Cheesy Pretzel Rolls

These don't taste so much like a pretzel as they do a cheesy, addicting, roll in a pretzel shape. I will just say that the night I made these, we finished them off so quickly it's a little embarrassing.

Recipe from YourHomeBasedMom.com

• 1 C warm water 
• 1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 2 3/4 C flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
• 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
• 1 1/2 C sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 egg, beaten

1. Place the warm water in a bowl and sprinkle the yeast on top. Set aside to rest until the mixture bubbles, about 5 minutes.
2. Place the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add in the yeast mixture and mix with a dough hook until the dough is elastic and smooth, about 8 minutes (I didn't let mine mix that long, just a few minutes).
3. Cover and let rest in a warm place until the dough doubles in size, about 30 to 35 minutes.
4. Once the dough has risen, mix in cheese. Divide the dough into 16 pieces and form into long ropes. Form into a pretzel shape and tuck ends underneath. Allow to rise for about 30 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 400 and bake for 12 - 14 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm.

Puffed Pancake

Or German Pancake. Or Hootenanny. Whatever you like to call it, here's a good recipe. We love this. I like it with powdered sugar and a squeeze of fresh lemon- so good!

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup flour

dash of salt

dash of cinnamon

1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Whisk together the eggs, milk, flour, salt and cinnamon in a bowl. While the oven is preheating, melt the butter in a pie pan or 9 inch square pan. Pour the batter into the hot melted buttered pan. Do not stir. Bake 10-12 minutes (or until the pancake is firm and has puffed around the edges).

Serve right away with lemon juice, powdered sugar, maple syrup, or fruit.

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

These were so light and yummy that I kept going back for more...and more! Recipe found at Lauren's Latest.

½ cup Butter, Softened
1 cup Granulated Sugar
½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 whole Egg
1 teaspoon Lemon Zest
1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
¼ teaspoons Salt
¼ teaspoons Baking Powder
⅛ teaspoons Baking Soda
1-½ cup All-purpose Flour
½ cups Powdered Sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light colored baking sheets with non stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

*If using a non stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

I've made these at least 3 or 4 times and keep forgetting to post the recipe, mainly because we eat them before I can take a picture. My kids LOVE these and beg for them. I found the recipe at My Baking Addiction.

2 cups flour
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or spray the wells of the pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. In medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla, mixing until well combined.

4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the liquid ingredients into the well. Stir until ingredients are just combined - do not over mix the batter. Fold in the chocolate chips.

5. Evenly divide the batter into the prepared muffin pan wells. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

6. Remove muffins to a wire rack and cool for at least 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

3-Ingredient Banana Bread

I credit Pinterest for this one. It was a huge success!! We loved it, and I don't think I'll make banana bread any other way now.

1 yellow cake mix
2 eggs
3 large ripe bananas
(I added 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 tsp. cinnamon and 1 c. mini chocolate chips)

Pour into two (sprayed) medium pans and bake at 350 for 35-40 min.

Alfredo Sauce

Most of the recipes I try come from Mel's Kitchen Cafe or Our Best Bites. You really can't go wrong with either! This one's from Mel's Kitchen Cafe, and I've made it three times. My kids love it, and it's super easy.

2 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press (I used garlic powder)

4 ounces cream cheese, softened and cut into 6 pieces
1 cup milk
3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste, if needed

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium pot or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly, taking care not to let the garlic burn. Add the cream cheese, stirring with a whisk until the mixture is smooth. It will look curdled at first, but with constant whisking for 2-3 minutes, it should come together to form a smooth, creamy paste. Add the milk gradually, about 1/4 cup at a time, whisking quickly and constantly until each addition is incorporated fully into the sauce. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, pepper and salt. Stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is the desired consistency. Cook for 2-3 minutes for a thicker sauce or remove right after the cheese is melted for a thinner sauce. Serve immediately over hot, cooked noodles.

Oven Steak Fries

Recipe from here Picture shown is from website and shows parsley.

4 medium Russet potatoes, washed

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. Kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

*1/2 Parsley

*2 1/4 tsp. garlic salt

**1/2-1 tsp garlic and herb

Preheat oven to 400. Mix desired spices in a medium bowl. Add olive oil and combine well.  (I put it in a large ziplock bag.)

Cut potatoes into 8 wedges each.  (I have a food chopper thing (the one we got from dad) so I just slice my potatoes with that and I get a lot more than 8 wedges.)

Add potato wedges to seasonings and toss to coat.
Lightly crumple some aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray and then arrange potato wedges on foil. This makes cleanup easy because your potatoes won’t stick and it will also ensures they’re cooked evenly.
Bake at 400 for about 40 minutes.

*Other options from original recipe

**added by me :)

***p.s. I add both garlic and herb seasoning and garlic salt.