Fluffy Dinner Rolls

I LOVE LOVE LOVE these rolls!

 My favorite food blog to follow is Jaimie Cook's it up, she posts practical recipes that are easy to make. These rolls come together pretty quick, they are large soft and moist. I do double this recipe so I can have left overs for the next day:) 

www.jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com 
Time: about 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 12 rolls
Recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up!

3/4 C milk
4 T butter
3/4 C hot water
4 T sugar
1 t salt
4 - 4 1/2 C flour
1 heaping T yeast (I use active dry, but instant would work as well)

1. Pour your milk into a microwave safe container. These Pyrex glass measuring cups work fabulously. Add your butter to the milk and put it in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes.
2. Preheat your oven to 170 degrees. While the milk is getting nice and toasty, turn on the tap to get your hot water. Temperature is important to making these rolls rise quickly. If you add cold water, your rolls will are going to rise at a snails pace, and you'll feel like cursing. We wouldn't want that kind of thing going on....so please add hot water. I put my hand in the water to test it. You want it to be just on the edge of unpleasant. 
3. Put your milk/butter and hot water in the bottom of your Kitchen Aid Mixer. Add the sugar and salt. Then add 2 C of the flour...let it mix for 1 minute.
4. Add the yeast. Turn the mixer on and add the rest of the flour 1 C at a time.
5. You have enough flour when the dough scrapes the side of the bowl clean. Mix on medium speed for 5 minutes. 
6. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 5 minutes. You need the plastic wrap to trap the heat. 
7. Take a stick of butter and coat the inside of a 9x13 pan.
8. Spray your counter, or a cutting board with cooking spray. Lay your dough on top of it. 
9. Take a sharp knife, spray it with cooking spray and cut your dough into 12 pieces. Make them as equal as you can....perfection is not necessary. What a relief.
10. Gently round them into balls, and put them in your buttered 9x13 pan.
11. Put the pan into your warm 170 degree oven. Let them rise for about 20 minutes or until they have risen about 1 inch above the rim of the pan.
12. Leave your pan in the oven and turn the heat up to 350 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes. This time includes the time it takes the oven to increase in temperature. If your oven takes a long old time....you will of course need to increase the time baking. Bake until golden brown.
13. Brush with a little softened butter and serve warm.

Julie's breadsticks

I've been using my friend Julie's breadtwist recipe for years now. These always turn out great and come together really quick. You don't have to wait for dough to rise. It probably takes 30 minutes to make these. I always double this recipe so I can get a full pan of breadsticks.

1 Tablespoon Yeast

2 Tablespoon of Sugar

1 1/2 cups warm water

Let yeast rise

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

I knead mine in a kitchen aid. Dough will be a little sticky, but when it starts to pull away from the sides it has enough flour.

Roll dough into large rectangle. Using a pizza wheel I cut directly down the middle of the rectangle dividing the dough in half, and then I cut it into strips.

Melt some butter and put it in the sheet cake pan.

I then twist each strip and then I take the bread stick and cross it over eachother so it looks braided together. Pictures are below to show how to do it. 

Brush the top of the bread sticks with melted butter. You can then sprinkle with Italian seasoning or Parmesan cheese. They are even great plain. 

Bake at 400 degree for 12-15 minutes until golden on top. 

Dough will be sticky. Just put some flour on the counter and kneed for a minute before rolling it out. 

Divide dough in half

I use a pizza wheel to cut into strips. It's quicker then using a knife. 

Take one breadstick stretch a little and twist with both hands. 

Then you cross each side of the breadstick over eachother to give it a braided look. Continue to twist and overlap the breadstick . 

Make sure the pan is greased with butter.
Lay each breadstick side by side. by side. Brush with butter on the top with Italian Seasoning or Parmesan cheese or plain is good too.  These don't need to rise. They can go right into a 400 degree oven for 12-15 minutes. 

Pumpkin Crisp

I love fall time not just because I'm ready for the season to change but I love fall foods, soups, breads, desserts. I bake A LOT more in the the fall and winter than I do during the summer. I love pumpkin recipes, this pumpkin crisp is a favorite of Rich's. 

Crust

1 yellow cake mix (reserve 1 cup of cake mix for later use)

1/2 cup soft butter

1 egg

Mix together until creamy

 Spread in bottom of 9x13 greased pan

Mix together 

1 15oz can of pumpkin

2 tsp cinnamon

2/3 cup canned milk

3 eggs

1/2 cup brown sugar

Pour over crust

Topping

1 cup cake mix(that you saved from above)

1/4 cup melted butter

1 cup sugar

Sprinkle over pumpkin mixture

Bake at 350 for 1 hour

Top with whipped cream.

We store this dessert in the fridge, I think it's best cold!

Beef and Bean Burrioto's

This isn't really a new inventive recipe, but it's a recipe that I make a lot when I'm short on time. it's one of my family's favorite meals too. I got the recipe from Pioneer Woman but made a few changes.

1. Ground up two pounds of ground turkey or beef. I like ground turkey. (If you like onion throw in some chopped onion with the beef) 

2. Add 1 can of El Pato tomato sauce and two packets of McCormick taco seasoning.  The tomato sauce gives the meat just a little kick, it doesn't make it too spicy though. (You can find this sauce in the mexican isle at Walmart)

3. Heat up two cans of refried beans with 1 or 2 cups of shredded cheese. Stir until cheese is melted .

4. Assemble burrito's by slathering on cheesy beans then follow with meat and sprinkle a little more cheese.

5. Top with 1 can of El Pato sauce and grated cheese.

6. I then like to place them in the oven at 400 degree's just until cheese is melted and the tortilla's are a little crispy. 

ENJOY!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Made this last night for dinner, it was tasty! If you like sweet and sticky chicken you'll love this. If you like extra sauce double the sauce recipe and simmer the extra sauce on medium heat until it reduces and thickens a bit. Oh, and if you like pinnapple with your chicken you and easily add that in the baking dish too. Enjoy! 

INGREDIENTS

Chicken:
• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup canola oil
Sauce:
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons ketchup
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. While the oil is heating, cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Place the cornstarch in a gallon-sized ziploc bag. Put the chicken into the bag with the cornstarch and seal, tossing to coat the chicken. Whisk the eggs together in a shallow pie plate. Dip the cornstarch-coated chicken pieces in the egg and place them carefully in a single layer in the hot skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes and then flip each piece over to cook on the other side until nicely golden but not all the way cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.
3. Mix the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl and pour over the chicken in the baking dish. Bake for one hour, turning the chicken once or twice while cooking to coat evenly with sauce. Serve over hot, steamed rice.

Recipe Source: Mel’s Kitchen Cafe original recipe

Bourbon Chicken(without the bourbon)

I made this tonight for dinner tonight, its was really good, quick and easy to make too. The kids ate more then I thought they would which means there is no leftovers for my lunch tomorrow:(

I didn't have time to take my own picture of my meal because everyone was hungry, but here's  a picture from Jaimie's blog. 

www.jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com
Time: 15 min. prep + 30-40 min. cooking time
Yield: 5 servings
Recipe from Big Oven via Pinterest

5 chicken breasts
2 T oil
1 t garlic
1/4 C apple or pineapple juice
1/3 C brown sugar
2 T ketchup
1 T apple cider vinegar
1/2 C water
1/3 C soy sauce
pinch red pepper flakes
1 T cornstarch 

1. Cut your chicken into small 1-2 inch pieces with some kitchen scissors. 

2. Heat up a large skillet over medium high heat. Once it is hot, pour 2 T Olive Oil into it. 
3. Add your chicken pieces to the pan and let them cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
4. The chicken will start to get a bit juicy and bubbly. Put the lid on the pan, slightly tilted and drain the juices out into the sink. Return the pan to the stove top and continue cooking over medium high heat. 
5. Into a medium sized mixing bowl combine 1 t garlic, 1/4 C apple or pineapple juice, 1/3 C brown sugar, 2 T ketchup, 1 T apple cider vinegar, 1/2 C water, 1/3 C soy sauce, a pinch of red pepper flakes and 1 T cornstarch. Whisk it all together until the cornstarch is dissolved and all ingredients are well combined. 
6. When your chicken has a nice brown sear on some of the pieces...
pour the sauce into the pan. Stir it around to cover all the chicken pieces. 
7. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover the pan with the lid at an angle to allow some of the steam to escape. Let this baby simmer away for about 20 minutes, stirring a couple of times during the cooking period. 
8. Serve over white or brown rice. 

Enjoy!