Poppyseed Noodles

What you need:

• 3 cups egg noodles
• 2 Tablespoons butter or margarine
• 2 teaspoons poppy seeds

What you do:

Boil noodles about 6 minutes, until tender. Drain off water and stir in butter until melted, coating noodles. Sprinkle in poppy seeds and stir until distributed.

Chicken Dijon

What you need:

• 2 large chicken breasts, cut lengthwise to make 4 thin cuts of meat
• lemon pepper
• garlic salt
• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup to 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, half and half, or even milk
• 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard

What you do:

Melt butter in pan over medium heat. Season chicken on both sides with lemon pepper and garlic salt. Brown chicken in pan on both sides until chicken is done - about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and place in a baking dish in oven set to 200 degrees to keep warm. Pour pan juices into measuring cup and fill to 1 cup mark with chicken broth. Pour into hot pan to deglaze. Mix together the flour and milk with a whisk until well combined and pour into pan. Stir often and cook until bubbly and thickened. Let bubble for about 2 minutes and then stir in dijon mustard. Place chicken breasts into sauce and spoon sauce over the top. Serve with poppyseed noodles, buttered noodles or rice.

Cinnamon Rolls

What you need:

• 1 egg, room temperature + warm water up to 1 cup mark
• 3 Tablespoons melted butter
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup white granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3 1/2 cups bread flour

filling:

• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 Tablespoons cinnamon
• (optional - I added about 2 teaspoons Pampered Chef cinnamon sprinkles)

What you do:

Put ingredients (wet first, then dry) into bread machine and run on dough cycle.

or

Dissolve yeast in warm water, egg, melted butter and 1 Tablespoon of the white sugar. Let it sit until frothy. Then mix in rest of sugar, salt and flour - one cup at a time. Mix until well blended. Turn out onto floured surface and knead for 8-12 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl and allow to rise for about one hour, until doubled in size.

Punch down dough and roll out in a 6 inch by 12 inch rectangle (I just eyeball it). Spread softened butter on dough and sprinkle cinnamon mixture evenly on top. Roll tightly starting at the longest side. Cut into equal parts about 1 inch thick. Place in greased 9x13 casserole dish and allow to rise again. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Top with icing or cream cheese frosting.

Banana Bread

What you need:

• 2 cups flour (all-purpose or I like to use King Arthur's White Whole Wheat flour)
• 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 overripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/4 cup yogurt (plain, or I like to use vanilla)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 stick of butter, melted and cooled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

What to do:

Move rack to lower middle position in oven. Preheat to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs, butter and vanilla. Pour wet into dry and fold together until combined. Put batter into a greased loaf pan and bake for about 45 to 55 minutes.