Black Bean and Butternut Squash Soup (Vegan)

Sitterding family Thanksgiving tradition. If making it for a crowd, triple the recipe.

COOK TIME: 25 mins

YIELDS: 6 to 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium onion, chopped, about 1 cup
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes, about 3 to 4 cups
• 1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 5 cups vegetable broth
• ½ bunch of curly kale, about 4 large leaves, tough stems removed and leaves finely chopped
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

• Sauté onions and salt with a little bit of water to deglaze. Cook until onions start to get soften and turn translucent, about 8 minutes.
• Add garlic, cumin, chili powder, and crushed red pepper flakes.Stir and cook for a minute or two, until spices become aromatic.
• Add the squash, black beans, and broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until squash is just tender enough to pierce easily with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Stir in kale and quinoa; continue to simmer until kale is tender, about 5 minutes. Add lemon juice, then season to taste with more salt and pepper, if necessary. Ladle into bowls and serve.

Olivia's Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls (Vegan)

This recipe originally appeared on Instagram from earths.feast. They are yummy!! I copied this directly from the recipe shared in the comments accompanying the instagram video. Thank you, earths.feast!

ingredients

dough:
550 g bread flour
50 g sugar
10 g salt
150 g water
150 g oat milk
115 g melted vegan butter (or coconut oil works, too)
75 g sourdough starter* (see NOTE below)

filling:
85 g softened vegan butter (coconut oil works)
100 g brown sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (I don’t)
1/8 tsp ground cloves (I don’t)
1 tsp vanilla
zest of one orange (I don’t)

simple syrup:
50 g sugar
25 g water

* NOTE: This recipe (as copied and pasted, below) begins with the assumption that you have a bubbly sourdough starter, which will need to have been fed several hours earlier. Feed the starter in the morning, then make the dough when the starter is active and bubbly, doubled in size.

method

combine flour, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. in a separate bowl combine warm milk, warm water, melted butter, and starter. pour wet into dry and mix with spatula or hands until everything is incorporated and you have a shaggy ball. cover and let rest 45 min. perform 4 sets of s&f (see NOTE below) every 45 min. after your last fold let the dough sit for 3 hours.

roll to 18x12 on a lightly floured surface. spread filling over entire dough. roll long ways and cut into 2” pieces to get 9 rolls. place in greased 8x8 tin, cover and move to fridge overnight. (NOTE: We make 12, in a 9x13 pan, as pictured at right.)

in the morning take out of fridge and let the dough sit at room temp for 3-4 hours. in the last hour of proofing preheat oven to 400f. bake at 400f for the first 10 min then lower heat to 350f and bake for another 30 min. in the last 5 min of baking, combine your ingredients for the simple syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. heat the syrup just until all of the sugar has dissolved. when the buns come out of the oven, brush or pour the syrup over all of them. let cool 5-10 min before eating, enjoy!

* NOTE on "four sets of s&f":

olivia_sdavis

Can you explain what sets of s&f means? Can’t wait to make these ☺️



• 
  earths.feast
  @olivia_sdavis hey sorry! it stands for stretch and folds! so basically you lift up one side of the dough, stretch it up and fold it into the center. if you look up how to do stretch and folds on youtube you should find tons of video that show how to do it!! i’m sure they’ll be more helpful than my explanation😅 but basically do that on four sides and that counts as one set!
  
  
  
  

Christine's Honey-Roasted Pears (Can Be Vegan)

These are so delicious it's hard to believe they're free of any processed sugars! It's more of a "procedure" than a recipe, but this is modified a bit from what I was able to get from my friend Christine, who first served these to us. Her take? "They're better the longer they sit." As in days. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Ripe pears*

Cinnamon

Ginger

Walnuts and/or pecans, hand crumbled

Honey (and/or date syrup, pure maple syrup)

Vanilla

Rum (opt.)

Instructions:

1) Halve the pears lengthwise and slightly hollow out a small "bowl" in each, where the seeds are. Leave a good bit of the flesh inside the skin of the pear, but make room for a generous serving of nuts in each. (Reserve the stuff you scoop out for your morning smoothie!)

2) Sprinkle each pear half with cinnamon and ginger. ill each pear "bowl" with crumbled nuts.

3) Thin honey slightly with a little water, maple syrup, vanilla, and/or a splash of rum. You are going for a pourable but still kinda thick consistency. (Maybe 1/4 C. warm water total, and 1 Tbsp. honey per pear half or so. It's really going by feel here.)

4) Drizzle over the pears, keeping it mostly in the "bowls" with the nuts—and on the fruit itself—but not spilling out into the casserole dish. Be generous with this honey mix. Don't skimp!

5) Add a little bit of water in the bottom of the casserole dish to keep things moist and to increase the yummy syrupy sauce that will be created as the pears bake.

6) Bake uncovered at 350 degrees until pears are soft, which depends on their ripeness—maybe 20–30 minutes or so.

7) Let them sit for a good long time before serving. The "sauce" will thicken up the longer it sits. (I've been known to thicken it up with arrowroot powder in a saucepan if I'm desperate for it quickly, or if I've inadvertently added too much water during the cooking stage.)

*NOTE: The pears don't have to be super-soft ripe or anything, but if you would presume that firm, unripe pears might soften up with cooking like apples do, you would be mistaken. Ask me how I know...

Fall Fruit Salad (Vegan)

Fruit Salad:

16 ounces red seedless grapes 

12 ounces blackberries

1 orange, both juice and zest*

1 C. chopped pecans

2 large sweet apples

1 pomegranate (opt.)

1–2 cans mandarin oranges (opt.)

Dressing:

1 orange

2 Tbsp. real maple syrup

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

Instructions:

1) If they're really huge (or you are serving little ones), halve large grapes short-wise (so they're "rounder"). Leave the smaller ones whole.

2) In a large glass or metal bowl—orange zest will “melt” plastic and turn it cloudy and gummy!—add the zest (to taste) and juice of one orange. Add maple syrup and cinnamon, whisking to combine.

3) Cube the apples into bite-size pieces and add to the bowl. Immediately toss to coat. Add grapes and blackberries and stir until well combined. Add pecans if serving immediately.

4) Serve immediately or store covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve. (Don't forget to add the pecans if you make it ahead!)

*Note: Orange zest  is not the same as the smallest fine grater setting on your grater! Use a zester, and move the zester across the orange, not the other way around. Just scrape until the colorful part of the skin has been zested away. And DO NOT put this directly into a plastic bowl. It will "melt" the bowl, causing pitting, warping, and discoloration.

Our Vegan Turkey

Market Shepherd's Pie (Vegan)

For Potato Layer:

3 large potatoes (like Yukon Gold), peel on, roughly chopped

2 heaping C. cauliflower florets (or 2 additional potatoes to omit)

3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

1 tsp. white miso

1/4 C. unsweetened almond milk (or more, if needed)

1/4 tsp. sea salt (or to taste)

For Filling:

1 large onion, finely diced

2 medium carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

1 medium sweet potato, peel on, chopped into 1/2-in. cubes

2 C. green beans, cut bite-sized (or 1 C. if also using green peas)

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp. dried rosemary

1 3/4 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. dried parsley

1/2 tsp. ground sage

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (or to taste)

5 oz. cremini mushrooms (or forest blend), finely diced

2 C. cooked black lentils, drained

2 tsp. white wine vinegar

1 C. frozen green peas (I omit these and double the green beans)

For Filling Sauce:

2 1/4 C. low-sodium veggie broth

4 Tbsp. well-stirred tahini

2 Tbsp. tamari

3 Tbsp. white miso

3 tsp. Dijon mustard

3 Tbsp. arrowroot starch

3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

Preparation:

1) Make the potato layer. Add the potatoes and cauliflower to a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer until potatoes are very tender (10–15 minutes or so). Drain well and return to the pot. Add the nutritional yeast, miso, milk, and salt. Mash and add more milk as needed to get a creamy–but not wet!–consistency. Set aside.

2) Make the veggie filling. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large sauté pan, sauté the onion, carrots, celery, sweet potato, and green beans in about 1/4 C. water until the onion is translucent and veggies begin soften (10 minutes or so). Stir occasionally and add more water as needed, 1–2 Tbsp at a time, to prevent burning.

3) Next, add the garlic, spices, and mushrooms (finely diced!) and cover. Continue to cook on medium heat for another 5 minutes until the mushrooms release their juices and begin to brown. Remove the cover and stir a couple of times throughout. Add water if needed to prevent sticking.

4) Add the cooked lentils and white wine vinegar and cook for another minute. Turn the heat off.

5) Make the filling sauce. Add all the sauce ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.

6) Add the sauce to the pan of veggies and lentils and bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered on low to medium heat, stirring often, until the sauce thickens (5 minutes or so). Stir in the frozen green peas (if using) and remove from heat.

7) Transfer the filling to a 13x9-inch (or similar) deep casserole dish. (I use my lasagna pan.) Be sure to get all the sauce out of the pan! Now, vigorously stir the reserved potatoes and then gently spread the potato layer over the filling by dropping spoonfuls along the top and spreading it together with the back of a spoon or a spatula. Sprinkle extra nutritional yeast, salt, and a few grinds of black pepper on the top.

8) Place the casserole dish in the preheated oven and lay a sheet pan underneath the casserole dish (on a different oven rack) in case the filling bubbles over. Bake the shepherd's pie for 30 minutes uncovered. The potato layer should firm up and brown in the corners and you might be able to see the sauce bubbling in the corners as well. Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.

NOTE: This recipe is adapted from the original called "Market Shepherd's Pie" in the highly recommended The Plant-Based Cookbook: Vegan, Gluten-Free, Oil-Free Recipes for Lifelong Health by Ashley Madden. (It is by far my favorite whole food, plant-based cookbook, filled with lots of helpful information and delicious recipes.)

Piparkoogid (Estonian Gingersnaps, literally "Pepper Cakes")

These are a traditional part of the Estonian Christmas celebration. They are very thin, crispy, and—depending who is making them—delicious or deliberately awful. (Some Estonians like to make these cookies particularly sharp, almost inedibly so, to commemorate the bitterness of their years in captivity.)

VERSION #1 (from Estonian Tastes and Traditions by Karin Annus Karner)

1 C. sugar

1/4 C. molasses

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. ground cloves

2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 sticks butter

4 C. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

sprinkles or sliced almonds (opt.)

Yes, there's no ginger in these gingersnaps.

1) Combine the first five ingredients with 1/3 C. water in a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils.

2) Remove from heat, add the butter and pepper, and stir until completely melted.

3) Cool to room temperature.

4) Gradually stir in the flour and baking soda until smooth.

5) Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead a few times until smooth and all of the flour is well incorporated.

6) Wrap the dough in waxed paper and chill for at least 45 minutes (or up to several days or weeks).

7) When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

8) Divide the dough into four or eight pieces.

9) Roll out one piece at a time to 1/8-in. thickness (or thinner, if you dare).

10) Cut into shapes with cookie cutters and place one inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.

11) Decorate with sprinkles or slices almonds, if desired.

12) Bake for 6-8 minutes or until slightly brown and slightly firm to the touch.

13) Cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute, then carefully transfer the cookies on wire racks using a thin metal spatula and cool completely.

NOTE: These keep well in an airtight container for about 2 months.

VERSION #2 (from Eesti Kook, Estonian Cooking by Lia Virkus and Harri Ilves)

2 sticks plus 2 Tbsp. margarine (250 g)

1 C. sugar

1 C. dark malt

2 tsp. ground cloves

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

2 tsp. cocoa powder

2 eggs

1 tsp. salt

5 C. flour

ICING (opt): 1 egg white, 2 C. icing sugar, a few drops of lemon juice

1) Mix margarine, sugar, spices, and malt in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

2) Remove from heat and cool.

3) Whip with electric mixer until fluffy.

4) Add eggs one at a time and continue to mix.

NOTE: If you prefer crispy gingerbread cookies, mix the dough as little as possible.

5) Wrap dough into plastic wrap and refrigerate, at least until the next day but up to two weeks.

6) When ready to cut cookies out and bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

7) Roll 1/3 of dough on lightly floured surface until thin, then cut cookies out with cookie cutters.

8) Bake for 6-8 minutes.

9) To make optional icing, combine all ingredients. Beat with electric mixer and use immediately.

10) Decorate cookies with icing or colored granulated sugar.

Malle ("Mall's") Ounakook ("Apple Cake")

3 C. flour (gluten-free works fine as well)

3 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 stick butter

1 C. sugar (we use a little more)

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 C. milk

1/2 C. sour cream (opt. but we do)

3-5 cooking apples, thinly sliced

1) Mix together dry ingredients.

2) Cream sugar and butter together. Add eggs one at a time.

3) Add vanilla, then slowly add flour mix and milk (and sour cream, if using), alternately.

4) Spread batter into greased cookie sheet. (I use my Pampered Chef bar pan.)

5) Stand apple slices upright into batter in cookie sheet.

TIP: Mark out three rows, and put the slices a little bit apart, then fill in the openings later.

6) Bake at 375 degrees until baked through and golden brown (30-40 minutes).

Kohupiima Korp (Estonian Cream Cheese Sheet Cake)

Traditional Estonian recipes for this cake vary wildly, but this is the version the Muursepp family has made over the years. Dear Helde (my husband's grandmother) and Emi (his mother) made this lightly sweetened cake for our family at most holidays, and our kids love it!

FOR THE DOUGH:

1 box cream cheese

2 sticks butter

4 cups flour

Knead well and refrigerate until ready to use.

When ready to use, let it stand out to become room temperature, then roll out to 1/4 inch and place on a large cookie sheet.

FOR THE FILLING:

3 Tbsp sour cream

1 lb cottage cheese

3 eggs

3/4 C. sugar

1 Tbsp cornstarch

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp vanilla

lemon zest

Mix filling by hand. Pour over dough and flip edges over toward the center of the cake. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes.

Rosolje, Muursepp Style—Estonian Pink Potato Salad (Can Be Vegan)

Traditional Estonian recipes for this potato salad vary wildly. The dressing often has Dijon or hot English mustard, prepared horseradish, or sugar in it—though the Muursepp family variety never has. Use a one-to-one ratio between potatoes and beets. (In other words, it's half potatoes and half beets.)

cooked beets (canned is fine), finely diced

cooked potatoes, chilled and finely diced

sweet onion, finely diced

dill pickles, finely diced (lots!)

hard-boiled eggs, finely diced and crumbled on top (omit for vegan)

ham, finely diced (opt., omit for vegan)

pickled herring, finely diced (opt., omit for vegan)

golden delicious apples, finely diced (opt. and common, but never part of the Muursepp family traditional rosolje)

Dice all ingredients into very small, evenly sized squares. Stir into dressing.

Dressing:

Half mayonnaise and half sour cream (or can use 1/3 each of mayo, sour cream, and greek yogurt)—I use vegan mayo and cashew yogurt

Salt and pepper

Dill pickle juice (opt., but definitely part of the Muursepp family recipe)

Pat Panther's White Almond Bark

1 pound whole almonds

1 pound white almond bark candy pieces

1) Toast almonds at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, then cool.

2) Melt almond bark candy (in double boiler, if you have it) and stir in toasted nuts.

3) Pour mixture onto foil-lined cookie sheet—I use parchment paper—and flatten with a wooden spoon.

4) Let cool, then break into bite-sized serving pieces.

COOK'S NOTES:

* Don't make more than one batch at a  time. If you want more, make each batch individually.

* If you use a double boiler, be careful of hot water dripping! If you don't, melt the candy on a very low temperature, stirring constantly, and do not burn!

* The large Costco bag of almonds is 2 pounds.

* Almond bark candy pieces are a seasonal item so buy it when you can if you'll want it other times than at the holidays.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Casserole Ingredients

 4 C. mashed sweet potatoes = 6 baking potatoes or 2 large cans, drained

3/4–1 C. sugar

1/4 C. milk

2 beaten eggs

1/2 stick softened butter

1 tsp. vanilla

Topping Ingredients

1/2 stick butter, melted

1/2 C. brown sugar

1 C. ground pecans

1/4–1/2 C. flour (I use oat flour, i.e. oats ground in the vitamix)

1) Mix casserole ingredients well and in order given. Place in shallow casserole dish.

2) For topping, start by melting butter in saucepan. Add brown sugar, pecans, and then flour.

3) Crumble mixture over top of casserole and bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Cook's Notes:

* Bake potatoes with skins (pierced) at 350 degrees for 1-2 hours, then scoop out of skins and cream. I find little benefit to making them this way. That is, it's just as good with canned yams.

* When I need to stretch this, I add a bit more sweet potatoes and don't worry about adding the other ingredients. It works fine.

* Finally, if I were trying to duplicate this as a whole food, plant-based recipe, I would use flax eggs and stir in a little tahini for richness.

Breakfast Danish

This recipe has been a classic birthday breakfast treat in the Sitterding house for as long as I can remember. Its name on the index card recipe is "Crescent Roll - Cheese Snacks," but we always just called it "danish." (I've edited it here to reflect some of the changes it's undergone through the years.)

Ingredients:
- 2 eight-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
- 2 packages of crescent rolls (use baking sheets!)
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- 1 egg, separated
- cinnamon sugar
- sliced almonds

Unroll one of the crescent rolls in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Beat together the cream cheese, egg yolk, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Spread this mixture evenly over the crescent roll. Unroll the second crescent roll on top of the cream cheese mixture.

Optional: Beat the egg white until thick and no longer bubbly, but not stiff. Spread over the top layer of crescent roll.

Sprinkle cinnamon sugar and almonds on top of the crescent roll, as much as you'd like.

Bake in the oven on 375 for about 30 min. Let cool for a bit so that the filling has time to set and doesn't scald your mouth. We usually serve it by cutting it into wedges, taking care that the "edges" and "middles" are evenly distributed.

This treat is also delicious cold and leftover, so don't feel any pressure to eat it all at once, nor even to reheat it! It's super rich.

Buttermilk PIe

This recipe originally appeared in the William and Mary Cookbook. It indicates that an alumnus in Iowa created it because she was longing for the Lemon Buttermilk Pie from the Old Chickahominy House in Williamsburg. It's really delicious. Though  my mother likes it warm, the rest of us prefer it chilled, as its delicate sweetness is enhanced that way, and something neat happens to the texture of the top when it crystallizes in the cold. It rarely makes it long enough to get to the fridge, though. As the recipe tagline in the cookbook says, "Better make two!"

1/2 C. butter, softened
1 1/3 C sugar (original calls for 1 1/2 C.)
3 Tbsp. flour
3 eggs, well-beaten
1 C. buttermilk
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice (original calls for 1 tsp.)
1/2-1 tsp. freshly grated lemon rind, optional (good both ways)
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt
freshly grated nutmeg, for topping (I usually omit this because I usually don't have it.)
1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust

NOTE: This recipe makes a regular-size pie. If you want to make a deep-dish pie, you need to make half again as much filling. It sets up fine even with 1 1/2 times the filling called for above.

1, Cream butter and sugar together.

2. Add remaining ingredients except nutmeg.

3. Mix well and pour into pie crust.

4. Sprinkle with nutmeg and bake at 375 degrees until pie is set and top is golden brown, usually 45-50 minutes. It can handle cooking longer at 350, and I've even cooked the deep-dish version for an hour at 375. It's pretty forgiving.

Blueberry Pie

Philip's request for one of the Easter desserts this year...

"I didn't know you liked blueberry pie," I said.

"I've never had it," he said, "and I figured it was high time."

I couldn't find my good recipe from years back—it was from the mother of a friend from junior high, Diane Whitehurst, whom I haven't kept up with. My kids suggested I call her and ask her for her mom's blueberry pie recipe, but I do not have contact information for her, and even if I did, I figured Easter morning wasn't the time for a conversation along the lines of, "Hi. We haven't talked for 35 years or so. May I have your mom's blueberry pie recipe?"

So, I did what everyone does in the absence of a good, tried-and-true recipe... I looked it up online and chose one that looked good. It set up nicely and filled a deep dish pie pan, my two criteria for this go round. It was also delicious, so it's a keeper until Diane Whitehurst's mom's recipe comes back around sometime. I modified the original a bit, and the new version appears below.

2/3 C. white sugar
4 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
4 C. fresh blueberries
1 pastry recipe for a double-crust pie
1 Tbsp. butter

1. Combine first four dry ingredients and sprinkle over blueberries in a bowl.

2. Line deep dish pie crust with one pastry crust. Pour berry mixture into crust and dot with butter.

3. Cut remaining crust into 1/2-inch strips and form a lattice top to the pie. Crimp and flute edges.

4. Bake pie at 375 degrees until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, usually between 50 minutes and one hour.

Cheri's Blueberry Tea

This is the delicious blueberry tea that Cheri made for Evie's wedding. The quantities appearing at the end are for a large crowd. (Just in case you're ever serving tea to 200 and don't want to have to do the conversions for yourself! This parenthetical version makes 240 6-oz. servings.)

2 C. water

4 Celestial Seasonings blueberry teabags*

1/8 - 1/4 C. sugar

2 C. cold water

Boil 2 C. water and add teabags to steep for 5 min. Add sugar and stir. If making ahead, leave the tea out to breathe. Putting it in the refrigerator makes it cloudy. For final mixing, put cold water in first and then add the concentrate or the concentrate will stay on the bottom and not mix well. Add ice to serve.

For a crowd: 180 C. water = 240 6-oz. servings; 9 boxes = 180 teabags

* Celestial Seasonings made the beautiful color. We tried other blueberry teas and they were not nearly as pretty or tasty.

Chocolate Star Bread

Their dad is working from home today, so the girls decided to make this special treat for our breakfast this morning. It is beautiful and absolutely delicious! They took pictures of each stage so you could make it without having to watch the video over and over. (We will say that it is worth one watch, however, even if just to hear to speaker's cool accent and to cement in your head how you must forevermore pronounce "Chocolate Star Bread.")

Elanore started with a pretty involved brioche recipe. It was a bit of a pain, but very worth it. Click the link to make that recipe, which will take a while. (She started it one day ahead of the planned "CHOC oh lut STAH bread" baking day.)

Here are the steps, illustrated for you in order:

1) Divide the brioche recipe into two even lumps. (This will make two CHOC oh lut STAH breads.)

2) Divide one of the lumps into four even sections.

3) Roll out the first quarter of the dough into a round a bit larger than the size of a large dinner plate. Cut around the edge of your dinner plate with a knife to create a perfect circle.

4) Cover the first round with a thin layer of Nutella.

5) Repeat with the next three quarters of dough, so that you have four rounds and three layers of Nutella by the end.

NOTE: At this point, you are supposed to move the entire thing to the parchment paper on the cookie sheet before cutting. The girls forgot to move it at this point, and didn't move it until the very end, which worked fine, too.

6) Place a small juice glass in the center of your stack of rounds, and cut the outer portion into sixteen even, pie-shaped wedges.

(Cut into fourths, then cut those in half again, then repeat, to make it easier.)

7) Take two of the wedges that are next to one another and twist them over twice to reveal the lovely inside pattern. At this point, just lay them down once they're twisted.

8) Repeat for all of the sections.

9) Pinch each of the two "star points" together.

10) Transfer the whole thing to parchment paper using a large spatula.

11) Brush with egg white.

12) Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.










Once the star bread is baked, each pinched point of the star will just pull out and be its own individual piece. It makes eight identical pieces, plus the small, gooey center piece left at the end. You can see it in all its video glory here.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

My friend Janet posted this on Facebook. I haven't tried it yet, but she's a great cook, so I assume it's yummy. We may try this for St. Patrick's Day this year, so I'll let you know...

2 C. water
2.5-3.5 lb. corned beef brisket
1/4 C. honey
2 T. Dijon mustard, divided
1 med. head cabbage, cut into 8 wedges
3 T. butter
1.5 tsp. chopped fresh dill, or 1/2 tsp. dried dill weed
spice packet--throw this away!

Place brisket in water in a Dutch oven, cover tightly, and cook 1 hour at 350 degrees. It is very important to cook the meat slowly because boiling it will cause the meat to become tough.

Turn brisket over and continue cooking 1.5-2 hours more or until meat is tender.

Remove brisket from cooking liquid and place, flat side up, on rack in broiler pan so that the surface of the meat is 3-4 inches from the heat.

Combine honey with 1 T. mustard and brush half of mixture over top of brisket and broil 3 minutes. Brush with remaining mixture and continue broiling 2 minutes or until brisket is glazed.

Meanwhile, steam cabbage 15-20 minutes or until tender.

Combine remaining 1 T. mustard with butter and dill, spread over hot cabbage wedges.

Carve brisket diagonally across the grain into thin slices and serve with cabbage.

"Laura Rolls" (Dinner Rolls)

This is the dinner roll recipe from my friend Cheri's friend Laura, whom I've never met, but whose dinner rolls are the best we've ever tasted.  They are a must at all holiday meals around here.

1/2 C. warm water
1 tsp. sugar
yeast
1 C. warm milk
1/2 C. butter
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. salt
1/2 C. sugar (I use 1/3 C.)
4 1/4 C. flour (I use freshly-ground whole wheat)

Dissolve 1 tsp. sugar in water and sprinkle yeast over top.  Scald milk and let cool to warm (or just heat up to right warmth).  Add butter and remaining ingredients to warm milk except flour.  Stir milk mixture into yeast mixture.  Add flour 1 C. at a time.  Rise 2 hours.  Punch down, then rise 1 hour again.  Shape into rolls.  Makes 2 dozen.  Bake at 350 degrees until they smell done.  (Really!  I'm sorry not to know better.  15-20 minutes, maybe?)

Sai (Festive Estonian Holiday Bread)

This recipe is for a traditional festive Estonian sweet bread that is traditionally served by Estonians at all celebratory meals.  We eat it on Thanksgiving morning around here with sausage patties, which holds us until the feast later in the afternoon.

yeast
3/4 C. warm milk
2 C. flour
juice of 1 orange, plus grated orange peel (approximately 1 C.)
1 egg (save a little)
1/2 C. sugar

I put the above in my Kitchen Aid mixer with the dough hook.  Let it mix a little, then add:
2+ C. flour
3/4 stick butter, softened
1/2 tsp. cardamom (opt., but what makes it!)

1 C. golden raisins (Do not add until the end!)

Allow all ingredients except raisins to knead well.  If you have time, let it rise, then punch down and mix it again for a second rising.  Either way, add 1 C. golden raisins at the end of the final mixing before the final rise.

Divide dough into three equal parts, roll out into long strips, and braid.  (Traditionally it is then formed into a circle, but it is also often braided into a long loaf shape, which is easier.)  Brush with blended egg and top with sliced almonds before baking at 350 degrees for half an hour or until golden brown and done.  As the braid bakes, it separates, exposing new dough, so you may want to baste new part with egg and add more almonds to the bare part about halfway through.  Traditionally, Estonians dust lightly with powdered sugar for a festive holiday presentation.