More Holiday Cooking with RemixStudio!

Today's snack would make a great New Years Eve party snack! Remixstudio wanted to share this simple but yummy pretzel recipe, so what are you waiting for? Get to it!

Chocolate Pretzel Sticks

Okay, so I don't have an official name for these, but they are super simple, and if you have kids around, easy for them to help with.

Ingredients:

Long pretzel sticks

Chocolate Almond Bark and or White Almond Bark

Nutella (Optional)

A variety of toppings if you so choose (I used almonds, pecans, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, ground up health bar, and coconut for mine.)

Melt your Almond bark in the microwave, or a double boiler. It's a pot with water and I just stuck another bowl over the top. There are fancy pots for that out there. I don't own one. If you so choose, spoon in a tablespoon or so of nutella. Yum!

Break your long pretzel sticks in half.

Separate into bowls the toppings you want, and grind or chop up the things like pecans, or chocolate chips.

Dip the broken side into your now really warm chocolate.

And sprinkle with whatever toppings you so choose! This is the part that is great for the kiddos. I did a bit of everything, and a few plain.

Let the chocolate get hard again, and then enjoy.
 

Holiday Cooking with the Owls--Kiflis with BeanLennon

Some of our Owls decided to share some holiday recipes! Hope everyone's having a happy holiday season with your loved ones! Check back for another recipe tomorrow, and look for us to be back and rolling in 2010!

Kiflis with BeanLennon

(Editor's Note:  I had to use the Wiki to find out what kiflis are...)

As far as ingredients go, this is a simple recipe. The hard part comes in rolling out and filling the dough. It takes patience, and preferably two people. This recipe will make 4-5 dozen, if done right.


Ingredients:

Dough--

4 cups flour

1 lb. butter, room temp.

6 egg yolks, beaten (see photo below)

1 cup sour cream

Filling--

1.5 lb. chopped walnuts

3 3/4 cup powdered sugar

6 egg whites

1/2-1 teaspoon lemon juice

To make dough: Mix flour and butter as for pastry. I throw mine in my Kitchenaid, and it makes it so much easier!

Add yolks and sour cream. Mix well. Chill the dough overnight.  The dough has to be cold so it can be rolled out easily!

When you're ready to roll the next day, heat the oven to 350. Make the filling by beating the egg whites until frothy. Again, my Kitchenaid is a boon when it comes to this step, but you can use a whisk or handheld mixer too.

Slowly add the powdered sugar to the whites and beat each time. Add the lemon juice, and then fold in the walnuts.

Set up the "rolling station." This is when it's best to have two people...one to roll the dough and one to fill the dough, roll it up, and put in the oven. You need plenty of flour available for rolling, and we used a marble rolling pin/board so that the dough stays colder.

Roll the dough into quarter-sized balls, and roll them into flat circle. The flatter the dough, the flakier the pastry! Hint: Use plenty of flour because the dough will stick. (If the dough gets too sticky, throw it in the freezer for awhile). Fill each pastry circle with a spoonful of filling.

Roll the filling up into the dough, pinching the ends, and curving into a crescent shape.  Ours turned out a little wacky because I have zero patience.

Bake 15-20 minutes. The kiefels might burst open when baking, but that's okay! Remove them immediately from the pan, and sprinkle with more powdered sugar if you like. Kiefels freeze well too!
 

Owl Spotlight: CocoStIves

Face it – it's summer. When summer begins we, especially those of the female persuasion, wage the battle of the bulge.

I have to admit that I, too, am dieting. Happy to report I have lost nine pounds in three weeks. The trouble is, I love food. Real food; low calorie frozen dinners and Butter Buds – not so much. I have a passion for cooking and decided at diet outset I am going to eat real food and enjoy this lower calorie lifestyle or it just will not work.

I have no other choice. I made my first béchamel sauce at 14; sold bread, pies, and pastries my best friend and I baked during the holidays while in high school. My first job out of J school (that’s journalism school) was as the assistant food editor of the Boston Herald American (I replaced Gwen Ifill!). I’ve cooked for probably the best-known caterer in Boston – Rebecca’s; I’ve worked as a personal chef and am a Food Network junkie – my cooking style striving to be that of Tyler Florence. (His banana pudding is to die for – but includes eight egg yolks; whole milk; bourbon; and banana liqueur!)

So, it is no wonder once I hit 40 (and let that be a warning to those younger) the pounds got easier to put on and harder to take off.

I’ve picked up some recipes here and there that are not only low calorie, but also fit for family, friends, and our thin and slim fellow owlies. One is low carbohydrate for those of you who follow that scheme. I am sure I do not need to remind us that alcohol has no nutritional value. On the other hand, sometimes a tall, cool drink is welcome on a hot summer night. So, I have included my personal diet cocktail. Believe me, one of them is all I need on a Saturday night! Fire up the grill or the grill pan and get ready for some good eating. Here are two menus to try:


Menu 1 ~ LOW FAT

Chipotle Chicken Kebabs
Sweet and Spicy Grilled Pineapple
Tomato-Parsely Couscous

~

Chipotle Chicken Kebabs ~ serves 4

½ cup plain fat-free yogurt
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced
1 large clove garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 ½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
Cooking spray

Combine yogurt through pepper in a small bowl and stir with a whisk. Pour into a heavy-duty zip lock bag. Add chicken; seal bag, and toss to coat. Marinate in refrigerator one to two hours (but no longer than 24 hours), turning bag periodically.

(If using wooden skewers, soak them in water 30 minutes before grilling). Prepare grill or heat grill pan. Thread chicken onto four or eight skewers, depending on the length of the skewer. Spray grill or grill pan liberally with cooking spray. Grill 5 to 6 minutes on each side, turning once for a total of 11 minutes or until done.

CAL: 209; FAT:2.3 g (sat 0.6 g); PRO: 40.7 g; CARB: 3.4 g; FIB: 0.2 g; CHOL: 99 mg; SOD: 445 mg;

Sweet and Spicy Grilled Pineapple ~ serves 4

1 peeled and cored pineapple OR 8 canned pineapple rings in their own juice
1 ½ Tbsp. pineapple juice
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. adobo sauce from canned chipotle chiles
Cooking spray

Prepare grill or heat grill pan.

Cut pineapple into 8 slices. Combine pineapple juice, brown sugar, and adobo sauce in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until blended. Blot excess moisture from each pineapple slice with paper towels. Brush one side of each slice with brown sugar mixture.

Place pineapple slices, brushed sides down, on grill or grill pan sprayed with cooking spray. Grill 3 minutes or until browned; brush with remaining brown sugar mixture, turn, and grill 3 minutes.

CAL: 87; FAT: 0.2 g (sat fat 0 g); PRO: 0.6 g; CARB: 22.7 g; FIB 2 g; CHOL: 0; SOD 45 mg;

Tomato-Parsely Couscous ~ serves 4

In a medium saucepan, bring 1 cup water and ¼ tsp. salt to boil. Stir in ¾ c. dry couscous; cover. Remove from heat and let stand for five minutes. In the meantime; chop ¼ c. parsley and chop two plum tomatoes. Fluff couscous with a fork and spoon into a serving bowl. Stir in tomato and parsley.

CAL: 130; FAT: 1 g (sat fat 0); PRO: 5 g; CARB: 28 g; FIB: 2 g; CHOL: 0 mg

Menu 2: Low Carbohydrate

Salmon is high in fat but it is the omega-3/omega-6 rich fat that is not saturated like other fats from animal protein.

Grilled Salmon with Mustard Sauce
Lemon Grilled Asparagus


Grilled Salmon with Mustard Sauce

1 small lemon
1 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. sour cream
1 Tbsp. stone-ground (country-style) Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. chopped parsley
1 clove minced garlic
4 (5 oz.) salmon fillets
salt and pepper
Cooking spray

Prepare grill or heat grill pan.

Grate ¼ teaspoon rind from the lemon. Squeeze lemon to measure 1 ½ teaspoons juice; reserve remaining lemon for another use. Combine grated lemon rind, lemon juice, mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, parsley, garlic, and pepper in a small bowl and stir with a whisk. Set aside.

Season fish with salt and pepper. Place fish on grill rack or grill pan coated with cooking spray. Cover and grill 4 to 6 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve each fillet with one tablespoon of sauce.

CAL: 300; FAT: 19 g. (sat fat 4 g); PRO: 29 g; CARB: 2 g; FIB: 0; CHOL: 88 mg


Grilled Lemon Asparagus

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme or a sprinkle of dried thyme
1 lb. asparagus, trimmed of woody ends
pepper
cooking spray

Prepare grill or heat grill pan.

Combine lemon juice, olive oil, thyme, and pepper to taste in a shallow dish; stir with a whisk. Coat asparagus with cooking spray. Grill 4 minutes or to desired tenderness. Add grilled asparagus to lemon mixture and toss to coat.

CAL: 37; FAT 2.7 g (sat 0.4); PRO: 1.4 g; CARB: 3.1 g; FIB 1.2 g; CHOL: 0

~

Coco’s Fizzy Lemon Highball

1 to 2 packets Splenda or sugar substitute of choice
3 Tbsps. lemon juice
2 oz. Vodka
seltzer water
ice

Mix sugar substitute with lemon juice in a tall glass. Add vodka and ice. Fill with seltzer. Enjoy!

CAL: 140; FAT: 0; PRO: 0; CARB: 3; FIB: 0; CHOL: 0

Owl Spotlight: LucidMoonStudio

This is my first post, and I wasn't quite sure what I should blog about, but then I decided I would write about my dog, Cooper. Cooper is a Weimaraner, and he is 9 months old. He is such a good dog, so I decided he deserved some really good treats. I found a recipe in Cooking the Three Dog Bakery Way by Mark Beckloff and Dan Dye, the owners of the Three Dog Bakery (Cooper's favorite store, by the way!).

You can check out the book and recipes on Amazon here. I decided to make Belly Rub Brownies because what dog wouldn't want these?! Here is the recipe:

Belly Rub Brownies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons carob powder (I bought
mine at the health food store)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup canola oil (I didn't
have any, so I used vegetable oil instead)

3/4 cup honey

2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Coat an 8 x 8 inch baking pan with nonstick vegetable spray. In a
large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and carob powder. In a
smaller bowl, whisk honey and oil together. Add eggs one at a time,
whisking after each. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and combine
well. Spread the batter into the baking dish. Bake the brownies for
20-25 minutes or until set. Let cool to room temperature, then cut
into squares.

Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days or wrap
and freeze for up to 2 months.

Wet and dry ingredients

Ready for the oven! I tasted the batter, while
Cooper got to lick the spoon, and we both agreed it was yummy even
before baking!

Ready to eat!

Are those for me? Really? Is this a
joke??

I will do ANYTHING you
want...ANYTHING!!

Can I has just one more?
PLEASE!!

As you can see, Cooper really enjoyed his treats! I have to say, he never performs his tricks as well as when I am holding one of these brownies! If you have a dog, I hope you try
these yummy treats, and if you don't, surely there is a neighbor with a dog who would love these! Enjoy!!