Homemade Corn Bread

 Breads, Easy Recipes, Side Dish  Comments Off on Homemade Corn Bread
Jan 072015
 
Homemade Corn Bread
[url href=”http://cookingqueen.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/CQ-Cornbread-300×225.jpg”][img src=”http://cookingqueen.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/CQ-Cornbread-300×225.jpg” width=”300″ height=”225″ class=”alignnone size-medium” title=”CQ-Cornbread”][/url]
Ingredients
  • ⅔ cup butter
  • ⅔ cup sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1⅔ cups milk
  • 2⅓ cups flour
  • 1 cup corn meal
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl.
  3. In a small bowl combine the eggs and milk.
  4. In a third bowl combine the flour, corn meal, baking powder and salt.
  5. Alternating pour in ¼th of the milk mixture, then ¼th of the flour mixture into the large bowl with the butter and sugar mixture until everything is combined.
  6. Pour batter into a pam sprayed 9×13 inch pan.
  7. Place in oven and bake for about 25 minutes.

 

Hunter’s Favorite Pumpkin Bread

 Breads, Easy Recipes, Gluten- Free  Comments Off on Hunter’s Favorite Pumpkin Bread
Dec 172014
 
Hunter’s Favorite Pumpkin Bread
Author: Ashley V.
Ingredients
  • 1 Package of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free baking Flour
  • 4 Egg Whites
  • 1 cup Gluten Free Coconut flour
  • 1 Can Libby’s Pumpkin
  • ½ Cup Coconut / Almond Milk
  • 2 TBS Maple syrup (all natural)
  • Nutmeg (to taste)
  • Cinnamon (to taste)
Instructions
  1. Mix all dry ingredients together, then add the wet.
  2. Pour into a greased (with coconut oil) bread pan.
  3. Bake @ 350 degrees for 45-50 mins.

 

Dec 082014
 

It’s hard to believe my favorite holiday is only a few weeks away – Christmas. This week I managed to finish all of my Christmas shopping for friends and family along with planning some unforgettable recipes to share with all of them.
December is a month of various Multicultural holidays. There are some wonderful holiday customs carried out all over the world, but also many delicious desserts, I would love to share a few with you.

Christmas in France
In French Happy/Merry Christmas is ‘Joyeux Noël’. In France, Father Christmas / Santa Claus / St. Nicholas is called Père Noël (Father Christmas).
The main Christmas meal, called Réveillon, is eaten on Christmas Eve/early Christmas morning after people have returned from the midnight Church Service. Dishes might include roast turkey with chestnuts or roast goose, oysters, foie gras, lobster, venison and cheeses. For dessert, a chocolate sponge cake log called a bûche de Noël (Yule Log) is normally eaten.

a buche de noel

To try this beautiful recipe for  Buche de Noel click here 

Christmas in Sweden
In Sweden, presents might be brought by Santa called ‘Jultomten’ or by gnomes/elves called ‘Nissar’ or ‘Tomte’. They’re called Nisse’ in Norway.
Around Christmas time in Sweden, one of the biggest celebrations is St. Lucia’s Day (or St. Lucy’s Day) on December 13th. The celebration comes from stories that were told by Monks who first brought Christianity to Sweden. St Lucia was a young Christian girl who was martyred, killed for her faith, in 304AD. The most common story told about St Lucia is that she would secretly bring food to the persecuted Christians in Rome, who lived in hiding in the catacombs under the city. She would wear candles on her head so she had both her hands free to carry things. Lucy means ‘light’ so this is a very appropriate name.
A popular food eaten at St. Lucia’s day are ‘Lussekatts’, St Lucia’s day buns flavored with saffron and dotted with raisins which are eaten for breakfast.

a lussekatter 2

Click here for this delicious Lussekatter recipe

Christmas in Italy
On Christmas Eve, it’s common that no meat (and also sometimes all dairy) is eaten. Often a light seafood meal is eaten people go to the Midnight Mass service. The types of fish and how they are served vary between different regions in Italy.
For many Italian-American families a big Christmas Eve meal of different fish dishes is now a very popular tradition! It’s known as The Feast of the Seven Fishes (‘Esta dei Sette Pesci’ in Italian). The feast seems to have its root in southern Italy and was bought over to the USA by Italian immigrants in the 1800s. It now seems more popular in America than it is in Italy! When people return from Mass, if it’s cold, you might have a slice of Italian Christmas Cake called ‘Panettone’ which is like a dry fruity sponge cake and a cup of hot chocolate!

a panettone

Click here to try this Panettone recipe for yourself

Christmas in Greece
In Greek Happy/Merry Christmas is ‘Kala Christougenna’.
On Christmas Eve, children, especially boys, often go out singing ‘kalanda’ (carols) in the streets. They play drums and triangles as they sing. Sometimes they will also carry model boats decorated with nuts which are painted gold. Carrying a boat is a very old custom in the Greek Islands.
If the children sing well, they might be given money, nuts, sweets and dried figs to eat.
The main Christmas meal is often Lamb or pork, roasted in an oven or over an open spit. It’s often served with a spinach and cheese pie and various salads and vegetables. Other Christmas and new year foods include ‘Baklava’ (a sweet pastry made of filo pastry filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey), Kataifi (a pastry made from a special form of shredded filo dough and flavored with nuts and cinnamon), Theeples (a kind of fried pastry). Another popular Christmas dessert are melomakarono, egg or oblong shaped biscuit/cakes made from flour, olive oil, and honey and rolled in chopped walnuts.

Food Stylist:  Jamie Kimm

Click here to try this mouthwatering Greek Baklava treat

Christmas in Japan
In Japanese Happy/Merry Christmas is ‘Meri Kurisumasu’.
In Japan, Christmas is known as more of a time to spread happiness rather than a religious celebration. Christmas Eve is often celebrated more than Christmas Day. Christmas Eve is thought of as a romantic day, in which couples spend together and exchange presents. In many ways it resembles Valentine’s Day celebrations in the UK and the USA. Young couples like to go for walks to look at the Christmas lights and have a romantic meal in a restaurant – booking a table on Christmas Eve can be very difficult as it’s so popular!
Fried chicken is often eaten on Christmas day. It is the busiest time of year for restaurants such as KFC and people can place orders at their local fast food restaurant in advance!
The traditional Japanese Christmas food is Christmas cake, but it’s not a rich fruit cake, but is usually a sponge cake decorated with strawberries and whipped cream.

a strawberry sponge 2

Click here for a traditional sponge cake recipe

I hope you enjoyed this “sweet” trip around the world…Let the holiday baking begin!

Panettone (Italian Christmas Bread)

 Breads, Holiday/Entertaining, International  Comments Off on Panettone (Italian Christmas Bread)
Dec 082014
 
Panettone (Italian Christmas Bread)
Cuisine: Italian
[url href=”http://cookingqueen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/a-panettone-200×300.jpg”][img src=”http://cookingqueen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/a-panettone-200×300.jpg” width=”200″ height=”300″ class=”alignnone size-medium” title=”a panettone”][/url]
Ingredients
  • Makes 2 Panettone
  • Ingredients
  • Sponge:
  • 1 satchel (2¼ teaspoons) (7 gm) active dry yeast
  • ⅓ cup (80 ml) warm water
  • ½ cup (70 gm) unbleached all purpose flour
  • First Dough:
  • 1 satchel (2¼ teaspoons) (7 gm) active dry yeast
  • 3 tablespoons (45 ml) warm water
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1¼ cup (175 gm) unbleached all-purpose (plain) flour
  • ¼ cup (55 gm) (2 oz) sugar
  • ½ cup (1 stick) (115 gm) unsalted butter, at room temp
  • Second Dough:
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • ⅔ cup (150 gm) (5-2/3 oz) sugar
  • 3 tablespoons (45 ml) honey
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) lemon essence/extract
  • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) orange essence/extract
  • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) (6 gm) salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) (225 gm) unsalted butter, at room temp
  • 3 cups (420 gm) (15 oz) unbleached all-purpose (plain) flour; plus up to (2/3 cup) 100 gm for kneading
  • Filling and Final Dough:
  • 1½ cups (250 gm) (9 oz) golden raisins or golden sultanas
  • ½ cup (75 gm) (2-2/3 oz) candied citron
  • ½ cup (75 gm) (2-2/3 oz) candied orange peel
  • Grated zest of 1 orange
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons (30-45 ml) (15-25 gm) unbleached all-purpose (plain) flour
Instructions
  1. For the Sponge: Mix the yeast and water in a small bowl and allow to stand until creamy; about 10 minutes or so.
  2. Mix in the flour. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to double in size for about 20 to 30 minutes.
  3. For the First Dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the yeast and water and allow to stand until creamy, about 10 minutes or so.
  4. With the paddle attachment, mix in the sponge, eggs, flour, and sugar.
  5. Add in the butter and mix for 3 minutes until the dough is smooth and even.
  6. Cover with plastic wrap and allow double in size, about 1 – 1 ¼ hours.
  7. For the Second Dough: To the first dough, with the paddle attachment, mix in the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, honey, vanilla, essences/extracts, and salt until well combined.
  8. Mix in the butter until smooth.
  9. Add the flour and slowly incorporate.
  10. At this stage the dough will seem a little too soft, like cookie dough.
  11. Replace the paddle with the dough hook and knead for about 2 minutes.
  12. Turn out the dough and knead it on a well-floured surface until it sort of holds its shape.
  13. Don’t knead in too much flour but you may need as much as ⅔ cup (100 gm).
  14. Be careful the excess flour will affect the finished product
  15. For the First Rise: Oil a large bowl lightly, plop in your dough and cover with plastic wrap.
  16. Now we need to let it rise until it has tripled in size.
  17. There a few ways to go about this: Rise in a warm place for 2 – 4 hours OR find a cool spot (64°F -68°F) (18°C – 20°C) and rise overnight OR rise for 2 hours on your kitchen bench then slow the rise down and place in the refrigerator overnight.
  18. If you do this it will take some time to wake up the next morning (maybe another hour or two).
  19. For the Filling and Final Rise: Soak the raisin/sultanas in water 30 minutes before the end of the first rise.
  20. Drain and pat dry with paper towels.
  21. Now take your dough and cut it in half.
  22. Combine all your filling ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
  23. Press out one portion of dough into an oval shape.
  24. Sprinkle over one quarter of the filling and roll up the dough into a log.
  25. Press out again into an oval shape and sprinkle over another quarter of the filling.
  26. Roll into a log shape again.
  27. Repeat with the second portion of dough.
  28. Shape each into a ball and slip into your prepared pans, panettone papers or homemade panettone papers.
  29. Cut an X into the top of each panettone and allow to double in size.
  30. Rising time will vary according to method of first rise.
  31. If it has been in the refrigerator it could take 4 hours or more.
  32. If it has been rising on the kitchen bench in a warm place it should be doubled in about 2 hours.
  33. For Baking: When you think your dough has only about 30 minutes left to rise, preheat your oven to moderately hot 400°F/200°C/gas mark 6.
  34. Just before baking carefully (don’t deflate it!) cut the X into the dough again and place in a knob (about a tablespoon) of butter.
  35. Place your panettoni in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
  36. Reduce the heat to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4 and bake for another 10 minutes.
  37. Reduce the heat again to moderate 325°F/160°C/gas mark 3 and bake for 30 minutes until the tops are well browned and a skewer inserted into the panettone comes out clean.
  38. Cooling your panettone is also important.
  39. If you have use papers (commercial or homemade) lie your panettoni on their side cushioned with rolled up towels.
  40. Turn gently as they cool. If you have used pans cool in the pans for 30 minutes then remove and cushion with towels.

 

Dec 082014
 
Lussekatter ( St. Lucia Buns)
Cuisine: Swedish
Cook time:
Total time:
[url href=”http://cookingqueen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/a-lussekatter-2-207×300.jpg”][img src=”http://cookingqueen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/a-lussekatter-2-207×300.jpg” width=”207″ height=”300″ class=”alignnone size-medium” title=”a lussekatter 2″][/url]
Ingredients
  • Ingredients:
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1-1/3 cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon saffron threads, chopped fine and soaked in a few drops of water
  • 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs, divided use
  • 4 cups unbleached flour + flour for kneading
  • Raisins for garnish
Instructions
  1. Melt butter in a small saucepan set over medium heat.
  2. Add milk and saffron and heat until just until warm.
  3. Pour into bowl of an electric stand mixer.
  4. Sprinkle yeast over milk and let it sit for 5 minutes.
  5. Add sugar, salt, 1 egg and 2 cups flour.
  6. Beat with paddle attachment until smooth and well combine, about 2 minutes on medium speed.
  7. Add final 2 cups of flour.
  8. Using dough hook, beat until mixture is smooth and begins to climb beater.
  9. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until perfectly smooth.
  10. This dough has a wonderful velvety texture to it.
  11. Place in a greased bowl, turn once to coat all surfaces, and let rise, covered, in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
  12. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  13. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Punch dough down, roll into a cylinder 36 inches long.
  14. Cut 18 2-inch pieces from cylinder.
  15. Roll each piece into a 10-inch rope.
  16. Form each piece into an S, spiraling ends to form a figure eight.
  17. Transfer pieces to to prepared baking sheet.
  18. Let rise, covered, until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
  19. Brush buns with reserved egg.
  20. Tuck raisins into spirals at each end of figure eight.
  21. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Yield: 18 buns.

 

Sep 092011
 

Picture
Yummy!!! No one could get enough. The recipe says that it is easy but it definitely took some practice flipping them. The first batch I cooked on a griddle on top of the stove. Yuck. They did not cook evenly at all. So I switched to the electric frying pan. I do not have an electric griddle but definitely see their purpose now.

Prep Time:   10 Min
Cook Time:  10 Min
Ready In:      20 Min

Ingredients

4 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 pinch salt
2 tablespoons melted butter

Directions

In a large bowl, beat eggs with a wire whisk. Mix in milk, flour, sugar, salt, and melted butter.
Preheat a non-stick electric skillet to medium heat. Pour a thin layer of batter on skillet, and spread to edges. Cook until top surface appears dry. Cut into 2 or 4 sections, and flip with a spatula. Cook for another 2 minutes, or until golden brown. Roll each pancake up, and serve.

Nutritional Information Amount Per Serving  Calories: 255 | Total Fat: 13.3g | Cholesterol: 238mg