Buttery Dinner Rolls

I’ve never been able to make a pretty dinner roll. I can remember my mom making rolls; perfectly round and golden. When I try they look lumpy and ugly (though they taste fine). I made this recipe at Thanksgiving and, for the first time, served beautiful rolls. We're making them again for Easter dinner!

Brenna helped me make these as it involved rolling the dough into balls. Fun!
The recipe came from the April 2009 Cuisine at Home magazine.

Recipe makes 12 rolls. Warning: this is time consuming! Takes about 4 hours; 3 1/2 of it is rising time.

Ingredients
2/3 c whole milk
1/2 stick unsalted butter, diced
1/4 c sugar
1 pkg active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
2 T unsalted butter, softened
3 c all-purpose flour
1 t table salt
1 egg, beaten
1 egg yolk, beaten

Directions
Heat milk in a small saucepan to 180° over mdium heat. Add 1/2 stick butter and sugar; stir to dissolve sugar. Cool mixture to 110°. Stir in yeast. Let rest in a warm place until it swells and becomes bubbly; about 10 minutes.

Grease inside of a bowl and a muffin tin with 2 T softened butter.

Whisk together flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add yeast mixture, egg and egg yolk.
Knead mixture with a dough hook on medium speed until dough forms a ball and pulls away from the bowl; about 6-8 minutes. Add 1 T flour at a time if necessary. Place dough in buttered bowl and let rise until doubled in size; about 2 hours.

Divide dough into 36 equal portions. Shape portions into balls; place 3 each into each well of muffin tin. Cover dough with plastic wrap. (Dough may be refrigerated overnight at this point.) Let rise until doubled in size; about 1 1/2 hours (2 1/2 hours if dough was chilled).

Preheat oven to 375° with rack in lower third of oven.

Bake rolls until light brown; about 10 minutes. Cool slightly in pan before removing.

Handy tip: my kitchen tends to be cool. I heat my oven on a low setting while I mix the dough and turn it off when it becomes warm. I place my dough, covered, in here to rise. Don’t make the oven too warm.

Squash Ravioli with Herbed Butter Sauce

I have never been a fan of squash. Well, except for pumpkin. I love pumpkin. But, whatever the reason, I never liked squash. I suppose I can just blame my mom… Maybe I just didn’t like the way she prepared it. (That’s a joke, mom!)

Anyway… Like everyone else I am trying to save money and eat a bit healthier. So when I found this recipe in the November Family Fun magazine I decided to try it- in spite of the fact that it used butternut squash.

And it was really, really good! The grated Parmesan mixed so nicely with the squash. And the nutmeg gave it a nice boost. I served this as a main dish with a side salad but it would be a great side dish, too. My girls helped with the pasta and proclaimed it yummy. Not sure if they liked it because they helped to make it or if they thought it was pumpkin ravioli (I’m not beyond a bit of trickery!)

For the filling
2 cups butternut squash, rind removed, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

For Pasta
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs

For the sauce
8 tablespoons butter
12-16 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced

1. Make the filling. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the squash on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast it until tender when peirced with a fork, about 30 minutes. Allow the squash to cool for about 5 minutes, then transfer it to a medium-size bowl. Blend the squash with the milk, cheese, and nutmeg until it has a smooth, mashed potato-like consistancy. Note: the squash can be prepared a day in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container. (for an easier way to prepare the squash see below)
2. Make the pasta. On a clean work surface, mound the flour and make a well in the center. In a small bowl use a fork to lightly beat together the salt and the eggs. Carefully pour the egg mixture into the well. Using a fork, gently incorporate the flour into the egg mixture, a small amount at a time. With your hands and a spatula or dough scraper, work the dough until it pulls together into a smooth, pliable ball. (Note: make the pasta this way. I tried it in my mixer with a bread hook and it didn’t work as well.)
3. Halve the dough, then form each peice into a 1/2inch thick disk. Cover the disks with plastc wrap and set them aside to rest at room tempature for 30 minutes.
4. Lightly flour your work surface and half each dough disk. Roll out one of your dough portions as thinly as you can (to about the thickness of a dime), then use a 2 1/2 inch- diameter drinking glass, biscuit cutter, or cookie cutter to cut rounds from the dough. arrange them in pairs. Each half disk should yield 7 pairs of dough rounds.
5. Further thin the dough rounds by pinching them between your thumb and forefinger. each round should increase in diameter by about 1/4 inch.
6. Use a pair of dough rounds to make each ravioli. With a pastry brush or your fingertips dipped in water, paint a half inch perimeter around one of the dough rounds. Spoon a 1/2 tablespoon of squash filling into the center, then press the other round ontop of it along the moistened edges. Use the tines of a fork to seal the edges.
7. Bring two large pots of water to boil (using two pots allows all the pasta to cook at once). Meanwhile , make the sauce. Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the sage and continue to cook the sauce until it’s light brown and has a nutty aroma, about 4 minuts. Remove the sauce from the heat.
8. Line a large plate with paper towels. Add half the ravioli to each pot of boiling water. The pasta will float to the top after 2 or 3 minutes, but continue cooking it until tender, about 15 more minutes ( take one out and test its tenderness before draining an entire batch). When the ravioli are done, use a slotted spoon or spatula to scoop them out and transfer them to paper towels to drain. (I placed them individually into a strainer, this seemed like a huge waste of paper towels.)
9. To serve, place the ravioli on individual plates and drizzle them with a spoonful of the Herbed Butter Sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan if desired.

Option for preparing squash: split in half and remove seeds. Place cut side down on foil lined baking sheet and bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes; until tender. Remove from oven and let cool. Scrape squash out of rinds. Use 2 cups for this recipe. Remaining squash can be frozen for 3 months or used in other recipes.

Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

My sister wanted to make a chocolate dessert for our family's Thanksgiving gathering. I had just pulled this recipe from the latest Family Circle magazine but hadn't had a chance to try them.

Of course they were a hit. The adults enjoyed them but the kids adored them! Tasty little cupcakes that look like their favorite winter drink- and covered with marshmallows! What's not to like?

This is a great recipe for the kids to help with. From working the mixer and adding ingredients to decorating with marshmallows and the candy cane.

The only thing I would change the next time I make these is to add about 2oz melted semisweet chocolate to the cake batter for a bit more richness and moisture. You'll see that addition in the recipe in italics.

Recipe makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar

2oz semi sweet bakers chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons milk or water
1 1/4 cups mini marshmallows
3 candy canes

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line indents of a standard-size 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
2. Cupcakes. In medium-size bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In large bowl, with mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until smooth and creamy, 2 minutes. Slowly mix in 2 oz melted semi sweet bakers chocolate. Beat in eggs and vanilla until fluffy, 1 minute. On low speed, beat in flour mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Fill each cupcake liner two-thirds full (about 3 tablespoons of batter per liner).
4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Remove cupcakes
from pan to wire rack; let cool.
5. Topping. In medium-size bowl, with mixer on low speed, beat confectioners sugar, shortening and milk or water until smooth. Spread over cupcakes, about 2 tablespoons for each. Top each cupcake with 8 or 9 mini
marshmallows. With a serrated knife, cut wrapped candy canes into 2-inch pieces. Unwrap and tuck a piece into each cupcake.

291 calories per cupcake

Cute and Delicious Halloween Cupcakes

My eldest's birthday falls just a few days before Halloween. If she is anything like her mother, Halloween will be her very favorite holiday. I imagine, however, that there will be few birthdays she is excited to share with ghosts, spiders and pumpkins.

This year she was excited to do just that, and a Halloween theme was chosen. Friends were thrilled to come in costume and Halloween activities were enjoyed.

Instead of cake I opted to create these super cute Halloween cupcakes I saw in Woman's Day. These were incredibly easy to make; the girls loved helping - and sneaking bits of candy!

All cupcakes begin with a cupcake base. We chose a white cake as it wouldn't clash with any topping flavors.

What you need for the spider: white frosting, Mallomar (we found a generic at Fareway), Tootsie Roll midgees, M&Ms and M&Ms Minis.

To do: Top cupcake with white frosting. Cut Tootsie Roll into 8 small pieces. Soften and roll between your hands to create legs. Place legs on cupcake, hanging down sides. Place Mallomar on top o legs. Use a tiny bit of frosting to make M&Ms stick.

What you need for the ghost: white frosting, M&Ms Premiums Mint Chocolate (if you have trouble finding these chocolate rocks would look nice, too). White fondant. Doughnut hole. Mini M&Ms.

To do: Top cupcake with white frosting. Place M&Ms mint chocolates (or chocolate rocks) around the edge of the cupcake. Roll fondant to 1/8" thickness. Use a large cup to cut into a circle (4"-5" diameter). Place over doughnut. Use a bit of frosting to attach mini M&Ms eyes.

What you need for the pumpkin: green frosting (or green food color and white frosting), orange frosting (or mix red and yellow food color with white frosting), fall leaves sprinkles (mine came in a jar of 6 different sprinkles made by Wilton), doughnut hole, green apple Airhead candy.

To do: cover doughnut holes in orange frosting and refrigerate (this will make them a bit easier to handle). Frost cupcake with green frosting. Sprinkle with fall leaves. Using a small pizza cutter, cut small triangles and thin strips from green apple Airheads. Roll strips btween you hands to create vines. Top cupcake with orange doughnut. Place vines and stem on top.

I snapped the image below with my phone while at the library, but didn't get the instructions, so we just guessed at how to do some things. I think our creations turned out adorable and the girls were very impressed!

We opted not to make the vampire. Click the image to see it larger to get the list of what you need. I think construction is really self explanatory.

Chef Mickey's Breakfast Pizza

When I was at Walt Disney World a few months ago I came home with cookbooks. I am finally getting the time to fix "fun food", as my girls call it. This easy breakfast pizza came from the cookbook Cooking with Mickey and the Disney Chefs . (affiliate link)

This cookbook is filled with recipes from Walt Disney World, Disneyland and the Disney Cruise Line, so there is a wide variety. One thing this cookbook lacks is photos of the food. This is both good and bad: I love to look at photos of food but there is no way my food ever looks so pretty. With no images to compare to I am free to think my food looks good!

This very basic breakfast pizza recipe can be "perked up" with meats, but we like it plain. The recipe calls for grated provolone, but I used sliced so I could include the iconic mouse silhouette.

1 12" pre-cooked pizza crust
2 large eggs
1/2 cup coarsely shredded/grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup coarsely shredded/grated Provolone cheese
1 cup coarsely shredded/grated Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste



Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place pizza crust on baking sheet or pizza stone.

In a medium bowl blend the cheeses together.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs, heavy cream, salt and pepper. Mix well and add to cheese mixture. Immediately (to avoid clumping), pour mixture onto the pizza shell.

**I used provolone slices, so I placed them on top of the cheese/egg mixture.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese mixture is set and is beginning to brown.

Cut into pizza wedges and serve hot.

Terrific with fruit "on the side".

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

As I continue to do my best to feed my family good food that isn't filled with preservatives, treats have been difficult. We love sweet things. This cookie recipe has become a favorite. It's a soft cookie, almost cake-like in its consistency. And delicious! My family can't get enough. At only 66 calories each I don't feel bad having two myself.

This is a great "cooking with kids" recipe. Mine enjoy mashing the bananas and carefully adding the dry ingredients.

While my girls really like the cookies plain it is a real treat when we make them into "banana split ice cream sandwiches" by sandwiching a bit of ice cream in between two cookies.

The recipe is from Taste of Home.

Ingredients

* 1/3 cup butter, softened
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 egg
* 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

* In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, banana and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips.
* Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 9-11 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Yield: 3 dozen.

This recipe can also be found in the Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet Cookbook (affiliate link):

Pillsbury simply... The Peanut Butter Version

A couple weeks ago I share my thoughts on the new Pillsbury® simply chocolate chip cookies. Last week we decided to try the peanut butter ones.

Like the chocolate chip, they are all natural ingredients:* wheat flour * brown sugar * water * eggs * baking powder * salt * pure vanilla extract * all natural semisweet chocolate chips * peanut butter * sugar * skim milk and contain no trans fats, no high fructose corn syrup and not artificial colors or preservatives. In other words, they are just what you would make if you were making cookies.

We all worked hard...

I rolled the dough into balls.

Caelan rolled the balls in sugar.











Brenna did the "signature" criss-cross












And after a short baking time we had hot, fresh peanut butter cookies.

I liked them more than the chocolate chip ones!

Want to try new Pillsbury® simply... cookies? I have one coupon left. First comment gets it! If you're not the lucky first comment you can visit the Pillsbury simply... website for a $1 coupon instantly!

Egg in a Nest - Making Eggs Fun

Sometimes the smallest change can make the largest impact when it comes to your children. There are some days that "eggy toast" (scrambled eggs on toast) is welcomed by my girls. Other days they just aren't interested.

A couple weeks ago I conjured up a recipe from my childhood: Egg in a Nest. It's not a difficult recipe... I'm not sure that it even qualifies as a recipe quite so much as it's just a different- and fun- presentation of the standard egg & toast.

What you need:
bread (one slice per nest)
egg (one per nest)
non-stick spray or butter
cookie cutter

Directions:
Heat non stick pan on medium high heat. Spray with cooking spray (I use olive oil in a Pampered Chef Kitchen Spritzer) or melt butter.
Cut design out of bread. I usually let my girls help with this part. They choose thier cookie cutter & cut the bread.
Add bread to pan. I flatten the bread with a spatula to make sure the egg can't "escape" when I add it.
Add egg. Cook to desired "done-ness". We like our eggs hard, so I flip as soon as the white become opaque.
You can also fry the cut out piece, too. Or toast it.

Ta-Da! Fun eggs!

Munchable, Crunchable M&Ms Mix

This is an altered recipe from Hershey's. It initially called for the now discontinued Kissables and for Heath Bits O' Brickle toffee bits, which I could only find in chocolate coated.

I initially made this because I wanted something that was easy to send through the mail and easy to share. It's a lucky thing I made two batches because this wouldn't have made it out of the house if I hadn't! Yummy!

Ingredients:

* 8 cups popped popcorn I just bought the plain, unsalted pre-popped stuff)
* 2 cups miniature pretzels
* 3/4 cup peanuts
* 1-1/3 cups (8-oz. pkg.) HEATH BITS 'O BRICKLE Toffee Bits (the chocolate covered work, too)
* 1/2 cup light corn syrup
* 1 cup M&Ms Chocolate Candy (I used the Christmas mix as this was a gift)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 275°F. Grease large roasting pan (OR two 13x9x2-inch baking pans). Place popcorn, pretzels and peanuts in prepared pan.

2. Combine toffee bits and corn syrup in heavy medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until toffee is melted (about 12 minutes). Pour over popcorn mixture; stir until evenly coated. Note: If using the chocolate toffee bits watch your pan carefully as the chocolate melts faster. You will want to lower the temperature after the chocolate melts but before the toffee has completely melted. Stir constantly.

3. Bake 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from oven; stir every 2 minutes or until slightly cooled. Cool completely. Stir in candies. Store in tightly covered container in cool, dry place. About 12 cups popcorn mix.

NOTE: For best results, do not double this recipe.

Sweet Peanut Brittle

I adore peanut brittle. And this recipe from Kraft makes it so easy to make! It's great without the added chocolate, too!

We give treats as gifts every year and this always makes it's way into those bags and baskets! The girls like to help with the dipping.

Prep Time: 5 min
Total Time: 50 min
Makes: About 1-1/2 lb.

What You Need

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 Tbsp. butter
2 cups cocktail peanuts
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
4 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Make It

SPRAY large baking sheet with cooking spray. Microwave sugar and corn syrup in large glass microwaveable bowl on HIGH 5 min. Stir in butter and peanuts. Microwave 3 to 4 min. or until pale golden brown. Stir in baking soda and vanilla. (Mixture will foam.) Spread onto prepared baking sheet. Cool completely. Break into pieces.

Note: make sure you cook this long enough. If you don't you will lose a cookie sheet (because it won't come off!) And don't line the cookie sheet with anything... Or you'll lose a batch of peanut brittle! Yes, I've done both!

MICROWAVE chocolate in 1-cup glass measuring cup on HIGH 1 to 2 min. or until chocolate is melted when stirred. Add peanut butter; stir until melted. Dip half of each candy piece in chocolate mixture; scrape bottom against edge of cup to remove excess chocolate. Place on sheet of foil or waxed paper. Refrigerate 20 min. or until chocolate is firm.

To add some bite to your brittle add 1t hot pepper sauce when you add vanilla.

Win a Children's Christmas Apron

Remember that great apron Brenna got from Laine's Babies? Sure you do... This one...



Right now you can win one at Elaine's Life as a SAHM blog! Elaine doesn't ask for much in return - a comment, a little linky love... And then your kid can be stylin' like mine while helping make Christmas cookies!

And, hey, tell her Jody sent you. It doesn't gain me anything, it's just nice to know where people come from.

Cooking With Kids - Simply Sensational Truffles

Here's a fun and easy little recipe courtesy of Kraft...

It has only 2 "real" ingredients and is a great afternoon project with the kids. In fact, my girls will be making these again and giving them as gifts to their teachers. We're gonna decorate little boxes and make cards...

The Ingredients:

2-1/2 pkg. (20 squares) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, divided
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

Extras: chopped nuts, sprinkles, chopped Oreo cookies, Christmas M&Ms, powdered sugar (you get the idea, something to pretty them up)

The Directions:

Unwrap and melt 8 of the chocolate squares (8 oz).

In a separate bowl beat cream cheese until smooth. Blend in melted chocolate, refrigerate until firm.

Pass the refrigeration time by letting the kids help with the clean up:

After the mixture is firm (30 minutes or so) shape into balls. The recipe calls for 36... I used a small teaspoon and made them just under an inch in diameter.

Depending on the age of your child you may have to reshape the balls. Don't spend too much time rolling as the heat from your hands will cause the chocolate to melt.

Place on wax paper covered cookie sheet and put back in the refrigerator.

Melt the remaining chocolate. Remove chilled chocolate balls from refrigerator. Carefully dip the balls into the chocolate with a fork (roll them around so they get all covered) and place on the wax paper covered cookie sheet. (Seriously, don't forget the waxed paper. The chocolate will stick to everything else.)

Let your kids adorn the truffles...

Then chill for at least an hour.

If you're going to be fancy remove from waxed paper and place in mini muffin cups or candy cups. Voilà! Almost too pretty to eat...

Tip: When melting chocolate in the microwave melt for one minute first, stir and then melt in 30-second increments until chocolate is smooth. Watch it as you do not want to overheat chocolate.

I have another truffle recipe here. Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles. Mmmm...