Butter Rolls

I decided to move these back up to the top to go with the rest of my Thanksgiving food since I took a picture of the actual finished product this time.

These are the best rolls you'll ever have. My brother used the phrase "buttery pieces of heaven" to describe them. Yeah... they're that good! We like to prepare these for holidays such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Easter (or any other get together where we serve a big meal). They do take a little bit of time, but are totally worth it :) If you want to make them in larger batches you can freeze them and save for later to save some time.

2 - 1/4 packets of active dry yeast
1 cup sugar (divided)
2 cups warm water (100-110 degrees)
1 cup butter or margarine, melted
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 & 1/2 tsp salt
9 cups flour (give or take)

• Stir together yeast, 2 tbsp sugar, and 2 cups warm water in a glass measuring cup.
• Stir together yeast mixture, remaining sugar, and butter in a large bowl. Stir in egg and salt.
• Gradually stir in enough flour to make a soft dough.
• Cover with a damp towel and chill for 8 hours (over night works best). Divide the dough in to 4-6 equal portions. Turn each portion out on a lightly floured surface and roll in to a 14 inch circle.
• Melt butter as needed, and with a pastry brush spread it over the top of the rolled out dough. With a pizza cutter (or knife) cut each circle in to 8-12 wedges. Roll up each wedge, starting at the wide end.
• Place on baking sheets, covered, and let rise for two hours (or until doubled). You can also freeze the rolls before allowing them to rise. If you do this, just remove them from the freezer and allow them to thaw until they have risen to about double their size.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Just a couple extra tips... stuff I've learned from experience!!!

• The baking time can really vary depending on the oven and how big your rolls end up being. Mess with the time and temperature until you get them exactly how you like them. The best combination I've found is dividing the dough in to 6 portions, cutting in to 8 wedges, baking at 375 for 14 minutes.
• BE SURE the towel is wet, because you will get a dry crusty layer across the top if it's allowed to dry out. If this does happen, just kinda knead it together and any pull out any really hard chunks as you're rolling it out.
• It helps to get the dough out of the bowls if you spray it with a cooking spray before you put it in there.
• The dough is pretty tough to roll out when it's cold, so sometimes it helps to let it sit out for a while.
• If you're making more than one batch, it's easiest to make them one at a time.

Chicken with Lemon and Herbs

I got this recipe out of the amazing chicken cook book I got from Costco (well worth the purchase!!!) I didn't broil it, I just cooked it in the oven because I wanted it done while I was doing other stuff (so if yours doesn't look the same as the picture, that's why!). I loved how buttery and lemony this dish was... I think the only thing I would change is making the sauce a little thicker.

Note, I couldn't find fresh tarragon in the grocery store, so I didn't use any in my dish and it's not in the picture.

1/4 cup butter
2 spring onions, white part, finely chopped
1 Tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
1 Tbsp chopped fresh fennel
Juice of 1 lemon
4 chicken thighs
Salt and ground black pepper
Lemon slices and herb sprigs, to garnish

• Preheat grill (broiler) to medium.
• In a small pan, melt the butter, then add the spring onions, herbs, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Brush the chicken generously with the herb mixture.
• Broil the chicken for 10-12 minutes, basting frequently with the herb mixture.
• Turn over, baste again, then cook for another 10 minutes (until juices run clear).
• Serve, garnished with lemon and herbs.

Stuffed Chicken

I got this recipe from my Bon Appetit magazine. The stuffing in this wasn't my favorite, but the rest of it was pretty darn good, so I decided it was worth sharing. I think part of it has to do with the fact that neither Michael nor I really like green olives. My dad, on the other hand, really liked everything about it. Next time I make it I'm simply going to remove the stuffing part of the recipe and make everything else the same (or maybe find a different recipe for the stuffing part).

Because it was raining pretty hard the day I made this, I really didn't want to go outside and do any grilling whatsoever. Instead, after preparing the chicken, dressing, and oranges I put the chicken and oranges in a 9 x 13 pan and poured the dressing over the top. I cooked it at 425 degrees for approximately 40 minutes (for breast).

Chicken/Stuffing
1 cup pitted brine-cured green olives
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large garlic clove, peeled
1-1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp finely grated orange peel
6 boneless chicken breast halves (with skin)

• Blend first five ingredients in mini processor until olives and garlic are chopped. Transfer to small bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Using fingertips, gently loosen skin on 1 chicken breast leaving one long side attached. Spread stuffing under the skin and pull skin flap back over to cover. Repeat with remaining chicken.
• Arrange chicken on large rimmed baking sheet (can be done 1 day ahead, cover and chill).

Dressing and Oranges
6 Tbsp orange juice
2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
4 garlic cloves, pressed
1 Tbsp finely grated orange peel
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chopped pitted brine-cured green olives
2 large unpeeled oranges, cut in to wedges

• Combine first four ingredients in medium bowl. Gradually whisk in oil then olives. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Transfer 3/4 cup dressing to small bowl and reserve for serving.
• Coat grill rack with nonstick spray and prepare on medium-high heat.
• Divide remaining dressing between two small cups. Drizzle chicken with dressing from 1 cup.
• Arrange orange wedges on sheet of foil, brush with dressing from second cup.
• Grill chicken until cooked through, drizzling with dressing from first cup and turning occasionally, about 12-14 minutes.
• Grill orange wedges until heated through and slightly charred, turning and brushing often with dressing from second cup, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer chicken and oranges to serving platter, serve with reserved dressing.

Beef Taco Skillet

This was a lot more plain than I thought it was going to be. If I had been thinking ahead, I would have prepared lettuce/spinach, tomatoes, olives, sour cream, chips, etc. to go along with it. It was pretty good and a different little spin on tacos :D

I'm also a firm believer that everything taco related should have taco seasoning on it, so even though the recipe doesn't call for it, I threw a package of seasoning in with the soup, salsa, water, and tortillas.

1 lb ground beef
1 can (10 & 3/4 oz) Campbell's tomato soup
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 water
6 flour tortillas (6") cut in to 1" pieces
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

• Cook beef in 10" skillet until well browned, pour off fat.
• Stir in soup, salsa, water, and tortillas.
• Heat to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for five minutes.
• Stir, top with cheese.

Chicken-Broccoli Mac & Cheese

I felt like a gourmet chef with this meal! I'm not a big fan of pasta but this was pretty darn good :) To go along with this dish, we found some AMAZING bread at Costco this weekend. Michael's was a roasted garlic and mine was a rosemary olive oil. I'm hopefully going to find a recipe for these and make them from scratch soon.

To go with the bread I handmade some garlic butter. To do that I took a stick of butter from the fridge and microwaved it for 8 seconds to make it soft. I then pressed about 3 cloves of garlic in to the butter and blended it together.

The original recipe called for a whole roasted chicken, we just use chicken breasts/thighs, which I cook ahead of time. You could do either, they both work well and taste great!

8 oz of uncooked rigatoni pasta
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
2 - 2 & 1/2 lbs cooked chicken
5.2 oz package semisoft cheese with garlic and fine herbs
3/4 - 1 cup milk
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• In large saucepan, cook pasta according to package directions. Add broccoli florets during the last 3 minutes of cooking time.
• While pasta is cooking, cut chicken into bite size pieces.
• In same saucepan, combine cheese, 3/4 cup milk, and black pepper. Cook and stir until cheese is melted. Add pasta mixture and chicken.
• Stir together and heat through. If necessary, thin with additional milk.