Dinner Rolls

Dinner Rolls

Makes 24 rolls
1 1/4 cups Milk, warmed
1/3 cup Sugar
2 teaspoons Salt
1 tablespoons Butter (1/2 stick)
1 package dry yeast
1 Egg slightly beaten
3 1/2 to 4 1/2 cups Flour
also 3 tablespoons Butter for baking.

Stir warmed milk, sugar, salt, butter  together in large mixing bowl. Sprinkle on yeast, stir and let stand to dissolve. Add the egg and the 2 cups of the flour and beat vigorously for a minute or two. Then add enough remaining flour to make a manageable dough, Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 6 to 8 minutes, until smooth and elastic. place in large greased  bowl, cover with plastic wrap. place in a warm draft free spot and let rise until double.

Punch down dough once doubled. cut dough into 24 equal pieces. roll each piece into a smooth ball. Place the balls touching each other in a 9 X 15 pan.  Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan.
Brush rolls with Butter. cover loosely and let rise in warm draft free area.  Once double in bulk, bake in a pre-heated 425 oven for 15 minutes, or until the tops are a deep golden brown. cool for a minute out f pan, then serve.

Almond Joy Oatmeal

Almond Joy Oatmeal - 1 serving

1/2 Cup steel cut oats
1 Cup milk (you can use almond milk for a slightly different flavor)
2 Tablespoon shredded coconut, unsweetened
2 Tablespoon sliced almonds ( I like mine chopped)
2 tsp chocolate chips (I like the mini size for this)
Pinch of salt

Put your milk & oats in a small pan over medium heat. Simmer for 20-30 minutes depending on how chewy you like your oatmeal. once done, toss in a pinch of salt, the coconut, and almonds. Serve in a bowl with chocolate chips on top.

adapted from a recipe on cookin' cowgirl's blog

Garlic Cheddar Scones

I've made these several times in a campfire, but never in the oven. However, If I can make them outside, cooking them inside the house should be pretty easy.

Scone Ingredients:

3 cups of self-rising flour
3 tablespoons of butter
1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup of cheddar cheese ( I use a mix of sharp and mild cheddars)
2 cloves of garlic, minced or chopped into very small pieces
1 and 1/2 cups of milk
A bit of cornmeal



Preheat the oven. Probably 350 degrees, maybe a little cooler. ( In a fire, you want coals hot enough so you can put your hand over the fire and count to three, but not quite four) Wash your hands too.

Mix the salt and flour together. Use a whisk when possible to make sure there are no clumps. Cut the butter into four or more pieces. now you put the butter into the flour mix and use your hands to crumble the butter into the flour. Melted butter does not work. Keep crumbling the butter bits into the flour until there are no clumps and the flour mix looks a little crumbly.

Add the garlic bits and cheese next. I do this with my hands to keep the garlic from clumping and to make sure the cheese is evenly dispersed. Make a well in the midst of the dry ingredients, and pour the milk in. now mix in the flour until you can handle it by hand. I form it all in a clump, then turn out on a floured surface. Separate into two balls of dough.  Make a flat round of each ball so that it would cover the bottom of a pie plate.

 Grease two pie plates well (or a cookie sheet if you'd rather) and then sprinkle cornmeal over the surface. This makes sticking less likely. Cut each round into 8 pieces for large scones, or 16 wedges for smaller scones.  Put them in your pans.  You're supposed to brush milk over  the top of them before they go in the oven. I tend to drizzle a little olive oil on them instead.  Bake until they're done. I suspect in the oven that will be 10-20 minutes. In the fire, it depends on the coals... 15 to 30 minutes. They'll be brown on top when they are done.

 Try to cool them before eating. Mine were gone before a picture could be taken, so a friend allowed me to show hers - they were made in a dutch oven in the fire.

Quick Coconut Pie

2 packages (3.4 ounces each) instant vanilla pudding mix
2-3/4 cups cold  milk
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1 graham cracker crust (9 inches)
Toasted coconut


In a large bowl, whisk the pudding mixes, milk and extract for 2 minutes. Fold in whipped topping and coconut. Pour into the crust. Sprinkle with toasted coconut. Chill until serving.

Spoon Bread

Spoon Bread is good wherever you would use Potatoes or Rice

1 cup ground corn meal
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups milk, scalded
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup milk

3 egg yolks
3 egg whites beaten stiff

Mix Dry ingredients. Melt butter in hot milk, remove from heat. Slowly pour the hot butter and milk into the cornmeal, beating vigorously to avoid lumps. Return to heat and cook, stirring for a few seconds until quite thick.  Beat in the milk and when slightly cooled, beat in the yolks.  Fold in the egg whites. Bakeat 350 degrees  uncovered in a buttered casserole until firm. This is approximately 50-60 minutes.

Serves 4-6

Soft Pretzels

1 pkg. active dry yeast
3and 1/2 to 4 c. all-purpose flour
½ cup . warm water (105° to 115°)
2 qt. water
1 c. milk, scalded, cooled to Lukewarm
1 Tbsp. baking soda
1 egg, beaten
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. water
1 ½  tsp. salt Coarse salt (kosher salt)

Dissolve yeast in warm water in large bowl. Let stand 10 minutes. Stir in milk, sugar, salt and 2 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.

Turn dough onto lightly floured board. Knead until smooth, about 10 minutes. Place in greased bowl; turn greased side up and cover. Let rise in warm place until double, about 1 hour.

Turn onto lightly floured board. Roll into rectangle, 18 x 10 inches. Cut lengthwise into 10 strips, 1 inch wide. Roll strip of dough on lightly floured board with palms of hands until rounded and about 20 inches long. Holding ends of strip, form loop. Twist dough twice at top of loop. Bring ends down and fasten at opposite sides to form pretzel shape. Repeat with all strips. Let rise uncovered on floured board 30 minutes.

Heat water in 4 quart Dutch oven to boiling last 10 minutes or rising process. Add baking soda. Transfer pretzels, one at a time, into boiling water solution using large slotted spoon. Boil until dough feels firm but sticky about 1 minute. Lift out with slotted spoon, allowing water to drain off. Place on well greased foil-covered baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pretzels.

Heat oven to 400°. Mix beaten egg and water. Brush pretzels lightly with egg mixture; sprinkle lightly with coarse salt. Bake until crust is golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer immediately to wire rack.