Eclair Squares AKA Best Dessert Ever!

If there ever were a dessert to make right this minute, it would be this one for sure. Eclair's and cream puffs are most definitely my all-time favorite pastry of choice. There's just something about that creamy custard filling all enveloped by the chewy sturdy shell and dipped in chocolate that truly can not be beat. Their only downfall is the time-consuming effort it takes to make them. Usually I don't mind that part, it's just that it means they aren't made above twice a year. In steps this dessert. All the amazingness of an eclair with almost zero effort in creating it and yet you still get all the elements. Plus it feeds a crowd easily. Don't delay making this delectable treat a standard in your dessert rotation. You can thank me later!

Eclair Squares

{Recipe source: The Sisters Cafe}

Crust:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup hot water

1 cup flour

4 eggs

Dash of salt

Bring water and butter to a boil, until butter is melted. Pour into the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add flour all at once and beat until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, making sure each egg is well incorporated before adding the others. Spread onto well-greased cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Crust will bubble up. As soon as it's removed from the oven use a spatula to flatten those bubbles while it's still hot. Allow to cool while making filling.

Filling:

2 large boxes (5.1 oz) instant vanilla pudding

4 1/2 cups milk

8 oz cream cheese, softened almost to melting stage

2 cups heavy whipping cream

powdered sugar

vanilla

Whip pudding with milk and softened cream cheese until mixture is smooth. Spread over cooled crust. Beat heavy cream with 2 heaping spoonfuls of powdered sugar and a dash of vanilla until soft peaks form. Spread whipped cream over pudding layer.

Chocolate Sauce:

1/2 cup chocolate chips

2 T butter

3 T milk

1 cup powdered sugar

Melt chocolate chips over low heat and add all other ingredients. Beat well with wire whisk until smooth. Drizzle over whipped cream layers. Refrigerate dessert before serving.

Beef Stroganoff {Crock Pot}

Boy do we love classic comfort food recipes, especially in the winter. And white, powdered sugar snow winter is precisely what I see out my window. I think that stroganoff lends itself very well to a crock pot meal and you know by now that we love those too. The meat is tender, fall apart goodness and the sauce is little bit tangy and a lot creamy. Serve this over mashed potatoes, rice, or egg noodles and try not to lick your plate.

Beef Stroganoff {Crock Pot}

{Recipe source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe, where else?!}

2-3 lbs stew meat

1 t salt

1/4 t black pepper

1 medium onion, diced

1/4 t garlic salt

1 T worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 cups beef broth

1 T ketchup

1/3 cup flour

6 T apple juice (or water)

4-8 ozs mushrooms, sauteed until mostly soft in butter

1/2 cup sour cream

Place stew meat, salt, pepper, and onion in slow cooker. Stir to distribute seasonings. In another bowl mix garlic salt, worcestershire sauce, beef broth and ketchup and pour over meat. Cook 7-9 hours on low or 4-5 on high. About 30 minutes before serving, whisk apple juice and flour together really well and pour into the slow cooker, whisking quickly to prevent lumps. Add sauteed mushrooms too. Cook on high for 30 minutes and then stir in 1/2 cup sour cream right before serving. Serve over rice, noodles, or potatoes.

Can freeze and reheat on the stove or crock pot.

Rocky Road Cake

All-time favorite ice cream? Definitely Rocky Road. It's chocolate-based and there are things to chew on, 2 musts in my book. So naturally a rocky road cake is going to peak my interest. And while the cake portion seemed a bit dry and crumbly the first day, it softened right up the next day and I could not stop eating the stuff. The thick layer of chewy marshmallows and milk chocolate fudge drizzle were too much for my will-power to control. I'm thinking a sturdy brownie base is a must-try too.

Rocky Road Cake

{Recipe source: Baking Bites}

Cake:

1/2 cup butter

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate

2 T cocoa powder

1 t vanilla

1 cup flour

1/2 t baking powder

1/4 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

2 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup coarse-chopped walnuts

optional: chocolate chips

Marshmallow topping and Fudge Glaze:

10 1/2 oz package mini-marshmallows, divided

1/2 cup sugar

2 T milk

2 T butter

1/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 9x13 pan. In microwave safe bowl, melt 1/2 cup butter and unsweetened chocolate. Stir until smooth. Add cocoa powder and vanilla, stir. Set aside. In bowl of mixer, beat sugar and eggs. In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and soda, and salt. Add chocolate mixture and sour cream to egg/sugar mixture. Slowly add dry ingredients until no streaks of flour remain. Fold in chopped walnuts and chocolate chips, if using. Spread batter into greased pan and bake for 20 minutes. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle all but about 2/3 cup marshmallows evenly over the top. (Approx. 4 cups) Return cake to oven for 2 minutes, until marshmallows are puffy but not browned. Allow cake to cool several minutes while glaze is prepared.

For the glaze: In a small saucepan, combine sugar, milk, and butter. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate and remaining 2/3 cup marshmallows until smooth. While hot, drizzle over still-warm cake. If it starts to cool and get to thick to drizzle just let it re-warm a bit on the stove.

Allow cake to cool completely before slicing.

TIP: While slicing, run blade of sharp knife under hot water to help cut through sticky marshmallows cleanly.

Creamy Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Nothing says love, warmth, and welcome home quite like a bowl of delicious soup. And this version says all that and more. It's made delightfully creamy with a not so common soup ingredient: cream cheese. And the other great thing about it is that you can personalize to your tastes or to your on-hand ingredients. Got some spinach that needs using up? Pop it on in! Mushrooms? Why not! Bacon, ham, corn? You get the picture! And it's a great non-meat candidate. But that chicken makes it a legit meal to my husband, so in it stays. If you're looking for a no-fail people pleasing bowl of goodness, this is your best bet. Plus the left-overs rock. Gotta love it!

Creamy Chicken & Vegetable Soup

{Recipe source: The Sisters Cafe}

2 T butter

1 onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 stalks celery, diced

2-3 carrots, peeled and diced

3 cups chicken broth

1 lb red potatoes, cut in quarters

1 cup milk

4 T flour

1 8oz package cream cheese (1/3 less fat), very soft

1 lb chicken, cubed and cooked

salt

pepper

dried (or fresh) parsley

Optional: mushrooms, spinach, corn, ham or bacon (in place of chicken)

In large pot melt butter and saute onions, celery, carrots, potatoes and garlic. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Add chicken broth and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, whisk milk and flour vigorously until well blended and non-clumpy. While stirring, pour milk/flour into soup pot and cook about 4 minutes until soup begins to thicken. Add very soft cream cheese into pot a little at time, stirringly thoroughly to remove clumps. Add cooked chicken and heat through. Season with plenty of salt, pepper, and some dried parsley too. Serve hot!

30-Minute French Baguettes

If you're looking for the quickest way to get fresh from the oven french bread onto your dinner table look no further. This is the perfect recipe for not-planning ahead or no extra time homemade bread. I have a great regular method french bread recipe I shall share sometime, but for now if you just want it in a hurry give this a try.

Because it isn't allowed much rising time, it's a much more dense bread. I happen to love that characteristic in a bread and it holds up extremely well to being dipped in thick delicious soup. Which is precisely what we did and you're gonna love that recipe when it's shared in the next post. My mouth waters!

30-Minute French Baguettes

{Recipe from Barefoot and Baking}

2 cups very warm but not boiling hot water

2 1/4 t yeast

2 T honey

1 1/2 t salt

4 cups+ flour

Preheat oven to 425. In bowl of mixer combine very warm water, yeast, and honey. Give it a quick stir and then let sit for 10 minutes until yeast it bubbly. Turn mixer on, add salt, and 2 cups of flour. Mix for 2 minutes. Add 1 more cup flour and mix. Switch to dough hook and add approximately one more cup of flour. Dough should be soft and tacky, but not sticky. Knead in mixture about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Remove dough ball from bowl, knead by hand a few times, adding a light bit more flour if you think it needs it.

Divide dough into 4 equal parts. Roll each piece into a rope, about 10-12 inches long. Twist 2 pieces together, pinching ends to secure. Place 2 twists side by side on cookie sheet and you can either pop straight into the oven or if you have some more time allow to raise briefly until ready to bake (15-30 minutes is good). Bake at 425 for 15-18 until light golden. Brush with butter straight out of oven and serve.

TIP: Place a cookie sheet on the very bottom rack of oven and after placing bread dough cookie sheet on middle rack, toss about 4 cups of ice cubes onto the bottom rack cookie sheet and immediately close door. This is supposed to help create the crust that french bread is famous for!

Creamy Lemon Blueberry Bars

Praise be, I think I may have found the absolute best lemon bar method around! These bars are great if you like the more traditional route, but if you find yourself wanting more creaminess and zero eggy-ness I've got you covered. They have the most phenomenal texture thanks to the sweetened and condensed milk, it's almost custard like and boy do I love all things custard. The addition of blueberries, although not needed, was delightful. It really helped to "sweeten" things up just enough while still leaving that great fresh, tart lemon-y tang. The original recipe called for a graham cracker crust, but I'm not a fan so opted for the sweetened shortbread base and really think it made a great recipe truly fabulous. Although these seem like a perfect summer dessert, we'll be eating them year round. A little shot of sunshine-y goodness in my mouth is always a good thing, especially in the throes of winter. Lemon bars for Thanksgiving AND Christmas ;0)

P.S. I have a real problem with "-y ing" everything don't I?!

Creamy Lemon Blueberry Bars

{Filling adapted from Cook Like a Champion via Two Peas and Their Pod with crust recipe from King Arthur Flour. may half recipe for both crust and filling and bake in 8x8 pan if desired}

Crust:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

2 cups flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Filling:

4 large egg yolks

2 (14 ounce cans) sweetened and condensed milk

1 cup fresh lemon juice

2 t lemon zest

1 1/2-2 cups fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350. Cut butter into flour and powdered sugar (I recommend doing this in a food processor, comes together in a jiffy and it's nice and combined, no crumby mess hassle) and press into bottom of 9x13 pan lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes, until just barely starting to color. Set aside to cool a bit while moving onto filling.

For filling:

Whisk together all filling ingredients except blueberries until smooth and well combined. Gently fold in blueberries. Pour filling onto crust and bake at 350 for 15-20, until just set.

Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for at least and hour before cutting. Serve chilled or at almost room temp (my preference). Keep leftovers refrigerated, 3-4 days in airtight container.

Chile-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Apricot Glaze

Another hit from Mels Kitchen Cafe. Super tender pork loin with a sweet, spiced glaze. This was full of flavor and made our Sunday dinner most enjoyable! The pork was almost too tender (is that even possible?!) for my tastes and I wondered how this would work with pork chops. The answer I'm pretty sure is: wonderfully. If you try that route just rub the spice mixture onto both sides of the chop, let marinate, then give them a quick sear in olive oil on the stove and pop them in the oven to finish cooking. Be sure to both baste them with the glaze and serve remaining sauce along side them just as you would the tenderloin. Delish!

Chile-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Apricot Glaze

{Recipe Source: Mels Kitchen Cafe}

2 1 lb pork tenderloins (or chops, see above)

Spice Rub:

1 T chili powder

1 T garlic powder

1/2 T sugar

1 t salt

1/2 t black pepper

Glaze:

1 1/2 cups apricot jam

1/2 cup barbeque sauce

1 t grated fresh ginger

1/2 t garlic powder

1/2 t hot sauce (such as Tabasco)

2 small limes, juiced

optional: chopped fresh cilantro, about 2 T

Rinse and trim excess fat from tenderloins. Combine spice rub ingredients in a small bowl. Generously rub all sides of tenderloins with spices and then cover and refrigerate for 2-24 hours.

Prior to roasting, combine the glaze ingredients minus lime juice and optional cilantro in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and warm just till the mixture starts to bubble. Remove from heat, add lime juice and cilantro and reserve half for basting and half for serving.

Roasting method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the tenderloins in a 9x13 dish lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes. Brush generously with glaze. Bake 15 more minutes and again brush with glaze. Bake an additional 10 minutes* or until the pork reaches 160 degrees internally. Remove from oven, tent with foil and let rest 3 minutes before slicing on a slight diagonal. Serve hot with reserved glaze alongside.

*I used a meat thermometer and the time noted and found it to be pretty much spot on, maybe just a few minutes longer needed. So if you don't have an internal thermometer never fear it will be cooked perfectly, plus it continues to cook during the resting period.

Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Ahhh Ranch, America's dressing of choice. We buy enough of this stuff I thought it high time I tested the homemade version and was delighted to find that homemade is definitely all it's cracked up to be! It has found a permanent home in my arsenal. It was surprisingly tasty and easy to make with ingredients that aren't so secret after all and we loved it. That's not to say I won't still have a bottle of store-bought in my fridge door for pure convenience. But it's nice to know if I want to take things up a notch that it doesn't take long to whip up a batch, plus it keeps in the fridge for a week or so. However, ours won't last that long I'm sure.

Homemade Buttermilk Ranch

{I found the spice amounts a bit lacking when following this recipe to a T. I don't think I would be amiss in saying that you can double the amount of spices but still leave the wet ingredients amounts as called for, with some possible tempering as needed, and find great success. I'll leave it up to you and your tastes, but just know that's my game plan from here on out! Original non-doubled spice amounts recipe follows...source: Our Best Bites}

1 cup+ mayo

2/3 cup buttermilk

~If you find the flavor level lacking, I recommend doubling the following spice list~

1/4 tsp white vinegar

1 t parsley

1/8 t dill

1/4 t garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1 1/2 tsp chives

1/8 t black pepper

1/4 t seasoned salt

1/8 t dry mustard

optional-fresh lemon juice

Combine mayo and buttermilk and whisk till smooth. Add vinegar and spices and stir to combine. Taste and adjust as needed. Recommend that this be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge so flavors have a chance to meld. Keeps for a week or more in airtight container in fridge.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

Who doesn't love sticking their finger or spoon into the cookie dough bowl and sneaking a taste for themselves? We've all done it, raw eggs and everything. And I don't know about you, but I never regret it one bit. So naturally when delightful and cute little tidbits like these came into my view I figured there was no way these wouldn't turn out as good as imagined. And they sure did. I took them to a social function and several adults (and of course children) came and told me they loved them. Sign of a good recipe I'd say.

Little balls of delicious "cookie" dough (no raw eggs in sight) are drenched in chocolate and sprinkled with tasty little mini-chips. Serve them straight from the refrigerator with a tall glass of cool milk just like you would a baked chocolate chip cookie. Try to go easy on the intake, they're extremely rich. One goes a long way, but why not go even farther? ;0)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

{Recipe from Annies Eats via Mels Kitchen Cafe with a few suggested changes from moi}

8 T butter at room temp

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 1/4 cup flour

1 (14oz.) can sweetened and condensed milk

1 t vanilla extract

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

optional: finely chopped nuts such as walnuts (my suggested addition, followed recipe as is first time will be adding these next time, I think they need the extra something to chew on!)

1 1/2 lbs melting chocolate (i used good quality semi-sweet chips, but will use milk chips next time as they are my preference)

Mini chips for garnish

Combine butter and brown sugar in mixer bowl and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add flour, sweetened and condensed milk, and vanilla; beat till well incorporated. Stir in mini chocolate chips and optional nuts. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate till mixture is firm enough to easily shape into balls.

Shape chilled cookie dough into 3/4-1 inch balls, I recommend erring on the small side as they are very rich. Place formed balls onto cookie sheet lined with wax paper, cover loosely, and freeze until firm. 1-2 hours.

When ready to finish truffles, melt 1 1/2 pounds (1 bag of choco chips is good) using in a bowl placed over a pot of simmering water, the double boiler method. Dip each dough ball in melted chocolate, removing excess and place back on wax paper lined cookie sheet. Quickly sprinkle each truffle with mini-chips before chocolate sets. Store finished truffles in fridge until ready to serve. Could also make in advance and freeze for longer term storage.

Tip: Use a bamboo skewer to dip. Spear each dough ball with skewer, stir around in chocolate to coat and use another skewer to gently "shave" off excess chocolate (especially around the bottom) before placing on cookie sheet.

Hearty Broccoli Cheese Soup

We're more than our fair share into "soup" days, there's a chill in the air that will only be getting colder and nothing takes the edge off like a bowl of warm soup. I'm a huge fan of cream-based soups, which is no surprise since I can't seem to stay away from the high fat diet. Why, oh why!? But really, who can resist cheesy, broccoli goodness in a bowl? This soup is almost stew-like, it's so thick. Leave your broccoli pieces a little on the larger size and you won't miss the meat! If it has to be cold at least there's soup like this to make-up for it. Almost.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

{An amalgamation of two soups with no recipe source that I can recall!}

In large soup pot, saute till soft:

1/4 cup butter

1 onion, diced

Add to make roux:

1/4 cup flour

Cook and stir constantly for 3-5 minutes.

Then pour in:

3 1/2 cups chicken broth

2 cups half-and-half

2 heads worth broccoli pieces (I use fresh not frozen broccoli, but I'm sure frozen would work)

Bring to boil and then put on lid, reduce heat, and simmer 20ish minutes.

Remove lid and gently stir in:

3+ cups grated sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese (I think extra sharp is better)

1 cup grated swiss cheese

Dash of nutmeg

Salt and Pepper to taste

Taste test and add more cheese, etc. if desired.

Serve! Re-warms nicely.

Caramel Iced Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oh fall, how we love the food you bring into our lives! Pumpkin, cinnamon, chocolate chips, and caramel icing=fall in wonderful cookie form. These are less cake-y then other pumpkin cookies I've made and I find I like both ways. If your pumpkin cookie recipe is the thick, cake-y kind, give these a try just to mix it up a bit. And then go and pair them with your favorite autumnal soup and you're set in both the fall meal department and the happy family at dinnertime department.

Caramel Iced Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

{The icing adds a nice fancy touch, but is not necessary. The cookies were fabulous plain too. Recipe source: The Sisters Cafe}

Cream together:

1/2 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter, softened

Then add:

1 cup pumpkin

1 t vanilla

1 egg

Sift together dry ingredients then add to above wet mixture:

2 cups flour

1 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

1 t cinnamon

1 t pumpkin pie spice (i just added a little nutmeg to the already called for cinnamon)

1/4 t salt

Add 1 cup milk chocolate chips and chopped walnuts to taste if desired.

Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Allow to cool then ice:

Icing:

In saucepan, heat 3 T butter and 1/2 cup brown sugar over medium heat until bubbling. Stir in 1/4 cup milk and 2 cups powdered sugar until smooth. While still warm drizzle over cooled cookies. If it gets too thick to easily drizzle just re-warm over low heat and try again.

Chicken with Tomato Herb Pan Sauce & Garlic Rice Pilaf

This my friends was a STELLAR meal! I sat there eating it, thinking "this is just as good as something I'd get at a great restaurant". It was just phenomenal. Pretty sure the family liked it too, I came home after rushing off to a meeting and there were practically no left overs. The chicken is made crispy and delightfully flavorful by browning in a seasoned butter and the tangy, juicy tomatoes are then seared and sauteed in that same butter. Such a simple, perfect pairing.

Our accompanying side dish was this oven baked garlic rice pilaf. It looks pretty low key, but take a bite and wham-o! there's a garlic and lemon party in your mouth! The texture of the rice really did something for me too-light and fluffy, each rice kernel separate from all the others. Although it's cooking time is a bit much, as long as you do a little planning ahead it's relatively hands off. And then just go ahead and combine a piece of chicken, a tomato or two, and some rice on your fork and you've died and gone to heaven just like me. I wanted to lick the platter when all was said and done and I'm betting you will too.

Chicken with Tomato Herb Pan Sauce

{Slightly adapted from Annie's Eats. Note: In thinking about it, I like the idea of cutting the grape tomatoes in half before sauteeing, all the yummy juice will come out without the crushing step-just a thought}

Chicken:

2 chicken breasts, butterflied and halved or pounded and halved

salt and pepper

flour for dusting (1/2 a cup or so)

Sauce:

2 T salted butter, softened

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 t fresh oregano, minced (or 1/2 tsp dried)

1/2 t sweet paprika (i just use what's in my cupboard, don't know if it's sweet or not!)

salt and pepper

2 t olive oil

2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes (red is most common, but a combo of yellow and red would look fantastic)

1/3 cup dry white wine or chicken broth

1 T minced fresh parsley (again with the 1/2 tsp dried route)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour on both side, shaking off excess, set aside.

In small bowl, combine butter, garlic, oregano, paprika, salt and pepper to taste. In a large skillet over medium hight heat melt 1 T of the oregano butter with 2 t olive oil. When hot, brown chicken on both sides, just get a good brown crust going but don't cook through--it will dry out. Place browned and almost cooked chicken in oven proof baking dish and place in oven to finish off. Maybe 10 minutes tops.

Meanwhile, using same saute pan (so long as the bits are brown and not black-otherwise get a new pan) add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to char and burst, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining butter mixture to pan. Crush the tomatoes slightly to release their juices and continue stirring until the butter is melted. Add the broth to the pan, scraping the bottom to loosen the browned bits. Cook for a minute more until well blended.

Transfer cooked chicken to individual serving plates or one large platter and top with the pan sauce. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Serves 4 adults.

Garlic Rice Pilaf

{After making this as is I think some slivered almonds would be a terrific addition.

Recipe source: Annie's Eats}

2 T butter

4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 cup long-grain white rice

2 1/2 cups chicken broth, divided

1/2 t salt

1/2 t fresh ground black pepper

Squeeze of lemon juice (1/2 a lemon)

optional: slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 375 and set aside a casserole dish (9x13 is fine). In a medium saucepan or skillet, melt butter over med-high heat. Add the rice and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently until the rice is golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of chicken broth and bring mixture to a boil. Pour into casserole dish, cover tightly with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 1/2 cups of broth and slivered almonds if using, recover and continue baking for an additional 45 minutes. About 15 minutes before it's done, uncover again, squeeze lemon juice over the rice and give it a stir. Re-cover and finish cooking.

Serves 4

Cheesy Rhodes Roll Pull-Aparts

I grew up on Rhodes rolls. Every sunday for dinner we had them. Some may snub their noses at a store bought dough, but come on people! We all know making bread from scratch on a regular basis isn't in the cards for most people, especially when the rest of the menu looms before you. So there is a place for rhodes rolls in everyone's life. And this preparation method means there's a frequent place for them in ours. Not to mention the beauty of it is that you can mix and match flavorings and cheeses for any number of other flavor combinations. Visit your freezer section for a bag of roll dough today...you'll thank me tomorrow!

Cheesy Rhodes Roll Pull-Aparts

12-14 frozen rhodes rolls, thawed but not risen and cut in half (or quartered if using texas style)

1/2 cup of butter, melted

3 green onions, chopped

1-2 cups grated cheese, colby jack is our go-to

Johnny's Salad Elegance seasoning (or another comparable brand)

Optional: bacon bits, homemade is best

Once frozen rolls have thawed enough to be soft, but before they raise, cut each roll in half. Coat each half with melted butter and place in greased 9X13 baking dish. Spread around a bit so they're evenly distributed. You want the pan to be fairly crowed so the rolls will raise "up" instead of "out". Sprinkle generously with salad elegance, green onions, cheese, and bacon bits if using. Cover with plastic wrap and let raise until doubled, just as directions suggest. Bake at 350 for 20+ minutes until golden, but not to crispy. May brush with any leftover melted butter you might have fresh out of the oven. Enjoy!

Possible variation: Garlic bread seasoning, mozzarella cheese, and green onions make a yummy italian meal friendly roll.