Wednesday, 2 October 2019

Pizza Buns

I recently posted a photo of some pizza buns I made for my son who won't eat anything in his lunch except peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  Lunch time isn't anything like it was when I was a kid, and now sending a PB&J sandwich is basically a declaration that I'm trying to personally harm and violate the rights of everyone in the classroom.  Ugh.  You can read between the lines and assume my opinion on this.  So... the search has been on to find allergy friendly lunch options...and it hasn't been easy.


I received so many comments, messages and texts asking me for the recipe for these that it was enough for me to actually come out of sharing hibernation.  I haven't posted a single recipe since December 2017.  Why?  Well, kids don't nap anymore.  Chores and commitments don't take care of themselves.  Extracurricular activities are sucking out my energy exponentially more and more as time goes by.  So yeah, even though I cook and bake all the time still, there just isn't time to prove it on the 'ol interweb.

So for those who requested this recipe....here you go:
Throw a recipe of dinner roll dough into your breadmaker.  Or stand mixer.  Or just use a bowl and old fashioned muscle to mix it.  Here's what I use:


1 and 2/3 cup warm water
2 tbsp stick margarine or butter
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
4 and 1/3 cups flour*
1 and 1/2 tsp yeast
*Substituting whole wheat flour also works well in this recipe.

Your favorite pizza toppings: I use pepperoni and ham, shredded mozza, and of course, pizza sauce

Set your bread maker to dough/pasta setting. Throw everything in the machine and hit go if this is your method. If you're using a mixer, melt the butter and stir into the water. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water for 5 minutes. Gently stir in the salt and flour, half a cup of the time, and then allow your dough hook to knead the dough until smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes). Cover and allow to rise for 1 hour.

Lightly grease 2 x 9 inch round pans and then line the bottom with parchment paper.

When dough has risen or dough setting is complete, divide into two equal halves. On a lightly floured surface or piece of parchment, roll each half into a 12 x 16 inch rectangle. Spread pizza sauce to within 1 inch of edge. Sprinkle with your desired amount of meat/cheese. Starting with the long end, roll up as best you can (this is tricky if you over-do it on the toppings! If it gets messy, that's ok....just try your best. Then cut each rolled dough log into 8 equal-ish rolls, about 2 inches wide. Gently arrange 8 rolls into each pan. Sprinkle lightly with a bit more cheese (if desired), lightly cover with a kitchen towel, and allow to rise for about 1/2 an hour. 


Bake in a preheated 350F oven for approximately 20 - 25 minutes. I like to bake mine with a cookie sheet under each pan because sometimes when I get a little bit crazy with the toppings I create a bit of a raging oven inferno if I forget this step. I don't recommend it.

Remove from pans and allow to cool slightly on wire racks.  Store in the fridge or freeze each individual bun to pop in their lunch when you need them.  They thaw by lunch and conveniently keep the rest of the food that your kid probably won't eat nice and cool!

Enjoy! See y'all in two more years when I post my next recipe!!!

Saturday, 9 December 2017

Double Chocolate Port and Caramel Cookies #ChristmasCookies

Here it is....the final day of #ChristmasCookies Week.  This is the second of the two boozy creations I made for this event.  Port and chocolate are natural companions to me, so when my husband suggested I try making something like this, it took much less convincing than the "Old Fashioned Cookie."  The beauty of these cookies is that they aren't overwhelmingly port-like.  I can definitely still taste it, but my husband just barely detects the flavor.  It reminds me a bit of when you add a bit of coffee to a chocolate cake or brownie batter.  It enhances the chocolaty-ness of it.  If you aren't told that it's there, you may not know it.  But it's there....and it really enhances their deliciousness.

Friday, 8 December 2017

The Old Fashioned Cookie #ChristmasCookies

Here we are, nearing the end of #ChristmasCookies Week.  Tomorrow will be the last post for me in this event.   It seems I've left two boozy ones for the end.  Tomorrow's cookie will feature port, and today's is featuring bourbon.  Both were my husband's idea, so let this sentence show as official credit  to him for this creation.

He is a big fan of cocktails, and an Old Fashioned is definitely up there on his list.  I can't say I'm in full agreement.  I enjoy the garnishes involved (orange and cherries are delightful), and clearly I can get on board with simple syrup (who doesn't love sugar?), but the addition of bitters and bourbon really, really thwarts it for me, lol.  I'm just not a bourbon fan.  Bring me ALL the other spirits.  I'm not picky.  It's just that bourbon nears the bottom of my list.  And bitters, well...why?!  Ugh.

Ok, I know I'm not selling this cookie very well right now, but I just needed to give you that intro to prove that as a non-Old-Fashioned fan, I can attest that this cookie is actually delicious!  People who do love the traditional cocktail will also love the cookie, and even non-believers like me can get on board, because, well, it's a cookie.  And even with the bourbon and the bitters featured in the drizzle, it is quite tasty.  It's a fun and unique cookie.

This recipe has been a labor of love.  The first recipe I tinkered with resulted in nothing more than an old-fashioned rock.  Quite literally, a rock.  You probably could have driven a car over it and it wouldn't break.

The second attempt resulted in pancake like and very, very greasy cookies.  Not delightful at all.

The third was just right.  Here it is!

The Old-Fashioned Cookie

1/2 cup vegetable shortening (such as crisco)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp bourbon
1 1/3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 heaping tbsp candied orange rind (yup, those weird little bits sometimes featured in fruit cake)
Halved glace or maraschino cherries for garnish

For the glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp bourbon
dash of bitters

-Cream together shortening and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add egg and bourbon and beat well.
- Combine flour, baking soda, powder, and salt.  Stir into the butter and sugar mixture.  Stir in orange rind.
-Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Add a cherry slightly off-centered on each cookie.
-Bake in a preheated 375F oven for 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
-Cool on wire racks.

-Whisk together the glaze and drizzle over-top of cookies before serving.  Enjoy!







  • Almond Spice Christmas Wreath Cookies by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
  • Black Forest Brownies by Palatable Pastime
  • Chewy M&M Cookies by Kate’s Recipe Box
  • Chocolate Orange Blossoms by Family Around the Table
  • Chocolate Marshmallow Meltaways by Jolene's Recipe Journal
  • Gingerbread Madeleines by Strawberry Blondie Kitchen
  • Greek Baklava by House of Nash Eats
  • Honningkagehjerter by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
  • Lemon Ginger Crinkle Cookies by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
  • Lemon Pizzelle Della Sondra by Girl Abroad
  • Grandmas Lily’s Thumbprints by A Day in the Life on the Farm
  • Mocha Biscotti by Books n’ Cooks
  • No Bake Christmas Tree Cookies by Cooking with Carlee
  • No-Bake Eggless Chocolate Salami by All That’s Jas
  • Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies by Simple and Savory
  • Peppermint Meltaway Cookies by Making Miracles
  • Peppermint Sandies by Corn, Beans, Pigs and Kids
  • Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies by Soulfully Made
  • The Old Fashioned Cookie by Making the Most of Naptime
  • White Chocolate Oatmeal Raisin Cookies by The Bitter Side of Sweet
  • Thursday, 7 December 2017

    Dark Chocolate Dipped Orange Biscotti #ChristmasCookies

    I can't believe it's already Day 4 of Christmas Cookies Week, as hosted by Ellen from Family Around the Table.  It's kind of weird that this wasn't the first recipe I posted, as this was the first Christmas cookie I made this year.  The minute I tasted the dough (yup, I'm a raw dough eater, and I'm still alive...) I knew this would be a winner.  It got me so excited to make all the cookies I had brainstormed for this event!

    I make some sort of biscotti every year, and this year I wanted to marry two of my favorite flavors for it.... orange and chocolate.  I know that not everyone is a fan of this flavor combo, but I LOVE IT!  I feel like in most households, in the hierarchy of greatness of a box of chocolates, the last to go are the orange creme ones.   They're the sad, lonely, stale little morsels at the end of the box.  It's crazy.  That's where I come in and destroy them.  With my stomach.  That's right friends - the orange creme chocolates are always the first to go if I crack a chocolate assortment open.  So lets just say I eat a lot of them between December and January.  I eat all of mine first, and polish off all the lonely ones that reside at every gathering I go to.  Oink oink.

    Anyways, if you're someone like me, and you LOVE orange and chocolate, I have you covered with this cookie.   If not, sorry - come back tomorrow for something else.  Or, as I hope you've been doing all along, check out everyone's cookies for today.  As usual, there are some showstoppers!