Cheesy Spinach Stuffed Pasta Shells

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/cheesy-spinach-stuffed-pasta-shells/

I think these are going to replace my manicotti recipe because they were so much easier. I didn't make her sauce but just opened a store bought bottle to make it easier. My favorite part was that I didn't have to stuff those tight manicotti shells.

Chocolate Banana Creamy Smoothie

This is kind of like the recipe that came from Mom but more creamy and sweet because it has sweetened condensed milk in it. 

3 drops of vanilla 

1/3 c sweetened condensed milk

2 T of cocoa

1 banana 

1 1/2 c milk

12 ice cubes

chocolate chip cookies

 http://realmomkitchen.com/349/chocolate-chip-cookies/

These have shortening. (and butter) but i have come to the conclusion as of now, that if I'm willing to eat-out once in a while, I can eat the dreaded shortening once in a while. It just makes the cookie as soft as I have always wanted. After trying so many recipies, this cookie is just about perfect to me and so I wanted to post it. I feel like there still might be room for improvement so i'll keep my heart open to other recipes. Our cookies didn't flatten as much as her picture shows.

Creamy Banana Orange Smoothie

I made up my own smoothie, loved it, and wanted to document so I can make it again!

1 peach activia yogurt single serving size
3 oranges peeled
2 bananas
3/4 c of milk
3/4 c of water
6 ice cubes

I used a blendtec but I think any blender will work. The oranges just might not be as smooth.

Glazed Lemon Zucchini Bread

 http://lilluna.com/glazed-lemon-zucchini-bread/
this was really good. A little chewy when I made it, but everything else outweighed that fact! Make sure and look at the tips at the end of the recipe. I did it at 375 for 40 min because I'm in high altitude, but it didnt' need 50 minutes. I used cake flour, but not sure it needs it and there were comments with subtitutes for it I would like to try next time because mine didnt end up very delicate even with limited stirring. and instead of canola oil, I used coconut oil, which made it super yummy. the glaze needed a bit more sugar so it wasn't so liquidy. Also, I didn't have lemons so I substituted a lot of lemon extract.

Bunny Buns

This is a recipe from Mom that she made a couple of years ago with the grand-kids from the Friend magazine. Julie made it this year for Easter but used her own roll recipe and shaped it like a bunny.  

Bunny Buns

1 package active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1 cup milk, warmed not quite to boiling

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup shortening

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons grated orange peel

5 1/2 cups flour, sifted

Glaze: 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup hot water, 1 teaspoon butter

1. 1. Wash hands with soap and water.
   
2. 2. Sprinkle yeast in the warm water and set aside.
   
3. 3. In another bowl, blend milk, sugar, shortening, and salt. Cool until lukewarm, then add eggs, water with yeast, orange juice, and orange peel.
   
4. 4. Stir in flour a few cups at a time to make a soft dough. Let stand for 10 minutes.
   
5. 5. Knead dough 5–10 minutes on a lightly floured surface until dough is smooth and elastic. Place it in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover bowl with a clean towel and put it in a warm place. Let dough rise for 2 hours, or until double in size. Punch dough down and let stand for 10 minutes.
   
6. 6. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a rectangle 1/2 inch thick. Cut dough into strips 1/2 inch wide and 14 inches long. Roll between hands into rounded snake shapes. Cut one strip into pieces 1/2 inch long, and roll into balls.
   
7. 7. Place one long piece of dough on a greased cookie sheet. Place one end of the strip over the other to make a loop; bring the end that is underneath up and cross it over the other end. Place a ball of dough on top of the bottom loop.
   
8. 8. Cover bunnies and let rise in a warm place for 45–60 minutes, until nearly double in size. Bake at 375ºF (190ºC) for 12–15 minutes.
   
9. 9. For the glaze, stir powdered sugar, water, and butter together. Frost bunnies with the glaze while they are still warm.
   

https://www.lds.org/friend/2011/04/bunny-buns?lang=eng

1-Hour Cinnamon Rolls (it took me 1.5 hours)

1-Hour Cinnamon Rolls

THIS recipe for cinnamon Rolls might not be the absolute best in the universe, but we really enjoyed them.  It took me a total of about 1.5 hours so keep that in mind. there may have been too much of the sugar mixture. I used 1 cup of whole wheat flour and I couldn't even tell there was wheat other than the fact that these hit your stomach like a rock. I used a 9X13 baking dish and divided dough into 12.