Resurrection Rolls

I guess we have a sort of carbo loading theme going on here.  But that is what you get with my boys.  They sure love their carbs!  So, since Easter is tomorrow, we did the baskets today, wanting to have a more spiritual day tomorrow.  So, I found this recipe from I Am Mother Hear Me Roar and since I couldn't link up to it, I just copied and pasted.  I know, super lame and bad, but I did it anyway.  I just wanted to be able to find it quickly.  And since this blog I use all the time for cooking, I need it here.  Justified?  A little.  :)

Resurrection Rolls

These hollow dinner rolls-that represent Jesus' empty tomb-are not only an Easter tradition in my home, they are the highlight of our Easter celebration meal.  They are expected so much that when my kids saw me making these for this tutorial they were confused and kept asking if today was Easter.  You can imagine the bliss on their faces as I explained I was making them to share with you and they realized they would get to enjoy them twice this season.  

Here is what you need...

Frozen dough for dinner rolls - found in the freezer section of your grocer

Marshmallows - regular size

Melted Butter

Sugar and Cinnamon Mixture - I recommend about a 4:1 ratio.  (4 being the sugar...mmmmm)

1.  Thaw rolls - Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.  Arrange dough balls, leaving about 2 inches between each ball.   I usually plan on 3-4 rolls per person (we snack on them later in the day) so I place about 16 per cookie sheet. Spray some plastic wrap with non-stick spray (so the wrap doesn't stick to your dough) and cover them as they thaw.  This will keep the dough from drying out and getting a hard crust.  My house was fairly warm the day I made these and it took about 1 and 1/2 hours for them to thaw.

2.  Add Marshmallow - Before the dough rises, flatten it to a 3" diameter circle.  Place your marshmallow in the middle and pinch the dough closed around the marshmallow to completely cover it up.  Roll the dough ball in the palm of your hand to smooth out the closure and seal it.

3.  Roll dough covered marshmallow in butter. (Or brush it on.)  

4.  Sprinkle on cinnamon & sugar mixture.  Or you can do like my family does and roll it on. We like them super flavorful, sweet and yummy.  (By the way...I typically use raw unbleached sugar which is why mine has a darker color and a more coarse texture.  You can use whatever style sugar you keep on hand.)

5.  Place them on a greased cookie sheet, cover them again with your non-stick coated plastic wrap and let them rise until they double in size.  This takes approximately 30-60 minutes depending on how warm the environment is.  And not to worry...if they don't rise they'll still taste yummy.  I'm not sure why yet...but it isn't often that I actually get my rolls to rise as they should.  This particular time would be one of those times.  They barely rose but left one of the better 'tombs' I've had in my rolls. 

6.  Don't forget to pre-heat your oven during the last 10 minutes of your rising step.  When they are ready to bake, place them in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

7.  When they are done baking, remove them from the pan and cool on a wire rack.  

8.  Enjoy them together.

"The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.  Come and see the place where he lay."
Matthew 28:5-6 

Res

Yumm-diddly-umptios Cinnamon Rolls

General Conference Cinnamon Rolls

A lady in Orem makes these for the Apostles every conference! Start the night before because the first part needs to refrigerate overnight then in the morning you make them into the rolls & put in dish to rise for about 2 hours. Baking is mere minutes.

2 pkg dry yeast
1/4 C warm water
2/3 C instant (dry) milk
1 3/4 C hot water
3/4 C melted butter or margarine
add
1/2 C sugar
2 t salt
(let mixture cool)
5 1/2 C flour (start with 2 then add the rest)
4 well beaten eggs

Layer ingredients: (I double the recipe on this part ’cause I like goop)
1/2 C melted butter
2 T cinnamon
6 T sugar

Frosting: (or sub cream cheese frosting, but this is the general conference version)
4 C powdered sugar
1/2 C soft butter
2 t vanilla & water

Put yeast in the 1/4 C warm water. Combine instant milk, the hot water and 3/4 C melted butter. Add sugar and salt; let mixture cool. Blend in 2 C flour then add yeast and eggs. Stir in rest of flour. Dough will be soft.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Turn 1/2 out on well floured surface (coat with flour to handle). Roll out into rectangle. Spread with the layer ingredients: first butter then sugar and finally cinnamon add raisins/nuts at this point if desired. Roll up and cut slices with clean dental floss (put floss underneath then criss-cross upwards to make a clean slice without squishing). Put in baking dish/pan.
Raise 1 1/2 – 2 hours.
Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes (watch that they don't burn).

Frost while warm.

Baked Spaghetti

 

This is such a delicious dish and certainly a family favorite.  Yumm!

It is convenient because Jeffrey's favorite food is spaghetti, and I get tired of having it the same way over and over and over.  This way, I get some variation, and he gets his spaghetti.  

*Note* I leave out the meat.  Of course.  :)

 

 

Baked Spaghetti 

 

1 onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 lb. ground beef

28 oz diced tomatoes (w/liquid)

2tsp. oregano

6 c. cheddar cheese, shredded (i never measure this, i just buy the big cheddar and mozarella bags of shredded cheese from costco and put on as much as i want, i like it really cheesey!)

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1/2 c. water

4 oz. can mushroom (w/liquid)

1 c. shredded parmesian (same as other cheese, i don't really measure)

1 can olives, crushed (i break them up with my fingers as i put them in)

12 oz spaghetti, cooked

 

Boil spaghetti, set aside with oil drizzled to keep from sticking, sautee onion, bell pepper, and meat, drain. add tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, and oregano, simmer uncovered 10 minutes. grease pan (needs to be bigger than the standard pyrex baking rectangular dish, it will overflow in that one. i bought a bigger one from my specialty section at the grocery store. it's red, so cute, harmon's do have harmon's?). add 1/2 pasta, top with 1/2 veggie/hamburger mix, 1/2 of cheddar cheese (or as much as you want!), and repeat the steps again (pasta, veg/ham, cheese). then mix two cans of cream of mush soup with 1/2 c water, pour over top, spread evenly. top with parmesian cheese. bake 350* 30-45 minutes.

And there you have it.  A huge scrumptious meal, easily prepared.

Whole Wheat Crescent Rolls

Jeffrey loves crescent rolls.  But since I am trying to swear off white flour, it seemed we couldn't have his favorite rolls anymore.  Today he was having a bad day, so I decided to try and make them for him.  Whole Wheat style.  Yum!

What you need:
2 cups warm water
2 Tbsp yeast
1/2 cup pure dehydrated cane sugar
1/2 cup powdered milk
1/2 cup olive oil
2 eggs
2 tsp salt
5-6 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup ground flax seed


What you do:
Combine water and yeast.  Let sit for ten minutes or until yeast has dissolved.  Add sugar milk oil eggs and salt.  Mix well.  Add flour.  I use six always, and it seems to be perfect.  Combine.  Cover in warm area for 45 minutes.  Punch dough down.  Cover and let sit another 45 minutes.  When 45 minutes are up, divide in half.  Roll out on a floured surface.  Spread more olive oil (or coconut oil) over the top.  Cover.  With a pizza cutter, cut into equal "slices."  Roll from the outside in making sure to tuck the end underneath when you set it on the lightly greased pan.  Bake at 400* for 10-15 minutes.  They are done when golden brown. 

So delicious, and so much better for you!  Enjoy!

Pink Sauced Beets

not my photo.  I got it here.

I always hated beets as a kid.  Basically because the only time I ever had beets was at Thanksgiving, and they were always pickled.  Blech.  I am very much not a fan of pickled beets.  The only thing that needs to be pickled are pickles.  End of story.

And then a month or two ago, my mother introduced me to non pickled beets.  I was surprised by the taste.  Yummy!  And so I went in search of some recipes for beets.  There really aren't many out there.  I was surprised.  And then my mother (the angel that she is) found this recipe for me.

What you need:

¼ cup sour cream

1 T vinegar

1 tsp finely chopped green onions

¾ tsp sugar

½ tsp salt

dash of cayenne

What you do:

combine above. Add to 2 ½ cups halved cooked beets drained. Heat slowly, stirring occasionally to coat beets evently. Do not boil. Serves 4-5.

Oh so good.  Try it!

Halloween Dinner

Graveyard Dip

Last night we had some friends come over for dinner and games.  Since it was so close to Halloween, I decided to spookify the meal.  So, I whipped up some of Jeffrey's bean dip.  I then made some of these crackers, but free handed the tree shape and tombstones.  I also used some Halloween cookie cutters for witches, bats, cats and pumpkin shapes to dip into the dip.  I chopped up some olives and salad to be dirt and fallen leaves.  The tomb stones didn't turn out very well in the photo but they looked pretty cool.

Mummy Pizza

I also used my pizza recipe but cut circles out of the dough with a cup, then used string cheese for the mummy wrap and olives for the eyes (obviously).

Pumpkin Fudge

Lastly, I used this recipe for the pumpkin fudge.  I am going to play with it the next time I make it.  It doesn't taste pumpkiny enough for my palate, though.  Still good but different.

What do you make for Halloween night?

Pumpkin Fudge

Last night I made some Pumpkin Fudge.  Delicious.  Absolutely delicious.  I got the recipe from one of my favorite blogs.  It is Be Different Act Normal.  She finds great ideas all across the web and compiles them onto her blog for my reading enjoyment.  I don't know if this is her own recipe or if she got it from another site, but either way, it is a definite must try.

What you need:

3 cups sugar
3/4 cup melted butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 (12-ounce) package white chocolate morsels
1 (7-ounce) jar marshmallow crème
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


What you do:

Stir together first 6 ingredients in a 3 1/2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, until a candy thermometer registers 234° (soft-ball stage) or for about 12 minutes.

Remove pan from heat; stir in remaining ingredients until well blended. Pour into a greased aluminum foil-lined 9-inch square pan. Let stand 2 hours or until completely cool; cut fudge into squares.

The next time I make it, I will absolutely be adding more pumpkin, though.  

Enjoy!