Speculaas Spiced Springerle

Speculaas Spiced Springerle

Speculaas are traditional cookies from the Netherlands, Belgium and Holland. I did a lot of reading before baking speculaas back in 2015 when I first made this recipe. Speculaas (Dutch), Speculoos (French) or Spekulatius (German) are more commonly known as Dutch Windmill Cookies or Biscoff Cookies. Speculaas are traditionally baked around the time of the feast of Sinterklaas (December 5) in Holland, and in the western and southern parts of Germany around Christmas. Speculaas derives its name from the wooden molds used to make the cookies called speculaasplank or speculaas. Traditional recipes involve many steps, but I found a great recipe from King Arthur Baking Company that maintains the integrity of the traditional cookie, and bought a modern Springerle rolling pin (a rolling pin with designs carved into it). The word Springerle is from an old German dialect meaning "little knight" and traced as far back as the 14th century. You can also use any Christmas cookie cutter shape you have. This cookie is the perfect combination of spices for the holidays. These aromatic spices are pure bliss and the combined spices are cookie perfection. The cookies are crisp when you bite into them and tender inside. The cookies are the perfect accompaniment with coffee, tea, hot chocolate and eggnog. The trick to making these cookies is keeping the dough cold before you make the impressions. If you use individual molds or a Springerle rolling pin, be sure to flour well. If the dough reaches room temperature, it will stick. 

Yield: 3 dozen cookies depending on size.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour 

1/2 cup Almond Flour

1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Salt

3/4 cup Vanilla Sugar (or Granulated Sugar)

1/2 cup, 1 stick Unsalted Butter, softened

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 Large Egg

Speculaas Spiced Springerle

Speculaas Spice Mixture:

3 1/2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon Ground Clove

1/8 teaspoon Ground Anise Seed

1/8 teaspoon Ground Cardamom

1/8 teaspoon Ground Ginger

1/8 teaspoon Ground White Pepper

Speculaas Spiced Springerle

Speculaas Spiced Springerle

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the Speculaas Spice Mixture; set aside.

In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, salt and baking soda; set aside.

Using a stand or hand held mixer with paddle attachment cream butter and vanilla sugar until incorporated; 1 to 2 minutes.

Add vanilla extract and spice mixture, and mix just until incorporated.

Add egg and mix until incorporated.

Turn off mixer. Add the flour mixture, and cover mixer with kitchen towel, and turn mixer on low speed and incorporate. 

The dough is ready when it begins to clump around paddle attachment.

Close-up view

Love the designs

Form into a disk shape and cover with plastic wrap and chill in fridge for 1-3 hours or overnight.

Heat oven to 375𐩑F.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cut dough in half keeping the remaining half covered in the fridge until ready to use.

Place dough in between two sheets of parchment paper and roll out to desired thickness and length with a rolling pin. Remove top sheet of parchment paper.

Sprinkle a little flour over the dough and flour molds or Springerle rolling pin. Press hard into the dough to make impression, then remove and cut around the design with a sharp knife, pizza or pastry cutter.

Speculaas Spiced Springerle

If dough goes to room temperature and it is sticking to the mold or Springerle rolling pin, cover with plastic wrap and place in freezer for 10 minutes and then repeat step above.

Place cookies on baking sheets and freeze for 20-30 minutes. This will ensure the cookies hold their shape and design while they bake.

Bake the cookies for 8 to 12 minutes, or until slightly brown around the edges. 

After removing from oven, leave cookies on baking sheets for 10 minutes, and transfer to wire rack to cool completely; about 1 hour.

For the Speculaas Spiced Springerle recipe, visit King Arthur Baking Company:

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/speculaas-spiced-springerle-recipe

Enjoy!

-Sophia/Two Frys

Southwestern Pasta Salad

Southwestern Pasta Salad

I came across this Southwestern Pasta Salad in Taste of Home. This is a vibrant, colorful and hearty pasta salad. I bumped up the flavor, added cracked black pepper, and increased some of the ingredients for a bold and kicked up taste. The original recipe has sliced avocado on top but mine was not ripe, so if you have avocado, slice it and add it just before serving. This dish is perfect for a backyard BBQ and as an accompaniment to chicken or burgers, and for sharing with your family. See the adapted recipe below.

Close-up,  Southwestern Pasta Salad

Southwestern Pasta Salad

Ingredients
1 cup Salsa, Medium

1 cup Lime Juice, Freshly Squeezed

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 1/2 tablespoons White Wine Vinegar

2 teaspoons Ground Cumin

1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

1 teaspoon Coarse Salt

1/2 teaspoon Cracked Black Pepper

1 package (16 ounces) Uncooked Cavatappi (or Spiral) Pasta

So yummy!

Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 2-3 hours

1 1/2 cups Fresh or frozen whole kernel Corn, thawed

1 can (15 ounce) Black Beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup Cherry Tomatoes, whole or sliced in half

1 can Black Olives, sliced and drained

1 Green Pepper, chopped

1 Red Pepper, chopped

1 small red onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, divided

Delish!

Pasta salad perfection

Directions
In a small bowl, whisk together the salsa, lime juice, extra virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar, garlic cloves, cumin, cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt;  set aside.

In a large pot, boil water, add salt and cook pasta according to package directions. 

Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water; set aside.

In a large bowl, mix with a spatula or wooden spoon the pasta, tomatoes, corn, beans, olives, peppers, onion and 1/2 cup cilantro. 

Pour salsa dressing over salad and combine. 

Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours to set. 

Before serving sprinkle the rest of the the cilantro.

For the Southwestern Pasta Salad recipe, visit Taste of Home:
https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/southwestern-pasta-salad/

Enjoy!

Sophia/Two Frys

Pumpkin Pie Spice

Pumpkin Pie Spice

I like to make my own pumpkin pie spice as it is so easy. This recipe fills a standard spice jar. Since I start fall baking this upcoming week, I like to have a jar ready to use. Pumpkin pie spice is not just for pie. Use it in cake, cookies, brownies, bars, cheesecake, etc. The 5 spices you need are: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Just mixing the spices warmed up the kitchen and really made me feel like it was fall. We have had temperatures in the 90s and only this past week has it started cooling down. The aroma from pumpkin pie spice is sublime and I love to use it in my baked goods. If you need more just double the recipe. Happy Fall Baking!

Top left: ginger, right nutmeg; Center: cinnamon; bottom left: cloves, right allspice 

Smells so good!

Ingredients
1/3 cup Ground Cinnamon

1 tablespoon Ground Ginger

1 tablespoon Ground Nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoons Ground Allspice

1 1/2 teaspoons Ground Cloves

Spices mixed up

Pumpkin Pie Spice in the jar!

Directions
In a medium size bowl, measure the spices and with a spatula combine until incorporated.

Use a funnel to transfer to a spice jar.

-Enjoy!

Sophia/Two Frys

Ravioli

Ravioli

Allen asked me to make ravioli earlier this week so I got the ingredients I needed to make a quick and hearty dinner. This seriously took less than thirty minutes with jarred sauce and frozen ravioli filled with ricotta and pecorino Romano cheese. These shortcuts helped save time without cutting back on flavor. I bought organic ground turkey but you may substitute with ground chicken, ground sausage, ground pork, ground beef, or use a combo of ground meats. You can omit meat completely and make it vegetarian. Your preference. You can use your favorite spices, but I seasoned the ground turkey with 2 Gringo's Chupacabra Special Blend (link below), which is a company we love for many years and use their spices all the time. I added Italian seasoning to the pasta sauce (I used Prego Fresh Mushroom) and one bay leaf from Allen's parents backyard. See ingredients and directions below.

Ravioli

Ingredients
1 bag (25 oz.) Cheese Ravioli (Frozen)

1 jar (24 oz.) Pasta Sauce

1 lb. Organic Ground Turkey

1/2 Medium Spanish Onion, chopped

4 cloves Garlic, minced

1 Bay Leaf

2 tablespoons 2 Gringo's Chupacabra Special Blend (or your favorite spice blend)

2 Gringo's Chupacabra Special Blend

2 Gringo's Chupacabra Special Blend

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon Tomato Paste

1/2 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese

1/2 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 teaspoon + 1 tablespoon Coarse Salt

Bunch of Parsley, chopped

Yummy ravioli

Directions
Heat skillet to medium heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Season both sides of the ground turkey with 1 teaspoon of coarse salt and 2 Gringo's Chupacabra Special Blend (or your favorite spice blend) and add to skillet.

Add the onions.

While cooking, heat a large pot filled with water on medium-high heat and boil.

Add 1 tablespoon of salt.

Cook the ground turkey until browned and use a spatula to break up the meat until it is in small pieces.

Ravioli done!

Add the pasta sauce, tomato sauce, garlic, bay leaf, and Italian seasoning and mix together.

Turn heat to low and simmer while you cook the ravioli.

Add the ravioli to the large pot once the water is boiling.

Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil.

Cook the ravioli according to package directions. My ravioli took 8 minutes to cook.

Adding more shredded Parmesan cheese

Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

Drain and return to pot.

Turn off ground turkey pasta sauce ragu.

Add it to the large pot with the ravioli.

Add reserved pasta water and mix together with a spatula.

Add grated parmesan and mozzarella cheeses and combine.

Add parsley and combine.

Sprinkle a little extra parmesan just before serving.

Serve with Italian bread or a salad if desired.

To order 2 Gringo's Chupacabra Special Blend or other products, visit:
https://2gringoschupacabra.com/

Enjoy!

-Sophia/Two Frys

Cluckalicious Poultry Seasoning

2 Gringos Chupacabra Cluckalicious Poultry Seasoning

For the last few years, Allen and I have used several products from 2 Gringos, and can honestly say we love to cook our meats with their seasonings/rubs. Some of the products 2 Gringos offer are: Rubs, BBQ Sauces & Marinades, Texas BBQ Beef Jerky, Sausage, Salsas, Pork Cracklings, Tortilla Chips, and more... I made chicken thighs with Cluckalicious Poultry Seasoning for dinner the other night and the chicken was packed with flavor and was so good! Chicken thighs are my favorite part of the bird. The dark meat is juicy and more flavorful than its healthier counterpart the chicken breast, and you can either cook it with the skin and bone-in or boneless skinless, which is what I did in this recipe.

Chicken Thighs with 2 Gringos Chupacabra Cluckalicious Poultry Seasoning

Pat dry both sides of the chicken thighs with a paper towel and then season each side with a little salt and a generous amount of Cluckalicious Poultry Seasoning. Then add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to a skillet on medium-high heat and cook the chicken thighs for about 15-20 minutes flipping them over half way. The chicken was tender, juicy and tasted great with this poultry seasoning.

Chicken Thighs with Cluckalicious Poultry Seasoning is so so good!

Chicken to me is like a blank canvas and seasoning such as Cluckalicious is a great way to make it a flavorful and memorable dish for your family. Using Cluckalicious really elevated the chicken thighs and I look forward to trying it on turkey legs and on other chicken recipes.

Cluckalicous Poultry Seasoning is delish!

If you want your chicken to stand out, I wholeheartedly recommend 2 Gringos Chupacabra Cluckalicious Poultry Seasoning. It will not disappoint.

2 Gringos Chupacabra Cluckalicious Poultry Seasoning

Enjoy!

For further information, visit:
https://www.2gringoschupacabra.com/

Like Chupacabra Rub on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ChupacabraRub

-Sophia/Two Frys

Pumpkin Pie Spice

Pumpkin Pie Spice

Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Allspice, Cloves

You do not need to buy Pumpkin Pie Spice when you can make your own. If you bake a lot like I do, you most likely have all the spices that make up Pumpkin Pie Spice: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. I love the aroma from all of these spices and how fantastic they taste in baked goods. This recipe fills up a standard size spice jar as shown in my photo. If you need more just double the recipe. Happy Fall Baking! See the recipe below.

Here is the Pumpkin Spice ready to transfer to my spice jar

Ingredients
1/3 cup Ground Cinnamon

1 tablespoon Ground Ginger

1 tablespoon Ground Nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoons Ground Allspice

1 1/2 teaspoons Ground Cloves

Yay, Pumpkin Spice ready for lots of yummy baking this season!

Directions
In a medium size bowl, measure all the spices and with a spatula combine until well incorporated.

Transfer to a spice jar.

-Enjoy!

Sophia/Two Frys