Friday, January 2, 2015

30 Minute Dinner Rolls



Ingredients

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Instructions


In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the warm water, oil, yeast, and sugar. Allow the mixture to rest for 15 minutes. While waiting get oven up to temperature.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix 2 cups of the flour, the salt, and the egg into the yeast mixture using a dough hook. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour 1/2 cup at a time.
Shape dough into 12 balls and place in a 9x13 pan. Let dough rest for 10 minutes.
Bake for 10 minutes or until tops are just golden brown.

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Braised Lamb Shanks

Not my picture, I will replace with my picture as soon as the dish is complete!


Ingredients
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup flour
4 lamb shanks (about 8 ounces each)
2 cups medium diced onions
1 cup medium diced carrots
1 cup medium diced celery
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 cup red wine
1 pound new potatoes, quartered
2 quarts lamb or dark stock
1/4 cup parsley
1 tblsp. Essence

Recipe for Emerils Essence:
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly.Yield: 2/3 cupRecipe Courtesy of Emeril Lagasse

Directions
In a large stock pot or braising pot, add the olive oil. Season the lamb shankswith salt and pepper. Season the flour with Essence. Dredge the lambshanks in the seasoned flour, coating each side completely. When the oil ishot, sear the shanks for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until very brown onall sides. Remove the shanks and set aside. Add the onions to the pan andsaute for 2 minutes. Add the celery and carrots and continue to saute for 1minute. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Cook for 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with the red wine, scraping thebottom and sides to loosen the browned particles. Add the potatoes andstock. Bring the liquid up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add the lambshanks and continue to cook for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, basting the shanksoften, or until the sauce is stew­like and the meat starts to fall of the bone.Season with salt and pepper.

Chocolate Pound Cake


This is the best chocolate pound cake recipe I have ever made.  Very moist as long as you do not over cook it.

2 1/2 cups of Sugar
1 Cup of vegetable oil (not olive oil)
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup butter milk
2 tsp. baking soda
2 1/2 cups regular flour
1/2 cup a good quality cocoa powder
1 cup very hot strong coffee

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour a bundt pan.
Mix oil, sugar, eggs, salt and vanilla in a large bowl or your mixer bowl.
In another small bowl mix the cocoa and flour together,
In a 2 cup measuring cup or small bowl mix the buttermilk and the baking soda together well.  It will foam up a bit.
Now, adding alternately the cocoa and flower mixture and the buttermilk baking soda mixture to the oil, sugar, eggs, salt and vanilla mixture. ( I.E.  add some of the dry mixture then some of the buttermilk mixture and mix well in between each addition ending with the buttermilk mixture.)
Once the above mixture is mixed well add the very hot or boiling coffee to the bowl and start by mixing on slow speed and gradually increase the speed.  This is so you don't get doused with hot coffee.
Pour into your prepared bundt pan. and bake at 350 degrees F. for 50-60 minutes.  Do not over bake.  Cake is meant to be moist.
Let cool completely and sprinkle with powdered sugar or hot fudge and serve.


Monday, December 8, 2014

More ATC's to share

I just realized I hadn't shared these yet and I can't let that go.  :)  I love to share my art for you to see and for me to go back and look at for inspiration and to see if I'm getting any better or not.  :)
So here are a few more I've not shared.




Saturday, December 6, 2014

The raffle bird house another update

I'm not sure about you but I LOVE seeing what happens to my creations.  I get updates from all over the world about many things I've made and sold or given away.  My little sack boy has been around the world twice and I've watched him every step of the way.  People that are so kind to send updates are just the best people to know!  Well, I've gotten another update on the little quilt shop bird house I made for the 2014 Tri-County Quilt Guild Quilt Show.  Bankie, who won the little bird house (remember the picture I posted of her and how excited she was, MY FAVORITE ALL TIME PHOTO) has sent me an update today.  She keeps it at her vacation home on it's own special shelf.  WELL, she's decorated it for Christmas, can you believe it.  WOW she's done a great job and I am so tickled to see it. I'm so tickled that she won it!  (Now to get her to come decorate my house :) )
Anyway without further adieu....