Glazed Orange Rolls

Funny this blog's title is about dinner, and I never post anything but treats or breakfast stuff. That's where my fellow contributors are supposed to come in, right? Guys? Seriously, where are you? =)

Well, in the meantime, do yourself and anyone near you a favor and make these delicious rolls! I made them because Ryan doesn't care for citrus flavored baked goods (I do) and he was out of town. Don't even get me started on where he was at (Hawaii of all places), that's a whole other can of worms. . . At least I could console myself by eating a half dozen of these yummy rolls.

Glazed Orange Rolls
1 pkg. dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
1/4 C. warm water
1 C. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/2 C. sour cream
1/2 C. butter, melted
2 2/3- 3 C. flour
2 Tbsp. grated orange rind

1) Soften yeast in warm water in mixing bowl. Stir in 1/4 C. sugar, salt, eggs, sour cream, and 6 Tbsp. butter. Gradually add flour to form a stiff dough, beating well after each addition.
2) Cover; let rise in warm place until light and doubled, about 2 hours
3) Combine 3/4 C. sugar and orange rind. Knead dough on well-floured surface, about 15 times. Roll out half of dough to a 12 inch circle. Brush with 1 Tbsp. melted butter. Sprinkle with half of sugar-orange mixture. Cut into 12 wedges.
4) Roll up, starting with wide end and rolling to a point. Repeat with remaining dough. Place rolls, point-side down, in rows in a well-greased cookie sheet with a lip. Cover; let rise in warm place until light and doubled, about 1 hour.
5) Bake at 350 degrees for 12 -14 minutes or until light golden brown. Spoon over orange glaze.

These are divine warm!!!!

Orange glaze
Combine in a saucepan:

3/4 C. sugar
1/2 C. dairy sour cream
2 Tbsp. fresh-squeezed orange juice
1/4 C. butter

Boil for 3 minutes, stirring occaisionally.

Peanut Butter Swirl Bars

I made these simple bars the other night and they were really good! For some reason my chocolate chips didn't melt, so the swirling thing never happened, but, no matter, they were still delish. The crust is soft and crumbly, like a shortbread, and the peanut butter icing was amazing on the top.

Bars:
1/2 C. butter (1 stick), softened
1/2 C. granulated sugar
1/2 C. firmly packed light-brown sugar
1/2 C. creamy peanut butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 C. flour
1 C. quick-cook oats
1/4 tsp. salt
6 oz. chocolate chips (about 1 C.)

Icing:
1 C. confectioners' sugar
1/4 C. peanut butter
3 Tbsp. milk

1) Heat oven to 350. Coat a 13x9x2 inch pan with cooking spray
2) In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugars, peanut butter and vanilla until smooth.
3) In a second bowl, whisk together flour, oats, and salt. On low speed, beat flour mixture into butter mixture until just combined. Press dough into prepared pan. Evenly sprinkle chocolate chips over the top.
4) Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Remove from oven.
5) Make Icing: In a medium-sized bowl, blend confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, and milk until smooth. Pour icing over the uncut bars while still warm and swirl chips with icing. Cool completely in pan and cut into 16 bars.

Crescent Cream Cheese Bars

I've been wanting to make these for a long time, but I really needed an occasion to make them since I knew I couldn't trust myself with a whole pan. Lucky for me, a baby shower brunch came up. These are seriously easy, have few ingredients, and taste delish- like a warm cheese danish! Give 'em a shot, you won't be sorry!
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CRESCENT CREAM CHEESE BARS
--------------------------

2 tubes crescent rolls
2 - 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cup sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg, separated
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Open and lay 1 tube of crescent rolls in the bottom of a 9 x
13 inch baking pan, making sure to seal the perforations.
Combine cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, egg yolk and vanilla,
mixing thoroughly.

Pour cream cheese mixture over layer of crescent rolls. Open
and layout second tube of crescent rolls on a piece of waxed
paper. Seal all the perforations. Place this layer over the
cream cheese layer, peeling off the waxed paper.

Slightly beat egg white and brush over the top. Combine 1/4
cup sugar with cinnamon and sprinkle on top.

Bake at 350 degrees 25-30 minutes. Cool and store in the
refrigerator.

Easter Nests

Today I made these easy spring treats with the kids. Even my two-year-old could make one without making too much of a mess, and both kids loved filling their nests with eggs.

3 C. chow mein noodles
1 7 oz. container marshmallow cream
1 C. peanut butter
1 C. flaked sweetened coconut
1 tsp. vanilla extract
jelly beans, M& M's, or other Easter candies for eggs

1) In a large mixing bowl, combine the noodles, marshmallow, peanut butter, coconut, and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Chill in the refrigerator until easy to handle, at least 1 hour.
2) On waxed paper, form 1/4 C. mixture into a nest shape about 2" to 3" wide (we made ours a little bigger). Repeat with remaining mixture to form 15 nests (we got about 12). Allow to dry at least 20 minutes until they are the consistency of Rice Krispies treats.
3) Fill each nest with candies
4) Store nests ina plastic container with a lid. Put wax paper between layers of nests to prevent sticking.

Happy Easter!

Lemon Blossoms

Katie, sorry it took me so long. Are these what you were talking about?

Lemon Blossoms

18 1/2-ounce package yellow cake mix
3 1/2-ounce package instant lemon pudding mix
4 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
Glaze:
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 lemon, zested
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray miniature muffin tins (well) with vegetable oil cooking spray. Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs and oil and blend well with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour a small amount of batter, filling each muffin tin half way. Bake for 12 minutes. Turn out onto a tea towel
To make the glaze, sift the sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, zest, oil, and 3 tablespoons water. Mix with a spoon until smooth.
With fingers, dip the cupcakes into the glaze while they're still warm, covering as much of the cake as possible, or spoon the glaze over the warm cupcakes, turning them to completely coat. Place on wire racks with waxed paper underneath to catch any drips. Let the glaze set thoroughly, about 1 hour, before storing in containers with tight-fitting lids.
**Make sure glaze is ready by the time the cakes come out of the oven. Works out best that way. :)

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Pancakes

We make these oatmeal pancakes every once in a while, but this morning we added chocolate chips and they were extra good! I love the chewy texture the oatmeal gives the pancakes and the chocolate chips make them taste like oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Yum!

**I always one-and-a-half or double this recipe since it only makes 8 pancakes**

1 C. milk
2/3 C. oatmeal
2/3 flour
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp. cooking oil
1/4 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. flaxseed (optional, I always stick it in pancakes)
Chocolate chips (optional)
mini-chocolate chips (again, optional, but they add a nice little crunch on the top!)

In a small saucepan, heat milk until hot. Remove from heat and stir in oats. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl stir together all the dry ingredients but the chocolate chips. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture for the liquid ingredients.

In a small bowl, stir together eggs, oil, and vanilla. Add egg mixture and oat mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir until combined. Add desired amount of chocolate chips, if using.

For each pancake, pour about 1/4 cup batter onto a hot, lightly greased griddle. Spread a bit using a spatula and flip when bubbles appear and edges are slightly dry. Serve with maple syrup and mini chocolate chips sprinkled on top.

Cookie Dough Truffles

I made these for my Valentine last week. They were so easy and Baylie had a great time helping me roll the cookie dough into balls. If you love cookie dough, you HAVE to give these a try. They are so yummy and there are no raw eggs in the dough if you are concerned about that. After giving some to friends and, of course, to Ryan, I told Ryan to take the rest into work. Funny, they never made it that far. . .

from My Kitchen Cafe

Cookie Dough Truffles
adapted from Taste of Home

½ cup butter, softened
¾ cup packed brown sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup chopped walnuts (optional, I did not add them)
1 ½ pounds semisweet chocolate candy coating, chopped (I also tried milk chocolate and both were great!)
White chocolate chips (I used Wilton candy melts) for drizzling (totally optional)

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla; mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts, if using. Shape into 1-inch balls; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Loosely cover and freeze for 1-2 hours or until firm. (The dough softens quickly at room temperature so it works best if they are frozen, not just chilled in the refrigerator.)

In a microwave safe bowl, melt candy coating, stirring often until smooth. Dip balls in coating; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. If desired, melt remaining candy coating or white chocolate and drizzle over candies. Store in refrigerator. (I preferred keeping them in the freezer, hence their sparkley appearance in the pic) Yield: 5 ½ dozen.

White Pizza Dip

I made this easy dip for a baby shower this weekend and it was a hit. I'm not a huge fan of dips, but I couldn't get enough of this one. (I didn't take a picture, so this is a cheater shot from the cookbook.)

*1 envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets Savory Herb with Garlic Soup Mix
1 16 oz. container sour cream (light worked fine)
1 C. ricotta cheese
1 C. shredded mozzarella cheese (I used an Italian cheese blend with good results)
1/4 C. chopped pepperoni
1 loaf Italian or French bread, sliced

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In shallow 1-quart casserole, combine soup mix, sour cream, ricotta cheese, 3/4 C. mozzarella cheese and pepperoni
2) Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 C. mozzarella cheese.
3) Bake uncovered 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve with bread. Makes 3 cups of dip.

*I couldn't find this soup mix at my grocery store. I substituted one .8 oz. packet of Italian dressing mix and added garlic powder until I liked the flavor- maybe 1/2 tsp. or so. It tasted great regardless!

Breakfast Birthday Cake

I made this for Christmas breakfast and was it ever good! I'm sure it would be even better (not to mention prettier) with in season strawberries. I love this recipe because it isn't overly sweet, yet it has strawberries, cream cheese, and whipped cream- three indulgent breakfast staples. I think the recipe was intended for a birthday breakfast, but why wait until then?

1 round (I used square) 16 oz. sourdough or whole grain bread loaf
3 eggs
2/3 C. milk
1 Tbsp. sugar, 1 Tbsp. sugar divided
1 Tbsp. vanilla, 1/2 tsp. vanilla divided
2 Tbsp. butter
3 C. fresh sliced strawberries
1/2 C. strawberry preserves (I skipped this and just used thawed frozen sweetened strawberries since it's winter)
1 C. whipping cream
1/2 C. whipped cream cheese (from the tub)

1) Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Remove crust from bottom of one round 16-ounce sourdough or whole grain bread loaf. Slice bread horizontally in 3 equal round layers. Save top layer for another sue. Set aside remaining 2 bread portions. In a 2-quart square baking dish beat together 3 eggs, 2/3 C. milk, 1 Tbsp. sugar, and 1 Tbsp. vanilla; set aside. In a large nonstick skillet or on a griddle melt 1 Tbsp. butter over medium-high heat. Dip the bottom slice from the loaf into egg mixture; let bread soak about 1 minute on each side. Add soaked bread round to skillet. Decrease heat to medium. Cook about 5 minutes or until golden brown; carefully turn bread slice once. Place on a baking sheet and keep warm in oven. Repeat with 1 Tbsp. butter, second bread round, and egg mixture.
2) Meanwhile, slice 3 C. fresh strawberries and place in a large bowl. In a small saucepan melt 1/2 C. strawberry preserves; pour over berries and toss to coat. Set aside mixture, in a chilled mixing bowl combine 1 C. whipping cream, one-half an 8-ounce container whipped cream cheese (1/2 C.), 1 Tbsp. sugar, and 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Beat until soft peaks form. Place bottom of bread loaf on a serving platter. Top with 1 to 2 C. of the strawberry mixture. Top with the second bread round. Top with some of the whipped cream mixture and remaining strawberry mixture. Cut carefully into wedges. Serve immediately. Pass remaining whipped cream mixture. Makes 10 servings.

Tin Foil Dinners

Tin Foil Dinners
serves 4

lots of tin foil (you always need more than you think)
1 lb. ground beef
3 russet potatoes
4 large carrots
1 pkg. frozen corn
1 small can cream of mushroom soup

Tear a double layer of tin foil for each packet. Peel and chop the potatoes and carrots into approx. uniform size. Boil both in water for 10 minutes or so, til starting to get tender. Divide beef evenly among packets, shape into a patty, and place down first on the foil. Salt and pepper. Top with potatoes and carrots, then a dollop of soup, and finish with a sprinkling of corn (I love the corn in this... so mine has lots). Lightly salt and pepper again. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes-1 hour, or til meat is cooked through. Don't forget the s'mores for dessert!

Winter Fruit Salad with Honey-Orange Dressing

Winter Fruit Salad with Honey-Orange Dressing

Red leaf lettuce
4 oranges, peeled and sliced
4 kiwi, peeled and sliced
3 bananas, peeled and sliced

Dressing:
2/3 C. orange juice
2 tsp. cornstarch
2 T. honey
1/3 C. sour cream

In small saucepan, cook orange juice, cornstarch, and honey over medium heat til mixture just comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Cool completely. Stir in sour cream. Cover and refrigerate til serving time.

To serve, place lettuce leaves on salad plates; arrange fruit on lettuce. Top each with 1-2 T. dressing.

Coconut Waffles

I've been wanting to make these for months, and I finally got around to it on Saturday. We're a bunch of waffle/pancake/crepe lovers so this recipe was a refreshing switch from the norm. I'm not a huge coconut fan, but they weren't overly coconutty; they were just right. These were moist and delicious; make them and you won't regret it!

1 3/4 C. all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
3 eggs
1 14 oz. can unsweetened coconut milk (I used the light kind because coconut milk is pretty much pure fat. Oh, and look for it in the Asian food section)
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
3/4 C. coconut
1/2 C. chocolate syrup
1/2 C. chopped toasted almonds
Whipped cream or powdered sugar

1) In a medium bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and a dash of salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside. In another medium bowl lightly beat eggs; stir in coconut milk and melted butter. Stir in coconut. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be slightly lumpy).
2) Pour 1/2 C. batter onto grids of a preheated, lightly greased waffle baker. Close lid quickly; do not open until done. Bake according to manufacturer's directions (about 3 minutes or until golden brown). When done, use fork to lift waffle off grid. Repeat with remaining batter. Drizzle baked waffles with chocolate, sprinkle with almonds, and top with whipped cream or dust with powdered sugar. Serve warm. Makes 8 waffles.

Pizza Salad

Alot of these are already in one UOP cookbook or another, but I figured posting again wouldn't hurt anyone. This recipe is from a Kraft "Salads" booklet. And it's almost as yummy as pizza itself. :)

Pizza Salad
(for four)

1 bag romaine lettuce
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 can olives, halved
1/2 a small package of sliced pepperoni
1 cup shredded mozzarella (or little balls of mozzarella, called 'ciliegine')
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 cup (or however much you like) Italian dressing

Brown the pepperoni, on a baking sheet, in a 400 degree oven for about 12 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Toss lettuce with desired amount of dressing, then top with tomatoes, bell pepper, olives, pepperoni, and cheeses. Serve with Italian cheese bread.

Pumpkin Cloverleaf Rolls

Ok, once again, look beyond this crappy picture (note to self: photographing a yellowish food in a green bowl, not a good idea) and try these! I am a firm believer that there aren't many better things in this world than a homemade, hot from the oven roll. So when I came across this recipe in the November Family Fun mag., I knew I had to make these. They are a great addition to a fall meal, and would also be really yummy for a brunch since they have a buttery sweetness to them. The recipe only makes 12, but they are 12 monster rolls. Yum!

3 3/4 C. flour, plus more for sprinkling
1 pkg or 2 1/4 tsp instant or bread machine yeast (I used regular yeast)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 C. milk
1/4 C. honey
1/2 C. canned or frozen and thawed pureed pumpkin or squash
1 large egg
1/2 C. warm water
8 fresh sage leaves, slivered (or 1 1/3 tsp. dried leaves)
1 stick butter

1) In a large bowl, mix together the flour, yeast, and salt, and set it aside. (Since I didn't use instant yeast, I proofed my yeast in the warm water with a little sugar in a separate cup first)
2) Pour the milk into a microwaveable bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Whisk in the honey, squash, egg, and water (or the yeast water if you do it my way).
3) Blend the squash mixture into the flour mixture until you have a soft dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (Again, I was worried my non-instant yeast wouldn't work as well, so I just put the bowl in a warm place to rise for an hour. They didn't roll into balls as well since the dough wasn't cold, but they raised really nicely.)
4) Two hours before baking, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead 6 sage leaves into the dough (I used the dried). Melt the butter and set aside. Divede dough in half, then divide each half into 6 portions. Divide each portion into 3 pieces. With floured hands, roll each piece into a ball and dip it into the melted butter. Place 3 balls in a muffin cup. Continue until 12 muffin cups are filled.
5) Drizzle each rolls with 1/2 tsp. of the leftover butter and then sprinkle them with the rest of the sage (or a shot of dried stuff from the jar). Let the rolls rise in a warm spot until they're double in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours (took just under an hour for me due to the first rising).
6) Heat oven to 350. Bake the rolls until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Makes 1 dozen.

Hashbrown Quiche

16 oz. frozen shredded potatoes
1/3 c. olive oil or butter
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 c. diced ham
1/4 c. whole milk
6 eggs
1/4 tsp. salt
few grinds of fresh black pepper
1 head of broccoli

Grease casserole dish. Mix potatoes and olive oil and press into dish to form a crust. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, steam and roughly chop the broccoli. Don't over cook the broccoli as it will continue cooking in the oven. On top of hashbrowns, layer on broccoli, cheese, and ham. Beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper, and pour over all. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or til set.

Perfect for conference weekend!

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

It's definitely feeling like autumn here, so I say it's time to dig into all of the yummy pumpkin dessert recipes! I made these for a baptism on Saturday and they were so easy and good, I thought I'd post the recipe. Just look beyond the subpar picture- it was the only one left!

Cake
1 box spice cake mix
1 C. pumpkin puree
3 large eggs
1 C. water

Heat oven to 350. Spray cake pans or line cupcake tins with liners. Beat ingredients in a large bowl on medium speed for two minutes. Pour batter into pans. Bake depending on pan size (about 18-22 minutes for cupcakes). Cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened
1/4 C. butter, softened
2 to 3 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 C. powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese, butter, milk, and vanilla in medium bowl with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, 1 C. at a time, on low speed until smooth and spreadable. You'll probably have leftovers, so don't be stingy with the frosting when icing your cupcakes. Besides, did you notice there was no oil in the cake? Another excuse to pile it on.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Tonight's Sunday dinner. YUM.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

4 large chicken breasts
8 slices of deli ham
4 square slices of swiss cheese
small can of cream of chicken soup
3/4 a cup of half and half (or milk if you are healthy like Katie)
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 a package of Pepperidge Farm Herb Stuffing

Cut each chicken breast in half so there are 8 pieces. Place in baking dish. Top each piece with a slice of ham. Halve the slices of cheese so there are 8 pieces. Top each piece of chicken with a slice of cheese. Mix soup and half and half and pour over all. Mix broth, butter and stuffing and dump it on top. Bake, covered, at 350 for 40 minutes, then uncover and bake for 10 minutes more.

Mac-and-Cheese Soup

This easy dish was a hit at my house last week. Plus, it had simple ingredients and cooked up in a snap. A great meal for a busy weeknight!

1 pkg (32 oz.) reduced-sodium chicken broth (I just used three or so teaspoons of bouillon and 4 cups of water)
6 oz. small pasta shells
1 bag (16 oz.) frozen broccoli, cauliflower, and carrot blend
1 1/2 cups low-fat milk (skim worked fine)
2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1) In a large saucepan, bring broth to a boil over high heat. Add pasta. Return to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Add vegetables. Cook until pasta and vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes more.
2) Whisk flour into the milk. Stir into pasta mixture. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Gradually add the cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Makes 6 servings. Serve with bread or toast.

Caprese Sandwiches

So, this picture did not turn out so hot, but looks can be deceiving! These were DE-licious (and quick!) and I will be making them again very soon.

Caprese Sanwiches

1 loaf ciabatta bread
a few thick slices of mozzarella (fresh if you can find it)
2 heirloom tomatoes
1/4 C. basil pesto

Slice open ciabatta, slather on the pesto (both sides), layer tomatoes and cheese. Cook in skillet as you would a grilled cheese sandwich. I did mine in a couple tablespoons olive oil and used a heavy pot to press it down while it cooked. YUM.

Watermelon with Lime

Ok so this isn't so much of a recipe as it is a serving suggestion. When preparing watermelon, simply squeeze a couple of limes over the cut up fruit per your taste. It's a tasty way to add a little zing! to your watermelon.