Eat In Recipe: Pretzel-Crusted Caramel Peach Crisp

I think peaches are the ultimate summer fruit.  I grew up with peach trees in my backyard and love a good, fresh peach.  That’s why I couldn’t resist the intoxicating smell of ripe peaches that wafted through the grocery store on a recent visit.  I hadn’t planned to buy peaches, but with that heavenly, ripe scent in the air, I found myself with a bag of ripe peaches in hand.  Yum!

I could have easily made milkshakes or eaten them straight, but I opted to look in my pantry and combine whatever ingredients sounded good into my own, unique creation.  This time it was caramel & pretzels with the peaches combining into this new Pretzel-Crusted Caramel Peach Crisp!

I baked three small crisps in ramekins, but this recipe would be enough for a 8x8 or 9x9 pan, too.  The pretzel crust had a chewy texture that reminded me of oats, but with an occasional crunchy bite.  It was slightly salty with a buttery, pretzel flavor.  The whole dessert was quite rich and caramel-y.  It would be fantastic paired with vanilla ice cream or a drizzle of half-and-half (both of which I regretfully didn’t have on hand for this impromptu dessert).

Pretzel-Crusted Caramel Peach Crisp
Crust & Topping:
3/4 c. butter, softened
3 T. brown sugar
2 1/2 c. crushed pretzels

Caramel Sauce:
20 caramels, unwrapped
1/4 c. milk

Peach Filling:
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg (optional)
6 large peaches, peeled, pitted, & sliced
1 tsp. lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease ramekins or 8x8 pan. 
2. In a medium bowl, use a mixer or handheld pastry blender to mix together ingredients for crust & topping (butter, 3 T. brown sugar, & crushed pretzels).  Press two-thirds of the mixture into bottom of pan(s), reserving remaining mixture for later.  Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then remove.
3. Meanwhile, put caramels and milk in a microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup.  Microwave on high at 30-second intervals, stirring at the end of each interval until melted and combined (mine took 90 seconds).
4. Mix together 3/4 c. sugar, 1/2 c. brown sugar, 1/3 c. flour, & spices for peach filling in large bowl.  Stir in peaches and lemon juice. 
5. Spread half of caramel sauce evenly over pretzel crust.  Then spread peach filling over caramel.  Top peaches with remaining caramel sauce, evenly spread.  Sprinkle reserved pretzel mixture on top of caramel sauce. 
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Average Fork Rating:  4
Mrs. Diner:  4

Eat Out Review: Romano’s Macaroni Grill

In the Provo-Orem area, there are three big Italian chain restaurants (Olive Garden, Macaroni Grill, & Carrabba’s) and the many smaller local Italian restaurants and mini-chains (Gloria’s, La Dolce Vita, The Italian Place, etc.).  Most people have their favorite.  Of the “big three”, I tend to favor Carrabba’s, but overall, my favorite thus far is Gloria’s Little Italy.  That being said, we were given some gift cards for Macaroni Grill and went there for dinner. 

It had been years since we had been there, but we were shocked that on a Friday night at 6:30 pm the place was practically deserted!  On one hand, it’s a rare treat in our area to go at prime date-night dining time and be seated immediately, but on the other hand, it sure doesn’t signify popularity. 

Our server was helpful and polite, although she seemed to be reciting a memorized and rehearsed line every time she spoke.  We started by ordering the Mediterranean Olives plate ($3), but had to ask for it several times before it arrived after our salads.  I’m a firm believer that if you order an appetizer at the same time as your drinks, it should come out well before your entrée and even before salads or soups.  C’mon people, it’s an appetizer!  The olives were unimpressive.

We received the traditional Rosemary Bread with herbs and olive oil for dipping (we actually got two loaves since the olives were also served with a loaf).  We loved the bread and were thrilled to have an extra loaf to take home.  There’s just something about tearing pieces of bread off and dipping them in herbed oil that makes me happy!  However, we couldn’t get away from comparing both the olives and olive oil to our amazing experience at Walt Disney World’s Kouzzina:  our favorite olives & olive oil from a restaurant ev-er.

I ordered a Bibb & Blue side salad, which ended up being huge.  It seriously could have been a meal for me.  It was fantastic with bibb lettuce leaves, crisp pancetta, walnuts, pickled red onions, blue cheese shavings, & buttermilk dressing.  The pancetta was crisp and delicious and the pickled onions were perfect…so much milder & sweeter than plain raw onions.  I loved this salad except for the fact that the lettuce leaves were whole and huge, so I had to cut the whole thing up, which ended being quite messy.  But I still ate the entire thing. 

For entrees, we had the rare occurrence of both of us ordering the same thing.  I know, unexciting, but we were both in the mood for the same thing:  Grilled Shrimp Spiedini, grilled shrimp on skewers served with roasted peppers, zucchini, & red onions, fingerling potatoes, & lemon oil.  Unfortunately, we were both very disappointed with the dish.  The shrimp seemed old.  They were fishy, tough, and over-cooked…yuck.  The roasted vegetables were overdone, as well, to the point of being limp and overly soft.  The lemon oil was almost bitter.  The potatoes were the best part of the plate and were nicely roasted with a coating of parmesan cheese. 

To end the meal, I ordered a Lemon Passion dessert to take home and enjoy later.  The Lemon Passion is a citrus cake with lemon curd and whipped cream.  It is a very moist cake that reminds me of a tres leches cake.  The “lemon curd” is more like a lemon mousse topping and the whipped cream is very soft.  I’ve had this dessert in the past and enjoyed it more than this time.  Perhaps it was because they packaged it in a to-go box, but it seemed to be a very small portion that looked like very little care had been taken to assemble it.   

Since we spent some time walking around the Riverwoods shopping area, the restaurant was kind enough to hold our desserts and leftovers for us.  Overall, though, we were quite disappointed in this visit to Macaroni Grill.  Perhaps many other diners are, as well, and that is the reason for the scarce number of people at the restaurant.  I don’t think we’ll be back.  If you happen to go, be sure to order the Bibb & Blue salad, though.

Entrée Price:  $$
Average Fork Rating:  2.5
Mr. Diner:  2
Mrs. Diner:  3 (the salad & bread were the only things redeeming it from being a 2)

Eat In Recipe: Chocolate Malt Cupcakes

When I think of chocolate malt, I automatically think of two things:  my dad and Thrifty’s Drugstore.  My dad loves chocolate malts and I can remember him pulling the malt powder out of the cupboard on many an occasion.  Why Thrifty’s Drugstore?  If you have to ask, you didn’t grow up with their cylindrical scoops of Chocolate Malted Crunch, did you?  Mmmm….that ice cream flavor still haunts me to this day because I’m convinced no other ice cream company makes anything like it.

If you love chocolate malt or even if you just love chocolate cupcakes, you’ve got to try this fabulous recipe I discovered on That Winsome Girl:  Chocolate Malt Cupcakes.  It uses a lot of malt powder and a lot of cocoa powder, but produces a fantastic cupcake.  And the frosting?  To. Die. For.  Seriously, I could eat the frosting alone by the bowlful.  It’s a whipped, light frosting with a perfect chocolate-malt flavor, but though it’s light, it’s fairly stiff and pipes like a dream.  Together with the cupcake, it’s a match made in heaven (unless you ask Amazing Diner, who thought it was too chocolaty).

Chocolate Malt Cupcakes adapted from That Winsome Girl
For the cupcakes:
2¼ c. flour
¾ c. unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
½ c. sugar
¾ c. packed brown sugar
1½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 c. whole milk
1½ c. malted milk powder
1 c. vegetable oil
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 c. plain Greek yogurt, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the buttercream:
1 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 c. vegetable shortening, at room temperature
½ c. malted milk powder
4 T. unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
5 c. confectioner sugar

*Chocolate Covered Malt Balls to garnish (Optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.
2. Whisk together flour, cocoa, both sugars, baking soda and salt.
3. In another bowl, whisk together milk and malted milk powder until powder is dissolved.
4. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat flour mixture, milk mixture and oil until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add sour cream and vanilla, and beat just until combined.
5. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each halfway. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 18-20 minutes.
6. While cupcakes are cooling, prepare frosting. In a large mixer bowl, whip the butter and shorting for several minutes until very light and fluffy. Sprinkle in malted milk powder and cocoa powder. Whip for 1 minute. Slowly add the powdered sugar a few spoonful at a time, letting it incorporate until the frosting becomes thick and stiff.
7. Fill bag with the frosting and pipe large swirls on top of cupcakes. Top with candies.

Makes approximately 30 cupcakes.

Notes:  The original recipe calls for sour cream, but I used Greek yogurt and it substituted perfectly.  If you’re new to Dutch-processed cocoa powder, The Prepared Pantry is a great source that frequently has theirs on sale.  Mel’s Kitchen Café also has a fantastic post about cocoa powders.

Average Fork Rating:  4.2
Mr. Diner:  5
Mrs. Diner:  4
Amazing Diner:  3
Sweet Diner:  4
Little Diner:  5

Giveaway: Glee Make Your Own Candy Kit

Are you looking for more summer activities to keep your kids occupied?  The Glee Gum company has three different candy-making kits that you can use:  Chocolate, Gummies, & Chewing Gum.  They sent a package of their Make Your Own Gummies Kit to us.  Sweet Diner was especially excited to try it out…she loves “projects.” 

The Gummies Kit uses seaweed as a natural gelling agent, actually two kinds:  a powdered seaweed and a whole piece of dried seaweed that you soak.  My kids thought the idea of using seaweed in the gummy candies was disgusting until we talked about how many things we use already contain seaweed.  It was quite the educational experience, and the kit comes with an explanation of why and how seaweed is used.

The process of making the gummies is fairly simple. It involves heating & stirring, pouring the mixture into molds, and coating with a sour powder.  The most challenging part is the molds.  The kit comes with molding starch which you use to make impressions that you use as molds.  We found various objects and toys to use around the house, but only the most basic shapes (circles, hearts, stars) with virtually no detail worked for us.  Even those were difficult to get good, clean impressions to use because the starch stuck to the objects.  It would be much easier to use candy molds or shaped ice cube trays.

One thing I loved about the kit is that the candy was ready quickly.  After pouring, we only had to put it in the fridge for ten minutes before it was set.  The gummies were a sweet cherry flavor that we thought needed the sour coating to balance the flavor.  Overall, the flavor was good.  The kit makes quite a few gummy candies, but they should be eaten fairly quickly.  We had some that were left out overnight that were weepy the next day.

I thought the kit was a fun experience that also gave us some interesting things to talk about.  You can buy these candy making kits from Glee Gum’s online store, Amazon, or find a store near you with their locator.  Kits retail for about $13.95 each.  Through July 31, 2012, you can get 15% off everything in their online store when you use the code FRIENDS in the upper left corner of the order page before shopping. 

Glee Gum wants to send one of you a free Make Your Own Candy Kit (choose from Gummies or Chewing Gum). 

To Enter: Answer the Rafflecopter question of which kit you would like to get. See the Rafflecopter form to enter and for details on additional entries.

Giveaway Closes: 12:01 am EST on Monday, July 30th, 2012. Winner will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to respond. You must be at least 18 years old and have a US address.  Good luck!

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Giveaway: Carousel Gumball Machine

I think my kids have been through three gumball machines in the past three years.  It seems like they keep earning or winning these cheap, plastic gumball machines from school or parties.  They love them, but the gumballs get hard almost as soon as you start chewing them and the machines are really poorly made.  But that’s not the case with Carousel Gumball Machines. 

Gumball.com sent us a Junior Carousel Gumball Machine with gumball refills for us to try out.  Carousel makes awesome red metal gumball machines with real glass globe tops…the kind that make you feel nostalgic.  I love seeing it filled with gumballs and sitting on my counter. 

The Junior size is perfect for most households…12” high and 6” wide.  It holds up to two pounds of gumballs and will also dispense other small candies and nuts (up to 0.62” in diameter).  You can set it to accept any coin or set it to “free spin” (doesn’t require a coin to use).  You can also adjust the number of gumballs that are dispensed with each turn of the handle.  Unfortunately, to adjust these settings, you have to disassemble your machine, so it’s not easy.  But it is nice to have options.

The gumballs are also better-tasting than most and don’t get hard as quickly as the other refills we’ve purchased. 

Gumball.com sells all kinds of gumball machines, other vending machines, machine parts, and gumball & candy refills.  I love that you can buy gumballs based on color, flavor, & size, too.  It makes it easy to find what you’re looking for.  In addition to sales, Gumball.com also has helpful information on their site like videos on how to change the settings on your machine or how to replace the glass globe if yours accidentally gets broken.

Gumball.com is offering a Junior Carousel Gumball Machine with Refill Box ($46.98 value) for a reader to win!  And a bonus contest for gumball-lovers, you can also head over to Gumball.com to enter to win free gumballs for life!

To Enter: Follow Gumball.com on Facebook.  Additional entries are available.  See the Rafflecopter form for details and to enter.

Giveaway Closes: 12:01 am EST on Monday, Aug. 6th, 2012. Winner will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to respond. You must be at least 18 years old and have a US address.  Good luck!

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Gumball.com provided free products for review and giveaway; however, all opinions are our own honest review.

Cache Valley Cheese Melt Mobile & Gift Pack Giveaway

Anyone craving grilled cheese?  The Cache Valley Cheese Melt Mobile is making its way around Utah this summer with free grilled cheese samples, coupons, & other goodies.  In addition to sharing tasty cheese across the state, the Melt Mobile is also trying to raise awareness of hunger.  In fact, one of the Melt Mobile’s first stops this summer was at the Utah Food Bank. 

While you’re out and about in the next few days, drop by and snack on a grilled cheese courtesy of the Melt Mobile.  They’ll make the following stops this weekend:

Thursday
12 pm Dan's Foothill, 1360 S. Foothill Drive, Salt Lake City
3 pm Dick's Centerville, 84 W. Parrish Lane, Centerville

Friday
2 pm Harmons, 7th Street, Midvale
5 pm (at the start of the 4th inning) Spring Mobile Park for SLC Bees game

Saturday
10 am Gardner Village Farmer's Market, 1100 W. 7800 South, West Jordan
2 pm Harmons District, 11453 S. Parkway Plaza, South Jordan
5 pm Harmons Brickyard, 3270 S. 1300 East, SLC

Find out more about Cache Valley Cheese, the Melt Mobile, and their upcoming stops through September on the Cache Valley Cheese Facebook page.

And a bonus for Rate the Plate Utah readers:  Cache Valley Cheese has provided a prize pack for one reader to win!  It includes a T-shirt, apron, cookbook, & free and high value coupons for Cache Valley products! 

To Enter: Answer the question in the Rafflecopter form.  Additional entries are available for leaving a blog post comment of your favorite cheese and subscribing to Rate the Plate Utah via email, RSS, and/or Google Friend Connect.

Giveaway Closes: 12:01 am EST on Monday, July 23, 2012. Winner will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to respond. You must be at least 18 years old and have a US address.  Good luck!

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Cache Valley Cheese provided a complimentary prize pack in exchange for this post and for the giveaway.  All opinions and review are our own.

Eat Out Boise Review: Ling & Louie’s Asian Bar & Grill

I generally make it a point not to go to restaurants that are a strange combination of ethnic foods.  For example, on a road trip, I spied a restaurant along the side of the road that claimed to be a Mexican-Chinese restaurant.  Huh?  Nope, didn’t stop there to find out more…just kept driving.  I also don’t like ethnic restaurants that serve generic American dishes alongside their cultural cuisine.  There’s just too much going on…stick to one thing and do it well.

But rules are meant to be broken, right?  And that’s just what we did on our recent trip to Boise, although not intentionally.  We left our hotel to drive to dinner at a nearby restaurant.  On the way, we spotted Ling & Louie’s Asian Bar & Grill.  Mr. Diner, knowing my love for Asian foods said, “I’m surprised you didn’t want to go there.”  I replied that I didn’t think he was in the mood for Asian that night.  He responded by turning the car into the parking lot and we went into Ling & Louie’s.

We fully expected a completely Asian restaurant…maybe a little Asian Fusion.  We didn’t know that Ling & Louie’s serves up both Asian entrees and comfort food favorites.  Yep, meatloaf served up at the same table as Kung Pao Chicken.  I thought it was an odd concept, but I’m sure there are a lot of families who appreciate being able to go to one restaurant and be able to satisfy multiple family member’s tastes.  The “comfort favorites,” also called “Louie’s Favorites” on the menu, actually feature a smaller selection of items than the Asian menu.  Louie’s Favorites include sliders, meatloaf, ribs, etc., but they still have Asian flavors to them with ingredients like soy sauce, hoisin, & wasabi in their sauces and marinades.

We were welcomed by a friendly hostess and seated immediately.  Our server had several recommendations and also encouraged us to customized our dishes (i.e., adding additional or specific vegetables, mixing sauces to make it more or less spicy).  I was quite impressed by her and grateful that we got such a good server on our first visit.  Entrees are served with your choice of jasmine or brown rice.  You can also upgrade to fried rice for $1.95 extra, which Mr. Diner did.

Mr. Diner knew he was getting something with beef the moment the server said, “All the beef in our beef dishes is filet mignon.”  Yep, he was impressed.  He ordered the Evil Jungle Princess Beef ($13.95); according to their menu, this is the dish that made them “famous.”  It had ultra-tender marinated pieces of filet mignon with crisp green beans, mushrooms, carrots, bean sprouts, and other vegetables served with a peanut-red curry sauce.  The meat lived up to our expectations, being tender and juicy with great flavors that complimented the beef.  Vegetables that should have been tender were tender, and those that should have been soft were soft.  The Evil Jungle Princess sauce is spicy, but good.  Great dish!

I ordered the Firecracker Chicken with Broccoli ($10.95), but added some honey sauce from the Honey Walnut Chicken to tone down the spiciness at the suggestion of our server.  The chicken was battered & fried, but the batter was crisp and dry with still-moist chicken lurking inside.  I loved it!  The broccoli was tender and accompanied by green onions and the spicy red chili sauce (tempered, in my case).  I loved that it was accompanied by a slice of lime.  I think limes are my favorite citrus fruit!

Our kids were excited by the kids bento boxes and each picked out their own four choices to go in each section of their plate.  Basically one section holds a green vegetable, one a starch, one a fruit or carrots, & the last holds the entrée.  Kids Bento Boxes are $5.95 for kids under 12, but on Sundays kids eat free.  Ling & Louie’s also gives out fun & fabulous chopstick helpers for kids (and others) who need them.  They’re easy to use and kids love using chopsticks the frustration!

Our kids stuck with chicken or beef teriyaki with broccoli, butter noodles, & fruit or applesauce on the side.  They especially loved their teriyaki.  I snuck a bite, and it was saucy and tender, too!

We enjoyed our experience at Ling & Louie’s and would go back.  There are a lot of bad reviews of this place, but that wasn’t our experience at all

In addition to their Kids Eat Free on Sundays special, they also have lunch specials for $7.95 from 11-4 pm daily, and a senior special (those 60 years & older can get buy 1 get 1 50% off M-Th, 3-5 pm).  A gluten-free menu is available, as well as take-out and catering menus. 

Entrée Price:  $$
Average Fork Rating:  3.8
Mr. Diner:  4
Mrs. Diner:  4
Amazing Diner:  4 
Sweet Diner:  3

UPDATED Eat Out Review: Thai Evergreen

If you’ve been to the Orem Wal-Mart very often, you’ve probably spotted this little Thai spot in the strip mall across the street.  It’s been there for a long time, but this was my very first visit to Thai Evergreen.

When we arrived (my mother, myself, & Little Diner), I noticed three things immediately:  1) The place was sparsely decorated, but had bright blue walls, 2) The place was empty except for the couple who own the place and their toddler (and they were working away at the back table); and 3)There was a really odd, bad smell that we couldn’t place.  The first thing didn’t bother me…there are a lot of great “hole-in-the-wall” places that aren’t well-decorated.  But the second two things made me want to turn around and go back out the door we came in, but we didn’t. 

Thai Evergreen has a variety of dishes on the menu including curries, noodles, soups, and their own homemade ice creams.  Since we were there at lunchtime, we decided to try out the lunch specials.  They have three lunch choices for $7.50 each ($7.99 if you want to include a drink).  Each is served with white rice, two dumplings, and two entrees (Massaman Chicken Curry & Cashew Chicken/Teriyaki Chicken & Orange Chicken/Garlic Chicken & Beef Pepper Steak).  We ordered the first two lunch specials.

Our food arrived in a timely manner with friendly service.  The dumplings were average, but the entrees were very good.  All the food arrived hot and seemed very fresh with lots of vegetables that were prepared perfectly.  The Cashew Chicken had a lot of red & green bell peppers, pineapple, cilantro, and onions with an average amount of cashews.  The Massaman Chicken Curry (one of my favorite Thai dishes) had a wonderful creamy-coconutty flavor with nice chunks of chicken, potatoes, & carrots. 

The Orange Chicken had a fabulous fresh orange-tasting sauce with crispy fried pieces of chicken and little orange segments.  The Teriyaki Chicken had a lot of vegetables including broccoli, onions, & carrots in a sweet sauce. 

As we sat enjoying our food, we were grateful that three or four tables of people were seated which made our dining experience a little more comfortable.  Some of the diners seemed like regulars while others were first-timers like us.  There was also a person who stopped by to pick up take-out, which I think is probably the way to go with Thai Evergreen.  The food was very good, but the atmosphere was not one we enjoyed…mostly because of the odd smell.  It could be that the smell was a one-time thing, but I still think I’d tend to get take-out here instead.

Update (7/8/2012): The kids and I got takeout from Thai Evergreen. Phoning in the order was really easy and they said it would be ready in 10 minutes. We live close, so we hopped in the car & headed there and it was ready when we got there. Quick! I am happy to report that I didn’t notice the strange smell that bothered us on our first visit. New dishes we tried this time: Spring Rolls (filled with fresh vegetables & mint with a spicy pepper dipping sauce), Pad Thai (typical flavors, but done well), & Crispy Sweet & Sour Chicken (breading on the chicken was still crispy with a quite sweet sauce and lots of vegetables including red & green bell peppers, cucumber, celery, tomato, pineapple, cilantro, & green onion). The kids gobbled it up; Amazing & Sweet Diners loved the Sweet & Sour Chicken while Little Diner ate about 100 helpings of Pad Thai. They were begging to get takeout there again the next week.

Entrée Price:  $
Average Fork Rating:  3.6
Mrs. Diner:  4
Amazing Diner:  4
Sweet Diner:  4
Little Diner:  3
Guest Diner:  3

Ratings updated 7/8/2012.

Eat In Recipe: Homemade Soft Pretzels

I don’t know why, but I’ve been intimidated by making pretzels.  Ever since we ate pretzel breadsticks at Walt Disney World’s Le Cellier restaurant in Epcot, I’ve been wanting to make them at home.  Soft, buttery and slightly salty, warm pretzels. Yum. 

I ran into this recipe that looked both fantastic and doable, so I went for it.  I wanted to make it into breadsticks, but didn’t have a pot to boil them in that would be wide enough for long breadsticks, so I made regular pretzels instead and they turned out soft, buttery and slightly salt…just like I wanted.  I served them up at my recent book club meeting and they were a hit (along with delicious apple butter). 

Homemade Soft Pretzels adapted from Annie’s Eats
For the dough:
1½ c. warm water
1 T. sugar
2 tsp. kosher salt
2¼ tsp. instant yeast
4 1/2 c. flour
4 T. unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil

For finishing:
Cooking spray
10 c. water
2/3 c. baking soda
4 T. unsalted butter, melted
Kosher salt, to taste

1. To make the dough, combine the water, sugar, salt and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix on low speed until the yeast is dissolved.  Add the flour and melted butter and mix until the dough just comes together.  Switch to the dough hook and knead on medium speed until the dough is smooth and clears the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes.  Transfer the dough to a bowl lightly greased with vegetable oil, turning once to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place, about 50-55 minutes or until doubled.
2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray or with a Silpat.  Bring the water and baking soda to a boil in a large saucepan or stockpot.  The water will fizz a lot as it boils.
3. Meanwhile, divide the dough into 16 equal pieces (use a kitchen scale if you have one).  Working one at a time, roll each piece into a 12-18” long rope.  Make a U-shape with the dough, and holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and onto the bottom of the U-shape to form a pretzel.  Transfer to the baking sheet.
4. Working two pretzels at a time, place into the boiling water and boil for 30 seconds, flipping once.  Use a slotted spoon or skimmer to remove the pretzels from the water and transfer back to the baking sheet. 
5. Using 2 tablespoons of the melted butter, brush the pretzels with the butter.  Sprinkle each pretzel with salt to taste, and bake until they are a dark golden-brown, about 12-15 minutes. Brush with the remaining butter, transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes, and serve.

Makes 16 pretzels rolls.

Notes:  Original recipe divided the pretzels into 8 pieces & made large pretzels, but I liked the size of the dough divided into 16 better.  They are more the size of rolls.

Average Fork Rating:  4
Mrs. Diner:  4
Amazing Diner:  4
Sweet Diner:  4
Little Diner:  4

We Have a Winner!

Congratulations to Shannon P., who won our giveaway for Beanfields Bean & Rice Chips!  

From the giveaway comments, our readers said the flavors they most wanted to try are Nacho and Sea Salt & Pepper, which were our favorites, too! 

Enjoy, Shannon!  Let us know which flavors are your favorites!

Eat In Recipe: Easy Apple Butter

Last month I hosted our neighborhood book club meeting at my house.  As a tie-in to an incident involving apples in The Book Thief, I made apple butter.  I found the recipe as well as some fun ideas and inspiration on a segment of Studio 5 that was done by the author of the blog Book Matters. 

The recipe was delicious…it’s basically Fall in a jar!  The scents of apples, cinnamon, and other spices wafting through my home was delightful.  It was also really easy…just prepare the ingredients and let it cook in the crockpot all day.  I was amazed that the apples cook down and fall apart so well.  It’s a little bit brighter and fresher than most apple butters.  I imagine if you want it less so, you could just keep cooking it in the crockpot even longer.

If you’re someone who likes the simplicity of freezer jam, this is another preserve recipe to add to your list.  The apple butter is flavorful and tastes delightful on biscuits and bread.  My book club guests even liked it on the homemade pretzel rolls I made. 

The apple butter will keep in the fridge for about three weeks or in the freezer for up to a year.  I put mine in little Gladware containers to serve individually; then guests could take theirs home with them.

Easy Apple Butter from Book Matters on KSL
4 lbs. cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced (about 12 cups)
2 c. sugar
1/3 c. water
2 T. cider vinegar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

1. Place apple slices in a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker. Stir in sugar, water, vinegar, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg.
2. Cover; cook on high-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours. Stir. Cool mixture at least 1 hour or cover and chill overnight.
3. Ladle apple butter into half-pint storage or freezer containers, leaving a 1/2-inch head space. Seal and label.  Store 3 weeks in refrigerator or for 1 year in freezer.

Makes 4 half-pints.

Notes:  I used an apple corer/peeler/slicer, which made quick work of all the apple prep.  Granny Smith apples were great in this recipe.

Average Fork Rating:  3.5
Mrs. Diner:  4
Amazing Diner:  3   
Sweet Diner: 4
Little Diner:  3