Brown sugar little smokies

Brown sugar Little Smokies

1 pound bacon

1 (16 ounce) package little smokie sausages

1 cup brown sugar, or to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350º

Cut bacon into thirds and wrap each strip around a little sausage. Use a toothpick to secure the bacon to the sausage and it also makes for easy serving. Arrange on a baking sheet and sprinkle them liberally with brown sugar.

Bake until bacon is crisp and the brown sugar melted. Serve warm.

Oatmeal dinner rolls.

Oatmeal buns

2 cups quick-cooking oats

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup butter, cubed

1 tablespoon salt

2-1/2 cups boiling water

2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water (110° to 115°)

5-1/2 to 6 cups all-purpose flour

Additional butter, melted

In a large bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, butter and salt; stir in boiling water. Cool to 110°-115°. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water; let stand for 5 minutes. Add oat mixture and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into 20 pieces. Place in a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to a wire rack; brush with melted butter.

Recipe from Taste of Home

No Knead Dinner rolls

Ingredients

Buns:

1 tbsp dry yeast (one packet)

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup  warm water

4 1/2 Cups bread flour, + extra for dusting (can use all purpose / plain flour) AP flour makes the rolls less fluffy

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 cup milk, lukewarm, whole or low fat

3 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 eggs, at room temperature, beaten with fork

Brushing:

1 tbsp butter, melted

Instructions

Place the yeast and 2 teaspoons of the sugar in a medium bowl, then pour in water. Leave for 5 minutes until it froths.

Place flour, remaining sugar and salt in a bowl. Mix to combine.

Make a well in the centre. Add milk, butter, eggs and pour in the yeast liquid, including all froth.

Mix until combined with wooden spoon - it will be like a thick muffin batter. Not pourable, but thick and sticky.

Rise #1:

Leave dough in the bowl, cover with a wet (clean) tea towel and place in a warm place (25C/77F+) to rise for around 1 1/2 - 2 hours or until almost tripled in volume. Dough surface should look bubbly 

Forming Balls 

Line a 31.5 x 23.5 cm / 9 x 13" tray with parchment paper with overhang.

Remove tea towel and punch dough to deflate, then mix briefly in the bowl to get rid of the bubbles in the dough.

Dust work surface with flour, scrape dough on work surface. Dust top of dough then shape into a log. Cut log into 4 pieces, then cut each piece into 3 pieces (12 in total). 

Take one piece and press down with palm, then use your fingers to gather into a ball, flip (so smooth side is up) then roll the dough briefly to form a ball. This stretches the dough on one side and that's how I get a nice smooth surface on my roll. (For this step, use as much flour as needed to handle dough and avoid piercing inside into the wet dough)

Place the ball with the smooth side up on the tray. Repeat with remaining dough. Line them up 3 x 4.

Rise # 2:

Spray surface of rolls (or cling wrap) with oil (any), then place cling wrap over the tray.

Return tray to warm place and leave for 30 - 45 min, until the dough has risen by about 75% (less than double in size).

Partway through Rise #2, preheat oven to 350º

Bake for 15 - 18 minutes, or until the surface is a golden brown and the roll in the centre sounds hollow when tapped. The surface color is the best test for this recipe. 

Remove rolls from oven. Brush with melted butter.

Use overhang to lift rolls onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool to warm before serving. Best if used the day they are made. To refresh the next day, , just warm in the micro for few second.

This makes 12 fairly large rolls, about the size of a baseball.

Peppermint Latte

2 tablespoons instant latte or vanilla cappuccino mix

3/4 cup boiling water

1/4 cup Land O Lakes® Half & Half

1 tablespoon chocolate syrup

2 teaspoons maraschino cherry juice or syrup, if desired

1 to 2 drops peppermint extract

Aerosol light whipped cream

Crushed or whole candy canes, if desired

Instructions

Place latte mix in coffee mug. Slowly stir in boiling water, half & half, chocolate syrup, cherry juice and peppermint extract.

Top with whipped cream and candy cane, if desired. Serve immediately.

By recipe and photo by http://www.landolakes.com/

Crustless pumpkin pie

Sugar free low carb crustless pumpkin pie

Nonstick cooking spray

3/4 cup sugar substitute

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 large eggs

1 can (15 oz.) Pure Pumpkin

12 ounces of fat free half and half

PREHEAT oven as directed below. Glass baking dishes without crust require a cooler oven, and in most cases, a longer baking time. 

SPRAY with nonstick cooking spray or lightly grease bottom of baking pan or glass baking dish. 

PREPARE filling as directed on can Pour into pan or dish. 

BAKE as directed below or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. 

COOL on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Recipe makes 8 servings

Bake times and temps:

9-inch-round glass pie dish: 325° F; bake for 55 to 60 minutes

Oyster Cracker Snack

1/2 cup canola oil

1 package ( 1 ounce) dry, ranch dressing mix

1/4 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp. dill weed

2 bags oyster crackers

Mix. Spread on cookie sheet and back for 30  minutes in 250º oven.

Cool, store in airtight container.

Homemade heavy cream

So often we will find a recipe that calls for heavy cream and we have none. Here is a recipe to make your own, providing you have whole milk  on hand.

Make your own Heavy Cream 

3/4 cup whole milk (not low fat)

1/3 cup real butter, melted but not hot enough to boil!

Put the whole milk In a bowl, add the melted butter and whip with a whisk attachment or hand beater on medium for about 2 minutes.

If you plan on making your own Whipping Cream use 1/2 c. butter instead of 1/3rd.

Refrigerate the mixture in a covered container. If using the cream in soups, sauces or baked goods, it's ready immediately. To use it in homemade whipped cream it must be refrigerated for at least 24 hours. Do not use margarine as this is merely oil and does not work.

Coffee slushie

 1 Tbsp. Instant Coffee, any variety

 1-1/2 cups ice cubes

 3/4 cup milk

 2 Tbsp. sugar

Place all ingredients in blender container; cover. Blend on high speed until ice is crushed.

Pour evenly into 2 glasses.

Serve immediately.

**Recipe and picture found on Kraft foods