Food with a message

Have you ever made empty tomb rolls? They’re also called resurrection rolls.

What a wonderful treat to make for your family this Easter season; not only are the rolls delicious, they also have a story to tell.

Empty tomb rolls only have a few ingredients, but each has significance, which you can explain to your children while you make them together.

Start with a marshmallow, which represents Jesus’ body. Dip the marshmallow in melted butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar and tell the children that the butter and cinnamon represent the oils and spices placed on Jesus’ body before burial in the tomb.

Next, wrap the marshmallow in a crescent roll, sealing the seams. The crescent roll represents the linens that were used to wrap Jesus’ body.

While the rolls bake, something very special happens. The marshmallow disappears, leaving a hollow roll, or an empty tomb.

The rolls are very good and taste a lot like cinnamon rolls. Some of the marshmallow will probably ooze out of the roll, but that’s OK.

Although I used a can of refrigerated crescent rolls, I’ve seen recipes that use canned biscuits and frozen yeast rolls.

Once my rolls were all wrapped up and ready to bake, I placed them in a muffin tin to hold their shape.

This was so much fun to make. I was pleased that the recipe came out as it’s supposed to and that my family enjoyed them so much.

I think this would be a fun activity to do with a church youth group.

Give these rolls a try this week, and let the children in your life help you out!


Empty tomb rolls

• Marshmallows (not miniature)
• 2-3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2-3 tablespoons cinnamon sugar (I didn’t measure)
• 1 tube of refrigerated crescent rolls

Set out two small bowls. Place melted butter in one and cinnamon sugar in the other.

Dip a marshmallow in the melted butter then roll in cinnamon sugar to coat. Unroll a crescent roll. Place marshmallow on roll and bring up sides to cover. Pinch seams to seal, making sure no marshmallow is showing. Lightly pat the roll in your hands to form a ball and place in muffin cup of a muffin tin. Repeat with remaining rolls. I added a little cinnamon sugar on top of the rolls.

Bake according to instructions on crescent roll package.

Rolls for Easter dinner

Will you be making a special dinner for Easter?

I can recall many special Easter meals at the home of my Aunt Margaret. I always looked forward to her delicious ham and vegetables and special side dishes from potato salad to sweet pickled peaches. And she always made the best rolls. Gotta love homemade rolls.

I can’t make any bread to match those delicious, tender rolls, but I do enjoy making breads.

A few weeks back, I stumbled upon a website from a woman who also likes to bake breads, using her bread machine for mixing and rising. I do the same thing. I’ve never especially liked the taste of bread baked in my machine — which is now at least 15 years old, I think! But I love the convenience of having a machine prepare the dough which I can form into loaves or rolls or pizza crust.

Since I found the website salad-in-a-jar.com last month, I’ve made rolls three times — and my family has devoured them three times, not believing their luck at getting homemade rolls so often. These rolls would be so good with Easter dinner, alongside the ham and green beans and sweet potato casserole. You can make them on Saturday, wrap them in foil and heat them in a warm oven just before eating.

Paula Rhodes is behind the salad-in-a-jar site and told me by email that she has made these rolls hundreds of time.

“Could do it in my sleep,” she said.

What led me to make Paula’s rolls was probably her video, showing how she forms her rolls by first dividing the dough into 16 relatively equal pieces, then tucking the dough under each dough ball to create fairly uniform rolls. I really wanted to try her method and thought I could be successful after watching her, and I was!

I’ve never been able to make pretty rolls until I watched Paula’s video. I know mine aren’t perfect, but they look so much better than any others I have made.

Of course, the recipe has a lot to do with the success of these rolls. I did a blend of bread flour and whole wheat flour and made rolls that rose perfectly and cooked to a golden brown.

Paula has many variations of her bread recipes on her blog.

“I make the cheesy rolls most often as my family goes crazy for them,” she said. “Also cinnamon rolls, orange rolls and the rum raisin rolls.”

When I made the rolls the second time, I did half the recipe as cinnamon rolls, and they were crazy good. I just rolled out the risen dough, sprinkled on plenty of cinnamon and brown sugar and then rolled up the dough like a jelly roll and cut the rolls into eight pieces and let them rise. I added a glaze made of powdered sugar, vanilla and milk to the top after they had baked and were partially cooled. They were so good!

Paula and I agree on what motivates us to bake yeast breads for our families:

“What I enjoy about making homemade rolls is all the comments when people smell them baking and then argue over the last one,” she said.

Take time to visit Paula’s blog. Check out her bread recipes as well as her technique of preparing salad in a jar. You can find her video on shaping rolls under her recipes tab: white whole wheat dinner rolls, plus a video tutorial about shaping rolls.


White Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls

• 1/4 cup heavy cream and 3/4 cup nonfat milk, warmed (see note below)
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 cups white whole wheat flour, or 1 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour and 1 1/2 cup unbleached flour, or 1 cup whole wheat flour and 2 cups unbleached flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Place all ingredients into pan of bread machine in order given.

Select dough cycle. After 5 to 10 minutes, raise lid and make sure dough is correct consistency. This is best described as dough that sticks to the side of the pan, then pulls away. Add additional flour or water, if needed.

When dough has completed dough cycle and risen to double its original size, remove dough to a floured work surface.

Divide dough into 16 equal pieces. See video for instructions for rolling into balls. Arrange into two 8 or 9-inch pans. Cover loosely and set in a warm place until rolls almost double in size.

Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Loosen rolls from pan and flip to turn the rolls out onto a cooling rack or towel. Leaving the rolls in the pan until cool will result in soggy bottoms.

Makes 16 rolls.

Notes: I suggest using baking pans with a dark finish to help the rolls brown on the bottom. These rolls are delicious made with any kind of milk. Use whatever you have on hand.

Paula Rhodes
salad-in-a-jar.com

Hot cross buns

For many Christians around the globe, it's a time-honored tradition to eat hot cross buns on Good Friday. Various histories I've read claim the rolls date back hundreds of years, perhaps even to pagan times when their significance had an entirely different meaning.

The spicy rolls packed with dried fruit are either topped with a cross of white frosting or emblazoned with a cross cut into the roll just prior to baking. The cross is meant to remind Christians of Christ's crucifixion.

Various folklore claims the rolls can fight off illness and evil and will never get moldy because of the protection of the cross.

Hot cross buns were not a tradition for my family when I was growing up, and I've only had them a few times, including several years back when I made a batch myself.

Last year, newspaper publisher Morgan Dickerman shared a delicious shipment of hot cross buns from a bakery in Colorado with our staff. The rolls were delicious and had special meaning because we ate them on Good Friday. I decided right then that I wanted to share a recipe for hot cross buns in my food column for this Easter.

I read many recipes over the last few weeks before deciding on the ingredients for my hot cross buns. My first decision involved the dried fruit to use. Most recipes call for currants, some for raisins, others for a mixture of dried fruits. I opted for golden raisins for my buns. The golden raisins had such a variety of pretty gold tones and added a nice touch of color to the rolls. They also aren't as obvious as their darker counterpart, which is a good thing for me because I really don't like raisins!

Then I had to decide on spices. The first recipe I read only used cinnamon. But I saw a number of other recipes that use a combination of spices including cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg and ginger. I love cloves, but I was afraid the spicy taste might overtake the rolls. So I ended up using a teaspoon of cinnamon and a 1/4 teaspoon of both allspice and nutmeg. I measured out the spices and put them in a small container, stirred them up and smelled them before adding them to my flour. The aroma was wonderful and not too over-powering, so that's what I went with.

Since I had only used one dried fruit, I opted to put the zest of both a lemon and an orange in my rolls. The faint hint of citrus added a nice touch.

I cut a cross into about half of my rolls before baking. I experimented with scissors, a straight-edge knife and a serrated knife. I had the best luck with the serrated knife.

After the rolls had baked and cooled, I put a sugary glaze cross on each one. The rolls with the cross cut into them definitely had the neater cross.

My hot cross buns were absolutely a hit at my house. They were delicious the day I made them and equally good the next day, cut in half and toasted.

If you'd like to start a new tradition at your house to mark the significance of Good Friday, give these rolls a try.


Hot Cross Buns

• 3/4 cup lukewarm milk
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 tablespoon bread machine yeast
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoons allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3/4 to 1 cup golden raisins

Egg wash:

• 1 egg white
• Splash of milk

Glaze:

• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons milk

Pour milk, butter, sugar, salt, 1 egg, egg white, bread flour, spices and yeast into bread machine bowl in order recommended by manufacturer. Start dough cycle.

If your machine has a timer for adding nuts or other ingredients, add the raisins when the timer beeps, otherwise, add the raisins in the last few minutes of the final knead cycle.

When dough cycle is complete, remove dough from bowl and place on a floured surface. Divide the dough in half, then in half again to have four pieces. Roll each quarter into a log shape and divide into thirds to form your rolls.

Place rolls in 9x13 pan that has been prepared with butter. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Cover dough and let rise in a warm place for around 45 minutes. (When I am rising dough, I put a cut of boiling water in my cold oven to create warmth and steam before putting in my pan of dough.)

After they have doubled in size, cut a cross into the top of each bun. Then whisk one egg white with a splash of milk and brush on rolls.

Bake in 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Let cool.

Mix glaze ingredients and pipe or brush on a cross shape.

Easy side dish

I admit that I fall into a rut when it comes to cooking vegetables at my house.

We have corn, butter beans, peas and potatoes. Occasionally I make a broccoli dish. My kids convince me to make green bean casserole a few times a month, but I usually stick with the same things my mother cooked — interspersed with a variety of green salads.

I love to find a new way to get our veggies in each day and was excited to see something new on my plate at a church function earlier this month. There on the same plate with my ham, deviled eggs and congealed salad was a serving of colorful marinated vegetables. It was the first thing I tried. I loved the vinegar marinade sweetened with sugar and the mix of canned French-cut green beans, corn, garden peas and pimiento.

I immediately knew I wanted to share this recipe with my readers this month because it would be great for an Easter ham dinner. Not only is it delicious and very pretty, it can also be put together in just a few minutes then stored for several days in the refrigerator. That’s one less thing to do before dinner on Easter Sunday.

I made the recipe for my husband and me last week, and we had the dish with shrimp and baked potatoes. It was a delicious combination.

Don’t be afraid to make a full recipe when you try this. As I was told by Anne Liles when she shared the recipe with me, it keeps for several days in the refrigerator and only gets better with age!


Colorful Marinated Vegetables

• 3 15 oz. cans French-style green beans (some cans are 14 or 14.5 ounces)
• 1 15 oz. can whole kernel corn
• 1 15 oz. can garden peas
• 2 tablespoons diced pimiento
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup oil

Mix sugar, vinegar and oil with a whisk until combined.

Place vegetables in a colander and drain and rinse.

Pour vegetables in a bowl. Pour marinade over and stir to combine. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. The vegetables are good for several days.

Anne Liles

Having ham for Easter?

I plan to make a big meal for our Easter dinner. We are quite traditional in our eating habits and will dine on a spiral baked ham with all the trimmings including the easy sweet pickle peaches recipe from several years back.

Once Monday rolls around, I'll have a whole lot of leftover ham. I have a number of recipes that I routinely use with ham leftovers, from ham and cheese muffins to a cheesy ham and potato soup. And I do love a good ham sandwich with mayonnaise, like my mom used to make.

But this season, there's a new recipe to add to our ham leftover line up -- a ham and cheese quiche of sorts packed with vegetables.

I made Veggie Filled Ham and Cheese Pie twice now, and both times my husband and I have gobbled it up. We had it as a main dinner course one night with fresh fruit as a side dish. And it's so very good warmed up in the oven or microwave for a quick and filling breakfast.

I didn't have ham leftovers when I tried the recipe, so I used deli ham; it was wonderful.

This is a simple egg pie recipe made in a pie crust. I used a refrigerated pie crust the first time and a frozen pie crust the second time; I prebaked each for about 5 minutes before pouring in the filling. I used a regular size pie crust, but when I make it again, I'll use the deep dish size frozen pie crust so I don't have to throw out leftover egg filling.

The recipe I started with used fewer vegetables and different cheese, but I chose ingredients I knew my husband and I would enjoy. In addition to spinach and mushrooms in the original recipe, I added a variety of bell peppers and chopped onions.

I didn't want to buy an entire package of spinach or mushrooms for the small amount I needed, so I went to the salad bar at my favorite grocery store and got the spinach, mushrooms and mixed bell peppers. The vegetable ingredients don't have to be precise measurements for this dish, so I just eyeballed what I was putting into the salad bar carryout container. The first time I made, it I used the bell peppers available on the salad bar: green, red and orange. The second time I used red, orange and yellow. It's so economical to buy the fresh vegetables this way. For about $1.50, I got the spinach, mushrooms and peppers I needed for my pie.

I also sauteed my mushrooms, onions and peppers in a little olive oil before adding to the pie because I knew that would enhance the flavor, and it did! While the mushrooms were cooking and the pie crust pre-cooking, I cut up the ham and mixed the egg filling. It really takes just a few minutes before it's ready to pop in the oven.

There are so many ways to vary this recipe according to your family's tastes. I'm sure it would be delicious as a meatless pie, for instance.



Veggie Filled Ham and Cheese Pie

• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup fat-free half-and-half or milk
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese (divided)
• 1 frozen pie crust (deep dish)
• 1/2 to 1 cup fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup mixed bell pepper cut into strips or diced
• 1/4 cup diced onions
• 1/2 cup fresh mushroom slices
• 1 cup chopped ham
• Olive oil for sautéeing

Cook pie crust for 5 minutes at temperature recommended on package. Set aside. Turn oven temperature to 350.
While crust is cooking, saute mushrooms, onions and peppers in a small amount of olive oil.
With a whisk, beat eggs, flour, salt and half-and-half until combined.
Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese in bottom of partially cooked pie crust. Top with a generous layer of spinach leaves. Arrange sauteed vegetables to cover spinach. Pour egg mixture over all. Top with remaining cheese.
Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 45 to 55 minutes or until top is golden.
Lisa Boykin Batts



Sweet Pickled Peaches

• 2 16-oz. cans peach halves
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon each whole cloves and whole allspice
• 2 cinnamon sticks

Strain juice from peaches and pour into large pot; reserve peaches. Tie cloves, allspice and cinnamon sticks in a spice bag. I make one out of cheesecloth. Add sugar, vinegar and spice bag to juice in pot. Let come to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour in peaches and cook an addition 5 minutes or until peaches are heated. Remove spice bag. Let cool, then refrigerate.

Easter Treats

I love Easter candy.

One year, I gained about 5 pounds from eating way too many Russell Stover strawberry cream eggs. I kid you not.

I buy jelly beans and yellow bunny Peeps and Brach's chocolate marshmallow rabbits. It has to be Brach's. I added a new bag of goodies to my shopping cart this year, Hershey's Cookies and Cream eggs. Those are for the children. I prefer some peanut butter in my miniature eggs. Think Reese's.

Which brings me to today's column.

I made my own chocolate covered peanut butter eggs last week, and they were delicious and very, very easy to make. Too easy, in fact, because it's very tempting to make them again.

There are no complicated ingredients or instructions with this recipe; it's a wonderful one to make with children because they can help form the eggs.

Those of you who read my column might recall an almost identical recipe two years ago for a chocolate peanut butter ball candy, or buckeyes, at Christmas. You could use that same recipe, in fact, and just make the candy egg-shaped instead of round.

Making the eggs consists of mixing the peanut butter filling and shaping and cooling the eggs before dipping them in chocolate.

I've done a lot of chocolate dipping in recent years, but I had a breakthrough moment with this recipe. I placed an egg in a large spoon and dipped it into the warm chocolate. I rolled the egg inside the bowl of the spoon until it was coated. Then I transferred each egg to a large piece of wax paper and let the chocolate firm.

I made my eggs several sizes. I really like the smaller ones. The larger ones are easier to decorate, though, and would work well for personalizing with a child's name.

The recipe makes quite a few eggs, so I delivered about a dozen to work. They were the perfect size to fit in colorful cupcake holders.

I stored my candy eggs in the refrigerater. Some of my family members ate them while they were still cold, but I prefer to leave them on the counter for a few minutes.

Either way, it's chocolate and peanut butter, so how can it be bad?


Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs

• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 12 oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon shortening

With an electric mixer, blend softened butter and peanut butter until smooth. Gradually add in powdered sugar and milk until mixed. Shape peanut butter mixture into egg shapes. Can be various sizes.
Place eggs on a cookie sheet or in other container and chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Once eggs are chilled, place chocolate chips and shortening in microwave safe bowl and cook for 1 minute. Stir. If the chips don’t melt, put back in at 15-second intervals. Don’t overcook.
Dip eggs in chocolate and place on wax paper to firm. I placed my eggs in a spoon for dipping. Roll the egg in the bowl of the spoon until coated.
Once the chocolate has hardened some, they are ready to decorate.
Store in refrigerator.