Strawberry Dip

I got this idea from some friends and made this for a church event. It was not only delicious but really easy. All I did was mix equal parts strawberry yogurt and Cool Whip. Serve with fresh fruit and enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches

Grayson and I made chocolate chip cookies today, so we made ice cream sandwiches with them (I love serving these as a dessert). I think these are best when the cookies are still warm, and I used chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Yum.

Chili

I made chili for the first time tonight. It was really easy to make and turned out delicious. I cooked it in a pot, but Ryan also makes this in a crock pot sometimes.

1 to 2 lbs. ground beef

1 onion, chopped

2 cans (14.5 ounces each) tomato sauce

2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes

1 large can light red kidney beans

Chili powder to taste

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Brown ground beef in a large pot. Add chopped onion and stir periodically for a few minutes. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, kidney beans. Add chili powder. I used 3 kinds--chili powder, green chili powder, and chipotle chili powder, but normally we just add plain chili powder. I simmered this on medium low for about an hour and a half, stirring periodically. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, and biscuits.

Zucchini Muffins

My friend Jody gave me this recipe. They are so easy to make and so good.

3 eggs, beaten
2 ¼ c sugar
1 c oil
3 t vanilla
2 c peeled, grated raw zucchini
3 c flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
½ t baking powder
3 t cinnamon

Mix first 4 ingredients well and add remaining ingredients. Bake in greased muffin pans at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until lightly brown.

I only got 3 zucchini, and grated it was about 1 1/4 cups. They still turned out delicious, but next time I'll probably get 5 or 6. I also mixed about a tablespoon of butter with about 1/4 cube of cream cheese, some powdered sugar, and a splash of vanilla to make a cream cheese frosting. These muffins are absolutely delicious without the frosting, and with it as well. With the frosting it tasted a lot like a pumpkin roll, which is one of my favorite desserts ever.

Baked Chicken and Couscous

I made this for dinner a few nights ago. It was so easy and I thought the plate looked really pretty on the table. I just used Shake n' Bake to coat chicken breast and pork chops, then baked them for 20 or so minutes. I then cooked couscous and steamed vegetables, and that was it. Delish.

Cinnamon Rolls

So here's my take on cinnamon rolls: lots of work, lots of time, lots of mess, but SO good. They're awesome as an occasional treat. I found this recipe on Cooks.com and have used it several times. The rolls are nice and soft, and my favorite part is that you pour melted butter and sugar in the bottom of the pan before you put the rolls in so the finished product has a yummy crust on it.

Dough:
2 pkg. active dry yeast
1 c. warm water (105-115 degrees)
2/3 c. plus 1 tsp. granulated sugar, divided
1 c. warmed milk
2/3 c. butter
2 tsp. salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
7-8 c. all-purpose flour, or more if needed

Filling:
1 c. melted butter, divided (2 sticks)
1 3/4 c. granulated sugar, divided
3 tbsp. ground cinnamon

Creamy Glaze:
2/3 c. melted butter (1 stick plus 2 tbsp)
4 c. powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
4-8 tbsp. hot water

In a small bowl mix together warm water, yeast and 1 tsp. sugar and set aside. In a large bowl, mix milk, remaining 2/3 c. sugar, melted butter, salt and eggs; stir well and add yeast mixture. Add half the flour and beat until smooth. Stir in enough of the remaining flour until dough is slightly stiff (dough will be sticky). (Bonny's note: I only used 7 c. flour.)

Turn out onto a well-floured board; knead 5-10 minutes . (Bonny's note: I kneaded for about 7 minutes.) Place in well-buttered glass or plastic bowl, cover and let rise in warm place free from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. (Bonny's note: These rolls get really big, so I only let them rise for 1 hour.)

When doubled, punch down dough and let rest 5 minutes. Roll out on floured surface into a 15x20 inch rectangle.

To prepare filling: Spread dough with 1/2 cup melted butter. Mix together 1 1/2 c. sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over buttered dough.

Roll up jellyroll-fashion and pinch edge together to seal. Cut unto 12 to 15 slices. Coat bottom of a 13x9-inch pan and an 8-inch square pan with remaining 1/2 c. melted butter, then sprinkle with remaining 1/4 c. sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in pans. Let rise in warm place until dough is doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until rolls are nicely browned. Cool rolls slightly.

To prepare glaze: Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix melted butter, powdered sugar and vanilla; add hot water 1 tbsp. at a time until glaze reaches desired spreading consistency. (Bonny's note: I used 5 tbsp. water.) Spread over slightly cooled rolls.

The author of this recipe calls them "Cinnabunns Cinnamon Rolls" and says, "Just like the ones in the mall!" I personally don't think they taste like "Cinnabon's" rolls, but like them just as much, if not more. The recipe also says you can add 1 1/2 c. chopped walnuts and/or 1 1/2 c. raisins to the filling if desired, but I have never done that.

I like to serve these right out of the oven, but they are just as delicious the next day if warmed in the microwave for 20 seconds.

So like I said, lots of work, but great finished product in the end. Enjoy!

Blueberry Banana Parfait

These were so easy to make and turned out so well. I thought they looked great, and I loved the juicy fresh pineapple, the creamy pudding, and the burst of blueberry flavor. Yum! I came up with this as I was wandering around the grocery store today.

1 package (5.1 oz) vanilla instant pudding mix
3 cups cold milk
Fresh or frozen blueberries (thawed)
1 banana, sliced
Cool Whip
Fresh pineapple (optional)

Prepare pudding as directed on box (whisk 3 cups cold milk with pudding mix for 2 minutes, let sit for 5 minutes). In a clear glass, layer pudding, several banana slices, and a generous spoonful or two of blueberries (I used frozen berries that I thawed in the fridge for several hours). Layer more pudding on top, then another layer of bananas and blueberries. Top with Cool Whip and garnish with a pineapple wedge.

Grilled Chicken Salad on Toasted Pita

First let me just say, man, I need a better camera. My pictures are not great, I know.

Tonight's dinner was supposed to be Avocado Chicken Pita from a "Simple and Delicious" magazine. But me being the novice cook that I am, I picked out a very underripe avocado that I couldn't use for the guacamole spread. So I improvised a little bit and this was what I came up with.

1 to 2 chicken breasts
4 whole wheat pitas
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning
Chopped lettuce and tomatoes
Grated cheese of your choice (I used a Mexican blend)
1 lemon
Hot sauce of your choice
Sour cream
Ranch dressing (optional)

Cook chicken, seasoning with salt pepper and Cajun. I cooked mine in a grill pan on the stove. Brush olive oil on one side of the pitas and put them on an ungreased cookie sheet in a 350 oven for 10-15 minutes or until toasted. Once pitas are done layer them with lettuce, tomato, and the cooked chicken (either sliced into strips or cubed). Squeeze a few drops of fresh lemon juice and hot sauce on, sprinkle with cheese, top with sour cream and/or ranch dressing.

I still want to try the avocado pita, but thought these were really yummy and I'm sure I'll make these again!

Chicken Tenders and Potato Wedges

I know I named this blog "Bonny's Bakery", but I've started cooking more than I used to, so I'll just put all my favorite recipes here. Dinner tonight was a HUGE hit. Everyone loved it--so much so that when I was trying to pack leftovers for Ryan's lunch tomorrow, the kids ate them all before I even made it to the fridge. I found the recipe for the chicken on Cooks.com, and the potatoes were inspired by my friend Jonathan's recipe blog. I cooked baby carrots to go along with the chicken and potatoes. Grayson asked me to please make this chicken again tomorrow. :)

Chicken Tenders (as found on Cooks.com)

1 lb. chicken tenderloins cut into 1" pieces (I used 3 chicken breasts, and cut them into strips and smaller pieces for nuggets)
1 stick butter, melted
Ritz crackers, crushed (I used a blender to make a fine powder)
Garlic powder
Pepper
Fresh chopped parsley (1/2 bunch) (I didn't use the parsley)

Mix Ritz, parsley, garlic powder and pepper in a large bowl; set aside. Toss chicken tenders in melted butter until well coated. Remove from butter and toss in crumb mixture. When completely coated place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden. I put ranch dressing and ketchup out as dipping sauces.

Potato Wedges

Potatoes
Olive oil
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, Cajun seasoning

Wash potatoes of choice (I used Butter Golds), leave skins on, and cut into wedges. Pour enough olive oil into a bowl to coat potatoes. Put potatoes in bowl and stir until coated. Line a cookie sheet with foil and scoop potatoes onto the foil in a single layer. Lightly sprinkle seasonings over potatoes. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. I turned mine over halfway through cooking to get both sides crispy.

Enjoy!