Orange Rolls

I posted this recipe back in April of 2011 and thought I should bring them back up since Christmas is almost here.  I make these for Christmas morning every year.  Easter, too.  I LOVE these rolls.  They are soft, sweet but not too sweet, and bursting with orange flavor.

APRIL 2011:

These are SO GOOD!!! If you love the Pillsbury orange rolls but want a preservative-free alternative, these are your rolls. These are now my favorite breakfast rolls.  Loooove them!

I've adjusted the recipe using rapid rise yeast. I rarely have the patience to wait through two risings, so I prefer the speed of using rapid rise yeast. For directions on how to make these with regular yeast, click on the link to the original recipe. Just note that I have adjusted the amount of orange zest in the dough and changed the filling and frosting from the original.

ORANGE ROLLS
adapted from Orange Cinnamon Rolls on Food.com

1 (0.25 oz) packet (or 2 1/4 tsp.) rapid rise yeast
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 egg
zest of 1 orange
3 - 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
zest of 1 orange

Frosting:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. orange juice
zest of 1 orange
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. butter, softened

Combine 1 1/2 cups of the flour with the rapid rise yeast, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Combine water, orange juice, and melted butter in a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup and heat to 120-130 degrees. Mix in liquid with flour mixture until smooth. Add egg and orange zest. Beat in enough of remaining flour to make a dough easy to handle.

Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Let dough rest 10 minutes in a lightly greased bowl.

Meanwhile, combine 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, and orange zest in a small bowl. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 9x15 inch rectangle. Spread with softened butter and sprinkle with sugar mixture. Roll dough, lengthwise into a 15-inch tube, pinching to seal. Using dental floss or serrated knife, cut into 1-inch rolls (should make 15 rolls) and place in lightly greased 9x13 baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

To make frosting: in a medium size bowl, beat powdered sugar, orange juice, orange zest, vanilla, and butter until smooth. Spread over warm rolls.

Chili with Cornbread Waffles

This idea has been floating about the internet for a while and I finally decided to give it a try last month.  I loved it!  And my family gave it 2 thumbs up.  Essentially, instead of making cornbread muffins to go with your chili, you make cornbread waffles and serve them with the chili on top.  It's a very filling and satisfying meal.  In fact, I found I couldn't eat an entire waffle - instead I only used 2 quarter sections for my serving.

You can use your own chili recipe or the simple one I've shared below.

CHILI

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup diced onion
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 (8 oz each) cans tomato sauce
1 (7 oz) can diced green chiles
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans
1 (15 oz) can black beans
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans
2-3 Tbsp. chili powder (to taste)
2 tsp. cumin
salt & pepper

Toppings, optional:
Shredded cheese
sour cream
green onions

In a large pot, brown the ground beef with the onions; drain.  Add all remaining ingredients except salt and pepper and bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste, before serving.  Alternatively, after browning beef with onions, transfer to a slow cooker with remaining ingredients and cook on low for 8-10 hours.  Can be topped with cheese, sour cream, and sliced green onions.

CORNBREAD WAFFLES
from TastesBetterFromScratch

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Preheat waffle iron.  In a large bowl, combine corn meal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.  Add eggs, milk, and oil and stir just until smooth.  Pour batter into hot waffle iron and bake in batches.  Makes 4 7-inch waffles.  Spoon warm chili over waffles or waffle sections.  Garnish with toppings.

Chicken Pot Pie Stew and Southern Style Biscuits

During the month of November, the restaurant chain Sweet Tomatoes (in some areas known as Souplantation) has a special, limited-time soup called chicken pot pie stew.  It is my favorite of all their soups/stews.  It is so creamy and delicious eaten with a biscuit.  LOVE IT.  I've always wanted to make something similar at home and I've tried loads of recipes, but nothing quite hit the nail on the head for me.

To my surprise, I discovered the company shared the recipe on their website back in 2011!  However, the posting is all jacked up and difficult to read.  And once I got it deciphered, the number of steps and sheer amount of stew it made was way too much for a typical household.  I was able to condense the steps and reduce the amounts and came up with something doable.  It's by no means a quick and easy meal, but it's worth the work every once in a while when you get a craving.

As for the biscuits, I am very happy with the recipe found here.  However, I'm always interested in trying new recipes and methods and thought I'd give these "southern style" ones a try.  Anyone from the south who knows their way around a biscuit will tell you to only use White Lily brand flour.  Well, it's not available everywhere, and I discovered that you can get the same result by using a mix of all-purpose and cake flour.  So, if you are living somewhere other than Dixie, you can use this trick to get the same fluffy biscuits.

CHICKEN POT PIE STEW
adapted from the Sweet Tomatoes recipe

4 large red potatoes, cubed
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
4-5 cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion (or 1/4 lb. pearl onions)
1/4 cup butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 cups milk
2/3 cup heavy or whipping cream
1 cup frozen peas
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. dried thyme

In a small pot, cover cubed potatoes with water.  Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes or until fork tender.  Drain and set aside.

While potatoes are cooking, heat olive oil in a large pot over med-high heat; add chicken and brown on both sides.  Once chicken breasts are cooked through, remove them to a cutting board.  Reduce heat to medium and add carrots, celery, mushrooms, and onions to the pot.  Saute for about 10 minutes or until tender.  While veggies are cooking, chop chicken into 1 inch chunks and place in a medium-sized bowl.  When veggies are ready, remove them to the bowl with chicken.

In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat with garlic.  Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute.  Whisk in chicken broth, pepper, and salt until smooth.  Heat to a low boil and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Stir in milk and cream and simmer for another 3 minutes.  Add chicken and veggies, potatoes, peas, parsley, and thyme and simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Season as needed with additional salt and pepper.  Serve with biscuits.

SOUTHERN STYLE BISCUITS
slightly adapted from Southern Buttermilk Biscuits on Food.com

1 1/4 cup cake flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt (or you can use table salt)
6 Tbsp. cold butter
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Combine dry ingredients in a bowl or in the bowl of a food processor.  Cut the butter into chunks and cut into the flour with a pastry blender until it resembles coarse meal.  If using a food processor, just pulse a few times until this consistency is achieved.  Add the buttermilk and mix just until combined.  If it appears on the dry side, add a bit more buttermilk.  It should be very wet.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface.  Gently pat (do not roll with a rolling pin) the dough out until it's about 1/2" thick.  Fold the dough about 5 times, gently pressing the dough down to 1" thick, adding flour as needed.  Use a round (about 2.5" in diameter) cutter dipped in flour to cut out biscuits, but do not twist as you cut!  You should get 6 round biscuits.  (You can gently knead the scraps together to make 2 more biscuits but they won't be as good or look as pretty.) 

Place the biscuits on a baking sheet close together for soft sides or 1" apart for "crusty" sides.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until a light golden brown on top and bottom.  Makes 6-8 biscuits.

Banana Bread

I read somewhere online that you can put ripe bananas in the fridge and they will stay ripe for up to two weeks, even though their skins will turn brown.  False.  So now I'm sharing a recipe for banana bread. 

My idiot mistakes are your gain.  Your welcome.  :)

Luckily I ruined 3 large bananas, which gave me just enough mush for 2 loaves.  I've tried a number of banana bread recipes (my mom has one that is high-fiber, yet still yummy - go figure), but this one is my favorite so far.  

THE "BEST" BANANA BREAD
from Chef in Training

2 eggs
1/3 cup buttermilk*
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and oil.  Add the mashed bananas, both sugars, and vanilla and mix well.  Beat in flour, baking soda, and salt just until mixed.  Pour into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (mine usually takes a little longer).  Cool for 5 minutes, then remove loaf from pan and immediately wrap it with plastic wrap (I find this keeps it moist).  Cool completely.

*If, like me, you do not have buttermilk on hand, you can put a teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar in the bottom of a measuring cup and then add milk to equal 1/3 cup.  Let it sit for about 10 minutes before using.

Tuscan Kale Salad With Homemade Croutons

At a recent church function, everyone was invited to bring a healthy dish to share with the congregation.  One particular couple brought several different salads that were each incredibly delicious and unique.  I'm slowly getting around to trying to replicate some of them to share on the blog.  This particular salad surprised me.  I never, ever thought I would like kale.  I mean, isn't kale one of those nasty veggies that only granola-types can stand to eat?  I knew it was good for you (as in super good), but I also figured that meant it was...well...disgusting.

And it is, lol.  Just plain, kale is pretty nasty, but if you dress it up a little or know how to cook it, you will be surprised at how palatable it can be.  This is a traditional Tuscan salad, eaten for hundreds of years, and the Italians haven't died from it yet.  ;)  At least I don't think they have....

Aren't you inspired to try kale now?  Ha ha.  Seriously, it's not that bad, and worth introducing into your diet here and there.  Even my husband will eat this salad!  The kid, not so much, but I'm working on her.

There are two general kinds of kale you will find in your local grocery store:

 

Left: Curly (or "Scots" kale) and Right: Lacinato (or "dinosaur" or "Tuscan" kale) 

image via

You really could use either variety for this salad, but it calls for the dinosaur version.  With both varieties, when serving raw, you want to remove the center ribs because they are tough and difficult to eat.

TUSCAN KALE SALAD 

slightly adapted from drweil.com

1 bunch Lacinato kale, mid-ribs removed, and thinly sliced

juice of 1 lemon

3-4 Tbsp. olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced or pressed

salt & pepper, to taste

crushed red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)

2/3 cup freshly grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese

1 cup homemade croutons, recipe below (or 1/2 cup toasted bread crumbs)

Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes, if using.  Toss with kale in a large serving bowl.  Add 2/3 of the cheese and toss.  Let kale sit for at least 5 minutes; add croutons or bread crumbs and toss again.  Top with remaining 1/3 cheese.  Serve immediately.

HOMEMADE CROUTONS

slightly adapted from SavorySweetLife.com

6-8 slices day-old bread, cubed

3 Tbsp. melted butter or olive oil

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

pinch of salt

1 tsp. dried parsley flakes

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  In a small bowl, whisk together butter or olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and parsley until well mixed; pour over cubed bread and toss to coat.  Spread cubes on a baking sheet in an even layer and bake for 10 minutes; stir.  Bake for another 5-10 minutes or until dry and crispy and golden brown.  Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Honey Orange French Toast

There's a fabulous restaurant chain in the South (FL, GA, NC) called The Flying Biscuit.  I've mentioned it before - that's where the Cranberry Apple Butter recipe comes from.  Their specialty is mile-high biscuits but everything on their menu is amazing.  The first thing I ever ordered was the Orange Scented French Toast with raspberry sauce and honey creme anglaise.  Heaven.  I've never forgotten it.

Imagine my delight when I came across a similar recipe on Pinterest!  It comes from the blog Blue Eyed Bakers, which is just a delight to peruse on a lazy Sunday afternoon. 

This time around I just sprinkled the toast with powdered sugar, but here is a recipe for raspberry sauce if you would like to make it.  Or you can wait until Wednesday when I'll post a recipe for buttermilk syrup - which is basically caramel sauce.  Yum.  My daughter usually doesn't care for french toast but when I served her this Honey Orange French Toast with some buttermilk syrup?  She devoured it and asked for more!

HONEY ORANGE FRENCH TOAST
slightly adapted from Fall French Toast on Blue Eyed Bakers

4 eggs
1 cup half-and-half (I used fat free)
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. orange zest
pinch of salt

1/2 loaf of bread, cut into 1-inch slices (about 8-10 slices)
powdered sugar for garnish

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half, honey, cinnamon, vanilla, zest, and salt.  Preheat griddle to medium heat or 325 degrees.  While griddle heats, soak bread slices in egg mixture.  Spray griddle lightly with cooking spray.  Cook toast until lightly browned and flip.  Toast is done when center is firm, not soggy.  Dust with powdered sugar.

Quick and Easy French Bread

Boy am I glad I found this recipe!  Thanks go to www.TheSistersCafe.com.  I have tried several french bread recipes and this one is the winner for me.  It's quick, easy, and it tastes good.  This recipe makes enough for two loaves, but you can easily halve it.  My loaves always end up a deep brown, but they taste delicious - not burned.  I will never buy store-made french bread again.  Well, let's be honest, I probably will when I'm feeling super lazy.  ;)

Even though it's quick and there's only one rising, you will use regular active dry yeast - NOT rapid-rise yeast.  I reduced the salt slightly because I found 2 teaspoons to be too much for my taste.  The recipe also calls for brushing the loaves with butter half-way through baking.  I did this the first time and didn't like how it made the crust kinda soggy.  So I leave that step out now, though you are welcome to do it if you want.

These loaves are dense, but not too dense, and soft inside.  The crust is not a thick, crispy crust (just in case you were looking for that).

Don't forget the pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven!

QUICK AND EASY FRENCH BREAD
slightly adapted from Baguette recipe on TheSistersCafe.com

1 1/2 cups warm water (between 110-115 degrees F)
1 1/2 Tbsp. (2 packages) active dry yeast
2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 1/4 - 4 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. melted butter, optional

In a small bowl, mix the warm water with the yeast and sugar; let sit for about 5 minutes - it should become foamy on top.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 1/4 cup flour and salt.  Gradually add the yeast mixture and mix until the dough comes together in a ball, adding more flour as needed.  Turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic, adding a little flour here and there just to keep it from sticking.

Cut dough in half.  Roll each half into a long rectangle and roll up lengthwise; pinch edges to seal (I also turn under the ends so they look smooth).  Place on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat or parchment paper.  Repeat with other half of dough.  Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.

Place a rimmed baking sheet on bottom rack of oven and fill with 2 cups of boiling water.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  While the oven is heating, take a sharp, serrated knife and cut 4 or 5 slits across top of each loaf.   When oven is hot, bake loaves for 15 minutes, brushing loaves with melted butter half-way through baking time, if desired.  Let loaves cool at least 5 minutes before slicing.

Icebox Bran Muffins

My mom got this recipe back in the early 70's.  You can find all kinds of variations of it online.  I keep coming back to this one (probably because it's what I expect of a bran muffin - moist, dense, delicious).  The recipe calls for two different bran cereals: bran flakes and 100% bran.  These days the 100% bran cereal I use is Kellogg's Original All-Bran.  This is NOT the same as the original Fiber One cereal.  When it comes to the flakes, I buy what's cheapest.  This time I used the Kroger brand, which are 40% bran, I think.

And since this recipe originates in the 70's it calls for shortening.  Some people balk at using shortening these days.  For the most part, I don't.  Probably because I don't use it very often, so I don't feel like I'm constantly clogging my arteries with horrible trans fats.  Plus all that bran probably scrubs it right out.  If you do the math, it boils down to 1 teaspoon of shortening per muffin.  If that's just too much for you, you can sub the shortening for a stick of softened butter + 1/2 cup of applesauce.  However, if you make this substitution, I can't vouch for it's moistness (since I never do it myself) and your batter will have a shorter shelf life: one month vs. seven weeks.

Which brings me to the beauty of this recipe.  It makes enough batter for 4 dozen muffins.  You can bake them all at once, or store some of the batter in the fridge for the next time you get a craving.  The recipe will divide perfectly into four, 1 quart jars.  Each jar makes a dozen muffins.  I think it makes a great neighbor gift for holidays when people are overloaded on sweets and super-rich foods.

If you do decide to store the batter in jars, might I suggest you use wide-mouth jars (for easier scooping) and take a trip to Wal-mart to buy some of these handy-dandy babies:

These are BPA-free plastic lids for canning jars.  They are not meant for the actual canning process, but are great for storage and sharing (when you have an open jar of applesauce in the fridge or want to give your neighbors a cookie mix).  They fit both brands of mason jars (Ball and Kerr) and even fit the Better Homes and Gardens brand jars.  You'll find both regular-mouth and wide-mouth lids and at my Wal-mart (in the Phoenix area) a pack of 8 was less than $3!  Much cheaper than the Ball brand of lids.  Just a thought.  And no, I'm not being paid for any of this.  I just think they're fabulous.

Okay, enough talk. Here's the recipe:

ICEBOX BRAN MUFFINS

2 cups 100% bran cereal (All-Bran)
2 cups boiling water
1 cup shortening (or 1 stick of softened butter + 1/2 cup applesauce)
3 cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 quart buttermilk (low-fat is fine)
5 cups all-purpose flour
5 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. salt
4 cups bran flakes cereal

To make batter:

In a medium bowl, pour boiling water over 100% bran (All-Bran) and let cool.

In a very large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar; add eggs, buttermilk, and bran and water mixture.  Stir in flour, soda, salt, and bran flakes until thoroughly combined.  Store batter in 4, 1 quart mason jars in the refrigerator up to seven weeks (unless you made it with butter and applesauce, then you can keep it up to one month).

To make muffins:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease or line a muffin tin.  Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and tops spring back when pressed.  (Mine are usually done right at 16 minutes.)  Store muffins in an airtight container up to one week - if they last that long!

Drop Biscuits

I used to keep a box of Bisquick in my pantry, but since I've started making pancakes from scratch, I find I don't need it anymore.  Except when I want to make quick drop biscuits to go with soup!  Luckily the internet has once again saved me and I found a recipe that was pretty close to what I wanted. 

These are quick.  And easy.  No kneading or cutting!  And now I prefer them to the ol' Bisquick.

DROP BISCUITS
adapted from E-Z Drop Biscuits on Allrecipes.com

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Lightly grease a cookie sheet (or line with parchment).  In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients.  Add the melted butter and milk and stir until moist.  Drop by rounded tablespoons (or use a large cookie scoop).  Bake for 8-12 minutes or until lightly golden.  Serve warm.  Makes about 1 dozen.

Fluffy Pancakes

I have to admit, I think this is the first time I've made pancakes from scratch. I usually rely on a box mix, but the other day I wanted pancakes for breakfast and we were all out of mix. So I did a quick search of the recipes I'd saved on Allrecipes.com over the years and found one that fit the bill. Simple, quick, and easy. I may never buy a box mix again!

It's very important that your griddle is preheated. You want to start pouring those pancakes as soon as you're done mixing the batter. Otherwise, the batter will start to get real thick and you won't see as good results.

FLUFFY PANCAKES
adapted from Good Oldfahsioned Pancakes on Allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 cups milk (you may want a little more if you like thinner pancakes)
1 egg
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 tsp. vanilla, optional

Preheat griddle to med-high heat.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Make a well in the center and add the milk, egg, butter, and vanilla, if using; mix until smooth. Pour by 1/4 cupfulls onto griddle. Once bubbles stop popping, flip and brown other side. Serve hot. Makes about 12-14 pancakes.

Sweet and Moist Cornbread

This is a very sweet cornbread and it's fluffy like a cake, not dense. It should be called Death by Cornbread for how much butter is in it. I grew up on this stuff. I think my mom got the recipe off a box of Bisquick in the 80's or 90's.

SWEET AND MOIST CORNBREAD

2 cups Bisquick
1 cup sugar
2 heaping Tbsp. yellow cornmeal
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
2 eggs
1 cup milk.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish. In a large bowl, beat the eggs then whisk in the milk and melted butter. Stir in dry ingredients until thoroughly combined. Pour into baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Bread Bowls

With the fall season starting (at least in some places), I thought this would be a great recipe to share right now. Bread bowls are a great way to serve up your chili, soup, or stew and can make the meal go farther. The bread itself is plain jane - not sourdough, but the outside is nice and chewy and the inside is dense and soft.

Mine turned out a little flat after following the recipe's direction to brush the dough with an egg wash right after rising - bad idea. I'm leaving that step out. You can get 6 good-size bread bowls with this recipe (or you can make 8 smaller ones). Just don't serve them with a thin soup like chicken noodle - the bread will get soggy. Bread bowls are more for thicker soups like cream of broccoli or potato.

According to the recipe, the baked loaves can be frozen up to 1 month if you don't use them all up at once.

BREAD BOWLS
adapted from Italian Bread Bowls on Allrecipes.com

2 packages (.25 oz each) active dry yeast (4 1/2 tsp.)
2 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees)
1 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. olive or vegetable oil
up to 7 cups all-purpose flour

cornmeal
1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp. cold water

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and sugar. Let stand 10 minutes until foamy.

Add salt, oil, and 4 cups of flour to yeast mixture and beat well. Stir in more flour 1/2 cup at a time until dough comes together (you may not need all 7 cups). Knead in mixer until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, turn dough to coat, and cover with a damp cloth. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.

Lightly grease two baking sheets with cooking spray. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Punch down dough and divide into 6 or 8 equal portions. Form each portion into a small, round loaf and place on prepared baking sheets, leaving enough space between each loaf for rising. Cover and let rise again until doubled in size, about 35 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake loaves for 15 minutes. Brush each loaf with egg wash and bake for an additional 10 -15 more minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks.

To make bowls: using a serrated knife, cut a round out of the top of each loaf and scoop out centers, leaving 3/4-inch thick shells. Fill bowls with hot soup and serve immediately (centers can be used for dipping).

Soft Pretzels and Pretzel Dogs

I saw this recipe for pretzel dogs on Allrecipes.com and thought it would be a great way to use up some hotdogs in the fridge (especially since the only buns we had were freezer burned). Turns out, this is Alton Brown's recipe for soft pretzels - just with hot dogs. Mine got a little darker than expected but that's because I have a small, non-standard-sized oven and things cook a little faster. The dogs are great for potlucks and barbecues since the recipe makes a lot (Labor Day, anyone?). I like to dip them in Dijon mustard but they are good alone or with nacho cheese. You will get 18 pretzel dogs out of this recipe.

For the pretzels, obviously you leave out the hot dogs and just twist the dough into pretzel shapes. Other than that, the process is the same. You will get 8 large pretzels out of this recipe.

SOFT PRETZELS AND PRETZEL DOGS
from Alton Brown and Jan's Pretzel Dogs

1 1/2 cups warm water (110 - 115 degrees)
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 (0.25 oz) package active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg yolk
1 Tbsp. water
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
kosher salt - to taste
18 hot dogs, optional

Combine the water, sugar, and 2 tsp. kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top.* Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4-5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put it in a warm place for approximately 50-55 minutes or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and baking soda to a rolling boil in a large pot.

In the meantime:

For pretzels: turn dough onto lightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press into the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel.

For pretzel dogs: turn dough onto lightly oiled work surface and roll into a 10x20-inch rectangle. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 18 1-inch wide strips, then wrap each strip tightly around a hot dog, pinching the edges to seal, and leaving the ends open. About half an inch of hot dog should peek out from each end.

Place the pretzels or pretzel dogs in the boiling water, 1 by 1 (or up to 3 at a time with the dogs), for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water with a large, flat spatula and place on the prepared baking sheets. Brush each pretzel or pretzel dog with the egg yolk beaten with 1 Tbsp. water. Sprinkle with kosher salt if desired. Bake 12-14 minutes or until dark golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

*The dough can be made in a bread machine: Combine the warm water, sugar, and 2 tsp. kosher salt in a bowl and sprinkle with yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes or until foamy. Place the bread flour and butter in the machine. Add the yeast mixture and select the dough cycle.

Homemade Flour Tortillas

I loved the restaurant Rio Bravo for two things: their salsa and their fresh tortillas. I was so sad when they went out of business. For years I have contemplated making my own tortillas and today was finally the day (I'm writing this on Cinco de Mayo). These are great, but I think next time I will invest in a tortilla press to make it faster and easier. With a press, I think it would be worth making your own tortillas every time instead of using the crappy store-bought ones that are full of preservatives.

I was able to make 16 fajita/taco size tortillas with this recipe. Don't expect your tortillas to be perfect circles - you only get those lovely round edges with a press. Tortillas are traditionally made with lard, but I made mine with shortening and they turned out fine. I think these days most people don't even have lard or know where to purchase it. Which is not a bad thing in my opinion...

HOMEMADE FLOUR TORTILLAS
recipe found on Allrecipes.com

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. shortening (or lard if you want to be traditional)
1 1/2 cups hot water

Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder together in a bowl. Mix in the shortening with a pastry blender or your fingers until mixture resembles cornmeal. Add water and mix until the dough comes together; place on a lightly floured surface and knead for a few minutes until smooth and elastic. Divide dough into 16 equal pieces and roll each into a ball.

Preheat a skillet over med-high heat. Using a well-floured rolling pin, roll each ball into a thin, round tortilla. Place into the hot skillet and cook until bubbly and golden; flip and cook until golden on the other side (mine never got golden - just cook until cooked through). Keep warm and repeat with remaining balls of dough.

French Toast Casserole

An easy way to get the french toast taste without all the hassle. This got two thumbs up from the hubby and kid. It bakes up fluffy and has an almost custardy texture. It's great with maple syrup but you could also sprinkle it with powdered sugar. I also like the idea of adding fresh blueberries and maybe cubes of cream cheese before baking. This is easily doubled if you want to make enough to fill a 9x13 pan.

You can make the casserole ahead of time, refrigerating it overnight and then baking it in the morning. Let it stand at room temp at least 15 minutes before baking.

FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE
adapted from Allrecipes.com

5 cups bread cubes
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar, divided
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. cinnamon, divided
dash of cloves
dash of nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, 2 Tbsp. sugar, salt, vanilla, 1 tsp. cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Fold in bread cubes and press gently to help bread soak up egg mixture. Let stand 10 minutes then mix and press again. Pour into prepared baking dish. In a small bowl, combine 2 Tbsp. sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon; sprinkle over casserole. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until top is golden and casserole is set. Serve with maple syrup or a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

Scones with Lemon Curd

I had a bunch of lemon curd left over from making the Luscious Lemon Cake and needed a way to use it up (besides just eating it with a spoon...*cough cough*). I found a recipe for scones with lemon curd on Simple Analogy and decided to give it a shot.

I've never had or made traditional scones before. They are similar to a biscuit, but are sweet. In all honesty I didn't much care for the scones by themselves, but once you add the lemon curd, holy moly I wished they weren't so darn filling so I could eat them all myself! I bet they'd also be great with strawberry freezer jam if you have it.

Heather also suggests adding chocolate or cinnamon chips to the scones and sprinkling the tops with cinnamon sugar just before baking for some variety. Seriously, you could add whatever you want. Just don't eat them plain.

SCONES
from Simple Analogy

2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. sugar
6 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup + 2-3 Tbsp. milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In medium sized bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.* Pour in milk and mix until dough can be shaped into a ball. Press dough into a round disc (about 7-8 inches in diameter) on parchment lined cookie sheet. Cut into 8 wedges.

Pull wedges about 1-2 inches apart and bake for 14-17 minutes. Cool before serving.


*If adding chocolate or cinnamon chips, mix them in before the milk.


MARTHA STEWART'S LEMON CURD (aka CRACK)
from marthastewart.com

1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. finely grated lemon zest
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
8 large egg yolks
1/4 tsp. coarse salt
1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter (10 Tbsp.), cut into 1/2-inch pieces

In a medium saucepan, off heat, whisk together sugar, zest, and egg yolks; whisk in lemon juice and salt.

Add butter and place pan over medium-high heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until butter has melted, mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, and bubbles form around the edge of pan (about 5 minutes). Do not boil.

Remove pan from heat while continuing to whisk. Pour curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a glass bowl. Press plastic wrap against surface of curd and refrigerate until cool. (To store, refrigerate in an air-tight container up to 2 weeks.)

Soft Garlic Breadsticks

Again, this recipe is from Our Best Bites, one of my favorite recipe sites. I made these with the Tortellini Sausage Soup the other day and fell in love. And they really are easy. If you are nervous about using yeast, give these a try. I still consider myself a novice when it comes to bread making and I think this recipe is very forgiving for the beginner.

I'm also including their recipe for Garlic Bread Seasoning, because that is what makes these breadsticks so great. The recipe makes a lot, so store the extra in an airtight container in the fridge to use as needed.

If you are not sure about rolling out the dough and twisting it, just cut it into strips and leave it at that. Nobody will care what they look like once they take a bite. In fact, I may just skip the whole twisting part myself next time. It's simpler and faster that way.

Use a thermometer (a candy one works fine) to measure the temp of your water.

SOFT GARLIC BREADSTICKS
from Our Best Bites

1 1/2 cups warm (105 - 115 degrees F) water
1 Tbsp. yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3 - 4 1/2 cups flour (I only needed 3, but I live in the desert)
2 Tbsp. melted butter
Garlic Bread Seasoning

In a large bowl (the bowl of your mixer, if you have one), combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly.

Add salt and stir. Add 1 1/2 c. flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups, depending on your elevation and your humidity) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger.

Spray a glass or metal bowl with cooking spray and place dough in the bowl.
Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Remove from bowl and place on a lightly-floured surface. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Roll into a rectangle and cut into 12 strips with a pizza cutter.

image via Our Best Bites

Roll out each piece of dough into a snake and then drape over your forefinger and twist the dough. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining 11 pieces of dough.

Cover pan and allow dough to rise for another 30 minutes. When there's about 15 minutes to go, preheat your oven to 425. When done rising, bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with Garlic Bread Seasoning

GARLIC BREAD SEASONING

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (the powdery kind in a can)
2 tsp. course Kosher salt
2 Tbsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. oregano*
2 tsp. basil
2 tsp. marjoram
2 tsp. parsley

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Use as needed.


*Since making this last, I've decided to reduce the oregano to 1 tsp. But that's mostly because I'm not a big fan of oregano - it's just personal taste.

Faster Cinnamon Rolls

Of all the cinnamon roll recipes I've tried so far I like this one the best. It's fast and the rolls are nice and moist. I just don't have the patience to wait for dough to rise twice.

I have not tried freezing these rolls, but I imagine if you freeze them before they rise then thaw them in the refrigerator, they could work out.

The easiest way to cut cinnamon rolls is with dental floss, but a serrated knife works well too. If you want to try the dental floss method, cut a piece of dental floss about 18 inches long, slide the center of it under the rolled dough, cross the two ends over the dough and pull through. It makes a perfectly even and smooth cut.

I found this made about 18 one+ inch thick (when cut) cinnamon rolls. You could try either cutting them thicker to make an even dozen or put 12 in a 9x13 and 6 in an 8x8. I have a large casserole dish that I squeezed 17 into and the last one ended up in the sink. Next time I may just try cutting them thicker...

Your "warm" liquids should be between 120 - 130 degrees.

I halved the icing recipe for the rolls you see in the photo above. I wish I hadn't.


FASTER CINNAMON ROLLS
adapted from Cinnamon Rolls III on Allrecipes.com

4 cups bread flour
1 (.25 oz) packet rapid-rise yeast, room temperature
half of a (3.4 oz) package dry vanilla instant pudding
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup warm milk
1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup melted butter
1 egg

1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
4 tsp. cinnamon

2 cups confectioner's (powdered) sugar
3 Tbsp. melted butter
3 Tbsp. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Combine flour, yeast, dry pudding, 1 Tbsp. sugar, and salt in mixing bowl. Beat in milk, water, and melted butter. Add egg. Once dough comes together, knead in mixer on 2nd setting for 8 minutes (or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface). Spray a bowl with cooking spray; roll dough into a ball and place in bowl, then flip dough over. Cover with a towel and let rest 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Lightly flour work surface and roll dough into approximately a 10x17 inch rectangle. Spread with softened butter; sprinkle evently with cinnamon mixture. Beginning with long end, roll dough into a 17-inch tube. Slice into 1-inch rolls. Place rolls in lightly greased baking dish and cover with plastic wrap. Set rolls in a warm place and let rise until almost doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake rolls for 15-20 minutes.

For icing, beat powdered sugar, milk, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Spread over warm rolls and serve.

Banana Oatmeal Chip Muffins

These are probably my favorite muffins. Or at the very least one of my favorites. And they are healthy too! I found the recipe a few years ago in one of those cooking magazines. This recipe makes one dozen muffins.

BANANA OATMEAL CHIP MUFFINS

1 cup quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 medium, ripe bananas, mashed
1 egg
2 Tbsp. applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a medium bowl, combine oats, flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar. Beat in bananas, egg, applesauce, and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chips.

Line muffin cups; fill 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack. Best served warm.

Golden Dinner Rolls

These rolls are fantastic. The recipe is excellent and lets you be very flexible. It makes A LOT of rolls, so freeze some for later or give them to friends. In the photo above, Caralie and I cut the dough into strips and tied them in knots. Once baked, we brushed them with a mixture of 1/4 cup melted butter and 1 tsp. granulated garlic. Then we sprinkled them with Parmesan cheese. Garlic knots!

In the next photo, I rolled the dough into balls and placed two in each cup of a greased muffin tin. This makes Parker House rolls (at least I think that is what they are called).


And in this last photo, the dough was once again tied in knots. This time we brushed the freshly baked rolls with a mixture of 1/4 cup melted butter and 2 Tbsp. honey. Yum, yum, yum!


The recipe can be found HERE on Allrecipes.com.

I made the recipe with rapid rise yeast. This lets you avoid the first rise. If you use rapid rise yeast, follow the directions on the package, as you will combine your ingredients differently than if you use regular yeast.

The dough can be made in a bread maker using regular yeast. Or you can use a stand mixer like I did. I let the stand mixer do the kneading for me. Once all ingredients are fully incorporated, leave the mixer on the second setting for 8-10 minutes and your dough will be perfectly kneaded!

****UPDATE: I should also mention that I used butter instead of shortening. Better flavor that way and it doesn't have quite as much saturated fat...I think....