Butterhorns...

Shelly shared this Taste of Home butterhorn recipe with me and I had to pass it along to you. These rolls are so delicious! If you can't get around to making these now, put this recipe in your file and when you do get around to making them...you will thank me (just like I thanked Shelly :)


Butterhorns:

Prep: 35 min. + rising time
Bake: 10 min.
Yield: 2 dozen

1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
1 tsp. plus 1/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. warm water (110-115 degrees)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup warm 2 % milk (110-115 degrees)
1 egg
3/4 tsp. salt
4 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tsp. sugar in warm water. Add the butter, milk, egg, salt, remaining sugar and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Roll each portion into a 12-inch circle; cut each circle into 12 wedges. Roll up wedges from the wide end and place point side down 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Curve ends to form crescents.

Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pancakes...

...with cinnamon syrup even! They were delicious. I found the recipe here.

And because I try not to post without a picture...

Cornbread Muffins...

My mom makes really tasty cornbread...

Here's her recipe:

Buttery Corn Bread (Muffins)

• 2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 2/3 cup milk
• 2 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 4 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Combine the eggs and milk. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with egg mixture. Pour into a greased 9 x 13" pan (or pour them into muffin cups). Bake at 400 degrees to 22-27 minutes (or approximately 18-22 minutes for muffin variation) or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cut into squares; serve warm. Serves 12 (makes approximately 2 dozen muffins).

If you have the RBC cookbook it is on page 223.

Sweet Potato & Hominy Stew...

I was a little bit scared of the hominy in this recipe, but it turned out to be quite good. If you are unfamiliar with hominy (I was until just a few days ago), there is a great description of it here. If you enjoy a good sweet potato & like a nice Mexican soup, then this recipe is for you. I found it in this month's issue of Better Homes & Gardens, but you can find it online here.

*And obviously the photo above was not taken by me, but came from the BHG website.

The best apple bars ever...

...and I'm not kidding. You must try these. You can thank me later.

Glazed Apple Bars

4 cups flour

2 1/3 cups sugar, divided

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature (yes, that's 3 sticks of butter)

5 Granny Smith apples, peeled & sliced

1 tsp. cinnamon

Combine flour, 2 cups of sugar, and salt.

Cut in butter until crumbly.

Take half of this mixture and pat it gently into the bottom of a jelly roll pan.

Top mixture with peeled & sliced apples in rows.

Combine remaining cinnamon & sugar and sprinkle over apples.

Crumble remaining flour mixture over the top of the apples.

Back at 350 for 50-60 minutes.

Cool before drizzling the glaze over the top.

Cut into squares to serve.

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 Tbsp. water

Stir until combined, pour over apple bars.

Recipe found here

Old buns...

What do you do with your old bread? I have this bad habit of throwing every last scrap of unused bread in the freezer "for later", but rarely ever get around to using it. Bad. After Henry's dedication lunch on Sunday I ended up with 8 leftover hamburger buns. 8. Geez. I was determined not to throw them in the freezer, but actually use them up quickly this time. I thought about bread pudding, but changed course, and ended up making french toast casserole instead. Sure, sesame seeds aren't part of your typical breakfast fare, but trust me, they're kind of a delightful surprise (if you can even taste them at all). I used this recipe, it was basic but delicious. If you've got some old buns to use up you might want to give it a shot, you won't be disappointed.

And this is where Henry sits while I cook. He can now pull all 3 of the hanging animals off of the arch above him in his little bouncer seat. It seems like only yesterday we were applauding him for actually being able to touch those very animals. Crazy how quickly they grow up.

Cannoli Cookies!

A couple of months ago, Toni, saw this cannoli cookie recipe on thekitchn.com and sent it my way (thanks Toni!). My love for cannolis started in Boston and believe me, my dessert preferences just haven't been the same since. So when I received the above recipe I was a wee bit excited to say the least. I finally got around to making the cookies yesterday, and let me tell you, they did not disappoint! John and I are both huge fans of these delicious little gems. They don't taste exactly like a cannoli, of course, but it's close enough for us! You should give them a try yourself sometime. Or maybe I'll have to invite you over to enjoy some at our house...because I will be making these again. soon.

Chocolate pudding...from scratch!

I don't know what got into me today, but for some crazy reason I decided to make chocolate pudding from scratch. It all started when my Better Homes & Gardens magazine came in the mail last week. In it there was a section on enjoying chocolate in low-fat recipes. (Um, yes please). There was a recipe for chocolate pudding included and I thought I'd give it a try. It was actually pretty tasty and very rich. It was a bit soupy, but I'm wondering if it will firm up after being left in the refrigerator over night. I'll let you know tomorrow. Recipe below, courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens.

Rich and Creamy Chocolate Pudding:

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 T. cornstarch

1 tsp. instant espresso coffee powder or instant coffee crystals

2 c. fat-free milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 T. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1 banana, sliced (optional)

1 T. chopped crystallized ginger (optional)

1. In a medium saucepan combine sugars, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and coffee. Gradually stir in milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly; reduce heat. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat.

2. Gradually whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture into egg in a medium bowl. Add egg mixture to milk mixture in saucepan, stirring constantly. Return saucepan to heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla.

3. Place saucepan in a very large bowl half-filled with ice water. Stir pudding constantly for 2 minutes to cool quickly. Transfer to a medium bowl. Cover surface of pudding with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 2 to 24 hours. To serve, top with sliced banana and/or crystallized ginger.

**FYI: The coffee is meant to bring out the flavor in the chocolate, not flavor the pudding. You can hardly taste it.

Quiche...

I'd never made a quiche before. I thought I'd give it a try. It was a great success. Recipe found below via the SMBC cookbook (pg. 87).

Quiche:

4 eggs, slightly beaten

1 c. milk

1 c. vegetables

1 c. grated cheese

1 c. chopped cooked chicken, ham, bacon, or ground beef

onion to taste

1/2 tsp. salt

dash of pepper

1 (9-inch) pie crust (I used Bertha's Best pie crust, recipe to follow)

Lightly saute choice of vegetables with meat. Spoon into pie shell. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Combine egg, milk, and cheese. Pour over vegetables and meat. Bake at 375 for 55 to 60 minutes or until set. Let set for 5 minutes before serving.

*I doubled the vegetables (broccoli, zucchini, and tomato) and omitted the meat.

Pie Crust recipe:

2 1/2 c. flour

1 c. shortening

1 t. salt

1/2 c. and 2 T. ice water.

Mix flour, salt, and shortening. Mix in water gradually.

Enjoy!

Dear Sean & Allie,

We loved your wedding, but who knew we'd find ourselves the recipients of some of your gorgeous green apple centerpieces?! I took it upon myself to turn your edible decor into some delicious applesauce. I hope you approve. John and I would love to have you over to share in the feast, but alas, we recognize that the distance between us is too great. So, just know that we think of you each and every time we enjoy a bowl & pray silent blessings upon you as you embark on your new journey. Happy Marriage to you (& happy applesauce to us :)

(not my picture)

I found the recipe here, just in case you find yourself with some centerpiece apples of your own in the near future.

Turkey Noodle Soup...

Received some leftover turkey from my parents today. Didn't want to go to the grocery store, so here's what I came up with:

Turkey Noodle Soup

saute some chopped celery in olive oil

add corn & green beans

add saved chicken broth from last week's chicken (approx. 3-4 cups)

add an additional 8 cups of broth

bring to a boil

Season heartily with basil, thyme, parsley, garlic salt, and pepper

add some macaroni

once macaroni is plump, add leftover turkey

let simmer long enough to heat everything through

enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie...

I made a Chicken Pot Pie from what I had lying around the kitchen. It tasted pretty good, although it wasn't much to look at. I'll include my recipe here for what it's worth:

Chicken Pot Pie

4 stalks chopped celery

1 chopped onion

2 chopped carrots

1 chopped sweet potato (large)

1 can of corn

1/4-1/2 c. olive oil (I didn't measure)

1/2 c. flour

1 1/2 c. chicken broth (leftover from yesterday's crockpot chicken)

1/2 c. sour cream

1 c. milk

some shredded chicken breast (maybe 2 cups?)

some salt & pepper

2 pie crusts (I used the recipe from this cookbook)

In large saucepan, saute celery, onion, carrots, & sweet potato in olive oil for 5 minutes. Add four (& more olive oil if necessary), stir until smooth (mine never really got smooth). Gradually add broth, sour cream, milk & corn; stir until blended. Cook on medium heat until bubbly, approximately 20 minutes. Stir in chicken. Add salt & pepper to tast. Prepare pie crust. Put bottom crust in pie plate & pour in filling. Cover top with second pie crust; cut slits on top. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Pretty ugly...but it sure made the most of what I had in the kitchen.

(It should also be noted that John has refused to eat the sweet potatoes I bought last week, but I was so confident that he would like them that I threw them into the pie...he was none the wiser...although I caved and told him about my secret ingredient eventually ;)

Tortellini Soup...

I made this Thursday night, and oh is it delicious. Here's the recipe:

Tortellini Soup

2 T. butter (I used olive oil)

1 med. onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 T. minced garlic

1 lb. hot pork sausage, ground & cooked

1 1/2 T. fresh basil

2 cans white beans

2 large boxes chicken broth (I don't buy the boxes...8 cups worked well for me)

1 pkg. tri-colored tortellini (I used the largest package)

Cook tortellini as directed on package. To prepare broth, melt butter in dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and garlic; cook until both are done. Add cooked sausage, basil, broth, and beans. Reduce heat and add cooked tortellini. Serve with fresh parmesan cheese.

(For those of you who have the Rosedale Bible Church cookbook...the recipe is on page 41)

Pumpkin Muffins...

I made the pumpkin muffins that were raved about here and here. I had such complete faith in my sources that I even doubled the recipe. The results were as good as promised. I think John ate a dozen of them before I could even put them away. Yes, they're that good. I think next time I might try adding chocolate chips...John's request. If' you'd like the recipe. It can be found here, via this blog.

I baked bread last Saturday...

...it was good. Usually my efforts yield marginal returns, but maybe I'm finally getting the hang of it. This loaf was the perfect consistency and had just a hint of sweetness. Maybe I'll make bread every Saturday...maybe.

Amish Oatmeal Bread:

1 pkg. dry yeast

1/2 c.warm water

1 c. quick oats

1/2 c. whole-wheat flour

1/2 c. brown sugar or molasses

1 T. salt

2 T. margarine

2 c. boiling water

5-6 c. white flour

Combine oats, wheat flour, sugar, salt and margarine in a large bowl. Pour boiling water over all and mix well. When mixture is cooled to lukewarm, stir in yeast which has been dissolved in 1/2 c. warm water. Stir in approximately half of flour. Continue adding remaining flour. Turn on floured pastry cloth and knead. Place in greased bowl. Cover and let rise until double. Shape into 2 loaves and place in greased bread pans. let rise again. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes. Cool on rack, brushing with margarine for a soft crust.

This recipe is from pg.108 of the Shafter MB Cookbook (although I'm raving about the recipe, I won't give the author credit here, just because I don't like to throw around names of people who aren't aware of the blog. If you have the cookbook you know who's it is :)

It's no secret...

...that I LOVED the Mike's Pastry cannoli John and I had while in Boston last summer. I was only there long enough to enjoy 2, but their mark has been left on my palette for all eternity. So, while browsing Trader Joe's for the first time (it's true, I've never shopped at Trader Joe's before, not because I didn't want to, but more because I hadn't ever been able to give it the appropriate amount of meanderment) I saw mascarpone cheese, one of the ingredients in my favorite Italian dessert! I bought it without a second thought. Now, I recognize that making a cannoli will take a bit of work, but I'm willing to give it a go. Maybe not soon, but definitely this summer. I found this recipe and it looks scrumptious. So, if anyone is interested in joining my cannoli-making party sometime, just let me know. My taste buds are already watering at the thought.

New recipe...

I tried this recipe for sauteed chicken with peanut sauce. I even made the cucumber/cilantro salad (much to John's distate). I'd highly recommend it.