Like many young people, who leave the nest and head off to college, I gained the “Freshman Fifteen”. I can pinpoint my extra pounds to one thing… it certainly wasn’t from the not so great dorm food. It wasn’t even because I partied hard and consumed my calories in beer. Just about every single extra pound came from the most delicious, fluffy, buttery soft dinner rolls at the restaurant where I waitressed.
…

Read More

The post Recipe: The Best Buttery Dinner Rolls appeared first on Dine and Dish.

The very best bread machine shaped dinner roll recipe and an Oster Bread Machine giveaway to kick off a celebration of 7 years of blogging.

Friends, this is a big, big day because it’s the start of my SEVEN years of blogging celebration!! Over the next few weeks I’m going to be sharing some of my favorite things and doing some extra special giveaways to celebrate! Why giveaways? Well, because Dine & Dish wouldn’t be what it is today without your love and support and I want to share my thanks with you by giving back.

When I started Dine & Dish 7 years ago I had no idea what great joy this little site would bring me. I have developed friendships, created wonderful work relationships, have traveled and experienced things I’ve never even imagined,  I’ve gained new skills, have been able to contribute to our family financially and most of all, I’ve been able to do it all from home while raising my kids.

Dine & Dish is not even close to the biggest blog out there, but I have the BEST readers, hands down. Thank you all so, so much for being such an important part of my life and for taking the time to click over and read what I share. It means more to me than I could ever tell you.

Without further ado, I’d like to share the first of many giveaways with you! …

Read More

The post Celebrating 7 Years of Blogging {Recipe: The Best Dinner Rolls} appeared first on Dine and Dish.

Pin It

The SoupaPalooza linkup beings tomorrow and I am so ready! I thought and thought about what kind of soup to share with you for our second annual #SoupaPalooza. At first I was thinking I wanted to share some kind of French Onion soup. Then, after spending a few days last week with a sick kid, I thought a comforting Chicken Noodle Soup would be good. Finally, a shift in thinking occurred when I noticed my kids gobbling up broccoli night after night at dinner. It was then I remembered that I have never introduced them to the goodness of Broccoli Cheese Soup!

Is there a more perfect soup than a hot bowl of cheesy broccoli soup? I’m sure this could be easily up for debate, but for me, Broccoli Cheese Soup tops the list as one of my faves.

The recipe I use comes from an old church cookbook that I have hung onto through the years. It is a simple soup recipe with so much flavor… you are going to love it!

If you know me at all, you understand that soup without bread is a sin… so… I whipped up a batch of the most delicious Whole Wheat Cottage Cheese Rolls from the Red Star Yeast website! Since Red Star Yeast is my favorite yeast to use, I was thrilled when they jumped on board as a SoupaPalooza sponsor. They have so many recipes on their website, with clear instructions for use with a bread machine or by hand. The Whole Wheat Cottage Cheese Rolls were so soft and tender and the entire batch was gone before sunrise the next morning. We loved them that much! Make sure to check out the recipe on the Red Star Yeast website and browse around for other great bread recipes to pair with your soup!

While you’re browsing recipes… make sure to head over to the TidyMom blog and check out Cheryl’s Creamy Bacon Potato Soup. I wish I had a bowl to spoon up right now!

Before I share the Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe, just a quick reminder that tomorrow kicks off the 2nd annual Soupapalooza! Cheryl of TidyMom and I along with our sponsors would like to invite YOU to share up to two of your favorite soup, stew or chili recipes!! New posts, old posts, non-bloggers, bloggers… everyone is invited! Just click here if you need more information on how to join in on the 2nd annual SoupaPalooza linkup! There are some fabulous prizes to be won and you have a week to link up your recipes!

Print

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Broccoli Cheese Soup (Adapted from the Sacred Heart of Shawnee Cookbook)

Author Dine & Dish

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon melted butter
• 1/2 yellow onion finely chopped
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups half-and-half cream
• 2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 pound fresh broccoli florets
• 1/4 teaspoon Allspice
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 1 1/2 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• shredded Parmesan cheese if desired

Instructions

• In a small skillet, heat 1 Tablespoon butter. Add onions and saute until tender. Set aside.
• In a large stock pot, whisk together 1/4 cup butter and flour over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Continue stirring while adding the half-and-half cream. Whisk in the chicken broth and continue to simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes.
• Stir in the broccoli and cooked onions. Cook over low heat 20-25 minutes or until broccoli is tender.
• Stir in Allspice, ground cloves, salt and pepper. Add shredded cheese and stir until melted. Ladle into serving bowls and top with shredded Parmesan cheese if desired.

The post #SoupaPalooza Broccoli Cheese Soup and Cottage Cheese Rolls appeared first on Dine and Dish.

In that post, I mentioned that Pepperidge Farm wants to know your best tricks for making ordinary meals holiday worthy. What special tricks do you use to survive the holidays? My three tips are:

• Play up your strengths, embrace your weaknesses! If you make a killer turkey but are scared to death of working with yeast, spend your time doing what you love… make the best turkey ever then turn to Pepperidge Farm for help in the bread department (The Pepperidge Farm Stone Baked Artisan Rolls will be the perfect addition to your amazing turkey!)
• Rely on shortcuts. For example, so many recipes I make during the holiday season require buttermilk, but I always forget to buy buttermilk. 1 cup milk plus 1 Tablespoon of Vinegar or Lemon Juice will create “buttermilk” after sitting for 10 minutes. Know your shortcuts and use them!
• Divvy out responsibilities. I host a ton of dinner parties and people are always impressed by how calm and not crazed I seem. The only reason I can host the parties and stay calm is because I ask for help. I ask guests to contribute by brining things and they are always more than happy to be a big part of the event!

Here are some of your really great tips for holiday meal success:

• Julia from Fat Girl Trapped in a Skinny Body says…”My new favorite trick is to pre-cook almost ALL of the appetizers and side dishes, freeze them, and just pop them in the oven the day of. Stuffed mushrooms, artichoke dip, creamed spinach, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, stuffing. ALL of it can be made in advance. Same with Christmas treats: fudge, cookies, cheesecake, cake. Make in advance when I have the time, freeze and just thaw a few hours before gifting or serving.”
• Fran from On My Plate says…”I am a fan of taking a few shortcuts and enjoying the entertaining process (instead of killing yourself and being worn out when the guests arrive). Here is a holiday entertaining tip that I shared last year: http://my-plate.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-party-tip.html Wash the dishes as you go. Believe me; it is worth it.”
• Divya at Flavour Fiesta says…”I have to say that advance preparation is key. And one should always try out new recipes beforehand to avert disaster.”
• Gina at Chic Homeschool Mama says…”My trick- serve on fancier platters – makes everything seem just a bit more festive!”
• Darlene says…”I have a big family so each wife or husband brings a dish. That way it’s not hard on the person who is hosting it!”
• Evelyn from Best Organizing Tips says…”Plan, plan plan and then plan some more. Right down to exactly how much butter, flour & everything else you need from the store. That way you only need to make one trip. The key is to remove all of the details from your head, and get them down on paper. Now – just don’t lose your lists! (I post them inside my kitchen cabinets. Easy to see, not making visual clutter).”
• Heather from Chirps from the Birdcage says…” I am starting my holiday cooking on the 16th and will cook throughout the next week. Then not cooking on Christmas!”
• Tammy says…”It’s just our family, so we don’t have to cook for a lot of people. But we try and make it fun by letting the kids help cook!”

I hope these tips help you keep things simple this holiday season. Relax, enjoy and have fun celebrating!

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Pepperidge Farm. Pepperidge Farm provided me with a stipend for time and materials invested in the Pepperidge Farm® Stone Baked Artisan Rolls tip challenge.

The post Tips for Simplifying the Holidays with Pepperidge Farm appeared first on Dine and Dish.

With three holiday events at my home in the near future, I thought it was highly appropriate that I partner with Pepperidge Farm on their challenge to help holiday hosts “elevate” ordinary meals into holiday-ready experiences. I’m going to need all the tips I can get to get through these three parties with my stress level in check.

We tried the Pepperidge Farm Stone Baked Whole Grain Artisan dinner rolls this week with a pot of soup and I have to say they are definitley holiday table worthy. In a pinch (or even not) I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to put these beautiful and delicious rolls on my table with my holiday spread. Besides the flavor, the best part of these rolls was that they were from the freezer to hot and fresh on the table in less than 10 minutes. I plan on having these dinner rolls on hand for our parties as well as for our own family dinners! Quick, easy and delicious… you can’t ask for much more than that.

I’d love to know some of your tips for making ordinary meals more holiday worthy. What tips can you share that will help time crunched cooks deliver a delicious and stress free holiday meal? Leave your best tips in the comment section and I’ll come back here next week to share some of your ideas for holiday meal success!

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Pepperidge Farm. Pepperidge Farm provided me with a stipend for time and materials invested in the Pepperidge Farm® Stone Baked Artisan Rolls tip challenge.

The post Pepperidge Farm Holiday Worthy Meals Challenge appeared first on Dine and Dish.

As the years have passed and traditions have changed, I somehow came to be in charge of dinner rolls at our holiday meals. I love making homemade bread, so that wasn’t a problem, but finding a recipe that could compete with my mom’s delicious rolls was hard. She mostly knew her recipe by site, so translating it was never easy.

One day several years ago I stumbled across this recipe for Country White Dinner Rolls done in the bread machine. It is the recipe my mom now uses when she makes rolls. It is simple to put together and (although the picture doesn’t do it justice) makes the most delicious, fluffy, buttery dinner rolls.

If you are searching for a simple yet delicious bread roll recipe to adorn your Thanksgiving table, give this recipe a try. It will be the star of your feast!

Recipe: Country White Dinner Rolls (from Food.com)

The post Baking Bread {Recipe: Country White Dinner Rolls for the ABM} appeared first on Dine and Dish.

If you don’t know about Lydia from The Perfect Pantry and her Drop in and Decorate – Cookies for Donation event, please head over to her website now to get the lowdown. Lydia is the poster mom for Adopt-a-Blogger. Over the past 3 adoptions, Lydia has adopted 3 different people and has taken them under her wing and has gone above and beyond mentoring her adoptees. Lydia has given of her time, talent and expertise to her adopted bloggers. Another way Lydia gives back, and encourages others to do the same, is through her Drop in and Decorate event. Please take a few minutes to go check out Lydia’s website and consider hosting a Drop in and Decorate event of your own!

Next… Kai Wilson is one of the key people who helped me get through the time when Dine & Dish was hacked a couple months back. Kai is one of the smartest WordPress guru’s I know. She knows how to help keep your blog safe, knows the ins and outs of WordPress plug-ins and is just overall a very smart lady! Kai offers her services at a very reasonable rate, and she tends to also go above and beyond for her clients. She has a couple new websites in the works that will offer “spa like” services for your blog. For those of you who are like me and just want to blog and not have to worry about the behind the scenes technical stuff, Kai is the woman for you!  Check out www.theblogspa.com (up and running soon!) and Blog A-and-E for more about Kai. Follow Kai on Twitter to contact her for services – great for newbies and veterans alike! @Kaiberie.

Now…. are you ready for Adopt-a-Blogger #4? If so, please read this post in its entirety!

I’m excited to kick off the 4th round of Adopt a Blogger. Thank you so much to all of you who have made this blog event a success! I appreciate your participation and commitment to making our food blogging community a friendly and helpful one.

Now for the details on how you can participate!

If you were adopted in one of the previous adopt a blogger events, consider adopting someone this time around. If you adopted before, you can adopt again. I am limiting the number of potential adoptees to 50 for this round. So, I am looking for 50 newbies and 50 experienced food bloggers. First come, first serve basis. If you miss it this time around, we’ll get you next time! (Note – I will increase the number of slots *if* I get enough interest from the experienced bloggers to adopt the newbies!)

• Newbies – Newbies are food bloggers who have a blog that has been up for a year or less. If you are just starting out, you must have had at least 1 month worth of consistent posting on your blog.
• Experienced Bloggers – Anyone who has maintained an active food blog for over 1 year. If you have a blog that is younger than a year old, but feel like you have the whole food blogging thing down and could provide some expertise to someone just starting out, then please feel free to sign up as a veteran.
• Prior to the adoption process, you will mention Adopt a Blogger with a link back to this post in either your blog or a Tweet on Twitter. We typically are heavy on newbies and short on Veteran’s, so please spread the word so everyone who wants to can be adopted!
• Newbies will commit to writing one post about their Veteran. Veterans will commit to doing the same. Trying a recipe out and posting this on your blog would count as well, as long as you are introducing each other and the blogs.
• You will each add each other to your respective blogrolls.
• At the end of the 3 month mentoring time, where the Veteran will help the newbie find their way, I ask that the Veteran write one post linking back to this Adopt-A-Blogger post with a piece of advice for new bloggers. I also ask that the newbies write one post about what they have learned about blogging during the 3 month mentorship. Please note that by three months, I don’t mean that you have to be in constant contact with each other. Just keep in touch with each other for the three months and be available to ask/answer any questions that might pop up.
• If you are interested in participating, please leave a comment on this post indicating if you are a newbie or a veteran. Please make sure you enter your website information in the form as well as an email address. If that information isn’t included, I can’t get a hold of you which means you won’t be able to participate!
• Once we have reached have reached 50 newbies and 50 experienced bloggers, I will carefully match you all up and the adoption will be official!
• It will be your responsibility to check back at Dine & Dish regularly to see if adoptions are posted. I will not be sending out individual emails with the information. We had a lot of people sign up last go around who did not fulfill their commitment. If you cannot commit to mentoring and/or learning from another blogger and the conditions above, please do not sign up. Thank you!
• For anyone concerned about Adopt-a-Blogger conflicting with the madness of the holidays, don’t worry… matches won’t be announced until after January 1st!

And now, the recipe!

Double Quick No Knead Dinner Rolls (from Betty Crocker.com)

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 Tbs Sugar
1 Tsp salt
1 package regular or quick active dry yeast
1 cup very warm water
2 Tbs shortening
1 egg

Mix 1 1/4 cups of the flour, the sugar, salt and yeast in large bowl. Add water, shortening and egg; beat with spoon until smooth. Stir in remaining flour until smooth. Scrape batter from side of bowl. Cover and let rise in warm place about 30 minutes or until double.

Grease 12 regular-size muffin cups. Stir down batter by beating about 25 strokes. Spoon into muffin cups. Let rise 20 to 30 minutes or until batter rounds over tops of cups.

Heat oven to 400ºF. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

The post Adopt-a-Blogger #4 (Recipe: Double Quick No Knead Dinner Rolls) appeared first on Dine and Dish.

Quick note… if you missed this post and are a parent, head over to it now for the chance to win the parenting book every parent in this age of “Extreme Parenting” needs to read.

I think I was in about the 7th grade when my mom discovered the joy of making homemade bread. She had purchased one of those big Bosch mixers and once that mixer entered into our life, so did homemade bread. I can remember her grinding wheat to make homemade wheat bread (my dad’s favorite… the heartier the better). I personally loved it when she would make white bread and then would also make homemade honey butter. There was many a Sunday afternoon where she would make a loaf of bread with honey butter and we would have the entire loaf gone by the end of the day. In fact, there were some days where that is what we would have for dinner… fresh from the oven bread and butter!

I first started making bread around 6 years ago. I bought a bread machined to aid in the process. My first few attempts were using the Krusteaz bread machine mixes. Once I got comfortable with those, I graduated to recipes that came in my bread machine manual. Eventually I was able to master just about any standard bread machine recipe I came across. With the aid of my bread maker dough cycle doing most of the work, I soon discovered how simple bread baking could be. Now days, my bread machine is the most used small appliance in my kitchen (I only use the dough cycle and never actually bake my bread in the bread machine). I make homemade bread so often that my spoiled kids think nothing of sitting down to dinner with a loaf of homemade bread on the table.

I know there are many of you out there who are scared of baking with yeast. I hope that you will take my word for it when I say there is absolutely nothing to be scared of. If you own a bread machine, take it out of storage and start playing around with it. If you follow your bread machine instructions you will see how easy bread making can be (for my machine I add liquid first, dry ingredients next (with flour next to last)… make a well in the flour and add the yeast).

If you want to dip into bread making, but want some encouragement or some advice, send me an email. I’d be happy to support you along the way 🙂

Old Fashioned Buttermilk Dinner Rolls (from Recipezaar, posted by Burgundy Damsel)

Click on the recipe title to see my review, including my adaptations

2½ hours | 2 hours prep

SERVES 16 , 16 rolls

The post The Joy of Bread (and Buttermilk Dinner Rolls) appeared first on Dine and Dish.