peppers)
1 TBL soy sauce
1 TBL sesame oil
1 TBL rice vinegar
1 TBL fresh water chestnuts (optional)
1 tsp Tabasco
1 tsp red wine
Instructions
1. Saute dry ingredients in the oil for two minutes
2. Add remaining ingredients (except cornstarch and egg)
3. Bring to a boil
3. Cook ten minutes
4. Stir beaten egg lightly into the soup
5. Add cornstarch and stir until it thickens
Here is another recipe. Click for an enlargement.
Hong Kong Steak Salad
(J) Julienne
Ingredients
New York or Sirloin strip steak
½ head Chinese cabbage
½ head romaine
2 tbl baby lima beans
2 tbl red bell (J)
2 tbl carrots (J)
1 cu jicima (J)
½ cu shitake
½ cu bean sprouts
1 cu fried egg noodles
8 oz. Koun chun diluted red vinegar
soy oyster sauce
fresh chopped ginger (skinned)
kikoman soy
cooking wine
mitshu
chicken stock
2 tbl sugar
2 tbl lemon juice
2 oz. Scallions
Instructions
1. Salad- ½ head Chinese cabbage, ½ head romaine, 2 tbl lima beans(baby), 2 tbl red bell (J), 2 tbl carrots (J),
1 cu jicima (J), ½ cu shitake, ½ cu bean sprouts, 1 cu fried egg noodles.
2. Mix w/ desired amount of dressing and toss.
3. Steak-very hot wok & oil, cook strips of steak with wok sauce. Wok sauce-kikoman soy, mitshu, cooking wine, soy oyster sauce, chicken stock. Top salad with steak strips.
Dressing
1. 8 oz. Koun chung diluted red vinegar, 4 oz. Kikoman soy,1 tbl fresh chopped ginger (skinned), 2 tbl sugar, 2 tbl lemon juice, 2 oz scallions.
Homemade Store-bought Salsa
Ingredients
- 1 CU Pace (or other) salsa
- 1 CU Fire-roasted tomato salsa
- 1 TBL Tabasco sauce
- 1 TBL Cayenne pepper sauce
- (Frank’s Red Hot or Hot Wing sauce)
- 1 TBL Sriracha sauce
- OPTIONAL: 1 finely diced roma tomato
- OPTIONAL: 1 jalapeño or serrano pepper – deseeded
- OPTIONAL: 1/2 bunch finely chopped cilantro
Step by Step
1. Mix all together, and that’s it!
Better if mixed and allowed to sit overnight.
Notes This is as easy as it gets to make what easily passes for salsa made from scratch. It’s a bit on the warm side, so if you wish, eliminate the Tabasco.
The Optional Ingredients add a great fresh taste to the salsa, but are not necessary.
Home Packed TV Dinners
Ingredients
Meat
Starch
Vegetable
Instructions
1. Cut potatoes, squash, etc into bite-sized pieces and toss in oil
2. Put tab of butter on vegetables (peas, beans, onion, etc)
3. Put in metal or pressed aluminum bowl – the kind you get from restaurants.
4. Cover with foil, then bag for freezer
To cook
1. Cook on lowest heat (covered) 1 hour
2. After 1 hour, turn up heat to about 250 C
3. in ten minutes, remove foil and baste meat and toss vegetables
4. Cook uncovered 10 minutes more
Hoisin Sauce
Ingredients
Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
4 tb Soy sauce,(dark/light/usual)
2 tb Peanut butter/black bean pas
1 tb Honey/molasses
2 ts White vinegar
1/8 ts Garlic powder
2 ts Sesame seed oil
20 dr Chinese-style hot sauce
1/8 ts Pepper
Instructions *Simply mix together. At first it does not appear like it will mix but keep at it just a bit longer and you have Hoisin.
Letting it rest does not appear to improve the taste noticeably.
Fish Sauce
Hoisin Sauce
Oyster Sauce
Mirin is rice wine sweetened with a large amount of sugar
Soy sauce is naturally fermented and aged up to two years.
Variations *EXPERIMENT! Now you have control of the taste. Lighter for chicken and pork, stronger for beef and game. Sweeter for Dim Sum.
*The commercial recipe is presumably the black bean paste. I presume they are the same as Mexican/Spanish black beans.
*Different types of soy, molasses, some of the oil being hot pepper oil,other styles of pepper sauce. All kinds of variations. However, with light soy and honey, the taste of peanut dominates.
Notes
*The original without the variations stolen by Matt Giwer from AP Recipes credited to Dee Wang who advised peanut butter.
Hobo Dog Biscuits
-
- First, make your broth. Bones only – no onion, no garlic, no salt – these three ingredients are toxic to dogs.
- If you are making broth from leftover turkey, put the heart, liver and lungs into the pot to cook along with the broth.
- Set your strained broth aside (no organs) to cool – you don’t need as much as you might think.
- Run cooked meat scraps in a food processor – chop very fine
- Chop other leftovers (as long as they don’t have onion, garlic or salt)
- Add yogurt, milk, cottage cheese, and so forth
- Add spent remainder from juicer meals, and vegetables starting to go bad- you get the idea
– - When you are ready to cook put the following into your KitchenAid (or mixing bowl)
- Five cups of AP flour
- One cup whole wheat flour
- Pulverized ingredients (body organs, food scraps, etc)
- Mix all ingredients together
Add 1 C of your broth and mix to incorporate - Add more broth 1/2 cup at a time, until your batter has the consistency of cookie dough.
- Save left-over broth for your own soups, spaghetti sauces, etc.
- Cover cookie sheet with greased waxed paper or parchment paper.
- Roll dough out thickly on a cookie sheet
- Cover the food with another sheet of GREASED waxed paper
- Use a second baking sheet to press the mixture flat
- For TRAINING TREATS: Score the dough into sticks about 1/4 inch wide and 1/2 inch long making them easier to break apart after baking
- For HEALTHY DENTAL TREATS: Score the dough into sticks about 1/2 inch wide and 1 – 2 inches long making them easier to break apart after baking
- Cook at 300 degrees for 60 minutes
- Take out of oven, let cool, break apart and put back on cookie sheet upside down.
- For TRAINING TREATS: Cook another 30 minutes at 300 degrees
- For DENTAL TREATS: Cook another 60 minutes at 300 degrees
Keep in mind: the following foods are TOXIC to dogs. For a complete list, visit THE ASPCA WEBSITE.
These foods are bad for dogs: Grapes and raisins, onion, chives and garlic, avocado, citrus, raisins, wine, salt, chocolate, aspirin, all nuts except peanut and peanut butter (however peanut butter with Xylitol is toxic) plus any dough made with yeast (including pizza crust).
Cheapskates Guide to Dog Health
DISCLAIMER
This post was set to private for my own personal use, but it is good information if used carefully. I am not a doctor. I am not a vet. I am a cheap bastard with a strong background in chemistry. This is for my use alone. Please read carefully, and proceed at your own risk.
Fleas and Ticks
- Frontline Plus is used for Flea and Tick Treatment. A few drops are put between the shoulders on the back of your dog.
- It contains Fibronil which kills adult fleas and ticks.
- It contains (S) Methoprene which attacks flea eggs
- There is a separate product for cats. DO NOT use this recipe for cats.
- Reapply every 30 days whenever your pet visits an area where fleas and ticks are a possibility.
- After treating, do not touch the treatment area with your hands for 48 hours. Also, during this time, do not bathe the dog, or let them go into the water.
- Tick control can alternately be done with 5% pyrethin or 8% carbyl dusting solution
- Use only in high-tick and flea season. Give your pet a break so they can cleanse their body of the buildup of chemicals and avoid toxicity.
FIBRONIL: You can use this link to visit Amazon. PLEASE NOTE that the same Topical Product for larger dogs is the same price as for smaller dogs – and it has half or less of the product. If AND ONLY IF you are good with chemistry, consider buying the larger dog product and mixing with a bit of canola oil to help preserve it. Store it in the fridge, and use it the following month. Don’t store for over a month, or it may lose effectiveness.
(S) Methoprene: Here is another Amazon Link. Note before you buy that some products will have BOTH Fibronil and Methoprene contained in them for “one treatment” options. Read ingredients carefully.
Tapeworm and Heartworm
- 30 mg Pyrantel Pamoate (Ivermectin) is used internally to control Tapeworm, Roundworm, Hookworm in a 75 pound dog. Optionally, take with 30 mg Praziquantel. Do not give to puppies under 4 months. Give whenever worms are present in fecal matter, but not more frequently than once a month; or monthly as a preventative.
This is a great review left by a customer on Amazon about flea and tick infestations.
You purchased an entire syringe, but that is for a horse. DO NOT give the entire syringe. to your pet. Please read carefully or you could overdose your dog, which will kill it.
-
- The tube contains just over 6 grams. This is 6,080 mg (milligrams) (or 6 million micrograms). This is for a horse that weighs approximately 1,250 pounds (or 570 KG)
- The dosage is approximately 0.01 mg per KG. (10 mcg per KG)
- 100 pounds = 45 KG = 450 mcg = .5 milligrams
- The “high” recommended dosage for heartworm prevention for a 50 KG (110 pound dog) is 0.5 grams monthly which gives us 12 doses per tube
- For a 50 pound dog, it would be 24 doses per tube
- Most of us have smaller dogs, so let’s do our calculations with a 20 pound dog, which gives 60 doses per tube. We will go with dividing the tube contents by 64. The reason for this will appear later.
FRONTLINE INFO – Product per dog weight
-
-
- 10 pound – 5 kg – 0.05 mg = 50 mcg (128 potential doses)
- 20 pound – 10 kg – 0.10 mg = 100 mcg (64 potential doses)
- 25 pound – 12 kg – 0.12 mg = 120 mcg (48 potential doses)
- 50 pound – 23 kg – 0.25 mg = 250 mcg (24 potential doses)
- 75 pound – 34 kg – 0.30 mg = 300 mcg (20 potential doses)
- 100 pound – 45 kg – 0.5 mg = 500 mcg (16 potential doses)
- 125 pound – 57 kg – 0.6 mg = 600 mcg (12 potential doses)
- 150 pound – 70 kg – 0.7 mg = 700 mcg (8 potential doses)
- 1,250 pound – 570 kg – 6.08 gm = 6,000 mg = 6,000,000 mcg
-
-
-
- REFER TO DOGS BY WEIGHT ABOVE
-
There…
You might have used this on your dog for many years, and they may never have had heart worm, but then again, they were probably never been hit by a car, or died in a parachuting accident. If you decide to do this, use at your own risk. CHEMICALLY it is fine, but as I said before… PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Peak pest season is June, July, Aug, Sept, Oct, Nov. Based on the article below, consider using protective flea and heart worm measures during that period of high heat and high humidity. DISCONTINUE IT outside of those months.
Information from: http://www.vetinfo.com/side-effects-fipronil-frontline-dogs.html
Concerns about Ivermectin
Concerns About Fipronil
While Frontline products have had successful use in the control of flea populations, there have been negative results seen when dogs have been maintained for extended periods on the products. The fipronil builds up in your dog’s body, giving it the chance to cause problems. If Frontline is your choice for flea control, consider taking a 3 to 6 month break during low flea infestation periods (December through May) to allow your dog’s body to rid itself of any toxic build up that may have occurred. This will help to avoid the potential of any problems arising from the fipronil.
(Heartgaard – Heart gaard – Heart Guard – Heart Gard)
DIVIDING UP THE TUBE OF IVERMECTIN
Grandpa’s musings only… not medical or veterinary advice, nor something that I intend to do… Technically it’s illegal to do this, so I would never . . .
Read the text about Ivermectin Toxicity in dogs before proceeding.
InverCare for horses is 1.87 % Invermectin paste. The box says that it is good for treatment of horses up to 1,500 pounds. I have a dilution table showing how you MIGHT divvy up the tube. Use the dropdown instructions that match the approximate weight of your dog
| HORSE | DOG |
| Whole tube is for a horse 1,500 pounds – already infected Use 1/4 of the tube and throw the rest in the trash. Then mix it with peanut butter |
Heaven help you if your dog is as big as a horse. I am including instructions for 150 pounds, 100 pounds, 65 pounds, 50, 25, and 10 pound dogs. |
PLEASE NOTE: Make damn sure your peanut butter does not contain xylitol, which is EXTREMELY TOXIC to dogs.
-
-
- 10 pound – 5 kg – 0.05 mg = 50 mcg (128 potential doses)
- 20 pound – 10 kg – 0.10 mg = 100 mcg (64 potential doses)
- 25 pound – 12 kg – 0.12 mg = 120 mcg (48 potential doses)
- 50 pound – 23 kg – 0.25 mg = 250 mcg (24 potential doses)
- 75 pound – 34 kg – 0.30 mg = 300 mcg (20 potential doses)
- 100 pound – 45 kg – 0.5 mg = 500 mcg (16 potential doses)
- 125 pound – 57 kg – 0.6 mg = 600 mcg (12 potential doses)
- 150 pound – 70 kg – 0.7 mg = 700 mcg (8 potential doses)
- 1,250 pound – 570 kg – 6.08 gm = 6,000 mg = 6,000,000 mcg
- REFER TO DOGS BY WEIGHT ABOVE
-
We will end up discarding some of the Ivermectin, because the medicine has a shelf life of two years. Refrigerate it between seasons. After two years, you will want to discard the medicine, and buy more. Enough is enough. How much of a cheapskate are you?!?
When you are done, you will give your dog one dose at the beginning of each month starting in June, and ending in November. DO NOT give any medicine in December through May. Resume again in June.
Comeback Sauce
This was originally posted by AllCopyCatRecipes.com so I will keep their title, although I have modified the ingredients a bit to make what I feel is a tangier dip that has a bit of a kick on the back of the throat.
This can be a dip for vegetables and chips, a salad dressing, a sauce for seafood or a sandwich spread.
Here’s my version that makes a pint jar full.
1 cup Miracle Whip Salad Dressing
1/4 cup Heinz ketchup (or a very THICK ketchup)
1/4 cup Grandpa’s chili sauce ( SEE RECIPE THIS SITE )
1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 TBL Worcestershire sauce
1 TBL white vinegar
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/4 cup light olive oil
juice of one lemon
Mix all ingredients well and store in refrigerator overnight so that flavors can meld.
Breadsticks – Several Recipes and Tips
{Olive Garden Breadsticks}
From: http://readableeatables.blogspot.com/
Oh man, I loved these! These would just complete any meal really. Pasta, soup, salad…you name it. Make these when you get a chance. Make sure you serve them hot out of the oven.
*These are a little more dense than Olive Garden’s. But the flavor is incredible and pretty right on with the garlic butter. I also updated the picture, because the other one was too dark. Enjoy 🙂
Dough:
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs yeast
1 Tbs salt (yes, the recipe calls for 1 Tablespoon, which I use every time and they turn out great.)
2 Tbs butter, softened
4-5 Cups flour
Topping:
3 Tbs butter melted
sea salt
1 tsp garlic powder
For the dough, pour the water into a stand mixer with the sugar and yeast, let that sit and froth for about 10 minutes. Add salt, butter, and 2 cups of flour. Mix the dough on low. Add the rest of the flour a half cup at a time, until dough scrapes the sides of the bowl clean. Mix the dough about 5 minutes on medium speed, until its soft and easy to work with.
Let the dough rest in the bowl until doubled in size, about 1 hour and then roll it out. Roll the dough out into a long log, spray a knife with cooking spray and cut the dough into 12-14 pieces. Roll those pieces into about 6 inch long snakes. Spray 2 large cookie sheets with cooking spray, ( I usually only use one) and lay the breadsticks out leaving about 2 inches between each one.
Place them in the oven with the temperature turned to 170 degrees. Let them rise for about 15 minutes, or until doubled in size.( I have also let them sit at room temp until they are doubled in size and then bake them in the oven)
Once risen, brush them with the 1 1/2 T of melted butter and sprinkle them with salt. Now preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake them for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. While they are baking combine the rest of the melted butter with 1 tsp garlic powder. When the breadsticks are golden brown, remove them from the oven and brush them with the butter/garlic mixture.
Other Breadstick Notes
Basic ingredients:
Flour, EVOO, Water, Yeast, Milk, Butter
Grissini Bread sticks are thin crisp bread sticks, rather than the chewy ones shown above.
Good flavor enhancers and combinations for this type of bread stick (from Greatest British Cooking Show) follow:
- Nigella seed and Parmesan cheese
- Poppy seed, caraway seed and Kalamata olives
- Lemon and rosemary
- Ras el hanout is a flavor from Africa
- Garlic, Parmesan cheese and Bleu cheese
- You can also entwine two different colors
Knead your dough until you achieve the Window Pane Stage, where it can stretch so thin that light goes through it.
A slow bake will drive out the moisture, making it crispier.
Grissini
-
- 1 1/3 C water (warm)
- 2 tsp yeast
- Let rest 5 minutes
- 1/4 C EVOO
- 1 C AP flour – whisk to combine – this removes lumps
- 2 C more flour
- 1.5 tsp sea salt
- Put on Kitchen Aid with paddle attachment
- Change to dough hook
- Add 3/4 C more flour
- Mix 3-5 minutes with dough hook on medium-slow speed
- Finish on counter, kneading by hand
- Stretch dough into a rough rectangle
- Put dough on surface oiled with EVOO
- Continue to stretch until it is relatively flat
- Roll using rolling pin to about 1/2 inch thickness
- Brush the top with sesame oil
- Cover with plastic wrap while still on counter
- Cover plastic with a towel for about 90 minutes
- You will have only one rise
- OPTIONAL: Sprinkle with sesame seeds or caraway seeds
- As time nears, oil a large baking sheet with sesame oil
- Cut into half (lengthwise) with a pizza cutter
- Cut dough about the width of your fingers and move fingers to the baking sheet, stretching to width of baking sheet
- OPTIONAL: Stretch far, then twist into a spiral breadstick
- Bake at 400º for 18-20 minutes
- Cook until golden/tanned
From Sally’s Baking Addiction
Find it online: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-breadsticks/
- Water: Warm water activates the yeast. It should be about 100–110°F (38–43°C). If the water is too hot, it will kill the yeast. And your dough will be doomed.
- Yeast: You need 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (which is 1 standard packet) of instant or active dry yeast to make this dough rise.
- Sugar: Sugar increases the yeast activity and tenderizes the dough, especially paired with melted butter.
- Melted Butter: Using butter instead of oil provides delicious flavor, and makes for a rich, soft dough. We’re using melted butter in both the dough and for brushing on top after baking.
- Salt: For flavor both in the dough and the buttery topping.
- Bread Flour: Bread flour gives these breadsticks a chewier texture, but if you only have all-purpose flour, you can use that instead.
- Garlic Powder: We’re mixing garlic powder into the melted butter topping, and if you want extra garlicky flavor, you can include some in the dough as well.
For cheese-topped breadsticks (that you don’t need to individually shape!), see these cheesy breadsticks.
Kneading the Dough Is Key
Kneading dough is a common step in bread baking, and this particular dough definitely benefits from a long kneading step (about 8–10 minutes) to help ensure the thin breadsticks stay soft. You can knead dough with your hands or in a stand mixer. A stand mixer obviously makes the job easier, but if you don’t have one, kneading is a great stress reliever. 😉 On a lightly floured work surface, using the heels of your hands, stretch and fold the dough with gentle motion. If you’re new to yeasted doughs, my how to knead dough post and video can help with this step.
- Why Do I Knead Dough? Kneading the dough serves a couple purposes. First, it incorporates air into the dough, which helps keep the thin breadsticks nice and soft. It also encourages the proteins in the flour and moisture in the dough to link together, forming a strong gluten network, which is essential for retaining the gas produced by the yeast. Gluten is what makes bread deliciously chewy.
You know your kneaded dough is ready to rise when it stretches without immediately tearing. After kneading, the dough will be soft and supple, and a windowpane test is always helpful. You can always poke the dough with your finger, too. If it slowly bounces back, it’s ready to rise. This is the exact same process we use to knead and test the dough for honey butter rolls.
- What’s a Windowpane Test? Tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until it’s thin enough for light to pass through it. Hold it up to a window or light. Does light pass through the stretched dough without the dough tearing first? If so, your dough has been kneaded long enough and is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading.
Homemade Soft Breadsticks
- Prep Time: 2 hours, 40 minutes (includes rises)
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 14 breadsticks
Soft, fluffy, garlic butter-topped homemade breadsticks are the perfect accompaniment to pretty much any dinner. The dough requires 2 rises, but the 2nd rise is pretty quick as the oven preheats. Reference my Baking With Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
Ingredients
-
- 1 and 1/4 cups (300ml) warm water (between 100–110°F, 38–43°C)
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (7g) instant or active dry yeast (1 standard packet)*
- 2 Tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3 and 1/3 cups (433g) bread flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed and for hands/work surface*
- optional: 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Topping
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- optional for sprinkling on top: dried parsley or other favorite herb
Instructions
-
- Prepare the dough: Whisk the warm water, yeast, and sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer. Loosely cover and allow to sit for 5–10 minutes until foamy and frothy on top. *If you do not own a stand mixer, you can do this in a large mixing bowl and in the next step, mix the dough together with a large wooden spoon/silicone spatula. It will take a bit of arm muscle. A hand mixer works, but the sticky dough repeatedly gets stuck in the beaters. Mixing by hand with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula is a better choice.*
- Add the melted butter, salt, 1 cup (130g) bread flour, and garlic powder, if using. With a dough hook attachment, mix on low speed for 30 seconds, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula, then add the remaining flour. Beat on medium speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. If the dough seems too wet to a point where kneading in the next step would be impossible, beat in more flour 1 Tablespoon at a time until you have a workable dough. Keep in mind that dough should be soft and a little tacky, but still manageable to knead with lightly floured hands.
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- Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 8-10 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 8-10 full minutes. (If you’re new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until it’s thin enough for light to pass through it. Hold it up to a window or light. Does light pass through the stretched dough without the dough tearing first? If so, your dough has been kneaded long enough and is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading until it passes the windowpane test.
- 1st Rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 1.5–2 hours or until double in size. (I always let it rise on the counter. Takes about 2 hours. For a tiny reduction in rise time, see my answer to Where Should Dough Rise? in my Baking With Yeast Guide.)
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
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- Shape the breadsticks: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Divide the dough in half—each half should weigh just under 1 pound. Working with 1 half at a time, cut 7 pieces, roughly equal in size (each piece will weigh about 2 ounces, or 55g, but don’t worry about making them exact). Using lightly floured hands and a very lightly floured work surface (you still want some grip for the tacky dough, so do not over-flour), roll each piece of dough into a log about 8 inches (20cm) long. Arrange 7 breadsticks on each prepared baking sheet. Repeat with 2nd half of dough.
- 2nd Rise: Cover shaped breadsticks with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rise until slightly puffy, about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
- Bake the breadsticks: Remove cover from breadsticks and bake for 18–19 minutes or until golden brown on top, rotating the pans (top to bottom, bottom to top) halfway through. If you notice the tops browning too quickly, loosely tent with aluminum foil.
- Make the topping: Melt butter, and stir in salt and garlic powder.
- Remove breadsticks from the oven, brush with garlic butter topping, and allow breadsticks to cool for a couple minutes before serving. Sprinkle with dried parsley or your favorite herb, if desired, and serve warm.
- Cover leftover rolls tightly and store at room temperature for 1 day or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat as desired.
Notes
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- Freezing Instructions for Baked Breadsticks: Freeze the baked and cooled breadsticks for up to 3 months. To thaw, leave out on the counter for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Warm in the microwave for 30 seconds or covered on a baking sheet in a 300°F (149°C) oven for 10 minutes.
- Freezing Instructions for Dough: After the dough rises and you divide the dough in half in step 6, you can freeze half or some of the dough to use at a later time. Or you can simply freeze all of the dough. Lightly coat all sides of the dough you want to freeze with nonstick spray or olive oil. Place the dough into a zipped-top bag and seal tightly, squeezing out all the air. Freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, place the frozen dough in the refrigerator for about 8 hours or overnight. When ready to use, remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to rest for 30 minutes on the counter. Preheat the oven and continue with step 6, punching down the dough to release air if needed.
- Overnight/All Day Dough Instructions: Prepare the dough through step 3. Then, grease a large bowl, place dough inside, and coat all sides of dough as instructed in step 4. Cover dough and allow to rise for 8–12 hours in the refrigerator. (If it needs to be in the refrigerator for longer, use cooler water in the dough, which will slow the dough’s rise and allow for more time.) The slow rise gives the dough wonderful flavor! When ready, continue with step 5. If the dough didn’t quite double in size during this time, let it sit at room temperature for 30–45 minutes before punching down (step 6).
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Stand Mixer or Large Mixing Bowl and Silicone Spatula or Wooden Spoon | Whisk | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Sheets | Bench Scraper | Pastry Brush
- Yeast: I usually use instant yeast. You can use active dry yeast instead, with no changes to the preparation. Rise times will be slightly longer. Reference my Baking With Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
- Flour: If you don’t have bread flour, you can use all-purpose flour. All-purpose flour is convenient for most, but bread flour produces chewier breadsticks. The breadsticks are still soft and fluffy no matter which you use.
- Can I Add Cheese on Top? Yes, absolutely. Bake for just 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, carefully push the warm breadsticks together so they are touching, brush with the garlic butter topping, and then top each batch with 1/2 cup (about 55g) of shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese (or a mix). There are 2 batches of 7 breadsticks, so you’ll need 1 cup (about 110g) of shredded cheese total. Return to the oven for 3-4 more minutes until cheese has melted and breadsticks are golden brown. Or try these flatter cheesy breadsticks.
Rachel Ray’s Roasted Soup
Ingredients
Potato, tomato, garlic
Chicken stock
Cut top off entire head of garlic, nest in foil, and drizzle with olive oil
Use fork to poke numerous holes in potatoes
Sprinkle tomatoes with olive oil and salt and thyme
Turn oven to 450°F
Garlic will roast 10 minutes
Potato will roast 45-60 minutes
Tomato will roast 45-75 minutes . Cook until skins burst
Remove flesh of potatoes. Use skin for an appetizer at another time
Squeeze garlic cloves into the potatoes
Mash tomatoes in a colander, keeping the juice and meat separate
Add 2 tablespoons butter and tomato juice to potatoes and garlic and mix well
After mashed together, add basil leaves and meat from tomato
Add chicken stock to desired consistency
Heat on low heat 20 to 60 minutes
Judy Winn’s Chicken Poblano
2 large poblano peppers (plus 1 below)
1/2 CU chicken (cooked and chopped) – Leftovers work well
1/2 CU Monterey Jack cheese (grated)
1/2 CU Cheddar cheese (grated)
1/2 sweet onion (chopped)
1 egg
BATTER
2 Eggs
1 CU milk
1 CU flour
Panko bread crumbs (see special stsps)
SAUCE
1 can Macayos red enchilada sauce
1/2 sweet onion (chopped)
1 Poblano pepper (minced)
Put combined sauce ingredients on stove at very low simmer while everything else is going on.
1. Cut slit into peppers and remove seeds and veins
2. Combine chicken, egg and grated cheese
3. Stuff into pepper (Any leftovers can later be used for Chicken Cakes)
4. Secure pepper seam (if necessary) with toothpicks
5. Pour batter into a vessel that is narrow, but still allows the poblano to be dipped into it
6. Put Panko crumbs into heavy duty paper bag
7. Dip Poblano pepper into dipping sauce, remove and let drip 10 seconds.
8. Put into paper bag and shake
9. Repeat steps 7 and 8
10. Place on baking sheet and bake 35 minutes at 350 degrees
11. Remove from oven and sprinkle more cheese over the top
12. Put back in oven for 10 more minutes
To serve, ladle sauce onto bottom of plate and set cooked chili on top.
Panko Bread Crumbs
1. Cut 4 pieces of french bread into thin slices
2. Place on bread rack overnight
3. Next morning crush as fine as possible
4. Put through medium sized sieve
5. Recrush anything remaining in sieve
6. Repeat until bread crumbs are all crushed to fine crumbs.
Serve with Easy Bean Dip (see recipe) and taco chips on the side
Add a fresh touch with a small salad topped with shredded cheese, fresh sliced tomato and mandarin orange slices.
John Goman’s Bratwurst
5 LB picnic shoulder (ground – see note)
2 LB veal shoulder chop (ground – see note)
1 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp allspice
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
Grind meat with electric or hand grinder.
Do not, under any circumstances, trim the fat.
If necessary, put through a meat grinder twice.
Mix with all other spices by hand to taste.
Add more spices if you like a real flavorful brat.
Stuff into hog casing and twist to segment.
Stuff the meat into intestines. Gotta go to a butcher that sells enough meat that he has enough trimmings to make his own sausage. I use a meat grinder attachment on my Kitchenaid mixer with a sausage addition (really just a tube off the end that you feed the casing over) tie a knot on the end of the casing and run the ground meat mixture through the grinder and out the tube into the casing. You don’t want it too over packed because you twist the sausage every 8″ to make the individual links.
Joe’s Special (Taylor St., San Fran)
2 large eggs
1/2 pound ground grass-fed beef
1/2 large onion, any kind (julienned)
1/2 pound spinach (chopped leaves only)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. In a bowl, lightly beat the eggs
2. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Set aside.
4. In a large, heavy skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium- high heat.
5. Crumble the beef into the pan and cook, stirring, until some of the red is gone but not a minute longer.
6. This will take only a few minutes (keep it pink).
7. Pour off the excess fat and transfer the meat to a bowl.
8. Set aside and keep warm.
9. Turn heat to medium
10. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan
11. Add the garlic and onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.
12. Add the spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until it wilts and is tender, 3 to 5 minutes.
13. Season with salt and pepper.
14. Return the meat to the pan
15. Add the oregano, and taste and adjust the seasoning.
16. Reduce heat to low.
17. Add the eggs, and cook, stirring constantly, just until the eggs are set, another minute or two. Be careful to NOT overcook the eggs.
18. Top with Parmigiano-Reggiano and serve with English Muffin
A little bit of red pepper gives this a good “heat”
Serve with cinnamon apple wedges or hot spiced applesauce