BOO! Did the spider webs scare you? Did you think you had landed on some spooktacular blog? Nah.. it's just me, regular ole LollyChops. I snazzled up the blog theme for this week in HORROR of Halloween! Brace your senses.. you are about to see a LOT of BOLD red text (I am trying to be scary.. so bear with me ok).
Let's get started with this weeks guest recipe!
I enjoyed having La Fuji Mama here a few weeks ago so much that I invited her back to entertain you all with a spooky Halloween recipe! She really out did herself! We'll still do the interview... but with all new questions... follow me into the dark hallows of Fuji's mind...MUHAHAHAHAH!
L. Chops: Mrs. Mama .. how do you take your pepper. Milled or already ground?
LFM: Pepper mill baby! The stuff that is already ground is so flavorless!
L Chops: Gas or electric?
LFM: Gas all the way. Electric makes me want to beat my head against the wall. Plus, then you can’t do all kinds of nifty tricks like flash frying! Where’s the fun in that?
L. Chops: Butter or I can't believe they call it butter?
LFM: Butter. Life is too short.
L.Chops: You and Robyn would get along swimmingly! Wait till you get a load of a recipe she shared with me yesterday... SIX TABLESPOONS of BUTTER. I actually heard my arteries cry out when I read that.
L. Chops: Clean as you cook or Hurricane Fuji with FEMA disaster recovery?
LFM: I attempt to clean as I cook, which probably does help somewhat, but the kitchen still is declared a disaster area after a good cooking session. Not that I think that’s a bad thing. It’s rare to find a good cook who doesn’t make at least a mid-size mess in the kitchen.
L. Chops: Apron, hand towels, legs or nearest child or pet?
LFM: I’m not picky! Whatever is handy!
Thanks Fuji.. let's dive into the recipe!
Bag of Bones & Bowl Full of BLOOD
When I asked Lolly if she had any requests for today, she said, “How ‘bout something spooky?” After having lived in Japan two different times in my life you’d think I would have managed to learn a trick or two from the Japanese master’s of horror. But unfortunately I am a big scaredy cat when it comes to the horror film genre and stayed far away from them. However, I managed to dig deep into the twisted regions of my little scaredy cat soul and come up with something I think is a bit spooky, while still fun and yummy at the same time!
How does a pile of bones and a bowl full of blood sound? Oh yeah. This pile of sweet pretzel bones is a breeze to make (and SO good) and you can even feel a bit like a mad scientist as you drop each doughy pretzel into a primordial bath of water and baking soda (crazy cackling is optional of course). The great thing about the little boiling dip that the pretzels take is that it gives them that wonderful slightly tough chewy outside, while staying soft on the inside. I conjured up a bloody cranberry cream cheese dip to accompany the bones. Not only is the dip good with these pretzels, but it makes a fantabulous fruit dip as well.
Pretzel Bones
Original recipe by Alton Brown
Makes 16 pretzels
1 ½ c. warm (110 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit) water
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 pkg. active dry yeast
4 ½ c. all-purpose flour
2-oz. unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for pan
10 c. water
2/3 c. baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 Tbsp. water
Turbinado sugar (I used Sugar in the Raw).. tilted to simulate a house of horrors.. is it working?
1. Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam.
2. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes (don’t stop until both of those things have happened).
3. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
4. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside. Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.
5. In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface and divide into 16 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 12-inch rope. Using sharp cooking sheers, cut each end of the rope in half (cut down about 2-inches). Roll each half down to form 2 knobs on each end. I like to kind of pat and squeeze my knobs down so that they hold their shape a bit better. Place onto the parchment-lined baking sheet.
6. Place the pretzels into the boiling water, one at a time, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the baking sheet, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar.
7. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Bowl ‘O Blood Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip
Recipe by La Fuji Mama
8-oz. cream cheese, softened
1 (16-oz.) can jellied cranberry sauce
1 c. powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla
red food coloring (if true red color is desired)
1. In a medium-size mixing bowl cream together the softened cream cheese and cranberry sauce until smooth.
2. Slowly add in the powdered sugar and vanilla.
3. Add food coloring until desired color is reached.
4. Cover dip with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.
Dunk bones in blood and enjoy!
Love the origami bats??? The instructions to make them can be found HERE! These are really cute if you hang them on a bit of fishing wire from the ceiling!
Thanks so much for stopping by today and special thanks to La Fuji Mama for doing such a terrific job on this special request!
I hope everyone has a fantastic Halloween Week!
P.S. I need guest recipe volunteers for November & December. So far I have a Squash-Off planned with Robyn (I am hoping for next weekend....HI ROBYN.. wadda say???) and a super secret recipe from Shaina of Just Because I am Me (slated for Nov 9).
So that leaves me with Nov. 16 & 30 and the entire month of December. If anyone is interested in hosting a recipe here please LET ME KNOW! If you want to share your killer Thanksgiving recipes on one of those Nov dates or your best Christmas recipe in December.. nows yer chance! I see superbowl fare after the first of the year too.. so start thinking about that as well!
