Delicious Simple Hamburger Buns

I love to cook and I find it comes in super handy when you have a family of our size. Being a family of 7, and a range of ages from 34 down to 9 months old, I have found that cooking from scratch makes it the easiest way to cater to everyone. Our family loves a good grilled burger but when we were buying buns I often found wasted food, and didn't care for the fact that the buns were often bland unless I paid quite a bit for them. A few years ago I began my search for a bun recipe and found one that's super simple, however, I have tweaked it to be just how we like it. The best part is I can make them exactly the size our family needs them (which is usually several different sizes depending on the kid). These buns are delicious, easy, and have a super moist and soft texture. Here's the recipe, let me know what you think!

Simple Hamburger Buns

1 C plus 2 TBS of very warm water (make sure it's not hot, but very warm)
2 T Dry Active Yeast
1/3 C Coconut oil (make sure it's in a liquid state)
1/4 C Sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 C All Purpose flour

Dissolve yeast in the warm water then lightly stir the oil and sugar (make sure not to over stir and kill your yeast). Let the mixture stand 3-5 minutes so yeast is well activated. You may notice some neat little chemical reactions with the activated yeast.
Next, stir in the egg, salt, and 2 cups of flour until everything is well combined. Add a little more flour until it forms a sticky ball of dough. Next turn out the dough onto a floured surface (I knead on parchment paper for easy cleanup). Knead the dough incorporating more flour as need to make a nice elastic dough.
Now divide the dough into 8-12 balls and place them on a baking sheet a few inches apart. I usually form my dough into thick circles rather than balls, making sure they are smooth. Cover and let them rise for 10-15 minutes. While they are rising set the oven to 425 F.
Bake for 8 minutes then place a small amount of butter on each roll/bun and place back in the oven for an additional 2-4 minutes, or until a golden brown.
Once finished let them cool on the counter, cut, and enjoy.

Let me know if you try them!

Tuscan Potato Soup- A Large Family Favorite

On a cold night, what could be more comforting than a big hearty bowl of delicious soup!?
This soup has become a family favorite around here and is sure to please your crowd. I did a vlog on YouTube showing just how easy it is and I doubled the recipe. The doubled recipe made a ton and we had some great leftovers for lunches the next two days!

Tuscan Potato Soup

1 lb of breakfast sausage (spicy would be great in this but not with young children)
1/2 of a red onion, diced
2 pieces of bacon, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 quart of chicken broth or 1 quart of water and 3 cubes of bouillon
1 1/2 pounds of potatoes (red or russet style work best) cut into large chunks
1/2 C heavy cream
1/2 bunch of kale, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

On medium high heat brown sausage. Once browned, drain and put aside in a separate bowl. Next, add onion and bacon, cooking for about 2 minutes before adding the garlic cooking for another 2 minutes or so. Add chicken broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are able to be pierced with a fork. Next, stir in heavy cream, kale, salt, and pepper. Let the soup simmer, stirring occasionally for 5-10 minutes.

I hope you enjoy this soup as much as our family does!

Basic Large Family Meat Sauce

Basic Large Family Meat Sauce

1lb ground beef or turkey

1lb sausage (Italian or breakfast style)

1/2 C onion diced

2 minced cloves of garlic

1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes

2 small cans of tomato paste

1 15oz can of tomato sauce

1/2 cup water 

2 T sugar

2 tsp Italian seasoning 

1/2 tsp fennel

Sprinkling of parsley