Lucky Thirteen?

Hmmm....I found my post on Cowboy Beans in the pressure cooker posted by a friend on Facebook that I didn't know read my blog, so I came back and saw that I now have thirteen followers (well...twelve...one of them is me...why is that?).

Anyway.

I guess I should do a better job of posting on here, eh?

April Fool's Day is coming up soon, so I thought I'd share what we did last year for the boys' Youth Group.  I decided to do both a sweet and a savory snack...but April Fool's style.

I made little "hamburgers" out of 'Nilla Wafers, peppermint patties, green-tinted coconut, and red and yellow frosting.  Simple, but very fun!
For the savory snack that looked sweet, I made meatloaf cupcakes with green mashed potatoes that I piped on top.  We've made these before, and they're always a huge hit!

I won't give you recipes, because you probably have your own terrific meatloaf recipe, but just remember to use the cupcake wrappers and it won't take very long to cook!

Have fun!

Cowboy Beans....again...but faster!

No, this picture isn't good.
The beans are. :-)

Oh my goodness....you will never believe this!  I am so excited about this!  You probably know all about this, but I didn't.

I have a pressure cooker and use it for vegetables and roasts and such, but I hadn't used it much for dried beans.  I don't know why, I just didn't.  Yesterday, I wanted to bring baked beans to a friend's house for dinner (she was making pulled pork and I was to bring a side)...but I forgot to get them started and before I knew it, it was 2 o'clock.  <sigh>  Well, I guess I'll have to run to the store and...wait a minute....let's look up how to pressure cook baked beans.  Lo and behold - there were several!  I used my own ingredient list, but their technique.  Perfect.  Seriously awesome.

Most of the recipes suggested to start with beans soaked overnight.  Well, if I could remember to do that, I wouldn't need to use the pressure cooker recipe!  Finally found one that suggested a "quick soak":  rinse and pick over your beans.  For every cup of beans, add four cups of water to the pot and one teaspoon of salt (it's supposed to help keep the skins on...worked for me).  I also added a bit of baking soda because I have hard water and that's the only way my beans will ever soften.

Bring to a boil - UNCOVERED.  Once it's at a boil, put the cover on, bring to pressure over high heat, then keep at pressure two minutes.  Then do a quick cool under cold water, release pressure, rinse beans, then proceed with the recipe.

I used "my" (CI's) cowboy beans recipe, with just a little less liquid.

Put the beans back in the pressure cooker (make sure you have your...thingie...that metal thing that goes in the bottom...what is that?).  Proceed with recipe.

4 slices bacon, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp prepared brown mustard
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp Tabasco
4 cups water (normally the recipe calls for 4 1/2 cups)
1 cup strong coffee
1/2 cup BBQ sauce (plus another 2 Tbsp for the end)
2 tsp salt

Saute the bacon over medium heat until it starts to get crispy, about 6 minutes.  Add onions, cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  Dump on top of the beans in the pot.  Add the rest of the ingredients (leave out that last 2 Tbsp of BBQ sauce) to the pot.  Don't worry about stirring.

Close the pot and bring to pressure.  Maintain pressure for 10 minutes, then slowly release pressure (not a quick release).  Add 2 more tablespoons of BBQ sauce.  Mine were done at this point, but I did toss it into a crockpot and let it simmer to keep warm, and it thickened the liquid - a good thing.

The recipe took me about an hour from beginning to end - quicker than the "regular" way.  Hope you're able to use this!

Rye Bread

I have tried several rye bread recipes, but this one is my favorite.  It is, surprise, surprise, from Cook's Illustrated.  I do this bread over two days, so plan ahead.  It's not labor-intensive, but it just takes some planning. You COULD do it all in one day...but what fun would that be??



The first day you do a sponge:

2 3/4 cups water, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
2 Tbsp honey
3 cups (15 oz) all-purpose flour

Mix all ingredients in the mixing bowl of a standing mixer to form a thick batter.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit until bubbles form over the entire surface, at least 2 1/2 hours (you can let this stand at cool room temperature overnight - our house is 64 overnight, so we're good).

Next day:

1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 oz) all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups (12 1/4 oz) rye flour
2 Tbsp caraway seeds
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp salt
Cornmeal for sprinkling the baking sheet

Stir the all-purpose flour, 3 1/4 cups of the rye flour, the caraway seeds, oil, and salt into the sponge.  Attach the dough hook and knead the dough at low speed, adding the remaining 1/4 cup rye flour once the dough becomes cohesive; knead until smooth yet sticky, about 5 minutes.  With moistened hands, transfer the dough to a well-floured work surface, knead it into a smooth ball, then place it in a very lightly oiled large bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at warm room temperature until doubled in size, 1 1/4-2 hours.

Generously sprinkle the cornmeal on a large baking sheet.  Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and halve the dough, pressing each portion into a 9"x6 1/2" rectangle.  With one of the long sides facing you, roll the dough into 2 9" logs, pinch the seam close, and seal the ends by tucking them into the loaf.  Carefully transfer the loaf onto the prepared baking sheet, cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap, and let rise until the dough looks bloated and dimply and starts to spread out, 60-75 minutes.  Adjust oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 425F.

Right before baking, make 6-7 slashes, 1/2" deep, in the top of the dough with a single-edge razor blade or a very sharp knife.  Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 400F and bake until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the loaf reads 200F, 15-25 minutes depending on your oven.  Cool COMPLETELY before cutting!!!