Outback Steakhouse Bloomin Onion

4 Vidalia or Texas Sweet Onions

Batter:

1/3 cup cornstarch

1 1/2 cup flour

2 tsp. Garlic minced

2 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Pepper

24 oz Apple Juice (buttermilk or milk could be used)

Seasoned Flour:

2 cups flour

4 tsp paprika

2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp Pepper

1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper

Mix cornstarch, flour, and seasonings until well blended. Add apple juice. Mix well.

Cut about 3/4" off the top of the onion and peel. Cut into the onion 12-16 wedges, but do NOT cut through to the bottom (root) end. Remove a few of the center pedals of the onion. Dip onion in seasoned flour and remove excess by shaking. Separate petals and dip in batter to coat thoroughly. Gently place in fryer basket and deep-fry at 375-400 degrees for 1 1/2 minutes. Turn over, and fry an additional 1 1/2 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Place onion upright in shallow bowl and remove center core with a circular cutter or apple corer. Serve Hot with Creamy Chili Sauce. (Dill and Ranch dip are both great as well!)

Creamy Chili Sauce:

1 pint Mayonnaise

1 pint Sour Cream

1/2 cup chili sauce

1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper

Youth Day Chili Burgers!

If you attended the ward picnic last weekend then you, no doubt, enjoyed the delicious Chili Burgers that Sister Pat Hegedus prepared. Thankfully, she was willing to share the recipe here for all of you. (After all, you never know when you are going to be asked to feed oh...50-100 PEOPLE!)

This recipe makes a LOT but it'll get eaten, don't worry about that. In fact, it just may be the perfect thing for your upcoming family reunion or Summer get together!

(Sister Hegedus served the meat on soft whole wheat buns, so really, imagine something almost like the picture above only soo much better!)

Chili Burgers - makes 50 - 60 servings

Brown 5 lb (2.3 KG) ground beef & 2 lb (1 KG) chopped onions

Add salt, pepper, & chili powder to taste

Sprinkle on 1/2 c. flour

Add 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce.

Stir in 20 oz (600ml) bottle of ketchup

Add equal of water (600 ml)

Simmer 1 hour

Add 2 lb grated potatoes and cook until thick.


**************************************************

Comment: The grated potato took longer than I expected to cook soft enough so it wasn't seen in the mixture. Next time I might par-boil the potatoes (still whole) to half cook them before grating them for the mixture.

Homemade Rye Bread

"I have a recipe that is so good and economical and wondered if you would share it with the sisters. It is a deli-style rye bread. My husband loves it as do others who have tried it. Not only is it economical, but for those who can't have eggs or oil or sugar, it is very light and tasty." Sister Elaine Raymond

HOMEMADE RYE BREAD

6 c. lukewarm water
3 T. yeast
3 T. salt
3 T. caraway seeds
2-3 c. rye flour
8-10 c. white flour
cornmeal for sprinkling the pans

1. Mix yeast salt and caraway seeds with water in bowl. Mix in remaining dry ingredients. Do not knead.
Cover with towel and let rise about 2 hours (or it can be stored in fridge for up to 2 weeks.)
2. Dust surface with flour and divide into 4 pieces, dust each piece with flour and shape into an oval
shaped loaf. After sprinkling cornmeal on pans (I use pizza pans), let rise for about 40 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 450 and put a container of water on a rack for moisture.
4. Bake for 30 minutes.

NOTE: According to Sister Raymond, this recipe will make FOUR loaves. You could half it, if you preferred, but why would you want less? If I told you that this is a very famous recipe from New York would that convince you to try it?

It is! Go make this RIGHT NOW!

Kay's NEVER FAIL Sweet Rolls

Kay's Never Fail Sweet Rolls

Add 6 cups of warm water to a large bowl

Add 1 cup of sugar

Add 4 tablespoons regular yeast

Let rise for 10 minutes

Add 8 eggs, well beaten

Add 3 teaspoons salt

Add 1 cup vegetable oil or melted margarine

Add about 20 cups of flour (4 cups at a time) until you have a soft ball.

Knead well, let rise until double in size, form into buns, (or cinnamon buns if that is the case). Let rise again for about 1 hour or until double in size. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes.

NOTE: This recipe will make 4 dozen LARGE cinnamon buns.

REMEMBER: When cooking Cinnamon Buns do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT scimp on the butter and sugar!

Best Ever Homemade Doughnuts
(Courtesy of the Two Teaspoons)

6 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
4 cups hot tap water
¾ cup melted butter (only use real butter)

Directions

Combine and mix all the above ingredients. Then add:

4 cups flour and beat together.

Add 2 T self-rising yeast and 4 more cups of flour. Beat.

Add more flour as needed until the sticky dough pulls away from the sides of the mixer bowl (approx 2 cups). Dough should still be a bit sticky.

Once it pulls away from the bowl, beat for about 3 more minutes.

Oil a large bowl and put the dough in. Flip the dough over so bottom and top are greased and let dough raise for an hour in your warm kitchen. Cover with a tea towel.

FREEZER METHOD—if you do not want to make your doughnuts at this time, put the dough in a small bowl with a couple of layers of saran wrap covering it and put in your fridge for later. This will stop the rising process of the yeast. OR put the bowl of dough in the freezer. Or you can cut out the doughnuts, put them on a cookie sheet cover with saran and then in the fridge or freezer to be deep fried later. Just remember to let them come back to room temperature and then raise for 15 minutes before frying.

Lightly flour the kitchen counter and lay your risen dough on it. Lightly dust your rolling pin with flour and roll the dough out to about an inch thickness or roll it thinner for smaller sized doughnuts.

Using a doughnut cutter lightly dusted with flour, cut out doughnuts and let sit for about 15 minutes. Gather up the doughnut holes etc. and re-roll to make more doughnuts or you can let those sit for 15 minutes and fry those up as well.

Using an electric frying pan heat the vegetable oil to 400 degrees F. The pan should be filled with oil to a depth of at least 2 ½ inches or more. The frying doughnuts should not touch the bottom of the pan. Test the hot oil by putting a bit of dough in it to see if it sizzles.

Deep fry 4-6 doughnuts at a time or more if your pan is larger. When they are golden brown turn them over in the oil. Use two forks, chop sticks or tongs to handle the doughnuts.

Spread out newspaper of any kind on the counter beside your pan. Put your hot finished doughnuts on the newsprint, as it will absorb the excess grease nicely.

Glaze: (Premix before frying doughnuts)

1. Gently boil 1 cup of butter, 2 cups of white sugar, and 1 cup of milk for 2 minutes. Stir often and do not leave it unattended.

2. Cool the glaze off the stove for 15 minutes and then mix in 2 cups of icing sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp salt and beat well. (If you want your glaze to be thicker, just add more icing sugar, but the glaze should be drippy.

3. Drop the still warm doughnuts in the bowl of glaze one by one and flip over to coat both sides. Put them on a cooling rack that is sitting on a cookie sheet to catch the drips of the glaze. The drippings can be scraped back into the bowl of glaze to reuse.

Icing Doughnuts-- use only cooled doughnuts or the icing won’t stick properly. Mix up the icing in a bowl and lay the doughnut in the bowl with your fingers and then take right out. Only coat one side (add sprinkles, nuts, coconut, etc. if desired).

Chocolate Icing
1/3 cup butter
1 T milk
3 T cocoa
2 cups icing sugar
½ tsp vanilla
Beat until fluffy.