Honey Yeast Rolls

I got this recipe from Amber at Amber's Delectable Delights. This recipe makes the most beautiful dough, and the smell...ah! The honey in the recipe makes the rolls slightly sweet, but in a perfect way. I doubled it and it worked great! I got 24 big rolls, but you can make them smaller to stretch it even further. I had about 4 leftover, and couldn't get them off my mind all night! I finally got into them when I woke up. I wrapped two in a damp paper towel, and they warmed up perfectly.

Ingredients:
* 2 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
* 1 cup warm water (105°-115° F)
* 1/4 cup honey
* 3 tablespoon canola oil
* 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 egg, lightly beaten
* 4 cups bread flour, separated
* vegetable cooking spray
* 1 tablespoon butter, melted
* 1 tablespoon honey

Directions:

1.) In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the yeast and warm water. Add the honey, oil, salt, and egg and mix well. Add 3 cups of the flour and mix until the dough comes together in a sticky mass. With the mixer on low speed, add the remaining 1 cup flour and mix until it is incorporated into the dough. Switch to the dough hook, and continue kneading on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.

2.)Form the dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot until it doubles in bulk, about 2 hours.

3.)Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 30 seconds. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

4.)Punch the dough down and divide into 12 equal portions. Shape each portion into a ball and place into a round, lightly greased baking dish, spacing evenly. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 20 minutes. Mix together the melted butter and honey, and brush lightly over the tops of the rolls. Bake at 400° for 13-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Reese's Cookies

Yum, yum, double yum! Peanut butter and chocolate has got to be one of the best combinations on earth! I would love to find the person that thought of it, and kiss them right on the mouth! Ew, well...not really- but it's a figure of speech right? Right. Good. I found these one day a couple of weeks ago on Picky Palate. Cookies are Jenny's specialty, and she has made some awesome looking cookies, using non-traditional and sometimes downright surprising ingredients! Take a peek. If you are a Reese's lover, try these cookies. You'll love them. Promise. ;)

Ingredients:
* 2 sticks softened butter
* 1 Cup packed brown sugar
* 1 Cup granulated sugar
* 3 Tablespoons corn syrup
* 2 large eggs plus 1 egg white
* 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
* 3 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
* 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3 Cups chopped Reeses

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer beat the butter, sugars and corn syrup until well combined….light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla until well combined.

2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with the chopped Reeses. Mix only until just combined. Using a medium cookie scoop (I just used a tablespoon), scoop dough onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes until just turning golden around edges. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.


Enjoy!

Kite Day!

Last Friday was Kite Day for Jasper's preschool class. It was not the best day for flying kites, as there was almost ZERO wind, but the kids still had a ton of fun! I wanted to share a few pics.

Nacho Pie

These pictures absolutely do not do this dish justice! This is one of the quickest, most delicious dinners I make. I have made it several times now after finding it on Mommy's Kitchen. I LOVE Tina's blog. She cooks up so many delicious things. Remember these? Yep, that was a Tina recipe! I have yet to make anything from there, that I didn't enjoy. If I had more time the night we ate this, I would have made some rice or something to go with it, but I tell you- it was just fine on it's own! It is a great switch-up from the same old taco dinner.

Nacho Pie
Ingredients:
* 1 lb. ground beef
* 1/2 cup chopped onion
* 1 (8 oz.) can of tomato sauce
* 3/4 cup water
* 1 packet taco seasoning
* 1 tube of crescent roll dough (Pillsbury or generic- it doesn't matter)
* 1 1/2 cup crushed Doritos or tortilla chips (which is what I used)
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* 1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar or mexican blend- and while we're being real, I used waaaaaayyy more than one cup. More like 2. =)
* additional sour cream, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, olives, or other garnish

Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 350.
2.) In a large skillet, brown beef and onion over medium heat until done. Drain off any grease and return to skillet.
3.) Stir in tomato sauce, water, and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5-10 mintues.
4.) Separate crescent rolls into 8 triangles and place them in a 9-inch pie plate
(just fit them all in there and press the seams so it looks like one solid pie
crust. I have to tear them and turn them sideways to get them all in there.)
Press up the sides to form your crust.
5.) Sprinkle 1 cup crushed chips over crust
6.) Top with taco meat mixture.
7.) Using a spatula, spread sour cream evenly over meat mixture.
8.) Sprinkle cheese and remaining chips on top.
9.) Bake 30-40 minutes, or until cheese melts, pie is bubbly, and crust is golden brown.
** Cool 10 minutes before cutting (if you are not me. If you are me- cut into it anyway because your husband is in a hurry to leave for work, slop some onto plates and eat like barbarians. =)

Don't forget your topping and garnishes. Enjoy!

Gatlinburg 2010

We had a great trip this year. It had been a couple of years since we had been, and it was Sawyer's first trip- so that made it special for us. The first morning, we ate breakfast at The Apple Barn, and there was a creek across the street so we thought we'd let the kids look and take a few pictures.




Then, it was on in to Gatlinburg to the Ripley's Aquarium. The boys really seemed to enjoy it, especially the moving walkway that took you around the underside of the aquarium.




This is one of the only ones I could get of Sawyer because he was getting sleepy and wanted Heath to carry him the whole time.

The next day, we decided to drive through Cade's Cove, but when we got down that way, we figured out that they had it closed. Right before they made you turn around there was a big picnic spot that we stopped at so we could all play in the creek. It was cold as ice, but we got a couple of good pictures there. This was definitely Heath's and my favorite part of the whole trip. It was beautiful here and so peaceful even though there were others around having picnics.


After driving back from the Cades Cove area, we had some time to kill before dinner. Let me tell you- kids are crazy enough about candy, so what were we thinking taking them to the candy store before dinner when everyone was already starving?! There was this cute old horse outside that Sawyer wanted to get on, then decided he didn't like it so much. I love this picture. =)

We ended up driving home that same night, and it was so peaceful. The kiddos slept the whole way! It was a great trip, and I can't wait to go back!

Happy Easter! A recipe...and other random things

Was the Easter Bunny good to you this morning? He (er..He and SHE!)was very good to the boys. Here is their loot. What rotten, ahem- I mean precious little angels!

Do you like the tree I made them for their little table? I made it for less than $8!!! Took some elbow grease, and a muddy trek into the woods behind Heath's parents house for the branches, but I think it was worth it. I made my niece, Aubree, one too (this was just part of her Easter gift- I'll show you the rest later). I found her cute little planter at the Salvation Army for a quarter, and got my boys a plainer, more masculine one at Wal-mart for around 90 cents. I took em' outside and gave them a coat of navajo white spray paint. Then, I took some sand paper and roughed them up a little for a worn look. I didn't do too much with Aubree's since I thought it should still look girly. I hot-glued a piece of floral foam into the bottom, then arranged my branches how I wanted them. Next, I added some glass stones I found at the Dollar Tree to weigh them so that the branches wouldn't pull them over. Stuck some spanish moss on top, hung the eggs (found at K-mart), and DONE!




And here is the outfit Sawyer is wearing today. It was Jasper's and used to have his monogram on it, but I ripped all that out and re-did (is that a word?) it for Sawyer.


Now, for the recipe I promised. I have made these muffins multiple times, and each time, I say how I should make them more. I love banana flavored things, but not really the traditional banana bread with walnuts. This recipe seemed like a good compromise as it is still a banana muffin, but with an uber-delicious streusel topping! The recipe can be found here. If you make them, let me know if you think they are as good as I do. =)

Sawyer approves. =)


Again, I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter!

We're back! And with some changes...

So, I know it's been FOREVA!!! Things got wild here for awhile. And I went into a cooking S-L-U-M-P. Seriously, I really have NOT cooked anything to blog about. In that long! That's all changed a little in the past few weeks, so I have cooked a few good things to share, but I have other things I'd like to share with you as well...which brings me to the part about the changes. You see, I love to cook- but there are so many other things about my life that I love too. I want to start sharing those things with everyone. So starting NOW, this blog will no longer be just a cooking blog, but a family blog- about all things Thompson (don't worry- all those yummy things will still be there!). I still browse all my favorites, and am excited and inspired to get back into the swing of things. Thanks to everyone who has encouraged me to get back to this- it really is something I love! And thanks to everyone who has read and kept up with us thus far...hopefully,you'll stay with us!

I Didn't Disappear...I Swear It!...

I have been meaning to post for awhile now, that I was doing *ahem*... Weight Watchers. So, naturally, I really haven't been making much to blog about. Oddly enough, the break from blogging has actually made me heavier than I was to begin with. **Sighs loudly**. In any case, I will be back really soon with more yummy recipes. What can I say? It's fall, which is my favorite time of year! And that means, the beginning of a drool-induced food binge that lasts..oh...until...New Years!!!! =) Never fear- there will be something to make your tummies happy really soon! Hope everyone out there is well..

Allison

Heath's Hickory Smoked Spare Ribs

Today I'm going to attempt to explain how I do my ribs. Allison has asked me to add an outdoor cooking post to our blog, and hopefully we'll be adding one from time to time.

I've had a few different smokers over the course of about ten years, but about a year ago we purchased a Big Green Egg. I don't know how many of you have ever heard or seen one of these things but they cook up some great food- the juiciest chickens, ribs, and pork that you could imagine. You don't have to have a Big Green Egg to smoke good ribs, however my ribs have gotten a lot better since I started using it.

These are St. Louis-style spare ribs, which means the bottom skirt from the rib racks have been trimmed to remove all the gristled stuff that runs along the bottom of the rack. Some people cook them right out of the pack and some people trim. You can actually buy them at most markets already trimmed up. This is the best option if you don't want to fool with trimming them yourself. If you decide to trim your own, have a very sharp knife on hand. I cook my baby back ribs the same way- so if you prefer baby backs, this method will work as well and there is no trimming needed.

1. Start by opening your ribs, and rinsing in the sink to wash off all the blood.

2. Next you're going to want to remove the membrane from the back side of the ribs. This will make them fall off the bone easier, lets your dry rub permeate the back side of the ribs, and makes for easier chewing. This is a tricky step that takes a little practice and can be easy or hard, all according on the freshness of the ribs and if the ribs have ever been frozen. Without a lot of typing, I'm including a link for trimming your ribs and also removing the membrane.

http://bbq.about.com/od/ribs/ss/aa010607a.htm

3. Next you will want to apply your rub. Start off by taking regular yellow mustard and start at one end of the ribs, and make a single line of mustard all the way down the slab. I know what you're thinking. Mustard? Yes mustard. It will have no taste in the end, and serves as a great base to anchor your dry rub when applying it. Without it, a lot of your rub will just bounce or run off with the water that's left on the ribs after washing. Once you get your mustard down one side of the rack, go ahead and rub the mustard all over that side of the ribs making a thin paste. Now you're ready to apply your rub to that side of the ribs. I have so many different rubs for barbecue, it pretty much takes up one of our pantry levels (and makes me get funny looks when I bring more home). Most any kind of barbecue rub will work and have a good taste, so you will have to try a few out and see which kind you want. I think Wal-Mart carries several different rubs with Stubbs being one of them. Or you can make up your own rub by starting with a light coating of brown sugar-then add a light dusting of paprika, garlic powder, chili powder, and black pepper. Once you get your rub sprinkled on, rub it in starting at one end of the ribs and working your way down. You will see how the mustard combines with the rub and anchors on the ribs. Once you're done with that side, just repeat on the other side.

4. Now you want to light the grill. The key to cooking good smoked ribs is the low, indirect temp. By saying indirect, I mean keeping the ribs away from the fire. I use 250 degrees on my egg, and use an attachment called a plate setter which is basically a ceramic piece that goes between the fire and the meat. You can accomplish this on a gas grill as well if you have a four- burner or larger grill by only lighting one burner and keeping your ribs on the side that's not hot. You also need a temperature gauge on your grill to be able to monitor the temp. Same method works on a charcoal grill. Coals on one side and meat on the other. It's a little more tricky with charcoal and takes a few tries to figure out the amount of coals to put in. Plus, most charcoal grills do not have a temperature gauge on them.

5. Now you're going to be getting your smoking wood ready. I use hickory, pecan, apple, or cherry on most of my cooks. If you can get your hands on pecan wood- use it. It has a light sweet taste to it, and is great for ribs. If not, go with hickory. Living here in North Alabama, if you've bought smoked pork of any kind, more than likely it's hickory smoked. Hickory chips are also readily available at just about any market. It will be on the charcoal aisle in the store. On the egg, I just throw the chips right on the fire. If you're going about this on a gasser you're going to need some foil to make a packet. Pull off a piece of foil about the size of a shoebox, and lay a handful of chips right in the middle. Scatter them out a little bit, and fold the foil up making a packet. Take a fork and poke several holes in both sides of the packet to let the smoke escape.

6. Once you've got the grill going and holding at 250 degrees, and your smoking wood is ready, it's time for the ribs. Place the slab(s) of ribs on the smoker (or side of the grill without the fire)bone side down. Place the foil packet of smoking chips right over the fire. On a Big Green Egg, just put the chips on top of the fire before placing your plate setter on. At 250 degrees on my egg, I usually go three hours before I ever open the lid to look at them. By then, the ribs (on the bone end of the slabs) should be starting to pull back from the bone just a little. If you'll notice in the picture, the meat on the ribs are pulled back almost an inch, leaving the bone exposed. You want this to be just beggining, to be ready for the next step.

7. Now that you have the ribs starting to pull back a little bit, you're ready for the next step. Take some heavy-duty aluminum foil, and pull off a strip twice as long as the slab of ribs. Double this over long ways. Pour a splash of apple juice in the foil (maybe a couple of tablespoons). This does not have to be an exact amount, you just want some moisture in the pack with the ribs. Take the ribs off the grill, and place them meat side down in the juice, and fold the foil up around the slab completely sealing it off.

8. Place the foiled ribs back on the smoker, meat side down in the foil packet, away from the fire. Leave them on for another hour. This time is only an estimate and is preference also. What this step does is basically steams the ribs and makes the meat fall off the bone. If you like your ribs completely falling off the bone, then it will take at least an hour. Also keep in mind that if you're trying all of this on a gasser that's holding at 300 instead of 250, then your times will be altered a little. The times should be exact if you're running at 250. At the one hour mark, open the foil and get a peek. The ribs should be pulling back from the bone ends even more by now. Wiggle the slab around and pull on the bones. If they are not to your liking, then go another 30 minutes. One hour in foil on the egg makes them completely fall apart.

9. The finishing step is done after you get them falling off the bone in the foil. Once they are tender enough for you, remove them from the foil and place them back on the grill or smoker. Take the barbecue sauce of your choice and completely mop the slab of ribs. I use a lot of different sauces and sometimes make my own. These were mopped with Sweet Baby Ray's sauce. It can be found just about anywhere. Once you get them mopped, shut the lid and let them go about 30 minutes or so. Basically, all your doing is warming up the sauce and making it more like a glaze.

Now that the kitchen's a mess, you're sweating like crazy, and you smell like smoke, the ribs are finally ready to eat. I know this is quite a long process, but ribs are one of the trickiest things I have ever cooked. It's gotten a whole lot easier now with the Big Green Egg. Before buying the egg, I made do with what I had, and actually turned out some good ribs on gas and charcoal grills. It takes a lot of practice, so don't be discouraged if you don't get the results you're wanting. Enjoy your ribs!

Banana Nutella Cinnamon Toaster

Heath saw Bobby Flay making this on Food Network one day last week, and told me about it. He said, " Is Nutella good? I've never had it." I said, "WHAAAAAAT?" Bananas and Nutella is my all-time favorite filling for crepes (which I might add, I haven't gotten to eat since my sweet Daddy made them for me on my birthday last year). So when Heath said he wanted to try this for breakfast one day, I told him to have at it! He made it Wednesday morning, and I thought it was really good- still not as drool-inducing as my favorite crepes, but I wouldn't refuse them. *wink wink*.

~Banana Nutella Cinnamon Toaster~

* bananas

* Nutella

* slices of your favorite sandwich bread

* butter

* sugar

* cinnamon

1.) create a sandwich by spreading some Nutella on one slice of bread, and slice banana on top (just to your liking, however much banana you like...and Nutella for that matter).

2.) spread margarine or butter on both sides of sandwich and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

3.) Heat skillet over med/med high heat, and make your sandwich just like you would a grilled cheese. Enjoy!!

Pioneer Woman's Ranch-Style Chicken

Y'all...this is good. Really good. You should make it, and you should make it today. This recipe comes from The Pioneer Woman. If you haven't seen her site, go and take a peek. In addition to the delicious recipes she posts, she also blogs about photography, homeschooling, and home and garden. The marinade for this chicken is great and it is the perfect copycat of Outback Steakhouse's Alice Springs Chicken (which I order every time I go there). The Pioneer Woman says nothing about Alice Springs Chicken, but that's what it tastes like to me.Instead of following the directions the first time, we grilled it. Don't get me wrong- the flavor of the marinade still came through. It was just not the version of Alice Springs I had hoped for. So, the next time I made it, I followed directions...and it was pure yumminess (is that a word?)! Too bad I didn't get a picture the second time around- so you get the grilled version. =) We also added mushrooms the second time, which made it even better. I served it with fries, and a copycat version of Outback's honey mustard, which you'll find below. If you make it, let me know how you like it!

~Pioneer Woman's Ranch-Style Chicken~ I used 5 smallish boneless skinless breasts

Marinade:

* 1/2 c. dijon mustard

* 1/2 c. honey

* juice of 1/2 a lemon ( I didn't have one, so I used a couple of teaspoons of the bottled stuff)

* 1/2 teaspoon paprika

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix together in a large bowl.

1.) Rinse your chicken breasts under cool water, and pat them dry.

2.) Placing them between two sheets of wax paper (one at a time), pound them to about 1/2-3/4 inch thickness.

3.) Add the chicken to the marinade bowl, and make sure they are coated well. Place in the fridge for at least an hour (I did mine more like 3 hours).

4.) While the chicken is marinating, go ahead and fry your bacon (we used 1/2 pound I believe- the kids didn't eat it on theirs).

5.) Clean out your skillet, but reserve about 1/4 of the bacon grease.

6.) Preheat oven to 400.

7.) Remove chicken from fridge and pour off excess marinade.

8.) Heat reserved bacon grease with an equal amount of canola oil in your clean skillet over med-high to high heat.

9.) When the grease is sufficiently heated, add chicken to skillet, taking care not to overcrowd. (I split it up and did 3 the first time, then the other 2.)

10.) Watch the chicken, and when it starts to get brown/black on the underside- flip, and do the same to the other side. Each side should cook for a maximum of 1-1 1/2 minutes. (I'm pretty sure mine took a little longer, but I have OCD when it comes to the doneness of meat or poultry).

11.) Place all chicken breasts on a baking sheet (I used a 9x13 dish), and put them in the oven to continue cooking for about 10 minutes.

12.) Remove the pan from the oven, and place a couple of bacon slices on each piece (and mushrooms if you are using them).

13.) Top with grated sharp cheddar cheese (we used a mexican blend), and return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bacon is sizzling.

Serve immediately.

~Outback Honey Mustard~ so good! We all even dipped our fries in it instead of ketchup.

1 1/2 cups real mayonnaise

1/2 cup dijon mustard

1/2 cup honey

Stir all together, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

No-Cook Peach Ice Cream

I love this time of year, when we can go to our local orchard and get fresh peaches. I am not crazy about the summer months, I am more of a fall/winter girl. However, I do love all the fresh fruits, and vegetables that are a product of the summer. As soon as I saw this no-cook ice cream recipe, I immediately knew that I wanted to make it with peaches. I have been having those peach milkshakes from Chick-Fil-A all summer, and they are delish, but I wanted to make some ice cream for everyone to enjoy. We had some friends over for dinner on the day I made this, and they seemed to enjoy it- as did Heath. I think he has eaten the majority of it on his own. =) I adapted this recipe from Spork or Foon. I thought with all the half-and-half, that it would be too icy or watery. So I switched the amounts of heavy cream, and half-and-half, and I think it turned out great- so my recipe below reflects those changes. FYI- you can leave this recipe as is for plain vanilla ice cream, or add other fruits or flavorings to it. It seems to be pretty versatile. I made some more for my dad with bananas, and it was good as well.

~No-Cook Ice Cream~

1 cup of half and half
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
2 cups of heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 very ripe peaches (or if using bananas- use 2 very ripe ones)
2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice (I didn't use this for my peach, but I did for the banana)

1.) Mix together the first four ingredients until combined, making sure the condensed milk is well blended with the other liquids. Chill until cold.
2.) Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze accordingly.
3.) Mash the peaches and add to the ice cream maker 2 minutes before it's finished. ( I went ahead and mixed the peaches in and skipped the refrigerating part, and it turned out fine.) 4.) Transfer ice cream to a freezer safe container, cover and freeze for at least 3 hours.

Oatmeal Carmelitas

Ok...so this is really not the best picture in the world, but I can assure you- these are really good! I saw them on Mermaid Sweets, and decided they were just what my sweet tooth was calling for. They were chocolaty, gooey, crumbly, and a little salty all at the same time...SCORE! I will definitely make them again. Next time, I'll bake the bottom crust for a little less time, because it turned out a little too hard for my liking...but overall- delicious!

~Oatmeal Carmelitas~

Base

2 cups AP flour
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups butter or margarine, room temperature

Filling

1 jar caramel topping (1 cup)
3 tablespoons AP flour
1 cup (6 oz) semisweet chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
½ cup chopped nuts (salted) (I left them out)

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.) Line 13x9-inch pan with tin foil and leave some hanging over the edge. Grease tin foil with butter or cooking spray.
3.) In large bowl, whisk together flour, oats, baking soda and salt.
4.) In the bowl of a stand mixer (or another bowl with hand mixer) mix together the butter and brown sugar until combined.
5.) Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until crumbly (do not over-mix or you will have a dough rather than crumbs).
6.)Reserve half of crumb mixture (about 3 cups) for topping. Press other half into bottom of pan and bake 10 minutes.
7.) In a small bowl mix caramel topping and 3 tablespoons of flour.
8.)When crust is done partially baking, sprinkle with chocolate chips or chunks and nuts.
9.) Drizzle evenly with caramel mixture.
10.) Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.

Bake 18-22 minutes longer until top is golden brown. Cool completely in pan on cooling rack, about 1 hour. Refrigerate until filling is set, 1-2 hours. Cut into bars.

Guacamole

Today's recipe is one of Heath's favorites- guacamole! I can't understand how I love the smell of avocados, but don't really care for guacamole. I make it for him anyway, just because he loves it, and he says this is some of the best he's had. I got the recipe at Allrecipes, and it was a highly rated one. The only thing I left out of this, was the cilantro- just because I forgot to tell him to get it at the store, and I used only half a lime since Heath thinks the whole thing is too much for him. It is really simple to put together, so anyone who is a guacamole lover should try it!

~Guacamole~ from Allrecipes

Ingredients:

* 3 avocados - peeled, pitted, and mashed
* 1 lime, juiced
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup diced onion
* 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
* 2 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
* 1 teaspoon minced garlic
* 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)

Have a great day everyone!

Hamburger Buns

Heath and I decided to go out one night, and his parents agreed to keep the boys. I told them not to worry with dinner before they came- that we would grill them a burger for dinner before we left. Then it hit me. I didn't have any buns! I had wanted to try them ever since I saw this recipe at The Sisters Dish- so I figured it was a sign that it was time to break down and give it a try. Even though I make yeast breads quite a bit, new recipes still intimidate me. I'll usually think about it for some time before I finally do it. I'm glad I was out of buns that day, because I don't know that I would have ever made them. It wasn't nearly as difficult as I had built it up in my head to be. They had a really nice, crispy outer crust, and the inside was perfectly soft. I snuck a taste before serving them to his parents, and I thought they were pretty good! They seemed to enjoy them too, so I'll probably make this again. Maybe next time with pulled pork!

~Hamburger Buns~

Ingredients:
* 1 cup lukewarm water
* 2 T unsalted butter, room temperature, creamed
* 1 egg
* 3 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/4 cup Castor sugar (very fine sugar, I didn't have any- so I put regular sugar into a pyrex bowl, and attacked it with my immersion blender stick)
* 1 t salt
* 1 T instant yeast
* 1 egg yolk (+1 T water)
* sesame seeds (optional)

Directions:

1.) Sprinkle the yeast into the water and leave for 5-10 minutes, until frothy. Stir to dissolve.

2.) Add remaining ingredients and mix well(I do this in my kitchen-aid). I let this knead in my Kitchen-Aid for ~10 minutes, until it is a soft, smooth dough. You could knead by hand on a lightly floured surface. I leave it in my mixer bowl, cover and let rise for 1 - 1 1/2 hour, until doubled in size.

3.) Divide dough into 8 pieces and shape into a flattened ball.

4.) Place the buns on a greased baking sheet, cover and let rise again for 30-40 minutes until puffy and doubled in size.

5.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

6.)Glaze the buns with egg yolk and water mixture, then sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.

7.) Bake the buns for 12 - 15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove them from the oven and cool them on a wire rack.

Pizza Hut Pan-Style Pizza

Today's recipe comes from Laura over at Real Mom Kitchen (she got it from Day2Day with Holly J). I loved how this wasn't the traditional "roll out and bake on a pizza pan" recipe. I love a thick crust on my pizza sometimes, and this looked so delicious. The pizza you see above was Heath's. I made one for me and the kids with only pepperoni and cheese (of course I had to pick all the pepperoni off for the boys). His was made in a 9-inch round pie plate and the rest of the dough made up a nice-sized 9x13 pan for the rest of us. I took Laura's advice and only used a fraction of the oil the recipe called for. I also used Laura's homemade sauce recipe instead of the one that goes with this recipe. You can find her sauce recipe here. It is really good, and we had used it on other pizzas before so I knew I couldn't go wrong with it. Here is the original recipe- hope you try it soon, because it really is worth it!

~Pizza Hut Pan Pizza~

Dough:

* 1 1/3 C Warm water (105F)

* 1/4 C Non−fat dry milk

* 1/2 tsp Salt

* 4 C Flour

* 1 Tbsp Sugar

* 1 pk Dry yeast

* 2 Tbsp Vegetable oil (for dough)

* 9 Oz Vegetable oil (3 oz. per pan) - (I just use enough to coat the pan)

* Butter flavored Pam ( I didn't use this)

1. Put yeast, sugar, salt, and dry milk in a large (2 qt.) bowl. Add water and stir to mix well. Allow to sit for two minutes. Add oil and stir again. Add flour and stir until dough forms and flour is absorbed. Turn out on to a flat surface and knead for about 10 minutes.

2. Divide dough into three balls. In three 9" cake pans ( or can use 1 - 9 inch pie plate and 1 - 9 x 13 dish) , put 3 Oz. of oil in each making sure it is spread evenly.

4. Using a rolling pin, roll out each dough ball to about a 9" circle. Place in cake pans. Spray the outer edge of dough with Pam. Cover with a plate.

5. Place in warm area and allow to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

~Sauce~

* 1 (8 Oz) Can Tomato Sauce

* 1 tsp Dry Oregano

* 1/2 tsp Marjoram

* 1/2 tsp Dry Basil

* 1/2 tsp Garlic salt

1. Combine and let sit for 1 hour while the dough rises.

2. For Each Nine Inch Pizza:Preheat oven to 475F (I cooked at 450).

3. Spoon 1/3 cup sauce on dough and spread to within 1" of edge.

4. Distribute 1 1/2 Oz. shredded mozzarella cheese on sauce. Place toppings of your choice in this order: Pepperoni or Ham, Vegetables, Meats (cooked ground sausage or beef). Top with 3 Oz. mozzarella cheese.

5. Cook until cheese is bubbling and outer crust is brown (about 15 minutes). I then brush outer edge of crust with garlic butter.

Pepperoni-and Cheese-Stuffed Chicken and My First Award!

This recipe comes from Cassie, who very kindly gave me an award yesterday! I will post about the award in a bit, but back to this yummy chicken. I made it a few weeks ago, after browsing through Cassie's blog. I had 4 last boneless chicken breasts in the freezer, and just wanted to make something different with them. Heath and I loved it, and Jasper and Sawyer did too- but of course, I had to pick all the pepperoni pieces out for them. They amaze me by eating things I have not seen many other kids touch, but then there are some things you would think they'd eat, that they don't like. It's puzzling. I say you can't go wrong with pepperoni and melted cheese. Period. The only change I made from Cassie's recipe is that I used sharp cheddar, and I sprinkled some on top as well as inside. I know. I'm bad. *sigh*

~Pepperoni-and Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Breasts~

Ingredients:

* Boneless skinless chicken breasts

* Sliced pepperoni

* Shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar)

* Italian seasoning

* Garlic powder

* Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cut a slit about halfway into the side of each chicken breast. Stuff with a few slices of pepperoni (I used 4 medium slices per breast) and shredded cheese (I probably used about 1/8 cup per breast). Secure edges with toothpicks, if desired. Season both sides of chicken with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

3. Heat a small amout of olive oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Pan fry chicken breasts until browned on both sides.

4. Move skillet to oven. Bake chicken at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until cooked through.

Now, on to the award!! Cassie gave me this lovely award, and I am to pass it on to 15 other blogs I have recently discovered. So here it goes!

Passing it on to:

1. Real Mom Kitchen

2. Two Peas and Their Pod

3. Mennonite Girls Can Cook

4. The Sisters Dish

5. Tried-and-True Cooking with Heidi

6. Stirring the Pot

7. Cooking with Carrie

8. When Amber Cooks

9. cooking this and that

10. Delicious Meliscious

11. Sadie's Kitchen Adventures

12. Carrie's Sweet Life

13. Cara's Cravings

14. elly says opa!

15. Annie's Eats

Spagagna and Cheese Toast

I have seen baked spaghetti on a ton of other blogs lately, and we love it too. We call it spagagna (pronounced just like lasagna) at our house, because it is basically lasagna- only it has spaghetti noodles. It was born sometime in our first year of marriage when I was thinking regular spaghetti was getting pretty boring ( I made it quite a lot then, because I really didn't know how to cook much else). I added cheese, baked it, and declared it delicious! We had it again the other night, and I had forgotten just how good it was. We paired it with a cheese toast recipe I got from my sweet Aunt Susan a few years ago. I had several slices of my Wonderful White Bread left that were getting a little iffy- so I toasted them with this spread and it was a great match. This toast is also great served with taco soup or chili, which is what Aunt Susan served hers with. Hope you like it!

~Spagagna~ This makes enough for an 8x8, or 9x9 in casserole dish. You can always double it for a 9x13 dish.

Ingredients:

* 1 lb. ground beef, browned

* 1 (24 oz.) jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (or use homemade if that's what you like)

* garlic powder

* 8 oz. package spaghetti noodles, cooked and drained

* shredded cheeses (I like to use a blend of mozzarella and cheddar)

Pre-heat oven to 375.

1.) Once your ground beef is browned, pour in your jar of spaghetti sauce. I like to add a little water to my empty jar and shake it a bit to get all the sauce in the bottom. Add that to your sauce mixture.

2.) Sprinkle mixture evenly with garlic powder, and stir that in.

3.) Simmer sauce for about 5 minutes (it's going to keep bubbling in the oven), and add your spaghetti noodles. Combine.

4.) Spray casserole dish with cooking spray, and add half noodle/sauce mixture.

5.) Sprinkle with half your cheeses ( I probably use 3/4 cup mozzarella, and 1/4-1/2 cup cheddar for each layer)

6.) repeat with remaining noodle mixture, and top with the rest of your cheese.

7.) Bake in preheated oven for 30-45 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and browning on top.

~Aunt Susan's Garlic Cheese Toast Spread~ This recipe makes enough for quite a few bread slices, so I always make half a recipe. It made about 8 slices, and that's just right for my family of 4. And feel free to use more or less garlic or onion salt to suit your tastes. Sometimes, I have to go light on the garlic for Sawyer (my 16 month old).

Ingredients:

* bread slices (any bread works great, whatever is your favorite)

* 8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar

* 2 eggs

* 1/2 cup butter softened

* 1 tsp. garlic salt

* 1 tsp. onion salt

1.) mix and spread on sliced bread.

2.) cover and refrigerate for 8 hours. (I have always skipped this step, and it turns out fine)

3.) bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes.

Have a wonderful day!

The Best Chocolate Ice Cream...EVER!

I have been having so much fun with my new ice cream bowl attachment for my KitchenAid mixer. Heath has been after me to make him some chocolate ice cream with "only marshmallows" for a few weeks now, so a couple of days ago, I made it for him. I have read such great things about David Lebovitz and The Perfect Scoop, so it seemed like this would be the recipe to use. I knew this ice cream was going to be a dream not long after it had started churning. It was so smooth and creamy, and made up beautifully as soft serve, or frozen and scooped. I served it to Heath's parents after dinner that night, and they both really loved it (his mom is not even really a fan of chocolate). I am thinking now, of all the possibilities for add-ins to this recipe: peanut butter cups, crushed oreos, brownie pieces... Dangerous!

~Chocolate Ice Cream~ from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup whole milk
¾ cup sugar
Pinch of salt
5 large egg yolks
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1.) Warm 1 cup of the cream with the cocoa powder in a medium saucepan, whisking to thoroughly blend the cocoa. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer at a very low boil for 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate, stirring until smooth. Then stir in the remaining 1 cup cream. Pour the mixture into a large bowl, scraping the saucepan as thoroughly as possible, and set a mesh strainer on top of the bowl.

2.) Warm the milk, sugar, and salt in the same saucepan. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk unto the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

3.) Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the chocolate mixture until smooth, then stir in the vanilla. Stir until cool over an ice bath.

4.) Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions (If the cold mixture is too thick to pour into your machine, whisk it vigorously to thin out).

Makes about 1 quart

Iced Coffee

Happy Monday everyone! See that small, curious, blurry face in the picture? That's my 4 year-old Jasper, and he just had to be in the picture. =) Today, I wanted to post this iced coffee because ever since I figured out how to do it myself at home- I can't get enough! Heath doesn't care for iced coffee, but I really love it, and I spent a little too much on them last summer at "5-bucks". I'm really glad I ran across Christy's post at Southern Plate, because it has saved me a small fortune so far this hot, sticky Alabama summer. It's really easy, so if you like iced coffee- you need to make this. Who knows? Maybe I have now saved you a small fortune too!

You need:

*container to brew coffee grounds in (I use 2 pint jars)

*ground coffee beans (grind them yourself, or use the already ground stuff...that's what I do)

* coffee filters (large ones- the ones I use come in a black box and they are for a Bunn coffee-maker)

*strainer

* bowl to strain coffee into

Instructions:

1.) place 1 cup of coffee into your container or jar (you can use a large 32 oz. jar- or I like to use two pint jars)

2.) fill jar or jars with water, leaving a little space to shake the mixture.

3.) leave on counter at least 12 hours to brew.

Here are my jars brewing on the counter.

4.) Once time has passed (like Christy does- I start mine at night and strain them in the morning), place your strainer over a large bowl. (you can also use a colander if you prefer)

5.) line strainer with coffee filter, and pour coffee in and let strain (if you are using pint jars, pour the whole first jar- if using a large 32 oz jar, pour half). Be patient- it takes a little while. I just pour it in, and go do other things for a bit.

6.) switch out your filter, and strain the other half of your coffee.

7.) Once it's done straining, it's ready to drink, or you can just refrigerate it.

This is how I mix up my coffee. You can make it as strong on the coffee as you like it. I like it with half milk, half coffee, and splenda.

* In a measuring cup, measure 4 oz. coffee concentrate.

* Add 4 oz. milk (Use whatever you normally drink. I use skim)

* Add sugar or sweetener, and stir.

* Pour over ice, and enjoy.

The way I make mine (with skim milk and splenda) is only 45 calories. Can't beat that!