Rosemary Rolls

I love bread.

There, I said it. Mea culpa.

I know I'm not alone in this love affair.

If you have ever chosen a restaurant based on the bread they serve before the meal; this recipe is for you.

If you can and often do make a meal of of salad and breadsticks; this recipe is for you.

If you think the Atkins diet is one of the worst ideas in history; this recipe is for you.

If you just need a yummy roll to serve with dinner tonight; this recipe is for you.

Actually, I can't think of anyone this recipe isn't for.

Here's all you need:

Frozen dinner rolls (I use Rhodes brand)
Butter
Rosemary
Coarse sea salt





If you're one of those people that have a great bread recipe, feel free to use it. I'm lazy so I picked out a package of frozen rolls and they came out wonderful.

Place the frozen rolls in a well greased baking dish. Make sure they are not too close together so that they have enough room to rise. This is a little too much room, so I'm going to add one more roll.

Cover the dish with a clean dish towel place in a non drafty area of your kitchen and leave for 3 to 5 hours. Obviously, if you'd like to have these for dinner you need to plan ahead.

4 hours later, look! I pulled away the towel and they have risen! I guess that's a joke better delivered at Easter time.


Chop up some fresh Rosemary. I LOVE Rosemary, the aroma is magnificent and the taste... minty, pine-y & flowery goodness.



You know what comes next, right?

Of course you do.

Butta.

Melt some butter and add the fresh chopped Rosemary.

Baste the rolls with the butter and Rosemary.

Make sure you cover them well...

sprinkle with coarse sea salt

yep. This is gonna be SO good.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown (double check your package directions).

Sweet Georgia Brown!

Soft, warm and so flavorful right out of the oven. I'm going to try not to eat half the pan right now.

Enjoy these with pasta, chicken or your next holiday feast! I'm going to enjoy them all by themselves!

Mashed Cauliflower

Back when I was vigilant about monitoring my carb intake this side dish was a staple in my house. Mostly because its deceptively delicious but also because its good for me. Yes, me specifically. I firmly believe that the food we put into our bodies can heal as well as harm us. Now that doesn't always stop me from shoving a hostess cupcake in my mouth every now and again. But it does entice me to get creative with a family of vegetables I have a tendency to overlook. The Cabbage Family. I can easily say that broccoli was the only veggie from this family that I enjoyed eating, that is, until I got to know cauliflower. It really didn't take long for us to get acquainted and now I know how incomplete my life was without it. Not only is it perfect for crudites and scrumptious lightly steamed but by night it dons a cape and a snug fitting leotard and becomes a superfood with cancer fighting properties. Cauliflower contains two major weapons in its cancer fighting arsenal: Indole-3-Carbinol, or I3C, and the photonutrient sulforaphane. In research sulforaphane was found to reduce breast tumor growth by 40 percent by sweeping toxins, that would normally damage cells and turn cancerous, out of the system. I3C works as an anti-estrogen and since high levels of estrogen foster tumor growth lowering the estrogen count lowers the chances of tumor growth. The same is true for all vegetables in the Cruciferous family and with my family history, I need all the help I can get.
So for those of you who only like your broccoli covered in cheese and would prefer mashed potatoes to steamed vegetables I give you: Fauxtatoes. Even my dad likes these. THAT is saying something.



I made this small batch for Liam, he's a fan too.



Here is what you will need:



1 head fresh cauliflower or 1 bag frozen

2 Tablespoons 1/3 less fat cream cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

2 ingredients. Seriously, it doesn't get any easier than that. If you're not pleasantly surprised at how well this works, then there is no hope for you because you're worse than my husband.





I bought a bag of frozen because my store's produce section is shoddy at best and the cauliflower was already browning.

Drop the cauliflower into a pot with just a bit of water in the bottom. Bring water to a boil and allow florets to steam for 5 to ten minutes. The cauliflower should be tender enough for a fork to easily pierce but not too soft that its mushy, you don't want to steam all the nutrients out of it.

Drain the water and add the cream cheese

If you like lumpy mashed potatoes a hand masher will do just fine... I happen to prefer my mashed potatoes whipped like cream so I'm going to give mine a spin in the food processor.

I SWEAR, its not potato. But it is just as satisfying. Try it soon!

Pumpkin Butter Cake

"The proximity of a desirable thing tempts one to overindulgence. On that path lies danger."

If you are calorie conscious, prone to fits of emotional eating, or just have a sweet tooth the size of an elephant tusk you may want to go here instead


Don't say I didn't warn you.

Pumpkin Butter Cake. You know you're in trouble when BUTTER is right in the name. There is no escaping it.

This is one of those recipes, like my father's Christmas steak stroganoff, that should only be made once a year. Usually I only make this for Thanksgiving dessert. But this year I'm making an exception to that rule so that I can share it with you.

Yes, I'm selfless.

Here is what you will need:

For the Cake:
1 (18 1/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted

For the Filling:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat your oven to 350.

Melt the butter and set aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl crack one egg

add the cake mix and blend.

slowly add the cooled, melted butter.

Once the cake mix is fully blended

Drop the batter into a lightly greased 9 by 13 baking dish


and pat, pat, pat.

until the bottom of the dish is evenly covered. Set aside.

In the same mixing bowl add the pure pumpkin and softened cream cheese. Do not make the mistake I once made and use pumpkin pie filling. The end result will be a sloppy mess and that's not good for anyone.

Blend the pumpkin and cream cheese

add the eggs, vanilla and blend.

Now Please DON'T FREAK OUT. Its only butter. Calmly add the butter,

Cinnamon, nutmeg,

and the powdered sugar. Blend until everything is well incorporated.

pour the filling onto the cake crust

and spread out evenly.

Pop into the oven for about 50 minutes or until the center is only slightly giggly. I think mine went for a little over an hour but our oven is old.

The edges will be browned and the center will be soft and gooey, but not runny.

You'll know when its done...

...it will just feel right.

Excuse me now, I have some business to tend to.

Sage Sausage and Apple Stuffing

If you don't already have an extraordinary Thanksgiving stuffing recipe look no further! Come to think of it, even if you do, Look no further! You might like to switch it up this year and give this little beauty a try. I don't have pictures for this post because I haven't made it since last year but trust me when I tell you that this stuffing will MAKE your Thanksgiving dinner. Your turkey can be as dry and cardboard, your mashed potatoes as appetizing as paste but with this on the table, no one will notice. And for years to come everyone will be singing your praises as the stuffing queen, or king.

I think I adapted this years ago from one of Paula Deen's recipes

Here is what you will need:


1/2 loaf of bread dried and cubed (I use s combo of whole wheat and sourdough)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan and topping
1 pound fresh sage sausage, casing removed
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cooking apples, such as Rome, or Golden Delicious, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 to 2 ribs celery with leaves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Put the stuffing cubes in a large bowl and set aside. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and break up with a wooden spoon. Cook until it loses most of its pink color, but not so much that it's dry, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage and pan drippings to the stuffing cubes. Melt the remaining butter in the pan. Add the onion, apple, celery, and salt. Cook until the vegetables get soft, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and parsley and bring to a boil.
Pour the vegetable mixture over the stuffing cubes and toss until evenly moistened. Mix in the eggs. Loosely pack the dressing in the prepared pan and cook uncovered until the top forms a crust, about 40 minutes. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of turkey pan drippings or melted butter over the top. Cook until the top is crisp and golden, about 20 minutes more. Set immediately or warm.

Tip: Put the dressing in the oven during the last hour of cooking the turkey

I really can't wait for this. I'm actually making two batches. One for the table and one to be sure there are 'leftovers'.

Barbecue Pulled Pork

We can never go out to eat in a restaurant again. Liam simply will not have it. From the minute we are seated he turns into a snarling, twisted knot of tot that cannot be contained. And while I'm content to ignore his antics, fellow diners may find him... distracting.
So since we're not able to dine out I'm accumulating a nice little stock pile of recipes to turn to when I get the itch. Today's itch was Barbecue.
Here, in North Carolina, that means pulled pork.

There are two schools of thought when it comes to Carolina Barbecue: Eastern style and Western or 'Lexington' style. The differences between the two range from the type and amount of sauce, the cut of the meat and even accompanying slaw. I'm not concenered, so much, with the latter two. Its the sauce that really makes or breaks BBQ for me. Which is why I'm a Western style gal, myself. Eastern is basically the meat and the teeniest bit of vinegar based sauce. And whenever I find myself eating it, I also find myself, very discretely, looking around for bottle of Texas Pete or KC Masterpiece. Which is probably a crime punishable by death in some parts of the state.

Right or wrong I like barbecue on my, ahem, barbecue.

This recipe is adapted from my friend Donna's recipe. I get by with a little help from my friends.

Here is what you will need:

2 lbs Pork roast, trimmed
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons smokey paprika
2 Tablespoons crushed red pepper
1 Tablespoon onion flakes
1 teaspoon garlic powder


**If you do not have all the spices in your spice cabinet, McCormick makes a slow cooker packet which is almost identical to this recipe.




I had never tried Smithfield before, but hey if its good enough for Paula Deen...

I love Paula Deen.

Out of the package, rinse the roast

and with a sharp knife trim away the excess fat.

Place the roast in the slow cooker.

mix together: Paprika, garlic powder,

Crushed red pepper,

and onion flakes

cover the roast with the spice rub.

Now drop in the brown sugar,

Ketchup and vinegar.
Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8. I ended up doing a combination for about 6 hours.


Remove from the slow cooker.




If the meat pulls away easily from the roast its finished cooking.




Using two forks, pull the meat from the roast.

Once all the meat is shredded return the the slow cooker


and coat with remaining sauce. I let it sit in the slow cooker for another 10 minutes to warm it back up again before serving.

BBQ pulled pork with melty cheddar on a potato bun with green beans.

I'm one happy girl, y'all.