Southwest Stuffed Chicken

• 6 (4 ounce) boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 6 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, cut into 2-inch x 1/2-inch sticks
• 2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chilies, drained
• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1. Flatten chicken to /18-in. thickness. Place a cheese stick down the middle of each; top with chilies. Roll up and tuck in ends. Secure with a toothpick. In a shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, chili powder, salt and cumin. Coat chicken with flour, then dip in butter and roll in crumb mixture.

2. Place roll-ups, seam side down, in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. Discard toothpicks.

Grilled Lemon Chicken

• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1. In a bowl, mix the lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon mustard, garlic, red bell pepper, salt, and pepper. Set aside 1/4 cup of the mixture to use for basting. Place chicken in the bowl, and marinate at least 20 minutes in the refrigerator.

2. Preheat grill for high heat.

3. Lightly oil grill grate. Drain and discard marinade from the bowl, and place chicken on the grill. Cook 6 to 8 minutes on each side, until juices run clear, basting occasionally with the reserved marinade.

Beer Butt Rosemary Chicken

• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can beer
• 1 orange
• 1 (3 pound) whole chicken
• 1 large sweet onion, sliced
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
• seasoned salt, to taste
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 red potatoes, sliced

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a baking dish. Pour out half the beer from the can, spray the can with cooking spray, and set it upright in the center of the baking sheet.

2. Cut 2 thin slices from the orange, and set aside. Cut the rest of the orange into large chunks. Loosen the skin over the breast of the chicken, and insert an orange slice, an onion slice, and 1 rosemary sprig under the skin of each side of the breast. Place the orange chunks and 2 sprigs of rosemary into the cavity of the chicken.



3. Spray the outside of the chicken with cooking oil spray, and sprinkle with seasoned salt to taste. Place the chicken onto the beer can in an upright position, with the can inserted into the cavity of the chicken. Pour the chicken broth into the baking dish, and place the rest of the sliced onion and the potatoes into the broth.

4. Roast in the preheated oven until the skin is crisp, the meat is no longer pink at the bone, and the juices run clear, about 1 1/2 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before slicing

Homemade Mozzarella Sticks.

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 10 egg roll wrappers
• 10 mozzarella string cheese sticks
• 1 quart vegetable oil for frying

Directions

1. Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl. Whisk in the milk, then set aside. Place the bread crumbs into a plastic bag, and set aside.

2. Separate and place an egg roll wrapper onto your work surface with one of the tips pointed towards you. Moisten the two far edges of the wrapper with water. Place a string cheese stick onto the corner nearest you, and roll it in 1/3 of the way, fold over the right and left corners, then continue rolling to the end, pressing to seal. Repeat with the remaining string cheese sticks and egg roll wrappers.

3. Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (190 degrees C).

4. Dip the mozzarella sticks into the egg wash, then toss in the bread crumbs. Repeat... Cook in batches in the hot oil until crisp and golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes.

Homemade Vanilla Extract

• 10 vanilla beans, split lengthwise
• 1 liter vodka

1. Place the vanilla beans in the bottle of vodka and seal. Store in a cool, dark area such as a kitchen cabinet for 3 weeks, shaking the bottle every week. Three weeks is the minimum, store it 6 months for the best flavor. After using, replace with more vodka. The same beans will continue to flavor the vanilla for up to a year.

I split them and scraped out the seeds and placed seeds and beans into the 1.75 liter bottle of Vodka to age for 3 months, stored it in a dark area and gave it a little shake about once a week. After it aged for 3 months, I filtered it through a gold coffee filter to separate the seeds and bean fibers from the liquid, Don’t discard the beans, save them to place into the individual bottles. Gold coffee filters can be found at Walmart for about $5, they are very fine and make an excellent filter and they don’t absorb the extract. I placed one vanilla bean into each bottle so that it will continue to strengthen in the months to come. Used a small funnel to fill each individual bottle, added my custom labels, a gift tag and bow and I have a wonderful little gift to give to family and friends. I filled 10, 4 oz bottles and 1, 8 oz bottle and had about a cup of extract left over that I saved for myself. I would recommend using a 4 oz bottle; it seemed the perfect size for gift giving.

This is the best way to make your own vanilla extract! Don't buy those little expensive bottles in the grocery store. Make your own! So much cheaper.

Cinnamon Rolls

• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
• 1 egg
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons instant powdered milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 5 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/2 cup vanilla ice cream
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened (for spreading)
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

1. Place water, egg, bread flour, white sugar, powdered milk, salt, 5 tablespoons butter and yeast in bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer. Select DOUGH setting, and turn machine on.

2. Meanwhile; in a small saucepan, melt 1/3 cup butter. Add 1/2 cup brown sugar and ice cream; bring to a boil, and cook for 2 minutes. Pour caramel into the bottom of a lightly greased 9 x 13 inch pan.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

4. When machine has finished cycling remove dough from pan and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Pat dough into a rectangle. Spread with softened butter and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. Crumble 1/2 cup brown sugar over the top. Roll up, and seal edge. Cut into 12 rolls, and place in prepared pan of caramel. Allow to rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for approximately 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown.

Very good. I was skeptical, even after having read all of the great reviews but they truly are very good. The bread is moist and tender, not hard and with using the bread maker, this is a pretty easy recipe to make. It takes time due to the required rising but other than that, it's quick and easy. I did do a couple of things differently -- I added more cinnamon, 1 tsp was not nearly enough; I omitted the powdered milk; and I used cream instead of ice cream. Next time I'll add nuts and they'll be perfect. I'm glad I didn't heed the advice to double the caramel, they were quite sweet and quite gooey with the recipe as it was. Try 'em, you won't be disappointed.

These are absolutly the best cinnamon rolls! I have made them for everyone this holiday season and all have loved them. The only thing I did different after the first batch was divide my dough in half and bake in 2 8x8 pans. The center rolls wouldn't shrink then, and they looked gorgeous :)

YUM! YUM! These are Soooo good and I can't wait to make them again! I doubled the caramel part and added pecans to the caramel recipe. I read a couple reviews saying it was dry. Mine was not at all dry. When taking from the oven, turn upside down on a platter and all the caramel will be on "top". I also frosted with cream cheese frosting. 1/2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened, 1/4 cup butter, softened, 1 cup confectioners sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 1/2 teaspoons milk.

Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls

• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. In a small saucepan, heat the buttermilk until warm to the touch.

2. Pour the buttermilk and oil into the yeast mixture; mix well. Combine the flour, salt and baking soda. Stir the flour mixture into the liquid 1 cup at a time, until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 20 times. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes. In a small bowl, stir together the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out into a large rectangle. Spread the brown sugar and butter mixture over the dough, roll up into a log and pinch the seam to seal. Slice into 1 inch pieces and place cut side up in a lightly greased 10x15 baking pan. Cover and let rise 30 minutes or cover and refrigerate overnight. If baking immediately, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

4. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Let stand for 2 to 3 minutes before serving.

WONDERFUL!!! These cinnamon rolls were very quick and easy, the only changes I had to make were to add more flour (about a cup and a half or two cups) to keep it from being so sticky, and I added some cinnamon to the dough and about 1/4 cup sugar because I noticed the recipe didn't call for any. Also sugar helps the yeast proof faster. Since we love cinnamon, I put more into the brown sugar mix than the recipe called for. Also, I put them in the refrigerator overnight and they rose some, but not as much as I wanted so I let them rise in a warm place for an hour before I baked them. The baking time was only 14 minutes for mine, and the cinnamon rolls were so perfect and golden and ENORMOUS! This recipe made 18 enormous cinnamon rolls. I topped them with homemade cream cheese frosting, but I don't think they needed it because they were already so moist and soft and wonderful. I don't think they were cakey or biscuity at all. A couple tips: Warm the buttermilk over the lowest heat setting or it will start to curdle. Also, once you have your cinnamon roll log, stretch it out a bit if you need to to make it all the same thickness. And to cut them, get a piece of thread and put it around as much roll as you want to cut off.

I follow the dough recipe to the T, then vary the fillings. Mini chocolate chips with toasted pecans and a butter/cinnamon/brown sugar mix.  Make them at night, refrigerate overnight and bake in the morning for something that tastes like you spent hours and hours on it. Oh, and a note. If you warm the buttermilk too much, it curdles, but doesn't wreck it. Just stir with a wisk and dump it into the mixer. No worries!

These cinnamon rolls are easy to make with my dough hook in my Kitchenaid Mixer - they are light and fluffy. I make them into sticky buns by coating the bottom of the pan with molasses/pancake syrup/brown sugar - mixture of anything you would like. Turn them out immediately upon removing from the oven and they are heavenly. We have had raves about them.