sticky buns

Here is the wonderful sticky bun recipe I made for the track brunch after distance run today. 

2loaves of frozen bread dough

1 stick butter

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 package butterscotch pudding (cook and serve, not instant)

Cut partially thawed bread loaf into 8 pieces, each loaf. Melt butter, sugar and pudding over medium heat. Put 8 pieces into bundt cake pan. Pour half of caramel sauce over. Put last 8 pieces in and remaining sauce. Keep in frig overnight. In am bake 45-50 min at 350. 

I doubled the recipe. My issue was that the dough rose too high for the pan it was in. I had sticky sauce all over the refrigerator this am. I transferred everything to one of those huge aluminum turkey roasting pans. It worked great. I might cut the dough into more than 8 next time the pieces were huge. 

A real Keeper. Thank Kelly.

April Fools’ Recipes

Tomorrow is April Fools’ Day. Let’s play with our food!

Meatloaf cupcakes with whipped potato “frosting”

1 envelope onion soup mix
2 lb ground beef (or a mixture of ground beef, ground pork, and ground veal)
3/4 c bread crumbs 2 eggs 3/4 c milk 1/3 c ketchup 6 white potatoes 4 T butter, at room temperature 1/2 c cream or milk salt

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a cupcake pan with foil liners. Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Press mixture into cupcake liners. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes; internal temperature should read 160° on an instant-read thermometer. 

While “cupcakes” are baking, prepare “frosting”. Boil potatoes in salted water. When tender, drain water, return pan to stovetop for just a few minutes to dry out any residual water. Transfer potatoes to a stand mixer fit with a whisk attachment. Whip potatoes. Add butter and continue to whip. Add cream or milk 1-2 tablespoons at a time and continue to whip until potatoes reach desired “frosting” consistency. You can add shredded yellow cheddar cheese to potatoes, or a food coloring of your choice.


Place potatoes in frosting bag fit with decorating tip and “frost cupcakes”. Serve while hot.

Low Sodium Recipes

In light of Mom's recent heart procedure and in an effort to help her (and us) become more aware of very Low Sodium recipes I thought I'd start a post  As Mom will hopefully be making the rounds of family visits as planned, I know we all struggle with finding good recipes for her and still our families want to eat, while going about our busy lives  If we find something we like let's post it here.  As well as things to avoid or good substitutions:)  Thanks in advance:)

Cranberry-orange relish

I thought there was a cranberry-orange relish recipe we used to make from Mrs. Jenkins' and Mrs. Shaul's Yummy in the Tummy book. I just looked and couldn't find it. Does anyone else remember this, and perhaps have a copy?

Thanks! And Happy Thanksgiving! 

Dumpling Help!

My family loves Chicken and Dumplings, I love my "soup part" of it.  I have not been able to find dumplings I love.  Manny 3 and I really liked Dad's Oatmeal dumplings, but mine don't come out the same.  I have tried all kinds of variations not satisfied yet:)  Tonight I am be "unorthodox" and adding Stacy's Gandma Tillie's Matza balls to our Chicken and Dumplings!!  Please share a recipe that you like!

Fall Cocktail party

Last night I had a Fall cocktail party with some other Moms. It was great fun. Here is the menu and recipes. Many are old favorites but a few were new. For drinks we had Pumpkin Martinis I use homemade pumpkin syrup instead of canned pumpkin, Key lime Martins, not fall but I really loved them and had all the fixings,  and Apple Cider Margarita. The Margarita were very good the orange and cinnamon stick was a fun touch and added flavor.

For food I tried the Beet Pickled Deviled Eggs I used Jared pickled beets because I had some. I also just made the mix part my old stand by deviled egg mix but it was good. When I took them out of the beet mix I was worried because they were a very bright pink/ purple color. Once I cut/filled and plated them you saw the white and yellow as well and they were pretty as well as tasty. We had cucumber cups, warm artichoke dip, brie with apple/pear chutney and a veggie tray.

For desert we had apple strudel and  mini pumpkin cheesecakes. And a wonderful Belgium waffles with sugar, my friend Jeri made. 

A Yummy and fun night. 

Part Two
Last night we had another gathering. The girls watched movies and the Mom's visited, snack and had a few drinks.

Drinks Pumpkin and Key lime Martinis again. I had planned on cranberry citrus martini but ran out of prep time - Thanksgiving maybe.

Food:
Salmon dip - not a huge favorite.
Cilantro lime pesto for dipping antipasta on a stick
Black bean Hummus - a big hit

 

Go-To Appetizers

It’s summertime, and on Butler Street that means impromptu gatherings. Sometimes it’s a houseful of kids running in and out, sometimes it’s teens looking for a quick meal between work shifts or something to snack on while they’re in front of the TV or video games, sometimes it’s neighbors and friends to catch up, either way, a good go-to app is golden. These cheese rounds are great in that role, you almost always have the ingredients on hand, they can be made with any cheese you like or have on hand, they can be made ahead, and store well for a good, long time.

Cheese rounds

1 c butter, softened to room temperature
4 c cheese, shredded
2 c flour
sesame seeds, poppy seeds, paprika

In a stand mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the flour, beat to combine. Add the cheese, beat slowly to combine.

Place the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and paprika is small bowls. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a teaspoon as a gauge, roll the mixture into small balls. Dipping some into the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or paprika, and leaving some plain, place the balls on the parchment paper. When dipping, dip only half of the ball. Once all the mixture is rolled, place the balls in the refrigerator to chill for an hour.

Preheat oven to 400°. Bake cheese rounds for 10 minutes. Rounds will not appear dry or be brown, but do not overbake. Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes before serving. The cheese rounds are great warm or at room temperature. If you’ll be serving them later, allow them to cool completely before storing them in an airtight container. They can be reheated for about 5 minutes if you want to serve them warm.