BEST ROLLS EVER

Soft and Fluffy One Hour Rolls
Baker Upstairs

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon yeast (I used active dry yeast and it worked great)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups flour, more or less as needed
3 tablespoons melted butter, for brushing on top
sea salt, for sprinkling on top

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water and let stand for five minutes, or until foamy. Add the butter, salt, and 3 cups of flour, and mix until combined.Add additional flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is only slightly sticky to the touch (be careful not to add too much flour!). Knead 3-5 minutes, until smooth.Cover and let rise 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 and line a 9 x 13 pan with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray. Gently punch the dough down and divide into 20 equal sized pieces (I used a kitchen scale because I'm neurotic, but I'm sure they would work out fine if you just eyeballed it). Roll each piece into a ball and space evenly in the prepared pan. Brush with melted butter, sprinkle with sea salt, and let rise for an additional 15-20 minutes. Bake 13-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove and brush with butter.Let cool slightly before serving and enjoy!

Garlic Lemon and Parmesan Oven Roasted Zucchini

Garlic Lemon and Parmesan Oven Roasted Zucchini

Zucchini brushed with a garlic lemon oil and topped with plenty of parmesan cheese.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 17 minutes

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs zucchini (about 4 - 5 small/medium zucchini)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• Zest of 1 small lemon (1 tsp)
• 2 cloves garlic , crushed through a garlic crusher or finely minced
• 3/4 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed cookie sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Cut zucchini into thick wedges or halves (cut each zucchini in half then that half in half, so you have 4 wedges from each zucchini. Next time I might try to do just halves so the parmesan bakes more evenly, plus it would be easier to add the parmesan). In a small bowl, stir together olive oil, lemon zest and garlic. Align zucchini on prepared baking sheet spacing them evenly apart. Brush olive oil mixture over tops of zucchini (working to get some of the garlic/lemon zest on each piece and not just in one spot. It clumps together a little so just spread it out). Sprinkle tops with parmesan cheese (try to get as much of it on the tops as possible, you can pick up what was sprinkled off to the sides of the zucchini and add it to the tops) and season lightly with salt and pepper. Bake in preheated oven 11 - 13 minutes then, adjust oven rack near top of oven and broil for several minutes until parmesan is golden brown. Serve warm.
3. Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Liluna

AMAZING SPINACH SALAD WITH SWEET-SPICY NUTS, APPLES, FETA AND BACON

yield: 6 servings

AMAZING SPINACH SALAD WITH SWEET-SPICY NUTS, APPLES, FETA AND BACON

PREP TIME: 20 MINS

COOK TIME: 8-10 MINS

INGREDIENTS:

SALAD:

• 16 ounces baby spinach
• ½ small red onion, slivered (see note about tempering the onion flavor)
• 6 slices of applewood smoked bacon, cooked and crumbled or chopped into small pieces
• 1 cup Feta cheese crumbles, more or less to taste
• 1 cup dried cranberries or cherries, more or less to taste
• 1-2 Honey Crisp apples, cored and sliced thin

SWEET SPICY NUTS:

• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• Pinch of cayenne (more to taste if you want)
• Pinch of salt

RED WINE VINAIGRETTE:

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, pressed or finely minced
• 1-2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, more or less to taste
• Fresh cracked pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. For the dressing, shake all the ingredients together in a mason jar until well combined or run them through a quick blender cycle. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. The dressing can be made up to a week in advance.
2. For the nuts, lightly toast the nuts in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes, checking often so they don’t burn. While they toast, place the sugar, cayenne and salt in a skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the sugar mixture until it liquifies completely, adjusting the heat so it doesn’t bubble and burn. Toss in the toasted nuts and stir to coat the nuts with sugar. Let the sugared nuts cool completely.
3. To assemble the salad, toss all the salad ingredients together along with the cooled nuts. Serve immediately with the vinaigrette alongside. All the components can be measured out/prepped ahead of time and stored separately (I like to soak the apples in a bit of lemon juice in water to help prevent browning). Just toss right before serving. Enjoy!

NOTES:

Kim, who gave me this recipe, alerted me to the most magnificent tip. I love onions but hate the after effects of eating them raw in a salad. To temper the onions a bit, soak the onion slices covered in cold water with a bit of baking soda (I use about 1/2 teaspoon soda). Let them sit for 15-20 minutes then rinse and drain well. Also, in my pictures, disregard the overly yellow color of my vinaigrette. I went a little crazy with the mustard when I made it this time. Yours probably won’t be quite this yellow. Finally, this recipe makes an excellent main dish if served alongside grilled chicken and keep in mind that all the quantities can easily be adapted according to taste. Yum!

All images and text ©Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

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