Mom's Cinnamon Rolls...

I make the dough from my mother's recipe for bread.  It makes two loaves of bread or a big pan of cinnamon rolls.  

Ingredients for dough and filling:
2 cups warm water (warm, not hot)
1 packet yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (approximately)

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sour cream

1 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons of cinnamon

Ingredients for icing:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
     (cream cheese is optional, if omitted, use a little more milk instead)
1/4 cup of butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon of milk (or more as desired)

For the dough:
In a small bowl, place about 1/2 cup of the warm water, 1 teaspoon of the sugar, and the packet of yeast.  Let sit for about 10 minutes to activate...it will begin foaming a little.

In a large bowl combine salt, remaining sugar, remaining water, vegetable oil, and the yeast mixture.  Gradually add in about 4 cups of the flour, mixing with your hand between additions, scraping the sides of bowl to incorporate all the flour.  If the dough is too loose and sticky, gradually add in a little more flour at a time until it is smooth and pliable.  Lightly flour your counter top, and turn the dough out onto the floured surface.  Flour your hands, and knead for about 3 to 5 minutes, adding in a little more flour if needed until it feels rather light and smooth and not sticky.  Butter a glass bowl, and put the dough in it, turning the ball of dough to let a little butter coat its surface.  Cover the bowl with a tea towel, and set it in a warm part of the kitchen.

While the dough is rising, stir together well brown sugar and cinnamon and set aside.

After about 30 minutes, the dough should be approximately double in size.  Punch down the risen dough, and turn it out onto a floured counter. Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough out to about a 12" x 18" rectangle.  

Spread dough with 1/4 cup of soft butter, then spread with about 1/4 cup sour cream.  Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over the entire rectangle of dough, and starting on the long side, roll it as evenly as possible until it is rolled and seam side down.  

Lightly grease a pastry scraper or chef's knife and cut the roll into 1" slices.  Place the spirals onto a large buttered baking pan, leaving a little room between the spirals.  Top with plastic wrap sprayed lightly with cooking spray so the dough won't stick to the plastic.  Let rise for about 40 minutes.  

Preheat oven to 325.  Remove the plastic from the rolls, and bake for about 20 minutes, turning the pan after about 12 minutes so they bake evenly.  They should be just lightly browned.  

For the icing, mix together the softened cream cheese, butter and vanilla.  Add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.  If you want to thin it slightly, you can add a Tablespoon of milk at a time until it is the consistency you desire.  Spread it evenly over the cinnamon rolls while still warm.

Slow Cooker Dublin Coddle...

I've blogged before about Dublin Coddle.  My friend LB reminded me that it needed trying in the slow cooker.  It turned out SO delicious and was so much easier since I didn't bother with the layering and oven-cooking steps.

Part of what makes it so easy is my Ninja Slow Cooker.  (not a sponsored recommendation, I just LOVE my Ninja.)  It has stove-top settings, which makes browning of meat in its non-stick liner so convenient, and no extra pan to wash.  I just sliced the sausage and bacon and put it in the liner and set on 'high' stove-top setting.

While the meat started cooking, I chopped the onions and sliced the potatoes.  Carey had picked up baby carrots instead of whole carrots, so I used those straight from the package.

As soon as the vegetables were prepped, I stirred them into the liner with the bacon and sausage.  The bacon and sausage weren't fully cooked yet, but that was okay since it was going to slow cook for four more hours.  

I poured a can of Campbell's Condensed French Onion Soup over the top.  Then I almost filled the empty soup can with water and poured that over the top too, twice (or about 2 cups of water).  I pushed the potatoes down into the liquid as much as possible.  The soup is salty enough that I don't even add additional salt...maybe just some ground black pepper if I think of it.

Then I added as much torn kale (with large stems removed) as I could fit into the room that was left at the top of the pot to steam.  I put the lid on, and switch from stove-top setting to the 'high - 4 hour' slow cook setting.  When it's done, I stir the kale into the rest of the ingredients before serving.

It is SO good, and it is everybody's favorite...much more flavorful than it is photogenic.  Jared said he could eat it every day, so I make it often, as I almost always have everything on hand.  And now it's even easier in the slow cooker!

Ingredients:

1 pound smoked link sausage, sliced

1/2 pound thick sliced bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 onion, roughly chopped

5 to 6 potatoes, washed and sliced (I leave peel on)

3 carrots, washed and sliced (I leave peel on) or baby carrots

2 to 3 cups tightly packed torn kale, 

      washed and large stems removed

1 can Campbell's Condensed French Onion soup

2 cups water

Directions:

Cook the sausage and bacon a bit.  In the slow cooker liner mix the onion, potatoes, and carrots to the meats and toss.  Pour soup and water over top.  Top with kale.  Cover and cook for 4 hours on high slow cooker setting.  Stir the kale into the rest of the ingredients before serving.

Dublin Coddle with Kale...

Ingredients:

1 pound smoked sausage

1/2 pound thick sliced bacon

3 cups beef broth 
   (* or 1 can condensed French Onion Soup plus 1 1/2 cans water) 

6 potatoes

3 large carrots (In photo above I didn't have whole carrots and used matchstick instead.)

2 onions

1 bag of kale
salt and pepper

Directions:

Slice the sausage and chop the bacon.  Place in a pan and add 3 cups beef broth.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Scrub the potatoes and carrots well (or peel if you prefer) and slice 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.    Thinly slice 2 onions.  Wash the kale, discarding large stems, and chop roughly.

Preheat oven to 425° F.  Spray a large casserole with cooking spray, or coat bottom and sides with olive oil.  

Layer:

1/3 of potato slices in the bottom

1/3 of the sliced onions

1/3 of the carrots (in photo above I used matchstick carrots instead of sliced)

1/3 of the kale

1/3 of the sausage and bacon
a sprinkle of salt and pepper

Repeat layers twice more, then pour the hot broth over all.  Cover with a lid or foil, and bake for 40 minutes.

Remove lid.  If it looks too dry add 1/2 cup of water.  Leave uncovered and bake for 20 more minutes or until potatoes and carrots are tender.

My notes:  *The second time I made this (3/16/2017) was for an early St. Patrick's Day supper.  I didn't have any beef broth, but I did have a can of Campbell's Condensed French Onion Soup that had been languishing in the cupboard for a long time.  I don't remember when or why I bought it...probably should have checked the use-by date.  :)  I used it (plus 1 and 1/2 cans of water) in place of the 3 cups of beef broth.  The coddle tasted even better than I remember it tasting the first time.  Yum!

Haluski with Sausage...

Ingredients:
wide noodles
1/2 to 1 lb sausage
1 onion (roughly chopped)
1 head cabbage (roughly chopped)
1 Tablespoon butter
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon carraway seeds (optional)
salt and course-ground pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat water to cook the noodles in, and heat a large skillet over medium high heat.  

Place the noodles into the boiling water.  

Brown the sausage in the skillet, stirring occasionally.  Add the tablespoon of butter.  Add the onion and let cook a bit, then add the cabbage and caraway seeds to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally.  I like to let the cabbage caramelize a little.  Add the cooked noodles to the skillet and toss to combine.  Salt and pepper to taste.

My notes:  I used link sausage, so I sliced the links in half lengthwise and then sliced the halves into bite-size pieces.  When adding the cabbage to the pan, you may need to add part and let it cook down a bit before adding the rest.

Roast with Drop Dumplings...

Roast (with horseradish), Dumplings, Green Beans

Ingredients:

2 to 3 pound boneless roast

1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup mix

1 cup water

1 to 2 envelopes of brown gravy mix

water as called for on gravy mix pkg

Ingredients for dumplings:

2 c all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

4 Tablespoons snipped parsley (opt)

2 beaten egg

½  cup milk

4 Tablespoons cooking oil

Directions:
Sear roast on all sides.  Place in slow cooker.  Sprinkle the Lipton Onion Soup over. the roast.  Add water to slow cooker.  Cook on Low for 8 hours, or High for 4 hours.  (Roast can also be roasted in oven, covered and tightly sealed, at 300 for two to three hours.

When done, remove roast to platter.

Place pan drippings from slow cooker or roaster into a large saucepan (or if you have a slow cooker with stove top setting capabilities leave in slow cooker insert).  Add envelope(s) of brown gravy and water, and whisk until smooth.  Cover and heat to simmer over medium low heat while you make dumpling dough.

Directions for Dumplings:  Combine flour, baking  powder, and salt; stir in parsley.  Combine egg, milk, and oil.  Add to flour mixture, stirring with a fork only till combined.  Drop dough by the tablespoon into simmering roast gravy.  Cover tightly.  Reduce heat, do not lift cover.  Simmer 12 to 15 minutes.   Serve.

These are 'drop' dumplings, not the rolled variety.  I'm not a fan of the rolled variety, too heavy for my liking.  I took the photo below of a dumpling I cut in half to show you how it is cooked and fluffy all the way through.

 I have never had this dumpling recipe fail...dumplings turn out light and fluffy every time.

5/30/17: Slightly alternate version.  Before work I seared roast in my Ninja slow cooker.  Added a bag of baby carrots, and 1 can of Campbell's condensed French onion soup, plus 1/4 to 1/2 cup water and cooked on low for about 11 hours.   After cooking time, I removed roast and added another can of Campbell's condensed French onion soup, and a soup can of water.  I switched from 'low' slow-cooker setting to 'medium' stove-top setting to bring liquid in pot to a low boil while I made dumpling dough.  I dropped dumplings into the broth, covered with lid, and let simmer for 15 minutes.  

Salisbury Steak...

Ingredients:
2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup
1 envelope dry Lipton Onion Soup mix
3 Tablespoons A1 Steak Sauce
2 Tablespoons onion flakes
1 cup beef broth

1 sleeve of Ritz or Club crackers, crushed
2 eggs
2 pounds very lean ground beef
pepper to taste 
(I did not add additional salt as the crackers and gravy ingredients have quite a bit of salt included.  It can be added later if you think it needs more.

1 to 1 1/2 cup additional beef broth

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl stir together first five ingredients...this is the gravy mixture.  Set aside.

In a large bowl crush the crackers.  Add the eggs, ground beef, pepper, and a cup of the gravy mixture from the small bowl.  Mix well, and form into patties.  Brown patties in a non-stick skillet; this may have to be done in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.

Place the browned meat patties in a casserole dish.  Pour the gravy mixture into the non-stick skillet and stir in the additional beef broth.  When the gravy is smooth and heated through, pour it over the meat patties in the casserole dish.  

Bake for 45 minutes.  Serve with mashed potatoes and a vegetable.

Macaroni and Cheese Deluxe...

Crispy and brown on top...

...rich and creamy inside.

Ingredients:

1 8oz pkg elbow macaroni

2 cups cream style cottage cheese (small curd)

1 cup sour cream

1 egg (beaten)

1 tsp salt

Dash of cracked black pepper

¾ cup Velveeta grated or cut in smallish cubes

1 ½  cups shredded cheddar cheese (divide: 1 cup and reserve ½ cup for top)

Directions:

Cook macaroni as directed on package.  While it is cooking place all remaining ingredients in a large bowl (but reserve ½ cup of the shredded cheddar for top), and stir just till blended.  Drain the macaroni and then stir it into other ingredients.  Turn all into a greased casserole.  Top with remaining ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese, and bake at 350° F for 45 min.

This is a recipe my mother used to make.  I've been making it for as long as I can remember, and it is a family favorite. 

Yellow Squash Casserole...

I didn't get a good photo, so will replace next time I make this.

Ingredients:

1 lb squash (or more, can use fresh or frozen)

1/2 c chopped onion

2 Tblsp bacon drippings or butter

1 pkg Martha White Mexican Style Cornbread mix

2 eggs, beaten

salt and pepper

1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese

Cook squash and onion in saucepan with water till tender...have at least 1 cup liquid in squash. Mix in drippings or butter, cornbread mix, eggs, salt and pepper. Mix about half the cheese in with casserole ingredients.  Pour into a greased casserold dish, and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 till brown.

My note:  This tastes so much better than my photo above would lead you to believe.  It's similar to the squash casserole that is often found on home-cooking type restaurant menus.  

Chicken á la King Pot Pie...

Ingredients

1 Rotisserie Chicken, boned
   (or 3 boneless/skinless chicken breasts cooked and cut up)

1 Tbsp butter

1 small onion, diced

1 can condensed Cream of Chicken soup

½ c mayonnaise

½ c sour cream

1 c milk

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground pepper

1 bag frozen mixed vegetables (carrot, corn, peas, green beans)

1 bag frozen broccoli florets

1 small jar diced pimientos

1 tube refrigerator biscuits

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In pan on stove top, melt butter.  Add onion and saute until translucent, stirring occasionally.  

To the onions in pan, add soup, mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, salt and pepper.  Stir to mix the sauce ingredients.  

Add the boned chicken, frozen mixed vegetables, broccoli florets, and pimientos, and stir to combine.  Simmer for about 15 minutes till warmed through.  (Vegetables may still be undercooked, but they will finish in the oven.) 

Place in greased casserole and arrange refrigerator biscuits on top.  Place in oven for 20 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.

My notes:  Could be made lighter by using olive oil instead of butter, and low-fat mayonnaise and sour cream.

Waffles...

When I do waffles, I want quick and easy.  None of that business of separating the egg yolks from the whites for me.  And beating the whites to fold into the batter?  No.  Just no.

I'm not sure where I found this recipe.  When I googled the name, there was a ton of sites that came up, all with similar (if not identical) recipes.

Oh Boy!  Waffles

2 1/4 c. sifted all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar

3/4 teaspoons salt

2 beaten eggs

2 1/4 cup milk

3/4 cup vegetable oil

Preheat waffle iron.  Stir together dry ingredients. Combine eggs, milk, and oil, and add to dry ingredients just before baking, stirring only until moistened and fully incorporated.  Batter will be thin. (Lumps are okay).  Spray waffle iron with cooking spray.  Bake in preheated waffle iron.

Makes 8 to10 waffles (or six on my iron)

Let me emphasize: SPRAY WAFFLE IRON WITH COOKING SPRAY.  I was out of spray once, and tried brushing vegetable oil on the waffle iron instead.  There was a huge mess, followed by massive and frustrating clean up.  There were tears involved.  Oi!

Chicken and Dumplings

This is my favorite recipe for Chicken and Dumplings from my

Betty Crocker cookbook (red and white gingham cover)

STEWING THE CHICKEN

In a large pot, stew either one whole chicken or separate pieces of chicken with one onion, several carrots, several ribs of celery, a bay leaf or two, salt, pepper, and enough water to cover all.  Cook until done.

After stewing the chicken, remove it from the bone.  Strain and save broth.  Discard the vegetables, and return broth to the pot.  Add meat back to broth, and bring back to a low boil.

FOR DUMPLINGS:

2 c all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

4 Tablespoons snipped parsley (opt)

2 beaten egg

½  cup milk

4 Tablespoons cooking oil

Combine flour, baking  powder, and salt; stir in parsley.  Combine egg, milk, and oil.  Add to flour mixture, stirring with a fork only till combined.  Drop dough by the tablespoon directly onto chicken in bubbly broth.  Return to boiling.  Cover tightly.  Reduce heat, do not lift cover.  Simmer 12 to 15 minutes.   If  broth needs thickening, mix 2 heaping Tablespoons of flour into 1 cup of milk; stir carefully into pot so as not to break dumplings, and simmer for a few minutes with lid off.  Serve.

My notes: This can easily be doubled or tripled if you have a big enough pot!

These are 'drop' dumplings, not the rolled variety.  I'm not a fan of the rolled variety, too heavy for my liking.  I took the photo below of a dumpling I cut in half to show you how it is cooked and fluffy all the way through.

I have never had this dumpling recipe fail...dumplings turn out light and fluffy every time.

Shrimp Gumbo...

I'm really, really trying to cook things on the weekend that can either make two meals, freezing one for another meal later, or at least that will make a couple of lunches to take to work.

Tonight I made Shrimp Gumbo.  It's not a traditional gumbo made from roux, but it is really fabulous.  It even gets compliments from lovers of authentic Cajun gumbo.  It's become our Christmas Eve dinner tradition, but we didn't have it this year, and I've been craving it.

Ingredients:

4 slices bacon, cut into about 1 inch lengths

1/2 cup ham, diced (optional)

1 cup diced onion

1 cup diced celery

1/2 cup diced green pepper

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon pepper

3 cups hot water

2 15oz cans of diced tomatoes

6 to 8 drops hot sauce

2 cups sliced fresh okra

2 pounds shrimp, shelled and deveined

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup corn meal

salt and pepper

In a large pot, fry the bacon (and ham if using).  Before bacon gets crispy, add onions, celery, and green peppers.  Stir.  Saute till vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.  

Add water, tomatoes, seasonings, hot sauce and a dash of Lea & Perrin's Worcestershire.  Stir.  Cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

Mix cornmeal with a little salt and pepper, and dredge the okra.  (OR just buy a bag of breaded okra ready to fry like I do.)  Heat oil in a frying pan, and fry the breaded okra until brown.  Set aside on a plate lined with paper towels.

Now, ideally I would use fresh shrimp, but tonight I was trying to use up what I had on hand, and I had frozen cooked salad shrimp.  Pour the flour over shrimp, and stir to coat.  

After the vegetables have been cooking for their 15 to 20 minutes, add the fried okra to the pot.  And by hand, add the shrimp, leaving any extra flour (not sticking to the shrimp) in the bowl.

Cook for an additional 15 minutes.  (During which time you can cook some rice.)  At the end of the cooking time, the gumbo should be adequately thickened from the cornmeal and flour (from the okra and shrimp), but if it needs further thickening, use a little more flour.

Serve over rice.

YUM!

Turkey Pot Pie

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen sliced carrots

1 cup frozen broccoli florets

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup frozen petite peas

2 medium sized potatoes, diced fairly small

1 1/2 cups leftover turkey

1 1/2 cups leftover turkey gravy

1 can cream of mushroom soup

my favorite pie crust (this pie crust is assembled, mixed by hand, and patted out all in one dish).  To double for a casserole dish, use *3 cups flour, 1 scant cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup water, and a pinch of salt.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place diced potatoes in a large sauce pan and cover with water (make sure water level is about 2" over top of potatoes as you will be adding other vegetables later).  Bring to a boil;  reduce heat and simmer until almost tender.

Place all frozen vegetables into the saucepan with potatoes.  Bring back to a boil, reduce heat to simmer just until barely tender (5 minutes or less; they will continue cooking while baking).  Drain.

In a smaller saucepan, place the turkey, gravy, and the soup over medium heat, stirring to combine.  When warm, fold gently into the drained vegetables in the larger pan.  Turn off heat, and let sit while preparing crust.

Place crust ingredients ( *3 cups flour, 1 scant cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup water, pinch of salt) in a casserole dish, and mix together by hand just till dough forms. 

Set aside about one third of the dough, leaving 2/3 in casserole dish.  

Press out the 2/3 of dough to cover the bottom and sides of the casserole bringing top edges a little above the sides of dish.  

Place the reserved 1/3 of dough between layers of wax paper or plastic wrap and roll out to roughly the size of the top of casserole.  

Pour the filling mixture into the crust in the casserole dish.  Remove top layer of plastic or wax paper from the rolled crust, and invert the rolled crust over top of the casserole; remove other layer of plastic/wax paper from the top of crust, and pinch the crust top and bottom together.  Cut slits in the top.

Place in a 350 degree oven for one hour or until crust is golden.

*measurements at asterisks are already doubled to fit casserole

Note:  If I'm making from stewed chicken and I don't have gravy, I whisk 2 Tablespoons of flour into 2/3 cups of milk.  Add that to the canned soup in the saucepan, and add about 2/3 cup of chicken broth.  Whisk till smooth, and let heat and thicken a little.  Place boned and diced chicken to soup/gravy and stir.  Simmer till warmed through.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Bread Pudding with Irish Mist Sauce

The bread pudding is from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book (1981). One of my three most used cookbooks. The Irish Mist Sauce is my own.

Bread Pudding

Beat together 4 eggs, 2 cups milk, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place 2 1/2 cups dry bread cubes (3 1/2 slices) in an 8 x 1 1/2 inch round baking dish. Sprinkle 1/3 cup raisins over bread. Pour egg mixture over all. Bake in a 325 degree F. oven for 40 to 45 minutes or till a knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool slightly. Makes 6 servings.

Irish Mist Sauce

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons butter

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup milk

3 Tablespoons Irish Mist Liqueur

Directions:

Mix together the cornstarch and sugar. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir the sugar and cornstarch into the butter. Pour in the milk, and cook stirring frequently until the mixture begins to boil. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until thick. Remove from heat, and stir in the Irish Mist. Serve warm over bread pudding.

My note: I used Irish Mist, because it struck my fancy. You could substitute any hard liquor...bourbon, whiskey, rum.