Grandma Jean's Rolls

These rolls are amazing!  I learned how to make these from my mother-in-law, Henry's Grandma Jean.  {That is a day in the kitchen that I will never regret!}Plain, buttered, strawberry-jammed, hot-out-of-the-oven, next-day snack, however you please... these are the rolls you want.  I  made them this past Sunday to go with my husband's shepherd's pie {recipe coming in the next Dish!}and they were all gone before the little one had even retired to bed.  Try this recipe and tell me you're not impressed.  I dare you!

Here we go.

• 1 cake yeast {2 1/4 tsp}
• 2 tsp + 1/2 C sugar
• 1/2 C lukewarm water {if you need to, use a thermometer and get it to 110 degrees - it makes a difference!}
• 1 1/2 C milk
• 1/4 C shortening
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 6 C flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 Tbsp wheat gluten***
• 1 Tbsp dough enhancer***
• butter

***The wheat gluten and dough enhancer are optional.  I made these rolls for two years without these ingredients, and the bread was still delicious.  Adding this stuff, though, takes these rolls from amazing to amazingly magical.  Magic, people.

1.  Dissolve 2 tsp of sugar in the water.  Dissolve the yeast in the sugar-water.  Let stand for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, scald the milk.  Add the shortening, 1/2 C sugar, and salt.  Set aside to let cool.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine the milk mixture, and 2 C of flour mixed with the wheat gluten.  Beat smooth.
4. Add yeast mixture, eggs, dough enhancer, and remaining flour.  Knead until smooth.  Dough will be pretty wet/sticky.  Let rise.
5. Shape rolls as desired.  Our family favorite is the crescent roll:  Cut dough into fourths.  Roll each section into a 1/4" circle.  Butter well.  Cut each section into 12 pie-shaped pieces.  Begin rolling at largest end and form crescents.  Let rise.
6. Bake for 12 minutes at 350 degrees.  For extra magic, butter the tops as they come out of the oven.

White Chicken Chili

Doesn't the crisp fall air just scream, "EAT SOME SOUP!" to you?  It does to me. There is nothing like warming up with a delicious bowl of soup on a crisp Autumn day.

This recipe is perfect because not only is it healthy and delicious, it is also really easy and FAST to put together.  I have made it twice in the last two weeks and my family just gobbles it all up.  That's when you know a recipe is good :) The first batch I only made half the recipe, and the second time I did the full one so that we could have leftovers.

Ingredients:
  4 cans   white beans drained
  8 cups   chicken broth
1/2 cup   diced cilantro
   1 can   diced green chilis (I used mild)
  1 TBS   salt
    1 tsp   cumin
         6    boneless, skinless chicken thighs (finely diced and cooked)

Combine all ingredients in a pot and simmer over medium to low heat on the stovetop for 30-40 minutes stirring frequently. Enjoy!

Makes 5-7 servings.

Mongolian Beef and Asian Cabbage Salad

 Our favorite meal at P.F. Chang's is their crispy, delicious Mongolian Beef.  I found this copycat recipe and just had to try it.  It is a little more involved and takes more time than my standard recipes, but it is a keeper!  My extended family has been raving about "that time Dorothy made that awesome Mongolian Beef" since we ate it.  I do mean raving, too.  The salad is a perfect side for this dish, and is a cinch to make. 

Mongolian Beef
original recipe found here

•  2 tsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp ginger, minced
• 1 Tbsp garlic, chopped
• 1/2 C soy sauce
• 1/2 C water
• 3/4 C dark brown sugar
• vegetable oil for frying, about 1 C
• 1 lb flank steaks, sliced against the grain into 1/4" thick slices (tilt your blade at 45 degrees for wider cuts)
• 1/4 C cornstarch
• 2 large green onions, sliced on the diagonal into one-inch lengths

1. Heat 2 tsp vegetable oil in medium saucepan over medium-low heat.  When hot, add ginger, garlic, and soy sauce.  Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to medium and boil until the sauce thickens, about 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat.
2. Dip steak pieces into cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides.  Let sit for about 10 minutes to the cornstarch sticks.  Meanwhile, heat up frying oil in a wok or skillet over medium heat.  Add the beef to the oil and sautee until the beef just begins to darken on the edges, about two minutes.  Use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels, then pour the oil out of the wok or skillet.
3. Put the pan back over the heat, dump the meat back into it, and cook thoroughly.  Add the sauce, cook for one minute while stirring, then add all the green onions.  Cook for one more minute, then remove the beef and onions with slotted spoon to a serving plate, leaving the excess sauce behind in the pan.
4. Serve over rice.

Asian Salad
original recipe found here

• 1 package ramen noodles, crushed
• 1/2 C blanched slivered almonds
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• 3 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1 bag coleslaw (cabbage and carrots)
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 3/8 C vegetable oil
• 1/8 C distilled white vinegar
• 1/4 C white sugar
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce

1. In a skillet over low heat, brown ramen noodles, almonds, and sesame seeds with melted butter.  Take off heat and cool.
2. In a small saucepan, bring oil, sugar, and vinegar to boil for one minute.  Cool.  Add soy sauce.
3. In a large bowl, combine coleslaw and chopped green onions.  Add the noodle and soy sauce mixture.  Toss to coat.  Serve.

Pozole

Here's another quick and easy favorite from our house.  It's kind of like a {very simple} version of Cafe Rio's chicken tortilla soup.

Pozole {poh-SOH-lay}

• 6 C chicken broth
• 2 cans hominy {yellow, white, or both}, drained and rinsed
• 2 cans Ro-Tel, drained
• 12 oz chicken, cooked and shredded
• {optional} cilantro leaves, lime wedges, guacamole, sour cream, tortilla strips

1. Heat broth in large saucepan over medium heat.  Add hominy and tomatoes.  Bring to a simmer.
2. Add chicken and cook to heat through.
3. Spoon into bowls.  Garnish as desired.

{Tip}  This is a fantastic way to use leftover chicken.  A few nights after a roast chicken dinner, for example, you could cut up the leftover meat and use it for pozole.  I've also used pre-cooked frozen chicken, which is great in a jiffy.  If you have no already-cooked chicken and you want to make this recipe, I suggest slow-cooking some chicken breasts in the broth and Ro-Tel.  Then you can shred the meat, add more broth, add the hominy, and you're done.

The {optional} garnishes aren't so optional for some.  The cilantro and lime are not optional for my husband.  The guacamole?  Not optional for my sister-in-law.  For me?  I la-la-love the tortilla chips/strips.

How will you garnish your pozole?

Hello! & Zucchini Waffles

Hello!  I'm Dorothy, and I am honored to be a new contributor to Just Between Friends.  Isn't Jonie spectacular?  She invited me to share some of my favorite recipes with you, and I am excited to do just that.  Before I get started with today's recipe, here is a little bit about me:

 I love Taylor Swift, cream slushes at Sonic, and Swedish Fish.  A schoolteacher and student-at-heart, I also love grammar, math, literature, and history {especially in the form of biographies}.  My little family of three {me + husband + son} is everything to me, and together we inspire my kitchen adventures.

simple
I am a list-making, schedule-planning, goal-setting kind of lady.  When I noticed that my mornings and early afternoons were more open than my evening dinner-time rushes, I started using those empty a.m. slots to prepare in advance as much as possible.  Daily routine:  simplified.

delicious 
My husband, Curtis, is a talented engineer and a devoted, committed husband and father.  He is also a wonderful self-taught chef.  Growing up, he ate regularly at restaurants {and we're not talking Wendy's} and developed a very mature palate.  As a result, he has a taste for finer foods than my favorite three-ingredient casserole standbys.

nutritious
Nursing my sweet baby boy was so satisfying.  I loved knowing that I, my body, was providing little Henry with all the nutrients he needed to grow.  Grow he did!  Now he eats what we eat, and I am more mindful than ever of creating nutritious and balanced meals for our family.

So.  The recipe.  It's simple.  It takes less than fifteen minutes to prepare, guys.  You can even make the batter in advance and keep it in the fridge.  It's delicious, you'll see.  It is nutritious, too; it's a breakfast food with vegetables in it!

• 1 small zucchini
• canola oil
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks
• 1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
• 1/2 C all-purpose flour
• 2 C milk
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla

Preheat a waffle iron.  Puree the zucchini in a blender or food processor.  Mix in enough canola oil to make 1/3 C of the zucchini-oil puree.  Mix all other ingredients except the egg whites together.  Add the zucchini-oil puree and mix.  Gently fold in the egg whites.  Spray the waffle iron, pour in the batter, and cook for two to four minutes or until crisp and golden-brown.

Top with buttermilk syrup, and serve with bacon and milk.
{Healthy Remix} Top with hot applesauce and strawberries, and serve with turkey bacon and milk.

Dinner on the Grill

I love to grill.  Seriously.  I use the grill whenever I can because I feel like it just makes everything that much yummier.  I decided that I would show you a delicious dinner that I made the other night and show you a couple of pointers that maybe you already know, but maybe you don't.

I found this marinade at the grocery store the other day and YOU GUYS, this stuff is amazing!  Seriously!  It made the chicken tender, flavorful, and so so good.  Anything you get from Famous Dave's is going to be good.  I especially love their signature spicy pickles.  If you like pickles, you MUST try these.  They are the best on hamburgers.  Trust me.  You will never go back to ordinary pickles on hamburgers again.  It's the same with their signature spicy relish. It is the best on brats or hot dogs.

(They aren't even paying me to say this.  I just REALLY like it and thought I would pass it along.)

Moving on.  I decided to grill up some chicken tenderloins, pineapple, and some zucchini that was straight from my garden. It was all so good.  Here's a couple of tips.  When grilling, I always spray my grill with the Pam grill spray first.  It makes it so that the food doesn't stick to the grill.  

If you're cooking pineapple, sprinkle it with brown sugar before hand.  It makes it extra tasty. 

To cook zucchini, sprinkle it with olive oil, salt, and pepper before you stick it on the grill.  It helps to enhance the flavors.

The chicken will be the most tender if you cook it at a lower temperature for a longer time.  I know that sometimes I get impatient waiting for the chicken to cook and am tempted to crank up the heat, but this will just dry it out.  Keep the temp at around 300 degrees on the grill.  Also, don't pierce your chicken.  It is tempting to do it to test if it is cooked through or not, but it will make all the juices flow out of it and make it so that it isn't as delicious and moist. 

 There's a couple of tips for you and hopefully they were useful!  What you have in the end is a delicious and healthy meal for your family.

DIY Menu Board

Making a menu board has been on my to-do list for a long time now.  It is a cute and easy way to make menus every week.  Once the initial work is done, it is so easy to map out what your family is having for the week and know what items you will need from the grocery store.  I have seen this idea done a lot of different ways, and really that is why it is so appealing to me.  I love that you can customize it to any space. 

Another great thing is that these make amazing gifts!  I just made this one for my sister to give her on her birthday and she really seemed to like it a lot.  I also think it would be a great gift for newly weds or mother's day. 

I made this really easy for you cause I made my first ever printable of all the cute elements that make up the page!  You can download it for free over on my facebook page.  I will have an envelope option available for you soon.  I will update this page once it's available.

Here's what I did to make it.
Supplies:
*12X12 mdf- mine is about 1/4 inch thick.  (you can make it any size with any sort of backing.  You could even use cardboard and put it inside a frame.)
*scrapbook paper- 3 coordinating papers
*mod podge
*bottle caps
*magnets
*tin
*printable elements (you can download the printable free over on my facebook page!)

You begin by adhering the scrapbook paper to the mdf (or whatever surface you would like to use.)  This is where I liked making it 12X12 since I didn't have to cut the paper at all.

I used some scrap pieces of tin that I had.  Any sort of magnetic material would work as well.  You can buy big sheets of tin (3 feet by 4 feet or something like that) at home depot for $15 a sheet.  I bought one a year ago, and am still using it for different projects.  Just be careful to not slide your finger along the edges.  It WILL cut you. 

To make it look nicer and to make it so that the tin couldn't cut anyone, I covered it with some coordinating scrapbook paper.

Next, I used mod podge to attach the different elements to the board. 

I used a 1 inch hole punch to cut out my days of the week.  Then I used a glue dot to stick the circle to the inside of the bottle cap.  I finished it off with an epoxy resin sticker (you could also use dimensional magic or resin.)

I used my silhouette to cut out some cute-sy envelopes and then used some bakers twine that I bought from Pick Your Plum to wrap around it making it even more cute!

I originally used hot glue to adhere the magnets to the back of the bottle caps, but then I realized it wasn't very permanent and didn't work well.  So instead I decided to not glue it at all and just let them be magnetized together.

I used a drill to make holes for the ribbon to go through. 

To attach the ribbon, I just pushed it through the board and tied a knot, once on each side.

Add a fun sticky note pad, and there you have it!  The board is complete.

The last step is to add your entree options.  I used some cute scrapbook paper and cut it down to printer size.  Then I printed off some of my family's favorite entree options.  Once printed, I cut them into individual strips that fit in the envelope.  The other thing that makes this even easier is that I wrote on the back of the cards the ingredients that I would need to buy that I normally wouldn't have on hand. 

This is the version I made for myself.  I like both this one and the one I made for my sister for different reasons.  I just thought I would show you so that you can see another option.  I made this one on a wood plaque and will be hanging it with a sawtooth photo hanger.

If you have any questions, please let me know!

POV {Summer}

It's time for Point of View once again!  I don't know about you, but the last month has just flown by for me.  This month, the theme of POV was Summer and boy do we ever have some fun projects to show you!  We are welcoming a new member to POV as well as have some awesome guest bloggers showing us their Point of View.  Check these out:

1. Me!

2. Amy (Ameroonie Designs)

3. Gwen (Gwenny Penny)

4. Leanne (Organize and Decorate Everything)

5. Carolina (Always Expect Moore)

6. Michele (Michele Made Me)

You need to go see the tutorials on all of these.  So fun!  Also, don't forget that we have our monthly linky open.  This month, it is located on Leanne's blog.  Go link up your SUMMER projects!  They can be past or present as long as they fit our summer theme.  We will be featuring our favorites from the party next week.

When I think of summer, I think of all the yummy foods that you can't really have the rest of the year.  I love all of the fresh fruits, veggies and herbs that are easily found throughout the summer.  That is what inspired me to try out some fun recipes that I have been dying to taste.

First on the menu was Cilantro Lime Chicken with a Black Bean and Mango Salsa

Check out the recipe here.

This marinade was divine.  Try it out and you will see what I mean.  Here is my chicken marinating.

Grill it up and enjoy.  Just a little trick that my parents have taught me about grilling chicken is that you should never pierce the chicken while cooking.  It lets all the juices run out and it won't be as tender and juicey.  Maybe that's a well known fact, but if not, there you go. 

This salsa was such a great flavor assortment to pair with the chicken.  It makes it so you have sweet and a tiny bit of spice from the jalapeno, but not enought that it is overpowering. 

The flavors of the chicken and salsa combined were amazing.  I used flour tortillas since we don't really love corn tortillas and they worked perfectly.

I decided to pair the yummy tacos with an equally delicious drink.  I had a ton of watermelon that I needed to use and this recipe for Watermelon Lemonade was perfect for it. 

Watermelon Lemonade

2 Cups Watermelon

1/3 Cup Country Time Lemonade Mix

1 1/3 Cup Water

2/3 Cup Ice

Mix all together and enjoy

To make it a little more fun, I bought some glasses at the dollar store, coated the tops in green colored sugar and added a lemon slice.  To color the sugar, I found the easiest way was to use either a gel or paste food coloring.  Simply place a couple of drops of the coloring in a ziplock bag, add the sugar and mix around.  Add more color if you want it darker.  To get it to stick to the glass, dip the top of the glass in some water and then sprinkle the sugar over the water.  I turned the cup upside down so that the sugar only went on the edge of the glass. 

For dessert, we had homemade strawberry ice cream.  It may not look like much, but it was oh so tasty.  I got the recipe from here.

Strawberry Ice Cream

1 lb. ripe strawberries, hulled and halved
1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. lemon juice  (I used the juice of 2/3 of a lemon)
2 cups heavy (whipping) cream

In a bowl, mash the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice with a potato masher; stir in the cream. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions. If you want it firmer, transfer to a container or bowl and put in the freezer until firm.

I don't think my taste buds could have handled any more deliciousness.  We will definitely be making all of these recipes again.  Even my husband, who is normally incredibly picky, couldn't get enough of it all.  I would recommend them to anyone!

Go ahead and wipe the drool from your face now.  :)

Oh, and don't forget about the linky party!

Cinco De Mayo

To celebrate Cinco De Mayo yesterday, I decided to try a new recipe and BOY did it turn out GOOD!  I made Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos.  I found this recipe over on the blog Our Best Bites.  You can find the recipe here.

We invited my brother over to eat with us and we all loved them....even my daughter.  She couldn't get enough.  The only thing I will change for next time is that I will use less chili powder.  They had quite a kick and a little less chili powder would fix that for us.  It is definitely a "Make-Again" er in our house. 

I used flour tortillas instead of the corn tortillas because I like the taste of the flour tortillas better.  They were so simple to make and pretty dang healthy really.  We paired our Taquitos with some salsa and sour cream, ate pineapple and drank some cherry limeade.  It made for a very tasty evening!

What did you do to celebrate?  Did you try out a yummy recipe too?  I would love to hear about it.  I am always looking for yummy recipes!  Share the link.

A Recipe for a Perfect Valentines Dinner

My husband loves pizza.  Not just any pizza, pepperoni pizza.  He would eat it everyday if he could.  So, for Valentines Day, I decided to skip the steak and shrimp and I went with Pizza instead.  To make it extra festive, I cut the pepperoni into hearts using a cookie cutter. 

Valentine's dinner wouldn't be complete without Martinelli's Sparkling Cider.

 I also had a cute little helper making the pizza right along with me.  I think Lillie got more flour on her than on the counter, but it was a fun dinner to have her help me with.  She ate the pepperoni as I would cut it, and would also help me knead the dough.  It made me think that I should let her help me more often.  Hmmm...maybe I should make her an apron too.  Watch for that in an upcoming post :)

(These pants are supposed to be all purple :))

What about you?  Did you have any fun Valentine's dinner ideas this year?  I would love to hear about it!

P.S.  I decided to make a facebook page for Just Between Friends.  There is a like button on my sidebar.  You can follow me on facebook, or not.  I won't ever require you to do it for a contest or anything.  I just thought it would be a fun way to get to know my readers!  Can't wait to see you over there!

Teriyaki Chicken

I meant to make something yummy for dinner last night, but it just wasn't in the cards.  So you are really going to see what I made for dinner tonight.  I am going to admit that I have made this recipe before and it is a family favorite.  It seriously is the best teriyaki sauce that I have ever tasted.  Ever.

Here is the recipe from the America's Test Kitchen cookbook.  (best cookbook ever)

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs trimmed (I actually used boneless, and it still works great.)

Pepper

2 tsp. Vegetable oil

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup sugar

2 TBS mirin, sweet sherry, or dry white wine

2 tsp. grated ginger

1 garlic clove minced

1/2 tsp. cornstarch

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then season with pepper.  Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.  Add chicken, skin-side down.

2. Weigh down chicken with a heavy pot.  Cook until the skin is a deep mahogany brown and very crisp, 15 to 20 min.  (the chicken should be moderately brown after 10 min.  If it is very brown, reduce the heat; if it is still pale, increase the heat)

3. Remove the weight and flip the chicken over.  Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, without the weight, until the second side is brown and the chicken is thoroughly cooked about 10 min.

4. Meanwhile, whisk the soy sauce, sugar, mirin, ginger, garlic, cornstarch, and pepper flakes together.

5. Transfer the chicken to a plate.  Pour off all of the fat from the skillet.  Whisk the soy mixture to recombine, then add to the skillet and return to medium heat.  Return the chicken to skillet, skin-side up, and spoon sauce over the top.  Continue to summer until the sauce is thick and glossy, about 2 min more.

6.  Eat it up. yum. yum.

Here it is cooking

Yummy.

Dig in!

Make it for your family.  Trust me.  Your family will thank me.

Shrimp Scampi

I am NOT off to a very good start.  I thought this was going to be the most amazing dish, and while it did taste good, I messed up.  It doesn't look too appetizing because of my mistake. 

I chose Shrimp Scampi because we love shrimp.  My husband used to hate shrimp until he married into my family.  Now he loves it. 

Anyway, here is the recipe.  It is from the Taste of Home cookbook (I got it for Christmas from my little sister).  I only used 1/2 of what the recipe calls for though because I only needed to feed 3.

Here it is cooking.  This is where I made my mistake.  (duh)  I think what I did wrong was I let the butter melt in the pot like I was supposed to, but then let it get too hot.  That made it so that the whole thing turned dark.  It was just overcooked.  So my advice to you if you are still going to chance it and try it, is; Don't overcook it.

I am going to try it again sometime because like I said, it tasted good.  I think it could taste AND look GREAT if I would have cooked it right.  I guess this is what it's all about though.  You gotta learn from your cooking mistakes. (or you could just learn from mine.)

My rating: 1-5 stars (5 being good)

The recipe........4 stars. (only because it still tasted good)

My cooking skills.... -1 stars.

What's Cookin Good Lookin

Last week, I had some of my friends over to play games and I wanted to have some treats there for them to eat.  I thought about it for a while, and then decided that this is what I NEEDED to make. 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 c. Flour

1 c. Sugar

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1/4 tsp. Baking Soda

1/4 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. Ground Cinnamon

2 eggs beaten

1 c. Ground Pumpkin (canned)

1/2 c. cooking oil

1/3 c. Chocolate Chips (I always end up using more than that)

Mix together.  Fill muffin cups and bake @ 350 for 20-25 min.

(Yields 12-15 muffins)

So easy and SO yummy.  You definitely want to add this to your recipe arsenal.

While I am in the recipe giving mood, here is the oreo recipe that I talked about here.  I asked my mom and she gave me the a-ok to give this one away. :)

Homemade Oreos

1 box Devils Food cake mix
3/4 c. shortening
2 eggs

Mix together and form into balls.  Bake @ 350 on an ungreased cookie sheet for 10-12 min.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 package Cream Cheese (8 oz.)
1 cube Butter
1 lbs. powdered sugar

Mix together. 

You will thank me as soon as you smell either one of these baking in the oven, and you may be compelled to shower me with gifts as soon as you take the first bite.  You don't need to.....ok, I guess if you insist :)