Butterscotch Bubble Loaf

Best Bubble Bread In the World: A friend made this at a primary activity. They were so good even Chad couldn't stop eating them. I can't wait to try them out. She said she just makes bread dough in her bread maker and uses it instead of Rhodes dough. This recipe is definitely worth trying.


Butterscotch Bubble Loaf
18-20 Rhodes frozen pan rolls, cut in half (or dough for rolls)
1/2 box butterscotch COOK AND SERVE mix (not the instant!!) about 1/3 c.
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. chopped pecans (optional)
Bundt pan

Spray pan with non-stick cooking spray. Cut semi-thawed pan rolls in half and dip them in dry pudding mix. Arrange rolls in bundt pan, alternately arranging and sprinkling pecans. Sprinkle remaining pudding mix over the top. Combine brown sugar and butter and heat together until butter is melted and syrup is formed. Pour over pan rolls. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until double in bulk. (2-3) hours if using the Rhodes rolls, only about 10-15 minutes if using homemade rolls. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Invert bundt pan onto a serving plate when rolls are done.

We also like to do something similar to this, but instead we do a herb-loaf. I melt about 1/2 c. butter and put garlic salt, oregano, thyme, basil, and whatever other spices I have in the cupboard that sounds good, and dip the rolls in that, and then pour the remaining butter mixture over the top of the rolls and bake until done. It's good with just about anything!

Caramels

I'll be happy to share my caramel recipe. I have a confession to make anyway. I have officially decided that I prefer caramel over chocolate. Never thought that would be true. But hey, I like it better. What can I say! And it's all because of these caramels. My most favorite candy ever!

Just made some the other day. Not to mention the fact that I've made the caramel popcorn recipe I posted four times in two weeks. I LOVE caramel!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 1 /2 cups butter (real butter)

1 1/2 cups light corn syrup

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

Directions:

Combine ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil. Cook and stir (don't scrape the sides of the pan) until mixture reaches 242 degrees on a candy thermometer or is a firm ball when added to cold water. Pour in a greased 13 X 9 pan. Don't scrape the pan when pouring. Let set until cool. Cut and wrap in wax paper. Or use as a caramel coating for caramel apples or pretzel rods.

* The original recipe says to cook the caramel until it reaches 238 degrees. I have found that the caramel is too soft and sticky when I only cook it this long. It doesn't hold its shape when cut. So, I make sure that it reaches 242. Put the thermometer in the middle of the boiling caramel, not on the bottom of the pan, to get the best results. This may vary depending on altitude and humidity. Also, if you find out you didn't cook the caramel long enough and it's too soft, you can pour it back in the pan and cook it again to a higher temperature and it will still turn out good.

Recipes Request

Hey Erin I was showing the girls I work with the blog and Judy my boss was wondering if she could have the recipe for your carmels?

Fresh Herb Butter

My friend Melissa gave our family a loaf of bread and this butter spread in a classy little jar for Christmas. The spread was delicious! It was a great idea for a neighbor gift, so I thought I'd pass the recipe along. Melissa used fresh herbs from her herb garden. If you can't find any fresh herbs, you could probably use dried ones although it probably won't taste as good. Cut the amount by 1/3 if replacing dried herbs for fresh herbs.

Fresh Herb Butter

Ingredients:

1 pound softened butter

2 ounces softened cream cheese

2/3 cup of finely chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons finely chopped tarragon

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill

1 tablespoon finely chopped oregano

1/2 to 1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

kosher salt and pepper to taste

Cream all together. Adjust seasonings to your preferences. Refrigerate.

Peanut Butter Bars

Peanut Butter Bars
These were so good, and so fast to make because you don't have to bake them. They taste like peanut butter cups. Even Chad liked them.

Ingredients

* 1 cup butter or margarine, melted
* 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
* 2 cups confectioners' sugar
* 1 cup peanut butter
* 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
* 4 tablespoons peanut butter

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the butter or margarine, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners' sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a metal bowl over simmering water, or in the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Spread over the prepared crust. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

Blueberry French Toast Bake

This is one of my new favorites for breakfast . . . actually we had it for dinner. I made the French bread and used it as soon as it was cool enough to cut. It was a pretty dense bread. The original recipe calls for French bread that is twelve days old. If you're going to use a lighter bread, make sure it's a little dry.

Ingredients:

1 loaf French bread, sliced in thick pieces

5 eggs

1 1/2 cups of half and half

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cups brown sugar, divided

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions:

1. Arrange bread in a greased 13 X 9 inch pan. In a bowl, combine the eggs, half and half, milk, 3/4 cup brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg; pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate a minimum of 5 hours.

2. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Turn bread slices over. Sprinkle pecans over bread. Combine butter and 3/4 cup brown sugar; crumble over top. Bake, uncovered at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Sprinkle with blueberries. Bake 10 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

* I made this a lot more unhealthy than the original recipe. I was trying to use up my half and half so I used it instead of 2 cups of milk. Then I also stirred 3/4 cup of brown sugar in with the butter instead of 1/4 cup. This was an accident. A delicious one! The sugar, pecans, and blueberries that top this French toast make the best streusel-like topping.

Monster Cookies

So a lady that I work with made these cookies and brought them to work and they were to die for! I am on a peanut butter kick so they were amazing. So not only were the cookies the size of monsters so was the recipe, so I halfed it last weekend and still had enough to put some dough in the freezer for later! (So you may want to fourth it!)

1 pound butter or margarine, softened
3 pounds cream-style peanut butter (6 1/4 cups)
2 pounds brown sugar
4 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla
8 teaspoons soda
1 dozen eggs
1(12 oz) package of chocolate chips (2 cups)
1(16 oz) package of plain m&m's
18 cups rolled oats

Cream butter with peanut butter. Add the remaining ingredients, in order, blending well after each addition. Use an ice cream scoop to dip out dough. Flatten cookies on ungreased baking sheet, leaving ample room for spreading. Bake at 350 degrees, for about 15 minutes depending on size. Yields about 75 to 80 cookies.

So this isn't a great picture but I used peanut m&m's and just chopped them up so you get peanuts too! Bon Appetite!

Spiced Pumpkin Waffles

I posted a recipe for Pumpkin Waffles a while back, but these ones are even better. This recipe adds a lot of spices, and the orange zest adds a really interesting flavor. These are a new favorite breakfast at our house.

1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. ginger
pinch of salt
2 eggs
1/4 c. brown sugar
8 oz. canned pumpkin
1 2/3 c. milk
4 Tbs. butter, melted and cooled
freshly grated zest of one orange

Sift the flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt into a large bowl. Put the eggs, sugar, pumpkin, milk, cooled melted butter, and orange zest into a second bowl and beat well. Gently fold in the flour mixture. Cook in waffle iron.

The recipe recommended serving with honey butter or whipped cream. I served the waffles with cinnamon syrup.

Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Glaze

My friend Hayley shared this delicious recipe with me. These rolls are so, so yummy.

Rolls:

2 packages active dry yeast (about 4 1/2 tsp.)

1/4 c. warm water (110 degrees)

1 1/2 c. buttermilk

1/2 c. melted butter

1/4 c. white sugar

1 Tbs. vanilla

4 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

Filling:

1/2 c. butter, melted

1 1/4 c. brown sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

Glaze:

1 small box powdered sugar

2 tsp. maple flavoring

3/4 c. buttermilk

1/4. c. melted butter

pinch of salt

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the buttermilk. Heat until warm to the touch (not too hot or it will kill the yeast.)

2. Add yeast and water to the buttermilk/butter. Add in vanilla and sugar and stir to dissolve. Combine the flour, salt and baking soda. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour a little at a time, until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 20 times. (I used my kitchen aid for all of this.) Cover and let rest for 15 minutes. In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon for the filling.

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out into a large rectangle. Spread the brown sugar and butter mixture over the dough. Roll up into a log and pinch the seam to seal. Slice into 1-inch pieces and place cut side up in two lightly-greased round cake pans. (I needed three cake pans.) Cover and let rise 30 minutes or cover and refrigerate overnight. If baking immediately, preheat oven to 375 degrees.

4. Bake in preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes until lightly brown on top. Let stand for 2 to 3 minutes before glazing.

Glaze: Mix all ingredients with a whisk until smooth. Glaze should be thick but pourable. Be generous in pouring over warm rolls! (The glaze would also be good with vanilla if you don't have maple. I may also try orange next time. The maple is really good.)

Cracker Jack Caramel Popcorn

I've been wanting to try this baked caramel popcorn recipe from allrecipes.com for a couple of months. It tastes like crunchy Cracker Jacks and is oh so addictive!

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 quarts popped popcorn (about 3/4 cup kernels)

1 cup coarsely chopped nuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Mix popcorn and nuts in a very large bowl.

2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla. Pour in a thin stream over popcorn, stirring to coat.

3. Place on two large shallow cookie sheets and bake in preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, for 1 hour. (I cooked both sheets at the same time.) Remove from oven and let cool completely before breaking into pieces.

Homemade Granola Bars

This recipe is from a new Ina Garten cookbook I just got this week. I love new cookbooks. These turned out really good, and I'm excited to make them again using other fruit/nut combinations.

2 c. old-fashioned oats
1 c. sliced almonds
1 c. shredded coconut
1/2 c. toasted wheat germ
3 Tbs. unsalted butter
2/3 c. honey
1/4 c. light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 c. chopped pitted dates
1/2 c. chopped dried apricots
1/2 c. dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8x12 baking dish and line with parchment paper.

Toss the oatmeal, almonds and coconut on a sheet pan and bake for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally until lightly browned. (I only had raw wheat germ so Itoasted the wheat germ with the oat mixture.) Transfer to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees.

Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla and salt in a small saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dates, apricots and cranberries and stir well. (I used dried cranberries and golden raisins in place of the dates and apricots.)

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares.

Turkey Pumpkin Chili

My friend sent me this recipe and I admit I was a little skeptical. I like pumpkin everything, but in chili? Really? I also never used ground turkey and I've never even bought jalapeno peppers but because my friend is any unbelievably good cook, I tried it. And we all liked it.

After adding in all of the ingredients, I'm sure you could simmer it in the crock pot until you're ready to eat.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped (I used 1/2 red pepper, 1/2 green pepper)

2 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 pound ground white or dark meat turkey

1 (14.5 - ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their liquid

1 (15 - ounce) can pumpkin puree

1 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained (I used black beans)

Sour cream

Cilantro, chopped

Directions

Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, jalapenos and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add turkey and cook until browned. Add tomatoes, pumpkin, broth, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low then add beans. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes more. Ladle chili into bowls and serve. Garnish each portion with a dollop of sour cream and chopped cilantro.

Serves 6

Crustless Quiche

This recipe is from SparkRecipes.com, which is a great resource for healthy recipes. The addition of flour to the egg mixture produces a bit of a crust, and you can change up the ingredients to suit your tastes. I like spinach, mushrooms, bacon and onion. The original recipe omits the bacon and mushrooms. Mozzarella cheese also works well in place of the feta cheese.


1 medium onion, diced
6 oz. fresh baby spinach
2 large eggs
1/2 c. egg beaters (or 1/2 c. egg whites)
1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
dash cayenne pepper
1 1/3 c. nonfat milk
1/2 c. feta cheese

Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly grease a 10-inch quiche/tart pan on a pie plate. In a medium frying pan, cook diced onion with a little oil or cooking spray over medium-high heat until translucent and tender. Add in fresh spinach and cook just until wilted. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in milk, then stir in spinach-onion mixture. Pour quiche base into prepared pan. Top with feta cheese. Bake for 25 minutes, or until center is set and outside edge is golden brown. Let set for 5 minutes, then slice and serve.

I haven't tried this exact recipe, but I have had similar. I am giving this one a try tonight. We had chicken last night so I am going to use pork chops instead.

Slow Cooker Chicken Stroganoff

Ingredients

* 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
* 1/8 cup margarine
* 1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
* 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
* 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

Directions

1. Put chicken, margarine and dressing mix in slow cooker; mix together and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.
2. Add cream cheese and soup, mix together and cook on high for another 1/2 hour or until heated through and warm.

Eat over egg noodles or rice

Recipes Request

Hey this is Alyssa and this isn't a recipe but a request for some! I got a crock-pot for Christmas and I was wondering if any of you have good, easy recipes I could try! Thanks guys, Love ya!