Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls!

I just got this recipe this morning from Joann one of my Cooking Thursday Participants on my main blog "Diary of a Stay at Home Mom".

I read the recipe and immediately got started, this is going to be the kids after school snack and I bet, I'm going to get thumbs up all around.

Cinnamon Rolls

* 1 cup of warm milk
* 1 egg, beaten
* 1/4 cup of butter, melted
* 3 tbsp warm water
* 1 tsp vanilla
* 3 1/3 cups of flour
* 3/4 tsp salt
* 3 tbsp white sugar
* 2 tsp yeast

Combine the milk, egg, butter, water, and vanilla together and pour into your bread machine pan.



Mix the flour, salt and sugar together then pour on top of the milk mixture.



Make a small hole on top of the flour mixture and pour the yeast into it. Turn your bread machine on to the dough cycle, close the lid and leave alone until your machine beeps at you - mine takes 1 1/2 hours.



Once the dough is done, put it on a floured surface and roll out into a large rectangular shape (about 1/4 inch thick) using a rolling pin. Make sure you have enough flour on the counter so the dough doesn't stick when you roll it out.

Filling:

* 1 cup of brown sugar
* 4 tsp cinnamon
* 3 tbsp butter, softened

Combine the sugar and cinnamon and mix thoroughly. Spread the softened butter all over the entire surface of the rectangular shaped dough. Next sprinkle the filling over the dough.



Carefully roll up the dough as tightly as you can. If it sticks to the counter, slowly ease the dough up with your fingers - be careful not to tear the dough.

Use a piece of thread to cut the dough. Carefully slide the thread under the dough then cross the thread so it cuts the dough into 1 inch thick pieces.



Place the cut cinnamon rolls into a glass baking dish that is thoroughly coated with butter.



Cover the rolls with a dish towel and set in a warm place for 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the cinnamon rolls in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until light brown on top - don't overcook.

Glaze:

* 3/4 cup of powdered sugar
* 1/2 tsp vanilla
* 3-4 tsp milk

Combine the ingredients together and mix thoroughly making sure to remove any lumps.

Once the cinnamon rolls are finished baking, remove from the oven and drizzle with the glaze. Serve immediately. Enjoy.



I was able to get two pans out of it, a big one and a smaller round pan.

Chicken Poulet

Oh yeah, it's all about the comfort food here lately, the weather is cold and dreary and I like nothing more than to sit down with a plate of delicious Chicken Poulet.

You may be wondering what it is, and some of you already know what I'm talking about, but for those that don't, imagine chicken and stuffing and cheese and mayo and all those other goodies that make your hips scream for joy.

CHICKEN POULET

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1/2 C Mayo
1/4 C Green Onions
2 Cups Chicken Broth
1 stick margarine
1 cup water
16 ounce pkg Peppridge Farm corn bread stuffing mix
1 cup milk
4 eggs
1 can cream of mushroom soup
Sprinkling of salt
1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese


Butter casserole dish. Make chicken mixture in one bowl and set aside.

Melt water and butter together in the microwave. In a large bowl, add stuffing mix, butter and water mixture, chicken broth and 2 eggs. Stir until well combined.

Add half of the stuffing mix to the bottom of the casserole dish....layer with chicken mixture and then top with the remaining stuffing.

Beat 2 remaining eggs and add milk. Pour over casserole (do not pack or smooth down, leave loose). Let chill in refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight.

Before baking, pour cream of mushroom soup over top and bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes. Take out and sprinkle cheese over top of casserole. Bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Chai Concentrate

I love coffee, but I'm also a tea lover and for me there's nothing better than a hot cup of tea on a cold rainy day.

We've had nothing but rain here for days on end and I was in the mood for some tea, but wanted a little kick to it and I do love a good Chai Tea.

Problem is that it can be quite expensive when bought at Starbucks or anywhere else, so I went in search of the perfect homemade Chai Tea and I found it. So easy and SO SO good.

CHAI CONCENTRATE

* 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
* 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
* 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg



Empty condensed milk into a jar or plastic container with tight-fitting lid. Stir in the sugar, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.

Store in refrigerator.

To use: Brew a cup of strong black tea, such as Assam, then add two heaping teaspoons of concentrate or more to taste. Stir well until concentrate has fully melted.



To keep: Store in refrigerator for up to 6 months.

Fudge Brownies

So after my wonderful husband got me the KitchenAid Mixer, I wanted to start cooking and baking right away, so the first thing I made were these delicious brownies, they're SO good and were gone within two hours LOL

Fudge Brownies
KitchenAid Cookbook

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
4 squares (1oz each) unsweetened chocolate
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts

Melt ½ cup butter with chocolate over low heat; cool. Place remaining butter, sugar, and vanilla in bowl. Attach bowl and flat beater.

Turn to Speed 2 and mix for 30 seconds, then increase to Speed 6 and cream for 2 minutes. Reduce to Speed 4 and add eggs, one at a time beating 15 seconds after each addition. Stop and scrape bowl.

Add cooled butter and chocolate. Turn to Speed 2 and mix for 30 seconds. Reduce to Stir Speed and add flour, salt, and nuts; mix until well blended, about 30 seconds.

Pour into greased and floured 13x9x2 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes. Cool in pan and cut into 2-inch squares. (we like big brownies, so I cut mine into big squares)

Yield: 2 dozen brownies

Roast Beef & Mozzarella Sandwiches

Saturday was a super busy day for us, we were out running errands and getting groceries etc, by the time we came home it was late afternoon and I knew I had to get dinner on the table fast.

No one was too hungry, we just wanted something quick and light so I made these super easy Roast Beef and Mozzarella Sandwiches.

ROAST BEEF AND MOZZARELLA SANDWICHES

1 pound of roast beef lunch meat
1 or 2 cups mozzarella cheese
Hoagie buns
Medium onion, sliced
1/2 stick of Butter
Worcestershire sauce

Chop up your roast beef a bit.

Melt 1/2 stick butter in skillet, add onions and Worcestershire sauce. (it depends on how much you want, start with about 2 tablespoons and go from there)

Cook over medium heat until onions are cooked through, stirring often.

Add roast beef ( I slice mine up, just roll it all on the chopping board and run your knife through), stir well and cook until roast beef is warm.

At this point you can add more worcestershire sauce if you like.

Add the shredded Mozzarella cheese, turn off the heat and allow the cheese to melt, once it's done, spoon onto the hoagie buns.

White Castle Sliders!

One of my kids favorite things to eat are hamburgers and especially if they're the small tiny ones which seem to be so popular right now, it's either the Mini Sirloin Burgers or the Burger Shots etc.

But for me the best will always be White Castle Sliders, so when I first came across this recipe last year, I thought "well this is just what I've been looking for".

As always though, it got stashed away and forgotten about until tonight, I had extra dinner rolls on hand and thought I would surprise the kids with a special treat.

So here you go, the recipe makes 24 sliders, but I made half of the recipe for just us 4, I figure between the kids and my hubby taking some for lunch, it's more than enough.

1/2 cup dried onion flakes
2 pounds ground chuck- 80/20 ground beef
1/2 t. seasoned salt
6 slices cheddar cheese
24 small party rolls- I use Martin's Potato Bread Party Rolls
24 dill pickle slices

Evenly spread the onions on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Gently press the ground beef on top of the onion flakes. Press evenly making one giant pattie.

Sprinkle with seasoned salt. At this point you can use a drinking straw and poke holes throughout the meat. That is what they do with the original white castle sliders.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. Using a paper towel, pat the excess grease from the top of the pattie.

Top with cheddar cheese, return to oven for 2 more minutes.

Remove from oven, let set 5 minutes then cut into 24 patties. Slice open and separate each party roll. Place bottom of rolls on a large platter.

Using a spatula lift pattie with onion layer onto each bun bottom. Top each slider with a pickle slice then the bun lid. Serve immediately. Makes 24 Sliders.

Best rolls to use are the Potato Dinner Rolls.

Hamburger Stroganoff!

I absolutely love beef stroganoff but it's not something I make that often, especially if I want a quick meal on the table in the least amount of time possible.

So when I found this recipe online for Hamburger Stroganoff, I knew I had to give it a try.

The kids loved it, Nicholas actually had 3 helpings so I know it's a winner with them.

HAMBURGER STROGANOFF

1 lb. hamburger
1 - 8 to 10 oz. bag wide egg noodles or
(rice or mashed potatoes)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 - packet brown gravy mix
4 oz sour cream
2 tbsp. chopped onion
Salt and pepper (to taste)
1 sm. can sliced mushrooms (optional)

Brown & cook hamburger with chopped onion, salt and pepper. While the meat is browning, boil water for cooking the noodles. Salt water, if desired. Cook noodles to desired tenderness. Drain off water.

Drain off grease drippings.

Add to drained hamburger mixture 1 can cream of mushroom soup & prepared gravy mix (according to package directions). Stir over medium heat. Add drained mushrooms.

Cook mixture on medium heat and simmer until mixture begins to thicken
about 15 minutes.

Add the sour cream and thoroughly blend into the gravy mixture.

Serve over cooked noodles, rice or mashed potatoes.

Baked Grilled Cheese & Ham Sandwiches!

You know those days when you're making Grilled Cheese sandwiches for everyone and you're rushing to get them all done in this little tiny sandwich maker, then the kids fight over who gets the first one because "I'm more hungry than you?". You know???

Welcome to tonight. Kids requested Grilled Cheese and Ham Sandwiches and I smiled and then thought "Ugh here we go again".

But while I was standing in front of the oven I realized DUH, why can't I just make them all in there, all at once and that way no one gets to eat first and everyone gets their sandwich nice and warm.

I'm sure some of you already do this and probably think me crazy for acting like it's such a big deal, but hey, to me it is LOL

Baked Grilled Cheese and Ham Sandwiches

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Butter each slice of bread. Place on a cookie sheet butter side down. Top with cheese and ham


Top with another slice of bread and butter the slice too.

Bake for about 6 minutes, flip the sandwich and bake on the other side for another 5 minutes or so until nice and brown.

Pork Chops in the Slow Cooker

I love these pork chops, they are so flavorful and so tender and you would think it took a lot of work to prepare this dish or that you had to use all these fancy ingredients, when in fact you didn't.

The gravy is really good on mashed potatoes or rice (my kids favorite) and let's not forget that anything you can throw in the crockpot in the morning and not have to worry about all day, is perfect for those mid week meals.

Slow Cooked Pork Chops

• 6 pork chops (I prefer boneless)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground mustard
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• oil for frying chops
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1/3 cup water

Mix the flour, salt and garlic powder together. I use a ziploc bag so it's minimal cleaning afterwards. Drop the chops into the flour mixture and shake really well until completely covered. Brown them in a little oil, you don't need to cook them all the way through, just a minute or two on each side until they're nice and brown. Transfer to the crockpot.

Mix the soup and water together. Pour into the skillet, stir well scraping the bottom for all the yummy pieces left by the chops. Pour over the chops and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Serve with mashed potatoes or rice.....but be sure to drizzle some of that yummy gravy on top. Mmmmmm!

Lemon Meringue Pies.....Yes PIES!

My lemon tree is filled to the brim with delicious, huge, juicy lemons which means I get to give most of them away and still have more than I can handle.

I've gotten really good at making use of them, lemon meringue pie, lemon bars, lemonade, lemon cordial and whatever else lemon you can think of.

I had a bunch of lemons fall to the ground today and I didn't want them to go to waste, so I got in the kitchen and whipped up two Lemon Meringue Pies.

Two different recipes, both DELICIOUS!

GRANDMA'S LEMON MERINGUE PIE
Credit: Allrecipes

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 lemons, juiced and zested
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 egg yolks, beaten
• 1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked
• 4 egg whites
• 6 tablespoons white sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. To Make Lemon Filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in water, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in butter. Place egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of hot sugar mixture. Whisk egg yolk mixture back into remaining sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Pour filling into baked pastry shell.
3. To Make Meringue: In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy. Add sugar gradually, and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pie, sealing the edges at the crust.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown.


NOTE: I substituted milk for the water which gave it a more creamy consistency. Also, next time I'm going to add in more egg whites to make an even bigger meringue.

LEMON MERINGUE PIE
Adapted from: Paula Deen

Ingredients

* 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
* 1/2 cup lemon juice
* 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
* 3 egg yolks
* 1 (8-inch) prebaked pie shell or crumb crust

Meringue:

* 3 egg whites
* 1/4 teaspoon cream or tartar
* 1/4 cup sugar

NOTE: I didn't follow her directions for the meringue, I used the same recipe as the other recipe above.

Directions

In medium bowl, combine milk, lemon juice, and zest; blend in egg yolks. Pour into cooled crust.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks from. Gradually beat in the sugar until stiff. Spread over filling; seal to edge of crust. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until meringue is golden brown.

Meat Lovers Lasagna

One of our favorite meals is Lasagna and there are tons of different versions out there, but when I found this recipe at Cooking During Stolen Moments, I knew I had to try this one too. It's got ground beef, it's got italian sausage and it's got.......BACON!

I didn't get many pictures today, my camera is acting up and I'm freaking out already thinking that it's about to go out on me and buying a new one is not exactly in the budget for now.

Meat Lovers Lasagna

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 lb. bulk Italian sausage
• 1 lb. bacon
• 1 small onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 c. marinara sauce (homemade or store-bought)
• 1 30 oz. container ricotta cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 box lasagna noodles (about 9), fully cooked and drained
• 2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Dice bacon and fry until crisp in a large skillet. With a slotted spoon, remove bacon to drain and pour off grease. Add ground beef, Italian sausage, onion and garlic to the skillet. Cook until done, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain. Stir in marinara sauce and reserved bacon.

2. In a bowl, stir together ricotta, eggs and Parmesan cheese until combined.

3. Spread a fourth of the meat mixture into the bottom of the dish. Top with 3 lasagna noodles. Top noodles with 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, then meat, then 3 more noodles. Repeat until done, ending with a meat layer on top. Sprinkle cheese over the top.

4. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit at least 5 minutes before cutting.

Samburgers!

I first came across this recipe in the Family Fun magazine, but just like so many others I find, I clip and set aside and then forget about them. They end up in my big folder of recipes to try, how sad, there are some in there from years ago which reminds me I need to go through them all and organize/toss/try etc.

Anyway, here is a quick and easy recipe for some delicious juicy burgers, it got thumbs up from the family.

SAMBURGERS

1 ¼ lb. ground beef
3 Tbsp. A1 sauce
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
½ tsp. Kosher salt
¼ tsp. pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
¾ tsp. dry oregano
1 Tbsp. dehydrated onion

Combine ingredients. If you want big burgers, shape into 4 patties, I used 2 lbs of ground beef and made 8 burgers.

Grill for about 7 minutes on each side over medium. I didn't have charcoal in my grill so I used my griddle which I've done before to make other burgers and they always turn out wonderful.

I like toasted buns (haha) so I do that while the meat is grilling. If you want cheese on your burger, and we always do, place it on top of the patties about 2 minutes or so before they're done cooking.

When done just place on your toasted buns (I can't say this without laughing today haha) and add whatever toppings you wish. I like grilling some onions on the griddle at the same time the patties are cooking. Delish!