Cinnamon Rolls

These were AMAZING!!!!!!! Seriously the best cinnamon roll I've ever had! (I somehow didn't get a picture with the frosting on)

I got this recipe from sisterscafe

Cinnamon Rolls

2 Cups milk

2 cubes (1 Cup) butter

2 TBS yeast

1/3 Cup warm water

1 1/3 Cup Sugar

1 tsp salt

4 beaten eggs

8 Cups flour

1 cube softened butter

Lots of cinnamon

Sugar

Heat milk and 2 cubes of butter until the butter is melted. Cool and set aside. Mix the yeast and water, let stand for 5 minutes. Add cooled milk mixture, sugar, salt and eggs. Add 4 cups of flour and mix then gradually add the rest of the flour until it is the right consistency (Firm but not sticky). Cover and put in a warm place and rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, it should be nearly double in size. Separate dough into 2 equal pieces and dump out onto a floured surface and knead a little. Roll out into a rectangle that is 1/2 inch thick. Spread on 1/2 cube butter onto this half of the dough, completely covering it. Sprinkle a layer of sugar. Then put a generous layer of cinnamon.

Oh yeah, I added a little bit of brown sugar too.

Roll up tightly into a long roll, pinch the edges and cut with a piece of thread. Place on a cookie sheet (cover with parchment paper if you have it). Do the same thing with the other half of dough. Cover with a clean dish towel and put into a warm place without drafts.

Raise for 2-5 hours, until doubled in size, I let mine rise for 3 1/2 hours. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, just until they are barely browned. Remove from oven and let them sit for 5 minutes. Drizzle with glaze while still warm. Makes 3-4 dozen.

Butter Cream Glaze

1 cube (1/2 cup) softened butter
1 tsp vanilla
dash of salt
dash of cream of tarter
1 1/2 lbs powdered sugar
scalded milk or cream

Add all together adding milk a little at a time, alternately with the powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached. It needs to be a little thinner than regular icing.

YUM YUM YUM!!!! I highly recommend making these! (but it makes a ton so make them for lots of people or give some away :))

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

I got this recipe from joythebaker and it was SO good! Seriously who doesn't LOVE cookie dough?? I made mine into smaller balls, in hopes of not eating it all at once... not really successful, instead I just went to the freezer more frequently :)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

1 stick (1/2 Cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 Cup plus 2 TBS all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 Cup brown sugar

1/3 Cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 Cup apple sauce (she also suggests peanut butter or greek yogurt)

1 Cup chocolate chips, I used milk chocolate cuz thats what I like best!

optional 1/2 cup walnuts... I opted out :)

In a mixer with the paddle attachment cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add applesauce and vanilla and stir to combine.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together. Add all at once to the butter mixture and stir until incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips.

Scoop large spoonfuls onto a prepared baking sheet covered with wax paper. Place into the freezer overnight or until frozen, at least 3 hours.

She dipped hers in chocolate, which sounds really good, but I ran out of chocolate chips!!

Chicken Fried Steak

This was really good and SO much easier than I thought it would be! Not the involved meal I was picturing, which is definitely a plus! I used Alton Brown's recipe from here, but I used the meat that is already really thin cuz I don't have a meat tenderizer and wasn't sure how that would work out with the bottom round!

Chicken Fried Steak

2 thin sliced beef (he says to cut a bottom round trimmed of excess fat into 1/2 inch slices then tenderize until they are 1/4 inch thick)

2 tsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 Cup all-purpose flour

3 whole eggs, beaten

1/4 Cup vegetable oil

2 Cups chicken broth

1/2 Cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Salt and pepper each side of the meat. Place the flour into a pie plate (or shallow dish) and the eggs in another. Dredge the meat on both sides in the flour. Tenderize the meat. Dredge again in flour, followed by the egg, then in the flour again. Repeat with all of the pieces of meat and let it sit 10-15 minutes before cooking.

Place enough of the vegetable oil to cover the bottom of a 12 inch sloped-sided skillet and place over medium-high heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer add the meat. Cook each side until golden brown, about 4 minutes on each side. Remove the steaks to a wire rack, place on a sheet pan and put it into the oven.

Add the remaining vegetable oil (or at least one tablespoon) to the pan. Whisk in 3 TBS of flour remaining from the dredging into the oil. Add the chicken broth and deglaze the pan. Whisk until it comes to a boil and thickens. Add the milk and stir until it is the right consistency for gravy, about 5-10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve the gravy over the steaks.

Irish Pasties

OH MY GOODNESS!!! You have to try these, they were so good!! I pretty much love anything with roast meat and potatoes. Two of my favorite meals are roast and beef stew, and I'm gonna have to add this one to the list!!

I found this recipe on favfamilyrecipes

Irish Pasties

1/4 Cup butter, melted
1 pound of shredded beef (I used leftovers from the freezer)
3-4 small/medium potatoes, sliced thin and cooked
Salt and pepper
1 pie crust, recipe follows
beef gravy prepared, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Mix in a large bowl, the potatoes, beef, butter, salt, and pepper. Roll out pie crust and cut in half (I only used one pie crust and made 2 pasties, but the filling would definitely be enough for 4) Put a good amount of filling in each crust, fold over and seal. Place each one on a greased baking sheet. Make a few small slits on the top of each one for the steam to escape. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until crust is golden brown. Take out and brush tops with melted butter. Serve with gravy.

Pie Crust from here

2 sticks (1 Cup) unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
2 1/4 Cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
8-10 TBS ice water

Mix flour and salt in a small bowl, add the butter and using a pastry blender chop it in until it resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in the water one Tablespoon at a time until the dough begins to gather in large clumps. Divide into 2 equal parts, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Each piece will make a 10 inch pie crust.

Beef Gravy

If you've just made the beef then use the drippings
I used some beef broth (about 1/2 cup)
1 1/2 Cups water
2 TBS corn starch
3+ tsp beef bouillon (to taste)
salt and pepper
a dash of onion powder (not too much!)

Put the water and broth or drippings into a 2 qt sauce pan. Add the beef bouillon, salt and pepper, and onion powder to taste. Mix the cornstarch with a little cold water until smooth. Pour into the pan and bring to a boil, until thickened.

Yummy Treat

This is a recipe from my Grandma Snow and it really is a "yummy treat"! :)

Yummy Treat

1 Cup sugar

1 Cup corn syrup

1 Cup peanut butter

10 Cups mixed cereal

Pour 10 cups of cereal, I used rice chex, corn chex, cheerios, corn flakes, and rice krispies you can get creative and use all different kinds, I'd probably stay away form the already sugary ones or fruity ones though. Bring the sugar and corn syrup barley to a biol to dissolve the sugar (if you get it too hot for too long it'll end up being hard.) Add the peanut butter and mix it well. Pour over the cereal and mix so that all of it is coated. Usually I make it then just break it up into pieces for people to grab. This time I put it into a Pyrex dish and cut it into squares. So easy! If you don't want to make as much you can half it, but definitely try it, it's a good one!

Bacon Potato Torte

YUM YUM YUM!!! Definitely try this, it was so good!!!

I got this recipe from browneyedbaker's site.

I didn't make the pie crust from scratch cuz I'm a slacker, maybe I'll try it next time :) Michelle has a recipe for crust if you click on the link above! (edit: I made this for someone and I made the pie crust from scratch... I didn't get to taste it tho... so I'll have to make another one!! :P)

Bacon Potato Torte

2 pie crusts

4 slices of bacon, cooked crisp

3/4 medium red potatoes ( I didn't peel mine, but you can if you want)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup grated swiss cheese ( I used i little provolone and a little mozzarella)

2/3 cup heavy cream
1 egg yolk, whisked with a splash of water

(she added 1/4 tsp dried thyme but I didn't have any so I just skipped it and it was still really flavorful!)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook the bacon til crispy. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise then slice them to make half moons. Put pie crust into your pie pan and working in circles put a layer of potatoes down to cover the bottom. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then crumble one piece of bacon. Repeat 3 more times. The pan should be nearly full. Top with the shredded cheese. If you have thyme whisk it with the cream. Slowly pour cream over the entire pie and let it seep down between the potatoes.

Cover the pie with your second crust and crimp the edges closed. Brush with the edges and top with egg wash. make some slits on the top so the steam can escape. Place on a baking sheet and bake until the edges are browned and crispy and the potatoes are cooked through. It'll be about 50-60 minutes. If the edges get too brown cover them with tin foil. Take the pie out when done and let it sit 15 minutes before serving.

Fortune Cookies

I didn't get a very good picture, sorry! These were really good! I had a hard time shaping them at first but then I got the hang of it after a little bit (as you can see all of the weird shapes on my plate!) :) It was fun to try these and I didn't think it'd be so easy! I didn't put fortunes in them... I know I'm lame, but it was just for family dinner, maybe if we had company I would've. :P

I got this recipe from here, it is a really great website for finding lots of different things to make! Only things I changed were I just used regular granulated sugar because I didn't have super fine sugar and instead of almond extract I used vanilla extract.

Fortune Cookies

5 TBS sugar

4 egg whites

1 Cup sugar

1 Cup sifted all purpose flour

1 pinch of salt

3 TBS heavy whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Melt butter over low heat in a small sauce pan. In an electric mixer combine egg whites and sugar, beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add flour and salt and beat until combined. Coat your baking sheet with cooking spray (very important!) and pour one TBS of batter onto one side. Spread with a spoon into a thin 5 inch circle. Repeat on the other side of the sheet. Bake until edges turn golden brown, about 6 minutes.

Place baking sheet on a heat resistant surface. Working quickly slide a spatula under one of the cookies and transfer to a dish towel. Fold the cookie in half and then fold the folded edge so it poofs out on the sides and folds into the middle (so it looks like a fortune cookie), it is hard to explain but while you do it hopefully it'll make sense! Repeat with other cookies. Try to work fast because they harden quickly!

Fontina Mac and Cheese

I got this recipe from annies-eats

It was good but I don't know that it is one I'll be making very often... I don't usually have fontina cheese (or heavy cream) on hand, and it isn't too cheap... but it is quite delicious!

Fontina Mac and Cheese

1 lb small or medium pasta shells

5 TBS butter, divided
1 c. heavy cream
8 oz fontina cheese, shredded
salt to taste
pinch of nutmeg
1/3 c. panko bread crumbs
1/4 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese

In a large pot of boiling salted water cook the pasta until it is just a few minutes shy of al dente.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut 4 TBS butter up into a bowl, set aside. Warm the heavy cream in a small saucepan or in the microwave and cover to keep warm. Once the pasta is done add it to the butter and stir until well coated. Stir in the warm cream and the fontina until the cheese starts to melt. Mix in salt to taste and the nutmeg. Pour mixture into a buttered 2 quart casserole dish.
In a small bowl melt the remaining 1 TBS of butter and mix with the panko bread crumbs and shredded parmesan, until it is all coated. Sprinkle bread crumbs evenly over the pasta.
Bake until the cheese is bubbling and the top is golden brown, about 20 minutes, serve immediately.

Chocolate Frosting

This is the recipe my mom usually uses for Texas sheet cake and also the red velvet bundt cake I'll tell you about in a minute. This frosting is SO good, I can eat it by the spoonful... not kidding... SOOO good!!

Chocolate Frosting

4 TBS butter
3 TBS cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
abt. 4 c. powdered sugar
3 TBS milk

Melt the butter in a small saucepan (or you can just melt it in the microwave, I just do it in a saucepan cuz that is how my mom does it... I think because back in the day they didn't have microwaves :) hehe just kidding mom... but really is that why?) Add the cocoa to the melted butter. Add the powdered sugar... it will get really dry and kinda clumpy just keep mixing together and try to smooth it out as much as you can. Add vanilla then add the milk 1 TBS at a time and whip it until it is glossy and the right consistency. You want it to be runny enough so that it will drizzle, but not too runny so that it'll drip all the way off your cake! (Look at picture below)

This recipe is just off of the side of the box of a cake mix (it is really called devil's food pound cake) and I like to make it with a red velvet mix instead of devil's food. I don't make cake from scratch cuz honestly I think the box kind tastes better, maybe I'll find a good recipe somewhere that I do like better, anyone have one that they'd like to share??

Red Velvet Bundt Cake

1 package red velvet cake mix

1 package instant chocolate pudding mix

4 eggs

1 1/4 c. water

1/2 c. vegetable oil

Grease and flour a bundt pan. Mix cake, pudding mix, eggs, oil, and water in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed with electric mixer for 2 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Fruit Dip

This dip is SO good! (and really simple too!!) I didn't take a picture when I used it as fruit dip, but I had some of the leftover on my pancakes and OH MY it was so good!! Definitely using this for my crepe filling in the future! I also made "peaches and cream" for my husband to bring into work, they do a themed potluck on days when they grade tests and last weeks theme was southern foods... not really my area of expertise :) anyways so I made this fruit dip and cut up a bunch of peaches. This dip is SO good with any fruit!

My mom got this recipe from Maile Grover, who was one of my leaders in young women's... when I was a young woman FOREVER ago :)

The only thing I changed is that I put about half as much cream cheese, I like the subtle taste of it and not for it to be the flavor of the whole dip.

Fruit Dip

1 can sweetened condensed milk

4 oz softened cream cheese

8-12 oz cool whip (add it to taste, but I suggest at least 8 oz)

Put them all in a bowl and whip it with an electric mixer for a few minutes until it is all mixed in and is a thick consistency. Dip fruit in it, use it in your crepes, on waffles... whatever your little heart desires!! :)