West Virginia Pepperoni Rolls

     Several years before I was born my dad took a trip to West Virginia with some of his friends. Ever since then he has talked about "Pepperoni Rolls" which he says are the best.  A couple of years ago my dad took me on a trip and we drove through West Virginia so my dad and I had to make sure we picked up a few pepperoni rolls so I could try them.  I took one bite and fell in love with them too!  They are very simple, yet it seems like the only place you can find them for sale is in West Virginia, so a few weeks ago my mom and I decided to make some as a surprise for my dad. 

     While West Virginia Pepperoni Rolls are seriously yummy... I must warn you that they do take a little bit of work to make.  If you are a young kid, you might want to have your parents help you with this one, especially when it comes to cutting the pepperoni into smaller links!

West Virginia Pepperoni Rolls:
Ingredients - 1 (9 oz) stick of pepperoniBread dough of your choice - but enough for 1 loafMelted butter 

Begin by peeling the outer skin off of the pepperoni stick.  It is a thin film but does not taste good and you will not want to eat it.  Once you have peeled the skin, cut the pepperoni into thin strips and only about 2-3 inches in length. 

Next you will need to separate out the dough into smaller amounts, enough to make a larger sized roll.  Use a rolling-pin and roll the dough balls out smooth.
Place one strip of pepperoni near the end of the rolled out dough, fold the dough over the pepperoni link, place another link of pepperoni down and fold the dough over it again.  Repeat this process once more and then pinch all the edges so that everything is sealed up tight.  At this point you should have 3 pieces of pepperoni inside the roll, but separated by a small fold of dough. 

Grease a 9x13 pan and place the rolls inside.  Cover the rolls and place them in a warm place for 1 hour until they rise and double in size.  
Bake the rolls at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top.  Brush the rolls immediately with the melted butter once you take them from the oven.  

I hope you enjoy these rolls as much as we did!

Remember, you're never too little for big ideas!

Zada

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

A couple days ago I made some Chocolate Chip Cookies. My mom remembered that she had seen a recipe for softer cookies. It had a special ingredient in it, and it was cornstarch. They are really good. My dad said they were some of the best Chocolate Chip Cookies he's ever had.

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Cornstarch

 
       3/4 cups unsalted butter softened
       1 cup brown sugar
       1/4 cup granulated sugar
       1 egg
       2 teaspoons vanilla extract
       2 cups all purpose flour
       2 teaspoons cornstarch
       1 teaspoon baking soda
       1/2 teaspoon salt
       8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into chunks (I used 2 cups of chocolate chips) 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter and sugars until smooth. Add egg and vanilla and blend in. Stir in flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Stir in chocolate chunks (or chips). Drop by tablespoons onto a greased baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes (it took a little longer in our oven), until golden brown around the edges. Enjoy!

The recipe turned out so well, I think I am going to make these as my birthday treat next week at school. Do you have any Chocolate Chip Cookie recipes that you like best? I'd love it if you'd share them.

Remember, you're never too little for big ideas!

Zada
     
     
     
     

Pancakes for the Holidays

Every year my family has a tradition for Christmas. After opening our christmas presents my dad makes red and green pancakes for breakfast.

Here is a great recipe for homemade pancakes.  It was passed down to my mom from my Great-Grandma King, my mom passed it down to me, and now I am sharing it with you!

Homemade pancakes

1 c. flour
2 tblsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg - beaten
1 c. milk
1 tsp vanilla
Mix the dry ingredients together first, then add in the rest of the ingredients.  This recipe will make about 10-12 pancakes, but if you are cooking for a BIG family like mine, you're at least going to need to double it!

 I hope you like this recipe. It is my favorite pancake. If you want to change the color all you have to do  is add your favorite food coloring. We have pink pancakes for Valentine's day, tie dye pancakes for Easter, and green booger pancakes just for fun!

Another fun idea we tried today was pouring the pancake mix into cookie cutters to make fun shapes. They take a little longer, but my baby brother loved eating a Christmas tree!

Feel free to share your favorite pancake recipe too.

Remember, you're never too little for big ideas!

Mamaw's sugar cookies

My very first blog post will be to share a simple recipe I've been making with my Mamaw for a long time - her sugar cookies. I think the recipe is from a really old Betty Crocker book, but my Mom says they're her favorite cause they're always super soft, even days after we made them.

These are my sisters, Reagan and Faith, decorating Mamaw's cookies for Christmas

Mamaw's Sugar Cookies

       1 cup margarine or butter, softened
       1 egg
       1 teaspoon vanilla
    1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose or whole wheat flour
       1 teaspoon baking soda
       1 teaspoon cream of tartar
          Granulated sugar
Mix powdered sugar, margarine, egg, vanilla, and almond extract. Mix in flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Heat oven to 375. Divide dough into halves. Roll each half 3/16 inch thick on lightly floured cloth-covered board. Cut into shapes.
Sprinkle with granulated sugar; place on lightly greased sheet. Bake until edges are light brown, 7 to 8 minutes. (YIELDS 5 dozen 2-inch cookies)
*If using self-rising flour, omit baking soda and cream of tartar. 

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Try them out and let me know if you like them! What are your favorite sugar cookie recipes? I am always looking to collect more recipes!

Remember, you're never too little for big ideas!