Blender Rolls

Most of you family members probably have this recipe, but I decided to post it anyway because I have so many people exclaim over it and ask for the recipe. Mom says they tend to get dried out after a couple of days, but here in Houston we don't have that problem...both because of the humidity and because they usually don't last that long. :)

Blend up:

3 eggs

1 tsp. salt

3/4 c. real butter

1/2 c. sugar

2 Tbsp. yeast

2 c. very warm water

Pour liquid into a bowl containing 5 1/2 cups of flour. Mix well with a fork (it will be very sticky). Let rise until double. Spread 1 cup of flour out on counter and scrape dough onto it. Knead a little (add more flour if needed) and divide in half. Roll dough into a circle about 1/2 inch thick and cut pizza style into 12 pieces. Roll into crescent rolls. Repeat with the other half of the dough and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes (or until lightly browned) after letting rise a little on pan. Rub butter over the tops immediately after taking them from the oven.

Cream of Mango Soup

I bought some half-and-half on closeout at Kroger the other day and was looking for a recipe to use it in. We love mangoes, so this recipe caught my eye. It has a pretty mild, yet rich taste. It is best eaten very cold and with full-fat half-and-half, although I have used fat-free half-and-half and it still worked out fine. Recipe reviewers suggested omitting the sugar and adding in ginger for a more savory soup, although I haven't tried that option. It would be a nice appetizer for this dish.

Recipe Source: Allrecipes.com

2 mango-peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks

1/4 c. sugar

zest and juice of one lemon

1 1/2 cups half and half

Blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy. Chill thoroughly before serving. Optional: Garnish with fresh strawberries or blueberries.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Muffins

Most of the oatmeal muffin recipes I have tried have left me sorely disappointed. They are overly tough, flat, and often have an oily texture. These muffins are a different story entirely. With only 1/3 cup sugar and 1/4 cup butter per pan, you don't even have to feel too bad about the chocolate chips. They really do taste like an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie!

Original recipe from How Sweet It Is

**Note-the recipe says it makes 12 muffins, but I only get 11 out of it.

1 cup whole wheat or all-purpose flour

1 cup rolled oats

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/3 c. brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 c. milk

1 c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Add oats to a bowl and add 1/2 c. of the milk. Let soak for 5-10 minuteswhile you prepare the first steps of the muffins. In a large bowl, combine egg and brown sugar and whisk until smooth and caramel in color. Add in vanilla and butter, whisking well. Try to smooth the batter as much as possible-there still may be some small butter chunks. Add flour, oat/milk mixture, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and mix. Add remaining milk and combine until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into muffin tins and bake 15-18 minutes or until cooked through. Serve warm! If you're eating a leftover muffin, I highly recommend popping it in the microwave for 15 seconds or so. Yum!

When I broke open the warm muffin and saw this, I knew we had a winner. Talmage readily agreed.

Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread

This recipe is kind of time-intensive, but it's not too labor intensive. You just have to plan ahead a little for all the rising/baking time. Like Annie says, it really does taste like that inner part of a cinnamon roll. Yum!

Original recipe from Annie's Eats via Joy the Baker

2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

1/4 c. granulated sugar

2 1/4 tsp. yeast

1/2 tsp. salt

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1/3 cup whole milk

1/4 cup water

1 tsp. vanilla

2 large eggs

To make the dough, combine the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook (or mix/knead dough with a fork/your hands). Combine the butter and milk in a small saucepan and heat just until the butter is melted. Set aside and let cool briefly until it feels warm but not too uncomfortable to touch (115-125 degrees F). Add the milk mixture, water, vanilla, and eggs to the mixer bowl. Mix on low speed until a cohesive dough forms. Continue to knead until smooth and elastic, adding additional flour as needed until the dough clears the sides of the bowl and is tacky but not sticky. Knead about 3-5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat, and cover. Let rise until doubled.

While the dough rises, melt 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter in a small saucepan and cook until browned. Set aside. Combine 1 cup sugar, 2 tsp. ground cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp. nutmeg in a small bowl.

When dough has doubled, transfer to a lightly floured surface and gently deflate. Roll into a ball, cover with a towel, and let rest 5 minutes. Roll dough out into an approximate 12x20 inch rectangle. Brush the dough with the browned butter. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the butter (it will seem like a lot, but put it all on). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Slice the dough into rectangles--6 down, 6 across. Stack all the squares on top of each other and put into the prepared loaf pan. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let rise 30-45 minutes.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. (That's important! The top of mine looked great but the middle was all goo.) Remove from the oven and let rest in the pan 20-30 minutes. Run a knife around the outer edge and turn out onto a plate. Serve warm.