Parmesan Knots

Okay so I made these the other night and can't get over how good they are. They are also freezable. The original recipe calls for store bought refrigerated biscuits but I made some from scratch. The biscuits recipe is by far the best one that I have made. You could do so much with it. The recipe came from sisterscafe.blogspot.com. I found it though on goodlookinhomecookin.blogspot.com.

Biscuits

In a mixing bowl dump:
2 cups flour (spoon it in and level with a knife)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Use a pastry cutter to add:
5 Tbls cold butter

Use a fork to fluff in the mixture:
3/4 c. buttermilk
3 Tbls. honey

Place the dough on a floured counter. Roll ( I just used my hands ) into a 1/2 inch thick 9x5 rectangle. Fold over to form a square. Roll again ( again I used my hands ) to a form the rectangle. Then fold in half one more time and pat out till it is about 3/4 inches thick. Cut out your biscuits.

Bake at 400* for 12 minutes. Enjoy!

Parmesan Knots

1/2 c canola oil
1/4 c Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
Dash pepper
3 tubes (12 oz) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (double batch of the above biscuits, I recommend this)

Cut each biscuit in half. Roll each portion in a 6 inch rope; tie in a loose knot. Place on a greased baking sheets.

Bake at 400* 8-15 minutes until golden. While they are baking mix all the ingredients from the canola to the pepper in a bowl. Immediately brush the biscuits with the mixture. Serve warm. Cool remaining knots; transfer to a freezer container. May be frozen for up to 2 months.

To use frozen knots: Reheat, unthawed, @ 359* for 15-20 minutes.

Veggie Calzones

These were actually very tasty! It makes eight large calzones. I used the Pioneer Woman's pizza crust recipe found under "favorites" but you could do bread dough or whatever. Also these are freezable. There are instructions on how to recook at the end. I didn't make any but they would probably be good dipped in marinara sauce!

1/2 lb fresh mushrooms chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
2 Tbls oil
3 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped (I didn't seed mine and I used roma)
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 cup shredded Monteray Jack (I used cheddar)
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 loaves ( 1 lb each ) frozen bread dough thawed (I did one recipe of PW's pizza crust)
1 egg
1 Tbls water
garlic salt (optional)
Italian Seasoning

1. Saute onions, green pepper, mushrooms and oil until tender. Add tomatoes; cook and stir for 3 min. Stir in tomato paste; set aside. Combine cheeses and set aside.

2. On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into eight pieces. Roll each piece into a 7 in circle ( I sprinkled garlic salt onto the dough before I put any filling on it ). Spoon a scant 1/2 c vegetable mixture and 1/4 c cheese mixture over one side of each circle. Brush edges of dough with water; fold dough over filing and press edges with a fork to seal. Place calzones 3 in apart on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 20 min.

3. Whisk egg and water; brush over calzones and sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Bake @ 375* for 15 min. If freezing remove desired number of calzones from baking sheet and cool. Bake the remaining calzones 18-22 minutes longer or until golden brown (I made them ahead of time and cooked all eight for the first 15 min then I cooled four and put four in the fridge. I cooked the four from the fridge at 375* for 15 min). Serve immediately. Place the cooled calzones in freezer bags, will keep up to 3 months in freezer.

4. To use frozen calzones: Place 2 in apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake @ 350* for 30-35 min or until golden brown.

Gourmet Macaroni

We had our neighbors over for dinner the other night and she brought this amazing macaroni. It is seriously the best macaroni I have ever had. It's Olive Garden quality for sure. So you'll have to try it. It's super yummy!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/macaroni-and-cheese-recipe/index.html