Yeast Breads: Cormeal Batter Rolls

These cornmeal rolls are tender and moist. They're also incredibly easy to make. Batter breads don't have to be kneaded, so you can simply mix, pour, and bake in the pan they rise in. These rolls are baked in a muffin pan, making it all the easier.


For a little variety, try topping these rolls with sesame or poppy seeds just before baking. They'll come out delicious.


Ingredients


2 cups all purpose flour
1¼ tsp bread machine or quick rise yeast
½ cup cornmeal
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
4 tbsp butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
sesame or poppy seeds (optional)


Preparation


With no kneading necessary, you can whip up this bread quickly enough. Place all ingredients except sesame or poppy seeds in a large bowl. Blend with a wooden spoon until you have a wet batter. The batter should be fairly smooth. Cover batter with a tea towel and set aside to rise in a warm location. The dough may take a little while to rise, so be prepared to wait up to 90 minutes for the dough to double in size.


Stir the batter to remove any air bubbles. Spray a muffin pan with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Divide the batter equally between 12 muffin cups. Set muffin pan aside in a warm location, allowing batter to rise once more. This time the rise cycle will take about 60 minutes. You want the rolls to double in size, but you don't want them to overflow the muffin pan, so keep an eye on the rolls.


Heat oven to 375°F. Bake rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, until rolls are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Remove from muffin pan immediately and cool on wire racks.


This recipe makes 12 rolls. They will stay fresh for up to 4 days if stored in an airtight container.

Snacks & Appetizers: Battered Chicken Nuggets

Actual chicken nuggets are made with ground chicken that has been shaped either by hand or in a mold. If you just cut chicken into chunks, those are more appropriately called chicken chunks. In this recipe, we're making chicken nuggets.


These are easier to make than you think. You'll need a deep fryer or a pot of oil on the stove. A deep fryer is my preference. Either way, you'll need to monitor the temperature of the oil. If your deep fryer has temperature control, you won't need an external thermometer. If it doesn't, or if you're using a pot of oil, you'll need a deep fry thermometer.


You can also make turkey nuggets with this same recipe. Just substitute ground turkey for the ground chicken.


Ingredients


1 pound ground chicken
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper
1 egg
2 cups all purpose flour, divided
1 cup water


Preparation


Place the ground chicken in a bowl and add chili powder, sea salt, pepper, and egg. Mix well. With your hands (or a mold, if you have one) shape the chicken mixture into nuggets. Don't make them too large or they'll take too long to cook. You can make them round or square or any other shape you like. The shape isn't at all important, so you can have fun with this step.


Place your chicken nuggets on a cutting board and place in the freezer. Allow nuggets to freeze for 2 to 3 hours, until frozen throughout.


Heat oil to 360°F. Place 1 cup of flour in a shallow dish. Place the other cup of flour in a bowl and add the water. Mix well to create a batter. Remove the chicken from the freezer. Roll each nugget in the flour, then dip in the batter, and roll in the flour once again.


Place nuggets gently into heated oil, being careful not to splash or otherwise burn yourself. Fry for 7 to 10 minutes, depending on how large you made your nuggets. Remove from oil and drain well. Allow nuggets to cool for 2 minutes before serving.


These nuggets are excellent with a variety of dips and sauces. Try honey mustard, barbeque, plum, cheese, or any sauce you like.

Sliced Cookies: Chocolate Nut Rounds

The cinnamon in this recipe brings out the flavor in the chocolate, making for a delicious cookie that anyone will like. You can chop the nuts more finely than I did, though I like the look of the larger chunks. You can also omit the nuts entirely, or use a different nut.


When melting the chocolate and butter, you can use a pot on the stove or a chocolate melter. I prefer my little chocolate melter, but you can use whatever you prefer to melt the chocolate. A fondue pot would work as well. Allow the chocolate the cool for at least 5 minutes before you add it to the dough to avoid cooking the eggs.


Ingredients


½ cup butter
½ cup chocolate chips
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
2¼ cups all purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon
½ cup walnuts, chopped


Preparation


Melt the butter and chocolate together over medium heat until chocolate is smooth. Do not cook longer than necessary. Remove from heat and allow to cool 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.


Place sugar, vanilla, and egg in a large bowl. Blend well. Add chocolate and blend until smooth and fluffy. Add flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Blend until a damp dough forms. Fold in walnuts.


Turn out the dough onto a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap. Shape the dough into a log that is 12 inches long. Wrap in the wax paper and place in the freezer for at least 1 hour.


Heat oven to 400°F. Remove dough from freezer and unwrap. Use a sharp knife to cut dough into
½-inch rounds. This will give you 24 cookies. Arrange these on a prepared baking sheet, keeping the cooking at least 1 inch away from each other.


Bake for 8 minutes, until cookies are set and browned a bit around the edges. Cool on pan for 1 minute, then cool completely on wire racks.


These cookies will keep for up to 6 days if kept in an airtight container.

Yeast Breads: Southern Sweet Potato Rolls

The sweet potato in this hearty recipe makes for a sweet and exciting roll. For a little more flavor, try adding a little cinnamon to the dough. Maybe even a little nutmeg.


I bake an actual sweet potato for this recipe. You can, if you wish, use canned sweet potato.


Ingredients


1 sweet potato
1¼ tsp quick rise or bread machine yeast
4 cups all purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
¼ cup butter or margarine, softened
1 large egg


Preparation


You first need to bake the sweet potato, so heat your oven to 400°F. Prick the skin of the sweet potato several times with a fork, then wrap it in aluminum foil. Place the wrapped sweet potato in a baking dish. If you don't, you'll end up with a mess on the bottom of the oven no matter how well you wrap the sweet potato.


Bake the sweet potato for 60 to 90 minutes, until you can pierce the sweet potato easily with a fork or knife. Allow sweet potato to cool for 20 minutes, then peel off the skin. If the sweet potato is well cooked, it should come off easily. Discard skin and place your cooked sweet potato in a small bowl. Mash well and allow to cool completely.


Place sweet potato mash in a large bowl. Add all other ingredients and mix until you have a loose dough. Turn this dough out onto a floured surface and knead until it is smooth and elastic. This won't take long, so you'll knead for 5 minutes or less. Don't overwork this dough or it won't rise very well.


Place the kneaded dough in a bowl that has been lightly oiled and cover it with a damp tea towel. You'll need to let it rise in a warm location until doubled in size. This will take a while due to the addition of sweet potato to the dough. Allow up to 90 minutes for this dough to rise.


Punch down the dough to remove the air bubbles. Divide the dough into 18 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball. Place these balls on a prepared baking sheet. Use 2 sheets if you don't have a sheet large enough for 18 rolls. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in size. This will take about an hour.


Heat oven to 375°F. Uncover rolls and bake them for 20 to 25 minutes, until rolls are golden and sound hollow when tapped. Remove immediately from baking sheet and cool on wire racks.


These rolls will keep for up to 5 days if stored in an airtight container.

Yeast Breads: Rosemary Rolls

These rolls are made with a basic French bread dough and topped with rosemary leaves. They're delicious and impressive, especially when served at a large dinner. Put these out when the kids get home from school and watch them disappear. You can even use these rolls for sandwiches. The rosemary adds a delightful flavor to even the most perfect of sandwiches.


Ingredients


1¼ tsp quick rise or bread machine yeast
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup water
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 tsp rosemary leaves


Preparation


These rolls are delightfully easy to prepare. There's no need to dissolve the yeast, so place the yeast, flour, sugar, salt, and water in a large bowl. Do not add the egg and the rosemary leaves; these you will use to top the rolls later. Set aside the egg and rosemary for this purpose.


Mix all other ingredients in the large bowl until you have a loose dough. Turn this dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. This will take about 5 minutes. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Stop as soon as the dough feels smooth.


Place your dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel. Set aside to rise in a warm location until doubled in size. This dough will rise quickly, so this will likely only take 45 minutes. Punch down the dough and divide into 12 equal portions. Take each potion and shape it into a smooth ball. Place these on a prepared baking sheet. Cover with a damp towel and set aside to rise again, this time for about 30 minutes.


Preheat oven to 375°F. Uncover rolls and brush lightly with beaten egg. Crush the rosemary slightly before sprinkling it over the rolls. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until rolls are browned and sound hollow when tapped.


Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Yeast Breads: Oat 'n Wheat Knots

The fun shape of these rolls makes this recipe ideal to get your kids interested in baking. My boys love shaping these, tying them in knots, and baking them up to eat immediately from the oven. The oat and wheat germ give them a fantastic texture, while the all purpose flour keeps them light and fluffy.


Ingredients


3 cups all purpose flour
½ cup rolled oats
¼ cup wheat germ
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1¼ tsp bread machine or quick rise yeast
1 cup milk
3 tbsp butter
1 egg


Preparation


These are not at all difficult to make, especially since we're using quick rise yeast instead of traditional yeast. Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until you have a loose dough. Turn this loose dough out onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is soft and elastic, about 5 minutes.


Put the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Set aside to rise until doubled in size. This will take about 60 minutes. Punch down the risen dough to remove all air bubbles.


Divide dough into 12 pieces. Roll each piece out into a rope that is about 6 inches long. Tie up each rope into a small knot. Arrange the knots on a prepared baking sheet. Cover and set aside to rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.


Heat oven to 375°F. Bake for 20 minutes, until knots are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.


Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Easy Side Dishes: Hot Pepper & Mozza Risotto

Risotto is delicious and easy to make. This version uses hot pepper flake and mozzarella cheese to make something smooth and tasty. And it only takes about 25 minutes to prepare. Make a slightly larger batch and you can serve it as a main course.


You can use other types of rice, if you like. A short grained rice like Arborio rice works well, but other rice will also produce a delicious meal. The texture will be slightly different, but that's not always a bad thing.


Ingredients


¼ cup butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 crushed garlic cloves
1½ cups Arborio rice
2 cups vegetable broth
2½ cups water
½ cup mozzarella cheese, grated or shredded
½ tsp dried hot pepper flakes
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp black pepper
1 tsp sea salt


Preparation


Before you begin, place the water and the vegetable broth in a saucepan and warm it over low heat on the stove. This will keep it warm so you're not adding cold liquid to a warm pan later.


Melt the butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, cooking until onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add rice and toss to coat the grains in butter. Using a ladle, add about 1 cup of liquid from the saucepan to the rice, stirring almost constantly. When the liquid has been almost absorbed, add another scoop of liquid, still using the ladle. Continue adding liquid when needed until you've used all the liquid. Make sure to stir constantly.


By now, the rice should be soft and almost creamy. When you add the final scoop of liquid, add all remaining ingredients to the rice and remove it from the heat. Stir well until cheese is melted and seasoning is well distributed.


Serve immediately. Leftover risotto can be refrigerated. To reheat, throw in a pan over medium-high heat and add ¼ cup of water. Stir constantly until risotto is hot.