Texas Sausage Kolaches

Sausage kolaches are a favorite Texas breakfast favorite. They are made with a rich sweet dough and wrapped around a smoked sausage. This is Joe's favorite breakfast. I have been buying frozen kolaches from Sam's, but I decided to try my hand at making them. They are about 1/5th cost to make, so I this will be one of my new favorite recipes.

Ingredients

• 1 package (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water, 110-115F
• 1 cup warm milk, 110-115F
• 4 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled a little
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• About 5 cups of  bread flour
• Grated cheddar, optional
• Fresh jalapeno slices, optional
• 40 cocktail smoked sausages

Instructions

1. Put the yeast, water, milk, butter, salt, and sugar in the Kitchen-Aid. Let the yeast grow for about five minutes. Add the eggs.
2. Add the flour in two batches (start with about three cups) and mix only until just combined.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it has doubled. (about 2 or 3 hours)
4. Punch down and put the dough in a gallon sized zip lock bag.  Refrigerate overnight.
5. Divide dough into 40 balls and set on a lined baking sheet.
6. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes.
7. Flatten each dough ball and top with a slice of jalapeno and pinch of grated cheddar and place the sausage on top. The cheese and jalapenos are optional.
8. Wrap the dough around the fillings, pinching the edges together and placing seam-side down on the baking sheet.
9. Cover and let rise for about an hour.
10. Preheating oven to 375.
11. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned.
12. Let the kolaches cool for 20 minutes and serve.
13. Leftovers can be refrigerated for 3-4 days and can also be frozen.

 Some questions that you may ask...Do I really need to chill the dough in the fridge overnight?  You don't have to chill the dough, but chilling the dough helps to develop some natural flavor and sweetness.  Think about the timing too.  If you make the dough the night before, you will have fresh hot kolaches for breakfast or brunch. Are the rising times exact?  No!  Rising time depends on so many factors.  Temperature, humidity, protein content of the flour, and the temperature of the water used in the recipe all effect the time to rise. Keep an eye on your dough and make your best decision.  But don't over rise the dough because there will be no spring left for the oven. 

Whole Lotta Texas Chicken Salad

I came up with this recipe a few years ago.  I wanted a chicken salad that had a zing, but wasn't so spicy-hot that I wouldn't be able to eat it.  I wanted to incorporate a lot of Texas ingredients.  I love cilantro, jalapenos, and onions.  I also love pecans and dried cranberries.  After I came up with this combination I knew that I had found a perfect blend. It is very colorful and so it is appealing to the eye as well as the palate.

This recipe makes enough chicken salad for about twenty sandwiches. It can be served on bread or rolls.  I have used the salad on tortillas for great wrap sandwiches and I have also spread it on large lettuce leaves for a low carb wrap option.

One large can of chicken breast 50 ounces
4 large stalks of celery
1/4 very large Red onion
4 green onions
1 large or 2 small jalapenos, seeds and veins removed
2 cups Hellmann's or Best Food's Mayonnaise
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 Tablespoon Franks Red Hot Sauce
1/2 t black pepper
1 cup Craisens (dried sweetened cranberries)
4 ounces toasted chopped pecans
1/2 bunch chopped cilantro

Drain the broth off of the chicken and reserve it for another recipe.  Flake and shred the chicken by hand into a large bowl.  Finely chop the celery, red onion, green onion, and jalapeno.  Add the vegetables to the chicken and mix together to distribute the vegetables evenly. 

Add the mayonnaise, lemon juice, Franks, and pepper to the chicken and vegetables. Mix these together until the dressing is mixed in. 

I usually put the chicken salad in the refrigerator over night at this point.  This allows time for the flavors to blend.  Just before serving add the Craisens, pecans, and cilantro.

Penne with Mushrooms and Sausage

I try once a week to have an experiment night for dinner.  I love looking through recipes and cookbooks and deciding what I want to try next.  Last night I made a really good pasta dish from one of my favorite cookbooks, Weeknight Fresh and Fast.  I adapted the recipe a bit for the sake of convenience but I really liked it.  Here is how I made the recipe:

Source and original recipe

Penne with Mushrooms and Sausage

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. onion, finely diced
3/4 lb. hot Italian sausage
12 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 c. white wine
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 c. chicken broth
12 oz. penne pasta ( I used gluten free pasta and it turned out great)
1 c. freshly grated parmesan

In a large frying pan heat the olive oil.  Add the onions and saute about 5 minutes.  Remove the casings from the sausages and add to the pan, breaking up into smaller chunks with a fork.  Cook until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.  Spoon out the excess oil, otherwise there will be too much grease.  Add the mushrooms, rosemary, and salt and pepper.  Stir and cook about 5 minutes more.  Add the wine and bay leaf and cook until the liquid has all evaporated, about 4 minutes.  Add the broth and simmer, stirring occasionally until the sauce begins to thicken and becomes syrupy, about 10 minutes.  Meanwhile boil the pasta.  Add the sauce to the pasta and stir to combine.  Stir in the parmesan and serve immediately. 

Pomengranate Frozen Yogurt

1 cup pomegranate juice 4 cups Greek yogurt (large container from Costco 2/3 cup sugar 2/3 cup grenadine or strawberry flavored syrup like Torrino's • In a large bowl, combine yogurt, sugar, pomegranate juice, and grenadine, whisking well until sugar dissolves, approximately 2 minutes. Transfer mixture to an airtight container, and refrigerate until cold, approximately 2 hours. • Transfer mixture to an electric ice-cream maker, and prepare according to manufacturer’s instructions. If desired, return to an airtight container, and freeze for a firmer texture.

Gluten Free Hush Puppies

Ingredients 1 cup (5 ounces) gluten-free cornmeal 3/4 cup (3 ounces) white rice flour 3 tablespoons granulated sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon seasoned salt or regular salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum 2 quarts vegetable oil 1/2 teaspoon onion powder (or 1 small onion, finely chopped) 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or 2 cloves garlic, minced) 1/2 cup milk 1 large egg, beaten Procedures 1 In medium bowl, whisk together cornmeal, white rice flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and xanthan gum. 2 Heat oil in a Dutch oven over high heat to 350°F and adjust flame to maintain temperature. Line a rimmed baking sheet with paper towels. 3 In a medium bowl, whisk together onion, garlic, milk, and egg. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir together until smooth but some lumps remain. Drop batter, about 2 teaspoons at a time into hot oil until you have a dozen hush puppies. Fry for two minutes and then turn the hush puppies. Fry until deep golden brown, about 2 minutes longer. Remove hush puppies from the oil with a skimmer. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve warm.