Tasty Tuesday {Potato Pan Rolls}

We had a great time of fellowship this past weekend with some of our Juniors staff. We attended two staff dinners both evenings and had a great time of food and fun. I brought one of my favorite bread recipes to one of the dinners, and I was asked for the recipe, so I thought I would share it here today. Sometimes I feel lazy, and when asked to bring rolls, I will buy the Kings Hawaiian rolls because they are good. But they can be expensive for a large group of people, so I always go to this recipe because it makes lots of rolls with minimal effort, and for very little cost. I am working very hard to be budget mindful, in light of my growing boys and growing food bill. I can't believe how much I spend on food, and how quickly it disappears! Anyways, one batch of this recipe turns out 36 deliciously soft potato rolls. It is an excellent recipe to use for Thanksgiving or Christmas meals where you need to feed a crowd. They also freeze really well, so you can make them ahead of time. Just make sure you cut the baking time back a couple of minutes and just undercook them slightly, so that when you reheat them, they don't dry out.


Potato Pan Rolls

2 medium potatoes, peeled, quartered, cooked in 1 1/2 cups water, then mashed to equal 1 cup of potatoes, and also reserving 1 cup cooking liquid
4 1/2 tsp yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup honey
2 eggs
1/4 cup oil
2 tsp salt
6 cups bread flour (or half white, half whole wheat flour)

Cool cooking liquid (should be 1 cup) from potatoes to 110-115 degrees. Set aside. Cool the 1 cup of mashed potatoes to same temp. In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar with cooking liquid. Let stand for 5 minutes (should foam up). Add mashed potatoes, butter, honey, oil, eggs, salt, and 1 1/2 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth. Add remaining 4 1/2 cups flour and mix until it forms a soft dough. Knead in mixer with dough hook for about 6-8 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, and turn once to coat. Cover, and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Punch down dough and turn onto floured surface. Divide the dough into three equal portions. Divide each portion into 10-12 pieces, forming each piece into a ball with your hands. Place each group of 10-12 into a greased round cake pan. Cover and let rise 30 minutes or until doubled. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

Tasty Tuesday

Today's recipe is a new one I just tried for the first time, and WOW, were they good. They had the perfect texture, perfect crumb, perfect amount of sweetness, and they're healthy to boot! OK, well......somewhat healthy. Hey, it's got carrots in it, come on!

Carrot Cake Muffins

1 1/4 cups flour (I used half whole wheat)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp EACH baking powder and baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup finely grated carrots

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce or sour cream (either works fantastic)

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup oil or butter

3/4 cup raisins

Combine wet ingredients, then add all dry ingredients except raisins, and mix well. Stir in the raisins. Spoon into greased muffin tins. Bake 20 minutes, or until done.

frosting:

powdered sugar

milk

vanilla

Mix a small amount of milk into about 2 cups of powdered sugar, adding more milk if necessary to get it to drizzling consistency. Stir in about 1/2 tsp vanilla. When muffins are cooled, drizzle the frosting over the muffins.

Disneyland

"Luke, I am your father."

"I am going to blow up the world with my X1-Z2 modulator."

Big Thunder Mountain!

Love the Toy Story ride....TOO much fun!

Ready with the 3D glasses!

Dave and his boyz.....

A is for Austin.....

F is for Fuzzy (well, there was no V)

L is for Luke!

Our friends gave us some Disney passes last year, and we finally found a good day to go. We went on a Friday, and it was the perfect day. Perfect weather, perfect crowds...We did both parks and just had so much fun together! Dave hadn't been to Disneyland as a patron since he was a teenager. He has done some special effects work there, but has not been there "for fun"! It is so different now, and he had never been to California Adventure. Now that the boys are older, it is so much fun to go on all the rides together. Long gone are the days when we would take one child on a ride at a time, while one parent waited. What a blessing and privilege to spend such a fun day together!

The Perfect Cheesecake

My husband's favorite dessert: Cheesecake.

Number of failed attempts to make the perfect cheesecake: Innumerable.

Until I found this recipe. This gem of a recipe was found on Recipezaar, the virtues of which I have extoled in the past. I love this website because you can search a recipe by ratings, meaning the highest and best rated recipes will show up at the top. After reading literally hundreds of rave reviews for this cheesecake recipe, I decided to give it a try. I had no idea it would come out this perfect. There is now no need to look any further. This is the one. Forever. If you follow the directions closely, you will end up with the most beautiful, perfectly creamy, perfectly cooked, crackless cheesecake, I promise you. I made this for Dave's birthday yesterday, and he raved about it. And if you know Dave, you know he doesn't rave. He's just not a raver. Is that a word? Anyways, I like to serve this cheesecake with strawberry sauce on top. I also think it would be equally divine with an oreo crust. Next time.

Suzanne's Cheesecake

15 graham crackers, crushed
4 tbsp butter, melted
4 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, soft
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup milk
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tbsp vanilla
1/4 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350. Mix the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter, and press into a greased springform pan. Set aside. Mix the cream cheese and the sugar until smooth. Blend in milk, then mix in eggs, one at a time, mixing just enough to incorporate. Mix in sour cream, vanilla, and flour and mix until smooth. Pour over crust. Bake for one hour. TURN OFF OVEN AND LET CAKE COOL IN OVEN WITH THE DOOR CLOSED FOR 5-6 HOURS. Chill before serving.

Strawberry Sauce:

1 lb frozen strawberries
2-3 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp cornstarch

Mix the first three ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Mix the cornstarch with a small amount of cold water, and add to mixture. Boil for about a minute or until thickened. Let cool, and then refrigerate.

Tasty Tuesday Teaser

Stay tuned for Tasty Tuesday's recipe of the week. I will be posting pictures and the recipe tonight for the most beautiful and delicious......



CHEESECAKE!!!!!!


Also, a Disneyland post coming soon, too!

Tasty Tuesdays - {Potato Salad}

This past weekend I had the privilege of helping make and serve food for a memorial service held at one of my dear friend's home. Her Mom recently passed away, and she was hosting about 60 people in her home for the service and dinner. One of the things I made was my family recipe for potato salad. I have been making this for many years, and don't really even know where it originated. All I know is, it is not your supermarket deli's potato salad. It is not vinegary (is that a word), nor pasty. It is chock full of everything but the kitchen sink. I usually just throw in whatever I have in the veggie bin, but I will list the things I usually like to put in. Oh, and a disclaimer:

This recipe has an obscene, and I mean obscene amount of mayo.

Best Foods mayo. You cannot use anything else. Don't even bother making it without Best Foods mayo, I am dead serious. It will not taste the same, I promise. What I do promise is that everyone will love it, and it will be the hit wherever you take it. It's one of those things that makes people happy. Potato salad. Yum. So here's how I make it. You can adjust the quantities accordingly. This recipe fills a very large Tupperware Bowl.

Suzanne's Potato Salad

10 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
4 hard boiled eggs, chopped, plus about 4 more, sliced to garnish the top
4-6 green onions, chopped
3 large dill pickles, chopped
1/3 cup jarred jalapenos, chopped
lots and lots of Best Foods mayo, added until creamy
salt and pepper to taste
cayenne to taste
other nice things to add: chopped radishes, red bell pepper, etc.

Place diced potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Boil until fork tender and almost falling apart. Drain and cool. While the potatoes are cooking, chop remaining ingredients and set aside. When the potatoes are cooled, place them in a large bowl, and add chopped veggies. Dump in some Best Foods mayo (are you getting the hint?), and begin stirring. Continue to add mayo until it becomes very creamy. Don't be horrified by the amount of mayo you are adding, it's perfectly normal. Add salt, pepper and cayenne to taste. Garnish the top with sliced hard boiled eggs. Serve. Find a sandwich so you can add the last teaspoon of Best Foods mayo left in the jar after making the potato salad.

Two Posts in One Week????? Unheard of.

Well, I guess I am back in the swing of things, and I am renewing my committment to being more faithful to post on our blog. I started this blog so I could chronicle our family's activities, and by not blogging, I am in essence allowing myself to forget all the wonderful things God is doing in our lives. Because I am hoping that what my mind cannot remember someday, this blog will remind me of. As I get older and with all the responsibilities of life, my ability to remember details fades away (the funny words of my children or their hilarious antics). So precious are these times and the kids are not getting younger. They are growing older as fast as dishes get dirtied around here. I want to be able to remember it all!

So with all that said, here's a Tasty Tuesday for you!

This weeks recipe is a new one I recently added to my recipe book, and for very good reason. It's really a two-in-one. I love it when meals fall into place so easily with just a little effort. And this meal was a home-run in my house...actually both of them were. So I won't beat around the bush (Karen did I get that one right)????? I am famous for destroying cliches.

Beef Dip/Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

......AND........bonus recipe:

Authentic Tasting Beef Tostadas

People, I wish I had a picture for this, but I don't. A picture would describe it all, and you wouldn't even have to think twice before making this. So just trust me on this. You just have to try this. Don't be fooled by the simplicity. It's amazingly delicious.

Let's start with the meat. You want to go get yourself a lovely rump roast. The recipe says a 2 1/2 lb roast that will serve 8, but I went a bit bigger so I could make the tostadas another day. Depending on your family's size, you can adjust the amount of meat easily, and the rest of the ingredients don't matter all that much. So, the night before, throw your roast in a ziploc with the following ingredients and marinate overnight:

14 oz of beef broth (I love Trader Joe's) 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning 1 tsp crushed red pepper (or to taste) 1 garlic clove, minced

In the morning, empty the contents of the bag into a crock pot, and cook on low for 8 hours or until the beef is tender. When ready to serve, place the beef on a cutting board and let it stand for 10 minutes. Slice the beef, place in a shallow dish, and pour the liquid over the beef. Now, get yourself some really nice crust french rolls (or sourdough, or whatever you like), and serve up the sliced beef onto the roll. Serve as simple as this with a side of the au jus for dipping, or kick it up a notch and add sauted bell peppers and onions and a piece of provolone cheese. Either way, it's delish! I served it plain with the dip on the side. It reminds me of my Mom, who ALWAYS ordered French dip sandwiches if it was a choice on the menu.

So, just when you think it's all over, just wait! If you planned ahead, you will have lots of tasty leftover meat. So plan ahead. You really want to. You really need to. Shred the remaining leftover meat, and place it in a ziploc or other handy container and freeze it. On another night, you can pull out that delicious meat and made tostadas. It is like having authentic Mexican meat, since it was slow cooked to perfection. I fried up some corn tortillas in oil until they just crossed the line from chewy to crunchy. When the edges just begin to brown, pull them out of the oil. Heat up some refried beans, chop up some lettuce or cabbage, crumble some cotija cheese (or cheddar if you're boring), add cilantro, guacamole, salsa, or whatever else you like, and you have another meal. The meat only needed to be reheated in a frypan, and it was done. Nothing else required. How easy is that? This is definitely one of my new regulars. In fact, there is a rump roast in my freezer as we speak! Enjoy!

What has been happening....

I have a curled up, purring cat tucked tightly against my arms. I cannot leave the desk. I am a prisoner to the sweet and soft, cuddly little creature that is Scooter. I guess I needed to blog anyways.

It's been so long since I last posted! January was chock full of many hours of overtime and deadlines for Dave at work. He worked long day shifts, all night shifts, and everything in between! We missed him a lot, but are thankful for God's extra provision!

Dave was scheduled to go on a business trip to NYC leaving Valentine's weekend, and since airfare was so cheap, Vance and I were going to join him for a whole week. However, the Lord had other plans for us, as the the company decided about three days before we were to leave that they would send another employee. We were disappointed, but it was such a good opportunity for me to share with the boys how much God is in control of every detail of our life, and how He ultimately makes the plans and knows far beyond us what is best. So as fast as I booked those plane tickets, I completely shifted around our entire week so we could go camping like we had originally planned before the NY trip so rudely interrupted. So off to the grocery store I went, and out to the garage Dave went to quickly ready the trailer and the dirt bikes to leave in two days flat. Our plan A was God's plan A all along, we just didn't know it! We ended up having a wonderful time out in the desert, and the weather was gorgeous. I think I much preferred the 80 degree warmth as opposed to the 30 degree and snowy weather I would have been enduring in New York....BRRRRRR!

I ain't gonna lie.....the kids were still a bit disappointed. Luke was supposed to go to my sister's house all week, so he was totally bummed. Austin was going to spend a week with one of his greatest friends at his house, so he was totally bummed. And Vance wasn't going to see New York, so he was MAJOR bummed. My sister had some things planned to do with Luke, and decided she still wanted to have him come over for a couple of days. Luke was super excited. We arranged for Austin to spend two days and one night at his friend's house, so he was excited. And I decided to spend the whole day with Vance doing something super special, to ease the blow of not going to NY. So off to Knott's Berry Farm we went, just the two of us. It was an absolutely wonderful day in every way. We walked on every ride, and most we rode several times. The weather was 75+ degrees. We stopped for lunch at the newly opened Pink's just outside the park and had ourselves pretty much the best chili dogs on the planet, no joke. And by the time the park was closing at 6pm, we had seen everything, and seen it twice! Of course, no trip to Knott's can be complete without a visit to Mrs. Knott's famous fried chicken restaurant. Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, biscuits, and pie for dessert. Can you go wrong? The food was stellar, and Vance said that was the best restaurant he had ever eaten at, and told me he'd like to eat there every week. Uh, sure sweetie. You'll have a heart attack and we'll go broke, but hey, whatever floats your boat! We just had so much fun together making memories. Can't really complain about not going to NY when you get to experience such fun! We are so blessed!

So now we're all back together again, and back to the grind of daily life. School, laundry, cooking....exactly where I love to be.

Eating a chili dog at Pink's. A beautiful thing.

Yes, we went on that thing, and yes, we were soaking wet!

Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner......YUM!

Vance and his bud Snoops.

Cherry pie for dessert.

At the top of the ferris wheel. Look at the tiny car in the background!

Inside the stagecoach!

Tasty Tuesdays!

My latest obsession: Kettle Korn. Yep, you heard me. How can something so simple be so amazing? Ever since I picked up one of those handy little stovetop popcorn cookers at my local Ross (for a steal, by the way), we have been addicted to this simple snack. Even my husband, who does not normally even remotely like kettle korn, now asks me to make this. I found this simple little recipe on one of my favorite recipe sites, Recipezaar, and decided to give it a try. Little did I know that it was going to be so ridiculously delicious. It is far better than microwave popcorn. And if you're fortunate enough to have a Whole Foods or Lassen's near you, you can pick up organic popcorn kernals for about $1-$2 per pound. Give this a try!

Kettle Korn

2/3 cup popcorn kernals

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup oil

salt

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, then pour into popcorn cooker. Cook until you no longer hear popping. Pour into a bowl, and salt generously. Let sit to cool for a couple of minutes. Enjoy!

Happy New Year!

Well, it seems my blog has been neglected as of late. With the hustle and bustle of the holidays behind us, I can catch up with the happenings of our home!

We had a wonderful Christmas celebrating with family and friends. We kicked off the holiday celebrations by celebrating Hanukkah with my Dad at my sister's house. It is our annual latke and brisket dinner, and it's only done once a year. Everyone always participates by grating potatoes and onions into the huge bowl, and my Dad fries them up into the most delicious latkes on the planet. Seriously. I always sprinkle ample amounts of sugar on top of mine, and then hope that the "gentiles" in our family DO NOT use ketchup. So wrong. We opened gifts and the kiddos all played a money game by answering Hanukkah trivia questions for money prizes, such as "Name one of the four ways to spell Hanukkah". The kids and adults alike really had fun!

Christmas Eve, we continued our tradition of hosting Dave's side of the family for dinner. All three of Dave's brothers came, along with his Mom and stepfather. We missed his Dad, as he was just coming off of being in the hospital and was too weak to come ): I served my favorite pot roast recipe, and it was a huge success! The kiddos had fun opening their gifts from Grandma...she is always so thoughtful and gets them things she knows they will enjoy. Vance received his long-desired rock tumbler, and it has been tumbling faithfully ever since (fortunately in the garage where I cannot hear it). He has enjoyed collecting rocks at the park and turning them into beautiful little gems! The kit came with things to make them into rings, necklaces, and keychains and such....he has already presented me with a lovely ring! Cute little boy. Luke really loves his little finger bikes and accessories. He has ramps, a swimming pool, and lots of things he can "ride" his bikes on. There isn't a day that goes by that he is not playing with all his little tech decks and finger bikes. The dining room table was completely covered with his extensive "skatepark" the other day. So cool. Austin needs to learn to be careful what he asks for, because he just might get it. Behold, a large brick of cheese appeared as he opened presents from Grandma. He is such a cheese lover. He enjoyed a big huge hunk of smoked cheddar, which he so generously shared with all of us. He also got Pictionary Man, and gave us all a huge chuckle when he revealed the "Pictionary Man" figure's bare behind...realistic, I must say. And that's all I have to say about that. Yeah.

Christmas morning, we enjoyed just being together as a family, eating our traditional cinnamon roll breakfast, and opening gifts. We gave Austin a new digital camera, Luke a Ripstik, and Vance some new motocross boots. Everything was a HIT! They were all so surprised! We relaxed around the house for a while, then drove down to my sister's house for stocking stuffers, appetizer dinner, and a sleepover with a movie! We had so much fun together. Breakfast the next morning consisted of my brother in law's STELLAR corned beef hash. He is becoming quite the breakfast chef over there. I only wish I could show up at his house every Sunday morning to partake of all his amazing breakfast dishes. Check my sister's blog column titled "dimanche matin avec Riche" for more delectable details!

We are back into the swing of homeschooling again, and things are going quite smoothly so far! Dave has been working crazy long hours trying to meet deadlines for his project at work, the famous artist, Jeff Koon's "balloon bunny." If you've seen Night at the Museum II, you saw the red balloon dog hopping around the Smithsonian. That was created by the same artist, and Dave's company, Carlson and Co. made that earlier in the last decade. Now they are working on the first of several balloon bunnies that are proving to be quite a challenge. If you look on the link for his employer above, click under "Fine Art" and then "Jeff Koons" and you will see the giant balloon dog. It literally looks like a giant balloon dog, but it's completely fabricated out of metal, then polished to a precise mirror finish. It's really spectacular, if you like that kind of thing....oh, what artists will make. But hey, this artwork is paying our bills! We're thankful!

Signing off for now. Stay tuned for a new Tasty Tuesday in a couple of days!