Dinner Rolls

You all know that I am not good with baking or breads, but these were so easy and delicious. I had tried another roll recipe last week, but they turned out really crunch and dry. No bueno in this house. We like Bays Southern Bread's rolls - if you aren't from here then you have no clue what I am talking about, but this company makes the bread for Cracker Barrel. They have the best rolls, but I never have cash or time to go buy them. While these weren't sourdough, they were a good substitute.

Dinner Rolls

adapted from Allrecipes

Prep Time: 30 minutes, plus 2 hours rising time

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 16 rolls

Ingredients

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 cup warm milk

1 egg

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup white sugar

1 tsp salt

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 pkg dry active yeast

Directions

Mix together water, milk and sugar in the bowl of a KitchenAid mixer. Add the yeast and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Stir in the butter, egg and salt. Using the dough hook, begin by adding flour half a cup at a time until the dough is "cleaning" the sides. It will be slightly tacky, but not really sticky. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise for 45 minutes to an hour. 

Punch the dough down and divide it into 16 balls (maybe the size of tangerines?).  Place them on a baking sheet (I greased mine with a little butter), cover with a towel and let them rise another hour. 

Preheat the oven to 350. Bake the rolls for 15 minutes. When they start to turn slightly golden brown, I brush mine with a little butter. You could also do an egg wash. 

Enjoy!

Fried Rice

This was good, but it wasn't quite right. Personally, I thought that it needed less pepper and more soy sauce. It was also a little too sticky for my tastes as I like a drier fried rice. This might have been due to the fact that I made the rice that day, rinsed it and placed it in the fridge. I was thinking that the rice might have to be made the day before or picked up from a Chinese restaurant and be refrigerated overnight. That might help suck some of the moisture out of the rice. Other than that it's great paired with the Honey-Soy Chicken Planks.

Fried Rice

adapted from Allrecipes.com

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 8-10

Ingredients

2 eggs

2 TBS water

2 TBS butter

2 TBS vegetable oil

1/2 medium onion, chopped

4 cups cooked white rice, cold

6 TBS soy sauce

1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper (this was a little too much for us)

Directions

In a bowl, beat together the eggs and water. Melt butter over medium heat and add the eggs. Leave it flat until cooked. Slide onto a plate and slice it into shreds or bite sized pieces. Set aside.

Heat oil in the same skillet. Add the onion and saute until translucent and soft. Add the remaining ingredients (except for the egg) and cook for 5 minutes. Add the egg and mix together. Cook for 2-3 minutes more. 

Enjoy!

Honey-Soy Chicken Planks

These were so delicious! They were flavorful and crunchy without being high in fat. I don't often make Chinese-type food as stir-fry often contains the dreaded vegetables. I found a recipe from Rachael Ray for some honey mustard chicken planks and became inspired for something more Chinese-y. These were also great paired with the Fried Rice. 

Honey Soy Chicken Planks

adapted from multiple recipes

Prep Time: 20 minutes, plus 3 hours for marinating

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

3 TBS vegetable oil

1 TBS sesame oil

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 TBS chopped ginger

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

2-3 TBS toasted sesame seeds

Directions

In a bowl, mix together the oils, honey, soy sauce, garlic and ginger. Cut the chicken breasts into 2 1/2 -3 " wide strips (about 1/2" thick) and put in the honey-soy sauce marinade. Let it sit for 3-4 hours.

Remove the chicken from the fridge and let it come to room temperature. 

Preheat the oven to 425. Place a baking rack on a baking sheet with a rim and coat the rack with cooking spray.

In a shallow pan, mix together the panko and sesame seeds. Remove the strips from the marinade, shake off excess liquid and place them in the breading. Press the breading lightly into each side. Place the chicken on the rack and lightly coat with cooking spray. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. 

Enjoy!

Weekly Menu - January 8-14

School starts back this week! Tuesday nights will most likely be our slow cooker nights as I have class from 9am-6pm. I will just have to remember to get the food in the crockpot before I leave for class. Short list this week as we are having soup and grilled cheese one night and my sister-in-law is making us dinner another night. 

Honey-Soy Chicken Planks

Fried Rice
Chicken Tortellini Bake

Sweet Dinner Rolls

Stovetop Lasagna

Hubby and my niece chowed down on this. My niece was almost finished with her plate before we made it to the table. Hubby didn't know there were veggies in it until my niece mentioned something about "salad" being in it. She had helped me make the puree and saw the spinach. We kept trying to shush her, but it eventually came out. Of course, weird faces were made after that and it tasted "different". This was all from hubby, not my 4 year old niece. Rule of thumb for the future - make the puree ahead of time and don't let hubby know! I also apologize for the picture - we started serving before I took a pic so it looks like a hot mess.

Stovetop Lasagna

adapted from The Sneaky Chef

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 50 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

1 TBS extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup chopped onion (1/2 of a medium onion)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb ground turkey

3/4 cup Green Puree (<---Click the link for the recipe)

6 oz can tomato paste

1/4 cup oat bran 

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp basil

9 oz box of lasagna noodles, broken 

24 oz jar of pasta sauce (I like Prego traditional)

1-1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 

Directions

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, deep skillet that had a lid. Saute the onions until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic in the last few minutes of cooking. Add the turkey and cook until no longer pink.

In a bowl, combine the puree and tomato paste. It will turn an unappetizing brown color, but don't be alarmed! Add it to the skillet and mix. 

Stir in the oat bran, basil and oregano. Top the mixture with the lasagna noodles. Pour tomato sauce over the noodles. Add 2 1/2 cups of water to the pan and stir into the sauce.

Bring it to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. 

Top with cheese and cover for about 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. 

Enjoy!

Hot Ham & Cheese Slices

These were so yummy! Hubby raved about them. It's a great twist on hot sandwiches and they are very easy to make. You could even change it up with the types of meat and cheese. I used swiss slices, but they didn't melt too well. Next time, I will be trying it with shredded swiss and patting the ham down to reduce some of the moisture.

Hot Ham and Cheese Slices

adapted from Taste of Home

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 20-25 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 TBS Dijon mustard

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

1/4 to 1/3 lb of thinly sliced ham

1/4 to 1/3 lb sliced Swiss cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400.

Unfold the pastry sheet and roll it out until it's thin. Almost paper thin, but not so thin that it's completely transparent and ripping. 

Spread the mustard all over the dough. On half of the sheet, put down a layer of cheese, top with ham and then additional cheese. Fold the other half of the sheet over the cheese and ham and seal the edges. I sort of rolled and then pinched my edges together. 

Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I wouldn't recommend foil unless it's the non-stick kind. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes and then slice with a serrated knife. 

Enjoy!

Weekly Menu - January 1-7

It's been a while since I updated with a weekly menu. It's been a wild and crazy few weeks here, but I'm finally getting back into a routine. Next week school starts back and I'm strangely excited. I think it's part of that whole "routine" thing again. A few new things this week, hubby has made a resolution to incorporate veggies, but he HATES them. Being the "good" wife that I am, I am going to try some recipes from The Sneaky Chef in an attempt to help him out. He won't know that there are veggies in it though. This should be very interesting...

Hot Ham & Cheese Slices

Creamy Chive Chicken 

Sesame Chicken Planks 

Cold Sesame Noodles (Sneaky Chef)

Honey Mustard Chicken

Speedy Stovetop Lasagna (Sneaky Chef)