11.03.2014

Quick Dinner Rolls

Freshly made dinner rolls are heavenly, especially when they are hot out of the oven. These dinner rolls are delicious on its own or as a companion to something else tasty, like a pulled pork sandwich.


We used to purchase dinner rolls since convenience is important when you are busy. Since the little man now insists on eating the same foods, everything we now eat is nut-free. This meant that we can no longer purchase dinner rolls since most bakeries cannot guarantee their foods are nut-free.

This recipe comes from my SIL who makes these rolls all the time. I have made these dinner rolls twice now and I realised that making dinner rolls from scratch wasn't all that hard. The greatest part of all is that my little man LOOOOOOVES these rolls. Better make a double batch next time!

2 cups of whole wheat flour and 2.75 cups of AP flour.

Ingredients
4 tbsp margarine
4 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup boiling water

1 tbsp active dry yeast
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup lukewarm water

1 egg
4-3/4 cups all-purpose flour (substitute up to 2 cups whole wheat flour in lieu of AP flour)
3 to 5 tbsp all-purpose flour (as needed; you may use more or less - see below)

Directions
1. In the bowl of the stand mixer, mix margarine, 4 tbsp sugar and salt. Pour boiling water over the mixture and mix. Let stand until it is lukewarm (about 15 minutes).


2. In a small bowl, mix yeast, 1 tbsp sugar and lukewarm water. Stir, cover and let stand for about 15 minutes.


3. Add the paddle attachment to the stand mixer and beat the margarine mixture and add one egg.


4. Add the yeast mixture and beat again.


5. Switch to a dough hook and beat in one cup of flour at a time until the dough just comes together.

6. Beat in one tablespoon of all-purpose flour at time until the dough is just tacky and pulls away from the side of the bowl. ie. slightly sticky but the dough does not stick to your fingers. I used 3 extra tablespoons of flour.


7. Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes. Quick


8. Punch the dough down and allow it to rest for another 15 minutes.

9. Scrape out the dough onto a lightly floured counter top. Using a bench scraper, divide the dough into 20 to 30 pieces (depending on the size of the buns desired) and shape it into a ball with the palms of your hands.

10. Put the dough balls on an 11 x 16 rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or greased with butter).


11. Cover with a dish towel, place in a warm place and allow it to rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour. I prefer turning the light on in my oven for 10 minutes (with the buns in the oven) and turning the light off.


12. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

13. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until the buns are golden brown. Remove buns from the baking sheet and transfer to a cooling rack.


Source: Frugal Allergy Mom

11.02.2014

2 Ingredient Pulled Pork in the Slowcooker (Crockpot)

For years, my favorite way of making pulled pork was to pour caffeine-free root beer over a pork butt. This was then simmered in my slow cooker. It was quick, easy and cheap.

Now that my little man insists on eating the same food as we do, I wanted a healthier alternative to using root beer. I found a recipe that used beef broth instead of root beer. The result was a delicious and tender pulled pork with less sugar, additives and much tastier.


Ingredients
420 ml (14 ounce) beef broth (I used 2 tsp of Better Than Bouillon Beef Base and Water)
3 lb pork butt (bone-in or boneless)
540 ml (18 ounce) BBQ sauce (about 3 batches of this BBQ sauce recipe)

Directions
1. Pour beef broth into a slow cooker and add pork butt.


2. Simmer over high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 8 hours. Turn the pork butt over half way through.


3. Discard liquid and shred the pork with two forks.


4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Add shredded pork into a dutch oven and mix in BBQ sauce.


5. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until heated through.


Source: Allrecipes

Pulled Pork Recipes

BBQ pulled pork sandwiches served on Quick Buns and Coleslaw.

Pulled pork pizza ready in 35 minutes.

BBQ Pulled Pork Breakfast Sandwich

Pulled Pork Cast Iron Quesadilla




11.01.2014

Bold and Tasty BBQ Sauce

One of the goals of starting this blog was to try new recipes that are friendly for my nut-allergic little man. I am known to stick to tried and true recipes when I am busy. However, now that I am cooking more at home, it means that I need to try to get outside of my comfort zone in order to have a variety of different foods.

When I am in a rush, I like using bottled BBQ sauce. However, making your own BBQ sauce can be just as quick. This BBQ sauce is definitely bold and tasty. Good news is that it received great reviews from my husband and my little man (who happily ate the sauce but not the pork). Sigh!

Makes: 1 cup

Ingredients
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 dash hot pepper sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, mix all the ingredients together and bring to a boil.


2. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon.


For Basting
Allow the BBQ sauce to cool before brush on meat.

For Pulled Pork
Makes enough sauce for 1 lb of pulled pork.


Source: Allrecipes