Saturday, December 22, 2012

Lindsey's Yummy Rolls

Lindsey wrote this recipe down for me back when we were seniors in high school and I was collecting recipes for one of my personal progress goals.  This recipe is, hands down, the best roll recipe I have ever made, and I have tried quite a few different recipes.  Not because I was looking for something better but because I kept misplacing this recipe card and I would search futilely for a suitable replacement.  The last time I lost this recipe was a few months ago.  I searched through every one of my cookbooks, of which I have several, to see if I had slipped it in one of them.  I couldn't find it.  I tried not to panic until we had moved to our house thinking that I would certainly find it when we had moved everything and cleaned.  I still didn't find it.  So I searched through all of my cookbooks again.  Still nothing.  I gave up, heart broken,  not just because my favorite roll recipe was gone but because one of the last things I have of my dear friend was gone. It has been about a month since I gave up hope on ever seeing this recipe again when I suddenly found it.  I opened up my cookie and candy cookbook to get ready to bake cookies for Eric's work for Christmas.  The first page opened and out fell this recipe card.  I had searched through every page of that cookbook at least twice, probably more and never seen it and it had been in the first page all along.  I was over joyed.  And I decided immediately that I needed to post this online so that I will always have a copy of it somewhere.  I have also decided that I should probably laminate the thing, as she wrote the recipe in pencil and parts of it are already smudged and getting hard to read. 
So, without further ado:

Lindsey's Yummy Rolls

2 cakes (I don't know what cakes are) or Tablespoons yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 c. warm water.
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
3 eggs, beaten
4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 heaping teaspoon salt

Combine yeast and sugar in water.  Melt butter with milk in a small sauce pan.  Cool.  Combine flour, salt, and 1/4 c. sugar.  When butter and milk are cooled combine with the beaten eggs and yeast.  Stir, then gradually sift the flour mixture into the liquid.  The dough is very sticky but do not add more flour.  Let this rise for 1 hour then roll out.  You will need flour on every surface.  Cut the rolls into circles and fold in half.  I always put butter on each circle before folding in half.  Place on a baking sheet with the sides touching.  Let rise 20 minutes and bake for 12-15 minutes at 400 degrees.  Enjoy these AMAZING rolls!

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Lime Coconut Chicken with Cilantro Lime Rice

I tried this recipe this week and loved it.   It was really good and Eric has said it's a keeper.  I found the recipe on Pinterest.  I made a few little alterations so here is my version:





















Picture from original recipe

Lime Coconut Chicken with Cilantro Lime Rice


2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 tbsp oil
zest of 2 lime
 2 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbs. ground coriander
 4 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs. kosher salt
4 Tbs. sugar
 4 tsp curry powder
1 cup coconut milk
 1 tsp. cayenne
 2 small fresh hot chilies, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Fresh limes, cut into wedges

Trim fat from chicken breasts. I like to slice my chicken breasts in half lengthwise to have thinner pieces of meat.  It seems to make the chicken go farther, cook faster, and have more flavor throughout.  The original recipe has you nearly slice through the chicken and then pound each breast to an even thickness.  I did not do this, I was too lazy. 
In a bowl or zip lock bag mix all ingredients except the cilantro and limes.
Add chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for up to two hours.
This chicken would be great grilled but I just cooked it in a skillet with a bit of oil.  Place the breasts in the pan and cook, saving the marinade.  Flip the chicken over when the chicken is golden and cook on the other side.
With the remaining marinade, (I made extra marinade than the original recipe because I just love adding sauce and we served this with rice and saucy rice is one of the best things.) pour into a small saucepan and bring to a rolling boil.  Boil for at least 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

While the chicken was cooking I made some cilantro lime rice.

1 1/2 cups rice
3 cups water
2 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. lime juice
zest of 1 lime
1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Cook rice in a rice cooker with water and butter.  When the rice is done stir in the lime juice, zest, and cilantro.  Add salt to taste.

When the chicken and rice were done I served the chicken on a bed of rice with the sauce poured over and cilantro and lime juice added.  It was so good and I am excited to make it again.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Ginger Snaps and Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm going through all of my really worn and used recipes and transferring them to the internet. Among my many wonderful finds, I came across: Ginger Snaps 3/4 cup shortening 1 cup sugar 1 egg 1/4 cup molasses 1 1/2 tsp soda 1 tsp cloves 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp ginger 3 cups flour 1/2 cup sugar for dipping Cream shortening and add sugar gradually. Add egg and molasses. Beat until smooth. Sift flour, soda, and spices into creamed mixture. Stir well... Roll dough into 1/2 inch balls and then roll into sugar. Bake at 350 for 7 minutes. Grandma Caringella's Chocolate Chip Cookies 1 1/2 cup shortening 3/4 cup white sugar 1 1/2 cup brown sugar 3 eggs 3 cups plus 3 tbsp. flour 1 1/2 tsp soda 1 1/2 tsp salt 1 1/2 tsp vanilla 1 bag semi sweet chocolate chips Cream the shortening and the sugars together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, soda, salt, flour, and vanilla. Mix well and then fold in the chocolate chips. Bake at 375 for 8 to 10 minutes.

Grandma Bullock's Best Recipes

I had the wonderful opportunity of living with my grandmother in between semesters one year. One of my favorite things about her house was the food she would prepare. I decided that I needed the recipes she kept in her large metal filing box. Every Sunday I would spend an hour or so copying down her favorite recipes in hopes of becoming as good of a cook as she was. I recently went through my metal recipe box in search of one of her recipes and decided I had better post them on the internet. Many of my cards are hard to read due to the heavy usage of my favorite recipes. Orange Julius Grandma Bullock loved desserts. This one can be made in just a few minutes. 6 oz frozen orange juice 1 tsp vanilla 1 cup water 1/3 cup sugar 1 cup milk Blend on high speed with 5 to 6 ice cubes Popcorn Balls with Jello My grandmother loved popcorn balls. She used to make these for my kids when they were small. She even made them for neighbor kids for Halloween (that's something you don't see these days). 1 cup sugar 1 cup whit corn syrup 1 small pkg jello Bring this to a full boil and pour over popped corn. Mold into balls. She never said how much popcorn so if anyone makes this and wants to experiment with it, please tell me how much you used. Dollie's Date Cookies Grandma and Grandpa lived in Arizona when I was young. They grew wonderful dates in their back yard. I believe they had a neighbor/friend named Dollie who gave my grandmother this recipe. 1 cup shortening 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp vanilla 1 1/2 cup sugar 2 eggs 3/4 tsp soda 1/2 tsp nutmeg 1 tsp cinnamon 5 Tables. milt 3 1/2 flour 2 cups pitted and chopped dates 3/4 cup nuts Mix in the order given. Drop from spoon onto cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 12 to 15 minutes. When cooled store in a sealed container. Boiled Raisin-Nut Cookies This was one of her favorite cookie recipes. 1 cup water 2 cups raisins 1 cup shortening 2 cups sugar 3 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 1 tsp soda 2 tsp baking powder 2 tsp salt 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg and allspice 1 cup nuts 4 cups flour Add water to raisins and boil for 5 minutes. Set aside to coll. Cream together the shortening and sugar until light. Add beaten eggs then vanilla. Sift the flour and the spices together and stir into dough. Add nuts and and the cooled raisins. Mix well. Drop by spoonful onto greased cookie sheet and bake at 400 until light brown. Do not over bake. Makes 60 cookies Steamed Carrot Pudding Grandma made this pudding during the winter months... especially around Thanksgiving and Christmas. 1 cup raw shredded carrots 1 cup raw shredded potatoes 1 cup sugar 2 cups raisins 1 cup flour 1 tsp nutmeg 1 tsp cinnamon 3/4 tsp salt 1/2 cup melted shortening 1 tsp baking soda Sift flour with spices and salt, add baking soda then raisins carrots, and potatoes. Mix thoroughly. fill well-oiled 1 pound cans 2/3 full. (I use canning jars) Steam for 2 1/2 hours in a steam bath. Serve hot with any desired pudding sauce. Swedish Heirloom Cookies Grandma told me that this was her mother's recipe. Cream together the following: 2 tablespoons milk 3/4 cup butter 1 cup powdered sugar 1/2 tsp salt Add 1 1/4 cup chopped walnuts. Blend 2 cups sifted flour add 1 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp almond extract Shape into balls using 1 Tablespoon to measure dough. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 12 to 15 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar while warm. Carmels 1 cup white sugar 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup light karo syrup 1 cup butter 1 cup sweetened condensed milk Stir until boils. Turn to medium heat and cook to a soft ball stage then turn out into a shallow pan.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Tortilla Soup

One boneless skinless chicken breast
One quart of chicken broth
Two tablespoons oil
One onion, chopped finely
Two jalapenos, seeds and veins removed, diced
12 oz can V8, preferably Picante, not the hot or bloody mary mix, regular is ok too
Juice of one lime
Handful of cilantro, chopped

Optional toppings:

Corn tortillas
oil
cheese
sour cream
avacado, sliced

Put one boneless skinless chicken breasts in a pot with one quart of chicken broth.  Boil for about 8 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Take the chicken out of the broth and allow to cool while you are cooking up the rest of the soup.    Heat up a couple of tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan.  Add a diced onion.  Saute until the onion is tender and fragrant.   Throw in two jalapenos that you have seeded, removed the white veins and chopped.  Saute for a few more minutes.  Add the sauteed onions and peppers to the broth.  Add a twelve ounce can of V8, preferabley the Picante V8, if you can find it.  Regular V8 is ok too.  Add the juice of one lime or a tablespoon of white or cider vinegar to the soup.  The lime juice is better, but don't make a special trip to the store if you don't have it. Bring the soup to a boil and then turn the heat down to low.  While the soup is simmering, shred the chicken and add this to the soup.  Take a handful of cilantro and chop it up.  Throw this into the soup right before you are ready to serve.    You can serve this with tortilla chips, but my favorite thing to do is to slice up a few corn tortillas and fry the strips in some hot oil until crispy.  Put some fried tortilla strips in a bowl.  add a little bit of grated cheese.  Ladle soup on the tortilla strips.  I also like to top the soup with a dallop of sour cream and some slices of fresh avacado.