Lion House Rolls

Hello. Announcement.
IT'S THANKSGIVING IN TEN DAYS.
If I had high bp, I'm sure it would be rising right about now. If you know me, this is my all time favorite holiday of the year. I spend weeks pouring over cookbooks, online, magazines, etc. Looking for fun new dishes to try, pies to make.  Not this year. I actually had a guy who is laying tile for me remind me that Thanksgiving is next week.
No, it  could not be.
Yes, it is, he said.
Really? Are you sure?
Great. I lost the whole end of October-beginning of Nov.
here's why.

Thing One:
A house.
At 50, (oh, yes that day is right around the corner) we decided to throw all caution to the wind, sell our home of 18 years and build a new house.
It's not like I personally get on the work gloves and boots and head over to the site everyday to pound nails, but, I like to talk like I am building it.

Here's a preview (of the kitchen)

Thing Two:
A Baby. Our first Grandchild!
I have a need to snuggle and smother this little one with kisses as much as possible.
Hence the no cooking zone in my kitchen lately.

I'm starting prep for the big day tomorrow. I'll make the dough and freeze, so all I have to do on Thanksgiving is take the rolls out of the freezer, thaw, raise and bake.  Then I'll have more time to sit and enjoy the grand baby.
Thanksgiving, yes.

PS If you have ever eaten a Lion House Roll, you know two things.
1. They are delicious.
2. They are probably the biggest roll you have ever eaten in your life.
This recipe tastes better than the rolls purchased at the Lion House and Deseret Book.
Everything homemade is better.
Promise.

Lion House Rolls
Adapted from Pinterest
print recipe

2 cups warm water ( 110 to 115 degrees)
2/3 cup non fat dry milk powder
2 tablespoons dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter , melted
2 teaspoons salt
5 -5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
about 1/4 to 1/2 cup additional butter for inside and top of rolls

In large bowl of electric mixer, combine water and milk powder, stir until dissolved.
Sprinkle yeast over warm water and add 1 teaspoon of sugar.  Let sit until yeast bubbles. Add  egg, additional 1/4 cup of sugar and melted butter.  Mix on low speed until ingredients are incorporated. Add  2 cups of flour. Mix well. Add two teaspoons of salt. Mix on low speed of mixer until ingredients are mixed well. Increase speed of mixer for  2 minutes at medium speed.
Add 2 cups more flour; mix on low speed, then for 2 minutes as medium speed. (Dough will become stiff and remaining flour may need to be mixed in by hand).
Add about ½ cup flour and mix again, by hand or mixer.
Dough should be soft, not overly sticky, and not stiff.
(It may not be necessary to use the entire amount of flour.)
Scrape dough off sides of bowl and coat sides of bowl with about 1 tablespoon vegetable oil  around sides of the bowl,  so it is covered with oil.
Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in warm place until double in size.
After dough has risen, sprinkle cutting board or counter with flour and place dough on floured surface.
Roll out and cut rolls.  See note below to watch instructional video on the method use in making Lion House Rolls.
Place on greased (or parchment lined) baking pans.
Let rise in warm place until rolls are double in size (about 1 to 1 ½ hours).
Bake at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes or until browned.
Brush with melted butter while hot.

Tips:
-The video mentioned is found here.
-I tried the method shown in the video but was unable to flip the rolls and have the rolls turn out in a uniform way. I simply rolled the dough on a floured surface and placed them on the pan to rise.
-If you are making these ahead of time, make the rolls up to the point where the rolls are placed on the cookie sheet. Do not let them raise a second time, cover with a sheet of wax paper and then wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Place immediately in freezer. When ready to bake, take out of freezer about 4 hours prior to baking. Remove plastic wrap and wax paper. Cover loosely with a towel. Let sit in draft free warm place until rolls raise. Do not set pan directly on granite or stone counter top. The counter will be too cold to allow rolls to raise properly. Set a towel down on the counter first, then place the pan on top of the towel.
-Here's a link for a cute idea to roll up little "notes of thanks" inside of your rolls for Thanksgiving, a great idea for kids. The recipe is different than the Lion House roll recipe, but you could use the idea with either recipe.

Tweet

Texas Sheet Cake Cupcakes

Who doesn't love a piece of Texas Sheet Cake? This recipe takes the basic Texas Sheet Cake recipe and converts it into cupcakes. When I finished baking, I had Jake (16) test them out.
He loved them, then almost fell off his chair laughing when I told him what they were called.
Why so funny? Because one of his friends (who will remain nameless)  LOVES to say Sheee-it  (with extra emphasis on the eee). Instead of the S-word.
Jake thought I was saying "Texas Sheee-it Cake Cupcakes".
Hilarious, Jacob.

Texas Sheet Cake Cupcakes

adapted from Blue-Eyed Bakers

print recipe


For the cake:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 heaping tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 sticks unsalted butter
1/3 cup boiling water
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting:
1 1/2 sticks butter, melted
4 heaping tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
4-6 tablespoons milk to thin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

dash of salt
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar & salt and set aside.

In a large pan on stove,  melt butter. Stir in cocoa powder & boiling water.  Mix well. 

Remove from heat and add dry ingredients, stir until just combined. I use a large whisk to combine ingredients.
Add buttermilk, eggs, baking soda & vanilla. Stir into the chocolate/flour mixture and mix until fully incorporated, using either a hand mixer or large whisk. Fill prepared pan & bake cupcakes for 18-20 minutes. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:

Melt butter in a saucepan.  Remove from heat. Add cocoa powder, vanilla and dash of salt. Whisk or use beaters and mix until smooth. Add powdered sugar  and 4 tablespoons milk and beat until smooth again. Add more milk if needed. 

Top with chopped pecans.

Makes about 2 dozen cupcakes

Tweet

Cinnamon Apple Cider Muffins

My latest muffin obsession: a Pinterest find, Cinnamon Apple Cider Muffins from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.  I've made these 4 times in the past week and a half.
They're that good.

Fresh, simple, delicious and made with wheat flour, so they qualify as (semi) healthy eating :)

Happy Fall Break!

Cinnamon Apple Cider Muffins

Mel's Kitchen Cafe blog

print recipe

1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter, softened, or vegetable or canola oil
1/3 cup plain yogurt or light sour cream
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup apple cider
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup peeled, cored and chopped apple
Cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl (or the bowl of an electric stand mixer), beat together the butter, yogurt and sugars until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the batter. Mix until just combined. Mix in the applesauce. Stir in the apple cider and vanilla. Gently fold the apples into the muffin batter. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups (fill about 1/2 to 2/3 full – use another muffin tin if you have extra batter).

Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the muffins rest in the pan for about 5 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Tips:
-I have made these with several variations, canola oil in place of butter. In place of the yogurt, light sour cream. Instead of plain yogurt, I like to use vanilla flavored yogurt. Instead of half white and half brown sugar, you may use all brown, or all white. 

Tweet

Coffee Cake Muffins with Salted Maple Glaze

Today marks thirty years for Grant and me. Hard to believe.
The best thing about being married thirty years?
Let me think about it.
The worst thing? I think I have to say- gift ideas. For a man. For thirty years! Seriously.
Ok, now I'm ready. The best thing is still being "in love". This is a little inside joke...
Grant likes to say we are still "in love".
I correct him and say-"I think you mean - we love each other."
Whatever. Hopefully this isn't making you gag. Being a food blog and all.

I know you want to see a pic of what 30 years looks like. Do you think we are starting to look like each other? 

You know how that happens to couples who have been married a long time? 

If you block out my hair, I think we kind of look alike. hmmm. 

If I was at home, I'd make these wonderful muffins for my sweetie.
Not together on our thirty year anniversary???
Nope.  I'm on a baseball road trip.
Why?
Hello.
Because everyone wants to be in AZ in late June. Watching their kid play baseball in 108 degree heat at 2 pm. Eating at bad chain restaurants. Making sure the kid doesn't o.d. on Mountain Dew. Or get heat stroke. Or pull the fire alarm in the hotel. Grant had to head back home after four days. So here I am, texting him updates, with my free hand (the one that isn't holding up the umbrella, which is shielding me from the sun) while trying to pay attention to details like- what happened last at bat? Where was the ball hit? What inning is it? Top or bottom?  How many outs? Who is pitching?
Oh my.
I was getting another bottle of water. I have no idea.
Glad he's still in love with me.






Coffee Cake Muffins with Salted Maple Glaze

adapted from Martha
print recipe

Streusel ingredients:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts
1 tablespoon melted butter

Muffin ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt, room temperature

1/2 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup sugar

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Glaze ingredients
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons maple flavoring
2 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a small mixing bowl, use a fork to mix together streusel ingredients.  Add the chopped pecans and melted butter. Mix until all ingredients are combined. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together the oil, eggs, sour cream or yogurt, applesauce and vanilla. Add sugar a little at a time until sugar is dissolved. You may use beaters or mix by hand. 

Add the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Fold the dry ingredients into the wet and stir till evenly moistened. Do not over-mix.
Scoop batter into each lined muffin tin. Fill the muffin cups evenly.
Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of streusel on the top of each muffin.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool while making glaze.
Place powdered sugar, milk, maple flavoring and melted butter into small bowl. Whisk together. Add salt and mix well. Spoon the glaze into a small plastic bag.
Work the frosting into the corner of the bag and snip off a small corner with scissors. Gently squeeze and drizzle the frosting in a zig-zag pattern across the top of the muffins.

Tips:

- I lightened up this muffin recipe by substituting yogurt and applesauce for sour cream. Also subbed in oil for 1/2 cup butter. 

-If you aren't a maple fan, you may use vanilla extract. 

-If you want to make large bakery style muffins, use 6-8 custard cups and line with cupcake liners. Fill to the top with batter, and follow remaining directions. Place the custard cups on a cookie sheet and bake. 

Tweet

Super Simple 5 Ingredient Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm probably the last person on the planet to try this recipe. I saw it the other day on my new found love, Pinterest, and pinned away. My comment was something like "Serious? 5 ingredient cookies?"
I wondered how good they could really be, without flour, and only 5 ingredients. I showed them to Jake and he said, "If these are good, I'm making them every weekend for girls, they'll think I'm a genius".
Hello, Jake, I hate to break it to you but it will take a lot more than this...
So we whipped up a batch. The skeptic in me thought -these will probably be awful.  Guess what? Pleasantly surprised. I followed the directions exactly, and in less than 1/2 hour we were sampling some pretty tasty cookies.
I'm thinking my friends (who will remain nameless)  that have cooking/baking challenges will be able to throw these together in a flash, and succeed in the kitchen! Great for peeps with gluten issues too. And college students. How about those living abroad who have trouble buying ingredients for treats? Everything except the egg can be packaged and sent.
Super simple, pantry-ready, yummy homemade cookies in just a few minutes. Yum.

5 Ingredient Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pinterest
print recipe

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp baking soda
½ heaping cup milk chocolate chips ( I like Guittard brand)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients except chocolate chips. When blended, mix in the chocolate chips. Using a small scoop, form 1 1/2 inch balls (dough will be very wet and sticky) and place onto an un-greased parchment  or Silpat (silicone) lined cookie sheet*. Don't  make them too big because they spread. 

Bake for 9 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely before removing. 

Tips:

-I also baked one pan without a liner of any type, ungreased on the cookie sheet, they did not stick and turned out just like the other pans. 

-I did not pat the scoops of dough down at all before baking. 

-Yield about 24 cookies. 

Tweet