Pretzel hugs

Bag of pretzels (I bought the square kind)
Bag of hugs
Bag of M&Ms

Preheat oven to 200. Place pretzels on silicone baking mat on baking sheet.  This really helps so the treats don't stick. Place a hug on each pretzel. Bake for 8-9 minutes. Place M&M in the middle. Let cool.  This actually takes time unless you put the baking sheet in the freezer (which is what I do).  After they have set up, you can quickly remove them.  Watch out or people will quickly eat them.  Enjoy!

Lori Dillon's Roll Recipe

I got this roll from my neighbor and friend Lori 11 or more years ago and it is the go-to recipe for me.

3 1/2 - 3 3/4 cups of flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup shortening (I use Butter Crisco)
1 tsp salt
1 pk of yeast or 2 1/4 tsp
1/2 cup very warm water
1/2 cup very warm milk
1 egg
softned butter to brush on the rolls

Mix the yeast in 1/2 cup war water with 1 tsp sugar.  Set aside to react.  Mix 2 cups of the flour, the sugar, shortning, salt, egg and milk.  Mix until smooth.  Add yeast mixture.  Mix in just enough flour to make it easy to handle. It will still be sticky.  Knead on a floured board about 2 minutes.  Return to greased bowl, cover with cloth, and allow to rise-about one hour.  Punch down and turn onto well floured surface.  Roll and cut into desired shahpe. Place roll on pan and brush with butter.  Cover again and let rise for 30 minutes.  Heat oven to 400 degrees and bake for 12-18 minutes.

creamed corn

8 ears of corn
1/2 red bell pepper diced
1/2 jalapeno diced
1 cup cream
salt and pepper
4-5 TB butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Remove corn from husks into a large bowl.  Add pepper and jalapeno.  Add cream.  Pour mixture into a 9x13 pan.  Season with salt and pepper.  Put pats of butter on the corn.  Bake for 30 minutes.
Happiness all summer long.

Recipe from PW. She uses 2 peppers and 2 jalapenos in hers.  I liked it more confetti style.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground beef
1 cup fresh bread crumbs (take bread, dry it out or toast it, cut off crusts, put in food processor)
1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
2 TB parsley
2 tsp kosher salt (Eric said to add a little more)
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 egg
1/2 cup warm water

Put all ingredients into a large bowl.  Mix with hands.  Let me explain this...lightly blend the ingredients as if your fingers were a fork gently working the ingredients together.  This is not like a meatloaf where you will thoroughly mix and press it together.  After it is lightly mixed together form about 13-16 meatballs.  These are substantial in size.  Heat a saucepan with a mix of veg oil and olive oil.  Cook the meatballs in batches.  They will cook 5 minutes each side and will not be thoroughly cooked through.  Remove meatballs to a paper towel.  Discard the oil in the pan but do not clean the pan.  I poured a favorite spaghetti sauce into the saucepan with a large can of seasoned tomato sauce.  Place all the meatballs in the sauce and cook for another 30 minutes on low heat. Serve over pasta.  This meal made Trey so happy.  It is his favorite.  It made me pretty happy too.  Delicious.

I watched Ina Garten make this for her boss that was coming to dinner. Try it.

biscuits and gravy

4 cups of all purpose flour
1 TB baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp slat
12 TB cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup heavy cream
Freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Spray cooking spray on a large baking sheet.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Cut in butter with your hands or pastry cutter (I am a super fan).  Do this until it resembles small crumbs the size of a pea.  Scape dough onto lightly flour surface and roll into a rectangle.  Use a round cutter to cut out the biscuits.  Place 2 inches apart.  Brush the tops with the cream and sprinkle with pepper.  Bake 12-15 minutes.

Gravy

Cook 1/2 pound to a pound of breakfast sausage

Remove from pan. Set aside. Use same pan Melt 2 TB unsalted on medium heat and then add flour.  Whisk for a minute.  Then add 2 cups warm milk.  Continue whisking until the sauce begins to thicken. Add sausage now. Season with salt and pepper.  Serve over biscuits.

This was a happy day when I saw Bobby Flay make this is on his Brunch with Bobby show. Yum.

French toast

Although this seems silly...if you have not tried it this way, you are in for a treat.  Only use egg yolks, milk, a couple shakes of sugar/cinnamon mix (like you use on toast), and a little vanilla.  That's it.  Enjoy.

waffles

1 3/4 flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder


2 eggs, seperated
1/2 cup oil
2 cups buttermilk

Mix dry ingredients.  Set aside.  Mix egg yolks, oil and buttermilk.  Add to dry ingredients.  Beat egg whites. Fold into batter.  Cook on waffle iron.  Enjoy.

Recipe from Eric's sister Becky.