Parker House Rolls

1 cup whole milk

2 pkg. dry yeast

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/4 to 1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

4-1/2 to 5 cups flour

more melted butter

Preparation:

Warm the milk in a small saucepan over low heat. Mix 1/3 of the milk with the dry yeast in a small bowl and let sit until bubbly, about 15 minutes. In a large bowl, combine remaining milk, melted butter, salt and sugar and beat until the sugar is dissolved. Then add the beaten eggs and bubbly yeast.

Add flour, 1/4 cup at a time, beating on high speed of stand mixer. This step should take at least 5 minutes. When the dough gets too stiff to beat, stir in rest of flour by hand, if necessary, to make a soft dough. Turn out onto floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, until smooth and satiny. Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in warm place until light and doubled in size, about 1 hour. (I have also covered the dough well and placed it in the refrigerator overnight. This works really well. Let the dough stand at room temperature for 1 hour before proceeding with recipe.)

Punch down the dough and roll out on floured surface to 1/2" thickness. Cut with 3" round cookie cutter. Brush each roll with melted butter and fold in half to make half circles. Pinch edge lightly to hold, so the rolls don't unfold as they rise. Place in 2 greased 13x9" pans, cover, and let rise again until double, about 45 minutes. (If you refrigerated the dough, this will take longer, about 60-75 minutes.)

Bake rolls at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan immediately and brush with more melted butter. Don't use the same butter you used when forming the rolls - melt some fresh just for this step. Makes 24 rolls

I have been looking for over a decade to find a parker house roll recipe that tastes just like my grandmother Bessie made. This was by far the closest! My kids loved these.

Sweet Potato Souffle

Sweet Potato Soufflé

4-5 good quality sweet potatoes

2 eggs

1/2 cup half and half

1-2 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon rum extract

Peel and cube the sweet potatoes.

Add to a pot of boiling water and boil for approximately 20-30 minutes or until tender.

While the potatoes are boiling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

When potatoes are done, drain and mash (either by hand or in an electric mixer).

Add half and half, vanilla and rum extract, eggs, flour, and spices, mix with electric mixer until smooth.

Pour the mixture into a soufflé dish or casserole dish and top with streusel mix, then top with 1/4 cup walnuts (pecans are good too)

Bake for about 1 hour

Streusel Mix

1 stick melted salted butter

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/3 cup flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix together until crumbly, then top sweet potatoes with this and then top with nuts.

Note: no marshmallows on this, down here

in the South , using them on sweet potatoes constitutes blasphemy

Lemon Bars

Crust:
1 cup unsalted butter
1 3/4 cup flour (my fav is white lily)
2/3 cup powdered sugar (plus more for dusting)

Lemon filling
1 1/2 cup plain sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 eggs, whisked until frothy
1/2 cup lemon juice
zest of one lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease and flour a 9 X 13 pan

Crust
In a bowl, stir together flour and confectioner's sugar
Cut in butter until combined and crumbly.
Press mixture into bottom of pan.
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

Filling:
While crust is baking, prepare topping.
In a larger bowl, add sugar, flour, and baking powder.
Then add whisked beaten eggs ,lemon zest and lemon juice.
Mix well and pour on top of warm baked crust.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
When cool, dust with sifted powdered sugar and refrigerate.
Cut into bars and enjoy them cold

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients
1 envelope (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin ( I used Trader Joes Organic pumpkin)
5-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
Filling:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
(I also added one tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice)
Glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons milk

Directions
1. Sprinkle yeast over warm water in large bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of the granulated sugar; let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Beat in remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, the eggs, butter and pumpkin.

2. Gradually add 5 cups of the flour and the salt, scraping side of bowl, until soft dough forms. Turn out onto floured surface and knead remaining 1/2 cup flour into dough, adding more if sticky. Knead for 10 minutes, until smooth. Dough will be soft.

3. Grease a bowl; add dough. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until doubled, about 1-1/4 hours.

4. Coat two 13x9x 2-inch baking pans with nonstick cooking spray. Make Filling: Mix butter, granulated and brown sugars, and cinnamon in a bowl.

5. Punch down dough. Roll out half onto a lightly floured surface to form a 16 x 10-inch rectangle. Spread with half of the filling. Starting on one long side, roll up jelly-roll fashion. Pinch seam to close. Repeat with second half of dough and filling.

6. Cut each log crosswise into 12 generous 1-inch pieces. Arrange 12 pieces, cut-side down, in each prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap; let sit in a warm spot until buns double in size, about 30 to 45 minutes. (You can refrigerate one pan overnight or cover plastic with foil and freeze at this point. Thaw in fridge overnight, then thaw on counter while preheating oven.)

7. Heat oven to 350°. Uncover pans and bake buns until they are golden brown and bubbly, 28 to 33 minutes (thawed buns, 36 minutes). Transfer to a wire rack; let cool 10 minutes.

8. Glaze: Blend confectioners sugar and milk. Drizzle over buns (about 1/3 cup per pan). Serve warm.
Recipe from Oct 09 Family Circle


I use my own recipe for cream cheese frosting
8oz room temp cream cheese
1/2 stick salted butter at room temp
I don't measure, I just pour in powdered sugar until I get the consistancy I like
1teaspoon of desired flavoring (rum, maple, vanilla)
beat together until smooth.

Buttermilk Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

2 cups bananas, mashed, ripe
2 T lemon juice
3 cups white lily flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 1/4 cups sugar

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups whole buttermilk

Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened at room temp.
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened to room temp
1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon rum flavoring
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 275°.
Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan.
In a small bowl, mix mashed banana with the lemon juice; set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in 2 tsp vanilla.
Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk.
Stir in banana mixture.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for one hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and place directly into the freezer for 45 minutes. This will make the cake very moist.
For the frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth.
Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla and rum.
Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined,

then on high speed until frosting is smooth.
Spread on cooled cake.
Sprinkle chopped walnuts over top of the frosting, if desired

store in the fridge

I think it tastes the very best right out of the fridge, nice and cold..

Canning Apple Pie Filling

Canning to some is something only "supermoms" do.. Well let me set the record straight, I ain't no supermom! Just a mom who loves to be in the kitchen. I love to feed my family of seven (5 kids) good food. With larger than average children and hubby, I have to fix insane amounts of food. So even though canning can be time consuming on the front end, it actually saves a lot of time on the back end.

Some of the canned apples right out of their hot water bath..

Here is Mr. Ben cranking out more apples on my apple peeler corer slicer, that I have had since we got married.

16 years..

Miss Katherine is busy stuffing the jars with the Granny Smith apples..

Our favorite apple to can with.

This is what 16 quarts looks like in one big pot of cold water and lots of lemon juice to keep them from turning brown..

Here is your recipe for apple pie filling.

I double, triple, quadruple according to how much I had.

I had a half bushel of Granny Smith apples straight from an organic farm in Elijay, Georgia..

4 1/2 cups white sugar
1 Cup cornstarch
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons salt10 cups water
3 T. lemon juice
6 pounds applesIn a large pan, mix sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Add salt and water and mix well.
Bring to a boil and cook until thick and bubbly.
Remove from heat and add lemon juice.
Sterilize canning jars, lids and rings by boiling them in a large pot of water (you can follow the jar directions for sterilization if you want further details)
Peel, core, and slice apples (this is where my handy dandy pampered chef 16 year old peeler, corer, slicer came in).
Pack the sliced apples into hot canning jars, leaving a 1/2-3/4 inch headspace. (9 year old daughters are quite good at this task)
Fill jars with hot syrup and gently remove air bubbles with a spatula.

this is mommy's job
Put lids on and process in a water bath canner for 20 minutes.

14 year old big brother managed this on his own, with a lot of teeth pulling to get him to do it..

Fresh Apple Cake with Butter Rum Sauce

4 c fresh chopped apples

(or one pint of canned apple pie filling)

1 c canola oil
2 c sugar
2 c flour
1/2 tsp soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp apple pie spice
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
4 oz Heaths toffee bits


preheat oven to 300 degrees


grease a 9x13 inch glass baking dish



Beat eggs, add sugar. Beat; add oil and beat. Sift dry ingredients into the mixture. It will be a very thick mixture after adding apples. I like to use gala or granny smith apples for this recipe. I also leave the skins on. you can add walnuts if you wish.

Bake in 300 degree oven for 1hour and 15 min or until toothpick comes out clean.


Hot Butter Rum Sauce

1 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. light cream or half and half
Rum flavoring to taste. a little goes a long way!


In saucepan, combine sugar, butter, and cream. Stir occasionally until hot. Stir in rum and serve over hot cake.