Delicious Dinner Rolls

Sorry to all of you for my neglect to post this recipe sooner. Life a you know can get a little busy and so it was this week. But in order not to disappointing I have found a most delightful creation for you.

This weeks recipe comes from the How Does She Do girls at www.howdoesshe.com. Check out their blog. They have lots of great recipes, advice on organization, and home and family life. They were awesome enough to share this recipe with us, so do give them a look-see.

I have my favorite bread/roll recipe that I hardly stray from, and why should I? It works great! It's versatile, I know just how to make it, and I know just how it will turn out every time because I've made it so many times. But, as part of this challenge that I've given myself I thought why not give this dinner roll recipe a try, and I am glad I did. It came out so buttery, fluffy, just melt in your mouth good, especially while they are still warm. These will definitely be made again in the future.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cups Milk
3/4 cups + 1 Tbs Sugar
1 Egg
1 Tbs salt
2 cups warm Water
9-10 Cups of flour
about 1 cup Butter

Directions:
1. In a microwave safe bowl place milk, 3/4 cup sugar, and 1/2 cup butter. Make sure you cube or slice the butter so it melts quickly. Place is a microwave for 1-2 minutes till the milk is scalded.
2. Place the yeast in a small bowl with warm water and 1 tbs Sugar
3. Once the milk mixture is scalded remove, carefully, from the microwave and 1-2 Cups of flour to help it cool down.
4. Once the milk mixture is cooled a little add the yeast mixture.
5. Add the rest of the flour 2 cups at a time and the salt. Keep mixing after the last of the flour is in to thicken the dough. More flour can be added if necessary, but it should end up being dense and sticky to the touch.
6. Let it sit covered in a warm place till it has doubled in size.
7. Grease 2 baking sheets with butter for when the dough is ready.
8. Once dough is doubled divide the dough into 4 balls and work with one ball at a time. Melt about 1/2 cup butter.
9. On a floured surface roll out dough ball to about 1/2 inch thickness. spread about 2 tablespoons of butter on the surface and cup into triangles (like a pizza) with a sharp knife or pizza cutter into 12 slices.
10. Roll up each triangle piece and place on the greased baking sheet with the point tucked under. Place about an inch apart
11. Cover and let rise once again, until doubled in size.
12. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 10-15 min until golden brown.
13. While still hot bast with butter.

Thanks again to our friends over at How Does She for sharing this splendid recipe.

Enjoy!

Happy Chinese New Year!

It's the year of the goat and we are celebrating it in style. I based this recipe on one I found from ChefDaddy on allrecipes.com. Search General Tsao's Chicken III for the original if you would like, but here is my variation of it.

General Tsao's Chicken

Ingredents:

1 1/2 lbs chicken breast cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1/4 cup peas

1/4 cup carrots, chopped

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup water + 1/4 cup

2 tbs olive oil

1 tbs vinegar (distilled, rice, or apple cider)

2 tsp Valentina hot sauce

1/2 tsp garlic powder 

1/4 to 1/2 cup white sugar, to taste

half of one medium onion chopped

1 tablespoon corn starch

Place 1/4 cup water, peas and carrots in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 3-5 minutes or until just done, drain off excess liquid. Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook till translucent, Add chicken and cook until done. Meanwhile in a small bowl place the soy sauce, rest of the water, garlic powder, vinegar and sugar, stir to combine. Once the chicken is done remove it from the pan, set aside.
The next part goes very quick and so it is important that you have all the ingredient on hand.

Now, in the same saute pan place the rest of the oil and the hot sauce. Once that get aromatic but not brown add the liquid mixture and the corn starch, stir. Once combined add the chicken and vegetables. Bring to a boil and let thicken to your liking. 

My modifications are based on what I had on hand, so I can make it anytime we wanted. I hope you enjoy this recipe for your new year. Cheers!

Valentines Day 2015!

Hey there everyone. I hope you have an excellent Valentines Day yesterday. We had a pretty good one here. I had spend a lot of time this last week preparing for a brunch that I had invited my brother and sister to. I decorated the house and made goody boxes for everyone. We popped English crackers while we ate and followed up with a chocolate fondue courtesy of my in-laws (thank you much!) Later that night we had fettuccine in a home made alfredo sauce. That's what Valentines day is for us some of good food, a good time, and lots of chocolate. Celebrating all the love that exists in your life, where ever it may come from.

So for this post you are getting a double dose of my new year resolution. First is a new favorite of mine: Chocolate Waffles. Second, I will share with you an old favorite: Alfredo Sauce. Lets start cooking!

Chocolate Waffles

Ingredients:

1 Box of chocolate cake mix

1 1/3 cup water

1/3 cup oil or melted butter (butter make it crispier)

3 eggs

Note: the ingredients are just as they would be for making a cake mix so add water and oil as directed on the packaging.

Heat up your waffle iron and coat with oil or use cooking spray to grease. In a large bowl combine all the ingredients, mixing just as you would a regular cake mix. (Note: See note above). Place roughly 2/3 cup of the batter in the preheated waffle iron at a time, and set cook. Waffles are done when you can no longer see steam coming from the waffles iron. 

Enjoy with whipped cream, strawberries, chocolate syrup, chocolate chips, ice cream, or what ever you would enjoy. 

Homemade Alfredo Sauce

This recipe come courtesy of Rebecca Swift from allrecipes.com 

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup butter

1 cup heavy cream

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/4 sup chopped fresh parsley

Start by melting the butter in a medium sized saucepan over low heat. Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes. Whisk in the garlic and cheese. Keep whisking till cheese is melted in. Stir in parsley and serve. If you have powdered garlic use about a teaspoon. For dried parsley use 1 tablespoon. 

I didn't use to like alfredo sauce, but after making this recipe I am hooked. It pares well with the Chicken Parmesan I posted a few weeks back, and of course some fettuccine. 

We had a great time and I hope you did too. Enjoy!

Tags: Valentines day, Chocolate breakfast, chocolate waffles, Alfredo, Chicken Parmesan

Quesadilla Supreme

One night for dinner we had planned on making taco pizza but ended up making this instead. It's a spicy creation that comes together in a snap. Lets get started.

You will need;
1 package of flour tortilla
2 cups shredded cheese
1 can refried bean (about 2 cups)
half a pound of ground beef
taco seasoning
1 cup salsa or red enchilada sauce (previous enchilada sauce recipe here)
shredded lettuce and green onions (optional)

1. Start by preparing your ground beef. Brown and add seasoning as packaging instructs. Heat up beans with 2 tablespoons of milk or water to thin it out a little.
2. After beans are heated through and beef is done assemble the ingredients together. Lay one tortilla on a large non stick baking sheet and sprinkle some cheese over it.
3. Cover with another tortilla then a layer of beans, beef, and another tortilla. Note: It may be easier to spread if  beans and beef are mixed together.

4. Cover that with more cheese then you did on the first layer.
5. Set the boiler to high and place a rack in the center of the over. Place quesadilla in heated oven for 3-5 minutes. Do not walk away but check it often to see if cheese is thoroughly melted.

6. Once done spread salsa or drizzle enchilada sauce over the top and garnish with green onions and shredded lettuce if desired.

Enjoy!

Tags: enchilada, quesadilla, Mexican food, Tex-Mex, Taco Pizza, easy weeknight meal.

Chicken Parmesan

Well folks! I promised one recipe a week and here is the first of many. I was inspired by a few recipes I saw online, but I made this one completely by myself and it is defiantly one I will be repeating in the future.

Chicken Parmesan

You will need:
1 lb chicken breast, cut into large pieces
1 egg
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 tsp dried oregano leafs
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
oil for frying (about 1 cup)

Start by making sure your chicken is dry by patting it down with a paper towel. Wisk your egg in one flat bottomed bowl, set aside. In a wide flat bottomed bowl that has a snug fitting lid combine cheese, oregano, garlic powder, and onion powder. Heat the oil in a medium sized pan over medium heat. (I like to heat up the pan first then put the oil in. I think it heats up quicker, but the may just be me). Now to coat the chicken.

First place a piece of chicken in the egg, making sure to cover both sides, then let any excess drip off before moving to it to the the cheese mixture. Close the lid on the bowl firmly and shake to coat. (A bag can be used instead of a bowl for this step). Open the container and shake off the excess. Return to the egg  and to the cheese mixture for a second coating in the same manner as before. Place finished piece on a plate until all are coated. Once oil is hot, but not smoking, arrange your pieces in the pan so they all fit but don't touch. Once in the oil do not disturb! Allow it to cook on each side for about 7 minutes a side or until done.

I went ahead and made some pasta, marinara sauce and a side salad while the chicken was cooking and doesn''t that just look wonderful. And it was so yummy!

Enjoy!

Happy New Year!

Hi all! At the start of the new year I made a few goal for myself and for my blog. Not only will I garden, lose weight and become more active but I will also be trying one new recipe every week. Some of them will be dinners, treats, or even a foreign dish or two. I am so excited to get started. I have already found that I look forward to making new things each week. I have also found a new liking of cooking because it is not merely a chore but a culinary adventure waiting for me each week.
I hope you will enjoy this journey with me and I explore new dishes and break the dinner time rut.
More to come soon. Enjoy!

End of year greetings...and a recipe

Hi again all! The year is almost at an end and there is still much I have to post. One of the biggest accomplishments of this year has been that we moved. We still live in the same town but now in an apartment over twice the size as our 300 square foot studio. Thanks to getting my education I have a good job in my field of study and I make enough now to afford a larger space for us. Don’t worry, though our location has changed this blog will always be about life and the journey started by two kids falling in love and living in a small apartment.

Also on the list this year’s accomplishments is my husband starting school. I am so proud of him for continuing down a path that he has struggled with. The value of education has not been lost on us and we will continue to treasure it far into the future.

We have a great time celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas with family this year. And here’s to many great celebrations to come.

Now that you know a bit about our year I will let you be privy to recent new recipe of mine. I revamped and old family bread recipe and gave it is new twist. I give you Cinnamon pull-apart bread.

Bread:

¼ cup Butter

2-3 tbs sugar

3 ½ tsp yeast

2 cups very warm water

1 ½ tsp salt

5 ½ cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting

In a large bowl combine yeast, water, sugar and butter. Stir 3 cups of flour, then the salt and the rest of the flour. *Note: salt is not added sooner because if it touched the yeast directly it can kill it, but you need salt for the flavor. So do not exclude the salt* Turn out contents of the bowl onto a floured surface and knead until elastic. What is elastic you ask? The perfect elasticity is achieved then you pinch a piece off and it breaks cleanly. If it doesn’t let go very well and makes long strands keep kneading. Add more flour. What you want is for the piece that you pinch to break free quickly and cleanly. Once this is achieved make the surface of the dough smooth by pulling the surface of it, from underneath, down under it till it looks like a lumpy ball. Cover and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size. Roughly 1 hour.

Now make you cinnamon sugar to put in bread and melt ¼ Cup (half a stick) of butter. To make the cinnamon sugar stir together ½ Cup sugar and 3 tablespoons of ground cinnamon or so depending on your taste. After mixing it up I like to put mine in an old ground cinnamon container for easy dispensing, but a large spoon or you figures will work just as well.

Once the size of the dough is doubled poke it in the middle. That’s right I said poke it. I don’t really know why this has to happen but I only know that it does. Split the dough in half so it is easier to work with. Grease a loaf pan and your clean work surface. Roll each half of the dough till it is half an inch thick. Spread about half of the butter on the dough evenly and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Cut the dough in rectangles so that it is smaller than the shortest side of the pan by an inch on each side.*Note: no need for precision here, just have fun* Stack vertically on the counter by groups of 4-5 layers and place in the pan standing up. Cover and let rise till doubled. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes.

Glaze:

2 tbs melted butter

3 tbs milk

1- 1 ½ Cups powdered sugar

Melt the butter and add 2 tablespoon sugar. Once combined add milk and rest of the sugar a little at a time until desires thickness is achieves.

Pour over warm loaf or over individual plates. Enjoy!