Soft Pretzel Bites

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c. warm water
• 1 1/8 tsp. active dry yeast
• 2 T. brown sugar
• 1 1/8 tsp. salt
• 3 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 c. bread flour
• 2 c. warm water
• 2 T. baking soda
• Kosher salt
• butter

Pour the warm water into a bowl and stir in the yeast until dissolved. Add the brown sugar and salt and stir. Add the flour. (You can use all-purpose flour for all four cups if you don't have bread flour, but using 1 c. bread flour is best.) Knead dough until smooth and elastic. Let rise for about an hour.

When dough is almost done rising, combine 2 c. hot water and the baking soda. Stir well several times. 

Pinch off bits of dough and shape. You can roll it out into a long snake and shape into pretzels, but we tend to just use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into pretzel bite shapes. Dip each pretzel into the baking soda water and place on a greased baking sheet. Allow pretzels to rise again for about 30 minutes. 

Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with butter and sprinkle with kosher salt. Dip in your favorite pretzel dip and enjoy! 

Honey Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken

 This is a quick, easy, and really yummy dinner! Serve over rice, noodles, or as a sandwich filling.

Ingredients:

• 2 Chicken breasts, frozen 
• ½ cup low salt soy sauce 
• ⅓ cup chicken broth 
• 1 tsp garlic powder 
• ⅓ cup rice vinegar 
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• ½ tsp ginger 
• ½ tsp paprika 
• ½ cup honey 
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch 
• Green onion, diced (to taste)

Directions: 

Place frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot. Add soy sauce, chicken broth, garlic powder, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger and paprika. Pour honey and mix until everything is well incorporated and chicken is coated with sauce. 

Close the Instant Pot and close the valve. Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. Manually release steam and open the lid. 

Using 2 forks roughly shred the chicken. 

Set Instant Pot to sauté and sprinkle chicken with cornstarch. Mix and let the sauce thicken around 5 minutes. 

Serve on rice or noodles or in sandwiches. Sprinkle with diced green onion on top.

Jenn's Favorite Cinnamon Rolls

I use elements for my cinnamon rolls from all different places / recipes, but I have perfected my family's favorite way to enjoy cinnamon rolls and wanted to put all of it here so I don't have to look so hard in the future!

Dough

I use the same dough recipe as this one. I often use half the dough for the cinnamon rolls and finish the other half as regular rolls for dinner. 

1 1/2 cups of milk
3/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 egg
1 Tablespoon salt
2 Tablespoons yeast
2 cups of warm water
about 9-10 cups of all purpose flour
at least 1 cup of butter

To start out: Scald 1 1/2 cups of milk, 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup of butter, in a microwave safe bowl, for 2-3 minutes. Cutting the butter into pieces helps it melt faster. There will probably be some little cubes of butter still floating in the hot mixture, they will melt.

We are going to add yeast to this hot mixture, but it will be too hot to just dump the yeast straight in (it would kill it!). To cool it down stir in 2 cups of flour, then add 1 egg and 1 Tablespoon of salt, and leave it to cool for a couple of minutes. Meanwhile, in a measuring cup dissolve 2 Tablespoons of yeast in 2 cups of warm water and 1 Tablespoon of sugar. Let it sit for a couple of minutes until it is bubbly.

Make sure your milk mixture is just warm, not boiling and add the yeast mixture.

Using a fork or wooden spoon, gradually stir in 7-8 additional cups of flour (including the cups you already added there will be a total of 9 - 10 cups of four). I would recommend only adding 2 cups at time and stirring in between. These rolls turn out so much better when they are mixed by hand.

At the end the dough will be dense and sticky, and may be hard to stir, you can use your hands to incorporate the rest of the flour if needed. Be sure not to add too much flour. Then smooth the dough out and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Leave it in a warm place and let it raise.

Filling

After the dough has doubled in size, punch it down, split in half, and then roll out the dough into a large rectangle on a floured surface. Lightly butter the dough. Mix the following ingredients together: 

1/2 c. butter, softened but not melted

1/2 c. brown sugar

2. T. ground cinnamon

1/8  tsp. salt

Mix well and spread evenly over the dough. Roll up the rectangle and cut into equal sized rolls. Allow to rise again on a greased baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes.

Frosting

We often double this, depending on the number of rolls. 

7 T. butter, softened

2 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 T. milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1.5 cups powdered sugar

1/4 tsp salt

Cream butter and cream cheese together until creamy. Blend in milk and vanilla, and then powdered sugar and salt. 

We like this best when we put a thin layer of frosting on all the rolls when they are hot out of the oven. Then we reserve the rest for when the rolls have cooled.

Iced Pumpkin Cookies

 These are REALLY yummy!

If you want the best pumpkin cookies you have ever had, try this recipe. 

The trick is to not over stir the wet ingredients with the dry.  

Ingredients

Cookies:

• 5 cups all-purpose flour

• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 2 teaspoons baking soda

• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1  teaspoon ground cloves

• 1  teaspoon salt

• 3 cups white sugar

• 1 cup butter, softened

• 2 cups canned pumpkin puree

• 2 large eggs

• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 package of chocolate chips

Icing:

• 4 cups confectioners' sugar

• 6 tablespoons milk

• ½ cup melted butter

• 2  teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

• 
  

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

• 
  

• Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cloves,

• and salt in a bowl. Mix until well combined. Set aside.

• 
  

• Cream together sugar and butter in a mixing bowl until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.

• Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla; beat until creamy. 

       Carefully fold wet and dry ingredients without over stirring.  Add chocolate chips.

• 
  

• Spoon dough onto the prepared cookie sheets.

• Bake in the preheated oven until centers are set, about 15 minutes. 

• Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.  Drizzle icing over cooled cookies.

Crispy Rosemary Chicken and Fries

 This is a one pan meal that's in the oven in 15 minutes. It is true comfort food. 

Ingredients

• 8 chicken thighs

• 6 small red potatoes, quartered

• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, or as needed

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

• 1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

• 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder

• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2. Place chicken and potatoes into a large bowl. Pour olive oil over them, and stir to coat. Scatter the chicken and potato pieces in a large baking dish, or cookie sheet with sides. Sprinkle with rosemary, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

3. Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, uncovered. Baste during the last 15 minutes for extra crispness.

Classic Key Lime Pie

Ingredients

• 3 cups sweetened condensed milk

• ¾ cup key lime juice

• ½ cup sour cream

• 1 tablespoon grated lime zest

• 1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Combine condensed milk, key lime juice, sour cream, and lime zest in a bowl; mix well. Pour into graham cracker crust; place pie on a baking sheet.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 5 to 8 minutes, until tiny pinhole bubbles burst on the surface of the pie. The filling will be wobbly but not browned.

4. Transfer pie to a wire rack to cool, then thoroughly chill pie in the refrigerator before serving, about 1 hour. Garnish with lime slices and whipped cream, if desired.

Grilled Lime Coconut Chicken w/ Coconut Rice

 We made this for Father's Day and we just love this meal! 

Ingredients:

Chicken:

• 3 tablespoons oil
• Zest and juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/2 cup canned coconut milk, light or regular
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (see note)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Fresh limes, cut into wedges

Coconut Rice:

• 1 cup jasmine rice
• 1 cup canned coconut milk, light or regular
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions: 

• In a large liquid measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together the oil, lime zest, lime juice, cumin, coriander, soy sauce, salt, sugar, curry powder, coconut milk, and cayenne pepper. Place the chicken in a large ziploc bag and pour the marinade over the chicken. Seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours.
• For the coconut rice, bring the rice, coconut milk, water and salt to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15-16 minutes until the liquid is mostly evaporated. remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork and serving. (Jenn does this in the rice cooker and just adjusts amounts as necessary.
• Preheat a charcoal or gas grill (see note above if not grilling) to medium-high heat. Grill the chicken for 6-7 minutes per side (actual time will depend on the thickness of the chicken). While the chicken is cooking, pour the marinade into a small or medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil and boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Place the grilled chicken on a serving platter or plate. Drizzle with sauce (reserve the remaining sauce to serve separately) and sprinkle fresh cilantro over the top. Serve with lime wedges and additional sauce
  

Grilled Chicken & Strawberry Salad Wraps

 

Ingredients

2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts 

1/2 c. Bottled Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 whole Package (12 Ounces) Mixed Salad Greens

12 whole Medium Strawberries, Hulled And Quartered

4 whole Green Onions, Sliced (White And Light Green Parts)

1/4 c. Pecans, Chopped

4 oz. weight Goat Cheese Crumbled

6 whole Large Whole Wheat Tortillas

Directions

• Place the chicken breasts in a large plastic storage bag. Seal the bag, leaving a small opening, then use a rolling pin to pound the breasts until they're a uniform thickness. Pour in half the balsamic vinaigrette, then seal the bag and marinate in the fridge for 1 hour.
  
  After the chicken has marinated, grill it until it's done in the middle, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. Dice up the chicken when it's cool enough to handle.
  
  Add the salad greens to a large bowl. Add half of the remaining dressing and toss it to coat the greens. Add more if it needs it. Add the strawberries, chicken, green onions, and pecans. Toss it gently a few times until it's all combined. Top with crumbled goat cheese and toss a couple of times.
  
  Place an equal amount of salad down the middle of each tortilla. Roll up, then slice in half.
  
  Serve wraps with chips and extra strawberries.

Grilled Chicken, Strawberry & Avocado Salad

 

Ingredients:

• 1 jar Brianna's Poppy Seed Dressing
• Marinade: 
• ¼ cup Italian-style salad dressing 
• 3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce 
• 2 medium boneless chicken breasts 
• Salad Ingredients: 
• 2 cups baby spinach, torn into bite-sized pieces 
• 2 cups torn romaine lettuce 
• 2 cups hulled and sliced strawberries 
• 1 ripe but firm avocado, pitted and sliced into bite-sized pieces 
• ½ cup toasted pecans 

Directions 

Combine Italian dressing and teriyaki sauce in a sealable container and add chicken. Seal and marinate at least 30 minutes to 1 hour before grilling. 

Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate. 

Remove chicken from marinade and grill until juices run clear, 5 to 8 minutes per side. Remove from heat, let cool about 10 minutes, and cut into bite-sized pieces. 

Toss grilled chicken, spinach, and romaine lettuce together in a large serving bowl. Gently stir in strawberries and avocado. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Top salad with dressing and pecans when serving.

Crispy Tortilla Wraps

This tik tok tortilla wrap recipe has been everywhere lately, but it has truly become one of our favorite quick and easy dinners! You can add whatever ingredients you choose and the meal is ready in 5 minutes: what's not to love? 

Click here for full instructions and details.

Baked Feta Pasta

 If you haven't tried this trendy meal yet, we recommend it! It's so delicious, easy and quick!

INGREDIENTS

  

• 16 oz Cherry tomatoes  
• 4-5 Cloves Fresh chopped garlic
• 4-5 TBSP Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Dried Italian seasoning   (We used half Trader Joe's Salute 21 Seasoning)
• Salt and pepper To taste
• 1/2 Cup Tomato sauce
• 2 TBSP Grated parmesan cheese
• Fresh basil  
• 4-5 Cups Cooked pasta
• 9 oz Feta Block  

INSTRUCTIONS

 

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
• In a 9" x 9" baking pan, add your feta block (drained) in the center.
• Add the tomatoes around it.
• Sprinkle your chopped garlic over feta and tomatoes.
• Drizzle 2-3 TBSP of olive oil all over the cheese and tomatoes.
• Sprinkle seasoning on top.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese feels soft.
• While baking, boil water and cook your pasta then drain.
• Take out your feta tomato dish lightly mash with a fork or potato masher. Add your drained pasta.
• Optional: add your fave tomato sauce, drizzle with more olive oil, add fresh basil and parmesan cheese.

NOTES

If your garlic is toasting too much on top of the feta, cover with a piece of foil.