Mall Pretzels

My sweet sister in law brought these over while they were still warm......everyone loved them, and they vanished!!


It's a bread thing.  The smell of fresh bread wafting through the air while you've been shopping for too long, the mall pretzel shoppe never fails, it is always a delicious, warm tasty treat.  You can make these little guys at home very easily. Be creative with the toppings!


Adapted from allrecipies.com


Mall Pretzels:

INGREDIENTS:
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F
/45 degrees C)
5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup baking soda
4 cups hot water
1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping
other topping ideas: sesame seeds, poppy seeds, butter and parmesan cheese, cinnamon and white sugar, pizza sauce and sprinkled mozza, mixed cheese blend......go nuts!



DIRECTIONS:
1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.
4. When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape. Once all of the dough is all shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and place on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt. (you can also roll dough into sticks, or small pretzel bites....)
5. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, until browned.


Enjoy!

Nothing like a comforting bowl of soup

It was a beautiful snowy day here today, and there is nothing better then a nice bowl of soup on a cold day to warm you up.  I got this recipe from a girlfriend of mine, and it is truly a treat.

I hope you enjoy it

Coconut Curry Chicken Soup



1 TBSP canola oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
1-2 tsp red curry paste (depending how spicy you like it)
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups chicken broth
1 can coconut milk
21/2 cups cooked shredded chicken breast
2 TBSP sugar
2 TBSP fish sauce

3 cups fresh spinach

1/2 pound snow peas, cut in half, lengthwise

1 pkg. pad thai noodles, (wide rice stick noodles)

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
4 small red chilies, seeded and chopped (optional)
1/2 lime, juiced

Preparation:

Heat oil in a large pot, add shallots and garlic, red curry paste, curry powder, turmeric and coriander.  Cook until tender, just a few minutes.  Add your broth, coconut milk and chicken.  Add in sugar, fish sauce and lime juice.  Let this cook a few minutes.  Add in spinach and snap peas just before serving.

While the soup is cooking, cook your pad thai noodles in a separate pot, as per the instructions on the package.  When the noodles are cooked, drain, and place a portion onto the bottom of every bowl.  Top with soup.  Add fresh cilantro, chiles and add a lime wedge for garnish.