Grandma Kathy's Lion House Rolls

2 Tablespoons yeast
2 cups warm water
1/3 Cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening, margarine or butter
2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup nonfat dry milk
1 egg
5 to 6 cups flour
melted butter or margarine

Mix yeast and water and let stand 5 minutes. Add sugar, shortening, salt, dry milk, egg, and 2 cups of the flour. Beat together until smooth. Gradually add remaining flour until soft dough is formed. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and kneed until smooth and elastic.

Place in greased bowl; cover and rise until double in bulk. Punch down, divide into thirds. Roll out one third of dough into a circle; cut into 12 pie shaped pieces. Starting at wide end, roll up each piece into a crescent. Place on greased baking sheet with point on bottom. Repeat with remainder of dough. Brush tops with melted butter or margarine. Let rise until double. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.


*Do you have a bread mixer (like a kitchen aid?) I would recommend using one. When I do it I use my kitchen aid and I don't knead the bread. I just let it rise in the mixer, then punch it down with the mixer. Less mess, less muscle involvement.

Perfect Steel-Cut Oats (Oat Groats)

Perfect Steel-Cut Oats
serves 2-4, depending on how hungry you are!

3 cups water
1 cup steel-cut oats
pinch of salt

Bring the water to a boil and stir in the oats and salt. Let the water and oats come back to a boil then reduce to medium-low heat.

Let the oats simmer with the lid slightly ajar, stirring frequently until cooked through - 20 minutes for chewy oats or 30 minutes for softer oats.

Stir in extras like milk, sweeteners, nuts, and fruit off the heat in individual bowls. Leftovers keep for one week.

YUMMY, EASY, HEALTHY(er) chocolate cake

I made this for my Dad's birthday the other day, experimenting with a recipe I found online by substituting bean puree for the oil. It was delicious. I may try it with a little bit less sugar or some sugar substitute next time.

3 C. Flour
2 C. Sugar
2 tsp. soda
1/3 C. cocoa powder
1 tsp salt

3/4 C. oil (I used bean puree instead--just puree a can of beans with the juice until it is smooth. OR, if you want to reduce the sodium, rinse the beans first and add enough water to make it about the consistency of thick applesauce).

2 tsp. vineger
1 tsp. vanilla

2 C water

Sift dry ingredients together. Make 3 holes in the dry mixture. Pour oil(beans) in one, vinegar in one, and vanilla in the other. Pour water over the top of all of it, beat with a fork.

Bake at 350 in a greased 9x13 pan for 35 to 40 minutes.

I topped it with store-bought fudge frosting. It was rich enough that it would probably be good with just a little bit of powdered sugar to cut more fat and calories.

Sunny's Pumpkin Bread With Bean Puree

My friend Sunny shared this yummy, healthy pumpkin bread recipe.

1 1/3 Cups Sugar
1/3 Cup white bean puree*
2 eggs
8 oz. canned pumpkin
1/3 Cup water
1 2/3 Cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves

optional: chocolate chips, nuts, raisins

*Rinse a can of great northern white beans and puree in a blender with 1/2 cup water. bean puree should be the consistency of applesauce.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a bread pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Mix sugar, beans, eggs, and water. Stir in dry ingredients and mix well until blended. Pour into bread pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from pan and let cool completely before slicing.

***2 oz. slice has 140 calories and 2 grams of fat (vs. 200-300 calories and 8-15 grams of fat found in traditional pumpkin breads).

How To Make Brown Rice

1. Put brown rice and water together in a pot with a lid. Use the ratio of 1.5 cups water to 1 cup rice. I normally make 3c rice with 4.5c water for a single batch.

2. Set the heat to maximum, and bring the rice/water to a boil uncovered. Then put the lid on the pot, and reduce the heat to low/simmer. If your lid has a steam valve, keep it closed. Let the rice simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Turn off the heat, and let the rice sit in the covered pot for another 10 minutes. It’s OK if you let the rice sit longer than 10 minutes (20 or 30 minutes is fine too), but don’t let it go any less. I prefer my rice to be slightly chewy, not mushy, so I usually remove the lid after 10 minutes.

4. Eat and enjoy. Be careful when you remove the lid, since a lot of steam may escape when you do.

Spinach Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing and Sugared Nuts

I got this from Lindsay, who got it from yourhomebasedmom.com



Baby Spinach

Red onion, chopped (as much as you like)

Strawberries, sliced

Sugared Nuts (1/2 C nuts to 1/4 sugar)

Poppy Seed Dressing

Combine spinach and dressing and top with strawberries, nuts and red onion.

Poppy Seed Dressing:

1/2 canola oil

1/4 C apple cider vinegar

1/3 C sugar

2 Tbsp sesame seeds

1 Tbsp poppy seeds

1 1/2 tsp dried minced onion

1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp paprika.

Mix together ingredients well and pour over spinach

Herbed Roasted Red Potatoes

Ingredients:

8 small red potatoes, cut into wedges
1 medium onion, cut in 6 to 8 wedges
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons butter
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 to 1 teaspoon chopped basil, fresh or freeze-dried
1 to 2 teaspoons chopped parsley, fresh or freeze-dried
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400°. Oil a shallow baking pan.

Combine potato wedges, onion wedges, and seasonings in a large bowl; toss to combine and coat potatoes. Transfer potatoes to the prepared pan. Roast for about 30 to 40 minutes, turning occasionally, until potatoes are tender and golden brown.
Serves 4.

Cheyanne's Spaghetti Casserole

Ever since Cheyanne brought our family this yummy dish, our kids have been asking for it. Thanks, Cheyanne!

1 pound hamburger
1 T minced onions
garlic salt to taste
pepper to taste
1/2 pound spaghetti, cooked
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 can tomato soup
1 soup can full of water
2 cups mozzarella and cheddar, shredded

Mix all ingredients together, holding some of the cheese to add to the top. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

Kate's Rice

Kate is a chef. She loves to cook and she's excellent at it. Here's the recipe for Kate's Rice that her friend Sherry taught her to make.

1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
4 chicken bouillon cubes dissolved in 2 cups boiling water
3/4 Cups uncooked white rice
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. white pepper
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Mix together and back at 350 degrees for 1 hour.