Chewy Pretzel Bites with Gruyere Cheese Dipping Sauce

In the mood for light snack that will have you going back for more, and more, and more?? These are it. I have made these multiple times, most recently for our superbowl party. Everyone was diving in and fighting for the last bites...okay so I was fighting for the last bites. Not to mention the cheesy, delicious flavor that the gruyere cheese sauce adds. I was basically drenching each and every bite in the creamy sauce right before it hit my tongue! I am 100% addicted to these salty, chewy morsels. I hope I can get you addicted, too!

Chewy Pretzel Bites with Gruyere Cheese Dipping Sauce (recipe below)

Printable Version

2 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast

1 cup (8 ounces) very warm water

1/2 cup (4 ounces) warm water

2 tablespoons baking soda

Coarse salt (optional)

3 tablespoons butter, melted

In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, place the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Mix to just combine. Add the water and mix well, adding more flour, as needed, a bit at a time to form a soft, smooth dough that clears the sides and bottom of the bowl. Knead the dough, by hand or machine, for about 5 minutes, until you get a really soft dough that isn’t overly sticky. Lightly flour the dough and place it in a plastic bag (like a zip-top gallon size bag); close the bag, leaving room for the dough to expand, and let it rest for 30 minutes or up to 60 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 500°F. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or lightly greasing them.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into about four pieces of equal size, and roll into snakes about 1-1.5 inches thick. Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes. While the dough is resting, combine the 1/2 cup warm water and the baking soda in a liquid measuring cup (deep enough to dip the pretzel bites into). Lightly stir up the mixture right before adding each pretzel.

Cut each strip of dough into about 6-8 pieces, about 1 inch in width. Dip each pretzel bite in the baking soda solution (this will give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color), and place them on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them lightly with coarse, kosher, or pretzel salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Bake the pretzels for 7-8 minutes or until they’re golden brown. Bake one sheet at a time – it won’t hurt the other pretzels to chill out for a little longer.

Remove the pretzels from the oven, and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter. Eat the pretzels warm, or reheat them in an oven or microwave on low heat.

Recipe from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Makes about 40 bites

Gruyere Cheese Dipping Sauce

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup grated gruyere cheese

kosher salt, to taste

fresh ground pepper, to taste

Melt butter in small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add flour and whisk, cooking for one minute. Then, gradually whisk in 1 1/2 cups milk.

Increase heat to high; bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until mixture is thickened, stirring constantly, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and add cheese, stir until melted.

Season with salt and pepper.

Recipe adapted from Food.com

Makes about 1 1/2 cups dipping sauce

Arugula Parmesan Salad (our go to side dish)

Everyone, I mean everyone, I make this for asks for the recipe. Isn’t that just the best feeling when you know you made something that will soon appear on your friend’s table for dinner? Okay, it is the best feeling to me, anyway. This is so quick, delicious, and tastes like you spent forever making this special side dish. Best thing is, it whips up in about 45 seconds! Yee-haw! I looooove that.

Arugula Parmesan Salad (our go to side dish)

Printable Version

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel

4 cups (packed) baby arugula

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes(if desired)

Mix first 4 ingredients vigorously with a whisk. Season dressing with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl. Cover; chill up to 3 days. Combine arugula and tomatoes in large bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat.

Recipe from Epicurious.com

Serves 4 as a side dish

Artisan Bread

Guess who’s back? Yep, I have been gone a long, much too long, time. We welcomed our new little guy, Meyers, into the world in November, and my life has been a whirlwind! The 20 month old twins have been running circles around me as I cuddle and care for Meyers, so my husband has been in the kitchen A LOT. Thank heavens for him. Honestly he comes home from a long day at work and just jumps right into wrestling the boys, cooking, and rocking the little man to sleep.

I’ve slipped a few meals in here and there, and I’m excited to share a ton of new recipes with you! Starting with this artisan bread. Holy. Easy. Now that what I like to hear at this stage of my life. The instruction may LOOK difficult, but really its just some tips and tricks. This bread literally requires mixing once, and forgetting about it! It looks so very impressive on the dinner table, and tastes even better. We dipped in soup, ate it as our bread for sandwiches, and snacked until every last morsel was gone. It’s on my menu again this week-and I should give both loaves away to prevent consuming all of it on my own:)

Artisan Bread

Printable Version

1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast

1 tablespoon salt

6 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting dough

In a large bowl mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm water. Stir in flour, mixing until there are no dry patches. The dough will be kind of stickey-don’t worry! Cover lightly with a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise at room temperature 2 hours (or up to 5 hours).

Bake at this point or refrigerate, covered in an airtight container, for as long as two weeks. When ready to bake, cut in half with serrated knife to make 2 loaves. Turn the dough in your hands to lightly stretch the surface, creating a rounded top and a lumpy bottom. Put the dough on a piece of parchment paper set on a pizza peel or a rimmed baking sheet turned upside down. Let the dough rest for 40 minutes for room temperature dough; if you have used the dough out of the refrigerator, let it rest for 1 1/2 hours. Repeat with remaining dough or refrigerate it.

Place a broiler pan on the bottom rack of the oven. (BROILER pan...this is important. I learned my lesson the hard way-hot glass pan+water (that will be added in a later step) = shattered glass. Everywhere. It was not fun...but my bread still turned out great!) Place a baking stone on the middle rack and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat the stone at that temperature for 20 minutes before baking.

After the dough has rested and is ready to bake, dust the dough lightly with flour, slash the top with serrated or very sharp knife three times. Slide the dough (with the parchment paper) onto the baking stone. Pour one cup of hot water into the broiler pan and shut the oven quickly to trap the steam. Bake the bread until well browned, about 24-28 minutes. Cool completely.

Some Notes from the original recipe: If you don't have a baking stone, try turning a rimmed baking sheet upside down and heating it in the 450 degree oven for 10 minutes prior to baking. When ready to bake, slide the parchment paper with the dough on it directly onto the overturned baking sheet and bake according to the recipe. You can also stretch the rounded dough into an oval and place in a greased loaf pan. Let it rise for 40 minutes if fresh (add an extra hour if the dough has been refrigerated). Bake in the loaf pan in the 450 degree oven, watching the time carefully - check after 20-22 minutes.

Makes 2 large loaves of bread

Recipe from Mel at melskitchencafe.com

Cream Cheese Wontons with Avocado Dipping Sauce

Usually, when it is just my husband and I for dinner, I make a main dish and one side. I invited a couple people over the other night, and I felt like I needed another component to our meal. I looked in my fridge, and decided this was the perfect, quick side. I am sooo happy that I made these! It totally jazzed up our meal, and these wontons made my dinner way more impressive. The Avocado Sauce is outstanding, I could barely keep myself from covering every side of my wonton with it!

Cream Cheese Wontons with Avocado Dipping Sauce

Printable Version

Avocado Dipping Sauce

1 avocado, peeled and seeded

1/2 cup low fat sour cream

1 Tbsp. (or to taste) lime juice

Zest from 1 limes

Salt, to taste

Place avocado, sour cream, lime juice and zest in the work bowl of a food processor and blend until very smooth. Adding salt, to taste.

Sweet Cream Cheese Fried Wontons

1 egg

1 (8 ounce) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

15-20 wonton wrappers

1 cup water

oil (for frying)

Heat oil in a small pot, about 1 inch deep.

Meanwhile, beat egg, then mix with cream cheese and 1/2 cup of sugar.

Spoon about 1 Tbs. of mixture into center of wonton wrapper.

Moisten the edges of the wrapper with water and fold into whatever shape you desire, making sure to seal the edges so the cream cheese mixture doesn't escape during frying.

Drop into hot oil and brown both sides, this is a really quick process so watch them closely.

Serve with Avocado dipping sauce, above.

Wonton recipe from food.com

Sauce recipe from avocadocentral.com

Serves 4-5 as a side dish

Homemade Bread

Alright, here I am admitting that I have honestly never, ever, made wonderful white bread. I have made great rolls, great pizza dough, but NEVER great bread. I don’t know what it has been, but I do know that it has always been a struggle for me. My luck, my skills, something has changed...and I’m pretty stinking sure that it wasn’t me, but this recipe! Every bite of this bread has been divine. From the second out of the oven that I consumed at least 3 slices, to my lunch today that made one of the best grilled cheese’s I have ever eaten in my life. It is a big, fluffy loaf with the most delectable moist center. Perfect plain, as toast, dipped in soup, or used as sandwich bread...I have done all of these methods in the last 2 days and I would do them all again in a heartbeat!

Homemade Bread

Printable Version

2 cups warm water

2 1/2 tsp yeast

1/2 TB sugar

1/4 cup melted butter

1 TB salt

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup evaporated milk

5-7 cups flour, white or wheat (can use more if needed)

1 TB shortening

1 TB butter (to top bread)

Place the yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Pour the warm water (not too hot) over the yeast mixture and let it sit for 15-20 minutes, or until nice and bubbly.

Combine melted butter, sugar, evaporated milk and salt into a large mixing bowl. When your yeast mixture is ready add them together and mix.

If you are using a stand mixer put on your bread hook and then pour in 3 cups of flour. If not you can stir/knead it as well. Then add in 1 cup of flour at a time and mix. When you get to 5 cups of flour in the bowl, add in 1/2 cup more of flour at a time until the dough is no longer sticking to the sides. You'll know it's ready when your fingers no longer stick to the dough.

Then cover the ball of dough and sides of the bowl with shortening and cover the bowl with a warm towel. Set by the window and allow it it rise (approx 1.5 hours). When it has risen over the bowl punch it down and place on a floured service.

Knead the dough for 2-3 minutes.

Cut dough into two pieces and roll them out into a rectangle. Roll the dough up and place into 2 greased bread pans.

Let the bread rise again, and when it looks like a good loaf of bread place them in the oven at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. When the bread is done, coat the top with butter and remove onto a cooling rack.

Enjoy!

Recipe from iheartnaptime.net

Makes 2 loaves

Lemon Dijon Quinoa Salad

Quinoa has been a staple in my house for a long time. Not only do we use it for dinner at least two times a week, but I ALWAYS make extra so I can use it for other meals. Warmed with milk in the morning makes the perfect cereal, or adding a delicious dressing and fresh veggies turns your lunch into something special. I was planning on having a friend over for lunch, and I knew I wanted to serve a quinoa salad as a side dish to our meal. This recipe popped off the page, and I am sooo happy that I made it! Really, my friend raved after each and every bite. AND, I can’t even believe this, but my PICKEY 18 month-old son loved. every. bite. You will too!

Lemon Dijon Quinoa Salad

Printable Version

Salad

1 cup quinoa, cooked

1/2 15 oz. can garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)

1 c. cherry tomatoes cut in half

2 avocados diced

2 C. spinach

1 bunch cilantro

1/4 onion

2 small cloves garlic

Dressing

Juice of 2 lemons

zest of 1 lemon

2 tsp. dijon mustard

2 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. honey

1/2 tsp. cumin

dash of salt and pepper

In a food processor, add your spinach, cilantro, onion, and garlic and process until they are finely diced. You can do this by hand as well if you don’t have a food processor.

Add the mixture to a large mixing bowl. Next add your chickpeas, avocados, tomatoes, and quinoa and stir until everything is combined and coated.

Make your dressing by whisking all the ingredients together. Pour over salad, and mix until combined. Set in fridge for about 10-15 minutes before serving so the flavors set.

Recipe from thediva-dish.com

Makes about 4 cups salad

Bacon and Brussel Sprout Salad

You are not alone...brussel Sprouts scare everyone. Even when I told my very own mom about this recipe she sounded skeptical! She told me that she has never had a brussel sprout that she liked, and I told her that she hasn’t’ had mine! I have two recipes, one quick, one that takes a little more time, that I urge you to make if you are scared of this delicious veggie! These Roasted Brussel Sprouts give a deep, garlic flavor, while this Steamed Brussel Sprouts recipe is light and fresh. While this recipe has raw brussel sprouts, it is totally different than cooked. It almost tastes like a cabbage salad...BUT it has bacon and Parmesan!!! That makes it right up my husbands ally, and it’s just how I drew him in to eat this healthy side dish:) You and your family will love it, too...give it a shot.

Bacon and Brussel Sprout Salad

Printable Version

1 lemon

1 orange

1 shallot, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper

6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled or chopped

1 dozen brussel sprouts

1/2 cup almonds

1 cup grated Pecorino-Romano cheese

Cook and crumble the bacon.

Squeeze the juice of the lemon and orange into a large bowl with the shallots. Pour the oil into the bowl in a steady stream, whisking to form an emulsion (it should appear more creamy and less transparent). Season generously with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Cut off stems to brussel sprouts, peeling off the 4 outer leaves.  Using a mandoline or sharp knife, shave the brussel sprouts into thin slices to make a shredded/slaw texture. Rinse and dry to be sure they are clean.

Place the almonds in a food processor and pulse until chopped coarsely. Add ¾ of the almonds, cheese, and bacon to the shredded brussel sprouts; toss to combine. When ready to serve, toss with the dressing and sprinkle remaining almonds, cheese, and bacon over the top.

Serves 3 as a side dish

Recipe from pinchofyum.com

Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

We love to purchase the sweet rolls from our local grocery store. They are perfect for sliders or simply as a sweet addition to most meals. Last week I was making roast, and I wanted to whip up a few homemade rolls as a side. I found this recipe and decided it would be a perfect pair to a deep flavored stew dish. Boy was I right! These were a perfect addition for the roast, and not to mention I snacked on these for the following day(s)!

Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

Printable Version

1 ½ c. pineapple juice

4 ½ tsp. active dry yeast

2/3 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. butter, at room temperature, plus extra for brushing rolls

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs

5-6 c. bread flour

1 tsp. salt

In a small saucepan, heat pineapple juice over medium-low temperature until juice reaches about 105 F.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, stir together yeast and 2 tablespoons of sugar.

Once the pineapple juice is at temperature, add to the bowl. Stir, and let the yeast mixture stand for 5-10 minutes, or until foamy.

Once the yeast is foamy, add the remaining sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and eggs; stir to combine.

Switch from the paddle attachment to the dough hook, and add 3 cups of flour and salt. Stir on low.

Continue adding flour 1/2 cup at a time until dough clears the sides of the bowl. The dough will feel slightly sticky.

Once the dough comes together and clears the sides, continue to knead for about 1 minute. Then cover bowl with plastic wrap, and let it rise until dough has doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Shape dough into rolls. If you would like smaller, dinner-sized rolls, shape into 24 rolls. If you would like larger, bun-sized rolls, shape into 12-18 rolls depending on desired size, then cover rolls with plastic wrap, and let rolls rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

Toward the end of the second rise, preheat oven to 350 F, bake rolls for about 20 minutes (for dinner-sized rolls), or until rolls are golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately brush rolls with butter.

Makes 24 dinner size rolls

Recipe from ihearteating.com

Sweet Mango Slaw

Okay, really. I make slaws quite often because my husband is always smoking meat, and it seems to be a great topping and/or side dish to his delicious creation. This has been BY FAR my favorite creation yet! I usually try to spice up my slaws, but the meat my hubby made had quite a bit of kick, so I wanted to counteract it with sweet and tang. I could eat the entire bowl plain!!! But it was also the perfect topping for his brisket sandwiches. We also have eaten this on top of chicken sandwiches and burgers...give it a shot on your next BBQ’d meal!

Sweet Mango Slaw

Printable Version

Slaw

6 oz broccoli slaw

1 1/2 c. fresh diced mango

1 avocado, dliced

Dressing

1/3 c. rice vinegar

1/4 c. honey

1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. sesame seeds

2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

1 lime, juiced (About 2 Tbs. juice)

In a large bowl, toss together the broccoli slaw, mango and avocado.

In a medium size bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.

Gently stir the dressing into the salad and refrigerate until ready to serve. Do not add the avocado earlier than 30 minutes prior to serving or it will brown!

Recipe adapted from favfamilyrecipes.com

Serves as a topping for about 6 sandwiches

Broccoli Summer Salad

How many get togethers will you go to this summer and bring the same old side dish? Boring green salad, jello, and baked beans are always on my list. However, I always WANT to bring the show stopper. Well, I just found it! My sister in-law sent me this recipe and honestly, I have made it 3 times this month! It is so refreshing and filling as well. I will admit, women seem to be drawn to it a little more than men, but even my husband tried it and liked it! Feel free to add some grilled chicken to make this a main dish rather than a side.

Broccoli Summer Salad

Printable Version

1 large broccoli crown

4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese

7 ounces chick peas or garbanzo beans

20 cherry tomatoes

¼ head purple cabbage

½ avocado

5-8 ounces creamy balsamic dressing (I used Brianna’s)

Dice all ingredients into smaller than bite-size pieces, and combine in a large bowl. Toss together and chill. Prior to serving, add avocado and add desired amount of dressing.

Recipe from Sheridan

Serves 6-8 as a side dish

Easy Foccacia Bread

I have made this recipe twice in two weeks! Really this is such a quick, easy, delicious bread recipe. I know we should have eaten it with an italian meal, but we haven’t done that either time! We even used this bread as the buns for our burgers yesterday! It is just so easy and when I didn’t have anything on hand for burgers this was the first thing that came to mind. O yummy I think I’ll go grab the leftovers now!

Easy Foccacia Bread

Printable Version

1 ½ cups warm water

1 tsp sugar

2 tsp dry yeast

4 cups flour

2 tsp kosher salt

¼ cup olive oil

Focaccia Topping

2 tbsp olive oil, divided

¼ tsp coarse salt

1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

For the focaccia bread, in the bowl of an electric mixer, dissolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle dry yeast over and let stand until yeast dissolves, about 10 minutes. Add flour, salt and ¼ cup olive oil. Turn mixer on low and when the dough starts to come together, increase speed to medium and mix until dough is smooth and elastic about 8 minutes. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and form dough into a ball. Oil a large bowl add dough turning to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Coat two 9-inch round pans with a little olive oil. Punch dough down, divide in two and using your fingertips, press the dough into each of the prepared pans. Cover with a cloth and let dough rise 20 minutes more. Drizzle each pan of dough evenly with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Use a pastry brush to spread it. Sprinkle with salt and rosemary. Press fingertips all over dough, forming indentations. Bake 17 minutes or until golden. Remove from pans and cool on a wire rack.

Recipe from http://bitememore.wordpress.com

Serves 6

Frog Eye Salad

We have officially started barbeque-ing again! This rings in the summer season of get-togethers. I’m always asked to bring something, and this is a classic, isn't it? I swear this is at every party with more than 15 people! It is a wonderful go-to recipe, and I have to admit, THIS recipe is one of the best that I have had. It has a couple extra ingredients that I have not seen in other Frog Eye Salad recipes...that must be what makes it so yummy!

Frog Eye Salad

Printable Version

1 C. sugar

2 Tbsp. flour

1 3/4 C. pineapple juice(from tidbits below)

2 eggs

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Salt if desired (1 tsp.)

3 quarts of water

1 - 16 oz. acini de pepe pasta

3 cans mandarin oranges

2 cans pineapple tidbits

1 can crushed pineapple

1 carton cool whip (9 oz), partially thawed

1 C. miniature marshmallows

1 C. coconut (optional)

Drain 2 cans of pineapple tidbits to make 1 3/4 C. juice.  Combine sugar and flour and salt in a sauce pan.  Slowly beat in the two eggs, then gradually stir in the pineapple juice.  Cook over moderate heat until thickened.  Add lemon juice. Cool to room temperature.  

Meanwhile, bring water to boil and add acini de pepe.  Cook at rolling boil until done and drain

pasta.  Rinse with cold water and drain again.  Cool to room temperature.  

Combine egg mixture and pasta and refrigerate overnight in airtight container.  

Drain mandarin oranges and crushed pineapple and add to pasta. Mix in cool whip, marshmallows, and coconut, if desired. Refrigerate until chilled.

Serves 30

Recipe from Wendy