Divine Crescent Rolls

I've posted my sister's fav rolls here - they are fab - but I've been making these lately (b/c they are eggless and my kiddos have food allergies) and the response to them is ridiculous - they are in high demand:)
Can't you just SEE the love??

My 7 year old (who is the pickiest eater on the planet and who also has food allergies) was surprised to see that there were only 10 rolls left (I made 24). He asked me what happened to all the rolls. I said "well, we all had one straight out of the oven, then we all had another for dinner and I took some over to the Kenny's" "what? Why did you take some to Kenny's?" "well, because they love these rolls too and we love to share with them" "can you check with me next time? I think we gave them too many."

Divine Crescent Rolls

2 T yeast

3/4 c warm water

2 2/3 c warm water

1/4 c sugar

1 T salt

3 T vegetable oil

7-8 c flour

Dissolve yeast in 3/4 c water. Add the rest of the water and the rest of the ingredients except for the flour and mix together. Add flour one cup at a time and stir until you have to use your hands to mix it. Knead dough until incorporated. Put in bowl and cover with a towel and let rise about 1 hour.

Punch dough down and divide in half. With a rolling pin, roll out one of the dough balls into a circle about 12" in diameter. Spread dough with melted butter (about a 1/2 stick will do ya). Cut into 12 pieces (like a pizza). Roll each wedge from the fat end inward. Repeat with other dough ball. Place crescents on cookie sheets - 12 to a sheet. Cover with towel and let rise until double (30 min - 1 hr) Bake in preheated oven at 425 degrees for 10 minutes or until they are nice and golden brown on top. Brush with melted butter and serve.

Make sure you share these with friends - they'll be your friends forever!

*My son loves to eat them warmed in the micro for 10 seconds then spread with butter and cinnamon sugar.

My daughter loves them warmed and spread with her fav jelly

I just love them with butter - warmed or not - they are that stinkin' good.

Jammin' Jambalaya

Lookin' through the freezer today I saw 2 things - sausage and shrimp (oh yeah, a Costco trip is waaaaay overdue). Suddenly - inspiration - why don't I try to make Jambalaya? I've never made it before, OR even tasted it before BUT but I've watched enough Emeril to know that I have to start with the 'trinity' (carrots, celery and onion) and go from there... so I pretty much winged it - but it was GOOD. Do you have a recipe? I'd love to try it!! OK then...

Jammin' Jambalaya
1 lb sausage (I had mild Italian on hand which was delish - if you are in a hurry, I'd suggest Hillshire Farm precooked sausage)
1 lb shrimp
4 celery ribs diced
1 c carrots diced
1 c onion diced
1 can (14.5 oz) fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 diced beefsteak tomato (I added it just b/c it needed to be used)
1 package Zatarain's rice (Jambalaya flavor)
1 c chicken stock

Drizzle a little EVOO in big stock pot (I used my 6 qt le creuset). Add onion, carrots and celery. Cook and stir until vegetables begin to soften - your onions will be translucent. Add tomatoes, chicken stock and Zatarain's package. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 15 minutes.
Add shrimp and (precooked) sausage. Cover and cook 10 minutes longer or just until shrimp turn pink and everything is incorporated. Enjoy!!

My kids even loved it! With all those veggies - I was very happy to serve this to them and to have them lap it up!

Spicy Honey Chicken

Spicy Honey Chicken – Our Best Bites
2 t vegetable oil
Rub:
2 t granulated garlic2 t chili powder1/2 t onion powder1/2 t coriander1 t kosher salt1 t cumin1/2 t chipotle chili powder
Glaze:1/2 C Honey1T Cider Vinegar

Combine the rub spices in bowl and mix well.
Use kitchen shears (or a pair of clean scissors) to trim off any excess fat from the chicken pieces. Pat dry. Drizzle oil over chicken and rub in with your hands to lightly coat all the pieces. Then toss chicken with the spice rub to coat all sides well. Use your hands and get in there! Grill chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through.

While chicken is cooking, warm honey in the microwave so it's not so thick. Add the vinegar and combine well. Reserve 2T honey glaze for later. Take the rest and brush on chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling.

I'm gonna warn you that this can make a hot mess, literally. It's sugar, and it's gonna drip. But the smelly smoke is worth it for a minute or two. Just leave your grill on for a few minutes after the chicken is done to burn off any excess glaze. It's totally worth it once you taste this stuff.
If you don't have a bbq, try it on an indoor grill pan or use your broiler. Just be sure to open a window in case you burn your glaze!

*I actually cut the cooked chicken into bite sized pieces, poured the glaze over it and let it sit in there for a few minutes before serving - soooo delish!!

**I am so sorry I forgot to take a picture! This is good enough that I'll be making it again soon - so I'll post a pic then:)

Bacon, Guacamole, Tomato and Ham Sammich

At least half the time I prepare a meal - I look in the fridge or pantry to see what has to be used - in this case it was avocados and tomatoes. What a lucky girl! Think of all the things you can do with those 2 ingredients!!
The deciding factor today was that it was lunch time and with a full house - I had to take those factors into account. So I came up with this crowd pleaser...

Bacon, Guacamole, Tomato and Ham Sammiches
Toasted bread
Mayo
Deli ham
tomatoes (whatever you have)
Lettuce
Bacon
Guacamole

I didn't use a recipe for my Guac today. I just smashed the avocados, added salt, pepper, garlic powder and diced onions together. I also added bacon. Drool factor...

Then top your sammich in the order I listed (or however you want!!!) and enjoy!

Bacon and Horseradish Mac 'n Cheese with Cauliflower

I saw this on Rachael Ray last week...
Bacon and Horseradish Mac 'n Cheese with Cauliflower
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling
4 thick slices of smoky bacon, chopped into 1/4-inch dice
1 large head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into bite-size florets
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
Freshly grated nutmeg (about 1/4 teaspoon)
1 pound penne rigate or cavatappi (corkscrew-shaped hollow pasta)
3 cups shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese, divided
3 rounded tablespoons prepared horseradish
1/4 cup chives, chopped

Preparation
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
While the water comes up to a boil, heat a drizzle of EVOO in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and crisp, 5 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate and reserve.
Salt the boiling water and add the cauliflower florets. Cook for 4-5 minutes, then remove the cauliflower with a spider or strainer and run under cold running water to stop the cooking process. Reserve the cooked cauliflower in a colander and reserve the pot of boiling water.
Place a medium size pot over medium heat. Melt the butter and whisk in the flour. Cook for 1 minute, then whisk in the milk and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cook for a couple of minutes more, until thickened.
Pre-heat the broiler.
Drop the pasta in the same boiling water you cooked the cauliflower in and cook until just shy of al dente.While the pasta cooks, remove the sauce from the heat and add two thirds of the of shredded cheese and the horseradish, reserved bacon and chives. Stir to combine.
Drain the pasta over the cauliflower to reheat the florets with the hot boiling water. Place the pasta and florets in the hot pot and add the cheese sauce. Stir to combine.
Transfer to a baking dish and top with the remaining cheese. Place under the broiler to brown the top. Serve with a spinach salad alongside.

*I skipped the broil part - and it was delish

Grilled Pizza

Just an idea I had the other day... the kids wanted pizza but I did not want to turn on the oven. So, I busted out the pizza stone and cooked it directly on the grill at about 400 degrees for about 10 minutes - delish!
I used this dough recipe, then topped with pesto, mozzerella, salt, pepper, fresh tomatoes and toasted pinenuts. Yum!

Roasted Parmesan Tomatoes

I had some tomatoes that needed to be used - so this is how I used them!
Roasted Parmesan Tomatoes
Tomatoes (I had Roma)
Parmesan cheese
salt
pepper
butter

Cut your tomatoes in half, put a small pat of butter on each. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. (I found this awesome cheese product that I've been using a lot lately from Kraft - it's shredded parmesan, romano and asiago cheese mixture).

Broil for about 10 - 15 minutes and voila!

Breakfast Sandwich

I learned how to make this sandwich thanks to my father in law - super fast - super delish
Pete's Breakfast Sandwich
2 slices of bread (or english muffins, etc)
2 eggs
salt
pepper
garlic powder
cheese

Crack eggs into a small ramekin (you can also do this with just one egg). Season and wisk together. Put in the microwave for 1 min 20 sec (for one egg 45 sec). While that is happening, toast up your bread and slice your cheese. Layer one piece of toast, then the egg (you have to spread it out a bit) then the cheese and top with the other piece of toast!