Dannie's Rolls are amazing! They are fast and easy. It's a great bread maker recipe. I like to use 1 cup wheat flour and 3 cups all purpose flour, but you can play around with the ratio.

A long time ago, my version of the rolls were coming out especially fluffy and light. Dannie and I didn't know why they were so awesome, but I was certain it wasn't because of my fancy breadmaking skills (skills that I don't have). One day I came across an original version in Dannie's handwriting. Lo and behold, it said 1 package of active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp. yeast). When I had transcribed it, I had written down 1 tablespoon of yeast (3 teaspoons). There is was! Since then I have tried it both ways and both are delicious. If you are in a big rush, 1 tablespoon of yeast will make a dough that rises much faster. If you have more time, then 2 1/4 tsp. is perfectly sufficient.

I took these pictures many years ago, and then never posted them. What a blast from the past!

Dannie's Rolls
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup oil
1 tsp salt
4 cups flour (I like 1 cup wheat and 3 cups all purpose)
2-4 T butter, melted in the 9x13 inch dish

Add all ingredients to a bread maker except butter. Mix on the dough setting. Melt butter in a 9x13 inch glass dish. Shape dough and let rise for 20-40 minutes (until doubled). Cook at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Brush butter on top.

Tips for Roll Making
When the dough comes out of the bread maker, I push out the air gently, and toss it in a little flour so its not so sticky. I cut it into halves until there are 16 pieces. Since 15 fits nicely in a pan, I take the smallest one and divide it up to put into any dough balls that seems too small.

To make a smooth top on the roll, I fold it over a couple times.
 And push all the seams into the center.
 Boom! A cute little roll!


Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place. Also, admire the clean stove top!

 And get David to do it too!

The rolls on the right side were made by me, and the rolls on the left were made by my kids. And guess what! They all taste the same! So it doesn't really matter.

These are my Dad's Baked Beans and they are one of my favorite foods.  I love them hot, or cold as leftovers.  I always bring them to parties and BBQ's and everyone things I worked for hours on them.  The truth is that they take about 20-30 minutes and are very budget friendly.

Drain one can of pork and beans.  I've used both name brand and store brand.  Both work well in this recipe.  You can double or triple this recipe for a crowd.  Since ALL the ingredients for this recipe are either in your pantry or are condiments, this is a great recipe to make without planning ahead.

To the drained beans, add brown sugar, ketchup, mustard, honey and dried onions.


Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes, look at that color change!  You can stop the recipe right there and eat it!

Or...let's take it to the next level!  See what's in the bowl?  That's kielbasa, otherwise known as Polish Sausage.  I have about one cup that has been grilled and cut into chunks.  Add it to your beans and heat through.  We cooked Keilbasa for dinner a month ago and didn't finish it all.  So I chopped it up and froze it to save for these beans.

Serve with burgers, hot dogs, or BBQ pork sandwiches like we did.  It will make your man happy!


Mike's Baked Beans
Serves 6-8

2 can pork and beans, drained
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1 T. honey
1/2 tsp. mustard
1 tsp. dried onions
1 c. kielbasa, or hot dogs, or 3-4 strips bacon, cooked, optional

1. Drain pork and beans (you can leave some of the liquid for creamier beans), add to a medium sized saucepan.
2. Add brown sugar, ketchup, honey, mustard, dried onions.  Simmer for 20-30 minutes, stir occasionally so it doesn't burn on the bottom.
3. Add any optional meats and heat through.  Serve warm, or cold for leftovers.

We took a parenting class at church.  They taught that if a kid wants to help you with a task, just let them help.  It doesn't matter if you can do it faster or better.  The teachers said that the time will come when they won't want to help you, so when they do you need to let them!  Apparently all my kids are at the helping age because I always have helpers in the kitchen.

Yes, all the boys have knives.  It worked out great.  So don't be afraid!


 Yikes!  Be afraid!

Get your helpers to hull your strawberries.  That's a fancy way of saying get rid of the leaves.  Then chop up the strawberries.  This recipe is perfect for kids because it doesn't matter what size they chop them up or if the dice is uneven.  It's all going into the blender anyway.


Add sugar to your strawberries and mix.  I added about 1/4 cup to 3 or 4 cups diced strawberries.


Taste test it if you want!  Then let it sit in your refrigerator for about an hour.


On to the pineapple!  Pineapples are in season right now.  If you can't find a ripe pineapple and your pineapple is still pretty green, you'll want it to ripen on your counter for a day or two.  You know a pineapple is ripe when the bottom smells like a delicious pineapple and it has a nice yellow tint to it.

This pineapple is perfectly ripe.  Let's cut it up!  I had my helpers watch since I used a BIG knife.  Safety first!  Cut off the pineapple's top and bottom.


Then slice off the outside inedible layer.


Poor pineapple!  You're no match for my big knife!


Cut the pineapple into four long spears.


Then cut the core out of each spear.  I know it looks like I'm about to slice off my knuckle.  I didn't.  And Steve was a great cameraman!


Then slice each spear into two or three long spears.


Next, cut each spear into 1" chunks.


After an hour in the fridge, check out your strawberries!  See that juice at the bottom?


The sugar combined with the strawberries to make a delicious strawberry juice.  These strawberries are perfect for strawberry shortcake (but that's a different recipe).


Add some of the strawberries and juice, and some pineapple to the blender and mix until it is creamy.  Add a couple scoops of vanilla ice cream and mix it up.  You're done! I fed this to my family after a hard day's work in the yard.  They said it was the best smoothie they ever had.  Since it's actually a milkshake I don't know how to take that...  They said I was the best mom in the world so if you want some appreciation, this is the recipe for you.


Strawberry Pineapple Milkshakes
Serves 3-6
2 pints of strawberries
1 pineapple
1/4 c. sugar
several scoops Vanilla Ice Cream

1. Hull and chop strawberries.  Mix with sugar (about 1/4 cup sugar for every 3-4 cups strawberries).  Let sit in the refrigerator for one hour.
2. Chop pineapple.
3. Add strawberries and juice, and pineapple to a blender and mix well.  Add several scoops of ice cream.  Serve and bask in the glory of your admiring fans!

And remember, a pineapple should never touch human skin:

I've made Spaghetti Sauce from scratch.  It was delicious, but it was also time consuming.  My family is big on pasta.  Since we eat Spaghetti about once a week I had to find a better way.  This is the better way!  It's also very college friendly and budget friendly.  Enjoy!

Anytime you're making pasta for dinner, your first step is to get your water on the stove to boil.  There's no sadness like having a pot full of spaghetti sauce ready to eat and you're still waiting for your water to boil.

Remember those bags of frozen hamburger?  Get one out, defrost it and brown it in a skillet.  Mine is 3/4 pound but meat lovers will love a whole pound or more.  I know how to drain the fat off hamburger meat without a strainer (that dirties a dish, and dishes are a pain).  After browning, if there is some fat in the bottom, scrape all the meat to one side, drop in a paper towel and then tilt the pan to the empty side and sop it up with a paper towel.  If the paper towel gets saturated just get another.  Then use your spoon to scrape the paper towel around the bottom of your pan.  No more grease!  Then throw it away, it's not an ingredient in our recipe.



You know how regular canned sauces are watery?  I hate it when there is a pool of tomato water until my pasta.  This ingredient will fix that problem and change your sauce woes forever.  Add one can (6 ounces) of tomato paste.  Mix it around (it will be paste-y) and let it cook for a minute.


If you're doing it right, your toddler will look like this.  Todders know when you are less than 20 minutes from dinnertime and usually decide starvation has come for them.  Resist to urge to feed it!  Don't look into those sweet eyes!  Focus on cooking!  Hang on, little buddy!


Next, add one can of spaghetti sauce.  Both Hunts and Del Monte are good, I have Hunts since I bought 24 cans at a Smith's Case lot sale.  Your pasta water is probably boiling about now so add your pasta in your pot of boiling water (not in the tomato sauce!) and let it boil.  The Spaghetti sauce can simmer on low heat until your pasta is done.  I usually cover it with a lid.

 How about some bread sticks with that?  Check out my fancy bread.

Yes, it's hot dog buns.  Whenever we have hot dogs inevitably my kids want it bun-less.  We always have leftover buns.  I just throw them in the freezer and wait until Spaghetti night.  This recipe also works perfectly with a loaf of french bread cut in half lengthwise. No waste here!


Jason made up this recipe and we love it.  You'll need butter (preferably at room temperature), Garlic Salt, Parmesan Cheese and Oregano.  I once tried fancy, grated, fresh Parmesan Cheese for this recipe and it wasn't as good.  The kind you see in the picture works great.  Save your money and go with this stuff.


Butter your "bread sticks", sprinkle on Garlic Salt, then Parmesan Cheese, and then Oregano.  It's not a science.  Just imagine yourself eating it and that's how much you put on.  If it's too bland, next time add more garlic salt.  If it's too salty, next time add less garlic salt.  Channel the inner scientist in you and experiment to find out what your family likes.

Then broil it either in a toaster oven or in a real oven for 2-5 minutes.  Don't walk away!  Watch it closely!  Don't answer the door!  Set a timer!  It can go from pale to "call a fireman" in a minute.  You'll want it golden brown, like this:

I put it on a paper towel to keep it from getting soggy while it's warm.  Serve your pasta, Spaghetti meat sauce and garlic bread with a side salad and some steamed vegetables.  So easy!

Since your toddler didn't starve to death, he can join you for dinner.  This is what a happy, well fed toddler will look like after surviving those last 20 minutes.

You may not know it, but many of you ate this sauce when we stayed in the house in St. George for Summer and Stuart's wedding.  I doubled it and made two loaves of french bread into garlic bread.  I even brought frozen hamburger with us to cook.  You all liked it!  This recipe is great for a Harper crowd.

No toddlers were harmed in the making of this recipe.

Mary's Spaghetti Sauce
Serves 6-8
1 pound dried spaghetti
3/4 - 1 pound ground beef
1 can tomato paste, 6 ounces
1 can Spaghetti Sauce, 15 ounces

1. Start a pot of water boiling for your pasta.
2. On high heat, brown your ground beef.  Drain (or use your paper towel to sop it up).
3. Lower the heat to medium or medium high.  Add tomato paste and mix well.  Let cook for 1 minute.  Be careful that it doesn't burn.
4. Add spaghetti sauce and let simmer, covered, on low heat until pasta is ready.

Jason's Garlic Bread
Hot Dog buns, or French Bread, or whatever leftover bread you have
Butter, at room temperature
Garlic Salt
Parmesan Cheese
Dried Oregano

1. Lay out your bread on a cookie sheet covered with foil (for easier clean up!).
2. Spread with butter.
3. Sprinkle with garlic salt, parmesan cheese and oregano, to taste.
4. Broil for 2-5 minutes (my oven takes about 3 minutes, my toaster oven takes 5) until golden brown and delicious.