Roll Dough Creation

I recently sorted through months -- if not years -- worth of recipes, discarding the ones that didn't sound as good as they originally did and filing the ones I wanted to cook for my family.  One, however, was kept out because I knew it would be perfect for Thanksgiving.

The recipe was from a flyer I'd received from Bridgford, a company that makes frozen bread dough.  I was familiar with Bridgford because I use their Parkerhouse rolls to make better than garlic bread pull apart rolls. This time, though, with just a few easy additions, the rolls are transformed into pumpkins.

The visual design of the rolls was inspired by Holly, food blogger behind Beyond Kimchee, using a homemade roll recipe.  I substituted the roll recipe my family has come to expect for the holidays, but you can use your favorite roll recipe, or save time and start with a package of frozen rolls from the grocery.

Shape the homemade bread dough or thawed rolls into balls.  I normally get 18 cloverleaf rolls from one batch of dough.  I made the balls a little bigger so I only ended up with 15.

Try to keep the balls close to the same size to ensure they bake evenly. Don't fret, though, if the balls aren't the same exact size because pumpkins aren't all the same size either! 

Put the dough balls on a greased cookie sheet, spacing them about 2-inches apart.

Flatten each ball slightly using the palm of your hand.

Using a pair of kitchen shears or a knife, make six cuts around the edge of the dough.

Make a hole in the center of the dough using your pinkie.

Cover the dough and let rise until double in size.  Insert a pecan piece in the hole in the center for the stem.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Whether you make the rolls from scratch or use a package of frozen rolls, these pumpkin shaped rolls are a whimsical and delicious addition to a Thanksgiving meal.

© Margaret's Morsels

A Be"witching" Halloween

It's been a couple of years since I posted anything for Halloween.  I thought I'd rectify that and share two witch themed cookie recipes this year.

Store bought fudge stripes cookies turn into witches hats with the addition of two ingredients.

Turn the cookies so the chocolate side is on top.

Put a dollop of orange frosting -- I use Wilton decorating icing -- in the center 

and add a Hershey's kiss.  

Let the cookies dry and then store them in an airtight container.

If you don't mind doing a little additional work, a pretzel rod and peanut butter cookie are easily transformed into a witches broomstick.  I like the look and texture of these braided pretzels, but you can use a regular pretzel rod.

Put the pretzels on a cookie sheet.

Mix up a batch of peanut butter cookies and roll the dough into balls. Place one ball on each pretzel, pressing down so the cookie will adhere to the pretzel when baked.

Use a fork to make vertical lines on the cookie to resemble the bristles of the broomstick.  

Bake the cookies as directed and let them cool on a wire rack.  Store the cookies in an airtight container.

The cookies don't have to look perfect because, at Halloween, the uglier, grosser and more disgusting, the better!

© Margaret's Morsels

Hop Into Easter

A few years ago, a cousin emailed me pictures of a cake she'd made for Easter.  The cake was so cute, I knew I wanted to make it for Easter, but I didn't know when.  My family was disappointed the year before when I replaced our traditional bunny cake with a carrot cake.  I knew I couldn't replace the bunny cake two years in a row, so I filed the idea away until one Easter when we were having enough company I needed two desserts.

The cake isn't a recipe, but a method.  Start by making a two layer cake, either from scratch or a mix.  Fill and frost the layers with white icing such as buttercream or cream cheese.

I think the cake would also look pretty with pastel pink or yellow icing. Although chocolate icing would be tasty, I don't think the decorations would stand out as well as they do on a lighter color icing.

When the cake is frosted, decorate the sides with marshmallow peep bunnies.  The year I made the cake, the hardest part was finding all the different colored bunnies!  I found pink and blue at Kroger, purple at CVS and green at Rite Aid.  The bunnies aren't quite tall enough to cover both layers.

You can decorate the sides with just the bunnies, or add some pastel color M&M's above or below the bunnies.  I found it easier and faster to put the candy above the bunnies.

The top is decorated with more pastel M&M's.  My cousin piled the candy all over the top, but I used it sparingly.  I also like to turn the candies over so the "m" doesn't show.

This cake is easy to make, quick to assemble and a festive ending to an Easter meal.  Easter is less than a week away, but there's still time to find the bunnies before they hop out of the store.

© Margaret's Morsels

All in One Valentine

Today I'm doing something I haven't done before.  Instead of sharing a recipe in the traditional sense, I'm sharing a 'recipe' for a cute and easy craft perfect for Valentine's Day.  My son and I used to make these for his classmates when he was young, so this was an opportunity for me to take a sentimental stroll down memory lane.

Let me preface this by saying I am not a crafter.  I don't sew, knit, crochet, embroider, cross stitch, paint, draw, quilt, weave or make jewelry, so you don't need to worry about seeing many -- if any -- posts like this in the future.

Four years ago, I wrote about making heart shaped lollipops out of leftover Christmas candy canes by adding a lollipop stick, melted white chocolate and sprinkles.  This craft uses a lollipop stick too, plus cardstock, adhesive and a hole punch.

Cardstock is a thicker, more durable paper typically used in scrapbooking. It's available in 8 1/2 x 11-inch and 12 x 12-inch sizes.  You can use either size, but I've found there's a bigger selection of colors and patterns to choose from in the 12 x 12-inch size.  I'm not a fan of red so I tend to pick shades of pink and, although not as heavy as solid color cardstock, patterned papers that have a Valentine's Day look to them.  The total number of sheets depends on what size paper you buy and how large you make the hearts.

You'll need to cut out four hearts for each lollipop.  This can be done in several ways.  My artistic friends can do this freehand, but not me.  I can't even draw a straight line with a ruler!  To solve this dilemma, I bought a heart shaped paper punch that cuts out hearts that are about 2 1/2-inches tall.

There are heart shaped templates available on the Internet, but you'd have to print and cut them out which could be time consuming.  Depending on the craft stores in your area, you may be able to find precut hearts, but the sizes and colors might be limited.

Stack four hearts together -- you can use the same color or be creative and mix and match -- and use a small hole punch to make a hole approximately 3/8-inch from the bottom.

The first time I ever made these, I used a regular size hole punch.  Not being a crafter, I didn't know hole punches came in different sizes, including 1/8-inch which is what I use now.  If you want to include to/from, conversation heart sentiments, or a message to someone special, now is the time to do that.

Fold the four hearts in half lengthwise to make a crease.  

Line up the holes and insert a Dum Dums lollipop.  If you're not familiar with Dum Dums, they're lollipops that are available in numerous flavors including classics like grape, orange and cherry, plus fan favorites like blueberry, cotton candy and bubblegum.  Dum Dums are gluten free making them a treat almost everyone can enjoy.  If you can't find Dum Dums, you can substitute other lollipops, but don't use any that are too big or heavy for the size hearts you made.

Fan the hearts into a flower shape.

This isn't a flower shape, but I had to do it

this way in order to take a picture.

Put a small bit of adhesive -- glue, double sided tape or clear mounting squares -- on the top or bottom of each heart.  I use mounting squares which are a scrapbookers version of double sided tape.  Mounting squares are smooth and thin with a sticky bottom and a removable strip on the top.  

The removable strip on the top 

of the mounting square.

It's hard to see, but the upper right heart shows
the adhesive that remains after the strip is peeled off.

Peel the strips off, press the hearts together and you're done.  If you use glue, allow plenty of time for the glue to dry.  

These are fun to give out on Valentine's Day to young kids, the young at heart and everyone in between.  It's a card; it's a flower; it's candy.  On Valentine's Day, what more do you need?

© Margaret's Morsels

12 Days of Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen: Day 12

I started this series with my go to Christmas gift from the kitchen, Chocolate Covered Ritz Cracker Cookies.  I want to end the series with the gift my mother made and gave to friends, relatives and neighbors for close to 30 years.  Instead of something sweet, she gave people a small cheese ball and a sleeve of Ritz crackers.  Why Ritz crackers?  When made in a log shape, a slice of the cheese ball fits perfectly on a Ritz cracker.

© Margaret's Morsels

12 Days of Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen: Day 11

My most popular recipe in 2013 -- and my fourth most popular of all time -- is my grandmother's made from scratch pound cake, or what we refer to as loaf cake.  Instead of making one cake, make multiple cakes by baking the batter in miniature loaf pans.  A nice touch is to bake and give the loaves in holiday themed pans like the ones pictured below.  The number of cakes will vary depending on the size of the pans you use.  The mini loaves will bake faster so remember to reduce the baking time.

© Margaret's Morsels

12 Days of Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen: Day 10

Bar cookies might not come to mind at Christmastime, but for me they are the equivalent of a bow and go gift.  Bar cookies are a real time saver since they don't have to be rolled and cut out.  Frosting is easy since it's typically done in the pan -- not individually -- and can be as simple as a sprinkling of powdered sugar.  Lemon Bars are quick and easy to make, especially when they start with a tasty shortcut!

© Margaret's Morsels

12 Days of Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen: Day 9

Coffee Cake Muffins taste just like coffee cake, but with the ease of mixing up a batch of muffins.  Give someone a dozen, or bake them as mini muffins, put them in pretty Christmas tins and give them to several people.

© Margaret's Morsels

12 Days of Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen: Day 8

Gifts from the kitchen aren't limited to cookies and candy.  This Cranberry Delight Spread makes a tasty gift.  An easy way to present it is in a small Mason jar or a seasonal bowl.  A nice added touch is to put some vanilla wafers or gingersnaps in a Christmas cellophane bag, tie the bag closed with colored raffia and attach a Christmas spreader for an all inclusive gift.

© Margaret's Morsels

12 Days of Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen: Day 7

Kids love to help decorate these snowman cookies.  You don't even have to make the cookies.  They start with a package of Nutter Butters!

© Margaret's Morsels

12 Days of Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen: Day 6

Today's gift from the kitchen is a match made in culinary heaven!  Peanut Butter Brownies elevate brownies from ho hum to wow!

© Margaret's Morsels

12 Days of Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen: Day 5

I thought I'd stick with yesterday's theme and share another candy recipe. I've made this Peanut Butter Fudge for Valentine's Day, but it's also wonderful to give as Christmas gifts.  One batch yields 70 pieces making it easy to cross several names off your list at one time!  You don't even have to turn on your stove to make this fabulous fudge.  It's made in the microwave!

© Margaret's Morsels

12 Days of Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen: Day 4

Every year at Christmas, one of my former coworkers would give me a Mason jar filled with homemade chocolate covered cherries made by his wife.  She decorated the jar by attaching a round piece of Christmas fabric between the lid and the ring.  This added a touch of festivity to the delicious treat waiting inside.  I don't have her recipe, but I do have one that I shared four years ago.  If you want to make these, you need to plan ahead because the finished cherries need to sit five days before they're ready to eat.  

© Margaret's Morsels

12 Days of Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen: Day 3

If you love cinnamon, you'll love today's gift from the kitchen. These Cinnamon Cookies have cinnamon in the batter and on top of the cookie.  They're also easy to make when you're pressed for time.

© Margaret's Morsels

12 Days of Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen: Day 2

The recipe I shared yesterday is the cookie I've been gifting at Christmas for years.  However, with its blend of cloves, ginger and cinnamon, nothing smells more like Christmas to me than Molasses Sugar Cookies.

© Margaret's Morsels

12 Days of Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen: Day 1

This time of the year, I start getting emails with 12 days of Christmas cookie recipes.  Since I love giving gifts from the kitchen, I thought I'd share 12 recipes -- not all of them cookies -- that would make wonderful Christmas gifts.  I hope to share one or two new recipes, but I can't make any promises. As John Lennon said, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

What better way to start this series than with the recipe I shared five years ago in a post titled, "Gifts from the Kitchen."  I've been making these three (four if you use sprinkles) ingredient cookies at Christmas for years.  I prefer chocolate almond bark, but you can use vanilla if you want a white cookie.  Seasonal sprinkles add a festive touch to the cookies.

Chocolate Covered Ritz Cracker Cookies

© Margaret's Morsels