Author: Busy Mom

In the past, my homemade dinner rolls have always turned out okay, but not very impressive. Like not good enough that I’d be confident sharing the recipe with other people. But today was a whole other story. These rolls were a-maz-ing. As you can see below, I divided the recipe’s instructions into 10 steps, but really it’s a very simple, easy recipe. I wish I could just cut open one of these rolls, spread some butter on there and feed you through the computer, but technology hasn’t advanced that way yet… so give the recipe a try and I hope you enjoy these delicious dinner rolls!

Dinner Rolls Recipe

Ingredients (yields about 24 rolls):

• 1 1/2 C. milk
• 1 stick (8 Tbsp.) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1/2 C. granulated sugar
• 1 package (about 2 1/4 tsp.) active dry yeast
• 1/2 C. warm water
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 6 C. bread flour (plus more as needed. I probably used about 7 1/2 C. total)
• about 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• optional: a little salted butter to spread on top after the rolls come out of the oven and maybe a little more to spread in the middle of them while eating.

Instructions:

1. Place milk in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer (stir frequently with whisk so milk doesn’t burn). Stir in the cubes of butter and the sugar. Remove from heat and let cool a bit.
2. Combine warm water and yeast in a bowl. Stir and let sit for a few minutes until frothy. (You don’t want the water too hot or too cold. Mine was on the too-cold side so the yeast wasn’t reacting and getting frothy. The save? I set the bowl (glass bowl) right next to the burner I had just turned off (from warming the milk). It got nice and frothy in a couple minutes. Whew!)
3. Crack eggs into a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and beat lightly with a spoon. When the milk/butter/sugar mixture is cool enough to not scramble the eggs, pour it into the mixing bowl. Add the yeast mixture and stir everything together.
4. Stir in flour, one cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the bowl. Gently knead the dough, adding flour as needed so it’s not too sticky.
5. Lift the giant dough ball up and put about 1 Tbsp. olive oil in the bowl and rub it onto the edges of the bowl. Put the dough back into the bowl, cover with a clean dish cloth, and let rise for about 1 hour in a warm place (until size is about doubled).
6. Punch down dough. If there is extra oil on the dough, you can sprinkle a little more flour to absorb the liquid.
7. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. If you use foil, spray the foil with cooking spray. Place 24 dough balls on the baking sheet (try making the dough balls all about the same size so they cook evenly).                                          
8. Cover dough with the clean dish cloth again and let rise another hour or so in a warm place.
9. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove dish cloth and bake rolls for 15-20 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.                                            
10. Remove from oven and brush/spread a little salted butter on top.

We served these rolls with a salad and a yummy mixture of ground beef, onion, garlic, green bell pepper, a can of diced tomatoes, a little salt and some Italian Seasoning. It was a delicious meal! You can store the leftover rolls in a Ziploc freezer bag at room temperature. The next day we used them as sandwich rolls. Yum!

*Inspired by THIS recipe.

[Update: I made this for Easter dinner back in April, but didn’t actually post it back then. So please enjoy this delicious comfort food this Fall/Winter while we wait for Easter to roll around again.]

This hashbrown casserole has been on my “to make” list for a long time! I’m so glad I finally got around to making it this Easter Sunday because it was totally delicious! Definitely my favorite out of our whole meal, including dessert.

Hashbrown Casserole Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped (about 1 C.)
• 1 (30 oz) bag frozen hashbrowns
• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened in microwave
• 1 (10 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 2/3 C. milk
• about 3 C. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 3 cups Corn Flakes, lightly crushed
• 2-3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. and lightly grease a 9×13 inch glass baking dish.
2. Heat a pan to medium heat. Gently swirl the olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add onions and saute for about 5 minutes until translucent. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. In a bowl, combine softened cream cheese, condensed cream of chicken soup, sauteed onions and milk.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the frozen hashbrowns, cream cheese mixture, and shredded cheddar cheese. Mix together with a spoon.
5. Spoon mixture into the baking dish and bake for 45 minutes in preheated oven.
6. In the meantime, stir together the gently crushed corn flakes and the melted butter so that the corn flakes are all lightly coated with the butter. Set aside. After the 45 minutes, top the hash brown casserole with the buttery cornflakes and bake for another 15-20 minutes.

This picture is leftovers from Easter dinner. So yummy. Although on Easter we had blueberries, strawberries, and walnuts on the spinach to make it a little prettier. 🙂

*Inspired by THIS recipe.

We have been trying to eat more whole-foods, plant-based meals. Last night I made mashed potatoes and vegetarian gravy with some steamed kale on the side. The first thing my husband said when we sat down for dinner was ¨Where’s the meat? Ohhh, I guess that’s the point¨. Yes, that was indeed the point. 🙂

Out of the whole meal, the vegetarian gravy was my favorite. Glad there were mashed potatoes to eat with it, of course, but the gravy was like wow good. I could barely tell it was vegetarian!

Vegetarian Gravy Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 C. water
• 1/4 C. raw, unsalted cashews
• 6 medium white button mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 of a large, yellow onion, chopped (about 1 C.)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• 1 small carrot (I used 6 baby carrots), chopped
• 1 tsp. poultry seasoning (I used a combination of rosemary, thyme, parsley, and marjoram)
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. In a blender or food processor, blend together the water and cashews.
2. Heat a skillet to medium-high heat. Add about a tablespoon of water. When it starts to bubble, add the chopped onion, garlic, mushrooms, celery, and carrots. Saute (adding a little water as needed to prevent sticking) for about 5 minutes, or until onions are translucent.                                                                                                      
3. Add the poultry seasoning and salt and pepper. Saute for about 3 more minutes.
4. Add the cooked veggies to the blender/food processor. Blend with the water/cashew mixture until there is a smooth consistency.
5. Pour mixture back into the skillet and let simmer a few minutes to re-heat. Serve immediately and enjoy!

*Inspired by THIS recipe.

These diced yams with smoked paprika make a great side dish. This was my first time cooking with smoked paprika, but my husband assured me the spice smelt good, so they’d most likely turn out tasting good. And he was right! They were crispy with a yummy smokey flavor. And they added some beautiful color to our dinner plates. If you don’t have smoked paprika or don’t like smoked paprika, I’m sure these would taste great without it too. Maybe use black pepper instead if you prefer it that way.

Diced Yams with Smoked Paprika Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 medium-large yams (about 3 lbs. total)
• 3 Tbsp. Pure or Light Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp. Smoked Paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. and line a pan with parchment paper.
2. Wash, peel, and dice the yams (dice into about 1/2 inch cubes).
3. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together diced yams, olive oil, smoked paprika, and salt until evenly distributed.
4. Spread yams evenly onto the pan and bake for 10 minutes, then mix and re-spread, and bake for another 10 minutes, or until yams are tender when punctured with a fork.
5. Serve warm.

For a complete dinner, try these diced yams with chicken, steamed broccoli, and French bread.

*Inspired by THIS recipe.