Monday, October 8, 2012

Runza: A Pocketful of Comfort


If you have spent much time in Nebraska, you may have been lucky enough to have a delicioso runza from the Runza restaurant.  If not, try these at home or stop by Runza next time you are in the neighborhood!

Runza

Dough:

4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup sugar
2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs

Filling:

1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
2 small onions, chopped
4 cups chopped cabbage
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Place 1-3/4 cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Heat the milk, water and shortening to 120°-130°. Pour over flour mixture; add the eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low until blended. Beat 3 additional minutes on high. Stir in the remaining flour; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes.

Place dough in a greased bowl; cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the cabbage, salt and pepper; cook until cabbage is wilted.
Punch dough down; roll into twelve 6-in. squares. Top each square with 1/3 cup meat mixture. Fold into rectangles. Pinch edges tightly to seal and place on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot. Yield: 12 servings.

**Feel free to add other spices, peppers or cheese to suit your taste.

Saturday, October 6, 2012

French Dip Au Jus: Need I Say More?

You got it. It is the time of year we begin to dream of comfort food. Hot, savory, dripping, decadent comfort food. Dig in with this potentially messy, and oh so divine sandwich.
French Dip Au Jus
1 2 1/2-4 lb chuck roast
1/4 cup butter
1 large onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and diced large (or mince)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon italian seasoning
2 cups water
1 can beef broth
Optional: your choice of peppers if you like it spicy
Toasted, buttered deli rolls
Cheese of your choice
Heat butter in a pot over medium heat until melted. Saute the onions for a couple of minutes or until they begin to brown. Set roast on top of the onions. Add all of the remaining ingredients (not rolls or cheese!). Cover pot and simmer on very low heat on the stove for 6 hours or until beef is fork-tender and falling apart. Shred meat with two forks until all large chunks are gone.
Mixture can be refrigerated overnight and hardened fat may be removed before reheating if you wish.
Serve on toasted buttered rolls, top with cheese of your choice and place under broiler until it is melted.
Dip, slurp, masticate and sigh! Repeat!

Cinnamon Rolls: A Culinary Orgasm

There is no way to describe these other than to say they are a culinary orgasm. Try it and see ;-)
Stephanie's Cinnamon Rolls
1 cup warm milk (110 degrees, no lower but no too much hotter as to kill the yeast)
2 eggs, room temperature, beaten
1/3 cup margarine or butter, melted
4 cups bread flour (use extra for kneading)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/4 oz packet of yeast
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
Slight 1/3 cup flour
2 1/2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter or margarie, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sift
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl. Add the sugar and let the mixture stand for about five minutes. Melt the butter and add it to the mixture. Add the eggs, salt and flour to the mixture, blending thoroughly. Using flour-dusted hands, knead the dough into a large ball on a flat surface. If you have a Kitchen Aid or a Bosch mixer, put the ingredients in as above and let it do the work! Put the dough back into a bowl sprayed with a non-stick spray, cover it with a damp towel and let it rise in a warm place for about an hour or until dough has doubled in size.
Make the filling by combining the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl.
After the dough has doubled in size, turn it out on a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
Roll dough into a 16 x 21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/2 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Working from the 21" side, roll up the dough and pinch the edge shut. Cut the rolled dough into 12 rolls. Place in a lightly greased/sprayed 9 x 13 baking pan. Cover the pan and let rise until nearly doubled maybe 30-60 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the tops of the rolls are LIGHTLY browned. (They can brown fast, watch closely!)
Beat frosting ingredients until smooth and spread on rolls while a tad warm.
EAT AND ENJOY!!! Be careful though, when others hear the sounds you are making while indulging in them, they will want some too ;-)