Bread Rolls

I've been wanting to make these for a while but was too reluctant... I had never made bread rolls before; in fact, the first time I've ever made bread at all was when I made apple bread. I was motivated to finally carry out this recipe when we ran out of store-bought rolls and sliced bread.

It wasn't as complicated as I thought it would be (I guess I was a bit afraid of the "unknown"), and they came out really well! They were very soft and fluffy, even several hours later.
Here's the original recipe ("French Bread Rolls to Die For" from allrecipes.com):

• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups bread flour

1. In a large bowl, stir together warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. To the yeast mixture, add the oil, salt, and 2 cups flour. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
3. Deflate the dough, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces, and form into round balls. Place on lightly greased baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth, and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
4. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies EVER!

This is my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, a hybrid of two other recipes. I used a simple recipe and added an unexpected ingredient--instant vanilla pudding mix--from another recipe to make these spectacular cookies!
The unexpected ingredient came from the "Award Winning Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies" recipe on allrecipes.com, but the main recipe below is from popularcookierecipes.com.

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 large eggs,beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 package instant vanilla pudding mix*
  
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• if desired, 1 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix sugar, brown sugar, butter, vanilla and eggs in a large bowl by hand. Stir in flour, baking soda, pudding mix* and salt. The dough will be very stiff. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans if desired.
2. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown.

Giant Meatballs with Gravy!

According to the recipe it's called "Simple Salisbury Steaks," but as I was making it, I realized it was just like my dad's meatballs but with breadcrumbs and cream of mushroom added to the mix. Nonetheless, these came out great! They kind of look like a mess, especially in this picture, but my husband and I both loved them and I can't wait to make them again.
Here's the original recipe (from allrecipes.com):

• 1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular, 98% Fat Free or 25% Less Sodium)
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms

1. Mix thoroughly 1/4 cup soup, beef, bread crumbs, onion and egg. Shape firmly into 4 patties, 1/2 inch thick.
2. Heat oil in skillet. Cook patties until browned. Pour off fat. Add remaining soup and mushrooms. Heat to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 10 minutes or until done.

Apple Bread

This came out nicely; it just tasted like banana bread but with apple bits. The only alterations I made were to grate the apples and use 1/2 c. sugar and 1/2 brown sugar.
Here's the original recipe ("Apple Breakfast Bread" from allrecipes.com):

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 apples - peeled, cored and chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan.
2. In a bowl, mix the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Beat in the eggs.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Mix into the butter mixture until moistened. Fold in the apples. Transfer to the prepared loaf pan.
4. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Steak and Onions

Yummy! I made this for my family when they came to visit and they seemed to like it :) I seasoned the steaks with seasoning salt and garlic powder, coated them with flour and cooked them on low-medium heat in about 1/4 c. canola oil. I cooked them covered until the meat stopped bleeding--about 15 minutes--and turned them a few times. After the meat was cooked, I kept the oil and whatever little pieces were left in the pan and used it to saute a 1/4 of an onion, sliced. I peppered and poured a little soy sauce over the onions, and then scooped the onions out and onto the steaks. Delicious!

Fried Chops with Country-Style Gravy

The fried chops are fried chops, but I crushed 4 oz. of Ritz crackers and threw them in with 1 c. of flour. I seasoned them with garlic powder and seasoning salt, dipped them in a mixture of egg and canned milk (1/4 c.), then covered them with the cracker/flour mix.
The gravy is also a very simple gravy, but it's my favorite part of this dish. The recipe makes a LOT of gravy, but I only wanted about 1/2 that amount. After pouring in the first can of milk, I realized it was going to be too much; so, instead of using 4 cans of milk, which I didn't have anyway, I dumped out half of what I had made and then added 3/4 of another can of milk. I sprinkled about 1 tsp. salt, threw in a dash of onion salt and used as much black pepper as I thought would be good. It was delicious :)
So, in the future, I think I'll use...2 tbs. vegetable oil, 1/4 c. flour, and 1 c. of milk!
Here's the original recipe for the gravy ("Mom's Country Gravy" from allrecipes.com):

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 cups milk

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Cook and stir over medium heat until browned, about 10 minutes. Gradually stir in milk so that no lumps form, and continue cooking and stirring until thickened. If the gravy becomes too thick, you may thin it with a little more milk.

Chicken with Parmesan Cheese

I love this recipe. It's so easy to make, and the potato buds and Parmesan cheese make the chicken crunchy. I followed the recipe closely except that, like always, I didn't measure the seasonings. I sprinkled the chicken liberally with garlic salt and seasoning salt. I baked it for 40 minutes, turned the oven off and let the chicken sit for another 5 minutes before taking it out. In the future, though, I'll have to remember to coat the baking dish with Pam spray beforehand.
Here's the original recipe ("Crispy Herb Baked Chicken" from allrecipes.com):

• 2/3 cup dry potato flakes
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 (3 pound) chicken, skin removed, cut into pieces
• 1/3 cup butter, melted

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease or line with foil a baking sheet or a 13 x 9 inch baking pan.
2. In a medium bowl, combine potato flakes, Parmesan cheese, and garlic salt. Stir until well mixed.
3. Dip chicken pieces into melted butter or margarine, and roll in potato flake mixture to coat. Place in prepared pan.
4. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until chicken is tender and golden brown.