Refried Beans

To make refried beans, purchase a bag of dried pinto beans. Soak all day and then cook overnight on low in the crock pot with lots of water. In the morning, drain off most of the water and then put in the fridge to cool. It is important that you fry the beans while they are cold. After the beans have cooled add a small amount of butter or bacon grease to a frying pan.

Then add the cold cooked beans. The amount of liquid in the beans is up to you. The more liquid the soupier the beans.

Cook on a medium heat. While beans are cooking start to mash with a potato masher.

Continue to mash until they are the desired consistency. Your beans should be simmering as you are mashing. Mix in a small amount of salt. I don’t have a measurement because it is really to your taste. If your beans are too runny cook a little longer and the liquid will boil off.

Serve.

We used these beans on open tacos.

If you like to freeze your meals, freeze your beans after they have been cooked in the crock pot but before they have been fried. Thaw in the fridge, fry and serve.

Read more: http://thehappyhousewife.com/refried-beans/#ixzz0e0dyNIqm

Bread Machine Buttery Rolls

1 cup warm milk (70-80 degrees)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar (I used sucanat.)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups flour (I used half fresh-ground whole-wheat and half unbleached flour.)
2 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast

Add ingredients in the order list to your bread machine. Run on dough cycle. When dough is complete, divide into 20-24 portions and shape into balls.

Place on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise for 15 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 13-16 minutes until golden brown. Yield: 20-24 rolls

The only thing I think I'll do differently next time is try adding in a little more sucanat or brushing the rolls with a honey/butter mixture as soon as they come out of the oven. My husband and I both thought they would be even yummier if they were a little sweeter.

Yummy Rolls

2 c. whole milk (if you're in a pinch, you can use 2%, but whole is best. Don't use 1% or skim)
½ c. + 1 Tbsp. sugar, divided
1/3 c. (5 1/3 Tbsp.) butter
2 tsp. Kosher salt
2 pkgs. active dry yeast (or 4 1/2 tsp.), preferably bread machine yeast
2/3 c. warm (105-115-degree) water
8-9 c. all-purpose flour
3 beaten eggs

Combine milk, 1/2 c. sugar, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until butter melts. It's salty. It's sweet. Yum.

Remove from heat. Allow to cool to lukewarm. I usually rub some ice cubes along the sides of the pan or pop the entire pan in a sink full of ice cubes to cool the mixture down because this step can take forever. This step is really important because if the mixture is too hot, it will kill the yeast.

While the milk mixture is cooling, dissolve the yeast and 1 Tbsp. sugar in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes. If the yeast hasn't bubbled, you'll need to repeat this step.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 c. flour and milk mixture. Beat on low for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Add yeast mixture and beat on high for 3 minutes.

Add beaten eggs. Why should you beat your eggs first? Same reason you should combine your dry ingredients before adding them to moist ingredients when making cookies and cakes--it ensures everything is well-mixed and can be evenly-distributed through your dough or batter. If you add the whole eggs, your dough may not be as consistent.

Stir in as much remaining flour as needed to make a soft dough. This dough should be very soft--it will be coming away from the sides of the bowl, but it will still stick to your finger when you touch it. Don't worry, it will firm up during the rising process. Part of what makes these rolls so good is that they're so soft and light; if you add too much flour, they will be heavy and dense. Place the bowl in a warm place and cover with a clean towel; allow to rise 1 hour.

Punch down dough. Lightly flour your work surface and turn dough out onto surface. Divide in half.

Spray 2 9x13 glass pans with cooking spray. Roll first portion of dough into a rectangle and then cut it into 12 equal-sized pieces. I like to use a pizza cutter because it has a blade on each side, so it cuts right through dough without sticking to the blade. This dough should be very easy to work with, almost like playdough. Shape each piece into a ball and place in prepared pan. Repeat with remaining dough in the second pan.

Cover with a clean cloth and allow to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. When dough has about 15-20 minutes to go (depending on your oven), preheat oven to 375.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden-brown. When done, remove from oven. Rub a stick of cold butter over the tops of the rolls. You must now eat one. Now. While it's hot. Then pop the rest into a bowl and no one will ever know that you cheated.

Ice Cream Pie with Easy Caramel Sauce

Prep Time: 25 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Difficulty: Intermediate
Servings: 8
Ingredients
Caramel Sauce
4 Tablespoons Butter
1 cup Brown Sugar, Packed
½ cups Half-and-half
Pinch Of Salt
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
Crust
¼ cups Egg Whites
¼ teaspoons Salt
¼ cups Sugar
1 cup Pecans, Finely Chopped
Filling *
2 pints Ice Cream (1 Pint Each Of Different Flavors)
Preparation Instructions
To make the caramel sauce:
Mix butter, brown sugar, half & half, and salt in a saucepan over medium low heat. Cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until thicker. Add vanilla and cook another minute to thicken further. Turn off heat and pour sauce into a jar. Refrigerate until cold.
To make the crust:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat egg whites until frothy. Add sugar and salt and beat on high until stiff. Fold in nuts. Spread mixture all over the bottom and sides of a non-glass pie pan, making sure to adequately coat the sides. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, watching toward the end to make sure crust doesn’t get too brown. Remove from oven when crust is golden brown. Allow crust to cook completely.
When crust is cool, remove ice cream from freezer. Allow to soften. When soft, spread one pint of ice cream (I used Butter Brickle) over the bottom of the crust. Spread the other pint (I used Vanilla Bean) over the first flavor. Cover with foil and freeze until very hard.
To serve, cut slices of pie and serve on individual plates with cold caramel sauce spooned over the top. *Note that the crust will be a bit sticky…but it’s oh, so good!