Caramel Rolls

Who doesn't like sweet rolls! They are so yummy and delicious. For my dad's birthday, I always made him a pan of caramel rolls, cinnamon rolls and yeast donuts. He loved eating those treats and looked forward to getting them every year.  Plus several times throughout the year!

Ingredients

1 Tbs. yeast or 1 package dry yeast. or 1 Tbsp yeast
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. water water (110° F. or very warm to touch)
2 1/2 c. warm milk
1/2 c. butter or margarine
3 eggs
7 c. flour

Filling

Butter or margarine, softened
Brown sugar
Cinnamon

Caramel  

1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter
4 Tbs. cream or evaporated milk
2 Tbs white sugar

Directions

Grease two 9×13 pans. 

In a large bowl, mix yeast and 1 Tablespoon sugar in the warm water.  Set aside in a warm location for approximately for 5 to 10 minutes, so the yeast can bloom. This tells you whether the yeast is active.

Heat milk and butter in a small saucepan.  Do not bring to a boil, you only want the butter or margarine to melt. Allow to cool slightly to 110°.  

Add the eggs, and 2 cups of flour into the yeast mixture.  Pour in the milk and butter. Beat with a mixer or a wooden spoon until smooth. 

Work in enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead until smooth and elastic on a lightly floured board. The kneading takes between 5 and 10 minutes.

Place the dough into a greased bowl, cover, and let rise until double in size, about 40 minutes. 

Prepare the Caramel

In a saucepan, add the brown sugar, butter, cream and white sugar. Stir constantly and bring to a boil.  Pour half the caramel mixture in one pan, and the other half in the second pan. Set aside while you finish making the rolls.

Turn out the dough and divide in half. Roll out half the dough to an 18 x 12 rectangle.  

Spread the softened butter over the top of the dough, going out almost to the edges. Sprinkle brown sugar over the top of the butter. Then sprinkle cinnamon over the top of the brown sugar, almost to the edges of the dough. I rarely measure the filling ingredients. I just smear butter over the dough and sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon over the top. For this step, you can add as much or as little brown sugar and cinnamon as you want or like.

Roll up, jelly roll fashion, starting at the narrow side. Cut into 12 slices and place in a pan.  Repeat for the other half of the dough. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. 

Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.  

Remove the pans from the oven and allow them to sit for 5 minutes.  Carefully place a platter or cookie sheet over the top of the pan. Invert the pans, then remove the pan that you baked the rolls in. Sit down and enjoy. You can allow them to cool, but we find that these rolls, fresh out of the oven, are the best!

Cheeseburger Casserole 

 

This Cheeseburger Casserole is a delicious and easy meal to make that your family will love.

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 sweet pepper, chopped
1 can tomato soup
1 (8 oz.) can peas, undrained
Salt and pepper to taste
1 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. shortening
1/3 c. milk
8 (3/4 inch cubes) cheddar cheese

Directions

Brown the ground beef, onion and pepper until no longer pink.  Drain off excess fat.  

Add the tomato soup, peas, salt and pepper to taste. Turn into a 1 1/2 qt. casserole.

In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in the shortening until particles are fine. 

Make a well in the center and pour in the milk. Stir until dough clings together. 

Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Mold each piece around a cube of cheese and place on top of casserole mixture. Bake at 425° for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown.

 Raw Apple Cake

If you have extra apples, Raw Apple Cake is a great way to use some of them up. This cake is a wonderful addition to any fall menu. It has a great apple flavor and it is moist and delicious.  This is a recipe from my mother's recipe box that she got from one of her friends. The card held no name, but it is a tried and true recipe that we have served for years. 

The topping in our original recipe called for 1 cup brown sugar.  You can easily cut that down to a 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.

Ingredients

1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
2 c. flour
4 c. chopped apples
1/2 c. walnuts (optional)

Topping 

1/2 to 1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 to 1 tsp. cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 inch cake pan.

In a large bowl, cream sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla.

Add cinnamon, salt, baking soda and flour. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Stir in the apples and walnuts. Pour into prepared cake pan. Set aside while you mix the topping.

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, walnuts and cinnamon.. Sprinkle the topping over the top of the cake. 

Bake 45 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken Cacciatore.  This recipe looks like it has a lot of ingredients, and might be time consuming to prepare.  However, it really isn't hard at all.  It is one of my family's favorite meals to eat.

Ingredients

3-4 lb. chicken pieces
1/4-1/2 c. flour
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. butter
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 sweet pepper, cut into thin strips
2 c. sliced fresh mushrooms
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. rosemary, crushed
1 tsp. thyme
4 c. cooked pasta
Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Place the flour in a low sided pan. Dredge the chicken pieces in flour and place on a rack. Allow the chicken to rest for about 10 minutes so the flour sets and doesn't all fall off as it cooks. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour oil and butter in a heavy cast iron skillet and turn the heat to medium-high. Brown the chicken on all sides turning the chicken occassionally to keep it from burning. Don't crowd the chicken pieces in the skillet. You may have to do the chicken in batches. Remove the chicken to a plate when they are browned.

Saute the onion, garlic, celery, pepper, and mushrooms in the same skillet that you cooked the chicken until the vegetables are just tender.  Stir often so they do not burn or stick to the bottom of the skillet.

Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme.  Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover the skillet and reduce heat. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Place the chicken back into the skillet with the vegetables and seasonings. Cover and simmer for 50-60 minutes or until the chicken tests done at 165°.

Serve the chicken over the cooked noodles and sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top.

 

 Garlic and Herb Focaccia Bread

I often make this bread for my family. It is so good, especially while it is warm from the oven. My kids love to eat this bread. Sometimes, I will add pieces of cooked and drained hamburger over the top. Or we dunk the bread in Marinara sauce for a yummmy treat. 

Ingredients

2 c. warm water (between 100-110°F
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. instant yeast or 1 pkg active dry yeast
1/4 c. butter or olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. Italian Seasoning or Green's No Salt Herb Blend
1 Tbs. garlic powder  or 4 cloves or more garlic, minced
1/3 c. dry milk powder
4 1/2 to 5 c. flour
3 Tbs. butter melted
Pretzel salt
Garlic Powder
Parmesan Cheese

Directions

In a large bowl, mix the water, sugar, and yeast together. Cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes. This will allow you to see if your yeast is active or not.

Add 1 cup flour, butter, salt, Italian Seasoning and garlic powder or minced garlic cloves. Beat with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined. This also helps with the kneading process as well. Continue to add flour, about a half cup at a time, until it gets too hard to mix with a spoon. Turn the dough out onto a floured board or countertop.

Knead the dough by hand, adding more flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. You will want the dough to be a little bit sticky. Knead the dough for 6 to 10 minutes. You will know it has been kneaded enough when it is smooth and elastic. If you poke the dough with your finger, the indention should bounce back slowly.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Hint: I often use the same bowl that I mixed the dough in.   Turn the dough over, so all sides of the dough is coated with oil. Cover the bowl and place it in a warm location for approximately 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size.

Coat the bottom of a 12 x 17-inch baking sheet with about 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Punch the dough down and place it in the center of the baking sheet. Press the dough with your fingertips until it covers the cookie sheet. Place in in a warm location to rise for approximately 1 hour.

Dimple the surface of the dough dough with your fingertips or your knuckles.

Pour the melted butter or olive oil over the top. Sprinkle with the pretzel salt, garlic powder and Parmesan cheese. You can also sprinkle some Italian seasoning over the top of the top as well.

Bake for 20 minutes in a preheated 375° oven until golden brown. 

Bread Pudding With Nutmeg Sauce

When I was growing up, I often looked through my mother's large cookbook collection for things to make.  I happened across a Bread Pudding recipe and made it that same evening for supper.

This bread pudding was delicious!  However, what made it even better was the recipe that my mother shared with me. It was a recipe that her mother used to make for Bread Pudding when Mom was a young girl. The sauce made the dessert even better and my mother said that it brought back some delicious memories of her mom and food.

Bread Pudding

Ingredients    

6  slices buttered bread, toasted
1/2 c. raisins
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 /2 c. sugar, divided
1/8 tsp. salt
1 c. evaporated milk
1 c. boiling water
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 2-quart baking dish and set aside.

Cut the buttered toast into cubes and put them in the baking dish.

Sprinkle raisins over the top.

In a medium sized bowl, mix the eggs, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, evaporated milk and water together until thoroughly combined. Pour the mixture over the raisins and bread. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Add the vanilla to the pudding mixture. Stir to combine.

Mix the remaining 1/4 c. sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.  Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the bread pudding.

Bake for 30 minutes until done, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Topping 

3/4 c. sugar
1 tbs cornstarch
1 c. boiling water
1 T butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Mix the sugar and cornstarch together and add to the boiling water.  Stirring constantly, cook until the mixture clears and thickens.

Remove the pot from the heat.  Stir in the butter, vanilla, and nutmeg.

Cut the bread pudding and put in a bowl. Add some of the sauce over the top. 

Zucchini Bread

Zucchini Bread

Every summer, the zucchini seems to produce like crazy. Everyone has extra zucchini that they give away to family and friends. They also leave several at their neighbor's doorsteps.  If you are looking for ways to use up some of that extra zucchini, this is a simple bread recipe that is easy to prepare. It is moist and delicious. This Zucchini Bread recipe makes 2 loaves. You can cut one and freeze the other one for later.

Ingredients

1 c. oil
2 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 c. flour
4 Tbs. powdered buttermilk
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 c. shredded zucchini

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.  Grease two 8-inch loaf pans.

Cream oil and sugar until fluffy. 

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Pour in the vanilla and mix into the batter. 

Add the powdered buttermilk, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and flour. Mix until smooth, but do not over mix or the bread will be tough. 

Stir in the shredded zucchini.

Divide the batter between 2 loaf pans.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes at 350°. Test with a toothpick to tell when the zucchini bread is done. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes before removing from pans.

Cool on racks.