Girl Scouts and Tikka Masala

Another thing that I spend my time doing is Girl Scouts.  We have a large, fun troop.  I planned out the cooking badge, sure to cover everything for every level.  It took two weeks and creativity.  The second week we made Tikka Masala, an Indian dish.  I had always wanted to try Indian food but didn't want to get in over my head.  I had the recipe pinned for a while and finally decided it was time to try it out.

We had 17 people crammed into my kitchen.  It was cozy but everyone got to help.  The girls were good sports and gave it an honest try.  Most of the girls liked it enough to ask for seconds.  My family is asking for it again, I just need to find a good night because it takes time. No getting started an hour before dinner.

The recipes are originally from Allrecipes.com.  But if you're trying to cook the chicken and the naan at the same time, you'll want to visit High Heels & Grills.  She tells you step by step what to do so everything gets done at the same time.  Just be warned, it got a lot spicier the next day.

Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls

This is a first for me, my college roommate, Anna requested I try this one.  Not wanting to disappoint, I made them for Sunday dinner.  My family was excited because they love going to Texas Roadhouse and eating the scrumptious rolls.  To be honest, that is a rare occasion.  The kids earn free kid's meal at school, so we save up and enjoy the opportunity to celebrate their successes.

Here goes Anna!  These were yummy rolls and relatively easy to make.  The recipe shows two different recipes for the cinnamon butter and we definitely had a preference.  I made some adjustments and it still worked.  I think next time I'll 1/2 whole wheat.  My daughter begged me not to do it this time, I figured I wouldn't try too many changes first try.

Texas Road House Rolls (adapted from Monica at A Godly Heritage)

• 3 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tbsp. active dry yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 T. sugar
• 1 c. milk + 1/4 c. water, warmed
• 1 large egg slightly beaten
• 6 tbsp. butter + 2 T butter, melted

Place 2 cups flour , yeast, salt, and sugar in a large bowl.  In a large glass measuring cup, combine water, milk, and egg.  Pour milk mixture into the well. Mix by hand, frequently scraping bottom and sides of bowl.

Add 6 tbsp.  melted butter and stir into the dough.  Add remaining flour, 1/3 cup at a time, and stir after each addition.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Set dough in a warm place such as an oven .  Allow dough to rise until double in bulk, about 1 hour.  Spray a cookie sheet and your hands with cooking spray.  Divide the dough into 16 rolls.  Shape and arrange on the pan.  You may need to respray your hands.

 Brush rolls with  1 T. of melted butter.  Let rise for another 30 minutes in a warm place until doubled.  Bake rolls on middle rack for 16-18 minutes at 400 degrees. After removing rolls, brush top with remaining melted butter.( I didn't add the extra butter but it was because I forgot in the rush to feed the starving kids.)

Cinnamon Butter

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/3 c confectioner sugar

Stir together in a small bowl.  Serve with warm rolls.

French bread

Want yummy, warm french bread to complement that fall soup for dinner?

This is easy and really cheap to make.  I found that it takes a least two hours to finish instead of the 90 minutes promised.  So plan ahead and give yourself plenty of time.

You'll find the recipe at 

Deals to Meals: French bread

Enjoy!