Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Easy Bread Maker Rolls

These rolls are seriously SOOO good. We like to make them with half wheat flour and half white flour and they turn out so light and fluffy with such good flavor. If you prefer a white roll, these also make exceptional white rolls.

I also LOVE that the work is done with a bread maker!


Bread Maker Dinner Rolls
Ingredients:
1 cup water
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 egg
3 1/4 cups AP flour (OR  you can do what I did and add 1 1/2 cups wheat flour and 1 3/4 cups AP flour instead)
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons regular active dry yeast 
                       OR
3 teaspoons bread machine yeast or quick-acting active dry yeast

Directions:
1. Place all ingredients in bread pan in the order listed. Set your machine to the Dough Cycle and press START.
2. Heat oven to 375°. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Divide dough into 15 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Brush with butter. Cover; let rise for 30 to 40 minutes or until doubled in size.
3. Once risen, bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Brush tops with butter if desired. 

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Yummy Steak Fajitas

These fajitas are seriously so good, and SOO ridiculously easy. They don't have to be made with steak either, they can be thrown together with whatever meat you have in the house, but the steak happens to be my personal favorite.


Steak Fajitas

1 green bell peppers, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 cups diced cooked steak (or any other type of meat that you have on hand!)
1 .7 oz package dry italian dressing mix
tomatoes, chopped
shredded cheese
tortillas
sour cream

Instructions:
Sauté peppers and onions in small amount of oil until tender. Add mushrooms and meat. Cook on low heat until heated through. Add dressing mix and stir it all together. Serve with chopped tomatoes, cheese, sour cream and warm tortillas. 

Side note:
One of my favorite things about these fajitas is that they make even better leftovers! This recipe is perfect for my small family of two to have leftovers for a few days. 

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Honey-Orange Pork Tenderloin

My friend Kara introduced me to pork tenderloin, and I am so glad she did!  If you have never cooked pork tenderloin, it is DELICIOUS!  And inexpensive.  And healthy!  I needed some fancy enough to serve to guests one Sunday, as well as something that didn't cost a lot, and she suggested pork tenderloin.  We have had it twice now, and it is so tender and flavorful it has become on of our favorite things to make.

Our Best Bites has several excellent recipes for pork tenderloin. Kara really loves the garlic-rosemary recipe they have. We tried the Honey-Orange, and it is awesome.  Click here to find the full recipe, complete with pictures and instructions.

Honey-Orange Pork Tenderloin
Recipe lightly adapted from Cooking Light
Ingredients:
1/3 cup orange marmalade
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
1 1-pound(ish) pork tenderloin
Kosher salt and black pepper

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the marmalade, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and honey. Reserve 2 tablespoons and set the sauce aside.
Heat the oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Season the pork tenderloin with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, add the tenderloin and cook for 1-2 minutes or until a golden brown crust starts to form. Flip the tenderloin over and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until the entire tenderloin is golden brown. Remove from heat. Pour about 1/2 of the sauce over the pork. Place the pan in the oven and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and flip the tenderloin over. Add the remaining sauce (not the reserved 2 tablespoons) and place the pan back into the oven. Cook for another 10 minutes or until a thermometer reads 155 degrees. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Drizzle with reserved sauce and cut into 1/2″ slices. Serve immediately with a salad or vegetables. 1 1-pound tenderloin serves 4.