Sweet Potato Rolls

I requested this recipe from my mother-in-law after she made these for us on one of our visits to Idaho. These rolls are so soft and dense and delicious. As usual, I've tweaked the recipe a bit, so that's what you see below. But I've included the original recipe in the photo, just in case you want the authentic version. :)

1 pkg. (2 1/4 tsp.) instant yeast*
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/3 c. sugar (67g)
1 1/4 tsp. salt
2/3 c. shortening (128g)

2 eggs

1 c. canned yams, drained and mashed 

       OR 1 c. canned pumpkin

6 1/2 to 7 c. flour

Softened butter (for spreading on dough before rolling up)

In a stand mixer, combine water, sugar, salt, shortening, eggs, sweet potatoes and half the flour - Sprinkle the yeast over the flour before mixing. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Either turn out onto a floured board and knead for about 5 minutes, OR knead in stand mixer for 5 minutes. Dough should be smooth and elastic, but not sticky.

Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 16" circle, about 1/4" thick. Spread with softened butter. Cut into 16 wedges. Roll up, beginning at rounded edge. Place point underneath on baking sheet. Let rise until light. (This sometimes takes a while, 2+ hours. Mine rise more when baking.) 

Bake at 375º for 12-15 minutes.

*the original recipe calls for active dry yeast with instructions on how to properly incorporate it, but I always use instant yeast and I add it when I add the flour. No need to dissolve first.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Bites

Here's another easy recipe from Sadie's Food and Nutrition class. These yummy little balls have a good dose of protein and yumminess. 

1/4 c. peanut butter (can sub with almond butter)

2 Tbsp. honey

2 Tbsp. water

1 c. uncooked oats

3 Tbsp. mini chocolate chips or mini M&M's

1/2 scoop protein powder (optional)

        In a medium sized bowl, mix all ingredients with a spoon. Add 1 tsp. water, if needed, to help it stick together. Using a portion scoop, form into 1-inch balls and place on cookie sheet. If needed, roll the balls a little tighter between your hands. Store in refrigerator or freezer. 

Cheesecake Squares

These were served at a Womens Conference at church several years ago and I was grateful they gave out the recipe. Yummy!

Crust:

2/3 c. butter, softened

2/3 c. brown sugar

2 c. flour

1 c. finely chopped pecans or walnuts

Filling:

½ c. sugar

2 pkgs. 8-oz. cream cheese, softened

2 eggs

¼ c. milk

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix butter, brown sugar, flour, and pecans together. Reserve 2 c. for topping.

Press remainder into a greased 9”x 13” pan. Bake at 350° for 12 min. until lightly browned.

          In a mixer, blend sugar with cream cheese until smooth. Add remaining

ingredients. Spread over crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Bake at

350° for about 25 min. Refrigerate overnight before cutting and serving.

Cut into 1 ½” squares. Makes 48.

Cilantro Ice

No, this is not some new popsicle flavor. I came up with this idea because I often buy cilantro for one specific recipe and never know how to use up the rest before it goes bad. This solves the problem and I love having it on hand.

Chop up entire batch of cilantro. Put in an ice cube tray in relatively equal amounts – I put 1 or 2 Tbsp. in each section. Add just enough water to keep it together, pushing the cilantro down in if necessary. Freeze. Pop the ice cubes out and store in a zip lock freezer bag. Indicate on the bag how much cilantro each ice cube contains so it’s easy to know how many ice cubes you need when your recipe calls for fresh cilantro. Problem solved!

Garlic Bread Seasoning

We go through this stuff pretty quickly around here. I always have a container ready in my refrigerator for when we are craving Garlic Bread Pizza, which happens more often than you might think. The recipe is from Our Best Bites.

½ c. powdered Parmesan cheese

2 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. oregano

2 tsp. basil

2 tsp. marjoram

2 tsp. parsley

     Combine ingredients in a jar (preferably one with a sprinkle top) and shake well.

Sprinkle on top of breadsticks, or combine 1 ½ Tbsp. seasoning with ½ c. of softened real butter and spread on a loaf of French bread (cut in half lengthwise). Wrap in foil and bake at 375° until the butter is melted. Or broil open faced for a few minutes so that it gets brownish and crispy.

Potato salad

This is my friend, Dana's recipe. It's really good, but you might need to wait for a large gathering to make it. It makes a LOT!

12 large potatoes
12 hard boiled eggs, chilled
1 cup mayo & mustard mixture (maybe more)
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
1 large red onion, finely chopped
5 pickles, cubed
        Peel potatoes and cut in half. Boil until tender. Cool and cube. Shell hard boiled eggs and cut into cubes. Cut pickles, onions and celery and add to eggs and potatoes. Mix the mayo/mustard with about ¼ c. pickle juice and salt to taste. Mix into potato mixture. Pour into a clean bowl and sprinkle with paprika. If desired, garnish with egg slices. Adjust amounts as needed.

Strawberry Crunch Salad

I got this recipe from my mom. The pretzel crust in combination with the cheesecake-like center and the fruit on top is the perfect salty/sweet combination. 

Bottom crust:
2 2/3 c. chopped pretzel sticks
1 Tbsp. sugar
¾ c. melted butter
        Mix and press into a 9x13 pan. Bake 7-10 minutes at 400° (375° for glass pan).

Main layer:
one 8-ounce package cream cheese
one 12-ounce tub cool whip
1 c. sugar (powdered or granulated)
        Mix and spread over cooled pretzel crust. Refrigerate.

Top layer:
1 large package strawberry Jell-o
2 c. boiling water
16-oz. frozen strawberries, thawed and smashed with juices
1 ¼ c. water
        Dissolve Jell-o in the boiling water. Add strawberries and water. Mix & chill until thick and syrupy, but not totally set. Pour over cream mixture. Refrigerate for several hours. Can be made the day before. Serves 12-15.

Pico de Gallo

This is about as fresh and simple as it gets. Jeff loves this on top of homemade chicken enchiladas. It's also great to scoop onto tortilla chips for a quick snack. Super easy, completely healthy, and totally delicious.

8-10 fresh roma tomatoes

1/2 of a red onion (yellow onion works, too)

1/2 c. fresh chopped cilantro

2-ish tsp. salt

Dice and mix to taste, adding more or less of each ingredient according to your preferences. Add a little jalapeño, if desired, though we prefer it without.

Broccoli Bacon Salad

Hands down, this is the all-time best salad ever. I could eat this everyday. (Do I say that too much? I need to stop posting recipes when I'm hungry...) My friend, Marcia, gave me this recipe and I went for years thinking it was hard to make so, naturally, I never made it. Then one day I did. You know what? It's not hard. It's actually really easy and so delicious that I was mad at myself for waiting so long. Don't make the same mistake. 

6 cups broccoli florets, cut into small pieces

Half of a red onion, minced

16 oz. bacon, cut in small pieces and cooked crisp

1 pkg. craisins

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup salted sunflower seeds (wait and stir these in with the dressing to keep them crunchy.)

Mix altogether and refrigerate. About ½ hour before serving, wisk together dressing (recipe below) and pour over broccoli mixture. Stir together then serve.

Dressing:

1 ½ cups mayonnaise

¾ cup sugar

3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

5-hour Stew

When Jeff and I were first married, we sometimes drove the four hours to his grandparents house in Idaho. His grandma, Helen Stowell, would always have this stew in the oven, ready whenever we were. Served with rolls or homemade bread, it's the perfect comfort food on a cold day. The amounts are not specific so put in as much as you like. If I'm making a large batch, I'll sometimes add 2 cans of tomato soup instead of one.

Stew meat – trim the fat and cut into large bite-sized pieces

potatoes, cut into large bite-sized chunks

carrots, cut into large bite-sized chunks

1/2 of an onion, chopped (can also use a small handful of dried minced onion)

Tomato soup + 1/2 can water

Salt and pepper, to taste

     Combine all in oven safe container and bake at 300° for 5+ hours or until ready to eat. Can also be cooked in a crock pot on low for 5-6 hours. Serve with homemade bread or rolls.

 

Foil Dinners

Okay, so foil dinners have been around forever. I remember eating these when I was young and I've made them several times for Jeff and the boys as they head out for various overnighters. It was my friend Dana who suggested cooking them in the oven at home and then refrigerating them until leaving for camp. That way they are precooked and all you need to do is warm them up over the campfire. Genius!!

For each serving:

Place a hamburger patty (or ground turkey patty) in center of a large piece of foil. Season to taste. Top with onion slices, potato slices, and baby carrots. Be careful not to make it too thick or it won’t cook through. Bring edges of foil together and seal. Bake on a cookie sheet at 375º for 45 min. to one hour. It’s ready to eat for an at-home “camp” meal. Or to take on a camping trip, chill the cooked foil dinner in a cooler. Warm it up in hot coals. Because everything is precooked, you’ll be eating in no time!

Red and White Pasta Delight

Another winning recipe from my sister, Amy. This is so easy to make. It's always a hit and it's the perfect choice when someone needs a meal brought in - I just make two, one for us and one to give away. You can make it ahead when you know dinnertime is going to be crazy and keep it refrigerated until time to bake.

Noodles and Red Sauce:

1 box mostaccioli or penne noodles

1 jar of favorite spaghetti sauce

1 cup or more of mozzarella cheese

        Cook noodles according to box. Put spaghetti sauce in the bottom of 9x13 pan then put noodles on top and mix together. Pour alfredo sauce (see below) over noodles, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and bake, covered, at 350º for 30 minutes until bubbly and cheese is melted.

Alfredo Sauce:

½ cup butter

2 Tbsp. cream cheese

½ pint heavy cream (can use half and half or milk in a pinch)

½ cup parmesan cheese

1 tsp. garlic salt

        Melt ingredients together over medium heat. Stir often until sauce thickens a bit. Cook longer if you want it thicker. Double the recipe if you want extra sauce for dipping breadsticks.

Chicken Taquitos

This recipe was inspired by one I found on Our Best Bites, but I didn't have everything I needed when I wanted to make them so I improvised. We liked them so much that my version became a keeper! When we had our exchange student from Senegal, this was the first meal I made that she actually liked so we made it a lot. :)

2 cans black beans

~1/4 c. cream cheese, softened

~1/2 c salsa

1 tsp. garlic, minced

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

<1/4 c. dry onion

1 can cooked chicken breast (12.5 oz.)

lime juice

Small flour tortillas

Heat oven to 425º. Combine ingredients (except tortillas), smooshing some of the beans as you mix everything together. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray or use a silicone baking mat. Roll up 1-2 Tbsp. filling in each small flour tortilla. Place seam side down on prepared baking sheet. Spray with Pam and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake about 15 minutes or until starting to brown. Serve with sour cream, salsa, guacamole, etc. Makes 25 or more. Great as leftovers, cold or warm. 

Chicken Roll Ups

These taste like comfort food to me! My friend, Deborah, made them for a holiday gathering of friends and I've loved them ever since. They can be served as part of a fancy meal, but are still perfect for everyday. We love them. (a.k.a chicken pockets)

2 cups cooked chicken or turkey (OR one 12.5 oz. can cooked chicken breast, drained)

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 stalks of celery, chopped (optional - leave out when making for Sadie ;)
2 Tbsp. dried onions

garlic salt

3 tubes refrigerated crescent roll dough

1/2 c. (one cube) melted butter

Boxed stuffing mix, crushed (herb or chicken flavor are our favorites)

        

Combine all ingredients except crescent rolls, butter and stuffing. Lay out crescent roll triangles and wrap ~1 Tbsp. filling in each, sealing all edges (I use my cookie scoop for the perfect amount of filling). Roll in melted butter & crushed stuffing mix (herb or chicken flavor stuffing are good). Lay on baking sheet. I fit all 24 on one sheet -- six rows of 4. Bake at 350º for 25-30 minutes. Serve with sauce (recipe below).

(These can be made earlier in the day and refrigerated until baking. Or they can be frozen before baking then just popped in the oven when you need them.)

Sauce:

3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
1 1/2 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
        

Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in flour with a whisk to eliminate any lumps. Whisk in broth. It should start to thicken pretty quickly. Add heavy whipping cream. Stir constantly over medium heat until it thickens a bit more. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

I never use the following sauce, but I think it might have been given to me with the recipe so for what it's worth...

Easy Sauce:

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

        Combine and heat. Serve over roll ups.