Monday, August 11, 2008

Muffin Tin Monday- Pretzels!



Today we had a play group at our house. We made homemade pretzels (yum!) and had Muffin Tin Monday as well. We had one tin filled with fruit and veggies and other "dip-able" items, and the other tin filled with dips for the pretzels or fruit. There was marinara sauce, cheese sauce, salt, and cinnamon/sugar. I forgot that I also had ranch dip. Oh well! It was a hit! Pretzel recipe is below with photos of our creations.


Pretzels (slightly modified from the Mall Pretzel recipe on AllRecipes.com)
  • 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 1/8 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 5 cups warm water
  • 5 tablespoons baking soda
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt
In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast, brown sugar and salt in 1 1/2 cups warm water. Stir in flour, and knead dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic, (or knead in Kitchen Aid with the kneading hook) for about 8 minutes. Place in a bowl greased with butter, and turn to coat the surface. Cover, and let rise for one hour (note- we got sidetracked and let it rise for about 2 hours. They were fine!)

After dough has risen, cut into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a 3 foot rope about pencil thin. Twist into a pretzel shape and place on parchment covered cookie sheets to rise 15 to 20 minutes.

Combine 5 cups warm water and the baking soda in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Place the pretzels in the boiling water for about 30 seconds, then remove and place back on the parchment (I used a handled strainer like you use to deep fry. A slotted spoon or tongs would work well, too).

Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter, and sprinkle with coarse salt, garlic salt or cinnamon sugar.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Win a Custom Panjo Cape!

Amanda over at A Stay-at-home Moms Point of View did a review on my capes. She's also hosting a giveaway to win one of my custom capes. Head on over and check it out! Contest closes on August 22.

Friday, August 8, 2008

Crafty Crow!

Check this out! My Freezer Paper Stencil Tutorial was featured on Crafty Crow.


Very cool! Crafty Crow is a craft collective for kids. They collect really great crafty ideas from various blogs and compile them in one place. Like a one stop shop for all you kid-crafting needs.

And, their ideas are fun and unique, and often things your kids can do with you. Like make Gak:
Adorable Felt Clips:

And a cool cardboard kitchen:

So much inspiration, so little time!