Auntie Ann's Style soft pretzels

My family loves this recipe....

 They're great with cream cheese or melted cheddar cheese.....

 Sometimes we do cinnamon and sugar which is really yummy....and if we do that I make cream cheese icing with some cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla....

Soft Pretzel Recipe

1. Mix a package of yeast + 1 tsp of sugar with 1 &1/4 cups of warm water and let stand for 10 min.

2. In a large mixing bowl mix: 

~4 cups of flour (5th cup of flour if needed) 

~1/4 cup of sugar

~1 &1/2 tsp of kosher salt

3. Make a well in the center of the ingredients above and add:

~1 melted Tbs of butter

~Yeast mixture from the first step

4. Knead dough until smooth, spray a bowl with cooking spray and flip dough to coat, cover and let rise 1 hour.

5. Dissolve 1/2 cup of baking soda in 4 cups of hot water.

6. Punch down dough then shape dough into desired shape (I usually do bread stick style because they're quick and easy and they bake quicker)

7.  Once you've shaped all your dough dip each one into the baking soda bath then sprinkle with kosher salt OR cinnamon and sugar...

8.  Bake at 420 deg. for 8 min. after removing from the oven brush bread with melted butter

Cut sugar cookie recipe

 Doodlebug and I were eating popsicles on the hammock Sunday and he started talking about "those yummy cookies we cut with those silver things...."

 Mighty has no idea what she's missing yet!  She was entertained by emptying out the cabinets....

 And he actually did a really great job helping...we haven't done this for awhile...funny to see how he's growing up by the difference in how he "helps"

 Of course you have to make powdered sugar icing to go on them...and in COLORS!

 So intent....but he did say "Mom--I'm having a great time!"

This recipe is SOOO good.  Usually sugar cookies that are cut are a little bland...not these!  They are soo tasty!

Sugar Cookies

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 cup butter

2 eggs

6 Tblsp. milk

2 tsp vanilla

4 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Cream together butter and sugars; add eggs, milk, and vanilla.  Beat well.  Sift dry ingredients; add to butter mixture beating well until blended.  CHILL in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.  Roll then cut with cookie cutters.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12minutes.  Yields approx 5 doz. cookies

Buttermilk biscuits

Love this recipe for buttermilk biscuits...

1/2 cup of butter cut into cubes (freeze for 15 min)

2 1/2 cups flour (sifted 2x's)

1 Tbls Baking Powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup + 2 Tbls of buttermilk

OR

1 cup +1 Tbls of milk + 1 Tbls of vinegar

1 Tbls melted butter to brush on top

1. Stir dry ingredients

2.  Cut in butter with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse meal--you want little bits of butter this is what makes the steam pockets in the dough and makes the biscuits nice and flaky!

3. Stir in buttermilk just until dough forms

4. Knead 3-4 turns on lightly floured suface

5.  Press into a rectangle and cut biscuits with a circle cutter
6.  Brush with melted butter and bake at 475 for 10 min or until golden brown on top

 I think there are two tricks to good biscuits.  The first is to freeze the butter for 15 minutes before mixing it, and the second is to only mix the dough enough to get it mixed.  

Don't overwork it.  I've used buttermilk and I've also used milk with vinegar.  I think both work great.  And I've also found that if you cut them and get them right in oven they turn out better.  If I let them sit too long they end up flat and hard...

Mighty cried through this baking lesson too....bless her heart....

Homemade Cinnamon Bread

One of my favorite childhood memories is my mom's homemade cinnamon bread...

  I was telling Doodlebug the other day that I can remember coming in from playing in the snow to drink hot chocolate and eat fresh baked bread -----

My sister in law over at Red Barn Revival gives us fresh eggs...if you've never used them to bake or cook with before you need to find somewhere to buy fresh eggs!!!!

So of course at the mention of the homemade bread my husband says "uuuuummmmm that sure sounds good...." *translated* "why don't you make us some!"  

Today I decided to try making it....I don't think I've ever made it  before.  I've done cinnamon rolls and we even did some sticky buns at Christmas time.....

 So here we are making bread....Mighty cried through the whole first part of this...maybe if she could EAT the bread she would've enjoyed the making part a little more.....

 Here's Doodlebug "helping"

and then letting it raise

 Soooo worth the wait and work!!!  The kitchen smells wonderful and it actually turned out really tasty! 

I think next time I'll divide the recipe and make two smaller loaves.  And definitely MORE cinnamon and sugar than it called for!!!