Potato, Sausage, and Cheese Bread

Here's post number two! I had some ingredients (namely the cheese) that I wanted to use up, and thought that this wonderful bread recipe I found at Sweet Road (!!!) would be perfect. And it was! Although I changed the filling and some of the measurements, the bread turned out oh-so-soft on the inside and had just the right amount of crunch to the crust.

Ingredients:

1. 1 1/2 cups warm water (should not feel cold or warm to touch -- basically it is "body temperature")

2. 1 1/2 tbs. dry yeast

3. 2 tbs. sugar (or honey)

4. 4 cups all-purpose flour (divided into 2 portions)

5. 1.5 tsp salt

6. 2 1/2 tbs. butter, softened

7. Filling: Cheese, 4 bulbs of green onion, sausage, pepper and salt (I used lemon-pepper seasoning), 1 potato cut into half-inch cubes.

8. 1 egg yolk

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water (stir to get rid of clumps, if any) until foamy or murky. 

2. Stir in sugar.

3. Stir in 2 cups of flour and let sit for 45 minutes.

4. Fold in salt, butter, and the other 2 cups of flour. 

   
*My dough was still pretty sticky and un-kneadable at this point. Add tablespoons of flour as necessary. However, even when I was done adding flour, the dough was not perfectly smooth and not-sticky. As a test to see if you're done, if you have dough stuck on your hands, the dough should form little balls and fall off of your hands when you rub them together.

5. Knead dough for 8-10 minutes on a lightly floured surface.

6. Put dough into mixing bowl or container and cover with a paper towel. Let rise for at least 1 hour.

*If your room/house is chilly, turning on the oven and leaving the door open with the bowl nearby can help the dough rise. Or, letting the dough rise for a longer time might help.

7. Punch down risen dough and roll out into a rectangular shape. The thickness, width, and length will determine what your bread will look like and how large it will be.

8. Preheat oven to 400F.

9. Let rectangle sit for 20 minutes while you cut your sausage, cheese (I used extra sharp cheddar), green onion, and boil your potatoes (I like my potatoes on the soft side so I boiled them for a bit longer).

10. Sprinkle filling down the center of the rectangle.

11. Cut strips in the dough surround the filling. Season with pepper, salt, minced garlic, etc. as desired.

12. Overlap the strips, tucking the ends under each other.

13. Brush top of bread with egg yolk and sprinkle with pepper (I used lemon-pepper seasoning).

14. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool for at least 10-15 minutes on baking tray after removing from oven, before transferring to plate, cooling rack, or cutting + serving. 

Enjoy!

Ellie

Panda Cookies

To make up for last week's missing post, I've decided to make two this weekend! These panda cookies follow a basic, vanilla refrigerator cookie recipe which can be modified to make different shapes / flavors (such as Pinwheels). Experiment as you please! :)

 

Vanilla Refrigerator Cookies

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups flour

2.  3/4 cups (1.5 sticks) butter, softened at room temperature

3. 1 cup sugar

4. 2.5 tsp. vanilla

5. 1 egg

6. 1 tsp. baking powder

7. 1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Cream butter and sugar until smooth and creamy.

2. Add egg and vanilla, beat into wet mixture.

3. In a separate bowl, sift flour, salt, baking powder.

4. Mix dry mixture into wet mixture in two portions.

5. Split dough in half. Roll each half into a rectangle (how thick your rectangle is depends on how long you want your log to be) on plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Wrap dough-log with the plastic wrap / aluminum foil. 

6. Chill logs in refrigerator for at least 15-30 minutes (or until dough is firm).

7. Preheat oven to 375F.

8. Take out logs from refrigerator. Using a sharp knife, cut logs into 1/4" thick slices.

8. Place cookies on un-greased baking sheets (you can line the sheets with parchment paper if you wish).

9. Bake for ~8 minutes. Let cookies cool for 2 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Panda Cookies

Ingredients:

1. Same as for Vanilla Refrigerator Cookie

2. 1/2 oz. (1/2 square) semisweet chocolate
3. Black sesame seeds
4. 1 tbs. confectioner's sugar

5. 1/4 tsp. milk

Directions for Panda Cookies:

1. Steps 1-4 same as for Vanilla Refrigerator Cookie.

2. Split dough into 5/6 and 1/6 portions. Set the 5/6 portion aside. 

3. Melt 1/2 oz. (1/2 square) of semisweet chocolate in microwave (about 20 seconds) and pour over 1/6 portion of dough. Incorporate chocolate into dough through mixing or rolling with hands.

4. Separate the 1/6 chocolate dough into 4 piles and roll into thin logs (for ears, eyes).

5. Roll the 5/6 portion into a log.
6. Cut two slits lengthwise along the top of the 5/6 portion log where you want eyes to be located. Optional: cut a slit down the center on the bottom of the log to give form to the panda's face.

7. Widen the eye-slits and place the chocolate logs into them, then close and seal with vanilla dough.

8. Add ears using other two chocolate logs.

9. Bake cookies at 375F for approximately 8 minutes.

10. When cooled, mix confectioner's sugar with milk to make glaze. Using a chopstick, dab a bit of glaze into the center of the chocolate eye, then add a sesame seed on top of the glaze. Using some glaze, secure a sesame seed for the nose.

Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies.

Enjoy!

Ellie

Egg Sandwich

So, this week was pretty tough. A mountain of assignments and projects apparently made their way onto my desk overnight and deemed it an extremely comfortable place to reside. I'm taking a break right now from dealing with the last of them. And what better way to use this study break than to post about delicious, mouth-watering food? Just because life is hectic and there is no longer any time to shower, does not mean you have to eat poorly! Take this delicious Egg Sandwich, for example.

Ingredients:

1. 2 slices of sandwich bread, any kind

2. 2-3 eggs

3. 2 bulbs of green onion, chopped

4. Butter (preferably at room temperature)

5. Chinese "cooked dried pork" or "cooked dried fish"

Directions:

1. In a bowl, crack eggs and add chopped green onion. Beat eggs + onion mixture until frothy. 

2. Heat small skillet on medium-low. Add 1/3 tbs. vegetable oil, or use spray-on cooking oil.

3. Pour egg mixture into pan. Let cook until golden brown on side touching the pan (after the egg has formed a "pancake" type shape, move egg "pancake" around to prevent sticking and to check underside). Flip egg and brown other side.

4. When done, set egg aside.

5. Butter slices of bread, on both sides or just one side of each slice.

6. Place slice(s) of bread into pan, butter-side down. Let toast for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown; flip slice(s) of bread and repeat on other side.

7. Assemble sandwich. Add Chinese "cooked dried pork" or other condiments as desired!

I have to say, the golden, crispy, buttery bread definitely seals the deal on this recipe. Feel free to make the egg any way you want!

Bon Appétit! 
Ellie

Beyond Ramen

Today is a joyous day! Not only is this my first blog post, but I also recently replaced my camera after it broke three or four months ago. Now I'll be able to take + upload photos of my food for you guys!

To celebrate, let's start with the forever delicious and time-saving dish, instant ramen noodles! But, as the title of this blog suggests, even if you're in a rush to get food on the table or just want a quick snack, there's no reason why you have to eat plain old instant ramen. Here is how:

Ingredients:

1. ~3 cups water

2. 2 green onion (chopped)

3. 1 egg

4. 1 bulb baby bok choy (leaves separated and washed)

5. 1 tsp. sesame oil

 

Directions:

1. Boil water on high heat (chop and wash vegetables while waiting!) in small pot

2. Add ramen noodles. Turn heat to medium or medium-high

3. Once noodles soften a bit, crack egg into empty space in pot, next to noodles

    Tip: If you're prone to getting egg shell into your cracked eggs, crack the egg in a separate bowl before adding it to the ramen. If you get egg shell into the bowl, dab your finger in water and then attempt to remove the shell. You'll easily "catch" it!

4. Use a fork or spoon to gently fold egg whites around and over the yolk. Slide fork or spoon gently under egg to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot

5. Add washed bok choy and chopped green onion

6. Add ramen seasoning packet (half, or all of it) and "oil" packet (half)

7. When egg is done to your liking (maybe 8-10 minutes), remove pot from heat, add sesame oil, and transfer to your favorite bowl for eating!

Variations:

Dry Ramen: Follow steps 1-5 above. When done, remove from heat, drain, and set aside. Then, using 1 tbp. vegetable oil, saute diced yellow onion (however much you want) in a pan with sliced/cubed meat (of your choice) on medium-high heat. When meat is done, add noodles (leave egg to the side). Add ramen seasoning packets and stir on medium-heat for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate/bowl and add egg. *Add Sriracha Sauce or Sacha Sauce if desired. *Or try adding lemongrass while boiling noodles, and a squeeze of lemon when done. 1 tsp. sugar, 1 tsp. minced garlic with that combination could be good as well.

Happy experimenting!

Ellie