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.

The Dirt and Mud of Westeros

Dirt: The Pudding and Oreos Treat to Roll Around In

As we gear up for the new season of Game of Thrones - which we couldn't be more excited for - we've noticed that the men and women of Westeros seem to really love mud! They're always rolling around in it until they're completely covered. We decided to jump in on this mud craze and see what all the fuss is about.

Of course, we couldn't just use regular dirt. We whipped up this delicious dessert and played in it instead. Let's just say that we all enjoyed eating it, but we're not sure any of us liked playing in it. There must be a trick in Westeros we're not aware of here...

Prep time: 30 minutes

Total time: 3 hours

Makes between 15 and 20 servings

Ingredients:

1 package of Oreo cookies

2 packages of instant chocolate pudding (3.9 ounces total)

4 cups milk

8 ounces cream cheese - room temperature

1/4 cup butter - room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

8 ounces whipped cream

Gummy worms (we used sour ones. yum!)

Step 1: Crush the Oreos. This is easiest done in a food processor; however, we didn't have one on hand. If you're like us, put the cookies in a plastic bag and crush them using a rolling pin.

Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk together milk and pudding mix for two minutes, or until it thickens. Let stand for about 5 minutes.

Step 3: While the pudding is waiting, beat together the cream cheese and butter in a medium-sized bowl. On low speed, add in the powdered sugar slowly. Beat until it is thoroughly mixed and nice and fluffy.

Step 4: Fold the cream cheese, butter, and sugar mixture into the pudding. Then fold in whip cream until it's thoroughly combined.

Step 5: To serve we used small cups, though you could put the whole thing in a large pan. Either way, layer the mixture with alternating layers of Oreos and pudding, starting and ending with Oreos. Refrigerate for a couple of hours and then serve.

We hope you enjoy your dirt! Though, despite how fun it looks on Game of Thrones, we wouldn't recommend playing in it. It's kind of cold...and sticky...

Kingsroad Peanut Butter Bars

Reese's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Bars

We love Reese's. Naturally, while we watched Jamie Lannister slog through the mud of Kingsroad this past season, we thought: Reese's! So today we've whipped up a batch of Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Bars that are an easy treat for a hot day. And as dark chocolate fans, naturally we used ark chocolate chips. 

So today, when you're traveling down the Kingsroad in the heat, sit back and relax for a minute while you enjoy this simple dessert.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Fridge time: 2 hours

Makes: 9x13 pan

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c peanut butter

1 1/2 c powdered sugar

2/3 c crushed graham crackers

2 Tbsp butter

4 cups dark chocolate chips

4 Tsbp shortening

Step 1: Mix together peanut butter, sugar, graham crackers, and butter. Spread across the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan. 

Step 2: In a double boiler, melt chocolate chips and shortening together. Pour evenly over the peanut butter mix. Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours or until top is solid.

And that's it! Super simple and delicious. Cut it into bars and enjoy!

Dragon Droppings: Where Chocolate Chip Cookies REALLY Come From

Even delicious comfort food can come from the strangest of places...

Sure, dragon's spend most of their time burning things and looking menacing, but even they have to do their business at least once a day to maintain healthy dragon colons.

Whether your a wildling or a high-born, dragon droppings, when baked at 350 degrees, make an extremely delicious comfort food or dessert snack that's known to the locals as Chocolate Chip Cookies.

We've got a recipe for you to match all others and will be a sure-fire win at any Cook's Landing bake sale. So, let's bake us some dragon poo!

Dragon Poo Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Makes roughly 24-28 cookies 

Ingredients

1/2 c shortening (or canola oil)*
6 tbsp white sugar 
6 tbsp brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c and 2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 c semi sweet chocolate chips**

*We prefer Crisco, but canola oil also works if you're low on shortening, but it's soupier and bakes darker

**We've grown up on semi-sweet and haven't ever tried anything else, but chocolate chips all taste the same once they're in cookie form).

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together your shortening (or canola oil) - microwave the

shortening for 10 seconds on medium power level or less to make it softer - white sugar, and brown sugar

Step 2: Once that's got a good creamy texture, mix in your egg and vanilla extract. Then mix in your flour, salt, and baking soda.

Step 3: Now comes chocolate chip time! Our recipe recommends 1/3 cup, but if you've got a clan like ours, cut open the bag and pour in chips until there's a 6 chips per 1 T. of dough ratio. At least. 

Step 4: Drop dough on an ungreased cookie sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart in about 1 tbsp dollops  If you used canola oil, you're probably gonna have to scoop and drop with a spoon, but if you used shortening then you can easily roll the dough into balls with your hands.

Step 5: Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. If you see the bottoms getting darker than the dough then they're done.

Set on a rack to cool or let them sit on the pans 'til you start seeing that they are mysteriously disappearing.

Enjoy the deliciousness! The Sisters of House Cook recommend a nice glass, or mug, of milk for optimal dipping, to accent the chewy cookies.

4th of July Special: The Hand of the Kitchen's Ice Cream Recipe

Our Hand of the Kitchen is the second in command whenever we bake, fry, or throw food at each other. Since the unfortunate, temporary demise of our last Hand by White Walker Sugar Cookies, we've had to instate a new force for decision making.

 Naturally, we went with our guts and everyone pointed at the youngest while simultaneously touching their noses not-it.

Today, our Hand brings you her very own recipe for the 4th of July while the rest of us blow up stuff in the name of liberty. Introducing, the proper way to eat your ice cream from the littlest hipster we know.

First, you'll need to make sure you have everything...

Ingredients

blueberries
blackberries
strawberries
vanilla ice cream

homemade whipped cream ingredients:
1 c heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp powdered sugar
1/8 tsp of vanilla extract

Step 1: To make your whipped cream, whip your whipping cream, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar into a frenzy in a bowl until soft peaks form or it's the consistency you like best.

Step 2: Scoop 3 nice, round scoops of vanilla ice cream into a bowl.

Step 3: slice your strawberries and sprinkle strawberry slices, blueberries, and blackberries over your ice cream.


Doesn't that look delicious!

Finally, add a couple of dollops of our homemade whipped cream to the top of your ice cream and start eating!

Here in the Atlanta area we really only have a matter of minutes to eat ice cream out on the front porch while it still counts as "ice cream" and not just "cream." Our Hand tried her best to finish her deliciousness as fast as possible so she could join in festivities.

Happy 4th of July! From House Cook's littlest hipster and Hand of the Kitchen. 

Devilish Dragons and the Eggs They Eat: our favorite deviled eggs recipe

Eggs are a devilish treat full of tricks. They crack, scramble, poach, and run. Today, we've solved their tricksy ways by deviling them with our khalee-c's very own deviled eggs: a Dragon's favorite snack. 

Previously, our khalee-c, Julianne, has showed you what to do when your dragon eggs don't hatch and how to eat a red velvet cupcake (if you hate them). This time, she brings you her own, unique recipe for deviled eggs. We all love these when we feast... and so do her dragons. 

The Khalee-C's Deviled Eggs Recipe

Difficulty: Easy

Serves: 16 halves 

Ingredients8 eggs
2 tbsp mustard
2 tbsp mayo*
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp salt
pinch of cayenne red pepper

*we used light miracle whip today and it tastes just as good

Step 1: Boil your eggs. We find that the best way to do this is to place the eggs in a large saucepan covered with water and bring to a good rolling boil then remove them from heat, cover and allow to cook through in the hot water for 5-7 minutes.

Step 2: Peel your eggs. A good way to get the shell to come off easily is to lightly tap all around the egg shell with a spoon or against the counter and then carefully peel the shell off while holding the egg under a small stream of cold running water. 

Step 3: Cut each egg in half and scoop the yolk into a bowl. Mix your mustard, mayo, garlic, and salt with the yolk and stir well until the mixture is creamy.

Step 4: Place your yolk mixture into a piping bag with an open star tip (any open shape of tip will do--this is the one we like). Fill your egg halves with the yolk mixture. For a pretty and delicious finish, lightly sprinkle a tiny bit of the cayenne pepper over the yolk mixture in the eggs. 

Yum! Your snack is ready to share with your dragons! 

Wondering what a khalee-c is? Khalee-C is our own name for Julianne and is a mix of khaleesi (the mother of dragons from 'Game of Thrones') and "Cook."

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!

Dire Wolf Puppy Chow

The long lunch is almost over... time for a midday snack.

A dire wolf is man's best friend. He's friendly, loyal, energetic and very likely to bite someone's face off if they try to hurt you. Most of all, a dire wolf is soooooo fluffy! What better way to spend time with your best buddy than curled up under a blanket on the couch with a delicious snack in hand while you watch the dire wolves do their thing on Game of Thrones.

Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Feeds: a pack of ravenous wolves

Ingredients: 

(All of the ingredients pictured above used for this recipe are corn free )

roughly 9 cups of Rice Chex

1/2 cup of peanut butter

1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
Two 1 gallon zip-lock bags

1. First, melt your chocolate chips in a double boiler. Don't have a double boiler? Me either. If you don't have a double boiler, you can use a glass, metal, or otherwise heat safe bowl in a pot with water. To use a bowl, make sure the bowl is floating in the water. If it is sitting on the bottom, your chocolate may burn. 

2. Once the chocolate has fully melted, add the peanut butter to the double boiler and mix them together. 

3.  When the peanut butter and chocolate are thoroughly mixed together, pour the rice chex into a large mixing bowl and slowly pour chocolate/ peanut butter mixture over the chex. 

4. Stir until the chex is covered with the chocolate.

5. Put half of the powdered sugar in a gallon ziploc bag and half in a second bag. Divide the mixed chex between the two bags.

6. Seal the bags and shake the mixture until it is entirely coated in powdered sugar -- add more powdered sugar if needed.

And now you have Dire Wolf chow: the perfect snack for while you read (or watch) Game of Thrones.

A Game of Scones

When you play the game of scones, you win or you die.  There is no middle ground.

Inspired by the books "A Song of Ice and Fire" and the HBO series "A Game of Thrones," we bring you a culinary twist for your imagination: A Song of Spice and Fire. 

Together through the bond of sisterhood, but separate through differences in age and physical distances, we five sisters of the House Cook have joined our forces to create this adventure in the world of cooking. Every few days we will share recipes, decor and tools for your kitchen, and a healthy heaping of humor to lighten your day. Because days need lightening. Lunch has been long and comfortable and monotonous ... but, my friends, dinner is coming. 

A Game of Scones

___________________________________________

Whether you prefer the bitter-sweet crimson of cranberries, the sugar-capped goodness of chocolate chips, or the tang of cinnamon-covered raisins, these scones will suit your palette. But once you pick, you can never go back. Choose your side. Are you brave enough to play the game of scones?

Prep time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 20 minutes

Makes 36 scones

Ingredients: 

4 cups of flour

½ cup of sugar

4 tsp of baking powder

1 tsp of salt

½ cup of soft butter or margarine

1 ½ cup buttermilk

1 cup craisins (dried cranberries), chocolate chips, or raisins     

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F
2. Next, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt
3. Cut in your soft butter or margarine (Tip: Grate the butter and then fold it gently into the dry ingredients for easier mixing)

4. Slowly pour in the buttermilk while stirring. Still too dry and not mixing well? Feel free to add a tiny splash or two more of buttermilk.

5. Knead the dough together then divide into three equal sized balls.

6. Clear a large space and cover in flour.

7. Roll out the first ball of dough and lay craisins across it. Gently press them into the dough. Then roll the dough up, with the craisins inside. Knead again. Roll out dough to ½ inch thickness.

8. Cut using a cup or something else round with at least a 4-inch diameter (We use the lid of a Lemonade powder container. It’s a great upcycle that works perfectly). Using a table knife, cut the circles into quarters – this is easiest if you dip the knife in flour first.

9. Cover a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper and lay the scones on it. Lightly brush with milk and sprinkle each scone with a little sugar.

10. Place baking sheet in the oven for 15-18 minutes, or until the tops of the scones are golden brown.

11. Repeat steps 7-11 for raisins and chocolate chips.


For a gorgeous and tasty finishing touch, after baking, sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the raisin scones, or powdered sugar over the chocolate chip scones. 

To make the cinnamon sugar, make a simple mixture that's 1 part cinnamon and 4 parts sugar. Stir it up and dust it on.



This recipe makes quite a few scones. You may surprised how many. There’s so many, you can even throw them at each other!

 Let the games begin…