Category: Appetizers

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Homemade Soft Pretzels

Another stay-at-home special! I was making my brother’s Elk Queso recipe and thought a good homemade soft pretzel would go great with that cheesy dip!

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups water, warm
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 packet active dry yeast
  • 4 ½ cups flour
  • 3 tablespoons oil, divided
  • ⅔ cup baking soda
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • coarse salt

Preperation:

  • In a bowl, mix water, salt, and sugar until combined. Add yeast, and let rest 5 minutes until yeast starts to foam.
  • Add flour and 2 tablespoons of oil, and mix thoroughly until a dough forms.
  • Remove the dough and use the remaining oil to cover the bowl.
  • Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and leave in a warm place for 1 hour.
  • Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C).
  • Cut dough into 8 pieces and roll them out into thin ropes, twisting the two ends to form a pretzel shape.
  • Add baking soda to a large pot of water, and bring to a rolling boil. Boil each pretzel for 30-45 seconds per side.
  • Transfer pretzels to a baking sheet, brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.
Posted on

Elk Queso

  • Elk Queso & Chips

This is a great appetizer for any game day party! My brother John sent me this recipe – He’s a big elk hunter and usually brings a few pounds of ground elk after a successful hunting trip. Hint to John! Elk can be tough to find at your local market, but there are a few places out there that offer it. Elk is low fat, but of course you can substitute lean ground beef (90%/10%) . This recipe is easy to make and it’s always gone by the end of the game. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound ground elk (you can substitute lean ground beef (90%/10%)
  • 1 tsp. avocado or olive oil
  • 1 pound of yellow American cheese cut into 1/2″ cubes or shredded cheese
  • 1 can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilis

Directions:

  1. Brown ground elk/beef in oil, working it into small pieces with wooden spoon or potato masher. Salt and pepper a little for taste. Don’t over cook. Drain any oil from the meat.
  2. Layer cheese, browned meat, Rotel diced tomatoes and chilis and green chilis into a casserole bowl until evenly mixed.
  3. Bake in a 350° for 30 minutes, stirring the mixture every 10 minutes.
  4. Serve it up hot with corn chips, or soft pretzels.