Lion House Dinner Rolls

Yesterday I attempted making the Lion House Dinner rolls. We had these at our wedding breakfast and oh boy...they are so good. I could die eating them. You can't stop with one roll. So, I tried to make them at home. I have the Lion House recipe book (Trevor got it for me for Christmas. :) And He wanted me to give it a shot.

The dough was unlike anything I had ever made before. It was more liquidity than my other breads. The recipe had me whip the bread at a higher speed. It just had a super smooth texture and boy, did it rise FAST and it got LARGE. Overall, the bread was good. Little work on the technique, and flavor. I was most disappointing in the flavor...there wasn't any. I think it's because I used shortening instead of butter (the recipe said I could use it.) I didn't have any butter to use or that would have been my first choice. Overall, it turned out pretty good!

The inside texture was good too! Light and fluffy - just missing the flavor. I'll get it though. :)

See how big that got! It didn't rise more than an hour, and that's WAY more than double in size!

The batch was suppose to make 18 rolls. I got more. (There was a second pan)

Final results.  Don't those look yummy! They are super soft and fluffy inside.

We've been making Trevor's lunches on these. He's has some sandwich shots for lunch. :)

- SamiMae

Yummy Salad

Sunday night, we had a bit of extra lettuce, apple and avocado. I whipped up some chicken to top it with. So, I turned it into a salad. I wish I had a cucumber, red onion, and cherry tomatoes. It was tasty even without that stuff though.. I put a bit of raspberry vinaigrette on it  and it was quite tasty. 

- SamiMae

Balsalmic Potatoes

Today I gave something new a try. I attempted some balsamic potatoes. They turned out pretty tasty, except they didn't get cooked at first, then I had to put some water in to steam them, at near the end the balsamic was all dried up. But, I REALLY this this dish has potential. It was tasty and good, but I know I can improve it for next time. 

Ingredients: 

- Potatoes

- Green onions (I got to use some from my container garden!)

- Minced Garlic

- Salt/pepper

- Balsamic vinegar

- Veggie oil

- Rosemary

-Thyme

1.  Start by cutting up your potatoes, green onions and garlic. Put in a pan with a little bit of oil and cook, covered, for a few minutes. This is to heat them up pretty well and cook the garlic. After a few minutes add in the rosemary and thyme. Give it a good sprinkle. 

2. Transfer potatoes to a pan which will then be put in the oven at either 350 or 400. Pour a little balsamic on it. I used 3 russet potatoes and used just under 1/4th a cup of balsamic. It might be best to put in a little bit of water. It helps to steam the potatoes and help them cook. If you don't put in a little water, you might get what I got, dry crusted potatoes. The balsamic was all cooked up and the leftovers were seasoning on the potatoes. 

3. Pop in the oven and cook until soft and enjoy

In the pan. 

With thyme and rosemary added.

This is what they would have looked like had they been steamed. At this point they were suppose to be done, but were still crunchy and needed some water added to it. 

I'm going to give this recipe another shot and maybe they'll be more moist!

- SamiMae

Haystacks with Veggies

So last night as I was thinking of what to cook, I found a recipe that had broccoli in it and looked really good. But after looking at the ingredients, I realized its just haystacks with broccoli in it. lol.

But, I still made it. It was tasty. I added some garlic and onion seasonings in it to give it a bit more flare.

- SamiMae

Broccoli and Cheese Sandwiches

Lunch can be boring, with the same old turkey or ham sandwich. A few days  ago, I mixed it up a bit with some broccoli and cheese sandwiches. These little guys come together really fast and taste, oh so yummy!

Ingredients:

- Bread

- Cheese (Shredded cheddar or Velveeta)

- Broccoli

- Butter

- Olive Oil

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put desired amount of broccoli on baking sheet, drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the broccoli, maybe some salt, and pop it in the oven. Let it cook for about 8 minutes. We want the broccoli soft. 

2. Slice bread and butter one side with butter. Remove broccoli from oven.

3. Put bread, face down, in a skillet, put cheese on top, the broccoli, then a second layer of cheese, then the top slice of bread. This way the cheese holds the broccoli in place. 

4. Cook on low, and cover. I've burned mine each time, because the heat is too high and the cheese doesn't melt fast enough. 

5. Turn over and cook on the other side. Be sure to watch it. You want it under cooked before you want it over cooked. Burnt bread is nasty. lol

I make mine on homemade bread. It's oh so delicious. I'd recommend sprinkling some salt on it before you put the top slice of bread on, so it'll help  bring out flavors. It's a pretty mild dish, but creamy. I've used Velveeta once or twice. Ohh....I was passed out on the couch shortly afterwards, but it was so yummy. :) 

I like to serve mine with a veggie, like carrots as well. It makes for a quick fast lunch. :) 

- SamiMae

Cilantro Ramen Noodles

I have quite a bit of cilantro and need to figure out how to use it up before it goes bad. Last night I made the Cilantro, Lime and Garlic Chicken but wanted a side dish. I was tired of rice or pasta noodles. So after a while of Pinteresting, I found this recipe. I changed mine up quite a bit, but got the idea from the Noble Pig blog.

I gotta say, I was worried, but it turned out pretty good!

Ingredients:
- 2 packages of Ramen noodles (any flavor, we don't use the packets).
- Mr. Yoshida's seasoning
- Peas
- Sesame seeds
- Green onions
- Vegetable oil
- Cilantro

1. Gather ingredients. Cut up green onions and cilantro ahead of time.

2. Cook the Ramen in boiling water for about 3 minutes

3. Drain Ramen and rinse it with cold water.

4. Leave Ramen in strainer, temporarily.

5. Use a LITTLE bit of oil to saute the green onions and warm the peas up. I used a bit to much and mine was a little oily, I had to drain some of it out. 

6. (Optional), I would recommend draining this oil out after it's sauteed. The Mr. Yoshida's has quite a bit of oil already in it. 

7. Pour in noodles, and some Mr. Yoshida's. I sprinkled some sesame seeds in there, just for a bit of flair. 

8. Stir and Enjoy!

This could have been great with broccoli or snap peas instead or in addition. I found it a little difficult to mix everything together. The peas didn't want to mix in with the noodles, so I just dished it out on top. 

In the pan, about ready!

Ta-Da! Dinner is done! 

- SamiMae

Cilantro, Lime and Garlic Chicken

So, I bought some cilantro this week and wanted to try to use most of it. So, I gave this idea a shot! It was risky and I didn't know if it'd taste good, but it worked!


Ingredients:
- Chicken
- Chili Powder
- Cumin
- Garlic
- Lime
- Cilantro
- Green onions
- Vegetable Oil



It's super easy. :)

1. Put a little bit of oil in a pan and spread it around the pan. Start heating it up while you put your chicken in (I used frozen chicken breasts).

2. Sprinkle some cumin and chili powder on it. I went really light with mine, afterwards, I realized I could have put some more on.

3. Sprinkle on the garlic and green onions as well. These become sauteed in the pan with the chicken.

4. Squeeze 1/4th a lime on it. I went easy, you can customize how you'd like.

5. Cover and let cook for a while.

6. Just before it's completely cooked, turn chicken over to cook the other side.

7. Sprinkle some chopped cilantro on top, cover. Turn off heat and let the chicken sit for about 7 minutes so it can absorb the seasonings.

Pretty simple ingredients

Green onions, garlic, cumin and chili powder

Final product. YUM!

I served this with the Cilantro Ramen Noodles. The Cilantro in the meal wasn't overpowering at all.

It's pretty easy. You really can't screw this up. Adjust the spices to whatever you prefer. I went easy because I'm still learning the strength of some of my spices.


- SamiMae