Cheese & Onion Pasty/Cornish Pies

"The traditional Cornish recipe uses a cheese such as Double Gloucester or English Cheddar, but I have made some very tasty varieties using Stilton, Feta, Bleu Cheese, and even Havarti."

Ingredients
3 sheets ( I use frozen, but homemade is fine if you are a purist)
3/4 ounce unsalted butter
3 medium onions, finely chopped
3/4 lb double Gloucester cheese or 3/4 lb cheddar cheese, grated
6 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Directions
Thaw the pastry.
If using homemade, put your dough in the refrigerator to chill.
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Melt the butter in a frying pan on a low heat.
Mix in the onions and cook them until they are just beginning to soften.
Mix them with the cheese and parsley.
Roll out the pastry and cut out 6 rounds, each about 6 inches in diameter.
Put a quarter of the cheese mixture on one half of each one.
Fold over the other side and crimp the edges together.
Lay the pasties on a floured baking sheet and brush them with milk or beaten egg.
Bake them for 30 minutes and serve hot.

Pecan-Topped Pumpkin Bread

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (about 15 ounces)
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup egg substitute
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 large eggs
2/3 cup water
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
Cooking spray
1/3 cup chopped pecans

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 6 ingredients (through allspice) in a bowl.
Place sugar, egg substitute, oil, buttermilk, and eggs in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until well blended. Add 2/3 cup water and pumpkin, beating at low speed until blended. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, beating at low speed just until combined. Spoon batter into 2 (9 x 5-inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle pecans evenly over batter. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

You can also make these low GI by using Gluten free flour and I sub'd 1 cup of sugar substitute with 1 cup reg sugar and used apple sauce instead of oil.

Home hash browns quick

Fast hash browns using your own potatoes not frozen

For two

1 large potato grated, rinse and shake dry (you can leave the skins on if you want)

salt and pepper to taste

small 2-inch onion (omit if you don't like onion) chopped

In a medium microwavable bowl add the grated, rinsed potato with about 2 tbsp water and the salt and pepper, toss to coat the potatoes. Microwave for about 2 1/2 minute, the potatoes will not be completely done and you will be able to still toss them with a fork. If you over cook you will have mush so watch this closely. You want them just par cooked.

While the potatoes are cooking in the microwave get a skillet out and place on stove and turn burner on getting the pan good and hot. Add about 2 tbsp oil to the pan add onion and cook till translucent.

When the potatoes are par cooked drain the water off of them if there is any. Pour potatoes into the hot pan with the onions. Spread around in the pan so that as much surface of the potatoes are touching the hot pan and cook for about 3 minutes without turning. After 3 minutes toss potatoes around in pan with a spatula and cook for additional 3 minutes, keep doing this until the potatoes are as crisp as you like.... While all this is going on cook your sausage/bacon and then your eggs. All should be ready at the same time because the potatoes will only take about 6 minutes in the fry pan. I actually put my sausage in the oven at 375 when I put the potatoes in the microwave so I have one less thing on the stove top to worry about.

These are so good and crispy....and cost hardly anything to make.

My crazy dreams

Do you dream of things that when you wake you have the need or compulsion to recreate?  It is so weird but I always have, and generally I am not able to recreate these things, although I feel the need to give it my best shot.  I can not just let it go as just another nightmare.  I have to rummage through all my art supplies and figure out how to recreate that crazy thing I seen in my dream....  Here are some examples but believe me these are the least crazy of them all!

I call the one below, Nose in the News....lol  

Pretzel Rolls

Above are the ones I made with the original recipe.  Below is a picture of the ones on the Food Pusher site.

Update:  New recipe found at Food Pushers
Ingredients:
2 ½ – 3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten (optional)
2 ¼ tsp instant yeast
1 Tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
3 Tbsp butter, softened
1 cup water (110-120 degrees)
2 Tbsp room temperature milk
4 quarts water (for boiling)
½ cup baking soda
additional butter (optional)
Kosher or pretzel salt to taste
Directions:
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix the flour, salt, brown sugar and yeast. Mix in 1 cup water, milk and butter until a dough ball forms, and then kneed on medium low for another minute.


The dough should form a slightly tacky, but firm ball. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, knead again for about 8-10 minutes. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise for one hour.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bring the 4 quarts of water to a boil. When the water is boiling, slowly add the baking soda.
Remove the dough from the bowl onto a floured surface and gently degas it. Cut dough into twelve relatively equal pieces. Form into balls and set on a lightly floured piece of wax paper.
Drop balls three or four at a time into the baking soda bath for 30-60 seconds, turning once to guarantee both sides covered. Drain the excess water from the dough and place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough balls.
Sprinkle the kosher salt over the bread to your specific tastes, and use a sharp knife to cut a small incision on the top of the bread so the dough has somewhere to expand.
Cook the bread for 18-22 minutes, or until deep pretzel brown, rotating the baking sheet once. Brush with melted butter, if desired. Remove to a cooling rack to cool.
These freeze really well, and are a great little snack. Just pop one in the microwave for 30 seconds on 50% power, and it's soft and warm.

The old recipe below:
The Dough
7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups milk, slightly warmed
1 cup water, slightly warmed

Coarse sea salt for sprinkling

The "Bath"
7 cups water
1 tablespoon salt
4 tablespoons baking soda

In a small container, mix yeast with warmed milk and let rest for 10 minutes.Whisk flour and teaspoon of salt in a large bowl.

Add canola oil and warmed water to yeast mixture. Pour mixture into bowl with flour. Knead in the bowl until dough is very smooth. Cover the bowl with a dish towel and let rise for one hour.

Punch down dough and knead in bowl for one minute. Cut dough into 15 pieces. Form balls by pulling the dough under. Place on a well-greased surface. Let the dough balls rise for 15 minutes.

While the dough balls are rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and get the pretzel "bath" ready. In a large pot, bring water, salt, and baking soda to a rolling boil. Plunge three dough balls into the water and let them "poach" for 1 minute on each side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer them to a well-greased baking sheet. With a serrated knife, cut 2-3 lines across each roll and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until pretzels are a rich brown. These are best eaten the same day they are made.