Salisbury.Fake baking, food, snacks

Corn Crackers

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(***This was originally meant to be an imitation Fritos recipe because I was craving them and didn’t want to buy them, but I have a ton of cornmeal I should use more than I do)

1 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 stick of butter, melted
1 egg
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2-3 tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 375 F. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking soda, pepper, and salt.  Melt the butter and cool slightly.  Beat the egg and add in the butter in a slow stream so you don’t cook the egg.  Begin to mix together the wet and dry ingredients, adding a tablespoon of water at a time till you have a dough that is soft and somewhat crumbly  (It’ll stick together when you roll it out).

Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet (I used one that’s a bit bigger than 9×13).  Place the dough in the center, and use a piece of waxed paper to push the dough onto the sheet.  Use a rolling pin to get a smooth, even surface (over the waxed paper, of course).  Once the dough is smooth, score the surface for the shape you’d like your crackers to be, and then bake for about 20 minutes until golden.

These are really good with taco toppings, as well as with chili.  They are somewhat dry, but it’s a cracker.

Salisbury.Fake dinner, food, snacks

Turkey Meatballs

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES1 pound ground turkey
1/2 cup cooked rice
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
scant 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Mix all of the ingredients really well in a bowl.  Roll into walnut sized balls, and place on a foil lined baking sheet.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.  If you want to freeze them, bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes to reheat.

Salisbury.Fake dinner, food

Quinoa with Red & Green Peppers, Onion, and Garlic

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1 small onion, diced
1 quarter of a red pepper, diced
1 quarter of a green pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup red and white quinoa
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium sauce pan, heat the oil and then add in the peppers, garlic, and onion.  Cook for a few minutes until the vegetables start to soften.  Add the quinoa, stock, and coriander.  Bring to a boil and then cover with the lid tilted so steam can escape.  Reduce the heat to simmer and cook until the quinoa has expanded and white threads appear around it (10-15 minutes).  Add any salt and pepper if you’d like.

This makes several servings.  Store leftovers in the fridge for up to a week.

Salisbury.Fake dinner

Creole Lentils with Smoked Sausage

2 1/2 cups of vegetable stock
1/2 cup of lentils
1/2 of a green pepper, diced small
1/2 of a yellow or orange pepper, diced small
1/2 of a large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup smoked sausage (I used beef sausage), chopped small
1 tablespoon of Creole seasoning (my recipe for this is below)
1/3 cup tomato sauce (plain sauce)

In a medium saucepan, bring the vegetable stock to a boil, and then add in the lentils.  Cook the lentils until they are nearly done. They’ll be somewhat chewy and you’ll still have quite a bit of liquid leftover.  This is okay!  When the lentils are about halfway done, heat a medium sized skillet over medium-high heat and add in the olive oil.  Add in the peppers, onion, and garlic, and cook till softened. Reduce the heat to low-medium, and continue to cook.  You might smell the garlic starting to burn, but that’s okay for this dish.  As long as the garlic doesn’t turn black, you are doing it right.  I know it sounds  weird to have burnt garlic in a recipe, but it really adds a nice flavor to everything.  Once the lentils have reached the nearly done stage, crank the heat to medium high and add the sausage to the skillet to heat through.  Pour off most of the liquid from the lentils into the pan with the onion, peppers, garlic, and now sausage. Sprinkle the seasoning on top and mix in.  Cook this until the liquid is reduced by half, about 1-2 minutes.  Add in the lentils and remaining stock, and bring to a boil.  Add the tomato sauce, and continue cooking until the liquid is mostly gone and you have the consistency of a thick sauce.

Serve with goat cheese crumbles, and maybe some hearty bread.
Creole Seasoning:
2 tbsp onion powder
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp white pepper
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
5 tbsp paprika
3 tbsp salt
Mix all of these ingredients together and keep in an airtight container for up to a year.  If a spice blend doesn’t smell like anything, it’s probably no longer as potent, and you should get rid of it.

Note: The reason why this is called Creole and not Cajun is because I read recently that Creole food uses tomatoes, while Cajun food does not usually use them.  I am happy to be corrected if that’s incorrect, however, because I am always willing to learn!

Salisbury.Fake dessert, food

Chocolate Truffles

6 tablespoons butter (unsalted), cut into pieces
3 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2-1 cup more confectioner’s sugar

In a smallish, maybe medium saucepan, combine the butter, 3 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar, and cocoa powder.  Heat until the ingredients form a smooth batter.  Remove from heat, and add in the vanilla.  Stir in powdered sugar until a soft dough forms.  While the dough is still somewhat warm, pinch off teaspoon sized pieces and roll into balls.  Refrigerate until set.

You can play with the flavorings in these (mint, peanut butter, etc), but I’d suggest always adding a touch of vanilla to help bring out the chocolate flavor.

Salisbury.Fake baking, food

Whole Wheat Bread with Quinoa and Oats

2 1/4 teaspoons active yeast
3 tablespoons honey
1 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cooked quinoa (I mixed 1/4 cup red and 1/4 cup white)
1/2 cup oats soaked in 3/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Mix the yeast, honey, water, and salt.  Let the yeast proof for about 10 minutes until it looks foamy and creamy.  Add in the quinoa, oats (with the water), applesauce.  Mix in the wheat flour, and then add in the all purpose flour 1/2 a cup at a time.  The dough will be sticky and look wet like a quick bread dough, but that’s fine.  Let the dough rise in a covered bowl for about an hour, until doubled in size.  Once the dough is doubled in size, turn it onto a well floured surface and knead about 10 turns.  You don’t want to overwork this dough, even though it’s very dense.  Separate the dough into two equal pieces, and place into two greased bread pans.  Cover the pans loosely and let the dough rise for another hour.  In the last ten minutes or so of the rising time, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Bake for 25-30 minutes until bread sounds hollow when tapped.  Let bread cool completely before cutting.

Salisbury.Fake dessert

Chocolate Ice Cream

16 oz. whipping cream
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons cocoa powder

In a large bowl, whisk the cream till stiff peaks form.  I recommend using a mixer for this, as whisking by hand will hurt.  Fold in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until the ingredients are combined.  Begin to fold in the cocoa powder, but once no more loose powder is visible, whisk until the powder is distributed evenly throughout the cream mixture.  Folding the cocoa at first stops the powder from flying everywhere when you whisk again.  Make sure you only whisk until the powder is incorporated, as whisking further will cause the cream to become like butter.

Freeze in an airtight, freezer safe container at least four hours for soft-serve consistency, overnight for store-bought carton consistency.  Makes about a pint of ice cream.

Salisbury.Fake dinner, food

Pizza Dough

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2 teaspoons yeast (one packet of yeast, if you don’t have a jar of it)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 – 3 cups of flour

Proof the yeast with the sugar in the water.  You want it to be warm enough that when you stick your finger in it, it’s like very warm bath water.  It’ll take about ten minutes for the yeast to fully bloom.  Add the olive oil and salt, then start adding flour.  Start with one cup at first, and then add in half cup increments.  Stir until the dough forms a ball around your spoon, and the flour is incorporated.  Let the dough rise for about an hour until it’s doubled in volume.  Gently deflate and knead for a few minutes until the dough is somewhat elastic.  You don’t want to knead too much, like you would for regular bread.  Just a few minutes.  Shape dough into a ball and cut in half.  Makes two pizza crusts.  Bake (with toppings) at 375 F for 18-20 minutes.