Stacey's Favorite Books

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

There's this really cool book...

     There's this really cool book out right now called, Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton. We just got it here at the library and I just got my turn to look at it. It's a book full of photographs of New Yorkers with little stories attached to each one. The pictures tell the stories of New York and its people; of a big city and the life within.
   
 The book came out of the blog http://www.humansofnewyork.com/...
   
 Check it out and then come check out the book!

Happy New Year's Eve Everybody!

Monday, December 30, 2013

Book Trailer Monday....

     Here is a book that is on the New York Times Bestseller list. It had such an interesting title, I was intrigued...


Friday, December 20, 2013

From Our Recipe Box to Yours....

       Today, I asked Kate what special treats she was making or had made for Christmas and she said, Kringla. What? I'd never heard of this before. She said that it was Norwegian and that her husband's grandma gave her the recipe and it is one of her favorites!
     So, in honor of the holidays and trying new things, here's Kate's recipe for Kringla.

1 1/2 c. sugar                1 tsp. baking powder
1 stick margarine           1 tsp. soda
1 egg                            1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. buttermilk                2 tsp. vanilla
4 c. flour
 
Mix together well.  Refrigerate dough at least two hours, can be overnight.  Take a ball of dough the size of a walnut and on a floured board roll out to pencil size.  Make a figure 8 or a pretzel on the cookie sheet.  Bake@ 400 degrees for 12 minutes.  Remove from pan, dampen a paper towel and lightly swiping it on the tops of the kringla.  They stay softer with the water.



Enjoy!

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

A Book Trailer on Monday...

     This novel got turned in the other day with the recommendation....

     "I haven't read a book in years and I couldn't put this book down!! I couldn't help but cry at the end! It was amazing!"



 Check it out and see what you think...

Friday, December 13, 2013

From Our Recipe Box to Yours...

     I saw this recipe the other day when I was looking for new candy to make for Christmas and it looked particularly yummy and easy. What more could you ask for?

From, who else, but the Pioneer Woman! www.thepioneerwoman.com

Pretzel Turtles

Added by Ree on December 4, 2013 in CandyDesserts
Prep Time 
Cook Time 
Servings 24Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 24 whole Mini-pretzel Twists
  • 24 whole Individually Wrapped Caramel Squares, Unwrapped
  • 8 ounces, weight Good Quality Milk Chocolate, Melted
  • 24 whole Pecan Halves

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Place the pecan halves in a single layer on a baking sheet and put in the oven for 5 to 6 minutes, shaking the pan once halfway through, until they’re lightly toasted. Remove them after they’re toasted and put them on a plate to cool.
Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Arrange the pretzels neatly on the pan, then top each pretzel with an unwrapped caramel. Place the pan into the oven for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the caramels are softened (but definitely not melting.) Remove the pan from the oven.
Gently press a pecan half onto each caramel, just enough for the caramel to fill the pretzel. Set them aside to cool completely.
Meanwhile, melt the chocolate. When the pretzel/caramels are cooled, remove them from the baking sheet. Spoon small dollops (1 1/2 teaspoon helpings) of chocolate all over the baking mat, then lightly drop each pretzel onto the middle of each dollop, making sure they’re centered.
Allow them to cool completely before serving (you can hasten this along in the fridge.)
Variation: Spoon a little melted chocolate all over the tops of the turtles to cover the whole thing in chocolate.

Monday, December 9, 2013

Friday, December 6, 2013

From Our Recipe Box to Yours....

     Recently, I went out to dinner at Pete & Shorty's restaurant in Clarksville. I just got a hamburger, but it had the most amazing bun! It was a pretzel bun. Ever since I've wanted to recreate this and every recipe I look at just seems like it would take a lot of work and time. Last  night, I decided I should look and see if I could do it in the bread machine. Voila! Here are two different recipes that look pretty good and pretty easy all at the same time!:) Just what the doctor ordered....

Here's one I actually found on about.com

Soft Pretzels from the Bread Machine


Ingredients:

  • 1-1/2 cups water
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 Tbsp. firmly-packed light brown sugar
  • 3-1/2 cups flour
  • 2 tsp. active dry yeast
  • 2 quarts water
  • 1/3 cup baking soda
  • kosher salt

Preparation:

  1. Place the first five ingredients in your bread machine in the order specified by the manufacturer.

  2. Set the machine to the dough cycle.

  3. When cycle is complete, turn dough out onto a lightly-floured surface,
    and let it rest a few minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to
    475 degrees F. Get out two baking sheets, and place a rack over
    a third baking sheet.

  4. Divide dough into 12-14 equal pieces. Roll each piece out to a
    15-inch rope.

  5. Make a U with each rope, then cross the ends. Pick up the ends and twist,
    then fold up to make a pretzel shape. Pinch to seal. To see what this looks like,
    check out this step-by-step tutorial of how to make soft pretzels.
    Place the pretzels on the salted baking sheets.

  6. Place the 2 quarts of water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil.
    Add the baking soda, then reduce the heat to a simmer.

  7. Slide 2-3 pretzels at a time into the baking soda bath. Let them simmer
    about 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the pretzels.
    Transfer to the cooling rack. Sprinkle with kosher salt.

  8. When all of the pretzels have come out of the baking soda bath,
    transfer them to the salted baking sheets.

  9. Bake 8-12 minutes until golden brown.

Or this one from www.foodiewithfamily.com


Soft Pretzel Sandwich Rolls
Rating: 5
Yield: 12 Sandwich sized rolls.
Soft Pretzel Sandwich Rolls
Crusty, chewy, deep brown, salty Soft Pretzel Rolls are the ultimate in sandwich bread.
Ingredients
    Ingredients for dough:
  • 4 cups (1 pound 1 ounce, by weight) bread flour
  • 1 tablespoon non-diastatic malt powder (preferably) or sugar
  • 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • ½ cup hot tap water
  • 2 teaspoons SAF or instant yeast
  • Ingredients for pretzel boil:
  • 2 quarts water
  • 2 tablespoons baking soda
  • Ingredients for toppings:
  • 1 egg white, whisked until frothy
  • Coarse sea salt, kosher salt or pretzel salt
Instructions

To Make the Dough by Hand:

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, malt powder or sugar and yeast. Set the whisk aside and switch to a sturdy wooden spoon. Stir in the milk and tap water until a soft dough forms. Turn onto a generously floured surface and knead, adding small amounts of flour as needed to keep the dough from adhering to the counter. You do not want a firm dough… it should be fairly slack, a little tacky and soft, yet smooth. Place dough in a clean bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and set aside to rise in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in bulk and puffy, about an hour or so.
To Make the Dough by Stand Mixer:
In the work-bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, salt, malt powder or sugar and yeast. Mix on low just to combine dry ingredients. With mixer still on low, carefully pour in the milk and water. Continue mixing on low until you have a smooth, soft, slightly tacky dough. Remove bowl from the mixer, cover with a damp tea towel and set aside to rise in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in bulk and puffy, about an hour or so.
To Make the Dough by Bread Machine:
Add the milk, water, flour, malt powder or sugar, and yeast to the pan of your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select the “Dough” or “Dough Only” cycle and hit start. Allow the cycle to complete.
To Form Soft Pretzel Rolls:
Line a 11×13-inch baking sheet with a silicone or teflon pan liner. Alternatively, use an unglazed stoneware pan. Set next to your work area.
Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface. Use a bench knife to cut the dough into four pieces. Cut each of those quarters into 3 pieces. Working with one piece at a time, form the dough into a ball, then cup your hand around the outside of the ball and roll clockwise until the top of the roll is perfectly smooth and the dough is tensely stretched over the top.
Transfer the dough balls onto the lined baking sheet, three to a row. They will expand both as they rise and again as they boil and bake. When you have dealt with all the dough, cover the pan with a tea towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until puffy looking, about 20 minutes.
To Cook the Pretzels:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a stainless steel or other non-reactive pan (enameled cast-iron, tempered glass, etc…) When water boils, add the baking soda. Gently lift the pretzel rolls one at a time into the boiling water. (You can boil more than one at a time, but be sure not to crowd the the pan as they will expand as they boil. Let simmer for about 45 seconds, flip the pieces and simmer for another 45 seconds-1 minute.
Use a slotted spoon to drain and return each piece to its place on the pan. Continue until all rolls have been boiled and returned to the pan. They will look a little puckery and shriveled. Do not fear! This will all work out!
Brush all of the rolls with the frothy egg white and sprinkle with coarse salt. Use a sharp knife or lame to cut an x 1/8- to 1/4-inch deep.
Place pans in oven and bake at least until golden brown, about 25 minutes, but you can bake until they are deep brown as I prefer them, closer to 35 mintues. It’s up to you!
Remove the pans from the oven and transfer the rolls to a cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing and serving.

Notes
You can cut the dough into 24 equal sized pieces for slider sized rolls, if you prefer.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

How about a Book Trailer on Wednesday?

     I just got this book in my mailbox to read. I've heard great things about it and it looked like it would be amazing! So, I am going try it...How about you?