Jamie’s Recipes

Dinner rolls are not high on my priority list when I am cooking dinner, truth be told they are more likely an after thought. For example, after I set the food on the table I think to myself, hmm some dinner rolls or fresh bread would really round out this meal. Unfortunately if you do not have any of those “heat to serve” dinner rolls sitting around there is no way to enjoy them with your dinner that night. Like most yeast breads dinner rolls need (I really had to resist typing KNEAD –I love a good pun!) to be a forethought since you have to knead, then let double in size, then shape, then let double in size again, and finally you are able to bake them, all which take plenty of time.

Luckily for me and for you since I am sharing it, I found a recipe which allows you to have piping hot dinner rolls on your dinner table in about one hour from start to finish. This recipe is awesome because I just start it a little bit before I would normally start prepping for dinner. For me it was not a huge change in my cooking routine.

I found this recipe months ago from Holly at Phe/MOM/enon (congratulations on the new babe). She adapted a recipe from My Kitchen Cafe and posted about it in November and I marked it as a recipe that I wanted to try. This is a daily habit of mine. I sit down and read my Google Reader and star all the recipes I want to try some day. Currently I have hundreds of “want to try” recipes marked. I have maybe tried a handful (a small handful) of these recipes. It is such a shame. To fix this problem I have decided that a couple times a month I am actually going to try some of these recipes and share them with you. After all, I would like it if people would try my recipes instead of saying “that sounds good, I will have to try that some day” and some day never comes.

That being said, a recipe from the famous Ree at The Pioneer Woman was also starred. She had made some delicious Buttered Rosemary Rolls using frozen bread dough. Well Ree recently posted about these Rosemary Rolls again which jogged my memory and I knew I had to make them soon. First I tried Holly’s recipe a couple weeks ago only I substituted half of the AP flour for whole wheat flour. My family loved the dinner rolls, and I was happy how quickly they came together. They were so light and fluffy. Fast forward to this week, when we were going to have spaghetti for dinner and didn’t have any frozen garlic bread around. The solution was to combine Holly’s recipe with Ree’s recipe and throw in my own touch. My family really enjoyed the soft, subtly garlic herb dinner rolls with our spaghetti. The garlic flavor didn’t come through as much as I hoped it would, next time I make these I will try doubling the garlic amount or adding roasted garlic instead of minced.

PERFECT DINNER ROLLS
I first saw it at Phe/MOM/enon
1 1/2 cups warm water (11o degrees F)
1 T instant yeast
2 T granulated sugar
2 T vegetable oil (I used Olive Oil)
1 tsp sea salt (I used Kosher salt)
4 c AP flour, lightly spooned into measuring cup & leveled off

HERE ARE HOLLY’S INSTRUCTIONS:

In your mixing bowl stir together water, yeast, and sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes until creamy.

Add oil, salt, and 2 cups of flour to the yeast mixture. Beat on low speed with the paddle attachment. While still on low speed add 1 additional cup of flour stir until incorporated. Switch to dough hook and add the final cup of flour. Mix until dough pulls away from the bowl, then turn speed up to medium and knead for 5 minutes –or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn dough to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and set in warm place until dough doubles in size –about 20-30 minutes.

Dump dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently deflate and press dough into a rectangle. Cut dough in half vertically, then vertically again into thirds so there are 6 equal strips of dough. Cut each strip into fourths so there are 24 equal pieces of dough. Pick up each piece and lightly cup it under your palm on a clean surface. Press lightly and rotate and roll the dough quickly so it forms a ball. If you’re really good you can do one with each hand, thus speeding up the process.

Place each dough ball into a greased 9×13 baking pan in rows of 4 (about 1/2 inch apart). Cover the rolls with a lightly greased piece of plastic wrap and let double in size while the oven is preheating to 400 degrees F –about 20 minutes. Brush rolls with melted butter before placing in the oven for a nice golden brown color. Bake for 15 minutes.

HERE IS WHAT I DID:
Since I do not have a dough hook for my mixer, I used my bread machine on the dough setting.

In addition to Holly’s ingredient list I added in 1 T minced garlic. Next time I would add more. The garlic flavor wasn’t as strong as I hoped.

Place all ingredients in your bread machine in the order your machine recommends. Turn the machine on the dough setting, but do not walk away. Allow the dough to knead for about 5 minutes after all the ingredients are incorporated. Once the dough is smooth place the dough ball in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a towel, and put in a warm area until the dough doubles in size –about 20-30 minutes.

Once the dough has doubled in size, dump it out onto a lightly floured surface and gently deflate while carefully pressing into a rectangle.  I followed the instructions from Holly’s recipe for shaping the rolls. Cut dough in half vertically, then vertically again into thirds so there are 6 equal strips of dough. Cut each strip into fourths so there are 24 equal pieces of dough. Pick up each piece and lightly cup it under your palm on a clean surface. Press lightly and rotate and roll the dough quickly so it forms a ball. If you’re really good you can do one with each hand, thus speeding up the process.

Like the Pioneer Woman’s recipe I greased my cast iron skillet with melted butter and placed six rolls in the pan (the other rolls I baked on a regular baking sheet) cover them with a dish towel and let rise for about 20-30 more minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

While the rolls are rising gather:

2T butter, melted
1-2 tsp dried rosemary
1-2 tsp dried oregano
1-2 tsp dried basil
generous pinch of Kosher salt

Mix together the herbs and salt. Paint the melted butter on each roll. Sprinkle a generous pinch of the herb and salt mixture over every roll.

Bake rolls for about 15 minutes until nice and golden brown. Enjoy!

*Sorry for the funky coloring in my pictures. It was dark outside by the time I finished baking, and I don’t have any of that fancy photo editing software.

I hope the new year has been good to you thus far, I can’t believe we are already 1 1/2 months into 2010. Did you make any diet related resolutions this year? Are you still sticking to your resolutions? If so, good for you. You may want to bookmark this recipe for when you a) break your resolutions or b) if you need something to eat on your “free” day. Please don’t run away –this soup isn’t diet food but it is an absolutely delicious creamy soup that is comforting on a frigid night.

My brother-in-law (who works in a restaurant kitchen) probably loves food as much as I do. He made me this soup for lunch a couple weeks ago. It was wonderful. He boiled the potatoes in chicken stock, and once they were tender he added rest of his ingredients. Brilliant! I can’t believe I never thought about boiling cubed potatoes in chicken stock and using that starchy boiled stock in the soup. This is truly a one pot meal. You can make a lot or a little in a short amount of time. This soup is great for those “it is so cold to do anything” type of days, and this winter we have had plenty of those.

POTATO & HAM CHOWDER

4 c chicken stock
4 medium-large Russet potatoes, peeled & cubed
1 yellow onion, minced (could use leek)
2 cloves garlic, minced
bay leaf
1-2 c ham, cubed (could use bacon)
1 c whipping cream
1 can(fat free) evaporated milk
5 slices of American cheese
salt & pepper
garnish with sliced scallions

In a large pot add potatoes, onion, garlic, and bay leaf. Bring to boil and simmer until potatoes are fork tender. Add ham, cream, milk, and cheese. Stirring until cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper. ENJOY!

On store shelves today you will find so many convenience foods. Jarred spaghetti sauce, canned refried beans, chicken stock in a box, and so on. Now I will admit, I do buy these convenience foods. They make cooking dinner, well, convenient. Convenience is nice but there is something special about making things from scratch. I have made my own spaghetti sauce before (if you follow the link you will see a goofy picture of me when I was about 13), I love making my own “unfried” beans, and in the past I have given half-hearted attempts at making chicken stock.

This time I wanted to do it right. I wanted to make a beautiful golden colored chicken stock. Doing it right to me meant that I would roast a whole chicken, clean the chicken off the bone, and toss the bones in a large pot with all the aromatics and let it do its magic. I am happy to say that I succeeded.

Somewhere a long time ago, possibly on an old episode of The Splendid Table Lynn said the secret to a golden colored chicken stock was tossing in the onions with their peels still on. I am not sure where I heard it for certain but I am glad I did because my stock turned out a beautiful golden color.

CHICKEN STOCK
makes about 2 quarts
1 roasted chicken carcass
1 onion, quartered –peels still attached
4 celery stalks
3 carrots, unpeeled *I used handful of baby carrots
2 garlic cloves sliced
1 bay leaf
a pinch or two of dried rosemary and thyme
3 quarts water

Toss all ingredients into a large pot and bring to boil. Once boiling place lid tightly on the pot and turn burner down so the pot is simmering for 1 1/2 hours. Check the liquid level a couple times during the duration to make sure there is plenty of water in the pot. If you think the liquid level is getting low you can add some more water. After 1 1/2 hours remove the lid, turn the heat back up and boil for 20-30 minutes. Some of the liquid will boil off, which allows the flavors in the stock to concentrate. Add salt & pepper if needed.

Using a fine mesh strainer pour the finished stock into jars. Refrigerate until cooled. A band of fat will form on the top of the stock. You can remove this before using if you’d like. Since this is fresh stock I would use with in a couple days. Or you can freeze it. I recommend pouring stock into ice cube trays, once frozen place stock cubes in a freezer bag. Pull out as many as you need to add flavor to your favorite dishes. Enjoy!

Does your special someone have a gluten allergy? Are they unable to enjoy tasty Valentine’s Day treats because of this allergy? Don’t leave them out this Valentine’s Day, make them some gluten free red velvet cupcakes.

The first time I tried this recipe was last year for Valentine’s Day, and it was my first attempt at making anything gluten free before. We invited friends over (who also have young children) for a Valentine’s dinner party. Being Valentine’s day and all I knew I wanted to make a dessert. I found the recipe on Gluten Free Cooking School’s website.

This year instead of making a whole cake I made little heart shaped cupcakes for my husband to bring to work. I am assuming everyone liked them, because the cake pan came back empty.

You could make this in two round cake pans, and have yourself a beautiful red velvet layer cake. I however, chose to make mine into heart shaped cupcakes. My mom bought me some silicone heart shaped cupcake molds and I was excited to use them for the first time. Needless to say, some of the cupcakes got stuck in the mold. Looks like I am not the only one that has had an unfortunate experience with silicone cupcake molds. There is a whole discussion at The Kitchn about baking with silicone molds –they actually made red velvet cake in theirs too. Maybe it is the cake and not the mold?

GLUTEN FREE RED VELVET (CUP)CAKES
from Gluten Free Cooking School

1 3/4 c. canola oil
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs, beaten (room temp)
1 c. brown rice flour
3/4 c. sorghum flour
3/4 c. tapioca starch
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. buttermilk (or 1 Tbsp cider vinegar and 1 c. milk substitute)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 oz. red food coloring (this is one of the McCormick’s bottles) *I used just enough to give the batter a reddish color. Less than 1/4 of the bottle.
1 Tbsp. cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream together oil and sugar. Add one egg making sure it is completely mixed in before adding the other egg.

Sift together all the dry ingredients (leaving out the cocoa powder) in a separate bowl. Add the flour mixture to the oil, sugar, and egg mixture in FOUR parts. Alternating the flour and buttermilk. Make sure the last one added is the flour mixture.

Make a paste out of the vanilla, red food coloring, and cocoa powder, and stir into the batter.

Pour batter into two greased and floured (GLUTEN FREE) round cake pans OR fill cupcake molds 2/3 the way full.  Bake for 25 minutes for the cake pans OR about 18 minutes (turning pans about half way through) for the cupcakes. Test the cakes and/or cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness.

Allow cakes to cool completely before frosting.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, room temperature
2-3 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 c chopped nuts

In mixing bowl beat together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Add the sugar while mixing on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and beat until light and fluffy.

You can stir in the chopped nuts or sprinkle the nuts on top of the frosted cupcakes. ENJOY!

OTHER RED VELVET (not gluten free) CREATIONS:
Red Velvet Cupcakes from Rue le Sel
Red Velvet Macaroons from delectable deliciousness
Red Velvet Bundt from Recipe Girl

Goldilocks & Red Riding Hood

It has been awhile since I have shared a sewing post. For Christmas this year I sewed some storybook friends for two of my nieces. I used the pattern for the Black Apple Doll from Martha Stewert’s site. You can download a template here.

The arms using the enlarged template seemed to be too skinny which made them difficult to turn. The dolls I made ended up being bigger than the template. I also wanted my dolls to have the appearance of longer hair, so I cut out two smaller pieces of hair from the felt. I didn’t have any fabric paint, so instead I cut the eye out of felt and hand sewed them on and hand stitched the mouths.

I gave these dolls to my nieces along with the appropriate book featuring the doll (Goldilocks and The Three Bears & Red Riding Hood).  These dolls are truly easy to make. The most difficult part for me was trying to sandwich the stuffed legs and arms in between the body front and body back and sewing it on my machine. If you have some sewing experience you probably can sew one doll from start to finish in a little over an hour.

Have fun sewing!

The holidays tend to be a time overflowing with traditions. May that be a specific meal or dessert your family serves or a specific place your family always gathers. For my husband’s family homemade noodles with chicken over boiled potatoes on Christmas Eve at his mom and dad’s is a tradition we all look forward to. My mother-in-law makes the most delicious homemade noodles with chicken. While sitting at the table on Christmas Eve, I realized I had never attempted this dish before. After my husband made a comment about how it was too bad that we only eat this meal once a year, I knew I had to try to make it at home.

The temperature here in Omaha has been several degrees below zero for what seems like the past month, with last week finally giving us a must needed reprieve with temperatures near the freezing mark. With all this cold weather I figured no time like the present to try to make this dish. After shoveling snow (and giving myself a fat lip with the shovel handle) I knew that homemade noodles with chicken would be the perfect meal to warm me up.

I am warning you that this isn’t an impulse dish. After the noodles are rolled and cut, they need to dry for two hours, so plan accordingly. I have made homemade egg noodles in the past, using my Great Grandma Dorothy’s recipe. When making the noodles this time I had forgot all about her recipe and used one from an old cookbook (which I will post about later since after googling it I learned it is worth more than the $4 I paid for it at the antique store).

My mother-in-law makes her homemade noodles with chicken using chicken broth to add moisture. I used boneless/skinless chicken breasts, which I thought were slightly dry. I thought the noodles and chicken needed something a little more substantial than broth to bring it together; so I mixed up a little chicken gravy and added it to the dish. It brought it together nicely. This dish was very warm and comforting on cold Nebraska night.

HOMEMADE NOODLES WITH CHICKEN
noodle recipe from Mary Margaret McBride’s Encyclopedia of Cooking

2 c sifted enriched flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 or 3 teaspoons cold water (I had to add a little more water)

Sift flour with salt into mixing bowl or onto a board (I mixed it together on my counter top). Make a “well” in the center.

Drop in eggs and combine with a fork, adding spoonfuls of water as necessary to form a ball of dough that is compact but not hard.

Knead dough until as smooth and elastic as possible, about 5 minutes.

Roll out on a lightly floured board (I just floured my counter top). Use the rolling pin from the outer edges toward the center, turning the board as necessary for easier rolling.

When the dough is rolled evenly thin, let stand 20 minutes in order to dry so that it will not stick together when rolled up.

Roll up lightly and use a very sharp knife to slice 1/8 inch thick, or 1/4 inch thick for broader noodles.

Toss the noddles lightly to separate them and spread on lightly floured surface. Let dry thoroughly at room temperature, about 2 hours, then store in covered jars. (I used  my noodles immediately)

TO COOK THE NOODLES:
Drop by handfuls into boiling soup or boiling, salted water (I used chicken stock) for 10 minutes. Strain, reserving 2 c chicken stock.

FOR THE CHICKEN:
I used three boneless/skinless chicken breasts which I poached* for about 10 minutes. Using two forks I shredded the chicken.

* Put chicken into pot, add enough water to cover chicken. Bring chicken up to boil. Once boiling put lid on pot, take off heat. Let sit 7-10 minutes before removing the chicken.

FOR THE GRAVY:
2 T butter
2 T flour
2 c chicken stock

Melt butter in pan over medium-high heat. Stir in flour and cook for a couple minutes. Slowly whisk in the chicken stock. Simmer until gravy thickens.

Combine shredded chicken and noodles. Pour a little gravy over and toss to combine. You want just enough gravy to coat the noodles and chicken.  Serve as is or with boiled potatoes. (I used boiled purple potatoes) Season with salt & pepper.

The new year is coming fast, we are just days away from 2010. Can you believe that? I am sure everyone has satisfied their sweet tooth with all the delicious Christmas candy, sweets, and treats (I know I have). I had a couple more Christmas candy recipes I wanted to share with you, but instead my computer charger decided to fizzle out on me. My battery died moments after posting my chocolate covered toffee recipe and it was a long ten days before a new charger arrived. My battery is now fully charged, but I figured my readers did not want to hear about chocolate-covered-this and peanut-butter-smeared-that. I will spare you the sweets and save it for next Christmas.

Many of you may have plans to attend or host a New Year’s Eve party or a New Year’s Day brunch. Here are some recipes from my archives that may inspire you. I hope you all have a happy and healthy 2010. Thank you for reading, I enjoy your comments and feedback so keep it coming.

See you in twenty-ten!

Jamie

NEW YEAR’S EVE IDEAS:

Boneless Chicken Wings

Olive Penguins

Date and Cheddar Cheeseball

Homemade Irish Cream

NEW YEAR’S DAY BRUNCH IDEAS:

The Best Cinnamon Rolls Ever

Gluten Free Sticky Rolls

Marbled Chocolate Banana Cake

Breakfast Cups

Egg Bake or Breakfast Casserole

This recipe is a first for me, it is the first time I was successful making candy. The last time I tried boiling sugar I burned it. I burned it badly. I actually had to throw away the pot because the sugar had scorched the bottom. This time around I did not leave the room, I did not quit stirring, and I actually used a thermometer which my eyes never left. As soon as the temperature reached 300 degrees F, I turned off the burner and removed the pot promptly.  Heath Bars are one of my favorite candy bars, and I really wanted to succeed in making them at home. I may have actually danced with joy when I sampled these. Delicious chocolate and buttery toffee meet, and it is love.

Have faith dear reader, you can make these yourself. You need to be patient and keep a watchful eye on the candy thermometer. Some people (more experienced than I) can do this without the trusty thermometer. If that is you congratulations. The sugar mixture will turn a lovely caramely brown when it is done. Or if you are like me and prone to burning sugar when you try to do it by “eyeing it” it is done when the thermometer reaches 300 degrees F.

These toffee bars should be added to your holiday treat platter. Make them for your family, make them for your friends, make them for your neighbors, and snitch some for yourself. Wrap them up in pretty paper and give them as gifts.

CHOCOLATE COVERED TOFFEE “HEATH BARS”
1 c butter
1 c sugar
1/3 c brown sugar
2 T water
1/2 c chopped pecans
2 c chocolate chips

Line a jelly roll pan with foil. Lightly grease the foil, and set aside. Melt butter, sugars, and water in a heavy sauce pan over a medium high heat. Using your candy thermometer monitor the sugar temperature. Stir constantly until it becomes a carmely brown color and the temperature reaches 300 degrees F, turn off burner and remove pan, stir in pecans (I forgot this step so I sprinkled them on top once they were covered in chocolate). Pour sugar mixture onto jelly roll pan and spread out. Wait a couple minutes as the sugar cools and the toffee begins to set.

Using a pizza cutter slice toffee into desired size. Let cool completely. (As you can see in the top left corner my daughters and I had to sample the plain toffee. It was amazing )

Once toffee is completely cooled and hard, gently break apart into individual pieces. Put chocolate into a double broiler and melt gently. Drop one piece of toffee in at a time, cover completley with chocolate, shaking excess off, and place onto parchment paper to cool completely and have the chocolate set.

If you want to sprinkle with chopped nuts do so before the chocolate cools. ENJOY!

Becoming a food blogger has caused my children to want to pose with the food. They are some silly girls!

It has been awhile since I have posted a new recipe. I have still been busy in the kitchen and have a few new recipes to share with you later this week. Today I wanted to share with you some of my seasonal favorites.

HOMEMADE “BAILEY’S” IRISH CREAM

I made this for the first time in the spring. It was deliciously creamy and would make a wonderful addition to your holiday party.

LOW FAT PUMPKIN BARS

If you aren’t all pumpkind out from Thanksgiving, give these delicious pumpkin bars a try. The cream cheese is swirled into the bar instead of smeered on top. They clock in at just under 70 calories per bar. Not too shabby, concidering all the high sugar and fat filled treats that are tempting us on every holiday table. *I am pretty sure these bars would taste wonderful with the Irish Cream.

APPLE PIE TWO WAYS:

APPLE PIE WITH STRUDLE TOPPING

The studle is made of oats, flour, and sugar. I personally love oats and apples together.

APPLE BRIE PIE

This pie is the first time I made a double crust pie from scratch. I hadn’t realized how easy it was before. The combination of brie and the spiced apples is one of my newest favorite flavor combos. Don’t be afraid, give it a try!

OATMEAL CRANBERRY COOKIES

For me cranberries are a favorite this time of year. These cookies are also lower in calories than your typical Christmas cookie. If you aren’t concerned about calories (lucky you!) you could toss in some white chocolate chips to take them to another level.

EGG BAKE/BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

I love brunch! I think it is a perfect meal/menu for family get togethers or an office party. Eggs are so forgiving, if meat isn’t your thing you can toss in roasted vegetables and this dish is still delectable. This strata/casserole is wonderful hot out of the oven but if you need something to bring to your office potluck it is still delicious served at room temperature.

I hope you enjoy some of my favorite seasonal recipes. Happy eating!

If you are a self proclaimed (or otherwise proclaimed) foodie from the Omaha area, head over to Gastronomic Fight Club to place your vote for the Best-ter-est of Omaha Restaurants.  We all have an opinion about the food we eat when we eat away from our kitchens, now is the time to share that opinion. Hurry, you only have until the end of the month.

Here are the results from last year.

Happy Eating!