Unless you love someone, nothing else makes sense.
E.E Cummings
Sweetly, Allie
http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/homemade-soft-pretzel-bites/
Soft Pretzels:
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
3 ounces unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil
3 quarts water
3/4 cup baking soda
1 whole egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water
Coarse sea salt
For the Pretzels: Combine the water, sugar, yeast, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with the dough hook until combined. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Add the salt and flour and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes. If the dough appears too wet, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a flat surface and knead into a ball with your hands.
Oil a bowl with vegetable oil, add the dough and turn to coat with the oil. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Bring the water to a boil in a small roasting pan over high heat and add the baking soda.
Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, about 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 ounces each. Roll each piece into a long rope measuring 22 inches and shape. Cut the dough into one inch pieces to make the pretzel bites. Boil the pretzel bites in the water solution in batches. We did about 15 bites at a time. Boil for about 30 seconds. Remove with a large slotted spoon. Place pretzel bites on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Make sure they are not touching. Brush the tops with the egg wash and season liberally with the salt. Place into the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown.
Remove to a baking rack and let rest 5 minutes before eating. Serve with cheese sauce.
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Love is in the air! Whether you’re celebrating this day of hearts with a special someone or using this opportunity to show a friend or family member just how much they mean to you, doesn’t it always seems harder to express ourselves than it truly is? A simple card is a classic gesture, but if you’re like me and want to do a little more…here are a few ideas to help you get you started, but remember… these gestures of affection can be shared any time of year.
Photo courtesy of Fancy Flours
Home baked goodness: Do you have a cookie monster in your life? Bake them up a box of vintage valentine postcard cookies made with edible wafer paper. There’s nothing sweeter than a gift from the oven!
Photo courtesy of Bakery Nouveau
Dessert to go: If baking isn’t your forté, leave it to the experts and simply scoop up a sticky dessert for your honey bun. Stop by Bakery Nouveau, one of the best bakeries in town, and order the St. Valentine – a St. Honoré style dessert pairing the flavors of raspberry and vanilla. OR…try the Macaroon for Two – it’s filled with chocolate mousse and topped with fresh fruit.
Photo courtesy of Yedi Housewares
A charming gift: All sweet things aside, it would be just as lovely to sip your morning tea or coffee in a colorful heart shaped cup and saucer from the Inside Out Hearts collection by Yedi Housewares. I couldn’t pick just one!
Photo courtesy of marthastewart.com
A playful activity: Staying in with a fun activity can be just as touching and memorable as an expensive night out. This simple crayon heart project by marthastewart.com requires very little materials (think of all those broken crayons that can be rescued!) with stunning results. Hang these hearts from a fixture over your dining table, a hanging chandelier or a brightly lit window. No one says that you have to take them down after Valentine’s Day, either!
Photo courtesy of Auberge Edge
The weekend getaway: Surprise your loved one with a retreat in the Woodinville wine country at the Auberge Edge, a secluded four-suite inn that offers French cooking classes, garden tours and Thursday afternoon tea parties among the list of accommodations that has guests proclaiming this hidden gem as the most romantic hotel in Seattle. Plant the seed now and someone might be taking YOU there!
sweetly, rosanna
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The BIG game is upon us! Whether or not you’re a football fan – this sweet and spicy appetizer is an easy, fool-proof recipe that will make your taste-buds smile as you grab for another handful of this classier version of the traditional chex mix.
Spicy-Sweet Pretzel Mix
Recipe courtesy of everyday FOOD
Prep: 10 min
Total: 30 min
- 2 cups thin pretzel sticks
- 1 cup natural almonds
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons dark-brown sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Directions
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Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, toss together pretzels and almonds.
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In a small saucepan, bring butter, sugar, cayenne, and 1 tablespoon water to a boil, stirring constantly. Pour over pretzel mixture in bowl; gently toss to combine.
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Spread pretzel mixture in a single layer on prepared sheet. Bake until almonds are crisp, about 20 minutes, tossing occasionally. Cool on sheet before serving. (To store, keep at room temperature, up to 5 days.)
All recipes are tried and tested by Sweetly Hosted with the highest standards to be guranteed worthy of your time and effort.
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I love how a single flickering tealight can set the “mood” and I love them even more in clusters, but what I love most of all is when their design is clever – the opposite of predictable. Enter the “Tilt” tealight – my newest crush!
Tilt tealight by Crate & Barrel
At $3.95, I will be stocking up on these beauties – just don’t tell the B Man (my husband) because he operates on this ratio system (he’s so….practical) that for every decor item gained in my personal entertaining collection, we must get rid of one said item. Whaaaat!? This shakes me at my core because I am a collector of beautiful things such as these tealights that I must possess. So let’s not tell.
Tealights are not just for candles. Cradle a small bloom or air plant with this tealight for an elegant accent to a tabletop design or fill it with felted river rocks for a special hostess gift.
I can’t wait to integrate a little tilt into our client’s tabletop designs!
How would you use the tilt? Share with us!
Sweetly, rosanna
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