Texas Roadhouse Rolls

Texas Roadhouse Rolls

4 tsp active dry yeast
2 cup milk, scalded and cooled to lukewarm
3 T melted butter, slightly cooled
1/2 cup 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. 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.

 

Speedy overnight Casserole

 

2 cups chopped chicken or turkey

2 cups large elbow macaroni, uncooked

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 soup can of milk

1 soup can of chicken broth

1 small onion, chopped

1 small can of water chestnuts, sliced

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 lb grated cheese (save some for topping)

1 cup crushed potato chips

 

Mix all ingredients except toppings.  Put in 9 x 13 inch pan.  Sprinkle reserved cheese and potato chips on top.  Cover with foil.  Refrigerate overnight.  Bake, covered, for 1 hour and 45 minutes at 350 degrees.  THIS FREEZES WELL and we use it often in our Once A Month Cooking Menus. 

September 24, 2011

In our little hamlet of Goodland, we have our Flatlander's Fall Festival this weekend.  Lots of antigue restored cars and lots of wonderful motorcycles.  Tons of food booths used for fund raisers for local functions.  All my kids and I spent the day there yesterday.   Lots and lots of walking!  Wonderful beautiful weather and an enjoyable day.

This also was our family Sunday at church, which means breakfast casseroles for me to make.  I had a couple of requests for my breakfast enchiladas!  So easy and so good.  I also made a crockpot casserole.  Put it all in the crockpot and let it cook overnight.  Easy, easy!  Then I made a casserole that I baked last night and warmed it up today.  Out of all of that, I had 2 small containers of leftovers that I sent home with my daughter and my son...1 each. 

For our normal sunday lunch...I made our family favorite "Funeral" Casserole.  It is a casserole that the Methodist Church in Oakley serves for funeral dinners.  It is easy and YUMMY.  I mixed it up last night and kept it in the fridge overnight. 

This morning when I got up, I made the sausage gravy for the breakfast enchiladas and poured on them.  Then I set the oven to come on at 10:15 to bake the dinner casserole, and put it in there.  I made the Texas Roadhouse Rolls and they were rising while I made the gravy, set the oven and got ready for church.  Then I made the dough into the rolls and put them on baking sheets, covered them and loaded up the casseroles for transportation to church.  After church when I arrived at home, the casserole was ready to come out of the oven, the rolls were ready to go into the oven for 15-20 minutes.  So while the rolls baked and the casserole cooled, I and my granddaughters sat the dinner table and I cooked some corn.  We added some cantelope and bread and butter pickles to the menu and dinner was ready to eat! 

Now I'm "chillaxin"...actually doing laundry!!   The garden is pretty well done, so now my house should probably get clean and organized.  Then we will also start our Once a Month Cooking for the winter.  Anyone wanting to join in, let me know....we are trying to get a larger facility than my kitchen.  So....let me know. 

Homemade Lasagna Recipe

here is the recipe for the Lasagna.  It calls for jars or spaghetti sauce.  I use my homemade mix.  This also calls for no boil lasagna noodles,  this time I used them...in the past I've made my own.  I intended to make my own this time, but I was getting pressed for time so opted to use the store bought! 

So..here goes

1 lb Italian sausage
1/2 lb lean ground beef
2 jars of pre-made spaghetti sauce
16 oz ricotta cheese
1 egg
4 cups freshly shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 pkg (9 oz) of no boil lasagna noodles
Parsley and garlic powder for dusting the top

Make sauce early in the morning and let simmer all day.  Cook the combination of Italian sausage and ground beef in a large pan.  Drain and set aside. 

Place Ricotta cheese in a large bowl and add egg.  Beat well.  Set aside. 

Shred Mozzarella cheese and place in a large bowl.  Set aside. 

Preheat oven to 350 at this time. 

Lay out all of these ingredients and a 9 x 13 lasagna pan in an assembly line on your counter

Ladle 2 cups of sauce into your pan and coat. 

Take your uncooked lasagna noodles and lay them out over sauce.  About 5-6 horizontally and 2 vertically.  You do not need to be perfect-I promise you won't mess up. 

Take about a cup of ricotta cheese and with a butter knife spread it on top of your noodles. 

Sprinkle Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese on top of Ricotta Cheese.  Sprinkle Italian sausage on top of cheeses. 

Ladle more sauce on top

Repeat process until pan is filled

Top with Mozzarella cheese a sprinkle of garlic powder and a garnish of parsley on top. 

Bake covered for 30 minutes, uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned on top. 


BING CHERRY SALAD

1 15 oz can of sweet pitted cherries, drained and liquid reserved. 
1 8 oz can of crushed pineapple
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz cool whip
2 cups miniature marshmallows

in a bowl, combine 1/4 cup reserved juice and the cream cheese and cool whip and mix until thoroughly mixed.  then add pineapple and marshmallows.  Finally add cherries.  chill until ready to serve. 

Sunday September 18, 2011

Wow was it a beautiful day today.  Absolutely gorgeous weather!  I enjoy Sundays so much.  Between church and spending time with church family and spending time with my blood family and cooking and serving them all and spending time with my wonderful TDH (tall/dark/handsome) husband, can't think of a better way to spend the Lord's day! 

As I've mentioned before we have our family and some church family to our house for lunch.  Today was no different, other than we added a few church family to it!  For lunch today I served 15!!!  2 large pans of lasagna, an entire loaf of Texas toast garlic bread, broccoli/cauliflower with cheese sauce, tossed salad, and bing cherry salad, with peach crisp for dessert with homemade whipped cream!  I went to bed last night thinking I wasn't going to have enough!  Ha!    I will post the recipes tomorrow night as I'm getting ready to go to church now. 

I even found time to make some butter.  yummy 

The only problem was that I was getting ready to move a baking sheet that I had some of the garlic bread thinking it was one that hadn't been in the oven yet.  WRONG!!!!!!  I have blisters on 3 fingers on my left hand, and no feeling in them either.  Now....how am I suppose to type at work tomorrow?  Having a hard time now....making a lot of typos!  Hopefully I'm catching them all. 

Well I'm off to church.    More tomorrow night!

September 15, 2011

Well tonight was  C O L D!!! here, good soup weather.  So, I decided to make homemade Potato Soup.  Roy was wanting some biscuits, so I also made homemade buttermilk biscuits and made some homemade butter out of some cream that was about the expire, and added some honey to it, for honey butter.   

For the potato soup!!!    Now I will tell you that I have removed all the calories and all the fat!!!  ha! ha! 

peel a desired amount of potatoes.  Since it is just Roy and I and I don't eat much and Roy is cutting down, I peeled one potato.  (size of a baking potato) 
dice a small amount of onion
cover with chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Boil until potato is fork tender (meaning that the fork goes through a potato piece with little resistance).  Drain, reserving the broth. 

melt 2 tablespoons butter in saucepan.  Add 1 or 2 tablespoons flour and stir until all the flour is moistened.  Add 1 cup heavy whipping cream.    Stir to incorporate all flour/cream mixture.  As soon as it is bubbling, add more cream and chicken broth, alternating between the two...to reach desired consistancy.   Pour in potatoes.  Heat to bubbling and add 1 tablespoon butter and salt and pepper to taste. 

tonight I heated up some cheddar wursts in my cast iron skillet until they heated through.  I then chunked it up and added it when I added the potatoes to the cream mixture.  I also have added corn in the past...quite tasty!  Usually I add either ham or bacon (mostly bacon as I always have that on hand) instead of the brats that I added tonight.

While the potatoes were boiling, I made up the biscuits

2 c. sifted flour (bread flour is best)
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/3 c. Crisco
1 c. buttermilk

Sift together dry ingredients. Cut in the shortening with a fork or pastry blender, it will be coarse crumbs. Add buttermilk all at once and stir until the dough follows the fork around the bowl. Turn out and knead only 5 to 6 times. (Too much handling makes them tough.) Roll to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut with round cookie cutter or glass (cup) dipped in flour. Place in greased pan. Brush gently with melted butter. Bake at 375 to 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. When baked, brush again with melted butter.

 

there you have it.  Our calorie free/fat free dinner!  (hahaha)

 

For dessert we had peach cobbler with a dollop of ice cream!  Me I was too full to have any.  hehehehe

HASHBROWN/MEATLOAF/RED CINNAMON PICKLES RECIPES

Well the hash brown recipe that I mentioned in yesterdays post, was delicious!  AND EASY!  I put it in the oven and set my oven to come on while we were at church and we came home...dinner was ready...meatloaf and the hash brown casserole.  It was so good.  So...here is the hash brown recipe. 

Jalapeno and Cream cheese Hash brown Bake

1 (26 oz) package frozen hash browns
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 (4oz) can diced jalapenos

Mix sour cream, cream cheese, and jalapenos together in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. 

Add hash browns and mix. 

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes. 

I used fresh jalapenos as I had some from our garden.  Even at that I chop jalapenos and freeze them and have them on hand all of the time. 

I added onion too as for my husband he insists EVERYTHING have onion!  Just before taking it from the oven...I sprinkled cheese on it and baked it until the cheese was melted and lightly browned! 

My son and my husband LOVED IT!  I will make this again real soon!   HUGE HIT

For my meatloaf I put a layer of the meat mixture in the bottom of my loaf pan, put a layer of sliced cheese (careful not to get to the edge) and then covered with a layer of the meat mixture.    Came out like stuffed meatloaf!  Think I'm gonna try spinach leaves with cheese on top next time.  I also add some of our homemade horseradish for a little "bite" and some (a little or a lot depending on your tastes) jalapeno, chopped!  Put cheese on top of it when it was almost done and browned the cheese.  YUMMMMMMY. 

Red Cinnamon Pickles

7 pounds peeled, seeded cucumbers in strips
1 cup lime
1 gallon water
1 cup vinegar
1 bottle red food coloring
1 tablespoon alum
Enough water to cover pickles
3 cups vinegar
2 cups water
10 cups granulated sugar
2 to 3 large packages Red Hots cinnamon candies (see NOTE)
8 sticks cinnamon

Soak cucumbers, lime and 1 gallon water for 24 hours.

Wash cucumbers. Soak in ice water for 3 hours. Mix 1 cup vinegar, food coloring, alum and enough water to cover pickles. Simmer in this mixture 2 hours.

Pour off liquid and throw away. Boil 3 cups vinegar, 2 cups water, sugar, candies and cinnamon. Pour over cucumbers. Let stand 24 hours.

Drain liquid and bring to boil. Put cucumbers into jars with 1 to 2 sticks cinnamon in each jar. Pour hot liquid over jars and seal.

NOTE:   DO NOT use red hots candy that lists cornstarch as an ingredients. They will not work for this recipes.

So.....I had made up meatloaf from 5 lbs of hamburger.  Knowing that my son loves meatloaf.  I thought we were going to have 8 or 10 others for lunch, so was worried I wouldn't have enough!  Silly me.  Only Levi and Brooke and us for lunch!  So....we have leftovers.  Sent some home with Levi. 

I also made cauliflower for our veggie.  Was going to add Broccoli, but found out that we didn't have any!  So we had cauliflower with cheese sauce.  So our menu was as follows:  Cheesy meatloaf/Cream cheese Jalapeno hash brown bake/Cauliflower with cheese sauce/red cinnamon pickles/bread and butter pickles/tea/fresh peaches with cream for dessert!   

September 10, 2011

This has been a busy week for us!  Between work and the new boss arriving and canning season is in full swing, we also had Ivy's birthday.  We went to Burlington on Thursday night and took her and her husband and son out for dinner!  Actually the entire family was there.  Got to spend the evening with all of our kids and all of our grandkids.  Can't believe my sweet beautiful baby girl is 28!  Where has the time gone. 

This was my weekend to make muffins for church!  The kinds I made this time, Peanut Butter Muffins, Zucchini Muffins, Chocolate Chip Muffins, Banana Blueberry Muffins, Cherry Muffins.  All double batches. 

CHERRY MUFFINS

Ingredients list:

1 large egg, beaten.
3 ½ cups of unbleached flour.
2 cups of milk.
¾ cup of tart cherries, drained.
1/3 cup of vegetable oil.
1/3 cup of chopped pecans.
¼ cup of sugar.
1 tablespoon of baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
2 teaspoons of almond extract.
1 teaspoon of salt.

Instructions:

In a suitably sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and the sugar.

In another bowl, combine the beaten egg, milk, almond extract, and vegetable oil; blending thoroughly.

Mix the ingredients together gently.

Gently fold in the drained cherries and chopped nuts.

Spoon the batter into greased muffin tins filling each about two-thirds full.

Bake at 400°F (205°C) for 25 minutes.

CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

Ingredients list:

¾ lb chocolate chips.
1/3 lb of soft butter.
4 medium eggs.
2 ½ cups of flour.
1 cup of sugar.
¼ cup of milk.
1 tablespoon of baking powder.
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract.
½ teaspoon of salt.

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and butter your muffin pan.

Beat the butter and the vanilla extract together to form a light, airy mixture.

One at a time, add the eggs, and beat gently.

Add ¼ cup of the sugar after each egg and mix thorougly.

Put the baking powder and salt in the milk, then add to the mixture.

Fold in the flour and the chocolate chips.

Pour the mix into your buttered muffin pan, filling each cup two-thirds full.

Bake for 25 minutes or until muffins turn golden brown...

PEANUT BUTTER MUFFINS

Ingredients list:

2 medium eggs, beaten.
2 cups of sifted flour.
1 cup of milk.
½ cup of peanut butter.
¼ cup of sugar.
2 tablespoons of butter, melted.
3 teaspoons of baking powder.
1 teaspoon of salt.

Instructions:

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking power and salt.

Add the peanut butter and mix throroughly.

Combine the eggs and milk, then pour into the mixture.

Add the butter and stir until mixture is moistened.

Fill greased muffin pans about two-thirds full and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 25 minutes.

ZUCCHINI MUFFINS

Ingredients list:

2 medium eggs.
1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour.
1 cup of shredded zucchini.
1 cup of sugar.
½ cup of vegetable oil.
½ cup of chopped walnuts.
1 teaspoon of baking soda.
½ teaspoon of salt.
¼ teaspoon of baking powder.

Instructions:

Mix together the vegetable oil, sugar and eggs.

Add the shredded zucchini, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Fold in the chopped walnuts.

Lightly grease muffin tips, then fill two-thirds full with the mixture.

Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 25 minutes.

Today I also canned cinnamon pickles, green beans, tomatoes, pickled jalapeno peppers, started a batch of 14 day sweet pickles. 

Cinnamon Pickles

Cucumbers waiting for the salt brine to sit in for 10 days

container with cucumbers ready to become sweet pickles

Jalapeno's ready for the pickling brine

Add caption

Green beans...

Earlier this week I made/canned jalapeno jelly! 



baby food jars filled with Jalapeno Jelly (minus two that Ivy took home)



For our Weekly sunday dinner tomorrow we are having meatloaf and jalapeno hashbrowns.   The hashbrown recipe is a new one to me...haven't tried it yet, so tomorrow will be a first.  I will let you know how it turns out.  Tonight I made up the meatloaf, just need to put in pan and bake...Makes my mouth water to think of it! 

Meatloaf ready for the pan and baking!  the white stuff is onion!!!! 

Jalapeno Jelly

12 oz of jalapeno peppers (about 12 medium)
2 cups cidar vinegar, divided
6 cups sugar
2 3 oz pouches of liquid pectin
green food coloring, optional

Wash and seed and devein peppers.  puree peppers in blender with 1 cup cidar vinegar until smooth.  DO NOT STRAIN PUREEcombine puree with remaining vinegar and sugar.  Bring to a boil over high heat.    bring to boil that cannot be stirred down, over high heat.  Boil 10 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add liquid pectin, immediately squeezing entire content from pouches.  Return to a hard boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Skim foam if necessary. 

Lade hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space.  Wipe rims.  Center lids on jars.  Or pour melted paraffin  approx 1/8 inch. 

Now I'm working on our menu for the Once A Month Cooking session.  Plus deciding on a day to do it.  Will let you know on the progress. 

Upstairs simmering, I have cinnamon pickles simmering in the vinegar brine.  shortly I'll put them in a container to stay for 24 hours.  tomorrow night I'll make the sweet sauce and can them.  I'm waiting for some more cucumbers to get large enough to pick to make more sweet pickles. 

Fun weekend

This was an amazing weekend for me!  I feel so selfish saying that, but it was!  Saturday morning we got up and left!  we just took off, got in the van and just starting driving!  We headed south.  By lunch time we were in Dodge City.  Hubby and I both enjoy history so this was something we would enjoy. 

the bottom pictures are of a town that has a fence that is made up of whirly gigs.  Thought that was so cool, 

Then Sunday of course there was church and then we had Amber and family and my mother join us for lunch here.  Lunch was pork roast, potatoes and carrots and gravy.  I also picked beans and my mother and I snapped beans as we had a fun conversation . 

Today...well at 9 a.m. Amber and Rilynn and Baleigh and I went horseback riding.  A lady that Amber works with offered to have us come out and ride.  It was so much fun.  Baleigh loved the donkey and led "Sweet pea" around all morning. 

Rilynn rode Emma for awhile.  When Emma did the "shake" Rilynn lost it.  She cried and was so scared and wanted to get off.  So...then it was grandma's turn.  Grandma rode Emma.  Her stirrups were a little too short, so I just rode around without my feet in the stirrups. :) 

Now it was grandmas turn...

Stirrups were too short for me, but I made due.  I sure loved it...It has been over 30 years since I rode a horse, but it was so fun.   I doubt that I could have done it 127 lbs ago!!! 

Then after the horse back riding, we came home and canned.  Canned beans...5 qts.  Canned pickles 9 qts, salsa 2 qts, 25 pints of jalapeno jelly.  This was all for Amber.  She is learning how to do canning. 

So by the time that was all done, this grandma was pooped.  I still had laundry to do.  

so...with the trip, church, lunch, and horseback riding and spending the day with 2 granddaughters and eldest daughter...I had a fantastic 3 day weekend.  If only my other 2 kids and grandkids could have joined us, then my weekend would have been perfect in every way! 

Oh yes...almost forgot!  I made ham salad sandwich spread.  Levi...come get your share!!!!!!  Had baked a ham last weekend and made green bean soup and what was leftover, used to make ham salad spread!  Yummmmm 

Okay...all for now.  Until next time

September 1, 2011

I cannot believe that it is September 1st already.  Where has this summer gone?  Where has this year gone for that matter?  Goodness

The canning process is in full swing!  Between pickles, beans, jalapenos, okra, and zucchini...I'm beat!  but the feeling of having a full pantry for this winter is well worth it. 

I finally got my batch of sweet pickles canned.  7 qts of it!  Got another batch soaking.  Worked on the cinnamon pickles.  got them in the sweet brine now.  They will get canned tomorrow night.  Plus I will have okra and jalapenos and beans to can.  We are going to be gone on Saturday, so want to get done what I can tomorrow night.  AND I will have all day Monday to do some canning and baking! 

Tonight I also froze some cooked sausage.  I had about 4 lbs of cooked sausage left over from my breakfast cooking from this past weekend.  So decided to freeze it so I have it for my next cooking.  Now I need to grind up some ham and make ham salad spread.  Oh that is one of my favorites and it is something I can get down. 

until next time.