A first for everything

I love me a good soft pretzel but I've never tried making them myself. So on this long summer afternoon I decided it was about time to give it a whirl. The recipe is a little technical for me (I don't have a thermometer to determine the degree of the milk), I also think my dough was a bit "tackier" than one might want but after fighting with the sticky dough they found their way into the oven and tasted great! Now I just have to master a cheese fondue dipping sauce! :)

1 cup milk

1 package dry active yeast

3 tablespoons packed brown sugar

2 1/4 cups flour

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon fine salt

1/3 cup baking soda

2 tablespoons course salt

Warm the milk in a saucepan until it's about 110 degrees; pour into a medium bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Let the yeast soften, about 2 minutes; stir in the brown sugar and 1 cup flour with a wooden spoon. Dice 2 tablespoons butter and soften; stir into the mix. Add the remaining 1 1/4 cups flour and the fine salt to make a sticky dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if needed, until smooth but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and grease a large baking sheet. Punch the dough to deflate it, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. (If the dough seems tight, cover and let rest until it relaxes.) Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Roll and stretch each piece with the palms of your hands into a 30-inch rope, holding the ends and slapping the middle of the rope on the counter as you stretch. Form each rope into a pretzel shape.

Dissolve the baking soda in 3 cups warm water in a shallow baking dish. Gently dip each pretzel in the soda solution, then arrange on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with the coarse salt. Bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes.

Oh so hot and humid!

On this especially hot and humid day I thought it only appropriate to make a cold dessert. Here's what I opted for. I've yet to taste the dish in it's complete form as I only tasted bits of it along the making process.

Frozen Coffee Pie

• 1 pre-made Oreo cookie pie crust
• 1/2 gallon coffee ice cream, softened (on counter for 15 to 20 minutes)
• 6 tablespoons coffee-flavored liqueur, divided (recommended: Kahlua)
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons hot fudge sauce

Directions

Combine softened ice cream and 5 tablespoons coffee-flavored liqueur using a stand mixer or hand mixer until creamy. Fill pie crust with ice cream mixture, cover with plastic wrap and place in freezer for 3 to 4 hours.

Whip heavy cream with powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Top frozen pie with whipped cream. Refreeze for 1 hour.

Combine remaining tablespoon of coffee-flavored liqueur with hot fudge sauce, drizzle over top of pie and serve.

Caprese Salad

So easy and perfect for summer I couldn't pass up the opportunity to make this for Trashy Book Club tonight. Courtesy of one of my favorite food network chefs, Tyler Florence.

Caprese Salad

2 vine-ripened tomatoes

1/2 pint cherry tomatoes

1/2 bunch fresh basil, leaves hand torn

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 balls buffalo mozzarella

Directions

Cut the large tomatoes into 6 or 8 wedges and the cherry tomatoes in half and put them into a bowl. Add the basil leaves, olive oil, and salt and pepper, to taste. With your hand, gently mix everything together and squeeze the tomatoes a bit to release some of their juices. Cut the mozzarella into bite sized chunks and add them to the tomatoes. Gently toss to blend everything together and serve immediately.

Fresh Corn Salad

After what looks like a year break from blogging, I'm taking it up again. My first post back is about this delightfully fresh and tasty summer salad. I was inspired hearing a friend talk about a similar salad she made for the 4th. I whipped up this dish and am sharing it at the Book Gnomes Anne of Green Gables marathon today.

I hope you enjoy the recipe, courtesy of the Barefoot Contessa and if you've never seen Anne of Green Gables or Anne of Avonlea please for the love of God add them to your netflix queue!

Ingredients

• 5 ears of corn, shucked
• 1/2 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup julienned fresh basil leaves

Directions

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the corn for 3 minutes until the starchiness is just gone. Drain and immerse it in ice water to stop the cooking and to set the color. When the corn is cool, cut the kernels off the cob, cutting close to the cob.

Toss the kernels in a large bowl with the red onions, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Just before serving, toss in the fresh basil. Taste for seasonings and serve cold or at room temperature.