Favorite Homemade Rolls w/Raspberry Butter

I just couldn't help myself this week and had to make these amazing rolls with this amazing butter. I have made many different roll recipes, but always come back to these. SO DELICIOUS. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do :)

Sweet Dinner Rolls

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

1/2 c. warm water
1/2 c. warm milk
1 egg
1/3 c. butter, softened
1/3 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
3-3 3/4 c. flour (you can use all-purpose, but I like to use bread flour if I have it)
1 pkg. active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp.)
1/4 c. butter, softened (optional)

Directions:

Dissolve 1 T. of the 1/3 c. sugar in the warm water. You don't want your water HOT, JUST WARM. Stir in yeast. Cover and let proof 10 min. Meanwhile, place milk, egg, 1/3 c. butter, sugar, and salt in mixing bowl (I use my kitchen aid standing mixer). When yeast is nice and foamy, add to bowl and begin kneading. Add flour until dough is smooth, but still a tad sticky to touch. The first few times I made them they did not turn out as soft as I would like and I found that I had been adding too much flour. So leave the dough a little sticky, but manageable. (I usually only use 3 c. flour) Knead 5-10 min. more. Place dough in oiled bowl. Cover and let rise 1 hr. Shape rolls into desired shapes and dip into 1/4 c. butter if desired. (I don't do this because of humidity in NC). Place in greased 9x13" pan. Cover and let rise 1 hr. more. Bake at 375 degrees for about 12-14 minutes. Depending on your oven, oven temp and time may need to be adjusted. If you didn't dip your rolls in butter before, I often brush mine with butter once I take them out of the oven. (I don't do this in NC either)

Raspberry Butter

Adapted from thesisterscafe.com

1/2 c. raspberry jam w/seeds (I don't like to use Smuckers. The generic walmart brand is good :)
1/2 c. softened butter
1/4 c. powdered sugar

Beat with hand mixer till smooth. Enjoy! Store in refrigerator.

Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream

Can I just say that I love my ice cream maker? Holy moly homemade ice cream is simply amazing. The occasional beautiful weather in Utah this last month has really gotten me craving a summery treat. My parents are stopping by on their way through town tomorrow, so I decided to whip up this strawberry deliciousness. I use a cuisinart ice cream maker and first got this recipe out of their recipe book. Best strawberry ice cream I have ever had. Enjoy!

Ingredients

3 cups fresh ripe strawberries, stemmed and sliced
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1-1/2 cup sugar, divided
1-1/4 cups whole milk
2-3/4 cups heavy cream
1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions

In a small bowl, combine the strawberries with the lemon juice and 1/2 cup of the sugar. Stir gently and allow the strawberries to macerate in the juices for 2 hours. Strain the berries, reserving juices. Mash or purée half the berries.
In a medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed to combine the milk and remaining granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream, reserved strawberry juice, mashed strawberries, and vanilla. Turn the machine on; pour the mixture into freezer bowl, and let mix until thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes. Five minutes before mixing is completed, add the reserved sliced strawberries and let mix in completely. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

My Favorite Versatile Dough

This is a recipe of my mom's, who has always been an amazing cook. She uses this dough for all kinds of things, scones, navajo tacos, cinnamon rolls, pizza crust, you name it. One of my sweet little Allie's favorite things to do is help me make cinnamon rolls. And let me just say, she is SO much help :) So glad I had a girl to help me in the kitchen. Finding all of the leftover butter/cinnamon sugar mixture is her specialty. Love her and her little sweet tooth :) The dough is slightly sweet and raises nicely. Makes a lot of dough, so I like to divide it in four after it has raised once and freeze it for whenever I need it. Usually takes about 6-7 hours to thaw at room temp. I took mine out to thaw yesterday morning and we had a yummy pizza that night. My kids gobbled it up! Enjoy!

1/2 c. butter, softened
1 qt. hot water
1 c. sugar
1 T. salt
3 T. active dry
yeast in 3/4 c. water w/1 T. sugar
12+ c. flour

Dissolve 1 T. sugar in 3/4 c. warm water. Stir in yeast. Cover and let sit for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine 1 qt. hot water, 1 c. sugar, 1 t. salt and 1/2 c. softened butter in mixing bowl (I use my kitchenaid standing mixer).When yeast is nice and foamy, add it to the bowl. Begin mixing and add the flour slowly to the bowl until the dough it still a tiny bit sticky to the touch, but manageable. Be careful not to add too much, or the dough will be dry. Knead for 5-10 minutes. Transfer to a greased bowl. Cover and let rise 1 hr. Punch down and form dough for whatever your purpose...cinnamon rolls, pizza crust, etc. Cover and let rise for 1 hr. more. Makes 4 dozen cinnamon rolls, or atleast 4 cookie sheets full of pizza crust. Yum!

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken

Let's just start by saying me and the crock pot have a love hate relationship. Love that it is so convenient, hate that it's hard to find crock pot recipes that I love. Found this super easy recipe on pinterest the other day. Worked out great for me on Sunday when I was busy keeping kids occupied during General Conference. Flint and I loved it, plus, I just happened to have everything on hand :) Enjoy!

2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast tenderloins
1 c. pineapple juice
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. light soy sauce

Mix it all together in the crock pot. Cook on low 6-8 hrs. (If you have a bigger crock pot like me, I suggest checking it at 4 hrs.) I made some white rice and gravy to go with ours. When chicken is done, pour juices into a saucepan on med. high heat. In a small bowl mix together 1-2 T. corn starch with a little bit of cold water. Slowly stir the mixture into the saucepan of juices. Remove from heat when it has reached your desired consistency. Now just pour over top your chicken and rice! Enjoy!

Easy & Delicious Meatballs

I wanted to make a crockpot stroganoff tonight, but the recipe called for meatballs.... which I don't have hanging around. Being carless... I improvised and made my own. Turned out DELICIOUS! I have a feeling my husband is going to be very happy around 5 o'clock tonight :) Found this recipe on allrecipes.com Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds ground beef
• 1 1/2 cups Italian-seasoned dry bread crumbs
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup

• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
  
  
  
  

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil and lightly grease.
2. Mix together the ground beef, bread crumbs, cream of mushroom soup, eggs, Parmesan cheese, and onion soup mix. Shape the mixture into balls about the size of a golf ball. Arrange on the prepared baking sheets.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

Oatmeal Pancake Mix

We have been on a pancake kick at our house lately... Probably because both of my kids eat them so great! Found this recipe that I LOVE from thesisterscafe.com. It is so delicious, pretty healthy and convenient. You will LOVE them too :) Enjoy!

Oatmeal Pancake Mix

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups rolled (quick) oats
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 cup vegetable or canola oil

Directions

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixer with a paddle (or by hand). If desired, grind the oats in a blender or food processor before adding to the other dry ingredients for a smoother mix. With mixer on slow speed (or gently by hand), drizzle the vegetable oil into the bowl slowly while the mixer is running. When all the oil has been added, stop the mixer and squeeze a clump of mix in your hand. If it stays together, it is just right. If it is still crumbly, add another tablespoon of oil at a time until the consistency is correct (I’ve never had to add additional oil). Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks at room temperature or indefinitely in the refrigerator or freezer.

To make the pancakes: whisk together 1 cup of mix, 1/2 to 1 cup buttermilk* (depending on how thick you want your batter), and 1 egg. The mixture may seem thin at first but the oats will soak up the milk as it stands while the griddle preheats. Heat a griddle and drop the batter onto it. When the edges look dry and bubbles come to the surface and don’t break, turn the pancake over to finish cooking on the second side. As a sidenote, buttermilk can be frozen indefinitely for future batches of pancakes, so it’s worth keeping it around!

Happy Easter!

Easter is one of my favorite holidays. The sweet dresses, the cute baskets, and the first signs of Spring! Yes, I know I am ridiculous... but really! I love it. It also gives me an excuse to make some of my favorite treats :) Here's what I will be making and delivering Saturday. Let me know what you need :) Have the best week!!!

Butterscotch Nests w/cadbury eggs
Cinnamon Rolls
Orange Rolls
Carrot Cake
Big Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies