Butterscotch Bundt Rolls

With Memorial Day approaching, I wanted to share this fabulous recipe! It's become a tradition in our family to do a big breakfast when my husband has a day off for a holiday. This has become one of our favorites to add to our menu. The rolls are really soft, gooey, and sticky! I really like the subtle butterscotch flavor mixed with brown sugar that these rolls have. But you don't have to just eat these with breakfast--they are also really good paired with a dinner of meat and potatoes, too. And a nice bonus is that they look kind of fancy and taste even better!

Butterscotch Bundt Rolls from "The Essential Mormon Cookbook"

18 frozen dinner rolls (I use Rhodes Rolls)
1 (3 oz.) package butterscotch pudding (NOT instant)
1/2 C packed brown sugar
1/2 C chopped pecans
1/2 C melted butter

Arrange frozen rolls in a greased Bundt pan. Sprinkle pudding, brown sugar, and pecans over rolls. Drizzle butter over all. Cover Bundt pan with dishtowel, plastic wrap, or waxed paper and let rise at room temperature overnight, or about 12 hours. Remove dishtowel. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Cool 5-10 minutes before inverting to a serving plate. Serve warm. Makes 18 rolls.

Tips: Just as an FYI, the last time I made these I only needed about 6-7 hours before the rolls were risen enough. So if you were making this the night before for breakfast, I'd probably suggest doing them right before you went to bed so that they don't get too huge.

Scotch-A-Roos!

I'm finally back! It has been a crazy, whirlwind few months. The main source of craziness being that we moved across the country to live with my in-laws while our house is still on the market in Ohio (anyone looking for a great house?). Thankfully my husband's new job took us to the West where our family lives and so we can live with family in this limbo state?!? Anyways--so in the midst of moving and then getting settled, it's taken a little while to get our internet up and running and to get back into the swing of actually cooking instead of having our dinner mainly consist of some form of drive-thru.

So I'm excited to get back into the swing of blogging and reading all of your great blogs! I have been wanting to make this recipe since a friend brought it to our New Year's party. But be warned....they are extremely addictive! I made one pan with my sister and after we all devoured it I came home and made another pan. They are really soft and chewy and have the perfect amount of peanut butter. And then you add the yummy butterscotch chocolate icing to the top and it really is the perfect combination.

Scotch-a-roos from Mykette

1 C corn syrup
1 C granulated sugar
6 C Rice Krispies
1 C peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 C chocolate chips (I used 1 1/2-2 C)
1 C butterscotch chips (also used 1 1/2-2 C)

1. Combine corn syrup and sugar in a large pot. Cook over medium heat to a boil; boil one minute.

2. Remove from heat and add peanut butter and vanilla. Add rice krispies. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan.

3. Chill. Melt chips in bowl in microwave and spread over treats. Chill again until chocolate sets up. Enjoy!!!

7-Up Salad

I must admit that although I am from a state where Jello is jokingly (or maybe seriously) known as a staple--I'm not such a huge fan of Jello salads. This salad is a HUGE exception! It is one of my very, very favorite salads. It goes perfectly with a nice Sunday dinner. The 7-up adds a great little kick to the jello and I love the bananas and the whip cream topping that goes on the top. This has become a favorite around our house--especially with the little ones. This would be a great addition to an Easter dinner if you're looking for something new to shake up your meal.

7-Up Salad from Barbs (my mom)

1 lg. pkg lemon jello—dissolve in 1 C boiling water

Add:
3 C 7-up. Let set until slightly thickened in fridge.

Fold in:
Sliced bananas (the more the better)
1 ½ C miniature marshmallows
1 Lg. can crushed pinappled (drained)—save syrup

Let jello set completely and add topping:

Topping:
1 cup pineapple syrup (add water to make 1 cup)
1 egg (well beaten)
½ C sugar
1 T cornstarch
Mix and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook until thick. Fold in ½ pt whipped cream (already whipped). Spread on Jell-0.

Southwest Egg Rolls

As mentioned in a previous post, we are in the process of selling our house and moving across the country. In fact, my husband is already in another state at his new job and I'm here selling the house. And so our menu at night mainly consists of McDs, Wendys, Chick-Fil-A, Burger King....you get the picture. I'm not proud to admit how much I haven't been cooking in the last six weeks. The extent of my "baking" has been making waffles and pancakes for dinner?!?

So I thought I'd post a recipe that I made awhile back that we really, really loved. I love the southwest egg rolls at Chili's and these were a very, very close rendition. The Chili's here is about thirty minutes away and so I was craving these one weekend and decided to check Allrecipes to see if they had a recipe close to it. These are REALLY close and so delicious. (And in all my craziness, the picture even comes from Allrecipes).

Southwest Egg Rolls from Allrecipes

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 skinless, boneless chicken breast half
2 tablespoons minced green onion
2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper
1/3 cup frozen corn kernels
1/4 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 tablespoons diced jalapeno peppers
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
5 (6 inch) flour tortillas
1 quart oil for deep frying

DIRECTIONS
1. Rub 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over chicken breast. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook chicken approximately 5 minutes per side, until meat is no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in green onion and red pepper. Cook and stir 5 minutes, until tender.
3. Dice chicken and mix into the pan with onion and red pepper. Mix in corn, black beans, spinach, jalapeno peppers, parsley, cumin, chili powder, salt and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir 5 minutes, until well blended and tender. Remove from heat and stir in Monterey Jack cheese so that it melts.
4. Wrap tortillas with a clean, lightly moist cloth. Microwave on high approximately 1 minute, or until hot and pliable.
5. Spoon even amounts of the mixture into each tortilla. Fold ends of tortillas, then roll tightly around mixture. Secure with toothpicks. Arrange in a medium dish, cover with plastic, and place in the freezer. Freeze at least 4 hours.
6. In a large, deep skillet, heat oil for deep frying to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Deep fry frozen, stuffed tortillas 10 minutes each, or until dark golden brown. Drain on paper towels before serving.

Tips: To make a healthier version, I sprayed the tortillas generously with Pam spray and then browned them in a frying pan and then baked them at 450 for ten minutes. They were still really yummy!

Lower Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are my new favorite chocolate chip cookie! My friend made these a few weeks back when we were having a playdate at her house. I was instantly hooked! They are a lower fat version (I take that with a grain of salt....because anything with a stick of butter can't be low fat)--but compared to most recipes they do have less butter. They are really chewy and have such an amazing flavor. I have many favorite chococolate chip recipes--but these are now #1. I just love their consistency. They are perfectly chewy, sweet, and addictive.

Chocolate Chip Cookies from Mykette

Whisk by hand:

2 1/4 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Then combine in a separate bowl:

1 stick butter, very softened
1 C brown sugar
3/4 C granulated sugar

Combine two sets of ingredients. Then add and beat for 1 minute:

1 tsp vanilla extract
2 egg whites
1 C chocolate chips

Bake at 350 for 9-10 minutes.

Tips: My friend told me to make them following the ingredients exactly. The first batch of made of these, I had some oldish brown sugar that ended up getting really crystally and the cookies didn't turn out too well. So this last batch I opened a new bag of brown sugar and they were perfect (just as an FYI). Also, I'm not sure where the original recipe came from, but I think it might be Cooking Light.

One more tip: I asked Mykette if the dough sometimes comes out dry. She said she uses "extra large" eggs and so to add another egg white if you're using smaller eggs. Hopefully that way the consistency will be a little more moist. Given that they're lower fat, the dough isn't quite as moist as others and so I had to kind of roll them into a ball. They still tasted great, though!

Amazing Chocolate Cake

This is seriously one of the BEST chocolate cakes I have ever had! I am not a fan of how dried out homemade chocolate cake can get. This one stays moist and amazingly is more moist the second and third day. We found this last year when we were having a blizzard and found ourselves stuck in the house for the whole weekend. My husband LOVES chocolate cake and wanted to make some while we were holed up. We didn't have any milk or eggs and so he searched and found this one that doesn't have either of those ingredients--pretty crazy, right? We were completely hooked from that first making! My husband travels a lot for business and tries chocolate cake at a lot of fancy, shmancy restaurants and swears that this recipe is so much better than any he's had before. I think it is best served with homemade icing. It's amazing served warm or cooled. I just can't say enough about how much we love it!

Crazy Cake from Allrecipes

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups cold water

DIRECTIONS
Sift flour, sugar, salt, soda, and cocoa together into a 9 x 13 inch ungreased cake pan. Make three wells. Pour oil into one well, vinegar into second, and vanilla into third well. Pour cold water over all, and stir well with fork.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes, or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean. Frost with your favorite icing.

Tips: Although the direction are rather unusual--follow them to a tee.

Cheesy Potatoes

For any of you still checking this blog--sorry for the absence. It has been a crazy whirlwind week. My husband was offered a new job back in the West where we are from and we have had a busy, busy, busy week getting the house on the market and getting everything in order. So if any of you are looking for a great house in central Ohio--I know of an amazing one for you to buy :-). So in my lack of cooking, I'm posting a recipe for cheesy potatoes that we make every single year for Christmas Eve. They are amazing!

Cheesy Potatoes

1 (2 lb.) package frozen hash brown potatoes
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
2 C cheddar cheese
16 ounces sour cream
1/4-1/2 C green onions
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine the hashbrowns, soup, green onions, sour cream, and 1 1/2 C cheddar cheese. Mix well and pour into greased 9x13 pan. Top with remaining 1/2 C cheddar cheese; bake for 30-40 minutes or until all cheese is bubbly and hot.