Homemade Pretzels (Better than the mall...I promise!!)

Tasty Thursday is here!! Time to talk about one of my favorite things...food!! If your like me you cannot pass a mall pretzel cart without ordering a $4.00 cinnamon sugary goodness. I mean c'mon they are dee-licious!! I decided to tackle the famous pretzel at home after coming across this copycat recipe at ClassyClutter. This recipe is oh-so-simple and I'm sure you have everything in your kitchen pantry.

You will need the following

For the dough:
1 1/4 cups of warm water
1 tsp of yeast
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 1/2 cups flour


Magic pretzel dipping solution:
3 cups warm water
1/2 cups baking soda

Toppings:
Your choice!!
I prefer cinnamon and sugar!!

Ok so lets get started...

Get your oven going and preheat to 450 F. Add the yeast to the warm water and make sure it is completely dissolved. Next add the flour and sugar. I like to add a little at a time mixing in between. When dough is thoroughly mixed set aside and let it rise for about 30 min. Place a damp towel on top. I placed mine on the stove...the heat helps it to rise quickly.

Once the dough is ready cut the dough into long strips. Take the strip and roll from the center out, stretching the dough to look like a rope. For medium size pretzels stretch to 24in or so. Then make the famous pretzel twist or any shape you choose. Take your pretzel and dip it into the magic solution. Place pretzel on a greased cookie sheet. I used non-stick spray and it worked perfectly. Bake for 6 minutes... or 7 if you like them more golden. Don't laugh...after a while your "twist" gets better.

Once the pretzels are done brush melted butter and sprinkle cinnamon sugar all over. I really drench mine. Calorie counting is out of the question people! You can really be creative with the pretzels using any toppings you choose. I am searching for the perfect jalapeno nacho cheese recipe...once I locate I will pass on to you for sure! Enjoy...Genelle

Tasty Thursday: VooDoo Donuts

Howdy. How the heck are you? Hungry? You will be after you finish reading. I must caution you that this post is detrimental to anyone on a diet. In fact you may even get in your car and drive to the nearest donut shop. Seriously. No joke!

When the hubs and I moved to PNW (Pacific Northwest) we were strangers in a foreign town. I had never been North of Sacramento and the hubs had only visited the Oregon coast once or twice, as a kid. During the 7 months we have lived here we have explored much of Portland and absolutely LOVE downtown. Of our many fabulous finds, we too have become a lover of one of Portland's well know hot spots, VooDoo Doughnut.

They have thee most unique variety of doughnuts. My fave is the Butterfingering. It's a yummy chocolate cake doughnut with vanilla frosting and tons of Butterfinger crumbles on top! Look at all that chocolate goodness...is your mouth watering??

The hubs favorite is the Triple Chocolate Penetration....

Translation: Chocolate cake doughnut with chocolate frosting and Cocoa Puffs!!

VooDoo has other amazing treats but nothing compares to their famous creation, a maple bacon doughnut. Yes, you read bacon and doughnut in the same sentence. This treat is very popular and loved by many...I still have yet to try it. I don't know but it just doesn't seem appetizing to me.

 They have even partnered with Rogue, a local brewery, and created a maple bacon ale...it even comes in a pink bottle! How cute is that!

With that said if you are ever in Portland you absolutely have to stop by VooDoo Doughnuts. They even have two locations downtown. Word of advice...they tend to have a line just like the one you see below so make sure you have enough time to enjoy the VooDoo experience. But trust me it is worth the wait.

That's me on the far right, my sister Saleena on the left, and smack dab in the center is my friend Lydia, a former fellow Portlander. Can you believe she had never been to VooDoo before. I had the privilege of sharing with Lydia her very first VooDoo experience. She left a VooDoo lover! Blame her?...Genelle

Tasty Thursday: Spicy Sausage Gnocci

Hi all...It looks like we had some technical difficulties and my previous post was deleted..grr. So here is the recipe minus all the extra chit chat.

Spicy Sausage Gnocci

Ingredients:
1 pkg gnocci (Trader Joes or Whole Foods has the best)
1lb Ground turkey or beef
3-5 Jalapeno sausage (Trader Joes)
1 small onion diced
2-3 cloves minced garlic
2-3 cups marinara or spaghetti sauce
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp basil
Crushed red pepper
2 cups spinach
Fresh shaved parmesan cheese

Cook the gnocci according to the package directions. Set aside. In a large sauce pan brown the meat. Add onion and garlic, and saute till the onion start to sweat. Add  marinara sauce, oregano, basil, and crushed red pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes on low heat. In a separate pan brown the diced sausage. Add spinach and toss until spinach wilts. Add gnocci, sausage/spinach, and parmesan to sauce and toss till combined. Serve and garnish with extra parm. Enjoy!!

(Hope I didn't leave anything out)

Genelle

Tasty Thursday: Turkey Stuffed Bell Peppers

Welcome to Tasty Thursday's!! Every Thursday you will find a delicious recipe, a cool restaurant, or something fabulous and yummy about FOOD that I want to share with you all. 

Today I will be sharing with you a healthy, low-cal, delish dinner that is oh-so easy to make....Turkey Stuffed Bell Peppers. There are many recipes out there. I found a recipe at skinnytaste that was really yummy...I just added a few twists of  my own...

These peppers are so tasty especially when topped with shredded lettuce, tomato, avocado, and sour cream!...Ok I know I making you hungry. This is a dinner that will demand a second helping for sure.

To get started you will need the following ingredients:

1 lb lean chopped turkey meat (or ground beef)

1tsp garlic, minced

1/4 onion, minced

1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp cumin powder

salt to taste

4 large sweet Yellow bell peppers, washed - Yellow peppers really work the best!!

1 cup water mixed with 1tsp Caldo de Pollo (found in the Hispanic isle) (divide mixture in 1/2, you will use ½ cup later...this stuff is amazing) 

1/4 cup tomato sauce

1 1/2 cups cooked Spanish rice

1 can pinto beans, drained

1/4 cup shredded cheddar /jack cheese

Shredded lettuce

Diced tomato

Avocado (diced or sliced)

Sour cream for topping

Oil or nonstick spray

Heat oven to 400°. Add ½ a tsp of oil in a medium size saute pan and heat on a medium flame. Add onion, garlic and cilantro to the pan. Cook about 2 minutes and add ground turkey. Add the salt, garlic powder, and cumin and brown meat for several minutes until meat is completely cooked through. Add the tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of caldo de pollo mix, beans (drained), mix well and simmer on low for about 5 minutes. Add cooked rice to the meat/bean mixture.

Sorry, I snapped this picture after I had filled half of my peppers...but you get the idea :)

Cut the bell peppers in half and remove all seeds. You may also stuff the peppers whole, just remove the top and fill. 

Place the cut peppers in a baking dish. Spoon the meat mixture into each pepper half and fill it with as much as you can...really stuff them well. Place all stuffed pepper halves on the baking dish and pour the remainder of the chicken broth mixture on the bottom of the pan. The chicken broth steams the peppers and keeps them from sticking. Place in a glass baking dish with a lid...(any oven safe dish will do). Bake these babies for 35 minutes...About 8 minutes before they are done remove the lid and add the cheese...this gives the peppers a crispy crust on top. Top with extra cheese (you can NEVER have too much cheese) shredded lettuce, tomato, avocado, and sour cream. Happy Eating.

Enjoy...Genelle