Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

My mom's recipe. These are moist and sweet, great with honey and butter!

1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon honey
5 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons dry milk powder
2 tablespoons butter
4 1/2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Mix the yeast, warm water and 1 tbsp of the sugar and let sit until bubbles form. Then add the rest of the ingredients, leaving the flour until the end. After kneading, the dough should be moist but not sticky. I usually end up adding a bit more flour. Put in a bowl, cover and let rise for an hour or so, until doubled.

Punch down the dough, and divide into 24 balls. You can shape these however you want, but I usually just leave them as balls and place them on a cookie sheet close enough that as they rise they will touch. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes.

Cook at 350 for 15 minutes, until golden brown.

A few notes:

If you don't have almond extract, no sweat, just use vanilla. Or, if you don't have molasses, just use honey.
I have also substituted 1 cup of the white flour with whole wheat flour, and this makes them a bit heartier, and (I convince myself), a little bit healthy.

THE Crescent Rolls

This recipe is a Holmes family tradition. It is one I got from Scott's Mom and it has reached celebrity status among our friends. Enjoy.

2 packages active dry yeast
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 cups warm water
1 cup sugar
6 eggs, beaten
1 cup melted butter (cooled to lukewarm)
8 cups bread flour
2 tsp. salt


Mix warm water with yeast and sugar and let sit until bubbles form. Add remaing sugar, beaten eggs and melted butter* to the yeast mixture. Use a sifter to sift in flour and salt. I usually use my hand mixer for the first half of the flour and then use a spoon for the last half (the dough should still be pretty sticky). Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for two hours. Stir down the dough, cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge overnight.

About 5-6 hours before you plan to eat, remove the dough from the fridge, dump onto a floured surface and divide into four equal parts. Roll each part into a circle (about 12"). Brush the entire circle generously with melted butter. Use a pizza cutter to cut it (pizza-style) into 12 equal pieces. Roll-up each piece, starting at the wide end, to form a crescent. Place on a greased cookie sheet and cover with a dish towel. Allow to rise for 4-5 hours. Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes.

*Test the butter before you pour it in to make sure it's not too hot. If it is too hot, it will kill the yeast and your rolls won't rise. I just use the "finger test". Put your (clean) finger into the butter and hold it there for 5 seconds. Does it burn? If not, dump it in. If it is too hot, stir it for a while to help it cool. The first thing I do when I make these rolls is melt the butter, that way it has plenty of time to cool.

French Bread

This is a recipe I got at a swap a few years ago. It is very good and accompanies our soup every time.

2 packets active dry yeast
3 cups warm water
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp oil (olive or vegetable, doesn't matter)
6-7 cups bread flour

Mix the yeast and water and wait for it to bubble. Add the sugar,
salt and oil. Add the flour a cup at a time. I don't really measure
the flour. I just keep adding it until the dough is firm and only a
little sticky. Cover and let rise for an hour. Turn dough out onto
floured surface and divide into three equal pieces. Roll each piece
flat with a rolling pin and into a rectangle (mine rarely look like a
rectangle) and roll up, pinching the ends and seams to form a "french"
loaf. Cut slashes in the top (purely aesthetic). Let rise for about
an hour and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

Cheesy Ham and Hash Brown Casserole

I found this on allrecipes.com.

1 (32 oz) package frozen hash brown potatoes
8 ounces cooked, diced ham
2 (10.75 oz) cans condensed cream of potato soup
16 oz sour cream
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease 9x13 baking dish.

In a large bowl, mix the hash browns, ham, soup, sour cream, and cheddar. Spread evenly into the baking dish and sprinkle with parmesan.

Bake for one hour or until bubbly and light brown.

Roasted Vegetables and Garlic

This is a Wegmans recipe. It is one of our favorites in the summer because we can grow so many of the vegetables. I don't always use everything in the recipe if I don't have it, and I have substituted fresh cherry tomatoes for sun dried tomatoes. Just add them to the rest of the veggies and bake.

1 pkg (16 oz) Italian Classic Whole Wheat Penne Rigate (Grocery Dept), prepared per pkg directions, keep warm
1 medium eggplant,1-inch dice
1 medium sweet green pepper, 1-inch dice
1 medium sweet red pepper, 1-inch dice

1 medium yellow cooking onion, peeled, 1-inch dice
1 clove Food You Feel Good About Peeled Garlic, chopped
1 medium zucchini, 1-inch dice
1 medium yellow squash, 1-inch dice
1 pkg (8 oz) sliced baby bella mushrooms
5 Tbsp Wegmans Basting Oil
5 Tbsp Wegmans Pure Olive Oil
Wegmans Sea Salt and pepper to taste
1 pkg (6 oz) Food You Feel Good About Fresh Baby Spinach
2 oz roasted red tomatoes (Mediterranean Bar), sliced thinly (about 1/3 cup)
4 Tbsp Italian Classics Shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese (Cheese Shop)
link

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

1. Toss eggplant, green pepper, red pepper, onion, garlic, zucchini, yellow squash, and mushrooms with basting oil and olive oil in large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
   
2. Spread vegetables in a single layer on baking sheet. Roast about 30 min, until softened and lightly browned.
   
3. Combine pasta, vegetables, and raw spinach in large bowl. Toss gently until spinach wilts. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with tomatoes; sprinkle with cheese.

https://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10052&productId=348510&catalogId=10002&krypto=QJrbAudPd0vzXUGByeatog%3D%3D&ddkey=http:ProductDisplay

Chocolate Mascarpone Cheesecake

I made this for the first time last night at book club. Several people asked for the recipe. Surprisingly easy for such a yummy cheesecake.

The recipe is Anthony Romano's. He is the executive chef at Players on Madison in Lakewood Ohio.


Chocolate Graham Cracker Crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (I used two packages of crackers ground up in the cuisinart)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter, melted

I just put all of the dry ingredients in my cuisinart, mixed them up and then added the butter. Press the mixture into a 9-inch spring form pan.

Chocolate Filling
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
16 ounces Mascarpone cheese (it came in a 17.5 ounce container, I used it all)
6 eggs
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cream cheese, vanilla and sugar until light and fluffy. Add mascarpone cheese and combine well, scraping sides of bowl. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Put chocolate in a large glass bowl and microwave for 2 minutes. Remove from microwave and stir until all of the chocolate is melted. Add half of the cream cheese mixture to the chocolate and combine well. Pour the chocolate mixture onto the crust. Pour the remaining plain cream cheese mixture on top and use a spoon to "marble" the filling.

Place spring form pan in the oven on top of a roasting pan (or any pan with a lip). Pour hot water into the roasting pan so that the spring form pan is surrounded by water. Bake 1 3/4 hours. Remove and cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Remove sides of spring form pan and refrigerate cake for 8-10 hours before serving.

Roasted Beets with Feta

I'm a sucker for Feta cheese, so when I had some beets from the farm share to use, and I saw this recipe...

4 beets, trimmed, leaving 1 inch of stems attached
1/4 cup minced shallot
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Wrap each beet individually in aluminum foil, and place onto a baking sheet.

Bake beets in preheated oven until easily pierced with a fork, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Once done, remove from oven, and allow to cool until you can handle them. Peel beets, and cut into 1/4 inch slices.

While the beets are roasting, whisk together shallot, parsley, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and red wine vinegar in a bowl until blended; season to taste with salt and pepper, and set aside.

To assemble the dish, place the warm, sliced beets onto a serving dish, pour vinaigrette over the beets, and sprinkle with feta cheese before serving.

From allrecipes.com