Easy Parmesan Knots

A new easy bread choice; the kids loved it!
The kids could make this too. So yummy!

Parmesan Garlic Knots

Ingredients:

1 tube (12 oz.) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

¼ C canola oil

3 T. grated Parmesan Cheese

½ t. garlic powder

1 t. dried oregano

1 t. dried parsley flakes

Roll each biscuit into a 12-in. rope and tie into a knot; tuck ends under. Place 2 in. apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; brush the warm knots with the mixture.

Serving: 10 knots

Recipe Given By: Taste of Home (Garlic Knots)

Baked Garlic Chicken

This is the moistest chicken I bake. It is very rich and we don't eat it often, but there are rarely leftovers.   It's best served with a simple side like mashed or baked potatoes and a salad. It has a lot of flavor and you don't want it competing with other items on your plate. It wants to be the star of the show, so to speak, in a comfort food kind of way.  Enjoy!

Baked Garlic Chicken

Ingredients:

2 C (16 oz) sour cream

2 T. lemon juice

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 t. celery salt

4 t. Worcestershire sauce

2 t. paprika

½ t. pepper

8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

2 C crushed butter-flavored crackers (about 50)

½ C butter or margarine, melted

¼ C vegetable oil

In a large shallow glass dish, combine the first seven ingredients.  Add chicken; turn to coat.  Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours.  Place cracker crumbs in a shallow bowl; roll chicken in crumbs until coated.  Transfer to a greased 13x9x2 baking dish.  Combine butter and oil; pour over the chicken.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.

Servings: 28

Recipe Given By: Quick Cooking 

Pinterest Crack Potatoes

Found these Crack Potatoes on Pinterest. Although they sounded rich, I thought I'd give them a try.

We were not a fan. The consistency was a little too dense, the taste a little too cloying.  Some folks like a rich starchy side and if this recipe appeals to you, by all means. My family would prefer to stick to mashed, roasted or baked potatoes. Too bad, 'cause they looked good.

We ate most of the leftovers so the recipe wasn't inedible,  it was just not to our liking.  Pinterest has a never-ending supply of recipes! It's so much fun perusing them; I'm pretty sure I gain weight just looking at the pictures.

Frosted Cinnamon Rolls

It's been awhile, I know. I changed computers, lost my photo editor and just haven't been as organized as I would like. However, I have been trying new recipes so during Christmas break I hope to add a few of those on the blog and wrap up 2012. Sound good?

These are our go-to cinnamon rolls. So yummy. They taste very similar to Cinnabon so if you have a bread machine, break it out and give this recipe a try. You won't be sorry!

Frosted Cinnamon Rolls 

Ingredients:

1 C milk (70-80 degrees)

¼ C water (70-80 degrees)

¼ C butter, softened

1 egg

1 t salt

4 C bread flour

¼ C instant vanilla pudding mix

1 T sugar

1 T active dry yeast

FILLING:

¼ C butter, softened

1 C packed brown sugar

2 t ground cinnamon

FROSTING:

4 oz. Cream cheese, softened

¼ C butter, softened

1 ½ C confectioners’ sugar

1 ½ t  milk

½ t  vanilla extract

In bread machine pan, place first nine ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer.  Select dough setting (check dough after 5 min of mixing; add 1-2 T water or flour if needed.)  When cycle is completed, turn dough onto lightly floured surface.  Roll into a 17 x 10” rectangle.  Spread with butter; sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon.  Roll up, jelly-roll style, starting from a long side; pinch seam to seal.  Cut into 21 slices.  Place 12 slices, cut side down, in a greased 13 x 9 x 2” baking pan and nine rolls in a 9” square baking pan.  Cover; let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 min.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 min. or until golden brown.  Cool on wire racks for 5 min.  In a mixing bowl, beat frosting ingredients.  Frost warm rolls.  Store in a refrigerator.

Serves: about 21 rolls

Recipe Given By: Quick Cooking S/O 2000 p. 28

The frosting just melts all over the warm roll...mmmm.

Zucchini Quiche

We have an abundance of zucchini here on the farm and I began looking for a few recipes that didn't mask the flavor of the veggie (really, chocolate chocolate chip zucchini cookies?), but one that gave us a broader repertoire than sauteed and grilled. I found this recipe at Pillsbury.com.

This basic zucchini quiche was delicious and so easy to make.

Zucchini Quiche

Ingredients:

2 T butter
4 C thinly sliced zucchini
1 C chopped onions
2 T dried parsley flakes
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t dried basil leaves
1/4 t dried oregano leaves
2 eggs, well beaten
2 C shredded Muenster or mozzarella cheese (8 oz.)
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
2 t yellow mustard

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a 12-in skillet, melt butter over med-high heat. Add zucchini and onions; cook 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Stir in parsley flakes, salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil and oregano.

In a large bowl, mix eggs and cheese. Add cooked vegetable mixture; stir gently to mix.

Separate dough into 8 triangles. Place in ungreased 10-in glass pie plate, 12 x 8 in (2 qt.) glass baking dish or 11-in quiche pan; press over bottom and up sides to form crust.  Firmly press perforations to seal.  Spread crust with mustard. Pour egg mixture evening into crust-lined pie plate.

Bake 18-22 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.  If necessary, cover edge of crust with strips of foil during last 10 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Servings: 6
Recipe Given by: Pillsbury.com

Hints: I purchased the wrong Pillsbury tube and came home with a sheet of dough, more like a dinner roll. It worked well (although fitting a rectangle into a circle was more challenging than arranging the crescent triangles would have been.)  Just letting you know that a different bread-type crust worked well.  I dislike mustard, but don't like to mess with a recipe the first time around. Although there was a slight mustard taste, I really enjoyed it. If I made it again I might go with 1 1/2 t of mustard, but really, who's counting!

Orange-Soaked Pound Cake

I found this recipe on the back

of a Betty Crocker pound cake box mix. 

It's easy and hard to resist!

Orange-Soaked Pound Cake

Ingredients:

1 box Betty Crocker pound cake

1/2 C powdered sugar

3 - 4 t. orange juice

1/8 t. grated orange peel

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake cake mix as directed on box for 1 (9x5 inch) loaf pan.  Cool 10 minutes.  Remove from pan; cool about 30 minutes.  Pierce with fork every 1/2 inch.

Stir together powdered sugar, 3 teaspoons of the orange juice and the orange peel. Stir in just enough remaining orange juice to make glaze smooth and consistency of thick syrup. Pour slowly over warm cake, allowing some to drizzle down sides. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired. ( I left off the powdered sugar; it was sweet enough.)

Servings: 8

Recipe Given By: Betty Crocker

Tricky summer treat

Here's a tricky treat that can be used, not only on April 1st, but any day of the year!

Sweet Hamburger Bites

Ingredients: (per serving)

2 vanilla wafers

Yellow frosting
Red frosting
Mini peppermint patty (York used here)

Layer in order:

1 vanilla wafer, flat side up
yellow frosting
peppermint patty
red frosting
Top with vanilla wafer, flat side down

You could mix coconut with green food coloring to add a "lettuce" layer, if you like.

Enjoy!