Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Spiffing Up Dinner Rolls



Yes!  I did it!  I really did post a 2nd recipe in a one-week period.  Now to see if I'll continue this streak...

This lovely recipe today comes from the cookbook below that my husband surprised me with a couple of months ago. 



This woman makes some fabulous food and I have fallen in love with many of her recipes.  While looking through the book a few weeks ago, I came across her recipe for Buttered Rosemary Rolls.  It had me at "buttered"! ;)  I knew as I sit there drooling over the photo of the rolls that I HAD to make them - and soon!

It just so happens that I was making the Creamy Sausage Spinach Pasta that week, so I decided to pair the rolls with that dish.  It's super simple because you get to use frozen, unrisen dinner rolls.  The catch there is that they're unrisen so you need to work in the time to let them rise.  Otherwise, they're a piece of cake! 

And you cook them in a cast iron skillet - which automatically makes everything taste better - although if you don't a cast iron skillet (in which case I recommend you go buy one now!) these can be cooked in a cake pan, on a baking sheet, etc.  You just grease the pan, and set the rolls in it with space between them so they have room to expand.

Let them rise and then brush with melted butter.  LOTS of melted butter.  This is the time to be generous! ;)  Then you just sprinkle them with chopped rosemary & coarse sea salt.  And brush them with butter again.  Because there's no such thing as too much butter - at least not in my kitchen!

Then they're popped in the oven and come out golden brown, crusty, and mouth-watering. 




 Eat & enjoy!

I'm giving the Pioneer Woman credit for this one, so you can find the recipe here.  Her photos will really make you want to cook this right away!! :)



Tuesday, October 28, 2014

State Fair Results, Business Ventures, Life


So, today's post is more of a "catch up" post rather than a recipe. However, I do have another recipe post coming this way before the week's over. Yeah, imagine that, I'm actually getting around to posting two recipes in one week! ;)

First and foremost, y'all should finally know how the State Fair competition turned out, I mean, it was only a month ago... Quick refresher for anyone who never saw the first post about it here or on That Old Oven's Facebook page: Last year I entered my baking powder biscuits into the State Fair and didn't even make it to the display case. No surprise there seeing as how the biscuits were a total flop that time (why does that always happen when it's most important for it not to?) and I just had to make do. This year, I was ambitious. I entered my biscuits again. And, because I had found and altered a new apple pie recipe that was getting stellar reviews from my "panel" I entered my apple pie as well. And, because I love King Arthur Flour and all their products I entered a coffee cake into that competition as well. Aiming high y'all, I was aiming high! 

Well, fast forward a few days and my hubby and I are walking through the display cases at the fair and we came across this...



And then this...


Y'all!  My apple pie won 1st place and my baking powder biscuits won 3rd place!  Whoop! Whoop!  I made a blue-ribbon worthy pie! :)  And they were even placed in the case conveniently side-by-side. 


Or back-to-back, something like that.

 My coffee cake didn't make it, but that was to be expected seeing as how it looked gorgeous but I had never even made the recipe before so I had no clue how it tasted. What mattered was that my two favorites made it. And as someone mentioned, there are 50 states in the US, so 50 state fairs, sooo... my apple pie is in the top 50 in the US. I'll take that! ;) Needless to say, I was flying high. :)

On that note, the blue ribbon I won on the apple pie has resulted in one of my 'business ventures'. I'm now selling my apple pies to anyone who wants one! I had a few people ask about it, so I figured why not?  I've always wanted to sell pies eventually anyway. It makes me really happy and I do hope it can turn into a true business venture.

My other latest development is that I now have a 2nd "job" as a consultant for the Pampered Chef! Talk about a fun job! It doesn't even feel like work half the time and I get to put my love of food and cooking to good use. Not that it doesn't go to good use already, but I profit from it this way, so not too shabby. :) And they have great, great, great perks.  

So I'm happy with my "business ventures" right now and delighted that they both involve food. And that's life right now! Be sure to check back here Thursday and/or Friday night for a delicious rolls recipe that I'll be sharing. :)



Monday, October 27, 2014

One Dish Wonder of Yum

I want to share with y'all this super yummy, fantastic, easy, make-your-budget-happy meal. ;) I found this recipe on Pinterest one day and loved how simple the recipe looked. But I was skeptical as to whether it would really taste good, I just wasn't sure how I felt about the sausage/spinach combo.  I mean, bacon and spinach - yes. But sausage and spinach?  Hmm...

So I began cooking, first I cooked the sausage.


Then I added onions to the pan, cooked those, and poured in some tomatoes & chicken broth. Next, the uncooked noodles were added.


While that was cooking I shredded the yumminess that most people refer to as Monterey Jack cheese. (And not gonna lie, about a half cup of that didn't even make it to the pasta dish! I have a weakness for cheese... which is why the melted cheese looks rather skimpy on the finished product! ;) )


Lastly, I stirred in the fresh spinach until it was wilted and topped it off with what was left of the cheese and green onions.  And let it get all melty and gooey and fabulous. 


Turns out sausage and spinach and pasta is a delightfully scrumptious combination.  What's more, this recipe is so cheap!  And I mean cheap in the best of ways! :)  Basic ingredients, little price tags, and it all cooks in one pan, so easy cleanup.  This recipe is a keeper in my kitchen. :)



Creamy Spinach & Sausage Pasta

Ingredients:
6 oz. smoked sausage (kielbasa works great too)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes 
2 cups chicken broth
8 oz. pasta (any kind!)
3 cups fresh spinach
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 whole green onion

  1. Thinly slice the smoked sausage and add it to a large skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Saute the sausage over medium heat until it is nicely browned (about 5-7 minutes). Drain off the excess fat.
  2. Dice the onion and add it to the skillet. Continue to saute until the onion has softened (about 5 minutes). Add the can of diced tomatoes and the chicken broth. Stir to combine and dissolve any browned bits off of the bottom of the skillet.
  3. Add the uncooked pasta to the skillet and make sure it is all submerged under the liquid. Place a lid on the skillet and allow the mixture to come up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for about ten minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Stir once or twice while the pasta cooks to keep it from sticking.
  4. Stir in the fresh spinach, one cup at a time, until wilted. If you add it all at once, the skillet will be too full to stir. Keep the heat on while adding the spinach, so the liquid will continue to simmer and thicken.
  5. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top, replace the lid, and let it sit for a few minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Slice the green onions and sprinkle them over top. Serve hot!