Fabulous Rolls

My good friend Kalei from Texas gave me this recipe.

I made it and we also adopted as one of our favorites.

I tweeked a little bit, it made them fluffier, so...I hope you will enjoy it.

2/12 cups warm water

2 Tbsp of yeast

2 Tbsp of sugar

2 Tbsp of oil

2 tsp salt

3 1/2 cups of flour approximately (just add flour until the dough is not sticky. I use half and half white/wheat flour)

In a mixer put 3 cups of flour and the yeast. Mix it and add hot water. Add the rest of the ingredients. Let it rise in the mixer or in a bowl for 30 minutes or until double.

Punch it down and knead or knead it again with the mixer.

In a greased cookie sheet, divide the dough in golf size balls. Let it rise until double and bake it in a preheated oven at 400 degrees. Bake it for 20 minutes. Brush it with butter.

Serve it warm...hmmmmm, it is yummy!

I like to make honey butter with it.

1 cup of butter

1/2 cup of honey...beat the butter and then add the honey.

A pinch of cinnamon is also delicious in it.

Tres Leches

In Texas we fed the missionaries quite often. When Elder Tingey left, I asked what his favorite dessert was and he said Tres Leches Cake.

So I went on the internet and found this recipe...it has been a family favorite ever since.

Gabriel loves it!!!!

I took it to Pine Wood Durby and he hurried and picked it as his cake, so we brought it back home.

It is better if made and put in the fridge over night or at least 4-6 hours before serving.

1 box Duncan Hines golden butter recipe cake mix

2 (12oz) cans evaporated milk

1 can of sweet condensed milk

16 oz of half and half cream

3 egg whites

3/4 cup of sugar

3/4 cup of light corn syrup

1 tsp vanilla

Follow instructions for cake mix. Pour bater into large Pirex or 9x13 inch cake pan. Bake cake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until done. Remove from the oven.

In a bowl, mix the evaporated milk, condensed milk and half and half. Pour the milk mixture evenly over the cake. It might float...that is ok.

Meringue: In a saucepan, melt the corn syrup and sugar. Beat the egg whites until foamy. Continue beating as you slowly pour in the warm syrup. Beat until meringue reaches a thick consistency. Add 1 tsp of vanilla. Cover cake with meringue and refrigerate.

If we have company, I make two...because if I don't there is not enough...haha, our family loves it that much!

Bacon Potatoes

1 lb of bacon

about 1/3 of a 10 lb bag of red potatoes with skin

1 onion

1 Tbsp of garlic

Parsley and chives

Season salt

Cut up bacon into small slices, brown them, add onions and garlic.

Brown the potatoes, add the season salt and parsley and chives.

Add just 1/4 cup of water and put a lid on the pan. Let it simmer.

Stir it occasionally.

It is a great side dish for meat dishes.

Or with a great salad and a vegetable.

Sometimes I leave the bacon out. Also goes great with mushrooms.

Enjoy!

Brisket

This is one of the dishes I learned in Texas and we kept it as one of the families favorites.

Get a good piece of brisket.

Season it with garlic and onions (through the food processor before you spread it over your brisket with your hands) and season salt.

Then take it to your barb-q and kind of blacken it. Let the flames do a good job at that. You might have to tame them down with a water bottle.

In a roaster oven I let it cook at 300 degrees for about 6-8 hours.

When you serve it, you are able to cut it with a knife.

It goes well with anything.

Enjoy!

Vegetarian Noodles

Any kind of cooked noodles.

In a skillet:

4 Tbsp of Olive oil

1 small onion or half of a medium one (chopped up fine)

1 Tbsp minced garlic

5 tomatoes (cut up into bite size)

1 sweet pepper (cut up in small pieces)

About a cup of canned artichoke heart (the kind in the bottle of Costco) cut up into small pieces

Season salt

Brown all of those veggies in the skillet, when they are soft , add the cooked noodles to it. Stir it and make sure the little sauce from the tomatoes gets to all of it.

Add a little more olive oil.

If it is not saucy enough for you, add a can of tomato sauce to it and add more season salt accordingly.

Enjoy!

Eggplant Parmesan

My family (with the exception of Gabriel) loves this dish.

3 eggplants

2 eggs, about 2 Tbsp of milk

Mrs. Dash or some other herb season salt

Bread crumbs mix (I got it at Costco)

Cheese

5 Tomatoes

1 sweet pepper

1 onion

1 tsp of minced garlic

salt to taste

Ok, cut the eggplant in 1/4 inch thick the long way, dip it in the seasoned egg/milk and fry it (it doesn't need to be deep fried, just enough oil to make it golden)

Then do a layer of eggplant on the bottom of a 9x13, place a slice of cheese in each slice of eggplant and then top it with another eggplant slice.

On top of the eggplant and cheese sandwich you created, pour the tomato sauce.

Tomato Sauce

Cut up the onion, brown the onions with the garlic.

cut up the pepper and tomatoes in small bite size.

Brown the pepper in the onion and garlic and then add the tomatoes.

Let it cook for about 5 minutes after browning.

Pour it over the eggplant individually, sprinkle it with cheese (I use mozzarella) and bake it @350 degree for 20 minutes.

Serve it with rice or potatoes, a salad is a good addition to the meal.

Enjoy!

Almond Joy

This doesn't really has a recipe, but for those that love almond joys...it is a treat!

Use shredded coconut from the baking dept, add either chunks of almond mixed in the coconut or use a whole almond on top of the balls you make with the cookie scooper.

Add just enough light corn syrup to make it sticky.

Then melt chocolate chips in the microwave in a freezer quart size bag (do in increments of 25 seconds and smash the bag a little) until all the chocolate is melted. When it is all melted, cut the corner of the bag and use it as a decorator bakers bag.

Let it sit until the chocolate sets. Enjoy!

Wicked Buttermilk Syrup

When my friend Paula gave me this recipe I made it and we have had it in our fridge since then.

You will find reasons to use this syrup. French Toast, German Pancakes, Waffles, Pancakes...the list goes on and on...


When I make it, I quadruple it.
You will need a deep pot to do that, it boils over if you don't.
Adding the baking soda mix is what makes it bubble over.

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup sugar

Bring to a boil, remove from heat. Add

1 t. vanilla
1 t. baking soda

Stir like crazy.

Pennsylvania Style French Toast

My friend Pearl is from Pennsylvania and as we were talking, she told me the French toast she grew up with is different.

I asked how...and of course I had to try. We are hooked!

You make your favorite pancake recipe or even use the instant mix.

Add a bit more water to it, so it is a little runny.

Add some cinnamon to it.

Dip your bread in it (I buy cheap white bread, homemade bread doesn't work the best with French Toast) and then serve it with jam, syrup, wicked butermilk syrup or whatever sounds good to you.

Also, if you really want a filling meal, my sister in law does this for dinners...her family loves it and so does mine.

make a sandwich with meat and cheese (no dressings). dip it in the batter and cook it.

Serve it with syrup. Those are the Monte Christo sandwiches and they are yummmmmy.

Zucchini Humus

I love Humus. And my friend told me to try using zucchini instead of Garbanzo beans.

I fell in love with it too!

To roast the peppers, garlic and onion I just do it on the stove. If you don't have a gas stove, it can be done in the oven, by broiling it (got to watch it closely, it goes fast) or on the barbcue.

In a blender:

1 medium size zucchini

1 roasted Anaheim pepper (without the stem)

1 roasted Jalapeno pepper (without the stem)

1/2 roasted head of garlic

1/2 roasted onion

2 hipping Tbsp of Tahini

juice of 1 lime

salt and pepper to taste

a little olive oil

If you don't like hot, leave the Jalapeno pepper out.

It tastes wonderful!

Whole Wheat Waffles

This is Betty Crocker's recipe for White Waffles. I convert it and do whatever sounds good.
I make a whole bunch of it (4x the recipe) and freeze it for breakfasts for the kids.
I keep the wicked buttermilk syrup handy also, that way, they can have a tasty start of the day.

2 eggs
2 cups of flour (sometimes I do half and half, sometimes whole wheat and sometimes totally white)
1/2 cup of melted butter or oil (I half it with apple sauce)
1 3/4 cup of milk
1 Tbsp sugar (I use honey) 4 tsp baking power
1/2 tsp salt

Mix the dry ingredients and add the wet ones.
If desired add blueberries to each waffle in the iron before you close it.
Enjoy!