Perfect Homemade Biscuits

There are a couple of reasons why I love making biscuits. My dad always made biscuits. He loved making them. Biscuits always remind me of him. After he passed away, I inherited his biscuit cutter, which was his mom's biscuit cutter. It is a possession that I treasure and love. I use it every time I make biscuits.

The second reason I love making biscuits is because I served an 18 month LDS mission in the Knoxville Tennessee area. My husband served a 2 year mission in the same area. We both fell in love with biscuits and gravy while serving in the south. People in the south make all kinds of variations of biscuits and gravy. There was one family, the Threets, that used to feed the missionaries all the time. She was famous for her Chocolate gravy. She always made it for us. I'll be honest, I didn't love it. I just love a good ol' sausage gravy. Luckily, she always served both types of gravy.

I make biscuits and gravy pretty often for a great weekend breakfast. 3 out of 4 of my kiddos love it. The 4th loves biscuits with homemade strawberry jam, so she never complains when we have it for breakfast.

Perfect Homemade Biscuits

3 cups flour
3 Tb sugar
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cream of tarter
3/4 cup COLD butter
1 egg
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients, then cut in the cold butter until the butter is about pea size. You want to be able to see the butter. (I do this in my food processor. I pulse it until the butter is the desired size, then I dump the mixture into a bowl and mix the rest by hand) Add the egg and milk, mixing well but not over mixing. Turn out onto a well floured space. The dough will be very sticky. Sprinkle some flour on top of the dough and knead it just a couple of times. Then pat the dough out to about 3/4 to 1 inch thickness. Cut with biscuit cutter or glass that has been dipped in flour. Place rounds on a baking sheet either lightly sprayed or covered with parchment paper. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the tops just start to turn a golden brown.

Zucchini Bread

This really is the best zucchini bread recipe in the whole entire world. Really. It is. I wish I had a picture of the whole loaf. But everytime I make it, it gets taken to friends and family, and gobbled up by my own family so quickly that I always forget to snap a picture. This picture is actually of a plate that I took to my parents, then realized after I gave it to them that I really needed a picture. So I just hurried and took one. But you can see how yummy and moist it looks. It really is the best!


Zucchini Bread


1 1/4 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
3 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
4 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups grated zucchini

Grease and flour (I usually just spray them, but sometimes they do get stuck...) two 8x4 inch pans. Preheat Oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together the first 5 ingredients. Then add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Mix well. Fold in zucchini until well combined.  Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 40-60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for about 20 minutes, then remove the bread from the pans.

Artisan Bread

We LOVE this bread. My husband would be happy if I made this bread everyday. I would probably make it a lot more often if I could just remember to start it the night before! It does take some planning ahead.Actually I did once make it 3 times in one week and everyone was thrilled. It is that good. Seriously, truly, and not exaggerating, this is some of the best bread I have ever eaten in my life.
We first had this bread when our friend Jill brought it to a little "reunion" dinner party we were having with some friends from Graduate School. After my husband took his first bite of the bread, he leaned over to me and whispered "you have to get the recipe for this". Thanks Jill for sharing the recipe!

Artisan Bread

3 cups flour
1/4 tsp yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups water
olive oil
extra flour

Mix flour, yeast and salt together. Add the water, and mix by hand with a wooden spoon or spatula for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Coat the inside of a second medium bowl with olive oil and place the dough in it. Cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest for 12 hours. ( I have let it rest up to 18 hours before, and it was just fine.)

Fold the dough once or twice, either still in the bowl, or on a work surface. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, generously (really generously) coat a cotton towel (not terrycloth) with flour (you could use cornmeal or wheat bran also, but we prefer flour). Shape the dough, and place it seam side down on the towel. Dust the top with flour, then cover it with another cotton towel (I usually just fold the corners of the towel up over the dough instead of using a separate one). Let rise for 1-2 hours, until more than doubled in size.

**You will bake this bread in some type of cast iron, glass or ceramic pot. I use my enamel coated cast iron dutch oven, which works perfect. I have also used the inside of my crock pot. This works great too. You bake this covered, so if using the inside of the crock pot, don't use the crock pot lid, just cover it with foil.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees, placing the pot and lid in the oven to preheat with it. Place dough in pot, seam side up, cover and bake for 25-30 minutes. Then remove the lid and bake for 10-15 more minutes, until the crust is nice and brown and crunchy.

Remove and enjoy! Best to enjoy the it day it is baked... it just isn't as good the second day.

Stuffed Crescent Breakfast Braid

My niece Morgan (that I adore) emailed me this recipe a couple of weeks ago because she had tried it, liked it, and thought that my fam would like it. We really did! This recipe is a keeper. I love trying new breakfast recipes on our "Saturday morning, big breakfast days".  This recipe is going to be a great "breakfast for dinner" recipe too! Thanks Morgan!

Stuffed Crescent Breakfast Braid

1 can/roll of Crescent Rolls
Scrambled eggs (4 or 5 eggs)
1/2 cup chopped ham (original recipe called for bacon...)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Scramble eggs in a skillet. (You will want to under-cook your eggs at this point, since you will be putting them in the oven later).
Use a rolling pin and a lightly floured work surface to slightly roll out the crescent dough and seal all the seams. (I wished that I had done this on the parchment paper that I was going to bake it on because it was hard to transfer off of the work surface I did it on). Put eggs down the center of the dough, then top eggs with ham and cheese.
Use a pizza cutter to cut slits in the dough down each side. Fold the ends in then alternately lay slits of dough over the top of the cheese to make it look braided. Does that make any sense? The original recipe came from Our Best Bites, and they have a picture tutorial here that you can look at if what I am saying makes no sense to you at all.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Mine doesn't look nearly as pretty as theirs does over on OBB, but in my own defense,
mine looked a lot better before the transfer!

Garlic Bread Spread

We were in San Diego recently and ate at an Italian Restaurant in Little Italy that we loved.  We loved it so much that we actually ate there 2 days in a row.  We received 3 different recommendations to eat there before we left and knew it must be good. It is called Filipis, and it is amazing.  We loved everything we tried there. This garlic bread spread is my attempt at recreating their yummy garlic bread.  If you are in the San Diego area, go to Filipis!

Garlic Bread Spread

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1Tbsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp garlic salt (optional)*

Mix all ingredients together.  Spread on open faced bread and bake at 400 degrees until butter is melted.  You can also broil for the last minute or so if you like a crisper top. Store unused amount in refrigerator.

* I made some with the garlic salt and some without.  I liked the extra little bit of flavor that it added, but my family all preferred it without the garlic salt.  So it just depends on how strong you want the flavor

Easter Morning Rolls

I made these rolls to go with our Easter Breakfast.  When you bite into these rolls they are empty, just like Christ's tomb was empty on Easter morning.  We were able to have a really nice conversation with our children around the breakfast table about the true meaning of Easter while eating these rolls.
The Easter Bunny always comes to our house on Saturday morning, so that on Easter Sunday we can focus on our Savior and not on eggs, bunnies and candy.  These rolls were a great addition to our Easter Sunday and our focus.  A tradition was definitely started with these rolls this year (although, my husband loved them and said that I should make them more often then just once a year).
Recipe Source: Sisters Cafe

Easter Morning Rolls

Rhodes Roll Dough
Large marshmallows
6 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup butter (melted)

Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside. Thaw roll dough, but don't let it rise. Place
1 large marshmallow in the center of each roll. Pinch roll dough very firmly around the marshmallow. Roll each into a seamless, or nearly seamless, ball with your hands. Brush rolls with melted butter. Sprinkle sugar mixture over rolls (next time I make them, I think I will roll them in the butter then roll them in the cinnamon and sugar). Cover rolls with plastic wrap and put in the fridge overnight. On Sunday morning, preheat oven to 350°. Take rolls out of fridge and bake for 15 minutes until rolls are golden brown (it took mine about 25 minutes). Be careful not to overbake. (These may also be baked without sitting overnight. After wrapping the marshmallow in them, let them rise for about an hour or so and then bake them as usual.)

BBQ Chicken Pizza

This was one of the easiest things I have ever made to make my husband so happy.  He is a huge fan of bbq chicken pizza.  Me? Not so much, so I had never made it for him before.  But one night, we were having homemade pizzas, and decided to make him his own bbq pizza.  I got the idea as I was at Target earlier that day and they were sampling their naan bread.  I thought, "this would make a really good pizza crust".  I then wandered down to the refrigerator section and bought a package of grilled chicken.  I was set.  I happened to have a leek on hand, left over from making this, so I used it.  Otherwise, I would have used green onions or thinly sliced red onions. My husband loved the result.  Next time, per his request, I will add a few bacon crumbles.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Pizza Crust
BBQ sauce
Shredded Mozzarella
Grilled Chicken
Onion (Leek, green onion, or red onion)
Fresh Tomatoes
Crumbled Bacon

Spread bbq sauce on top of crust, top with cheese then other toppings.  Bake at 400 degrees until cheese is melted.

Poppy Seed Bread

I am in love with this bread.  It is really dangerous though, because it is called bread instead of cake, even though it should totally be called cake! It is so, so good.  I got this recipe from my friend Janae Morris.  She brought it to a couple of church functions, and I fell in love with it.  I have had quite a few different poppy seed breads, but this one is by far the best I have had.  It is so moist and sweet and YUMMY!
I have made it a couple of times, and one of the times I added butter flavoring. I really liked the added bit of flavor that it added.  (I think you can just buy butter flavoring by the other extracts and flavorings at any grocery store.  I bought mine at Michaels in their cookie and cake isle).

Poppy Seed Bread

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/8 cup oil
4 tsp. poppy seeds
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. butter flavoring (optional)

Mix together all ingredients and beat for 2 minutes. Pour into greased bread pans and bake 45-60 minutes at 350 degrees. Mix glaze and pour over hot bread, making sure that you cover the whole top. Cool in pan, then remove from pans.

Glaze:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/4 tsp. butter flavoring (optional)

Steve's Perfect Waffles

One of my husband's favorite things in life is a good breakfast on Saturday mornings.  He came up with this waffle recipe a couple of years ago after he gave me a new waffle iron for Christmas.  The great part of the gift is that I have never made waffles in it; not even once.  He is the waffle man in our house.  And he does a mighty fine job.  He goes all out on these waffles... sifting, beating the egg whites, etc... Sometimes he makes a double batch and I put them in the freezer.  To reheat them, I put them in the microwave for about 30 seconds to thaw them, then throw them in the toaster.  It works great!

Steve's Perfect Waffles

2 1/2 cups sifted, all-purpose flour
4 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs, separated
2 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Sift flour prior to measuring.  Then sift all dry ingredients together.  In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks, then add milk and oil to egg yolks. Add dry ingredients to wet mixture and lightly mix (it will be lumpy). Lastly, beat egg whites until they are a thick foam.  Fold the foam gently into the mix.  Cook in a waffle iron to desired doneness. Serve with Homemade Maple Syrup.

Navajo Tacos

I had a navajo foster sister when I was growing up, and I remember her making real navajo fry bread for us, and also making real navajo tacos with the fry bread.  These navajo tacos are different from those authentic ones that she made, but we still call them navajo tacos. We love these, and they are one of our favorite things to make while we are camping.  We make the chili in one dutch oven and fry the scones in another one. 
A super easy way to make these is to use Rhodes rolls for the dough, (or buy some dough from the bakery at the grocery store), buy some shredded lettuce and shredded cheese, stop at Wendy's and buy a bunch of their chili, and wa-la, you have navajo tacos!

Navajo Tacos

Bread dough
Chili (my favorite HERE)
Lettuce, shredded
Cheddar cheese, shredded
Tomatoes, diced
Sour cream
Salsa
Guacamole

Flatten pieces of dough into a circle about 6 inches wide. Fry in oil (about 375°F) until golden brown, turning over once (about 30 seconds). Drain on paper towels. Top with chili, and whatever other toppings you would like.

Lizzie's Stupendous Stuffing

This stuffing is so yummy.  I got the recipe from my friend Liz Cook. Before Liz showed me how to make it, I thought that stuffing was difficult to make, and always just made stovetop. But it is so easy!   Liz also gave me the idea of baking it in muffin tins, so everyone gets their own crunchy top.  I usually make some "muffins",  and then put some in a casserole dish to bake.   I make this every year for our big Christmas Eve dinner.

Stuffing

¾ - 1 cup chopped or minced onion
1 ½ - 2 cups chopped celery, including leaves
1 cup butter
1-2 cups chicken broth
9-10 cups dried bread cubes
1½ tsp. rubbed sage
1 tsp thyme (I haven't ever used this in it, because I never remember to buy it)
1 tsp poultry seasoning
½ - 1 tsp pepper

Sprinkle sage, thyme, poultry seasoning and pepper over dry bread cubes. In a large skillet, melt butter and cook the onion and celery in the butter until they are tender.  Add about half of the broth, then fold in the bread (don't leave any spices behind) and let it absorb the moisture.  Add more broth as needed.  Bake for 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees.  If you don't want a crispy top, cover with foil.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

A couple of weeks ago, my soon-to-be-famous friend Julie Donaldson sent home a bag full of these muffins with my daughters. I had one and it was divine, but I put the rest on the counter and told the kids they could have them after dinner.  A little while later, my 4 year old came walking in the kitchen with chocolate all over his face. As I said "what have you been eating.....?" I looked to the counter where the muffins were to see that the bag was gone. "Where are the muffins?" No answer. "Did you eat all of them?"  "Uh huh."   He had eaten every one of them.  My oldest daughter burst into tears. I will spare the details of the drama that followed, including phrases like "he is the worst brother ever!" and "she gave those to ME!" and "why did you have to have him?" I promised her I would call Julie and get the recipe and make some the next day.  So I did, and she was gracious enough to share it. I am so glad she did, because these are a new favorite at our house. They are so good.  I personally think it is better than Great Harvest's pumpkin chocolate chip bread.... and I love theirs! This recipe made 24 mini muffins, 12 regular muffins, and 2 mini loaves of bread.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Sift together:
3 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
3 cups sugar
Stir in:
2 cups canned pumpkin
2/3 cup water
1 cup veg. oil
4 eggs
chocolate chips (I used a whole bag, and I thought it was the perfect amount)

Place batter in sprayed pans/muffin tins.  Bake at 350 degrees. Check for doneness by sticking a toothpick or knife in center.  If it comes out clean, they are done.  Here are the approximate time I baked mine:
mini-muffins- 15-20 min
reg. muffins-  25-30 min
mini loaves-  40-45 min

Easy Cinnamon Rolls

I love this cinnamon roll recipe because it really is easy.  You don't actually have to even let the dough rise.  I can make these from start to finish in less than an hour.  These cinnamon rolls are good right out of the oven, but also just as good the next day.
P.S. This isn't a very good picture, because it was the last roll left, and I realized that I hadn't taken a picture for the blog, so I hurried and snapped it before someone grabbed it.

Easy Cinnamon Rolls

1 1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup sugar
2 packages yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup softened butter
1 egg
4 cups flour

Filling:  1 cube butter, cinnamon and sugar

In a large mixing bowl or mixer, dissolve suger in warm water.  Add yeast and dissolve.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Put on floured board.  Roll into 1/4 inch thick rectangle.  Cover with 1 cube melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.  Cute into 1 1/2 to 2 inch lengths using a string or pizza cutter.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 min.  Top with icing while still warm

Soft Breadsticks

I got this recipe from my life-long friend Sharla. (literally life-long) She had us over for lunch one day shortly after we moved back to Utah. We had these breadsticks with chili, and they were really good. They are super easy, and the thing I love most about making them is that it goes from the mixer to the pan... I don't have to roll out the dough and get my counter all messy.

Soft Breadsticks

1 package active dry yeast (or 1 Tablespoon)
1 1/3 cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
3 to 3 1/2 cups flour( usually just use the 3 cups...it will be sticky)
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon salt

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in 1 cup of the flour, the oil, honey, and the salt. Beat until smooth. Stir in the remaining flour, scraping dough from the sides of bowl until soft dough forms. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double. (about 45 minutes)
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Stir down dough by beating 25 strokes. Push dough into a greased bun pan (cookie sheet with sides) and cut into strips. (I use a pizza cutter)
Bake 15 min.

Suggested toppings:
I usually put melted butter, garlic salt and parmesean cheese on the top of mine before baking. Sharla puts melted butter, garlic powder and McCormicks Salad Supreme on hers.
You can also use :
course salt
sesame seeds
poppy seeds
cheese

Rhodes Buttery Breadsticks

These breadsticks are SO yummy and SO easy! I also got this recipe from sisterscafe.blogspot.com

Rhodes Buttery Breadsticks

24 Rhodes Dinner Rolls, thawed but still cold
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
garlic salt

Thaw 24 Rhodes dinner rolls. It's best when they are still cold but completely thawed. Place cheese onto separate plate. Roll each roll into an approximately 6" breadstick. Melt 1 stick butter. Place melted butter on 11x17 baking sheet and coat entire surface with butter. Roll each breadstick in the butter. Next roll each buttered breadstick in parmesan cheese. Place breadstick on baking sheet in 2 rows of twelve each. Sprinkle with garlic salt, if desired. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until double in size. Remove wrap and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.