Pumpkin Apple Soup

Pumpkin Apple Soup

Kathy W.

Yield: 6 servings

 

¼ c. butter

2 onions, sliced

6 c. broth (can be beef, chicken, or vegetable)

2 cans pumpkin (30 oz. total)

3 apples- peeled, cored, sliced

¼ tsp. pepper

½ tsp. nutmeg

Melt butter in a large pot. Add onions and cook until translucent (about 3 mins). Add stock, pumpkin, and apples. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer. Cook uncovered until apples are soft – between 1-1.5 hours. Add pepper and nutmeg for the last half hour or so. Remove from heat and let cool a bit. Pour soup through food processor or blender. Serve warm with bread, rolls, etc.

Nutella Bread Snowflake/Flower

Nutella Bread Snowflake/Flower

Kristen W., adapted from Handimania.com

Yield: 8-16 single or double servings

¾ c. milk

1 ½ tsp. yeast

3 ½ c. flour (plus ¼ c. for sprinkling counter)

1/3 c. sugar

Pinch of salt

2 eggs separated into yolks and whites

2 TB butter (room temp)

1/3 c. water

About 1 c. Nutella spread

Heat milk in a saucepan until it is warmed to about 85 degrees. Add 1 TB sugar and 1 TB flour and stir well. Add yeast and set aside to let yeast activate. In a large bowl (I use my Kitchen Aid) combine dry ingredients – flour, remaining sugar, salt.  Once mixed, add egg yolks, yeast/milk mixture, and butter. Mix well. Add water as needed to create a dough only slightly sticky to the touch.  Cover bowl with a towel and place in a warm area to raise for 40 minutes or until double in size.  When dough is almost ready, place Nutella container (or 1 c. Nutella in a small cooking bowl) into a bowl of hot water. I like to place mine in a frying pan with heated water in it. Sprinkle flour on the counter and knead the dough for a minute (or turn on your Kitchen Aid for maybe 20 seconds).

Place the dough on the counter and divide into 4 equal parts. Roll out the first piece into a circle about 2-3 mm thick. Place it on a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Mark the first layer by placing a large plate upside-down on the dough and pressing gently. Using a rubber spatula or plastic spoon, cover the marked circle with a layer of Nutella. Roll out the next piece of dough to a similar size and thickness, place it on the first layer and mark the circle with the plate again (right over the first marked circle). Cover the marked circle with a layer of Nutella. Repeat for the last 2 sections of dough, but do not put Nutella on the top layer.

Next, place the upside down plate on the top layer and cut around the plate to make your circular stack of dough.  Using a small cup, mark the center of the circle. Do not cut through the center. Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut the stack in quarters, leaving the center connected. Then cut each quarter into quarters. To twist the dough, take two neighboring sections of the dough and twist them one complete turn away from each other. Press the ends together and tuck them under. Repeat for remaining dough slices. Lightly brush the top of the bread with the egg whites.

Bake 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

**I tried using Trader Joes pizza dough for this recipe...super dense and kind of turned out like a Nutella brick :) I don't recommend it.

Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

Kathy W.

Yield: 5-6 medium-large servings

1 medium onion, diced (about ¾ c. diced very small)

4 celery ribs, diced

3 carrots, diced

½ c. butter

½ c. flour

4 c. chicken broth

2 c. cooked wild rice (Uncle Bens Long Grain & Wild Rice-original recipe with 23 herbs/seasonings…cooked according to box directions)

2 c, half and half, whole milk, or 2% milk

2 c. cooked chicken, shredded or diced (optional)

1 tsp. dried parsley flakes

½ tsp. pepper

Heat butter and saute onions, celery, and carrots until onion is transparent. Reduce heat. Blend in flour, cook and stir for two minutes. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and cook for one minute. Reduce heat. Add remaining ingredients (including cooked rice) and simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. 

Serve with rolls or bread.