I made these fantastic cinnamon rolls the other day for breakfast. They are very easy to make, quick to throw together and a big hit with the children.

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 Cup Milk, 1/4 Cup Margarine (softened), 3 1/4 cups all purpose Flour, 1 package instant yeast, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup Water, 1 egg.—1Cup Brown Sugar (packed), 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 Cup Margarine (softened) and 1/2 cup raisons (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles. remove from heat. Mix in margarine until melted and let cool until warm.

2. In a large bowl combine, 2 1/4 cups of the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. mix well. Add water, egg and milk mixture. beat well. Add remaining flour a little at a time. When dough has just pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. about 5 minutes. ** I used my kitchen aid mixer for step 2 and it worked perfect**

3. Cover dough with damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.

4. in a small bowl mix brown sugar, cinnamon and softened margarine.

5. rol out dough into a 9×12 ” rectangle. Spread dough with margarine/sugar mixture. sprinkle with raisons. Roll up dough and pinch seam to seal. cut into 12 equal slices. Place in a greased 9×12 baking dish about 1/2 inch apart. cover let rise until doubled about 30 minutes.

6. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

serve warm. SUPER YUMMY!!!!

Our Recipe contest starts today!!!! Send in your favorite “Cook out” recipe for a chance to win a one of a kind apron…..

Checkout Saturdays post for full details.

YEA!!! Contest time….Recipe contest are one of my favorite contest to have. Not only do I get to bless someone with one of our fabulous aprons, but I get to try out so many great new recipes.  It has been almost a year since our last recipe contest.   We have been so busy with re-building the site and setting the store back up that I just forgot.  I am very excited about this contest, because this is our first year being on a social network. That translates to me, a lot more recipes to try. So make sure you “like” and “share” this post with all your friends.  Of course that does mean more competition for you, but that is what makes it fun. So without further delay, let’s get things started. Here’s how it works…..

In honor of summer, our recipe theme will be COOKING OUT!!!

1. What to do: Submit any recipe that you would use during a summer cook out. ie… salads, desserts, main dish casseroles or your favorite grilling recipes. (Submit via a comment on our site, FB post comment or email.)

2. What we do: Prepare and sample all the recipes submitted. (My favorite part)

3.What does the winner get: A one of a kind made to order Apron, from us. (Picture of apron prize will be posted soon)

It is that simple.

Starting June 27th though July 11th we will collect recipes for 2 weeks. That way you can decide which of your great 4th of July recipes you want to share. Then we will take two weeks to sample your entries and announce our winner on July 25th. Make sure you leave contact information with your entry so we can notify you if you win.

See. Simple. So go dig out those recipes and let’s get cooking!!

With the up-coming 4th of July holdiday soon upon us, I decided to look up some fun recipes in hopes of having something new to bring to our local get together. And, since I found so many great resources I decided to share with all of you. hopefully these great web links will save you some time in your preperations.

As always pillbury.com has some fun holiday savey treats that are sure to wow your party guest. This year they are featuring the  ”fresh berry dessert bites”, “red white and blue shortcake stars” and the “red velvet whoopie pie.” I personaly made some of the whoopie pies last year and they were a huge hit.

Rice Krispies. com has a great new twist for the rice krispie treat. They turned it into a popsicle and dipped it in white chocolate and added sprinkles. Yummy!!! Your children are sure to love this one.

Family Fun.com has a bounty of recipes, not just for treats but for your whole day. Fabulous food ideas from desserts, drinks and family patriotic picnics. Lots of yummy red, white and blue star shapped treats,and craft ideas for the whole family…..make sure you check this one out.

and last, but certainly not least taste of home.com. Here, you can find decorating and craft ideas, recipes for appetizers, main dishes, desserts and even full menus.

Whatever you deside to make this 4th of July, just remember to have fun while you make it. Grab your aprons and recruit helpers of all ages and just enjoy the time family and friends.

Happy cooking from all of us at Amelia’s Aprons!!!

BBQ Quesadilla recipe

Are you looking for new recipe ideas for all that left over turkey? I personally at the end of Thanksgiving and/or Christmas day take all my leftover turkey and debone it, divide it up into ziplock bags and freeze it. I do save some turkey of course for sandwiches and traditional left over dinner, but we being a small family usually have tons of turkey left over. So, I put it in the freezer until I am no longer sick of turkey from all the holiday gorging and then look for new and yummy recipes to use it up later. This year I found a good one. BBQ Quesadilla. If you are like me, you may say eeww, bbq and turkey? But it is really very delicious! So pull out some leftovers and put on your favorite apron and try this great recipe on for size.

 Ingredients:

• 2 cups leftover turkey–cut into bit size pieces
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• BBQ sauce
• Shredded cheddar cheese
•  8 med. flour tortilla
•  1/2 C oil divided

 Sautee’ onion in 2 T oil. Add turkey and bbq sauce and let simmer for 15 minutes. In another sauté pan add 2T oil. Brown tortillas on both sides one at a time adding more oil when needed. Spoon bbq turkey onto half of a tortilla and sprinkle with cheese, fold tortilla over. Broil in over for aprox. 3 minutes on each side or until cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream and corn chips.

This has become one of my children’s favorite quesadilla recipes,so I hope you enjoy it.

Bon appetite

Today I was searching the internet to find traditional foods for our new years day meal. I have to admit that I have never been one to cook traditional good luck foods, but my curiosity this year got the best of me. And, since the only traditional food I know about is black eyed peas, not one of my favorite foods, I decided to investigate.

I found a fact filled web page that I thought might be helpful for all of you who are gearing up for your new years celebration. Below is just a snippet of the introduction, but the article goes on to break down the different foods that are consumed around the world and gives an explanation as to why they are considered good fortune meals.

So I hope that you enjoy this article and as you don your new holiday aprons and head to the kitchen to prepare your feast may the Lord richly bless you in the up coming year.

For many, January 1 offers an opportunity to forget the past and make a clean start. But instead of leaving everything up to fate, why not enjoy a meal to increase your good fortune? There are a variety of foods that are believed to be lucky and to improve the odds that next year will be a great one. Traditions vary from culture to culture, but there are striking similarities in what’s consumed in different pockets of the world: The six major categories of auspicious foods are grapes, greens, fish, pork, legumes, and cakes. Whether you want to create a full menu of lucky foods or just supplement your meal, we have an assortment of recipes, guaranteed to make for a happy new year, or at the very least a happy belly.

Read the rest of this article here….

This is one of my favorite recipes I stumbled upon accidentally while trying to figure out how to cook flounder. It’s a pretty simple recipe with really gourmet taste;

Joes Favorite Rolled Flounder Fillets (Yay! Joe!)
¾ cup butter (more or less according to taste)
1 garlic clove
3 small green onions (chopped)
12 cooked, pealed, deveined shrimp (diced)
¼ cup crumbled bread crumbs
1 Tbs. parsley (chopped)
1 Tsp. salt (or to taste)
1/8 tsp ground pepper
4 to 6 flounder fillets
Hollandaise sauce (see below)

Melt 2 Tbs. of butter in a skillet and sauté garlic and green onions. Add shrimp, bread crumbs, parsley, salt and pepper and stir to mix. Spread 2 Tbs. mixture on each flounder fillet, roll up and secure with toothpick. Bake in 10x6x2 inch baking dish for 25 to 30 minutes at 350F degrees. Brush with remaining butter.
Pour hollandaise over fish when cooked. Garnish with boiled shrimp; and reserve some of the sauce to serve separately at the table. Serves four to six.

HOLLANDAISE SAUCE
Heat ¼ cup of butter until bubbly, but not browned. Put three egg yolks, 2 Tbs. lemon juice and a dash of cayenne in blender container. Cover and blend at low speed. Remove cover and slowly drizzle in butter in a slow steady stream. Turn blender off as soon as butter has been added. Pour sauce over fish.

* I had a little bit of extra filling which I used as a garnish instead of shrimp, and I used quite a bit more butter than the recipe suggest before baking and after, but either way its still pretty tasty! I also recommend making the hollandaise sauce while flounder is in the oven but close to being done.

Enjoy and don’t forget to wear your favorite apron!

This recipe came to me via e-mail. It is part of a cookbook that has been circulating around with national restaurant recipes. Some of these we have tried personally and others we just wanted to share with you.

I have made these donuts many times. They are great!!

Dunkin Doughnuts
1 pkg. regular or quick−acting yeast
1/8 cup warm water (105−115 degrees)
3/4 cup lukewarm milk (scalded then cooled)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/6 cup shortening
2 1/2 cups all−purpose flour
Dissolve yeast in warm water in mixing bowl. Add milk, sugar, salt, egg,
shortening and 1 cup of flour. Beat on low speed while scraping bowl for
30 seconds. Beat on medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally, 2 minutes.
Stir in remaining flour until smooth. Cover and let rise in warm place
until double, about 50−60 minutes. Turn dough onto floured surface.
Roll dough 1/2− inch thick. Cut with round cookie cutter. Cover and
let rise on floured baking sheets until double, 30−40 minutes. Heat
vegetable oil in deep fryer or Dutch oven to 350. Slide doughnuts into
hot oil. Turn doughnuts as they turn golden brown, about one minute on
each side. Remove carefully from oil (do not prick surfaces) and drain.
When cool, make small hole to insert vanilla frosting. Take a sharp
knife and carefully make a large cavity inside of the doughnut to hold
the frosting. Fill the doughnuts generously with vanilla frosting and
dust heavily with powdered sugar. Makes: 12 doughnuts

This recipe came to me via e-mail. It is part of a cookbook that has been circulating around with national restaurant recipes. Some of these we have tried personally and others we just wanted to share with you.

Red Lobster Cheese Biscuits
Dough:
1 1/4 lbs. Bisquik
3 Oz. freshly shredded cheddar cheese
11 Oz. cold water
Garlic Spread:
1/2 cup melted butter
1 teas. garlic powder
1/4 teas. salt
1/8 teas. onion powder
1/8 teas. dried parsley
To cold water, add Bisquik and cheese, blending in a mixing bowl.
Mix until dough is firm.
Using a small scoop, place the dough on a baking pan lined with
baking paper. Bake in 375 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until
golden brown. While biscuits bake, combine spread ingredients.
Brush baked biscuits with the garlic topping.

This recipe came to me via e-mail. It is part of a cookbook that has been circulating around with national restaurant recipes. Some of these we have tried personally and others we just wanted to share with you.

P.F. Chang’s Lettuce Wraps
8 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 Teaspoon cornstarch
2 Teaspoon dry sherry
2 Teaspoon water
salt and pepper
1−1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken
5 Tablespoon oil
1 Teaspoon fresh minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, minced
2 small dried chilis, (optional)
8 Ounce can bamboo shoots, minced
8 Ounce can waterchestnuts, minced
1 package cellophane Chinese rice noodles, prepared according to package
Cooking Sauce:
1 Tablespoon Hoisin sauce
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon dry sherry
2 Tablespoon oyster sauce
2 Tablespoon water
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. cornstarch
Iceburg lettuce “cups”
Cover mushrooms with boiling water, let stand 30 minutes then drain. Cut and
discard woody stems. Minces mushrooms. Set aside. Mix all ingredients for
cooking sauce in bowl, and set aside. In medium bowl, combine cornstarch,
sherry water, soy sauce, salt, pepper, and chicken. Stir to coat chicken
thoroughly. Stir in 1 tsp. oil and let sit 15 minutes to marinate. Heat wok
or large skillet over medium high heat. Add 3 TBSP oil, then add chicken and
stir fry for about 3−4 minutes. Set aside. Add 2 TBSP oil to pan. Add
ginger, garlic, chilies(if desired), and onion; stir fry about a minute or
so. Add mushrooms, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts; stir fry an additional
2 minutes. Return chicken to pan. Add mixed cooking sauce to pan. Cook until
thickened and hot. Break cooked cellophane noodles into small pieces, and
cover bottom of serving dish with them. Then pour chicken mixture on top of
noodles. Spoon into lettuce leaf and roll.

This recipe came to me via e-mail. It is part of a cookbook that has been circulating around with national restaurant recipes. Some of these we have tried personally and others we just wanted to share with you.

Olive Garden Fried Mozzarella
1 pound block of mozzarella cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups Italian bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup corn starch
Slice the block of cheese lengthwise into about 1/2 inch
sections. Cut each section in half.
Beat the eggs with water and set aside. Mix the bread crumbs,
garlic, oregano, and basil and set aside. Blend the flour with
corn starch and set aside.
Heat vegetable oil for deep frying to 350F. Dip cheese in flour
then in egg wash and then coat with bread crumbs. Place carefully
in hot oil and fry until golden brown. This should only take a
matter of seconds, so you need to watch them closely.
Drain on brown paper bags and serve with your favorite pasta
sauce that has been warmed.

This recipe came to me via e-mail. It is part of a cookbook that has been circulating around with national restaurant recipes. Some of these we have tried personally and others we just wanted to share with you.

Macaroni Grill Foccacia Bread
1 Tablespoon Dry yeast
1 Teaspoon Canola oil
1 Tablespoon Sugar
Nonstick cooking spray
1 Cup Warm water
2 Tablespoon Margarine
2 1/2 Cup White flour
1/4 Cup Fresh rosemary; chopped − (or 2 tbsps dried)
1 Teaspoon Salt
Place yeast, sugar and water in a large bowl or food processor and allow the
mixture to become bubbly. Mix in 2 c of flour and salt. Knead for about 10
min or process in food processor for 15 sec until smooth and elastic; add
flour if necessary. Oil a bowl, put dough in it and cover with a towel. Let
dough rise in a warm place for 1 hr, until doubled.
Punch down dough and divide in half. Let the dough rest for a few minutes.
Coat 2 9−in square cake pans with nonstick spray.
Press dough into pans. Melt margarine. Brush margarine over the tops of the
loaves. Sprinkle rosemary over the loaves and lightly press into the
surface. Let the loaves rise again until doubled, about 45 min.
Preheat oven to 450 F. Lightly sprinkle salt over the loaves. Bake for 20 −
25 min, until lightly browned.

This recipe came to me via e-mail. It is part of a cookbook that has been circulating around with national restaurant recipes. Some of these we have tried personally and others we just wanted to share with you.

Lawry’s Taco Seasoning
1 Tablespoon Flour
1 Teaspoon Chili powder
1 Teaspoon Paprika
3/4 Teaspoon Salt
3/4 Teaspoon Minced onion
1/2 Teaspoon Cumin
1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1/4 Teaspoon Garlic powder
1/4 Teaspoon Sugar
1/8 Teaspoon Ground oregano
Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl. To prepare the meat filling
for the tacos as described on the original package instructions: “In large
skillet, brown 1 pound ground beef until crumbly; drain fat. Add spices &
seasonings and 2/3 cup water; mix thoroughly. Bring to a boil: reduce heat
to low and cook, uncovered, 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spoon
meat filling into warmed taco shells or tortillas. Top with shredded
lettuce, grated cheddar cheese and chopped tomato. Use fresh salsa and
guacamole if desired. Makes meat filling for 12 tacos (about 3 tablespoons
each).

This recipe came to me via e-mail. It is part of a cookbook that has been circulating around with national restaurant recipes. Some of these we have tried personally and others we just wanted to share with you.

Jalapeno Poppers
6 large Jalapenos
6 slices Monterey Jack or Mozzarella cheese (1/2″ thick)
flour for dredging
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 large or 3 small eggs, separated
Place peppers in a bowl and add scalding water to cover. Let stand
30 minutes to 1 hour until softened. Leave stems on and slit down
one side removing and discarding all the seeds.
Place one slice of cheese inside each pepper, and dust with flour.
Heat the oil.
Beat the egg yolks until thick and lemon colored. Beat the whites
until they stand in peaks. Fold the yolks into the whites and dip
each pepper in the egg mixture until well coated.
Fry at once in hot oil turning once and spooning oil over the
uncooked places. Cook until golden brown.

This recipe came to me via e-mail. It is part of a cookbook that has been circulating around with national restaurant recipes. Some of these we have tried personally and others we just wanted to share with you.

I have not tried this recipe yet, but these are my fav. girl scout cookie. Be sure to let me know if you try them.

Girl Scout Mint Cookies
1 box Devil’s Food Cake Mix
2 Eggs
2 Tbl. Water
2 Tbl. Cooking Oil
1/2 Cup Cocoa
1 pkg. Chocolate Chips
2−3 drops Wilton’s Candy Mint Flavoring
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine cake mix, eggs, water, cooking oil,
and cocoa. You will need to blend this together well, this will be a
very sticky mess. Let stand for 20 minutes, and then shape into very
small 1/2 inch balls. Place these balls on a cookie sheet 2 inches a part,
and smash down flat. You will need to spray a large spoon with Pam to
make them flat. Bake for about 8 minutes. Let cool until they reach
room temperature.
Heat chocolate chips in either the microwave, or in a double boiler.
When completely melted add a couple drops of the mint flavoring.
Be carefull not to add too much, it is a powerfull flavoring.
You can either spread the melted chocolate on the cookies,
or you can dip the cookies into the chocolate.

This recipe came to me via e-mail. It is part of a cookbook that has been circulating around with national restaurant recipes. Some of these we have tried personally and others we just wanted to share with you.

This is one of my favorite things to eat.

General Tsao’s Chicken
Sauce:
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1+1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1+1/2 tsp. minced ginger root
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup cooking wine
1+1/2 cup hot chicken broth
3 lbs. deboned dark chicken meat, cut into large chunks
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp white pepper
1 egg
1 cup cornstarch
Vegetable oil for deep−frying
2 cups sliced green onions
16 small dried hot peppers
Mix 1/2 cup cornstarch with water. Add garlic, ginger, sugar, 1/2
cup soy sauce, vinegar, wine, chicken broth and MSG (if desired).
Stir until sugar dissolves. Refrigerate until needed.
In separate bowl, mix chicken, 1/4 cup soy sauce and white pepper.
Stir in egg. Add 1 cup cornstarch and mix until chicken pieces
are coated evenly. Add a little vegetable oil to help separate
chicken pieces. Divide chicken into small quantities and deep−fry
at 350 degrees until crispy. Drain on paper towels.
Place a small amount of oil in wok and heat until wok is hot. Add
onions and peppers and stir−fry briefly. Stir sauce and add to
wok. Place chicken in sauce and cook until sauce thickens.

This recipe came to me via e-mail. It is part of a cookbook that has been circulating around with national restaurant recipes. Some of these we have tried personally and others we just wanted to share with you.

Funnel Cakes
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 cups sifted flour
1 teas. baking powder
1 teas. salt
2 cups vegetable oil
cinnamon sugar
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large mixing
bowl, stir together the eggs and the milk. Add flour mixture to the
egg mixture. Beat with a mixer until smooth; the consistency
should be thin enough to run through a small kitchen funnel.
Test it and if it is too thick beat in a little more milk;
if too thin, beat in a bit more flour,
In an eight inch skillet, heat the oil to 360 degrees.
Put your finger over the bottom opening of the funnel, and fill the funnel
with a generous 1/2 cup of the batter. Hold the funnel close to the
surface of the oil, and release the batter into the oil while making a
circular motion. Fry until golden brown, use tongs and wide spatula to
turn the cake over carefully. Fry the second side 1 minute.
Drain on paper towels, and sprinkle with powdered sugar or
cinnamon sugar.
Funnel Cakes 173

This recipe came to me via e-mail. It is part of a cookbook that has been circulating around with national restaurant recipes. Some of these we have tried personally and others we just wanted to share with you.

Famous Amos Cookies
2 cups of softened margarine
2 medium eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cups light brown sugar
3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon water
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 and 1/2 cups flour
2 cups raisins
1 package of chocolate chips
Mix together margarine, eggs, vanilla, sugars, water and baking soda.
Gradually add the flour, salt and chocolate and any other things that you
add to cookies such as nuts or raisins. Mix well; place on ungreased cookie
sheets. Bake at 375 for 8 minutes. Makes 6 dozen.

This recipe came to me via e-mail. It is part of a cookbook that has been circulating around with national restaurant recipes. Some of these we have tried personally and others we just wanted to share with you.

This is my Favorite fried chicken!! yummy

Church’s Fried Chicken
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 cups self−rising flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
3 teaspoons seasoned salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup biscuit mix
1 envelope Italian dressing mix
1 envelope onion soup mix
2 eggs mixed with 1/4 cup cold water
1 cup oil
Combine dry ingredients in a 4−cup container. Mix to blend the
ingredients thoroughly. Store tightly covered at room temperature up to
3 months. To use, dip the chicken pieces in egg mixture and then into
dry coating mix and back into egg to coat the pieces evenly but lightly
and finally back into dry mix. Have oil piping hot in heavy skillet.
Brown pieces skin−side down for 4 to 6 minutes. Use medium high heat.
Turn and brown underside of pieces a few minutes. Transfer to an oiled
or Pam−sprayed 9x12x2 pan. Cover pan in foil, sealing it on only 3 sides
of pan. Bake at 350F for about 45 to 50 minutes. Remove foil. Bake
another 5 minutes just to crisp the coating.
Church’s Fried Chicken 123