Big Crescent Rolls

BIG CRESCENT ROLLS 3 1/4 c. very warm water 1/2 c. oil 3 eggs 8-10 c. flour 2 tbs. yeast 3/4 c. sugar 1 tbs. salt melted butter In bread mixer sprinkle yeast ofver water and dissolve Add: 4 c. flour and mix Combine: oil, sugar, eggs and salt. Add to flour mixture and mix 2 min. Add remaining flour until dough pulls away from sides. Kneed 8 min. Pour 1 tbs. oil in bottom of large bowl and add dough turning in oil. Cover with plasitc and rise 1 1/2-2 hours. Divide into 3 pieces, butter and cut 12 wedges and roll. Rise 1 1/2 hr. Bake at 350 for 12 min. (takes about 4 hours). Haylee's Note: These rolls are so yummy! My mom is the best at making them, but I like to make them too! I've added these last few pictures to help show the process a little better: Roll out the dough: Cut into 12 wedges: Roll the wedges starting at the fat end: Put 12 rolls on each pan. Let rise one hour: Use pastry brush and spread with melted butter:

Ina Garten’s Summer Borscht

INA GARTEN’S SUMMER BORSCHT

5 medium fresh beets (about 2 pounds without tops)
Kosher salt
2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
16 ounces sour cream, plus extra for serving
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons Champagne vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 cups medium-diced English cucumber, seeds removed
1/2 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, plus extra for serving


Place the beets in a large pot of boiling salted water and cook uncovered until the beets are tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the beets to a bowl with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve and also set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups of the beet cooking liquid, the chicken stock, sour cream, yogurt, sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, 1 tablespoon salt, and the pepper. Peel the cooled beets with a small paring knife or rub the skins off with your hands. Cut the beets in small to medium dice. Add the beets, cucumber, scallions, and dill to the soup. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. Season, to taste, and serve cold with a dollop of sour cream and an extra sprig of fresh dill.

Haylee’s Note:

I found a list of 100 foods to try before you die, and borscht was on the list.  I thought it was going to be nasty, and I was just going to eat it so say that I had, but it was actually VERY good!  So good in fact, that I would make it again!  You can find the original recipe HERE.

Shelley's Porky Beans

SHELLEY’S PORKY BEANS


2 1/2 lb. Pork and Beans
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 small chopped onion
12 oz. bacon
2 tbsp. Worcestershire
1/4 c. catsup
1 small green pepper
1 can pineapple tidbits w/o juice

Sauté bacon, onion, and pepper. Drain. Mix all ingredients. Bake at 300 for 2 hours uncovered.

Haylee’s Note:
I got this recipe from my mom who got it from her friend Shelley Davies--every recipe of hers is AMAZING!! This is our favorite baked bean recipe ever!!! We have it at any BBQ or when we go up to the canyon! Mmmm!!!

Caprese Salad

CAPRESE SALAD

3 vine-ripe tomatoes, 1/4-inch thick slices
1 pound fresh mozzarella, 1/4-inch thick slices
20 to 30 leaves (about 1 bunch) fresh basil
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Coarse salt and pepper

Layer alternating slices of tomatoes and mozzarella, adding a basil leaf between each, on a large, shallow platter. Drizzle the salad with extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste

Haylee’s Note:
This is such an easy salad, but it is soooo good!! This is really not a salad you need a recipe for, but I did take this recipe from Rachael Ray here. I love that you can present it is so many ways! I think it is such a pretty salad, and tastes as good as it looks. I also like mine with a little balsamic vinegar! Enjoy!

Onion Dill Rolls

ONION DILL ROLLS

Mix:
3 c. warm water
4 tbsp. melted margarine
4 tsp. sugar
2 tbsp. yeast

Add and Mix for 10 min:
2 tbsp. dill
3 tbsp minced dry onion
7 cups flour
2/3 c. powdered milk
1 tbsp. salt

*Divide in 1/2 and in 1/2 again to make 24 balls. Grease two muiffin tins. Brush with egg and poppy seed. Rise until double (2 hours). Bake at 350 for 12 min.

*Or make 3 loaves and bake 25 min.

Haylee’s Note:
This is another wonderful recipe from my wonderful mother! She got this recipe from her friend Susan. They are super good! I love these rolls. This last time I made them I didn’t put poppy seeds on top and they were still good. Enjoy!!

Plain Old Scrambled Eggs

PLAIN OLD SCRAMBLED EGGS

2 eggs
1 tsp water
Pinch salt
Pinch pepper

Mix together with a wire whisk. Cook in a greased skillet over medium high heat.

Haylee’s Note:
I personally like my cheesy salsa eggs better, but the plain old scrambled eggs go better with most things as a side.

Valentine’s Sunny Side Up Egg

VALENTINE'S SUNNY SIDE UP EGG

1 egg
Cooking spray
Salt and Pepper

Spray pan with cooking spray. Place heart shaped cookie cutter in pan. Crack egg into cookie cutter. Cook until done.

Haylee’s Note:
This was something I served on V-day with pink heart shaped pancakes. Hopefully Matthew will appreciate it when he gets a little older. Darin liked it too!

Eggless Cinnamon Coffee Cake

EGGLESS CINNAMON COFFEE CAKE

2 cups brown sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix the sugar, flour, and butter until it has the consistency of fine crumbs. Remove 1/2 cup of crumb mixture and mix with the cinnamon and nuts; set aside for the toping. To the remaining flour mixture add baking soda, baking powder, salt, buttermilk and vanilla mixing well.
Turn the mixture into a greased 9-inch round or square cake pan. Sprinkle the reserved crumb/nut mixture over the top and bake at 375 degrees F. for about 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

For original recipe click here

Haylee’s Note:
This coffee cake was pretty good, but not my favorite. I have others that I like much more. I was really craving coffee cake this morning, but all of the recipes I had called for eggs, but I didn’t have any. So, if you ever need to make coffee cake on a Sunday when you don’t have eggs, this would be my recommended recipe. Also, I used dark brown sugar, instead of regular brown sugar, so it looks darker—but it wasn’t burned.

Super Easy Cornbread

SUPER EASY CORNBREAD

1 pkg. yellow cake mix (and ingredients mix calls for)
1/3-1/2 c. cornmeal

Prepare yellow cake mix as directed. Add 1/3-1/2 c. cornmeal. Bake as directed on box.

Haylee's Note:
I have made a few different recipes for cornbread, but I really like this one because it tastes really good, and it is super easy!!

Strawberry Spinach Salad

STRAWBERRY SPINACH SALAD

Dressing Ingredients:
2-3 lemons 1/2 c. white wine vinegar
3/4 c. sugar 1/4c. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. Poppy seeds

Salad ingredients:
1/2 c. sliced natural almonds, toasted 16-oz. (2 cups) strawberries, sliced
1 med. Cucumber, sliced and cut in half 1 small red onion, sliced into thin wedges
1 package baby spinach.

Dressing:
Zest lemon to measure 1 Tbsp. zest. Juice lemon to measure 1/2 c. juice. Combine zest, juice, vinegar, sugar, oil, and poppy seeds. Blend well and refrigerate until ready to use.

Almonds:
Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Spread almonds in single layer of baking pan. Bake 10-12 min. or until lightly toasted. Remove from oven and cool in pan.

Mix cut strawberries, onions, cucumber, spinach, and toasted almonds in a bowl. Either top with dressing or put dressing on the side.

Haylee's Note:
I got this recipe from Darin's cousin Lisa Houston. It is really easy to make, and I always love homemade salad dressings! This one is especially good!

Soft Bread Sticks

SOFT BREAD STICKS

Mix:
1 1/2 c. warm water
1 tbs yeast

Add:
1/2 tsp. seasoning salt
1 tbs. honey
1/2 tsp. salt
3 c. flour

Combine all ingredients to form soft dough. Roll 1/2" thinck in 9x13 pan. Spread with melted butter and parmesan cheese. Cut into strips. Rise one hour. Bake at 400 for 12-15 min. Serve warm with marinara sauce.

Haylee's Note:
These usually turn out a lot better than this batch did. I forgot to cut them before I let them rise so we just cut them after they were baked. I also like to add spices to my breadsticks.

Quick and Easy Pasta Salad

QUICK AND EASY PASTA SALAD

1 small box bowtie pasta
1 bunch chopped green onion
1 can sliced black olives
2 sliced cucumbers
1 cup cherry tomatoes
italian dressing

Cook pasta. Add the rest of the ingredients. Add italian dressing to taste. Serve cold.

Haylee's Note:
I got this from Darin's cousin Lindsay. She gave me this salad idea 20 minutes before I had to be to the party with the salad. It really is quick, and people seemed to enjoy it! I love that it is so easy!

Twice Baked Potatoes

TWICE BAKED POTATOES

10 large baked potatoes
2 c sour cream
4 green onions
2 tsp. pepper
6 oz. cream cheese
1 c. butter
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese

Bake the potatoes, and cut off the very top (going the long way). Scoop out the insides. Mix the insides of the potatoes with the remaining ingredients. Return mixture to the shell. Cook in the oven at 350 for 10-15 minutes, or until the mixture is warm and cheese is melted.

Haylee's Note:
This recipe was given to my mother by her friend Becky Gray. Our family loves these, but we don't eat them too often because they aren't too healthy. But they sure are good! We also call these "potatoes in a half shell" or mom just calls them "Becky Gray's Potatoes." I called it twice baked, because that is how most people know them.

Fruit Kabobs

FRUIT KABOBS

Your choice of fruit (usually what is in season)

Cut up fruit into 1" pieces. Assemble on skewer. Stab into end of watermelon.

Haylee's Note:
I saw this at my friend Ali's baby shower that my friend Megan hosted. It was very cute. The next step I want to try is making a 4th of July fruit kabob that I saw online. They sliced the watermelon, then used cookie cutters to make stars. They also had blueberries so they were red, white, and blue. Very cute!