Ham and Cheese Rolls

From Robyn Green:

"Start with 3 cups flour (I never measure exactly when I'm making bread, by the way). Add 1 1/2 T salt, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup powdered milk (optional, but this makes the bread softer...you can also use regular milk as a substitute for some of the water), and 3 T yeast. About the yeast---I use the instant yeast from Sam's--it comes in a brick and I store it in a plastic container in my freezer. This type of yeast can be added directly to the flour, making it much easier, and it taste better than the regular yeast.

Sift that all together.

In a small bowl, mix 1 egg and 1/3 cup oil. I use a separate bowl so I can beat the egg before adding it to the flour, and I add it after the water because it mixes better...but you don't want to cook the egg in the hot water, so adding it to the oil helps. Just a tip.

Measure out 4 cups hot water--the hottest you can get from the tap. Add 2 cups of water to the flour and mix, adding more water and mixing until it is smooth and creamy, but not too watery (about 3-3 1/2 cups water, typically). Add the egg and oil mixture.

At this point, you need to add about 3-4 more cups flour, but I suggest doing it one cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Too much flour will make the dough dry, and it is easier to mix if it is added slowly. After about 2 cups, I usually turn it out onto a floured counter top and start kneading, adding more dough as I go. Keep kneading until the dough is tacky, but not sticking to the surface. The more you knead, the softer it will be. This is kind of a tricky point--and much easier if you have a mixer, which I don't. If you have a mixer, it is still best to add the dough slowly to avoid adding too much flour.

Put the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a dishtowel. Let it rise until doubled--usually 45 min to an hour. The rule is--the slower the rise, the softer the dough. It is also easier to roll out when it has risen properly. In a pinch, you can help it rise faster by putting the bowl on the stove top of a warm oven. When it has risen, divide it in half and roll it out on a floured surface. Make it into a long rectangle.

For the filling: I use a dry Alfredo sauce mix, made with a little less butter and milk so it is thicker than regular sauce, but you can also use jarred Alfredo sauce, thick salad dressing, or even spaghetti sauce. I also chop ham, and use whatever shredded cheese I have on hand (last night I used Monterrey jack, mozzarella, and cheddar). When I'm feeling fancy, I add drained spinach and artichokes, or make pizza rolls with spaghetti sauce and pepperoni and sausage( these are messier to make because the sauce is typically watery).

Spread the sauce, then the ham, then cheese, and roll up like cinnamon rolls. Slice about 1 in thick and place on a greased pan. Let them rise a few more minutes (maybe while the oven is preheating) until they look a little puffy, and bake until they look pretty--about 18 minutes.

These freeze really well if they are wrapped tightly--to reheat, just stick them in the microwave for 30 seconds or so!"

From: Robyn Green

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

These are my current obsession. I ADORE them. I tagged the recipe as a main dish because that's how I've been eating them lately!

2 medium-sized sweet potatoes
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t oregano
1/2 t coriander
1 t kosher salt
1 t parsley
fresh ground pepper (about 10 turns of a pepper mill

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet lightly with cooking spray. Don't use a silpat, or parchment, or anything like that. You want them right on the cookie sheet. Slice your sweet potatoes into french fry shape and size. I like mine to be 1/4", or maybe a tad bit bigger.

It's important that all of the pieces are evenly sized to ensure even cooking. So toss any irregular pieces aside (or eat them in another dish). When you're ready you'll have something that looks like a pile of carrots.

Put the sweet potatoes in a bowl and drizzle the olive oil over them. Use your hands to make sure each one is coated. If you've got more than a pound of sweet potatoes, add a little extra olive oil. They should all be glistening, just eyeball it. Then sprinkle on all of the herbs and spices and continue to toss until well coated. Place the fries on the baking sheet. It's very important that they are not touching, but can place them pretty close together.

Place cookie sheet in pre-heated oven and set the timer for 15 minutes. Don't open the oven door, not even for a peak! Let them do their thing. After 15 minutes take pan of oven and flip the fries. If you try to do it one at a time it will take forever, I take a long spatula and get a bunch at at time. It's super quick. Just flip, and then make sure they're spaced out again. Be careful because at this point they're quite soft.

Put the pan in the oven and cook for another 15-20 minutes. Just keep an eye on them. They should be nice and golden brown.

From: ourbestbites.com

Gluten and Dairy Free Mini Muffins- (a work in progress)

1 cup coconut flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
¼ cup agave nectar
¼ cup grapeseed oil

In a large bowl, combine coconut flour, salt and baking soda. In a smaller bowl, blend together eggs, agave and oil. Blend wet ingredients into dry. Scoop batter 1 tablespoon at a time into greased mini muffin tins. Bake at 350° for 7-8 minutes. Cool then remove from muffin tins and serve.

Adaptations:
- Replace agave nectar with brown rice syrup. You should add more syrup than the amount of sweetener called for- twice the amount of syrup when replacing agave.

-Replace eggs with flax. 2 T ground flax plus 6 T water equals 2 eggs. Let the mixture sit before adding to recipe. I tried making with eggs this time and it was the first time I've tried them in a while. I got sick. Don't know if it was the eggs or if it was something else, but hopefully I'll find out when my tests come back. This will probably work just as well with the flax.

- Add 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary and 1 tablespoon lemon zest- packed and heaping. This is what the recipe originally calls for, but I thought it was way too much rosemary. I'm wondering if it was a typo. If I try it again, I'll update the amount I actually use.

-Add pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices. I added pumpkin to the unchanged recipe and then added spices and vanilla and the oil should have been reduced or eliminated. They were still good though. I will certainly be trying to improve this one. I miss eating pumpkin laced treats.

Still a lot to work on before perfecting this one. I served them at a girls night the other night and made a double batch. I forgot to not double the baking soda. They were disgusting. I threw them away. But the pumpkin ones I made this morning worked pretty well. Poor girls night friends. I wonder if they will ever eat my food again.

Adapted from: elenaspantry.com

Banana Sweetened Granola

1 ripe or frozen banana
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoon brown rice syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup almonds, chopped
1 cup shredded coconut
2 tablespoons flax seeds
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 375° F.Using a blender, blend together banana, water, honey, cinnamon, vanilla, and sea salt until very smooth.Toss banana puree together with rolled oats and nuts. Lay everything out in a single layer on a tinfoil lined baking pan (it may stick a little). Bake for 40 minutes until oats are starting to brown. Stir 4 times throughout, breaking up any clumps that are forming.Add shredded coconut when there are 12 minutes left of baking time to lightly toast.Remove from oven and add the flax seeds and raisins. Serve with milk or yogurt or as a snack on its own.

Adaptations:
Replace banana with 1/2 c pumpkin. Increase cinnamon to 1 T, add 3/4 t allspice, 1/2 t cloves, and 1 1/2 t ginger.

Nearly-Instant Applesauce

INGREDIENTS

• 4 apples - peeled, cored and chopped
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup white sugar (though I would use a bit less next time)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  

Directions

1. In a crockpot, combine apples, water, sugar, and cinnamon. Cover, and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours (or until apples are soft). Run to through the blender til smooth. Allow to cool and then store in the container of your choice.

From: Amanda Wilkinson

Fall Harvest Alfredo

2/3 C. Magic Mix
1 C. Water
1/4 C. Shredded Parmesan Cheese (If you use canned parmesan cheese it will be thicker)
1/2 C. Cooked and Pureed Pumpkin
1/2 t. Cinnamon
Dash of Nutmeg
1/4 C. Sour Cream or Cream Cheese
1 C. chopped Chicken
4 C. favorite pasta
Chopped Apple (to garnish, 1/2 an apple per person)

Instructions
1. Get you noodles boiling and chicken cooking.
2. Make a white sauce from magic mix by combine magic mix and water in sauce pan over medium high heat, stirring constantly until it boils and thickens. Once the sauce is thickened, turn heat to low and add parmesan cheese, pumpkin, spices, and sour cream.
3. Combine noodles, chicken, and sauce and serve immediately.
4. Garnish with chopped apples.

From: everydayfoodstorage.net

Chocolate Truffles with Sea Salt

8 to 9 ounces good semisweet chocolate
8 to 9 ounces good bittersweet chocolate
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
8 ounces meltable milk chocolate

Heat chocolate and condensed milk in a double boiler over medium low heat until chocolate is melted. Stir—mixture will have a slight marshmallow texture.Stir in vanilla. Cover and refrigerate for two hours. Roll in balls, then roll in melted chocolate coating. Sprinkle with sea salt or other fine, coarse sprinkles.

From: thepioneerwoman.com