Pretzswords: Soft Pretzel Swords

Soft Pretzel Swords for Your Food Arsenal

Everyone needs a few armaments round the table. So why not make them delicious as well? The characters of Westeros seem to always be heavily armed - even at dinner. Here at House Cook, our arsenal is equipped a little differently. Sure, we have a couple of broad swords lying around, but when it comes to food our swords are completely edible.

If you love soft pretzels, then follow our recipe and shape them into pointed swords and knives that will make you ready for battle...or maybe just snack time. Whether you're fighting or eating, we recommend you always have a pretzel on your side.

Prep time: 30 minutes

Bake time: 10 minutes

Makes 8-12 Pretzels (less or more depending on how big you make them)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

1 packet active instant yeast, or 2 1/4 tsp

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp sugar

3 3/4 - 4 1/4 cups flour

1 egg

Salt for flavor

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step 2: Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water. Stir gently with a spoon for about one minute until mixed. Add salt and sugar and stir until thoroughly combined. One cup at a time, add in three cups of flour. Mix with a wooden spoon while you add until the dough is thick. Add flour a quarter cup at a time until it is no longer sticky. 

Step 3: Flour a flat surface. Place the dough on top and knead if for about three minutes. Shape into a ball. Separate the dough into sections for the pretzels. You can make each pretzel as big or small as you want.

Step 4: To shape the swords, we used two different techniques. The first is to roll the dough into a long rope. Fold the rope in half and twist it together. Shape the end into a point and add two clumps of dough at the thicker end for the hilt of your sword. The other technique is to roll the dough into a long rope. Flatten the rope and then pinch it together with two finger. Pull one end into a point. Now take a smaller piece of dough and make a hilt that is large at the ends and thin in the middle. Lay the hilt over the top of the sword. Place each sword on the parchment paper when it is complete.

Step 5: Beat the egg into a small bowl. With a brush or your fingertips, spread egg over the top of you pretzels. Sprinkle with salt. (I like to use garlic salt on my pretzels). Place pretzels in the oven for ten minutes or until the bottom is golden brown.

And that's it! An easy and quick pretzel recipe with a Game of Thrones twist. We hope enjoy this great treat for a regular snack or a Game of Thrones viewing party.

Beyond the Wall Pizza

Cheese and Tomato Pizza with No Yeast Pizza Dough

We started our Beyond the Wall series with our fast and delicious 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies. Now we'd like to bring you a main course that's quick, easy, and will leave your mouth watering for more.

Here at Cook's Landing we love pizza. Over the years we've perfected that love into a recipe with piles of tomatoes and four kinds of cheese. Of course our impatience to eat the pizza means we don't like waiting for yeast to rise. So instead we use this simple no yeast recipe.

No Yeast Pizza Dough...

Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 20-25 minutes
Makes 2 pizza bases

Ingredients:

2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2/3 c milk
1/4 olive oil
2 Tbsp olive oil - to brush on dough

Step 1: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Stir together ingredients (except 2 Tbsp of olive oil) in a large bowl. In the bowl, gather the dough together and press it into a large ball.

Step 2: Knead dough in the bowl until smooth. Split ball in two and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll each half into a roughly 13 inch circle. Place on pizza pan. Turn up the edge and pinch into 1/2 inch ridges to finish your crust. Brush the 2 Tbsp olive over the surface of the dough.

How to decorate the pizza...

You'll need:

Pizza sauce
1 can of dice tomatoes
Italian Seasoning
Crushed Red Pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Crumbled feta cheese
2 roma tomatoes
Romano cheese
Provolone cheese
Parmesan cheese

Step 1: Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce over the surface of the dough. With a spoon, scoop out diced tomatoes from the can and cover the surface of the pizza dough, placing a tomato chunk on every 1/2 inch of the dough.

Step 2: Lightly sprinkle Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder over the surface of the pizza. Sprinkle feta cheese crumbles over the entire pizza.

Step 3: Slice roma tomato into thin slices and place evenly over the surface of the pizza. Grate the remaining three cheeses and sprinkle over the pizza until the roma tomatoes are only slightly visible beneath. Don't put too much cheese - unless you're a huge cheese fan, and then have fun!

Step 4: Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the pizza looks done (slightly brown on top).

And that's it! A pizza with so much flavor, it'll melt in your mouth. This cheesy tomato pizza will leave you wishing you'd made more.

Red Wedding Bruschetta

A 'Game of Thrones' Inspired Treat to Die For

In honor of the Red Wedding, we thought we'd fix an appetizer! (It's easier to remain calm during a blood bath if all you can think of is what you're going to snack on to feel better) Naturally, we thought of piles of tomato topped with cheese and fresh basil. So while you watch the season finale of Game of Thrones this week, munch on this delicious bruschetta with a spicy kick.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Bake time: 7 minutes

Makes 15-20 pieces

Ingredients:

6 Roma tomatoes

Fresh basil leaves

1 Baguette 

3 Cloves of garlic

¼ Cup extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

¾ tsp ground red pepper

½ tsp onion powder

1½ tsp salt

1 tsp Italian seasoning 

2 Cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Step 1: Chop tomatoes and put in a medium sized mixing bowl. Mince garlic and add it to the bowl. Add in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, red pepper, onion powder, salt, and Italian seasoning. Stir until thoroughly mixed and let sit. Make sure to do this first so that the mixture has time to marinade.

Step 2: Set oven to broil. Slice the baguette into three-quarter inch slices and set on a baking sheet. Place in the oven for roughly two minutes or until the top of the bread pieces is light brown. Remove from oven.

Step 3: Evenly spoon the tomato mixture onto the bread pieces. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over each piece. Put back in the oven for 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.

Step 4: Chop fresh basil leaves and place them on top of the melted cheese. Serve immediately.

And that's it! Pretty simple for a tasty snack, appetizer, or healthy meal. If you have leftovers, pour them over lettuce for salad. 

Baratheon Bread: Lemon and Poppy Seed Bread

With the gold and black colors of the House Baratheon of Westeros in mind (and Stannis' rather sour personality), today we're bringing you our own Baratheon Bread! This delicious lemon and poppy seed bread is both sweet and tangy. It's light quality makes it a perfect snack, breakfast, or dessert! It's versatile like that.

Lemon and Poppyseed Bread Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes, bake time: 50-55 minutes
Serves: 10-12
Difficulty: Easy

Bread Ingredients

11/2 cups of flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt
2/3 cup evaporated milk
2 large eggs
1 cup of sugar
1/3 cup of olive oil
2 tsp of lemon zest (grated lemon peal)
1 tbsp of poppy seeds

Lemon Syrup Ingredients

1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice


Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350º

Step 2: Mix sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl.

Step 3: Place the eggs, olive oil, evaporated milk, and lemon zest in a bowl and beat until thoroughly mixed.

Step 4: Pour the mixture from Step 3 over the flour mixture and stir until thoroughly mixed. Once mixed, fold in the tablespoon of poppy seeds and stir until fully mixed in.

Step 5: Pour the batter into a greased 4 x 8 and bake for 50-55 minutes.

Step 6: While the bread is baking, combine the lemon juice and sugar for the lemon syrup in a saucepan and cook over a medium to low heat until the sugar has fully disolved and has turned to a light syrup.

Step 7: Once the bread has finished, check to make certain it is baked through by poking a long wooden toothpick into it to see if it comes out clean or gooey. If it comes out gooey, give it a few more minutes to finish baking. If it comes out clean, poke lots of holes throughout the top of the bread and slowly pour the lemon syrup over it.

Step 8: Allow about 10 minutes to cool in the pan, then remove and allow another 10 minutes on a plate. Once it's cool, simply slice and enjoy!