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Pumpkin Empanadas

November 24, 2008 · Filed under Baking

I don’t bake often because I really hate measuring things and you have to be pretty precise when baking. Plus, baking takes time and patience and if there is one thing that the Main Man Up in the Sky did not give me, it’s patience. And height but that’s another rant, another blog post.

Anyway, it’s getting near the holidays and I’ve been thinking about family traditions so when I start to think of those two things, I think of food. Fatty McFatty in the hiz-ouse! One thing my Grandma Lupe always made around Thanksgiving was pumpkin empanadas. She used to go on an empanada craze and make all different kinds of empanadas for weeks. Actually, my Grandma Esther did the same thing, hmm…One time my Grandma Esther made pineapple empanadas and I told her that my Grandma Lupe made pumpkin empanadas and Esther told me that my Grandma Lupe didn’t know everything. Well, she at least knew how to make pumpkin empanadas…

Your ingredients for the filling

**I doubled the recipe when making mine but this recipe will make 16 empanadas**

1 15oz can of pumpkin, 1/2 cup sugar (I used brown sugar instead but Grandma Lupe used regular sugar), 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon cinnammon, 1/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/8 teaspoon cloves, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (Grandma Lupe didn’t use nutmeg but I do)

Your ingredients for the dough

1/3 cup water (don’t be afraid to add more water by the handful if the dough gets dry), 1/4 cup sugar (remember, brown sugar is just as good), 1 teaspoon salt, 2 packets of dry yeast (or 4 1/2 teaspoons if you don’t have packets, like me), 1/8 teaspoon baking powder, one tablespoon of cinnammon, 3 cups flour (divided), 3/4 cup veggie shortening.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

For the filling, mix everything together and set aside. Resist the urge to dip your finger into the mixture for about a minute and then say “Screw it” and dip your finger in and lick the filling off your finger.

Do this about four more times. Maybe five. Six. Better yet, do it eight times. Growing up I always volunteered to fill the empanadas because it meant being able to eat all the filling I wanted while the older women made the dough. It also meant I was the one who had a stomach ache later in the evening.

Combine water, sugar, salt, yeast, baking powder, and cinnammon. Gradually add half the flour into the mix and then add the shortening. Once it’s all mixed up, add the remaining flour.

Divide the dough into four equal parts and roll into balls. Roll each ball out until it’s about 1/8 of an inch in thickness and cut into circles that are about four inches in diameter (I used my large martini glasses). Put about a tablespoon of filling in the middle of the circle and then fold over. You can use either a fork or your finger to press the sides but make sure you use some kind of sealant like water to keep them closed.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, checking on them often because they can burn easily.

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Super Easy, Super Tasty Banana Bread

June 24, 2008 · Filed under Baking, Bread

This is seriously the easiest banana bread recipe ever and with the few tweaks I’ve made, it’s become the tastiest (I’m modest, no?) You will need:

3 bananas

1 egg

1 Cup sugar (I use half white, half brown)

1/2 stick of melted butter

1 tsp. of vanilla

1 1/2 cup of flour (I use half AP, half wheat if I have it on hand)

1 tsp of baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup walnuts

First, mash up your bananas. I’ve found that the browner they are, the sweeter and moist the bread

Next, mix the mashed bananas with the sugar, the egg, the half stick melted butter and the tsp of vanilla in a mixer (or by hand, whichever you fancy)

Next, mix in the flour, baking soda and salt.

After the dry ingredients are mixed in, add in the 1 cup of chopped walnuts and mix. When that’s done, you can do one of two things:

1) preheat the oven to 325, pour the bread into a greased loaf tin and bake at 325 for an hour or until done (test by sticking a toothpick into the center of the bread

2) if you’re like me and like to make things as cake like as possible, preheat the oven to 325 anyways but let the dough sit and make the easiest strudel topping evar

You will need 3 tbls of brown sugar, 3 tbls of AP flour, 1/4 tsp cinnamon and 2 tbls of butter (slightly softened is usually easiest to work with but not too mushy). Put all the dry stuff in a bowl, and then cut in the two tablespoons of butter until it resembles coarse crumbs (I use a small red spatula)

Once the topping is done, take the dough, pour into a greased loaf pan (I usually use butter and then lightly flour the pan), and then pour the topping on. Spread the topping around so it covers the whole pan.

And then stick the pan into the oven at 325 for an hour (In my oven, it takes roughly an hour and 15). After the bread is done (test by inserting a toothpick into the center – it should come out clean, no goo), take it out to cool on a wire rack. Cook completely, remove from pan and enjoy!

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Sugar Cookie Cutouts

March 6, 2008 · Filed under Baking, Cookies

This is a basic but delicious sugar cookie recipe. If you have time, you can make cut outs and decorate them. If you have a cookie press and are in a rush, this dough works just as well in a press on it’s own. I got fun little Easter themed cookie cutters at target the other day so I decided to make cookie cutouts the other day. Without further ado,

You will need:

2/3 cup butter, softened (i’ve melted it when using the press but I advise against doing that if you’re doing cut outs)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

1 tbls milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups AP flour

Red Kitchen-Aid Mixer – Okay, you don’t really need the mixer, I just wanted to show mine off (and if you’re looking for flour in the picture, it’s in the yellow thing. The milk is behind the sugar and you can’t see it. Lactaid works just fine in case you were curious.)

Beat the butter in the mixer on medium to high for 30 seconds. Add the granulated sugar, baking powder and salt then beat until combined.

Next, add the egg, milk and vanilla and beat until combined (scraping the sides if necessary)

Finally, beat in as much of the flour that you can. It’s OK to mix the last bit in by hand.

I wanted to chill the dough to make it easier to manage. You should chill the dough at least a half hour but I threw it in the fridge while I made dinner (the earlier posted lentil soup!) To chill the dough, I rolled it up in some parchment paper and then put it in a ziploc and stuck it in the fridge.

After the dough is nice and chilled, take half of it out (keep the other half in the fridge while you work so it will be easy to handle). Preheat the oven to 375. Use a bit of flour and roll out the dough

You want the dough to be about 1/4 thick and even throughout so that the cut outs are all an even thickness. Use the cookie cutters and decorate!

I’m using my Silpat mat so that the sprinkles don’t stick to my cookie sheet. Put the cookies in the oven for around 7 – 10 minutes. I usually go by when the cookies are golden brown on the edges. I rolled the dough a bit thicker than usual so these cookies took about 12 – 15 minutes a batch for some reason.

Once the cookies are done, take them out and let them cool on the sheet for a bit, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Voila! you’ve got delicious sugar cookies!

Notice the bite in that one cookie? That’s because they’re so yummy that I couldn’t wait!

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Snickerie Snickerdoodles

February 25, 2008 · Filed under Baking, Cookies

Though my boyfriend claims to not like sweets, there are a few things that I make that he will eat a lot of – those include sugar cookies, snickerdoodles, angel food cake, and banana bread. I made snickerdoodles not too long ago and decided to capture the moment for my other blog. So, here is the recipe for some very easy, very delicious snickerdoodles (made by hand here as this was before I got my beautiful Red Kitchen-Aid Mixer):

You will need:

1/2 cup butter (softened)

1 Cup Sugar (I use C&H Bakers Sugar)

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tbls sugar (I use organic sugar from Trader Joe’s)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

First, beat the butter on med to high for 30 seconds (or stir it by hand like crazy). Then add the sugar, baking soda, and cream of tartar. I use the C&H Bakers Sugar because it’s fine and mixes well with the butter. However, I know that granier sugar cuts into the butter more so it’s really up to you.

Beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Next, beat in the egg and vanilla until combined. Then beat in the flour (if using a mixer, beat in as much as you can then add the rest by hand).

Cover and chill the dough for an hour so it’s easy to handle. I only chill it for a half hour cos I’m impatient. When you take the dough out, pre-heat the oven to 375.

Combine the 2 tbls of sugar and the cinnamon. I like using the organic sugar from Trader Joe’s because it’s grainer and more like old fashioned sugar crystals. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls (ha! I said balls), roll them in the cinnamon sugar mix and then place on an ungreased cookie sheet.