Happy Easter! Perfect Dinner Rolls & Easter Basket Goodies

Happy Easter!  With all this lovely sunshine I hope you are enjoying some Easter Egg hunts.  This year, my great-aunt is hosting Easter dinner, yay!, so I'm off the hook for cooking the ham and all the sides.  I am bring the rolls.  Store bought rolls didn't sound so exciting.  My girlfriend Angela had brought over some rolls for my family, and they were soooo good I just had to make some myself.  These are the Perfect Dinner Rolls.

3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour


2 tsp. active dry yeast


3 Tbsp. nonfat dry milk


2 Tbsp. sugar
1

 1/2 tsp. salt


1/4 cup butter, softened


2/3 cup lukewarm water


1/2 cup lukewarm milk

melted butter, for brushing on top

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients (except the melted butter) and stir until you have a soft dough. Knead — using your hands, a stand mixer, or a bread machine set on the dough cycle — until you have a soft, smooth dough.  This takes about 5 minutes in a KitchenAid.

Set the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and let it rise for an hour or so, until it’s doubled in bulk. Gently deflate the dough by knocking it down with your hands, and transfer it to a lightly floured work surface.

Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces, by dividing in half, then in halves again, etc. Round each piece into a smooth ball.

Lightly grease two 8″ or 9″ round cake pans and arrange 8 buns in each pan. Cover the pans and allow the buns to rise another hour, until they’re crowded against one another and quite puffy. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Uncover the buns and bake for 22 to 24 minutes, until golden brown on top and the edges of the center bun spring back lightly when you touch it. Remove the buns from the oven and brush with the melted butter. Serve warm.

Makes about 16 buns.

*If you double the recipe, this makes a 9*13 and 8*8 pan.*

There are tons of pins on Pinterest about Easter basket ideas, like More than 30 things Other than Candy for Easter Eggs and I used them, because a 3 year old and almost 1 year old on candy can be scary.  A few hits in our girl house: lipgloss, bath poofs, socks, recorders, hair brushes and bows, and a preschool laptop.

The best tip I can give about buying things for Valentine's Day, or Easter, or quick little birthday giveaways: shop after holiday clearance for the next upcoming one!  By shopping Target and Wal-Mart after Christmas and Valentine's Day I was able to get massive savings on items not labeled for a specific holiday.  I mean, who cares that the Hershey Kisses are red, pink, and white?  Things like toiletries and make up are fabulous finds at $.50-$2.50.  I stocked up on Hard Candy lip glosses - $.25 each after Christmas and was able to use them for small gift ideas for Valentine's Day, Easter, and a birthday!

Good luck shopping!

How to Treat Jeans that Bleed Dye

I bought some lovely jeans recently, and found the hard way that they bleed dye.  Today I used the pin: How to Keep Your Jeans from Bleeding while doing laundry.  This pin was written by a beauty magazine writer who pointed out 5 new things to me:

1. Cheap jeans and quality jeans both bleed dye
2. Wash all your jeans before wearing them in cold water
3. 1 Cup of vinegar thrown in the rinse will help "seal the dye or lessen the amount the denim bleeds" - she got that from a denim source
4. If the bleeding is severe, soak your jeans in a bathtub of cold water and vinegar overnight, then rinse before wearing
5. Never put your jeans through the dryer (I will note: never put your nice jeans through the dryer)

Friday, March 29 - "To Die for Pot Roast"

Using my Homemade Ranch and Italian Dressing Mixes I was able to quickly whip up: "To Die for Pot Roast".  Yum-o!  And super easy, this should be in every household's cookbook!

"To Die for Pot Roast" serve with mashed potatoes and veggies
1 roast
1 envelope brown gravy mix
1 dry Ranch Dressing mix
1/2  dry Italian Dressing mix
1/2 Cup water
*Add roast to Crockpot, sprinkle mixes over and then add water.
***Note: I added 1 Cup of water and will omit the salt next time in the dry Italian Dressing mix.***

Thursday, March 28 - DIY Dry Ranch Dressing Mix & DIY Dry Italian Dressing Mix

I wanted to make a roast for Friday night and try out a new recipe, I found one that needed two dry dressing mixes.  After having success making Dry Onion Soup Mix, I thought that I could try making my own.  Totally cheap, fast, and easy - all the ingredients were in my spice racks!

Italian - try without salt!

• DIY Dry Italian Dressing Mix

• 1 tablespoon garlic salt
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
• 2 tablespoons salt  
  
  
  DIY Dry Ranch Dressing Mix
  
  
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
    
    
    3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

Ranch

How to Style Eyebrows & How to Choose and Cut a Melon

How to Style Eyebrows is a pin that I really needed to find.  I have light colored, sparse eyebrows that happen to not grow back very well from a bad eyebrow waxing experience at 16 - I have to give some color to look like I'm not an alien.  Use this, love this, say no to alien face look  alike!

My second pin is: How to Choose and Cut a Melon, is awesome!  I've used it to pick some very juicy muskmelon (not cantaloupe!) and honeydew, and I know that I'll be using this all summer long.  I was surprised that it was easier to cut the rind off the melon before cutting into the melon, like I normally do.  The tutorial is for watermelons, but it can be applied to all melons.

Tuesday, March 26 - Swiffer Refill DIY

Check it out!  This pin actually worked, I'm totally shocked.  I saw the pin, DIY Swiffer Refill, I tried opening an emptied Swiffer bottle and it is difficult!  After reading this pin, I am sold and will never buy another refill again - go green and save green.

To do:
Place in boiling water for 10 minutes.
Use a towel, twist (it felt like I was twisting the wrong way) the top off.
Fill with cleaner of your choice (Orange Vinegar Cleaner!)
Replace cap and you're good to go!


**I'm sorry this post is late, we have a lovely teething baby in our household, and the saying "sleeping like a baby": is a lie.

End Nagging and Negotiating in 3 Words!

In case you can't tell, my kid is frickin' adorable.  There, I've said it.  Inside and out, she is golden and I know that while the Mister and I have put in a lot of work, her little personality is largely responsible for her awesomeness.  She's 3.  I did mention 3 right?  As in the trying 3's?  Yes, and she questions every little thing!  It's not even begging or whining really, just parroting everything all the time.  We try to be very patient, and explain, but honestly, sometimes I think she does it just to talk.  It's difficult at times.

So when I came across the pin End Nagging and Negotiating with 3 Simple Words I was intrigued and read the article from Positive Parenting Solutions.  I found that I could apply this technique to our little parrot who doesn't always wait and listen for the answers to her questions.

Basically when a child asks a repeated question, the parent asks "Did you ask_____?", the child answers, "yes", and then the parent asks "Were you answered?", and the child answers, "yes", and the parent can then just say "Asked and Answered" and that's the end!  If the question is asked again, all the parent needs to say is, "Asked and Answered."  It worked!

The writer said that it is important to: not change your answer, and to make it a family thing (both spouses).  This technique is supposed to work from toddler to teen and is very effective with children with autism, as it helps focus a line of thought.