Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

These rolls are delicious! They have just the right amount of sweetness to be sweet rolls without being overly sweet. Rolls freeze really well, too, so I made these ahead of time this year and froze them for Thanksgiving. Now we get delicious rolls I can warm right before dinner! Yum!

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Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

1 1/2 c. warmed pineapple juice  

1/2 c. melted butter

3/4 c. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. ginger

3 eggs

1 tsp. salt

6-7 c. flour

2 Tbsp. yeast

Beat eggs in Bosch machine. Add warm juice, melted butter, sugar, vanilla, yeast and mix together. Add in salt and 3 c. flour. Allow machine to mix as you continue to add 3 additional cups flour. Check dough consistency. If it is too sticky, add more flour. You will want the dough to pull away from the sides of the bowl, but not be too dry. Allow machine to knead dough 5-6 minutes. Cover bowl with warm towel and let rise until double. Punch down and shape as desired. Place on greased pan and allow to rise again. I put the pan in a warm oven with a pan of hot water underneath. When doubled in size, bake at 350 degrees 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. I always brush the tops of my rolls with butter when they come out of the oven, but you don't have to. Enjoy!

Mint Cheesecake Bars

Mint and chocolate is one of my favorite flavor combinations. And cheesecake! So yummy! This recipe uses an Oreo crust - something my kids were only too happy to help eat the leftovers! They also begged to help "taste test" the Andes mints. With so much "help" in the kitchen, it's a miracle I had enough ingredients to get these made!

 

Mint Cheesecake Bars

1/2 c. butter

2 c. crushed Oreos

14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 eggs

1 Tbsp. peppermint flavoring

1 pkg. Andes mints, chopped

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a 9x13 pan, melt the butter in the oven. Sprinkle Oreo crumbs over the melted butter and pack into the bottom of the pan. Bake 6 minutes. While the crust is baking, beat cream cheese in a medium bowl until fluffy. Add in milk slowly while beating and beat until smooth. Add the eggs and peppermint and mix well. Pour over crust when it comes out of the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until it is set. Cool. Once cooled, melt chocolate chips and drizzle over bars. Mine didn't want to drizzle so I poured it on and spread it out. I'm flexible. It worked. Sprinkle chopped mints on top and press lightly. Store covered in refrigerator.

Applesauce Muffins

Most of my muffin recipes have to be doubled to feed all my boys - and even at that, the boys are cut off after four muffins. This recipe is one of the few that make 24 without doubling. And they are 24 good sized muffins. It wouldn't be difficult to cut it in half if you don't have a house full of ravenous boys, however. They freeze really well and are good with store bought applesauce or homemade. The spices make your house smell incredible while they are baking!

 

Applesauce Muffins

1 c. butter, nearly melted

 2 c. sugar

2 eggs

2 c. applesauce

1 tsp. vanilla

4 c. flour

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. allspice

1 c. chopped nuts, optional

1 c. raisins, optional

Cream butter and sugar together then add eggs, applesauce, and vanilla. Stir well. Add flour, baking soda, and spices and stir until well combined. Add nuts and raisins, if desired. Use either cupcake wrappers or greased muffins tins and divide batter into sups equally. Will make 24 large muffins. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Barbecue Beef Biscuits

We had these for the first time right after moving into my sister's house - two days after she had baby #6. Her sister-in-law brought them over so she didn't have to make dinner the night we arrived. Well, they were delicious and we loved them! So, I asked how to make them and now they are a family favorite and are so easy to make! 

Barbecue Beef Biscuits

4 cans biscuits - I use the cheapest brand I can find.

1 pound hamburger

1 can Manwich

barbecue sauce

brown sugar

cheddar cheese

Brown hamburger in pot and drain excess grease. Add Manwich and mix together. I always add a little extra barbecue sauce, whatever I have on hand that isn't quite gone yet, and a little brown sugar - I don't measure it, just dump in whatever looks good, maybe 1/4 cup or so. Let Manwich mixture heat on stove. Meanwhile, open the cans of biscuits. Put each biscuit in the bottom of a muffin tin and spread it out so the biscuit dough covers the bottom of the tin and goes up the sides a little bit. Repeat for all the biscuits - this makes 36 - three muffin tins of biscuits. Divide Manwich mixture into each cup and top with cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degree 15 minutes, or until biscuits turn golden brown around the edges.

Rolls

I love bread. Especially hot, fresh bread. Rolls are good with so many different meals, too. Soups, stews, etc. are all better with rolls. They make easy sandwiches the day after, too. Or by themselves with butter and jam. Really, is there any way a roll isn't good?

 

Rolls

2 c. warm milk

1/2 c. warm water

4 tsp. yeast

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. melted butter

2 eggs

7-8 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

I use my Bosch machine for these rolls, but you can use a KitchenAid or mix by hand. Put milk, water, yeast, and sugar together in the bowl of your Bosch machine. Add melted butter, but be sure it isn't so hot it will kill the yeast. Add 4 cups of the flour and turn machine on. Allow to mix until ingredients are well combined. Turn the machine off to add the two eggs, then turn back on until mixed. Add salt and slowly add in flour as it mixes. Add flour until you have a soft dough that pulls away from the edges of the bowl. Cover with a warm, damp towel and allow to rise until double. Or, be impatient like me and just move on. Punch dough down after it has doubled in size. Shape into balls or however you like to shape your rolls. For these, I rolled my dough out into a rough rectangle that was about 1/2 inch thick. Then I folded it over itself so it was about 1 inch thick and cut into 25 rectangles. Place on greased sheet and allow to rise again. I do this in a warm oven with a pan of hot water underneath the tray. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Beef Stew

It's cold outside so there is nothing better for dinner than something warm and delicious. My picky eaters weren't too thrilled when they looked at this, but I reminded them that they've eaten it before and they reluctantly ate their dinner - with the threat of no dessert if they didn't finish!

 

Beef Stew

2 lbs. stew beef

1/3 c. flour

1 tsp. pepper

Place all in a ziplock bag and shake until meat is coated. Heat 4 Tbsp. oil in frying pan and cook  over medium heat until meat is browned. Transfer to crock pot and add:

1 c. onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 c. beef broth

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

3 Tbsp. tomato paste

5-6 carrots, cut into large chunks

5-6 large potatoes, cut into large chunks

Cook over high heat 4-5 hours or low 7-8 hours.

 

Chocolate Waffles

Waffles are a favorite breakfast and my kids think I don't make them enough. Chocolate waffles are even better! How can you have a bad day when it starts with chocolate waffles covered with chocolate syrup? If you add chocolate milk, it's a chocolate breakfast!

 

Chocolate Waffles

1 3/4 c. milk

2 eggs

1/2 c. oil

1 1/2 c. flour

1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 c. sugar

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

Mix milk, eggs, and oil in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. There will be lumps that remain. Bake in waffle iron until done. Serve with chocolate syrup and enjoy!

Chocolate Syrup

1 1/2 c. water

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine all but vanilla in pot on stove. Mix well with a whisk and stir constantly over medium high heat until almost boiling. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Serve hot or cold. Store in refrigerator.