Jalapeño Cheddar Hamburger Buns

Ingredients:

• 1 package (2 1/4 tsp) instant yeast
• 1 cup lukewarm water (about 110 degrees F)
• 2 tbsp oil (vegetable, canola, or olive) plus more for greasing bowl
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 6 oz sharp cheddar, shredded
• 3 large jalapenos, seeded and chopped

Instructions

1. Add warm water to the bowl of your mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and sprinkle the yeast over top of the water. Let sit for 5 minutes until most of the yeast has dissolved.  Stir in the, oil, 1 egg, and sugar into the yeast mixture.  With the mixer on low speed, mix in the flour, salt, cheese, and peppers until the dough forms a shaggy mass then switch to the dough hook.  Knead on medium-low for about 2 minutes. The dough should clear  the sides of the bowl; if the dough sticks, knead in additional flour by the tablespoon until the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl.  Increase speed to medium and knead the dough for 5 minutes.
2. Transfer the dough to a large bowl that has been lightly greased with oil.  Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Once the dough has risen, transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and divide it in half.  Divide each half into 4 equal pieces (or 6 if you want 12 smaller buns).  Roll each piece in to a boule (ball) with any loose ends tucked under the bottom of the boule.  Place each boule on the baking sheet about 1 inch apart and flatten each a little bit with your hand.  Cover with a damp paper towel or kitchen towel and let them rise for 20 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 350.  Allow the dough to continue to rise while the oven preheats.  Whisk the remaining egg with 1 tbsp water in a small bowl and set aside.
5. Once the oven has pre-heated, brush the tops of the buns with the egg wash and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Let the buns cool on a the baking sheet (on a wire rack) for 10 minutes before slicing.  Leftover buns can be stored in a well-sealed bag for 1-2 days but I recommend freezing the leftover buns within one day of making them to preserve freshness.

Yields: 8 large or 12 small hamburger buns

Baked Honey Garlic Chicken

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 cup Panko*

• FOR THE HONEY GARLIC SAUCE
• 1/3 cup honey, or more, to taste
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha, optional
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9×13 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Working in batches, dip chicken into eggs, then dredge in Panko, pressing to coat.
3. Add chicken to prepared baking dish. Place into oven and bake until golden brown and crisp, about 15-20 minutes.
4. In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, combine honey, garlic, soy sauce and Sriracha, if using. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and 1/3 cup water. Stir mixture into the saucepan until thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in chicken and gently toss to combine.
5. Serve immediately, garnished with green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.

Baked Sweet Hawaiian Chicken

Ingredients

• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1½ cup cornstarch
• 3 eggs, beaten
• ¼ cup canola oil
• Sweet Hawaiian Ingredients:
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ⅓ cup soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ½ tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 red pepper chopped
• 1 (20 oz) can pineapple tidbits, drained

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper.
2. In separate bowls, place cornstarch and slightly beaten eggs. Dip chicken into cornstarch then coat in egg mixture. (yes you dip the chicken first in the cornstarch. I promise this method is amazing.)
3. Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken until browned. Place the chicken in a 9 x 13 greased baking dish.
4. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together pineapple juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, minced garlic, and cornstarch. Add the red pepper and pineapple tidbits. Pour over chicken and bake for 1 hour.
5. I stir the chicken every 15 minutes so that it coated them in the sauce.

Morning Muffins

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup flaked coconut
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts

• Directions

  1. In a small bowl, cream butter and brown sugar. Add eggs and sour cream; beat well. Stir in the carrots, coconut and raisins.
  2. Combine the flour, baking soda and cinnamon; stir into creamed mixture just until moistened. Fold in nuts.
  3. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in muffin comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Yield: 1 dozen.

The Best Orange Rolls Ever

INGREDIENTS:

BUNS:

• 1 cup granulated white sugar, divided
• 2 tablespoons grated orange zest
• One .25-ounce envelope active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 6 tablespoons salted butter, melted
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
• * add more zest to the dough if you like the orange flavor stronger

• GLAZE:
• 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 6 tablespoons salted butter
• * I like to add more orange zest to the glaze, the more the merrier!

DIRECTIONS:

1. To prepare buns: In a small bowl, mix 3/4 cup of sugar with orange zest; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Beat in 1/4 cup sugar, salt, eggs, sour cream and 6 tablespoons melted butter. Gradually add 2 cups flour; beating until dough forms.
3. Transfer to a floured surface. Into dough, knead enough remaining flour in small amounts to make it smooth and elastic with small blisters on the surface. Place dough in a large greased bowl. Cover loosely with a clean dishtowel and let rise in warm place (80 to 85°) until double in size, about 2 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 350° F. Punch dough down and turn out onto floured surface. Knead about 15 times. Roll into a rectangle as large as you can get it will keeping the dough about 1/4 inch thick. Brush with remaining butter. Sprinkle with orange-sugar mixture.
5. Roll up the rectangle and cut the rolls about 1 inch thick. Place in two greased 9x13-inch pans (or use a large, rimmed baking sheet for all rolls). Cover and let rise in warm place until almost double in size, about 1 hour.
6. Bake, uncovered, 15 to 20 minutes- or until golden brown.
7. While buns are in the oven, prepare glaze: In a medium saucepan, mix all glaze ingredients. Boil 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Spoon over buns while they are still warm.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

For the rolls

• ¼ cup warm water
• 2¼ teaspoons (one .25 oz pkg) active dry yeast
• ¾ cup evaporated milk
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 5-7 cups all-purpose flour

For the filling

• ⅓ cup butter
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

For the frosting

• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup butter, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon maple extract
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the water and the yeast. Add a pinch of the salt. Allow to stand until the yeast starts to bubble, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the evaporated milk, sugar, pumpkin, vegetable oil, egg and pumpkin pie spice. Add in 4 cups of the flour and stir to combine. Continue adding the flour, ¼ cup at a time, until the dough comes together and pulls away from the side of the bowl. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, 5-8 minutes.
2. Form the dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until about doubled, about 1½ hours.
3. In a small, melt the butter. In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Spray a 9x13” and an 8x8” baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
4. Punch the dough down, then divide into 2 equal portions. Working with one portion at a time, roll the dough out on a floured surface to a 12x16” rectangle. Spread half of the butter on the dough, and sprinkle half of the sugar mixture over the top. Starting at the long side, roll the dough into a log. Cut the uneven edges off, then cut the log into 8 equal slices. Transfer the slices to the baking dish, cut side up. (You will be able to fit 12 rolls in the 9x13” pan and 6 rolls in the 8x8” pan.) Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
5. Lightly press the rolls down, then cover and allow to rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the rolls until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Allow to cool.
7. To make the frosting, beat together the cream cheese and butter. Add in the powdered sugar, maple extract and cinnamon and beat until light and creamy. Frost the rolls with the frosting.

Southwestern Chicken Panini with Cilantro Pesto

• 
• Ingredients:
• 8 oz. rotisserie or grilled chicken breast torn in large pieces
• 2 cups cilantro leaves and stems packed
• 4 large cloves garlic
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• juice of half a lime
• pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp. good quality olive oil
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp. canned chipotle chile in adobo, minced
• 2 tsp. sugar
• sourdough bread
• softened butter
• slices of Pepper Jack cheese

Directions:

In food processor – pulse cilantro, garlic, jalapeno, lime juice, and salt until minced.  Scrape down sides of bowl – then – with machine running – drizzle in olive oil slowly until paste forms for pesto.  Combine mayonnaise, chipotle and sugar in a small bowl.  Take two of the bread slices – spread butter on one side of each bread slice, the mayonnaise mixture on the other.  For the other two bread slices – spread butter on one side, the cilantro pesto on the other.  Top the pesto side with cheese, then chicken, place the other two slices of bread on top – buttered side up.  On stovetop griddle or grill – toast sandwiches using a heavy skillet or bacon press on top to weight the sandwich over medium heat.  Flip when golden brown and repeat on other side.

* I will also add avocado to the cilantro pesto, it makes it extra creamy and delicious. Add as much as you like, avocado makes everything taste better!!