Easy Twist Rolls

I love bread. Like LOVE it. I don't bake it fresh often because then I eat too much and get sick. BUT, these were a delight on Easter Sunday as cute little bunny rabbits. You could make them just as twist rolls and serve for any occasion. Makes 6 large rolls.

Easy Twist Rolls

3 c flour
2 1/2 tsp yeast
1 c warm water
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 c vegetable or canola oil
1 egg, optional
1 Tbsp course sea salt, optional
butter

1. Put warm (NOT HOT) water into a bowl (of a stand mixer, if you have one, with the paddle attachment). Add yeast, sugar, salt, oil, and flour. Knead on low-medium speed for 4 min, until a smooth dough forms; it should be thick yet soft and only slightly sticky. When it pulls away from the sides of the bowl, it's ready. Coat dough with oil and let rise in bowl until doubled in size; about 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, lightly grease baking sheet; set aside.
3. Once dough has risen, press down with fist. Remove dough from bowl and turn it onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 6 equal pieces; roll each piece into a rope about 14" long. If making a bunny, cut a 1/2" piece for the tail and roll into a ball.
4. Fold rope in half and loosely twist twice. Place on the prepared cookie sheet and press down the ends a bit. If making a bunny,  press the to the bottom of the twist for a tail. Whisk egg and brush on tails. Sprinkle with sea salt. You may also brush the egg wash and add salt anywhere you'd like. OR not use the egg wash and salt at all.
5. Once all are rolled are prepared, let rest just while preheat oven to 350 degrees.
6. Bake 23-25 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and the edges look cooked. Brush warm rolls with butter.

Texas Roadhouse Rolls with Cinnamon Honey Butter

For those who love Texas Roadhouse as much as I do, you're welcome. For those who have never had them, you're welcome. Soft, delicious, and WAY too divine with the cinnamon honey butter. I don't want to eat anything else ever, and die happy of sweet, fluffy overload. Gratefully borrowed from africanbites.com. Makes 12-15 rolls.

Texas Roadhouse Rolls with Cinnamon Honey Butter

1 Tbsp warm water
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 c milk
6 Tbsp butter, cut into pieces
5-6 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 large egg
3 1/2 - 3 3/4 c flour
butter, for brushing over baked rolls

Cinnamon Honey Butter (optional)
1/4 c (half cube) butter, softened
2 Tbsp powdered sugar
2 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon

1. Combine water (NOT HOT) and yeast. Let sit and dissolve for about 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in microwave safe bowl, combine milk, butter pieces, sugar, and salt. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir until everything is melted. Combine with yeast mixture. Make sure it's warm, not hot, then whisk egg into mixture. Mix 2 minutes (medium speed if using a mixer).
3. Add 1 cup flour at a time while mixing, up to 3 cups. Add 1/4 c more flour at a time until dough pulls away from side of bowl, yet is still a bit sticky to the touch. It's better to have too little flour than too much! Knead by hand or with dough hook for 3-4 minutes. Coat dough with oil in bowl and cover, letting rise 1-2 hours, or until doubled in size.
4. Push dough down with fist. Roll into a rectangle about 1" thickness. Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut dough into 12-16 similar squares.
5. Spray jelly roll pan with cooking spray; place rolls on pan 1/2"-1" apart. Cover lightly with a kitchen towel and let rise about 30 minutes or until dough is puffy. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
6. Meanwhile, make cinnamon honey butter.
7. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush tops of hot rolls with cold stick of butter. Serve warm or cold, though warm is best, with a dollop of cinnamon honey butter, if using.

Jalapeño Pillows

This is a Pillsbury recipe I tweaked (I didn't use Pillsbury brand biscuits...oops). My husband went ga-ga over these. My kids thought they were too spicy (I used 2 jalapeños) but they were good! They'd work as an appetizer (just use smaller biscuits and smaller portions of filling). Makes 8 pillows.

Jalapeño Pillows

8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced, or more according to taste
1 c cooked chicken,
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 can large refrigerator biscuits, 8 count
1 egg
splash of water
garlic salt, to taste

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl, mix cream cheese, cheddar cheese, chiles, pepper and garlic powder until well combined. Set aside.
2. Separate biscuits. Roll each about 1/8" thick round. Spoon 1/8 of the mixture into each flattened biscuit. Pull dough around filling and pinch hard to seal. Place seam-side down on ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Beat egg in small bowl with small splash of water. Brush tops of stuffed biscuits. Sprinkle tops with garlic salt and pepper, to taste.
4. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown and firm. Serve warm.

Pizza Dough with Basil

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie...you want some yummy dough. I tweaked this delicious pizza dough on the grill recipe from Betty Crocker's 2005 Annual Recipe book. :) It needs time for the dough to rise but man, it sure is tasty!
I usually use half a jar of Ragu Homemade Style Pizza sauce for each pizza. If you only make one pizza just put the lid on it and refrigerate the rest until later. I like to sprinkle some garlic salt and 2 Tbsp fresh chopped basil on top of the sauce for added yumminess.
It's fun to make pizzas with the kids because they love to add their own toppings; and honestly I do too! :D This recipe makes one large pizza, or you could split it up into a few individual sized pizzas.

Pizza Dough with Basil

Ingredients:

2 3/4 to 3 1/4 c flour
4 1/2 tsp yeast
2 Tbsp chopped fresh or 1/4 tsp dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1 c warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
2 Tbsp olive oil
corn meal, for sprinkling, optional
Olive oil, for extra

Directions:

1. Place 2 3/4 c flour, yeast, basil and salt in food processor, mix 10 seconds. Add water and oil. Mix 30 to 45 seconds or until dough pulls from sides of bowl. If dough is still sticky (mine never is, but it depends on the flour used), add flour 1/4 c at a time, until dough is no longer sticky. Lightly oil dough ball with olive oil, place in bowl and cover, letting rise about 45 minutes, or until double in size.
2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray large pizza pan, or jelly roll pan of you have to. Sprinkle lightly with corn meal. Set aside.
4. Spread dough out onto large pizza pan (or jelly roll pan), pressing it with your fingers to the edges, making a circular shape. Drizzle olive oil on crust and spread evenly with basting brush.
4. Spread pizza sauce evenly over dough, leaving 1/2" or so at edges for crust. Sprinkle garlic salt and fresh basil, if using, over sauce then toppings. Place in oven, starting to check at 12 minutes. Pizza is done when cheese is melted and dough starts to turn golden brown.

Zucchini Bread

I always remember loving my mom's zucchini bread. mmmmm....if you've never tried it, you must. It's a dense sweet bread, like banana bread without the banana taste. I don't have my mom's recipe but I found this on Allrecipes. Tastes just like it. Any leftovers freeze well, though I'd be surprised if you had any. Makes 2 loaves.

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs

1 c vegetable oil*

2 c white sugar

3 tsp vanilla extract

1 large zucchini, peeled and grated, about 2 c

3 c flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

3 tsp ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray two 8x4" pans generously with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, zucchini and sugar together in a large bowl. Add flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and ground cinnamon; mix well. Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let bread sit 5-10 minutes. Remove from bread pan and cool on rack. Serve warm or cold.

* Or you could use 1/2 c vegetable oil and 1/2 c applesauce.

Monkey Bread

I loooooove monkey bread and always thought it must be difficult to make because it's so scrumptious. However, it mocks me greatly with how easy it is. Most people make it in a bundt pan, but I like to be able to control portions. For my family of four--two being under the age of 7--we ate one and a half loaves. But we were hungry and we are pigs. :) If you're going to make some for a big group just triple the recipe and bake in a bundt pan. I used Grands low fat buttermilk biscuits and they were perfect. You can also bake without the butter and brown sugar mixture and dip in cinnamon roll icing. Either way you serve it, it's DIVINE!  Serves 4 to 6.

Monkey Bread

1-3.5 oz box bake and serve butterscotch flavored pudding
1 can buttermilk biscuits
1/2 c white sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 c butter (1/2 stick)
2 Tbsp brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shake pudding on bottom of regular sized bread loaf pan, just until it covers the bottom completely; should be less than half of the bag.
2. Open biscuit tub and cut each biscuit into four pieces.
3. Add white sugar and cinnamon to a gallon ziplock bag, seal, and shake to mix. Add biscuit pieces to the bag, seal, and shake until each piece is coated. Spread evenly in loaf pan. If desired, sift any extra cinnamon sugar over warm, lightly buttered toast.
4. In small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add brown sugar, stirring constantly with wooden spoon until it turns an even brown color; pour evenly over bread.
5. Bake, uncovered, until tops are brown, 25 to 35 minutes. Let sit 5 to 10 minutes then tip upside down onto cooling rack. Scrape the extra ooey gooey caramel goodness that sticks in the pan and add it to the top. Sooooo yummy. Don't hog it all yourself!

Wheat Bread

My sister-in-law sent me this recipe and it's so. stinkin'. good! I don't usually love wheat bread, but I can grab a slice of this and eat it plain and groan the whole time. Yum, yum, yum. Makes 2 loaves.

Wheat Bread

6 1/2 c whole wheat flour (+/-)
1 1/4 Tbsp yeast
2 1/2 steaming tap water
1 Tbsp salt
1/3 c olive oil
1/3 c honey
1 Tbsp lemon juice

1. Grease 2 loaf pans with cooking spray; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix 4 c of the wheat flour with the yeast. Add water and mix very well. Cover bowl and let rest 10 minutes.
3. Add salt, olive oil, honey and lemon juice to yeast and flour mixture; combine thoroughly. Add more flour (wheat OR white at this point, I like to use white to make it a bit lighter), 1/2 c at a time until dough forms a loose ball and is slightly sticky to the touch--about 2 1/2 c. Knead a total of 10 minutes, including time taken to add flour.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Divide dough into 2 equal parts and place in greased bread pans. Cover pans and let rise on back burner of heating oven 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until dough has risen to just over top of pans.
4. Bake in preheated oven 25 to 35 minutes, or until top is dark golden brown. Rub cold stick of butter over top of hot loaves, if desired. Cool on racks.

Flat Bread/Pita Bread

This bread is a-mazing. Straight out of the oven it's soft, white heaven. Spread with honey butter and you'll never want to eat anything else again. :) It makes delicious pitas, too! Makes 10 - 12 small pitas.

Flat Bread/Pita Bread

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 envelope)
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 c flour
1 1/2 c warm water
1 Tbsp olive oil

1. Combine yeast, sugar, and 1/4 c warm water in a small bowl. Cover and let sit 5 to 10 minutes, or until yeast is bubbling to the surface.
2. In another small bowl, dissolve the salt in the remaining 1 c water.
3. In a large bowl, add flour and make a well in the middle in the middle. Pour yeast mixture and salt water in the well and mix well with hands. Knead with hands 6 to 10 minutes, or until smooth dough forms.
4. Pour olive oil onto dough and knead until it is absorbed. Cover bowl with clean towel and let sit 2 hours, or until double in bulk.
5. Gently deflate dough with fist and knead 1 minute more.

For Flat Bread
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt to sprinkle

6. Separate dough into 2 equal pieces (or as many as you want). Form each piece into a ball, place on prepared baking sheet, and spread out into circles 1/2" thick. Cover and allow to rise another 30 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. When dough has risen, make indentations with your finger. Brush dough with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown (if you're making more loaves, start checking at around 10 minutes for doneness).

For pitas
1 Tbsp olive oil

6. Set rack to lowest placement in oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease baking sheet with cooking spray; set aside.
7. Spray work surface and rolling pin with cooking spray. Pinch off dough pieces at least the size of an egg; more for larger-sized pitas. Roll each piece out to 1/4" thick. Set 2 to 4 pieces on baking sheet and bake on lowest rack 3 to 6 minutes. Flip and cook 3 minutes more. They should be soft and white. Place bread in a clean towel to cool. Store in bag or other air tight container until ready to be used.
8. To make pitas, heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Cook bread 2 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. When cool enough to handle, cut a pocket out of one side. Use immediately to avoid the pita hardening.

Mom's White Bread

Growing up my mom would make this bread and it was always a real treat! When she went back to school and started teaching, my dad took over. He would make this often and still does, even though we're all gone. It is dense and moist and oh-so-delicious. My husband ate almost a whole loaf, raving how good it was ("even the crust is good!") and my kids L-O-V-E it! It's wonderful fresh out of the oven with butter and honey, toasted with WHATEVER (butter and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar is a real treat around here), and even sliced thin and made into sandwiches. Makes 3 loaves.

Mom's White Bread

3 c warm water
2 Tbsp yeast
1/2 c sugar
1 Tbsp salt
1/4 c butter (half cube), partially melted
6-8 c flour

1. Add warm water, yeast and sugar to mixing bowl. Cover and let sit 10 minutes, or until bubbly. Add salt and butter and mix. Add 6 c flour, one cup at a time, mixing between each cup. IMPORTANT: Add flour 1/4 c at a time until dough is sticky yet releasing from side of bowl. If you add too much, bread won't be as moist. Knead about 6 minutes. Oil ball of dough, cover bowl, and let sit and rise 1 hour.
2. Grease 3 loaf pans with a good coat of cooking spray or shortening or butter. You could even grease with bacon drippings to give it a unique flavor. Coat grease with flour, if desired.
3. Gently press fist in middle of dough to deflate. Separate into 3 equal balls; roll each ball into a rectangle and place in greased loaf pan. Cover with cloth and let rise until double in size, 30-60 minutes, depending on room temperature.
4. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake loaves for 20-30 minutes, or until top of loaves are golden brown. For softer crust, let loaves cool in pans. For a crustier feel, remove from pans immediately (you might have to scrape insides of pan to loosen loaf) and cool on rack. ENJOY!

Sausage Gravy

I was craving biscuits and gravy the other day (thanks to odd pregnancy cravings) and this recipe hit the spot. It is super tasty, filling, and easy to make. I love that you can make the gravy in the pan with the sausage. I didn't have ground sausage so I chopped up sausage links. It was okay, but ground sausage is so much better. :) Serves 4.

Sausage Gravy

1/2 to 1 lb ground pork sausage
1/2 c flour
3 Tbsp butter, if necessary
2 c milk
salt and pepper to taste

8 biscuits prepared

1. Cook sausage in large skillet over medium heat until browned and no longer pink.
2. Stir in flour until dissolved. If sausage is low fat and doesn't make enough juice to dissolve flour, add 3 Tbsp butter, melt, and stir until flour is dissolved.
3. Gradually stir in milk. Cook until sauce is thick and bubbly. Season with salt and pepper according to individual preference. Serve hot over prepared biscuits.

Artichoke Bruschetta

This is the best bruschetta I've ever had. Ever! I get the recipe from a friend of mine who used to host get-together's at her house. She'd serve tons of delicious goodies, including this bruschetta. It's sooooo good!, and so easy to make. I used a long, thin french baguette, which makes perfect hors d'oeuvre, but you can use a thicker loaf if you prefer. (You could also use the mixture as a dip for chips.) Serves as hors d'oeuvres or with a meal. I served them alongside pasta for dinner. Mmmmmm.....Enjoy!

Artichoke Bruschetta (brews-ketta)

1 6-oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained well and chopped
1/2  c grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1 plum tomato, seeded and chopped
1/3 c onion, diced
1/3 c fresh baby spinach, diced
5 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced
1 10 1/2-oz Italian or French bread baguette

1. In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients.
2. Cut baguette into 30 pieces, about 3/4" thick slices. Top with artichoke mixture and place on ungreased baking sheet.
3. Broil 3-4 minutes, or until edges of bread are lightly browned. Serve warm.

Tomato Bruschetta

I tried a few recipes before concocting this recipe. It's sooooo yummy...mmmmmmm...warm and toasty and fresh tomatoey. I craved them for breakfast the next morning! Use a thin baguette for smaller appetizers, a larger baguette to serve as a side for any Italian dish. It's best to let marinate 24 hours, but not an absolute necessity. They are what they appear; a party on a slice of bread! Serves 4-8.

Tomato Bruschetta (brews-ketta)

3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 loaf Italian or French baguette, cut into 1" slices

mozzarella cheese, shredded or sliced*
Parmesan cheese

1. Add tomatoes, onion, olive oil, basil, parsley, garlic, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper in a medium bowl; toss to coat. Cover and let marinate 24 hours in refrigerator.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil. Set aside.
3. Lay slices of bread on baking sheet. Baste with olive oil or spread with thin layer of butter. Bake in oven 5 minutes. Turn bread over and add a slice or pinch of (shredded) cheese. Bake 5 minutes to let cheese get melty.
4. Spoon equal amounts of tomato mixture on top of bread slices. Sprinkle with a generous amount of Parmesan cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes more, or until bottom sides of bread turn darker brown. Serve warm or at room temperature, but serve soon after baking or they'll get soggy.

* I used Mexican blend cheese and it was still fabulous. Shredded cheese is messier, but melts easier. Sliced cheese should be cut to fit the bread and is less messy.

Cheesy Garlic Bread Swirls

These are SO GOOD, and are still tasty the next day. Refrigerate or freeze any left overs (IF you have any) and reheat before eating. I slightly tweaked the recipe I found on ourbestbites food blog. They are SO good! :D Pure genius. My family always goes ape crazy when I make them. Makes 12 yummy, cheesy rolls. Enjoy!

Cheesy Garlic Bread Swirls

1 Tbsp yeast
1 1/2 c warm water
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
4 - 5 1/2 c flour
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 egg yolk

Garlic Butter
6 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
2 Tbsp garlic bread seasoning
1 1/2 to 2 c shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Combine yeast, water, and sugar in a large mixing bowl and allow to stand 10 minutes, or until bubbly. Add salt, olive oil, and egg yolk; combine. Add 3 c flour and combine. Add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough that barely sticks to your finger. Knead 2-3 minutes. Cover and let rise 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, combine butter and garlic bread seasoning; set aside. Grease 12 muffin tins; set aside.
3. Roll dough into about a 20"x6" rectangle. Smear garlic butter over the entire surface of the dough. Sprinkle with cheese.
4. Roll up along 20"side. Cut into 12 equal pieces using dental floss or sharp knife. Place in greased muffin tins and cover with a clean cloth. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and allow rolls to rise while oven heats.
5. Bake 18-22 minutes. Watch closely during last 5-10 minutes of baking. Once cheese begins to brown, lay a loose sheet of aluminum foil over rolls to keep from burning. Test center of one to make sure dough is cooked through (it may be hard to tell, pull out the center and see if it's doughy, if necessary). Serve immediately.

Banana Bread

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, and it's been my favorite so far. Spread a thin layer of butter when it's fresh out of the oven...mmmmmm....heaven. It doesn't even need butter, it's so good it stands on its own. It's moist and slightly cake-like and has an excellent flavor. :) Give it a try! Makes 3 loaves.

Banana Bread

4 bananas, mushed
1 c shortening
4 eggs
2 c sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
4 c flour
1 c nuts, chopped (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 3 loaf pans with cooking spray; set aside.
2. Beat shortening, eggs, and bananas together in a large bowl with hand beaters or electric mixer. Add sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix well. Add flour and mix well.
3. Pour batter evenly into the 3 greased loaf pans; bake 45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Baking time is shorter for dark metal pans and can be longer for glass.
4. Let cool 10 minutes, turn loaves onto cooling rack.

Banana Crumb Muffins

These are great! I tweaked a recipe off of allrecipes. The muffin itself is good, but adding the crumb topping makes them even better! I have a better banana bread recipe, but the crumb topping on these makes them unique. They're best warm, but great cold the next day. VERY moist and tasty. Try them and let me know what you think! Makes 12 muffins.

Banana Crumb Muffins

1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 c sugar
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 c melted butter or olive oil

Crumb Topping
1/2 c sugar
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp flour
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3 Tbsp chilled butter

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups, or line with cupcake papers.
2. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg, vanilla and melted butter or oil. Stir in the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3. Topping: In a small bowl, mix together sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in chilled butter with 2 butter knives or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse sand. Sprinkle topping evenly over muffins, about 1 Tbsp each muffin.
4. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

This muffin recipe is a big hit with the kids! They try to stuff themselves until banana muffin is coming out of their ears. So tasty! :) Keep any leftovers in the fridge or freezer, in an air tight container. Makes 12 muffins. Enjoy!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

2 c flour
1 c sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 eggs
1/4 c butter, softened or at room temperature
1/2 c plain yogurt or sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
2 ripe bananas, well mashed
1 c semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin tin; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except chocolate chips. Beat mixture just until we’ll combined.
3. Stir in chocolate chips. Fill greased muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in muffin comes out clean. Let sit 5 minutes; remove muffins to cool on cooling rack. Best served warm.

Mom's Cinnamon Rolls

One of my favorite memories is coming home from school to my mom baking these cinnamon rolls. And, well, any time she'd make them. They are so light and fluffy and delicious! I love the clear, simple glaze rather than the white, shortening-tasting glaze. I've had good cinnamon rolls in my time, but these are by far my favorite. Let me know what you think! ;) I always double the recipe--if you're going to go through so much effort, might as well make extras. And they freeze perfectly! Just nuke them in the microwave for a few seconds and they're the next best thing to fresh from the oven. Give them a try!

Mom's Cinnamon Rolls

1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
1/4 c water, warm (110 degrees)
1 c milk, scalded (180 degrees)*
1/2 c shortening
1/3 c sugar
1 tsp salt
5 c all purpose flour
2 beaten eggs

1 c sugar and 2 Tbsp cinnamon, mixed
1/2 stick butter at room temperature
handful of brown sugar
chopped nuts and/or raisins, if desired

Icing
1 c powdered sugar
2 Tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

Option 2: Thicker Frosting
1/2 c butter, softened

1 1b. powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla 

3-Tbsp milk

1. Soften yeast in warm water (5-10 minutes). Meanwhile, combine scalded milk, shortening, sugar and salt in large mixing bowl; cool to lukewarm. Stir in 2 c of the flour; beat well. Add eggs; mix well. Stir in softened yeast and enough of the flour that dough doesn't come off on your finger when you touch it. (Don't add to much flour; it should be a bit sticky.) Cover dough and let rest 10 minutes.
2. Knead dough 8-10 minutes on counter or in mixer. Place in lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease the surface. Cover lightly with saran wrap. Let rise in warm place until doubled in size (or has a good heap), about 1 hour.
3. Roll out (about 1/4" thick) into a rectangle. Cover with a thin layer of room temperature butter. Sprinkle evenly with cinnamon sugar mixture. You should barely be able to see butter and dough underneath. Top with brown sugar, crumpling it in your hand as you drop on top of cinnamon sugar. The more cinnamon sugar you add, the more will drip down as it bakes and caramelize at the bottom. Sprinkle raisins and/or chopped nuts, if using.
4. Roll up the longer side, making sure it's tight. Slice (using knife or dental floss) into 3/4" slices and place on lightly greased jelly roll pan or 9x13 baking dish. Cover and let rise again until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
5. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.
6. Make icing or frosting. Glaze should be runny, but not too runny. If it's too thick, add 1 tsp milk and stir until reaches drizzling consistency and no lumps remain. For froting, beat butter, sugar, vanilla and milk until smooth. Spread evenly over each roll while warm.

*To scald milk: Place the milk into a saucepan on medium temperature and heat just until it starts to boil. Immediately remove from stove and set aside.

Crescent Chicken

This is all around yumminess. This is Pillsbury's recipe I changed up a bit. You probably won't want to eat just one. My boys LOVED them (they love crescent rolls, so having chicken inside was bonus). Serves 4.

Crescent Chicken

1 package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened*

1 Tbsp butter, softened

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

3 pieces of bacon or 1/2 c diced ham

1 Tbsp chopped onion

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 Tbsp pepper

2 Tbsp milk

1 (8 oz) can refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

1 Tbsp butter, melted

1/2 cup seasoned croutons, crushed

1. Cook bacon if using, just until cooked and not crispy. If using ham, cook it until just browning on the outside. Set aside on plate (covered with paper towel if using bacon). In same pan, cook cubed chicken pieces until no longer pink.

2. Beat cream cheese and softened butter in medium bowl until smooth. Add chicken, bacon, onion, salt, pepper, and milk; mix well.
3. Separate dough into 4 rectangles. Firmly press triangular perforations to seal. Spoon 1/2 cup chicken mixture onto center of each rectangle. Pull 4 corners of dough to center of chicken mixture; twist firmly and pinch edges to seal. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Brush tops of sandwiches with melted butter and sprinkle with crushed croutons.
3. Bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
 

*I could not find a 3 oz package of cream cheese, so I bought a 8 oz cube and used a butter knife to mark off 8 sections (half it, then half those, then half them again and you have 8 equal pieces). Then I cut off three of those and called it 3 ounces.

Pizza Rolls

These just might be the best melt-in-your-mouth-ness ever. ;) So good. They're like breadsticks/rolls with gooey cheese and pizza toppings inside. And you dip them in your favorite marinara/pizza sauce. So delish. :) My husband went ga-ga over them and the kiddos loved them. I made them with my pizza dough recipe and they turned out fabulous! Serves 4-6. Enjoy!

Pizza Rolls

Dough for 1 pizza (or 1 can refrigerated pizza dough)
marinara or pizza sauce
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp olive oil or melted butter
1/2 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp dried Italian seasoning (or dried basil & oregano)
mozzarella cheese
pizza toppings of your choice
pizza or marinara sauce, warmed

Preheat oven specified on pizza dough package or recipe.
With a rolling pin, flatten pizza dough until it's about 12" by 8". Use a pizza cutter to slice dough into 24 squares.
Place cheese and toppings on each square (NOT marinara or pizza sauce), just a little bit so you can enclose the toppings in each square. Carefully lift each square and wrap the dough around the toppings, pinching until completely shut. Place pinched-side down in lightly greased pie pan (or something similar). Brush tops of each ball with olive oil or melted butter then sprinkle with Italian seasonings and top with Parmesan cheese.
 Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top. Check often so they do not burn. Serve with warm marinara or pizza sauce for dipping.

Pancakes

I love pancakes, but not all are created equal. My mom always made them from a Krusteaz mix and I thought those were good. These pancakes are even better, though. :) But that's not surprising since things are usually better when made from scratch. :) This made 10 large pancakes for me. My four year old ate 3 as big as his head. :D Give them a try. They're delish!

Pancakes

1 1/2 c flour
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/4 c milk
1 egg
3 Tbsp butter, melted

1. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and sugar. Make a well in center and pour in milk, egg, butter and mix until smooth.
2. Heat lightly oiled pan or griddle or medium-high heat. Pour batter onto griddle, using approximately 1/4 c mix for each. Brown on both sides. Serve hot.