No Knead Wheat Dinner Rolls

I found this recipe on The Pioneer Woman website and once again added my own twists. You can just use a spoon to mix this but I was feeling lazy and just through everything into my KitchenAid mixer. This recipe made 48 rolls, next time I think I will cut it in half unless I am feeding the masses.


3/4 cup powdered milk
4 cups hot tap water
1 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 cups whole wheat flour
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 packages or 4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon (heaping) baking powder
1 teaspoon (scant) baking soda
2 Tablespoons salt


Pour 4 cups of warm water into a stock pot or Dutch oven. Add powdered milk, sugar and oil. Stir to combine. Now, turn the burner on medium to medium-low and “scald” the mixture. Remove from heat and allow to cool to a temperature of 90 - 110 degrees.

When the mixture is the right temperature add in 4 cups of wheat flour and the yeast. After the yeast and flour are nicely incorporated, add 4 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir together and allow to sit, covered with a tea towel or lid, for an hour. After about an hour it should have almost doubled in size. If it hasn’t changed much, put it in a warm (but turned off ) oven for 45 minutes or so. When it had risen sufficiently add 1 more cup of flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir (or knead just a bit) until combined.


When it’s all mixed, you can put it in the fridge, covered, for up to two days before using the dough (which means you can go make the dough NOW if you’re using it tomorrow.) Or, if you make it the day of, you can just leave it on the counter until you need it. Keep in mind, though, that the dough will continue to rise (though more slowly in the fridge) so you’ll have to occasionally punch it down if it overflows. NOTE: If you do refrigerate the dough, be sure to remove it from the fridge an hour or two before you need it.

Butter 1 or 2 muffin pans. Form the rolls by pinching off a walnut sized piece of dough and rolling it into a little ball. Repeat and tuck three balls of dough into each buttered muffin cup. Continue until pan is full. Cover and allow to rise for about 1 to 2 hours.

Bake in a 400-degree oven until golden brown, about 17 to 20 minutes.

Monster Power Cookies

This is a hearty, protein packed cookie recipe from my friend Melody. We ate them on our Martin's Cove trek and they were delish!

6 eggs
2 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
2 cups white sugar
2 Tsp. vanilla extract
4 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup butter
2 2/3 cups peanut butter
9 cups rolled oats
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheets.

Cream butter and peanut butter together. Add the sugars and stir until well mixed. Add eggs one at a time, then add vanilla.

Mix oatmeal and baking soda separately, then stir into batter. Add chocolate and white chips last.

Drop by heaping tablespoon onto cookie sheets. May only fit 6-8 cookies per sheet. Bake for 13-16 minutes. Wrap well when cool.

Sweet Rolls

This is always the favorite when we have company or had a sleepover when the kids were little.

1/4 cup butter, melted
brown sugar
cinnamon

Make Quick! All Purpose Dough. Roll out dough. Spread butter onto dough. Sprinkle brown sugar onto dough and then sprinkle cinnamon. Roll up into a jelly roll and cut into 3/4 inch slices. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes. Frost

Frosting
1/4 cup butter, melted
vanilla
milk
powdered sugar

Breakfast Cake

Everyone else calls this coffee cake but since I don't drink coffee the name is breakfast cake. The recipe is from my Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook which is about 29 years old.

1/4 cup salad oil
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup milk
11/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Spicy Topping
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 cup broken nuts, optional

Combine salad oil, egg and milk. Sift together dry ingredients; add to milk mixture; mix well. Pour into greased 9x9x2-inch pan. Sprinkle with Spicy Topping. Bake at 375 degrees about 25 minutes.

Mary's Potato Salad

This is Beau's favorite! I got the recipe from Mary Shaner.

5 lbs red potatoes
1 dozen eggs
1 quart mayo
1 pkg ranch seasoning
2 small cans black olives

1. Cook potatoes until tender. Cook eggs to hard boiled stage.
2. Mix mayo and ranch.
3. Add cubed potatoes and sliced or chopped eggs. (keep 3-4 eggs out to put on top)
4. Sprinkle paprika and parsley flakes on top.

Gingerbread Men

My goal this holiday season is to be more prepared so that I can enjoy it more. One of the ways I have thought of is to prepare as much food before hand. So yes I only cooked six gingerbread men and the rest are in the freezer for future baking. I love a fresh baked cookie and that is why I have chosen to not bake them and then freeze them.

I was given this recipe from Cynthia, I worked with her at Bulloch Drug eons ago.

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 egg

1/2 cup molasses

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon allspice

Beat at slow speed until well mixed. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. Roll, cut and bake at 350 degrees for 6 - 8 minutes.

Homemade Noodles

I remember my mom making homemade noodles for soup and with the weather changing I thought that I would try them in chicken noodle soup. I found the recipe in my Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book but I altered the recipe by adding 1/2 wheat flour.

1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour

Combine egg, milk and salt. Add enough flour to make stiff dough. (I used about 3/4 cup total) Roll very thin on floured surface; let stand 20 minutes. Roll up loosely; slice 1/4 inch wide; (I used a pizza cutter) unroll, spread out and let dry 2 hours. If desired, store in container until needed.

Drop into boiling coup or boiling, salted water and cook, uncovered, about 10 minutes. Makes 3 cups cooked noodles.

Hot Spiced Orange Drink

Found this recipe on Roots and Wings Co. and thought it would make a nice visiting teaching gift.

1 10 oz. jar Tang
2 oz. Lemonade Mix
2 cup Sugar
2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Ground Cloves

Mix and store in a covered container.

Jar instructions:
Mix 2-4 teaspoons of Hot Spiced Orange Drink powder mix into 1 cup boiling water.

Pumpkin Pound Cake

I had left over pumpkin after making Pumpkin Caramel Cheesecake Turtle Bread and started a search to find a recipe to use up the rest. I came upon this new website, The Long Thread, with a recipe that I wanted to try. I tasted really yummy especially right out of the oven!

1 1/2 cups wheat flour

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda, heaping
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 dashes ground allspice

2 dashes ground ginger

2 dashes ground cloves
1 cup butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups sugar

1 cup brown sugar
6 eggs

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour one large bundt pan or two loaf pans.

Mix together flours, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, ginger and cloves.

In another bowl combine butter, cream cheese, pumpkin, sugars and vanilla. Add eggs and flour, alternating 2 eggs and one cup of flour at a time.

Bake 60 to 75 minutes for the loaf pans and 1 1/2 hours for bundt pan. Will be done when top is crackled and golden brown and toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool on wire rack before removing from pan.

Donna's Delicious Corn Bread

Steve and I met Donna last week, she was a school cafeteria cook in her former life, and she just kept feeding us all of these wonderful foods. We were able to wrangle this corn bread recipe from her and with a little help from me in starting a blog, Nana's Kitchen, I can see what else she has up her sleeve.

I did a little calculating to see which recipe for corn bread, Quaker's vs. Donna's, was better for me as far as calories. Quaker's calls for milk (1%) and oil, Donna's sour cream (fat free) and buttermilk and if you cut up the corn bread into 9 pieces Quaker corn bread is 200 calories and Donna's corn bread is 177 calories per serving. Donna you win!

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup corn meal
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream, fat free
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 9 inch pan. Combine dry ingredients together. Mix all wet ingredients together, stir into dry just until dry ingredients are moist. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 30 minutes or until light golden brown and wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

The Pioneer Woman's Apple Cake in an Iron Skillet

Just because I have lost some weight doesn't mean that I am going to give up on the good things of life, dessert to be exact. I found this recipe on The Pioneer Woman and it is wonderful with vanilla ice cream.

1 3/4 sticks butter

3/4 cup sugar

4 to 5 small Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into six equal slices

1/2 cup butter

2/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 large eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 small apple, peeled cored and chopped finely

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a 9 to 10-inch skillet, add apple butter to the pan, then place apple slices, wedge side down, in the pan. Don’t pack them too tightly, but try not to leave overly large gaps. Allow this to cook over low/medium-low heat while you make the cake batter.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat applesauce and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla and eggs. Add sour cream and mix well. Gradually add flour mixture until just combined. Gently stir in chopped apple.

Remove skillet from heat. Spoon batter over the top, then spread gently so batter is evenly distributed. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cake is golden brown and bubbly. Place a cookie sheet or aluminum foil under the skillet to catch any spills. Allow cake to sit in skillet for five minutes, then invert onto a serving plate. Don’t worry if some of the topping isn’t perfect—it’ll taste perfect!

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.