Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Honey & Cinnamon

We made these for Thansgiving and they were a big hit. I've made them several times since then. The kids eat them right up! And the best part...none of those pesky marshmellows. Now, I like marshmellows as much as the next girl, but who needs kids hopped up on sugar right before bed? Not me!!

image courtesy of Food Network

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Honey & Cinnamon
Ingredients
4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling potatoes after cooked
1/4 cup honey
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Lay the sweet potatoes out in a single layer on a roasting tray. Drizzle the oil, honey, cinnamon, salt and pepper over the potatoes. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes in oven or until tender.
3. Take sweet potatoes out of the oven and transfer them to a serving platter. Drizzle with more extra-virgin olive oil.

*Note: to speed up the cooking process, we zap 'em in the microwave for 5-10 minutes, then put them in the oven for the last little bit. They taste just as good that way and it's faster.

Oh, and I know it's WAY past Thansgiving, but I just keep having to pull this recipe up on Food Network's website, so I figure storing it here will be way easier.

Tomato and Corn Pie

A friend gave me some fresh zucchini and tomatoes from her garden a couple of weeks ago. The zucchini was promptly made into bread, but the last tomato stayed in my refrigerator for a week. I finally had an opportunity to use it last night, with the addition of two more large beefsteak tomatoes. I found this recipe and thought it looked and sounded really yummy, and I've gotta tell you -- it just begged me to make it.

I read the whole recipe a few times, and I had no idea how long it was going to take to prepare it. I started at 3:30 on Saturday afternoon, and at 5:40 I stuck the pie in the oven. During that time, I had to run to the store to buy mayonnaise, since my lovely husband had neglected to tell me we'd been out of it for several weeks (I don't eat it). I just really hoped that after two hours of prep time that it would be worth it. Well, it wasn't absolutely fabulous, but neither was it a disappointment.

A few notes:

• The tomatoes take the longest. Peeling them is important -- it will affect the end texture. Also, if you don't want massive gooiness and sogginess, you'll need to take the time to scrape out the seed and the liquidy sections of the tomatoes.
• Two cups of flower for the crust is not enough. I added close to another half cup more to get it dry enough to not stick to everything in sight. It says to stick the second half in the fridge to keep it cold while you do everything else, but I found that the dough was not as malleable as I wanted when I pulled it out again. It needed a little bit of warmth to keep it soft.
• I'm not sure what the point of chopping the corn was -- I forgot to do it. I used canned corn, which I drained and rinsed and drained again. One can was enough.
• The leftovers are good, but not great. If you can make this for a bigger crowd, I would.
• My husband and I ate this for a meal itself, but it's probably more of a side dish.

All in all, it was good, and I'll make it again. Not frequently, as it takes two hours (plus bake time), but we gave it four stars.

*************************
Tomato and Corn Pie

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 3/4 teaspoons salt, divided
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons or 3 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, plus 2 teaspoons melted
3/4 cup whole milk
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 3/4 pounds beefsteak tomatoes
1 1/2 cups corn (from about 3 ears), coarsely chopped by hand (my preference) or lightly puréed in a food processor, divided
2 tablespoons finely chopped basil, divided (skipped this, no harm was done)
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
7 ounces coarsely grated sharp Cheddar (1 3/4 cups), divided

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and 3/4 tsp salt in a bowl, then blend in cold butter (3/4 stick) with your fingertips or a pastry blender until it resembles coarse meal. Add milk, stirring until mixture just forms a dough, then gather into a ball.

Divide dough in half and roll out one piece on a well-floured counter (my choice) or between two sheets of plastic wrap (the recipe’s suggestion, but I imagined it would annoyingly stick to the plastic) into a 12-inch round (1/8 inch thick). Either fold the round gently in quarters, lift it into a 9-inch pie plate and gently unfold and center it or, if you’re using the plastic warp method, remove top sheet of plastic wrap, then lift dough using bottom sheet of plastic wrap and invert into pie plate. Pat the dough in with your fingers trim any overhang.

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. If your kitchen is excessively warm, as ours is, go ahead and put the second half of the dough in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. Whisk together mayonnaise and lemon juice.

Cut an X in bottom of each tomato and blanch in a large pot of boiling water 10 seconds. Immediately transfer with a slotted spoon to an ice bath to cool. Peel tomatoes, then slice crosswise 1/4 inch thick and, if desired , gently remove seeds and extra juices. Arrange half of tomatoes in crust, overlapping, and sprinkle with half of corn, one tablespoon basil, 1/2 tablespoon chives, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper and one cup of grated cheese. Repeat layering with remaining tomatoes, corn, basil, chives, salt, and pepper. Pour lemon mayonnaise over filling and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Roll out remaining piece of dough into a 12-inch round in same manner, then fit over filling, folding overhang under edge of bottom crust and pinching edge to seal. Cut 4 steam vents in top crust and brush crust with melted butter (2 teaspoons). Bake pie until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes, then cool on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
*************************

I'll be honest. I was intimidated by this recipe. I've never made a pie crust before (graham cracker doesn't count). I had to improvise, because like I said, the recipe doesn't call for enough flour. The crust turned out really well though, and I was quite pleased with myself. It would be great to use to make buttermilk biscuits. I've also not really ever done anything more with tomatoes than chop them up and put them in things, so to have to blanch them and peel them and scrape them seemed like a lot to me. The pie looked too good to let be be too intimidated, though, and I'm glad I won the battle. You should really go read the original post about it, not just my re-posting of the recipe here.

(Sorry for the lack of pictures...my camera is broken.)

Grilled Zucchini

Found this recipe at Kalyn's Kitchen. Here it goes.


Grilled Zucchini - Perfect Every Time!
(2 servings)

zucchini 12-14 inches long, sliced in slices 1/2 to 5/8 inch thick.
1/2 cup your favorite Italian salad dressing
(for South Beach choose dressing with less than 2 carbs per serving, I like Newman's Own Olive Oil and Vinegar dressing)
1 tsp. garlic powder or garlic puree (optional)
1 -2 tsp. dried oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, or a combination (optional)

Cut zucchini into slices, making sure the slices are the same thickness. Combine salad dressing with garlic powder and dried herbs of your choice, if using. (I like this both with and without the extra flavorings. This is one place where fresh herbs are not better.) Put zucchini slices into ziploc bag, pour in marinade and let zucchini marinate 4 hours or longer, even as long as all day if desired.

To cook zucchini, preheat grill to medium-high. (You can only hold your hand there for 3-4 seconds.) You can spray the grill with non-stick spray if desired, but you don't really need it.

Place zucchini on grill, having a spray bottle handy for taming any flames that shoot up from the oil in the marinade. After about 4 minute, check for grill marks, and rotate zucchini a quarter turn. Cook 3-4 more minutes on first side.

Turn zucchini to second side and cook about 4 minutes more, or until zucchini is starting to soften quite a bit, with the outside slightly charred and browned. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper and serve hot.

***
I liked this recipe. It was really easy. I kind of doubled the recipe. I doubled the amount of zucchini & dressing, but only added 1 Tablespoon each of Oregano & Garlic. The kind of dressing I used was Kraft Zesty Italian.

When I made it, I felt like the flavor was a little strong. But, I blame myself for that, because I let it marinade over 24 hours due to a change of dinner plans.

Oh, and be sure to slice the zucchini thick. The thicker ones were definitely the best! :D

I'd give it 4 stars.

Veggie Risotto

Risotto is kind-of a funny dish for me. The first time I'd ever heard of it was when I was going through a pile of recipes my grandmother had sent me. I read it and thought, "that sounds good, and it looks pretty easy." And I was right. It's a little time-consuming, but not all that difficult. Since then, I've read on other food blogs, and seen in movies, that risotto is like this big thing -- it's a rare dish, or a delicacy, or a really complicated something-or-other. I don't get it. It's really not.

I really like risotto (especially this version) because it's pretty adaptable. I'll give you the basic recipe, and then what I did with it.

*************************
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup white rice
1/3 cup white wine
3 cups water, divided
2 cups chicken stock/broth, divided
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large non-stick saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add rice, and cook for 1-2 minutes, coating all grains with the leftover buttery film. Add wine (it will be a little splattery), cook until rice absorbs all liquid. Add 1 cup of water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all liquid is absorbed. Add 1 cup broth. Continue alternating after each cup is completely absorbed. Remove from heat. Add cheese, stir.
*************************

So that's the basic idea. If you want to do it up Mexican style, mix in some chopped cilantro with the cheese, and serve it with sautéed chicken and jalapeños. If you want to mix veggies in (like I did), cook up some green and red bell peppers, zucchini, corn, and green beans in olive oil in another pan while the rice is cooking. Add them with the Parmesan cheese at the end, along with whatever herbs you want. I use parsley, basil, savory, and thyme with the veggies. It could be a one-dish meal if you mixed some sausage or chicken in also, though it's primarily a side dish.

One other side note: at my grocery store, I can usually find cooking wine in the aisle with fancy cooking oils and vinegars.

Melon with Lime Syrup

I found this recipe on Martha Stewart's Recipe Finder.


Melon with Lime Syrup
Serves 4.

Ingredients
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup water (I ended up using a little more water, because the syrup got too thick when I wasn't able to cool it down fast enough in the ice bath)
* Juice of 1 lime (my limes were really, ridiculously small, so I used 2)
* 1/2 cantaloupe, peeled and seeded
* 1 pound piece of watermelon, without the rind
* 1 tablespoon small fresh mint leaves, for garnish

Directions
1. In a small saucepan, combine sugar and 1/2 cup water; place over medium-high heat. Bring just to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until syrup has thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in lime juice, and chill in an ice-water bath.
2. Meanwhile, cut the melons into attractive 1/4-inch-thick slices. Transfer to a serving dish, drizzle with the cooled syrup, garnish with mint leaves, and serve immediately.

***
This recipe got rave reviews from my family. My husband said that out of all the dishes I've made for this blog, this was his favorite one. It's really light and fresh. The syrup is subtle, but gives just enough pop to really kick the natural fantastic flavor of the melons up a notch.

Delightfully delicious! 5 stars!

Lebanese Watermelon Salad

My sis-in-law Sara sent me this recipe to post on the blog. It sounds delicious!

Lebanese Watermelon Salad

Ingredients
Watermelon, sliced into circles, and then into 1/2 rounds or triangles if needed (depends on size of melon)
Feta cheese, crumbles
Fresh chopped basil
Olive Oil

Directions
Place the chilled watermelon flat on a salad plate. Put crumbled feta and chopped basil on top. Drizzle with a little olive oil.

It makes a really pretty salad on the plate, and the sweetness of the melon, saltiness of the cheese and spice of the basil is delightful. It can also be made by cubing the melon and tossing it all together in a bowl. This is faster, but the other way is much prettier. And pretty matters.

Thanks, Sara!!

I needed to bring a side dish to a party, so I thought I'd see if I could find a pasta salad recipe containing basil, killing two birds with one stone. I found one on Food Network's website. Here it is.

Lemon Basil Pasta Salad

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Level: Easy

Serves: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound farfalle pasta
• 4 plum tomatoes, cut into 1 inch dice -aka Roma tomatoes. Yeah, I didn't know that, either.
  
• 8 basil leaves, cut into chiffonade
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 teaspoons salt
• Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Directions

Fill a large pot 3/4 of the way with water and place over high heat. Add plenty of salt and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente. Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water to cool down.

Put the pasta in a large serving bowl and add the tomatoes, basil, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Toss well and garnish with fresh basil leaves.

***

This turned out really good. The combination of lemon and basil was surprisingly refreshing. My only suggestion would be to maybe add some parmesean cheese. Other than that, it was great.

4-5 stars

Garlic Herb Pizza Dough and Soft Garlic Breadsticks

Of course I have to participate on garlic week. This is the best ingredient so far! I made two things out of garlic for one meal, so I am posting both recipes for your recipe pleasure.

Garlic Herb Pizza Dough
from Homemade Pizza Made Easy

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2/3 cup lukewarm water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 Tablespoon fresh garlic cloves, chopped
1 Tablespoon Oregano, fresh, chopped (if using dried herbs, cut amounts in half)
1 Tablespoon Parsley, fresh, chopped
1 Tablespoon Basil, fresh, chopped
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
2 cups bread flour

Dissolve yeast in water. Place flour in bowl of electric mixer. Add dissolved yeast, oil, water, salt, garlic, oregano, parsley, basil, onion powder, and black pepper. Using dough hook, mix well at medium-low speed (or follow mixer instructions) until all ingredients are incorporated. Knead for a few more minutes. Dust with flour or oil ball and place in a large bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm, draft free area for 1 to 3 hours.

The recipe stopped here, so this is what I did for cooking: I spread the dough on a large, greased cookie sheet and covered the dough with my desired toppings (pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni on one, Alfredo sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, cubed chicken (I precooked the chicken), and basil on another). The recipe didn't give a temperature, so I cooked each pizza at 400 degrees F for about 10-12 minutes. My pizzas turned out great, so I think this temperature and time were good choices.

****I used SAF instant yeast, so I skipped the yeast dissolving step and mixed my yeast with my flour before I added any of the other ingredients. I used wheat flour instead of bread flour. This recipe made one nice sized pizza that almost filled my large cookie sheet.

I would rate this at 4.5 stars. I might serve this pizza at a dinner party, but it would have to be a pizza dinner party. We really like this recipe.

Soft Garlic Breadsticks
from Taste of Home

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons water (70 to 80 degrees F)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons sugar
3 Tablespoons garlic powder
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon minced fresh basil or 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
3 cup bread flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon butter, melted

In bread machine pan, place the first nine ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer. Select dough setting (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 Tablespoons of water or flour if needed).

When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 20 portions. Shape each into a ball; roll each into a 9 inch rope. Place on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 40 minutes or until doubled.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. Brush warm breadsticks with butter. Yield: 20 breadsticks.

****I don't have a bread machine, so I mixed this in my KitchenAid stand mixer like I do with any other bread dough. I wasn't sure if the bread cycle mentioned in the recipe allowed rising time, so I put my dough in a greased bowl, covered it, and let it rise for about 45 minutes. Then I rolled it into breadsticks and let that rise for another 30 or 40 minutes, then cooked them. I didn't brush them with butter, but I think I will next time.

I would rate this at 5 stars. I would make this for a dinner party. We ate the leftovers with soup the next day. Yum!

Swedish Meatballs

A couple of years ago my family was invited to the home of a friend who is from Finland. She made traditional Finnish (or they might have been Swedish) meatballs. We loved them. I decided that is what I wanted to make for our challenge this week, but my friend is moving with her family to Finland for a year and had packed her cookbooks by the time I asked for the recipe, so I had to find one online. It found the recipe below on the Food Network website, courtesy of Alton Brown. You can find the original recipe here.

Swedish Meatballs

2 slices fresh white bread
1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons clarified butter, divided
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
a pinch plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 pound ground chuck
3/4 pound ground pork
2 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups beef broth
1/4 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.

Tear the bread into pieces and place in a small mixing bowl along with the milk. Set aside.

In a 12-inch straight sided saute pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and sweat until the onions are soft. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the bread and milk mixture, ground chuck, pork, egg yolks, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, black pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and onions. Beat on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes.

Using a scale, weigh meatballs into 1-ounce portions and place on a sheet pan. Using your hands, shape the meatballs into rounds.

Heat the remaining butter in the saute pan over medium-low heat, or in an electric skillet set to 250 degrees F. Add the meatballs and saute until golden brown on all sides, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the meatballs to an ovenproof dish using a slotted spoon and place in the warmed oven.

Once all of the meatballs are cooked, decrease the heat to low and add the flour to the pan or skillet. Whisk until lightly browned, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add the beef stock and whisk until sauce begins to thicken. Add the cream and continue to cook until the gravy reaches the desired consistency. Remove the meatballs from the oven, cover with the gravy and serve.

Makes approximately 30 meatballs, 4 to 6 servings.

****I didn't have any white bread, so I used 1/2 cup of bread crumbs in place of the white bread slices. This didn't seem to cause any problems. I used lean ground beef and pork (I think both 97% or something like that). I just used regular butter. I didn't feel like making clarified butter and I have never seen it at the store to buy it. I used nutmeg from a container instead of freshly ground stuff. I ended up adding another tablespoon of flour because I couldn't get the sauce to thicken.

These meatballs were delicious. My whole family loved them. My 4 1/2 year old wouldn't even eat dinner with us at first. When he finally got up to the table I told him he had to eat one meatball. I think he ate at least 10. My batch made about 63 meatballs, so I guess I made them smaller than the recipe suggests (I don't have a scale to measure out the portions). I like smaller meatballs anyway. And they were pretty fast to make. I got all of the meatballs made and cooked in about a half hour. The sauce took about another 20 minutes or half hour, but only because I couldn't get it to thicken. I had IKEA's Swedish meatballs last month while I was there shopping and I liked these ones way better.

I would rate this recipe at 5 stars. I would definitely serve this at a dinner party. I think it could make a fun appetizer.

I once again forgot to take a picture. I need to do better with that.

Grilled corn on the cob

We had great barbecue fare for dinner last night. Chicken, corn on the cob, red potatoes, and watermelon. We topped it off later with root beer floats. So yummy. There are so many things you can do to corn on the cob, and this is just one basic twist on it.
2 ears corn on the cob
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Boil the corn in salted water; remove, drain, and cool enough to handle. In one bowl, add garlic to melted butter. Add salt and pepper to taste. In another bowl (or on a plate), combine bread crumbs with Parmesan. Using a pastry brush, brush corn with butter mixture, coating all sides. Either sprinkle over the top or roll corn in bread crumb mix. Place over the grill for about 10 minutes, until crisp and toasted.

These measurements are approximations. I know I used 2 Tbsp of butter, 2 ears of corn, and one clove of garlic, but the rest is guessing on my part. These didn't turn out as good as they could have, mainly because my husband put them on the top rack of our grill, instead of the lower rack, closer to the heat, where they would get toastier. I would definitely make them again, though, and would in fact serve them to other people.

See here for original "recipe" (along with the "recipe" for the potatoes I made last night): PROUD ITALIAN COOK: Grilling Sides!

Creamy Microwave Mac and Cheese

I was looking for something to make for dinner in the microwave (since we've been in the 100s this last week) and ran across this beauty. I found this recipe on Recipezaar.com.



Creamy Microwave Mac and Cheese
Servings: 4 (these must be small servings, 'cause it actually made about enough for my daughter and I. Maybe we really pig out on the mac and cheese. I dunno.)

Ingredients

• 4 cups water
• 1 cup elbow macaroni, uncooked
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (I substituted NoSalt Sodium Free Salt, because my daughter is supposed to be on a low sodium diet.)
• 1 cup low-fat milk
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
• breadcrumbs (optional) (I did not use this option)
  

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, boil water. Add macaroni and cook 8 minutes; drain.
2. In a glass or microwave safe dish, melt butter for 30 seconds. Blend in flour and salt.
3. Stir in milk until smooth.
4. Microwave 2 minutes, stirring with a fork after 1 minute, until thickened.
5. Stir in cheese until completely melted.
6. Pour well drained macaroni into cheese sauce, mixing well.
7. Microwave at medium-high heat for 3 minutes.
8. If desired, sprinkle top with bread crumbs before serving.

***

This was pretty easy to make. I would try it using different cheeses and spices. I read a few different recipes for mac and cheese, and some suggested adding dry ground mustard, garlic, Tabasco sauce, chili powder, white pepper... use your imagination.

I asked Katelynn if she liked it, and she said, "It's still a little bit too hot, but the sauce is good."
Well, there you have it, folks!

I give it 3 1/2-4 stars. Maybe serve it for a kids' dinner party??

Wheat Bread & Cinnamon Rolls

First of all this recipe makes 4 batches. So I made one into cinnamon rolls, one a loft of bread, and two into dinner rolls. I got this recipe from a lady in my ward who taught an Enrichment night on how to make yummy homemade bread. This is a little bit of work but so worth it!!!

2 T. Yeast
1/2 t. sugar
1/2 cup warm water
Place theses ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside to proof yeast

in a large mixing bowl combine:
5 to 7 cups of wheat flour
2 T salt
2/3 cup oil
2/3 cup honey
5 cups hot water (110 degrees)
Yeast mixture
Let it sit for 8-10 minutes then add,
5 to 7 cups white flour (for a total of about 14 cups of flour) Sometimes it is easier to save the last 1-2 cups of flour to use to knead in.

Mix well. Knead for 5 to 10 minutes on floured board or countertop until dough is smooth and elastic.

Place in a oiled bowl, flip to lightly coat with the oil. Cover with a clean dish towel or plastic wrap. Place in a warm place away form drafts to rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Just until dough had doubled in size. Split the dough into 4's. Follow the directions below for cinnamon rolls, dinner rolls, or a loaf of bread.

Cinnamon Rolls
Roll dough into a rectangle. Spread softened butter all over the top. Sprinkle with brown sugar evenly (leave 1/4" around outer edge clean). Sprinkle with cinnamon, raisins (before hand place this in a bowl cover with water and let sit. Drain and dry before sprinkling on dough), and pineapple (I had never had pineapple on cinnamon rolls before and it was pretty good. Don't know if I will do it again). Roll dough into a log length wise. Using dental floss to cut slices (about 12). Place slices into a buttered or greased 9 X 13 pan. Let rise until doubled. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, just until lightly browned. Cool and cover with frosting.

Dinner Rolls
Divide dough into 12 equal sections, roll into balls, place into buttered or greased pie plate to 9 X 13 pan. Let rise until double. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Bread Loaf
Place in a well greased bread pan. Cover and let rise until dough in slightly above pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes to 1 hour or longer depending on your oven. Let bread coll completely on a cooling rack before packaging.

Some of my notes: That is a lot of bread for me and my family so before doing the 2nd rise I froze the dinner rolls. I cook them a couple of days later. When I go them out of the freezer I let them thaw and then did the 2nd rise and followed the directions from there. They turned out great!!! The cinnamon rolls are awesome!!! We eat the rest the next day and they were still just has good.

This is totally 5 stars!!! The best bread we have ever had!!!

Dunkley's Famous Macaroni Salad

Sorry this is a day late! When I was searching for a recipe with Swiss Cheese in it I found this recipe. I thought it looked really yummy.


Dunkley's Famous Macaroni Salad
From RecipeZaar

1 (16 oz) package salad macaroni (or ditali pasta)
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup red onion, diced
1 cup yellow onion or white onion, diced
1 cup medium cheddar, diced
1 cup Swiss cheese, diced
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup dill pickles, sliced
1 cup salami, diced
1 cup black olives, drained and sliced or diced
1/2 teaspoon horseradish
1-2 tablespoon garlic salt
1-2 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1-2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1 (3 oz) jar pimentos, rinsed and drained
1-1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

1. Bring 2 quarts water to a boil.

2. Add macaroni and cook until it is al dente, approximately 7 to 9 minutes.

3. DO NOT OVERCOOK the pasta or it will fall apart when the salad is tossed together

4. Rinse macaroni until cool.

5. Drain well and let it dry out slightly.

6. Place pasta in a large bowl.

7. Carefully fold in celery, red onion, white onion, Cheddar, Swiss cheese, Parmesan cheese, dill pickles, salami, and black olives.

8. Refrigerate the mixture, covered, overnight (or refrigerate for at least 2 hours).

9. Mix the garlic salt, minced garlic, white pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, dry mustard, and celery salt together. Add to the salad.

10. Fold in pimentos.

11. Mix 1 cup of mayonnaise and horseradish; fold into the salad (You may use up to another 1/2 cup mayonnaise, if needed).

12. Refrigerate for another 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving.

Makes 25 servings

******First of all I cut the recipe in half. I didn't want to have leftovers of this for the rest of our lives. I didn't use horseradish or pimentos (I couldn't find the pimentos at the store). I didn't use the full amount of cayenne pepper and added the lower amount of the black pepper because I didn't want it to be too spicy. I mixed the spices with the mayo instead of the pasta/veggie mixture because I thought the spices would be more evenly spread out that way.

I would rate this at 4 stars. It would a great potluck dish. We loved it! I think it would be perfect for a Summer picnic.

Twisters Biscuit Sticks

This recipe is from the book "Betty Crocker Baking for Today: Always in Style, Always Gold Medal" The main ingredient isn't eggs, but an egg was used in the recipe, and I figured there wouldn't be many bread recipes, so I went with it. The recipe was in the section on baking with kids.


Twisters Biscuit Sticks
Prep Time: 16 min; Start to finish: 30 min.
Yield: 6 twisters

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour*
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
Topping (such as cinnamon-sugar, oats, sesame seed or shredded cheese)

*if using Gold Medal self-rising flour, omit baking powder & salt

Directions:
1) In medium bowl, stir all ingredients, except egg and topping until a soft dough forms. (I added a little more milk, because the dough still seemed a little dry.) On lightly floured surface, shape the dough into a ball, using floured hands. Knead 10 times. Place bowl over dough; let rest 15 minutes.

2) Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Divide dough into 6 parts. Roll each part into a 15-inch rope. (since I had 4 little helpers, I ended up dividing the dough into 8 or 9 parts. Each kid wanted to roll their own "snake". Also, I didn't roll the ropes until they were 15 inches, which probably makes a difference in how they bake & taste-wise.) On ungreased cookie sheet, place ropes. (I'd still grease it, if I were you.) Fold each rope crosswise in half, and twist halves together. Brush egg over dough. Sprinkle with topping. (For topping I used Papa Murphy's Herb & Cheese Blend)

3) Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. (Uhm, I didn't do that part.)

High Altitude (3500 to 6500 ft): Use 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder.

*You can add drops of food color when you stir in the milk for a fanciful, colorful bread. Make twisters a special treat by dipping them into applesauce or warm cheese sauce. (that would be yummy!)

****

These were really easy to make. I would definitely make them again They were kind of schmancy looking, too! My hubby was surprised when I said that I made them from scratch. Go, me! They were a little bit dry, but that might be remedied by making the ropes longer like you are supposed to. They would be fun to experiment with, by using different toppings and dipping sauces. They were perfect for sopping up the extra sauce on our spaghetti plates.

*I would give these 4 or 5 stars*

shrimp won tons

My latest cooking goal is to learn to cook shrimp. Because, unfortunately for my waistline, I've developed a passionate love connection with frozen, battered shrimp. This is strange for me because I am not a fan of the flavor of deep frying or battered anything...in general. So, putting two and two together, I figure it MUST be the shrimp, which I rarely eat because it's not something I grew up eating. Here's hoping, anyway.

This is from Emeril Lagasse. I chose this mainly because I liked how it sounded when I was reading it. I'm weird that way--I'll try a recipe just because I like the way the chef words it. Must be the old English major in me popping up.

Shrimp Won Tons

1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus vegetable oil for frying (I used olive oil for both)
1 tablespoon minced ginger (after my unfortunate over use of ginger last time, I opted to eliminate it this time)
2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions (I used minced yellow onion)
1/2 pound raw shrimp, shelled and finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped water chestnuts
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon white sugar (I used honey)
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil (I didn't have either oil, so I used some leftover seasme seeds from the last post as well as a dash of chili seasoning)
1/2 teaspoon chili oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
12 won ton wrappers
Soy sauce, accompaniment
Hot mustard, accompaniment

Directions
Place a wok over medium heat (I used a deep skillet). Add 1 tablespoon oil and when hot, add the ginger and green onions, and stir-fry until aromatic, about 1 minute. Add the shrimp and water chestnuts and cook for 1 minute. Add the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and chili oil and stir to combine. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water and add to the shrimp mixture, stirring. (The mixture should thicken immediately.) Transfer to a bowl or plate and let cool before assembling the won tons.
Keeping the won ton wrappers covered with a damp kitchen towel, place 1 won ton wrapper at a time on a work surface with 1 point toward you. Spoon a rounded tablespoonful of filling in the center, just above the point. Fold the corner over the filling and roll to tuck the point under. (The won ton should look like a triangle)...um, yeah, ok, mine looked much more like a sloppy half moon because I had difficulty with the pinching part. Pinch the wrapper around the filling to completely enclose, pushing gently to expel any air bubbles. Using both hands, pull the 2 side corners toward you below the filling. Overlap the corners slightly, moisten with a dab of water, and pinch to seal.
Place the filled won tons on a baking sheet and cover with a damp cloth while preparing the remaining won tons. (If desired won tons can be frozen on a baking sheet and once frozen, kept in a ziplock bag for up to 2 months.)
Fill a large pot or electric fryer halfway with vegetable oil and heat to 375 degrees F. Add the won tons in batches and fry until golden on both sides, about 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. I don't deep fry anything and didn't have the right kind of oil to do so, so instead I shallow fried half in olive oil. About 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup did the trick. With the other half I sauted them with about 2 Tbs olive oil. The latter won tons still had a nice crisp to them and cooked through thoroughly. Were they as satisfying as the others? Not so much. But honestly, if I hadn't fried the other ones, I probably wouldn't have missed that. Oh, and when sauteing, make sure you time it correctly that you only have to turn them once. I made the mistake of turning one too early. If you turn them more than once, they break open and fall apart.

Serve hot with soy sauce and/or Chinese hot mustard. I had regular, run-of-the-mill brown mustard and soy sauce, neither of which I used. I'm not much of a dipper, though, unless it's tomato based. I squirted some fresh lemon juice over mine. My hubby liked it with the mustard, though.

My rating would be a 3, keep it at home, just because it looked like my 11 month old daughter Ava assembled them. Oh, and they need to be served piping, straight-from-the-skillet hot, so they would not travel well. However, it was definitely a delicious way to cook shrimp.

One thing I liked about the recipe is the directions for freezing. For me, this was labor-intensive because I struggled with the won ton wrappers. So, for my next batch, I'll double it and freeze half.

Hot Cheesy Spinach Dip

Hot Cheesy Spinach Dip
(from Easy to Bake, Easy to Make)

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped onion (about 1/4 medium)
2 cloves garlic, minced (1 teaspoon)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups half-and-half
2 packages (9 oz. each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
1 can (8 oz.) sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 package (1 oz.) dry vegetable soup mix
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until onion is crisp-tender and garlic is fragrant, 2-3 minutes.

2. Stir in flour; cook and stir an additional minute. Add half-and-half and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens, about 2 minutes.

3. Remove saucepan from heat. Stir in chopped spinach, water chestnuts, Cheddar and vegetable soup mix. Spoon dip into a 1-quart casserole or gratin dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

4. Bake dip until it is bubbly and cheese is melted, 10-15 minutes. Serve warm.


***When I told my mom that the ingredient of the week was water chestnuts, she made this for me for lunch. The only thing she did differently was that she cooked it in the microwave for about 3 minutes instead of baking it. We ate it with sliced french bread. It is yummy!

I would rate this 4 stars. It is definitely good enough for a pot luck.

Cabbage Salad = Yummy!

I was excited to do cabbage this week because that is an ingredient I really like. I'm not exactly sure where I got this recipe (some sort of recipe exchange perhaps?) but it was in my recipe file, so I used it. I hope you can follow my train of thought as I go through the recipe. If not, I am truly sorry and I love you all.

Recipe:

1/2 head cabbage, cut up ( I used a whole head because my cabbage was small and I wanted more!)

1 pkg. Top Ramen noodles, chicken flavor, raw (I used teriyaki chicken flavor because I forgot to buy the regular chicken kind and that was all I had in my pantry. It was actually left over from an object lesson in feeding the missionaries or something. It may have been multiple years old, I'm not really sure. Here's the pic if you don't believe me)

4 green onions (I omitted the onions entirely because I hate them. But if you like onions, go for it!)

1/2 c. slivered almonds

Dressing:

2 T. sugar

3 T. white vinegar

1/2 c. salad oil

1tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Flavoring from Top Ramen noodles

Brown almonds in oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. (Watch these almonds like a hawk! Do not let them burn. If you can smell them cooking you may already be too late. Please learn from my experience) Mix cabbage, noodles (break up with hands) (I actually broke them while still in the bag using my meat tenderizer. It's all about multitasking in this kitchen.) chopped onions (or not) and almonds. Just before serving, pour dressing over mixture and toss.

I really liked this salad. It worked great as a side for the ever healthy grilled hot dogs that were our main course and it was light and crisp. I think I have had it before with chicken mixed in which would also be nice because it did feel a little bare with the onions left out. I would give this four stars **** but only because I don't think it's quite fancy enough for a dinner party, not because of the taste.

It didn't look quite so pale and sickly in real life, I promise. This is not the Edward Cullen of salads.

Green Beans & Cabbage

I found this recipe on Cooks.com.

GREEN BEANS AND CABBAGE
6 strips bacon 1/2 c. chopped onions 1/4 c. sugar 1/2 c. vinegar 3 c. precooked green beans 3 c. raw shredded cabbage Brown bacon; drain, break into pieces. Set aside. Saute onions in bacon grease. Put bacon back in with onions. Add sugar and vinegar, then add cabbage. Cook until tender, stirring often. Once cabbage is tender add the precooked green beans, cook until tender or done.

**Alterations:
1. I used applewood deep smoke bacon.
2. I couldn't find my "normal" vinegar, so I used apple cider vinegar to complement the bacon.
3. I added a little more onion and cabbage than it called for, and added less green beans than it said to. It calls for 3 cups, but I only added one can's worth, which was about 2 cups.
4. The recipe didn't say what temp to cook it at, so I just kept it high while cooking the bacon & caramelizing the onions, then med-high for the rest of the time.

**Review:
All in all I would say this recipe was okay. It had a nice little bite to it and was a little bit sweet, which I liked. But, I wouldn't say it would be on the menu for my last meal or anything. I might try making it without adding the green beans to see how that tastes. If you're looking for a cabbage side dish, this one is alright. I'd say keep it at home.

Ginger-Garlic Chicken Stir Fry with Soy-Sesame Noodles

I was shocked--shocked, I tell you--at how yummy this turned out. I got this from rachaelrayshow.com since I didn't want to make a traditional-ish St. Paddy's Day corn-beef-and-cabbage deal since it's really not my kind of meal. Anyway, this is something I will make again for sure.

Ginger-Garlic Chicken Stir Fry with Soy-Sesame Noodles


Salt
1 pound spaghetti
3 tablespoons vegetable oil (eyeball it)
3/4 pound chicken cutlets, cut into very thin strips
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped (I shredded it)
2 inches of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
A couple generous handfuls of shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
1 bunch scallions, trimmed and chopped into 2-inch pieces
1 small head or 1/2 large head Napa cabbage, shredded
1 teaspoon coarse black pepper (1/3 palmful)
1/3 cup Tamari (dark soy sauce)
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Preparation
1. Bring water to a boil and salt it. Cook the spaghetti to al dente. (I used whole-wheat spaghetti which added a sort-of earthy flavor that really complimtented the sauce in this dish)

2. While the pasta cooks, heat a large nonstick skillet with vegetable oil over high heat until the oil ripples. Add the chicken and stir fry until golden, 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, shiitake mushrooms, scallions and cabbage and stir fry for 2-3 minutes more. Season the stir fry with salt and lots of black pepper and turn off heat. (It took my chicken pieces a good 5 minutes to cook; I suppose you could cut back on the garlic since 6 cloves seems like a lot, but I am a raging garlicphile and...ahem...used nearly the entire amount though I cut the rest of the recipe in half; I used two kinds of mushrooms--shiitake and your run of the mill white buttons because I had some in my crisper about to go bad)

3. Place the Tamari (eyeball it) and sesame oil in a bowl and add the hot pasta to the dish. Toss to coat, then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place pasta in shallow bowl and top with stir fry. (I forgot to grab Tamari at the store, so I used regular low-sodium soy sauce; the sesame seeds really add to the flavor, I liked that part a lot)

I guess the only thing about this recipe I'd change (besides the type of noodle used) is the ginger. I think a little bit goes a looong way, so I probably should have started out on the sparse side instead of diving right in with the whole amount. It was too overpowering for my taste--not enough to ruin the dish, but enough to make me notice the flavor a little too much with every bite. Overall, this was a hit for me. My rating would be a 5 because the presentation is BEAUTIFUL as well as tasty. I think I'd wow some people at a dinner party with this one.

Oh, and I ate it before thinking of taking a pic. Oops.

P.S. Will someone tell me how to do the "cut" thing so I can post a link to the sites from now on? I am not so computer savy!

Green Rice

This one was a little harder than I expected it to be. I didn't want to use a premade green sauce, because for me that wouldn't really "count." I wanted to use real tomatillos. So many of the recipes I found that called for real ones were just recipes to make the green sauce. Either that, or they were for a Mexican casserole that was already pretty similar sounding to the Chilaquiles I mentioned in my challenge post. Eventually I found this recipe for a side dish that sounded pretty good. I made it as instructed, no adjustments. I cooked it a little too long because I was working on chicken enchiladas at the same time, so it kind-of burnt to the pan a little bit.

We gave the rice four stars on flavor. I would probably make it as a side dish with a Mexican meal if I were having guests over to dinner. However, I only give it two stars for ease of preparation. It wasn't hard or complicated, but it was just more work than I want to put into a side dish, and rice of all things. And it wasn't even green! :(

The original recipe can be found here: Green Rice

*************************
Green Rice

6 large tomatillos (about 3/4 lb)
2 tablespoons water
1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro
4 teaspoons minced seeded jalapeno peppers
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/4 cups uncooked long grain rice

Discard husks and stems from the tomatillos. Cook the tomatillos in boiling water in a medium saucepan for 4 minutes or until soft; drain. Combine the tomatillos and 2 teaspoons water in a blender and process until smooth. Pour the tomatillo mixture into a 4 cup glass measure, and add enough water to mixture to measure 2& 1/2 cups. Combine the tomatillo mixture, cilantro, jalapeño, salt and garlic in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Add rice; cover mixture, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, and fluff with fork.
*************************