How To Make Bread Bowls

Hi again,

I was requested on my blog on the recipe on how to make a bread bowl. Here is a simple recipe that I used when make my white loaf of bread, which in turn can also be used to make my bread bowl. This recipe can make 2 loaves of bread or 4 small to medium sized (personalized) bread bowl. I must tell you that this is a long process and you must have a lot of patience. This process takes about 2.5 hours or more from preparation, mixing, rising and baking. Do plan a head when making bread and also follow these steps accordingly to ensure your bread will turn out great.

I will post the creamy chicken noodle soup in another blog post.

Enjoy and happy baking!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of warm water

1 pkg dry active yeast

1 tsp granulated sugar

7 cups of bread flour 

(EX: you can substitute this with 6 cups of white bread flour and 1 cup of wheat flour)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup softened unsalted butter

Directions:

1) Mix in 2 1/2 cups of warm water, yeast and sugar in a stand mixer and wait 5 minutes. Make sure the end results is foamy.

2) With a dough hook attachment on low speed (on a Kitchen Aid mixing stand #2), slowly mix in the bread flour and salt until well incorporated.

3) Knead the dough at medium speed #4 and add the softened butter. Knead for about 10 minutes.

4) After kneading, take out the dough and grease the same stand mixer bowl. Place dough back into the grease bowl and cover with a clean towel and place away from any drafts. Let rise for 1 hour.

5) After 1 hour, the dough should be double its size then punch down the dough to deflate it.

6) On a clean counter top, slightly knead the dough and form into a thick log then cut dough into 4. Roll the pieces of dough into a ball then pinch the bottom of the dough. Place the 4 dough balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, a few inches apart, cover with a clean towel and let rise for another 45 minutes.

7) After the rising process is over, cut a slit or two or an "X" on top of the bread, if you want. Apply an egg wash (1 egg mixed in with 1 tbsp of water) all over the bread to give it a nice shiny look and a nice outer crust.

8) Preheat oven first to 350 degrees F when the 45 minutes mark of rising is almost done. Then increase the temperature to 375 degrees F when baking the bread. Bake for 30 minutes.

Et voila! Allow to cool down before cutting. The bread bowl should have a nice shiny look, a nice outer crust and warm and soft inside.

Gingerbread Cheesecake Cups

Hi again,

Here's another treat that you can make for this Christmas or New Year's holiday, gingerbread cheesecake cups! I had an extra Betty Crocker gingerbread package and made some small round cookies as the base for the cheesecake cups. I forgot to take a picture of the cookies, but make sure that the cookies are small enough to fit in the bottom of the cupcake cups. If you don't want to make the gingerbread cookies, then you can probably find some gingerbread snaps/cookies at the store. It's pretty easy to make, but remember to make the gingerbread cookies first and allow to cool before pouring on the cheesecake filling. I also crumbled some gingerbread on top of the cheesecake to give it a special touch. Try these out for any of these festivities and I ensure your family and friends will love it!

Happy Holidays!

Cheesecake Filling

Ingredients:

2 pkg. ( 8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 cup Granulated Sugar

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 Eggs

12 Gingerbread Cookies

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer or stand mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating on low speed after each addition just until blended.

2) Place 1 cookie in bottom of each of 12 medium paper-lined cupcake cups. Fill evenly with batter.

3) Bake for 20 minutes or until centers are almost set. Immediately sprinkle on some gingerbread cookie crumbles while still hot, so that the crumbs can stick well onto the cheesecake. Let cool and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.

Chocolate Cookies with Candy Cane Kisses

Hi again,

Here's another special treat that you can use for a Christmas cookie exchange, which I'm using these for or for parties, chocolate cookies with candy cane kisses. This holiday you can find these candy cane Kisses at most stores. These almost reminds me of my previous recipe on peppermint bark. I have provided the recipe if you want to try this out for the holiday.

Happy Holidays!

Ingredients:

Candy Cane Kisses

Wet:

3/4 cups softened unsalted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

Dry:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa

1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1) Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Starting with the wet ingredients, Use a stand mixer or a handheld mixer, mix the softened butter with the sugar until creamy, then mix in the egg.

2) Add in the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa and salt) a little at a time, mix until well incorporated.

3) Place dough in the fridge for about 1 hour. Use a small cookie scoop or 1 tbsp of dough, form into a ball then slightly flatten with your clean hands or a bottom of a flat cup. Place flatten dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Make sure that they are about 2 inches apart.

4) Bake for 8-10 minutes. Once out of the oven, gently place 1 candy cane Kiss on the center of each cookie, but don't push too hard. Allow to cool on a cookie rack. Enjoy!

Gingerbread Men / Women

Hi again,

Yesterday I made some gingerbread men/women for some of my friends' children. Plus, I love eating gingerbread cookies and kept some extras for me, lol. I love the winter season...although I don't live anywhere with snow, but do love how gingerbread is most popular around this time. I've included the recipe to make royal icing. If you don't want to make it from scratch, grocery stores do sell the gingerbread dough and royal icing. You can find a variety of cookie cutters at Michaels, Jo Anns, Walmart, Target, etc.

Royal Icing Recipe

Ingredients

3 Egg Whites

4 cups of Confectioner Sugar

Food Coloring (optional)

Candy (optional)

Directions

1) In the bowl of a standing mixer with a whisk attachment, add the egg whites and beat on medium speed until frothy. Decrease the speed to low and slowly add the confectioner sugar. Increase the speed to medium high and whisk for about 2 to 3 minutes or until the icing is smooth, shiny and thick.

2) Place in a piping bag with a small round tip and decorate cookie.

Thanksgiving Day

Hi again,

Gooble! Gooble! Last Thursday, the United States celebrated Thanksgiving. I celebrated my Thanksgiving dinner with a smaller group of friends, which still made the day even more special. I made four individual cornish game hens rather than having turkey, due to the fact that many of us did not crave the turkey that much. We actually had lots of food; however, I did not take a picture of most of our dishes. We did have most of the norm such as garlic mash potato, candied yams, green bean casserole, sweet potato pie, apple pie, and more deliciousness. It was a great dinner with fun people.

Black Friday actually started real early this year and I didn't realize the time change to 10 pm Thursday evening. My first stop was Walmart, just because I wanted to get some household essentials and they were dirt cheap. At this particular Walmart, the people were definitely anxious and sad to say, greedy. In addition, at this location compared to others that I've shopped at on Black Friday was not organized at all. Luckily I was able to purchase what I wanted/needed and then some, lol. I did check out other stores along the way and at the end I was so tired. I wasn't as hype as the previous years, nonetheless still had fun.

What are you thankful for?

This year I am thankful for the love and support from our family and especially God's blessings that He has bestowed upon us. I look forward for the many opportunities that lies ahead.

Thanksgiving Pies

Hi again,

Woke up this bright and early morning to make a few pies, sweet potato and apple. They all turned out great and taste absolutely amazing. Of course I had to take a bite out of some of them just to test them out first. These pies are for tomorrow's Thanksgiving feast and these were the first dishes that had to be made first. I had extra filling and an extra pie crust so I just made a few individual sweet potato pies that turned out so cute and tasted delicious. I just used a mini butterfly cookie cutter and cut the center of the pie crust and also added slits on top. The second apple pie that is below, I just did an easy lattice style crust to give it a different look. The apple pie would taste great with a scoop of french vanilla ice cream, "oh yeah"! lol. Now onto prepping the bird, which will be posted tomorrow. Check out the pictures above and below.  Message me if you would like the recipe, thanks.

Sweet Potato Pie

Individual Sweet Potato Pies

Apple Pie

Dog Biscuits - Chicken and Sweet Potatoes

Hi again,

As we are nearing Thanksgiving, I decided to make some chicken and sweet potato dog biscuits for Bree and Hazel so that they can enjoy a Thanksgiving treat also. They both enjoyed eating the treat and begged for more. The dog biscuits are not as hard or crunchy as I would prefer, but nonetheless, they both think it's yummy. Try it out for your special dog or pup. Recipe provided below. Check out the pictures too.

Bree

Hazel

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of wheat flour

6 tbsp chicken broth

1/2 cup of apple sauce

1 cup diced cooked sweet potato

1/2 cup of oats

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F.

2) Cook the diced sweet potato in a pot.

3) In a large bowl, add wheat flour and oats, and mix together.

4) Add chicken broth, apple sauce, and sweet potato, and mix together until it forms into a dough like consistency.

5) Roll dough with a rolling pin on a flat hard surface at a 1/4 inch and use your favorite cookie cutters.

6) Bake on a cookie sheet with parchment paper for about 25-45 minutes, depending on your oven as well as your preference on how hard you would like the biscuits.

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup and Bread Bowl

Hi again,

As the weather gets colder, it's always nice to have a warm bowl of homemade creamy chicken noodle soup for lunch or dinner. I've never made a soup bread bowl before and took the challenge in making it as I have learned recently on how to make a variety of styles of bread. It took time to make the creamy chicken noodle soup from scratch as well as making and baking the bread, but was definitely well worth it. I basically used the recipe on how I make a loaf of bread, but instead of allowing it to rise or proof in a bread pan, I shaped the dough into a ball, pinched the bottom, and then allowed it to proof on a cookie sheet. The outcome was amazing and had a nice crusty crust and was also soft inside. I made my creamy chicken noodle soup a little bit thicker so that it can retain in the bread bowl. This dish is definitely a winner during those cold times, try it out sometime!

Stay warm always!

* Message me if you want the bread bowl recipe. 

Roasted Chicken and Potatoes

Hi again,

For dinner a few weeks ago, I decided to make some simple roasted chicken and potatoes. It was so delicious! I liked the end results with the crispiness of the skin and the how the inside was so moist and juicy. Fresh herbs would be better, unfortunately I only had dried herbs, which still brought out the amazing taste. Not much to say about it, but do try it. I have provided the recipe and directions if you want to make this for lunch or dinner. Bon appetit!

Ingredients:

6 Chicken Leg Pieces

6 Garlic Cloves, unpeeled

3 Large Potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces

Juice of one small Lemon

3 Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary

4 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme

1-2 carrots, chopped

3 Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

Directions:

1) Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.

2) In a large bowl, add the chicken pieces, lemon juice, fresh thyme, the two roughly chopped sprigs of rosemary, chopped carrots, 1 tbsp of EVOO and season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix everything together and let it marinade for a minimum of 20 minutes or up to  24 hours in the fridge.

3) In a large glass baking dish, add the cubed potatoes, remaining rosemary, garlic cloves (unpeeled), and 2 tbsp of EVOO. Season with salt and pepper to taste and toss the potatoes to ensure the oil is coating everything.

4) Arrange the chicken in the baking dish around the potatoes flat and bake for about 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.

5) You can squeeze out the garlic out of the skin as a paste to bring out more flavor with the potatoes and carrots afterwards.

Whoopie Pie

Hi again,

Whoopie pies is one of the next dessert faves at parties. They are basically two small round cakes sandwiched together with filling or frosting. I recently purchased a Wilton Whoopie Pie pan at Bed Bath and Beyond since it was on sale, because I tried making them exactly how a baker made them on youtube just using a piping bag and a cookie pan, unfortunately the cake did not formed properly. I made mine with devil's chocolate cake and buttercream frosting. To give it more texture and taste to the whoopie pies I made, I added some sprinkles in the frosting. Try it out for a party, they will definitely be a good hit at the dessert table.

Whoopie Pie Filling (Wilton)

6 tbsp Butter, softened

1 1/2 cups Confectioners' sugar, sifted

1/8 tsp Salt

1 jar Marshmallow creme (about 7 oz)

1 tsp Pure Vanilla extract

Pink food coloring (optional)

Directions:

1) In a large bowl, beat butter with electric mixer until creamy.

2) Add sugar and salt to the butter; mix well. Add marshmallow creme and vanilla extract; blend well. If desired, add food coloring. 

3) Use immediately to fill whoopie pies or refrigerate covered up to 1 week. Bring back to room temperature and lightly beat before using.

* Makes about 2 1/2 cups of filling, enough to fill 12 whoopie pies.

Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki Sauce, Grilled Veggies, Potatoes, and Rice (Greek)

Hi again,

I've been craving for some Greek food and I haven't found a good Greek restaurant nearby, so I decided to make some for dinner. I used to make this dish a lot, but didn't have my binder full of recipes since it was hidden in my many boxes from moving. This is not hard to make, especially the tzatziki sauce that tasted so good! Try some Greek food for lunch or dinner sometime. Even if you don't cook it, take a trip to a restaurant. I grilled some chicken kabobs, seasoned just like in the restaurant, grilled some onions and green peppers, because that's what I had in my fridge, seasoned and baked some potatoes, and made some rice that was obviously non Filipino style.

Homemade Thin Crust Pizza

Hi again,

I've been on a roll with blogging today, so here's another food blog. I have taken so many pictures of so many food and other things recently; however, I haven't had the chance to blog about it as the October blogs were very slim compared to other months. Hopefully I won't slack off this month, lol.

I made some homemade thin crust pizzas with my homemade pizza dough too. This was my first time making pizza and it was quite fun with the tossing and shaping of the dough. I made two pizzas, one was pepperoni and the other one was half veggies/turkey sausage and half cheese. They both had a butter garlic herb crust, which made the pizza taste extra delicious!

Sweet Potato Chili Steak Fries

Hi again,

Here's another great and delicious recipe that I made this week. This Fall season there are a plethora of sweet potatoes at the supermarket. You can make so many wonderful dishes, such as sweet potato pie, dog treats, steak fries, etc. I came upon a recipe and wanted to try it out as it is so simple and easy to make. I cut one large sweet potato into steak fries size, drizzled some EVOO, salt, black pepper, and chili powder, then placed them flat on a foiled cookie sheet pan. I baked it in the oven at 450 degrees F for about 30 minutes. It may differ on certain ovens. Et voila! They're tasty, sweet, and with a touch of spiciness. I had it with some grilled steak and garlic mash. Try it out!

Turtle Crumb Bars

Hi again,

From a previous recipe I've made a few months ago, I decided to recreate it using some other ingredients. I love chocolate Turtles and wanted to make some turtle crumb bars by using milk chocolate chips, caramel that I made previously (check out that blog), and some pecans. They turned out great, but in my opinion and taste buds, they were a bit too sweet for my liking. These turtle crumb bars would be great for parties, especially cut in smaller pieces. Try my other crumb bar recipe and substitute some of the ingredients to make these delicious turtle crumb bars.

Cupcakes

Hi again,

October is a month of birthday celebrations and recently some of my family members celebrated their birthdays. I decided to bake some butter pecan cupcakes with chocolate frosting and topped off with a few variety of sprinkles I had in my cupboard. It was definitely moist and the flavor was outstanding! For the sprinkles, I used small round sprinkles, white sugar pearls, and color candy coated chocolate chips. I'm not in no means of a professional decorator, but  I do try my best to make them all look nice, lol. Try out this flavored cake mix, if you can't make them from scratch, try out the Betty Crocker cake mix. 

One of the members was my baby girl Bree and she turned one years old. I don't have any kids at the moment, so Bree and the others are my babies. She loves treats, so I baked a few peanut butter and oats bone shaped dog cookies, which one side was dipped in melted carob. Also some cupcake dog cookies. Of course we had to share some with her friends at the park. There is a blog post with the peanut butter and oats dog cookies recipe just incase you would like to try it out.