Sunday, October 26, 2014

SWEET DINNER ROLLS

SWEET DINNER ROLLS

The holidays are looming large on the horizon and nothing complements a great meal like dinner rolls.  These rolls are homemade and quite good.  The recipe comes from recipes.com.  Olivia tried it and as you can see they turned out great.  The dough is made in a bread machine.  I like that because kneading bread can be an inexact science at best and kneading the dough too much can make the rolls tough.  Try this recipe and I think you will find it a great addition to your holiday table.
-Nanette

Dough as it came out of the bread machine



Rolls right after they were formed, before second rise and baking



Rolls right after the second rise and right before baking




SWEET DINNER ROLLS

Ingredients 

Original recipe makes 16 rollsChange Servings







  • PREP
    20 mins
  • COOK
    20 mins
  • READY IN
    2 hrs 20 mins

Directions

  1. Place water, milk, egg, 1/3 cup butter, sugar, salt, flour and yeast in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough/Knead and First Rise Cycle; press Start.
  2. When cycle finishes, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 12 inch circle, spread 1/4 cup softened butter over entire round. Cut each circle into 8 wedges. Roll wedges starting at wide end; roll gently but tightly. Place point side down on ungreased cookie sheet. Cover with clean kitchen towel and put in a warm place, let rise 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
  3. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden.

Sunday, October 12, 2014

ROASTED GARLIC STEAK

ROASTED GARLIC STEAK
Even though the cool, crisp days of autumn are definitely here in our part of the country, there are plenty of beautiful days left to enjoy.  One way to take full advantage of such days is to toss something yummy on the grill.  The following recipe is one Olivia developed from her fondness for garlic and rosemary.  Both are flavors I am also partial to myself.  Rosemary is called the herb of "remembrance."  I keep a  pot with rosemary in it on my porch every summer.  Every time I walk by it, I run the stalk over my hand.  I love the savory, green smell of it.  When I use it in fall or winter, it always reminds me of summer.

The longer you marinate your steak in the garlic and rosemary mixture, the more intense the flavor will become.  Choose whatever cut of steak you like.  This simple, but delicious mixture will elevate the enjoyment of just about any cut you use.  Hope you enjoy it!
-Nanette


1)  Roast 2 heads of garlic.  In order to roast the garlic, preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Make a cut directly across the head of each bulb of garlic so you expose the garlic cloves.  Place the garlic heads on foil, cut side up.  Drizzle on a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Wrap the garlic up in the foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven, and allow garlic to cool.  Once the garlic bulbs are cooled, squeeze the garlic into a small bowl.  Use a spoon to mix up the garlic to create a buttery consistence.

2)  Add a bit of olive oil to the garlic and stir in.

3)  Snip in fresh rosemary to the garlic and olive oil mixture.

4)  Add Kosher salt and pepper to taste in the mixture.

5)  Spread the mixture over the side of the steak (Use any cut you'd like to.), flip the steak, and repeat in a large dish.  Cover the steaks with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to marinate for several hours or overnight if desired.

6)  Grill the steak until desired internal temperature is reached.  Allow steak to rest for five minutes before cutting into it.  Enjoy!

Sunday, October 5, 2014

BLUEBERRY CORN QUICK BREAD

BLUEBERRY CORN QUICK BREAD

This recipe came from the Food Network's 50 ways to make quick bread.  I have always been a big fan of fresh blueberry muffins and a fan of sweet cornbread.  This delightful recipe combines the best of both flavors into a satisfying quick bread.  This recipe actually gives you two recipes in one.  The first "vanilla" bread is #27 on Food Network's list of 50 and the blueberry/corn is variation #34.

On a nice crisp fall day, one of these warm, soft quick breads may be just the thing you need with a hot beverage to keep you going and help you acclimate to the cooler temperatures this time of year brings with it.  Enjoy!

-Nanette


How to make basic quick bread:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides; coat well with cooking spray.
Add the batter and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean (see recipes for times).
Let cool 1 hour, then remove the loaf from the pan and transfer to a rack to cool completely.

VARIATIONS:

27. Vanilla--- Whisk 1 3/4 cups flour, 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Beat 1 stick softened butter and 3/4 cup sugar with a mixer until fluffy; beat in 2 eggs and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, then 3/4 cup milk. Beat in the dry ingredients. Bake 55 to 65 minutes.
34. Blueberry-Corn Make Vanilla Bread (No. 27), replacing 1/2 cup flour with fine yellow cornmeal. Add the zest of 1 lemon to the wet ingredients. Add 1 1/4 cups blueberries tossed with 1 tablespoon flour to the batter.