Friday, June 10, 2016

Tommy's Easy Butterscotch Breakfast Rolls

18 frozen rolls
1 small package butterscotch pudding (not instant)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. chopped pecans or walnuts
1 stick butter or margarine

Arrange frozen rolls in greased bundt pan. Sprinkle with dry pudding. Mix cinnamon, brown sugar, and nuts together. Sprinkle over pudding. Pour melted butter on top. Cover with foil, tenting high so raised rolls wont touch it. Let stand overnight in warm place. Do not refrigerate. Boil before baking, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and invert onto serving dish while still warm.

Note: I've also made this in a 9x13'' pan. Add a few more rolls and increase the cinnamon, brown sugar, nuts, and butter.

Baked Ziti with Sweet Turkey Sausage

1 pound ziti noodles
1 pound sweet turkey sausage, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
2 (28 oz) cans diced tomatoes with seasonings (green pepper and onion or garlic and oregano, or any flavor you want)
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1 (15 oz) container regular or part-skim ricotta cheese
4 cups grated part-skim mozzarella cheese, reserve 1 cup, for topping
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup grated parmesan

preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, cook sausage in a hot skillet over medium heat until golden brown on all sides. Add tomatoes, thyme and rosemary and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and garlic powder and mix well. Spoon 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a 4-quart casserole with 1 cup of the tomato sauce. Repeat layers (remaining ziti and remaining cheese mixture). Top with remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese over top. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes, until cheese os golden and bubbly.

Famous Irvine Stake RS Candied Walnut/Pear Salad

2 bags of lettuce/different kinds (one European, one traditional)
craisins
Asian pears
candied walnuts*
feta cheese
(can add chicken if you want to make it more of a meal)

I use Girard's Champagne dressing -- very good

*candied walnuts can be made by adding 1/2 cup sugar to a skillet and heating on medium heat. When sugar starts to get warm and melt, add in 1 cup of walnuts. Stir constantly till all sugar is melted. Be careful as it is easy to burn the sugar. Let sit on wax paper and then add to salad.

Pizza Dough

3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 warm water
2 tblsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 pkg yeast
1/4 tsp garlic powder (optional)

Makes 2, 18'' crust pizzas or calzones

If mixing by hand, combine 1 cup flour, oil, water, salt, and yeast and mix until combined. Continue to add the rest of the flour until all the flour is incoroprated.

If mixing by a food processor combine all ingredients and mix until combined.

Your dough should be smooth and elastic.

I roll my dough out on a clean surface in about 1 tblsp of olive oil. You can also roll it out on a lightly floured surface.

For a crisp crust you can roll out your dough at this point and put your toppings on and cook it.

For a fluffier bread type crust allow to rise 30-60 minutes and then add toppings.

Cooking your pizza:

While rolling and adding toppings, set oven to 425 Degrees F.

Cook pizza for 14-18 minutes depending on your oven. I usually rotated my pizza halfway thorough the cooking process because the oven cooks unevenly for me.

You can place the pizza on the bottom of the oven for a good dark browning on teh bottom of the pizza. Only do this for 2-4 minutes as it can burn this way. I usually do this for the 1st 2 minutes then place the pizza on the middle rack for the rest of the time.

Clam Chowder

Serves 8

2 6-oz cans minced clams
1 c. onion, finely diced
2 c. celery, finely diced
2 c. potatoes, diced
3/4 c. butter
3/4 c. flour
1 qt. milk
1 1/2 tsp. salt
Pepper to taste

Drain juice from cans of clams and pour liquid over vegetables, adding enough water just to cover. Simmer over medium heat until vegetables are barely tender. Melt butter in heavy saucepan. Add flour, making a roux, blend until smooth. Stir constantly while slowly adding milk. Cook and stir with wire whisk until thick and smooth. Add vegetables, juice, and clams. Heat through. Add salt and pepper.

All Gone Soup

6 slices bacon, cut off excess fat
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 lb. ground beef
Partially cook bacon, add onions and beef, cook until beef is browned.
Drain off fat.
Add:
1 can stewed tomatoes (I put in blender first)
1 can tomato soup
1 can cream of potato soup
1 can mushrooms of use fresh
1 can beef stock
1 pkg. frozen mixed vegetables (10 oz.)
1 c. celery, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Simmer for 45 minutes
Mix 2 cups cold water with 2 T. corn starch, add to soup
cook 15 minutes longer

White Bean Chili

5-6 chicken breasts
16 oz. of salsa
4 oz velveeta cheese or 8 oz if you want it really cheesy
4 oz of monterey jack cheese
4 oz pepper jack cheese
5-6 cans of great northern beans

This will make a big batch.
Bake the chicken first, you can salt and pepper it when its baking. Take it out just before you think its completely done because it will cook more in the pot with the rest of the stuff. It will make it tender.
After you take it out, put the beans, salsa, and cheese into the pot to start warming and melting. then start shredding the chicken.
Once you are done shredding, add the chicken to the pot and let cook until all the cheese is melted. Put stove on about medium, or med high. Bake chicken at 425 degrees.