Heidi’s Peanut Butter Bars

Cream together:
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
1 c. butter, softened (2 cubes)

Add:
2 eggs
1 c. peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix and add to the rest:
2 c. flour
2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt

Last, add & mix all up:
2 c. oats

Press mixture in cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes (until golden brown). Let cool. Spread peanut butter (warmed in microwave) on it. Cool again and spread chocolate frosting on top.

Frosting:
¼ c. cocoa
2-3 c. powdered sugar
¼ c. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ c. evaporated or whole milk (evap. makes it more smooth)

Tip: cut bars while still warm—much easier than afterward.

Salt

1 TBS of Table Salt = 2 TBS of Kosher Salt (Diamond Crystal brand)

Kosher salt is not used in baking normally due to the fact that it does not dissolve as well unless there is ample liquid to facilitate it.


Another conversion I found:

1 teaspoon table salt = 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons table salt = 3 teaspoons kosher salt

Grilled Pigs

Another version of pigs in a blanket (as always, I used this roll recipe).

If I do this again I'll grill the hot dogs slightly first and then wind the bread around. Oh, and I'm a fan of all-beef hot dogs.

Pizza Quesadillas

The perfect pizza dough has been eluding me. I think the worst thing is when I don't prebake the crust long enough. If the pizza isn't crispy, it's just blah, especially when I'm sneaking whole wheat flour in it. I thought these pizza quesadillas up the other day and the kids loved them. I used this tortilla recipe and filled the tortillas with pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni pieces and Italian seasoning (in some).

Skillet Bread

This bread is a dream come true! It smells like cornbread and tastes like a mix between cornbread and biscuit. Start to finish takes 20 minutes. The first time I made it we devoured it very quickly (hence, I forgot to take a picture of it untouched) and I decided this is my new favorite recipe. The second time I made it with 50% whole wheat flour and it was just not as exciting. If you use salted butter and use 4 TB it's a bit on the salty side around the edges. Mmmm.

You can throw in flavor additions like a handful of cheddar cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, etc.

Before I got an oven-proof skillet, I used an 8x8 pan.

August 2019 great results in a smoker! Used my skillet and melted 4 TB butter in it while the smoker heated up to 400 degrees. For the batter, I used 3 c flour, 1 1/2 TB baking powder, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 2 1/4 c milk, generous handful of shredded cheese, and then dumped in some of our garlic bread seasoning. It needed the whole 20 min to bake. Perfect crispy bottom. Yum.

My Favorite Whole Grain Bread

In the past, I've been pretty content just having a decent whole wheat bread recipe and my trusty white roll recipe. But lately I've felt a little more adventurous and have been kneading up different recipes by hand instead of with my mixer--feeling the therapeutic power of kneading. I also bought some rye, ground it up and added that to a country loaf I learned at Heidi's neighborhood bread class. So, though I still like my recipe binders relatively simple, I keep finding bread recipes I want to try--and I'm learning a few tricks and getting a better feel for how much flour and kneading the dough needs. For instance, did you know that it's okay to put less yeast in your bread and let it just rise for a longer time--then you get less yeast taste and a different texture? And bread still rises in the fridge--just at a slower rate.

At the bread class, we did the country loaf I mentioned (and I don't think she has it on her site, so I will post a simplified version here after making it on my own one more time) and this whole grain sandwich bread. When I brought home the whole grain bread I tried a slice, liked the flavor a lot, and then forgot about it in my fridge for a day or two (because we enjoyed the country loaf that night with dinner). When I remembered the whole grain bread I got it out and it was still moist and dense and yum (this is a big deal for homemade wheat bread!). So, I've found a favorite whole grain bread, though it isn't 100% whole wheat.

Try it out. I let it raise a little longer in the pans and my cooking time is a little less than she states. You can find molasses at a whole foods store for less than at the grocery store.

Here are some others I want to try. It looks like this would be another great alternative (like the popovers) when you don't have a lot of time to spare before dinnertime: skillet bread. And I'll have to try this sometime because I've loved a similar rosemary foccacia at my favorite Italian restaurant. Heidi also has tons of sweet breads that look heavenly. Her orange rolls are next on my list to try.

Pretzels

These are always fun to make. When I made a batch last week I froze them individually to throw in my kids' lunches in the place of chips or store-bought pretzels. They were made with half whole wheat flour and the kids really liked them. I just brush olive oil and sprinkle regular salt on them before baking. They're best right out of the oven, but my kids don't mind them later on when they've lost their perfectly crisp bottom.

Oh, I also only do 16 pretzels, not 18, on 2 cookie sheets.