Skillet Penne, Spinach and Sausage Dinner

This is a fast dinner that all of my kids will eat. I personally love it!

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, minced in food processor

salt

3/4 pound sausage

3 garlic cloves, minced

8 ounces Penne

2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 (5 ounce) bag baby spinach

1/2 cup Parmesan, grated

Pepper

Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and a dash of salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the sausage and cook, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.

Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add penne. Pour the broth and cream over the pasta. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer. stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender about 10 minutes.

Stir in the spinach a handful at a time and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in Parmesan cheese and pepper and serve.

Fluffy Dinner Rolls

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1/3 cup honey

4 tablespoons crisco shortening

3 tablespoons butter

1 large egg

5-5 1/2 cups flour

1 tablespoon yeast

2 teaspoons salt

Microwave the milk, honey, shortening, and butter together until butter and shortening are mostly melted about 2 minutes. Whisk to melt any remaining pieces of butter or shortening, then set aside to cool until just warm. Whisk in the egg.

Combine 5 cups of the flour, yeast, and salt in a Kitchen Aid fitted with dough hook. With the mixer on low speed, add the milk mixture and mix until the dough comes together, about 2 minutes.

Increase mixer speed to medium-low and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. If after 4 minutes more flour is needed, add the remaining 1/2 cup flour, 2 tablespoons at a time, until the dough clears the sides of the bowl but sticks to the bottom.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead by hand to form a smooth, round ball. place in a large lightly oiled bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap. Let rise until double in size 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Grease a 13x9 dish. Turn the dough out onto a clean counter and stretch it into an even 15-inch log. Cut the log into 15 equal pieces and cover with greased saran wrap. Shaping the rolls one at a time fold log in half and then pinch sides down into a ball. Once shaped and put in the dish spray lightly with vegetable spray and cover with saran wrap. Let rise for at least 20 minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Rotate pan halfway through baking. Pull it out of the oven and let it rest in the pan for 5 minutes on a cooling rack. Dump onto cloth and then spread tops with butter.

These rolls get very tall. They are a lot like a roll you would get at a nice restaurant.

Brian and I like to cook these in the dutch oven. Once all the rolls are formed, I roll them in a bowl of melted butter (about 1/3 cup) and put them in the 9x13 dish. I let them rise for 20 minutes and then place them in a 12 quart dutch oven which has 1/4 cup butter melted in the bottom. You will need 14 coals and cook for 30-35 minutes. The bottom of the rolls will be a nice golden brown. The top doesn't brown that much.

Granola

This is my moms recipe. I love it. I have changed it a little bit because I like it softer and with less things in it. The options for add-ins are limitless.

3 cups Oats

1 cup oat bran

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

1/3 cup margarine, my favorite is Land O'Lakes brand

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

You will need a two-quart dish. Microwave oats on high for 2 minutes. I stir it once at least. I let it cool a little, while I soften the margarine in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Add the oat bran and brown sugar. Break up all the brown sugar lumps. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Cook 5 minutes at 70 percent power level stirring once every minute.

You can cook it for a minute longer and it will be crunchier. At camp the girls added all kinds of dried fruit, raisins, m&ms, gummy bears, nuts, sunflower seeds... If you add a fruity candy like gummy bears all of the granola mix tastes like the gummy bears.

In the past I have melted 3 tablespoons butter with 1 package mini marshmallows and then add the granola and 1 cup of mini chocolate chips. Pour them into a greased 7x9 pyrex pan. Let it set and then you can wrap them in saran wrap or whatever you want.

I have just gotten back from girls camp. It was a lot of fun! I came up with a few more recipes. I don't think we are going to have a recipe theme tonight. I will just type till I get tired. It turns out the girls wanted to have a sleep over on the trampoline tonight and I have all the free time in the world.

Devre brought over peanut butter bars yesterday. They were delicious! I really appreciated them because I didn't make any dessert, and what is Sunday without dessert.

Blogger Buzz: Blogger integrates with Amazon Associates

Blogger Buzz: Blogger integrates with Amazon Associates

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

This is my Grandma Dustin's recipe. It is my favorite. I visited her while at college and she had made these.

1 cup shortning

1 cup sugar

1 cup sour cream

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

Mix sugar, shortning, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. Add flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix well. Chill thoroughly. Roll out, cut, and bake at 325 degrees. 12-13 minutes

Cookies will look white

Macadamia Nut Vanilla Chip Cookies

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup margarine, softened

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup salted macadamia nuts

1 package vanilla milk chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl whisk flour, baking soda, and salt. In large mixer bowl combine sugar, brown sugar and margarine mix in low speed for 3 minutes. The mixture should be creamy and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and let mix 1 minute make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl with each addition. Add vanilla and mix again briefly. Be careful not to mix too much. Add flour mixture, nuts, and chips. I like to stir it by hand until fully incorporated. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 7-9 minutes. Cool for 1 minute on baking sheets. Transfer to wire cooling rack.