Speedy Stroganoff

I love recipes that you can throw together in no time at all! That's how this recipe is today - quick, easy, and yummy. My whole family loves this one!

Here's what you'll need:

1 lb. ground beef
2 T. dried, chopped onion
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 C. sour cream

Cook the ground beef with salt and pepper and the dried, chopped onion. Then add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Serve over cooked egg noodles, tri-color noodles, or baked potatoes.

See how easy that was?! It's great for one of those nights where you've been so busy that you haven't had a chance to work on dinner until 20 minutes before it needs to be served. Try it out!

Dark Chocolate Covered Heart-Shaped Brownies

Yesterday, the kids and I started working on Valentine goodies for their teachers. I wanted something easy, cute, and yummy, so I made a variation to what we did last year for Valentine's day. The changes? Using dark chocolate and covering them with a thin frosting. Oooooooooh boy, they're GOOD!!!

I have my sister-in-law, Shannon, to thank for converting me to the dark side, of chocolate that is. It's a new love of mine!

Here's what you'll need:

Cookie Sheet Brownies

3 C. sugar
6 eggs
3 1/2 C. flour
3 1/2 cubes margarine (I used to make this with butter, but found that margarine is better in this recipe)
1 C. dark cocoa
1/2 C. corn syrup
1 T. vanilla

Dump everything together and mix well. Pour into a greased and floured large, rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. When cool, cut with a heart-shaped cookie cutter (mine was a mini one). Place on a cooling rack. Put the heart filled rack on top of either wax paper or aluminum foil. Drizzle each brownie heart with frosting. Place in the fridge to set the frosting. Scrape the frosting underneath the cooling rack and put it back into your frosting bowl to reuse.

Dark Chocolate Frosting

4 heaping T. dark cocoa powder
1 3/4 cubes butter
8 T. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 lb. powdered sugar

Melt the butter in a large, microwavable bowl. Add the cocoa powder and stir well. Then add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Whisk together until smooth.
You'll want this quite runny, so I put my frosting in the microwave for about 15 seconds on High to melt it a little. Then with a spoon, I poured some frosting on top of each of the brownie hearts until they were mostly covered, if not completely.

Try this out; they are oh, so yummy and so adorable!!

Or if you don't want to worry about the frosting, then just dust them with powdered sugar.

Multi-Grain Bread

I look up to my aunt, Janell, in so many ways. She has the most fun personality, she is absolutely beautiful, and SHE CAN COOK!! Today's recipe came from her.

I hosted a family reunion at my home last year and as a hostess gift, Janell gave me the ingredients that I would need to make this bread. She even ground the flour for me! Did I not tell you how amazing she is?!

So while my mom was here visiting me after I had my baby (yes, this is one of those recipes that I've had waiting on my computer to be posted), we decided to make it. I wasn't quite sure of what to expect since most multi-grain breads are really heavy and dry, but I knew that if this recipe was from Janell, it probably wouldn't turn out like that. And, yep, I was right. It was light and tender and even a little sweet. It smelled terrific while baking and tasted just as good to eat!

There are some steps to this recipe. It's not quite as easy as my Potato Bread, but it's much healthier and so delicious. So try it out!

Here's what you'll need:

1/4 C. sesame seeds
1/4 C. millet
1/8 C. flaxseed
1/4 C. sunflower seeds
1 C. 9 grain (or 7 grain or 11 grain or whatever number of grain you want)
3 C. very hot water

1/4 C. oil
3 T. molasses
1/4 C. honey
1 (heaping) T. instant yeast (My mom uses 3 leveled T. instant yeast, so take your pick or anywhere in between)

1/2 C. gluten
1 T. dough enhancer
1 T. salt
1 C. whole wheat flour

4-5 C. additional whole wheat flour

Combine the first 5 ingredients (the seeds) and let them soak in the very hot water for 15 minutes. Then combine the oil, molasses, honey, and instant yeast and add it to the soaked seeds and water. To this mixture, add the gluten, dough enhancer, salt, and 1 C. whole wheat flour; mix well for 1 minute. Then add 4-5 more cups of whole wheat flour, enough until the sides of the bowl are clean. Mix with a Bosch on speed 2 (medium speed) for 8 minutes with a dough hook.

As I've explained before about using a Bosch mixer versus any other stand mixer, with a Bosch, you only have to let the dough rise once when it is formed into loaves. If you are using any other type of stand mixer, you will have to let it rise until doubled before you shape the dough into loaves and then let rise again after they are shaped.

**Just a note, if you are thinking about investing in a stand mixer, go with a Bosch**

Once the loaves have risen for an hour, bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.


And voila! You get a very tender, very delicious, and very nutritious multi-grain bread. Enjoy!!

Orange Julius

My friend, Alicia, is a great cook! I am always so excited to try anything that she makes because I know it'll be good. Well, today's recipe is hers. And it's TERRIFIC!!!

Now, I've never been to Orange Julius before, but apparently it tastes just like their orange julius. All I have to say is that my four-year-old DEVOURED this stuff! I liked how easy it was to make, how yummy it tasted, and that it's relatively good for you.

Here's what you'll need:

1/2 can frozen orange juice concentrate (I went with the pulp free)
1 C. milk
1 C. water
1/2 C. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 - 1 1/2 trays of ice cubes (12-18 cubes)

Blend all ingredients into a blender until smooth and enjoy!

See, I told you it was easy! Now just try it for yourself and see how yummy it is!!

Twix Bars

I LOVE Twix candy bars! They've been a favorite of mine since I was a kid. When my exercising friends recommended this recipe to me (yes, almost every time we get together to exercise, we talk about food - ironic, I know, but I love it!), I knew I had to try it!!

It's a very simple recipe, just like the candy bar itself - a shortbread crust, caramel center, and topped with chocolate. The only tricky part about it is the caramel. You make a simple, homemade caramel. What's tricky about it is not letting it scorch. Mine did a smidgen, but it was still divine! So, try it out!!

Here's what you'll need:

1 C. butter
1/2 C. sugar
2 C. flour

1 C. butter
1 C. brown sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 C. corn syrup

1 1/2 C. chocolate chips
2 T. shortening

Mix and press the first three ingredients in a 9x13 inch pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until light brown. (I think I did mine for 18 minutes.)

In a medium sized saucepan, mix together the butter, brown sugar, condensed milk, and corn syrup.

Slowly bring to a boil then boil for 5 minutes. VERY IMPORTANT: You MUST stir it constantly or else it will scorch and it takes about 20 minutes to get the caramel mixture to boil. So working on the caramel takes a good thirty minutes.

Okay, moving on... Pour caramel over the crust (it doesn't have to be cooled).

In a microwavable bowl, melt the chocolate chips and the shortening. Stir until smooth. Then pour over the caramel layer and use a spatula to carefully spread, covering all of the caramel. Now this is the hardest part - allow to chill. Yep, that's right, you have to wait for it to set up before you can try it. TORTURE!! But when it's cool, cut that baby up and share the love!

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!! Just ask my sister-in-law, Valerie. She even asked for the recipe! : )

Southern Pulled-Pork Sandwiches with Sweet Coleslaw

Have you been thinking about what to make for your Super Bowl party? In case you have, I have an idea for you. And if you could care less about the Super Bowl, then just enjoy today's recipes, cuz they're GOOD!!!

I saw this idea once on one of my BHG emails I get, for pulled-pork sandwiches with coleslaw on top. I thought it looked interesting. I thought to myself, I have a good pulled-pork recipe, but I don't like coleslaw. And then I remembered eating coleslaw once at my mother-in-law's house and it was so good! But all I could remember about it was that it was sweet. So I did a search online for a sweet coleslaw recipe and I found one that my whole family (myself included) fell in LOVE with!!

Now I made one sandwich slathered in BBQ sauce and no slaw; it was good. The next sandwich I made was with the sweet slaw on top and it was AMAZING!!!!!! The tangy, chewy pork combined with the sweet, crunchy slaw - it is a PERFECT combination! That was all I ate for the next couple of days until it was gone. Trust me when I say, "It was AMAZING!!!"

Here's what you'll need:

Southern Pulled-Pork Sandwiches

3 lbs. pork roast, cut into equal pieces
1/4 C. brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 T. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 C. cider vinegar
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 C. water
8 soft sandwich rolls, split (I used my soft and tender rolls)
BBQ sauce for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine sugar, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Cover pork pieces with the sugar mixture. Place into a roasting pan.
Now, let me just say this, this is how my butcher cut my pork roast. But I prefer to have bigger chunks rather than slices of meat so that when you shred it, you'll have longer shreds. I ended up with little tidbits of pork rather than shreds.

In a medium bowl, combine vinegar, garlic, and 1/2 C. water. Pour into roasting pan. Let me also say this, I should have used my biggest roasting pan and covered it with foil, since it doesn't have a lid. Cover your pan and place in the oven. Bake until pork is very tender and separates easily. For me, it took between 1 to 1 1/2 hours to cook. The recipe says to let it cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. I would suggest checking it after an hour or so and go from there.

Transfer pork to a work surface, reserving pan juices. Shred the meat. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with some of the pan juices to moisten.

And now for the next recipe:

Sweet Coleslaw

1 bag of coleslaw mix (just the shredded cabbage, carrots, and radishes - don't use the sauce mix if it comes with one)
2/3 C. Miracle Whip
3 T. oil
1/2 C. sugar
1 T. white vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt

Put the cabbage into a large bowl and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the Miracle Whip, oil, sugar, white vinegar, and salt. Mix well until creamy and mostly smooth. Pour over the cabbage; mix well to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 2-5 hours. Now that is VERY important to get the best flavor without making the slaw go soggy. After it sits for a couple/few hours, it'll be nice and moist and ready for sandwiches.

To assemble:

Take your sliced sandwich roll and on the bottom half, slather a little BBQ sauce. Place however much pulled-pork on the sauce, then top with however much coleslaw you want. Put the top half of the roll on and CHOW DOWN!!


If you would rather fore go the slaw on top, then just eat it with your favorite BBQ sauce.
But, for me, just try it with the coleslaw. I'm pretty sure you won't regret it!

Update

I felt really bad when I posted about the soft and tender rolls and had so few pictures. Making rolls can be kinda tricky and I wanted more pictures to make things a little easier for you. So I made lots of rolls last night and took lots of pictures to help you out. Below is my updated version of Soft & Tender Rolls.

Hope it helps!

Soft & Tender Rolls

I love bread. I really, really love bread. I would never be able to do one of those diets that cut out any bread intake. I would fail and fail miserably. If it weren't for my mom's voice in my head as I prepare every meal, saying, "Is this a healthy, well balanced meal?" I would be so happy just to eat bread and nothing else. As would my kids.

And today's recipe makes the thought all the more tempting. I love this recipe! It comes from my neighbor down the street, Nina. She's an amazing cook. I took a bread making class from her and got her bread recipe, which she is famous for around here. And this is it.

Though, as I made her bread into loaves, it was so tender and wonderful, but didn't stand up to what I'm looking for in a loaf bread recipe. When I tried it as rolls, however, they were AMAZING!!! Just perfect for rolls!

Here's what you'll need:

3 C. milk
1 C. water
3/4 C. butter
4 T. yeast
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 C. sugar
4 tsp. salt
10 C. flour

Put the milk and water in a large microwaveable bowl and add the butter. Microwave until the butter is mostly melted, about 3-4 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes.



Put the yeast, eggs, sugar, 6 cups of flour, and salt into a large bowl or stand mixer, preferably a Bosch (stand mixers are NOT created equal - Bosch's are the best for breads). Pour in the milk, water, butter mixture and mix well. Add enough of the remaining flour to make the dough pull away from the sides of the bowl, but still leaving some on the sides.

Now, here's where the difference in stand mixers come in. If you are using a Bosch (not a Kitchenaid or any other stand mixer - I mean BOSCH), you just have to let it mix on high for about 10 minutes. That will do the kneading for you. So easy. So wonderful. I love my Bosch.
The dough will be sticky, that's what makes it really tender. You don't want stiff dough!

Okay! Moving on...if you are using a Kitchenaid or other stand mixer, mix as well as you can, for about 5-10 minutes. If you are making these by hand, use those muscles and knead, knead, knead for at least 5 minutes, longer is better.

If you do not use a Bosch, let the dough rise for about an hour or until doubled in size. If you are using a Bosch, you can skip this step. You don't have to let it rise the first time. (Have I told you how much I love that machine?)

If you let the dough rise, punch it down and start forming your rolls.

Now, there are several ways that you can make rolls. There's the classic dinner roll, 1/2 cup or 4-inch sized ball (or whatever size you want to make them) that you line in a greased baking dish.

This is what they look like after they have risen

Or you can make cloverleaf rolls, where you make three little balls (approximately 2 inches in diameter), dunk 'em in melted butter and place them in a muffin tin - three balls to one muffin cup.

Also after they have risen.

Then there's Parker House rolls. To make this style, roll out dough approximately 1/2-inch thick. Cut circles with a biscuit cutter or a cup. Put a little dab of butter in the centers of your dough circles, fold in half, and pinch to make it stay. Then place on a greased baking sheet. (Sorry, no pictures of these. You'll have to use your imagination!)

Or you could make Butterhorn rolls by rolling the dough, onto a very well flourerd surface, into a couple of 12 inch circles, brush with melted butter, and slice into wedges (like a pizza).

Roll each wedge, starting from the wide end, rolling to the point, like a crescent roll.

(I made mine a little big. Next time I'll cut them into 12 rolls rather than 8!)

Place on a greased baking sheet.

And the last method that I'm going to talk about (there are sooooooo many ways to form rolls) is the Lion House method. Roll out your dough into a long rectangle, approximately 18 inches long; brush with melted butter, then slice with a pizza cutter, making several small rectangles measuring approximately 3 inches by 5 inches. That sounds a little confusing. Take a look at the picture below...
Roll up each rectangle, starting at the short end, keeping the butter on the inside. Place into a greased baking sheet.

And with any way that you mixed your dough or formed your rolls, cover your rolls lightly with plastic wrap and let them rise until until doubled in size. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, and the time will fluctuate depending on how your rolls are formed. So use the 20 minutes as a guide, but keep an eye on your rolls. (More exact times are listed below.) They are done when they are golden brown on top. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter. Best when served warm.

The dinner rolls baked for 25-30 minutes.

Brushed with butter

So light and tender!

The cloverleaf rolls baked for 15-18 minutes.

The butterhorn baked for about 25-30 minutes.

And the Lion House rolls baked for about 20-25 minutes.

I hope I didn't confuse you too much. Give them a try because they are really worth it! And don't give up if your rolls don't turn out perfectly. It takes practice!! Heck, I'm still practicing. But again, they are so worth it!!!!

Shredded BBQ Beef Sandwiches

Yay!! Recipes, finally!!! This recipe is one that we love and for three reasons: 1-it's really yummy; 2-it's super easy; and 3-it can feed a lot of people. About six months ago, when my baby was only a few weeks old, I hosted a luncheon at my house after church for lots of family members. As I pondered what I would serve for it, this is what I chose for the three reasons I love it. It was perfect!


Try it out; and even if you don't need to feed a houseful, size it down to what you need. Or you can make a lot of this and freeze it for future use. You can't beat a really good dinner, ready-made and homemade, that you just pull from the freezer and warm up!


Here's what you'll need:


Beef roast, whatever size you want - I went with a 4 lb. and a 2 lb. (6 lbs total) since I was feeding LOTS


Your favorite dry rub or seasoning - I like McCormick's GrillMates Montreal Steak Seasoning, but my favorite is the Kirkland Sweet Mesquite Seasoning that you can find at Costco


Your favorite BBQ sauce - I like KC Masterpiece


Cover your roast with your favorite dry rub or seasoning. Cook it in the crockpot until it's done (the length of time will vary with the size of roast you use - you could cook it overnight on low).


When it's done, remove the meat from the crockpot and discard the juices. Shred the roast and place back in the crockpot. Smother with BBQ sauce until you've reached your desired moistness. For the six pounds of meat that I used, we used an entire 45 oz. bottle of BBQ sauce. Let warm in the crockpot. Serve in buns or rolls or between two pieces of sliced bread. Like I said, super easy, really yummy, and can feed a lot of people.

You can easily freeze any that's left over to save extras for another day.  Just place in a freezer ziplock bag and freeze.  To serve:  Thaw and heat through.

I've Got Some Catching Up To Do!!

I was going through my pictures on my computer today and took an inventory on how many different recipes I have pictures for that I haven't posted yet. Want to know how many I have waiting? 25!! There are 25 recipes that I have pictures of that are just waiting to be posted. Holy moly!!! I have some serious catching up to do! I'll be getting started on them shortly.