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.

I remember the very first time I tried pull apart bread. I was a freshman in college and our student union made the most amazing little fan bread loaves. Students would walk into the union and be overwhelmed with the aroma of fresh baked bread. To further entice us, the little “individual” loaves of homemade bread were packaged in see through plastic sleeves. The sleeves were steam filled, so you knew your little pull apart loaf of bread was hot and fresh.

I’ll admit to pretty much living off of homemade pull apart bread when I was in college. In fact, between these student union fan loaves and the buttery dinner rolls from the restaurant I worked at, I’m not sure I ate much else.

I visited my college campus many years later, highly anticipating the bakery science department was still serving fresh, dreamy fan loaves. My disappointment was evident when there were no fresh bread loaves to be found. Anywhere. What’s a foodie to do when she can’t buy what she wants? She heads home and makes it herself!…

Read More

The post Pull Apart Bread with Cheese and Olives appeared first on Dine and Dish.

Friends, how can Easter be just around the corner? I have no idea where 2016 is going in such a hurry, but I sure wish it would slow down!

Even though it’s hard to believe, Easter is almost here, which means it’s time to start thinking about what delicious food you will be serving up. Whether it be something for just your family, or you want to bake a little extra for friends and neighbors to show how much you care, making your Easter meal special doesn’t have to be complicated.

Take these Salted Caramel Rolls, for example. Big, fluffy, tender caramel rolls are really quite doable, even if you’ve never made a sweet roll of any kind before.  The secret is to use Fleischmann’s® RapidRise™ Yeast. It saves time by only requiring one rise and you can make this dough ahead of time and refrigerate overnight to bake when ready!

…

Read More

The post Salted Caramel Rolls Recipe appeared first on Dine and Dish.

One of the best compliments someone can share with me is to say my home is cozy, warm and inviting. I hope people walk into our home and feel at ease, like a cozy quilt wrapped around them.

Of course, with 4 kids in the house, cozy is sometimes hard to achieve, but we still try. I love having quilts all around, soft lamp lighting and candles lit, as well as some kind of soft, calming music playing. I always say I don’t keep my house spotless because I want anyone and everyone to feel comfortable walking in the door (of course, I say that’s my excuse for not keeping a perfect house, anyway…;) ). …

Read More

The post A Cozy Home – Homemade Honey Oatmeal Bread Recipe appeared first on Dine and Dish.

I’ll be the first to admit that I sometimes over complicate things. Especially when it comes to cooking and baking. Instead of heading for my tried and trusty recipes, I always find myself searching the internet, magazines and cookbooks looking for something “newer and better”. This leaves my tried and true recipes… the ones that are tried and true because they are AMAZING…sitting in dusty corners, sometimes to be forgotten….

Read More

The post Recipe: Mouth Watering Bread Machine Breadsticks appeared first on Dine and Dish.

Friends, I am so excited to share this homemade bread recipe with you to today. I’ve made a lot of bread over the past 9 years on Dine & Dish and I’ve loved so many of them, but this Herb and Sun Dried Tomato Pull Apart bread may be one of my favorite bread recipes, yet.

Here’s what I love about making homemade bread… it’s kind of like magic. You put a little flour, eggs, milk, salt, etc. into a bowl, add some Fleischmann’s® Yeast, and before you know it after some kneading, time and a little bit of patience, you have a beautiful loaf of homemade bread in front of you. OK, there may be a little more involved than that, but homemade bread is really such a simple thing once you’ve had some practice. Every time I make a loaf, I feel like I’m baking up a little bit of happiness in a pan. People love homemade bread…and sharing it with others is such a great gift! …

Read More

The post Herb and Sun Dried Tomato Pull Apart Bread Recipe appeared first on Dine and Dish.

I have quite a few weaknesses… I can’t walk into a bookstore without wanting to buy every single book I pass by. I especially love the staff recommendation shelf and feel like every written recommendation was placed there just for me.

Sharpies are another weakness of mine. I need…not want…need at least 2 of every color sitting in a drawer unused just so I know they are there. Heaven forbid if someone were to actually open up a desk drawer and take one and I be down a Sharpie!

Well, and we all know my weakness for Adam Levine is real. I just can’t help it.

But, the one weakness I have…the one thing I bake in the kitchen that I absolutely cannot resist no matter how hard I try, is fresh, baked bread. I’ve never been one of those people to let the bread basket pass me by at the table. It’s what I crave and want and I’m sure need. I heart fresh baked bread!…

Read More

The post Cheesy Potato Bread Recipe appeared first on Dine and Dish.

Today’s “Ask a Blogger” question comes from Erica over at piExperiment. Erica has a question about submitting photos to some of the more popular food photography sites, like Foodgawker and Tastespotting.

“When I edit my photos on my personal computer they look one way, but not the same when I upload them onto foodie photo sites and look at them from other computers.
What is going wrong? My best guess is the display color setting I am using, but I am not sure which one I should use.
I have been working so hard to improve my photography, and this has become my major obstacle recently.”

Erica, I can tell you one thing. Getting your photos approved or rejected at certain food photography sites is a hot topic among many bloggers. In fact, I spoke with 3 different (very talented food photography) bloggers on the phone today and the topic of conversation turned to this very subject on all three phone calls! Each and every day Twitter is full of tweets about one of these sites rejecting their photo. So, in saying this, you are not alone.

Great food photography is a very big part of what makes a food blog go beyond just good to great. Appetizing photos entice your readers to keep coming back and to try the recipes you post about. Plus, we all know that when a photo gets accepted to one of the more popular food photography sites, traffic to your blog tends to increase exponentially. Without knowing what kind of camera you use, what kind of computer you have, etc. it is going to be difficult for me to answer your question, but I’m sure one of the smart experienced bloggers will come to the rescue with some tips!

In the meantime, hopefully other food photographers / bloggers will stop by and share their best food photography tip. One that stuck in my head from when I attended BlogHer Food ’09 and the session by Matt Armendariz was to imagine what size your photo is going to be as you are taking the picture. So, if your goal is to have your picture look good in a 2×2 square, then when you are setting up your photo, make sure you take your photo so that it will be well positioned in a 2×2 square. If there is a certain size photo you use for your blog posts, do the same thing. Make sure that your props and photo are well contained within that specific size you use on your blog. Keep the end result in mind.

Hopefully we’ll have some answers for you, Erica. Readers – if any of you have Ask a Blogger questions you want answered by some experienced bloggers, send me an email to kristen <at> dineanddish.net.

Now, for your recipe loving pleasure, here is a unique and oh so good bread recipe.

Shredded Wheat Bread (from my Mother-in-Law)

• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 cup crushed Shredded Wheat cereal
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
• 5-1/2 to 6-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• Melted butter, optional

• In a large bowl, pour boiling water over cereal. Add the molasses, shortening and salt. Let stand until mixture cools to 110°-115°, stirring occasionally.
• In a bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add cereal mixture and 3 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky).
• Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape into loaves. Place in two greased 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks. Brush with melted butter if desired. Cool. Yield: 2 loaves (16 slices each).

The post Ask a Blogger Question #3 – Popular Food Photography Sites appeared first on Dine and Dish.