Beef Wellington

I have had this recipe on my to-do list for a couple of years and finally gave it a go on Christmas Day.   We still have leftovers but I can't wait to make it again!

Because I didn't want to do all the work on Christmas Day, I did almost everything the day ahead.  Then that morning, I wrapped it in the pastry and put it back in the fridge.  Before baking, I took it out to bring it more to room temperature. 


Beef Wellington

3 lb beef tenderloin, trimmed
2 T. canola oil
1/4 c. dijon mustard. 
1 T. butter
2 shallots, minced
2 lb cremini mushrooms, minced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb. prosciutto, thinly sliced
kosher salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
1 or 2 sheets puff pastry, depending on size of meat
2 eggs, beaten

Let the beef come to room temperature. Season with salt and pepper on all sides.

Add the oil to a large pan on high heat.  Add the tenderloin and don't move it.  Cook until a dark brown crust forms, about 3 minutes per side.  Repeat the searing on all sides, including the ends.

Remove the tenderloin.  Brush the mustard on all sides of the meat while it is still warm.  Let the meat rest.

In the same pan, add the butter, mushrooms, shallot and garlic over medium-high heat.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid evaporates and the mushrooms mix becomes a thick paste, 25-30 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Remove the mushroom mix from the pan and let it cool completely. 

Place a large layer of overlapping sheets of plastic wrap on the counter that is twice the length and width of the tenderloin.

Lay overlapping strips of prosciutto on the plastic wrap in an even square layer that will cover the whole tenderloin when rolled.

Spread the mushrooms evenly over the proscuitto and pat it down.

Tightly wrap the tenderloin with the prosciutto/mushroom layer, using the plastic wrap to wrap it even tighter and seal ends.  Place in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place a new layer of plastic wrap on the work surface and lay a sheet of pastry over it.  Unwrap the tenderloin and place it on the puff pastry, wrapping until the ends meet.  Cut off any extra pastry so there is no overlap on the long seam or the ends. 

Wrap the whole thing in plastic wrap to form a log shape and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Place the beef Wellington on a greased parchment lined baking sheet.  Brush the surface with beaten eggs.  With a fork, score a decorative pattern or use leftover pastry to make designs.

Sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake about 40 minutes or until the puff pastry is a dark golden brown and the internal temp of the beef it 135 degrees for medium-rare.













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lb = pound
T = tablespoon

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Oat Balls

We went to a Christmas event in St. Louis and a store was giving out free chocolate covered granola balls.  We got there and they only had ONE LEFT.  What do you do when you have 6 people?  Let the kids split it and plan on making your own!   I made this based on recipes I found on line and what the two lucky eaters said about them.

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Oat Balls
1 1/2 c. creamy peanut butter (I used a combo of 3 I had open and wanted to use up, one was natural, gotta-stir-it kind)
2 c. quick oats
2 T. honey
1 bag dark chocolate chips

Mix the peanut butter, oats, and honey.  Roll the mix into balls a bit smaller than a quarter.



Melt the chocolate chips.  Dip the rolled balls into the melted chocolate.

Chill until the chocolate hardens.

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c = cup
T = tablespoon

Chicken Piccata

I never made Chicken Piccata before but know it is one of my daughter's favorites, so I thought I would give it a try.  Husband gave it an A+.   I found the recipe on Skinnytaste.com and made some minor alterations.

The leftover sauce would be great on fish for another day.

Chicken Piccata

1 lb. skinless breasts, fat trimmed.
2 large egg whites + 1 t. water (I used liquid egg whites, undiluted)
2/3 c. seasoned bread crumbs
olive oil spray
1 T. olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon, halves reserved
1/4 c. dry white wine
1/2 c. chicken broth
1 T. capers
salt and pepper

Cut the chicken into 4 cutlets. Place between 2 sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap and pound out to 1/4 inch thick.

Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.

Put the egg whites in a shallow dish and the breadcrumbs in another dish.

Dip the cutlets in the egg white and then coat with the breadcrumbs.

Heat a saute pan to medium-low heat.

Spray a generous amount of olive oil spray on one side of the chicken and lay it in the pan oil side down.  Spray the top of the chicken generously to coat.  Cook 5 minutes or so per side until the chicken is cooked through.  Set aside.

For the sauce, over medium heat add the olive oil, lemon juice, wine, broth and reserved lemons, salt and pepper.  Boil over high heat until reduced in half, about 2 minutes.

Discard the lemon halves and add the capers.

Spoon the sauce over the chicken cutlet.

Garnish with a lemon slice and fresh parsley if you want to be fancy.

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4 WW freestyle points

T = tablespoon
c = cup
lb = pound

Pasta Meat Sauce - Cheater's Version

Looking for a super easy but delicious meat sauce?  Try this.  It makes enough to feed 18+ if you have a crowd.   It was so tasty that even our light eaters had seconds.  I'm going to use Italian Sausage instead of ground beef in all my meat sauces now.

Pasta Meat Sauce Cheater's Version

1 medium onion, chopped
4 T. olive oil
3-4 T. garlic, minced
4 jars of pasta sauce (I usually use a variety of whatever brand is on sale of Tomato-Basil, Marinara, Roasted Garlic, etc.)
1 t. or more red pepper flakes
1 lb. sweet italian sausage

If the sausage is in links, remove the casings and fry the italian sausage in crumbles.  Set aside.

Saute the onion in the olive oil in a large stock pot until translucent.  Add the garlic at the end and saute for another minute.  Add the jarred sauces, red pepper flakes, and sausage.  Bring to a simmer and simmer for 30 minutes or so.

Use it right away or let it cool and freeze if for another day.

Yum.

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lb = pound
t = teaspoon
T = tablespoon

Spice Cake with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

I'm not a baker, but after my successful Speckled Easter Egg Cake (see April 2018), I decided to give a showy cake another try.  This time, for Thanksgiving.  It's a combo from a few different ideas I saw online.

Spice Cake with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

1 Duncan Hines Spice Cake Mix, mixed according to directions

Frosting:
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 c. butter, softened
2-3 t. vanilla
2 T. milk (or more to thin frosting to desired consistency
1 t. cinnamon

Stem:
2-3 chocolate frosted chocolate cupcakes.  I used store bought--easy!

Prepare the cake mix.  Pour the batter into a greased and floured bundt pan and bake according to the instructions on the box.

When the cake is done, let it sit in the pan for 15 minutes before flipping it out of the pan to let it cool completely.

To prepare the frosting, put the powdered sugar and softened butter in a bowl and blend.  Add the vanilla and 1 T. of the milk and combine.  Add the next 1 T. of milk (or more) if it is too thick.  (I ended up using about 2 1/2 T. milk total.)  Finally, add the cinnamon and mix.

Before smoothing the grooves

Frost the top and sides of the bundt cake.  With a flat knife or back of a spoon, make grooves all around it. 

While the buttercream is firming up a bit work on the stem.  Scrape off the frosting off of 1-2 cupcakes and pack them on top of each other to fill in the hole in the center of the cake.  Put a frosted cupcake on top.  Take the scraped off frosting and cover the sides of the top cupcake.  Use a fork to run grooves up the cupcake so it looks like a stem.

Now that the frosting is set a bit.  with your finger, tamp down to smooth the rough edges of the groves to make it look more smooth and natural.

After smoothing the grooves

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c = cup
T = Tablespoon
t = teaspoon
lb = pound

Spaghetti Squash Pesto Alfredo with Sausage

This was so yummy! 


Spaghetti Squash Pesto Alfredo with Sausage 

1 spaghetti squash
1 lb. sweet italian sausage
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1/4 to 1/3 c. pesto (see the pesto recipe August 2017!)
1 jar of creamy alfredo sauce

Cut a spaghetti squash in half and scrape out the seeds and guts.  Brush with olive oil and bake on a sheet pan, cut side down,  at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until tender.  Use a fork to pull out the squash into spaghetti

Fry up sausage and mushrooms.

Heat alfredo sauce and add pesto sauce.

Add the sausage and mushroom mix to the sauce or let people layer it on the spaghetti themselves.

Breaded Tilapia

In the mood for fish?  Try this.

Breaded Tilapia

2 filets
1/4 c. light mayo
1 T. seasoning mix of your choice.  Pick something with a kick of flavor!
1/3 c. almond flour

Smear both sides of the filets with mayo. 

Combine the seasoning and almond flour in a shallow dish or plate that is big enough for the fish to fit into.

Flop the filets, one at a time, in the almond flour mix so each side is well coated.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 12-15 minutes or until flaky.

Apple and Feta Flatbread

I made up this recipe to use up a couple of ingredients I had sitting around. Light and delicious! 

Apple and Feta Flatbread
1 flatout flatbread
2 T. raspberry preserves
1/4 c. feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 apple, sliced thin
candied walnuts
arugula

Spread the preserves thinly on the flatbread.  Scatter the sliced apples feta and walnuts on top.  Bake in the oven at 425 for 5-8 minutes. 

Take out of the oven and top with arugula.

Good eatin'.

Want to kick it up a notch?  Drizzle it with the Alternate Dressing recipe found in the Pear Salad recipe from August 2016 in this link!

Shrimp Salad

Don't have any lobster laying around?  Try this easy version using a bag of pre-cooked shrimp.  Thumbs up and great on it's own or in a split top brioche hot dog bun.

1 lb. pre-cooked shrimp, chopped
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
2 - 3 stalks celery, sliced thin
1 green onion, chopped
1/2 pickle, diced
a few shakes of Old Bay Seasoning
dashes of salt and pepper
1/2 c. or so mayo

Throw everything in a bowl and mix together.

DONE!

Chicken Egg Rolls

Looking for a healthy egg Roll?  Look no further!

Make the PF Chang Copycat Lettuce Wraps from my May 2017 post.  And add a bag of shredded cole slaw mix in the pan and toss until it is soft.

Place a spoonful or two of the mix in the middle of an egg roll wrapper.  Fold one corner over and then the ends in.  wet the final corner edges and roll it up to seal.

Spray a sheet pan with cooking spray and put the egg roll on the pan.  Then spray the tops of the egg rolls.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes or until they are golden.

Roasted Corn and Avocado Salad

So fresh!

Roasted Corn and Avocado Salad

4 ears of corn
3 large avocados
pint of grape tomatoes, quartered
juice of a lemon
1 red pepper, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
2 jalapenos, diced small, ribs and seeds removed
1 lime, zested

Dressing
1/4 c. fresh lime juice
1/4 c. olive oil
1 t. pepper
2 t. kosher salt
1 t. minced garlic
1/2 t. cayenne pepper

Brush shucked ears of corn with butter and season with salt and pepper.  Wrap in tin foil and bake for 25 minutes in 450 degree oven.  Once cool, cut corn off the cob.

Dice avocados and toss in lemon juice. 

Combine avocado, corn, tomatoes, red pepper, red onion, jalapenos, lime zest in a bowl.

Whisk together all dressing ingredients and toss with the salad.

Roasted Veggie Tacos

This is a good meal for that weekly vegetarian meal we are all supposed to eat, but would also be great if you added in some shredded chicken or thinly sliced flank steak.  I found it on the Tasty site.  Looking for shortcuts?  Skip the seasoning and use 3-4 tablespoons of Taco Seasoning (see recipe from January 2016)

Roasted Veggie Tacos

Veggie Filling
1 small zucchini sliced in thick sticks
1/2  green pepper, sliced
1/2  red pepper, sliced
1/2 yellow pepper, sliced
good amount of sliced large steak mushrooms
grape tomatos
1/2 onion, cut in wedges
1 can black beans
1/2 c. or so corn
3 cloves chopped garlic

Seasoning
1 1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. oregano
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. onion powder
1 t. chili powder
1 1/2 t. smoked paprika
1/4 t. cayenne pepper

Sauce
2 red peppers, halved, ribs removed
1 avocado
3 T. lemon juice
3 cloves garlic
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
2 T. olive oil
salt to taste
pepper to taste


Put all of the Veggies on a sheet pan.  Sprinkle the Seasoning over the veggies and drizzle with 2 T. olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Toss all together.

On another sheet pan, put the red pepper halves, cut side down on another sheet pan.

Bake both together, red peppers for 25 minutes and 400 degrees and the veggies for 35 minutes.

When the red peppers are done, put the red peppers in a bowl with a plate on top and let them sweat for 10 minutes.  Peel the skin off of them and put them in a blender with the other sauce ingredients and blend.

Serve the veggies on a tortilla with dollops of sauce.

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T = tablespoon
t = teaspoon
c = cup

Grilled Flank Steak with Peppers and Onions

I'll be honest.  I may never make flank steak another way again.  Ever.  In love.  I found the recipe on the Weight Watchers site and modified it a bit.  Really awesome seasoning.

Grilled Flank Steak with Peppers and Onions

1 T. chili powder
2 t. kosher salt
1 t. unpacked brown sugar
1/2 t. dry mustard
1/2 t. coriander
1/2 t. pepper
1 pinch cinnamon
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 pinch ground cloves

1 lb. flank steak
2 bell peppers, your choice of color, cut in large chunks
1 medium onion, vidalia or red, cut in wedges
cooking spray


Combine the seasoning in a bowl and divide in half.

Coat the flank steak with 1/2 of the seasoning.

Put the peppers and onions in a bowl and coat with cooking spray.  Toss with the other 1/2 of the seasoning and put on skewers for the grill.

Hand everything over to your master griller and have them work their magic.  Don't over cook the steak!

Cut steak against the grain and drizzle with the juices from the cutting board.

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t = teaspoon
T = tablespoon
lb = pound

WW Freestyle = 4 (only 4!)

Chicken Salad

I am in love with this salad!  I had leftover cajun chicken breast from dinner the night before and made this one up with things I had in the fridge.  Yum, yum, yum.  This makes four 1 cup or so servings.

Chicken Salad

10 oz. cajun seasoned chicken breast, shredded or diced
1/2 - 3/4 c. red kidney beans
2 ribs of celery, diced
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 c. light mayo
1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients and eat over greens or by itself.  Either way you'll be happy.

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oz = ounce
c = cup

WW Freestyle: 3

Easy Bagels

I found this recipe on Skinnytaste.com.  My sister makes awesome jalapeno bagels.  When you want a fresh bagel and your sister doesn't have jalapeno plants in the off season, you get desperate.    I added the jalapeno and a bit of cheese to try to get close to hers, but the recipe was for plain with an everything seasoning on top.  You can really do whatever suits you.  Sesame seed, maybe a few chocolate chips, just cheese, whatever.

Looking for good news?  These are only 152 calories each!  3 WW freestyle points if you're into that.


Easy Bagels

5 oz. all-purpose flour
2 t. baking powder
3/4 t. kosher salt (a little less if using regular salt)
1 c. plain greek yogurt (be sure to use greek, otherwise it is too runny.  For me, 1 cup was  two of the 5.3oz chobani size yogurt)
beaten egg white



Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly spray with oil so they don't stick.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt.

Add the yogurt and mix with a fork until it is combined in small crumbles.

Add any extras, like diced jalapenos.

Dust a work surface lightly with flour and knead the dough a few times until dough is tacky, about 15 turns or so.

Divide the dough in 4 equal balls.  Roll each into a 3/4 inch rope and form in a circle, joining the ends.

Place each round on the baking sheet and brush with egg wash. Sprinkle with cheese now if you'd like.

Bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees.

Let cool at least 10 minutes before eating.  If you can wait that long.

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oz = ounce
t = teaspoon
c = cup

One Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta

I saw this link on facebook from damndelicious.net and gave it a try because it was easy with simple, fresh ingredients.  With a website like that, who could go wrong?  I will be making this again.  I threw in some fully-cooked, quartered homestyle meatballs to make a meal out of it the first time.  In Oct 2021, I added chicken breast, peas and mushrooms.  Awesomeness.  Or Shrimp...so many options.  See my suggested optional ingredients.  Seriously bordering on required.

One Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta

1 T. olive oil (I used garlic parmesan olive oil for extra flavor)
4 cloves garlic, minced (I like garlic so do 5)
2 c. chicken broth
1 c. milk
2 T. butter
8 oz. fettuccine (Spaghetti works, too, but don't cook it as long)
1/3 c. shredded parmesan (Be good to yourself, don't use the kind in the green canister.  Use fresh)
2 T. fresh chopped parsley (I used 4-5.  I like herbs!)

1/2 t. crushed red pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Optional: 8 oz. mushrooms, roughly chopped, 1 Italian flavored chicken breast or chopped meatballs or cooked shrimp, cooked and diced, 1/2 c. peas

In a large skillet, heat olive oil.  Add garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes.  Stir in broth, milk, butter and pasta.  Add the optional mushrooms now if you are choosing to use them.   Bring it to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer for 18-20 minutes for fettuccini, until pasta is tender.  Thin spaghetti will take about 10 minutes.  Stir occasionally.  In the last couple minutes, add 15-20 twists for freshly ground pepper and crushed red pepper.  Also add the peas and chicken or meatballs, if you choose.  I chose.  Stir to combine everything.

Sir in the parmesan cheese and parsley.   Season with coarse salt and more turns of freshly cracked pepper.  Got hot pepper flavored olive oil?  Drizzle now.



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T = tablespoon
c = cup
oz = ounce

Breakfast Burrito Casserole

I made this for Easter brunch at church and it was a big hit! I always love a recipe that you can make the night ahead.  Less stress!


Breakfast Burrito Casserole

Desired meat:  2 c. bacon or 1 lb. ground sausage plus 1/2 lb. ground spicy sausage for a kick.
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 onion
1 small green or red pepper, or a bit of each
1 t. garlic powder
8 flour tortillas, larger burrito size
6 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
extra shredded cheese for topping

Cook bacon or sausage
Saute onion and pepper in a bit of oil.
Mix together meat, onion, pepper, garlic powder, and cheese and divide in 1/2 or so.

Put a really generous spoonful on each tortilla in a line and roll up.  Place each rolled tortilla in a 9x13 pan.

Mix eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and other 1/2 of meat mixture.  Pour mixture over the tortillas.   Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes until eggs are set.  Top with extra cheese and bake for another 5 minutes.

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lb = pound
t = teaspoon
c = cup

Speckled Egg Easter Cake

I'm not usually a baker, but I made this Easter masterpiece upon the request of my sister.  It took a long time, but it was definitely worth it and made a nice centerpiece, too. The recipe came from countryliving.com.


Cake
3 c. cake flour, spooned and leveled
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 c. malted milk powder
1 t. kosher salt
1 c. canola oil
1 c. half and half, at room temperature
1 c. sugar
1 t. pure vanilla extract
1 t. pure coconut extract
1 large egg plus 2 large egg whites, at room temperature

Whisk the flour, baking powder, malted milk powder and salt in a bowl.

Whisk together the oil, half and half, sugar, vanilla, coconut extract, and the whole egg in a separate bowl until smooth.

Fold in the flour mixture just until incorporated. 

Beat the egg whites on medium high until stiff peaks form, 1 or 2 minutes.

Fold the egg whites into the batter just until combined.

Lightly grease 3 8-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper rounds. 

Divide the batter among the pans.

(Layer cake tip:  Make a collar for each pan, wet it and wrap around each layer pan.  It helps to bake the layers flat without the dome that sometimes forms in the middle)

Bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes and then invert onto racks to cool completely.

Coconut Butter Cream
1 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 c. cream of coconut
6 c. powdered sugar
1 t. pure vanilla extract
pinch of kosher salt
Blue gel food coloring

Beat butter and cream of coconut with mixer on medium until smooth, 1-2 minutes.  Gradually beat in powdered sugar.

Beat in vanilla and salt until combined.

Beat in blue gel food coloring, one drop at a time until desired blue color.

Once the cakes are cooled, place one layer on a cake plate and frost the top with 1 cup of the Buttercream.  Repeat 2 more times.  Frost the sides with remaining coconut cream.


Garnishes
Brown gel food coloring
4 sheets of phyllo dough
Cooking spray
Malted Milk eggs, or other egg shaped speckled candies
(Alternate to phyllo dough nest:  toasted coconut.  I'm going to try that next time!)

Stir together brown food coloring and 2 drops water in a bowl.  Dip the tip of a wide stiff paintbrush or basting brush into the mixture.  Holding the brush away from the cake, gently fling the mixture on the cake (Tip:  Cover all surfaces around the cake to avoid messes!)

Tightly roll 4 sheets of phyllo dough lengthwise and very thinly slice. 

Transfer to a baking sheet, loosely separating the layers.  Spray with cooking spray and toss gently.

Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, 10-12 minutes.  Cool completely.

Spread the phyllo (or toasted coconut if you prefer) next around the base of the cake and make a nest on the top for malted milk egg decorations.  Place other egg candies around the base of the cake.
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c = cup
t = teaspoon

Homemade Pretzels

I was skeptical when I saw this recipe on Tasty.  Only 2 ingredients?!?  Sounded easy enough so I gave it a try.  So glad I did!  These are doughy soft pretzels and would be great with a cheese sauce.  This same recipe can be used for pizza crust, garlic knots or bagels (I know, not a real bagel because bagels are boiled, but a cheater's version).  And only 100 calories per pretzel!

I've also seen a version saying to mix 1/2 c. boiling water and dissolve 1 T. baking soda in it.  Then dip each pretzel in that before backing. This is supposed to give it a nice crust.

Homemade Pretzels

1 3/4 c. self rising flour (Do NOT use regular flour!)
1 c. plain greek yogurt (I used Chobani)

Mix the 2 ingredients until formed in a ball.  Pat the dough down a bit and cut in 8 wedges. 

On a lightly floured surface, roll each wedge into a 14" long rope.  Twist into a pretzel shape and put on a parchment lined baking sheet. 

Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with pretzel salt.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, until golden brown.






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Garlic knot version:  Take each wedge and roll into a smaller length, thicker 8" rope.  Twist into a knot and brush with a mix of 1/4 c. olive oil,  4 cloves minced garlic, a pinch of salt and 1 1/2 t. dried parsley (or 2 T fresh parsley).

Pizza Dough version: Press dough in a 12" pizza round, top with pizza sauce and toppings of your choice.

Bagels: Divide into 4 wedges, roll them in 8" ropes and form in a round  brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with Everything seasoning.

Bread Machine Hamburger Buns

On the way home from the grocery store, I realized I forgot to buy hamburger buns.  Lines were horrible, and I was not going back there!  So, I did a quick google search for bread machine hamburger buns and found this one on geniuskitchen.com.  Everyone raved about them, so I gave them a try.    Definitely worth it!


Bread Machine Hamburger Buns

18 oz. bread flour (I prefer to weigh mine, regular recipe called for 3 3/4 c.)
1/4 c. sugar
3/4 t. salt
1 1/4 c. warm milk
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 1/4 t. active dry yeast (I used bread machine yeast)
2 T. butter melted for tops of buns before baking

Put the flour, sugar, salt, milk and egg in the bread machine  on the dough setting.  Once it is finished (my dough setting takes 2 hours 20 minutes), place the dough on a floured surface and divide in 2 even sections.  I use a food scale to get it about equal.

Roll each out to about 3/4" to 1" thick.   Cut into 6 or 7 circles, depending on thickness of dough, of 3 1/2" diameter. I used a british pint glass which worked perfectly.

Place the rounds fairly far apart on a greased sheet pan and brush them with the melted butter.  Cover with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray and let rise for about an hour, until doubled in size.

Bake them at 350 degrees for about 9-13 minutes, depending on size and oven.  I got 14 buns out of my batch and they took about 11-12 minutes.

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oz = ounces
t = teaspoon
T = tablespoon

c = cup

Antipasto Squares

Need a game day appetizer?  This one is a good one.

Antipasto Squares


2 tubes of crescent rolls
1/2 lb. sliced ham
1/4 lb. sliced pepperoni
1/4 lb. sliced mozzarella
1/4 lb. sliced provolone
1 c. sliced pepperoncini
2 T. olive oil
1/4 c. shredded parm
oregano

Roll out one crescent roll and pinch seams.

Layer ham, mozzarella, pepperoni, provolone and pepperoncini.  Top with the second tube of crescent roll and pinch the top and the bottom crust seams together.

Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with parm cheese and oregano.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.  Cover with tin foil if top is getting too brown.

Let it cool 15 minutes before cutting.

Spring Rolls

This light meal is so healthy!  Give it a try.  There are no rules, just include those ingredients that sound good to you. Here are some ideas, but don't overstuff!

Spring Rolls

Teriyaki chicken breast, thinly sliced or in matchstick size
various veggies cut in matchsticks, ideas:
zucchini
carrot
cucumber
green pepper
red pepper
green onion
avocado
rice noodles seasoned with szechuan sauce
micro greens
sprouts

rice paper wrappers

peanut sauce
chili garlic sauce (careful, it's hot!)




Put the chosen ingredients on the prepared rice paper wrapper, season with sauce and roll up.  Enjoy!