Bread Machine Dinner Rolls/Soup Bowls

This is a family favorite. It takes relatively little time on our part and the kids all get to get their hands into it. They love deciding which ones they shaped. (Rolls are pretty forgiving and taste just the same whether they were made by mom or BK)In bread maker:
2 tsp yeast
3 T oil
3 T sugar
1 tsp salt
~3 1/2 c flour (try 2 c white flour, 1 1/2 wheat flour)
1 T gluten (optional)
1-2 tsp dough enhancer (optional)
1 1/3 c tepid water

Set bread maker on dough setting and press start.
Grease 9x13 pan, shape rolls.
Cover w/ a dish cloth and let rest. Rolls should double in size. REMEMBER! your house needs to be warm to raise dough, close your windows.
My rolls had already started to raise when I thought to take the first picture.
Bake 350 degrees for about 20-25 min. Rolls should be golden and sound hollow when tapped.
I like to butter them while they are hot.

The recipe is the same if you are using your bosch or kitchen aid. Dump ingredients into mixer and kneed for 10 minutes. Let rest until it doubles (the room needs to be warm enough for the dough to rise!!). Mix for 30 seconds. Make rolls.

I follow this same recipe when I make soup bowls. This recipe makes about 12 rolls or 4 medium soup bowls ( or two large ones, but with JP being diabetic I try to cut carbs). Soup bowls just cook a little longer. Same rules apply.

Chicken Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa

For the salsa: On a baking tray, roast tomatillos, onion, garlic and jalapenos for 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the roasted vegetables and any juices on the bottom of the tray to a blender. Add the cumin, salt, cilantro, and lime juice and pulse mixture until well combined but still chunky.
Enchiladas: Meanwhile heat a 2 count of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and caramelized - this should take 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin then cook for a further minute. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to ensure the flour doesn't burn then gradually add the chicken stock to make a gravey. Continue stirring over a low simmer until the flour cooks and the liquid thickens. Turn off the heat, add half of the roasted tomatillo chile salsa, some additional fresh chopped cilantro and fold in the shredded chicken meat. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
Change the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees F and begin assembling the dish. Take a large baking dish and smear the bottom with some of the reserved tomatillo salsa. Now take the flour tortillas and briefly flash them over the stove-top flame (or put them briefly under the broiler if using an electric stove). Using a shallow bowl, coat each tortilla lightly with the

Spicy Black Beans:
2 cups (about 1 pound) dried black beans, picked over, soaked overnight 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 medium onion, diced 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 bay leaf Kosher salt freshly ground black pepper
In a large pot, soak beans overnight covered in water by 2 inches. Drain and set aside.

Roasted Zucchini Spread

Super easy to do if you’ve got the time.

Cut zucchini into spears. If there are large seeds, scoop them out. Make sure the spears are as even as possible.

One medium onion, cut into eighths.

Two or three cloves of shelled garlic.

Olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Toss spears, garlic and onions in olive oil, salt and pepper.

Roast on a jellyroll pan in a 300 degree oven for 2-3 hours, turning occasionally.

When tender and bits are caramelized, place in a food processor and puree until mostly smooth. Serve with pita slices, sourdough baguettes etc.

*Note: You can turn this recipe into a soup by adding chicken broth and half and half over med. heat on the stove.

Be daring and add carrots, butternut squash etc. to the roasting process. A bay leaf or thyme would be compliment the flavor as well. Cloves, if making the soup, used sparingly will give it a very fall-flavor.

Zucchini No-Crab Cakes

Crab cakes without the crab? I suppose a Bocca Burger without the burger is still a burger, no? Anyway, these were made for an awesome RS Enrichment Activity featuring everything under the sun made with zucchini.

Start with grated zucchini (yellow or green) and squeeze the ever-love’ n tar out of it until it has no more left to give. This will not only relieve the tension that's been built up over the course of your day, it keeps the cakes from falling apart. I added just over two cups (2 1/4 ish) of strangled zucchini though the recipe only calls for 2 cups.

Toss it in a bowl and add salt, pepper, mayonnaise, diced onion, minced garlic and a squirt of lemon juice. The secret ingredient that make these no-crab crab cakes taste even remotely seafoodish is Old Bay. I was lucky enough to find it at Albies, a little spendy but worth. Scramble your eggs, dump the crumbs and mix. It’ll be ‘wet’ but don’t worry.

Heat 1/4 inch oil in a fry pan, form patties and fry. Approx. 2 min. per side. Cool on a paper towel just before devouring.

Zucchini No-Crab Cakes

2 cups zucchini, unpeeled, coarsely grated
1 small to medium onion, finely chopped or grated
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs (used a little more of that too)
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay Seafood seasoning
1 large egg, beaten (2 med.)
Pepper to taste

Put zucchini and onion in colander to drain some of the liquid out, or use salad spinner. Combine with the remaining ingredients. Form mixture into patties.
Heat oil in skillet. Saute patties over medium heat until golden brown about two minutes per side.
Makes 4 big or 6 medium cakes
Adapted from unknown source

*Optional: 1 tsp lemon juice

Jalapeno Poppers...YUMMY!!

This is more of an appetizer, but with football season coming up.....OOOHHH they are SO GOOD!!!

Here is what you need.....

20 jalapenos, cut in half lengthwise and 'gutted'...all the seeds and veins taken out
1 - 8oz brick cream cheese, softened
1 small can crushed pineapple, drained as much as possible
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
14 slices bacon, cut into thirds

If you like the peppers HOT, keep the veins in the peppers.  If you have some food gloves, you might want to use them when scraping out the veins, or use a spoon.  If you use bare hands, it will BURN LIKE CRAZY(like an hour later)!!!

Mix the cream cheese, pineapple, and cheese.  Scoop mixture into peppers.  You can either wrap the bacon around or just lay it on top like I did.  

Sorry, the pix are not the greatest, but believe me that the taste results were AWESOME!!!

ENJOY!!!!

Coupon and pizza

Ever have one of "those" nights when you have all the ideas for dinner in the world but not all the energy to actually prepare anything? This is what my family calls "gourmet" and I'll have to agree it was a perfect, fun night. Sorry, no actual recipe but hey, we had a coupon! And besides what can be better than a giant mouse, cheap prizes and a salad bar!

Taco Soup

This can be done stove top or crock pot.

1 can kidney beans

1 can black beans

1 can diced tomatoes (sometimes, if I really love my kids, I leave these out)

2 cans tomato sauce

1 can corn

1 pkg taco seasoning

2 c browned hamburger

Dump contents into pot (do not drain any of the cans!). Heat thoroughly. Serve.

Top with (otional):

sour cream

fresh chopped onion

cheese

corn chips

olives

salsa

guacamole

Tonight I made this w/o the tomato sauce. I also used real Taco Bell meat - yum. It is a very forgiving meal. Everyone eats it happily - except the 7 year old, maybe if it had a dollop of ice cream...