Homemade Garlic Bread

I LOVE bread.....especially crunchy rustic breads. I grew up eating the store bought aluminum foil garlic bread, which isn't that bad but I find that is has a tendency to have too much butter and is never crispy enough for me.....So it was high time I made my own.....This was my first attempt and I loved it. I even saved the leftovers in the fridge and reheated in the oven the next day......Anyway this was big hit with all the family.....this could easily be used as a side dish to grilled food or an appetizer with marinara.......

Serves: 6

1/4 C Butter, softened

1-2 T Mayonnaise

3-4 Garlic Cloves, minced

1/2 tsp Dried Oregano

1/2 tsp Dried Basil

1/4-1/2 tsp Black Pepper

1/3 C Shredded Parmesan Cheese

1 loaf Rustic Bread or French Bread, halved lengthwise

Preheat oven broiler. In a medium bowl combine butter, mayonnaise, garlic, oregano, basil, and pepper. Spread mixture evenly between the two halves. Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese. Broil for 5 min or until toasted to your liking. Slice and Serve.

Tasty Orange Rolls

I love a GOOD orange roll, since I am not huge into Cinnamon. I like them not to dry, no too sweet, not too Orangey, just plain good......One of the best ones I have had was at the Farmers Market in Moscow, ID. A local baker that has fruit, veggie and baked good stand made them perfectly.....Now these that I make are quite good and are a little lighter then most orange rolls.....and we just EAT them up......they are a little bit labor intensive....but I feel worth all the mixing, rising, punching, resting, rolling, rising again and cooking........They are quickly becoming a staple for Holiday Mornings at our house.......Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.....I like to serve them with something simple and little salty like Sausage Patties or Links......MMMmmmmm......

Makes 2 dozen

Dough:

1 Packet Dry Yeast (2 1/4 tsp)

1/2 C Warm Water (100-110 degrees)

1 C Sugar, divided

1/2 C Reduced Fat Sour Cream

2 T Butter, softened

1 tsp Salt

1 Egg, slightly beaten

3 1/2 C Flour, divided

Cooking Spray

2 T Butter, Melted

2 T Grated Orange Rind (Zest of about two medium Oranges)

Glaze:

3/4 C Sugar

1/4 C Butter

2 T Fresh Orange Juice

1/2 C Reduced Fat Sour Cream

To make the dough, dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl or mixer bowl with dough hook attached, let stand for 5 minutes. Add 1/4 C sugar, 1/2 C sour cream, 2 T softened butter, salt and egg. Beat at medium speed until smooth. Add 2 C of flour to the yeast mixture, stirring until soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 min. (I actually knead in mixer for 5 and then turn out and knead the rest by hand) Add enough of the remaining flour 1 T at a time while kneading to prevent dough from sticking to hands. The dough will still feel sticky but not stick to your hands. Place dough in a large bowl sprayed with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1hr 15 minutes or until dough has doubled in size.

Punch down dough, cover and let rest for 5 minutes. Divide dough in two, work with 1 portion at a time, covering remaining portion with plastic so it doesn't dry out. Roll each portion of dough into a 12 inch circle on a floured surface. Brush the surface of each with 1 T of melted butter. Combine 3/4 C Sugar with Orange Zest. Sprinkle half of the sugar/zest mixture over each circle Cut each circle into 12 wedges, Roll up each wedge tightly starting at the wide end. Place rolls, point sides down in a 13 x 9 inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 25 min or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Uncover dough and bake at 350 for 20-25 min or until golden brown.

While rolls are baking make the glaze. Combine 3/4 C sugar, 1/4 C butter and 2 T Orange Juice in a small sauce pan, bring to a boil over medium/medium-high heat. Cook 3 min or until all the sugar is dissolved while stirring very frequently. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Stir in 1/2 C sour cream. Drizzle glaze over warm rolls and let stand 15 min before serving.

**Cover and Refrigerate any remaining rolls in the baking pan. To reheat cover with foil and bake in a 300 degree oven for 15 minute or until rolls are warm**

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

I love Banana Bread and back in the day Starbucks use to have a banana loaf that had chocolate chips in it and boy was it good. It was my favorite thing to get there along side my morning mocha (Yes, I love Chocolate). Well they have since done away with it. So I have gone out and edited a few of my banana bread recipes to accommodate a little bit of chocolate. Chocolate makes most things better, Right?

9x5x3 Loaf Pan

1/2 C Butter, room temperature

1 C Sugar

2 Eggs

1 1/2 C Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Salt

1 C Mashed Ripe Bananas

1/2 C Sour Cream

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 C Mini Chocolate Chips

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, beating well. Stir dry ingredients (Flour, Soda, Salt) together and then combine with butter mixture. Mix well. Add mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla. Blend well. Stir in mini chocolate chips. Pour banana bread mixture in to a prepared loaf pan. Bake 1 hour until a toothpick can be inserted and pulled out clean. Turn out onto a rack to cool and enjoy!