Kolaches

We recently discovered that kolaches are nonexistent in Maryland.  Our small group had never heard of them!  Apparently the delicious pastry is a Texas food and doesn't seem to have made it out of the state.  So I set out to make some and introduce everyone to this delightful bit of Texas cuisine.

I invited my friend Nicole over to help and we spent the afternoon mixing, kneading, and pureeing.  Because we made the dough from scratch, there was a lot of down time inbetween while it rose, but the result was worth it!  These are not quite as flaky as the ones we are used to, but still super yummy.  They were a hit!

Peach

Cherry and sausage with cheese

Here is the recipe from The Homesick Texan blog, enjoy!

Kolaches

Ingredients:
1 package of active dry yeast
1 cup of warm milk
1/4 cup sugar
3 cups of all-purpose flour
2 eggs
3/4 cup of melted butter
1 teaspoon of salt

In a large bowl, combine yeast, warm milk, sugar and one cup of flour. Cover and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

Beat together eggs, 1/2 cup of melted butter (reserve 1/4 cup for brushing on the pastry) and salt.
Add egg mixture to yeast mixture and blend.

Stir in about two more cups of flour, 1/2 cup at a time. The dough should be soft and moist.
Knead dough for about 10 minutes on floured surface. Don't worry, it’s a joy to knead as the dough is smooth and highly malleable.

Put dough in a greased bowl and let rise covered until doubled in size—about an hour.

After dough has risen, punch it down and pull off egg-sized pieces. In your hands, roll pieces into balls and then flatten to about three inches in diameter. Brush with melted butter.

Place flattened pieces on a greased cookie sheet, cover and let rise again for another half-hour.

After second rising, with your finger gently make an indention in the center of the dough (be careful not to flatten it too much) and fill with one tablespoon of fruit filling (recipe to follow) and sprinkle with posypka (recipe to follow).

Bake in oven at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. Brush with melted butter when you take them out of the oven and serve warm.

Kolache filling
Ingredients:
1/2 pound of dried fruit such as apricots or prunes (I used cherry and peach, both were delicious!)
Sugar to taste
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
Zest of one lemon

Soak the dried fruit in water for a few hours or overnight.
When fruit is re-hydrated, cook on low for 15 minutes, adding sugar to taste, cinnamon and lemon zest. Mash with a potato masher or food processor until you have a puree.

Note: I am not sure why they have you rehydrate dried fruit - you may be able to just use canned fruit and omit the sugar.
Posypka
Ingredients:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix all ingredients until crumbly.

This recipe makes about 18 kolaches, depending on how large you make them. And the variations are endless. For additional flavor you can soak the dried fruit in tea such as Earl Grey or you could sprinkle goat cheese on the apricot kolaches before baking. You can also make sausage and cheese kolaches by wrapping the three-inch flattened piece of dough around a two-inch piece of sausage and a small square of cheese.  Add a few pickled jalapenos in if you like.

Chocolate Chip Mini Cheesecakes

I made these the other day and they were pretty good!  Very quick and easy and I love that they are already in individual portions.  I didn't calculate how many calories are in each one though because if I knew I might not enjoy them as much! 

These would be great at a party.  I preferred them after they had been chilled, although it made the liner stick and hard to peel off.  If you take the liner off before you chill them it would probably work better.  I also used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, and 1/3 less fat cream cheese.  The recipe makes 8 mini cheesecakes.

Chocolate Chip Mini Cheesecakes
Crust
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tbsp brown sugar
small pinch salt
2 1/2 tbsp butter, melted

Cheesecake
8-oz cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp sour cream or Greek-style yogurt
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 8 cups of a muffin pan with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, make the graham cracker crust. Mix together graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and salt and stir to combine. Pour over melted butter and stir with a fork to moisten the crumbs.
Place about a tablespoon of crumb mixture in each of the prepared muffin cups and pack down into an even layer.
In a large bowl, make the cheesecake. Cream together cream cheese, sour cream and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
Place 1 tbsp chocolate chips into each of the muffin cups. Evenly divide cheesecake batter between the muffin cups, covering the first layer of chocolate chips. Place another tbsp of chocolate chips on top of the cheesecake batter in each of the muffin cups.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until cheesecakes are set.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the muffin pan, then carefully transfer cheesecakes to a cooling rack to cool completely before refrigerating.

Makes 8.  Enjoy!

Who named this "Kentucky Caviar?"

I came across this recipe on one of the blogs I read and it was so good I had to share it with you.  The best part is it's so healthy!  This recipe makes a huge bowl of salsa; I didn't even add all the ingredients and it's still enough for a party or large family.  It's great with chips, and tomorrow I'm going to try some in a pita for lunch.  Enjoy!

 

 

Kentucky Caviar

Finely chop/dice the following into a large bowl:
1 Green Pepper

1 Red Pepper

1 Yellow Pepper

1 Orange Pepper

1 bunch of green onions

1/4 cup fresh cilantro (remember a little bit of cilantro goes a long way!)

2-4 tomatoes

Then add:

1 can corn drained

1 can black eyed peas rinsed and drained

1 can white hominy rinsed and drained

1 can black beans rinsed and drained

2-3 limes squeezed over entire mixture

Salt to taste

stir, cover, and chill at least 8 hours before serving.

 

 

 

Coconut Banana Bread Recipe

Last weekend I had a baking day and made three recipes; this was my favorite.  It is moist and delicious and the lime glaze on top adds a nice tangy-sweet taste.  I will definitely make this again!

Coconut Banana Bread with a Lime Glaze

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
• 1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
• 3 tablespoons milk or apple juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut
• Cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon flaked sweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.
• Place granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt, milk, and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Stir in 1/2 cup coconut. Spoon batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon coconut. Bake covered at 350° for 45 minutes, then uncovered for 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Combine powdered sugar and juice, stirring with a whisk; drizzle over warm bread. Cool completely on wire rack.

Homemade granola bars

Last weekend I got adventurous and decided to make some granola bars.  Most snack food that you buy premade has preservatives, or lots of refined sugar in it and I am slowly trying to weed those things out of our diet. 

This recipe actually turned out pretty good, both James and I like them.  And I can say that they are the perfect snack to hold me over between meals.  They are nutritious, but not low calorie, so I may try to figure out how to tweak it.  I think they are a little too sweet, so you could probably reduce the amount of honey and they would work just fine.

Emeril's Nutty Granola Bars

3/4 c. honey
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter (I used salted because that's what I had in my fridge)
3 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/3 c. slivered almonds (I probably only used half that amount)
coarse salt
1 c. raisins or other dried fruit (I used half a cup of craisins and half a cup of chocolate chips because that's what I had on hand)
1/3 c. creamy almond butter (I used peanut butter)
1/4 c. light-brown sugar

Preheat oven to 325.  In a small saucepan, heat 1/4 c. honey and butter over low.  Cook, stirring, until butter melts, 2 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine oats, almonds, and a pinch of salt.  Drizzle honey mixture over oat mixture and stir to combine.  spread mixture evenly on a large rimmed baking sheet.  Bake until golden brown, about 20 mins.  Let cool completely on sheet, 10 minutes.  Return to large bowl and add fruit, stir to combine.

Lightly butter (I used Pam) an 8-in. square baking dish.  In saucepan, combine 1/2 c. honey, peanut butter, and brown sugar over medium.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil and sugar dissolves, 10 minutes.  Drizzle over oat mixture and stir until combined; transfer to baking dish.  With a spatula, firmly press granola into dish.  Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour, then cut into 16 bars.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 5 days.

258 calories per bar