A nod to our Scottish heritage with this traditional Scottish tea loaf. I used an orange cinnamon herbal tea and added chopped dried apricots and pecans.
The recipe includes an optional glaze. I don’t like my breads too sweet, so I usually leave it off, or serve it on the side for those who want the extra sweetness.
This bread is delicious served warm or cold and spread with cream cheese.
RECIPE: Continue reading
Filed under Breads, Breakfast/Brunch
One final zucchini recipe before summer leaves us for good.
Three kinds of chocolate (Nutella, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips) make the zucchini hard to spot in this delicious quick bread. But the added vegetable helps to keep the loaves soft and moist. And it lets you pretend this is a healthy treat.
This recipe make one regular-sized loaf or 6 mini loaves, which freeze perfectly and are just the right size for when there are only two of us left at home.
RECIPE: Continue reading
Zucchini bread is always the favorite option for an excess of garden squash in the summer.
Chocolate chips are optional. I prefer it without, but many in our family like a generous studding of chocolate chips in their zucchini bread.
RECIPE:
Filed under Breads, Breakfast/Brunch
The weather here is still unusually warm, which has extended our outdoor grilling season. These Middle Eastern spiced kabobs (affectionately called “meat logs” by my children) are a flavorful departure from burgers, hot dogs, and grilled chicken. I like to serve them with tzatziki, hummus, and warm pita bread.
If you don’t want to go to the trouble to make kebabs (or it is winter and you don’t want to dig your grill out of a snowbank), this meat mixture is also great shaped as meatballs and baked, or browned in a skillet.
RECIPES:
Filed under Breads, Condiments/Sauces, Low Carb/Keto, Main Dishes
Looking for the perfect rolls to serve for Thanksgiving? Or more importantly, to use the next day to make turkey/cranberry sauce sandwiches?
Look no further: these rolls are amazing. They are soft and tender, but also hold up to slicing and using as a sandwich bun.
Leftovers are always the best part of a big holiday dinner. I love cooking once and then repurposing dinner for the next few days. And rolls are the perfect food to make ahead of time, freeze, and then reheat in the oven just before serving.
To help elongate the crescent rolls and keep them from being too thick in the center, I cut a slit in the wide edge, separate the slit slightly, and then roll the dough into a crescent shape.
This gives longer ends that are easier to curve into a rounded crescent.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I posted about these rolls previously, but I have adapted the recipe this time to use instant yeast, which doesn’t require proofing before adding to the dough. You can find the original recipe, using regular yeast HERE.
RECIPE:
2 ⅔ cups whole milk
½ cup sugar
6 Tbs butter
1 Tbs kosher salt
1 heaping Tbs instant yeast
8-8 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
3 beaten eggs
Melted butter (about 4 Tbs; for brushing on top of cooked rolls)
Combine milk, sugar, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until butter melts and sugar completely dissolves. Remove from heat and pour into the bowl of a stand mixer. Allow to cool to lukewarm.
Add 4 cups of flour and the instant yeast to the warm (but not hot) milk mixture. Use a dough hook to mix on low speed for 30 seconds, then scrape the sides of the bowl. Mix on high speed for 3 minutes. Mix in eggs.
Knead in as much remaining flour as needed to make a soft dough. The dough should be very soft–it will be coming away from the sides of the bowl, but it will still stick to your finger when you touch it. Remove the dough hook and cover the bowl with a clean towel. Place the bowl in a warm place and allow dough to rise for 45-60 minutes, or until doubled.
Grease large baking sheets, or line with parchment paper or silicon mats.
Punch down dough. Lightly oil your work surface (USE OIL, NOT FLOUR, TO KEEP THE DOUGH FROM STICKING TO YOUR SURFACE). Divide dough into 3 balls and place one of the thirds onto the lightly oiled surface. Keep remaining dough covered until ready to use.
Roll each dough ball into a circle and cut into 12 wedges. Cut a ½” slit in the wide end of the wedge, separate slightly and roll into crescent shape and place on prepared pans.
Cover rolls with a clean cloth and allow to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. When dough has about 15-20 minutes to go, preheat oven to 375°F.
Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden-brown. When done, remove from oven and brush lightly with melted butter.
Yield: 36 rolls
**To prebake (and freeze) for serving another day: Bake rolls on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until rolls just barely begin to brown. Remove from oven. (Do not brush with butter) Cool completely. Place in Ziploc freezer bags. Freeze.
On serving day: Place frozen rolls on a baking sheet, bake at 350°F for about 7-10 minutes, or until hot and golden brown. Brush tops with melted butter.
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Filed under Breads
Slightly sweet, slightly spicy. Perfectly versatile.
Serve it with savory scones, like these Bacon Jalapeño Scones:
Use it instead of apricot jam in this Apricot (Mango) Glazed Chicken:
Serve it with these Indian Samosas:
Heat the jam until warm and dip Chicken Taquitos in it:
-Bake it with Brie wrapped in puff pastry dough for a delicious appetizer. Or cut pastry dough into squares and press dough into a well-greased mini muffin pan; place a square of Brie in the center and top with ½ tsp jam. Bake until browned.
-Spread it over a block of cream cheese or goat cheese and serve with crackers.
-Spread it between tortillas, along with grilled chicken and cheese, and grill for amazing quesadillas.
-Spread it on an English muffin and top with egg, cheese, and bacon for a breakfast sandwich with a kick.
-Add it to a grilled cheese sandwich.
-Spread it on a sandwich of leftover roast turkey or chicken.
-Add it to a marinade for roast pork or grilled chicken.
RECIPE:
Yield: About 7 half-pint jars
3 lb peeled and seeded mangos (weigh after peeling/seeding), about 6 cups
6-7 oz (about 6-7 whole) jalapeños
¾ cup apple cider vinegar
4 ¼ cups sugar, divided
1 box low-sugar pectin
Chop mangos in a food processor until finely chopped, but not pureed. You should end up with about 5 cups finely chopped mango. Pour into a large pot.
Use the food processor to finely chop the jalapeños. Leave the seeds/ribs in the jalapeños for a more spicy jam; remove them for a milder jam. Add to the pot along with the vinegar, and 4 cups of sugar.
Bring to a full rolling boil, reduce heat to medium, and boil for 20 minutes.
In a small bowl, stir together the pectin and ¼ cup sugar. Add pectin mixture to the pot and return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil for 2 additional minutes.
Remove from heat and ladle into sterilized jars. Wipe rims of jars with a damp cloth and add lids and rings. Process jars in a boiling bath canner for 10 minutes for half-pint jars. Remove from canner and place on a towel on kitchen countertop. Let sit 24 hours. Check seals before storing on pantry shelf.
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Filed under Appetizers, Breads, Canning/Freezing, Condiments/Sauces
Easter Resurrection Rolls
Chinese Chicken and Eggplant
Peeps Surprise Cupcakes
Fried Rice
Whipped Shortbread Cookies
Lo Mein
IP Ham & Cauliflower Chowder
Strawberry Cream Pie
Cinnamon Rolls
Crescent Rolls
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