chicken salad sandwiches

These are more for a big party, not a family meal. we are making this for amanda's shower this weekend. I insist on making them for every girly event because I crave them all year long. It serves 25, or if you cut them in half it would serve more.


5-7 chicken breasts cooked and cut up
1 cup chopped celery
20 oz can pineapple tidbits
1/3 cup chopped green onion
1 cup cashews

Mix with

1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup miracle whip
1 pint whipping cream- whipped
1 Tbs. chicken bouillon
salt
pepper

25 croissants


Just mix it all in a big bowl and spoon onto croissants. It is best if you mix it right before the party starts so they are fresh, I usually cook the chicken ahead of time and get everything measured out then before we are ready to eat I hurry and mix it all together. I have also had it with red grapes in it too for a little variety. These are delicious and filling, perfect for showers and get togethers.

My Mom's Cinnamon Rolls

I give this 5 stars and I also give credit to my mom, who makes the same recipe but somehow ends up with yummier rolls than I ever do.

Combine:
3 1/2 cups warm water
1 cup oil
1 cup sugar
6 T. yeast
1 T. salt

Let rest 15 minutes.

Then add:
3 eggs
10 cups flour

Roll out right away on a floured surface. Sprinkle with brown sugar, white sugar, and any other kind of sugars you can dream up. Oh, and cinnamon. Throw on some raisins if that's your thing. Roll up and cut into cinnamon rolls. I use floss to cut the individual rolls. Stick the floss under the roll and cross the treads on top and pull. Voila! Cut, not smashed, cinnamon rolls. (Does everyone already know this trick?) Stick the rolls on a cookie sheet and let raise 10-20 minutes. Bake 10 minutes at 425 degrees. Drizzle with frosting. I prefer cream cheese frosting on these, but if you want to just do a powdered sugar/milk/vanilla/maple flavoring glaze, that's fine, too.

p.s.--my cream cheese frosting recipe goes like this: 1 big block of cream cheese (8 oz?), a stick of butter, a hit of vanilla, and powdered sugar added until it's the consistency you want. If you think it's too thick, add just a touch of milk to thin it, but I rarely find I need the milk, especially if the butter is room temperature. That's it. So easy and so, so good. MAN, I miss sugar...

Dinner Rolls

This Thanksgiving was my first time making rolls and I was so happy that they were a success!

3 1/4 - 3 3/4 C all-purpose flour
1pkg active dry yeast
1 C milk
1/4 C sugar
1/3 C butter, margarine or shortening
1 beaten egg

I like to proof my yeast. So get some really warm water in a little bowl (maybe 1/2 C warm water) add your packet of yeast and like a tablespoon of sugar. Wait a few minutes for it to foam up.

Mix yeast mixture with 1 1/4 C of the flour. In a medium saucepan heat and stir milk, sugar, butter and 3/4 t salt until just warm (butter starts to melt) (120-130 dgs, I usually warm it up until I can hold my finger (my very very clean finger) in there for about 3-4 seconds before it gets too hot). . Add to flour mixture along with the beaten egg. Beat with an electric mixer (or Bosh, or Kitchenaid) on low speed for 30 seconds, then beat on high for three minutes. Assuming you are using some sort of mixer and not your bare hands.... start adding as much of the remaining flour as you can, if you do my little yeast proofing trick you'll probably even need a little extra flour beyond what the recipe calls for (1/4- 1/2 C more?). Knead for 6-8 minutes total. Shape dough into a ball and place in greased bowl, turn once (or just spray the top with non-stick spray too, that's my little trick : ) ). Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size, about an hour.

Punch dough down. Then turn out on a lightly floured surface. Divide in half. Cover and let rest for ten minutes. Lightly grease your pan.

For dinner rolls shape the dough into 24 balls, place balls on prepared baking pan. And bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes (the second pan only took about 12 mintues...go figure, just keep checking them).

I shaped my rolls into rosettes. Here's the directions for that --- divide each portino of dough into 16 pieces (I rolled it out into a big rectangle and cut in strips. Roll each piece into a 12 inch long rope. Tie in a lose knot, leaving two long ends. Tuck top end under knot and bottom end into top center of the knot. Place two to three inches apart on prepared baking sheet.

I also lightly brushed some melted butter on top of the rolls as they came out of the oven.

They looked so pretty and tasted so good with the homemade honey butter I served them with (equal parts honey and butter whipped together).

This whole recipe makes it sound complicated, but it's really not. Please, try it, they were so good--- even Janssen liked them. That kind of makes Janssen sound picky, she's not but she said that she doesn't normally like rolls : )

Rolls

I got this recipe from Emily Page. It's for use on the dough cycle of a bread maker. I'd give these 4 stars.

Makes 16 rolls (actually, the original recipe made 18, but it's a lot easier to cut a circle into 16ths than into 18ths, and it doesn't really change the bake time)

3/4 cup water
1 large egg
3 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons dry milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

Put ingredients in order in bread machine. Select dough cycle.

When dough cycle is complete, roll dough out into a large circle. Cut into 16 wedges. Roll wedges up from the outside of the circle in.

Place rolls on baking sheet. Cover and let rise 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes.