Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls

 Mr. Picky pants loves cinnamon rolls, so I make them a lot.  I wanted to make them with a new recipe.  I found a great recipe that uses cakes mix as the base.  I always have a box of cake mix in the cabinet, so this was the recipe I decided to make.  I used a butter flavored cake mix, it was great with the cinnamon and sugar!

 They turned out great.  I loved the buttery, cinnamony, sugary flavor and so did Mr. Picky pants.  I think next time I might try a spice cake mix, or even a vanilla cake mix.

Ingredients
Cinnamon Rolls
1 box white or yellow cake mix
2 packages of dry yeast
2 1/2 cups of warm water
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
5 cups flour
Filling
2 cups brown sugar
Cinnamon
1/2-1 cup butter, softened

Frosting
Powdered sugar, vanilla and a splash of milk to desired thickness.

Directions
1.  Mix yeast and warm water until dissolved.
2.  Combine cake mix, salt and flour in a large bowl.
3.  Add warm water/yeast mixture and vanilla to cake mix, salt and flour mixture. Make sure to mix well.  .
4.  Cover tightly and let rise for one hour.  Punch down and let rise again for another 30-60 minutes.
5.  On a floured surface, roll dough into a rectangle shape, approx 1/4? thick.
6.  Once dough is rolled out, brush with softened butter.   I found that one stick was adequate for this recipe, but you could use more (or less) if desired.
7.  Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon � use as little or as much as you like.
8.  Starting at end opposite from you, roll the dough towards you until all dough is rolled into one long piece.
9.  Slice dough into 24 equal sized pieces.
10.  Place rolls in two greased 9�13 pans.   Cover and let rise until doubled in size.  I usually sit my rolls on my stove-top while my oven preheats to 350 degrees.   This allows them time to rise and provides a bit of warmth from the oven.
11.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-25 minutes or until golden brown.  My rolls took approx 22 minutes.  This will depend on your oven and your preference for how brown you like your cinnamon rolls.
12.   Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
13.  Prepare your frosting.  If you prefer your frosting to melt into your rolls, frost after rolls have cooled for 10-15 minutes.  If you prefer your frosting to stay on top of your rolls, wait until rolls have cooled until frosting.
14.  Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Devin !

Devin turned 2 this past weekend.  To help her celebrate I made her a rainbow cake. 

It was time consuming, but it was worth it for my little princess baby.

She loved her rainbow cake. Happy Birthday Devin, grandma loves you !

Eggs in Toast.

Everyone has a different name for them, but they are just eggs in toast and they are delicious! 
We made these for breakfast yesterday and the kids loved them.
Amy calls them eggs in a basket.  

They are soooooooooooo easy to make. 
They kids loved helping cut the holes and cracking the eggs inside.
This one is Mr. Picky Pants.
He likes his not to runny, more on the hard side.

These would be a great quick and easy dinner with some bacon or sausage and some fruit. 

Ingredients

• 1 slice of Bread
• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• 1 whole Egg
• Salt and Pepper to Taste

Preparation Instructions

With a small biscuit cutter or the rim of a small glass, press a hole in the center of the slice of bread.
Next, heat a skillet over medium-low heat and melt a Tablespoon of butter in it. When the butter is all melted and spread out, place the piece of bread in the skillet and crack the egg straight into the center of hole. Add the small cut out piece of bread. Cook for at least 30 seconds or so before attempting to move the bread or things could get messy. Sprinkle the egg with salt and pepper to taste. After about a minute, flip it over with a spatula and salt and pepper the other side. Now move the whole piece of toast around the skillet, soaking up all of the butter. Let it cook until the yolk feels soft for runny yellow yolks, or a few seconds longer for harder yellow yolks. I like mine on the runny side, great for using that little piece of round bread for soaking it up!!

Chocolate Banana Bread

I had a couple of bananas that were getting over ripe so I decided to make banana bead.  I made chocolate banana bread when David and Amy came to visit me in Oklahoma over Thanksgiving and they LOVED it, so I made it again.  It is adapted from the Martha Stewart banana bread recipe, except I used vanilla yogurt instead of sour cream and added cocoa power and mini chocolate chips to the recipe.  I have to admit it is quite good!!

 

 I added 4 tablespoons of Nestle Toll House cocoa powder, 3/4 cup of mini chocolate chips and I substituted vanilla yogurt for the sour cream.  Turned out fabulous!!!!!!!!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature, plus more for pan
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan; set aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, and beat to incorporate.
   
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture, and mix until just combined. Add bananas, sour cream, and vanilla; mix to combine. Stir in nuts, and pour into prepared pan.
   
3. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Let rest in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool.
   

Peanut Butter and M&M Rice Krispie Treats for my Husband.

I made my husbands favorite treat, rice krispie treats!  I made them a little different this time.  I made peanut butter rice krispie and topped them with M&M's! I love rice krispie, I love peanut butter and I love M&M;s so this was a great combo for me. They were also very colorful.

Look at how yummy these are.....

I topped mine with M&M's, outstanding!!!!

• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows
• - OR -
• 4 cups miniature marshmallows
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 6 cups Kellogg's� Rice Krispies� cereal
  
  

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter until melted. 2. Add KELLOGG'S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated.
3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares. Best if served the same day.


MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS:
In microwave-safe bowl heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Add peanut butter, stirring until combined. Follow steps 2 and 3 above. Microwave cooking times may vary.

Homemade Fig Newtons

I made these right before we moved back to Wisconsin.  I made fig and raspberry. I forgot to get the picture of the raspberry one as they flew out the door to give to all the wonderful people I worked with in Oklahoma.  The fig ones got eaten by all Taylor's friends before I could send them to work. 

They were really good, but I did change the recipe and use fig jam that I already had in the refrigerator.  I googled Fig Newton bars and found the recipe I used at Brown Eyed Baker.


Fig Bars

Yield: 16 bars
Prep Time: 40 minutes | Bake Time: 50 minutes
� cup all-purpose flour
� cup whole wheat flour
� teaspoon baking powder
� teaspoon salt + Pinch of salt, divided
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
� cup light brown sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 ounces dried Turkish or Calimyrna figs, stemmed and quartered
2 cups apple juice
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, allowing excess to hang over the pan edges. Grease the foil; set pan aside.
2. Combine the flours, baking powder, and � teaspoon of salt in a small bowl. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined. Stir in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Place all but � cup dough into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Bake until just golden, about 20 minutes. After you put the bottom crust in the oven, roll the remaining dough into an 8-inch square between two sheets of greased parchment paper, then place in the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cook the figs, apple juice, and the remaining pinch of salt in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until very soft and syrupy, 15 to 20 minutes; cool slightly. Process the mixture with the lemon juice in a food processor until jam-like.
4. Spread the fig mixture evenly over the baked crust. Top with the frozen dough square and press lightly on the dough to adhere. Bake until the top is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack, about 2 hours. Using the foil overhang, lift bars from pan and cut into squares. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Knock You Naked Brownies for Valentines Day!

These brownies had a great name and they look drool worthy so I though,t what the heck, 

I would make them.  

I found them on The Pioneer Woman's website.

They are made with german chocolate cake mix instead of a brownie mix with is different.  

They also have chocolate chip and lots of caramel.  

To much caramel in opinion.  

I thought they were ok, but they did not knock me naked, which is probably a good thing :) 

Now everyone else who tried them, which include 2 adults and 4 children thought they were fantastic.  

Like I said it was to much caramel for me, just my opinion. 

Ingredients

• 1 box (18.5 Ounce) German Chocolate Cake Mix
• 1 cup Finely Chopped Pecans
• 1/3 cup Evaporated Milk
• 1/2 cup Evaporated Milk (additional)
• 1/2 cup Butter, Melted
• 60 whole Caramels, Unwrapped
• 1/3 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1/4 cup Powdered Sugar

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, chopped pecans, 1/3 cup evaporated milk, and melted butter. Stir together until totally combined. Mixture will be very thick.
Press half the mixture into a well-greased 9 x 9 inch square baking pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and set aside.
In a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water) melt caramels with additional 1/2 cup evaporated milk. When melted and combined, pour over brownie base. Sprinkle chocolate chips as evenly as you can over the caramel.
Turn out remaining brownie dough on work surface. Use your hands to press it into a large square a little smaller than the pan. Use a spatula to remove it from the surface, then set it on top of the caramel and chocolate chips.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for several hours. When ready to serve, generously sift powdered sugar over the surface of the brownies. Cut into either nine or twelve helpings, and carefully remove from the pan.

Tuna melts....kicked up!!

Remember I made English muffin bread? Well I did!  If you missed it you must go back and check it out, it is incredibly good!!  Anyways...today I made kicked up tuna melts on that homemade English muffin bread!

It was really, really good.  Even Mr. Picky Pants ate it! I made them for lunch, but they would make a great dinner, especially with potato salad and a slice of dill pickle! YUMMY! Do yourself a favor and make English muffin bread and then make these tuna melts before all the bread is gone. Your tummy will be happy you did.

Tuna Melt

Ingredients

• 5 ounces Tuna
• 1/4 cup Finely Chopped Red Onion
• 1/4 cup Finely Chopped Red Bell Pepper
• 2 whole Hard Boiled Eggs, Chopped
• 1/3 cup Mayonnaise or miracle whip, (my choice).
• 2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 6 whole English Muffins Split or English muffin bread
• 12 slices Cheese (Swiss, or cheddar works great also!)
• Tomato slices 
• Dill pickle slices to serve on the side!

Preparation Instructions

Combine the tuna with onion, bell pepper, eggs, and garlic powder. Stir in mayonnaise and Dijon mustard. Add salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed; be sure not to under salt.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place English muffin halves or a few slices of the English muffin bread you made, on a large cookie sheet. Place a large spoonful of tuna salad on each of the bread pieces. Use the spoon to spread. Top with tomato slices. Put pan into the oven for five minutes, then remove and lay a slice of cheese on each muffin, I used grated cheddar as I like the way it melts. Return to oven and turn on broiler. Watch carefully to avoid burning; bake until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Remove from oven and serve immediately with pickles and chips or potato salad would be awesome.

Posted by Ree on June 1 2011

Homemade English Muffin Bread

I love english muffins, love them.  I have always wanted to make them, but unfortunetly I do not have any english mffin molds or enough tuna cans.  Yes, tuna cans.  You can cut the top and bottom off tuna cans to make the molds.  I don't even buy tuna in the can anymore. Sooooo I found a recipe for english muffin bread on the King Arthur Flour website.  It turned out wonderful and even had all the nooks and crannies that english muffins have.  I toasted the bread and slathered it with butter (the only way to make it).  We ate it along side some eggs and sausage for breakfast. What a great way to start the day !!

Ingredients  

• 3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
• cornmeal, to sprinkle in pan

• 12 3/4 ounces King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 ounce sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• 8 ounces milk
• 2 ounces water
• 7/8 ounce vegetable oil or olive oil
• cornmeal, to sprinkle in pan

• 361g King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 14g sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• 227g milk
• 57g water
• 25g vegetable oil or olive oil
• cornmeal, to sprinkle in pan

Directions

1) Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and instant yeast in a large mixing bowl.

2) Combine the milk, water, and oil in a separate, microwave-safe bowl, and heat to between 120�F and 130�F. Be sure to stir the liquid well before measuring its temperature; you want an accurate reading. If you don't have a thermometer, the liquid will feel quite hot (hotter than lukewarm), but not so hot that it would be uncomfortable as bath water.

 

3) Pour the hot liquid over the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl.

 

4) Beat at high speed for 1 minute. The dough will be very soft.

 

5) Lightly grease an 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan, and sprinkle the bottom and sides with cornmeal.

 

6) Scoop the soft dough into the pan, leveling it in the pan as much as possible.

 

7) Cover the pan, and let the dough rise till it's just barely crowned over the rim of the pan. When you look at the rim of the pan from eye level, you should see the dough, but it shouldn't be more than, say, 1/4" over the rim. This will take about 45 minutes to 1 hour, if you heated the liquid to the correct temperature and your kitchen isn't very cold. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 400�F.

 

8) Remove the cover, and bake the bread for 22 to 27 minutes, till it's golden brown and its interior temperature is 190�F.

 

9) Remove the bread from the oven, and after 5 minutes turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool. Let the bread cool completely before slicing.

Yield: 1 loaf.

Mexican Wedding Cookies

I have been addicted to baking cookies lately.  Oh really don't know why, but cookies seem to be the thing I want to bake right now.  Maybe it's because they remind me of Christmas.  My mom would make tons of cookies at Christmas to bring to the cookie exchange her and her friends would have.  I loved the cookie exchange, you got a whole bunch of different cookies to eat, along with the recipes so you could make them yourself. 

I never made Mexican Wedding Cookies before, but they reminded me of pecan sandies rolled in powdered sugar, kinda!!  They were really good, crunch, but not hard and the powdered sugar made them sweet, but not sickening!!  I got the recipe from the Paula Deen website, you know the butter lady as Taylor likes to call her !!

 

Make some, you will be glad you did !!

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup confectioners� sugar, plus more for coating baked cookies
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting hands
• 1 cup pecans, chopped into very small pieces

Directions

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar at low speed until it is smooth. Beat in the vanilla. At low speed gradually add the flour. Mix in the pecans with a spatula. With floured hands, take out about 1 tablespoon of dough and shape into a crescent (I made balls). Continue to dust hands with flour as you make more cookies. Place onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 40 minutes. When cool enough to handle but still warm, roll in additional confectioners' sugar. Cool on wire racks

Pizza Braid

All I can say is YUM!!

 Taylor, Tony and I were craving pizza.

Tony loves it when I make him homemade pepperoni pizza,

so I made my first pizza braid.

It turned out wonderful.

Just what we were craving.

INGREDIENTS:

1 can (13.8 oz) Pillsbury� refrigerated classic pizza crust

3 oz thinly sliced Canadian bacon

10 slices pepperoni

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz) (or more if your like me!)

2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

1egg yolk

1teaspoon water
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

pizza sauce, for dipping
This would be great with tons of vegis!!!!!

DIRECTIONS

1 Heat oven to 400�F. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Unroll dough on cookie sheet, forming 14x11-inch rectangle.  
2 Top with Canadian bacon, pepperoni, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese lengthwise down center 1/3 of rectangle to within 1/2 inch of short ends..  
3 With pizza cutter or sharp knife, make cuts 1 inch apart on long sides of dough to within 1/2 inch of filling. Alternately cross strips over filling. Fold ends under to seal.  
4 In small bowl, mix egg yolk and water until well blended. Brush over dough; sprinkle with Italian seasonings. 5 Bake 11 to 16 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into crosswise slices. Serve with pizza sauce.

Roasted Baby Potatoes to keep you warm.

Warm out of the oven roasted potatoes.

What could be better on a cold windy night?

These delicious potatoes were served along side baked pork chops.

They were lightly crispy on the outside,

 nice and creamy on the inside.

I seasoned them with salt, pepper and some chopped chive.

Classic taste, there is nothing better.

Roasted Potatoes

2 lb.waxy potatoes, left whole if very small, halved or cut into chunks if large (I used small Yukon golds)
3 Tbs. olive oil or melted butter
1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme or rosemary (I used chives)
1 tsp. coarse salt
Plenty of freshly ground black pepper

---

Heat the oven to 375�F. Spread the potatoes in a single layer in a medium roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil, season with the herbs, salt, and pepper, and toss to coat well. Roast, tossing with a spatula a few times to prevent sticking, until the potatoes are very tender throughout and the skins are somewhat shriveled and crisp, 50 to 60 minutes, depending on their size and variety. Serve hot.

Lasagna Rolls

I wanted to make classic lasagna, but with just the three of us, we would be eating it for a few days, so I made lasagna roll ups.  They were fast and easy to make.  I made the roll-ups with cheese and made a real meaty sauce to go over them.  Delicious! I made extras and froze them for a fast dinner during the week.  I froze the meat sauce separately, just in case I decided to top them with Alfredo sauce next time.  I also made the bread sticks from scratch.  They were also great.  I will post that recipe soon. 

Ingredients

• 1 lb. lasagna noodles
• 32 oz. pasta sauce
• 2 lb. ricotta cheese(I used cottage cheese)
• 1 lb. mozzarella cheese, grated or diced small
• 1/2 C. parmesan cheese
• 1/4 C. chopped parsley
• 3 Tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 2 eggs, beaten

Directions

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling salted water until almost done. Rinse in cold water. In a bowl, combine ricotta, 1 C. mozzarella, 1/4 C. Parmesan, eggs and parsley and Italian seasoning. Spoon some of the ricotta mixture over the lasagna noodles and spread evenly and roll up. In a 9x13-inch baking dish, place 1 C. of sauce on the bottom. Place the roll-ups, seam side down, in the pan on top of the sauce. Top with the remaining sauce and then sprinkle remaining mozzarella and Parmesan over the top.  Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 minutes longer. (I made my sauce a meat sauce with ground beef, onion and garlic)

Halloween Frosted Sugar Cookies (Better than Walmarts!!)

You know those soft frosted sugar cookies at Walmart?  Well, Tony loves them.   He always tries to sneak a package of them in the shopping cart when we are there.  I always put them back and tell him I will make him cookies when we get home.  Well today I actually lived up to my promise!!  These cookies are just as good, if not better them those store bought ones!! I took a bunch to work and they were gone in 10 minutes flat.  They are that good :)

Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies

 

Yield: about 2 dozen large cookies
Ingredients:
For the cookies:
4� cups all-purpose flour
4� tsp. baking powder
� tsp. salt
1� cups (3 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1� cups sugar
3 large eggs
5 tsp. vanilla extract

For the frosting:
5 cups confectioners� sugar, sifted
1/3 cup (5 1/3 tbsp.) unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
7-8 tbsp. milk (plus more, as needed)
Food coloring (optional)
Sprinkles (optional)

Directions:
To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350� F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.  In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt, and whisk together to blend.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat together on medium-high speed until soft and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed.  Blend in the vanilla.  With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients mixing just until incorporated and evenly mixed.  Cover and chill the dough for 1 hour.

When you are ready to bake the cookies, scoop a scant quarter cup of dough and roll into a ball.  Flatten the ball slightly and place on the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the cookies at least 2-3 inches apart.  Bake about 10-12 minutes or just until set.  (Do not over bake!  The edges should be no more than very lightly browned if at all.)  Let cool on the baking sheet for several minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To frost the cookies, place the confectioners� sugar in a medium bowl.  Add the melted butter, vanilla, and milk to the bowl and whisk until smooth.  Whisk in additional milk as necessary, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.  Tint with food coloring if desired.  Use an offset spatula or spoon to frost the cooled cookies.  (If the frosting begins to thicken as you decorate, just continue to whisk in small amounts of milk to keep it workable.)  Top with sprinkles if desired.  Store in an airtight container.

I found this great recipe at Annie's eats!

Pretzel Dogs (better than the mall)

Tony and I had Monday off together again.  We did a few household choirs and spent some time together watching James Bond.  Hubby's favorite.  I made pretzel dogs for lunch.  They turned out AMAZING!  They were warm and soft. The recipe makes 12, but there was no way the the three of us could eat that many, so I made 8 and made the rest of the dough into bites.Tony loved them so much he wants the rest for dinner!! I am sure I will be making these again soon.  Better than the pretzel place at the mall, and waaaaay less expensive !!

Soft Pretzel Dogs

I Found this great recipe at Katrina's Kitchen

Ingredients:

�        1 package active dry yeast (approx. 2 � teaspoons)

�        2 Tablespoons brown sugar

�        1 � teaspoons salt

�        1 � cups warm water (110- 115 degrees F)

�        4 cups flour

       12 hot dogs (I used 8 and made the rest of the dough into pretzel bites)

�        2 cups water

�        2 tablespoons baking soda

�        2 � 3 Tablespoons melted butter

�        Coarse Kosher Salt (optional)

Directions:

1.   In the bowl of your mixer (fitted with dough hook) dissolve yeast, brown sugar and salt in 1 1/2 cups warm water. Mix until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl. Cover, and let rise for one hour.

2.   After dough has risen, cut into 12 pieces. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Roll each piece into a 2 foot rope.

3.   In a large saucepan, bring water and baking soda to a simmer over medium heat.

4.   Roll your dough around the hot dogs and dip into the baking soda solution for about 20-30 seconds. Place on parchment covered (or greased) baking sheets, and let rise 15-20 minutes.

5.   I had 8 hot dogs and made the rest into pretzel bites.

  6.   Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with course salt. Bake at 450 degrees F for 8 -10         minutes, or until golden brown. Mine took about 12 minutes, I wanted to make sure they were cooked through.

Pumpkin Scones

Just look at all that pumpkin scone goodness.  

All that vanilla glaze.  

Pure yumminess !!

Scones Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
7 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
6 Tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3 Tablespoons half-and-half
1 large egg


Scones Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Lightly grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large mixing bowl.
4. With a fork, pastry knife, or food processor, cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter remain. Set aside.
5. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk pumpkin, half and half, and egg.
6. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Form the dough into a ball.
7. Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle (about 9 inches long and 3 inches wide).
8. Use a large knife to slice the dough into three equal portions. Cut diagonally to produce 6 triangular slices of dough.
9. Place on prepared baking sheet from step 2.
10. Bake for 14�16 minutes until scones turn light brown.
11. Place on wire rack to cool.

Sugar Glaze Directions:1. Mix the powdered sugar and 2 Tablespoon milk together until smooth.
2. Brush glaze over the top of each cooled scone.

Spicy Chicken Legs

Taylor and Tony love chicken wings so I am always trying to find a new way to make them.  I wanted to make them a little spicy this time because that's what Taylor likes.  I decided to make a breaded chicken leg but none of the recipes I found were quite what I was looking for.  So I made my own.

Marinade the legs in hot sauce.  I used Franks Buffalo style.  I used about a cup on six legs, threw them in a ziploc bag and threw them in the refrigerator.  Turn every hour.  The longer you marinate them, the spicier they are.  I did mine for about 4 hours.  While they are marinating, make the breading.  I used two cups of flour, two teaspoons of garlic and seasoning salt and one teaspoon of salt and pepper.  Mix up and put m in a ziploc bag.  Scramble two eggs with a splash of milk and place in a bowl big enough to fit one chicken leg at a time in.  Dip the chicken leg and then shake it in the ziploc bag of flour.  Bread all legs and place on a plate to wait for frying.  I fried two legs at a time in my fry daddy, but you can also use your cast iron skillet. Fry until golden brown and the juices run clear.  Drain on paper towel lined plate.  ENJOY