Refrigerator Rolls

One of my favorite scents is the smell of bread baking.

One of my favorite tastes is homemade rolls.....to be more specific, the rolls that Dan's aunt always makes when we have Dotson family gatherings.

 

Refrigerator Rolls
Source:  Aunt Helen Chapman

2 pkg yeast
1 cup boiling water
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup cold water
2 eggs
1/2 cup warm water to dissolve the yeast
8 cups sifted flour or 7 cups unsifted

Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup warm water.  Put salt, sugar, and shortening in 1 cup boiling water, bring back to a boil and remove from the stove.  Add 1 cup cold water and beaten eggs - allow to cool to luke warm before adding  in the yeast.  Stir in flour and mix well.  Put in a greased large bowl and let rise.  Pinch off into rolls.  Bake in a large greased pan 15-20 minutes in a 425 oven.



I love to  put  strawberry freezer jam on these rolls.  I don't have a recipe for freezer jam so if anyone does, please share!

Zucchini Bread

It's Zucchini season....wondering what to make?  This is the most AWESOME Zucchini bread you'll ever taste.  I love it!

Zucchini Bread
Source: my friend Nicole Fairchild

1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Beat until frothy in a large mixing bowl.

Add:

3 cups flour
2 cups grated zucchini
1 (8.5 oz) can of crushed pineapple, drained
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup of pecans (chopped)
Optional - a handful of white chocolate chips

Spray 2 loaf pans with cooking spray.  Sprinkle with sugar. Pour in mixture.  Bake for about an hour at 350 degrees.  (I haven't done so, but you could also make them  into muffins, and you'd reduce the cooking time to about 25-30 minutes.)

Mostaccoli Salad

A few weeks ago we had a BBQ with Jennifer, Colton, and Dolly.  Dolly made a wonderful pasta salad and I just fell in love with it.  I'm so happy that Dolly shared her recipe with me, I finally have a good "go to" recipe for BBQ's, office luncheons, or anytime you just want a cool yummy pasta salad.

When she gave me the recipe I had planned to make it for the 4th of July and take a picture of it for the blog.  But really...this salad is so good that I need to share it with you before the holiday so you can make it too!  So here it is, with no pictures.

Mostaccoli Salad
Source:  Dollly Martin

1 lb mostaccoli noodles, cooked
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp dried parsley
1 cup sugar
1 cup vinegar
1 chopped onion
1 chopped cucumber
1 chopped green pepper
2 tsp mustard

Mix togther and let marinate for 24 hours.  Stir it again after the 24 hours and serve.  (will keep for 2 weeks, but it won't because you will gobble it all up before then!)

Raspberry Cream Pie

We had a BBQ with friends today and I made a new recipe from the Pioneer Woman website.  I made Ree's Raspberry Cream Pie. 

If you know me very well, then you know that I'm not known for following a recipe.  I take them as a suggestion then do my own thing.    So if you want to make the pie by the recipe, click on the link above.  

This is such a a great dessert for a summer BBQ.  Next time I want to try it with strawberries.

Here is my version:

Raspberry Cream Pie
Source: Adapted from a recipe from Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:
1 pre-made Oreo cookie pie shell
5 Oreo cookies (crushed)
1 cup  Raspberries (plus extra for garnish)
3 Tbsp Sugar
3 Containers of Oikos Traditional Greek Yogurt - Raspberry
1 package (3.4 oz) Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
1 pint of heavy whipping cream
3-4 Tbsp Powdered Sugar

Place 1 cup raspberries in a plate, smash with a fork, sprinkle with 3 tbsp sugar. Set aside and let sit for 15 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, combine yogurt and instant vanilla pudding mix (just the powder), beat on low  until combined - about 1 minute.  Then pour in one cup of the heavy cream and whip on low for 30 seconds.  Stop the mixer, scrape the sides of the bowl.  Turn on med-hi and beat for 2 minutes and the mixture is thick.

Fold in raspberries until just combined.  Pour into the pie pan and spread.  Freeze for 2 hours or until very firm.  Cut into slices and top each slice with cookie crumbs, dollops of whipped cream, and extra raspberries.  Keep in freezer, allowing time to thaw before serving.

To make the whipped cream, I used 1 cup of the heavy whipped cream and about 3-4 tbsp of powdered sugar.  Whip until it forms stiff peaks.

Pineapple Casserole

While we were on vacation, we visited with Dan's cousin Diane who lives in Durham, North Carolina.  She took us out to eat at a local BBQ joint, which was very good, yet the BBQ was completely different than Missouri BBQ.  (that's a different story for a different time)

While we were eating and chatting, I got this recipe from Diane and I jotted it down so I could try it once we made it back home. I made it today and it was very good.  But we were puzzled by it....is it a side dish?  A dessert?  Both and Neither!

I did some research on the recipe and it's a deep south dish and meant to be served as a side dish, most usually with ham or roast pork and often at Easter.  It is also called Pineapple au Gratin in some areas of the south.

I forgot to take a picture when it came out of the oven, so I took one after we ate.  As you can see we sort of liked it!  It's made of an unlikely combination of ingredients and it doesn't really photograph well...but don't be fooled it tastes really good.

PINEAPPLE CASSEROLE

Source: Diane Thames

1 can pineapple tidbits  (do not drain)
1 cup sugar
6 tbsp flour
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Mix above ingredients well and put in a pie dish.

Crush 1 sleeve of Ritz Crakcers and pour over the pineapple mixture.

Melt 1 stick of butter and pour over the crackers.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.