White Dinner Rolls

SHAR'S WHITE DINNER/CINNAMON ROLLS
3 C unbleached white flour
1/2 C buttermilk powder or powdered milk
1/4 C potato flour
3 T SAF instant yeast

In a Bosch mixer with the dough hook place the above listed ingredients. Mix on speed 2 for several minutes so the powdered dairy will not lump up. Now add, in order:

3 C warm water, 115 degrees
1/2 C honey or xagave
1/2 C canola oil
3 eggs, slightly beaten
2 T sea salt

Continue to add unbleached flour until the dough starts pulling away from the sides of the mixing bowl but never picks up the bottom. This dough will be sticky. Knead on speed 2 for 5 minutes or until the gluten develops. Put the dough in a large, sprayed bowl and let rise until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Shape dough into small "golf" sized balls. Place balls close together on parchment lined baking sheet, about 24 dough balls should fit. Brush with a egg wash made up of 1 egg beaten with 2 T water. Turn oven off and place dough into the oven to rise until double in size (25-30 minutes). Remove from oven and preheat to 350 degrees and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Shar's Whole Wheat Bread

In my attempt to become a great bread baker I took a class at Shar's Kitchen Center. If you live in the Phoenix area, this is a great place to take FREE baking classes. Here is the wholesome, health conscience recipe that I got at the class. Oh, and it's delicious bread too!

SHAR'S WHOLE WHEAT BREAD
6 C warm water, 115 degrees
2 T sea salt
2/3 C canola oil
2/3 C of honey or xagave (xagave is better for diabetics)
3 T dough enhancer
1/3 C vital wheat gluten
3 T SAF instant yeast
6 to 8 C of fresh ground flour to begin with

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. The recipe is designed to be used with a Bosch mixer using the dough hook. Combine the ingredients in order starting with the water going down until you add the flour. Turn the machine to speed 2 after you've added all the ingredients. Watch the dough and add flour until the dough pulls away from the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl. When you can see the sides pull clean as well as the dough coming clean from the bottom you know you've added enough flour. Do not add too much flour, but if you do add a bit of water to fix the consistency. The dough should be very sticky and should not come together at this point but the bowl should be "clean".
Knead the dough on speed 2 for 8-10 minutes or until the gluten is developed. Again, if the dough seems dry add a few tablespoons of water making sure the sides of the bowl stay clean. If the dough starts sticking add a tablespoon of white flour to fix it. Take a small ball of dough, roll it, flatten it between your oiled palms into a pancake type shape, then take the edges of the dough and slowly pull it apart. You should be able to make it quite thin and elastic like without getting a big hole in the dough.
Oil your hands and counter. Remove dough from mixer and divide it into 4-5 large loaves (8.5"x4.5"), weighing 1 lb. 14 oz. each, or 9-11 small loaves (5.5"x3"), weighing 12 oz. each. Shape the loaves and place in well sprayed pans. Turn off your oven. Place pans in the oven to proof and rise. This usually takes 25-30 minutes. When the dough has risen about 2 inches above the pan it is ready to bake.
Remove dough from oven then preheat to 350 degrees. Bake bread for 30-35 minutes or until the internal temperature of the bread is 200 degrees. To do this remove a bread pan, take the loaf out of the pan, insert an instant read thermometer in the bottom center of the loaf. If it is not 200 degrees place back in pan and bake an additional 2-5 minutes and check again.
Cool bread on cooling racks. Place bread into freezer bags and place in freezer. The bread can be frozen for up to 30 days and keep all the nutritional value.

Carol's Mac 'n Cheese

If I'm gonna have mac n cheese make it Carol's please! My friend Carol makes the best macaroni and cheese there is. Her awesomely simple recipe is sure to put cheesy mustaches on your children's smiling faces.

CAROL'S MACARONI & CHEESE

16 oz. bag of large elbow macaroni or similar pasta
4 cans of cheddar cheese soup
2 cans of evaporated milk
Cheddar cheese, shredded

Cook pasta al dente, drain then place in a non-stick sprayed casserole dish. In a bowl whisk the soup and milk until blended. Pour that mixture over the pasta, then stir, coating the noodles well. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Pull dish out of the oven and stir in desired amount of cheddar cheese. Place back in oven for about 10-15 minutes, until the top of the dish gets a nice bit of golden color. Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes. Serve while still warm.

White Chicken Chili

I always fall for fall time. I adore the rich, earthy colors, the nutty spices that are used in the kitchen, as well as the cooler weather. One of my favorite fall foods is chili. This year I decided to try something new and make a batch of white chili. I have to admit I was nervous when I started. I found a recipe, made a few improvisations, and waited to see if it would turn out. Luckily, it did!

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI
4 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 T olive oil
1 T garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
2 cans white beans, rinsed & drained
2 cans of green chiles
1 t chili powder
1 t oregano
1 t salt
1 t white pepper
1 can of chicken broth
1 can of corn, drained
1 C sour cream
1/2 C of heavy cream

In a skillet fry the onions and half of the garlic in the olive oil until clear and fragrant. Combine all of the ingredients, except for the sour cream and heavy cream, in a crock pot. Cook on the low setting for 3-4 hours. Right before you want to serve the chili add the sour cream and heavy cream and stir well heating all the way through to prevent lumps. Serves up to 10.

Sausage Ratatouille

My children love to watch the movie Ratatouille. Last time we watched it I thought about how I had never actually eaten ratatouille. I was intrigued, to say the least. To my utter delight the October issue of Family Fun magazine had a recipe for ratatouille. I studied the recipe, made a few minor changes, and cooked me up some yummy ratatouille. It was definitely a good experiment!

SAUSAGE RATATOUILLE
4 links of light Italian sausage
6 T olive oil
1 eggplant, peeled and diced
2 zucchini, halved and sliced
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 green bell pepper, cored and diced
1 red bell pepper, cored and diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 can of diced tomatoes
2 T tomato paste
2 T fresh parsley, chopped
3 T fresh basil, chopped
salt
pepper
1 bag of grated Italian cheese mix

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Puncture the sausages in many places then place in boiling water. Cook on a low boil until cooked through (around 14 minutes). Put sausage on a paper towel covered plate and let cool. Slice sausage to desired size. Over medium-high heat warm 4 T of the olive oil in a deep skillet. Add the eggplant and zucchini. Saute until lightly brown but not soft (around 7 minutes). Transfer the eggplant and zucchini to a bowl. In the same skillet over medium heat warm the remaining 2 T oil. Add the onions, half of the garlic and peppers. Saute for 3 minutes. Stir in the rest of the garlic and sausage. Saute for another 3 minutes. Add the can of diced tomatoes, then the eggplant and zucchini mix. Stir, turn the heat down to medium-low, then partially cover the skillet and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, parsley, half for the basil, then salt and pepper to taste, stir and simmer for another 5 minutes. Place a serving of ratatouille on a dish, sprinkle with some of the cheese, then top with a dash of the remaining fresh basil. Serve and enjoy.

Cheese Enchiladas

Above is the flat, stacked enchilada.

Above is the rolled enchilada.

Gramma MAS grew up as a rancher's daughter in south-eastern Arizona. One of the many things she grew up with was great Mexican food. This recipe is modeled after the one Gramma MAS grew up eating, just a bit easier than the real thing!

CHEESE ENCHILADAS
1 large can of Rosarita red enchilada sauce
1 can of Ro-tel diced tomatoes and chiles
12 corn tortillas
shortening
salt
grated cheddar or Mexican style cheese
lettuce, shredded
tomatoes, diced
green onions, diced
olives
sour cream

Pour the enchilada sauce and diced tomatoes with chiles in a pot. Stir and let simmer on medium-low heat. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, on high heat, melt a spoonful of shortening. When it's hot add a corn tortilla. Fry it, turning it over after about 30 seconds, to get each side of the tortilla. The tortilla should still be somewhat pliable, not too crisped. Remove the tortilla from the pan and place on paper towels to cool. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Repeat until the tortillas are all fried.
For a flat, stacked style enchilada: Place a tortilla on a plate. Cover with cheese. Spoon sauce over the cheese. Repeat until you have 3 layers. On the very top add more cheese. Place in microwave for a minute to melt the cheese, if desired. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, sour cream, and an olive. Serve.
For the rolled style enchilada: Place a tortilla on a plate. In the center of the tortilla sprinkle a row of cheese. Roll the tortilla around the cheese. Repeat to form a second roll. Smother the rolls with sauce and cheese. Place in microwave to melt cheese, if desired. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, sour cream, and an olive. Serve.

Easy Tomato Sauce

A good pasta sauce is a staple in most homes. Growing up, my parents served many of the neighborhood children spaghetti. They somehow would smell the garlic and tomatoes and invite themselves to supper. This recipe is not gourmet, it's just quick, easy and good.

EASY TOMATO SAUCE
1 jar of garden style spaghetti sauce
1 can of tomato sauce
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of stewed tomatoes
1 T basil
1 t oregano
2 T Parmesan cheese
5 cloves of garlic, diced
1 onion, diced
1 lb. of extra lean ground beef (optional)
1 T olive oil
1 t garlic salt
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper

PASTA
1 bag of the pasta of your choice
water
2 T butter
1 T garlic salt
3 T Parmesan cheese

Pour oil in a deep saute pan and warm on medium-high heat. Add the garlic and the onions into the pan. Saute for a few minutes then add the beef. Add the basil, garlic salt, salt and pepper. Brown the beef until cooked through then drain any excess grease. Pour the rest of the ingredients in with the beef. Let sauce simmer on low heat while you boil the pasta according to package directions. When the pasta is cooked to al dente drain the water from it. Add butter, garlic salt, and Parmesan to the noodles. Stir to coat all the pasta. Place a serving of pasta on a dish then top with desired amount of sauce. Enjoy.