Resurrection Rolls

The kids and I did a fun (and yummy) little project for Easter, helping them understand what we believe about Easter.  The kids loved making these rolls and they are so simple that they could do almost everything themselves.

Here's what you'll need:

Large marshmallows

Grands! biscuits, any variety

3-4 Tbsp. melted butter or margarine

Cinnamon sugar

This is the cinnamon sugar that I used.  It's from Alison's Pantry and it was WAY good!  I loved the added flavor of the vanilla.  I can't wait to try it in more of my cooking and baking!

If you don't have this kind of cinnamon sugar, you can just make your own by mixing 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon.

(Luke chapters 23 & 24)

The biscuit will represent the tomb.

Flatten out a biscuit.

After Jesus died on the cross, he was taken to a tomb and his disciples covered his body (the marshmallow) with special oils (the butter) and spices (the cinnamon sugar).

Place a marshmallow into the melted butter, then cover with the cinnamon sugar.

Then they laid his body in the tomb and enclosed him in it.

Put the covered marshmallow on the flattened biscuit and completely cover the marshmallow with the biscuit, sealing off any holes.

Place on a baking sheet.

*Some of my kids wanted to dip their rolls into the butter and cinnamon sugar too.  That made for even tastier rolls!*

Bake at 350 degrees for about 14 minutes, or until golden brown.

Place on a cooling rack to cool enough to be handled.

After 3 days, Jesus' disciples discovered that the tomb was empty and that Jesus had been resurrected. 

When they've cooled enough, break open the rolls to see their empty, hollow interiors.

Happy Easter, everyone!

Oatmeal Bread

Have you ever been asked what your favorite childhood smell was?  I have, and I have two answers for that. 

1.  I loved the smell of the wild honeysuckles that grew in the back of our property when we lived in Georgia.  

2. The smell of freshly baked homemade bread that could stop you in your tracks as you walk in the house, coming home from school in California.

Honeysuckles and homemade bread.  For me, those are two of the best aromas ever.

Today's recipe is my latest favorite bread to make.  It looks and tastes like regular white bread, but it has the added nutrients of healthy oatmeal.

Here's what you'll need:

4 C. warm water

1 Tbsp. yeast (I like to use SAF instant yeast)

2/3 C. sugar

1/3 C. oil

1 individual packet REGULAR instant oatmeal (not the flavored kind), cooked to package directions OR 1 serving of unflavored oatmeal, cooked to package directions

12 1/2 C. flour

3/4 C. dry powdered milk

1 Tbsp. salt

Cook the one serving of unflavored oatmeal, as directed on the package and set aside.  In a Bosch or other stand mixer, combine the warm water, yeast, sugar, oil, and oatmeal.  Mix with a dough hook on Low speed just until combined (for about 10 seconds).

Then add the flour, powdered milk, and salt.

Knead on High for 10 minutes. 

Just GORGEOUS!

If you are using a Bosch mixer, you can immediately divide the dough into four loaves.

If you are NOT using a Bosch mixer, place the dough into a lightly greased bowl and cover and let rise until doubled.  Then divide into four loaves.

Cover the loaves with a towel and allow to rise for about an hour... 

or until they look about like this...

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.  

Then you'll get this.

Remove from the pans and cool on a cooling rack.

Hello, beautiful! 

 So delicious!

I wonder if my kids will have the same association to freshly baked bread as I do.  I guess time will tell.

Chocolate Banana Muffins

Well, I'm happy to announce that our newest addition has arrived!  We are SOOOOOOO in love with him!!!

As expected, I don't find much time for cooking or baking, so I'm so thankful that I took the time to make meals in advance and stock my freezer with them.

On one of my cooking days, I had invited some friends to join me.  My friend, Robyn, was so sweet to make a couple batches of chocolate chip cookie dough that we balled and froze.  She reminded me that it's important to have some goodies on hand as well.

Definitely words of wisdom!

I then shifted my mode of making dinners to making treats too.

Today's recipe is one of those that I made in advance, froze, and have been able to pull out to treat my family.

When I was searching the web for a good banana muffin recipe, I came across this one.  (Original recipe found HERE.)  I asked my hubby if he thought I should try banana muffins with chocolate.  He didn't really understand why I was actually asking him this because in his mind, anything is better with chocolate.

So, we gave these a try and everyone LOVED them!  I thought the chocolate/banana ratio was just perfect - not so banana-y that you couldn't taste the chocolate and not so chocolate-y that you didn't know that these were banana muffins.  They are a PERFECT after school snack!

Here's what you'll need:

1 1/2 C. flour

3/4 C. sugar

1/4 C. cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1 1/3 C. mashed ripe bananas

1/3 C. oil

1 egg

1 or 2 C. chocolate chips (depending on how many you want)

                                        

(Just a little side note, I got this touchpad for Christmas, and this is my FAVORITE way to use it - finding great recipes!!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and baking powder.  

In a medium-sized bowl, cominbe mashed bananas, oil, and egg.  

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.  Stir until the mixture is moist and there are no more streaks of the dry ingredients.  Fold in the chocolate chips.  

With a large scoop or spoon, fill the greased or lined muffin cups 3/4 of the way full with the batter.  Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted int he middle of a muffin comes out clean.

When I made these, it made 12 regular-sized muffins and 12 mini muffins.

YUM!!!

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

I want to start off by saying welcome to all of the new followers!  I'm so excited to have you all be a part of my cooking adventures!!

I also wanted to give a little reminder that I'll be closing my giveaway on Wednesday.  So if you haven't registered for it, do it soon so you'll be in the running for a special Valentine treat from me!

Winter has finally hit (not that I wasn't grateful for the dry weather we were having).  Snow has blanketed everything in sight.  When that happens, I don't like to go out.  It's cold and the roads are slick.  Instead, I much rather prefer to stay indoors and bake.

So that's what I've been doing lately.  I tried a new recipe for banana bread and LOVED it!  It comes from a cookbook I have called, "A Passion For Baking" by Marcy Goldman.  I love this book!  I have yet to try something that I haven't been impressed with.  I've posted about her Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies, so try those if you haven't.

I love that this recipe for banana bread is tender and moist.  And since we are chocoholics in this house, we love that it's studded with chocolate chips.  But if you'd prefer to forego the chocolate, you can try raisins instead and you can always add nuts of course.  They're just a no-go around here.

So on the next chilly day that you happen to have some ripe bananas to use, try this recipe out.  It's quite delicious!

Here's what you'll need:

1 C. unsalted butter, softened

2 C. sugar

4 large eggs

5-6 medium ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 C. sour cream

2 tsp. vanilla

4 C. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 C. chopped pecans or walnuts (opt.)

1 C. chocolate chips (opt.)

1 C. raisins (opt.)

Generously spray two 9"x5" loaf pans with baking spray (that has flour in it) and set aside.  In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until well blended.  

Add eggs, banana, sour cream, and vanilla.  

Fold in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, scraping the bowl often.  

Mix on low speed; then fold in nuts or chocolate chips or raisins, if desired.  

Spoon batter into prepared pans.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes, then decrease the temperature to 325 degrees and bake another 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.  

Cool on a wire rack.  Makes 2 loaves.  I like to keep one loaf out for the kids to snack on and I'll put the other loaf in the freezer until we're ready for more banana bread.

 Delicious!!