Fluffy Garlic Rolls

I don't know about you but I'm a sucker for bread.

I'll take bread with any meal thank you very much!!

The reason I am so in love with this recipe is because it's ridiculously easy and the rolls are fluffy and delicious.

Do you remember my brunch time lemon rolls, and how I used Rhodes Rolls frozen dough? Well their baaaaack. This time we will use them in muffin tins to make "clover rolls" which basically means you will be able to pull them apart into three pieces. 

You really just can't go wrong with these, the rolls melt in your mouth like cotton candy....except better than cotton candy because it's carbs!!

Ingredients: 

9 Rhodes Dinner Rolls, frozen dough balls

3 Tablespoons of butter

1/4 cup of shredded parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons of minced garlic

1 Tablespoon of dried parsley

*Makes 6 rolls

An important thing to remember is that when using frozen dough, you have to set aside enough time to let it thaw and rise. If you don't have time for this, you could easily use biscuit dough that comes in the canisters...but this dough is sooo worth the wait. 

First thaw the dough balls by placing them in a bowl, making sure they are not touching, and let them sit on the counter for about an hour.

Once thawed, cut each in half so that you end up with 18 pieces, and set aside. 

In a large bowl, melt 3 tablespoons of butter. 

To the butter add the cheese, garlic, and parsley and stir.

Roll the pieces of dough in the butter mixture, util they are all completely coated. 

Thoroughly grease the muffin tins with cooking spray and place three of the dough pieces in each muffin compartment. 

Now it's time to let them rise!!

Spray a piece of plastic wrap, big enough to cover your rolls, with cooking oil and place over the whole muffin tin. Make sure to tuck the edges over to seal them in. 

Let them sit on the counter for about 3-4 hours so that they can rise. 

You know they are ready when they look like THIS!!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

I know...they look enormous.

Place in the oven with a piece of foil or a baking sheet underneath to catch any butter that rolls off....I learned that this happens the hard way.

Let bake for 15-20 minutes until they turn golden!!

They should easily come out of the muffin tins and straight into your mouth. 

Apple Cider Cupcakes And Vanilla Nutmeg Frosting

So you know how in my post from earlier this week I may have mentioned the fact that I don't fit into any of my pants.....well I'm not helping matters this Sunday. 

When I saw this recipe I just couldn't help myself!!

These cupcakes were originally featured on one of my favorite blogs Eat, Live, Run and because I had just bought some apple cider from Fresh Market, I considered it destiny!!

Now I'm not one to favor things from a box, but cupcakes are usually one of those things that the box mixes have perfected so well that they are hard to resist. I've had way to many experiences where "made from scratch" cupcake recipes take forever and are hard as rocks.

This recipe breaks the mold because they taste delicious, and are so easy to make!!!!

Ingredients: 

Cupcakes

1/2 cup of unsalted butter, softened 

2/3 cup of sugar

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups of flour

2 tsp. of baking powder

3/4 tsp. of salt

1 tsp. of cinnamon

1/4 tsp. of nutmeg

1/4 tsp. of ground clove

1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract

3/4 cup of apple cider

Frosting

1 cup of unsalted butter, softened

4 cups of powdered sugar

1 tsp. of vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. of nutmeg

A pinch of salt

Makes 12 cupcakes....and a whole lot of frosting (if you like your cupcakes heavily frosted, go ahead and make the whole recipe, but halving it would be just enough to cover them all). 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place liners in your cupcake tins and set aside. 

Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time, mixing in between as well as vanilla extract.

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves into a separate bowl. 

Slowly and gradually mix dry ingredients into the butter and sugar mixture. At this point the batter will look very thick.

With the mixer still on low, drizzle in the apple cider. After this step, it will closely resemble the consistency of a frosty!! Which made me think...if Wendy's had an apple cider flavored frosty, I'd be a happy girl. (If anybody associated with Wendy's reads this...think about it!!)

Fill the baking cups 3/4 of the way full of batter. 

Bake in the oven for 20-23 minutes or until they start to brown slightly and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. 

Cool on a wire rack. 

While the cupcakes are cooling you can make the frosting!

Beat the softened butter, vanilla, and nutmeg while very slowly adding the powdered sugar. Continue beating for close to 10 minutes or until fluffy. I know 10 minutes seems like a long time but....it's worth it!!.

Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, you can either spread or pipe the frosting on. 

I've never been very good at piping frosting, but I tried my best....and I think they turned out just fine!

Some of them I did very uniformly, and some I just went crazy. 

Lightly sprinkle with cinnamon and stuff your face!!

What I've Been Doing Instead Of Blogging

So lately I have felt a little guilty about ONLY posting recipes and neglecting my "lifes funny moments" posts. 

To alleviate this guilt I thought I might talk about some of the other things that I have been up to that have caused my absence.  

And in case you haven't noticed, the blog looks different!! This is because I decided that my colors were looking a little springy/summery....and I was hating it. So I decided to make things more...seasonal. Look forward to more changes as the seasons go by. :) 

So here it goes: 

- Drinking copious amounts of coffee. A new Starbucks opened close to my house, and it has a drive through...enough said.

- Getting hypothermia at work. No amount of clothing is helping me at this point. 

- LIVING, BREATHING, AND EATING COCONUT OIL. Now Kevin (and just about everyone else) has informed me that he is tired of hearing about my obsession so I won't bore you with all of my uses for it, but the list is about a million pages long. All I'm going to say is that, for your own good, look them up!!! I've replaced about 7 beauty products with it so far....it is natural and magical!!! Just make sure you get organic, virgin, unrefined, and cold pressed...yes, it makes a difference. 

- Wandering wide eyed and aimlessly around Fresh Market. I've discovered it...and I'm in love.

- Trying, UNSUCCESSFULLY, to eat as healthy as I can.

- Not fitting into any of my pants (see above). 

- Trying to decide if I should start to exercise or just buy all new pants.

- Getting angry at the leaves for not changing color.

- Making this wreath with this pretty bow!!

- Decorating my pumpkin with this pretty bow!! 

(By the way I'm going to pretend I thought of this because it's adorable, but pretty much it was the laziest way I could get away with "decorating" my pumpkin. After thinking long and hard I have discovered that my life motto lately has been "when in doubt, slap a bow on it"...I've had no complaints so far.)

- Filling my apartment with all things cinnamon scented.

- Getting really excited about the approach of black Friday shopping...list making will ensue shortly.

- Using this really attractive face mask twice a week. 

- Continuing my annual obsession with The Walking Dead and American Horror Story. 

- Taking pictures of my favorite model. 

- Eating A LOT of almonds. 

- Reading other blogs. 

- Witnessing this masterpiece being created by A Sweet Sensation.

- Avoiding installing this mess that Comcast sent me...unfortunately I have to get on this soon because they want the old modem back....sigh. I think I've glanced at the instructions a half dozen times and have resorted to putting it off further. Hey, at least I finally took everything out of the box....it's progress. 

- Letting my hair do whatever the hell it wants...and kind of loving the results.

- Overhauling all of my makeup. Pretty much Bare Minerals is my life now, and it feels amazing and natural!!

- Completely washing and detailing my car, only to have it look filthy again a few days later, naturally.

- Spending way to much time on Pinterest....what else is new.

- Coming up with a million things to blog about, but not having enough time or energy to actually write about them.

So there you have it. This is where I've been and what I've been doing. I feel better now that I have explained myself. 

Enjoy the new look of the blog! 

P.S. Sorry if the new color combination I have used offends anyone. I am aware that it is football season and I am just letting everyone who is not an FSU fan know, this was not on purpose....garnet and gold are just a really nice fall color combination. I wouldn't get used to it though, I will probably go through about a million more color changes before I decide on one I love enough to live with.

Sweet Basil Pork Chops And Smokey Potato Wedges

Today you get two recipes in one post!!

These recipes go so well together, I couldn't help but post them as a whole meal.

Not only are they both super easy to make, but they combine some of my favorite ingredients to cook with; basil, chili powder, garlic powder, and brown sugar. 

Pork Chop Ingredients:

2 boneless pork chops, about a 1/2 in. thick

1/4 cup of brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons of dried basil

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of chili powder

2 Tablespoons of olive oil

Potato Wedge Ingredients: 

3 large sized red potatoes, cut into wedges

2 Tablespoons of melted butter

1 Tablespoon of honey

3 teaspoons of chili powder

1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

Both of these can be cooked at the same temperature, so pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. 

The potatoes will need to be baked longer so we will start with those!!

Thoroughly wash the potatoes since the skin will be left on. 

I am only feeding Kevin and I so this is plenty, but the recipe will work no matter how many potatoes you are using. Just adjust the seasoning to be enough for more potatoes!

Cut the potatoes into small wedges, and place in a greased baking dish. 

To the baking dish add the honey, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and melted butter. 

Stir the potatoes around until they are all completely coated. 

Put in the oven, and bake for 35 minutes or until tender.

Remember: half way through the cooking time, give them a good stir!

After these puppies go in the oven, you can start the pork chops. 

These chops, take just a simple rub to make them taste delicious!

To a bowl add brown sugar, chili powder, basil, salt, and olive oil. 

Rub onto both sides of the chops and place in a greased baking dish. 

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until they are no longer pink in the center. 

If you plan it right, both the chops and the potatoes can be done at the same time!

Add a vegetable, and voila!!! A whole meal done simply and quickly...plus there aren't many dishes!!!

Healthy Orange Chicken

Like a lot of people, I'm a sucker for Chinese take-out.

The problem is...it's not the healthiest of meal options.

This recipe will satisfy your craving in a healthy manner by using simple yet flavor packed ingredients!! 

Ingredients: 

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces

1 orange, zested and juiced 

2 teaspoons of minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons of honey

2 teaspoons of soy sauce

1/2 pound of asparagus 

2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil

Brown rice 

First, cut the tough ends off of the asparagus and throw them away (they are gross and bitter) and then cut the remaining stalks in half. Set them aside for later.

Use a zester (or cheese grater like me) to zest an entire orange.  

To a bowl, add the juice of the orange along with the zest, soy sauce, and honey. Whisk together until blended. 

Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a pan, and bring to medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the pieces of chicken, garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Once the chicken is thoroughly cooked add the asparagus to the pan and continue to cook for 3 minutes or until the asparagus is bright green. 

Pour the orange juice mixture over the chicken and asparagus and heat for about another minute. 

Serve over brown rice, for a simple and healthy meal. 

This recipe has a little heat to it, so if you prefer things less spicy go light on the red pepper flakes :)

Apple Pie Pizza With Vanilla Icing Drizzle

What's better than pizza?

Dessert pizza!!

Not only is this recipe super easy but deliciously combines a pie crust, apple filling, a brown sugar oatmeal crumble, and vanilla icing drizzle. 

Are you drooling yet? 

Ok here's what your going to need...

Ingredients: 

5 medium to small sized granny smith apples

peeled, cored, and cut into slices about 1/8 in. thick  

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons of brown sugar

2 Tablespoons of cornstarch

1 Tablespoon of lemon juice

2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon

1/4 cup of old fashioned rolled oats

3 Tablespoons of melted butter

2 Tablespoons of all purpose flour

1 store bought, refrigerated 9 in. pie crust

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 Tablespoon of sugar

1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt

Vanilla Icing Drizzle:

1 Tablespoon of milk

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 

1 cup of confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and take the pie crust out of the refrigerator to thaw. 

Peel the skin off of the apples, and cut into 1/8 in. slices, making sure to cut out all of the tough core. 

Add apple slices to a large bowl and combine with 1/2 cup of brown sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and cinnamon. 

In another bowl, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of brown sugar, oats, butter, flour, and salt. The salt will add a great cut to the sweetness of the dessert!

Your going to need your pie crust to be a little bigger than 9 in. to be able to fit all of your filling, so you will need to roll out the dough to about 11 or 12 inches in diameter. 

Do this on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin so that it doesn't stick. 

Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, or use a pizza stone like I did!

Pour the apple filling into the middle of your pie crust, leaving about an inch around the edge. 

Fold the excess dough over to create your outer crust.

Sprinkle the oatmeal crumble on top.

Lightly beat and egg and then brush onto the outer crust so that it will brown in the oven. 

Sprinkle with sugar. 

I wrapped my crust with foil, just as a way to prevent burning. 

Bake in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes until the apples are tender. 

After the pizza has cooled slightly, mix together the milk, vanilla, and confectioners sugar until it is smooth and fluid. You may need to gradually add more milk if it remains too thick. 

Drizzle the icing over the pizza.