Easy Dinner Rolls

Let me tell you what... I LOVE bread!  Actually, I love carbs.  All of them.  Yum!  So, when it comes to bread, I want to make it all the time.  The problem is just that though, the time.  Most breads (besides sweet breads) take for-ev-er to make!  And with having a full time job, I can't just start a bread at noon to have for dinner!

I found these dinner rolls on Pinterest a few weeks ago, and they boasted being fast and easy.  I checked the recipe and ingredient list and thought, what the heck!  I'll try these out.

One hour later, +5 points for Rachel +5 points for recipe!  I didn't change anything from the original recipe that I found on Plain Chicken except for the fact that I half-ed it, then made the same amount of rolls.  She suggested 12 rolls for the full version, and when I put that into my calorie counter, that came up to about 200 calories per roll!  A bit much for me.  So, I half-ed the entire recipe, still made 12 rolls, and I feel like they were a pretty good size.  The full size rolls would have been huge!  (But who doesn't love that?!)  So, here's the recipe that I use (the half-ed version).

Another note, my 7x11 pan already had something in it the day I made this batch and took the photos.  So these particular rolls were made in a muffin tin, and it worked just as well.  Also, please pardon my horrible photography and color balance.

Weeknight Dinner Rolls
Adapted from Plain Chicken
Makes 12 rolls

Ingredients:
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon warm water
1/6 cup oil
1 tablespoon active-dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg white
1 3/4 cups flour (I've used both bread flour and all-purpose with good results.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a 7x11 pan or a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the water, oil, yeast, and sugar.  Stir to combine and let rest for 15 minutes.
3. Stir in salt, egg white, and flour.  (I stir in the flour in a couple of small batches.  The original recipe suggested using your stand mixer... which I don't have.)
4. Knead until the flour is mixed in and the dough is soft and smooth (about 2-3 minutes).
5. Here's the messy part.  Divide the dough into twelve equal balls.  (I have my hubby spray my hands with cooking spray first.)  The rolls are not super pretty, but this is a recipe for easy dinner rolls, not pretty dinner rolls.
6. Place rolls into your greased pan.  Let rest for 10 minutes or more.  (I let mine rest for 20 minutes the other day, and they were a little fluffier, but it didn't make a huge difference.)
7. Bake in the preheated over for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy your meal with homemade rolls in less than an hour!  I've made these like three times in the past two weeks just because they're so quick and easy.  I hope you like them too!

Oh Spring Break!

I don't think I've mentioned it here before, but I am a high school teacher.  So, I'm on spring break right now.  *Sigh of contentment*

I had planned to blog like crazy over break, but I'm just having such a good time relaxing, that I keep forgetting to blog.  That, and the fact that I'm not a natural at taking pictures of my food.  I have several recipes I'd like to share, but my first inclination when I try a new recipe is to shove it in my mouth as fast a humanly possible.  So, it's usually not until whatever-it-is is gone that I think... maybe I should have taken a photo of that for the blog.  Oops.

But, I'll write up a few recipes today anyway.

 This morning, the hubs was incredibly wonderful (actually, he's been pretty darn amazing all week.  I told you, he's pretty much a pro at brownie points!) and he woke up before the crack of dawn to take me to the beach to watch the sunrise.  Now, only those of you who know Thomas will know what a special thing that was.  This is a man who has to set an alarm to wake up at 9 am every day.  So, 6:30 is the earliest he's woken up in at least a year.

So, we drove over to the beach and sat on the sand to watch the sun rise.  And it was lovely.  There is just something about greeting the day that way.  Watching it truly begin and just sitting there thankful, thinking about all the wonderful things you have during the day to come.

 After we watched the sun rise, we went to a little cafe nearby called "The Blueberry Muffin"!  I mean, does that sound like me or what?!  Se we had a delicious breakfast with some fresh, made-from-scratch muffins.  I, of course, had blueberry, and Thomas had chocolate chip (his favorite).

So, now, Thomas is napping (hehe), and I'm getting ready to go for my run!  I've been running a mile about every other day.  I've also started doing some other random exercises on the off days.  Mainly because we've been bums on spring break, sitting around the house more than usual.  And it has been lovely!

I have some major recipes to blog, and I'll have to work on those today.  Until then, Happy Friday!

Amazing Oreo Fudge Cookies!!!

O.  MY.  GOODNESS.  These cookies are AMAZING!!!

 Seriously, I think I could eat twelve.  Without noticing.  They are soooooo good!

I was looking for an Oreo recipe to throw together before Bible study last night because my hubs had just bought me some Oreos (isn't he awesome?!  He really knows the way to my heart!).  And I came across this one on Pinterest.  The recipe was not incredibly specific, and the comments did not help because several people had said that the recipe did not work out for them.  But, I was feeling adventurous, and they just looked so delicious.  And, I happened to have everything I needed already.

So, I embarked the three feet into the kitchen, phone in hand.  I didn't even bother to pin or print the recipe.  (Which was a mistake because it took me forever to find it again on Pinterest!)

There were some speed bumps along the way...  The batter was so thick that I thought it was going to explode my hand mixer.  The recipe makes a TON of good sized cookies, which I was not expecting, so my bowl was incredibly too small.  And parts of my kitchen and myself ended up covered in chocolate batter.  And I burnt my tongue on a fresh-out-of-the-oven cookie.

But, it turns out, these cookies were worth those minor problems, and a bajillion more because they're that good.  Seriously!  They're like a brownie and a cookie with Oreos all rolled into one.  They are heaven!

Oreo Fudge Cookies
Adapted from Bakergirl

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup margarine
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Scant 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips
12-15 Oreos, roughly chopped

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a LARGE bowl, cream together the margarine, sugar, eggs, and vanilla with a hand mixer (or with your stand mixer if you're that fancy).
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, beating well with the mixer.  This part can get a little messy, but if you just add a little at a time, you'll most likely be fine.  The batter will get really thick by the time all of the flour mixture is incorporated.
5. Chop the Oreos and stir Oreos and chocolate chips into the mixture by hand.  This takes a little elbow grease!
6. (If your dough is really soft, you may want to place it in the fridge for a few minutes before continuing.)  Roll the dough into 2tablespoon-sized balls and place about 2 inches apart on the parchment-lined baking sheets.  Flatten slightly with your hand.  (My hands got really messy here, but it just gave me the chance to try some dough right before I washed my hands thoroughly!)
7. Bake for 9-11 minutes.  Cookies will flatten and spread slightly.  Let cool on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

 Enjoy!!!

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls {Lundi Little Lovelies}

I don't know what cooking or baking went on in your childhood, but my mom was always in the kitchen.  While I was growing up, we had a home cooked meal at the dinner table as a family almost every single night.  So naturally, Mom developed a lot of cooking traditions for our family.  There are so many recipes of hers that I have that are associated with special events and memories.  And I treasure all of them.

One in particular, is Mom's homemade cinnamon rolls.  These are divine!  And to me, they are not only a delicious morning treat, they are a trip back in time to every Christmas morning I've ever had.  Since before I can remember, Mom's Christmas morning tradition has been to have hot cinnamon rolls and sausage balls for breakfast.  The order of events varied from year to year, but we would always wake up at the crack of dawn, open presents, and sit around the table eating cinnamon rolls and sausage balls.  So this recipe is particularly special to me even when you set aside the fact that the cinnamon rolls are just to die for!

For a teensy bit more back story, I asked my mom where she got this recipe, and she said that it is adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook from way back in the day.  I've checked my updated Better Homes and Gardens cookbook that my mom bought me a few years ago, and either they changed the recipe, or my mom did quite a bit of adapting.

Oh, and if you're wondering why a couple of mine look a little funny, that's because I chopped up some apple and added it to some of the rolls too.  Yummy!

So, without further delay... Homemade Cinnamon Rolls!

 Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 egg
4 tablespoons margarine, softened
3 1/3 cups bread flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/8 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Margarine

Directions:

1. If you have a bread maker, put all of the ingredients in the pan as your bread maker prefers (just check a similar recipe for order of ingredients) and program it for dough.  This is how I make mine, because it takes a lot less work.
2. If you do not have a bread maker (go buy one!), add yeast to 2 cups of bread flour in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add warmed milk, egg, and softened margarine, and mix thoroughly for 2 minutes.
4. Add the 1/3 cup sugar, the rest of the bread flour, and salt, and mix thoroughly.
5. Knead dough on a floured surface.
6. Place into a greased bowl and cover with a cloth.  Let it rise for 1 hour in a draft-free area.
7. When the dough is finished rising, divide it in half.
8. Roll each half into a rectangle (approximately 15 inches by 10 inches) on a lightly floured surface.
9. Spread margarine liberally over the dough.  The more the better in my opinion.
10. For the filling:  combine the 1/8 cup flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon in a small bowl.  I always add a little extra cinnamon because we all know how addicted to it I am!
11. Sprinkle the mixture over the buttered dough.
12. Starting at the long side, roll the dough up tightly.
13. Cut off the very ends of the dough, then cut into 12 slices and place in a greased glass baking dish.
14. Cover and let rise for one hour.
15. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until slightly browning on top.

Now, before we continue, I know what you're thinking... I'm supposed to wake up THREE HOURS before I want breakfast to make these things?!  Heck no!  BUT WAIT!  Here's the trick my mom always uses, and now I do too.  I do steps 1-13 the night before.  Once you've got the cinnamon rolls in the pan and all ready for the last rise, cover them tightly with plastic wrap and store them in the fridge.  The next morning, pull them out, take off the plastic wrap and cover them with a towel to let them rise before baking.  I always put them on the stove and preheat the oven so that they get a little extra heat from that.  It makes everything so much easier the morning you want to eat them!

Lastly, I like my cinnamon rolls with a little icing, so I came up with this cream cheese drizzle to put on top of them!

Ingredients:
2-3 ounces cream cheese, softened (I always use 1/3 less fat)
Several drops vanilla
1/8 cup milk
Powdered sugar

 Directions:

1. Combine the softened cream cheese, milk, and vanilla in a small bowl.
2. Add powdered sugar about a 1/4 cup at a time until you get a consistency you like.  I like mine thick enough to pipe on and hold its shape, but you can make it really runny to just plop on top of your rolls too.  This one's really up to you!

Enjoy!!!

"Love and Respect"

Tonight I am feeling very contented.  What a wonderful feeling!

 

Thomas and I have had a really great weekend, and spring break starting doesn't hurt.  But as I get ready for bed, after having spent some wonderful time with my husband this weekend, I feel so blessed and, well, contented.

Over the past few weeks, Thomas and I have been reading Love and Respect by Emerson Eggerichs, and it has been doing a major overhaul on our relationship.  Now, don't get me wrong, we have a great relationship, and we are happily married.  But, we are two human beings with sinful natures, so things can always get better.  We've had it particularly rough for about a year or so, and we've gone through some challenges that have been testing us and our relationship.

So, when I was venting to a friend whom I regard as a wonderful Christian mentor a while back, she suggested that I read Love and Respect.  I'd heard of it and knew the main premise of the book, but I'd never read it.  So, I bought it and started reading.  And just about a day later, Thomas started reading it too.

Woooo!  It has been a kick in the pants!  It is a really tough book to read.  The concepts are simple, but challenging.  Sometimes I have to stop and take a break from it because I'm feeling so convicted or like such a failure.  But, it has made a huge difference!  God has really been working on both of us through this book.

And that is so evident in the weekend we had.  Saturday, I made breakfast; we ate on the porch in the beautiful Florida weather; we spent the morning on the beach; lazed around in the afternoon; I made homemade cinnamon rolls in the evening.  And today, we went to church, played a ton of games of cards, and this evening, we went on a walk and talked and talked and talked.

We've talked more about our relationship than we hardly ever have (even though we've always been really open with each other).  And this weekend, I feel like all of our hard work is starting to pay off.  We still haven't even finished the book, and we're never going to be perfect, but we are taking steps in a great direction.

So as I get ready for bed (and lavish in the thought that I don't have to work tomorrow), I feel so incredibly blessed and contented.  The Lord has given me so much, most of all, a wonderful man to share the rest of my life with.  And I am perfectly happy with that!

I Was Featured!!!

Hey guys!  So, I was just looking around on some of the link parties I participate in and realized that one of my recipes was featured!  Yay!!!  Thanks Jackie!

Check out my Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal Muffins on Rediscovermom.com!!!

You should also link up on this week's Tried and True recipe link party!  Fun fun!  Check out my Where I Party page to see the other link parties I like!

Woohoo!  Two posts in one night!  I'm almost making up for my weekend hiatus!

You're Never Gonna Believe This! {Wednesday Wins}

I'll bet you'd never be able to guess what my Wednesday Win is for this week! 

I just ran a mile!!!  Without stopping!!!  In nine minutes!!!  Yeah, really!!!

O my gosh!  I am so pumped right now!  (For those of you who don't know, that will have been my first all running mile since my freshman year of high school... 10 years ago!)  So, yeah, that's pretty awesome!  I went out for the run tonight and thought, eh, let's see if I can do this.  And I did!  I'm so proud!  Can't you tell?!

So, if that's not a Wednesday Win, then I just don't know what is!

So anyway, you've had to wait a while for another recipe, so I'll throw this one in here too!  I just made these muffins on Sunday (or maybe Monday, I can't really remember).  And they are TO DIE FOR!!!

AND... They're healthy!  Wow!  Double whammy!  I originally found this recipe on Six Sisters' Stuff, but I've seen it several other places too.  I'm not sure who came up with the original recipe, but someone should find them and give them a medal!

The recipe said to make 24 muffins (and they would be 58 calories each), but I only got 18 from the batter.  So, the calories per muffin will depend on how big you want your muffins to be!  (With my 18 muffins, they were about 75 calories per.)

Healthy Double Chocolate Muffins

Adapted from Six Sisters' Stuff

(Makes 12-24 muffins)

 

Ingredients:

1-3/4 cup old fashioned oats
3 egg whites
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (or regular plain low fat yogurt)
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup hot water
1 cup sugar substitute
1/2 cup chocolate chips  (I always use milk chocolate.)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with FOIL cupcake liners, or spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.  ***Do NOT use regular cupcake liners unless you like licking your muffins off of them.
• In a blender (or food processor), mix all of the ingredients together, except for the chocolate chips. Blend until oats are ground and mixture is smooth.
• Divide batter into muffin tins.  How full you fill the tins will decide how big your muffins will be.  Then, distribute the chocolate chips on top of each muffin.
• Bake muffins in the 350 degree oven for about 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Allow muffins to cool before removing from pan.
• Try not to eat them all in one sitting!!!

 So, moral of the story:  go bake these muffins right now!

Do you have any Wednesday Wins to share?!  I'd love to hear about them!