Texas Roadhouse-like Rolls

YUMMY yummy yummy! I made these for mothers day to go with our meal. They were a big hit, especially with the *cinnamon honey butter. 

(adapted from: Good Stuff Maynard and pic via)

4 tsp. active dry yeast

1/2 c. warm water

2 c. milk, scalded and cooled to lukewarm

3 Tbl. of melted butter, slightly cooled

1/2 c. sugar 

2 quarts all purpose flour (7-8 cups)

2 whole eggs

2 tsp. salt

Dissolve yeast in warm water with a teaspoon of sugar.  Add yeast, milk, sugar and enough flour to make a medium batter.  Beat thoroughly.  Let stand until light and foamy.  Add melted butter, eggs and salt.  Beat well.  

Add enough flour to form a soft dough.  Sprinkle a small amount of flour onto counter and let dough rest.  Meanwhile, grease a large bowl.  Knead dough until smooth and satiny and put in greased bowl; turn over to grease top. (I used the dough hook on my Kitchen-Aid to knead this for about 4-5 minutes).  Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk.  Punch down.  Turn out onto a floured board.  Divide into portions for shaping; let rest 10 minutes.  Shape dough into desired forms.  Place on greased baking sheets.  Let rise until doubled.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.  Baste immediately with butter.  Yield: 5 to 6 dozen.  

*Notes: I shaped my rolls by rolling out the dough into a rectangle, about 1/2-inch thick, then I folded the rectangle in half, making it about 1-inch thick. I used  my rolling pin and rolled over the dough, ever so gently, just to seal the two halves together.  I then used a dough scraper and cut the rolls into squares and placed those on my greased baking sheet.  I cut the recipe in half and I got exactly 12 big rolls and baked them for 16-17 minutes.  In order to get the 5-6 dozen rolls like the recipe states, you would have to make really small rolls.     

*Like Texas Roadhouse Cinnamon Butter

1/2 cup Butter
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
1/2 cup Honey
1 tsp Cinnamon

Blend all ingredients at room temp.

Mushroom Risotto

This recipe is my all-time favorite risotto! SO much yummy flavor! Risotto can be a bit time consuming, but so worth it!

[pictured with  hake fish fillet on top]

Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 3 small onions, finely chopped
* 1 clove garlic, crushed
* 1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
* 1 teaspoon minced celery
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (most the time I use baby portabellas, but white or any combination of gourmet mushrooms is delicious)
* 1 cup milk (use whole for richness)
* 1/4 cup heavy cream (can also use half and half)
* 1 cup Arborio rice
* 4-5 cups vegetable stock (use 5 cups for more creaminess)
* 1 teaspoon butter
* 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil until onion is tender and garlic is lightly browned. Remove garlic, and stir in the parsley, celery, salt, and pepper. Cook until celery is tender, then add the mushrooms. Reduce heat to low, and continue cooking until the mushrooms are soft.

2. Pour the milk and cream into the skillet, and stir in the rice. Heat to a simmer. Stir the vegetable stock into the rice one cup at a time, until it is absorbed.

3. When the rice has finished cooking, stir in the butter and Parmesan cheese, and remove from heat. Serve hot.

A TIP: As this is risotto, you do have to spend the entire time stirring it, or it will burn to the pan. However, if you want a little security, you can make it in a heavy nonstick pan. That way, even if it sticks a little, it comes off quickly and you're fine. Risotto does take a while to cook...but so worth it!

Polenta Cakes with Caramelized Onions, Goat Cheese, and Honey

This recipe was really great! We're don't eat alot of polenta...we like it okay, but in this dish it was awesome. So yummy! I used store bought polenta instead of mixing up my own the first time...either way its good!

Serves 8

For the Polenta:

• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup polenta
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

For the Topping:

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 yellow onion, halved and sliced in 1/4" slices
• 2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
• honey, to drizzle

1. Bring the water, milk, and salt to a boil. Slowly whisk in the polenta. Turn heat to low, and continue whisking for 5 minutes, or until polenta is smooth and creamy. Spread the polenta in a 9x9 baking dish, and set aside to cool.
2. While the polenta is setting up, add the butter and olive oil to a heavy-bottomed skillet set to medium-low heat. Add the sliced onions and a sprinkle of kosher salt, and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, golden, and caramelized- about 20-25 minutes.
3. Pour 1 tablespoon olive oil into another skillet, set over medium heat. Using a 3" round cookie cutter, cut out circles of the firm polenta, and place in the heated skillet. Cook until slightly browned and crusty on one side, about 2 minutes, then flip and cook the other sides another two minutes.
4. To assemble the polenta cakes, place on a plate, add one tablespoon of caramelized onions to each cake, top each with about a teaspoon of crumbled goat cheese, and drizzle with honey. Enjoy!

Red Lobster's Cheddar Biscuits

Another copycat recipe I found over here. These are SO tasty!! 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups Bisquick baking mix

3/4 cup cold whole milk

4 tablespoons cold butter (1/2 stick)

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup cheddar cheese (heaping), grated

Brush on Top

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

pinch salt

Cooking Directions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter or a large fork. You don't want to mix too thoroughly. There should be small chunks of butter in there that are about the size of peas. Add cheddar cheese, milk, and 1/4 teaspoon garlic. Mix by hand until combined, but don't over mix.
Drop approximately 1/4-cup portions of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet using an ice cream scoop.
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.
When you take the biscuits out of the oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter is a small bowl in your microwave. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and the dried parsley flakes. Use a brush to spread this garlic butter over the tops of all the biscuits. Use up all of the butter.

Makes one dozen biscuits.

Avocado Egg Rolls with Sweet Cilantro Dipping Sauce

We LOVE the Cheesecake Factory avocado egg rolls...this one is a copycat recipe I found online...they are excellent!
*EDIT: I made some changes to this recipe after finding a better one over here. LOVE! these turned out just perfect!*

(Yields 6 large rolls)

2 large avocados, peeled and diced
3 Tbs. sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil)
2 Tbs. minced red onion
1 tsp. fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp. salt
6 egg roll wrappers

In food processor, or by hand, finely dice tomatoes, onion, and cilantro.

Gently stir together avocado, salt, and tomato mixture. Distribute filling evenly in a line on bottom third of each egg roll wrapper.

Position a wrapper so a corner is pointing toward you; fold the bottom corner up over the filling. Fold side corners in and roll toward the top corner. Wet the edges of the top corner with a little water. Then fold top corner over and press to seal. Repeat with remaining wraps.

Heat 2-3 inches of oil to 350 degrees (I use a candy thermometer to maintain a consistent temperature, since its constantly changing). Cook egg rolls for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Slice rolls on the diagonal and serve hot with cilantro sauce.


Sweet Cilantro Dipping Sauce

1/4 c. white vinegar
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 c. Honey
1/2 c. chopped cashews
2/3 c. fresh cilantro
2 garlic cloves
2 green onions
1 Tbs. granulated sugar
1 tsp. ground black pepper
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 C. Olive Oil

Put all ingredients except olive oil into a blender or food processor. Blend until well pureed. Stream in olive oil. Refrigerate until ready to use.

World's Best Rolls

Our Best Bites did it again! LOVE love love these rolls! These were a part of our Easter dinner this year...YUM!

2 c. whole milk (if you're in a pinch, you can use 2%, but whole is best. Don't use 1% or skim)
½ c. + 1 Tbsp. sugar, divided
1/3 c. (5 1/3 Tbsp.) butter
2 tsp. Kosher salt
2 pkgs. active dry yeast (or 4 1/2 tsp.), preferably bread machine yeast
2/3 c. warm (105-115-degree) water
8-9 c. all-purpose flour
3 beaten eggs

Combine milk, 1/2 c. sugar, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until butter melts. It's salty. It's sweet. Yum.

Remove from heat. Allow to cool to lukewarm. I usually rub some ice cubes along the sides of the pan or pop the entire pan in a sink full of ice cubes to cool the mixture down because this step can take forever. This step is really important because if the mixture is too hot, it will kill the yeast.

While the milk mixture is cooling, dissolve the yeast and 1 Tbsp. sugar in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes. If the yeast hasn't bubbled, you'll need to repeat this step--moving on with yeast that hasn't been activated properly will only end in heartache for you and hate mail for us.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 c. flour and milk mixture. Beat on low for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Add yeast mixture and beat on high for 3 minutes.

Add beaten eggs. Why should you beat your eggs first? Same reason you should combine your dry ingredients before adding them to moist ingredients when making cookies and cakes--it ensures everything is well-mixed and can be evenly-distributed through your dough or batter. If you add the whole eggs, your dough may not be as consistent.

Stir in as much remaining flour as needed to make a soft dough. This dough should be very soft--it will be coming away from the sides of the bowl, but it will still stick to your finger when you touch it. Don't worry, it will firm up during the rising process. Part of what makes these rolls so good is that they're so soft and light; if you add too much flour, they will be heavy and dense. Place the bowl in a warm place and cover with a clean towel; allow to rise 1 hour.

Punch down dough. Lightly flour your work surface and turn dough out onto surface. Divide in half.

Spray 2 9x13 glass pans with cooking spray. Roll first portion of dough into a rectangle and then cut it into 12 equal-sized pieces. I like to use a pizza cutter because it has a blade on each side, so it cuts right through dough without sticking to the blade. This dough should be very easy to work with, almost like playdough. Shape each piece into a ball and place in prepared pan. Repeat with remaining dough in the second pan.

Cover with a clean cloth and allow to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. When dough has about 15-20 minutes to go (depending on your oven), preheat oven to 375. 

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden-brown. When done, remove from oven. Rub a stick of cold butter over the tops of the rolls. You must now eat one. Now. While it's hot. Then pop the rest into a bowl and no one will ever know that you cheated.

P.S. Using this filling or these fillings, this dough makes fabulous cinnamon or orange rolls. Just bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden-brown. When done, remove from oven. Rub a stick of cold butter over the tops of the rolls. You must now eat one. Now. While it's hot. Then pop the rest into a bowl and no one will ever know that you cheated.

P.S. Using this filling or these fillings, this dough makes fabulous cinnamon or orange rolls. Just bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Rudy's Corn

Thanks to my friend Barbara for sharing this one with me! For those of you out there who have not heard of Rudy's BBQ restaurant, you MUST go. LOVE love LOVE it. They serve a delicious cream corn and this recipe is just like it.

Butter

½ cup fresh parmesan cheese

2 (16oz) bags frozen whole corn, defrosted

½ tsp salt

8 Tbsp sugar

3 Tbsp flour mixed with 3 Tbsp melted butter

1 ½ c heavy ream

Butter a baking dish.

Sprinkle 2-3 Tbsp parmesan cheese over bottom of pan.

Bring whipping cream to a boil, reduce heat and add corn.

Simmer 5 min.

Stir in salt and sugar.

Make a paste out of the butter and flour and stir into the corn, cook until thickened. Turn into baking dish.

Sprinkle rest of parseman

Bake @350 for 30 min.

Can refrigerate unbaked corn for up to 3 days or freeze for 1 month.

Prosciutto Asparagus Spirals

I made these as part of Riley's birthday dinner (I just left out the prosciutto on his). They look pretty and are fantastic!

Ingredients:

1 package (17.3 ounces) Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets, thawed
6 tablespoons garlic & herb spreadable cheese, softened
8 slices prosciutto or thinly sliced deli ham
30 medium asparagus spears, trimmed

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Unfold the pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface. Spread 3 tablespoons cheese on each pastry sheet. Top each with 4 slices prosciutto. Cut each into 15 strips crosswise, making 30 in all.
   
   
2. Tightly wrap 1 pastry strip around each asparagus spear, prosciutto-side in. Place the pastries seam-side down onto 2 baking sheets.
   
   
3. Bake for 15 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown.

Creamy Bowtie and Asparagus Pasta

I made this on Sunday ...and substituted the chicken bouillon for vegetable bouillon cubes (for Riley of course!) :) Everyone LOVED it. SO good!



1 pkg. bow tie pasta
1/2 c. butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1-2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 pint heavy cream
salt & pepper to taste
10-15 spears asparagus, blanched
1/2 c. bacon, crumbled
1/4 c. toasted pinenuts (or to taste)
Fresh parsley, to taste
Parmesan cheese, to taste

Boil bow tie pasta in salted water until al dente. Do NOT over cook.In wok or heavy skillet melt butter. Add minced garlic and saute a minute or so. Add Parmesan Cheese and bouillon cube(s). When the bouillon cube is dissolved, slowly stir in heavy cream and salt & pepper. Add cooked pasta to cream sauce and toss until pasta is well covered. Add blanched asparagus. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon, toasted pinenuts, parsley & Parmesan cheese and toss together. Serve immediately.

Sweet Pepper Rice

3 TBSP butter

1 sweet onion, finely chopped

1/2 red pepper, finely chopped

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/3 cup long grain white rice

3 cups chicken stock

Directions:

1. In a large saute pan, melt butter & add onion & pepper. Cook until soft & onion is translucent. Add cilantro & salt & garlic powder, cook another minute. Add rice & brown. watch closely as not to burn.

2. Dissolve sugar into chicken stock. When completely dissolve, add to rice. Bring to a simmer, turn to low & cover. cook covered for 30 minutes. Fluff with fork.

Serve with these Sweet Lime Chile Enchiladas.

Cafe Rio {like} Rice

3 cups water
4 t chicken bouillon
1 T lime juice (1/2 juice fresh lime)
4 t garlic –minced

½ bunch cilantro

1 can green chilies—or equivalent fresh
¾ t salt
1 T butter
½ onion
3 cups rice (see note)

Blend cilantro, green chiles and onion together in food processor. Bring water to a boil and add all ingredients, simmer covered 30 minutes.

* This recipe makes a lot of rice. You may consider cutting everything in half for smaller groups.
*SERVE WITH THIS SALAD.

Mom's Sweet Potato Casserole

My favorite part of our Thanksgiving meal!! YuMMMy!


3 cups boiled sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs, beaten lightly
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
dash of cinnamon

Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup crushed corn flakes
1/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9x12 casserole dish.

Mash sweet potatoes and add sugar, orange juice and melted butter and mix well. Mix beaten eggs, vanilla extract and cinnamon together and add to sweet potato mixture and mix well. Pour into casserole dish.

Topping: Mix brown sugar, pecans, crushed corn flakes and melted butter together and spread over sweet potatoes.

Bake for 20-30 minutes until casserole is set.

Makes 6-8 servings.