Proofing

Proofing: A step in creating yeast breads and baked goods, during which the yeast is allowed to leaven the dough.

When making doughs, they need time to proof. Professional baking shops have a proofer that looks kind of like an oven. It keeps a constant temperature and a specific percentage of humidity (depending upon the type of dough). You can create the same type of environment in your oven by heating the oven to the lowest degree allowed on your oven (mine is 170F). Turn off the oven and open the door slightly to get it to cool to between 75 & 85 degrees. Place a low pan with boiling water in the bottom rack of the oven. This will create the humidity needed so that you don't need to use saran wrap. Keep an eye on your dough while it rises until it reaches the size you need.

When proofing doughs that are high in butter, if the oven is too hot the butter will leak out.

100% Homemade Beef Stroganoff

My mom has made beef stroganoff my entire life. I love it. When I moved into my apartment, I didn't have the same cookbooks as her and was sadly disappointed by many of the stroganoff recipes I found. Many of the recipes are more...semi-homemade calling for cream of mushroom soup, onion soup, or onion soup mix. I prefer the full home made kind. It can be served over rice or egg noodles, I prefer rice. This is a dinner that can be ready in 30 minutes or an hour depending on when you want to serve. I am horrible with measuring...I don't actually measure anything with this recipe so if you feel like maybe 1/4c ketchup is too much, just put in a squirt or so. If you don't want to use 1 cup of sour cream, just use a couple of spoon fulls. It's all about finding the recipe and taste you like the best. It's not a science, these pieces all work well together no matter what. I like my stroganoff to be thick, while my mom likes hers a bit thinner. To get your stroganoff to be thick, add a little more flour and let it simmer to thicken.

Beef Stroganoff
(for 2 with a days worth of leftovers)

1 sirloin steak cut into strips or cubed (you can also use stew meat or ground beef)
4 Tablespoons Butter
1 can mushrooms (or 4 oz cut up mushrooms)
Worcestershire sauce for taste (about a tablespoon)
Garlic, salt, & pepper to taste
1 can beef broth
1/2 onion minced
2 Tablespoons flour
1 c sour cream

Saute the mushrooms in 1 Tablespoon of butter. Remove mushrooms. In the same pan, brown steak with the butter. When the steak is brown on the outside, season with salt, pepper, garlic, and worchestershire sauce.

Add 2/3 of the beef broth, onion, and ketchup. Cover and simmer 15 minutes or until the beef is tender. Blend the reserved broth an meat and add to beef. The mixture will begin to thicken. Add mushrooms and heat to boiling stir for about 1 minutes. Add sour cream and heat through.

Serve over rice or egg noodles.

Caramel Coating

When I was cooking for Halloween, I came across an excellent recipe for a mix of treats covered in caramel. This would be a fabulous recipe for Christmas if you are doing neighborhood gifts, or if you just like to make sweet treats for the Holidays. For my Halloween recipe, I omitted the peanuts and added plain M&Ms instead of candy pumpkins.



Caramel Coating

1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup light brown syrup
1/4 cup butter, cubed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

In a large saucepan combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, and butter; bring to a rolling boil. Boil for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat; quickly stir in vanilla and baking soda until mixture is light and foamy. Immediately pour over chosen snack mix and toss to coat. Bake, uncovered, at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool completely before eating.

The Snack Mixture for Halloween was

3 quarts popped popcorn
4 cups Cheerios
4 cups Chex
2 cups salted peanuts
1 package (16oz) candy pumpkins

Mix all ingredients together, except candy pumpkins. Prepare caramel coating and follow the directions. After the mixture has been baked, add candy pumpkins.