Happy Independence Day!!!

WHAT A DAY! Hope you all had a wonderful day celebrating our nations independence!! One of the many wonderful things about holiday is all of the foods we get to eat. Loads of BBQs, salads, desserts, etc. This year I introduced a couple new recipes to my repertoire and they were yummy indeed! The first one I want to share is from a blog I came across called Brandy's Baking. The recipe is Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake bars, can you say YUMMMO?!!!

Here's our creation of the recipe. It was a hit!!

First you make and bake the graham cracker crust.

Then make the cookie dough "crumble" topping and set aside. Next make the cheese cake and spread it over your crust.

Then add the cookie dough topping and bake. Cool and refrigerate! It's so yummy I'm sure it won't last long! Enjoy!

For the full recipe click here....

Homemade Pretzles...

IN THE KITCHEN today we made homemade pretzels! They are the best! My oldest grew up making them, but this is the first time I've made them with my little guys. It was great fun. What a great way to spend a wet day, by playing with dough you can eat!

I used the recipe from Catholic Traditions in Cooking, by Ann Ball and have used it for years. It's a wonderful easy recipe that we all enjoy!

Here's the recipe:

1 pkg dry yeast                          4 cups flour
1 1/4 cup warm water                1/4 cup melted butter
1 tsp salt                                     1 beaten egg
1 Tbsp sugar

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Then add the sugar and salt, stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Then add the flour and melted butter. Stir until it starts to become stiff and then move to the counter and kneed until elastic. Divide dough into small equal pieces. Roll into "snakes" and twist. Place them on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Brush with egg wash and add corse salt (if desired) and bake at 375 for 15 minutes, until golden.

**A note for my fellow Orthodox. We have had these a lot during the fast. In that case I have used lenten margerine and used almond milk for a wash and seems to be fine to help the salt stick to the pretzels.

Did you know that pretzels have a spiritual and historical significance? During the early years of Christianity pretzels were a lenten snack. Lenten bread made of water, flour and salt accompanied simple lenten meals of veggies and fruit and on certain days fish. In the west, as a sign for lent being a time of prayer, bakers shaped their bread in the form of arms crossed in prayer. Bracellae, the Latin word for "little arms", eventually became the Germanic "pretzel".

Enjoy your day!