White Bread and Dinner Rolls with a Bread Machine

This recipe is a work in progress :)  The loaf I made today has a little after taste that I think is because of too much salt?  Or possibly too much yeast?  I will change my recipe here as I tweak it, but you can find the original recipe here.  The bread and dinner rolls use the same dough, but have different cooking methods, which I will include below. 

Never mind my broiler pan top doubling as a cooling rack.  All of my racks are in storage, and this is all I have. One day I'll have my kitchen back :)   


Dough
1 c water  + 1 T warm water
1 large egg (room temp and scrambled)
4 T vegetable oil
3-1/4 c bread flour
1/4 c White Sugar
1 t Salt
1-1/2 t instant yeast

2 T melted butter for rolls

For bread:  Add everything to bread machine and follow the 2 lb white bread settings.

For Dinner rolls: Add everything to the bread machine and go through the kneeding process.  Once finished, remove from the machine and separate into 12 equal rolls and brush with butter.  Bake in a 350 degree oven until golden brown.  I just want to add, it was the recipe calling these dinner rolls, but they came out more like dense hamburger buns, so you may want to cut it to 24 rolls.  And if you are looking for the light and fluffy rolls, these are not it.     

Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder

I think Jeremy would be a happy man if this was in the fridge everyday.  So easy to make and just as versatile as ground beef.  I love it.  This is how I always season it because we both love it spicy, you don't need to use this seasoning.  This feezes so well, I make it in big batches and freeze 4-5 servings in ziplock bags, for dinner or for Jer to pull out for lunch for the week. 

3-5 lbs pork shoulder or pork butt (boneless is much easier to work with)   
2 cloves of garlic- minced 
Spicy Montreal chicken seasoning 
Red pepper flakes
Chicken or Vegetable broth- enough to cover pork 

Trim the fat from the pork, and remove the bone if you bought bone-in.  I usually cube the pork into big chunks so it's easier to serve at the end.  Add pork to the slow cooker, add the garlic and generously season pork with the seasonings.  Cover pork will broth.  Cook on low for at least 8 hours.  When finished, remove from the broth and shred with 2 forks.  (I always skim the fat and freeze the broth for the next time)

Serving sugggestions
-Pork carnitas
-Pulled pork sandwiches
-Pork burritos, tacos, enchiladas, or quesadillas
-Enchilada casserole with pulled pork instead of ground beef or chicken
-Add bbq sauce instead of the broth and have bbq pulled pork
-Or eat like Jeremy does, on 2 pieces of bread and a piece of pepper jack cheese

Cheesy Cheesy Mac n Cheese

I love mac n cheese.  I have not met a mac n cheese that I didn't like (except maybe that crud made with powdered cheese.)  This recipe is so easy I may not even buy the shells anymore 

2c uncooked macaroni (I used Cavatappi, which looks like long curly elbow mac)
12oz Velveeta cheese-cubed
1/3c milk
1/8t fresh ground pepper

-Cook pasta and drain well
-Return to pot, add cheese, milk and pepper
-Stir constantly over low heat until cheese is melted


This is really really cheesy, so if you don't want really really cheesy, add another half cup of  noodles or add one of the variations below, which will soak up some of the extra cheese.   

Variations:
Add browned ground beef
Add a can of tuna or chicken
Add  peas or lima beans   

Seasoned Red Potatoes

This has become Jeremy's favorite side dish. Super easy, and can be changed to fit almost anyone's taste.

2-3 red potatoes per person
Olive oil
Chili powder

-Slice the potatoes into bite size pieces, and place into a ziplock bag.
-Coat with olive oil and then add chili powder, squish around the bag to thoroughly coat the potatoes with the oil and chili powder.
-Let sit for a few hours to marinate
-When ready to bake, make a 'pouch' from tinfoil and empty the Ziploc bag into the pouch.
-Sprinkle a little more chili onto the potatoes and cover with tinfoil.
-Bake at 450 until potatoes are tender.

Notes:
-I will sometimes bake without the cover, but this tends to brown the potatoes well before they are done.
-You can boil the potatoes first until fork tender
-You can change out the seasoning, just make sure the olive oil will not destroy the taste the seasoning brings to the potatoes