Roasted Red Potatoes

I am always looking for good side and new ways of cooking the same old vegetables. I roast a lot of different ones, but never usually potatoes. We just do not eat a lot of potatoes. But my neighbor Heather brought these over for a BBQ and man they were good. So I recreated them and our kids loved them. You could even use this recipe for breakfast....These potatoes are finger licking good.....Thanks Miss Heather! You could add rosemary & dried thyme for more herb flavor, but I am not a huge rosemary person.....Again like all my recipes this one is super felxible but gives you the basics.....

Serves 4-6

1 1/2-2lbs Red Potatoes, diced

2-3 T Olive Oil (or flavored olive oil), just need enough to coat the potatoes

1-2 T Dried Parsley, to your liking

Garlic Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a plastic bag. Toss around to coat potatoes. Pour out onto a baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 30-40 min, until potatoes are tender (or crisper, depends on your tastes!).....Enjoy!

Sausage & Spinach Strata

The first time I had this recipe was at my friend Erin's Wedding Shower....I pregnant with the Twins and I could not eat enough of this. It is soooo good. We eat this regularly for breakfast on the weekend with a fruit plate.....I have adapted Mrs. Larsen's recipe to our family's tastes by adding in spinach....I try to sneak veggies in when I can with the girls.....This recipe is always a big hit at brunches....You have to plan for this one since it needs to rest in the fridge overnight before being slow baked in the AM....

Makes: 13x9 pan

8-10 slices of White bread, cubed
2 C Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
1 1/2-2 lbs of Sausage Links (Could use Ground Sausage)
1 10oz box frz Spinach, thawed & squeezed dry (or fresh spinach leaves if you have them)
4 Eggs
2 1/2 C Milk

Topping: (do the morning of baking)
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 C Milk
3/4 T Dry Onion Soup Mix

Spray a 13x9 inch pan with non stick spray. Brown Sausage links in a skillet until cooked through. Slice into bite sized pieces. Place cubed bread in the bottom of the baking dish and top with the grated cheese, spinach, and sausage pieces. Beat the eggs with the 2 1/2 C of milk and pour over bread, cheese, spinach, sausage mixture. Cover and place in the fridge overnight. In the morning preheat the over to 300 degrees. Mix the topping ingredients together in a small bowl and pour over the top of the bread mixture. Bake uncovered at 300 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Enjoy!

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**

Best Bran Muffins

I am not a muffin eater I usually prefer croissants, breads, brownies, and sconces......but there are two muffin recipes that I absolutely love, these bran muffins and blueberry corn muffins (recipe to be posted at later date).....These bran muffins are the best.....the are so good and moist......not too sweet....and just all around are yummy......this recipe makes about 2 dozen....it is an easy recipe to double.....which is nice since you can leave the batter in the fridge for a few weeks and bake as many as needed at a time.....

Makes: About 2 dozen

1 C Boiling Water

2 C Kellogg's All Bran

1 C General Mills Fiber One Bran

2 C Buttermilk

1/2 C Shortening

1 1/2 C Sugar

2 Eggs

2 1/2 C Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Salt

Mix the two cereals in a bowl and pour the boiling water over the top. Stir in the buttermilk and set aside. In a large bowl cream together shortening and sugar, add eggs one at a time until well combined. Add cooled cereal to the sugar mixture and stir. Stir in flour, soda and salt until dampened. Do not over stir. Bake as many as desired @ 375 Degrees for 15 min. Spread with butter if you desire and Enjoy!

Creme de la Creme Quiche

I use to not like quiche. I wasn't big into pie crust back in the day....but I have come around. I have come to love quiche and how versatile it is. This is one of my favorite ways to make it probably because it has sour cream in it. It is just soooo good. We make it Shawn friendly at our house, more meat less veggies. The twins also love this one, who knew that they would like quiche so much....must be all the cheese. This recipe is measured to make two quiche and trust me you will want to make both.....it goes fast any get together or brunch.....I make homemade pie crust because, well it just tastes better......and I will include that recipe too......

Makes: 2 9in Pies

2 pie crusts (homemade or store bought)
1/2 pound thick sliced bacon, cut into pieces
1 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and thoroughly squeezed
1 C Sour Cream
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 T olive oil
1/2 onion, finely diced
2 cups ham, diced
8 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
8 oz Cheddar cheese, shredded
4 oz Parmesan cheese, grated
8 eggs
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 T Fresh Parsley (can use dried)
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place dough into pie plates and trim edge and crimp. Line dough with a double thickness of foil and bake for 8-10 min. Pull out, remove foil, and set aside. Reduce oven to 375 degrees. (***If using store bought pie crust you do not need to pre-bake***)

In a skillet, fry bacon until crisp, drain on paper towel. Wipe pan and then add in olive oil and onions cook over medium heat until soft and translucent, add in ham heat for 1-2 min, add in bacon and remove from heat. In a large bowl mix together sour cream, drained spinach and salt/pepper. Divide mixture and spread into pie plates. Layer bacon/ham mixture on top of spinach. Mix together all 3 cheeses and sprinkle over pies. Whisk together eggs, half-and-half and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, and pour over pies. Place pies on baking sheet, and bake on middle shelf for 40 minutes. The top will be golden brown and puffed. Remove from oven, and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Enjoy!

****Pie Dough (I use this for everything quiche, pot pie, pumpkin pie, chocolate cream pie)****

Yields: Enough for two bottoms or one complete pie

2 C Flour
7 oz Butter, chilled and cut into 1/2 in pieces
1 T Vegetable Shortening
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Sugar
1/3 C Ice Cold Water, plus more

Put flour, butter pieces, shortening, salt and sugar in a bowl of a food processor. Blend in short, second-long bursts, pulsing 8-9 times. Check the dough it should be crumbly with butter broken up into small but visible pieces (about 1/4 in or so). Pulse a few more times if your butter chunks are larger. All all but 1 T of the water through the feed tube on the processor and pulse 3 to 4 times, no more then 5 seconds total. Check the dough it should clump together and be evenly moist. If it doesn't not adhere add the last tablespoon of water and pulse for 1-2 more seconds. Do not over mix so the dough clumps together in the center.

Spread out large sheet of plastic wrap and turn the dough out on it. Lift sides up on the plastic gathering the dough together, then fold the wrap over and press the dough into a single compact mass. If some dry bits don't adhere sprinkle those with water and press together. Dough can be used right away but it is best to let it rest in the fridge for 1-2 hours. Wrap tightly and press into a flat disk shape. When ready to use roll out on floured surface.

Pullman Pound Cake

So Nana Anna bought a huge box of peaches at the farmers' market to make a pie and we had to figure out what to do with all the rest of the peaches...I came across a peach pound cake recipe...and man was it good and I am not big on fruit desserts. I decided that the pound cake was good enough to stand on its own with maybe some flavored icing on top (lemon, orange, almond, etc).....This cake is so good...the peaches mixed in the cake were good too (See Picture)....So feel free to make it plain with some icing or mix in just about any fruit....serve with whip cream or pudding cream or dip in melted chocolate. You know me I love chocolate...

10 inch Tube Pan

1 C Butter, room temp/softened

2 C Sugar + extra for pan coating

4 Eggs

1 t Vanilla Extract

3 C Flour

1 t Baking Powder

1/2 t Salt

Optional: 2 C Fresh Fruit, Chopped (Peaches, Blueberries, Apples, etc)

Optional: Icing Recipe or Glaze Recipe (Flavored with Lemon, Almond or Vanilla)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 10 inch tube pan and coat with white sugar. In a large bowl or mixer cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in eggs 1 at a time beating well after each one. Then stir in vanilla. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in separate bowl and then gradually stir into creamed butter mixture. Spread evenly into pan. Bake 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick come out clean. Allow cake to cool in the pan for 10 min before inverting it onto a wire cooling rack. Cool completely.

***If adding Fresh Fruit****
Follow same directions except, reserve 1/4 cup of the flour for coating fresh fruit, coat fruit and then fold into batter, pour into pan and bake.

Top with your favorite icing, glaze, powder sugar, fresh fruit, pudding, whip cream...you name it anything is possible!!

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!

The Best Buttermilk Pancakes

Inspired by our breakfast today I thought I would bring you the best buttermilk pancakes I have ever had. I was not a pancake person and I use to detest all and any pancake....that was until these came about....I have made a few changes as my family and I like a thinner pancake.....for thicker use less buttermilk. Kid tested and mother approved!

Makes 10-12 Pancakes

2 C Flour

1 1/4 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Salt (I use Kosher)

1 T Sugar

2 Eggs

2 1/2-3 C Buttermilk (I eyeball for thickness)

1/4 C Butter, Melted

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Combine all dry ingredients and mix well. Add remaining ingredients to dry ingredients & stir until moistened. Batter will be slightly lumpy and as thick as you want it. If it is too thick add more buttermilk. Pour, grill and enjoy with butter & warmed real maple syrup.