Quick orange rolls

Twice a year on the first weekend in April and October my church has a broadcast that goes out to members all over the world.  It is a big deal and such a wonderful and uplifting experience.  I am always grateful for the long weekend filled with inspiring words and messages from men that I believe to be called by God.  If you would like to know more about what I believe click on that I'm A Mormon button on the side or you can go here to watch the broadcast.

Growing up my dad would make a huge breakfast on Sunday morning that we could eat while we watched.  I've kept up that tradition and love to make something special for conference weekend.  This time around I was thinking orange rolls but I am not great with yeast and am really too impatient/awful at planning ahead to do yeast orange rolls.  So I used this recipe for quick cinnamon rolls and increased it to make a giant pan and changed the filling and the icing.  It was a hit and satisfying without being overly sweet.  Plus using whole wheat flour gave them a little extra nutrition which made me feel less guilty that we all had more than one that day.  I hope that these can become a family tradition in your house like I know they will be in our house.

Quick Orange Rolls

Dough:

8 cups white all-purpose flour- I use half white, half wheat

6 Tbsp sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

4 cups buttermilk

18 Tbsp butter, melted

Filling:

6 Tbsp butter, melted

6 Tbsp brown sugar

Lots of orange zest (I used the zest of five oranges)

Glaze:

4 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp orange zest

6- 10 Tbsp orange zest

Mix together all the dry dough ingredients.  Then add the buttermilk and butter.  My dough has always been very wet because I have always made this in high humidity areas.  Turn out and knead a few times and then I pat out the dough into a large rectangle.  If your dough is wet add another 1-2 cups of flour until it is soft but not overly sticky as you knead.  Since there is no yeast I pat it out to about 1/2" thick.  Definitely don't go too much thinner than that.

Pour the 6 Tbsp melted butter over the entire dough and use a pastry brush to get it around the edges.  Mix together the brown sugar and orange zest in a small bowl.  Sprinkle the mixture over the dough.  Roll up the dough from the long side.  

Slice into 18 rolls and place in a greased baking dish.  I used one that was bigger than 9x13 but I don't know the exact size.  You could always use a 9x13 and a 9x9.  Bake at 425 degrees F for about 20 minutes until golden brown around the edges.

Mix together glaze and pour over the rolls while they are still hot.

Fabulous Friday- No Bake Energy Bites

It's been a long week and I am so glad that it is Friday!  Boy did I need a weekend.  But my week was made a little better when I found out that my Disney Felt Potato Heads had been featured over at Artsy Fartsy Mama.  That totally made my week!  Hop on over and check out the other bloggers featured.  

My little family has a busy weekend ahead of us spending time with family and friends.  I hope you also have some fun things planned over the weekend!

These were a huge hit on our little family vacation we had with my in-laws at Disneyland.  These have been a popular staple in my house for a while now.  They are absolutely delicious and I love how my kids think of these as treats.  They are made of simple ingredients mixed together to make something awesome.  They kind of remind me of no bake cookies but a little less sweet which I am a fan of.  They got a little smashed after being in a backpack all day but they held up very well.  The perfect little pick me up to help carry us through a long day at Disney.

No Bake Energy Bites by Smashed Peas and Carrots

Crochet Candy Corn Garland

Halloween is just 10 days away!  My kids finally settled on Tinker Bell and Superman although it took some bribing to get them to stick with those.  There was a little bit of cajoling to have Miss T not choose Doc McStuffins which then my little man also wanted to be.  I so did not have time to make a doctor's coat, let alone 2 of them.  Oh kids.

A week ago I had this idea pop into my head and I couldn't rest until I finished it.  It's a crochet candy corn garland and is a pretty quick project using just single crochet stitches.  I crocheted in the back stitches to give it the ridged look to give it some more texture.  I love how it turned out.  Hope you enjoy!

Crochet Candy Corn Garland

Flag (make 9)

Using white, ch. 2

Row 1: Work 2 sc in 2nd ch from hook.

Row 2: Ch1, turn, 2 sc in each st across

Row 3 and 4: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across

Row 5: Ch 1, turn, 2 sc in first st, sc in each st across to last st, 2 sc in last st

Change to orange

Rows 6 and 7: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across

Row 8: Ch 1, turn, 2 sc in first st, sc in each st across to last st, 2 sc in last st

Rows 9 and 10: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across

Row 11: Ch 1, turn, 2 sc in first st, sc in each st across to last st, 2 sc in last st

Rows 12 and 13: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across

Row 14: Ch 1, turn, 2 sc in first st, sc in each st across to last st, 2 sc in last st

Rows 15 and 16: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across

Row 17: Ch 1, turn, 2 sc in first st, sc in each st across to last st, 2 sc in last st

Change to yellow

Rows 18 and 19: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across

Row 20: Ch 1, turn, 2 sc in first st, sc in each st across to last st, 2 sc in last st

Rows 21 and 22: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across

Row 23: Ch 1, turn, 2 sc in first st, sc in each st across to last st, 2 sc in last st

Change to black

Row 24: Ch 1, turn, work sc evenly spaced around entire outside edge of flag, join with sl st in first sc.

Fasten off.

Using black 

Chain

Make a chain that measures about 6 ft long (72 inch).

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. Fasten off.

Sew flags to chain and weave in ends.

I'm linking up with these blogs Skip To My Lou, Creative Corner, Serendipity and Spice, Commona-My-House, Blackberry Vine, Sugar Bee Crafts

Fabulous Friday-Easy Homemade French Bread

Last winter I finally decided to give bread making a try and I found a couple easy recipes that I have really like.  They are quick and easy and I think I have yet to really mess them up.  That works for me.  The first one I really like is this french bread from Deals to Meals.  I have made it countless times and love having it stocked in my freezer.  We have used it for paninis, french bread pizzas, and home made garlic bread.  I am a big fan of warm bread fresh out of the oven and this is a good one to add to the recipe box.  Hope you enjoy it as well as I do.

Easy Homemade French Bread  from Deals to Meals

                       

White Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars

I needed a quick and easy dessert to make for a church party.  I really didn't want anything labor intensive and I wasn't feeling anything.  Looking through my recipe book I found a similar recipe that I changed up to suit the ingredients I had.  Make these with peanut butter chips or butterscotch, or honestly regular chocolate chips and I think they would also taste amazing.  It's a nice, basic, and versatile recipe.  Always nice to have one of those in your repertoire.

White Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars

1 yellow cake mix

1/3 cup canola oil

2 eggs

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix together cake mix, eggs, and oil.  Mix in peanut butter.  Stir in white chocolate chips.  Pat the mixture into an ungreased 9 by 13 pan.  Bake 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown on the edges.  Let cool 30 minutes before serving.  Store covered.

Disney Felt Potato Heads

I have had these felt pieces for the Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head floating around in my head for a long time.  I am so excited to share them with you today.  We got to have a little 2-day vacation to Disneyland with my in-laws this week and I thought these would be fun to bring along for the kids on the drive down.  It's only an hour but that doesn't mean they can't have something to do in the meantime.  It should be a fun few days with my in-laws and I love Disneyland during the holidays.  It always gets me excited for the holidays.  The none Disney specific pieces are from the original felt potato head set.  Find that post and those pieces here.

Mickey Mouse

Minnie Mouse

 Bowtie

 Mad Hatter

Peter Pan

Donald Duck

Pirate

Princess

The download for the pattern pieces and drawings of how they should look put together are available here.  I used embroidery floss and very basic hand sewing to do the detailing but I think it made a big difference.  It's hard to see in the picture but it made the pieces really special.

I hope you enjoy making your own pieces.  If you have any questions please feel free to ask and I will answer the best that I can.  If you have any ideas for future pieces let me know.  I have really enjoyed making these and love how many variations there can be.

Check out the new blog at jonesinfortaste.com

Check out the feature here.

Fabulous Friday- Hawaiian Lava Flow

I love to do themed dinner nights and adding a festive themed drink always makes those dinners over the top.  It's the perfect finishing touch to a delicious dinner.  I've shared my favorite Horchata to do with Mexican night.  We do Hawaiian food fairly often, I mean, I am Hawaiian so that only seems right.  When I go all out with the food I love to surprise my kids and hubby with an awesome drink and I happen to love these Hawaiian Lava Flows from Coterie.  They are simple, non-alcoholic and wonderfully tasty.  Plus they look gorgeous too so what more could you want.  Check them out and look out in the near future for a traditional Hawaiian dish that you can make at home in your crock pot.

Hawaiian Lava Flows from Coterie

Coconut Cream Fruit Dip

Coconut Berries Quinoa

Triple Coconut Cake

Bread Maker Coconut Bread

Where Have I Been?- Moving Adventures

Wow! This has been a whirlwind 2 months.  We've moved for the 3rd time in 3 years.  And it won't be the last.  We will have at least 1 more move in the near future.  We are staying with my parents while we wait for the job to come through and to find a place we can call our own home for the next while.  I'm super grateful for a place to live and grateful for the efforts my family and kind friends went to on our behalf to prep the few rooms we would be using.  And the shed in the back...and the help moving in.  Yeah, we have lots to be grateful for.

That's a 26ft moving truck that we thought for sure there was no way we would fill it.  Then we did and we couldn't even fit everything in it and I was floored.  Where did all that stuff come from?!

It was a pretty crazy trip moving from Georgia out to California.  We have literally moved coast to coast.  Well, minus about 45 minutes to account for literally getting to the coast but you get my drift.  My amazing hubby and awesome father-in-law drove the 26 foot moving truck from Georgia to Arizona in 2 days.  They were crazy, and exhausted.  We are very happy to be back in one place and here to stay.  Being back in California is wonderful and we have availed ourselves of the many joys of being here, and we are anxious to enjoy even more.

Hotel lounging, watching Despicable Me

I am still cooking and although its different being in someone else's kitchen and trying to get used to gas again after a decade of using electric, it is a joy to just be able to cook.  I've got some fun stuff coming up that hopefully everyone can enjoy and a few new things I want to try out.

I just wanted to give a little update and let everyone know I am still alive so keep checking back and watch out for those regular posts that shall be regular posts again.  And thanks for not giving up on me.

Happy eating!

Buttermilk Syrup

In our process of moving we spent a week at my in-laws. We went on a hike with some of the family and my 4 year old little miss.  It was a difficult hike but she made it all the way to the top, as far as she could climb on her own!  I was a proud mama.  She got lots of shout outs on the way up.  Her papa took her the rest of the way which was super rocky and lots higher climbing than she could reach.

Probably don't need to mention this but when we got home we were famished. We had an amazing pancake breakfast waiting for us with pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes and this buttermilk syrup. The combination is pretty incredible and the perfect after hike meal.  I'm pretty sure we all stuffed ourselves silly and then made this meal again a few days later.  It's a new favorite for us.

Buttermilk syrup

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup buttermilk or 2 Tbsp buttermilk powder and 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Add buttermilk and vanilla and bring to a slight boil stirring constantly. Remove pan from heat.  Add baking soda and mix well. Mixture will be bubbly and foamy. Serve warm.

If using buttermilk powder, melt butter. Add sugar and buttermilk powder and mix until dissolved. Add water and vanilla and bring mixture to a slight boil.  Remove from heat.  Add baking soda and mix well.


Check out the new blog at jonesinfortaste.com

Fabulous Friday- Soba Noodles with Sweet Ginger Scallion Sauce

These are some killer noodles.  I really liked their flavors and I loved that my little miss ate them up too.  She's a picky one so anytime she eats that is a thumbs up in my opinion.  These are great with some Asian chicken and rice for another option for make-your-own-take-out.

I couldn't find soba noodles at my local store so I used whole wheat spaghetti noodles which worked well for us.

Soba Noodles with Sweet Ginger Scallion Sauce  by Simply Reem