Perfect Cresent Rolls

There is nothing as delicious as homemade bread.  If you've never had it, go make it now.  I"m not talking about the stuff from a grocery story bakery.  I don't know what they do back there, but I swear they can't get homemade bread right.  My mom made home made bread for as long as I can remember.  She made it completely from scratch, right down to grinding her own wheat.  It was so so good, warm and inviting.  Thank you mom for years of service in the bread department.

Make sure you are going to be home all afternoon to make these, with at least 5 hours from the time you start to when you want to be serving them.  These are crisp on the outside, soft on the inside.  Everyone will be asking you for the recipe.  I got this recipe from Megan Gould from North Ogden.  Thank you Megan!

Cresent Rolls
1 Tbs. Yeast
1cup mashed potatoes
2/3 cup butter
1  Tbs. salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
6-7 cups flour


Put the water and yeast and about a TBS of sugar in your mixing bowl and let that sit for about 5 to 10 min.  Add the butter, eggs, potatoes and sugar, and mix.  Add the flour and salt, and hand need it all together to form a nice soft ball.  Let rise until double. (about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.)  Take the dough and divide into 4ths.   Roll into a circle, spread with butter, cut and roll into crescents. Let rise again and bake at 350.  Total rising time is around 3-4 hours, depending.  Don't overdo the butter, your rolls will go flat. They still taste good, but they are not as pretty.  I have tried just brushing on butter after they are rolled out and shaped into cresents.  Both ways work, but I like the second way best.


I had photos, but unfortunatley they were accidently deleted when I redid my operating system to Windows 7!  I love the new windows 7...just thought I"d share.  I'll make these again soon, I am sure, and will post a photo then.

Whole Wheat Veggie Pizza

I love pizza.  But, recently, with our diet changes, the pizza from Pizza Hut and others make me feel sick.  I am guessing it is the oil in them.  I'm not sure, but whatever it is, it makes me glad that I have my Mom's homemade dough recipe that is the best I have ever come across.  Her sauce is also very yummy.  My friends in high school used to ask me to ask my mom to make her pizza.  Thanks mom for sharing this recipe with me, my friends and now whoever reads this blog.  You'll need to plan this dinner ahead, as you need time for the dough to rise.  Enjoy!

1 1/4 C water with 1 TBS yeast and 1 TBS sugar.  Let sit for about 5 min.  Add 1/2 C butter, softened and 3 cups flour.  You can use any combination of flour.  I use 1/2 of each.  Mix and make into a nice soft ball, cover and let rise.  If you are pressed for time, you can use right away, but letting it rise for at least an hour is best.  I have even let it rise for 3 hours before.  It made it go just a little farther.

Use with your own sauce or the one below (I suggest the one below.)

1 can Tomato Soup
1 can 8 oz tomato sauce
2 TBS brown sugar
2 good sqeeezes of ketchup
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
a few shakes of Garlic powder and onion powder
1/4 c pinapple juice, but only if you already have some on hand.

Mix all together in a pot and simmer for 30 min or so.  Yummy!

Pumpkin Bread

I love the pumpkin bread at Great Harvest.  It is so good and oily.  The chocolate seems to melt in my mouth.  It is also almost $4 per loaf, which I'm not a big fan of.  I had a 1/2 can left over pumpkin mix from my husbands last nights creation, and so I used what I already know with my banana bread, and mixed up two loaves of pumpkin heaven.  Goes great with apple cider and a good movie.  I suggest everyone try it!

Ingredients:
-1/2 c butter
-2 eggs
-1 c brown sugar
-1/2 c white sugar

Mix these items together until creamy and add the following:
-1 1/4 c white flour
-1/2 c whole wheat flour
-1 tsp. baking soda
-1 tsp cinnimon
-1/2 tsp. nutmeg
-1/2 tsp. salt

Mix these items together and then add 8 oz canned pumpkin and 1/2 c water and 1 cup chocolate chips.  Mix and pour into 2 bread loaf pans.  Bake about 30 min. at 350.  Yummy Yummy!

Banana Bread Goodness

I love banana bread. I get giddy when I see bananas going bad. Ryan comes in at a close second as a fan. This morning I awoke to 6 bananas begging to be mixed, baked and eaten. This recipe is the best I have found, and after adapting it to my own tastes, it is, of course, THE BEST BANANA BREAD EVER! I figure if I'm going to make the effort, I might as well make a big batch. This recipe will make 4 loaves that are 6"X4" and about 2" high. Add some spray butter and you've got one yummy treat. Again, I'm slowly adding wheat flour to our diet, so I used 1/2 white and 1/2 wheat flour.
INGREDIENTS

1. 4 c Flour (1/2 of each kind)
   
2. 2 tsp Baking Soda
   
3. 1/2 tsp Salt
   
4. 1 c White Sugar & 1 c Dark Brown Sugar
   
5. 2 eggs
   
6. 1 c butter, or you can use 1/2 c Butter and 1/2 c Applesauce
   
7. 6 going bad bananas

Mix with beaters butter and sugars together. Add eggs and mix. Add flour, soda, salt and mix. In a seperate bowl, mix up bananas, just until combined and add into your other mixture. Use beaters and mix until barely incorporated. I like to add chocolate chips, 1 cup for a batch this size.

Heat oven to 350 degrees and bake bread around 30 min. All ovens vary, so watch it after 20 min to see where yours is at. I was able to cook all 4 loaves at once.

From when I pulled out my recipe to when I was holding a slice in my hand was 1 hour. Pretty fast for a great warm treat. The boys will be so excited to have something yummy to enjoy as they tell me about their day at school. I love being a Mom!