The Pajama Chef

Menu Plan

June 10, 2013 Sarah

Monday: kale bacon quiche
Tuesday: mexican chicken salad
Wednesday: sweet & sour chicken
Thursday: leftovers
Friday: out to eat with a friend at only the best pizza place ever. 🙂
Saturday: breakfast for dinner
Sunday: mango coconut fried rice with tofu

So, this is a little later than I usually post. My Macbook started randomly shutting down last week when I was working from home. What a bummer. So I took it to a local Mac repair shop last Thursday, and just got it back today. The sad thing is that they couldn’t replicate my problem so nothing has been fixed. I just hope the problem doesn’t happen again now that I have my baby home. Fortunately, I use Carbonite to back up my data so I didn’t have to worry about losing anything. 🙂 If you don’t back up your data, you definitely should [and let me know if you want more info on Carbonite, plus a special $$$ saving deal–disclaimer: this deal has nothing to do with me having a blog. I just love Carbonite. Can you say RELIEF?] Needless to say, the five days I was computer-less I could have blogged from another computer or my phone, but I didn’t–it just seemed like too much work. But now I’m back. Yay!

Breads, Recipes

Pretzel Rolls

June 5, 2013November 22, 2016 Sarah

So, the consensus about Blueberry Burgers from Monday seemed to be that they are totally unique but worth a shot. Yay!! That’s totally what I thought too. But surprisingly [or maybe not so surprisingly, since bread is universally popular and loved], the pretzel rolls served with those sweet ‘n savory burgers got some attention too. And rightfully so! Those pretzel rolls were pretty amazing, if I do say so myself!

Growing up, I never was a huge soft pretzel lover, but I happened to marry a guy who could eat his weight in soft pretzel if you let him, so my taste buds have adapted a bit over the past five years. My love of pretzel rolls began the day I bought a bag at Trader Joe’s a few years ago, and the self proclaimed pretzels-are-meh girl became obsessed with sandwiches and burgers on a pretzel roll. If it was on a restaurant menu, you could bet it’d wind up on my plate! As things naturally go, one day I decided that I should just make those silly rolls already! And so I did.

These pretzel rolls look like they are complex, but really, they come together pretty quickly with minimal ingredients. This is one of the first yeast recipes I ever made, and its practically foolproof. A little sugar and butter adds complexity to the basic soft pretzel taste you already know and love. I guarantee that once these babies come out of the oven, they will be gone in a flash. Aside from enjoying these rolls with your burgers, sloppy joes, or chicken sandwiches, I highly recommend saving a few for a special breakfast treat.

Warm them up for a few seconds in the microwave and then add a generous smear of fig preserves or raspberry jam… the sweet and salty flavors will blow you away. I think I’m going to be making these rolls all summer, just for that breakfast–and the occasional blueberry burger, of course. 🙂 Enjoy!

Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
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from erinraatjes via Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups warm water (110°F)
1 package active dry yeast (not quick rise yeast) [.25 ounces or 2 – 1/4 teaspoons]
2 teaspoons sugar
4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons Kosher salt + more for sprinkling
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup baking soda
1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together warm water and yeast, then let rest for 5 minutes until foamy. Next, add sugar, flour, 2 teaspoons salt, and butter. Mix with dough hook on medium-low speed for about 4-5 minutes to fully combine. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Meanwhile, line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats. When dough has doubled, punch down and turn out onto a lightly floured countertop. Divide dough into 12 pieces [approximately 3 to 3.25 ounces each] to make sandwich size rolls, or 18 pieces [2 ounces each] to make dinner size rolls. [An easy way to divide the dough into 12 pieces is to divide the ball of dough in half, then divide each half into thirds, and each third in half again. If you have a food scale, it’s helpful to weigh the dough balls but not necessary.]

To shape each roll, pull the sides of the ball to the center and pinch to seal, lightly rolling the dough ball in your hands to smooth and shape. Place each roll, pinched side down, on prepared pans at least 1 inch apart. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until doubled.

Then, preheat oven to 425 degrees with oven racks set in the lowest and middle position.

Bring 2 quarts of water to boil in a large saucepan. With water at a low boil, add baking soda and reduce heat to a simmer. Place rolls seam side down [2 or 3 at a time] in the water to poach for 30 seconds. Then use a slotted spoon to gently flip rolls over and poach on the other side for an additional 30 seconds. Repeat with all rolls, returning back to prepared pans with the seam side down.

Lightly glaze each roll with egg, coating sides and top completely. Sprinkle with a pinch of Kosher salt [or pretzel salt if you have it] and finish off by cutting an X on the top of each roll with a sharp straight-edged knife.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Linked up with: Weekend Potluck.

Beef, Main Dishes, Recipes

SRC: Blueberry Burgers

June 3, 2013June 5, 2015 Sarah

Blueberry burgers? You must think I’m crazy. And you might be right. However, to borrow a phrase from Katie who blogs at This Chick Cooks and introduced me to this fabulous recipe, these burgers might sound so wrong, but they taste so right. Ben and I made these burgers last week for our Memorial Day dinner and let me tell you–they do not disappoint!

Unfortunately, we don’t have a grill at our apartment so we had to cook them indoors on the George Foreman, but they still were a tasty introduction to summer eats… and a great recipe for this month’s Secret Recipe Club post! I love SRC days because they encourage me to broaden my culinary horizons while introducing me to a new blogger.

If you’re new, you might be a bit confused. SRC? What’s that? Let me explain. It’s a pretty amazing blogging club. Basically, the premise is this: you’re assigned a different member’s blog every month. You visit their blog, choose any recipe you want, then make it and share it on your blog… all while keeping your assignment a secret! Everyone else posts about their secret blog the same day. It’s fabulously fun to try out new blogs. If you have a blog, definitely check it out and consider joining! I highly recommend it.

Katie writes This Chick Cooks with a focus on eating and cooking real, whole foods. It is her mission to feed her family well, and she has plenty of recipes to accomplish that. She has tons of wholesome, tasty recipes–including many for muffins and coconutty treats… two of my loves! 🙂 Aside from making these unique burgers, in the future I’m definitely going to try Coconut Cream Larabars, Cornmeal Apple Cheese Muffins, and Creamy Corn and Chicken Summer Soup. They all sound so amazing, but for now, let’s talk about these burgers!

Blueberry Burgers are so fresh and tasty. I totally get the sentiment that fruit in burgers is just weird, but hear me out. The sweet, ripe burst of blueberries throughout is a sophisticated [Ahem… Can burgers be sophisticated? I vote yes.] foil for the salty, vinegary tang from the balsamic and Worcestershire sauce. Add in the bite of minced garlic and this meat really shines.

When I first saw this recipe, I wondered how to top these burgers. Normally I’m a cheeseburger-all-the-way kinda girl, but I thought these burgers bursting with juicy berries were perfect with just a bare minimum of fresh burger toppings like lettuce, tomato, onions, and ketchup [some unpictured because I forgot the sliced tomato and onion on the countertop until I was halfway done with my burger…ha!]. My homemade pretzel rolls [click here for the recipe!] made these burgers even better. Thanks, Katie–I enjoyed checking out your site and will be back soon. 🙂

Now, before the recipe, I do want to make one shameless plug–I recently made a Facebook page for The Pajama Chef. Please take a moment to check it out and like it here. Thanks!

Blueberry Burgers

Servings: 5
Time: 20 minutes
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from This Chick Cooks

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup blueberries [fresh or frozen]

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic. Add pepper to taste, then gently mix in blueberries. Shape into burgers, then cook as you normally would. On our George Foreman, this took about 8-9 minutes. Serve on buns with lettuce, tomatoes, onion, and desired condiments.

Be sure to check out other great recipes from this month’s SRC round-up at the linky below. Have a happy Monday!

Menu Plans

Menu Plan

June 2, 2013 Sarah

Week of June 3

Monday: Lemony Kale Pasta [Ben’s fave!]
Tuesday: Baked Tilapia with Coconut-Cilantro Sauce
Wednesday: leftovers
Thursday: Bacon & Veggie Frittata
Friday: Homemade Chicken Strips
Saturday: Pork Chops
Sunday: leftovers

Breakfast, Muffins, Recipes

Strawberry Muffins

May 31, 2013 Sarah

So, I used to post once a month on a blog called Today’s Housewife. Last fall, the group decided together to stop posting due the busyness of life and families and such. Though sad, I enjoyed being part of the group. As of early January, the blog was officially taken down. But I don’t want to lose my recipes, so periodically I will be reposting them on here. Enjoy!

this post is originally from August 9, 2012

Ever since I can remember, strawberries have been my absolute favorite berry. Not that I don’t love blueberries or blackberries or raspberries, but strawberries have a special place in my heart [and in my mouth!]. Oddly enough, I’m not a fan of strawberry flavored things like fruit and grain bars, yogurt, etc. Because of this deep love of strawberries, usually when I buy them I eat about half the package standing in front of the sink, washing “just one more.” If I want to bake with them, I need to buy them in bulk or specifically plan out a recipe, getting myself to a place of accountability by telling Ben of my plans. It’s pretty hilarious, if you think about it!

Surprisingly enough, this recipe came as a result of an emergency–I had purchased several pounds of berries and for some reason, just didn’t eat them with my usual fury. So instead of letting them go to waste, I whipped up these juicy muffins one warm afternoon. They are extra pillowy and tangy thanks to the buttermilk. Each bite has the sweet scent and flavor of strawberries since the berries are crushed and not left whole. If your berries aren’t very sweet, you can add a little extra sugar but I thought they were just sweet enough as is. These muffins were a hit, but be sure to eat them quickly or freeze them after a few days–the mashed berry makes them soft in the center so they are best fresh. Enjoy!

Strawberry Muffins [from Whole Living]
click to print

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups sliced strawberries
scant 1/2 cup + 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons canola oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.

In a small bowl, combine strawberries and scant 1/2 cup sugar. Mash berries gently with pastry blender or potato masher, then set aside.

Next, stir together flours, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl or measuring cup, whisk together buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, then pour in buttermilk mixture and fold slowly to combine. Add berries [including any juice] to batter, then stir until just mixed.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 of the way full, then sprinkle with remaining sugar.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan a few minutes before removing to wire rack. Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to three days, then freeze any leftovers.

Time: 30 minutes.

Yield: 18-20 muffins.