Mary brought these oatmeal dinner rolls to the Relief Society Meeting where she taught bread making. These rolls are very light and very pretty with a sweet touch to them. Very nice rolls.
2 cups water
1 cup quick cooking oats
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan, stir in oats and butter. Boil, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Remove from heat, add brown sugar and let cool to 110 degrees.
Stir together yeast, sugar and warm water in a bowl of mixer, let foam (5-10 minutes). Mix in oat mixture, flour and salt at medium speed until smooth.
Turn out dough on a lightly floured surface, knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl and cover and let rise until doubled, 1 hour. Punch dough down and divide in half. Divide each half into 16 balls and place into a greased 9-inch cake pan. Cover and let rise for about 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes until golden brown.
We had the best Relief Society meeting last week. Mary came and showed bread making. She taught everyone how to make french bread and provided lots of different kinds of breads and rolls for us to sample with some soups that I brought.
mary's french bread
2 1/2 cups very warm water
2 tablespoons sugar
just under 1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons yeast
5-6 cups flour (she uses bread flour but you can use all-purpose if you want to)
Using a Kitchen Aid mixer, mix sugar, salt, olive oil and water. Mix in yeast and let foam, 5-10 minutes. When foamy, add flour til pulling away from sides of the bowl. Let rise for 10 minutes, then punch down. Repeat this 4 more times for a total of 5 punch downs. Empty dough on floured surface and divide into 4 pieces. Shape as desired (Mary made 2 rounds and 2 loaves of French bread) and let rise for about 30 minutes. Brush top of bread with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Snip dough with scissors if you want a decorative touch. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 15-18 minutes. Bread will be browned and sound hollow when tapped.
I made these for my son's gingerbread man party. I really like the recipe. They're going to look adorable all decorated.
mccormick gingerbread cookies (allrecipes)
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl. Beat butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add molasses, egg, vanilla; bet well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Press dough into a thick flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 4 hours of over night (I did not refrigerate!).
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness on lightly floured work surface. Cut into gingerbread men shapes with 5-inch cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges of cookies are set and just begin to brown. Cool on baking sheets 1-2 minutes. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. Decorate cooked cookies as desired. Store cookies in airtight container up to 5 days.
My son wants a party to have a party and he chose a Gingerbread Man party. Not everyone loves gingerbread so I thought to make some chocolate "gingerbread" men for them to decorate along with the traditional ginger variety. These are very chocolaty and I'm sure they'll be a big hit.
chocolate cutout cookies (Taste of Home)
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cups cocoa powder (I used Hershey's, of course)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture.
Divide dough in half. Shape each into a disk; cover. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm enough to roll.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with floured 3-inch cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake 10-12 minutes or until set. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
My oldest is away at college so my second oldest who always wanted to be the oldest is trying to fill her shoes. One of the ways she's doing so is by baking on Sunday after church which is what the oldest always did. Second oldest made some bread sticks and wondered if we had any tomato soup in the house. I don't buy the canned tomato soup or boxed tomato soup because it's so loaded with added sugar. I suggested that maybe I should make some and all three kids cheered.
skinny tomato basil soup (slightly adapted from theskinnyfork.com)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
3/4 cup carrots, shredded
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 (14.5 ounce) cans petite diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 ounces light cream cheese
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and garlic. Cook until the veggies are tender. Add the canned tomatoes, chicken broth and the seasonings. Bring the soup to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the cream cheese. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth and creamy. Serve and enjoy.
Very mild and just what I wanted. My husband really liked it too. I had my kids try to guess the "secret" ingredient and they couldn't. Cauliflower! I really like how the beans and cauliflower were incorporated so we didn't really notice they were there.
instant pot poblano chicken soup (adapted from cookbook: Instant Fast & Easy by Urvashi Pitre)
1/2 cup dried navy beans
2 cups hot water
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into large chunks
2 1/2 cups cool water
1 cup chopped cauliflower
1 cup diced white onion
3 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped (I used Anaheim peppers; couldn't find the other)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 ounces light cream cheese
Soak the navy beans in the hot water for 1 hour; drain and transfer to the instant pot.
Add the chicken, cool water, cauliflower, onion, poblanos, cilantro, garlic, salt, coriander and cumin.
Secure the lid on the pot. Close the pressure-release valve. Select Manual and set the pot on High pressure for 15 minutes. At the end of the cooking time, allow the pot to sit undisturbed 10 minutes, then release any remaining pressure.
Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside on a plate. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup directly in the pot.
Select Saute on the instant pot. When the soup is bubbling, while whisking, add the cream cheese in chunks until melted and combined.
Shred the chicken and return it to the pot. Stir until heated through. Season with freshly ground black pepper and salt. Select Cancel. Serve garnished with more cilantro.
My husband declared our Asian bowls Hall of Fame! I am so glad I found this recipe for the carrot ginger dressing. It's healthy and has a zing and flavor that is so unique. I used leftover sauce from when my husband made Disneyland's bengal beef kabobs and I am certain that's why the chicken was so good. Beautiful combination!
carrot ginger dressing (adapted from goodcheapeats.com)
makes 2 cups
8 ounces shredded carrots
1/2 cup coarsely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon ginger paste or fresh minced ginger
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon sesame oil (I used 1 tablespoon)
Put all ingredients into a high powered blender and process until smooth. Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
bengal barbecue spicy sauce
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon fresh crushed garlic
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or go easy)
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne (or go easy)
2/3 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Heat a teaspoon of oil gently in a saucepan. Add 1 tablespoon of crushed garlic. Saute lightly, do not burn. Add soy sauce, water, lemon juice, brown sugar, black pepper, red pepper flakes and cayenne. Bring to a slow boil over medium to low heat. Reduce heat and simmer to reduce slightly. Mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1/4 cup water. Mix well. Add to simmering sauce. Allow mixture to simmer slowly until the sauce thickens to a shiny but thick sauce. Taste. Adjust mixture according to taste.
