Gagon's Rolls

Gagon's Rolls

2 1/2 C warm water
2 1/2 C lukewarm milk (best if use whole)
1 C sugar
1 T salt
1/2 C melted butter (divided)
approximately 12 C flour (start with 8 cups and keep adding until dough is right)

3 T instant yeast

Mix in a stand mixer, the water, milk, sugar, salt and 1/4 C butter.  Add 6 C of flour and mix well, add the 3 T of yeast directly to mixer and keep mixing.  Add enough flour until dough is well formed and starts to become a little elastic (I'm not quite sure what this means, but I know the wetter the dough, the softer the roll, but the harder it is to work with, so you make the call).  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a dish towel.  I leave mine right in the mixer.  Let raise until dough is at least double (approx. 45 mins.).

Beat down the dough in the mixer again for 3 or 4 minutes. and put on a floured surface to roll out.  Roll the dough out into a rectangle until about 1/2 of an inch thick.  Pour the rest of the butter (1/4 C) evenly over the dough.  Using a pizza cutter, cut into 4 strips (about 5 inches by 24 inches).  Roll each strip like a small cinnamon roll so you'll have 4 long snakes of dough. Cut them into 2.5 inch with a sharp knife or dental floss. and put on a greased cookie sheet.  Let raise for another 30 minutes and bake at 350 for 17-18 minutes or until golden.  Makes 2 cookie sheets full of 20 rolls each.

**These are sooooo yummy! This is my dear friend's recipe.  He's a guy and shoots from the hip, but he makes them every Sunday and they are perfection!  So as I figure this recipe out a bit more, I'll try to get more details on the flour amounts.
**I'll also get a better pic when mine start looking better, if I remember ;)

Oven Baked Rice

Oven Baked Rice

7 C white rice
14 C boiling water
7 t salt
7 T butter, cut into pieces

Preheat oven to 350. Grease large roasting pan with non stick spray.  Put rice in pan and spread out evenly.  If using a tin pan, it's best to support it underneath with a cookie sheet.  Sprinkle salt and butter pieces on top of rice.  Pour boiling water on rice and cover tightly with heavy tin foil.  Bake for 60 mins or until rice is done.

*I put the pan in the oven before I pour in the water.  It gets so heavy and it's hard to move without spilling.
**These amounts can be made bigger or smaller, just keep the ratio the same and if you go less than 4 cups of rice, I think the cooking time will decrease.
***I'll keep updating this recipe as I do it more often, because I don't know how many this serves. Each time I do it, it's for a different meal so people eat different amounts.

Flying Biscuits

Flying Biscuits

3 C flour
1 T plus 1 1/2 t baking powder
3/4 t salt
2 T plus 1 1/2 t sugar
6 T unsalted butter at room temp (consistency of shortening)
2/3 C heavy cream
2/3 C half and half
2 T half and half for brushing on top of biscuits
1 T sugar for sprinkling on top of biscuits

Preheat oven to 375. Line sheet pan with parchment or a silpat.

Place flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl.  Cut butter into 1/2 T sized bits and add to the flour.  Using your fingertips or a pastry cutter, work the batter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal.

Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in all the heavy cream and half and half.  Stir the dry ingredients into the cream and mix with a wooden spoon until dough just begins to come together into a ball.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 2 or 3 times to form a cohesive mass.  Do not overwork the dough.  Using a rolling pin, roll the dough to a 1-inch thickness.   (The correct thickness is the key to obtaining a stately biscuit.) Dip a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter (I use a 2 inch) in flour, then cut the dough.  Repeat until all the dough has been cut.  Scraps can be gathered together and rerolled one more time.  Place the biscuits on a the prepared sheet pan.  Leaving about 1 inch between them.  Brush the tops of the biscuits with the half and half and sprinkle with the sugar.  Bake for 20 minutes (Mine went about 18).  Biscuits will be lightly browned on top and flaky in the center when done.

Makes 8-12 biscuits depending on the size of the cutter.

*Over 12 years ago, Hans had business in Atlanta, Georgia so I went along to be able to spend time with one of my dearest friends, Christy Hood Vico (lifelong friend that I met in England at ACS). She was teaching kindergarten so I spent time in her classroom and on a farm field trip.  But on our Saturday morning, she took us to her favorite breakfast place...The Flying Biscuit.  So good.  So dang good.  I immediately bought the cookbook and have been making these biscuits ever since!  They rarely make an appearance at breakfast, but often accompany a great soup during the winter. They truly are so good.

Grilled Yam Salad

Grilled Yam Salad

3 yams
2 red bell peppers (or orange or yellow)
1 sweet onion
olive oil
1 avocado, diced
1 C cherry tomatoes (or more)
3 T cilantro, minced
1 lime juiced
salt

Peel yams and slice length wise, place in large bowl. Slice pepper in 3 big pieces, remove seeds, place in bowl with yams.  Drizzle with olive oil and toss in the bowl with tongs until olive oil covers peppers and yams well.  Slice onion into 1/2 inch thick slices, leave slices together.   Preheat grill on high for a few minutes, then turn heat to low and place yams and peppers on the grill.  Oil onions and place on grill also.  Shut grill to help yams cook well. Watch carefully.  You want a little char, but not too much. When cooked through, remove from grill, dice into desired size pieces and put in a bowl. Add diced avocado, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice and toss to coat.  Salt to taste.

*I'm in love with this salad right now and have made it the last 3 weekends to accompany whatever we are grilling! I even switched up the flavors last weekend and did fresh basil and balsamic vinegar instead of cilantro and lime juice.  Hans liked that even more.  If I'm making a big batch, I store it in the fridge without the avocado and just add the avocado when I serve it.  I prefer it room temp or a little warm, when it's cold, the flavors aren't as lovely.

Mom's Cranberry Sauce

Mom's Cranberry Sauce

1 bag fresh whole cranberries   (2 cups) 1-2 oranges peeled 2 apples, cut and seeds removed 1 cup sugar or more Mix in food processor with coarse blade until desired consistency is reached.  Store in refrigerator. **The only cranberry sauce worth eating.  I love this stuff on a sandwich about 9pm Thanksgiving night!

Zucchini Soup & Zucchini Sauce

Zucchini Soup 

Disclaimer:
This recipe was given to be by my mom and never written down.  I just watched her and did what she did.  Then I added one more step to make it a sauce.

8 C zucchini sliced (if it's over grown and a bit big, just remove the seeds because they can be a bit woody)
2 T butter
1/2 t salt
1/4 C to 1 C milk, half and half or cream

Place zucchini in a large pot and fill half full with hot water.  Put on lid and cook until water has boiled for 5 minutes.  Place zucchini in a strainer and press out extra water.  Put directly into a blender. Add butter and salt and blend.  Add your choice of liquid a little at a time and mix until desired soup consistency. Adjust salt seasoning. Serve while hot!

**So amazing with sweet cherry tomatoes on top.  Grayson could drink a gallon of this soup.

 Zucchini Sauce

To the above recipe, throw in 1 C of fresh basil leaves and blend until smooth.  It turns it into a healthy pesto pasta sauce.

**Truly, I've never measured, so just taste and adjust!  It is so worth it and so good!  And so perfect in August when your zucchini plant is going crazy!

Zucchini "Noodles" with Pesto

Zucchini "Noodles" with Pesto

Pesto
2 C tightly packed basil leaves
1/2 C olive oil
3 T pine nuts
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t salt
1/2 C grated parmigiano-reggiano

Zucchini Noodles
3 medium zucchini
1 T olive oil
3/4 lb dried spaghetti
shaved parmigiano-reggiano for serving

First make the pesto.  Put all the ingredients, except the parmigiano-reggiano into a food processor or good blender.  Process to a smooth, creamy consistency, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides.  Transfer to a bowl and stir in the grated parmigiano-reggiano. Set aside.
Put a large pot of salted water over high heat.
Using a mandoline, or a sharp knife, cut zucchini into long skinny "noodles." Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but not mushy. 5-8 minutes. 

When the pot of water boils, drop in the spaghetti.  Cook until al dente.  Using a pair of long handled tongs scoop the pasta directly from the pot into the skillet of cooked zucchini.  Add 1/2 cup of the pesto and toss the mixture well to ensure that each noodle-zucchini and spaghetti alike-has a thin, even coat of sauce.  Serve immediately, with additional salt and lots of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

**From A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg
**Such a fantastic summer side dish and adding the garden cherry tomatoes makes it divine!
**Before I had a mandolin, I would just make the zucchini, as a side dish, so good!

Clotted Cream

Clotted Cream

4 C heavy cream (NOT ultra-pasteurized)

Place 4 C cream in a glass 9x13 pan and cover with tin foil.  Place in 160-180 degree oven overnight or 8-10 hours.  Cream is clotted when you can see the two layers. Remove from oven.  If there is a brown film on top, remove with a fork while still warm.  Replace foil and place in fridge until set, 4-6 hours.  Spoon clotted cream off top, or pour liquid out from underneath, which ever comes first.  Mix clotted cream until smooth.  Serve at room temperature. Can be stored in the fridge for a few days. Should yield 2 C clotted cream.  Serve on English Scones!

**Seriously delightfully reminiscent and yummy!
** If you've never had it, it taste like a mix between unsalted butter and whipped cream....a touch sweeter.

English Scones

English Scones

Chocolate Chip & Cranberry Orange

2 C flour
1/4 C sugar
1 1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 C unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
1 t vanilla extract
2/3-3/4 C buttermilk

For Chocolate Chip Scones
1 C chocolate chips (if large chips, do a rough chop)

For Cranberry Orange Scones
1 C craisins (I prefer rough chopped)
1 T orange zest
1/4 C fresh squeezed orange juice

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, powder, soda and salt.  Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs (I seem to have best luck with my fingers). Add chocolate chips or craisins, zest and juice.  Add vanilla to buttermilk, using 3/4 C for chocolate chip and 2/3 C or a bit less for cranberry.  Mix until just combined and soft and sticky dough has formed.  Flour counter and form dough into two 6 inch by 1 inch disks, flouring both sides.  Cut each disk into 8 wedges.  Place on parchment lined cookie sheet.  Brush with buttermilk and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes.  Serve with Clotted Cream, or unsalted european butter.  And any scone is delish with lemon curd!

**I love these scones.  The wetter the dough, the softer the scone, but be careful, they start to lose their shape.
**Adapted from joyofbaking.com

Rosemary Parmesan Polenta

Rosemary Parmesan Polenta

7 1/2 C water
1 1/2 t salt
pinch baking soda
1 t fresh rosemary finely chopped 
1 1/2 C coarse-ground cornmeal (aka polenta)

2 T unsalted butter
2 C grated Parmesan cheese
black pepper to taste

Bring water to a boil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat.  Stir in salt, baking soda and rosemary.   Slowly pour cornmeal into water in a steady stream, while stirring constantly.  Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, about 1 minute.  Reduce heat to lowest possible setting and cover.  After 5 minutes, whisk polenta to smooth out any lumps.  cover and continue to cook without stirring, until grains of polenta are tender by slightly al dente, about 25 minutes longer. (Polenta will be loose and barely hold its shape but will continue to thicken as it cools.) Remove from heat, stir in butter and parmesan and season to taste with pepper.

**Adapted from Creamy Polenta - America's Test Kitchen
**I love polenta, so does Chloe! It's basically fancy for Grits.  It was a great compliment to these roasted root vegetables, but is also good with dishes like Grilled Pork Tenderloin!

Raspberry Freezer Jam

 Raspberry Freezer Jam

This isn't a recipe...it's just to help myself remember what I did.  So the next time I make jam I can decide if I want to switch it up.  I'll explain....

In January, I stumbled on a blog called wordofwisdomliving.com and it opened my eyes to the extreme amount of processed foods we eat. High fructose corn syrup, sugar, hydrogenated oil, etc.  So when I went to make a batch of freezer jam and again looked at the amount of sugar and corn syrup, I wanted to try and make a change.  So I made a batch of sugar free that was sweetened with stevia (a natural non-caloric sweetener - still not the healthiest thing, but I feel like a step in the right direction).  The batch was awful (stevia has a bitter after taste sometimes) and I was so mad that I wasted that much fruit.  So I made a normal batch and decided to conduct an experiment on my kids.  I combined the two batches and waited to see if my kids would notice.  They never did.  I was thrilled that at least it was less corn syrup and sugar per serving.  So unless a better or different product comes along, this is what I'm going with for now!  Here are the two pectins, a batch of each, made separately and then mixed before putting them in containers.

**Breanna taught me that frozen raspberries work equally as well as fresh and if you can get them on sale, it's a way better deal!

**Today I made 6 batches (3 of each) and ended up with 15-2 cup containers of freezer jam.  I would love for it to last a year, but I'm guessing 6-7 months.

Labor of Love JELLO

Labor of Love JELLO

2 (3oz) packages red jello
2 (3oz) packages orange jello
2 (3oz) packages yellow jello
2 (3oz) packages green jello
2 (3oz) packages blue jello
2 (3oz) packages purple jello
30 oz evaporated milk (3/4 C for each flavor of jello)

Mix one box of jello with 3/4 C boiling water until dissolved.  Add 3/4 C cold water.  Pour into a 9x13 pan, (best if it's glass so you can see your fun layers).  Let it set in the fridge for a while.  Mix 2nd box of the same flavor of jello with 3/4 C boiling water and let sit for a while until cool.  Add 3/4 C evaporated milk and mix well.  Gently pour onto first layer.  Continue with each jello color.

**OK, this seriously took forever.  A few tips...blue jello tastes gross, next time I will just use 5 jellos, starting with purple, red, orange, yellow and green.  It got so full, I could barely fit in one layer of purple and that was the favorite flavor.  It literally was to the very top of my pyrex 9x13.
** I made this once when Gray was little, but had forgotten about it, until we went to Thanksgiving at Monette and Eric's and sweet (dang her) Annie had spent 10 hours making this. My kids went crazy over it! I had hoped they had forgotten, but Tru requested it for his birthday (11 years old).  I told him I loved him so much, that I would do it!
**Easiest to do if you have space in your fridge that it can stay and you can just pour the layers onto it in the fridge.
**One last note...look at the photo, I was a little impatient in between the green layers...and it messed it up a bit.  Patience!

Oatmeal Soda Bread

Oatmeal Soda Bread

3 C flour
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 T honey
3/4 c rolled oats
1 1/2 C buttermilk
Preheat oven to 375. combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, slat, honey and 1/2 C oats.  Make a well in cent er of flour mixture, pour in buttermilk and mix. Spread remaining oats on countertop, turn dough out onto the oats and knead a few times.  The dough should be  smooth, rouand and covered with oats. Place bread on parchment lined cookie sheet.  Using a sharp knife cut an X about 1/2 inch deep ont he top.  Lightly coat the top with pam.  Bake for 30-40 minutes until bread sounds hollow when tapped on buttom.  Cool slightly before slicing.

**Served alongside  this year's Beef Bourguinon (New Years Day Fave)
**A very quick, rustic bread that doesn't require any rising time. It is dense, but quite flavorful.  Great along side a soup or stew.  Also great with apricot cream cheese. 

**Apricot Cream Cheese
2 T apricot jam
8 oz cream cheese
4 T butter
Mix well, serve on bread.

Creamed Corn

Creamed Corn

6 C frozen sweet white corn (from Costco)

1/2 C whipping cream

1 C milk (whole is best)

1 1/2 t salt

1/8 C sugar

pepper to taste

¼ c. melted butter
¼ c. flour

Mix corn, cream, milk, salt, sugar, pepper in pot over medium heat and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.  In a separate saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter, whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute.  Add to corn, mixing thoroughly.  Cook over medium heat until thickened.

**So when I went to Austin a few months ago, I sat next to a guy named Nick....a fellow foodie.  We talked food the entire flight, driving our fellow passengers crazy.  We were heading to the BBQ and smoked meat capital of the world....Nick's heaven, he's a smoker...of meats that is.  He was kind enough to share some family recipes with me and since then I've have been in touch with his darling wife talking food and running. Story continues....I was asking Breanna the other day what the biggest hit at the Thanksgiving table is at her house....creamed corn....her recipe was almost exactly the same as Nick's "sugar corn."  So I made a few adjustments...a little less cream than Nick's, a little more corn than Breanna's, and now it is a Magleby favorite....Grayson had four huge helpings on Thanksgiving!  Thanks Nick and Breanna!

**For Thanksgiving dinner, I made it earlier in the day and put it in a crock pot.  I put it on warm about an hour before we ate and it was perfect for the huge crowd.

Bloomin' Onion Bread

Bloomin' Onion Bread

1 loaf sour dough bread (best if round)
1 lb jack cheese sliced
1/2 C sliced green onions
1/4 C melted butter

Slice bread in a crisscross pattern leaving about and inch to an inch and a half between slices.  Place bread on tin foil on cookie sheet.  Stuff slices of cheese between every bread slice, getting it in deep. Topping it with the onions and stuffing them down deep also.  Drizzle the melted butter over top of the cheese and onions.  Wrap in tin foil and bake at 400 until cheese is melted and bread is warm through. Approximately 15-20 minutes.

**My friend Suzette made this for me and I was in love. Thanks Suz!
**This pic is obviously before it was baked.  I couldn't stop eating it long enough to get a picture after the cheese was melted.
**Great to accompany any meal, especially soups!

Lime-Cilantro Quinoa with Pineapple

Lime-Cilantro Quinoa with Pineapple

1 C quinoa
2 C water
2 T butter
2 T fresh lime juice
1 (8oz) can crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 C fresh cilantro
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Cook quinoa according to package directions in a rice cooker or saucepan.  When done cooking, let rest for 5 minutes then add butter, lime juice, pineapple and cilantro.  Stir to combine, then add salt and pepper to taste.

Guacamole

Guacamole

3 medium avocados, scooped from the skins (about 1 1/4 C)
1 T fresh lime juice
1/2 -1 t fresh garlic, minced (to taste)
2 T finely minced onion
1/4 C sour cream
3-4 T diced tomatoes (optional)
kosher salt to taste
pepper to taste

Mash avocado with a fork in a small mixing bowl.  Add remaining ingredients and combine.  Add tomatoes at the end. Refrigerate in an airtight container, or cover with plastic wrap pushing down onto the guacamole, sealing out all air.  If possible, make about 30 minutes before serving to allow flavors to mingle. (From Our Best Bites Cookbook)

**I love all guac, but particularly love one that isn't spicy.  Let the salsa have the heat, because I love the heat, but then the guac can cool it down!

Peach Lemonade Jello

Peach Lemonade Jello

2 lg pkg peach jello
4 C water
1 C fat free plain yogurt
Lemonade concentrate

Dissolve Jello in 4 C boiling water.  Divide in half and separate.  In one half add yogurt and wisk until combined.  Dissolve lemonade concentrate 1 T at a time in yogurt jello mixture until desired tartness (I usually use 4-6).  Pour into a deep 9 in pie plate (or 9x13) and let set in the refrigerator.  When yogurt mixture is set, pour other half of Jello on top and refrigerate.

**I picked this as a part of my birthday dinners growing up. Best jello combo ever!

Strawberries Romanoff

Strawberries Romanoff

Strawberries (and other fruit if desired)
Sour Cream
Brown Sugar

Dip the strawberry in the sour cream and then into the brown sugar. YUM!

**This is our favorite combined with sticky buns or cinnamon rolls on Conference Sunday! The strawberries are the best flavor, but the grapes and bananas are yummy too.

Honey Butter

Honey Butter

1 C real butter
2/3 C honey
3/4 C powdered sugar

Let butter sit at room temp for 20 minutes or so.  Mix butter, honey and powdered sugar with an electric mixer for about 30 seconds or until light and fluffy.  Serve at room temp.

**Love this new honey butter recipe, so simple and no raw egg yolk!
**A new thing we tried, we added 1/2 C - 1C marshmallow cream (yes the jet puff in a jar) and it made the consistency creamier....we all liked it!  Added it at the end when it was all mixed up!