DINNER ROLLS

I wanted to make up a ton of rolls for the soup kitchen I volunteer at, so I used this nice and easy recipe! I used 2 packets of yeast per batch, but you can do it with 1 and increase rise time to an hour.

QUICK DINNER ROLLS

2 1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 packages of dry yeast
1 cup very warm water
2 tablespoons butter
1 egg


1. Mix 1 1/4 cups of flour, the sugar, the salt, and the yeast in a large bowl. Add water, shortening, and egg; beat with spoon until smooth.

2. Stir in remaining flour.

3. Cover with a damp towel and let rise for 20 minutes or until double.

2. Grease 12 regular size muffin cups. Stir down batter and spoon into muffin cups. Let rise 20-30 minutes or until batter rounds over the top of the cups.

4. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake 18 minutes or until golden brown.

TACO DIP and CHIPS

Tonight I made taco dip and tortilla chips for dinner. The chips are easy to make, just brush both sides of corn tortillas with oil and rub with salt, cut into quarters. Place on a cookie sheet (don't overlap) and bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

TACO DIP

16 oz cream cheese
6 oz sour cream
1 package taco seasoning
shredded lettuce
chopped onion
sliced black olives
chopped tomatoes
shredded cheese

1. mix together sour cream and cream cheese.

2. mix the taco seasoning into the sour cream mix, spread over the bottom of a pan (i use 6x12).

3. top with lettuce, onion, olive, tomato, and cheese.

(i much prefer this with some refried beans between the sour cream layer and the veggies)

RANCH DRESSING

I don't really measure when making this, so measurements are approximate.If your dressing looks too thin, add more oil slowly. I also like mine very garlicky, if you aren't a fan of that reduce the garlic powder by half. Since raw eggs spoil, the dressing should be kept no longer than a week.

RANCH DRESSING

5 eggs
1 1/2 cup oil (i used canola)
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup buttermilk powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon mustard powder
1 tablespoon dill
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1. Puree the eggs in a blender and slowly add the oil through the hole in the lid, while the blender is running.

2. Add vinegar and lemon juice, blend well.

3. Add buttermilk and spices, mix with a wooden spoon, then blend for about 2 minutes.


And there you go! A delicious homemade dressing, which is absolutely fantastic over some fresh spinach!

ASPARAGUS STUFFED EGGS

This is another recipe from the cookbook "From a Monastery Kitchen". I followed the recipe mostly as is, except I did not use parsley (but I garnished with fresh basil leaves), and I used slightly less than a cup of asparagus (i did the tips of 1 lb worth, broiled with garlicky olive oil).

8 eggs, hard-boiled
2 tablespoons parsley, minced
1 cup asparagus tips, cooked
1 tablespoon french mustard
mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste
tomatoes (optional)
olives (optional)

1. Cut the hard-boiled eggs in half lengthwise. Gently remove the yolks and place them in a bowl. Add the cooked asparagus and parsley and thoroughly mash everything together, or process in a blender until smooth.

2. Add mustard, enough mayonnaise for moisture, salt, and pepper, and blend well. Fill the egg white halves with the mixture and serve with slices of ripe tomato and olive.